“I’m not over being mad at you, Kennan. It will take a while for me to believe you are no longer keeping things from me. I need to know everything, whether you think it is pertinent in the moment or not. I’m tired of being blindsided. I know that this is hard for you. I know you don’t want me to be in a situation where I could be harmed. Trust me, I get that you are trying to protect me. But you can’t. Not from everything,” I said, rolling over so that I could see his face. It was shrouded and dark. He looked at the door and then looked back at me.
“Damn it,” he swore before moving toward me with purpose. He threw himself on top of my body, pulling mine up the bed beneath his own.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, looking at his lips. Why did he have to have such perfect lips? It wasn’t fair. I was trying to be mad at him.
“I am making up with you,” he said before moving his lips down my neck to nibble on my collarbone.
“I am still mad at you. This doesn’t change anything,” I said breathlessly. Damn those accursed lips.
“Mmmhmmm,” he mumbled against my skin as he began removing the obstacles that were my clothes.
I let him devour me and wash away the last few horrible hours. I threw myself at the mercy of his body and forgot all that threatened my shaky sanity. I would get back to the problems at hand later. For now, I could pretend that all was well. In that moment it was. I stayed in that beautiful state of ignorance for two hours before my body gave out. I was exhausted by the events of the day and sated by the events of the evening.
“I am sorry, Red,” Kennan whispered as he kissed down my back. “I promise never to lie again, even to protect you.”
“I don’t ever want to feel like that again. Like I can’t trust you,” I slurred sleepily. I drifted off to the feel of his scruff moving down my body as his lips traced my contours. Even had I wanted to, I could not stay awake.
**********
“Psst. Hey, stupid,” I heard someone whisper from the fog.
“Excuse me?” I asked, insulted that someone was being so rude in my dream.
“Come here you loon. He is going to hear me if I keep shouting,” the woman said.
“Where are you?” I whispered harshly.
“Just follow my humming,” she said before starting to hum a tune.
“Why can’t you just come to me?” I was beyond irritated. I had not slept well in ages and this little tart wanted to play games. I just wanted to dream in peace for one evening.
“I can’t, you moron. You will see why if you ever get over here,” she said before continuing to hum. I gave up and tried to find her. I finally made head way and the humming grew louder. As the fog parted around her figure I saw a woman standing with her back to me. She was clad in a white dress and had runes carved down each of her arms. I knew before she turned why she couldn’t see me.
“Who are you?” My heart was pounding in my chest as I waited for her to turn and face me. I knew what horror awaited me. I knew where her eyes should be there would be two gaping chasms.
“You should know, you held my file earlier today. It sucks knowing when you are going to die and not being able to do anything about it, by the way. So, I figured if I was going to be stuck in this stupid place bored out of my skull, I might as well do what I could to help you. You know, so you can get me unstuck,” she said, waving her hands about like it was obvious.
“Okay, but how are you… I mean, what do you…” I was so confused. This must have been just a normal dream. Surely I was not talking to an eyeless Seer that happened to also be rude.
“Would you spit it out already? They said you were supposed to be smart. I am starting to doubt my chances of getting out of this place,” she sniped.
“Okay, I think I’ve got this,” I said as much to myself as her. I took a deep breath trying to regain my balance. “Do you know who killed you?”
“Don’t you think that would have been the first thing I told you? You aren’t the sharpest tool in the shed are you?”
“If you would stop insulting me for five seconds, maybe I could catch up. Cheese on a cracker, what is your problem?”
She motioned up and down with her hands and I realized suddenly my question had been quite insensitive.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “What do you remember? You said that you knew you were going to die, so you must have had a vision.”
“I remember seeing a foggy woman figure. She had crazy eyes. That is all I could make out. Well, before she gouged out my eyes that is. When the actual dying happened, I didn’t know what was happening. Don’t get me wrong, I felt every second of the pain. I think I was poisoned with some sort of paralytic,” she mumbled, swinging her arms back and forth.
“Was there more than one person there or just the foggy woman?” I asked hurriedly. I felt the dreaming start to fade.
“Shit, he is here. Have to run,” she said before darting off into the fog.
“More shall fall,” I heard Xavier whisper from the fog before I was ripped from the dreaming.
**********
I woke up, drenched in a cold sweat with Kennan pinning down my arms. Ian was standing off in the corner with a worried expression on his face. I looked over to find Conall standing in the other corner, looking more irritated than concerned.
“Why do we have such a crowded room?” I asked, looking skeptically at our audience.
“Because you would not come out of the dreaming and you locked out your dear Guardian. He freaked out and brought us in to try and pull you out. But, alas, you gave us the boot as well. You are a lot stronger than I gave you credit for, lass,” Conall said.
“Shut it, Eye Patch,” I threw in his direction before locking gazes with Kennan. I heard Ian snicker in the corner. “I’m fine, can we have the posse leave now please?” I pleaded with my eyes. I really didn’t like the idea of them seeing me naked. I was just grateful that Kennan had pulled the covers over my body before letting them in.
“Brother, it would seem our service is no longer needed,” Conall said toward Ian.
“Alright, let’s bounce, Eye Patch,” Ian snickered before throwing his arm over Conall’s shoulder. “See ya later, Pip Squeak,” he threw in my direction before dragging an irritated Conall from the room. I would probably pay for the new nickname later.
“What was that?” Kennan asked as the door closed.
“What, it was just a nickname. I didn’t mean to upset him.” I was confused by his tone.
“Not the damned name, Izzy. You locked me out of your head. Why did you do that? I couldn’t get in to pull you back.” He ran his hand down his face in frustration, finally getting off of me.
“I didn’t even know that I was doing it. For all I know, it wasn’t me that blocked you out. Xavier was there and the dead Seer, so it could’ve been either of them.” I didn’t like the thought of him being unable to come in and pull me back from the insanity. It scared the pants off of me. Not that I was wearing pants at the moment. Where were my pants?
“What do you mean the dead Seer was there? Which one? What did Xavier say? Is he still alive? Did you find out what is happening?” He bombarded me with questions one after another. My tired brain tried to keep up but failed miserably.
“Whoa, guy. Slow down. I need a second to catch up. The Seer from the file, I think her name was Ren. She was not very nice either. I guess if I had my eyes cut out I wouldn’t be in the best of moods. But really, it is not like I did that to her. She kept insulting my intelligence,” I said, glancing up to find Kennan growing impatient. Right, back on task. “Xavier was there at the end. I’m not sure if it is really him or not. Whatever he is now, Ren was frightened of him. She told me about being paralyzed when the runes were carved and that some foggy woman was responsible. She foresaw her death, Kennan, but knew she couldn’t do anything to stop it. How sucky is that?” I sat up, tucking the sheet around my body. It was sort of the same thing as putting clothes on. Who had time to find pants?
; “So, the person responsible is a woman. There is a very real chance she is the same woman from your vision yesterday.” He started pacing the room as he mulled over the new clues.
“It feels like such a long time ago. It is hard for me to believe that it was only yesterday the world tilted again.” I threw myself back on the pillows dramatically. Life just kept getting better and better. It seemed my dreams were now to be infested by a snarky, restless spirit. I would solve this just to get rid of her. She was not nice.
I was surprised by the door suddenly flying open. A tear stained Molly sprinted straight for me.
**********
CHAPTER SEVEN
“What the….” Kennan twirled to protect me from the unknown menace.
Molly looked at him for a moment before moving to sit on the bed with me. Her face was drawn in misery.
I looked up at Kennan and nodded toward the door. I figured he could guard me just as well on the other side. I didn’t expect any wall-scaling ninjas to launch a full-scale attack this early in the morning. I suspected even God knew I couldn’t handle much more today.
“What is it Molly? What happened?” I wondered if her dreams were also being haunted by Ren. If that snarky spook had hurt Molly I was going to punch her sightless face next time I was in the dreaming. I ran my hand down Molly’s back trying to comfort her. I should really try and put some clothes on. If I was going to keep having visitors at night, I would need to start going to bed fully dressed. Maybe with multiple layers.
“I saw her,” Molly said through her sniffles.
“Who did you see Molly?” I wondered if she had started having visions again. Since we left the lab and she quit getting injections they had sort of died off. Now, as she approached her birthday, they seemed to be resurfacing.
“I haven’t been in the dreaming for so long. I thought at first it was just a normal dream. But then, there she was, talking to me as if everything was fine. Like she hadn’t disappeared on me and left me to fend for myself.”
Ah, so she had seen her mother. I was struck by the realization that her tears weren’t because she was sad. Molly was pissed.
“What did she say?” I asked. I was curious how any mother could just leave her child to fend for themselves. Especially Molly’s mom, who had done so much to protect her while they were at the lab. I remembered that first exam and how sweet her mother had been. Yet she also threw me to the wolves. I didn’t blame her, but she hadn’t earned my undying loyalty either.
“She talked to me like everything was fine. She said that she had seen that my place was here with you and that she needed to step aside and not interfere with my destiny. How could she just leave without telling me? I don’t understand.” The rage dripped from her every word.
“I don’t know, Molly. You know that we see things sometimes, things that can’t be changed. Perhaps she saw your destiny and knew that if she was here, things would not turn out as they should. I’m not trying to condone what she did. She could have at least said goodbye. But maybe there is more to it than we are able to see now,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and praying that the sheet would stay in place.
A hesitant knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” I hollered as the door began to open. So much for waiting for an invitation. In walked Ian for the second time that evening. I don’t know how I had missed it before but he was clad in Superman pajamas.
“Are you well, Molly?” he asked, moving towards her. His concern carved a deep valley in his brow.
“I’ll be fine. I am just mad, is all. She didn’t even say goodbye, Ian,” she said through her sniffles. Her anger was beginning to ebb and it left her looking empty and alone. Just as I was about to throw my arms around her again Ian swept in and embraced her tightly.
“I know, my love, I know. She should have told you. I’m so sorry I’ve been such a pain. I should’ve seen how much this was bothering you,” he said, breathing in her hair and pulling her up against his body. I wondered how Molly could be so blind to the way he felt for her. It was written in his every move.
“I’m fine. Really, I just needed some girl talk,” she said, trying to pull out of his embrace unsuccessfully. “Let me go, you big buffoon.” She beat on his chest trying to get free.
“No need to get so feisty, tiny. Let’s get you back to bed before you miss your beauty sleep. No one needs to see that,” he said, tucking her under his Superman clad arms. He pulled her along beside him as if she weighed nothing. She looked at me, disgruntled, and waved before being swept out of the room.
Kennan reentered the room slowly. His every step echoed in the quiet room. I drug my eyes up his body to rest on his face. My gaze settled there, and I longed to reach out and smooth the lines. I didn’t want him to worry about me.
I still didn’t know where in the heck to get the manuscript, but perhaps with Ren’s help, I would be able to find some clues. My world kept expanding every day. I shook my head, thinking of the absurdity of a shade helping me to discover something. Surely I should be medicated. This couldn’t be healthy.
Kennan moved toward the bed. He sank down to the edge and lifted his hand to brush the hair away from my cheek. I was sure said hair looked like I’d stuck my finger in a light socket.
“Are you really okay?” Kennan asked barely above a whisper.
“I am really okay. I promise. I didn’t mean to block you out. Maybe Isadora can help me figure that bit out. I have a feeling I am going to need to spend quite a bit of time with her if I’m ever going to get a handle on what is happening to me. But, at least I know the killer is a woman. That narrows it down by at least fifty percent,” I said hopefully. Kennan’s eyes looked haunted and I wondered what could possibly be going through his mind. As usual my curiosity got the best of me. “What’s going on?”
“This whole thing just reminds me of that sect from years ago. I hope to the gods that we don’t have to go through that again,” he said as he lay down next to me pulling my body against his.
“Can I see? I understand if it was a painful time for you, but there may be clues back in your memories that can help me sort out what is happening now.”
“Understand that what you will see is not at all pleasant. There were things from back then that I don’t even wish to remember, Izzy. I had to be a person I don’t like to be. Just remember that I am still me when you are sifting. Promise me you will try,” he pleaded with me.
I was suddenly afraid to even attempt this. What if he was right? What if what I saw changed the way I perceived him? Regardless of my personal emotions, I knew that I had to do everything in my power to protect the Seers in any way that I could.
“I will do my best,” I promised. I refused to lie to him just to appease both of our nerves. It wouldn’t serve either of us for me to be dishonest.
“So be it,” Kennan said as he unfolded his past before my mind.
**********
I was surrounded by a towering inferno. All around me were the burning remains of what once were buildings. The air was thick with smoke and ash. I could hardly see anything through the dense wall of smoke.
My attention was drawn by a clash of swords in the distance. I made my way towards the sound, hoping to escape the swirling ashes. What I saw when I arrived served to confuse me more than anything I’d ever seen. There were a group of men, at least I thought they were men, circling what could only be described as a monstrous beast. It was as if every last one of my nightmares was conjured to create the abomination. I looked away from it with a feeling of dread spreading through my body and tried to focus on the men.
I could make out glimpses of them from time to time, but then they would shimmer and shift as if they were turning into something else altogether. The more I tried to focus, the more amorphous the shapes became. I breathed deeply trying to focus my concentration. Surely I would be able to pick out someone. This was Kennan’s memory after all. I caught a glimpse of him with rage-filled eyes before he shi
fted out of focus once more. Then there was Conall. He shifted in and out of focus more quickly than Kennan had. One second he was there with both eyes, the next his eyes were a vibrant yellow and he was hazy once more.
I turned my focus back to the monstrosity they were fighting. Its skin, black as night, vibrated with an otherworldly energy. It slipped from one space to the next in the blink of an eye, causing the men to have to readjust their stances. I moved closer, snapping something underfoot in the process. In a swift motion, the monster turned its eyes in my direction. Impossibly, it knew I was there. Its yellow-green, goat eyes assessed me and weighed my worth before it returned to the men at hand. I got the distinct impression of being told, “We shall meet at another time.”
I looked back to the men fighting and realized this was later than I needed to be seeing. I needed to go further back. I needed to see what had been done to bring about the great, dark beast with its vicious maw and claws made for destruction. The moment I thought it, I was pulled back through memories. They flipped before my eyes as if they were on rewind.
**********
I was standing in an open field at night. The moon cast an eerie light on the scene, illuminating everything with a spectral glow. I moved forward toward the raised platform. Circling the platform were a group of hooded figures, chanting something in a language I’d never heard yet my soul responded to the words. My spirit writhed inside of me as if drawing itself away from what was being done.
When I got close enough to see, I wished that I’d not come at all. On the altar was a woman lying in a white dress. She was held down with tight, leather straps. Her screams echoed across the barren landscape, finding no refuge. No one was coming to her aid. No one would rescue her. One of the figures broke out of the group and moved toward her. He raised the knife and began to draw runes down her arms. I moved even closer to see what was being done. I needed to know if these were the same runes that were being carved now.
See How She Fights Page 6