Dream Under the Hill (Oberon Book 8)

by P. G. Forte

  “Is everything okay?” Lucy asked.

  “We’re fine,” Scout replied tersely.

  Marsha, overwhelmed with bliss and relief, did not respond, even though she could feel the nervousness that Lucy’s quiet voice did not reveal. Sam shifted slightly in his seat and even with her eyes closed Marsha could sense the movement. She knew that he had seen her tears and was worried, but she was beyond speech, lost in wonder.

  I’ve missed this, she thought longingly, so much. Oh, how I wish I could get it back.

  I wish you could, too. Scout’s thoughts were as clear and as close as Marsha’s own. It’s killing me having to live like this.

  But, how? Why? Marsha had only to think the questions and the answers appeared; words, pictures, feelings, they all flowed effortlessly into her mind. Oh, Scout. I had no idea...

  Her friend had aptly re-named herself, Marsha thought, wondering if Scout had had any inkling of that, when she chose her name. She did, indeed, have the mind of a scout. A mind whose talent lay in delving into hidden places, ferreting out buried information. A mind that delighted in the search.

  Whereas Marsha’s mind was more like a sponge. Her mind acquired information in an entirely different way; by opening itself to the world around it, absorbing, receiving, allowing the flow of impressions to wash through it.

  Both paths were valid. Both were useful. And it was no wonder that, when they’d worked together as a team, they’d been formidable. But the way things were now, with Marsha’s abilities grafted onto Scout’s – that was a disaster. Scout had been just as trapped as Marsha, these past months; and every bit as incapable of drawing on her own, natural abilities. The resultant cacophony of energy whenever she’d tried, had been almost unbearable.

  To live as they’d both been forced to do, cut off from such an integral part of their being, was slow death.

  There’s got to be a way to fix this, Marsha thought helplessly.

  Well, if you figure it out, let me know, Scout’s mind replied. But, right now, can we go find Nick? According to Sinead, we don’t have much time.

  Sinead, Marsha sighed in frustration. In her mind’s eye, she could see herself shaking her head. What does she know about this kind of stuff?

  She said she saw Lisa, Scout thought, insistently, nerves jangling. Marsha, I’m scared. Lisa is dead! If Nick is with her – I don’t want him to die, too. I don’t want to lose him.

  Marsha felt herself nodding. Lisa... maybe that’s where they should start?

  But, how? I don’t know where she is. I don’t know where either of them are! There was an edge of panic to the thoughts that came from Scout’s mind now. Marsha knew her friend was trying to keep a tight rein on her emotions, but they were there, just the same, roiling beneath the surface, struggling to take over, to swamp her reasoning with fear.

  It’s okay, Marsha thought soothingly. I’ve been here before. I know where we need to go.

  Taking a deep breath, Marsha focused her thoughts, gently reorienting her mind in the direction she wanted it to move. She could feel a slight pull on her senses, a small resistance coming from Scout’s consciousness.

  Let go, Marsha urged quietly, struggling to hold her own fears in check. The last few times they’d tried this, even with Marsha in complete control of her own abilities, Scout’s resistance had been more than sufficient to derail them – and more than once. What could she be capable of now?

  Scout groaned inwardly. Give me a break, huh? I’m trying not to think about that.

  Marsha felt a rush of sympathy for her friend. I know you are. But you have to relax or we can’t go anywhere.

  I’ll try. Scout sighed. Just give me a minute...

  Marsha gave a mental nod of agreement, and waited as Scout took several deep breaths in an attempt to gather her courage together and stiffen her will. And then, almost too abruptly, Scout released her hold on her emotions – not even completely – but still, it was enough that Marsha felt as though a tidal wave had just engulfed them both.

  The resultant chaos caused them to gasp in tandem – eliciting identical spikes of alarm from Lucy and Sam. Marsha quickly refocused, blocking the flow of outside stimulus, concentrating all her attention on the unseen, internal storm.

  While Scout fought to just hang on, to ride out the wave without giving in to panic, Marsha worked to channel and direct the energy. A small detached part of her mind could not help but laugh at the irony. Surely, it was Scout, the sculptor, who should be doing this task, not she.

  Nice thought. Maybe someday, Scout’s mind replied. But, I doubt it. You know how this stuff works far better than I do.

  That’s true, Marsha agreed. I guess I do. How could she not know how to deal with this kind of thing? She’d had years of working with this type of energy—decades, even. It was interesting, however, to learn that it was not just her own energy she could manipulate to good effect. Interesting, and somewhat intoxicating. She was so busy reveling in her newfound skills that the change in the atmosphere barely registered.

  It was Scout who noticed. And then, it was as though a silent alarm had sounded within Marsha’s mind. She felt her focus shift again, automatically, as her attention veered, unerringly, toward Scout. An image of the two of them, sprang to mind, a crystal clear vision. She could see them both, standing side by side, surrounded by a bright, bright haze.

  “Marsha? Where the hell are we?” Scout asked in trepidation.

  Before Marsha could respond, another voice spoke from within the haze. “Why do you all ask that?” A soft, amused, vaguely exasperated voice. A familiar voice. Lisa. “Come on, get a clue, huh? High school? Senior lounge? How come you guys don’t remember this stuff? It wasn’t that long ago.”

  “Long enough,” Marsha answered, smiling in recognition. “Over twenty years for some of us.”

  “Twenty three,” Scout corrected, as her emotions took a sudden dip toward something dark, bleak and ugly. “It will be twenty three years next month.”

  Lisa sighed. “Ah, Scout. Still the math wiz, I see.” The haze that surrounded them faded away and Lisa appeared. “Haven’t you ever heard that time is relative?”

  “Lisa.” Eyes wide, Scout stared at her stepsister, bemused.

  “What’s the matter, little sister? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Lisa’s smile turned faintly mocking. “Oh, gee, wait a minute. I guess that would be me, huh?”

  “I, I–” Scout began, only to break off again, abruptly, as a low rumble, like the sound of distant thunder, filled the air. The sky outside the window grew dark.

  Nick, Marsha could hear Scout thinking, suddenly urgent. I have to find Nick.

  Lisa nodded. “Yeah, you do. And it’s about damn time you showed up. You have no idea how gloomy he’s been making things around here…or maybe you do? Tell me, is he like that at home? ‘Cause, shit, I don’t know how you put up with it, if he is. That is one unhappy dude, let me tell you.”

  “Lisa, stop it,” Marsha said. “That’s not gonna help.” Scout was already carrying enough fear about Nick’s condition, and whether or not she could save him. If she was doomed to fail, it was better she didn’t know how miserable he was.

  “Oh, really? And just what do you think would be helpful, Miss Expert?” Lisa asked as she turned toward Marsha. Abruptly, her eyes widened. “Oh, no,” she muttered as the smile disappeared from her face. “You have got to be kidding me? What have you two done now?”

  “I need to find Nick,” Scout repeated, brushing her stepsister’s concerns aside.

  “I know.” Lisa held up a hand. “But there’s more going on here than that. So, don’t talk for a minute, okay? And let me think... ”

  For what felt more like several minutes, Lisa circled slowly around them. Eyes narrowing as her gaze raked over both of them, from top to bottom. Finally, she stopped at Marsha’s side. “This should do it,” she murmured as she took hold of Marsha’s wrist and gave a gentle tug.

  Without seeming to move, Ma
rsha felt herself drawn infinitesimally closer to Lisa while, at the same time, an unimaginable gulf seemed to form, separating her from Scout. Marsha felt something stretch and snap–

  “What did you do?” Scout demanded. She sounded angry and scared, but Marsha was shocked to realize that she could no longer feel Scout’s emotions.

  “Never mind about that,” Lisa replied. She nodded at the window. “You said you wanted to find your husband, right? Well, he’s out there. Why don’t you go get him?”

  Scout said nothing, but her gaze flickered between Marsha and the window.

  Lisa shook her head. “She can’t help you now. You have to do this on your own.”

  Now, hold on a minute, Marsha tried to protest, which is when she received her second shock. Lisa’s hand on her wrist appeared to be holding her in some kind of stasis. She could neither move nor speak. And though she could observe the looks that blazed, back and forth, between the sisters, and intuit the battle of wills they were waging, she could hear very little of what passed between them.

  Once again a muffled booming sound reverberated through the air. The sky outside grew darker and flames appeared, flickering between the trees. Scout stiffened and turned toward the window.

  “Go,” Lisa urged her quietly, speaking once again in words that Marsha could hear. “Help him.”

  Casting one last look at Marsha, Scout disappeared; passing right through the glass as though it were smoke, and fading into nothingness.

  As soon as she was gone, Lisa let go of her wrist and Marsha found herself able to move again. “Why?” she demanded angrily. “I was supposed to help her.”

  Lisa shot her a reproving glance. “And you did. You got her here, didn’t you? The rest she has to do by herself.” Her face turned grim as she added, “Besides, you and I need to talk.”

  * * *

  Scout couldn’t tell how long she’d been walking. The forest seemed vast, endless. Where am I going, she wondered, glancing helplessly around. True, her feet seemed to know where they were headed, but that wasn’t enough to stop the anxiety building in her gut. This is taking too long.

  It was easy for Lisa to say that time and distance were both irrelevant here, that finding Nick was easy – just trust your instincts and follow your heart.

  The reality was a whole lot harder. Trust? Scout had always had a problem trusting people – with good cause, too – as Lisa should certainly know.

  As Lisa did know, damn her. Grow up, she’d told her; get over it.

  “Okay, fine,” Scout muttered, forcing herself to come to a halt. “I’ll try it. What else have I got to lose?”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, allowing her mind and her heart to fill with thoughts of Nick. She felt a warm flood of emotion. Peace. Love. Happiness. Yes, and trust, too. She felt herself smile in response. If there was one person in the world she knew she could trust, it was Nick.

  She stood for a moment, her heart at rest, and basked in the glow. Then a hand closed roughly on her shoulder and she felt herself spun swiftly around.

  Her eyes flew open. “Nick,” she gasped in surprise.

  Her husband looked less than happy to see her. His amber eyes appeared almost molten with fury. “Who are you?” he snarled, glaring at her suspiciously. “Why are you here?”

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  “Who am I?” Scout stared at her husband in dismay. Sinead and Lisa had both hinted that Nick’s memory might not be complete, but Scout had never once considered that he might have forgotten her. “Don’t you recognize me?”

  A flicker of doubt showed in his eyes just before they slid away from her face. “No,” he insisted. “No, I don’t.”

  “You– you’re lying.” She knew he was lying. He had to be. But that was even more of a shock, because she hadn’t thought he’d ever lie to her.

  Nick’s lips curved up in a angry smirk. “Well, I guess you’d know something about that, wouldn’t you?”

  Scout gasped, stung by his coldness, his cruelty. What had happened to him? Why was he treating her like this?

  “Ah, forget it. I don’t know why I said that,” Nick sighed, hanging his head and running his hand through his hair. “Yes, I do. It’s just– You remind me of… of a girl I used to know, that’s all. But, look, whoever you are, you need to get out of here. This is a bad place to be, right now.”

  A bad place? Scout could believe that, all right. She shuddered as she looked around her, glancing up and down the empty highway. “What about you? Why are you still here?”

  “Me?” Nick looked surprised, as though he’d never considered the matter. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  Before Scout could answer, two beams of light split the darkness. Nick reached for her quickly and pulled her aside just as a car roared past them. With a squeal of brakes the vehicle veered from the road, flew down the embankment and slammed into the waiting trees.

  “Oh, my God!” Scout stared in horror at the wreckage.

  “Now do you see what I’m talking about? You have to leave.”

  But Scout was transfixed. “Th-that car–” She recognized the car, it was Nick’s Porsche, the one she’d bought for him. The one he’d been driving when– Oh, God. “Nick!”

  “Look forget about it,” he advised, shaking his head. “There’s nothing you can do.” Before he’d finished speaking, the front of the car exploded into flames. Scout jumped and clutched at his arms, his hands closed around her, apparently of their own volition. “See what I mean? You can’t help him. Whoever he was, the poor bastard’s bought it now.”

  Whoever he was? Confused and uncertain, she clutched him tighter. He didn’t realize that it was his own accident they’d just witnessed? Well, maybe that was the problem then. But what could she do to fix it?

  Nick frowned. His eyes flickered from her face to her hands, still clenched on his sleeves, then back to her face again. “You know, sweetheart, I wouldn’t want you to think I’m complaining, or anything, but I think maybe you should let go.” He eyed the ring on her left hand meaningfully. “I’m guessing your husband wouldn’t be too happy with this.”

  “My husband?” Considering the way his hands remained fastened on her waist, Scout was pretty sure her husband was just fine with the idea. But how could she convince him of that?

  Trust your instincts, Lisa’s words echoed in her mind. Follow your heart.

  Scout nodded thoughtfully. “Come with me,” she said, taking a deep breath and focusing her attention. “There’s something I want to show you.”

  “Show me what? What’re you talking about?” Nick asked.

  But Scout ignored him. She closed her eyes and thought hard about where she needed to be. She felt a wrenching sense of motion and then a glow of heat.

  “What the fuck?” Nick gave a start. His hands tightened on her. “What did you do?”

  Smoke and flames and twisted metal met Scout’s gaze when she opened her eyes. But she felt a small flare of satisfaction, just the same. What she’d done was what she’d intended to do: she’d put them exactly where she’d wanted them – right next to Nick’s car.

  “Look,” she said, nodding at the figure slumped inside.

  Nick’s eyes grew wide. “That’s me.”

  “I know.”

  He stared at the car for a long, long time and then turned back to her. He looked troubled, confused, and oddly hopeful. “Jen? Is that really you?”

  Jen. It was the name by which he’d first known her, and his use of it rarely failed to put tears in her eyes. Scout nodded, smiling tremulously. “It’s really me.” A moment later, she couldn’t talk at all. She would have laughed in bliss, but she couldn’t do that, either. Nick had sealed her mouth with his. Relief surged through her as she melted against him.

  “My God. Jen. I can’t believe it,” Nick groaned as he released her mouth and hugged her to him. “Oh, I’ve missed you. You don’t know how much.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.” The
re had been moments in the last few days – far too many moments – when she thought she’d never again feel his arms around her, never again know his kiss. She’d been so scared, so very frightened.

  “I never knew what happened to you,” Nick murmured, feathering kisses down her throat. “I never heard– When did you die?”

  What? Scout pushed away from him. “I’m not dead. What are you talking about?”

  Nick’s smile was laced with sadness. “I know it feels that way. I didn’t realize it either, at first. But, think about it, sweetheart, you must be. Right?” He nodded again at the car. “Same as me.”

  Scout groaned. Oh, crap. “No, Nick, you’re not dead either. You’re just unconscious. You’re asleep.”

  “Asleep, huh?” Nick’s expression was skeptical as he gazed at the car. “Well, I sure hope you’re wrong about that. ‘Cause I can tell you one thing, that car’s fixing to blow the fuck up, and if I’m just sleeping in there… shit, that’s gonna hurt like hell.”

  “No, it won’t because it’s already happened. I mean, you’re not in there. You– Oh, fuck.” This was getting her nowhere. Scout closed her eyes again and thought them far, far away. But, when she opened them up again, she found they were right back where they started. Apparently, although she could go anywhere she wanted, Nick was limited to this particular place and time. He was stuck. That’s what Sinead had said, wasn’t it? Finally, Scout knew what she meant. “Look, Nick, none of this is real. Don’t you get that yet? It’s just an illusion.”

  Nick’s frown turned thoughtful. He glanced around for a moment, and then his gaze settled on back on Scout. “So, you’re saying this is what? A dream?”

  “Yes!” Scout replied, sighing once more, in relief. It wasn’t exactly true, but it was close enough. “That’s it. You’re dreaming. And now it’s time for you to wake up.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Nick shook his head. His hands tightened on her waist again and he pulled her hard against him. “Wake up? Now? Not a chance.”

  * * *

  Liam woke with a start, heart pounding in anticipation. A scream of sirens, far in the distance, still echoed in his ears; whether real or imagined, he couldn’t tell. He seemed to recall dreaming of Cara and, just for an instant, his heart seemed to stir. Then his memories re-surfaced and the harsh reality of daylight streaming in through his bedroom window took him down again for a brief plunge into despondency, just before his emotions bottomed out and vaporized into nothingness.