“Yeah,” Cole said.
“What’s out there?”
“Other weird stuff,” Cole said.
Amanda returned with four bowls, two in her hands, two on her forearms. “You don’t think we’re part of a dream?”
“Feels that way sometimes,” Mira said. “Especially this place. But it’s all real.”
“Don’t all dream people think they’re real?” Amanda asked. “How can characters in a dream tell how real they are? Brady thought he was the dreamer. I couldn’t argue with him since he made me. He used lots of good details. I can remember what it was like to be awake, even though I’ve never woken. I started to wonder if he was dreaming inside of somebody else’s dream. That would make me a dream of a dream.”
“You’re hurting my brain,” Twitch said.
Amanda gave a brash laugh. “I know how you feel! Don’t worry, if you think you’re real, who am I to contradict you? I don’t care how real you are. It’s nice to find anyone that isn’t trying to kill me.”
“You mentioned we could walk out of here,” Mira said. “Were you serious?”
Amanda narrowed her eyes. “You’re not spies, are you? Did the bad guys send you to learn my secrets?”
“You said there haven’t been new enemies here since Brady left,” Cole reminded her.
“True,” Amanda said. “After Brady left, this place stopped changing. Maybe you are real! The only other people who’ve come from outside were grown-ups. If they can’t outsmart a dinosaur, that’s their problem.”
“How can we walk out of here?” Mira asked.
“Easy,” Amanda said, leaving the room for a moment. She returned with plastic skeleton masks. “Wear these.”
“Are you kidding?” Jace exclaimed. “They followed us when we were in our autocoach. That hid us way better than a mask!”
“If you’re so smart, maybe I’m wrong,” Amanda said. “Maybe these masks haven’t worked perfectly for years and years.”
“You’re a semblance,” Jace pointed out. “They probably don’t chase you whether or not you have a mask.”
“They didn’t chase Bertram,” Cole added.
“I don’t know Bertram,” Amanda said. “Maybe Brady didn’t make him. Brady made me as a companion. His nightmares always chased me. They still chase me if I don’t wear a mask. But when I have a mask on, they do nothing. None of them. We came up with the idea right before the Blind Ones got Brady. He thought it would work, so it did. It’s his Dreamland after all. And then he wasn’t around to make any of the bad guys outsmart the trick.”
“We just wear plastic skull masks and walk out of here?” Cole checked.
“Yep,” Amanda said. “But first try some popcorn.”
Cole emerged from the metal tunnel cautiously. Despite Amanda’s assurances, it seemed ridiculous that anything would be fooled by him wearing a plastic skeleton mask and his regular clothes. Ready to dash back to the tube, he advanced cautiously, Jumping Sword in hand.
The tunnel had deposited him on ground level at the edge of the elaborate playground. Skeletons wandered around at random. No horns blew. The organization they had shown when converging earlier was gone. One skeleton wearing a shabby monk’s robe came near enough for Cole to reach out and touch it. Cole held still, trying to look more casual than he felt. The skeleton walked right past him.
Mira, Jace, and Twitch joined Cole. Behind them, Amanda watched from the tunnel, a mask covering her face as well. After they had filled up on hot buttered popcorn and cool lemonade, she had assured them that they could do whatever they wanted, including talk, as long as they kept the masks on.
Mango swooped down and landed on Mira’s shoulder. The cockatiel pecked gently at one of her hairpins. “Don’t tell me those masks actually work!” the bird squawked.
“Looks that way,” Mira whispered. “We should be able to stroll out of here.”
Cole kept watching the skeletons. Mira’s conversation with Mango didn’t seem to attract any notice.
“I told Bertram to wait for us past the edge of Brady’s Wilderness,” Mira said. “Think you could guide us to him?”
“The road winds a lot,” Mango said. “If you use your renderings, I might be able to help you catch him before he gets there.”
Mira turned to Cole. “What do you think?”
He felt flattered that she consulted him. “We don’t want to be too conspicuous. It would be bad if moving fast made our masks come off.”
“Let’s stay on the ground unless we need to dodge a random dinosaur,” Twitch said. Amanda had warned that there was still the chance of getting in the way of a large monster through bad luck. Sometimes skeletons got squished by accident.
“Fine with me,” Jace said. “I still can’t believe we might survive this. I had every intention of getting away, but it would have been rough.”
“We’ll just walk,” Mira said.
“I’ll lead you,” the bird said, flying forward.
Cole walked along, sword in hand, watching the skeletons ignore him. Some skeletons wore the remains of burial wrappings. Some wore filthy military uniforms. Many wore nothing. Of those that wore nothing, some were more polished and in better repair than others. Most carried some sort of weapon.
The Shaper’s Flail followed along behind them, links clinking softly. The skeletons paid it no attention.
They passed many wonders. A three-level carousel rotated to calliope music, ornate statues of horses pumping up and down on their brass poles. A herd of massive Brachiosaurs waded through swampy terrain, tearing long strands of string cheese off white trees. A banana split the height of an office building threw long shadows as chocolate syrup and caramel seeped down creamy slopes.
Cole didn’t feel like talking. Neither did the others, apparently. They just followed Mango and tried to stay out of the paths of the aimless skeletons.
The cockatiel led them well. The only monsters they encountered were skeletons, which roamed in such ridiculous numbers that they were unavoidable. Plastic dinosaurs could occasionally be seen in the distance. Cole glimpsed far-off flying creatures a couple of times, and once he saw some shambling mounds moving across a remote field. Otherwise the long march was uneventful.
Late in the day, Cole tore a piece from a glazed doughnut that was larger than a tractor tire. The others claimed handfuls as well, carefully eating the morsels under their masks. None of the skeletons showed interest.