by Sophia Sharp
Nora exhaled. Could she come to terms with who Hunter was? Who he had been? He said himself he renounced that past. And Nora knew he was different. She knew it! A title he had had once should not stop her from seeing him as he was now. She knew him, even if he didn’t share everything about his past. Besides, she was already here. There was no going back to her. There was nothing to do but move forward.
“It doesn’t change the way I feel about you, either,” Nora said finally, as she exhaled. She shot him an unsteady smile. “Although since we’re putting everything out in the open, is there anything else you want to tell me? Some other thing you’ve kept hidden all this time?”
“No.” Hunter shook his head. “You know everything now.”
Nora looked to Selaine. She had an unreadable look on her face. “So, now what happens?” Nora asked.
“We have to help your friends,” Selaine answered. “Success for them comes less easy than it did for you.”
“How?” Nora asked.
“You need to go back into the torrial.” Selaine motioned to the one on the table. “You have to destroy the elders’ cluster of stars from the outside.”
“But the stars are linked together,” Nora said. “Hunter’s is in there. Can we free it from the cluster?”
“No,” Selaine answered. “But there is something else we can do.”
“If you let me,” Hunter explained, “I can make the jump.”
“What jump?” Nora asked.
“From my star to yours.”
“What do you mean?” Nora asked.
“The stars you see in the torrial, Nora, belong to all the living beings on this earth,” Selaine explained. “You know that. But it is not so simple. Each star exists, coincidentally, in both the human realm and the dream realm. So each being actually has two stars. Whenever you enter the dream realm, or go back to the human world, you’re making the jump from one star to the other. That is why the passage sometimes feels so ghastly. You’re skimming through the void – the same blackness within the torrial – to go from one star to the other.
“Now. There’s more to it than that. A person cannot exist without their stars. At any moment, you are either in one of your stars or the other. But, no star can hold more than one sentient, living being. At least, not permanently. That is why what you did for the elders – entering their dreams in the manner you did – necessitates the use of the torrial.
“Unfortunately, both the stars that belong to a being mirror each other. If one is destroyed, the other is, too. That is what makes the attack on the elders possible. But it is also what makes Hunter vulnerable.”
“So if you let me,” Hunter broke in, “I can enter one of your stars. Occupy it, as it were. Make it my own. I can make the jump, at the critical moment just before you destroy mine. And the other elders’. But it would be a permanent move.”
“You would go into my…unoccupied one?” Nora asked. “That will let you survive the destruction of your own star?”
“Yes,” Hunter answered.
“Then of course!” Nora said. “Why would I ever protest to that?”
“Because,” Selaine answered, “it would mean forsaking your own access to the human world.”
“What?”
“If Hunter hops into your empty star, it will become his own,” Selaine said. “And because you’re currently using the star in the dream realm – as we all are – it would be the human one he takes over. You will not be able to transition back in the human world ever again.”
“But it means Hunter will live?” Nora asked.
“Yes,” Selaine answered. “You both will. But you will exist in the dream realm only. And he in the human world.”
“Then how will we see each other?”
“The same way the elders forced their stars to exist for so long in the ether,” Hunter said, “I can use to move my new star – your human star – to the dream realm. We would be here together.”
“So that’s the choice?” Nora asked. “To forsake the living world? To become like the angels?”
“Like the angels,” Selaine said shrewdly, “and, like me.”
“What?” Nora exclaimed, surprised. “What do you mean, like you?”
“I exist purely in the dream realm. It is the way of the succubus.”
“But that’s not true,” Nora said. “You met me in the human world. I saw you there.”
Selaine waved a hand dismissively. “Nothing more than an illusion, and one you will learn to use as well. You will have to use it, if you want to see anyone you know again. There are many things I will have to teach you. You will take my place, soon, but before then you will need guidance. Despite my appearance, I do not intend to wither away and die the moment you take over. The transition will take time.”
“And I will stay beside you forever, if you let me,” Hunter said. “What do you say?”
Nora looked at him. He was exactly the man she knew. Except he had a past that he had hidden from her. And he had good reason for it.
“For you,” Nora said, “I will do it.” She felt a brief regret about the implications of her choice. It meant she could never see her family, never revisit her old life. But this was truly a new beginning for her. In a new world. Together with Hunter.
“Good!” Selaine exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “I did not expect anything less. Now, you need to go back into the void of the torrial. Come, come, we don’t have much time.”
Selaine shuffled over to the table where the globe was. Inside the glass, dark swirling clouds obscured the millions of tiny stars. Nora came over with Hunter at her side.
“I don’t understand one thing, Selaine,” Nora said.
“Mmm?” Selaine intoned. Her attention had shifted to the torrial, and she started moving her hands over it in similar fashion to what Gabrielle had done.
“Where are we right now?”
Selaine looked up briefly to meet Nora’s eye. “Why, isn’t it obvious? We’re inside your dream. This is your star, Nora.”
Nora’s eyes widened. “But, you were both here before me. How?”
“In the moments you exist in the void,” Selaine explained, “both your stars become vacant. After you killed the elder, returned to Gabrielle, and went back into the torrial, I brought Hunter here using this.” She motioned to the globe lying before her. “As for me… well, I can enter dreams on my own. Another thing I will have to teach you in time. Right now, you need to focus on what you will have to do.”
“Alright,” Nora nodded.
“First, I need to return Hunter to his star. He will only be able to make the jump to yours from there.” Hunter gave Nora’s hand a squeeze and stepped toward Selaine. And before Nora could blink, he was sucked into the torrial right before her eyes. Selaine grunted as he went in. Nora saw a miniscule dark shape bolt through the swirling colors and disappear among the stars.
After a few moments, Selaine looked up. “He’s returned.”
“My turn?”
“Yes. You will enter the void alone, Nora. I cannot accompany you. Once you’re there, I will not be able to guide you, either. You will need to manipulate what you can to destroy the elders’ cluster of stars at once.”
“I tried to use the darkness before,” Nora said. “To build it up so that it overtook the cluster. I stopped just before you brought me here. Is that the right way?”
Selaine frowned. “I would not have done so myself, no.”
“There is another way?”
“You need to create a type of black hole, Nora. A special kind of emptiness, even greater than the void itself. You will need to do it in the middle of the cluster, so the elders’ stars collapse toward it. It has to be big enough to swallow the cluster, but not so large to disturb the delicate balance within the torrial.”
“How?”
“You will know when you get there.”
“That’s not very helpful.”
“It’s all I can tell you. I’m afraid the vo
id behaves differently for different people. Any advice I give you based on my own experience will be of little use.”
“So I have to go at it alone?”
“I’m afraid so. You need to have faith in yourself.”
“I do,” Nora said. She took a deep breath. “All right. I’m ready.”
“Close your eyes.”
Nora did so. She felt an opening form in front of her.
“Take care,” Selaine said. “What you do now will influence the state of the world for generations to come.”
No pressure, Nora thought to herself, wryly, and the next second was jolted through the opening. The sudden jerking motion caused her to gasp and open her eyes, but her body had already dissipated. She was floating, empty and free, in the dark river of black nothingness that stretched between the stars.
Slowly, the stars around her ebbed into being. Nora recognized immediately where she was. Selaine had brought her right to the edge of the elders’ cluster.
But things were different now. The wall of black she had built before had retreated slightly, and the elders’ stars had started to shine again. Without her there to strengthen the darkness, those stars were reclaiming their place in the void.
She wondered if Gabrielle had had time to extricate the others from the elders’ dreams. She prayed he had. Once she began what she needed to do, it would likely be too late.
Create a black hole, Selaine had told her. How? Nora didn’t know. Perhaps she could move the cluster in some way.
She concentrated on it. She focused her mind on the stars, on their place in the void, and on their manner of existence. To her surprise, she realized that she could…feel them. It was like her Vassiz gifts had followed her into the void. Except that it wasn’t like that before. Was it something Selaine did?
She saw the stars not only as they existed in front of her, but as clear representations of the elders in her mind’s eye. She felt their perpetual struggle against the black, the uncanny and unnatural existence that gave them sustenance.
And, right in the middle of them, she felt a deeper sort of void. It was like the black that cloaked everything else simply did not exist there. There was no perceptible difference between that area and any other that she could see, but with her newfound sensitivity she knew there was a difference.
That difference was key to everything. Nora knew that if she could push the stars toward that one empty spot, it would create the black hole Selaine had spoken of.
Hunter’s star was there, though. She was very conscious of that. How would he make the jump to hers? How would he know when to do it? She had to trust that he knew what he was doing.
Nora felt out, and reached toward Hunter’s star. Her mind wrapped around it, and she embraced it.
“Nora? Is that you?”
Hunter’s voice came out of nowhere to invade her mind. She panicked and lost the connection she had formed.
The cluster of stars flickered and waned. It was like they were readying for an assault. All of them did it, except for Hunter’s. It shone effortlessly, its light unchanging. It appeared to be the only one at peace.
Nora reached out again and again embraced Hunter’s star. This time, she was prepared for the connection that came along with it. It was something akin to what she experienced with the elder when she fought against him.
“Nora,” Hunter shouted out, “there isn’t much time. You must do it now!”
“Will you know when to jump?” Nora screamed back. Her own voice filled her head.
“Yes,” Hunter shouted. “But you need to do it. Do it now!”
Nora focused on the cluster. She felt each individual star in its own place in the void, felt how they fed off each other. Felt how they fought against the black. She felt the empty spot in their center. And with a flick of her mind, she tore that spot open.
The cluster of stars started to spin, slowly at first, like leaves caught in an eddy. Bit by bit, they picked up speed. They were swirling around, but not getting any closer to the middle. Nora forced them to come together. It didn’t work. She tried again, this time using the darkness around them to push against them. This time, they started to move.
Hunter screamed in her head, frightening Nora. It was a scream of pain. Before she could stop, his voice invaded her mind. “YOU’RE… AAHHH!!... DOING IT!”
Nora pushed the cluster closer together, tighter, tighter. Hunter’s screams continued in her head. She braced herself and kept going. She was determined the see an end to the elders, but Hunter’s screams frightened her. Yet, what she had started could not be stopped.
The stars were spinning quickly now, blurring into a single streaking light. “Hunter, you have jump!” Nora screamed.
“TOO EARLY! AAHHHH!”
His bellows of pain continued. Nora did not know if he was going to make it. The movement of the stars became more violent. Nora couldn’t control it anymore. The stars spun rapidly and were quickly progressing to the middle. It was out of her hands.
Something dark shot out of the spinning stars and flew into the void like a bullet. A heartbeat later a second object was spat out the same way. And then a third, a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth. Nora couldn’t say why, but she was sure those were the representations of Alexander, of Madison, and of the four angels. Relief filled her. They had gotten out.
Hunter was still in there, though. His screams burned through her head, threatening to overtake her in their terror. If it were anybody else, Nora would have severed the connection long ago. But this was Hunter.
The darkness pressed in on the stars, pushing them toward the apex. They were almost there. If Hunter didn’t jump now, Nora didn’t know if he would make it.
“Hunter, you have to jump! Do it now!” Nora screamed.
“TOO SOON! AAHHHH! OTHERS… MIGHT LATCH ON! AHHH!”
“There isn’t any time! You have to do it now!”
His screams were the only thing that answered her. Nora watched, terrified, as the stars came closer and closer together. She could not let go of her connection to Hunter. She felt the darkness pressing in on the stars. They were at the tipping point. One second more and they would collapse into the hole.
Ka-boom!
A giant explosion rocked the world. White, streaming light knocked Nora backward, and she lost consciousness.
Chapter Twenty-One
~Just a Dream~
Nora woke up in a dream. She was in the forest outside her home. How did she get here? She wasn’t sure. Her thoughts were…hazy.
The sun shone down from the clouds above her. Everything had an ethereal glow, a type of celestial shine. The air shimmered slightly wherever she looked, but everything was peaceful. Nora felt whole.
She got up slowly. She recognized the path in the forest. It was one she had run along many times as a child. She wasn’t far from home.
She started down the winding dirt path. In the distance, she could hear birds singing. Despite the shimmer to the air, it smelled clean. Pure.
Nora walked along the path. Her mind was blank, but her senses active. She felt the soft ground beneath her feet, the slight breeze against her face. The sun overhead gave just enough warmth for her to be comfortable.
Nora didn’t remember what happened to bring her here, but she felt at peace.
She wandered slowly to the end of the woods. The forest opened up to reveal a familiar, peaceful street. She had to think hard to conjure the memory, but found it in time. This was the street she had grown up on.
She began down the sidewalk. Everything was in place. She could see no cars, no people. Yet, everything was in peace.
In time, she found herself in front of her old house. Her old home. A light was on inside. Nora walked closer and peeked through the window.
Inside, she found a woman sitting at the dinner table. A woman… her mother? Maybe. Yet, a lingering doubt inside told her that was not quite true.
Nora looked over to the wall and found her high school picture
there. It stood by itself inside a dark wooden frame. She had not been forgotten. A tear formed in her eye, but she did not feel sadness. Her family was at peace, and that was all that mattered.
Nora turned away and started down the short path to the school. That was where all this began. All this? All what? It was a stray thought, and Nora paid it no mind.
Around her, the sun cast peaceful halos upon everything. The world shone gently with a calming glow. Nora felt happy, content. There was no more pressure on her. The burdens that had troubled her before were all gone.
Nora wandered through the abandoned streets, stopping every once in a while to admire the calm serenity of the place. She let her feet guide her while her mind remained empty. Every step she took was blissful. Another stray thought bubbled up in her head, something about an injury she sustained, but she paid it no mind. Her entire body felt perfect and whole.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when she found herself at the lake. All she knew was the sun had not yet moved from its spot in the sky. She didn’t even know how she had gotten there – she thought back and could not remember the walk. She existed only in the present moment.
She saw the spot where she and Hunter…wait. Hunter
She sat up, and there he was. Standing at the edge of the lake, overlooking the water. He did not know she was here. She saw him in all his perfection. His straight back, his perfectly shaped shoulders. His dark hair running down his neck.
She knew he was waiting for her.
She walked toward him, touching his hand when she reached his side. He looked down. A smile lit up his face. The sun shining down created a majestic aura about him.
“Did you do it?” Nora murmured. She did not know what ‘it’ was—not yet, not with her memories still hazy—but the words felt right.
“Yes,” Hunter answered softly. “I’m here now. With you. Forever.”
Nora smiled. “Good. That’s all I ever wanted.”
They stood looking over the lake like that, hands linked, for a long, quiet moment. Then Hunter stirred.
“I have to tell you something,” he said.
