“Careful, soldier boy,” Karayan said, grinning. “Your chivalry is showing.”
“What did you find?” Thane’s stern voice cut through our cheer as effectively as a knife. He glared his suspicion at Karayan.
Dad, sensing the tension, cleared his throat. “Nothing, Thane. We searched inside and out. No trace of anything usual.”
Thane’s eyes returned to Hale. Under his glare, Hale frowned. Thane’s eyes narrowed even farther. “I wonder,” he mused quietly, “if your full attention was on the task at hand?”
Hale stiffened. I saw a muscle in his jaw jump, betraying his anger.
“We did what you asked, Thane,” Dad said. “Now if you don’t mind, I think we all could use some rest.” Dad gestured for Karayan and me to join him. I hurried to his side, giving Thane a wide berth. Karayan hesitated, glancing at Hale as though she wanted to say something, but then she dropped her head and followed us onto the porch.
Thane strode away from the house. “Hale. A word, if you don’t mind.”
Hale’s eyes burned, but he turned his back on us and followed Thane into the Guard’s house without complaint.
Dad opened the door behind us. Karayan fled inside, disappearing into her bedroom before either Dad or I could talk to her. Dad gave me a searching look. I shrugged my shoulders.
“Okay, kiddo.” Dad gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Get some rest. Things will look brighter in the morning.”
I nodded and headed upstairs. I might be going to bed, but I wasn’t counting on getting too much rest.
The vast field of crimson roses shivered in the breeze. I took a deep breath, willing my thoughts to settle. As I gained control over my fear, the wind—spawned by my own unease—died down.
My dream garden. It used to be a place for me to center myself. My own private bubble in the infinite, universal dream world that all living creatures shared. No longer. The roses—once a gleaming white, now that fiery red—were a reminder of the harm I had done to others—a reminder of the stain on my soul.
What scared me most about them was the newest change; the line of black that edged the top of each soft petal. They had changed from white to red the same way, starting with a small stain that spread over the face of each petal, until it devoured every last glimmer of white.
If this was some kind of warning, some kind of visual measure of how far I’d strayed down the Lilitu path, then this is how I would know when I’d passed the point of no return—when the black had consumed the last dregs of red.
I turned my thoughts away from the roses. Folding myself into a cross-legged position, I placed one hand onto the dirt before me. As I touched this illusion of earth, my senses expanded. I could feel the bubble of this dream floating in the vastness. What I needed now was to find Royal’s sleeping mind.
A pool of silvery liquid grew before me; a window into the larger dream world beyond the walls of my sanctuary. I concentrated on Royal—not the sickly boy from the past few weeks, but the Royal I’d know since we were in elementary school, the snarky, witty, loyal friend I was determined to protect.
A glimmering spark ascended from the silvery pool, rising to greet me. I closed my hand around it, and felt Royal’s presence. With the slightest shift, I was inside his dream.
Royal was wandering through what appeared to be an abandoned mansion, looking for something. The tension was almost palpable. A nightmare, then. Well. I could do something about that.
“Royal.” I put my hand on his shoulder.
He spun, eyes rolling with terror. “Braedyn?! What are you doing here? Did you see him?”
I felt my breath catch in my throat. “Who, Royal? Who are you looking for?”
Royal glanced around, as if unsure himself. “I thought I saw—someone was here.” He looked at me, pleading with his eyes. “Don’t leave me?”
“Royal. It’s okay.” I faced him directly, catching his face in my hands. His eyes locked onto my face. “This is a dream.”
Confusion rolled over his features. But then the first flicker of recognition struck him. “Braedyn?” Royal glanced around. The world around us flickered—and then Royal himself started to fade.
“Stay with me, Royal,” I said. Without the skills of a lucid dreamer, like Lucas, most people wake up as soon as they realize they’re dreaming. But in order for me to search Royal’s dream, he needed to be here. I caught his hand, willing him to fight the urge to wake up.
Royal’s form solidified, even as the last traces of his dream-mansion vanished. We stood in a uniformly grey space, like a theater stage without a set.
Royal let out a sharp breath. “You did it. I can’t believe it. You’re actually in my dream.” Royal looked around, more curious than afraid. “So, what’s with the grey?”
“You tell me.” I released Royal’s hand. “This is your dream.”
Royal shivered at my words, and something moved in the darkness at the edge of our space. I turned, creeped out. It was like another dream was trying to take shape, but he was fighting it.
“Royal, if I’m going to help you, you have to show me these dreams you’ve been having.”
“You want a guided tour of my nightmares?” Royal’s lips were pressed tightly together. “That’s nice and horrible.”
“I’m here with you,” I said, making my voice as soothing as I could. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Royal closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Fine. Welcome to Royal’s House Of Horrors.”
Royal opened his eyes. The world of his dream shifted, snapping into focus. I looked around. It could have been one of the hiking trails that laced the hills behind Royal’s house, except everything here was leeched of color. I was reminded of a charcoal drawing—a nightmarish one. Skeletal trees stood out against a pale grey sky. It was surreally quiet.
“This is where he meets you?” I asked, whispering in spite of myself.
Royal nodded. “Is he here?”
“I don’t think so.” I tried to muster some strength in my voice. I gave Royal a smile. He glanced at me, but didn’t return it.
“That’s not exactly encouraging.”
“Let me look around.” I turned my feet down the path and started walking. Royal shadowed me closely, so closely I could feel his dream aspect breathing down my neck. We walked for close to an hour. The path kept winding through the landscape, like it was on an infinite loop. More than once I thought we’d crossed the same tree, but they all looked so similar I couldn’t tell.
As I was getting ready to stop the search, frustrated at our lack of progress, I stopped.
Something small and white was hanging from one of the grey trees. It looked almost like a bone, but as I drew closer I recognized it.
My blood froze in my veins. I pulled the scroll off the tree. Like the scroll I’d once found in my own dream, this one was tied with a satiny ribbon that fell away as I touched it. I unrolled the scroll and found the message he’d left for me.
Careful, Braedyn. I know your soft spots.
Seth had been here.
I bolted awake, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. My suspicions were correct. Seth was back.
“No. No!” Grief, anger, and—worst of all—guilt crashed through me. Seth was targeting Royal. He’d been torturing Royal in his dreams for weeks and I’d done nothing to stop it. I suddenly felt the depth and breadth of my helplessness. I could talk as big as I wanted; that didn’t mean I was prepared to go head to head with the incubus who’d wormed his way into the lives of my friends. I’d promised Royal I could protect him. But how? After the intimate night they’d shared, Seth had a very real grip on Royal. I couldn’t break that connection—short of finding and killing Seth.
I heard a thump down the hall, then Dad threw my bedroom door open. He flipped the switch on my wall. We both recoiled from the sudden blaze of light.
“Braedyn?!” His eyes were bleary but wide with panic.
“Dad. Dad.” But the words stuck in my thro
at.
Dad rushed forward and enfolded me in his arms. At his touch, the dam within me broke. Hot tears flooded my eyes. I clung to him, my body shaking with grief and shame.
“Shh.” He ran a hand over my hair, the same way he’d done when I’d skinned my knee or gotten into a fight with a friend as a little girl. After many long moments, I managed to quell my tears.
I pulled back from his embrace. Dad handed me a Kleenex. That’s when I saw Karayan, standing in the doorway to my room, unsure what to do. She saw me looking at her. “What happened?” Her voice resonated with concern.
I had to take another shaky breath before I could speak. “It’s Seth.”
Dad sat back, his eyes suddenly hard. “What did he do to you?”
“Nothing.” A surge of nausea rose in my throat. “It’s Royal he’s been hurting.”
“Oh, Braedyn.” Dad clasped my hand. Mirrored in his eyes, I saw the same helplessness I felt.
“He’s back, huh?” Karayan leaned against my doorjamb, lost in thought. “So what’s that little weasel planning?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
“Too many coincidences.” Dad looked haunted.
“You think he could be involved with the cult?” I stared at Dad, trying to see how the pieces fit together.
“I’d be willing to bet the answer to that question is ‘yes,’” said Karayan.
Dad stood abruptly, pacing out his frustration. “We have to get someone inside that cult. Maybe we can recruit this Carrie.” He looked at me. “You know her. What would she need to hear to convince her to help us?”
I shook my head slowly. “She left college to follow Idris,” I said. “I think she’s pretty committed to whatever it is she thinks they’re doing.”
“We have to try.” Dad ran a hand through his hair.
I bit my lip. Karayan, watching from across the room, saw the gesture. She stared at me, as if she knew I was hiding something. I sighed.
“There might be another way,” I said.
It was settled at a meeting of the Guard leadership the next morning. Cassie—until we found a better alternative—would be our mole. Hale told me to bring her around after school. If she was going to be spying for us, he wanted to make sure she had at least some basic self-defense training.
“Yes!” Cassie cheered when I told her Hale’s plan. “So awesome.”
“This does not make me think you’re taking the whole life-threatening-situation thing seriously.” I crossed my arms, frowning.
Cassie tilted her head to one side and gave me a smile. “I’m just excited you’re letting me help, that’s all.”
While Cassie was eager to begin her new duties for the Guard, I was less than enthusiastic about starting mine.
Hale had finally put Karayan and me on the rotation for guard duty at the mission. Friday night was my first shift. Dad had argued that if I were going to take a night shift, it had to be at the beginning of the weekend so I’d have time to recover before school on Monday. So, when Friday rolled around, I found myself driving out of town, blasting the Firebird’s radio in an effort to give myself the energy I’d need for the long night ahead.
Only, when I pulled up to the mission, Rhea was standing at the doors, arms crossed, fighting with Hale. Hale looked up as I got out of my car. I thought I saw him wince. Rhea glared at me, but turned back to Hale, defiant.
“No way, Hale. Find someone else.”
“It’s not up for discussion,” growled Hale. “This is your shift. I am your commanding officer.”
“What are you going to do? Place me under house arrest?” Rhea’s eyes flashed. “You need me, Hale.”
Hale grit his teeth. I got the distinct impression he was battling the urge to throttle her. “Yes. I need you. Just like I need Braedyn. And I need you to learn to work together.”
Rhea cast her eyes my way again, her lips peeling back in a thin sneer. “I can’t make this any clearer, Hale. I don’t trust them. No matter what you or the others say. She is a demon. You want her help so bad? Let’s see how she does guarding the Seal on her own.”
Rhea pushed past Hale and stormed toward a little two-seater parked in front of the mission.
“Rhea!” Hale turned—which is when he spotted the Guardsmen, edging out of the mission to watch the fight.
The soldiers looked more than a little uneasy. More than one of them glanced at me with suspicion. Matt, standing among them, wore an expression of alarm. Hale saw it, and seemed to reevaluate the situation. Instead of fighting Rhea, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.
“Murphy? No, she’s fine, she just got here.” Hale caught my eye and gave me a small smile. “I’m calling about Karayan. Could you send her over? I’m having… personnel issues with the spotters. I think it might make more sense to keep Karayan and Braedyn together on shifts, instead of trying to mix things up. At least for a little while.” Hale nodded, then sighed. “Thanks, Murphy. We’ll be waiting.”
Rhea’s car peeled out of the mission, kicking up a shower of gravel and dust. I threw up a hand to block my eyes, and in a few moments the sound of her engine gunning receded into the distance.
Hale turned back to the other Guardsmen. “We’re fine. Replacement’s on her way.”
“Okay guys, let’s get back to our posts,” Matt said. As the Guardsmen turned back to the mission, Matt met my eyes and gave me a small nod—a gesture of solidarity. I smiled, warmed.
Though some of the Guardsmen looked like they wanted to argue—and still others threw me one last suspicious look—they all melted back into the Sanctuary.
Hale gestured me forward. “Sorry about that. I knew Rhea was hotheaded, but I didn’t think she’d risk a mission over this.”
“It’s okay.” I shrugged. What else could I say? It wasn’t like we could fire her or kick her out of the club.
He studied me closely, then dropped a hand onto my shoulder. “Don’t let her into your head, Braedyn. You just keep being you. No one can serve beside you for long without seeing the goodness in your heart. You’re one of us. No question.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a genuine smile, touched. Hale clapped me on the shoulder once more, then gestured to the mission.
“We should get in there. Can’t leave the gate to hell unguarded.”
“Right.” I hurried inside the mission.
The evening was about as thrilling as you might imagine sitting and staring at a big rock would be.
Karayan joined us about 30 minutes after I’d arrived. She and I took up our posts, facing the Seal. It was quiet, tedious work. Hale came by a few hours later to join us while the majority of the other Guardsmen left to do a quick patrol of the surrounding area.
“Thane just called. He’s suggesting we station one of you in the balcony to keep a bird’s eye view on the Seal.” Hale shrugged. “Not a bad idea. Any takers?”
“I’ll do it,” I said. I liked it up there. Lucas and I had stumbled onto the secret balcony this past fall. It was cramped, but kind of cozy. Anyway, it’d be a nice change after the last few hours of sitting and staring at the Seal from ground level.
When the others returned, I headed up to the balcony. From here, I had a perfect view of the Seal. Of course. The monks who’d built this sanctuary on top of the Seal must have planned a variety of ways to watch and defend against Lilitu attempting to cross over. I let my mind wander, picturing what it must have been like all those long centuries ago. Who were the monks who’d stood guard where I am right now? Would they ever have guessed a Lilitu would one day take up their fight?
The hours stretched slowly out. I found myself starting to nod and jerked to my feet. No way was I going to fall asleep on the job.
I heard something below, a soft sound, almost like a giggle. I looked down. Hale and Karayan stood directly below, leaning against a column—the column that concealed the staircase to get up here, actually—and staring at the Seal.
I couldn’t see much more than the tops
of their heads, but I could hear them very clearly.
“Tell me more,” Karayan whispered, her voice warm with amusement. “I’m picturing you line dancing in some bar in Texas.”
“Don’t knock the line dancing,” Hale murmured in response. “I charmed many a lady with those fancy boots.”
Karayan giggled softly again. I stared, feeling a prickle of alarm trickling down my arms.
“I don’t suppose you ever had to take any jobs you’re too ashamed to mention in the light of day?” Hale asked.
Karayan cocked her head to one side. “Well, there was this one thing. My first job, actually, after I left—” but then her voice faltered. She cleared her throat and continued. “I got this gig serving drinks for a high-end caterer. They did all these crazy themed parties, stuck us in costumes, sent us out with trays of booze to get drunk old men even drunker. So gross.”
“No way.”
“Oh yeah. I drew the line when they wanted to stuff me in a micro-mini baby doll costume for some corporate Christmas party. Like I was some fantasy toy. No thanks. I didn’t want to risk getting unwrapped.”
Hale glanced at Karayan. “You didn’t…?”
“What, prey on those drunk bankers? Eww.” Karayan laughed, but this time it was tinged with that old bitterness. “Believe it or not, I actually tried the avoid-temptation school of thought for years after I left the Guard. Guess Thane beat that lesson into my subconscious pretty good. Whatever. I never even kissed a guy until I was 23-years old. Once I had a taste, though—” Karayan shrugged. “It seemed a whole lot easier to just charm and disarm the guys when I needed something to eat or a place to stay.”
“Oh.” Hale’s voice hardened and he turned back to the Seal.
Karayan glanced at him quickly, then her shoulders seemed to slump. “I had a code you know,” she said. From where I sat, she sounded almost wistful. “Never sleep with a guy more than once. I knew it’d hurt them, but I also knew they’d recover.”
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