Dreamwalker

4. Chapter 4

“Jade, bend your knees lower. You know the proper form; don’t be lazy.”

I bit back a remark and followed Professor Anderson’s instructions, easing my left leg lower to the ground. We were practicing for our Spring midterms, and even though I wasn’t too worried about my grade, I didn’t want to try my luck either.

Willow always warned me to pick my battles.

“Good,” My professor commented, and turned back to my other classmates, “Take it from the top!”

Like the rest of my class, I hurried over to my starting position, my new necklace bumping against my collarbone softly. Lucas had warned me not to let anyone remove the jewelry from my neck, so I just kept it on me at all times. I’d rather be safe than sorry.

The music began in the background, and the entire class moved in unison. We had practiced this routine so many times, I could do it in my sleep. There was nothing special or unique about the routine, and no one had a solo, so there was nothing to compete for either. We would be tested on how we added our own unique touch to the dance during exams, but first, we had to have the basics down.

The song ended lightly, and a bell began to softly toll across the room. The sound was muted, but loud enough for everyone to notice.

My professor frowned, turning to our backpacks and bags against the wall, “All of you know the rules for my class: No cell phones during class time. Whose phone is it?”

When none of us responded, she gave an annoyed sigh, and walked over to our bags. The bell continued ringing, so she went on a hunt to find the source of the sound… and it was coming from my bag.

“Whose bag is this?” Professor Anderson questioned with her eyebrow raised.

I stepped forward, walking towards my professor in confusion. That sound wasn’t my cell phone. It couldn’t be.

“You don’t know your own ringtone?”

“I know my ringtone, Professor Anderson.” I retorted. The sound finally stopped, and I pulled my phone out, showing my professor the screen, “See? No missed calls or texts.”

“Then what was it?”

“I don-,” We both paused as the bell began to chime again, this time a bit louder since I was holding my backpack open. I dug into my bag, moving things around until I found the source of the sound -- it was the pocket watch Lucas had given me. I opened the cover, and the bell stopped immediately. All 3 hands were pointing straight upwards, at 12 o'clock. I stared at the pocket watch a little longer, realizing that it was no longer keeping time.

“When this chimes, you can come back,” Lucas explained.

I thought back to the moment Lucas handed the pocket watch to me, re-evaluating his words. Did that mean it was already time for me to go back to the Onyx Kingdom? Had my powers actually “recharged” like Lucas had said?

“Looks like your watch is broken.” My professor commented over my shoulder, eyeing me critically, and breaking me from my train of thought.

“Still wasn’t my cell phone,” I muttered, rolling my eyes while I closed the watch’s lid, putting it back in my bag.

“Ok, now that our little break is over, let’s start over again. From the top!”

I still had class for another 45 minutes, but after my watch went off, I couldn’t focus. Willow and I had been searching for a shaman for an entire week, but we had yet to find one that wasn’t a fraud. The few leads we had to legit teachers all ended up with nothing. I wasn’t a single step closer to finding out about who or what I was, besides whatever came up in a Google search.

I called Willow as soon as I got out of class to tell her the news, but she was at work, and couldn’t get to her phone. By the time night fell, she was still busy, having some obligations with her family, but she promised to come over and check on me as soon as she could.

I came home after work, and tried to prepare myself in the best way I could. I knew that my leggings and sneakers would stand out amongst the elaborate clothing of the Onyx Kingdom, so I dressed in a floral printed maxi dress and a pair of black, ankle high dancing boots that I bought for a performance last year.

Since I wasn’t sure what to do about my hair, I just piled it up in a bun at the top of my head. It felt weird to dress in daytime attire for bed, but I wanted to test out whatever theories I could. It wasn’t like there was an instruction manual for what I was doing.

I sat on my bed, and grabbed my cell phone, typing up a note to log everything I was doing. When I was finished, I took a picture for reference. It seemed silly, but I’d need some sort of record for later.

After sending a text to tell Willow I was going to bed, I placed my phone on the charger, set my alarm for 9 am, and crawled in my bed. It was only 9 pm, but I didn’t want to wait. I had so many questions, and it seemed like Lucas was the only person that had answers.

As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered how Prince Jun was doing, and if he was wondering about me too. Light filled my vision, and in no time, the familiar tick-tock of grandfather clocks filled my ears. This time, I was transported directly to Lucas’ shop, and apparently, he wasn’t in it.

I took my time to walk around the store, finding all manner of old, antique goods decorating the shelves. I was examining an old, ornately decorated jewelry box when I noticed a staircase at the western end of the room. I didn’t see that the last time I had entered.

The door opened, and Lucas emerged from the top of the stairs, wearing a pair of PJs and yawning. He waved sheepishly when he saw me standing there with my arms crossed.

“You came back a lot faster than I expected, Jade.” He said by way of greeting, stretching his arms over his head. “I haven’t even gotten dressed yet.”

“Faster than you expected? I’ve been gone for a week?”

“Has it really been a week?” Lucas wondered out loud, tilting his head curiously.

“All these clocks in here, and you can’t tell time?” I retorted sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

Lucas grinned, “Time doesn’t mean anything here.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but then I recalled Lucas telling me that he was much older than I thought he was. I eyed him cautiously -- was he immortal?

“Since you’re here, that must mean someone is calling for you again.”

“You said that last time I was here too… How would I know who’s calling me?”

“Who is the first person you saw when you arrived in the Onyx Kingdom?”

“Wen Junhui. The Eldest Prince.” I replied, the Prince’s handsome face flashing in my mind’s eye.

Lucas nodded, tapping his chin thoughtfully, “He’s probably the one that called you then.”

“How do I know?”

“Well, you could ask him?” Lucas suggested, as if that would be so easy.

“Ugh, you’ve got to be joking right now.”

“There's not much else we can do. I have no way to find out whose magic called you here -- I only know you were summoned. Guardians don’t have all the answers, only some.”

“And what do you do? As a Guardian, I mean.”

Lucas’ face shifted into a somber expression that I’d never seen on his cheerful face before, “My job is to protect the gate. If an enemy enters the door, I must protect the two worlds, and if I have to: close the door.”

I swallowed nervously, contemplating exactly what those words meant, “...How do you close the door?”

“With my life.” Lucas stared directly into my eyes, admitting the answer with a straight face… Until he howled in a fit of laughter, a grin spilling across his lips while he pointed and laughed, “Look at your face!”

“Damn it, Lucas!” I cursed, ready to smack him. I pounced, reaching for his arm, but just as I went to shake some sense into him, the back door opened wide, white light spilling into the shop.

“Looks like you’ll have to hit me later, Jade,” Lucas told me with an amused smile, stepping out of reach. “Try to stay there long enough for me to have breakfast, ok?”

I shook my head, ignoring him while I headed over to the door, stepping into the white light with a little more confidence this time. I knew I wasn’t going to die this time, but if our guess was correct, and Jun was the person calling for me, then I needed to find out way.

I couldn’t help gasping in shock when I realized I was floating in the sky this time. I was hovering in the clouds with a bird’s eye view of the city I had come to know as the Onyx Kingdom. I could see a towering mountain range far in the distance, with peaks that nearly reached as high as I stood. There was a desert, far off to the East, lined by what I could only guess was an ocean. I couldn’t see anything much further from there and apparently, I wasn’t meant to as my body began to descend to the Earth below. I squeezed my eyes shut as I drew closer and closer to the largest set of buildings for miles, at what I could only assume was the palace.

I materialized through the ceiling, opening my eyes when I felt the soft caress of ribbons and streamers rushing past me. There were people below me, and I panicked, pulling down some of the drapes and decorations that had been hung from the walls. I could hear lively music playing as I fell, and a flurry of movement was happening underneath me. People were dancing.

All of a sudden, the music came to a screeching halt, and I crashed into a screaming crowd of women, as they hurried to get out of my way. I landed on what seemed like a platform or dias in the center of the room. This placed was different than the last room I woke up in. It was huge -- "big" didn't even begin to describe the space I was in.

There were rows and rows of people standing behind small, personal tables. All of the men had been arranged on one side, while the women sat on the other. In front of the dias was a path that led up ten steps, where four women sat at larger tables, two on either side of the landing. Another set of stairs continued upward, where an elegant woman sat on a small throne, with three women attending to her. Beside her seat, was a much larger, golden throne, where an intimdating man and a coy woman sat together, both of them staring at me.

I pressed a hand to my face, groaning in pain. I had landed on my arm, and it did nothing to cushion my fall. I made a mental note to ask Lucas to help me figure out a way to move between the worlds without doing a damn eagle dive every time.

“Who dares to interrupt my Noble Consort’s feast?! MEN!!” A furious voice exploded from the throne at the northern portion of the room, and I tried to stand up to see who it was, but my legs were still shaking from my fall. Instead, I lifted my head, forcing myself to sit up.

A stampede of menacing soliders came from the massive doors at the back of the throne room, and soldiers poured in from all sides, spears and swords drawn. I stared wide-eyed, unsure of what to do. The room was utterly silent, except for one person moving slowly towards me on my left.

“Jade…?” The sound of a familiar voice was a balm to my ears, and I turned to find none other than the Eldest Prince of the Onyx Kingdom, Junhui Wen staring at me in confusion. He was dressed elegantly today, in an inky black fabric covered in golden accents. His long, lovely hair was set on top of his head in a sleek topknot, hidden by a crown just big enough to hold his tied up hair. He crept closer, recognition flashing across his features, picking up the pace.

Still, the soldiers waited.

“Jun-!” I began, but was abruptly cut off by a woman on the opposite side of the dias. She focused an angry gaze on me, pointing an accusatory finger in my direction.

“You dare address the Eldest Prince by his first name?! Brother, who is this tactless peasant?!” She shouted, and Jun sighed, climbing up the dias to reach me. He took my hand and slowly helped me to my feet.

“Eldest Prince, you’d better have a good explanation for this.” The bearded man on the throne uttered, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that that man was most likely the King… and also, Jun’s father.

Jun bowed his head low, pushing into my back to make me do the same, “Of course, Royal Father.” He stood straight, tugging my hand to pull me forward, “This girl is my surprise for Favored Consort Chu’s birthday!”

A lovely woman with wide, feline shaped, chestnut brown eyes stood from beside the King, coming around the table that separated them from the rest of us down below, “Oh? And who is this curious creature?”

Jun shot me a look, and I shook my head slightly, not sure what he was asking, “This is Jade. She is a… ah...”

“D-Dancer!” I blurted out, my head still bowed.

Jun cut his eyes at me once again, and continued, “A Priestess, from the Jade Mountains.”

“A Dancing Priestess? What manner of title is this?” Jun’s sister barked, in a tone of disbelief.

“Only the highest, most precious members of the Jade Sect are taught to dance, Princess Xu -- this is common knowledge across the world.” Jun remarked, with a sly smile. “Jade was raised in seclusion by the highest members of the Sect -- today is her first day in the Secular world.”

“Well, she certainly doesn’t look like a priestess,” Another woman commented, standing beside Princess Xu. She looked a bit younger than the Princess, but I could tell they weren’t that far apart in age. She was probably one of Jun’s sisters as well.

“My sweet Little Sister, I’m often told you don’t look much like a princess either,” Jun joked, making everyone in the room laugh, except the subject of his teasing.

“Silence!” The King shouted, drawing all our attention back to him. Everyone closed their mouths immediately, bowing to the ground as low as possible. I followed suit, just in case. “If the Eldest Prince went through such pains to bring this rare treat out into the world, then I can allow this supposed Priestess to show us a Holy Dance in honor of Favored Consort Chu.”

Jun gave me a pleading look with his eyes, shaking his head only once before resuming his bow, “Royal Father, I fear-”

The King held up his hand, forcing him to be quiet, “The Priestess will dance.”

I gave Jun a comforting smile, nodding, “I will dance in honor of the Favored Consort.”

Jun bit his lip, holding back a frown, but returned my nod anyway. He stepped away from me slowly, taking his time to step off of the dias. I took a deep breath, and turned towards the King and his Consort, hoping that whatever my next move was, it wouldn’t get me killed. I have no idea what happens if I die in this Dream World, and I definitely wasn’t trying to find out.

The King waved his hand and the soldiers that had surrounded us stepped away -- not too far off, but just enough to give us some breathing room.

“Play the music,” Jun called from behind me, and in moments, the distinct sounds of a zither began to echo softly throughout the room.

I started off by moving through two Ballet positions, raising my hands high above my head. The tune was slow, and so I followed along, curving my arms in an arc on either side of me, to stretch my arms and legs a bit. I let the music control my limbs, while in my mind, I ran through the basics of every Eastern folk dance I had ever learned or read about in Dance Appreciation.

I began to sway my hips and shimmy in traditional Belly Dancing form. My legs, hands, fingers, and toes moved all on their own, and I just let the music take over, even while every gaze in the throne room was set on me. My middle school dancing teacher always told me that dancers are much more than “just” dancers.

We’re writers, photographers, painters -- everything the human body is capable of can be expressed in our dance; in our faces. I was afraid for my life, but the fear didn’t consume me because dancing could save me. It would always save me.

I dipped and twirled in my best rendition of an Indian Kathak dance. I turned to face the crowd gathered behind me, catching sight of Jun. He was watching me intently, and I focused my gaze on him. I didn’t have a fancy costume or high-tech lighting, but I had my body, I had music, and best of all, I had him.

I stepped forward, artistically, slowly, taking my time to saunter in his direction. There was a fan at his waist that instantly caught my eye. I never looked away from Jun though, and I could see from the way he was standing, transfixed, that he wasn’t going to run away from me either. I lightly removed the fan from his hip and cracked it open with a flick of my wrist, causing a few of the onlookers to jump in surprise.

The music sped up. A second zither, plus a flute, joined in with the first zither to pick up the pace. The fan was light, but it felt sturdy against my fingertips. I closed it with another loud snap, and tossed it into the air, catching it easily, and sliding it back open again.

The tempo exploded, reaching a frantic pace. I kept up with the tempo, executing three full spins, consecutively. My arm was starting to ache so I switched the fan to my other hand; the one I hadn’t fallen on.

I glanced in the direction of the first zither player, trying to take in his appearance. The expression in his eyes looked tired, his fingers struggling to keep up with the pace he set. He wouldn’t be able to keep up much longer, and neither would I.

The music peaked, and then fell, reaching the final cadence. I took in a deep breath, snapped the fan shut, tossed it as high above me as I could, and slid down to the floor, in a fully extended split. The final note played as the fan dropped into my hand. I flicked it open and fanned myself slowly as the end of my performance. I was gasping for breath, and my fingers ached.

Consort Chu was standing at the end edge of the steps leading to the throne, wide open, and she was the first to begin clapping enthusiastically. Everyone followed her reaction; some people going so far as to cheer for me, while I remained on the ground.

I slowly stood up, wincing at the throbbing in my arm. The King stood from his throne, and the applause vanished, as if it never happened.

“Favored Consort, did you enjoy the performance?” He asked, coming down the steps to stand beside his lover.

“It was the best gift of the night, Your Majesty.” She replied coily, winding her arms around his neck seductively.

The King nodded succinctly, turning towards me, “You... girl. Are you actually a Priestess from the Jade Sect?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” The lie slipped easily from my lips.

“Then, you shall be rewarded for your service. Fourth Prince, bring the girl forward and accept my decree.”

Jun came around to the front of the dias and reached for my waist, setting me to the ground gently, and leading me closer to the King. Together, we bowed low to the ground. I had no idea what to say so I kept my head down while Jun spoke for both of us.

“We humbly await the Emperor’s decree.” He stated solemnly.

“This Priestess has proven her loyalty and devotion to the Kingdom. For her service, she shall be rewarded the title of High Priestess, and henceforth, shall be charged with maintaining the divine favor of the Eldest Prince for the rest of her life.”

“YOUR MAJESTY! PLEASE DO NOT-!” A tormented voice cried out at the back of the throne room, and though I couldn’t see it, I heard someone fall to the ground behind me, sobbing uncontrollably. I glanced at Jun curiously from the corner of my eye, since I had no idea at all what that meant, and he shook his head, sighing in disappointment.

“I have made my decision! Someone! Remove that woman!”

“Royal Father, we have heard, and will abide by your decree.” Jun murmured, and it seemed as though he was unimpressed with the scene at the back of the throne room. “We thank you for your grace.”

I repeated the phrase, knowing that these royal types loved feeling like they actually did something.

The King nodded, “Good. You may take the High Priestess to your palace, so that she may become more acquainted with her new home.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” We said in unison, and Jun reached over to grab my arm once again, helping me to stand up and back away from the King slowly. Neither of us said anything as he led me by the rows and rows of people still sitting standing in the throne room. It wasn’t until the massive doors were closed behind us that he finally spoke, dropping my hand as if it burned him.

“Who are you, Jade? And what are you?!”

End Chapter 4