***
"Pandimora!" Drew's own voice startled him. He was back in his home. He untangled his feet from the twisted bed sheets and jumped off the bed to hurry into the adjoining bath. "Pandimora!" He turned back and rushed through his bedroom, confused to see he was back in his boxer shorts. He ran out to the kitchen and the hallway and pulled open the front door. A blast of icy wind hit his chest. Everything was blotted white outside. He pushed the door closed with his foot and walked into the dimly lit living room. Had all this been some warped dream or was he losing his mind?
He swung his head back and forth, looking, searching for her. His heart beat furiously as he suddenly saw her lying on the living room couch, her arms and legs moving slightly, twitching in sleep.
He hurried over to her, staring down at her, her luxurious hair draped across one shoulder. Gently, he covered her with a light blue throw but turned quickly when the front door opened and an icy gust blew inside, snow landing in puffs on his entryway tiles.
Drew stepped over to the bookcase beside him and grabbed the baseball bat he kept there. Irfin suddenly put his head around the door then thrust his hands into the air. "Here now, put that away," he said, out of breath. "I've come to warn you it's Him who's on his way."
Drew let the bat rest on the floor beside him. "Close the door."
"Doesn't really matter. Listen and don't ask questions. I've popped into your dream. You're both still asleep, but this is no natural sleep. Himself is searching for the crystal so he's cast an enchantment to keep you dreaming."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm not dreaming," Irfin declared, exasperated.
"I don't know if I can trust you. Your protection device didn't work on the goblins and you said it would protect us."
"Not for goblins," Irfin said.
"What's up with you Irfin?" Drew advanced on the little man. "Did someone promise you something -- immortality for your wife? Is that the price for betraying Pandimora?"
Irfin gave a high-pitched whistle and Drew put his hands over his ears. Irfin slammed the front door, his face red. "We don't have time for chit chat. You're dreaming and you have to listen to me."
"Why would I believe you?"
"I'm monitoring your brain waves. He needs you to remain asleep so he can move in and out while he searches."
"So does that mean you're sleeping too?"
"No," Irfin said impatiently. "I've jumped into your dream. Both of you need to wake up. We have work to do."
"So you're waking us up inside a dream?" Drew muttered, feeling incredibly dense.
"Something like that. We don't have time for a detailed explanation."
"What work?"
"You have to get rid of the elder."
"Get rid of him now?" Drew asked warily, moving to kneel beside Pandimora. He put the back of his hand gently against her cheek.
"Take him out of commission until we can figure out how to safeguard the crystal."
"So you know about that, too?"
"Yes. I know everything that's happened since you left this realm."
Drew looked at him quickly.
"Well, almost everything," Irfin muttered, his face now red. "I'm not a peeping Tom. I knew Pandimora was the only one who could find the crystal, given her special gift. All this time the crystal patiently waited for her to find it."
Irfin stared at the crystal still clutched in Pandimora's hand. It glowed with a surreal light against the dark blue fabric of the couch cushions. She moved restlessly but did not awaken.
"Pandimora," Drew said urgently, gently shaking her shoulder. "Pandimora. Wake up."
"You can't wake her from a dream while you're dreaming. First you have to wake up yourself."
"How the heck do I do that?" Drew demanded. "Why don't you wake me up?"
"I can do it remotely," Irfin finally said, "but you might not like it."
"Just do it."
Find Me: Faeries Lost Page 20
