Bruhier was a place almost as mythic as Suun’s lost temple. While it was true the plateaus had a diverse population—including humans, elves, and other creatures—it was said to be an extremely difficult journey. Those living above the veil weren’t known to take kindly to strangers. Rumor was they would just as soon kill you as talk to you.
He nodded. “Yes, there are giants. At least, there were the last time I was there. I know a way, if you wish to go. We need to head west, toward the coast. From there we’ll have to hire a boat to get to the islands.”
It sounded simple enough, and we didn’t have another direction, now that the witch hadn’t panned out. “Okay, but only if the others agree. Bruhier is another commitment altogether.”
The conversation went better than anticipated. In fact, I was the one with the greatest reservations. It seemed once they’d decided to sign up for this adventure, it had been a blanket agreement. With only faint grunts of acknowledgement from Iri and Sade, and the expected excited bouncing from Astor, we set course for the western coast.
We traveled for the rest of the afternoon, setting up camp just before nightfall.
Iri dropped a deer from the carriage with one shot from his bow about the same time, securing dinner. He jumped down and began to prepare it while Sade and I gathered firewood.
Beru enlisted Astor to set up the rest of the camp. From the interactions I caught while going back and forth searching for kindling, it was apparent Astor wasn’t exactly helpful. Beru took it in stride, without any outward irritation. As silent as he was, I thought I was beginning to get glimpses into the kind of man he must have been before his imprisonment.
He was patient with those he saw as young or inexperienced. However he valued Iri as his equal and respected his skills. More than once he’d commented on mine or Astor’s immaturity, which irritated me enormously, but when I was honest with myself, I knew he was right. Even so, he’d never used it against me, except for when he was acting protectively, the way my brothers sometimes did.
Sade reached over, gently shoving my shoulder with her hand. “How many times do I have to say your name for you to hear me?”
“Sorry, I've got a lot on my mind.” I snapped back to my task and tried to light the fire by rubbing two sticks together.
Sade watched impatiently for a few moments before grabbing the sticks, rubbing them together more rapidly than I’d done. “You’ve never been good at that.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Thanks, I guess.”
“What’s on your mind? The journey?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, spill. What's really on your mind? Do I need to ask?” Sade raised an eyebrow, then turned her attention to the thin curl of smoke wafting from the kindling and began to blow on it gently.
“No, likely not. It’s just … I don't know what to think anymore. I want to stop thinking about him, but it’s hard to do when he's always around.”
I sat back on my heels, hugging my knees as I turned slightly to catch a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye. Beru and Astor had gathered moss for us to place beneath our sleeping mats for extra cushion, and were now arranging them in groups.
“Why don't you just do the dirty and get it over with?”
She laughed at my expression, mocking me by opening her eyes wide and dropping her jaw slightly, before throwing a tiny branch at me.
Unable to find words, I threw it back instead.
She easily dodged, but when she saw my face, she sobered. “Go. Talk to him. Get to know him better so you can decide what you think. But don't expect anything. Eventually, he's going to want to lead his own life.” She laughed humorlessly. “Heck, if I’d been sprung from a prison I’d been in for centuries, I’d run for days before I stopped to rest, let alone follow some strange woman without expecting or demanding anything.”
“I know. I wish I could explain how I feel drawn toward him. Sometimes it feels like all I think of is him or the prison.” I glanced back to find him staring at me and quickly turn away. Had he heard us?
“Go.” She jerked her chin toward him. “Get it over with so the normal Aria can come back.”
I didn’t want to, but at the same time I knew she was right. I needed to decide for myself if he was good or bad, and until I did I was going to continue to go back and forth about whether I’d done the right thing by letting him out.
I got up while I still had the courage, walking over to where he was putting the finishing touches on the beds.
Sade called for Astor to come help her as I reached him.
I swallowed hard at the unexpected silence, awkwardly pointing at the pallet. “Looks like a comfortable bed.”
He smiled, sitting down and bouncing slightly to test it. “Thanks. You looked intense over there. Everything okay?” He patted the spot next to him as he waited for me to answer.
I sat at the other end of the bed, keeping some distance between us. “Just strategizing.”
“I’ll have to take your word on that.” He looked out at the water, and I realized he was quieter than usual.
“How are you doing? Being outside in the world again?”
“Living and breathing.”
I bit my lip, wondering what to say in response. It was the first time we’d been alone without being in some sort of danger. It was awkward, but I had so many questions to ask. How did I begin when I had no idea what he was going through?
He spoke, interrupting my thoughts, his voice raspy. “I can't stop thinking about them.”
“I'm sorry.” It was so inadequate, but what else could I say?
He looked at the ground as he continued, and I caught the glint of the tears he blinked rapidly away. “I can't stop thinking about if they believed those who said I was evil.”
“They knew who you were at your core.” I sat stiffly beside him, unsure where to look or place my hands as I struggled with whether to sit with him or leave him alone with his thoughts.
“I don't even know who I am anymore. Being in prison for so long, forced to do things I never want to speak or think of again. Not seeing the sunlight for over two hundred years, and now I’m fighting the darkness when I sit in the sun.” His shoulders slumped as he placed his head in his hands.
I slid closer, unable to watch his pain without trying to ease it. Carefully, I placed my arm around his shoulders. A pleasant warmth grew where it rested. “It’s all over now. You're free.”
“Free? What does that even mean? My mind isn’t my own. Every time I close my eyes, I'm still trapped.” He straightened, shaking off my arm.
I remained in place, but let my arm drop into my lap. “Then you have to change how you think.”
“I don't know how to do that anymore. There's darkness inside me. Right now, I'm fighting to keep it locked away.”
I remained quiet, feeling like an intruder on his personal thoughts.
When he got up and walked away without another word, I was certain he’d shared more than he’d intended to. Unfortunately, it didn’t help me decide whether or not I could trust him. If he didn’t know who he was, how could I?
“Are you eating or what?” Her harsh cry made me smile, stirring up memories of my mother yelling at us to come in from the field.
I got up and joined them sitting as far from him as I could. It didn’t matter though, because his only focus seemed to be on the fire or his food.
“There's nothing like fresh meat,” Astor stated appreciatively as he rolled his stick of meat over the fire, browning it evenly.
“Can't you just use magic and cook all of it with a snap of your fingers?” Iri rose an eyebrow, watching impatiently as the magician drew out the cooking experience.
“Ah, but that would be too easy. And you wouldn't have the marvelous experience of sitting around the fire with your friends while waiting for your meal,” he tipped his hat gallantly.
“In other words, he has no idea how to do what you’re asking,” she teased, poking him in the shoulder with her
finger.
He poked her back, sounding indignant. “That's quite a way to ruin a good evening.”
“Now, now. No fighting.” I joined in.
We all chuckled, except Beru, who wasn't paying attention.
He was still staring into the fire, apparently lost in thought.
I bit my lip wondering what he was thinking.
“What about you, Beru? What were your kids like?” She looked at me and winked.
My face flushed. Now he’d know we’d been talking about him for sure.
She shouldn't have known about his children.
He didn’t speak right away. For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer at all, then he exhaled slowly.
“Very young and innocent.” His serious tone was the opposite of our previous light-hearted banter, and we all fell silent as we waited for him to continue. “They looked like their mother. But had my temper.” He half-smiled, but it faded quickly.
“I'm sorry you lost them. You should have watched them grow.” Iri clapped him on the shoulder with a hand, gripping, then releasing.
“Do you have any kids?” He looked at Iri.
He shook his head and smiled, a hint of wistfulness crossing his face. “No, I’ve not been fortunate to have a woman like me enough to marry me.”
Beru nodded as he rolled his meat over the fire. “That surprises me. You're a good man.”
“I'm really not. I just do as I'm told.”
“Wow, this turned somber.” She stood up, pulling her meat off the fire. “I think we’re all pretty decent. Let's leave it at that.”
“Even me?” Astor looked around, an air of hopefulness around him.
“At this moment.” She poked his shoulder again with a mischievous look I knew well.
“What was it like in there?” He turned to Beru, ignoring her attempts to pester him.
Beru leaned back. “There’s nothing I can compare it to. It's dark, cold, and lonely. Very lonely.” He stood up and retreated to the beds, leaving us staring after him.
“Why did you ask him that?” I scolded Astor, trying to keep my voice low so Beru didn’t hear.
“It was getting too sentimental. I’ve always wondered what it was like there and no one else knows.” He shrugged, completely unaware of how insensitive he was being.
“Aria knew.” She took Beru’s spot by the fire and her steady gaze made Astor flush and look away.
My eyes trailed over to where Beru had lain down on the bed, almost out of earshot. “It's tough for him. We shouldn't be making him relive it. No more questions,” I ordered the rest of the crew to leave him alone.
“Yes, ma'am.” Astor saluted.
Sade immediately popped him in the shoulder.
“Ow! Can you please stop hitting me?”
“When you finally start using all of your brains, not just the ones running your mouth.” She slapped him again for good measure.
I quickly finished my meal and excused myself, making my way over to the bed where Beru had disappeared. I lay down on the bed carefully, trying not to disturb him.
As a healer, I was able to pick up on people's emotions—not everyone though, only those I had a connection with. I closed my eyes and immediately a wave of intense sorrow pushed against me.
Unconsciously, I reached my hand out and placed it over his. Our fingers intertwined, and we remained like that. No words were required as I listened to his quiet sobs. I desperately wanted to heal his pain, but knew it would mean erasing the memories of his family.
So instead, I'd wait for him to tell me more. There was no way I could understand what had happened in that prison. It terrified me when I thought about being trapped there. But as his tears fell, I knew one thing for certain.
He may be silent, he may be hard to read, but he wasn’t a monster.
I sure as hell wasn’t a monster for freeing him.
“I'm sorry.” His voice thick as he squeezed my hand.
“It's okay. You don't need to explain anything now. I'll be here whenever you need to talk.” I squeezed his hand back but didn’t look at him. I wondered if it was easier as the darkness fell to share his feelings.
“I can never be a free man again. As much as I want to. I've seen too much.” His voice trailed off, but he kept my hand in his.
We laid in the deepening silence, the heat from his hand telling me more than mere words ever could as I took deep breaths to hold my own tears back.
I couldn’t fix him, or offer him anything other than my presence, as much as I wanted to make it all go away.
“Don't give up on me,” the pain-strained his voice, making it barely audible.
I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, uncertain if I’d been meant to hear his last words.
His breathing gradually slowed, signaling sleep.
I wanted nothing more than to move closer and hold him while he slept.
There had to be a reason I’d been called to save him. A reason none of the other dreamwalkers had been led to his prison. The strange pull of gravity I felt toward him made me wonder if he’d been called on to save me.
Chapter 9
Dampness chilled me, causing me to wake with a start. I jerked up, smacking the back of my head on a brick wall as I moved. Wincing I stood, wiping down my clothing, shivering against the unexpected cold.
The last thing I remembered was falling asleep near Beru’s comforting warmth. Now when I exhaled I could see my breath. I knew I was back in the prison.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness as I scanned the room. A window along the back wall served as the only light source, allowing me to see I was standing beside a door. I tried to turn the knob, but it was jammed.
I moved to the back of the room silently, my mind filled with the vague notion of trying the window. Why couldn’t I be in bed sleeping, having normal bizarre dreams? I needed to lose this awful connection to the prison as soon as possible. I’d already done what had been demanded of me when I’d freed Beru, hadn’t I?
As much as I wanted to push it all away, though, I knew I’d keep returning until I figured out why I was here. My dreamwalking had to be connected to the rip somehow. If I could find out why I kept returning, maybe I’d figure out how to close the rip as well.
Once I reached the window, I searched for a way to open it, but it was sealed shut. It was easier to see the room with the increased light from my adjusted vision, so I examined my surroundings again.
I wasn’t in a place I recalled seeing before. Strangely enough, it appeared to be a classroom. Several desks were arranged in neat rows and my mind whirled at the possibilities. What could they be teaching at the prison? Had Beru been part of this, whatever it was?
I searched in and around the desks for clues, but there was nothing. When I looked back at the front of the room, I noticed a dark shape looming in the corner for the first time. I stifled a scream, letting out a shaky breath when I regained my focus.
Not human, thankfully, nor creature. It was a large, triangular-shaped object much larger than the door, almost touching the ceiling. Carefully, I approached to examine it closer.
What was it and how did it get in here?
I ran my hands over the smooth surface, looking for a way to open it. There didn’t appear to be a handle or lever, and I saw no markings to explain it. I knelt to feel the bottom and was able to see it was being propped on something. I ran my hand underneath just as the ominous sound of a door creaking open sounded from behind me.
I ducked, placing my body between the object and the wall, trying to make myself as small as I could, and waited for whoever had opened the door to enter. But only silence greeted my ears. I remained frozen in place, wishing I was invisible as panic set in.
The sound of the footsteps from the hallway echoed into the room. Someone was coming. My heart was now pounding so loudly I was convinced they would hear it. I placed my hand over my mouth to muffle the noise from my shallow, rapid breathing.
The footsteps
were right outside the door now. I begged quietly for them to pass by.
But they stopped.
Right in front of the door.
As the door swung open, I squinted to see who or what was there, but it was empty. I forced myself to sit still even as I wished I could dreamwalk right out of there. I needed to stay, to find out what was chasing me and why I kept returning.
The door slammed shut, surprising a muffled cry from my lips before I could stop it. Energy had entered the room, the same energy I’d felt before. My hands shook against my face as numbness set in. It knew where I was.
A desk flew across the room, crashing into the wall with a deafening clatter.
I pushed myself even deeper into the corner. Closing my eyes, I tried to break free from the dreamwalk, but nothing happened. I was too drained.
The triangle-shaped object flew away, exposing my hiding spot.
I moved closer to it, but I knew it was hopeless.
It obviously knew I was there. There would be no more hiding.
Making a break for the door, I prayed I’d be able to exit. My energy was waning due to the force being emitted from the unseen being. I only hoped if I could get far enough away, I’d be able to break the connection.
I reached for the door. The handle turned and I slipped out, racing into the hallway as I ran for my life. My only plan was to put as much distance between myself and this energy-sucker as possible.
The farther I ran, the easier my breathing became and slowly, I felt my energy return. I didn’t stop, instead running faster as I tried to add more distance between us.
“I’ve been waiting for your return.”
I glanced back, into an empty hallway. No one was there. I kept running.
“Run as much as you want. I can feel you, no matter how far away you get. I’ll find you soon enough.” A deep menacing laugh echoed, bouncing around in the darkness.
Without slowing, I screamed into the air. “Get away from me!”
“I’ll find you. Soon.” This time, the voice sounded like it was right in my ear.
I whirled, almost crashing into the wall as I spun, trying to see my stalker. But again, darkness met my eyes. No one was there.
Spell Breaker Page 7
