Page 48 of Snatched By the Sandman

We’re just leaving the House of Mirrors—me wearing an off-the-shoulder white top with a large black butterfly in the center and a ruffly miniskirt with Morpheus back in his usual attire—when a massive tail with iridescent scales flicks my leg.

As the tail coils around my ankle, I choke on a gasp, but Morpheus growls and surges his shadows, forcing the tail to uncoil.

When I look up, a howl tears through my mind. A great, serpentine creature with shimmering, luminescent scales slithers all over the dreamscape—this carnival that I wove into being.

“Gods, not again!” Morpheus rolls his eyes and huffs as the creature changes color to a scarlet red. Its eyes are luminous and hypnotic, and its body moves with a fluid, almost ethereal grace.

“What is it?” I wonder as the serpent crawls through the carousel of real horses that stomp their hooves at the invasion.

“Astral beast,” he explains. “They wander here and there. But they should not be allowed within a dream-woven world. They disturb walkers. Not truly harmful, but they are more of an annoyance. Ahh, fuck,” he curses, and I swing my head to the right.

A powerful lion bounds toward us, its mane crackling with lightning and fur that shifts between stormy grays and blues. It has a wild energy, both profound and primal. I duck behind Morpheus as he sends a wave of shadows to force the creature back.

When the lion retreats, Morpheus turns to me, cups my chin, and leans in to kiss my brow. “I must handle this. Return to the House of Mirrors. I’ll meet you there soon.”

“You’re leaving me?” I scrunch my brows.

“Won’t be long, my wonder.” He winks and combs a hand through my hair. “Remember, you may weave anything into being. If you wish for a fluffy dragon to protect you, you may.”

Tempting.

“Good gods,” he huffs as the lion bounds past the floating Ferris wheel with each basket ride themed after a different habitat. It and the serpent prowl one another around the carousel.

I shake my head with an airy laugh as he turns away and advances towards the astral creatures. Shrugging, I make my way back toward the House of Mirrors, only for the sky to shift in color.

Narrowing my eyes on the landscape, I stare at the swirling vortex of colors and patterns, hues constantly changing from dark purples and deep blues to bright oranges and fiery reds. Even the sun and moon rapidly cycle through phases, fusing in strange, impossible alignments.

None of this is me. That much I know.

The air around me crackles with a foreboding tension. And then, the ground begins to crack and split.

Panic rips through me. I launch into a run, headed for the closest building, but it crumbles under the weight of the ground caving in. I stumble from the foundation shaking all around me but scramble to my feet.

I spin my head all around but find no trace of the serpent and lion. Where’s Morpheus? I highly doubt I can dream weave him into being.

When lightning cracks against the sky, I throw myself against a carnival game booth, hiding under the canopy. More lightningarcs through the sky, but ghostly images parade across the expanse instead of pure light—as if they are from different times—flashes of ancient battles, prehistoric creatures, futuristic technologies, and long-forgotten faces.

What the hell is going on?

Roars and the clashing of armies, haunting melodies all create a cacophony of noises ringing throughout the ages.

Dread thickens inside my blood as ghosts pour out from the sky, monsters, and humankind alike.

So swept up in the mayhem, I don’t realize what’s happening until the ground beneath me collapses.

A scream tears from my throat as I fall—forever falling. I catch the very edge of a rock, holding on for dear life, relying on all my climbing training. My muscles strain, protesting. Sweat beads on my brow.

Don’t look down. But I do and find a depthless gorge of darkness. Horrific thoughts scramble through my brain, once again making me wonder if I die in this place, do I die in real life?

Chapter 16

I tear off after Zenya, following the little weaver into the world of her imagination.

HECATE

“Mother Earth” by Within Temptation

“Imaginary” by Evanescence

---