“What are you talking about?”
She ignores my question, calling behind her. “Bring him in.” Will walks in carrying my father over his shoulders. I scan my father’s face for any sign of life, but his eyes are closed, and his chest hidden against Will’s back.
“What did you do?” I demand, the light in my hand grows stronger.
“Place him over there,” Sydney says ignoring my question again. Will carelessly tosses my father to the ground and leaves without a word.
“Dad!” I extinguish my light and run to him checking for a pulse. It’s there, faint, but there. “What did you do to him?” I turn toward my mother.
“He is alive, for now.” She says with disinterest.
“This has nothing to do with him. He’s human.”
“Oh sweetie, he has so much to do with this. You will take his life and come with me.”
“You’re delusional if you think for a moment I would ever do that.”
“Why such loyalty to the man who abandoned you three years ago?”
“He didn’t abandon me.” I force my words through gritted teeth. I’m tired of explaining this.
“Will understated your stubbornness.” She walks closer to me, and I can see the darkness surrounding her. There’s an emptiness about her. If she weren’t a murderer, I would almost feel sorry for her.
“Can’t you see sweetie, Aeryn, and the other Stalkers have been lying to you. They told you I was dead and that it was the Nightmare’s fault so that you would choose their side.”
“They told me you were dead because you’re as good as it. You hid me from them. You made sure I wouldn’t know about them or who I was until you could trick me into choosing darkness, but guess what mother, it didn’t work.”
“Nadia, I didn’t want it to come to this, but if you don’t join us, we will have to destroy you, and your father.”
I laugh. “I would love to see you try.” I’m bluffing of course, but it’s all I have up my sleeve.
“This is your last chance, Nadia. Join us. Please.” Her tone sounds desperate. I would like to believe it’s because she wants me to be with her, but I’m not that naive. My mother is worried I can actually beat her.
“That’s not going to happen.” My hands light up without much effort. I’m growing stronger.
“Have it your way then.” She waves her hand and a large cloud of black smoke appears before she walks away.
I watch as the smoke swirling above me, begins to take shape. I retreat, increasing the space between me and the growing Nightmare. Yellow calculating eyes stare into mine as the large black wolf swishes its tail. It paces back and forth before throwing its head back, releasing a shrill howl from its muzzle. I freeze, unable to move. She called my bluff, I don’t know what to do. The wolf takes advantage of my crippling fear, pouncing at me causing a short high-pitched scream to erupt from my throat as I shuffle my feet backward.
The wolf releases three short breaths like laughter. It’s playing with me. I regain my senses and throw my right hand out releasing a small orb of light. It speeds across the room towards the wolf, but it’s too fast. It dodges the light and lunges at me. I try to leap out of the way, but I’m no match for its speed. The wolf lowers its head right before the impact and crashes into my stomach. The force pushes me backward, and my body tumbles to the ground. My back screams in pain from the impact.
The wolf slowly steps back, forging its hind legs into the dirt. It’s tail waves high as I stand and prepare myself. The wolf lunges again, but this time I’m ready. I dodge, sending sparks towards the wolf. It falls to the ground with a quick yelp. It looks rattled but returns to its feet ready for more. The wolf takes a running leap, jumping to avoid the stream of light I release and collides with my body. We fall to the ground, the wolf snarling on top of me inches away from my throat. I close my hands around its throat as it snaps its toothy jaw in my face. I push with all my strength, but the Nightmare won’t back off. I try to roll and knock it off, but the wolf is heavier than it looks. I press my light into both of my hands as the wolf snaps ferociously at my throat. I wait until I feel my control slipping, and release the light. The wolf is thrown back from the force, howling as it hits the wall, returning to its true state of darkness. It swirls above me before disappearing.
I’m ready to celebrate when I hear a wisp of air behind me and turn to see a larger mass of black smoke swirling above me. It isn’t over yet. I build up what little courage I can muster and ready myself as the smoke takes the form of a lion. Its roar sends shivers down my spine. Steadying myself, I wait for it to make a move. Unlike the wolf, the lion isn’t here to play games. It stalks closer to me, and I watch as it’s shoulder blades move up and down with each predatory step. It glides its tongue over its lips before galloping towards me. I count each powerful stride waiting until the last moment. As it leaps at me with its massive paws stretched wide, I drop to the ground. Its front paws fly over me, but its back paws press onto my back slicing my skin with razor-sharp claws. I cry out and stumble to my feet guarding my back, but I don’t see the lion. I frantically look around the cavernous room, but there is no sign of it.
“Here kitty kitty,” I call to the lion but am met with only silence. My nerves rattle, and I close my eyes for just a second, taking a deep breath to calm myself. I try to creep quietly around the outside of the cave, but the rocks crunch under my feet. A couple yards away, I find a larger boulder that could be big enough to conceal the Nightmare. I take one step at a time avoiding the small rocks on the ground. When I reach the boulder, I ready my light and hold it in my hand. After a brief moment of hesitation, I jump to the other side, staring the smoky lion in the face. His yellow eyes hold onto mine as he releases an ear shattering roar. I release the small ball of light, but the lion disappears into a puff of black smoke.
“That’s not fair, now is it?” I turn around to meet two broad paws coming for my face. I raise my arms, bracing for the impact. The skin rips as the lion clamps its large teeth around my wrist. Gasping from the pain, I use all my strength to roll out of the lion’s grasp. I clutch my wrist as the blood begins to fall, lifting my gaze from my wrist to the snarling lion in front of me.
Its smoky skin scrunches around its jaw as it bares its teeth and growls. My eyes shift to its shoulders, and at the first sign of movement I dodge to the left and shoot a stream of light at the lion. It connects, and the lion growls. Shaking its smoky mane the lion rears up and roars. As soon as its paws land back on the ground, it charges towards me. Holding my hands up, I focus my light into both and run towards the charging lion. I anticipate its attack on the right, but it learned from last time. It pounces from the left, and the impact knocks the wind out of me as I tumble to the ground. I gasp and try to steady my breathing. The lion roars, and I can see all of its great smoky teeth ready to tear into me. This time I act before it has a chance. I push both hands toward it and send a large beam of golden light. It tries to leap out of the way but doesn’t have enough room. The beam hits it on the side, and the lion explodes. Hundreds of tiny embers fall to the ground.
CHAPTER 17
“IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?” My heartbeat drums in my ears as embers continue to fall all around me. I feel invincible from the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Blood oozes from the teeth marks on my wrist, but the pain is masked. “Stop hiding. Show yourself. You use your minions to attack me while hiding in the shadows.”
Laughter echoes in the cave, bouncing from once side to the other. I swivel, trying to pinpoint her location. “I’m only getting started, sweetie.” I turn once more to find her standing behind me. “I wasn’t hiding love, I was testing you.”
“Enough of your games. If you want me, come and get me.” Her eyes darken as a deep sputter of laughter fills the cave once more. A small black wisp of smoke draws from her open mouth. She throws her head back looking towards the ceiling and clasps her throat with her right hand as more smoke rises from her mouth. I watch as smo
ky tentacles desperately climb their way out of her mouth, wrapping around her like a giant octopus, enveloping her whole body.
I shamble backward as the darkness begins to take shape. A cool breeze sweeps through the cave as the smoke swirls in the air, growing. It’s almost as tall as the ceiling when I finally realize the form it is taking. I fight the impulse to run as I stare down the dragon towering over me. Her wings stretch out as much as the cave allows. I lift my arm to prepare and cry out as my mind finally registers the sting. I rip a small section from the bottom of my ragged shirt, and tie it around my wrist, wincing as I pull it tighter. My arms stay at my side, as I open my hands and force a ball of light into each. At the appearance of the light, a low hiss resonates from the dragon. I release the light as she swings her massive wings at me.
The light connects with her wing, but she still manages to make contact with my side. The impact slams my back against the wall. I rub the throbbing area on my head, feeling the warm sticky liquid and push myself up. I throw a quick bolt at the dragon, connecting with her hind leg as she tries to dodge the attack. The dragon’s size hinders her from moving freely about the cave. A low rumble begins in her throat as the dragon stomps her feet. It screams in frustration, but instead of fire, it’s more darkness that funnels out of her mouth.
The dragon stomps her oversized legs again, shaking the ground of the now seemingly small cave. The quake unbalances me, and I fall back to the ground. The metallic scent of blood mixes with the musky scent of sweat and my stomach turns. She charges at me, and I roll out of the way just in time. She collides with the wall, causing an avalanche of rocks and dirt. I shield myself as best I can before shooting a bolt of light towards her. She shrieks as the light connects with the cave wall beside her. Her wing comes crashing down next to me as I race to the opposite side of the cave. The avalanche dropped a rock large enough for me to crouch behind. My heart beats against my chest as I grip my aching wrist. They were wrong. I’m not strong enough to face her. The walls and ground shake again, and I hold on to the rock for balance. Peering around, I can see the dragon ramming its side into the cave wall. It’s trying to cause another avalanche to make more room.
With each hit, more and more rocks fall. I dodge them, trying to keep my shell intact. I look to my father as the rocks and dirt fall all around him. I need to stop her before she kills us both, but I’m no match for the dragon’s strength. I search the roof of the cave for a rock large enough to take her out. There aren’t any sharp enough to pierce her skin, but there’s one not too far from her that shakes with every hit she makes. I ready myself and shoot a bolt at the small corner of the cave ceiling holding the rock. Chunks of debris fall, but it keeps its hold on the stone. The dragon roars in frustration as I send another bolt of light at the corner. It explodes, and I dart out from behind the boulder to lure the dragon. She lunges toward me as the rock falls, landing on her back. The dragon teeters to the ground causing another small avalanche.
I dodge the rubble, keeping my eyes on her as she lies there on the ground, not moving. The rock must have knocked her unconscious. Being careful not to completely turn my back on her, I hurry to my father. He’s covered in dirt, and his pulse is weak, but he’s still alive. I carefully dust off the fragments that collected on his shirt before walking over to the dragon’s limp form. I run my hand along one of the spikes on her back. Despite the smoky appearance, my hand moves across her solid exterior feeling the leathery texture of her skin. It’s cold and damp sending a chill down my arm. I take a few steps back, giving in to my jittery nerves. I need to make sure this is over. I push a ball of light into my least damaged hand, but something in me hesitates. She’s a Nightmare, but she’s also my mother. If I kill one, I kill the other.
But she isn’t my mother anymore, not really. I need to focus on that. I raise my arm to release the light, but a force slams against my chest, sending me flying across the cave. My back hits the wall again, and I crumble to the ground. A sharp pain claws at my face, and blood drips from the gash on my left cheek. My shell has taken too much, it’s giving out. I struggle to my feet and find the dragon standing a few inches in front of me. It opens its mouth, and the smoke surrounds my face. It forces itself through my ears and nose. I try to fight it, try to push the smoke away, but it is no use. I can’t grasp it.
The cold seeps into my soul, sending tremors through my body. I think about Aeryn and the promise I made him. I won’t lose focus. Thoughts of him, my father, and Hanna play through my mind. I think about Gavyn, the Elders, and the other Nightstalkers. If I don’t win this, they will be vulnerable. I focus on pushing the darkness away, and I remember what Aeryn said. My light is too strong. I just need to reach its full potential. I close my eyes, breathe slowly, and focus on channeling the light. I feel it fighting the darkness. The warmth is overpowering the emptiness of the darkness. I won’t become my mother. The steady warmth boils into a raging fire. The flames reach every inch of me, and I can’t contain it anymore. I scream as I force the darkness out of me.
When I open my eyes, the dragon is gone, and in its place stands my mother. The woman from the photos, the woman from my memory. My breath catches as I take in her chestnut hair and purple dress.
“Nadia, I only want to be with you. They wouldn’t let us be together before, but this time it’s your choice. They can’t keep us apart any longer.” My eyes burn as I fight back the tears. All I ever wanted was to have my mother back, and now she’s standing here in front of me. I drop to my knees and release the tears I’ve been holding back for so long. “Nadia?” My mother slowly moves closer to me.
I weep for the woman my mother used to be, the woman she could have been. She kneels down beside me, and I see the Nightmare hiding inside. Her clothes and hair may resemble my mother, but she can’t hide the darkness in her eyes, the empty husks of what once was my mother. Waiting until she’s close enough, I embrace her. My arms tighten around her, not wanting this moment to end. But I can’t stay in this delusion forever. I hold the light burning inside of me as long as I can, building it up until it explodes.
CHAPTER 18
MY STOMACH CONTENTS THREATEN TO spill onto the floor as I writhe in agony, trying to ease the sharp throbbing with pressure. My eyes, blurry with tears, examine the wreckage surrounding me. Blood and scorch marks splattered around the cave, my father huddled under dirt and debris, and the black ash remains of my mother littering the ground. My gaze pushes back to my father. I struggle to lift myself up, but can only make it to my knees. Crawling across the hard ground, I make my way over to him. His pulse is weaker still, but it’s there. “Dad?” His eyes flutter, but he doesn’t wake. I need to get him to a hospital. I test my strength against his weight but the splitting headache forces a gasp from my lips, and I release him, bracing my head between my fists.
“I wouldn’t bother with him, Nadia. It won’t be long now.” Will walks into view tossing a small dagger back and forth between his hands.
I have no strength, my stomach cartwheels into my chest. I’m tired of playing his games. “Just get it over with Will. Kill me already.”
“I told you, Nadia, I don’t want to kill you.”
“Then what do you want?”
He smirks. “Is it not obvious? I want you to join me.”
“And isn’t it obvious I will never do that?”
His lips thin into a straight line. “That’s rather disappointing. Have you not suffered enough to understand? Do you not see that your mother sacrificed her life for you to understand?”
“Sacrificed her life? She tried to kill me and failed. That wasn’t a sacrifice. So, go ahead, kill me. It will be the last life you Nightmares take. Now that my mother is gone you don’t stand a chance against us.”
Will laughs. “You honestly believe that, don’t you? Your mother was special, absolutely. There will never be another like her, but she was not our only chance. She was merely my largest fighter.”
“Your fighter?”
“Join me, Nadia, no one else needs to die tonight.”
“I would tell you to go to Hell, but I have a feeling we’re already there.”
“Your strong will might be the end of you. You must believe me when I tell you I never wanted it to come to this, but you have left me no choice.” He lifts his hand, and a stream of black smoke emerges, clasping around my father’s neck.
“No.” I try to access my light, but I’m still expended from the last time. “Stop! This fight is between you and me. He has nothing to do with it.” I’m helpless, all I can do is sit and watch the life being drained from him. My father lifts his shaky hand and links it with mine. “I love you,” I whisper to him, and with one last squeeze of my hand, he’s gone.
“I truly am sorry, but it was the only way to make you understand. Feel that loss and let it guide you.” I release my father’s hand, and with every ounce of strength I can muster, I charge at Will. My feet are unstable, and I still can’t conjure up enough light, but I wrap my hands around Will’s throat and squeeze. “Yes, feel that fury. Let it course through your veins.” I tighten my weak hold, and his laugh becomes breathless as he lifts one hand to grasp my wounded wrist. His icy grip sends chills through my whole body. He pulls my hand away from his throat with ease, and twists against the wound, forcing my other hand to release his throat and my knees to buckle. The fabric, now loose around my wrist, is covered in blood. Reaching behind him, he pulls out the small dagger from its holster. A sharp sting blazes as he slides it across the palm of my hand. I suck in a quick breath of air, and he releases his hold on my wrist. “I won’t give up on you Nadia, and now that I have your blood, I will always be able to find you.”
The Other Side of Dreams (Nighstalker Novels Book 1) Page 17
