Dreamscape

by Christie Rich

  “Twenty-five thousand two hundred and two, twenty-five thousand two hundred and one, twenty-five thousand two hundred…”

  He doesn’t even take a breath as he plods forward. I’m not waiting for him to get to zero. I lift my sword and slice through his neck. His head rolls away from his body with a sickening thud, followed by a gurgling hiss.

  Not the best choice I’ve ever made. Hordes of Eros rush out of his body, both from his dismembered head and the rest of him.

  I morph immediately, choosing the form of a dragon. My wings pump until I hover over the crater. Spikes line every inch of my skin and I use them to skewer as many Eros as possible with one simple swish of my tail.

  Now that I’m airborne the scene becomes clearer. Amelia gapes at me, a leather strap dangling from her fingers.

  “Move!” I yell at her, but as usual, she doesn’t listen to me.

  At the last moment she loads a ball and hurls it toward the closest Eros. It takes seconds for the projectile to reach its mark, shattering it into tiny specs of smoldering ash. Kelsby must have a touch of sight. He’s given her one of the only weapons Eros cannot avoid. The blast is made to attach to dark energy, so it doesn’t matter if they disassemble.

  She goes to work after that and so do I, my chest swelling with pride I impale more Eros. Once I take care of the immediate vicinity, I scan for the others.

  Kelsby is in trouble. He’s got five Eros attached to him, his face drawn in the pleasure pain that brings a shiver to my spine.

  I glide over to Maybell, who has her own set of Eros inching closer. These are stronger than usual and more determined. Letting out a battle roar, I tuck my wings and dive.

  Seth’s a dragon…a stinking dragon. If I hadn’t seen him morph myself, I would have never believed it. It’s wicked cool, but I can’t focus on my desire to join him in the sky, not with these things hovering about like grim reapers on the hunt.

  Kelsby showed me how to multiply my ammo by clicking a button on the side of the little balls. When I do, the ball vibrates before it splices like an out-of-control cell.

  They have some kind of homing mechanism that latches on to darkness. I don’t know the technicalities, but I’m glad once I release them they do their job fairly quickly.

  I’m trying to ignore the decapitated body lying mere feet from me because the goo coming out of him isn’t near as freaky as the wispy tendrils that solidify into grotesque creatures that shift form constantly.

  If I make it out of here with my wits, I’m going to ask Seth more about them. Somehow, I doubt they come from the same sphere as humanoids.

  They fly at me in hordes like locusts fleeing a storm, yet they are the storm. Darkness consumes the very air, even though light still penetrates the atmosphere.

  I’m pushed back and back until I’m nearing the edge of the pit. Heat hisses up and suffocates me. A sulfurous fog follows the heat. When I glance into the void, a small scream escapes me.

  “Seth,” I yell, whacking another Eros with an ignited ball. It disintegrates on impact, but more come. There are always more. “We’ve got issues here!”

  Fire bursts forth from Seth’s mouth and sprays a line of writhing Eros. They vaporize, the only remains left floating on the stagnant air.

  The volcano burps and Kelsby groans. I’ve lost track of him and Maybell, but I quickly locate him on the other side of the volcano. The horror of what’s happening to him leaves my mouth dry, bile rising up my throat. His entire body is covered in Eros. Their flimsy shells are solidifying right in front of me.

  Thankfully, Maybell is fighting her way over to him. She’s a sight to behold with her rifle set tight against her shoulder. She sends forth another burst of bullets, popping the Eros near her like overgrown pimples.

  I click the ball in my hand five times and load my sling. I grew up with a kid that thought it was funny to pummel my backside with pebbles on the way home from school. One of the only good memories I have of my dad was the day I came home with a black eye, because of that stupid kid.

  He said the dummy probably had a crush on me, but the only thing his actions inspired was a firm desire to crush him.

  My dad taught me to use the sling shot then. He worked with me for a few weeks until I could knock a beer can off our weather-worn fence with one shot. I even managed it a few times while shooting backwards. The next day, I got my revenge. All it took was one good hit to his shoulder and the boy ran home crying. We moved right after that, so I never saw him again, but I kept up my skills until I was in Junior High, just in case. Seems like a blessing now.

  Once I seat the balls, I give a quick flick to the thong and release the tether. The balls race out, snatching one Eros in its quivering eye. The other balls find their marks not long after. Really, I think even if I didn’t know how to use a sling shot, these things would do their job.

  Using my new technique, I make my way closer to Kelsby and Maybell. Zed, Seth, and some other guy are up to their hairlines in Eros, so they are really no use to us.

  “What should I do?” I yell to Maybell.

  She doesn’t look at me, but I can hear her just fine. “Don’t come over here, Amelia!”

  “Just tell me what to do. I can help!”

  She grunts. “We have to lure them away from him.”

  “How!”

  “Think of your worst moment then right after think of your best. It should be enough emotion to entice them.”

  As she gives the instructions, my thoughts shift. The day I found Justine dead on the living room floor and the first time I kissed Seth for real. The air hums with electricity, making the hairs on my arms stand up.

  One by one the things on Kelsby detach, rising into the air like shimmering wisps of smoke. They would be beautiful if not for the hideous images they take. It’s like watching a macabre dance of dismembered souls. Maybe that’s what they are.

  They slither forward and I’m almost caught up in their trance. Their presence pushes against me. At first, it prickles then slides as if getting comfortable.

  Unfortunately, I’ve been warned. Not bothering to take another look, I spin away and crash into something solid.

  Electric eyes stare at me in a face so tempting I blink dumbly for a second.

  “Amelia,” says Daegan softly, my name a ballad on his lips.

  The air kicks up behind me as Seth lands. His thick hind legs barely have enough room on the rim. A growl comes out of him followed by smoke that burns my lungs. “Let her go, Daegan.”

  He laughs. “Still attempting to rule me, brother?”

  When I turn back to him, Seth is in his human form. He glares at Daegan. “You are no longer my brother. You have chosen to be my enemy.”

  Daegan twists me around in his steely grip so I face Seth. His hands clasp in front of me, dangling near my breasts. His breath whispers across my neck and his voice comes out disappointed. “I have only ever been your brother. You were the one that betrayed me.”

  Seth flinches. “An error I will never forget. It was a mistake. I was young.”

  “You knew what you were doing and so did she.” Daegen presses me closer and Seth clenches his enormous jaw. “Is it not fair that I take the woman you love?”

  “Rhea chose me. You didn’t do enough to keep her. Amelia should not pay for my transgression.”

  “Transgression? You betrayed me. You left me for dead.”

  Ice coats my mind. He has to be lying, but Seth isn’t arguing with him. My heart could not possibly beat any faster. My breaths puff out of me in staggered bursts. With Daegan this close, it is difficult not to give in to his pull. His presence both entices and terrifies me, and I wonder how long it would take until the fear slipped away.

  “You hurt her, you will pray for death.”

  Daegan laughs. He leans in and brushes his lips across my earlobe. Electricity ignites my belly and my head goes woozy. “Always one for drama, Seth. I have no intention of taking fair Amelia from you. Once she learns the tru
th, she will come to me.”

  Like hell I will. With the discussion, Daegan has loosened his hold on me just enough for me to crack him in the ribs with my spike-covered elbow. Not wasting a second, I twist away from him, allowing Seth to pull me against him.

  Daegan chuckles, tracing a line of dark blood that oozes from his side before he pulls his dampened finger into his mouth. Smiling, he dips his chin in a nod. A spot of blood remains on his lips. “Until we meet again, my lovely.”

  I scowl at him as he disintegrates into the stagnant air. Only then do I see the hordes of shapeless Eros circling the volcano. I glance back at Seth. “What’s going on?”

  His face is pale and pasty. “We need to leave.”

  Daegan was a distraction. Thousands of Eros circle the volcano like an unholy tornado. Eros in their true nature cannot hold a solid shape. They need a host to maintain a form for any length of time.

  Why are they here? What have they planned? Eros usually travel from one host to another through physical contact. There are too many here for even my four brothers and me to house. Amelia cannot absorb any of them in her current state, but the rest of us can. Even though they could not infiltrate her, she could be tainted. They could diminish her light and I will not allow that.

  Several Eros still cling to Kelsby. If we are able to save him, he will need weeks to recover. I should have never allowed a single member of my team to accomplish a task that I am responsible to complete. No matter how much they train, they will never be Oneiroi. There is only one way to become like me, and I can only choose one mate for a lifetime. Kelsby is a valued member of my team, but I do not wish to spend eternity with him.

  My eyes switch automatically to focus on the woman I hope to one day convince to be mine. Once Daegan was gone, Amelia took to slaying Eros, but they still spill out of the corpse.

  Not for long. I duck and twist to avoid the Eros trained on me until I’m right in front of the severed head. The eyes stare vacantly forward while the skin has split and cracked until webs of sinewy flesh gleam out from underneath the ever-widening gaps.

  Without letting myself linger on him, I kick the head and it sails into the volcano. I am only satisfied when a slithering hiss rises up the void.

  The heat from the volcano makes the chill in the air behind me more intense. When I move toward the body, a line of Eros blocks my access. So the dead man is their portal. Was he meant to take them somewhere else? I shiver at the thought. They will not make it through without him. Much must be considered, and I hope my team is already working on how this man made it into the Dreamscape.

  Something sinister is happening, yet I have no way of stopping it at the moment. The best I can do is close the portal.

  I conjure my blades and begin slicing until the line is riddled with holes. Amelia and Maybell are still working at luring the rest of the Eros off Kelsby. One of the Eros shoots straight at me like a torpedo. Its feelers brush my arm but I slice it open before it can latch on. I cannot spare another moment for my friend.

  When I turn back around, the wall has reformed. “Zed! Peter!” I call. “We have to get the rest of him in the pit.”

  There is no response. A chill ripples along my body as I back away, searching the surface for my brothers. “Zed!” I yell again, then I see him. He’s taken to the sky, completely ignoring me, Amelia, Maybell, and Kelsby. I do not see Peter at all.

  Only Zed would choose the inconsequential form of a hornet. I almost miss him and am nearly unable to form a mind link.

  “What are you doing?”

  Finally, his answer reaches me. “We cannot blow the portal, Seth.”

  I grit my teeth. “They must be destroyed. They could find their way into the Dreamscape should we leave it open.”

  “Better the Dreamscape than the mortal world.”

  My backward step falters, and I trip over a rock. Righting myself is easy, but Zed’s words complicate everything. Eros roaming Earth is what we have long fought to avoid. “What are you saying?”

  He lands beside me and transforms while I keep the general vicinity clear of threats. Zed snaps his head toward me. “Ours is not the only portal within the volcano. The man was a decoy.”

  “That’s not possible,” I say.

  Negative and positive energy cannot occupy the same space, yet Zed would not come to such a conclusion lightly.

  The volcano behind us pops and hisses, signaling activation of our portal. Ian. He should not be here.

  He flies from the mouth of the sputtering beast, engaging Eros along his ascent. Ian’s skill with a sword is breathtaking. I had planned on having him train Amelia, but considering recent events, I am unsure that is the best course.

  “Just in time to leave,” I yell to him while he combats a horde of Eros. His twin blades whirr as he slices through our common enemy. Eros are not easy to destroy, but once their energy is breeched they will usually depart rather than risk true extinction.

  Ian smirks at me. “You’re not going to have all the fun.” His body is covered in thin oozing lines. He fared better than I thought he would.

  “It took you long enough!”

  “Says the man that has a woman already.”

  I laugh. Ian is nothing if not flippant; however, he has a point. “We’ll work on finding one for you. We won’t give up.”

  He continues his attack, as do I. “You should have told me about her.”

  “Later. Help me get to that body.”

  Ian pauses momentarily. “That’s disgusting.”

  I slice through more Eros, but they still keep coming. “Hence why we need to toss it into the pit.”

  “What was that about not blowing the portal?”

  “Zed thinks it’s linked to the mortal realm.”

  Ian grunts. “How?”

  Zed, for once, lets out an irritated growl. “We shall discuss the how after we escape this place.”

  Where has Peter gotten off to?

  The mountain rumbles underneath us, and the volcano hisses out a blubbering groan. “Time to go,” shouts Ian as he surges forward, shredding the line until it is nothing more than a veil of ash. He makes it to the body first. “Absolutely revolting, Seth.”

  “Just dispose of the thing.” Now that Ian is here, the majority of the remaining Eros circle overhead. My pride rankles a bit knowing he is more feared than I am. If I had access to all my powers, that would not be the case. One day, I tell myself.

  He nudges the thing with his toe, giving time for one last Eros to escape. It catches him in the chest before he has a chance to move.

  I scream out his name, racing toward him. He falls forward into the pit, but manages to kick the body in before him. Ian attempts to shift, but the Eros keeps him locked in his human form.

  I transform immediately. This time I choose a pterodactyl with webby wings that allow me to glide on the slightest currents. The body plops into the waiting lava while Ian hurtles toward the portal. It opens as it is meant to at his energy. More Eros attack and Ian is swiftly covered in the dark monsters.

  I dive for him. He must not be allowed through the portal with Eros.

  “Let him go,” Zed yells. “The nymphs will take care of the unwanted.”

  Unwanted. For a moment a strange sense of compassion hits me. It doesn’t last long. Eros have no redeeming qualities. They are meant to destroy. That wasn’t always the case, but since Volos came into power, it has been all I’ve known.

  Amelia screams and I am left to decide between the woman I love and my brother. Ian will have to face the nymphs. I listen for her voice again, but all that registers is a pale whisper.

  When I emerge from the pit, Zed is fording off a plague of Eros that would rival those of ancient Egypt. Amelia has her sling. Pitiful as it is, she is doing a surprisingly good job of holding them back. Maybell has given up on securing Kelsby and instead is firing sporadic bursts into the sky.

  Even with the body gone, there are more Eros than I care to think about. Wit
hout the dreamer, this world should not exist. It should have shattered with him. Something is not right. It is never ideal to exit a crumbling world, but it is preferable to Eros being allowed to inhabit a world, no matter how inhospitable it is.

  I send Zed and Peter the message to retreat. We will have to deal with this world another day. Zed doesn’t hesitate and neither do I. I morph into an enormous octopus, sending my tendrils out for my team as I fall.

  The minute I clasp onto Kelsby, the darkness zings against my extra appendage. I let go of him on instinct, but he is already on the right trajectory. His big body tumbles over and over. With only two to keep track of now, I morph into my human form, pulling Amelia and Maybell closer. Amelia screams, but it isn’t from the fall.

  “Kelsby!” she yells, attempting to push away from me.

  “He’ll be fi—”

  Kelsby has changed trajectory. His face is still strained against the Eros grip, but now a dark starburst of black cankers his normally pleasant eyes.

  With the distraction, Amelia is able to squirm out of my grip. I scream a warning to her that she fails to heed. She free-falls straight toward Kelsby. The Eros vibrate at her presence and the moment she clamps onto Kelsby’s leg, I manage to grab hers.

  “Let go of him!” I yell. Her very soul is at stake here, yet she doesn’t seem to understand.

  “No!”

  “Amelia, let go! You will be contaminated too!”

  Seth wants me to let Kelsby fend for himself, but I can’t do that. The idea of losing him is too dark to contemplate. I’ve lost too many people in my life and letting him go when I have a chance to help him is not an option.

  Kelsby looks down at me, his wide mouth pulled in the strangest expression. It’s both pleasure and pain and it’s creepy as hell.

  His eyes blink and he stares at me as though he’s just come out of a coma. “What are you doing? Let go of me!”

  “No way,” I tell him.

  The Eros attached to him slither down his frame until the first brushes my fingertips. Warmth spreads through me, along with a zing of euphoria that makes me laugh until I’m giggling.