by T J Kelly
Armageddon would survive if we didn’t leave right away. And we needed to be prepared.
Easy.
“We need to stay,” I declared with confidence. I kept my eyes closed for a split second, afraid of what I would see on their faces. Then, never the coward, I looked at each of them. “We need to. We don’t have to be here long, okay?” I studied Seth. He was struggling, but there was something in my words that made him realize I was right. Much in the same way I could tell when somebody was lying, I guess I could now show others when I was telling the truth. Or make them think I was. The wisdom of my choice was debatable, but they wouldn’t sense that from me.
The tension left Seth’s shoulders. Harris also relaxed, and that’s when I realized he was as upset as Seth had been.
“Fine. But we only need a few hours, right? We can leave in the night.” Seth raised an eyebrow at me, waiting to see if I would fight his suggestion. Which I wasn’t interested in doing. “It’s better to travel in the cover of darkness, anyway.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “Let’s go to sleep. Where do we sack out, Kamini?”
The lovely lady smiled stiffly and led us down the hall. Her aura indicated she was using magic as she moved. The hall was expanding - the entire safe-house was expanding - as we walked. No wonder things were so cramped. Kamini and her family must manipulate the space between dimensions to create the safe-house. That’s why she had escorted me to the bathroom. She was creating it as we walked.
Man, I was such a jerk. She was doing crazy good magic.
There were two bedrooms. Kamini wanted to separate us, but I told her we would take the room on the left and dragged the guys in behind me. She gave Peter a quick hug, and he thanked her for her help. Once we were inside, though, I used Air to generate enough energy to expand the bedroom and add another cot to the three that were already there. I got a horrible feeling when I thought about us being separated, so I followed my intuition. It hadn’t failed me yet.
“How long do you want to sleep?” I asked Seth. I felt like he needed me to defer some of the planning to him. He wasn’t a total egotistical jerk, but he was used to being in charge on most of his missions, Harris being the more easygoing brother. The two of them had joined the Irregulars at the same time even though Seth was a year younger, so they held the same relative rank. Seth was a powerful magician and seasoned agent. He deserved respect.
“Let’s do three hours,” he suggested. “That will give us time to meditate.”
I nodded my agreement. Meditation would stretch our sleep time, and we would be as refreshed as if we had slept all night.
Seth and Harris slid my Air-barrier aside and took off, jockeying for position to see who could hit the bathroom first. Once we had our plan settled, I guess that meant they could compartmentalize the journey ahead and spend some time acting like idiots.
“How are you doing?” Peter asked, a look of concern still on his face.
“I’m better. I need sleep like you wouldn’t believe,” I said over my shoulder as I prepped my cot. I tossed my backpack underneath and then pulled the sleeping bag open. There weren’t any windows, but it was cool inside the room, and I had an urge to snuggle down and hide. I sat down and kicked off my shoes.
“Yeah, but something is bothering you. Come on, scoot over.” Peter squeezed beside me on the cot. It wasn’t all that comfortable, but it felt nice to lean into him and skim a bit of his Light to buoy my spirits. Guilt about my decision jabbed at my heart. I didn’t want Armageddon to hurt anymore.
Sometimes I hated the balance within.
“He’s in pain,” I whispered, my lips barely moving. Either Seth or Harris would be out in the hall waiting for his turn at the bathroom and might overhear me. I shook my head, rattled by my swirling thoughts. My brain was scattered all over the place.
“I know,” Peter murmured back. “But you’re right. We need to be in good shape if we’re going up against somebody who could get a drop on Ged. A good night’s sleep is the least we can do to give ourselves a fighting chance.”
I rested my cheek on Peter’s shoulder. He was so warm and comforting. For one minute, all I wanted was to feel like I was going in the right direction when I made my first hard decision in the field. And Peter always made things feel right.
“It’s mean,” I said. “To leave my uncle where he is even three hours longer is flat out cruel.”
It was a good thing Peter had so much Light. He had enough to share with me even when I started to go under the Dark. And if that happened, all the logic and sense in the world couldn't stop me from losing control.
I admit I also felt better because Peter was hanging out with me instead of Kamini. Oh, yeah. I was a jerk.
“Right is right. It’s never easy to make decisions while on assignment, but we all have to do it. It’s an advantage to have as much darkness as you do, actually.”
“Wow, thanks man,” I said. I tried to sit up, but the cot was tilting under Peter’s weight, and I didn’t manage to even stop touching him, much less pull away completely.
“Look, it’s not easy for anyone. But you have to admit, you lean into your darkness more than the light when you’re following logic instead of emotion. Imagine what it’s like for the rest of us when we’re trying to do what’s right, and we have barely any Dark to steady us.”
“But who says following your heart isn’t right? That light isn’t my strength? I mean, that’s kind of depressing, Peter.”
He reached out, wrapping me in his arms. I could feel his body shaking and realized he was laughing. I couldn’t help grinning into his chest.
“Whatever, Rector. Skim off a bit more Light so I won’t have to worry about you slipping into darkness while we sleep.”
I nodded, my forehead banging against his chin. It was easier to soak in more of his Light when we were both happy. I was more open to it when I wasn't a gloomy jerk.
That made sense, considering how hard the darkness seemed to fight to keep me off balance.
Only a minute or two had passed before Peter stood up. My batteries were charged enough to avoid the crazier nightmares. I hoped. But that didn’t stop me from missing his warmth and peace.
Peter climbed into his cot. He had changed into sweats earlier while I was stewing in my jealousy and looked tired. He might have given me too much Light. I narrowed my eyes, studying him carefully, but then shrugged. He was always hard for me to read.
Seth came back first. “I’m hitting the sack. Nobody participate in any pillow talk, okay?” He let out a huge yawn. “I need to sleep bad. Today has been enough to drain anyone.”
“Tell me about it,” I responded. Seth mussed my hair as he passed by, making me scowl. I was sick of people messing with my hair and acting condescending, but whatever. I would touch the awesomeness that was my hair, too, if I were him. I yawned again. I slipped into the sleeping bag and punched my pillow a few times to plump it up. My lids were drooping when Harris walked in and made his way to his cot. I felt better at once, the four of us together again. I hadn’t even realized I was that tense until I finally relaxed.
I used a little of the darkness inside me to close the door and seal it. It tipped my balance a smidgen more towards the Light, and I smiled again as I fell asleep.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Dreamland
The veil of sleep shifted into unconscious reality, and I was in the suffocating, damp dark once more. It wasn’t entirely black, but the color of true darkness, which was blue, deep blue, and the shapes and shadows were the black things.
I looked around, bemused. I had been on a roller coaster in my dreams, or a water slide, when I was ejected and tossed into a world of uncomfortable semi-reality.
Coming towards me was a shape outlined in transparent gold. When I realized who it was, I wondered if I was still dreaming after all.
“Mother?” I called.
She smiled at me. She looked so much happier than most of the times I saw her while I was g
rowing up. That made me sad, and the dark blue of the night surrounding me grew darker, and the shadows I always had to struggle against closed in.
“Lia.” Her smile faded. I reached out for her, but no matter how many steps I took, I wasn't any closer. “You can’t trust him.”
I sighed. I believed her. She obviously felt compelled to warn me, but I already knew I couldn’t trust Chas. He made that perfectly clear when he stopped by Rector Enterprises with the new love of his life. I wondered if that had been another ploy of his father’s and decided it probably was. But Chas didn’t need to put his hands all over Clarissa, and that told me all I needed to know. He was okay with his choice to leave me. He had moved on.
My mother shook her head. I was about to ask her what she wanted since the guardian angel thing was still new and I wasn’t a natural at figuring that stuff out, but something else interrupted my train of thought. Heat I could see as well as feel, causing the air itself to waiver. Pulsing, glowing, encroaching molten rock.
Magma.
That’s when I realized Armageddon was reaching out to me, breaking through the vision of my mother. I turned away from her warning and took off in the direction where I sensed my uncle.
“Uncle Ged? Can you hear me?” I yelled as I ran. My feet were moving too slowly, just like in any standard-issue nightmare. But it was a vision, not a dream. My previous spell had left a connection between us, but I was afraid I wouldn’t reach him in time, regardless. I had already prolonged his captivity so we could build our strength before the fight. I didn’t want him to wait a second longer than necessary if I could help it. Even in my sleep.
Of course, I tripped. How could I not? That’s classic Nightmare 101.
Dried cinders on the ground scraped my hands. It hurt, but I pushed myself up and ran again, ignoring the pain. Thankfully, I was wearing the Irregulars uniform I had changed into that night and not some stupid prom dress or worse, naked. Nightmares sucked that way.
I climbed over a ridge near the heat and pulsating light, almost falling over the edge of a cliff. It wasn’t a steep ledge or a far drop, but I would have gotten hurt if I hadn’t checked myself.
Below me, I saw the outline of a man sitting in a chair. He was bound with a skin-tight magical shield and rope and had a hood over his face. Armageddon, alone.
No, not alone. Right behind him was another man. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but I could tell from his movements that he was shouting. Then he lashed out and kicked my uncle, knocking him and the chair over.
I had heard of lucid dreaming. We had even studied the technique in school. It meant I was aware that I was asleep, that I was dreaming again, that I was visualizing what it must have looked like when I inhabited my uncle’s head, and someone knocked us to the ground. And since I was dreaming my memories, I could control my dream reality.
Suddenly, I wasn’t on the cliff anymore. I was near my uncle and running. I was going to reach him. I was going to stop that man from hurting him.
Close, so close, when the stranger looked up. His eyes narrowed, and he raised his fist as if he wanted to hit me, even though he was too far away to reach me. Before I could duck, although I wasn’t sure what I was trying to dodge, a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me backward.
I glimpsed my mother before the darkness faded and I was in the safe-house, awake.
“Damn it!” I shouted.
Like lightning, all three of the guys were on their feet, their backs to each other, facing out to confront the danger. They surrounded me, the object of their protection because of my shout. I felt bad for waking them up, but I was also impressed by their speed and agility. And that they were ready and willing to protect me.
How sweet.
“Er, guys? Sorry about that. I was about to contact Uncle Ged when I was yanked away by my mother.”
That would have sounded crazy to anyone who wasn’t an Irregular. Even ordinary magicians weren’t used to dream-walking or contacting the guardian spirits of their ancestors directly.
The tension left the room. Seth groaned and flopped back down on his cot. Harris stretched and cricked his neck, rubbing a sore spot. Peter stood motionless, still on guard, as he studied me.
“Did you see anything useful?”
I was so glad he was there to keep me on track. And help me avoid feeling like an idiot for needlessly waking everyone out of their meditative sleep.
“Now that you mention it, I did see the guy’s face. The one who was kicking Uncle Ged.” I cringed, still pissed off. Nobody treated my family that way.
“Do you think you can describe him?”
My eyebrow rose. Interesting. I probably could, actually. “You want to sketch him for me?” I asked.
Peter nodded in confirmation.
Harris collapsed onto his cot. It was only about five minutes before we had set our internal clocks to wake us, but we were under the compulsion to finish our meditative sleep. Harris fell back into a deep sleep as fast as Seth had just done. I shook off my compulsion. I slept enough for one night.
I walked over to Peter’s side as he dug around in his backpack. He pulled out a sketchpad and pencil. We sat together on his cot, my body tilting towards his.
“Tell me everything you can about him, and I’ll try to follow your description.”
I thought it over. I didn't know how to talk about what the man looked like. I wished Peter had been with me, then he could have seen for himself.
Huh. Maybe he could, anyway.
Closing my eyes, I concentrated for a moment. I cleared away all thoughts except the stranger. He was tall, probably as tall as Peter. He had wavy black hair and a scar on his cheek. I set that image in my mind and then reached out to take Peter’s hand. He was such a good sport that he rolled with it, linking his fingers with mine without hesitation. I tugged on the Light inside me that I had skimmed from him earlier in the night. Even though it had blended with my Light, I could still feel the connection to him inside it.
I slipped the memory of the stranger into the shard of Light the way I put magic in a crystal and then gently pushed it to Peter. I squeezed his hand and released the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.
He grunted. “Wow. That’s the first time that’s happened. Cool.” In a few short minutes, the stranger’s face took shape on the tablet Peter held. He was incredibly talented. And fast.
“That’s him.” My lip curled in disgust. “That’s the freak who’s been torturing my uncle.”
“Good job. We’ll show Seth and Harris when they wake. I felt the extra push you gave them. How much longer will they be asleep?”
“Only an extra twenty. I owed them for waking them up for no reason.”
Peter nodded. He put the sketchpad back and sat up, this time leaning into me so our arms and legs touched. He was warm, like always.
“Do you need some of the Light back?” he asked.
I wondered then how it must feel for him to reduce the Light he held inside when he gave it to me. I couldn’t tell what kind of light-to-dark ratio he had, which was frustrating and forced me to obsess over whether I took too much and would turn him towards the dark. But it dawned on me at that moment that it had to be taking a toll on him to give me Light so often.
“No.” I didn’t want any more. Ever. I was being selfish and never even thought of him. Some friend I was.
“Are you lying?” he asked. Peter’s eyes twinkled at me, and I shifted my gaze. I couldn’t help it, the corners of my lips lifted, but I smashed them together, trying not to smile like a guilty toddler.
“Maybe. Does it hurt you when I take your Light?”
“Oh, no. Is that what you think?” Peter slid his arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. I sat rigidly, not believing him.
“Yes. I don’t want to harm you, too. I never even bothered to ask.” Guilt flooded me, but then it eased, and the weight inside me lessened. Peter was giving me some of his Light despite myself. Impressive. Nobody else had be
en able to get around my natural shield unless I wanted them to.
“I told you, it doesn’t bother me. Keeping you sassy isn’t a hardship in the least.”
I let out a weak laugh. Fine then. I couldn’t sense a lie in him, so I accepted his offer without further comment. Within moments, I was smiling my gratitude.
“So, how are we getting out of here, anyway?” I asked. We had arrived at the safe-house using my uncle’s magic escape route, but now that we had another destination in mind and couldn’t risk taking magical transport directly there, I was at a loss about what to do next.
“Kamini will get us a car. Travel arrangements are handled by the safe-house staff, and she’s great at her job.” The tone in his voice changed, and I jerked to my feet before he could realize how much I had stiffened at the sound of her name.
“Then what?” I shifted the sleeping bag, rolled it up, then placed it at the foot of the cot.
“Then we’ll hit the local airport and commandeer one of the planes to take us where we’re going. We have a few on hand in case of emergency since this town has an airstrip.”
It figured. The Irregulars had assets and contacts all over the world. Why not in a tiny town in the middle of Washington state? Of course, it was the closest town to my uncle’s property, so it made sense to have access nearby.
Harris and Seth’s meditation ended. They were instantly alert like before, but this time there was no alarm in their movements.
“You guys ready to go?” I asked.
Seth tightened his lips before he turned and stretched. Harris ignored me completely. He always tried that, but it never worked out for him.
I picked up a piece of scrap paper Peter dropped while he was drawing the man I saw in my nightmare. It had a few pencil marks on it, like the papers Peter used to work magic usually did, but there wasn’t anything important on it. I crumpled it up and then tossed it into the air.