The Lucid Dreamer (Dystopian Child Prodigy SciFi) (The Unmaker Series Book 1)

by Casey Herzog

  “You’ve made your position quite clear, Mr. Black. You can go back to the puppeteers and tell them there are no little boys here. I would be very careful because sometimes the Elders can be quite unforgiving. They assigned you a task and you failed to produce what they sent you after. I don’t know about you, but if I were in your shoes, I would be scared out of my mind.” He stopped on the sidewalk and looked back with judgment and condemnation in his eyes.

  I could see that he was about to say something, but I didn’t give him the chance. I slammed the door and breathed a sigh of relief I had been able to stand up to him. The Elders were a force onto themselves, but they had made it necessary to delegate certain responsibilities. The role was given to Mr. Black, although nobody really understood how he came into power. There was no consensus and the community had no say in his placement. We had always believed we were a democracy, but that all changed when magic was forbidden.

  It was subtle at first, with the Elders’ taking a more active stance against the use of magic. The action taken by them was never one discussed in an open forum. They were given the power to make things better, but they only got worse.

  The Elders’ power grew, and before anyone knew what was happening, the world we knew had changed. A society built on trust was turned into something ugly over time. Those practicing magic were punished according to the three chances.

  There were some who believed the Elders’ bypassed some of the safe guards, and there was no way to know if the three stages of the law were being adhered to. We had a chance to voice our concerns at the very beginning of magic prohibition, but nobody took advantage of it other than Jasper.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Was William even breathing? I was hoping we could stand against them together, but he had shown his true colors. I had to scrutinize him carefully,, wondering if working with him was only going to cause more problems than it was worth. He was afraid of saying anything in fear of retaliation. I didn’t blame him because I felt the same way. The only difference was, I didn’t allow it to hold me hostage.

  “That was intense and you could feel it in the air. He was daring you to slip up and you held strong. I can only imagine what it felt like. I’ve never been able to stand up to him or the Guardians. You make one wrong move and you become a message to the others.”

  We had all seen our fair share of how the Elders held their power in the palm of their fists. The one public figurehead was Elder Masters. The others kept cloistered, away from the prying eyes of others. Nobody was sure how many elders there were.

  “I’m a little disappointed you caved so quickly. I thought you were better than that. It concerns me how you’re going to react when faced with a more serious dilemma. There are going to be casualties in this war and there’s no way around that. People will fall, friend and foe. We can’t delude ourselves into thinking the world we want doesn’t come with sacrifices.” I wanted William to understand I could take care of myself, but I also wanted him to be strong. It was a bit of a mixed message, but I was complicated in so many ways.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way. It was never my intention to give you false hope. Mr. Black is not someone to be taken lightly, but he’s nothing compared to the hunter out there waiting to consume the magic. It’s lucky Mr. Black doesn’t have any magic. If he did, I’m sure he would have felt what was coming off of you in waves. It was not just hatred, Gillian, but a powerful need to use the magic eyes. I don’t know if I can make this any clearer. You need to be careful. The will to survive in you is stronger than you believe.”

  I stood there wondering what he could mean by that. It seemed cryptic, but it was like he was trying to tell me something.

  “I promise I will never lose control. I might falter and have trouble balancing each part of what makes me a whole, but I’ll always keep it together. Things have changed, and I can’t decide if it’s for the better.” I walked back to where Damien was last seen. I could feel the phantom of his presence. I sensed that he was still alive, but where he had gone was a mystery.

  “I’ve been around long enough to see some amazing things. What happened to Damien is something I wouldn’t have believed unless I saw it for myself. We both witnessed something we can’t explain. Damien could’ve been the one who did that. It could be the hunter found him and took him right from underneath our nose. I hope he did this himself. It would mean he’s stronger and willing to use what he has for the greater good.”

  William’s words had conviction, but I wasn’t sure that he was willing to back them up with actions. “I assure you he will find his way back to us when the time is right. Don’t ask me to explain; I wouldn’t even know where to begin. The students are not going to be easily placated. I heard rumblings from soft whispers in my head. They are ready to do something. I need more information, and the only way to get it is by going to where my father spent most of his time. I’m not talking about the obvious. There’s a reason why he went to the library.” I had mistakenly thought he was trying to distance himself from his own daughter.

  “The library is fortified with too many security measures. You would have to be a damn fool to try to get in after curfew. The Guardians patrol the grounds, splitting their focus from the library to where the Elders are stationed. Nobody dares cross the perimeter of the asylum. They have given us every reason to believe what they have said about the place. I don’t know what is fact or fiction, but the prudent course of action is to take one step at a time.” It was a complicated time in history; one ripe with the possibility of death around every corner.

  That was never more transparent than when the Elders made a spectacle of someone who practiced magic. It was still discussed amongst those who had witnessed it first hand. People were talking, but they were doing it under the cover of darkness. Something was building, and it was going to lead to necessitate violence.

  “I have a way, but it’s not without its risks. My father hid something, and found it. I’m not talking about magic eyes, but a strange silver card that shows its markings when you turn it in the light in just the right way. I found it going through his many periodicals. I knew it was important, but I had no idea my father put it in my path for a reason. I have to believe in something bigger than myself.” I had to pick up where my father left off. I couldn’t do that without putting aside my irrational fear of being caught in the act.

  “Your father has always been one step ahead. The Elders placed him within the library to control his actions because they didn’t want him to speak out for magic. He thought he was in what they considered purgatory. He was ostracized from his peers. It was punishment, but he made good use of his time. It was worthwhile to dig into those dusty books and find something to turn the tide in our favor. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to say what he found. He was quite secretive and was worried about who could be trusted. I thought he was paranoid, but it’s not paranoia when somebody really is out to get you. He was careful to a fault, but he must’ve done enough to cause them to act.”

  William was making it sound like the Elders had a hand in what happened to my father.

  “It’s all a matter of conjecture. We can make unsubstantiated accusations, or find something more tangible to get our hands on. I feel I have been given a purpose and I’m not going to let him down. Before this, I wasn’t capable of stirring the pot. I was content with the status quo. However, my father’s death touched something inside me.” I wanted to know what had happened to Damien. I had a feeling what I was seeking was closer than I knew.

  I decided the best kind of defense was a good offense. I went into his study. There didn’t seem to be a method to his madness, but there had to be. Books were scattered with some of the pages turned. I’d found Mr. Coleman snooping around inside the study obviously looking for the magic eyes. I would give them up over my dead body.

  William sat in one corner, mumbling underneath his breath, which I found cute. It meant he had flaws and was not perfect. I didn’t expect him t
o be. It was nice to know he could be rattled. Mr. Black had upset us both, and I was still shaking on the inside. I made a point to go over to him from time to time and place my hand reassuringly on his shoulder.

  He would pat my hand and send this charge of the excitement running through my lower extremities. I couldn’t help my feelings for him. I had satisfied my curiosity by kissing him. I wanted more of that intimate connection, but I wasn’t going to do anything as foolish as sleeping with him. That would come only when the time was right. A ceremony had to take place to join our souls. It was a daunting proposition that had only been taken on by those of pure spirit.

  I rooted through his private notations and found some of what he had said in the last couple of weeks that I thought was gibberish. There were series of numbers and most were duplicated with the number 55. There had to be more to it. The number 55 was important. It was hard not to see it, but maybe it was my perception of things through the use of magic eyes.

  “This is ridiculous. If there is any rhyme or reason to anything you see here then I’m not seeing it. All of this seems random, like we are chasing our tails around in a circle. There must’ve been something to it for him to make bold claims. I’m sure he was looking for something, but I can’t find it in all of this. I need to get some rest; my eyes feel as heavy as lead. I don’t know how long you expect to stay here, but I do hope you’ll find some time to close your eyes. You won’t be good for anything if you’re not fully refreshed and ready for what they’re going to hand you.” I wanted to follow William and curl into his arms with his heartbeat lulling me into a false sense of security.

  “I know it’s here somewhere and I’m just not seeing it. It’s probably staring me right in the face, laughing at me the entire time. I don’t like the feeling of being mocked. You go ahead and get some sleep; I appreciate all the help.” It wasn’t like he could go home after curfew. They would find him and he would be brought to the asylum. One day inside would be more than enough. Those able to leave had come out affected in a deep and profound way.

  “I would suggest using magic eyes, but I don’t think you should do that with the hunter out there. We may feel safe and secure behind these four walls, but there’s no telling how their personal bloodhound will react.” He walked away, and the view from behind was something I couldn’t take my eyes off of. His nicely proportioned half moons were a delight. I wanted to sink my teeth into them.

  I was embarrassed, a slight blush along my cheeks indicating he had gotten underneath my skin. I took a deep breath and fanned away the excess heat in the room caused by both of us being in close proximity. The kiss had lingered on my lips, and I could still taste him like a powerful aphrodisiac encouraging me to run headlong into his arms.

  My pulse was racing and my mind conjuring up naughty images. Fantasies were one thing, but making them into reality was something else entirely. Those caught having relations without going through the necessary channels of commitment were doomed to repeat the same mistakes of those that had come before them. It meant five days of torturous hell behind the asylum doors.

  My head was spinning with explicit thoughts of William in various states of undress. I had to get my head out of the gutter.

  Nothing was certain, and thinking of my father with his head in the books was the only thing I had to go on. He had always been of a studious nature, but that had become something of an obsession. I had to get in touch with what was left of him. The answer was in this mess. It was going to take somebody with his genes to unravel what had come under scrutiny.

  I lay back amongst the books making snow angels and finding myself giddy from lack of sleep. I closed my eyes and the swirl of light found underneath my lids had me wondering what it was all about. The lights exploded and blinded me. I thought something jarring like that would make me rear back up into a seating position, but it didn’t.

  The very idea of getting William naked had become more reality than fantasy. My father playing god was yet another thing I had to contend with. He was not going to settle in his grave until the answers fell into my hands.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I woke with a start to feel something cold touching my hand. I looked and was temporarily stunned by a bony appendage. I should’ve been terrified, but there was something familiar about that hand. There was no way I could put my finger on what it was.

  “Time is something you don’t have a lot of. You have attention on you that will make things difficult. The answers are deep within what has been swirling in your mind. You need to accept things as they are. This life was never meant to be. It took one to ruin it for the rest of us. You need to hang onto that fear and indecision. It’s a healthy thing. It will help you when you least expect it.” The inner voice was loud and a little clearer than the last time. I couldn’t talk about it; this was something meant for only me.

  “I know you think what you’re saying makes sense, but it doesn’t. I will never be able to lose the fear. It’s what I do with it that matters. I know there’s something here underneath all of this chaos and I need to separate what doesn’t belong until the answer is crystal clear. My father’s mindset was one of a cluttered genius.” The heavy mist in the air was filled with several different hands reaching out and trying to touch me.

  “This world was not supposed to be black and white. It should be screaming with color, but I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. I don’t want you to fall apart. There’s no way you can forget no matter how much you try. You stand a chance, whether you believe it or not.” The voice was my father’s, but with more compassion. It was also full of riddles and half sentences which I was meant to fill in.

  “I don’t know what you want from me. You can’t expect the impossible from a girl with a scientific mind. I know magic exists, but I thought there was something to explain it all with science. My father tried to teach me, but I was reluctant because of a deep-seated hatred balled in my chest. He was only doing what he thought was right. I was wrong to judge him. I felt abandoned by how he was constantly finding ways to leave me. He was doing it for a cause. What he was doing was going to give us a fighting chance. I wish I had known.” I was talking to that inner voice like we were having a meaningful conversation.

  “I can give you guidance, but you need to let me in. It’s the only way you’re going to make any kind of headway. You’re right about the books. They have a role to play, which you will learn soon enough. You need to dispel your disbelief. It’s amazing you haven’t already with everything you have seen. Take ahold of the legacy, and the rest will fall into place. Be wary of those who call themselves friend and enemy. Sometimes what you see isn’t the whole story.” Once again, the voice was saying something and nothing at the same time.

  “It all seems so pointless without him. I did love him in my own way, even though I probably didn’t say it enough. I can be very stubborn, and I learned that from him. I need to know what to do and all I get is platitudes. I was hoping to have some straight answer, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.” I stopped talking, waiting for a response, and this time the only response I had was silence. It was the deafening kind with something moaning, almost like it was in pain.

  Those hands, which I perceived earlier, came into focus. They reached from within the mist and began to toss the books into the air until they were spinning in a clockwise formation around me. There was laughter and many voices joined together. I couldn’t hear one from the other, and all of it was getting lost in the shuffle.

  “This responsibility shouldn’t be mine. I’m sure there are others far more equipped to deal with all of this. I want to wash my hands of the entire thing, but I can’t with people depending on me. I’ve been given something of great importance to do. My father started this and I plan to finish it in his name. I can only hope to have trustworthy allies in the days ahead.” I was remarkably calm during the melee of the books flying of their own accord.

  I was bombarded, and t
aking refuge by diving for cover was nothing more than a stopgap measure. I held a couple of books in front of my face to prevent certain injury. I knew I wasn’t in reality. It was possible this was another test to deem if I was worthy. I had no idea when one of these tests could come about quite unexpectedly.

  “I want to be the one to hold the Elders to the fire. They need to know it’s time for a new way. This way suited our purposes, but it never did solve the initial problem: magic was meant to be publicly accepted. The older mentality was to keep magic alive in the hearts of the next generation. My father did the impossible and recruited those with the most potential. The one who could’ve taken a leadership role was taken from the magic community.” I was talking to myself, and it wasn’t like I was going to argue.

  “We are as one and there is no denying that neither one of us would survive without the other. Heed my words. I am making you stronger, but I can say the same thing for you. The world is not ours, but it will be in time. Sometimes something has to be destroyed to build it up from the ground up. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but one that leaves a lasting impression.” It was starting to make sense. It did sound like my father, but it was only that part of me that remembered him. He was the voice of the magic eyes.

  The books stood still, hanging in the air and then dropping suddenly. I watched as they landed. The pages turned until I was seeing the words join together from one book to the other. I was getting the idea that what I had been seeing was only part of the solution. Combining all three books and watching for the pattern was what was going to change everything.

  I pulled them together, but the words didn’t make any sense. I remembered the number 55. They were jumbled, and then suddenly they became cohesive sentences. There was a glow at my fingertips and the words began to jump back and forth, finding meaning. These were secrets passed down from one magic generation to another. They were lost, but now I had found all 55 of them. It was just a matter of knowing what I was going to do with them. An equation appeared in my head using the number 55.