by Noree Cosper
“After we get my dad,” Colin said.
“Right,” I said.
Dylan shook his head. “We need to be careful going in since we could run into Dreamless and whatever else in the halls.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Nimue’s voice echoed from one of the tunnels ahead of us.
My stomach felt like it turned to ice and a sour taste filled my mouth. Goosebumps rose across my back.
Eryn muttered a small curse and pulled out a long knife from the sheath on her leg. Nimue stepped out of the tunnel on the right, followed by three Dreamless. From the second tunnel another three appeared.
“There’s no need to sneak. I’d love to give you a personal tour,” she said with a malicious smile.
26
Colin’s fists clenched and he took a step towards Dylan. “You sold us out.”
Dylan’s face turned bright red, his eyes widening as his gaze found mine. “No. I had nothing to do with this. You have to believe me.”
My stomach did a flip flop. Was it true? Had the last few weeks been an act just to get us into Nimue’s claws?
“That’s not important now.” Gwen stepped between Dylan and Colin and faced off with Nimue and her Dreamless. “We have other things to deal with.”
Nimue’s laugh echoed through the cave. “Oh, really? How can you fight when you are so tired?”
Nimue leaned forward and her lips formed a small O as she exhaled. The hint of something sweet and heady hung in the air from her breath. It hit Gwen and she gasped, her eyes fluttering as she staggered back into Dylan. He grabbed her as she went limp.
His lips pressed together in a grim look. “She’s asleep.”
Leri gasped, the color draining from her face. “Wait.”
“And if the rest of you don’t wish to slip into dreamland, I suggest you surrender.” She nodded to the Dreamless. “Subdue them and grab the sleeping girl.”
Eryn stepped in front of Dylan and Gwen, pulling two pistols from the holsters on her hips. A shot reverberated off the stone walls. One of the Dreamless in front dropped. The others halted and stared down at the fallen one before looking back up at Nimue.
“No one is touching my sister,” Eryn said. “Or anyone else for that matter.”
“Fine,” Nimue said. “You will join her then.”
“No.” I pulled a bit of ground maca root that I’d collected from the Respite from my pocket and blew it among the lot of us.
Nimue raised an eyebrow. “Was that supposed to do something?”
I grabbed my amulet and imagined an aura of wakefulness around us. “Don't lay thee head down to sleep. For the Fae will steal your dreams to keep. You will die before you wake. And with your life, your soul they'll take.”
The dim edges of the cave seemed to come into focus as my pulse began to race. Colin sucked in a loud breath beside me.
“That little witch spell isn’t going to save you.” Nimue’s eyebrow remained in its arched position.
She exhaled again, targeting Eryn this time. Eryn’s eyes closed in a wince and she inhaled involuntarily. Nothing happened. Eryn blinked, a wide grin spread over her face, and she rotated her shoulders back.
Nimue’s face sifted from her smug smile to a confused scowl, which she directed at me. “No witch magic could stop my spell. What are you?”
“You’ll never know.” I pulled out my bow and stepped back into the tunnel we had come from.
“Fine,” Nimue said. “You want to play dirty, I can be dirty.”
She pushed her chest out and raised her hand toward us. Rumbling filled the cave and pebbles rained down over our heads. I wrapped my arm over my head. The sound of scraping stone filled the cave and I turned. The tunnel entrance was shrinking. My heart hammered in my chest as I raced towards it. I was too late. The entrance disappeared within seconds. My fists slammed against the roughly hewn stone. The Dreamless stood in front of the remaining tunnels, blocking any means of escape.
Nimue jerked her hand in a wave towards us. “Handle them. Bring me the blonde girl and the boy with the pointed ears.”
“Wait,” Leri shouted. “That isn’t what we agreed. You said we’d go free in exchange for Aneira and Dylan.”
Nimue threw her head back with a laugh. “Did you really believe I’d let three witches and Rhydian’s son go?”
A chill rushed through my entire body as if a bucket of water had been dumped over my head. I knew she disliked me, but did she really let her hatred make her so stupid? Colin stiffened as he slowly turned towards Leri. His face held a dazed look.
Eryn did a double take between her sister and Nimue. Before she could react, two of the Dreamless converged on her.
The first Dreamless kicked one of the guns from her hand. The second moved her fingers in precise diagonal movements while muttering under her breath. Eryn screamed and dropped her second gun.
Dylan backed up until he stood at my side, holding Gwen in his arms. The three remaining Dreamless moved towards us.
“Why?” Colin asked in a soft voice, still staring at Leri.
“Colin,” I said as I nocked an arrow. “Hash it out later.”
I ignored the three Dreamless and aimed for Nimue. She was what I came here for. All this could be over if I took her down. I let loose my arrow and it flew towards her. With the flick of her fingers, it veered to the side and bounced off the stone wall.
The female Dreamless of the three coming after me began casting in those precise hand motions. One of the others pulled a small sword from a sheath on his waist and swung on Leri. The other attacked Colin with a baton. Colin’s eyes widened and he ducked to the side. Leri brought a knife up to deflect the sword.
I pulled another arrow and aimed it at the female Dreamless. The arrow soared and buried itself in her chest. With a scream, she flailed her arms. An orange ball of magic flew from her hands over Colin and Leri and hit the ceiling above my head. The stone ceiling cracked and large chunks of rock tumbled down.
“Look out.” I shoved Dylan out of the way towards one of the open tunnels.
At the same time, Colin dove towards me, yelling my name. His body hit mine and we tumbled to the ground just as the rocks fell upon us. Dust filled my lungs as the crushing heaviness pressed down on my chest. My body screamed before everything went black.
27
I woke to the sound of dripping water. The musk of mildew permeated the area. My ribs throbbed, reminding me of their collision with the rockslide. I winced trying to shift from my sitting position. My hands and feet met resistance and my eyes snapped open.
I sat tied to a chair with my wrists behind my back in a room the size of a closet. Colin slouched in a chair next to me, bound as well. His chin rested on his chest. The room was lit by a single swinging light in the ceiling, and a lone metal door stood in front of us.
The rough fibers of the rope dug into my wrists and I pulled at them, testing their tension. They held fast. I wobbled my chair back and forth, the legs clacking against the stone floor, but the bounds on my feet held as well.
“Colin,” I hissed.
He gave a small moan and his head lulled to one side. Blood smeared his face from the jagged scratch on his forehead along with dirt and dust. The back of his shirt was ripped and bloody in several places.
I glanced down at myself. Aside from the dirt and few rips in my clothing, I had no visible wounds. My ribs hurt, but it seemed that Colin had taken the brunt of the impact. My mouth went dry and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. He’d thrown himself in front of a cave in to try and keep me from harm.
The click of a lock echoed through the room. The door swung open with a metal squeal. Nimue sashayed into the room followed by two dreamless. Her lips curled into a smirk.
“Good. At least one of you is conscious. Quite annoying, I can’t pull any dreams from you being knocked out. Though, I wonder if it would work at all now.” Her thumb caressed the edge of her chin in a contemplative manner.
“What? No quips?” She towered over me and held my face between her fingers. “What is it about you that is so special?”
Her fingers trailed down my neck to the cord of my amulet. She pulled the disk free of my shirt and held it in the palm of her hand. I swallowed, trying to alleviate the ache in the back of my throat as my heart pounded in my ears.
“Interesting.” She leaned close to inspect it and I tried to pull away from her. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “You reek of fear.”
“What do you expect?” I asked. “You enthralled Dylan and sent him after me.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be a problem if you would just love me, like all the others. What is about you that is so different?” Her hand closed into a fist around the disk. “I bet it has something to do with this.”
With one jerk of her arm, she ripped the amulet from me. The back of my neck stung from the resistance the cord had given, but it was nothing compared to the burning ache of my ears. It felt like they were being twisted and pulled. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to scream in front of this bitch.
“So that is it. I knew there was something different. You’re a half-breed.” She stepped back with a look of surprised satisfaction and swung the amulet back and forth. “This little thing must have kept your true appearance hidden. Let me tell you, it’s quite a difference.”
Oh, shit.
She caught a lock of my hair and lifted it in front of my face. The blonde had faded, leaving my hair white as a fresh snowfall. My stomach churned and I shifted in my chair.
“I believe this is the same as the Prince’s, interesting.” She turned to the two Dreamless. “Wake the boy. I have a proposition for the both of them.”
One of the Dreamless stepped forward and began casting. A swirl of blue energy formed over Colin’s head. The Dreamless’s chanting reached a crescendo and cut off. Water formed from the swirling energy and fell over Colin’s head.
His head jerked up and he sucked in a gasping breath. His gazed darted around the room. It paused on me and his eyes widened with surprise before it moved on, coming to rest on Nimue. His mouth tightened into a thin slash.
“Excellent.” She tossed a lock of her long black hair behind her shoulder as she stared at Colin. “Can you talk?”
“Where are the others?” Colin asked.
Nimue waved her hand in dismissal. “They’re fine. Happy, even. But this is about us. I’m assuming neither of you like my dungeon. Personally, I don’t like it either, but it is necessary. I’d rather we have a more amicable relationship.”
“Such as?” Colin asked in an icy voice.
Her lips formed into a pout. “No need for you to be mean. Both of you are half-breeds, so you wouldn’t serve as Dreamless, of course. But there are other ways for us to be…friends.”
“Not just no,” I said, “but go fuck yourself.”
She turned a frigid smile on me. “I see you’re going to need some work. What about you…Colin, isn’t it?”
“I don’t see anything good that I’d get out of it,” he said.
“Besides basking in my love? There is your father.”
His shoulders stiffened and he straightened up. “What have you done with him?”
“I’m afraid he’s being a bit stubborn.” She stepped forward, caressing Colin’s cheek with the back of her hand. “But you could change that, couldn’t you? We could be one big happy family.”
I stared at her hand, wishing it would burn to ashes with just my sight. Was there a spell, or rhyme I could come up with? I glanced at the Dreamless and found them staring back at me with narrowed eyes. No good. One line of a rhyme and they would be on me. My gaze turned back to Nimue as she leaned down to whisper in Colin’s ear. His jaw tightened at her words. What was I worried about? Colin wouldn’t fall for her lies.
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll do it.”
The world seemed to slow around me and a rushing sound filled my ears. It felt as if I was falling even though I was still sitting in my chair. I had to have misheard him. This couldn’t be possible
“What?” I stammered.
He didn’t glance my direction, just focused on Nimue. “If I get see my dad and it gets him out of whatever you are doing to him, then, I’m in.”
“Well, he’s stubborn, as always,” she said. “You’ll have to help me convince him that it’s the best.”
“Fine, sure,” Colin said.
“Why?” My voice didn’t rise above a whisper.
He spared me a glance. “Better than being stuck down here with just you.”
It felt like my heart shattered at his words. At Nimue’s direction, one of the Dreamless came forward and untied Colin. He tried to stand but fell back on the chair with a groan.
“Help him upstairs and have someone see to his wounds. I expect him to be well for dinner,” Nimue said.
The Dreamless lifted Colin’s arm over one shoulder and helped him up. The Dreamless shuffled through the door, leading Colin, and disappeared from my sight. My head dropped and I stared at the ground. Tears welled in my eyes.
“There’s still a chance for you, as well, Aneira.” Nimue rested a hand on the top of my head.
I jerked away from her. I would have told her to fuck off again, but my throat had closed up on me, barely allowing me to draw breath. Her nails dug into my scalp before she moved away from me.
“Fine, have it your way,” she said. “I have you now. No more running. You’ll come around eventually.”
The clack of Nimue’s heels echoed on the stone, but they weren’t as loud as the slamming of the door.
28
The Dreamless hadn’t left with Nimue. He stepped forward and strapped some sort of choker around my neck. A pressure built up in my throat and I drew in a gasping breath. I opened my mouth to fling a curse at him, but only a gargling sound came out. I rocked my chair back and forth as I glared at him. The bastard had taken my voice so I couldn’t cast spells.
He walked to the door and opened it, speaking to someone outside. “I need a hand. The Mistress wants this one moved.”
Two more Dreamless stepped inside. These two held me down to the chair while the other cut the ropes and bound chained cuffs around my wrists and ankles. Then they forced me to shuffle out of the door, through a stone hallway, down a set of steps, to a new cell.
I raised a brow at the bed pushed against the back corner. It stood out from the sparse table and sink because of the large mattress, fluffy pillow, and down stuffed blanket.
“The mistress wants you to be comfortable as you sleep,” one of the Dreamless said. “She thinks it helps the process.”
I lifted my bound hands up and made a rude gesture. They were crazy if they thought I was going to sleep.
He shook his head. “I guess we’ll just use a bit of Lady’s Breath then.”
The other two grabbed my arms. I tried to struggle away but they held me in place. The Dreamless who had originally been in the room with Nimue leaned close to me and blew out his magic dust. It hit me full on in the face.
I coughed and sneezed, trying to get the stuff out of my passages, but it was too late. Sleepiness flooded through my head, causing my eyelids to droop. A heavy sensation filled my head. I fell limp in their hands as my legs lost their strength to hold me up. One Dreamless lifted me up and carried me to the bed. He hummed a soft song as he pulled the blanket over me. I tried to toss the blanket away. I needed to think of something, anything to keep my mind from falling to this.
Colin had betrayed me.
The thought pierced the shattered remains of my heart, adding to the wound. How could he have chosen Nimue? Yeah, I had pushed him away multiple times, but I never thought he’d turn to her of all people.
My eyelids fluttered and my hand fell limply on the cover. The footsteps of the Dreamless became muted. The world blurred out of focus.
You’re
a fool, Aneira.
I really was. I’d pretended my feelings hadn’t been growing for him. And that everything had been casual. I’d focused on my guilt and created indecision to hide from the fact I’d fallen in love with him. Was it any wonder he’d agreed to Nimue’s deal in order to get his dad? We’d had little hope at that point.
The words little hope repeated in my head as I drifted into the unwanted oblivion of sleep.
My feet crunch through the snow as I run through the copse of evergreens. Dylan’s laughter echoes behind me. He’s catching up. A laugh escapes my lips as I pump my legs to go faster towards the direction of the Respite. The last to make it there has to cook dinner. I was looking forward to Dylan’s hare stew.
I pause as something flitters in the back of my mind. This isn’t right. I had been running from Dylan, but not in a race. I shake my head and push forward. A shadowed form steps out from behind a tree in my peripheral. I turn in time to see Dylan rush at me and tackle me.
A screaming laugh escapes my lips as we both fall into the soft snow. Dylan rolls over so he is on top, looking down with a grin on his face. Something flashes in the back of my mind again and my chest becomes heavy, hard to breath for a moment. I shake off the feel and nudge his shoulder with my hand.
“This is cheating,” I say with a giggle. “You know you can’t beat me.”
“Yeah, but you can’t win if I don’t get up.” He nuzzles his nose to mine. “I can think of a few ways to keep you occupied.”
“Oh,” I ask. “And what about dinner?”
“I think I can manage some stew to warm us up when we get back. Right now, I have a few other ideas on how to warm you up.”
I tilt my head up and my lips part in anticipation.
He pulls back to stare down at me, his eyes holding an anticipatory intensity. “I love you, Aneira.”
I open my mouth and close it. For a second, Dylan’s face shifts into a cold mask. Tears prick at my eyes and an ache forms in the back of my throat as the faces of my mother, Colin, and Morphy flash through my head.
