by Gareth Otton
It was a novel experience for Tad to be on the other side of those lights rather than bumbling his way through an interview. His only slight annoyance was that Norman was handling the interview far better than Tad ever could. The man was at home under the spotlight and even the tough questions about his background, his dreamwalking, and all the secrets he’d been keeping from the country couldn’t shake him.
In the closing moments of the interview, Norman asked if he could address the nation and Lizzie surrendered the floor to him. Norman turned toward his close-up camera and started speaking.
“I know you’re scared, and you have good reason to be. The world is changing and change is frightening. The Merging and the Borderlands offer the biggest opportunity for change in human history, so of course the fear is that much worse. That fear created a law that removed critical human rights from dreamwalkers and ghosts, spreading even more fear. That fear triggered the dreamwalker attack on Wednesday. Fear pushed normally rational people into an extreme act. In return, the law they tried to stop passed anyway, proving they were right to be afraid in the first place.
“The problem now is that we are stuck in a loop. Fear leads to drastic action, and drastic action only creates more fear. It is a vicious cycle that only gets worse with each rotation, and we as a people need to slam on the brakes before it gains too much momentum and becomes unstoppable.
“It’s not an easy thing to do, but we can only stop this cycle if we trust one another. Whilst dreamwalkers caused the problem on Wednesday, it was a joint dreamwalker, ghost, Dream Team and human effort that stopped it. We proved that by working together we can overcome any problem far more effectively than working alone. It will be that same joint effort that will see our country through this worrisome time and lead us into a brighter future.
“We must also remind ourselves of the good that can come from change. Since the Merging we have taken tremendous steps forward with things like advanced solar power ending our reliance on fossil fuels. We’ve seen people’s dreams come true and miracles like we couldn’t imagine a year ago.
“Change can be good, change can be terrifying, but change is also vital to our species. There are so many problems in the world that I wonder if by embracing change and working together, we might not just come out stronger on the other side.”
Tad looked at Stella as the Prime Minister wrapped up his speech and Lizzie started closing out the show. He knew exactly what she was thinking without her having to say it.
Nice try, but not good enough.
Tad knew that though the Prime Minister meant well, they had barely scratched the surface of the fallout from the last couple of days. Things would get worse before they got better, and Tad just hoped he was up to the task of dealing with it.
◆◆◆
Half an hour later, Tad and Stella sat side-by-side on a deep leather sofa surrounded by luxury. They were in a sitting room in 10 Downing Street that, while maintaining its historical touches, was modern enough to be comfortable in the 21st century. They both looked up as there was a pop and they found a grinning Norman standing in the centre of the room.
“I’ll never get used to that,” he said, sounding as excited as a child at Christmas.
Tad smiled as he thought of how long it had taken him to get used to travelling around the world with a thought. He knew Norman wouldn’t believe him, but people could get used to anything given enough time. Now Tad barely thought about it, save for rare occasions. The last time was when he stood in front of the Pyramids of Giza with Jacob at his side.
Tad’s smile faded.
Since Wednesday the Prime Minister had been in non-stop political meetings and it was only now that they had chance to talk. They were Norman’s last meeting of the day and considering the informal setting, Tad suspected it was a chance for them to relax a little and discuss their next steps over a long evening rather than a quick-fire meeting. There had been nights like this before, and if Tad was honest, he liked them. It was when Norman was relaxed that Tad enjoyed his company the most.
“So, you’ve been a dreamwalker all this time?” Tad asked, already knowing the answer but having wanted to ask that since Wednesday.
Norman grinned and nodded.
“Oh yes, but don’t hold it against me. I’m sure you’ve had chance to think on it and understand why I hid it from everyone.”
“I understand why you hid it from the public, I don’t understand why you hid it from us.”
“You know the old saying, three people can keep a secret, but only if two of them are dead.” He suddenly laughed. “Ha, since the Merging that’s not even true anymore, is it? Whatever the case, you can’t reveal what you don’t know. However, it was a hard year for me. Here I was watching you jump around all over the world, and all this time I had to refrain from testing those powers myself. I could do with some pointers if you have the time.”
Tad couldn’t help but smile. “I’m might have a few things I can show you over the weekend.”
“It will have to wait until Monday,” Stella interrupted. “Of course Tad has forgotten because that sieve he calls a brain of his can’t hold information for more than five minutes, but he’s helping me move this weekend.”
In the craziness of the last few days, Tad had forgotten. But as the memory came back to him, his face split into a wide, silly grin that made the Prime Minister laugh and clap his hands together, rubbing them briskly.
“Finally, a bit of good news. Just the excuse I need to start drinking. What’s your poison? And before you say it, I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“Tad will have a beer and I’ll have a gin and tonic,” Stella said, answering for them both.
Again Norman laughed and was half way through teasing them for acting like an old married couple already with Stella ordering for them both, when suddenly he looked up.
He wasn’t alone. Tad looked up as well as he felt a spike of dream that usually accompanied someone dreamwalking. However, 10 Downing Street had been kitted out with the same dreamcatchers as the DTHQ. There was only one room where a dreamwalker could enter, and that was known to only a select few and guarded around the clock.
Suddenly ready for a fight, Tad jumped to his feet with Stella only a second behind him. Together they rushed from the room with Norman hot on their heels. There was a pop and Norman appeared ahead of them, having given up running and dreamwalking instead. By the time Tad and Stella arrived, he had already spoken to the guards and any levity on his face from a moment ago had vanished. He met Tad’s eye and told them to join him.
Tad glanced at Stella with a worried frown before following Norman past the guards and into the room beyond where a man was waiting.
“They’re coming,” Ryan said the second the door closed behind Stella.
Tad blinked in surprise as he recognised the man. He hadn’t seen him in months, not since visiting him at a military base in America. He had changed greatly in that time. His beard and hair were longer, and his tan spoke for the time he spent outside. But the biggest change were the tattoos that covered the skin of his arms and disappeared underneath his T-shirt. Ryan was covered in dreamcatchers and they didn’t at all look like the ones the Dream Team used.
“Who’s coming?” the Prime Minister asked.
“Everyone. The Army, the Navy, and maybe five-thousand dreamcatchers lead by Kuruk himself.”
“Five-thousand?” Tad asked, sure he misheard.
Ryan nodded and when the Prime Minister asked him to explain himself, he told them about the last few months of his life. He spoke of his experiences in the first base where they trained soldiers at an advanced rate, pushing them through their exercises quicker than Ryan had ever seen. He spoke about the next base where people were being trained against dreamcatchers, teaching normal soldiers to deal with dreamwalker magic. Finally he mentioned how Kuruk had taken him to the last camp where he had built himself an army, given them all dreamcatchers, and trained them how to use them. Ryan
had seen enough to find out that there were at least five-thousand soldiers, if not more. As part of the new unit he had been given dreamcatchers himself and he mentioned how they developed new techniques that Ryan had not seen the Dream Team use. They were more advanced than anyone expected.
“The last dreamcatcher we received is the dreamwalking one. Kuruk insists that everyone learn how to use other dreamcatchers first before trusting them with that. He didn’t want us dreamwalking away. However, yesterday we all got one, and I can only assume that means one thing, they’re coming.”
A shiver ran up Tad’s spine as his skin tightened into Goosebumps and his hair stood on end. That two-word phrase, they’re coming, summed up their worst fears for the last year.
“And not just the Americans. Word trickled down to Kuruk, and I managed overhear it, but everyone is coming. They’ve all reached the same conclusion. After what happened on Wednesday, they’ve decided it’s time to take the Borderlands for themselves.”
“Who are you talking about,” Stella asked, looking for more details.
Ryan looked at her with something Tad never expected to see on his face, a touch of fear.
“Everyone. The entire world is coming.”
A long painful silence followed his words, which was only broken when the Prime Minister turned to Stella and Tad.
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cancel those drinks… Actually, I’m going to have to cancel your weekend. We have a war to plan.”
Epilogue
Sunday, 4th December 2016
23:00
The council chamber fell silent as Elias lifted his hand. The room was a near replica of his office, only instead of office furniture, the desk of Zeus, and the statues, there were twelve thrones in a circle, ten occupied and two empty. One of the empty seats was his, and the other was the reason they waited until now. However, Elias was done waiting.
“Pamela has been delayed, so we will have to catch her up when she gets here.” Turning to the grand entrance behind him, he called, “Send him in.”
He slipped a touch of Authority into his voice, just enough to ensure he was heard and obeyed. The double doors opened and the wide-eyed youth named Deo was ushered inside.
The youth looked at the faces assembled with the same awe all young Eidolon showed when they came before the council. There was fear in that expression as well, as he had failed in his task. While that was frustrating, in hindsight, it was to be expected. Stella Martin had come a lot further than Elias expected. He thought she had newly come into her powers and was still learning to use them. Considering her use of Authority and the way she subdued Deo and his men, Elias now knew he had underestimated what she was capable of. That would not happen again. But before he could send new assets after her, he had to make the rest of the council understand.
“Deo, thank you for coming. Can you repeat to the council what you told me an hour ago?”
Deo swallowed hard before doing as asked. He told the council how he had gone to Cardiff with two objectives, to bring Leon back to Hydra, and to kill Stella Martin. He explained how Leon had been taken in by Stella and was reluctant to leave. Worse, he had exposed himself to the reporter Lizzie Bradley, who may just be the most influential voice on the planet right now. He explained how when he went for Stella, Leon interfered. With his help, not to mention the dog Stella had by her side, they were unable to win the day.
The most troubling part of his report was when he described Stella’s powers. Somehow the woman had seen through Deo’s magical disguise. It was a feat Elias himself would be hard-pressed to match, even with all the belief he had cultivated over the years. Though he knew Stella’s position as a justice allowed her to see through falsehoods, and his own powers lay in other directions, it worried him regardless.
As Deo wrapped up his report Elias stood once again.
“Thank you for bringing this information to us. I understand it was difficult for you to do so, especially when it meant turning on your friend. Your loyalty to this council has not gone unnoticed and we thank you for it.” The young man swelled with pride at Elias’s words, but that pride was soon forgotten as he realised just what Elias had said. He had turned on his friend, and his smile slipped a little as he dealt with his conscience. However, Elias wasn’t interested in Deo’s internal struggles and it was time to get rid of the man. “You can leave us. Thank you.”
The young man hesitated like he wanted to stay for the rest of the meeting, but he was a century away from being ready to sit on this council, and unless he started performing better than he did in Cardiff, he may never reach those lofty heights. Eventually he did as asked, heading back toward the doors that opened as he approached.
Pamela Rosi strode past Deo without giving him a second glance. Her eyes were fixed on Elias and she looked angry.
“God damn you, Elias. Why must you insist on setting these meetings at times when it’s not convenient for me to get here? It barely four o’clock at home, and you must realise that even on a Sunday it’s nearly impossible for the President of the United States to simply disappear for an hour?”
“That was the time I deemed fit for this meeting to start. When you are leading this council and not me, you can choose the times. Are you issuing a formal challenge?”
For all her bluster, Pamela Rosi, the President of the United States, looked away. It seemed that the power she enjoyed in America was going to her head and she was forgetting her place. However, that was something Elias had centuries of practice with as it was in an Eidolon’s nature to overreach. He wouldn’t hold it against her, but at the same time he wouldn’t show weakness.
“I thought not. Take your seat and we will fill you in on what you missed.”
Obediently Pamela walked to her own throne and sat down. After a slight pause as the rest of the room looked at her and enjoyed her discomfort, they finally filled her in on what Deo had just told them.
By the time they finished, Pamela’s confidence had returned and once again she looked Elias in the eye.
“This changes nothing, we are already moving on the Borderlands within the next few weeks and we have plans to take Tad Holcroft out of action. I always planned to deal with the Dream Team as they’re only one step behind those dreamwalkers as far as I’m concerned. Abominations one and all. It won’t be that much effort to add Stella Martin to the mix. If we’re going over there anyway we might as well take them all out.”
“Don’t get careless, Pamela. Stella is one of us and has already proved that she is more than just a dreamwalker or dreamcatcher.”
Pamela waved a hand in dismissal. “Please, she’s barely more than a child. I will deal with her as I will deal with the rest of that country. Neither Stella nor Leon will make a difference to what I have planned. Our ships are already on the water and headed for Britain. We’ll give them a couple of weeks to get close, and then I’ll send in my dreamcatchers. All five-thousand of them. The Brits won’t know what hit them, and in less than a month Tad Holcroft, Stella Martin, and Leon Galanis will no longer be problems for any of us. More than this, the Borderlands will be in the hands of the Eidolon just as it always should have been.”
Elias smiled at the woman’s ability to hate the dreamcatchers on the Dream Team, yet be comfortable creating five-thousand of the creatures for herself and using them to get to and from this meeting. However, Elias wasn’t concerned with that hypocrisy. A tool was a tool, and it didn’t matter what it was so long as it was useful. What mattered was that they secured the Borderlands. The Eidolon may have stepped down as the gods they once been, but they still ruled this world and he would not suffer the threat of the Borderlands and the dreamalkers.
It took Elias a moment to realise that silence had fallen over the chamber yet again, and that everyone was staring at him, waiting for his answer.
“Very well, it seems we have everything in order. You have this council’s permission to continue. I trust that you understand the importance of this.
It is imperative that you don’t fail us. More than your seat on this council relies on your performance.”
Elias waited only long enough to see the effects of his threat before he stood, turned and walked out of the room, ending the meeting without a word. It hadn’t been a long meeting, but he said what he needed to say and now they could get back to doing what they needed to do. They had a month to bring him the Borderlands, and he felt even that was too long.
As he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for his penthouse, he had already moved on from the meeting and was thinking about what he was going to do with the Borderlands when it was finally his.
When the elevator doors closed, the last thing anyone saw of Elias was his unsettling grin.
THE END
Afterword
I had to pinch myself as I finished my final checks on Uprising because we're just one book away from the end of my little story.
Getting my first book published was a monumental moment for me as it was the culmination of sixteen years of practice, false starts, and one or two terrible novels that will never see the light of day as I have burnt the manuscripts and salted the ashes. I can't describe how amazing it was to see my writing in print and to have people not only read my words but apparently enjoy them.
However, now I'm just one book away from the next big milestone in my writing journey; the completion of my first series.
In many ways, this is an even bigger moment for me because while publishing that first book felt amazing, I always knew that there was more story that needed to be told, so in some ways it didn't feel complete. However, with the next book, Borderlands, I'm going to have a complete series of books with my name on them sitting in my bookcase, and I've already got goosebumps thinking about that.
Once again I'd like to thank you all for reading these books and coming back for more. I hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as I've enjoyed writing them. Do you have your own ideas about how everything will end in the next book? I've had this ending in mind since before I started writing Proxy, and while it seems like forever getting here, I also can't believe it's time to write it already.