The Champion

by H. P. Mallory

  Mercedes smiled, in quite a gentle way for her. “I’m afraid not. It’s time for you both to lie back and relax. Good luck.”

  We both lied down and settled ourselves into comfortable positions. As Mercedes began her slow incantation, I felt Dureau reaching for my hand. I allowed him to take it in his, then looked over at Sinjin. I immediately found his eyes blazing into my own. I had just enough time to wink at him before sleep overtook me and I was gone.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Bryn

  I felt sick as I recognized my location. There was no mistaking Luce’s training camp. They were all the same. Like a robot factory, I thought, churning out automatons .

  Well, that was about to end.

  Dureau squeezed my hand.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yes. You?”

  “Yes. But I can’t tell where we are.”

  I glanced around and then frowned at him. “Luce’s training camp. Isn’t it obvious?”

  “No, all I see is fog.”

  And I realized then that it wasn’t that I could see the camp, but rather that I could feel it. The emotions of the inhabitants were horribly familiar to me, as they used to be my own. And that awful, sterile, loveless feeling … I would have known it anywhere.

  Dureau and I moved slowly away from the flame through which we’d arrived, noting its location for future reference. We didn’t release each other’s hands, in fear we’d never find each other again.

  Dureau was right—the fog was thick and as grey as smoke. I could see his face and my own hand stretched out in front of me, but that was about it. Our plan had been to split up and infiltrate as many individual dreamers’ minds as we could, but considering the task before us now, this might not be possible.

  “What is up with this fog?” I asked, my skin prickling. I couldn’t explain it, but it almost felt like the fog was alive somehow. I’d imagined several times already that I could see images in it, but then they’d shift and change until I was left thinking it was just my imagination.

  “I believe it’ s a collective dream fog .”

  “A what?”

  “I’ve come across something similar several times before,” Dureau continued. “But not to such a large extent. Often collective dream fogs occur when there are many people all asleep at the same time and in the same place.”

  “Hmm.”

  “It can also mean that we’re too far away from the sleepers to access their dreams.”

  “But you were thousands of miles away from me when you visited me as a child… in my dreams,” I argued.

  “I know,” he said as he glanced over at me. “But that was one-on-one. With so many people, the rules aren’t exactly the same.”

  “Oh. Well, we should try to reach them anyway.”

  “Agreed. We’ ve come this far...”

  I nodded and squeezed his hand a little tighter. “Don’t let go.”

  “I won’t.”

  We walked slowly and cautiously. Before long, we came to an even thicker patch of fog. The images within the roiling white denseness became more delineated, more defined.

  I grabbed Dureau’s arm. “Did you see that?” I asked.

  “I did.”

  “Was it a …”

  “A bear. I think.”

  We looked at one another. Dureau was aware of my experience as a teenager, when Luce had forced me to fight a bear to the death to prove my worth as a fighter. Was it a coincidence that I saw a bear in the fog now? A shriek suddenly moved through the fog, and I felt it shiver through me as well.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “It sounded like a scream,” he responded and then appeared to relax a little. “Someone must be having a nightmare.”

  A gap appeared in the fog, revealing a prefab building.

  “We’re here,” he said as he motioned to the nondescript structure looming before us. “Everyone must be sleeping within that building. That’s what was creating the collective dream fog .”

  I didn’t reply. Couldn’t really. The building was an exact replica of the one I’d been incarcerated in when Luce captured me and forced me to become a breeder. I thought I might throw up.

  “We have to get them out!” I said urgently.

  “Get them out?” he repeated, frowning.

  “The women.”

  “What women? We don’t know who … Bryn!”

  I’d stopped listening to him, and I dropped his hand as I started forward and began circling the building, frantically looking for a way in.

  “Bryn!”

  “We’ve got to get them out.”

  Dureau grabbed me by both shoulders and jerked me around so I was facing him. His expression was harsh, and when he spoke, there was urgency in his words.

  “We’re in a dream. It doesn’t work like that. We can’t get anyone out! This isn’t a physical location, Bryn. It’s not real!”

  I stared hard at Dureau, his words starting to sink in as I realized the truth within them. “You’re right. I’m… sorry.”

  “No apologies needed. Just … are you okay now?”

  “Yes.”

  He faced the building again and sighed deeply, making sure to reach down and grab my hand, squeezing it tightly. He didn’t face me as he spoke but continued to study the dormitory before us.

  “This isn’t going to work.”

  “Why not?”

  He shook his head. “Either there are too many of them or we’re too far away from them in real life, or both.” He looked over at me and sighed. “There’s nothing we can do.”

  “Then…?”

  “We might as well go back to the flame.”

  “Really?” I asked with obvious disappointment. “But we’ve only just gotten here, and we haven’t accomplished… anything.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I can’t see a way around this… issue.”

  “What’s the issue?”

  “I believe we’re too far away to access the dreams of the sleepers because we’re in Scotland and they’re in America. Not to mention that there’s so many of them and there are only two of us. I’m not sure how we’d be able to visit each one of them.”

  “Okay, then we admit defeat?”

  “For now, we admit defeat.”

  I came up coughing, as did Dureau. It was as if the dream fog had become lodged in our throats, even as we woke up in the real world. Sinjin was there in an instant, lifting me into a sitting position as he smacked my back a few times in quick succession.

  “What is it, princess? Are you injured?”

  I shook my head, collecting myself, my coughs lessening. “I’m fine,” I said, as soon as I could.

  I watched the relief pass through Sinjin’s body. Then Jolie’s concerned face came into my line of sight as she leaned over Sinjin’s shoulders and inspected me.

  “You got very agitated before you came back,” she said. “Were you attacked?”

  “No. It was just …”

  “ Eerie, ” Dureau finished.

  I nodded. “And we weren’t able to do what we set out to.”

  I was happy to let Dureau give the account of our dream journey. Mercedes, in particular, hung on to his every word.

  “So, you don’t think it’s possible to reach the tribe members in the dream state?” she asked.

  “Not when there are that many of them and only two of us. And not when we can’t access their sleeping bodies when they’re physically so far away from us .”

  “Damn.” She stood up and began pacing the room.

  I could relate to how she was feeling. I was desperately disappointed myself.

  “Okay, everyone,” Jolie said, taking charge. “Looks like we’re all done here—for now, anyway. Thank you for your efforts. It’s back to the drawing board, I’m afraid.”

  “Let’s discuss other options,” Dureau said as he faced his queen.

  She nodded and faced the rest of the room. “We’ll reconvene in the Green Room aft
er dinner. All council members are to attend. The meeting will also be open to any tribe members who feel they have something to contribute. All ideas are welcome. Spread the word, please.” She took a breath and offered each person a quick smile. “See you later.”

  The small group broke up and scattered in different directions, leaving just Sinjin, Mercedes, and me.

  The prophetess spoke. “I think I might know of a way to make this work.”

  Sinjin

  The Green Room was abuzz —quite a contrast to the quiet space I was accustomed to when I came alone to plan my battle strategies. Almost everyone had turned up. Odran with his plethora of faeries, predominantly female and predominantly pretty. A cohort of werewolves sat in the opposite corner of the room, stinking the place up with their appalling wet-dog odor. Jolie sat in the center of it all, wearing her crown of office, looking a tad more solemn than usual, waiting patiently for the chatter to die down. Her dud of a husband stood alongside her.

  I noticed the din in the room did not evaporate, thus I felt compelled to step in, as was befitting my role as Chief Royal Protector.

  “Silence for Her Majesty,” I boomed.

  The silence died down in seconds, interrupted only by the odd comment and one of the fairies giggling. When I shot her a stern look, she smiled flirtatiously back at me.

  There would have been a time … but those days were long over, and I was pleased with this fact. The more I considered the subject, the more amazed I was at my lack of interest. It had merely taken six centuries, the lady Bryn and impending fatherhood to halt my womanizing ways. And a good thing, too.

  When the room was sufficiently quiet, my queen cleared her throat and convened the meeting. I took my place to her right , opposite Randall, the bore.

  I spotted Damek, looking more grown up than ever, making googly eyes at Dayna, the werewolf we had rescued from one of Luce’s abandoned camps. Clearly, Damek liked his women hairy.

  Klassje, my vampire sister, sat with the Chevaliers, as she was wont to do of late. They seemed to have developed quite the alliance. I ignored Audrey’s resentful stare and returned Klassje’s exaggerated wink.

  Mathilda sat smiling to herself, as if she had discovered the secret to happiness itself, with Mercedes to her left, scowling as was her custom—or was that just her resting facial expression? I must say, Mathilda and Mercedes were an unlikely pair, but they did seem to get on. I supposed they had much in common, both being such powerful magi.

  Damek’s mother Rachel, a new and valuable member of our tribe, sat alongside Betta, who I had to thank for saving Lady Bryn from Luce’s camp. The friendship between Betta and I was still a tad awkward, owing to the time I drank from her and she admitted her amorous feelings towards me. I supposed we would get over the awkwardness at some stage. Or not.

  And then there was Bryn, sitting in the front row, staring intently at her twin . Her lips twitched and moved in that particular way that alerted me to the fact that they were communicating telepathically. I did find it a little irritating at times, being left out of their conversations. What did they talk about? Females often had the tendency to chatter aimlessly. No doubt they discussed me at times—my astounding good looks and my charm and rapier wit. Well, so be it. Despite the occasional feeling of being left out, I was overwhelmingly pleased that the two sisters had each other. I could clearly see the strength they gleaned from one another.

  My Lord, Bryn did look remarkably fetching tonight. It was quite the task to peel my eyes away from her and remember my Chief Protector duties. She was wearing a vibrant blue, tight-fitting top which set off the color of her eyes to perfection. It also set off, I dare say, her remarkable bosoms.

  Was it my imagination , or were they even larger than usual? It could well be a charming side effect of her pregnancy. She caught me looking at her—or should I say them—and blushed. Her condition was definitely making her softer, a change I appreciated. There was a time, not so long ago, when such attention on my part would have won me a magnificent glare. I sighed deeply, longing to touch and hold her. I must have been louder than I realized, because Randall turned around to look at me quizzically.

  “Thank you so much for coming here tonight,” my queen began.

  I forced myself to concentrate on her words rather than her sister’s ample bosoms or her husband’s pronounced glare.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Sinji n

  “Now, before I deal with the main matter at hand,” the queen continued. “I feel compelled to mention an absent member of our tribe. You will all, no doubt, have heard of what happened to Varick.”

  Jolie paused , and murmurs rippled across the room. “Varick betrayed us in the most heinous of ways,” she continued. “And he paid for that betrayal with his life.” The murmurs stopped amid expressions of shock.

  “I deeply regret the manner of Varick’s end, but there was no other choice.” She paused for a moment or so. “The safety of my people matters more to me than the life of a traitor,” she finished to the sounds of applause.

  “In spite of his … inglorious end,” she continued, “I feel that it’s only fitting to acknowledge that Varick wasn’t always a traitor. He was a valuable member of the Underworld for many years, and he provided me with sage counsel on numerous occasions. He fought alongside us against our enemies and was truly formidable in his strength and magical abilities. Therefore, to provide closure, I suppose, I have opened a Book of Condolences. It will be available at the lectern at the back of the room when the meeting is over. I have signed it already. You might want to use its pages to pay tribute to Varick, or you can vent more negative feelings, if that helps you to come to terms with recent events.”

  Jolie sounded relieved to have the matter of Varick off her chest. Personally, I felt the Book of Condolences was unnecessary, but I knew when to keep my mouth shut—sometimes. As far as I was concerned, Varick had got his just desserts, trifling with my woman as he had. Not to mention his treachery.

  “If one of our strongest can be lured over to the dark side by Luce,” Jolie continued, “Then imagine the threat Luce still poses to us all. He must be defeated.” Jolie spoke emphatically, and her words were met with whoops of approval and applause.

  “Most of you might have heard by now that plan A has, unfortunately, failed,” she continued. “Bryn and Dureau were unable to infiltrate the dreams of Luce’s tribe members earlier today. So, I ask you now for your ideas as to what should be done next.”

  “Attack the bastard!” Odran was immediately on his feet, brandishing a dagger above his head, his kilt swinging alarmingly high in all the excitement. His bloody todger was seconds from announcing itself to the good people in the room—a sight I could, most assuredly, do without.

  “We’ve waited long enough !” he continued. “It’s time tae show him we’ll take nae more.” This provoked a resounding cheer from half the assembled crowd, the faery contingent, of course, being most vociferous in their support.

  Mercedes was instantly on her feet, calling for quiet. There was never a time I liked her more.

  “Silence!” I yelled, deciding to come to her aid, in the hopes that she would deliver one of her stinging put-downs to Odran.

  “Such action would be most imprudent!” she called out over the cacophony. “Not to mention potentially catastrophic!”

  “Quiet!” I yelled, and the room settled once more. Mercedes glanced at me and gave me a quick nod of gratitude before facing the room again.

  “I have it on good authority that Luce is expanding his army rapidly,” she said.

  “All the more reason tae attack right away!” Odran called out.

  “Odran, I hadn’t finished speaking,” the prophetess reprimanded him. “And for God’s sake, close your legs!” This was delivered with the most withering of looks. Titters erupted all over the room.

  “Ye’ll be laughin’ on the other sides o’ yer faces, when I’m finished with ye!” Odran spoke to the room at large, wavin
g his dagger around again. But he did sit down, and he did put his knees together, thank bloody God.

  “As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted,” Mercedes continued, “Luce has an ever-growing number of Daywalkers at his disposal. His troops outnumber ours considerably.”

  “What do you suggest, Mercedes? ” asked Randall the Dull.

  “What I suggest is that we do not abandon the idea of infiltrating the dreams of Luce’s tribe right away,” she responded. “We have only made one attempt thus far, after all. I believe it’s worth another try.” Then she turned to face Chevalier. “Dureau is of the opinion that the attempt failed either because there were too many of them or because he and the princess Bryn were too physically far away from the sleepers.”

  “That is correct,” the fop concurred, nodding his stupid head for emphasis.

  “So, we can’t do anything about their numbers, but we can get closer to them,” Mercedes said.

  Jolie began to shake her head. “I’m not sure about that, Mercedes. There would be risks involved, and with Bryn in her current condition, she shouldn’t be …”

  My beautiful hellion sprang to her feet. “I should be the one to decide what risks I’m willing to take,” she announced. “And if there’s a way to access the tribe members through their dreams, that’s the safest way possible. If there’s a way, I say we take it.”

  An argument erupted back and forth, with many parties speaking over one another. My own feelings were mixed. I was proud of my tempest’s fierceness and courage. On the other hand, like her sister’s, my first instinct was to protect her from all danger.

  Mathilda finally broke up the melee with her tinkling laugh. She stood on her chair so she could be seen and clapped her tiny hands together. The room immediately quieted.

  “Come now, my people. Please allow Mercedes to explain her whole plan.”

  “Thank you, Mathilda.” Mercedes glared at everyone else before continuing, “I am aware of a portal, not very far from here, that we could use to access Luce’s new compound in New Orleans relatively easily.” She was quiet for a moment. “If Bryn and Dureau are literally closer to Luce’s people in terms of location, they should be able to more easily access the sleepers’ dreams.”