Awakening

by Melainie Nilles

  "Why not here?" In the open, where others could see if the woman attacked her.

  "I don't think your neighbor in twelve-G needs to know everything."

  Lilly glanced out. The thump of a door closing reached her.

  The woman was right about the neighbors. Bad enough Mrs. Kelman had heard that little bit. Now the rumors about her being hunted by some super secret terrorist cell would spring up; with her job analyzing data from the moon bases, someone always suggested it. Most people didn't believe the woman anymore, but someone somewhere probably did, and the dash down the hall last night wouldn't help. For all she knew, the old bag had witnessed it.

  She sighed in defeat and stepped aside, holding the door open.

  "Come in." She hoped she didn't regret this; the woman seemed trustworthy enough.

  "Thank you." The woman slipped off her shoes on the mat while Lilly closed the door and locked it. "You're probably wondering…I'm Jazmin, but most people call me Jaz."

  "I'm wondering why I'm in danger." But the name helped. She shivered, despite the warmth of the afternoon blowing in through the open windows. Part of her believed this strange woman, this Jaz, although she wondered if it was some kind of hoax. "Who's threatening me?" Did she know something about the man with the sword that had attacked just a couple days ago?

  Jaz pushed her loose hair behind her ear and examined the sofa and chair in the sitting room. Rather than sit where Lilly expected, the woman took a seat on the floor.

  Lilly sat on her sofa.

  After situating herself in a cross-legged position with her back to the seat, the woman looked up with a radiant glow on her face in spite of the concern etched into it. "It's not who, but what."

  "What?"

  "A daemon."

  "Daemon?" Was this Jaz some sort of religious zealot? Maybe she shouldn't have let the woman inside, but something inside Lilly insisted on hearing what she had to say. Besides, after her fright last night, she was more curious than ever about daemons.

  "A frael, likely, one of the strongest of Torek's servants."

  "Torek? Who or what is that? What's a frael?"

  The woman shook her head, a frown on her face. "I'm sorry. You probably think this is crazy talk."

  "Uh..." She pressed her lips together to cut off the sarcastic agreement. After talking to the priest in the temple, she had to wonder if the woman was a worshiper. Maybe he had sent this woman to convert her.

  Jazmin's easy smile reassured her. "I'm not crazy, and neither are you." She paused and bit her lip. "You have no religious leanings?"

  "None."

  "That's good and bad. Good that you have nothing to potentially unlearn. Bad, because you're probably a skeptic of what I have to say, but it is the truth. Please hear me out. Whatever you believe you know about our world, our universe, this realm…isn't real."

  Whatever that meant.

  "I see the confusion on your face. Let me start at the beginning."

  "About the daemon thing and stuff?" Although she wanted to shove the woman out and forget any of it, she felt a calm peace radiating from the woman that made her want to listen. Lilly slid closer, and the turmoil of the last day softened within her to something tolerable.

  "Yes, stuff. A lot of stuff I don't have time to explain, but I'll tell you what I can." Jaz's gray eyes stared into the distance.

  "Beyond the understanding of science, other realms exist that we can't see or touch. One of them we became aware of thousands of years ago. We call it the Shadow Realm, but its inhabitants know it as Fal Oroneth. Whatever name you assign, it's a far different place than our universe, our world, and much older. There are forces in this Shadow Realm that have been at war more than twenty thousand of our years, since an event called the Sundering.

  "Only a few histories exist since before the Reformation, when all the supposed holy books were destroyed. Actually, most were histories of this other realm. In our past, humans used the story of the daemons to frighten whole nations into falling in line to their teachings. The Reformists decided not to allow such 'abusive lies' to perpetuate for the sake of inflicting control of one population over another, so they discredited religion and all but outlawed it."

  Lilly nodded. Much of this was taught in school. Throughout the history of Ahlias, wars came and went, dictators and monarchies, republics rising and falling, many of them believing they acted according to the plans of some higher being or beings. People stopped believing and arguing who was right or wrong and started rationalizing, bringing in the most peaceful era of Ahlias history.

  "There are beings. Some seek to nurture; others to destroy."

  "Good and evil?" She'd heard those bedtime stories.

  Jaz shrugged. "I suppose, but they're the same, just on opposite sides."

  "Like a civil war?"

  "You could say that." Jaz took a deep breath and continued, "While we think of theirs as the Shadow Realm, they know ours as the Gray Realm, because in this, all is a mix of light and dark, luriel and daemon."

  "What are luriel?"

  Jaz's eyes sparkled. "The beings who nurture and create. But their powers are weak here, like daemons are. The energies do not mesh without some help, which is why they chose us."

  "Energy, like electricity?"

  "Not quite. Now is not the time to go into detail. That will be Mychel's task."

  "Who's Mychel?"

  "Your assigned mentor."

  Assigned mentor? Not Jaz?

  It made an interesting story and Lilly wanted to shake it off as ludicrous, but that same gut reaction that said Lilly could trust Jaz gave her the feeling this was real, the same feeling she'd had in the temple while hiding.

  Jaz stiffened a moment and relaxed. She took a deep breath with her eyes closed. "He's near."

  "This Mychel?"

  "No. The daemon sent to hunt you."

  Lilly shivered. The image of red eyes and the emergence of a hideous face returned.

  "Listen." Jaz's eyes focused intently on her, holding her. "You must focus on the piece of luriel inside you. You have the power to eliminate him if you accept Enlightenment."

  "Enlightenment?" This was too much to take in at once. Jaz needed to slow down.

  "Yes. The true connection with the luriel of the Shadow Realm. Mychel will show you." Jaz stiffened, and her breath stopped.

  "Are you okay?" Lilly nudged her, but the woman sat frozen. Don't die. She didn't need the woman keeling over in her apartment. On top of all the weird stuff happening lately, though, it wouldn't surprise her.

  "I'm fine." Jaz took a deep breath, her face relaxing. Peace radiated from her, a calm like that of a woman who had accepted her fate.

  Lilly sat back with a frown. "You don't look fine."

  "I'm near Ascension. The luriel inside me will return with my spirit to the Shadow Realm. I'll join my brethren in the war. I am close now. Do not be afraid. I'm returning home. Someday you'll know the joy."

  "Pardon my saying, but it looks uncomfortable."

  Jaz shook her head, her eyes closed. "No. The spirit is preparing the body. It won't last." When she opened her eyes, they glazed with unshed tears. "It's beyond words, Lilly, a joy you'll one day know. I'm honored to have met you, and I hope to again when you're ready." She frowned and wiped her eyes. "Beware the daemons. This one has fed today and will come for you again, if he has not already. He'll extinguish your soul and kill you. If that happens, you'll cease to exist in any realm."

  "All...right." Lilly shuddered at the possibility. It couldn't be real, but she couldn't deny what she had seen and that frightened her.

  "I see your doubts." Jaz gave her an understanding smile that sent a pang of guilt through Lilly. She thought turning the woman away would be easy. "I understand completely, Lilly. I was once like you. We all doubted the truth when we first heard it. But it's real. Very real. Once you connect to the Shadow Realm, you'll understand. Mychel will show you."

  "What if I don't want to?" This Shadow Realm
sounded horrible if daemons lived there.

  "You will. Your connection will grow in time, but with training you'll learn to control it. You already feel the hidden layers of the world around you, I'll bet, a calling to something. You'll search everywhere, try everything, but nothing will satisfy the quest, because it lies within you. That is the Shadow Realm. It's invisible to us, but a part of us. Like an energy field, we feel the negative and positive forces. Mychel will show you how to control it. Trust him."

  Jaz's smile turned into a cold frown. "The daemons will use your naiveté against you."

  She stiffened again, her fingers balling into fists. "Not…" She ground the words through clenched teeth. "…Yet. I'm not done."

  "You're sure you're all right?" What on Ahlias was happening?

  "I'll be fine. But I have—" She took a deep breath and relaxed. "I haven't much time. It's Mychel's job to show you, but we can't take the chance. The daemon is close now. Most celemae don't feel their presence unless they use their powers, but I'm nearly free of this body. I've...connected with the other realm. The luriel call to me. I can't stay long. They need me. But I came to protect you and now I can't. Lilly, you must know."

  "Know what?" Lilly leaned close but not too close. The woman looked to be in severe pain and Lilly wanted to help her, but something held her back against her morals to help her feel better.

  "You possess a special light, a piece of the luriel. When you need strength, look within. It's there. That peace will defeat the daemon. It feeds off fear, hatred, lust, greed, anything negative. Control your emotions and trust in yourself. You are celemae."

  "Celemae?"

  Jaz's face twisted in an expression of pain. "One of...the luriel born...to this realm. You will realize...Ah!"

  The woman pulled her knees to her chest and breathed deeply, trembling. Jaz took several deep breaths and calmed. "You'll soon see. The Pallora Fen will teach you."

  Pallora Fen? Now, who were they? This woman threw out too many names—celemae, Shadow Realm, daemons... It all twisted and wrapped through her mind into a tangle of confusion. It sounded like religious nonsense, the wild tale of a crazy, dying woman.

  "I'll fight Ascension as long as I can. And I hope to see Mychel one last time." Jaz smiled, her eyes gazing beyond the glass deck doors. She sat in silence for several minutes.

  And who was Mychel? Some old lover or part of her elaborate trick?

  "I was his mentor, and he will be yours."

  Lilly shook her head. Had the woman read her mind?

  None of this could have been real, from the nightmare to this woman and her wild story. She didn't believe any of it. She couldn't. The nightmare must have come from what she had seen in her brief visit in the temple.

  Uncomfortable with thinking about daemons and luriel and some predestined future she didn't want, Lilly jumped to her feet with the notion of doing something, anything to take her mind off it. "Can I...um...get you something to drink, or something?"

  Jaz waved her offer away. "I'm fine. Thanks."

  "You're sure? It's not any trouble."

  "No. Don't bother. I only need to focus." A corner of Jaz's mouth curved up with a snuff of amusement. "Funny. For ten years, I've practiced meditating and connecting to the Shadow Realm, eager for Ascension. Now that I've achieved a pure connection, I need to hold back."

  "Are...Are you dying?"

  "No." Jaz fixed her with an illuminating smile that sent a profound peace through Lilly that she longed to keep. "I'll travel to the Shadow Realm and join those who have gone before. I'll cease to be in this world, but it isn't like dying. Nothing truly dies; it merely transforms."

  "Oh....How do you travel to this Shadow Realm? Where is it?" At least she could keep her talking. That might help.

  "All around us, through us. They occupy the same space but exist in different realms, different dimensions, I guess you could say."

  Too weird, but possible. Maybe. Scientists debated the existence of dimensions other than those known to them. It could happen.

  "It's the closest explanation." Jaz shrugged and laid her head on her knees. Her eyes drifted closed.

  Was she dying here? Now? This couldn't be happening. First the stranger the other day, then the daemon nightmare. Now a woman dying in her apartment? Could things get any worse?

  "Be careful." Jaz yawned. "Sorry. Of all the times to happen. I wish Mychel would hurry. I've been fighting it since he called and asked me to protect you until he could get here. I can't stay much longer." She took a deep breath and let it out, her shoulders dropping. "So tired..."

  The woman's arms fell limp at her sides.

  "Jaz?"

  "Hmm?"

  Lilly watched her for a few seconds but Jaz didn't move, except for one last breath. Hesitant to prove her suspicions right but needing to know, Lilly slid off the sofa and knelt beside the strange woman.

  "Jazmin? Hey." She nudged her shoulders.

  When the woman tipped over, Lilly startled. This couldn't be happening. Why her? Why now? She backed away from the lifeless body.

  The woman had died in her apartment.

  Her heart thumped against her chest. How could this happen? Why had she let her in? What should she do now? What would Jaz's friend, Mychel, say? Would he blame her?

  What am I supposed to do? She didn't want to be taken away by Peacekeepers on murder charges.

  A whisper reached her, shimmering through her with a peace that calmed her mind and brightened. When she closed her eyes, the glow filled her. Lilly sucked in a deep breath, the scent of flowers faintly reaching her and she imagined herself standing in a blossoming meadow. It cleansed her and soothed her so she wanted to drink of its purity.

  She opened her eyes and stared at the light encompassing the woman's body. It filled her with sweet emotions that welled up until her eyes burned. The light flared and faded to the shape of a person.

  "I see it now," a voice like the melody of a song said with a sweetness of sound that touched her heart. "You have been chosen for something greater, Lilly."

  Something greater? Before she could question whether it was real, the light faded.

  Lilly blinked away the spots, seeing the negative dark image of a person with each blink.

  Her eyes focused on the pile of clothes left where the woman had collapsed. Empty clothes. No body remained.

  For a while, she stared, running the scene over in her mind until it all merged together.

  This was crazy! It couldn't have happened.

  But it had. She had seen it. It had to be real. Had that been the Ascension that Jazmin had mentioned? Where had the woman's body gone?

  She knelt and touched the clothes—still warm—but nothing else remained. The woman had vanished.

  Lilly lifted the clothes, studying them for any sign, but found nothing. Either she was going crazy, or the last couple of days had really happened. Or she was still asleep and this was all part of some strange joke of a dream.

  Wake up, Lilly. Wakey, wakey. She shook her head, wishing it was that easy. She was awake. This had happened and, although the impressions faded, when she blinked, she still saw the negative of the bright light that had been there. She couldn't deny it. Something weird had definitely crashed into her life.

  "Someone explain this to me." She looked around, half expecting some creature to descend on her, but nothing came. Except for the soft rush of the breeze from the open balcony door, quiet pervaded the apartment. Could anyone in the Shadow Realm hear her? Would they answer if they could?

  It had to be real. Otherwise, what had she just seen?

  You're not going crazy, she told herself.

  Lilly looked down at the clothes hanging over her arm. That was real.

  "I need to get out." A drink with friends was likely the only thing that could put it into perspective.

  Chapter 7

  The large club was packed and noisy with barely room to move except on the dance floor below the upper deck, which arch
ed around half of the area like a theater setting. At one time it had been a used as a theater.

  Lilly took a breath of the energy thumping through the club. Sweat and perfume mingled into an aroma permeating the air.

  Her friend Trisha led their group of four through the tangle of bodies bouncing and weaving to the throbbing music, the short red dress tight to her curves. The heavy beat drummed in Lilly's chest, carrying her feet to the rhythm. A few men made eye contact but returned their attention to their partners.

  Part of her ached to have Rian with her. No. Not now. He was gone, and she wished she had someone she could talk to, to share her concerns and know that someone was on her side in the freak show that had become her life. He would have assured her about these daemons.

  But he wasn't hers any more, and she didn't know who would listen without telling her she was crazy.

  That's why she was there—to refocus her attention on something else and let loose. After the strange woman had vanished, she needed to get out among the living, normal people. She had called up her friends to escape, not wanting to wait for Jaz's friend Mychel to show up; for all she knew, he was even crazier and more dangerous. A quick shower and change into a clinging black dress that showed off her curves, and she had joined her friends for dinner. They talked and joked like nothing had happened, and Lilly was grateful, but she said nothing about her experiences of the last few days.

  They found a place to sit at a table just vacated along the side of the dance floor.

  "Now to get some drinks," Lilly shouted over the music. She smoothed back her hair loose over her bare shoulders.

  Trisha flashed a thumbs-up. Wilsa and Danni didn't notice, their eyes scanning for men. Lilly could have cared less, but maybe she could find someone to ease the pain of her heart and distract her from the strangeness that had become her life.

  A particularly roguish man smiled their way. She fanned herself in a light-hearted attempt at fun and all of them giggled like school girls. He was cute! So was the next. Maybe she had died and gone to some other realm, one where all the guys were hot and none of them would break her heart. In fact, she expected every one of them had no intention of a relationship.