Viator (The Viator Chronicles Book 1)

by Ralston-Brooks, Jane

  He kissed her again. “Thanks for letting me come.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  “Me too. I’ll call you this week.” He climbed into his SUV and drove away. A crow landed in the driveway where his car had been and let out one loud caw before it flew away. After that, the night was still.

  Chapter 14

  The bell jingled above the door of the bookstore as Michael opened it and stepped out onto the busy sidewalk. He’d just made the final arrangements for his book signing to be held in a couple of days, and he started the long walk back home. A few scattered clouds dotted the sky, a light breeze stirred the blossoming trees, and it was a perfect day for a walk.

  As he drew near the music store, he thought about the women he and Bruce had noticed the other day. One of them had gone into that shop. Did she work there? He opened the door and walked inside.

  Instruments hanging from the walls and rows of sheet music crowded the store. A few customers were browsing through the music, one teenage boy was tuning a guitar, and the sound of a piano came from a back room. He glanced around but didn’t see the woman anywhere. What was it about her that had seemed so familiar? He started looking at guitars against the back wall. A man with wire-rimmed glasses and a thin gray ponytail walked down the stairs and asked a customer if he could help her.

  The piano music stopped and some muffled voices came from the back room. A door opened, and there she was coming out of the room, saying goodbye to a teenage girl. He recognized her—a petite woman with pale blue eyes and dark hair. She was the same woman they’d followed, and the same one who had spilled coffee on him on the ferry. His eyes widened; she was also the woman in his dreams—the one who’d watched while he and Gary Arthur had argued in the forest. She was the same one in the cavern with Bagley. She was a viator. He was sure of it.

  He turned away and studied the guitar in front of him while watching her out of the corners of his eyes until she finished talking to the girl and went back into the room by herself. The sound of melancholy piano music came through the door. What was it? Schubert? He listened for several minutes to the gentle melody before walking out of the store and up the street. The music ran through his thoughts. He’d been having dreams about Anacortes for months but hadn’t seen this woman in his dreams until recently. Seeing a viator during the day was unusual, yet he had been drawn here, right where this one lived. Why? He walked past a bakery and saw that it served espresso, so he turned around and went back.

  He pushed open the door and went inside where the aroma of fresh baked bread made him realize he’d missed lunch. Another customer completed her purchase, and Michael asked the man behind the counter for a latte and a loaf of Italian olive bread to take home.

  “Hannah,” the man called toward the back of the store. “Por favor, make a latte for this gentleman?”

  A tall blonde dressed in overalls and a T-shirt came out wiping her hands and smiled at him. “Hi,” she said. “What size?”

  “Grande, please,” he said. “Or do you just call it a medium?” He smiled. He’d seen her before too—she was the viator’s friend. He shook his head slightly, surprised at the coincidence that had brought him into her shop.

  “Grande, medium, they both work for me,” she said with a grin, and she brewed his espresso and steamed the milk. “Say, are you new in town? I’ve seen you around before, haven’t I?”

  “You may have,” Michael said, “but I am new.”

  “Welcome to Anacortes. What do you think so far?” she asked and handed him his drink.

  “I’m … intrigued.” Michael sipped his latte.

  She gave him a puzzled expression while she washed her hands and dried them on her apron. “Intrigued? With Anacortes? Why?”

  “It’s not what I expected.”

  She laughed. “Welcome anyway. My name’s Hannah, and this is my husband Carlos.” Carlos was on the other side of the room helping another customer, and he nodded his head toward them.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Michael.”

  Hannah squinted at him. “Michael Woodward the author?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve read all your books—they’re great—so suspenseful. My friend Aleesha is so excited you’ve moved here. I can’t wait to tell her I’ve already met you. She’ll be so jealous.”

  “I’m glad you like my work. Thank you,” he said, surprised and flattered. He hadn’t expected anyone to have heard of him here.

  “Oh, yes. Aleesha first told me about your books, and I’ve read them all. Aren’t you doing a book signing at Blue Heron soon? Aleesha said something about it.”

  “Yes, Saturday at two o’clock.” He wondered who Aleesha was, if she might be the viator.

  Three more customers came into the shop and looked at the display cases. Hannah glanced at them.

  “Are you and your husband planning to come?” Michael asked.

  “I will, but Carlos will be working. Aleesha and Erin are coming, though,” Hannah said.

  “Erin?” he asked.

  She grinned. “Another friend.”

  One of the women who entered the store looked at Hannah. “I think we’ve decided,” she said.

  Michael lifted his latte. “Thanks for this and the bread. Hope I see you Saturday.” He caught Carlos’s eye. “Buenos tardes.” Carlos smiled and nodded.

  “Bye. Nice to meet you,” Hannah called after him as he walked out the door.

  Michael sipped his latte and walked slowly up the street toward home. Coincidences? So the woman is a viator, and she lives here. He wondered if he would meet her in their dreams again.

  Chapter 15

  Erin sat on a grass-covered hill above a wide, slow-moving river. The stars were bright in the darkening sky, the air smelled sweet, and she could see flickering lights from the village on the far bank. She felt drawn to those lights, but knew she had to stay where she was and wait for the dreamer’s call. A breeze stirred the leaves on the trees behind her, and her skin prickled with a sudden chill. Beginning in the west, the stars disappeared as a coal black cloud advanced across the sky. The wind grew stronger, and Erin stood up.

  Lightning lit up the western sky, and the roar of thunder traveled across the horizon like a log rolling downhill. The cloud had covered half the stars already when Erin heard the dreamer’s voice.

  “Ayaaaa!” Erin heard it in her mind, and she turned toward his call and ran. She raced to the northwest, heading toward the cloud and the lightning, into the woods and away from the river. She leapt over a creek and heard the dreamer’s call again—closer.

  “Where are you?” she called. The stars were nearly all covered now, and it was black under the trees.

  She smelled the rotting scent of a mortifer and drew her sword.

  “Where are you?” she called again.

  “Here,” the man’s voice cried out. Erin heard a blow and a thud, and outrage filled her gut. The shadow had him. She rushed toward the sound and thrust her sword at the deep shade under a tree, but the mortifer stepped aside and swung its staff full force at her head. She blocked its blow and pushed it back against a tree, where the pressure of her sword against its staff held it firm.

  “Where is he?” she demanded. The shadow’s eyes gleamed, but it said nothing. She swung her sword around, freeing his staff for a moment, and the shadow whipped the weapon above its head with both arms for a deadly blow. Erin twirled, avoiding the full force of the staff, but it slammed into her shoulder, and she fell forward, dropping her sword with a gasp. She rolled, and the staff missed her and hit the ground hard. She leapt to her feet and pulled her knife from her boot, sweeping it toward the mortifer’s face. It danced backwards while she advanced. When it lifted its staff overhead, she moved in closer with her knife. Its eyes glowed red flame. “You’re lost, Viator. You are ours now.” It swung its weapon again, and Erin reached up to block the blow with her left arm while she thrust her knife upwards. She heard a crack and pain s
hot down her arm, almost bringing her to her knees, but her knife pierced through, and the mortifer howled. It backed away, turned and fled.

  Erin tried to follow but stumbled with pain. Her eyes blurred. She shook her head and slowly stood up, shivering with the cold. The words of the shadow and the pain left her shaken and dazed. She slid her knife back into her boot, and then looked around for her sword. It was a distance away—she picked it up and slid it into its sheath. She had to find the dreamer. With the mortifer gone, the forest wasn’t as dark, and she called out, “It’s gone now—where are you?”

  “Here,” said a muffled voice, and Erin moved in its direction.

  “You are safe now. Come out,” she called. “Look for a lantern—there should be one nearby.”

  A light flared from behind a fallen tree a short distance away, and a young man stood, holding the lantern. His eyes were wide, and he looked toward her expectantly. “Erin? Thank God—I hoped it was you. It’s Paul, from the bridge.”

  “Are you all right?” She rushed to him.

  “Just scared. Well, and I have a nasty bump where that monster clubbed me.” He rubbed his head and whispered, “You were fighting that thing.”

  “Yes, it’s gone now. Do you remember what I told you before?” she asked as she gently felt the lump on his head. She saw that now she was wearing a long, shimmering white gown.

  He nodded.

  She rested her hand on his wound for a moment and continued, “You should feel better soon.”

  Paul closed his eyes. “Thank you for coming again.”

  “Remember your own power in your dreams. You can change things.”

  “It’s hard to remember that when a monster jumps in front of you.”

  “Nevertheless, it’s true. I suggested you’d find a lantern, and you did. You believed me and made the lantern appear. And you see my dress? You imagine me this way. This is how I look to you.”

  Paul frowned and stepped away. “What do you really look like?”

  She laughed. “Just like this, except I wear different clothes.”

  “Are you real?”

  “Very real.”

  “What about those monsters?” He stepped over to where the mortifer’s staff had fallen, picked it up, and examined it.

  “They are real, but you can make them leave,” she said. “You tell them to leave, and they will.”

  “Just like that?” he asked.

  “You hold the most power in your own dreams. Don’t let them frighten you so much you forget your own strength.” She sat down on the log, and her skirt fluttered around her. “They are real, and they have power, but not as much as you have.”

  He nodded his head slowly as he stared at her.

  “If it comes after you again, laugh at it, and tell it that it has no power over you. Then think of being in a beautiful, safe place—someplace you love.”

  His brow creased. “I’ll try to remember. Will you come again if I need you?”

  “Of course. Now, sit down and relax. Tell me about the most beautiful place you’ve ever been—a place where you feel safe and comfortable—maybe where something wonderful happened to you.”

  “That’s easy,” Paul said. “My childhood home in North Carolina. We lived in a huge white house surrounded by trees. There was a creek in the back where we played.”

  The sky grew lighter, and a creek bubbled at their feet. Grass grew down to the edge of the creek, and sunlight shone through the trees and sparkled on the water. Paul looked around with wide eyes.

  “Come here anytime you want—just think of this place, and feel the peacefulness you’re feeling now,” Erin said.

  Erin watched Paul as he relaxed and slowly faded away. She was pleased he could slip into a restful sleep so quickly, and she sat down on the warm grass to rest and heal. After only a few moments a stick snapped behind her. She jumped to her feet and spun around. In the deep shade under a thicket of trees she could see the mortifer; its eyes gleamed red as it watched her. Once again she was dressed as a viator, and she drew her sword.

  “You’re too late. I’ve sent him back,” she sneered. It stood silent in the deep shade of the trees.

  “I’m here for you,” the shadow hissed. It glided out from the thicket, and the forest became dark and cold. “We are watching you.”

  Erin stepped forward to meet it and swung her sword, but the mortifer blocked her blow with its own blade. It pushed her back with an icy force that numbed her whole body. She yelled and lunged forward again, then twirled around, swinging her sword and striking it with such force that the shadow blew apart. The wind caught it, and it drifted away.

  “Miserere,” Erin whispered. She stood with her sword in front of her, clasped with both hands. Her heart pounded in her ears, and her whole body trembled.

  Chapter 16

  Erin awakened slowly. It took several minutes to shift from her dream back to her bed, and even after she opened her eyes, she still felt the terror. She was covered with sweat, her heart pounding. She remembered the shadow of her nightmare, and what it had said. It wanted her; they were watching her. She lay shivering for nearly an hour before climbing out of bed and going downstairs. She knew that shadow creature, that dark monster—she remembered the one from the night William died. Why was she still dreaming about them? Were they in all these frightening dreams? Her stomach ached. She wrapped a blanket around herself on the couch and held tight to her knees, curled up close. Get hold of yourself—it was only a dream. At four o’clock in the morning, Erin knew she would get no more sleep that night, so she fixed a cup of tea and looked out the dining room window.

  As the dark sky grew lighter it blended with the gray of the Sound, and thick drops of rain splattered on the water. Seagulls flashed white against the sky. After two cups of tea her trembling stopped, and at seven-thirty Erin went upstairs to take a shower. She tried to focus on the day ahead. In spite of the dream and the dreary weather, she was looking forward to it; she, Aleesha, and Hannah were planning to meet for lunch and go to a book signing at the Blue Heron.

  She stood under the water for a long time, letting its warmth soothe her. She lathered twice and then smoothed Chanel No. 5 lotion all over her body. The enchanting scent made her feel like royalty.

  Gary hadn’t called all week. Each night she’d expected to hear from him, and each night she’d been disappointed. She wondered if the fiasco last Saturday had been too much. He’d been such a hero for her on Orcas Island, making it that much more painful that he hadn’t called.

  She dressed in jeans and a light blue T-shirt, and pulled her hair back into a low ponytail. No sense doing too much with it when the wind and rain would just mess it up. She went downstairs and found Gwen and Matt sitting in the living room watching cartoons.

  “Morning,” she said.

  “Can we have pancakes today?” asked Matt.

  “That’s just what I was thinking.”

  She had just set the table when the phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Erin? It’s Gary.”

  “Gary, how are you?” She leaned against the wall.

  “Good. I’m in New York. Been here since Wednesday. I’ve been in meetings nonstop.”

  Erin flipped a pancake. “How’s everything going? Has it been a good week?”

  “I’ve run into some problems, but nothing I won’t be able to work out. How’s Matt’s arm?”

  “Fine. He’s acquired new celebrity status with his friends.” She glanced at Matt on the couch and gave him a wink.

  “I’m not surprised. And Gwen?”

  “Good. Her ankle is much better. We had a good week. I’m getting together with Aleesha and Hannah today for some fun. Are you going to be working in New York all weekend?”

  “Most of it. I’ll be seeing a few friends here tonight, though. Haven’t seen them in a while.”

  “I’m glad you’ll get a bit of a break.”

  “Yeah. I’ll call you when I get back. I’ve got to r
un now.”

  She leaned against the wall again and closed her eyes, a smile on her face. She felt like she’d been holding her breath all week and could finally let it out.

  After they ate breakfast, Erin cleaned up the kitchen while Matt and Gwen got dressed. She dropped the children off at their friends’ houses and drove to Aleesha’s.

  “So good to see you. You look wonderful today,” Aleesha said as she opened the door and pulled Erin into her house. “Come, let’s have a cappuccino while we wait for Hannah. She just called. She’s running late. Apparently Carlos couldn’t part with her so early this morning, and she just got out of the shower. Mmm, you smell nice.”

  Aleesha brewed the coffee, and Erin sat down on a stool at the counter. She leaned over to smell a bowl of fresh carnations and closed her eyes, then took her coffee from Aleesha, cupping it with both hands.

  “Have your children recovered from their harrowing weekend?” Aleesha leaned against the far counter in the kitchen and sipped from her mug.

  “Yes. Matt’s enjoying the attention he’s getting with his cast, and Gwen was fine once she realized Matt would be all right.” She shuddered at the memory.

  “It must have been awful,” Aleesha said, and she put her arm around Erin’s shoulders, giving her a quick hug. She sat down on the stool next to Erin. Her mouth curled into a smile as she watched Erin out of the corner of her eye. “Is Gary coming out this weekend?”

  “No, he’s in New York. He called this morning.”

  Aleesha set her mug down with a clunk. “Is he there on business?”

  “Yes, he’s been there nearly all week.”

  Aleesha nodded and drank more of her cappuccino. She got up, rinsed out her mug, and set it in the sink. Then she turned around, crossed her arms, and leaned back against the counter.

  “Now you’ve seen more of him—tell me—what do you think?”

  Erin sipped her coffee. “I’m willing to see him again.”

  “You are so noncommittal.”