by Sophia Sharp
Laughter interrupted her efforts. Nora opened her eyes. The man had not moved from the bed, neither did he lower the hand he’d extended toward her. But he was shaking with laughter. It was not the gregarious laugh from before. No, this was a cruel, sinister laugh. The laugh of someone who knew he had absolute advantage.
“You thought it would be simple, didn’t you?” came the mocking voice from the bed. “That you could just come here, with all the experience of a newborn calf, and expect to challenge me?” The constraint around Nora’s neck tightened, until each breathe became a rasping struggle for life. “You know not a fifth of the nature of this place. Not a hundredth! You are naïve, girl, to think that you alone could stand up to the elders. Do not gape. I know who you are, but more importantly, I know what you are here for. Did you truly believe we did not anticipate this threat from you? We knew the moment our twisted half-brothers were freed from their prison.” He paused for effect, then slowly pushed himself up off the bed. The hand he directed at Nora did not waver. “What interests me more, however,” he continued, turning toward her, “is how you managed to bring me here without my consent. There is only once device in the entire world with the power to do so. How could you find and access it? Where? Answers to that are worth more to me than anything else. More than life itself. More than you.” Nora tried to move, but could not. Her mind worked furiously, desperately trying to find the control necessary to free herself of the bonds. Nothing worked. The man – the elder – walked closer to her, and fire raged in his eyes. “I will get answers to these questions, Nora, whether you will it or not.”
In one smooth motion, he brought his other hand up and wrapped it around her neck. Crudely, he forced Nora’s head up, so she looked at him. Without warning, he reached into her mind.
A searing pain exploded from behind her temples. She saw a flash of red and felt her memories being ripped out of her head. She tried to fight back, to stop it from happening, but could not. A stream of all her memories became a river, then a flood. The elder was invading her most private thoughts, and she could do nothing to stop it. She felt the drain of her thoughts escaping her and flowing to him. He was sucking her mind dry, much as she had sucked the blood out of the listless Vassiz woman at her first feeding. If she let it continue, there would soon be nothing left… If she…
The flow cut off, and the pain ceased. The elder still held his hand around her throat, but his eyes were closed, as if savoring the taste of her defeat. Nora was left gaping. She was now empty and hollow. She had not been able to hold anything back. She knew that he had taken everything she had. From the location of the repository, to the plans that she and the angels laid out, to the identity of all those who had helped her, she had given it all away. Remorse and sadness filled her. After the elder was done with her, everyone she knew would suffer. Alexander’s and Madison’s identity was now known, as was Jacob’s. And of course Hunter’s. All because she was too weak to resist whatever the elder had done. She felt tears of hopelessness rise up within her, but forced them down. Whatever happened, she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
The man released his grip, and with that, all the bonds that held her dissolved. Nora fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes. She could breathe again and gulped down the sweet, precious air. She expected a blow to come, and readied her body. Nothing happened. After a few seconds, she looked up. The man had stepped away from her and was now looking out the window on the other side of the cabin. The fire in the hearth continued to flare, illuminating the whole room with its wicked, heatless flame. The man had his back to her – that was how much he considered her a threat! Nora felt the torrial she still held in her hand. If it did not help her now, it never would. She closed her eyes, starting to focus…
“I would not do that if I were you.” The casualness of the elder’s voice startled Nora. She looked up. He had still not turned away from the window, and his hands were clasped behind his back. “Do you think I don’t know of the torrial you hold? Try, if you dare, to use it against me. But I must warn you that you will not like the repercussions.”
Nora paused. Surely if the elder knew of the torrial she had, he would take it away? But perhaps it was not as valuable against him as she thought. Perhaps he was much more powerful than she thought.
“You do not need to fear me, Nora. At least, not yet.” He chuckled again. “The knowledge you hold is valuable. You yourself are valuable. As a council of elders, we recognized the threat you posed to us, and we acknowledged something needed to be done about it. The only thing we could agree to, unfortunately, was to see you killed.” He turned and looked at her. “But you must understand, it was not an ideal solution. For you, least of all.” He turned away.
“What do you mean?” Nora asked. She had managed to stand up, but still felt weak. She had to hold on to something and used the wall behind her for support. Her voice shook.
“What I am saying, Nora, is that I am not like some of the others. I pride myself on being able to see the bigger picture more often than they. I always thought the proposed method of dealing with you was…wasteful. Surely, someone with as much ability as yourself might prove useful in the future?”
“What do you mean?” Nora repeated. Was he trying to reason with her? Why? What did he want?
“Let’s not mince words. You know the prophecy as well as I do. When darkness comes, and hope is lost, a shimmering star shall be revealed. And she will free the fallen ones, restoring order to the rule of man. Are those not the words you know? The ones that brought you to me?”
“They are,” Nora admitted uncertainly.
“But there is more to it that drives you, isn’t there? I know what Gabrielle told you.” He spat the name, as if it were of a hated rival. “He said you were a human child, taken in the dream, and ripped to reality. Did he not?”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because of what I can offer you, Nora. I can grant you understanding. Of who you are. Of your birth. Do not look at me like I am a fool! Of you true birth.”
“Why…why would you do that?”
“Because I am not so narrow-minded as the rest. We should not be fighting prophecy but embracing it. If you bring change, so be it. But I do not want to lose power after it.”
“No!” Nora cried out. She would not agree to anything that would keep the elders, any of them, in control of the Vassiz. The race needed to be free. In the back of Nora’s mind, a voice cried out with all the warnings she’d heard about the elders. That they lie. That they deceive. Without discretion and without mercy.
“No?” The elder turned and smiled cruelly. “I could crush you like the ant you are with the blink of an eye. You are lucky I am the one you brought here. The others…they would not be so kind, nor so forgiving. But do not forget yourself before me!”
Something struck the back of Nora’s knee, causing it to buckle. She fell onto the floor harshly.
“Ahhh…much better. You will bow before me and show the respect that you owe! If you can manage that, I might let you live.”
“What do you want?” Nora asked, through strained teeth. All her strength felt sapped away. She tried standing, but the force that held her before was back and it was laced around both her ankles. Her upper body was free, but she could not shift from the subservient position.
“A truce, of sorts.” The force holding Nora disappeared. “You may stand now, if you wish. I will be frank with you. Your hatred of the elders…is understandable. To be honest, I share much of your distaste about my colleagues. The string of events that led me to my current position was merely one unfortunate circumstance after another, and…well, I believe I might help you.”
“Help me? How?” Nora did not move from where she was. Even though the bonds were gone, she did not want to appear irreverent. Not now.
“I could help you with your quest. You have precious little control over this world, while I, much more.” As if to illustrate his point, the fire
burning beside them flared wildly. Its flames licked around the man’s face, and came close to Nora, but she could feel no heat. “I could help you destroy the others. All I ask in return is that you pledge allegiance to me. Bow before me as your true master. Help me seize control of the others. Then, I will spare your life.”
Nora’s eyes widened. Was he telling the truth? Could he possibly be willing help her? But, she knew she could not trust him. Something Madison once said rang through her mind. The elders would destroy each other if given the chance, only in search of greater power. She was in a dangerous game. If she could convince him she would do so, and then use him to kill the others, only to turn on him at the very end…but he would anticipate something like that, would he not?
“Do not try to lie to me either, Nora. I will know if you are truthful or not.”
“How can I trust you?” Nora asked finally. She had to buy herself more time to think. She was also becoming more aware of the wound she had taken in the human world. A dull pain had started to resonate in her heel. Wait – that was it. If the elder knew her memories, he knew of the wound. And he knew that without the proper attention, she would die. He was planning on using her to destroy his competition, and then let her rot away while he inherited all the power of the elder council! That was the only explanation for his offer.
“I can see the scheming in your eyes,” he said, as he turned to her. “You think you can use me to kill the others, and then kill me when my back is turned. And you think we are the corrupt ones? Look at yourself in the mirror, Nora! Are you truly so pure as you claim to be? Your whole quest is precipitated on the idea that the elders do ill to the Vassiz. You are a fool! We keep order to the species so that we may continue to survive in a world not suited for us. And you wish to uproot that, simply because you heard of some prophecy? You trust too much and think too little!”
“You lie!” Nora hissed. “I will never help you!”
The elder looked at her and smiled sadly. “So that is your choice, then? You will not aid me?” He shook his head regretfully. “Then your fate is sealed.”
A sudden blast from the fireplace shook the whole cabin. The next thing Nora knew, the entire cabin was engulfed in flames. Laughter filled her head, laughter from the man before her. He stood there, his head thrown back in a hideous laugh, as the fire raged toward her. Nora felt no heat, but knew instinctively the flame was dangerous. It would still burn if it touched her.
She started to run to the door, but her feet would not move. The elder had her bound again! The flames from the fire pressed toward her. Nora needed to get free. She drew on the torrial, willing the flames to go away…and nothing happened. She tried again, with the same result. Why could she not control what was happening here? The fire circled around her, burning the walls and the floor. She could no longer see the elder through the flames. It would only take a few more seconds for her to be engulfed in it, and…
Another crash sounded, and a draft of air beat down the flames. Nora looked to her side, and saw the door had smashed open. A familiar figure stood there, outlined only by the light of the fire. Gray! How did he get here? That didn’t matter now. He was here for her.
Gray roared, and the sound reverberated through the cabin. The flames licked the edges of the doorway, but Gray didn’t seem to notice. His eyes locked on the elder, and he charged him.
The elder seemed just as surprised as Nora to see the bear, but masked that quickly as he ducked out of the way. Gray’s vicious swipe just missed the elder’s side. Gray let out another roar, and quickly turned back, throwing himself at the man again. But the elder was not concerned with fighting back. Instead, he bolted from the cabin.
As soon as he was gone, the bonds holding Nora disappeared, and the flames died back. Nora ran to Gray and embraced him with all her strength. Twice now, he had saved her life.
On contact, the connection between them formed instantly. It wasn’t as strong as she remembered, but it was there. Through it, Nora sent her deepest appreciation to Gray. Instead of her looking out for him, as she had thought would be the case when she picked him up as a cub, he was the one looking after her.
Nora turned to the open door. The elder was nowhere to be seen. But Nora could have pointed to him with her eyes closed. Something he had done in that moment he’d ravaged through her mind, had linked him to her, and her to him.
Nora stepped out from the cabin. It was time to repay the elder for all he had done. She went after him.
Chapter Fourteen
~The Black Forest~
Nora could feel the elder running just on the edge of her mind. He had gone far in such a short time, but no matter where he went she could find him. He had reached the bottom of the mountain already and was moving rapidly away. Why? Why did he run? She didn’t know, but she had to go after him.
She was conscious of Gray beside her. Even if she could tell where to go through the thick fog, he could not. He had to be able to see. Nora reached through her figurine torrial and willed the cloud to go away, knowing it was pointless but wanting to try, like she had many times before. To her surprise, the mist lifted. And the entire top of the mountain was revealed.
She blinked in amazement. Why was she able to do it now but not before? The only difference was that the elder was gone. Was he holding it in place earlier, like he had held Nora’s bonds? It seemed plausible.
She scanned the earth before her. The ground was dry and cracked, fissured in places, but otherwise completely flat. She saw the four statues circling the cabin, each looking directly at it. She had a feeling they had something to do with the strength the elder exhibited over her. Maybe outside their band, she would be able to control the dream realm like she was used to. Like she was supposed to, with the figurine torrial. She hoped that was the case, because if the elder could manhandle her again like he had in the cabin, she would have no chance, Gray or not.
It was time to find out. The elder was moving fast, but toward what, Nora couldn’t say. She ran to the brink of the mountaintop and looked out. Far in the distance, moving on the ground with immense speed, was a tiny black dot. The elder. She looked farther and found a change in landscape in front of him. Thick trees created a solidified edge there and continued on as far as Nora could see. A forest, but unlike any Nora had ever seen. That she could make out each individual tree from this distance told her just how enormous they really were. The trunks would have stood as wide as city blocks and the tops higher than the world’s tallest skyscrapers. That forest was where the elder was headed. She had to follow.
Gray came beside her. He was also looking out, in the same direction she was. She knew his eyesight was not as good as hers, but the bond that existed between them could overcome that. Nora reached out and placed a hand on his back, and the wavering connection between them hefted into place. It was not very strong, not here in the dream realm, but just enough to allow Nora to transfer to Gray what she saw. She felt affirmation shoot back to her and knew that Gray understood where to go. The trouble was that he could not move as fast as her, and she needed to follow the elder immediately. As long as Gray understood the direction he could follow her.
“I’ll see you soon,” Nora whispered, and started down the mountain much the same way as she had come up. She jumped and pulled through the torrial to shift the ground up toward her. The movement of the earth would not affect Gray or the elder, not the way she did it. It was only from her perspective that the ground moved up to meet her – anybody watching would only see her flying down through the air with enormous speed.
Nora reached the bottom of the mountain in less than a minute. She looked out toward the elder. She could not see him now, not when she was on the same level as him, but she could have pointed in his direction like a compass pointing north. Taking one look back at the mountain, and imagining Gray making his way down somewhere near the top, Nora sped in the elder’s direction.
The ground was barren and dry, which gave her perfect traction fo
r the run. Soon, she was moving so fast her side vision streaked, blurring the land and rocks into indistinguishable shapes and shadows. The sun had not yet returned from its concealment, but that did not affect Nora’s speed. She could see just as well in the dark as in light, especially when she wasn’t stymied by an unnatural fog.
One thing she could not see straight away, however, was the forest where the elder was headed. It was so far ahead that the curve of the earth blocked it from her line of sight. Had she not seen it form the top of the mountain, she would have never guessed it to be there.
She ran over the flat land, sometimes swerving left or right to avoid an unexpected boulder in her way. She could feel the elder in her mind. He was running with the same speed she was. She ground her teeth in frustration. At this rate, she would not be able to catch up.
Then, abruptly, the elder stopped. Nora felt him turn and look back, right at her. And then, he vanished.
Nora missed a step and went flying to the ground. She caught herself just before making contact, ducking her shoulder to roll deftly over it.
Panic gripped her when she stood. The elder must have known about the connection, and somehow he had shielded himself from her. Did that go both ways? If she could not feel him, did that mean he could not feel her? Because otherwise, if only he was hidden from her, and she remained visible to him…well, it meant that going forward would be as good as walking into a lion’s den blindfolded.