The Sleeping Beauty - Book 1 - Chapter 9
“Can I say something to you without you getting offended?” Jamil said as she drove back toward school.
Fairy tales are real.
Rose Briar is a diabetic college student without insurance. She’s been scraping by through a combination of maxing out credit cards and relying upon the kindness of strangers.
Unfortunately, she’s spent every dollar at her disposal. There’s no money left to buy her life-saving insulin.
Without her medication, Rose falls into a diabetic coma. She tumbles into a deep slumber and wakes up in a fantastical place called the Dream Realm, where fairy tales and legends of old are still very much alive.
She has one chance to wake up.
She must trek across the world, visit the most powerful object in the land, the Obsidian Spindle, and entreat with the fates; the only beings powerful enough to send her soul back to Earth.
But evil forces don’t want her to leave. They will stop at nothing to capture her and make sure she never goes home again.
Now, with the help of her half-gorgon girlfriend and a mysterious red rider, Rose must race across the land fighting dragons, monsters, and the forces of the Wicked Witch, Nimue, in order to reach the Obsidian Spindle before her body dies on Earth and she’s trapped in the Dream Realm forever.
Will she be able to wake up? Can she survive? Find out by reading The Sleeping Beauty today. If you love mythology, fairy tales, and dark fantasy, then you’ll love the first book in The Obsidian Spindle Saga.
Paid subscribers can access the entire archive of this series from the beginning, along with other series and every article I’ve ever written. If you aren’t a paid subscriber, you can access the archive for free with a 7-day trial.
“Can I say something to you without you getting offended?” Jamil said as she drove back toward school.
“No,” I replied. “The answer to that has never been yes ever in the history of the world, but now you have to tell me, and deal with me being offended.”
Jamil laughed. “Fine. I don’t mean this to be offensive, but it probably will be.”
“Just get on with it.”
“You are really bad at hiding it.”
“Hiding what?”
Jamil snickered. “Come on. Your makeup looks like it was done by a child, and there’s a green tinge on your arms, legs, and neck. Do you even use concealer on the rest of your body?”
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
Jamil smiled, and then snapped her fingers. Instantly, she was the color of wood, and the texture of it as well. Her eyes were green, and her ears were pointed. “I’m very good at concealing myself.”
“What are you?” I said, skittering back against the door.
“A dryad.”
“A wood nymph?”
“I don’t like the term ‘nymph’,” Jamil chuckled. “It implies I’m small and whimsical, and, as you can see, I’m neither of those things. Now, I’m going to turn back into my human form. Otherwise, everyone who drives past us will freak out.”
Jamil snapped her fingers again, and she turned back into a human. In many ways, she was more human than I’d ever been.
“How did you do that?”
“See this amulet around my neck?” Jamil pulled a golden chain hidden under her shirt. A red ruby shone in the middle of it. “My friend sells them. He sells all sorts of magical stuff out of his dorm room. That’s why we’re going to see him. He knows more about magic than anybody I know.”
“And your friend is—”
“He’s a vampire. Don’t make it a big thing. He hates humanity, but he fears death too much to end it all. He’s kind of a bummer, but he’s nice enough.”
I sighed. “How long have you known about me?”
“Literally as long as I’ve known you. I mean, it took me a day or so to figure out you were a gorgon, but the monster part, that was almost instantaneous. You literally reek of monster. Probably why you’re so easy to find.”
“Hey!”
“What? I go to the same school as you and I haven’t been found by monster hunters, literally ever. Meanwhile, you’re like a homing beacon to them. How many times have they tracked you down? By my count it’s twelve, but a couple of those black eyes could’ve been from bar fights, I guess.”
“No, they were all monster hunters.” I crossed my arms in a snit, but I couldn’t deny she was right. “You know, I am offended by that.”
“That doesn’t make it any less true.”
“I know. That makes me even more offended.”
Waverly Hall was on the far end of campus closest to the woods, which gave it shade all throughout the day. It was the perfect place to conceal a vampire.
Jamil knocked loudly on the dorm room door after we’d snaked through the hallways. I didn’t spend much time inside the dorms unless there was a party, and every time I did, I couldn’t get over the stink of stale beer and moldy bread.
“Teddy is an interesting cat,” Jamil said. “Don’t look him directly in the eyes.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
“What do you want?” a shrill voice called from behind the door. “I’m takin’ a nap. It’s the middle of the day.”
“I know, Teddy, but I have somebody here…she really needs to see you.”
“Christ, is that Jam?”
Jamil nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so you beautiful ole dryad, you?”
“He knows?” I asked.
“He guessed, just like I guessed with you. Admittedly, I haven’t always been this good at concealing myself.”
Teddy swung open the door. He was rail thin, wearing nothing but a black kimono adorned with red and black flowers. He smoked a cigarette even though there were “no smoking” signs everywhere.
“You beautiful bastard,” Teddy said, wrapping Jamil up in a big hug. He cocked his head when he saw me. “Who are you?”
I immediately understood why Jamil said not to make eye contact. Teddy’s eyes were bright red, and not because they were bloodshot. His pupils were a dark burgundy, with bright red veins spidering off around them, drowning out the white.
“Oops,” Teddy said. “Sorry, love.” He pulled a pair of sunglasses from the pocket of his kimono and put them on. “Better?”
“It’s fine,” I replied. “I don’t mind.”
“Well, that’s good. Most people do.”
“I’m not most people. Besides, I have my own secrets.”
Teddy leaned in and took a long whiff of me. “You being a gorgon’s not much of a secret, you know?”
“Shhh,” I said. “Somebody will hear.”
“Who?” Teddy looked up and down the hall with melodramatic flourish. “I rented out all the rooms on this floor for privacy. You could actually kill a person here and nobody would be the wiser. Trust me. I’ve tested it.”
“That seems expensive.”
Teddy stretched his arms over his head. “Well, it’s not really about the money. I just wanted a bit of the college experience. Without all the people bugging me, of course. I might look like a kid, but I’m four hundred years old, and I can’t deal with hearing you children drone on about your problems.”
“Well, I’m eighteen and I can’t either.”
“Then we’ve got that in common, love.” Teddy smiled. “Thus, the privacy.”
“That actually sounds…nice.”
“I know. Come on, then. How can I help you?”
Teddy led us into his dorm room. There was a luxurious king bed against the wall. The four posts surrounding it were painted black to match the sheets and the rest of the decor. The windows were covered with black bags and tape. Glow-in-the-dark paintings of skulls and beautiful women lined the walls and gave off the only light in the room.
“Hrm…” I said.
“You were expecting to see a coffin, ay?” Teddy asked.
“I mean, that’s what I’ve seen in movies.”
“I haven’t used a coffin in a hundred years. At least not since mattresses stopped being made of hay.” Teddy flopped onto his bed. “Now, I know you’re not here to talk about decorating, so get on with it.”
Jamil closed the door. “Our friend is in a coma. We need to wake her up.”
Teddy sat up. “Well, that’s tricky isn’t it? I mean, you can’t just shake somebody awake when they’re in a coma.”
“I thought there might be some kind of spell or something,” Jamil said.
Teddy smiled, exposing his jagged, sharp teeth. “There’s a potion for most things, as you know. Unfortunately, comas are tricky business. How long has she been gone?”
“Since this morning,” Jamil said. “I walked her to the gym about six am.”
“Ooh, that’s a long time. Wish you came to me earlier. There’s not much I can do for her. You need more powerful magic than I’ve got here.”
“Then what good are you?” I snarled, but immediately calmed down when Teddy gave me a disgusted expression. “I’m sorry. I’m just…”
“A bit emotional?” Teddy asked. His face softened. “That’s understandable. Honestly, I wouldn’t think much of you if you weren’t.”
“I just hate waiting and feeling helpless.”
Teddy stood up. “I didn’t say there was nothing you could do. It’s just a little more complicated than what I can provide is all.” Teddy shuffled over to his closet and began to rifle around in the menagerie of trash piled up inside of it. “There are a couple ways people wake up from a coma. Most of them are pretty dull. They involve no sort of magic or whimsy whatsoever. However, they are also nearly completely dependent on luck, no matter how much science tells you otherwise. I assume you’re not a very lucky thing though, are you?”
I shook my head. “Neither of us are.”
Teddy pulled out a framed poster from the back of his closet. “Then you need to visit the Obsidian Spindle.”
“The what?” Jamil asked.
Teddy turned the poster toward us. The image glowed green, depicting a tall, sinewy tower, gnarled and dark, sitting on a cliff above a sea. The long bridge leading to it was guarded by a monstrous, roaring hydra, bound with a long, metal chain.
“The Obsidian Spindle is what controls fate. It’s weaved by the three sisters, and they’re the only ones who can wake somebody up from a coma, but only if you can find them.”
I frowned, taking this all in. “Where…are they?”
Teddy smiled. “They’re bound to the Dream Realm, caught between reality and myth.”
I pursed my lips and nodded sarcastically. “All right, that’s funny. You got me. I totally bought into your bullshit for a minute, but seriously. How can I wake her up?”
“I don’t joke…not never.” He gave Jamil a deadpan look. “Tell her.”
Jamil nodded. “It’s true. He is wildly unfunny.”
“Then why have I not heard of this Obsidian Spindle?”
Teddy sniffed in the air. “Cuz even though you’re a monster, like me and Jamil, you haven’t been around many of us in your life, have you?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Well, there you go. Trust me when I say that the Obsidian Spindle is a real place, and it’s inside the Dream Realm. The Dream Realm gets its power from the dreams of humanity, and the Obsidian Spindle is the most powerful object there. It’s the only way to wake up your dear girlfriend.”
“So, what? I fall asleep and just…search for it?”
“It’s a might bit more complicated than that, I’m afraid,” Teddy said. “You can get there, but it’s quite dangerous.”
“But that’s where Rose is right now?”
“I reckon, and you have to work quickly to find her inside the Dream Realm before something happens to her. The Dream Realm is a dangerous place. If you die there, you die everywhere. And if you die here, you’re stuck there forever.”
“Die here? You mean if she doesn’t wake up—”
“If her body lets loose her mortal coil before her soul reconnects with it, she’ll stay in the Dream Realm. The body is strong, but it can’t survive without a soul for long.”
“Then how do I get there?”
Teddy stood up. “I could tell you, for a price.”
I lowered my head. “I don’t have any money.”
“I don’t want your money. I want your blood. Gorgon blood is especially tasty, and rare. It will power me for months. I do so hate feeding on french-fry gorging freshmen. Let me taste your blood, and I’ll tell you where to go.”
“That’s crazy,” I turned to Jamil. “That’s crazy, right?”
Jamil pulled her shirt down to expose her right shoulder. There were two puncture marks there. Long healed, but they left a scar. “Afraid not. How much do you want to help Rose?”
I turned to Teddy. “How much does it hurt?”
“Not at all. Most people say it’s even pleasurable.”
I pulled my shirt down below my shoulder. “Do it quick. This better be worth it.”
“It will, I guarantee it.” Teddy took off his glasses and opened his mouth. With his fangs extending from his mouth, his grin was sinister. “Now, don’t move. I wouldn’t want to kill you.”
With that, he sunk his teeth deep into my shoulder. I expected to wince, but instead a warm sensation radiated through my body. I started to giggle.
Fairy tales are real.
Find out by reading The Sleeping Beauty today. If you love mythology, fairy tales, and dark fantasy, then you’ll love the first book in The Obsidian Spindle Saga.
Paid subscribers can access the entire archive of this series from the beginning, along with other series and every article I’ve ever written. If you aren’t a paid subscriber, you can access the archive for free with a 7-day trial.