“Why don’t we head to the next place?”
“Oh, sure, now that I’m all wet and freezing.”
“You’re freezing?”
“Y—Well, actually no, now that I think about it. I thought I would be.”
“We don’t feel cold. When you’re in your human shell, you do, but not when you’re here.”
“Well isn’t that nifty.”
“That’s not the word I would use, but sure.” He slips back into his jacket.
“What’s our next stop? She asked, knowing he wouldn’t answer.”
“Do you like narrating your life?”
“Keeps things interesting. Lead the way tour guide.” I trail behind him along the path we were walking before the waterfall detour.
“This last place is my favorite spot in all of Dream Haven. My best kept secret.”
“Should I be blindfolded or something?
“If that’s what you’re into.” He raises a single eyebrow.
My throat goes dry, and blood rushes to my cheeks. “Oh ha ha, I meant that. Well. You said it’s your best kept secret. Don’t you want to keep it that way?”
“I trust you.”
“Why?”
“I guess it’s the same reason you trust me.”
“That’s just it, I don’t know why I trust you.”
“You mean it’s not my dashing good looks and charm?”
I snort. “In the human world, that’s a reason not to trust you. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” He stops. A full smile drags across his face, his white teeth shining, showing a bit of an overbite. “What?” I pause near him.
“You said human world, not my world. This place is already growing on you. Or maybe it’s me that’s growing on you.”
“Start moving tour guide.” I don’t want to think about the choice I have in front of me, and who I may have to leave behind.
“But of course. On your right, you’ll see more trees and flowers, and on your left even more trees and flowers.”
“You’re the worst tour guide ever.”
CHAPTER 9
“HOW MUCH FARTHER?” MY FEET ache, and the steep incline of the ground begins cramping my legs.
“We’re almost there.”
Rocks crunch and slide under my shoes threatening to make me stumble. I toy with the idea of making the ground smoother, but I’m not sure it will listen to me, and I don’t want to seem any weaker than I already do. Apparently, I’m only good at running on smooth pavement. The trail at the State Park has me spoiled. Aeryn climbs the mountainous hill with ease glancing back every so often to make sure I’m still there. I flash a smile so he won’t think it’s too difficult for me, but I can tell he’s slowing his pace. Finally, the incline plateaus and the rocks and trees open up.
“We’re here.” He says looking back at me before jogging over to the cliff. His eyes close as he takes a deep breath.
The air isn’t as warm up here, I walk to the edge more cautiously than he did, ensuring there’s several feet of rock between me and certain death. Just as with everything else I’ve seen, it’s beautiful. The cliff overlooks a calm lake surrounded by green mountains. The sky, a stunning mix of orange and pink hues, like a painted canvas. Aeryn’s chest rhythmically falls with each breath. He looks so peaceful standing there, as if a part of nature, I can’t look away. A smile spreads across his face and for a moment, I believe he forgot I’m here. I take a step back, the sound of crunching rocks opens his eyes.
“Do you make a habit of staring?” He looks at me, his eyebrows pushed towards each other.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“You didn’t. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t falling off the side. You seem to be a tad clumsy.” A small smile plays at the corner of his lips.
I mirror it. I’d rather him think I’m clumsy than weak. “Yeah, I kind of always have been.” My cheeks warm from the blush.
“Once you train a bit, your feet will be steadier.” Steadier, just what every girl dreams of. “And don’t worry, I don’t blame you for staring at me.”
I cram my hands into my back pockets. “I wasn’t staring. I was admiring the view.”
He looks down at himself. “I do look rather nice today.”
“That’s not—nevermind.”
He takes a seat on the edge of the cliff, dangling his legs as he had done at the bridge. I’m even more hesitant to join him this time. He picks up on my reluctance and pats the ground next to him. “You won’t fall. And I won’t jump this time, I promise.” I look at him skeptically. “I always keep my promises.” So far this has been true, and he’s made a lot of promises.
I give in and slowly take a seat next to him. Keeping one hand on my back and the other on my arm, he holds me steady as I lower myself. The rock is hard but not uncomfortable. “How often do you come up here?”
“A lot. This is how I clear my head. You have your running, I have this.”
“How has no one else ever found this place?”
“It’s not so much that I’m the only one who knows about this place, more that I’m the only one who cares to come up here. Would you have continued up the path if I hadn’t pushed you to?”
“Most likely not.” That’s a lie. I most definitely would not have. “Can’t people just make the path easier to follow?”
“Yes, and some have, but they rarely come back. They aren’t drawn to it as I am.”
“How did you even find this place?”
He presses his palms down behind him, leaning back. “During my training. I was out here running to build up my stamina. I thought climbing up a steep, rocky hill would be a good challenge. I just kept going until I found this. I stayed up here for hours that first time.”
“The view is breathtaking,”
“Ever since that day, I’ve come up here to free my mind or break away from whatever is bothering me. It’s my safe place.” I’m honored he would share it with me. “When my parents were killed, I stayed up here for days.”
The last time he spoke about his parents, he seemed disconnected, but now I can see the emotion all over his face. “Is it common for Nightstalkers to die?”
“We all die eventually Nadia, we’re not immortal.”
“You know what I mean. Die too soon, killed by Nightmares.”
“It’s becoming increasingly more common. They’re desperate to leave their world, so they’re taking more risks.”
“Isn’t there another world they could inhabit instead of taking over mine?”
He grins. “Not that I’m aware of.”
I exhale, shaking off the image of an army of smoky bears. “What exactly are the Nightmares? Are they all like what I saw in that alley?
“Some are. Similar to us, they’re all made out of the same substance, but have different appearances.”
“That one looked like smoke.”
“That’s reasonably close. They’re made of darkness, but they take a hardened form. Some look like us, like humans, and the others look like other creatures.”
“What are we made of?”
The smile returns to his face. “What is the one thing that can destroy darkness?”
“Light?”
“Exactly.”
“So, we’re made of light?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t we look like shiny light creatures then?”
“Our light is inside of us. When their darkness isn’t controlled, it consumes them. The few who have the ability to contain it, look like you and me. But most Nightmares are unable to achieve that kind of control.”
“How do we, the light creatures, destroy them, the darkness monsters?”
“Darkness monsters?” He considers the term with a smile. “That’s an apt description. We, shiny light creatures destroy the darkness monsters with our light. During your training, I’ll help you tap into yours.”
“Tap into it?”
“Yes, our light is the only thi
ng that truly affects them.”
“That could be fun,” I admit with a smile.
“That’s if you decide to stay.”
“You mean I actually have a choice? I’m not a prisoner here?” I intend it to be a joke, but his downcast eyes erase my smile.
“You have a choice Nadia, you always have a choice.”
“And just how long do I have to make this choice?”
“That’s not up to me.”
“It’s up to the Elder’s?”
“Yes. They want you to be able to make an informed decision, which is why they asked you to stay a bit before returning to the human world.”
Laughter bursts from my gut. “Asked?”
“They have different ways of asking.”
“I don’t think they understand the meaning of the word.”
“Possibly. But they do understand how the Nightmares work. Any rule or guideline they give you, if only for your protection.”
“Why can’t I just do like my mother? Live in both worlds.”
“It doesn’t work that way. The only way we are allowed into the human world is to capture Nightmares. Your mother was put there to monitor a few humans we suspected. When her investigation led to a dead end, she was supposed to come back.”
“But she didn’t.”
“Being in the human world makes us more vulnerable. A part of our light stays with the shell.”
“Are you saying my mother may not have died if she hadn’t stayed in the human world?”
“It’s possible, but no one can say for sure.”
“What happens if I choose to stay here?”
“Once we have contained the Nightmares, your human shell would be properly destroyed to return your light, and you would never be allowed to go back.”
“Never?”
“Because of what happened with your mother, the Elders have created stricter rules. If there is no threat to the humans, we have no business being there. They don’t want anyone else to make the same mistake.”
“And if I choose the human world?”
“Your light would be dimmed, and you would never be able to return to this Dream Haven. It would be as if you were human. You would even dream.”
“I would dream?”
“You would believe it was a dream.”
“It would be like the alley? Something you create for me to see?”
“Yes, although it would be much more pleasant. And I wouldn’t be there. Not where you could see me.”
“Would I still remember all of this? Would I remember you?”
“For your protection, the Elders would erase everything they can.”
“They have that kind of power? To dim my light and make me forget this is all real?”
“Over us, they do.” It’s suddenly much harder to breathe. The immensity of this choice collapses in on me. If they had given me a choice when I first arrived, it would be a no-brainer, but now that I’ve seen this world and gotten to know Aeryn; his face has been haunting me for 15 years, I can’t imagine never seeing it again. “But, you don’t have to choose today.” He breaks through my tornado of thoughts. “Why don’t we see how you are at training?”
Going down the hill is much easier. I don’t stumble, and I’m even able to keep his pace the entire time. Of course, gravity helps a bit, but I choose to believe I’m also getting better. We take a left turn this time and make our way into an open desert area. The beige sand is finer than that of a beach and moves with the wind. “Where are we now?” It amazes me how we can walk through a forest, with friendly terrain of course, to a mountain, then to a desert all in a few hours. This place is truly remarkable.
“This is the training area.”
“But there’s nothing here? How do you train without equipment?” The question barely finishes rolling off my tongue when my back slams against the ground with a thud. Oomph, “What the hell was that for?”
“Lesson number one, always be ready.”
“You’re training me to fight with my hands?”
“You don’t need a weapon when you were born one.” He reaches his hand out to me, but I slap it away, pushing myself up, prepared to fight. I took a few months of kickboxing lessons, so I know a little bit about fighting. I place my feet about shoulder width apart with my left foot facing forward and my right foot slightly back, facing outward. I ball my fists and lift them to my face. That was the hardest and most painful lesson to learn while kickboxing. I focus too much on my feet and leave my face open.
He looks me up and down as I stand there in position. “Not bad, but we’re not actually boxing, so you don’t—”
I duck and sweep my leg against his ankles. He releases a small groan as he lands on his back. “Sucks, when it comes out of nowhere, doesn’t it?” I twist my ankle, easing the light throb from ramming into his.
“Touché. Do you think you’re ready then? You don’t need any instruction?”
“Only one way to find out.” One thing is for sure, I’m not ready for how fast he is. I don’t have time to move my hands to block the uppercut or the following jab.
“Are you ok?” He asks backing off.
“Shut up and fight.” I’m ready this time, I block his hook and return it with an uppercut and sidekick, but it barely seems to faze him.
“Now that’s better.”
“Quit patronizing me and let’s go.”
His moves are unbelievably quick. After reaching twelve, I stop counting how many times he knocks me to the ground. I get a few more kicks and punches in on him, but he definitely wins. I’m no match for his speed, as much as I hate to admit it.
“You did much better than I thought you would for having no formal training.” How bad was he expecting me to be?
“I took a kickboxing class once.”
“Like I said, no formal training.”
“Ok then, since I’m clearly not up to formal training, can we call it a day?” My shoulders slump with each ragged breath.
“If you don’t think you can handle anymore.”
“What I think, is we should allow the bruises to fully form before adding any more.” I don’t want to be the one to give up, but my body protests and the daylight is fading, which brings up a new question. “Since we don’t sleep, what do we do during the night?”
“We save the world, of course.”
CHAPTER 10
“We save the world?”
“With the humans in Slumberland, we hunt down the Nightmares that have breached their world.”
“Slumberland?”
“That’s not an actual place, just my word for sleeping. Sounds much cooler.” He says winking.
“You should really let other people decide what sounds cool. Also, never wink like that again.” I smirk as he ignores my advice. “So, we’re going after Nightmares now?”
“Actually, I’m going after Nightmares, it’s still too dangerous for you without being in control of your light.”
“What will I be doing then?”
“I believe the Elders will send you back to the human world. Let you deal with things there. I’ll check on you tomorrow, and see if you want to come back.” A flicker of worry flashes across his eyes as his lips tighten.
“I honestly thought it was going to be more difficult to break out of here.”
“I told you, you are not a prisoner here.”
The relief from being able to go home is soon poisoned by dread. I’ll have to decide which world I belong to soon. More importantly, I’ll have to decide who I’m going to leave behind. “Thanks, Aeryn, for telling me about my mom and showing me around.” Guilt tugs at my heartstrings. “For everything.” Nausea settles into my stomach, and it’s as if I’m telling him goodbye for the last time. By the pained look on his face, it’s clear he has the same impression.
“Anytime you would like me to kick your ass again, you know where to find me.”
“All I have to do is stay vigilant, and I’m sure I’ll find you stalkin
g me again.” He wraps his arms around me, his heartbeat drumming against my ear. The comforting pulse dissolves my nausea.
“I should be going.” He releases his hold, and I reluctantly pull away. “You’ll want to head that way.” He says, pointing me in the direction of the castle. I only walk a few steps, but when I turn around, he’s already gone. He truly is that fast.
I fight back the tears as I try to memorize the beauty of this place, the way the grass billows in the wind, and the sweet melody passing between the birds. I don’t want to forget any of it. When I reach the castle this time, it’s not just a small cave-like entrance. I can see the entire castle nestled into the mountain. A mass of greenery encases flowing water near the gate. When I walk through the door, I find the Elders waiting for me. They escort me back to the room we met in before, but this time there’s no throng of people staring at me. Either they’re busy fighting Nightmares with Aeryn, or I’ve already become old news.
“I’ve heard Aeryn has been showing you around,” Gideon says the moment we take our seats.
“Yes, this world is lovely.” Lovely isn’t the right word, in fact, there isn’t a word that can describe this place or the feeling it gives you.
“And I heard your first training session went better than expected.”
How can he have possibly heard that already? “I got a couple shots in if that’s what you mean.”
He chuckles. “Yes, that is quite what I mean.”
“Aeryn said you would let me go home now.” I don’t want them to have time to reconsider.
“Ah. Of course, but I must warn you. It would be unwise to tell anyone about your true self or what it is we do.”
I haven’t even thought about what to tell Hanna or Will. All I want at this moment in time is to talk to my father. He owes me a lot of answers. ”Ok.”
Gideon purses his lips. “We believe the Nightmares already have human shells in place. Letting one of them know who you are while you are still vulnerable would be a grave mistake.” I appreciate his genuine concern, and I want to promise him I won’t tell anyone, but I have to talk to my father about this.
The Other Side of Dreams (Nighstalker Novels Book 1) Page 9
