Siren Dreams (The Rise of Ares Book 2)

by Jade Frances

  “Well done,” he laughed and wrapped his arms around me.

  “Oh my god, I did it! I actually did it.”

  “Yes, you did. I’ve never doubted you,” he said as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Again?” He prompted. Adrenaline was running through me now, I was starting to have more faith in myself and my abilities.

  “Yes! Can we try a bigger one?” I asked, eager to push myself.

  “Of course.”

  We spent all morning training with different-sized rocks. I had asked Pearce for a boulder, but he said not to push too far. I had made good progress and was proud of my achievements. But fatigue was setting in and we were both famished. So we put everything away and headed toward the house to hunt for food. I had an extra skip in my step as we reached the patio doors. I felt stronger. But still somewhat suppressed. As I stepped through the door, the sound of clapping had me whipping my head around to see where it had come from.

  “That was wonderful to watch Evangeline. You are coming into yourself. Good for you,” Callista was entering the hall. Avetta followed closely behind her. My cheeks heated, and I tried to give her a grateful smile and nod. I knew people could see, but while I had been training, I had forgotten they might have been watching. “You must be famished, would you like to join us in the dining room for lunch?”

  Avetta was giving me a strange look, hanging back and not saying anything. I couldn’t decipher what kind of mood she was in. We weren’t on great terms since Athora’s.

  “Em, sure,” I shrugged my shoulders and followed them into another room. The large table in the centre seated at least ten people. A massive buffet of food was scattered on the top of it. My stomach let out a massive rumble at the sight.

  “Sit, I’ll grab you a plate,” Callista pulled out a chair for me.

  “It’s ok, I can get it.” I didn’t need to be served, I was capable of feeding myself. Grabbing a plate from the end, I worked my way around the various platters, grabbing the most eye-catching food. Once I was seated next to Pearce, I tucked in.

  “I hear you had a pleasant experience with the Zaruba clan Evangeline. You must feel very privileged, they are an incredibly private community.” Callista said just as I stuffed my mouth full of food. I nodded in agreement.

  “Theodore was pleasant enough to start Evangeline’s new training,” Avetta informed her. Giving me time to finish my mouthful.

  “Yes, they were nice and accommodating. Will the others be joining us for lunch?”

  “I thought I could take this time to get to know you better without a crowd,” Callista smiled at me. I’m not sure why she made me feel uncomfortable. She had been nothing but nice. But there was something behind her eyes that I was struggling to pin down. That, and the fact she would only add to Sandra’s bitterness by isolating them somewhat. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to eat and slink off to my room. Pearce’s hand squeezed my leg under the table. Looking at him questioningly, he raised his eyebrows and gave me a subtle shake of his head. I narrowed my eyes at him but turned my attention back to my food.

  “So, Evangeline. What is your take on the rising of Ares?” Callista asked me. The shock of her question had me almost choking on the salad I had shovelled into my mouth. I looked at her with my eyes wide.

  “Callista, why would you ask such a thing?” Avetta scolded her. She was rewarded with a tut in return.

  “She is in the centre of this Avetta, the girl deserves a voice. So please, Evangeline. If you wouldn’t mind answering.” Callista turned her attention back to me. I swallowed my food with a big gulp and wondered how to answer.

  “Well, I guess, I don’t really know. I know that I don’t want it to happen and I suppose we need to stop it. But I don’t really get told anything. I’m not sure I’m equipped enough to answer you.” I answered her honestly. I know little about Ares.

  “You haven’t given the child the knowledge you bear, Avetta. How do you suppose to gain support when your own subject doesn’t understand the war she is in the middle of?” Callista turned to Avetta with a challenging look on her face. I grew more uncomfortable with each second that Avetta didn’t answer. When she did, she didn’t even look in my direction.

  “Evangeline, Pearce, you are excused.”

  Pearce stood up immediately, and I followed. Before I left the room, I glanced back at the two of them. They were staring at each other, a look of defiance on each of their faces. Walking out, I wondered what that was about. Probably more secrets I would not be told.

  As I rounded the corner in the hallway, I noticed Sandra leaning with her back against the wall. She was balancing on one foot with her arms crossed.

  “Cosy lunch.” She glanced at me, then back at the wall in front of her.

  “It wasn’t my choice, Sandra,” I replied, not wanting an argument.

  “It never is. Rumour has it you’ve been practising with all the elements.”

  “It’s just something I started looking into with Theodore.” I snapped. I didn’t want to, but I wished she would get to whatever point she wanted to make. Pushing herself off from the wall, she strolled toward me and paused before she walked past.

  “Not really in this together are we Evvy,” she spoke into my ear with a flat tone and carried on to the end of the hallway and into her room. Slamming her door behind her.

  Sighing, I continued to my room. I would never keep everyone happy. It was an impossible task and one that was overwhelming me. I’ll lock myself in my room for the rest of the afternoon. Can’t upset anyone that way. Walking into my room, I threw myself on the bed and closed my eyes. The earlier fatigue from training made its way back to me. I’ll just nap for an hour or two, I thought.

  ***

  “Go back,” he repeated for the fourth time. Motioning with both of his hands, he pointed behind me.

  “Back,” he shouted, much more eager this time.

  I shrugged my shoulders and sat on the cavern floor. It was becoming easier to block out the surrounding chaos. I just wasn’t having any more luck trying to understand what this guy Cole was trying to say. Although, with each dream, he seemed to get a lot clearer. Even his body was taking on a more solid form and less a part of the shadows.

  A tapping on my door roused me from my dream far too early. I’m never going to have time to figure this out. Huffing and rolling off my bed, I trudged toward the door and opened it. Pearce stood on the other side, looking me up and down.

  “It’s nine pm, you missed dinner. Have you been sleeping?”

  I lifted my hand to pat the top of my head. Yep, my hair was a matted mess, I couldn’t deny it now.

  “Yeah, I was tired after training. Didn’t think I would sleep for this long, though. What’s up?” I asked as I stretched up my arms. A slight throbbing was starting in my head. Not again.

  Pearce looked at the floor, then back up. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his eyes were glossy.

  “Would you take a walk in the garden with me?”

  “Erm, ok, sure,” I replied and gestured for him to come into my room. He remained standing in the doorway while I ran a brush through my hair and put a hoody on. Once I was ready, we fell into step next to each other and made our way out to the garden.

  We took the same route down to the blossom trees where we had trained. Pearce sat on the ground underneath one and I threw myself down next to him.

  “Everything ok?” I faced him to ask.

  “Yes, I, well, I got you a gift.” He said nervously.

  “A gift... what for?”

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small drawstring bag and handed it to me.

  “Happy Birthday Evangeline,” he whispered, not looking me in the eye. Shock coursed through me. How could he have known? I hadn’t told anyone, I didn’t want the fuss.

  Holding the small bag in my hand, I pulled it open and tipped out the contents. A red hand-woven bracelet dropped onto my palm. Holding it up, the moonlight glinted off of two silve
r charms. One was the letter E, and the other was a fire symbol.

  “It’s beautiful, thank you,” I whispered and placed it on my wrist.

  “You can add more charms to it. I thought those two were a nice start.” He said and blushed. Throwing myself into his arms, I hugged him tight.

  “I love them,” I told him. He squeezed me back. When I started to pull away, he pulled me back into him. Parts of me stiffened in surprise, as he twisted me around so that my back was to his chest. Still, his arms remained wrapped around my waist. Leaning into him, I relaxed slightly as the heat from his body warmed mine.

  “Let’s just watch the stars for a while,” he whispered in my ear. I brushed my hair from my eyes, leaned my head back against his chest and looked up at the blackened sky. Small clusters of stars shone brightly. It was a perfect evening to sit out.

  “How far away do all our troubles feel when we are sitting here,” Pearce said.

  “Mhmm, the sky is stunning tonight.”

  “Like you, little siren,” he whispered so low I barely heard him. A fluttering sensation started in my stomach. This was the first time he had given me a compliment about my looks, and I didn’t know what to say back. Inside, I felt giddy and warm. But I knew I couldn’t show it without feeling embarrassed. I settled on pulling his arms tighter around me and snuggled closer into him. This was a perfect night.

  We sat there for hours, talking about anything but the tour and the impending war. For once, we seemed normal. A guy and a girl getting to know each other. Pearce had even smiled a few times. It made me wonder why he couldn’t show this side to him more often. The guardian persona had to run deeper than just a job. Something I reminded myself to ask him if we got this opportunity again. It wasn’t long before I heard a gentle purring coming from Pearce as he fell asleep. His breathing got heavier and I could feel the rise and fall of his chest behind my back. The gentle lull of his steady heartbeat caused me to drift into a deep sleep with him.

  “Back,” Cole was shaking his head at me and throwing his arms around inches from my face. I held my hands up and tried to motion for him to calm down. I watched as he took a few deep breaths and tried again. Pointing at me, then behind me again. This time he formed a sentence.

  “You need to go back,” his words were a whisper between us, but somehow I heard them. Ok, this is progress. I nodded so he would know I understood, but gestured for him to continue.

  “Oneiroi,” he said.

  Where had I heard that before? My mind was growing weak, and I was finding it hard to concentrate. The same dull throbbing I had been suffering with on and off was making its appearance across my forehead. Frustration was growing across Cole’s features. I couldn’t help it though, I don’t understand. His eyes were pleading with me. Desperation filled them. I could already see the cavern beginning to fade. Panic overcame me. No! I needed to stay and figure this out. Just before the entire picture faded before me, I reached out to grab Cole. Our fingers barely touched, but it was enough.

  “Get back to the academy, Evangeline. Now,” his voice rang through my mind. Then there was nothing but darkness.

  I woke with a start. My eyes flew open. It took me a moment to get my bearings. Even then, it was only the smell of Pearce and the feel of his muscular arms around me that reminded me we were under the blossom tree. He shifted behind me and I froze. I didn’t want to wake him just yet. I needed five minutes to decipher my dream. Oneiroi, it was really bugging me where I had heard it. Pain was flooding toward my temples, making it too hard to concentrate. I winced when I tried to move my head. Pearce’s breathing was no longer heavy and his arms had tightened around me. He was awake, and I was out of time. I would have to tell him about Cole and the dream.

  “Hey, you ok?” He asked.

  “My head, I need tablets,” I struggled to get the words out.

  “Here lie back,” he whispered and pulled me back, laying my head on his thighs. Raising his fingers to my temples, he massaged them. “You’re suffering with these a lot. Am I missing something? Is it stress?”

  Can I trust him? I have to; I think Cole is sending me warnings.

  “I’ve been having dreams, you know the ones I spoke with Demetrios about.” Oh my, it was Demetrios that had muttered the word Oneiroi. But I still didn’t know what it means. “Well, they’ve been changing. The guy has been trying to, well, communicate with me. I think.” Pearce shifted, his hands stopped massaging. I squinted my eyes and looked up at him. He had the stony gaze of a guardian set on his face. Oh no.

  “What was said in these dreams?” He asked, his tone clipped.

  “Well, at first it was just back, or go back. But tonight he managed to say get back to the academy. What do you think it means?”

  “Exactly what he said. Evangeline, we need to talk to Avetta. He is a dream walker. He must feed off of your energy to talk to you. That’s why you’ve been waking up with headaches. It’s draining you. We need to wake the others.” Pearce stood so fast he practically threw me off of his lap. Without pausing to help me up, he strode toward the house.

  “Erm hello, are you going to wait?” I called after him.

  “Hurry up.”

  With my head still throbbing, I ran to catch up to him. When he reached the doors, he turned on me before opening them. An angry glint shone in his eyes.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice was rough, and I didn’t like or appreciate the change in him. We’d had a lovely time together, and he was going to ruin that.

  “You weren’t high on the list of people I could trust,” I spat back at him. For a second, he looked hurt. But he masked it quickly.

  “I get that, Evangeline. I understand I hurt you, you think I took something from you. But I didn’t. I had a choice in that cavern. It was to save you from yourself or do my job and save the world from Aresollo. I failed at both. My feelings for you overtook my duty. I can’t allow that to happen again.” He pulled the door open and gestured for me to walk in first, not even meeting my eyes. For a second, I stood staring at him, shell-shocked. That wasn’t an apology. That was a justification. And I didn’t like it. I stormed passed him with every intention of getting away from him, but it only took him a couple of strides to catch me up.

  “Evangeline, wait. I’m sorry, this is just, it’s serious.” His tone had lightened, but his face hadn’t.

  “Yeah, it’s me that has the dreams Pearce. Me that has been trying to figure them out. I get that it’s serious. I’m sorry if I get in the way of your duty, but I didn’t ask you to make that choice in the cavern,” I shouted, not caring who we would wake. We were heading to get them up, anyway.

  “I’m sorry. Let’s just talk to Avetta and figure this out first, ok?” He gripped my hand in his and gently stroked it with the other. I sighed.

  “Fine.” I squeezed his hand back. I wasn’t sure how to feel about everything. Before anything else could be said we were interrupted.

  “What in God’s name is all the shouting?” Avetta came down the central stairs wearing a purple dressing gown and rubbing her eyes. Pearce dropped my hand fast and took a step toward her.

  “I believe Evangeline has been getting visits from an Oneiroi, Avetta. Tonight is the first she has received a full message,” he spoke without hesitation. Avetta’s eyes pinged open wide as if finally fully awakening and realising there was a situation here.

  “Oneiroi, so rare. How do you know of this?” She asked him. He hung his head low and muttered.

  “We fell asleep outside, she woke with another headache, she’s been suffering with them the entire tour. It was then that she informed me of her dreams.” Did he have to be that honest with her?

  “Right. We will talk of that discrepancy later. Evangeline, how long has this been going on?” she turned her gaze on me. I flinched at the intensity of it.

  “Erm, a while I guess. I spoke to Demetrios about them, but Cole hadn’t spoken to me at that point,” I told her.

  “Cole? Thi
s person has spoken their name to you?”

  “Yeah, at least I think so.”

  Avetta descended the rest of the stairs to stand in front of us. I could see her mind ticking over, taking in the recent information we were telling her.

  “What was the message?”

  “He said, I need to go back to the academy, now.” Avetta’s eyes glossed over the instant I told her. I never knew what she was doing when she went into a trance like that. I wasn’t entirely sure why there was such a panic either. Pearce and Avetta were both taking this seriously, yet I couldn’t see the problem. But when Avetta snapped back to the here and now, what she said next had my jaw dropping to the floor and sent shivers up my spine.

  “Pearce, get the others up. There’s going to be an attack on the academy. We need to go back, now.”

  Sandra slammed the door shut to the campervan. Which did not help the pounding in my head.

  “Keeping secrets from us now, huh,” she spat at me as she sat in the seat opposite. The crease above her brows and narrowed eyes bore into me as she waited for my response.

  “It wasn’t a secret Sandra. I didn’t know what it all meant.”

  “And you didn’t think to let us in so that we might help you figure it out,” she shouted.

  I groaned and laid my head back on the seat, staring at the felt roof.