CHAPTER EIGHT

Daring To Dream

Hank awoke with a word on his lips: "Home."

They had all just crossed the threshold of the portal into the world they knew. Hank marveled at the sights and sounds and smells of the busy fairground. He looked at his friends � all smiles, cheers, and hugs. He realized he wasn't carrying his bow. Looking over his friends again, he saw that they didn't have their weapons either. And they were wearing the clothes they had worn that day that they got on the Dungeons & Dragons ride. They no longer looked like a bunch of medieval fair rejects. His heart lifted at the thought of life returning to normal, at the relief of no longer having to be their leader. He could simply be their friend, and possibly � hopefully � more to Sheila.

With a wide smile, he took a laughing Sheila into his arms and spun around.

"We're home!" he had shouted. But it had been a dream, and he was glad that his exclamation hadn't escaped him at the same volume as in the dream.

He wanted to go back to sleep and fall right back into it all, but it was not the time to become lost in a dream. Instead, he thought of how far they had traveled in the past five days � with no sign of Venger.

He wondered where he was, what he was doing, and how it was that Venger hadn't yet interfered in what Dungeon Master had said was their final quest before possibly going home. Venger couldn't pass up a chance at taking their weapons before they were gone for good. So where was he?

Not here, which was all that mattered, he told himself and left it at that.

He cleared his mind, and then listened to the night. It was so quiet. It seemed they'd crossed some invisible boundary as they traveled into No Man's Land. There was nothing around. No one. It made him all the more curious about the city they expected to find before the end of the coming day. Would it even be there? The map that Dungeon Master had given him did appear rather old. "Ancient" was more like it.

He had checked that old map more times than he could remember. He saw it in his mind now and matched its landmarks with the memory of those same locations they had passed already. It amazed him how far they had walked in only five days, but he knew they had all walked with renewed vigor that came with renewed hope. This would be it, he had told himself many times. This time, they'd get home.

Don't jinx it, Ranger. . . .

He raised himself onto his elbow, rubbed his eyes, and looked around. He knew it was close to time to take over night watch duty from Diana, but he wanted one more moment with his thoughts. It wasn't often that he had time to think by himself.

He looked to the stars, trying in vain to force something familiar � the Big Dipper or Orion � to emerge from the alien night sky as he had often done during their first nights in the Realm.

The possibility of going home. . . . Dare he allow himself to believe it? No more Dungeon Master, no more magical bow, no more . . . adventure. He had to admit, he liked the adventure . . . and the bow had grown on him, too.

Then, a thought caught him by surprise: It would actually take time for him to get used to being home again! His mind froze as if he had hit on something of grave significance, and then he felt the floodgates open to thoughts he knew could be dangerous at this crucial time.

Over the past three years, he had made choices that had affected all their lives. He was their leader, no matter how he tried to shake off that label in front of them. But he couldn't deny it, even to himself. He was what he was, and his position actually felt natural to him. How could he go back to a life where he had to obey his parents? He felt so far beyond that. He'd have to relearn what was expected of him and retrain himself to not act without their permission, to not walk out without telling them where he was going. He didn't know if he could live like that again. He didn't know if he wanted to, no matter how briefly.

He had made life and death decisions in the Realm, helped so many people against impossible odds, seen things that no one back home could begin to understand. He had even survived the coming of He Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken. Who on Earth could he tell that he had seen and felt the might of whom they would consider to be 'Satan'?

And sleeping beside Sheila, that would certainly be over, too. At least, for a while. He looked over at her sleeping form. The thought of sleeping alone in his bedroom brought no comfort. Just the opposite, in fact. In the Realm, he had a certain freedom that he knew he could never have at home.

And what about the rest of them? Hadn't they all formed a bond that was beyond friendship? It would be painful to be separated from them, he realized. They were his family, now. What would happen to that bond if they did make it home?

Oh, god! What the hell am I doing?

He fought to end those thoughts. He couldn't let himself see it that way. He knew he must not doubt. For the sake of his friends and all their families, he knew he must do all he could to get them all home.

He forced himself to find positives. No more Venger, no more Shadow Demon, no more orcs, . . . and no more sleeping on the ground!

With that thought, he rose. He straightened his tunic,and took a deep cleansing breath, and focused only on relieving Diana.

Her back was to him as she sat on the soft grass gazing up at the night sky. He didn't want to disturb her; he felt that she was probably thinking of Kosar. He realized that leaving the Realm was probably an issue she was having trouble dealing with as well. He purposely let a foot scuff the ground enough to make his presence known to her. Her head instantly turned to the ground and a hand went up to wipe at her cheek.

He didn't wait for her to get up. Instead, he sat beside her and put his arm around her.
"Hey, no need to hide your tears from me," he said, and smiled at her.

She rested her head on his shoulder. "We could be home in a matter of days, Hank. I . . . I always thought I'd see him again, you know, before going home. One last time," she said.

"Dungeon Master said you'd see him again. I have a feeling Kosar went to a place where he can watch over you whether you're in this world or ours. He'll be with you wherever you go."
She raised her head and looked at him. "Do you really think so?"

"I think we've been in this realm long enough to learn that just about anything is possible."

She looked back to the stars. "I hope you're right."

He hoped he was right, too. "Now try to get some sleep, OK?"

Diana nodded, started to get up, but then leaned over and kissed Hank on his cheek. "Thanks," she whispered.

He felt himself blush and smiled as he watched her go to lie down. Then he looked up at the same stars Diana had just looked to as she had thought of her dreams, and thought of his own.