The Nightmare Charade

by Mindee Arnett

  It was becoming the black phoenix—Marrow’s familiar.

  Eli and I could only watch, horrorstruck and frozen in place. As before there was nowhere to go in the dream but out of it. Not unless we wanted to try our luck with the dark water surrounding the boat, filled with its unknown water creatures.

  The cracking and splintering wood continued on until the entire bird was revealed, including the red plumage of its tail. The black phoenix, now free and here and alive, arched its head and spread its wings, the gesture a stretch of pleasure.

  Its sharp, hooked beak opened and it let out a shriek. The sound pierced my eardrums, and it was all I could do to cover my ears with my hands. But it was an invasive sound, crawling inside me somehow, making my insides writhe like worms. I felt my body start to crumple, my torso bending toward my knees as if the sound was a down force as well, like gravity.

  I fought to keep my head up and my eyes on the black phoenix. It turned toward Eli and me, its red eyes boring into mine with sentient recognition.

  Fear seemed to rip me asunder, my heart a quaking, quivering thing in my chest. I was paralyzed with it, unable to think or move, unable to do anything but stare, transfixed by its gaze.

  I was barely aware of Eli beside me, his body trembling with the same fear that held me in its grip. But then he reached out and grabbed me by the arm.

  Pain seared through my body, and the dream world melted into non-reality as I felt my consciousness being hurled out of it. I rejoined my body with an agonizing jolt, landing so hard I started to tumble sideways. Eli’s arms rose up around me, creating a buffer.

  He pulled me to him, holding me in place on top of him. “I’m sorry,” he said, panting. “But it was the fastest way out.”

  “You mean the most painful,” I said, groaning. At the moment it felt like every nerve ending in my body had been dosed in acid.

  “I’m sorry, Dusty.” Eli hugged me to him again and then began to run his hands up and down my back. Slowly the pain of being evicted from his dream gave way to pleasant tingles.

  I pushed myself up a little, enough to glance behind me at Bollinger. She was asleep in her chair. I turned back to Eli, disbelieving our luck. “You’re awake this time,” I whispered.

  Eli glanced at Bollinger, too, and lowered his voice. “I know. Maybe your painful exit broke the sleeping spell.” He paused. “That or fear. I can’t believe we saw the black phoenix.”

  “Me, either.” The last time we’d seen it in a dream, it had cut my arm with one of its claws. I still bore the scar.

  Worry about the significance of the black phoenix’s presence in Eli’s dream threatened to distract me, but with an effort I forced it away. The dream, the threat, Marrow, everything else could wait.

  I glanced over my shoulder again, making sure of Bollinger’s position. She was facing away from us, and deeply asleep judging by the fictus coming off her. I turned back to Eli. For all intents and purposes we were truly, officially alone, unwatched and undeterred, so long as we stayed quiet. I wanted to make the most of this moment, no matter how selfish it might be, no matter that I had to steal it away from more important things.

  I inhaled then leaned forward, letting a slow easy smile stretch across my lips. “Did you notice that we’ve come into some unexpected privacy?”

  Eli nodded, a grin forming at the edges of his mouth. It was all the encouragement I needed. Closing my eyes, I pressed my lips to his. My skin heated, an avalanche of tingles spreading over my face. Eli’s lips parted and his tongue met mine, sweet and soft and inviting.

  His hands moved to my waist and began to climb up my back beneath my shirt. His warm fingers left trails of fire over my skin. My head began to swim with sensation, my thoughts nonsensical like a fever dream. Eli pushed himself into a sitting position, and I shifted down to straddle his lap now. We moved slowly, quietly, afraid of waking Bollinger no matter how heavy a sleeper she seemed to be. His hands left my back and cupped my face, our kiss deepening. I placed my hands on his shoulders, taut muscles flexing beneath my fingers.

  Things were escalating quickly. We were like a train with no brakes, headed downhill with a drunken conductor at the controls. Fear and thrill met inside me, blending into a singular feeling: want.

  I tried to convey this to Eli through silent communication, kiss and touch, anything but words. I even thought it at him, employing telepathy and empathy both. For a stretch of blissful, soaring moments, I sensed Eli’s answer, a resounding yes, more echo than consent.

  But then he began to pull back from me, withdrawing both his body and his mind.

  “We can’t do this, Dusty,” he whispered.

  I nodded, remembering Bollinger. “Do you want to go in there?” I motioned toward the sleeping quarters.

  Eli shook his head.

  “Right, Lance.” I bit my lip. “I could use a sleeping spell on Bollinger. I know how to do it now.” It was true. I could sense Bellanax coiled and ready to guide me. Eager for it.

  “How?” Eli said, his arms tensing around me.

  I ran my hand down his cheek. “Same as before. I’m learning how to communicate better with the sword.”

  Eli’s expression darkened. “No, I don’t want you to use a spell on her. I don’t like that sword teaching you things. There’s something not right about it.”

  “Why?” I cocked my head. “My sword is a numen vessel just like your wand. That means there’s a living spirit in it, one with thoughts and a personality.”

  Eli glanced at the leather band on his wrist, his glamoured wand. “But my wand never speaks to me. It’s just there, just magic for me to use.”

  “Maybe it’s a difference in the type of vessel or something.”

  “Or in the spirit it houses,” Eli said.

  I sighed, caressing his face once more. “There’s nothing to worry about from my sword. I promise.” I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “So how about it? She won’t even know afterward, and we’ll be free to do whatever we want without worry of someone finding out.”

  “No,” Eli said at once. “Not here, not now.”

  His words felt like a slap, the sharp, certain sting of rejection. I forced my eyes to his, afraid of what I would see there. “Why?”

  His expression softened, and he cupped my face again, running a thumb over my bottom lip, swollen from his kisses. “Because this isn’t right. It’s not how it should be with us.”

  “What do you mean?” I felt my heart folding in on itself, disappointment a compressive force.

  Eli released his hold on my face and reached for my hands instead, squeezing my fingers. “We’re dream-seers, Dusty. That’s a bond for life. No matter what happens to us in our everyday lives, we’ll always be connected by this power. It’s an awesome thing, but scary. We gotta make sure we don’t screw up by going too fast.”

  I inhaled, my quivering heart solidifying to awe. No matter how much my body may hate the idea of taking things slow, it did make sense. Reckless wasn’t the right approach to forever.

  “Okay,” I said. “I see your point.” But I leaned forward and kissed him again. One last time, while we still could.

  Eli seemed to agree, and his hands slid around my waist, pulling me closer.

  The dorm room door slammed open hard. Bollinger jerked awake, and fell out of the chair with a muffled thump. Eli and I wrenched our faces apart, but it was too late to hide the position of our bodies from the people now crowding into the room.

  There were two Will Guards—of course, who else?—but also Lady Elaine. The look she cast us was one of mingled fury and fear. I gulped and started to disengage myself from Eli, climbing out of his lap.

  Lady Elaine swooped down on us. “Have you seen her? Heard from her?”

  I stumbled to a standing position. “Who? What are you talking about?”

  Lady Elaine grabbed me by the shoulders. “Your mother! Has she texted you, called, anything in the last few hours?”

  “What?” I wa
s too stunned to free myself from her grip. “No, of course not. Not for days.”

  Tears glistened in Lady Elaine’s eyes. “Are you sure you’re not covering for her? Please, Dusty, tell me the truth.”

  Fear electrified my skin. “No, I’m not covering, I swear. What’s happened?”

  “Your mother…” Lady Elaine swallowed. “She’s gone missing. Just like Bethany Grey.”

  20

  Three Visions

  Lady Elaine turned away from me and sat down on the nearest chair, sagging into it like a warrior in defeat. Her large purse, bright pink and covered in sunflowers, slid off her frail arm and landed beside her. The sight of her reaction scared me more than the news about my mother.

  “I’d hoped you were covering for her,” Lady Elaine said, dropping her forehead onto her hand. “It’s why I came here instead of calling, but I can tell you’re not lying.” She looked up, her expression scornful as she took in Eli and me. “No, not lying. You two were clearly too busy with your own indulgences for that.”

  The accusation slid right by me, my fear too slippery for anything to dislodge it. “How can she be missing?”

  “She’s just not there. I don’t know how. At one check the cell was full, at the next empty.” Lady Elaine turned her gaze onto Bollinger who was hovering nearby and listening intently. “But this is a conversation that requires privacy.” She stood up and smoothed the front of her khakis. “Go on, Dusty. We can use the rec room.”

  I started toward the door, but froze as Lady Elaine said, “Not you, Mr. Booker. You will stay here. You should be ashamed of yourself after the promise you made me.”

  I turned back in time to see Eli stiffen and his face go red. My stomach did a backflip. What promise? But I could only guess.

  “And you”—Lady Elaine swung toward Bollinger—“will no longer be assigned this duty. Clearly, you are unfit for the post.”

  Bollinger’s nostrils flared, and I braced, waiting for the fireworks to start. But Bollinger only pressed her lips together and nodded. So she might be a horrible person, but not a stupid one. Go figure.

  “Go on, Dusty,” Lady Elaine said, shooing me.

  “Please,” Eli’s voice cut through the air. I turned to look at him again, but his eyes were fixed on Lady Elaine. “Please don’t do this.”

  Do what? I thought, wishing he could hear it.

  “It’s too late,” said Lady Elaine. “You knew the consequences.”

  Then with that, she physically pushed me toward the door. I fought in vain to read some warning in Eli’s expression, but he dropped his gaze to the floor, his lips pressed into a tight line.

  Fear thrummed inside me with each step I took down the stairs. I had never been inside the rec room of Flint Hall, but I had no trouble finding it. I passed by it every night that I came to a dream-session. When I tried to open the door, I found it locked.

  Lady Elaine brushed me aside and then opened the door with a single wave of her hand. I stepped inside first, blinking in the sudden brightness. The room was large and perfectly square, full of armchairs, several ottomans, one careworn sofa, and numerous small tables. A single pinball machine occupied the far corner, its red and blue lights twinkling against the wall. Across from it was a pool table, the green velvet top ratty and faded near to yellow.

  “You two can wait out here,” Lady Elaine said to the Will Guards who had followed us down from Eli’s room. Of Bollinger, there was no sign.

  Lady Elaine slammed the door closed and swung to face me. “Sit down,” she said.

  I dropped into the nearest armchair and waited while she sealed the room against eavesdroppers. When she finished she took the armchair opposite mine. It dwarfed her small body, making her look like a very old doll. Her thin, spindly legs dangled several inches above the floor. Her massive purse sat beside her like some loyal pet.

  “Tell me about my mom,” I said, before she had a chance to steer the conversation anywhere else.

  Lady Elaine folded her arms over her concave chest. “I’m afraid there’s little else to say. She has disappeared as mysteriously as Bethany Grey and in much the same circumstances.”

  I ran my tongue over my teeth. “But Valentine thought my mom had kidnapped Bethany.”

  Lady Elaine tsked. “We both know that was never true. Just as we both know your mother did not kill Titus.”

  Relief made me feel weightless for a moment. It didn’t last long. My mom’s innocence hardly mattered with her missing. A chill inched across my neck as I remembered the scythe. “Her disappearance is about the Death’s Heart, isn’t it? Whoever stole it plans to use it on her.”

  “Why do you say that?” Lady Elaine tilted her head. Her silver hair was pulled back in a severe bun, and long, golden earrings hung from her drooping lobes.

  “The scythe my mom was holding in Eli’s dream,” I said, guessing she would remember the description from my dream journal. “It’s a symbol of the Grim Reaper, and that ties it to the Death’s Heart, which is made from the heart of a Grim Reaper.”

  Lady Elaine cleared her throat, and a humorless smile flitted across her lips. “The Dream Team astounds again.”

  I didn’t smile in return, taking no pride in the discovery. I couldn’t with my fear worsening by the second. “But why use the Death’s Heart on my mother, on Bethany? Is it because they’re both Nightmares?”

  “Who can say?” Lady Elaine rubbed her temples. “Nightmares are powerful and a rarer form of magickind perhaps, but to my knowledge that makes no difference to the Death’s Heart. Maybe they were kidnapped for a more personal reason. Like revenge.”

  “Against them both?” I gaped. “But they hated each other. How could they have a common enemy?”

  “They didn’t always hate each other,” Lady Elaine said, crossing one leg over the other. “When they were your age, they were friends, as close as you and Selene Rivers are now.”

  I stared, wide-eyed, unable to imagine it. I wondered briefly what had come between them, but then the contents of Eli’s latest dream soared into the forefront of my mind. “This is about Marrow. The Death’s Heart, my mother, all of it.”

  Lady Elaine waved me off. “There’s no reason to jump to that conclusion.”

  “Yes there is.” I leaned forward. “The black phoenix was in Eli’s dream tonight. We were on the barge again, the same one where we saw my mother with the scythe, and the black phoenix was there.”

  Lady Elaine visibly paled. “That’s … that’s disturbing news.”

  Silence descended around us, broken only by the chirp and whirring of the pinball machine.

  Drawing a deep breath, Lady Elaine sat up straighter and fixed her gaze on me. “Disturbing yes, but also not your concern.”

  “Excuse me?” I sat up straighter, too, ready to get to my feet and start pacing. “My mom is missing, kidnapped by either Marrow or someone working for him, most likely. How is that not my concern?”

  “Because,” Lady Elaine said, “your primary concern needs to be keeping that object around your wrist hidden and safe. If Marrow is back—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. He’ll be coming for it.” Wrapping my arms around myself, I fell back against the cushions. “But I don’t see how doing nothing is going to help.”

  “Don’t do nothing. Stay focused on the dream and stay safe. Go to classes, do your homework, and don’t wander anywhere out of the norm. Not for anything or anyone.”

  I braced at her words, fear surging through me again. I didn’t have to be psychic to know what was coming next.

  “And even more important than that,” Lady Elaine continued, her eyes narrowing. “you must stop these romantic interactions with Eli. I thought he would have self-control enough for the both of you, but after what I walked in on tonight, clearly not.”

  My face heated, but my insides turned cold. “I’m old enough to have romantic interactions with any boy I want. And you’re not my mother. You have no right to try to stop me. There’s nothing
wrong about my relationship with Eli.”

  Lady Elaine did not react to my outburst, her voice calm, almost a whisper as she said, “There is plenty wrong with it when you’re a dream-seer.”

  Thrusting out my chin, I said, “I don’t believe in the curse.”

  Lady Elaine sighed and shook her head, her expression more sad than angry. “You don’t have to. It’s real and coming for you whether you believe or not.”

  I inhaled, all the bad dreams swimming into my mind. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t. Our feelings for each other were in our control, our choice. No curse, no magic could change that.

  “But you’re right,” Lady Elaine continued, her tone now diplomatic. “I can’t stop you from pursuing a relationship with Eli.”

  I stared at her, distrustful of the sudden switch.

  She waved a hand at me. “Oh, don’t look so shocked. I’ve known from the beginning all I could do was slow you down. You are Moira’s daughter, after all, and nothing can stop you from going after what you want but yourself.”

  I bit my lip unsure if I should take this as a compliment or not. “Does this mean you’re going to call off the Will Guard?”

  Lady Elaine scowled. “Of course not. A deterrent is still a deterrent. No—” She stopped and drew a deep breath. “I’m just going to share with you my vision of your future.”

  The world seemed to pitch sideways for a second. “I don’t want to see it.”

  “Yes, I know. But it’s well past time. I’ve only held off this long because Eli begged me to, and because he swore that he would be the one to keep things distant between you.” She made a disgusted noise deep in her throat as she pulled her purse onto her lap and reached inside it.

  The purse was so large she could have any number of things stowed in there—the entire contents of her makeup drawer, a portable DVD player, an Uzi. She withdrew a round object wrapped in thick black velvet. She pulled back the cloth to reveal a mirror the size of a dinner plate. Golden filigree framed the edge. For a moment I thought it was elaborate decoration, but then I realized those swirls and hard lines were rune marks, similar to the ones etched onto my eTab.