Dreamscape Netherworld Book I

by Christie Rich

  I give a nod and decide it’s time to be quiet.

  We come to a steel door, or maybe it’s titanium. Whatever it is, it lifts out of the way as if it’s made of air. How they can raise a two-feet-thick twenty-by-twenty door is impressive, but what lays beyond takes my breath.

  A myriad of dizzying lights in every color call my attention. There are glowing orbs, guns, knives, swords, handheld cannons, and a bunch of things I don’t know how to name. “Whoa,” I say, taking it all in.

  “Indeed,” says Kelsby. “We’ve depleted in numbers, but we still have some advantages. Don’t touch anything,” he warns before he faces Maybell. “You get the charges. I’ll look for something suitable for Amelia to wield.”

  My fingers curl around a wicked-looking rifle with twin rows of glowing yellow lights inset along the sides. The shiny metal is etched with swirly designs that my eyes want to trace and my fingers itch to hold. “This should do quite nicely.”

  Kelsby glances back at me, his eyes widening in alarm, but before he can say anything I curl my palm around the grip and test the weight and fit. “It’s a little long, but I think I can manage.” The thing bleeps then burps, hissing out a gusty puff before one exaggerated beep cuts through the air, followed by a blast that knocks me on my rear. I try to toss it away, but my hand is stuck to the grip. Shrugging, I raise my gaze to Kelsby, who shakes his head at me.

  “I told you not to touch anything.”

  Ian follows me to my office. His pensive eyes relay a message I’m not sure I want to hear. He wisely avoids discussing my interaction with Amelia. “Daegan nearly had her, Seth.”

  Giving a nod, I swallow around the thickness in my throat. Ian is probably exaggerating, but what if he isn’t? I remind myself that Amelia was never in any real danger. I made every precaution to keep her safe. “What happened?”

  He shrugs, running a hand through his dark hair. “Zed got careless. He’d never admit it, but he let her approach a dreamer unaccompanied. By the time I got to the area, she was already in the building. I beat her to the dreamer, but only by moments.

  “They were everywhere. Zed’s desire to save Olivia just about cost you your recruit. She is your recruit, is she not?”

  I take a seat at my desk and motion for Ian to do the same. “How can I blame him?” I say, even though my insides bubble with anger. Zed and I will have words this night.

  “That’s not an answer, brother.”

  A sigh escapes me. “Aye, Ian, she is my recruit.”

  He nods; still, the interest has not left his eyes. “Why have you not claimed her?”

  I nearly growl out my response. “The deed will be done shortly.”

  Clasping the arms of his chair, he leans forward, his eyes bright with intensity I’ve not seen in him in centuries. “See that it is, or I will not be held accountable for my actions.”

  I press my hands against the desk and stand, leaning toward him. “Don’t even think about it, Ian. She is mine.”

  He stands as well. “Prove it.”

  A knock sounds at the door before it swings open. Zed walks in, takes a look at the two of us. and groans. “You two need to rethink your priorities.”

  “You should talk,” says Ian, settling back into his chair.

  Zed occupies the one next to him and clasps his hands at his lap. “Tell us more about the Sibylline.”

  What is there to tell? “I’ve never felt his life force in all the time I’ve been to that world. I use it often—”

  Zed cuts in. “I use it on occasion, as well. Nothing seemed untoward.”

  “Never been there,” says Ian, but it’s unlikely considering how often he shows up in my territories. I lift my brows at him and he caves. “Okay, maybe a time or two, but it’s damned near hell trudging through there. Who has time to notice anything other than locating a portal?”

  I stare at Ian a moment, wondering what he means, until I’m distracted by Zed fiddling with his beard again. I’ve no idea just how long he will grow the thing, but it is unseemly. Perhaps Olivia will protest enough to entice him to remove it. He already knows my opinion on the matter. After a moment he says, “We must eradicate Erobos from the Dreamscape once and for all.”

  I scoff. “And how do you suggest we accomplish the task? Erobos grow in numbers day by day, forging a clear path for the destroyers, while we shrivel like dried-up husks in the sand.”

  “We cannot accomplish the task, brother. Your Amelia, on the other hand, is a different story. She shows remarkable control for one so young, not to mention her presence is extraordinary. I dare to think when she is physically in the Dreamscape we would have a weapon no Erobos or even Eros could overcome.”

  My pulse jumps then rockets to my ears. I make myself stay seated. “She needs more training. She has not faced the darkness, Zed. She is not ready.”

  “She is smarter than you give her credit for. I’ll wager she can handle much more than you would like to admit.”

  The words spill out of me like a breached dam. “I love her. I can’t lose her.”

  Ian stands up, pacing the glowing line of displays and monitors at my back. He laughs.

  Needing a distraction, I spin my chair around for a better view. Most of the monitors are lifeless. My gaze is drawn to Amelia immediately. She’s testing out a weapon. A new model that is life force activated. Even in her dream state she has not only activated the thing, she has charged it for hours with one touch.

  Zed strokes his beard. If he does it again, I’ll punch him. “My point is made, gentlemen.”

  To my surprise, Ian frowns. “This time, I’ve got to agree with Seth. She’s not ready.”

  His eyes shift away from me. I may just have to belt each of my brothers in turn. Before I can say anything else, Amelia has set a charge off that blows a hole in the wall opposite her, narrowly missing Kelsby’s head.

  Zed’s brows raise, but that’s the only sign he’s noticed her mistake. “Your personal feelings for the girl must be set aside. Both of you. She could change the course for us. She could recover our brothers.”

  My gaze darts to his. “I said no. We’ll find another way.”

  Zed stares at the screen, where Amelia attempts to fling the rifle from her hand. He chuckles where I scowl. “You may not have the last word in this case. Your woman is more than capable of making this choice herself.”

  My woman. That’s right. My breath hitches at the thought. She is mine. I merely have to convince her.

  Kelsby lumbers toward me, his shoulders sliding from side to side like a pendulum. With the way he moves, he should have sixteen-pack abs, not a jelly-filled donut around his middle. Some things just don’t make sense.

  His plump fingers slide under my hand then twist at an unnatural angle that makes me cringe. He pulls me to my feet while his fingers are still working. “Almost got it,” he says as a click sounds. “There.”

  The gun drops into his outstretched fingers, powering down instantly.

  “Sorry,” I say, eyeing the gaping hole across from me. “I promise not to touch another thing.”

  “See that you keep that promise, girl. Some weapons don’t have safety mechanisms.”

  And that one did? Comforting. “So…” Having learned my lesson, I rifle through the rest of the space with my eyes instead of my fingers. Nothing ever blew up from just looking at it, I hope. “The swords are cool.”

  He doesn’t hesitate in shooting my hopes to smithereens. “Not an option this go around, I’m afraid.” He picks up a blade and slices it through the air.” It hisses right by my ear. He smiles, I frown. As he lowers the sword into its sheath, he shows me more of his chipped teeth. “Not to worry. I’ll locate something suitable. Just give me a moment.”

  Shouldn’t be too hard. The place is full of stuff. “I know how to shoot a gun,” I tell him.

  He waves me off. “Guns from the mortal world are not tantamount to guns in the Dreamscape.”

  “How so?”

  “Eac
h Erobos is different. Some house multiple Eros, while others hold merely one. Finding their weakness takes skill you have yet to learn. Since they are trapped in the Metaspace, they use astral travel to enter the Dreamscape. Energy is much harder to pin down than physical matter. Because they are dark, they move in direct opposition to light. As fast as you chase, they retreat or vice versa.”

  “But I thought they possess the Oneiroi. Doesn’t that mean they have some light within them?”

  “Alas, too true, miss. They contain the core of Oneiroi life force. It is how they maneuver the Dreamscape at all; however, they have kept their advantage of flight, being able to fractionate until they are like dust on the wind, only to form again moments later.”

  Did he just say what I think he did? “You mean they can come apart and back again at will?”

  He smiles. “Precisely.”

  Doesn’t sound too great to me.

  “As Maybell said, darkness cannot reside where light exists. It is an impossibility. They are opposing forces, destined to be bedside brothers.”

  “Okay. So how do they get an Oneiroi to switch to dark? This really doesn’t make much sense to me.”

  His expression turns thoughtful before he rests a hand on my shoulder. “This is a question that has long eluded us. Oneiroi crave light, but they react to all emotion.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Amelia, this would take me a lifetime to explain, and even then I could not do it justice. The simple answer will not be one you will like.”

  I shake my head. “If I’m to deal with these creatures, I need to know.”

  He nods, only fractionally. “Oneiroi feed off human emotions. This is how they maintain their power. Light is their preference, but darkness is their drug. With the state of your world declining to darkness, most have fallen. Only the valiant remain.”

  They tempt. They tame. They torture. Isn’t that what Seth told me? I try to ignore the sinking fear that weighs against my stomach like a stone. I can do this. I have to do this. No more Oneiroi can fall. Not if I have anything to say about it, which brings me back to the task at hand. “Kelsby?”

  He barely glances at me, as he moves from row to row, eyeing the strange weaponry. “Mmm?”

  “Can we really do this on our own?”

  His head swivels around while his body remains fixed. “We must, my girl.”

  The heavy weight of our mission settles over me. It would be much easier to have Seth with me to guide me, but the idea of him being taken is just too horrible to consider.

  As much as he desires to protect me, I need to keep him safe. He’s the only person I have left. The only person who knows me, who cares about me. I should be horrified by his needs, but it really doesn’t bother me. Seth said the Oneiroi have a symbiotic relationship with humans. That has to mean they give and take.

  The dark side of his power has not eluded me, though. What if they take too much? What happens to the humans then?

  I need to pay attention. I need to learn. I no longer want to escape back to the human realm, but I do want to protect them. I just hope there is a way to reverse the course the Oneiroi have taken. With only four of them left to protect Earth, they must be protected in turn.

  I will do anything and everything I can, but I must also look for a way to completely cut off the Netherworld from Earth. It will be a last resort, but if there was one thing I learned from Justine, it was to always have a backup plan.

  Kelsby lumbers over to me, holding a strap of leather in his hand. Without a single word he hands it to me.

  I eye him speculatively. “A slingshot?”

  He places a dozen or so silver orbs into my hand. “More or less.”

  “Thanks for the confidence,” I deadpan.

  “The size of the weapon means little, Amelia. What you hold in your hand is more powerful than the rifle you wielded.”

  Right. I nod anyway, letting him keep his lie.

  He pats my hand. “Ready to go?”

  “Sure.”

  Maybell laughs. “You don’t sound sure, Amelia.”

  I give her a squirrely grin. “Confidence comes with practice, right?”

  “Right, ho,” says Kelsby. “Let us depart.”

  Now that Amelia’s gone, I remember my question for Ian. When I glance at him, his eyes are locked to the monitor, to the last spot Amelia occupied.

  “Ian?” I say.

  He blinks a few times before he glances at me. “I’m sorry, Seth. She is breathtaking.”

  I grit my teeth and sigh. Words mean nothing when actions fail to back them. The first chance I get I shall begin a search for a recruit for Ian, since he is too dark to do the deed himself. If only he hadn’t waited so long.

  I choose to nod at his compliment. “She is that. Back to the issue at hand?”

  He cracks his knuckles. “Yes. We must discover what Daegan wants with her. She is incorruptible in her current state.”

  Zed strokes his beard, and a twitch starts in my cheek. “You must shave that thing, Zed. It is grotesque.”

  He smiles. “Flimsy whiskers make you jealous, my brother.”

  Ian snorts, and I laugh. “You are welcome to yours, Zed. I prefer to feel a woman’s flesh against mine."

  Ian’s expression darkens and mine quickly follows. He has no claim to her. He did not seek her out. He did not court her for years, and he did not risk all to traverse the mortal realm to bring her here.

  Speaking of traversing. “Ian, I meant to ask you a question before.” When I have his full attention, I move forward. “You spoke of the Sibylinne’s world as if it was unpleasant—”

  His immediate scoff cuts me off. “Hell is a better description.”

  Zed frowns. “How so?”

  Ian looks between the two of us as if we are past addled. “It must be fifty below. I can never have enough layers to keep me warm. Whoever that man is, he has to be nearly fully present in his dream state.”

  Ian has always had a deeper connection to the physical world of dreams, but his description is so off the mark, I wonder if we are discussing the same world. “It is a desert. How could you possibly be cold?”

  Zed nods while Ian’s frown deepens. “Desert? It is a tundra, not thawed for millions of years, or I am a toad.”

  Without another word, I turn to the monitors. We have to be discussing different places, yet trepidation spikes against my pulse.

  I make no attempt at conversation while I search for the world. Once found, I bring it on screen. All is as it should be. The parched earth stretches for miles, save the one enormous peak at the center of the landscape.

  Ian stands and moves to the monitor. His eyes eat up the scene. “It is similar, but this is not what I’ve experienced. The glaciers are so thick they shift in waves with every eruption.”

  I glance at Zed. “Ian, that volcano has lain dormant for years, maybe centuries.”

  “It must be a different world. The eruptions come nearly every year now.”

  I join Ian in front of the monitors. As I study the scene, the dreamer atop the volcano does not move. I zoom the image until his face takes up the screen. His lips move as before while red rings line his unblinking eyes. He should be at rest, yet he seems wearier than I am. His lips hold a blue tinge I’ve never noticed before, and his breath puffs out before him in a wispy fog.

  “Zed, do you see that?” I whisper, as if to not disturb the unraveling illusion.

  “Aye, brother, I do.”

  My mind recoils from the image as it transforms into a perfect reflection of Ian’s memory. It is a wasteland to be sure, but the world is white, save for the smoldering lava bubbling under the dangling feet of the dreamer.

  “We must go after her,” I say, breathless.

  Ian nods, but Zed merely gapes, horror registering in his eyes. “Is this dreamer an Orphic?”

  My entire world twists sideways. Orphics are bred to deceive. My brothers don’t say another word. We switch to empathic comm
unication. It will take too much effort to communicate any other way.

  While Ian gathers supplies, I debrief my team. I will need all of them tonight. Zed says his goodbyes to Olivia, while she protests, insisting she come with us. We cannot risk it. As it is, we put the entire team in danger one way or another, yet it cannot be helped.

  I have no time to research the image. After a few minutes of teamwork, Micharrach, my tech specialist, pounds his desk. “I’ve got it! Mount Erebus in Antarctica.”

  My heart sinks. “What?”

  His scaly face still registers his excitement. “You remember? We worried over the name over a century ago.”

  My thoughts slide backwards until I recall the moment. A man christened two ships, dooming the crew on each to a horrible death simply because of the names he chose. The Erebus was one. The Terror was the other. Both condemned from the start, yet they ended up naming two of the volcanos in the area after those ships.

  In the end, we didn’t think much of this naming because the place was so inhospitable, nothing but a polar bear could reside there, and even then that was questionable. Yet now, I see the hand of Daegan in this naming. He has been playing a game with me and he just made another move. Human technology has caught up with his designs.

  The insidious nature of the Erobos never ceases to amaze me. They are a patient breed. Their cankerous nature has spread throughout humanity until it has blighted history. They have instilled falsehoods in every stronghold they’ve taken.

  Once my team is set, I join Ian and Zed at the elevator. We make no pretense of socializing, each of us steeling ourselves for the battle to come.

  We hop from world to world until we are one world away. Peter waits for us at the portal, his disheveled hair and torn clothing alarming.

  “Only two of us should go in,” I say.

  “Agreed,” says Ian, “but you should stay behind.”

  Anger clogs my veins, making my heart stutter. “She is my recruit, Ian. I will be going.”

  “We should all go,” says Peter. “I’ve been monitoring the situation, and if Daegan succeeds, we are all doomed anyway. Better to go out with a blaze than die as an ember on the wind.”

  Ian steps toward Peter, taking a torn fragment of his jacket in hand. “What the devil has happened to you?”