Fated Souls (The Fated Saga Book 1)

by Sariah Skye

  "Leorah! What is—" I didn’t let him finish.

  "My friend is in the shadow realm!" I exclaimed, my face mere inches from his, my hands grasping his upper arm tightly and I realized that I was shaking him, and not slightly either. I didn't care, but I stopped and gestured to Daniel. "He and I saw her. She’s there! We saw her! Sh— "

  Finnian held up a hand, indicating I should pause. "Wait, wait now. Okay first things first." He looked at Daniel. "You were there?"

  He nodded. "I guess, though I don’t understand it myself."

  His brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Have you ever dreamwalked before?"

  "Dreamwalked?" Daniel repeated in surprise. "No! I mean…is that a thing? Can you do that?"

  Finnian nodded intently. He slid off the desk to his (bare) feet, toeing around him for his shoes, apparently. "Yes. It is common for Seers to dreamwalk, especially with those they have a psychic connection to."

  I placed my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes. "Connection? I’ve only just met— "

  "I know, it's outrageous but whatever, clearly you are all connected," Finnian interrupted, motioning between Gabriel, his brother and I.

  "What does that even mean?" I groaned in frustration.

  "It means that, especially in this case since he’s related to the Knight—a sorcerer—that the three of you are bonded, at least psychically," Finnian explained. "A seer can dreamwalk into someone else’s dreams when necessary. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before, though I can assume it’s because that your magic has lain dormant for many years," he said to me. "But somehow, the three of you coming together has unleashed part of your magic too, Daniel."

  Daniel's brow furrowed in confusion, and he opened his mouth to speak but once again he was interrupted. I let out a frustrated noise, slapping my hands against my face and rubbing feverishly. "Wait…psychic?" I bit my lip, sheepishly. Could he have heard Gabriel and I making out earlier? "How much can he see?"

  Daniel smirked, crossing his arms over his broad chest and drumming his fingers on his forearm. "Well, I know what happened but it wasn’t because I saw it. I can just tell."

  Gabriel coughed, shifting his feet uncomfortably in his brother’s knowing gaze. "Nothing happened!" he insisted, feigning innocence.

  "Well, not nothing..." Daniel muttered, offering me a playful wink.

  I stared him down sternly. "Focus, here, people!" I demanded, rapping on the desktop. The two brothers snapped back to reality.

  "Are you sure it was the shadow realm?" Finnian questioned.

  I nodded adamantly. "Yes. It was the same place you saw when you…did the mind meld thing," I insisted, struggling for words. "With the creepy tendril things. They had her captured. It was…" I trailed off, recalling Kit’s helpless face as the Shadows drained her of her life force.

  "How do we get there?" Gabriel demanded.

  "Oh no…you can’t go there," Finnian said.

  "But— "I began to protest but he continued.

  "But, remember how I said that realms kind of exist on top of one another?" he continued, looking directly at me and I nodded.

  "I am guessing she is nearby, just in another realm," Finnian explained. He snapped his fingers, as if suddenly recalling something. "This woman—Kit? She’s a good friend?" I nodded vigorously. "Is she magical?"

  I shook my head. "She is a Pagan witch but as far as I know, she isn’t magical."

  Gabriel piped up. "I did sense some powerful magic off of her the couple times I’ve seen her. Not necessarily dark, but— "

  "—she doesn’t have to be magical but open to the possibility of magical," Finnian said. "I am guessing somehow, in her rituals or whatever, the Shadows who have probably been seeking out a connection to you, realized an opportunity to get to you through her. She probably had no idea what happened."

  I swallowed. "So, they did possess her?"

  He considered my words. "More or less. I would assume that the shadow realm is in the employment of a dreamwalker who has defected to their side, and through her connection with you, are able to get to you in the dream state—which is another in between, gray area. One of the few, slim times and places they can ever access us."

  Gabriel let out a small noise, pointing out the window behind Finnian. The sun had risen a bit higher, the sky a brilliant blaze of orange, yellow and purple. "Between day and night. Sunrise!"

  Finnian nodded. "Yes. "He glanced at a watch that had been tossed haphazardly on the desk. "Yes. We may be able to get to her, but we have to wait for the right time."

  "How?" I demanded, clutching his arms and glaring directly into his eyes. They shifted color to the same muddy yellow that they did when I had attacked him and I could feel the energy wave off of him as he tried to appease me. I glared. "How?"

  He coughed lightly. "Well, we can’t go in there but…we can possibly rip a hole in between the realms—a temporary portal. But we have to figure out exactly where she was. I am guessing that she is nearby, like I said…a dreamwalker has to be in reasonably close proximity to its recipient in order for it to work. Can you remember…anything about where you were?"

  I blew out, running my fingers through my tangled hair. "Oh Gods, I don’t know. It was…the woods. Do you remember anything, Daniel?" I asked, turning to him.

  Daniel tapped his foot on the ground. "Oh…I don’t know. The woods. I remember bushes and leaves and trees. That’s about it."

  Finnian exhaled in frustration. "Well, that isn’t helpful. This entire village is surrounded by woods." He thought momentarily, snapping his fingers. "Will you two allow me to look at your thoughts?" I nodded immediately, but Daniel was reasonably more hesitant.

  I grasped his arm comfortingly. "It doesn’t hurt, I swear. You don’t even know he’s doing anything."

  "The second perspective might help me spot something you missed, because I’m more familiar with this area," Finnian continued. "People are more aware of their surroundings then you realize, only they are focused on other things but their eyes are still seeing things, storing things away for later."

  Daniel nodded slowly. "Okay, then. Whatever it takes to get your friend back," he said, giving me a diminutive smile. I smiled wryly back, grateful.

  "Okay." Finnian cleared off an empty space on top of the desk, and patted it. I gave him a strange look but he said, "It’s easier if I don’t have to bend over. You’re a little…shorter than me," he said, with a jovial laugh.

  I narrowed my eyes. "Perhaps I’ll just change to my dragon. She will be taller and I'll let her eat you."

  Gabriel choked back a laugh.

  "Sorry, sorry," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.

  I sighed. "Fine." I lifted myself up on the desk and shifted myself around so my legs were hanging off the edge.

  "Oh, I see your little problem corrected itself," Finnian said, motioning to the air around me where my wings once were.

  I shrugged. "I just woke up and they were gone."

  "Interesting…" Finnian extended his hand and hesitantly touched my cheek. He pressed more firmly after a moment—after he was confident I wasn’t going to bite him, I’m sure—and closed his eyes.

  I caught a glimpse of Gabriel over Finnian’s shoulder; his hair was still mussed and there were several telltale marks on his neck of the night's "recreational activities," before I lost my nerve. I guess I had gotten a little carried away to begin with. It was fun, but probably good that we had stopped. Despite myself, though, I began to smile at the thought, Gabriel flashing me a flirtatious wink.

  Finnian’s eyes flew open momentarily and he smirked.

  I put my hand to my mouth and gasped, realizing that I had been thinking about that. "You stop that, now!" I admonished, shaking my finger at him.

  Finnian just grinned and winked. "Naughty minx," he mumbled under his breath. I let out a low warning growl from the back of my throat, and he wiped the shit ass grin off his face and closed his eyes again, concentrating. After a couple of moments
, his eyes began fluttering.

  What’s going on? Gabriel mouthed from behind Finnian. I just held up my hand, indicating it was okay. He shrugged and relented.

  Finnian’s eyes opened again slowly after another few moments, and he blinked a couple of times, his eyes changing from a blue to a deep brown. He glanced at my sympathetically. "She is in bad shape. I am so sorry…"

  I nodded slowly, recalling Kit’s desperation and misery. I sniffled, rubbing my nose with the side of my hand; the tears ready to fall from my eyes at his confirmation.

  Finnian stroked my cheek, his mouth grimaced in a firm line, the corners downturned slightly. "I hope you know, that even if we get to her, it may be too late. She seems pretty far gone. But we—" he continued when I opened my mouth to protest, "—we will do our best."

  I nodded again.

  "I didn’t see a lot of landmarks from your perspective, but that’s not surprising, as you were so focused on your friend. However out of the corner of your eyes were a couple of trees and you didn’t notice, but you stumbled twice over roots and rocks on the ground. That might prove helpful in locating her, especially if Daniel here was more observant." He patted my cheek again and turned to Daniel. Daniel was a slight bit taller than Finnian so he had to stretch his arm a bit to reach his cheek. Daniel bent, slightly to allow him better access.

  Finnian firmly pressed his fingers to Daniel’s right cheek and clamped his eyes shut; immediately they fluttered. I assumed Daniel’s thoughts were clearer than mine. I was right and it was only a minute before Finnian pulled away. "I know where she is."

  I smiled hopefully, clapping my hands together eagerly. "You do? Where?"

  "There is a small clearing about three-hundred feet from the building where you all are staying," Finnian explained. "Sometimes residents here use the area for camping; I noticed the rocks and such as a campfire that had been used recently and the logs hadn’t totally burned down. She is nearby."

  "So, what now?" Gabriel asked.

  Finnian drummed his fingers together, thoughtfully. "We will somehow need something or someone powerful enough to penetrate the veil that separates the realms. A potion, or a spell. But, the complicated part of this—"

  "—more complicated than a potion?" I asked in disbelief.

  "Unfortunately, yes. In order for us to get over there, and not be stuck permanently, we have to reach her in a dream state."

  "What does that mean?" Gabriel questioned.

  "It means that you—" he pointed at me, "—will need to be asleep. And you—" he pointed at Daniel, "—are going to have to dreamwalk her over to the shadow realm and you will have to coax her out that way."

  Daniel swallowed, uneasy. "Me? I don’t know how I did, that even! It just…it happened! I’ve never dreamwalked before—I didn’t even know I could!"

  "Well, that’s where I will be helping you. Both of you will have to be asleep, and I will be inside your mind, Daniel," Finnian continued as Daniel let out a sharp noise. "I will be guiding you how to dream walk. Of course, I have no idea how to dreamwalk, so I will be seeking the council of one of the dreamwalkers in residence here. He’ll have to be here while this is all going on, guiding me as to how to guide you."

  I let out a small groan. "This sounds very complicated."

  "Yeah, why can’t we just open a portal and I go in, shooting light everywhere, killing off those tendrils and grab her and yank her out?" Gabriel offered.

  Finnian shook his head. "Once you are in, you cannot leave. Not without being consumed by the Shadows."

  "Then…how are we going to get Kit out, then? If no one can leave?" I asked, confused.

  "I assume Kit is not there of her own will. You have to make the choice to cross into the shadow realm. She may still be shadowtouched, but if she didn’t choose to be in the employment of the Shadows, there may still be a chance we can save her," Finnian explained. "Once you go over there of your own volition, that’s it. You’re stuck. It’s all about intention."

  I let out a low whistle.

  "So, why couldn’t Leo get her out when we were just there? She tried, but nothing worked to get those things off of her," Daniel asked, in disgust at the recollection of the tendrils covering her body.

  "Not enough power. Keep in mind, you weren't really there. At least, not physically. Your subconsciouses were at that in-between state that allowed you to travel there, just not be stuck. That's what you will have to do again; without severely powerful magic, you cannot enter the shadow realm. But, in order to get her to leave Leorah will have to bolster her mentally enough to want to leave, and while the portal is ripped open, we'll be outside, shooting in magic and potions to help get the Shadows to disperse for long enough for her to escape."

  "Want to leave? Why wouldn’t she want to leave?" I asked incredulously.

  "Again, it’s all about intent. The Shadows are making her helpless, wishing for escape, or death. While she’s there, all of her will is taken away. Otherwise, she’d be able to just stand up and walk out, since she isn’t there of her own choice. The Shadows reside in our subconscious—more of that ‘in-between’, gray area—brainwashing, basically. That’s why they’re so dangerous, and you won’t even know that’s what’s happening." Finnian sighed. "We need something to give her hope, to be able to coax her to leave. The Shadows will pull at her, and it will be painful. She will want to give up, and let them consume her. She will need a lot of willpower to be able to walk away."

  "What happens if she can’t walk away?" Gabriel asked the unavoidable question we all already knew the answer to.

  "She will be consumed. Her essence will add to the power of the Shadows, strengthening them for whoever comes along next. That is what happened the last time they were able to penetrate realms."

  "She’ll…die?" I asked in a small voice. Gabriel came up to the side of me, and leaned his head against mine and threaded his arms through mine, comfortingly.

  "I wish it was that simple." Finnian’s voice spilled with dread, his eyes changing to yellow. "She will be in limbo. Her soul will be at unrest. She will never know peace. Her body may be gone, but her soul will not be free."

  "Purgatory." Daniel offered, alarmed with a gasp.

  "Bingo," Finnian acknowledged him with a nod.

  "Oh fuck…" my voice shook, my lower lip trembled.

  "We will get her." Gabriel said with determination. "We will," he said this lowly, in my ear. I tried to nod but the skeptic in me was rearing its head. It all seemed so impossible.

  "So, what do we do?" Daniel finally asked, after a few beats of silence.

  Finnian appeared distracted; you could almost see his mind moving a mile a minute. He turned to us with a smile. "For now, just be patient. I know it’s a tall order, but I need to get some things together before we can even attempt this. It will be a massive undertaking."

  "Well, when can we try?" I asked.

  "Tonight, at sunset will be the best time. The time between morning and afternoon, the area between the two isn’t strong enough. Dusk will be our best time," Finnian said. "Until then…relax. Rest—or try to, anyways. This will be an exhausting endeavor."

  I sighed. "Wonderful."

  "Are they anything but exhausting?" Gabriel groaned in exasperation.

  "No. Apparently." I retorted dryly.

  Finnian sent us on our way; we tried to relax but it was nearly impossible for me. He instructed us to try to get some sleep, and see if Daniel could dreamwalk into my head again but seeing as how he didn’t even know he could do it until last night, it was pretty impossible to assume he would be able to. Finnian did call on a dreamwalker person and had him meet with Daniel. As of later in the afternoon, I had no idea yet what became of that.

  Of course I had no idea what a dreamwalker actually was: a witch or sorcerer who has magic over the subconscious. Chances are they can compel people and change perspectives. A bit more complicated than that but I was assured that was the gist. It sounded creepy as hell to me.
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  Finnian surmised that since my main element was "spirit", that that is how Daniel was able to access my dreams so easily; and somewhere along the lines Daniel quite possibly had some spirit powers as well, possibly lying dormant for years, like mine.

  It was all quite confusing, actually.

  I tried to lie down and sleep back in the room but I just could not no matter what I did. I just sat on the barstool in the kitchen, leaning over the counter, rapidly shaking my leg up and down and drumming my fingers on the countertop. Gabriel was more relaxed, managing to do some work on his computer. I must have gotten to him after a while because eventually he set down the computer with a sigh and joined me at the counter.

  He snaked his arms around my waist and leaned his cheek into the back of my neck, placing gentle kisses on the top of my spine, around and to the spot under my ear. Normally it’d be enough to drive me mad but right now, I was just pissed.

  "Really? Really? My best friend is dying, and you’re trying to get in my pants?" I attempted to pull out of his grasp, scowling.

  He pulled away. "I’m sorry, that’s not what I was trying to do: I wanted you do relax."

  I snorted. "Right. Nothing in it for you, eh?"

  He sighed, folding himself into the stool next to me. "I won’t lie; I would enjoy it immensely. Immensely," he added, with a faraway grin.

  I furrowed my forehead. "But?"

  "Well, Finnian said you need to relax to get this to work. So…let’s go relax," he elbowed me playfully, a flirty lilt in his tone.

  I rolled my eyes. "Really?"

  "Seriously, I'm just thinking about watching TV, sheesh!" he retorted, with a grin. He scoffed. "Honestly, get your mind out of the gutter...I wasn't talking about that."

  I groaned. "Riiiight."

  He shrugged lightly. "Okay, I wouldn't object to making out a little bit, at least."

  I narrowed my eyes at him, but couldn't help laughing at the mirthful expression on his face. "Well...maybe." I allowed him to take my hand and lead me to the bedroom where we exchanged a few giggles and flirty kisses while we watched old episodes of Vampire Diaries on the computer before there was a knock at the door. I practically flew out of bed to answer it.