The Nightmare Affair

by Mindee Arnett

I looked up in time to see Eli launch a rock into the air, aimed at the black phoenix, which was swooping down toward Selene and me. The rock struck the bird at the base of its left wing. It let out an outraged screech and then spun away, now flying erratically.

  Eli sprinted toward me. He picked Selene up and threw her over his shoulder. Then he and I dashed toward the tomb where my mom was keeping Marrow on the defensive. He stood with Excalibur in front of him, deflecting and absorbing each spell.

  Eli set Selene down at the base of the tomb, shielding her from most of the danger. I glanced around, on the lookout for the black phoenix.

  A few feet away, Bethany had managed to free herself from the rocks. Blood ran down the side of her face from a cut on her forehead. She charged us, arm flung out as she cast another one of those cutting curses at me. Eli jumped in front of the spell, pushing me out of the way. I stumbled sideways, just barely staying on my feet. The spell struck Eli full force. Gashes appeared on his chest through his shredded clothes. The spell knocked him backward, and his head struck the side of a rock as he fell.

  I cast a shield spell, deflecting Bethany’s second attack. I needed to stop her before she took us all out. Behind me, my mother was still casting at Marrow. She had to be exhausted.

  I raised my hand to throw the binding spell at Bethany, only to have Culpepper beat me to it. Silver ropes wrapped around Bethany from head to toe, and she toppled sideways. Culpepper came running toward us, limping badly on one leg and flinging spells up into the air at the black phoenix, which was trying to get at us. I could tell he was exhausted, too.

  I grabbed Eli’s arm and dragged him as near to the base of the tomb as I could. To my relief, he was still conscious, although dazed. Hoping Culpepper could manage against the phoenix, I turned and joined my mother. Side-by-side we took on Marrow.

  Although we were keeping him occupied, I understood at once that it was hopeless. There seemed no way to get around the sword’s ability to absorb spells. I even tried flinging rocks at him just like we learned in psionics, but Marrow repulsed them easily.

  I tried to puzzle out how the sword could absorb a Nightmare’s magic but The Will couldn’t. Maybe it was the difference between a spell set to run on autopilot and one being actively controlled by a wizard, like the difference between playing a live opponent in a video game instead of the computer. The Will couldn’t deflect Nightmares because it couldn’t intuit magic based on imagination. But Marrow could. He could see, hear, and imagine himself.

  With this realization, I edged my way around the tomb. If I could sneak behind Marrow, or at least far enough that he couldn’t deflect both me and my mother at the same time, I might be able to disarm him.

  As I moved, I saw Excalibur begin to glow. First a faint purple light emanating from the runes on the blade, then the blade itself until it looked like a torch lit with Everlasting Fire. A slow smile stretched across Marrow’s face, and he started to laugh.

  The sword’s a reservoir, he had said. And a reservoir could only hold so much before it overflowed.

  I felt the tremor of the power building a second before it unleashed in a brilliant explosion of magic that pulsed outward like a nuclear bomb. The tomb shattered as the spell hit it, and I was thrown backward so hard I collided with the wall. I fell to the ground, dazed and paralyzed by pain.

  I heard the sound of footsteps approaching a moment later. It was Marrow, still laughing. He was the only one standing, the only one unaffected by the sword’s explosion.

  He peered down at me. “It was a valiant try, but there is nothing more powerful than this sword. Took me more than a lifetime to find it, you know, and even longer to learn the secret to make it obey my command.”

  He knelt beside me and sighed. “You should have joined me when you had the chance. But my gratitude remains nonetheless. I will let you live, Dusty Everhart. For now. But not Eli, I’m afraid. If you won’t be my dream-seer then you will be no one’s.”

  He turned away, holding the sword downward like a stake again. I saw Eli lying in the rubble nearby, and I knew what Marrow intended. But I didn’t have the strength to cast another spell. I felt as if every bone in my body had been broken, and my muscle and sinew vaporized.

  Try, Dusty. You’ve got to try.

  I managed to push myself up on one elbow. A thousand images danced in my head, pictures of all the people Marrow had killed, all the people he would kill. Rosemary, Ankil, Nimue, Moira, Selene, Eli, Rosemary, Ankil … Ankil … the snatch-and-smack.

  It was moronically simple, effortless. I remembered Ankil explaining how The Will couldn’t anticipate the move if you did it fast enough and didn’t try to hold on. You just had to use the laws of physics within the spell. Maybe even the most powerful magickind of all time wouldn’t be able to anticipate it, either.

  I reached out and snatched the sword from Marrow’s hand with my magic in one quick motion, then let go. As it started to fall, I smacked the hilt downward with all the energy I had left.

  The blade struck Marrow in the chest, sinking straight through him. He gasped, staggering on his feet. He turned his eyes to me, shock on his face. Then he started to laugh. And he kept on laughing even as his knees buckled and he fell forward, driving the blade even further into his body.

  I turned away from the sight, sickened. I couldn’t believe it. I’d killed Marrow. The Red Warlock was dead. It was over.

  My relief vanished a moment later as a loud, angry cry echoed above me. I’d forgotten about the black phoenix. It was a fatal mistake. I slumped in defeat, helpless to defend myself. There was nothing left inside me to fight with.

  The black phoenix flew toward me only to veer away at the last second. I turned my head in mild surprise, wondering if it was playing some kind of game with me. Then I heard something crackle. I looked over to where Marrow had fallen. His body burst into flames, quickly turning to ash.

  The black phoenix swooped down, mouth open, and swallowed the flames and ash whole. Then the bird vanished, leaving behind only the scorched outline of a body on the floor with a sword lying in its center.

  I stared at it for several long moments. Then everything went black.

  * * *

  Something moved in the rubble, drawing near. I didn’t know what it was. I wasn’t sure I cared. I was too tired, too hurt.

  A hand touched my forehead, fingers gentle. “You all right?” Eli. Voice low and rough from exhaustion. “Please tell me you’re all right. Please, Dusty.”

  I nodded.

  He exhaled, his breath a caress against my face. He leaned over me and pulled me into his arms, his body a comforting weight against my own. I was alive. We both were.

  Then he kissed me. His lips were impossibly soft against mine, and hot enough to warm my skin. The kiss was short but tender, filled with relief. Finally, a good dream, I thought before drifting back to sleep once more, still cradled in his arms.

  25

  Nightmare Investigations

  Arkwell’s infirmary had never been so full. Or so Nurse Philpot kept saying every time she walked past my room. By some ironic twist of fate, I’d ended up in the same room they put me in the night Mr. Ankil died, giving me full view of the nurse’s station and ample opportunity to eavesdrop. Which I did—often.

  I’d been stuck in here for two days, under constant observation even though most of my injuries from the showdown with the Red Warlock were already fading. I guessed maybe they were worried I would go insane or something after the ordeal. But I was doing okay. I’d survived, after all. That was something to be happy about.

  My only visitor, besides Sheriff Brackenberry, who’d come to record my account of what happened, was Dr. Hendershaw. I was still sore at her for my toilet duty. She thanked me for my bravery and expressed the school’s gratitude and all of that. I asked her if this meant my detention was canceled, but she said it wasn’t. Yeah, there was gratitude for you.

  I kept asking every nurse who stopped by for updates on Selene
, Eli, and my mother. They reassured me they were fine and recovering quickly, but no one was willing to say when I would be allowed to see them. I wanted to desperately, if for different reasons. My memories after the fight with Marrow were fuzzy to say the least. I had no recollection of the police arriving, although I knew Culpepper was the one to fetch them. And I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten from the cavern to the infirmary, either.

  But I did remember Eli kissing me. I just didn’t know if it was real or not. Or how I felt about it.

  Finally, I had another visitor, one I wasn’t disappointed to see. Lady Elaine looked far older and frailer than the last time we’d met. She came in and sat on the edge of my bed.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said in a resigned voice. “I take full responsibility for what happened. I failed to recognize Marrow for what he was.” She took a deep breath then cleared her throat, the sound like broken glass. “I should have been suspicious when he offered to help analyze your dream journal entries. And even more suspicious when he suggested Bethany would make a good Keeper for the darkkind ring. But I was fooled by his charm and intellect.”

  “It’s all right,” I said, uncomfortable with her confession. “He fooled everybody, didn’t he? And he’s like thousands of years old. He’s had a lot of time to get good at hoodwinking people.”

  Lady Elaine smiled. “True, but I’m not exactly inexperienced myself. Nevertheless, I thank you for being understanding. And for defeating him, of course. It’s quite remarkable, you know.”

  I shook my head, thinking about Mr. Ankil and what he’d told me about the arrogance of witchkind. I’d decided this was the only explanation for how I’d overcome Marrow. Because he was cocky. “I just got lucky,” I said.

  Lady Elaine patted my hand. “Sometimes that’s all you need. Now, is there anything I can do for you?”

  “I want to see my friends. And my mom.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you do. The nurse told me they’re planning to discharge you tomorrow. You’ll be able to visit them then.”

  “So they’re not here in the infirmary?” Out of habit, I glanced at the door, hoping I might catch one of them walking by.

  Lady Elaine glanced at the door, too, then shook her head. “Selene and Eli left a short while ago. They wanted to see you, but weren’t allowed. Your mother is still here.”

  I swallowed. My guilt over what I’d done to her had only gotten worse in the long hours I’d been forced to lie in this bed. “Is she all right?”

  “She’s fine. Just very weak.”

  “Oh. Has she asked to see me?”

  Lady Elaine hesitated, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t know.”

  “Okay.” I wanted her to leave so I could have a good cry, but she didn’t seem to be in any hurry. Deciding to make the most of it, I asked, “So what happens now? What did they do with the sword?”

  Lady Elaine brushed a piece of lint off the blanket, not meeting my eyes. “It will be destroyed.”

  “So no more Will?”

  She nodded. “It seems when you killed Marrow the spell broke completely. It was so old and so complicated no one knows how to rebuild it from scratch, I’m afraid.”

  “But Marrow isn’t actually dead, is he?” I kept thinking about the way he’d laughed with that sword sticking out of his body, as if he found death nothing but an amusing detour.

  Lady Elaine glanced up at me, grimacing. “Probably not. But there’s no way to be certain. So far there’s been no sign of him. I expect there won’t be any for some time to come. We did identify the website, however, but haven’t been successful getting into it yet. Did you know that the name of it, Reckthaworlde, is an anagram for the Red Warlock?”

  “I’m not surprised. It seems like the kind of thing … Paul … would do.” Saying his name was hard. Thinking about him was even harder. I was doing my best not to.

  “Mmmm,” Lady Elaine said. “Paul has asked to see you. If you want, I will take you to where he’s being held, once you’re discharged.”

  I shook my head. My feelings about Paul were a giant tangled mess inside me. I didn’t know what had been real about him and what hadn’t. But I kept seeing his bruised face and wondering if the abuse, at least, had been real. I couldn’t help thinking it was, and that it had played its part in sending him down Marrow’s twisted path. Not that it excused the vile things he’d done.

  “I don’t want to see him,” I said. “Ever.”

  Lady Elaine sighed. “I’m afraid you will have to face him sooner or later. During the trial, at the very least.”

  I swallowed. It was time for a subject change. “So what will happen now that people are allowed to do magic at will?”

  She considered the question a moment. “Too early to say. So far, nothing seems to have changed. There’s been no mass revolt or taking up of old prejudices. Things are different now than when The Will was first imposed. Attitudes have changed. Perhaps it will be all right. And I’m sure the senate will come up with other ways of keeping folks in check. There are all those Will-Workers in need of a job, after all.”

  I didn’t reply, my thoughts on Eli. He had believed that people wouldn’t suddenly become monsters just because they could. Maybe he was right. “So did the senate publically acknowledge that The Will’s no more?”

  “Yes. I don’t believe they had a choice.” An amused smile rose to Lady Elaine’s face. “They’ve been surprisingly open about everything. They even sent representatives to explain matters to the students here during an assembly yesterday. They told them all about the Red Warlock and how you and your friends defeated him.”

  I gulped, uncertain how I felt about everybody knowing I’d killed a person. A part of me wished I didn’t know it. I’d already had one nightmare about it. “Why would the senate do that?”

  “Damage control. Marrow may be gone for now, but he has his followers. I imagine they feel the truth will help flush them out, in case any of them are students.”

  “Makes sense, I guess. Given Paul.” I shivered from the idea and tried to push it from my mind.

  Lady Elaine left a few minutes later, and I drifted off, not waking again until the next morning when the nurse arrived to dismiss me.

  “You can visit your mother before you go if you’d like. She’s in room twelve down the hall,” said Nurse Philpot.

  I thanked her as she left. I stayed in the room another couple of minutes, trying to muster the courage to face my mother while I changed out of the hospital gown into a pair of jeans and a shirt someone had fetched from my dorm room. Mom must hate me. Still, I had to see with my own eyes that she was okay, and I needed to say I was sorry, even if it didn’t matter.

  My mother was lying in the bed when I came through the door. Huge bruises rimmed her cheekbones, and she’d lost weight, making her look almost old. Though still beautiful.

  “Hi, Mom,” I said when she looked up at me. She didn’t speak for at least a minute, and I stood there, wondering what to do. Saying I’m sorry didn’t seem enough. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Better,” said Moira.

  “Oh, well, you look great.”

  She narrowed her bright eyes at me. “You never were much good at lying. I suppose that’s one trait you didn’t inherit from me.”

  I tried on a smile, but it felt weak around the edges. “I think that one’s Dad’s. But all the good ones are yours, right? Like the stubbornness and independence.”

  My mother returned the smile, shattering the tension between us. She held out her arms, and I ran forward, hugging her so hard she groaned.

  “I’m so sorry, Mom,” I whispered against her shoulder.

  “It’s all right.” She stroked my hair. “It’s my fault, too. I should’ve told you what I was doing. I should’ve been around more. You had no reason to trust me.”

  I pulled back and looked up at her. “That’s not true. You were around, I just didn’t pay attention.”

  Moira chuckled. “Your generous nature is also
from your father. Speaking of which, you need to call him as soon as you can. I’m sure he’s worried. But he has no idea what’s been happening, and I suggest you don’t tell him. If he finds out the kind of danger you’ve been in lately he’ll kidnap you to Siberia.”

  “I promise I won’t,” I said, laughing.

  “Good.” She hugged me and whispered, “It was never about magic, Dusty. I’ve always loved you. Always. I just let my own selfishness, childishness, get in the way. But not anymore.”

  I nodded, tears stinging my eyes. It was the first time she’d ever called me Dusty. “I love you, too, Mom.”

  There was more to say, more healing that needed to take place, but I knew this was the start of it. And I was glad.

  I said good-bye a few minutes later and stepped back into the hallway. I turned to leave, but I noticed that the room beside my mother’s was occupied. Mr. Culpepper was lying in the bed, with George the hellhound curled into a ball at his feet. I imagined the nursing staff was thrilled about that one.

  I stopped in the doorway, staring in at him. He stared back, his expression inscrutable.

  “Can I come in?” I asked, even as a part of me wondered what the hell I was doing.

  “Okay,” Culpepper said.

  George raised his head and looked at me with his glowing eyes. But he didn’t growl, which I took as a good sign.

  “Are you doing okay?”

  Culpepper grunted. “Been better. What do you want?”

  I shoved my hands into my front pockets. “To, uh, say I’m sorry. For everything. And to thank you for helping us out.”

  He grunted again.

  “But why did you help us?” The question had been bugging me for a while now. It seemed that a demon like Culpepper would stand to gain a lot more with Marrow in power than the Magi.

  George made a strange, whining noise, and Culpepper patted him. “You mean why didn’t I volunteer for that lunatic’s army?” He looked up at me. “Oh, yes, I was there. I heard him saying those things to you about putting ordinaries in their place and whatnot. But I don’t believe in it. Not at all.”