“Soren, I'm not sure about how much time we have. We have to get you out of here. Something is happening, and people’s magic is being drained, causing them to fall into a coma like you. Was there ever anyone else down here with you?”
“No, never.”
“What is this place?”
“I don’t know. There’s only been the darkness. I can’t tell if time or life has passed while I’ve been here. How long have I been here?”
“Over a month. But you are going home today.”
“Ok. But where do we go?”
“I think—” I grabbed the crystal once more “—we can follow the light.”
Soren laced his fingers through mine.
“Lead the way.”
I held the crystal in front of me again. The circle of light shrank and pushed out into the darkness to our left.
“This way.”
Once again we walked. The crystal continued to light our way. It seemed like ages and eons were passing us by in the darkness as we kept on. My hand cramped from gripping Soren’s, but nothing on heaved or earth would make me let go. After what might have been an hour, or an eternity, Soren stopped.
“Just a second, Blair. I need to rest. I’m not as spry as I used to be.”
He winked. I stopped with him but kept bouncing on my toes. I’d never made it this far before. I wasn’t sure what to do next.
“It’s okay if you don’t know what to do.”
Soren broke me free from my thoughts.
“I don’t know either. This is new to me too.”
“Can you read my mind?” I asked.
“No. And I wouldn’t ever try. I know you so well I don’t even need to.” He flicked my nose.
“I missed you.” The emotion that welled up in my chest caught me off guard.
“I missed you too.” He pulled me in for a hug.
“But come on.” He pulled back and tilted my up. “Let’s get out of here first, and then we can think about that.”
“How did you get out of the dreams before?” he asked.
“I just woke up. Something pulled me out. I never tried to read.”
“Well, we need to wake you up somehow.”
“How are we supposed to do that?”
“Just think about it. Think about waking up wherever you are and opening your eyes.”
“Ok, I can try.”
I closed my eyes, but continued to hold Soren’s hand. Now, I grabbed his arm with my other hand. Since he had come into view, I hadn’t quit touching him. I was afraid the moment I did he would be pulled back into the darkness forever.
I tried to wake up. I thought about being asleep in the hospital bed. About Cassandra sitting next to me. I imagined opening my eyes to the white walls of the hospital room.
For a moment, it seemed like I was two people, one standing in the blackness and one laying on a bed. I could feel the rough pillow beneath the back of my hand and the cotton sheets underneath me. I was split in two. It was disconcerting.
I tried pulling myself further toward the hospital me. There was a pop and something pulled me back into the self sitting in the darkness with Soren. I opened my eyes and looked over at him. He had his eyes closed too and was frowning.
“Soren, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
He wiped at a sheen of sweat across his forehead.
“I could felt myself there in the hospital room more than I’ve been able to since I arrived here. But it’s like I’m trying to fight through a fog or something. I can’t get there. And as long as you’re holding onto me, I don’t think you can get there either.”
“Well that’s too bad, I’m never letting you go.”
I gripped his hand tighter for good measure. He wasn’t going to pull that noble crap and convince me to go back myself. Not after I’d come this far. An idea occurred to me.
“Soren, Cassie thinks your illness isn’t really an illness at all. She said her coven discovered it’s something magical. Someone out there is draining energy from people who have the same symptoms you do. But, if they’re taking energy from you, they must have a connection of some sort. What if there was a way to reverse it so we would be the ones taking the energy from them?”
Soren’s face lit up. He laughed and kissed me on top of the head.
“Blair, you are brilliant. If we reversed it, we could use their energy to propel us both out of this place. And maybe everyone else, too. Did you say Cassie is with you?”
“Yeah, sitting next to me in the hospital.”
“Do you think you could wake up enough to tell her something?”
“Oh Soren—I don’t know.” I hung my head. “I don’t know if I’m powerful enough for that.”
Soren put his hand under my chin and lifted my head so I was staring into his eyes.
“My dear Blair. You’re more powerful than anyone I know. Look at what you’ve done. Look how far you’ve come. You are strong enough to do this.”
I stared at this man who I loved more than any person I had ever known before, and I nodded. I knew I could do it because he was counting on me.
“No matter what happens, don’t let go of my hand.”
I let myself drift back into the place between dreaming and waking. I took a deep breath and plunged my consciousness into the hospital room version of myself.
My tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth. Something clawed at my consciousness, pulling me back into the darkness. I wrenched my jaw open.
“Reverse. Energy. Everyone.”
I gasped, and the darkness pulled me under. Just before I moved out of my body, I swore I felt a light squeeze on my shoulder.
When I opened my eyes, I was back with Soren. I reached up to touch my shoulder.
“Well?”
“It worked.”
Soren grinned. His smile made the lines of worry on his face vanish.
“I’ll start the spell on this end soon. Once Cass rallies her people, we should feel something. Then, Blair, you can lead us home.”
Soren fell silent. He reached out and stroked my hair.
“Blair, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t found me,” he whispered.
“Stop.” I stood on my tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips.
“Let’s get out of here. Then we will have time to be emotional.”
The crystal flared. Something tugged me out of the darkness. I continued to hold Soren’s hand, and I linked my arm around him for good measure. Soren chanted the words to a spell. I closed my eyes and pushed myself back toward my body.
My mind returned to my body. I plunged my conscious, tried to jolt myself into wakefulness. Something jolted me. Soren’s hand started to slip, his body pulled away.
“No, you don’t!”
I screamed and held onto him with every bit of strength I possessed.
“Blair, it’s no use.” Even Soren’s voice sounded like it was slipping away.
“Let me go so you can go back. You don’t deserve to be stuck in the darkness with me. Let me go.”
“I lost you once. I won’t do it again.”
I gritted my teeth and hung onto his hand. In the darkness I started walking again. It was like dragging Soren through quicksand. I screamed into the unknown void.
“Whoever is out there, you will not get him. Soren is mine. I love him. I have fought him. And I am taking him back with me!”
Another scream rent through me as I through the darkness toward my body. A million hands were on me, trying to drag me back into the abyss. But I wouldn’t let them. A hundred different voices chanted around me. I ignored them and focused only on Soren’s hand in mine and the hospital room where we were going to wake up. A rush of energy surrounded me, pushed me forward. Everything stopped.
I opened my eyes.
The white walls of the hospital room greeted me. I sat up with a gasp and grabbed Soren. His eyes were still closed.
“No!” I shook him as hard as I coul
d.
“Soren, wake up. I didn’t let you go. You have to wake up!”
His eyelashes fluttered and opened.
I cried out threw my arms around him. He lifted one of his arms off the bed and patted me on the back.
“You did it,” he whispered.
“You certainly did,” a strange voice replied.
I wheeled around. Cassandra and two other women were in the hospital room with us. Both women wore scrubs like Cass and I.
“Blair, that was amazing,” Cassie said. She ran her hand through her disheveled hair. I noticed dark rings around her eyes. She waved her hand in the direction of the women.
“These women are the leaders of my coven. They came tonight to help us out. When you came out of the dream to tell us about the reverse energy, we knew it would work. That was brilliant.”
“What happened?” I asked.
Soren stirred beside of me. I helped him sit up. He still looked pale and thin, but better than he had when I entered the hospital room that evening.
The two women stepped forward. One of them began to explain.
“We were able to send word to our coven and begin the spell together. They met us with an immense pushback. The creators of the original spell were very strong, but they didn’t count on one thing.”
“What’s that?” Soren asked.
“A young woman who was willing to descend into the depths of the void and walk through fire for the man she loved.”
The witches stared at me. I blushed.
“Once you broke Soren out of the dream state, the spell reversed on its creators. From what we can tell, those who were in on the spell and stealing energy have all collapsed and have become comatose like Soren. Several of them were from this hospital. In fact, Soren, one of them was your doctor.”
“That explains why they were looking for me,” I said. More and more of the past few days were making sense. “They found out I was dreaming about Soren, but I hadn’t gotten ill myself.”
“Exactly,” the woman said, “Now we will figure out where all the people are and break the spell on our end so they will wake up. Then, they will all be arrested and stripped of their magical abilities.”
An exhaustion like I had never known in my entire life fell over me. I laid my head on Soren’s shoulder. I wanted to stare at his face forever.
He caressed the side of my face and kissed me.
“We’re safe now. You did it, Blair.”
Peace like I had never known enveloped me. Nothing would even take Soren from me again.
About the Author
Michelle Wilson is a young adult author born and raised in Eastern Kentucky. She currently lives in small town Berea with her husband, son, and three dogs. An avid reader, Michelle enjoys reading and writing young adult fantasy. Michelle is a dog trainer, ballerina, and lover of all things magic. To learn more about Michelle and her books, check out her website.
Michelle Wilson’s Books
Gatebreaker is book one in an exciting Young Adult Portal Fantasy series. Join Lydia and when they get transported to the magical land of Adylra.
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Gatebreaker Series
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Sophie is chosen for the elite Animage Academy. Will she like what she finds? Dragons & Destiny is book one in a Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy series.
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Animage Academy Series
Also by Michelle Wilson
Ever After Again
Dragon Keeper’s Academy
Out of Time Page 3