Dacia Wolf & the Prophecy

by Mandi Oyster

  Samantha’s voice shook when she asked, “What was he like?”

  Massive. Horrible. Unbeatable. His reptilian eyes appeared in my head. Why did he let me go? The rest of him painted in around them with deft brush strokes—claws, horns, tail, fangs, wings—until the image was complete. My throat closed, and I gasped for air. I panicked, making it even harder to breathe.

  “Dacia,” Sarah said, “relax. I want you to find yourself in front of the mountain lake. Picture yourself sitting there, staring out at the tranquil reflection. Feel the cool mountain breeze blow through your hair.”

  My muscles relaxed. My breathing returned to normal as I found myself staring across the lake at the mountains. I wanted to stay there forever, far away from the stress and worries of my real life, but when Sarah called me back to reality, I went.

  “Are you okay, Dacia?” Samantha asked.

  “Yeah, for now.” I rested my elbows on my knees and stared at my hands while I described Nefarious to them. “When I was in his presence, I felt pure evil and hatred. Thoughts raced through my mind.” I paused. “No not thoughts, suggestions. When I turned and saw him, all hope fled. There’s no way I can defeat him. He’s more evil … more monstrous than I ever imagined he would be.” My voice sounded small and hopeless.

  Cody wrapped his arms around me and lifted me onto his lap. “Don’t give up yet.”

  He was trying to be supportive, but he hadn’t seen Nefarious. He didn’t know how ferocious he was. It was easy for the three of them to tell me things would be okay, but I knew better.

  “It’s too late.” Then without giving them a chance to respond, I started telling them about my dream. My voice raced and my heart pounded out of control the whole time, but I wanted to get it over with. “When Samantha woke me up, my chin was bleeding and my arm was burned beyond recognition.”

  Sarah nodded like this all made perfect sense. “Let’s move on to the rest of the night’s events from Dacia’s perspective. How did you find me?”

  “For the last couple of days, I’ve known something bad was going to happen.”

  “We know.” Samantha’s leg tapped against the ground in a staccato beat.

  “Last night it happened. I didn’t have time to spare, so I left without waking you.” I told them everything. Then I looked Sarah in the eyes and said, “What were you doing out alone at that time of night?”

  “You sound like my mother.” Sarah laughed at me. “Nancy Heron called and told me Cassandra was hurt. I went out to check on her. The fog was awful. I couldn’t see at all.”

  “Yeah, we went out to look for Dacia,” Samantha said.

  Cody cleared his throat. “Do you think Nefarious brought the fog with him?”

  Sarah covered her mouth with a finger while rubbing her chin. “It’s a definite possibility.”

  “It kept him hidden,” I said. “You left to check on Cassandra. Then what?”

  “Suddenly, in front of me, I saw the yellow eyes that Dacia’s described so many times. I keep rewinding the events in my mind, but I don’t know what happened. One minute I stared into those eyes. The next, I was lying face down on the ground. The air was torn from my lungs, and everything faded into nothingness. I heard laughter in my mind. It was strange … like a thought. Around me was silence, but in my head was this laughter followed by a voice telling me Dacia would be next, that she couldn’t survive without her mentor. Then he said, ‘The world will, at last, be mine.’ There was more laughter, then nothing. I think I died.”

  Samantha’s hand shot up to her chest. “Oh, my God.”

  Cody held me tighter against him, rubbing my arm.

  “The next thing I remember Dacia told me we had to get out of there. We came back here, and Dacia collapsed.”

  “Have you talked to Nancy?” I asked.

  “Yes, I called her last night after you fell asleep and told her I would come by in the morning because of the fog. So I went there before getting breakfast.”

  “We wondered what was taking so long,” Samantha said.

  “Cassandra had to have several stitches in her leg, but she’ll be fine. She wouldn’t tell Nancy what happened to her,” Sarah said.

  I stuffed my hands in my hoodie pocket and weaved my fingers together. “My guess is Nefarious used her as a pawn to get you out in the open.”

  “Yeah, I thought about that.” Sarah rubbed her hands down her legs. “But there’s no way to prove it.”

  “You’re in good spirits for somebody who was killed by a demon,” Cody said. “Why aren’t you scared to death?”

  “I faced evil and walked away from it. What else is there to be afraid of?” she asked. “Now, I noticed nobody has eaten anything. We must keep our strength up. Cody, you and Samantha need to be strong enough to help Dacia when she needs you, and Dacia, you need to keep your strength up so you can fight.”

  We ate our breakfast in silence. I couldn’t help but think about last night. If Nefarious can get Sarah to venture out alone in the middle of the night and kill her, when will he send for the rest of us? How will we be lured to our dooms? And will I be able to save Samantha and Cody when he calls on them?

  Chapter 26

  Fresh Air

  With our nerves shot, Cody drove Samantha and me to Althea. The ride to town was quiet. As we drove past the spot where I wrecked my truck, Cody reached over and took hold of my hand. He looked at me, and I saw everything he wanted to say in his eyes. His lips turned up to form a comforting smile. I felt like I should say something but didn’t know what.

  Cody pulled onto the main street and found a parking spot. He turned off the engine and asked, “Where to?”

  After each of us had said, ‘I don’t know. What do you want to do?’ once or twice, we decided on Putt-Putt. We stepped out of Cody’s car and walked down the street.

  Mountain View Putt-Putt was three blocks down and two over. None of us had been there before, so we were taken in by its landscaping. There was no concrete in the complex. The flagstone walkways sat in beds of mulch. Mountain wildflowers nestled beside every boulder. Most holes had a waterfall or pond beside them. The “greens” were a tan color that blended well with the landscape design.

  Despite the setting, I didn’t play very well. I either hit a hole-in-one, two or took the maximum seven-stroke score for each hole. Samantha ended up with a score near mine. Instead of playing opposite extremes, she averaged a 3 or 4 on every hole. Cody beat us both by ten strokes. We did manage to relieve some stress, though; after all, laughter is the best medicine. When we finished, we decided on The Avalanche for lunch.

  While there, we kept our conversation away from any discussion about what had happened to Sarah. It wasn’t something that should be overheard by the general public, but it was all I could think about. What if I hadn’t gotten to her when I did? Would she have died? “I need to quit dwelling on this,” I mumbled to myself. I did get there in time so the ‘what ifs’ don’t matter. I glanced up to see Cody and Samantha staring at me. They probably think I’m losing it.

  “Just don’t argue with yourself,” Cody said to me before shoving his mouth full of fries.

  Samantha pointed her fork at him. “Actually, you don’t have to worry about her until she loses an argument with herself.”

  My lunch looked delicious, but I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t shake the feeling my battle with Nefarious would be upon me soon, and I wasn’t ready for it.

  Cody placed his hand on top of mine. I looked at it, then into his eyes. Their depths filled with concern.

  “You need to eat,” he said.

  “I know, but I can’t.” I glanced at the Fettuccine Alfredo on my plate, then looked away. The thought of eating made me gag.

  Cody didn’t press the issue. He asked the waitress for a box. “Now what?”

&
nbsp; “I, uh, think I’m ready to go back,” Samantha answered. “I’m a little on edge.”

  “Back to campus, it is then.” Cody grabbed my food, then took my hand.

  When Cody dropped us off at the door, I didn’t argue, but I also didn’t take my eyes off him until he stood next to me. He walked Samantha and me back to our room before going to his for a while.

  “Please be careful, and call me when you get there.” I grabbed his hand, not wanting him to leave.

  “I will.” He pulled me closer to him, holding my face in his hands. “I’ll be fine.”

  My pulse ratcheted. “Don’t go.”

  His hands dropped to my shoulders, then trailed down my arms, coming to a rest at my waist.

  I twined my arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down on mine.

  Cody pulled away. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  I watched him walk down the hallway. Please let him be okay. I closed the door and waited by the phone. When it rang a few minutes later, relief washed over me. I answered it, and Cody said, “I made it. See you later, okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks for calling.”

  “No problem. I love you, Dacia. Please, don’t leave.”

  A smile spread across my face. My heart raced, and time stood still. He loves me. I wanted to shout it to the world. “I love you, too,” I said before hanging up.

  My body thrummed with energy. I grabbed Samantha and spun in a circle. Laughter filled the room.

  “What was that about?” she asked.

  “He said he loves me!”

  She squealed with excitement and hugged me.

  I wanted her to share my happiness. “So … Dan?”

  Samantha’s face glowed. “What about him?”

  “That’s what I’m asking.”

  She played with the hem of her shirt. “Have you seen his smile? Wow!” She bit her lip. “But I don’t think he’s interested.”

  My eyebrow lifted on its own. “Really? He couldn’t take his eyes off you the other day.”

  The smile that brightened her face rivaled the sun.

  “I bet Cody could get you together.”

  She kicked her toe against the ground. “Not now.”

  “Oh … why?”

  “I don’t want to keep secrets.”

  I pinched my nose. She shouldn’t have to miss out on dating because she got stuck with me as a roommate. “Maybe, when all of this is over, we can go on a double date.”

  “I’d like that,” she said with a dreamy look in her brown eyes.

  

  Seated in Cookie Monster, I opened the ancient journal, careful not to tear the pages, and flipped through it. Even though it was written in a language I couldn’t understand, I felt compelled to look at it. Throughout the journal were pencil sketches. Flipping through the pages, a drawing caught my attention. My fingers wouldn’t work when I tried to turn back to it.

  Calm down.

  When I got to the page I wanted to see, I found myself staring at the drawing Sarah had shown me of Nefarious.

  Taking a closer look at the picture, I noticed lightning bolts shooting through the air at him from the fingertips of a young man. As I studied the drawing, I realized the words made sense to me. I turned the book over to make sure it was the one written in Latin. Scratching my forehead, I thought, Well, stranger things have happened.

  Below the picture was the caption, “The lightning was at best a deterrent. Nefarious continued charging. I feared there would be no stopping him. I feared for my life and for the lives of those I love. How could I defeat such a horrible monster?”

  “I’ve been wondering that myself,” I responded to the book.

  Focusing on the drawing, I wondered if this was something he had dreamed or if it had happened to him. It reminded me of the dream I had when Nefarious attacked Cody. Could the same dreams that haunted him be haunting me?

  I flipped through the previous pages and found several drawings of the evil eyes. Under one of them was written, “The monster’s eyes focused on me. Thoughts filled my mind. I fought the urge to flee.” I turned a few more pages and decided beyond the shadow of a doubt that these were sketches of his dreams. The drawing on one of the pages showed him under water. His eyes opened wide with terror. Behind him, the clawed hands of Nefarious reached for him, the same hands that pulled me into the depths of Falcon Lake. I stared down at the sketch and wondered how I would learn anything from this journal.

  I decided to turn to the back to see if there was anything in it about the final battle between Nefarious and this savior. As I turned to the last pages, they crumbled in my hand, leaving little more than dust on the back cover. A sense of hopelessness swept over me.

  I guess this means I have to figure out my own way to defeat him.

  Feeling like all was lost, I laid the journal on the floor and got up. I needed to get out. I needed to clear my mind. I needed to come up with a game plan.

  “Samantha, would you go for a walk with me?” I hated asking her, but I knew neither she nor Cody wanted me out on my own.

  “Where to?”

  I twisted my hair around my fingers. “I don’t know. I could use some fresh air. Maybe we could find a bench to sit on.”

  “Okay … sure.” She grabbed a book, and we left.

  When we stepped outside, the slight breeze rejuvenated me, clearing some of the cobwebs from my head. Somehow I had to figure out how to defeat Nefarious and sitting in a stuffy room didn’t seem to help.

  We made our way to a bench in the courtyard and sat. Samantha opened her book while I focused my attention on the mountains. The beauty of them always inspired me. I could spend hours gazing at them. I thought if I was in a place I loved, lightning might strike, and maybe I would get an idea that would help me win.

  I lost track of time, staring off in the distance without anything on my mind. It reminded me of when Sarah had me imagine my happy place.

  An arm dropped around my shoulders, bringing a smile to my lips. I turned to glance at Cody but found myself looking into pale green eyes.

  “Hello, ladies.”

  I tried to get out from under Bryce’s arm, but his grip tightened on me.

  “Don’t fight me, Dacia. It’s not worth it.” His voice was resolute. He sat on the bench between Samantha and me.

  Samantha’s face paled, and she edged down the bench.

  “What do you want? Why can’t you guys just leave me alone?” My voice rose as a sense of uncertainty engulfed me.

  “What? I came over here, put my arm around you and didn’t do anything to harm you.” His smile was hard, cruel. “You were so out of it, if I’d have wanted to hurt you, it would’ve been cake.”

  His eyes flashed dangerously, and I knew he was right. I’d been stupid—totally unaware of my surroundings. He could’ve hit me on the back of the head with a baseball bat instead of sitting beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

  “By the way, where’s your guard dog?”

  “If I remember right”—I looked pointedly at his hand—“I don’t need one.”

  “Good thing.” Bryce snorted. “He’s more like a Chihuahua, isn’t he?” Before I had the chance to say anything, he added, “Don’t tell him, but I think you protect him more than he protects you. It was pretty easy to bring him down when he was alone, not much of a man if you ask me.” He shook his head, and his voice filled with disgust. “I can handle a lot of things, but I would hate to have to depend on a girl for protection. What a wimp!”

  My stomach tightened as anger welled up inside me. “You should watch what you say.”

  “That’s exactly what I mean! He’s not even here, and you’re protecting him.”

  Samantha opened her mouth, but I sho
ok my head. I wanted Bryce’s attention to stay focused on me, not her. In a sugary-sweet voice, I asked, “So why didn’t you try to hurt me, and why are you sitting here with me?” I let my eyes get big. “Did you miss me?”

  Hatred flashed across his face, and I knew there wouldn’t be too many cordial visits between us. “I want to know what you did to Cassandra.”

  “I …” This was not what I expected. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. The last time I saw her was before class yesterday … with you.”

  His grip tightened on my shoulder. “If you don’t tell me what you did, you won’t ever be able to go anywhere without looking over your shoulder.”

  Dumbfounded, I shook my head in disbelief. Did he think I’d been able to since I came to school here? “Every time I step out of my dorm room, I have to watch my back, so that’s not much of a threat.” My voice rose. Students walking by stared in our direction, but I continued. “You can bully me all you want, but I didn’t do anything to her. As far as I can tell, there are a lot of things wrong with her, but I imagine she’s been that way since birth. It’s nothing I did.” I focused all my attention on him. He flinched and jerked his head back. He’s scared of me. The realization gave me power.

  “If you didn’t do anything to her, then why has she been lying in bed since then, staring at the ceiling, not moving?”

  I looked at my fingernails like I was bored with this conversation. “Laziness.”

  “It’s like she’s in a … a trance or a coma or something …” His voice trailed off. “It had to be you.”

  “I swear to you, it wasn’t.” Even though I hadn’t intended to do anything to her, in the back of my mind, I wondered if somehow I did. I still didn’t know what all my capabilities were. Was it me? Could I have done that to her without even being near her? Maybe I stopped Cassandra in one of my many dreams, but at the same time stopped her in reality.

  No. I shook my head. She was the reason Sarah went out last night. “The only way I’d hurt any of you is in self-defense. I don’t want to hurt anybody.”