by HP Mallory
“You made a mistake coming here,” Luce warned, venom dripping off his tongue when he addressed me. I’d never seen this much hatred in his eyes before, and it was all aimed at me.
I kept my eyes trained on Luce but I could feel Dureau’s relief. I needed him to summon whatever energy he had remaining, because if I did manage to defeat Luce in this dream world, I was still going to have a hell of a time getting Dureau to that flame without Dureau helping me.
“Step away from him,” I said to Luce as I glared at him. “You know the only reason you attacked Dureau was to get to me.”
Luce laughed, an ugly sound. “You never were stupid, I will give you that. You chose the wrong side and you backstabbed your family—”
“You were never my family!” I spat the words back to him and had to remind myself to keep a check on my temper—the Flame welled up within me as if it were just waiting for my command to release itself.
Luce’s anger was so thick, it seemed to drip off him in rivulets of ire that upset the stillness of the air. His body emanated what felt like a dark, twisted sort of magic—but powerful, nonetheless. It was as if he had been engulfed in shadows and the shadows circled around him and reached out, tendrils forming as they began to grow.
Luce was the most powerful Elemental I’d ever met, and he was also angrier than I’d ever seen him. Typically, Luce kept a tight lid on the few emotions he made visible to other people. It was part of the mystery that surrounded him—a mystery he instigated. He always told me it was important for a leader to be unpredictable. Regardless, at the moment he was completely and totally enraged, and I worried his anger could amplify his already significant offensive powers.
Luce took a step towards me, away from the rack where Dureau was bound. He waved his remaining arm and I doubled over, grabbing my stomach. It felt like I’d been punched right in the gut. The sheer shock of the pain should have been enough to throw me to the ground and I wasn’t even sure how I was still standing. I took a second to take a few deep breaths as I glowered up at him. He just stood there, smiling at me. He was toying with me like a cat with an injured mouse, but I’d take any respite I could get.
I forced myself to stand upright, ready to fight back.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Dureau struggling against his binds and noticed he’d already successfully freed one of his hands. I didn’t want to alert Luce to what was happening behind him, so I kept my gaze trained strictly on him. Luce waved his arm once again and I felt like I’d been slapped hard across the face. It was painful, but not quite enough to knock me over. It was just more of the same—Luce toying with me, showing me his power and hoping to frighten me. But I wasn’t scared.
“You made a mistake in coming here. And you will suffer for it,” Luce declared.
“Oh, yeah? How’s that?”
“I’ve had enough of you interfering with my plans,” he continued. “Now that interference ends, along with his life.” He motioned in Dureau’s direction before his eyes settled on me again. “I’m going to destroy that vampire for removing my arm, and I’m going to see to it that he dies a slow and painful death.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, flashing a smile I didn’t feel. “You’re going to kill us all. I get all that.”
“Not all of you.”
“And who would you spare?”
“You.”
My eyebrows arched in surprise. “Why me? You hate me more than anyone else.”
He nodded. “Because you possess something I want.”
Ah, the Flame.
“I want to know exactly how you use the Flame and how we can repurpose that power to suit the Tribe. I want to possess the Flame and… I will.”
“And what happens after you steal the Flame from me? What then?” I asked, my tone of voice belying the fact that I didn’t believe he could steal the ability from me. And the fact that he thought that he could made me realize he really didn’t understand just what the Flame was. Not that I understood it that well, either, but I was fairly certain it wasn’t something you could just harvest.
“Then I’m going to kill you, just as slowly and painfully as I plan to kill your vampire,” snarled Luce, and he raised his hand once again. I prepared for another magical blow but this time, nothing came.
Instead, I felt an ache beginning between my ears that slowly began to spread through my head and down my neck. It was so intense, I had to clench my eyes shut as I bent over and held my hands to my temples. The pain radiated through me in streaks of far-reaching agony.
Suddenly, the pain ceased, and I blinked to see Luce being knocked over by Dureau. Once he had Luce on the ground, Dureau began to smash his fists into Luce’s face and body with a strength that surprised me. This wasn’t magic—it was pure physical force, empowered by Dureau’s hatred. Luce was unable to even attempt a magical attack to defend himself, so fierce was Dureau’s physical affront.
Luce wrapped himself into a fetal position in an attempt to simply weather the assault. I noticed with interest that he wasn’t fighting back.
Because you’ve been in the vision-state for too long, I told myself. And this was Luce’s way of trying to trap us both in Dureau’s mind. We needed to get back to the flame I had seen when I’d entered the vision-state so we could return to Kinloch Kirk—in the land of the awake.
I rushed over and put my hands on Dureau’s broad shoulders. “We have to go!”
But Dureau didn’t even act like he noticed me. Instead, he continued to pummel Luce but at this point, his fists weren’t really doing anything. Luce wasn’t reacting, true, but that was just because he was winning the battle by keeping us in this dream state.
“Dureau, he’s just trying to trap us here!” I insisted as I tugged on Dureau’s shoulder again. “We have to get back to the flame!” I panted, and after another few seconds, Dureau nodded in agreement.
I grabbed his hand and started for the door. I could hear Luce’s laughter echoing behind us. Anger penetrated me, but I had to ignore it. There was no battling Luce in this dreamscape and coming out a winner. Now we just had to escape so we could save ourselves.
Dureau and I made it down both stairways and, once we were in the foyer, he quickly took the lead. We sprinted through the open doors and through the immaculate garden, heading for the forest.
“This way!” I called out and darted to the right, around a large tree. Directly in front of us was the flame, still burning brightly. Holding hands, we simultaneously touched the fire. The mansion and the grounds on which it stood evaporated instantly, but I couldn’t say I felt any sort of relief.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Bryn
Dureau and I awoke from the vision state together.
I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of my surroundings. And then I remembered where I’d been—Mathilda’s house.
I glanced to my right and immediately found myself looking into Sinjin’s penetrating, ice-blue stare. There was concern in his eyes.
“I’m okay,” I whispered. And then immediately had to wonder if such was also the case for Dureau. He was lying beside me, looking straight ahead.
He was breathing, though, and after a few seconds, he blinked.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He rolled his head in my direction and nodded. Then, he took a deep breath and nodded again. But he didn’t say anything. In fact, his expression looked like that of someone who’d been completely shell-shocked.
“What happened?” asked Mathilda.
I pulled my gaze away from Dureau and attempted to sit up, but I was lightheaded and stars danced in front of my eyes before I closed them. I felt a strong arm behind my shoulders and opened my eyes to find Sinjin beside me, assisting me in sitting upright.
“Take your time, princess,” he suggested with that devil’s smile of his. I wasn’t sure why, but the look in his eyes made my breath catch in my throat.
I nodded and faced Mathilda again, remembering her question.
“I arrived in a forest which was bordering a château, which I’m pretty sure was in France.”
“It was my childhood home,” Dureau added in a soft, exhausted voice.
I’d guessed right. “I went inside and found Luce torturing Dureau in one of the rooms.” I let my eyes drift to Dureau, to see if if my words had hit home too closely. His jaw was tight, but he didn’t seem upset at my turn of phrase. I looked back at Sinjin and Mathilda. “It seemed like Luce was just trying to buy time, though. It was… almost like he wasn’t trying to kill Dureau. Like he was stalling, trying to get us to remain in the dream state so he could try and capture us there or something,” I finished, trying to keep the recap to a minimum. Dureau didn’t need to relive everything he’d just been through—not immediately, at any rate.
“Hmm.” Mathilda stroked her chin contemplatively.
“I think Luce was just playing with us,” I added. “He was toying with me.”
“Then you don’t believe he was attempting to kill either of you?” Rachel asked, frowning in such a way that made it seem like she couldn’t imagine such was the case.
I shook my head. “No, I think he was merely trying to intimidate us.”
“It worked,” Dureau said in a tight voice. His eyes were fixed on me. “And if it weren’t for you, I would have lost myself in my own mind.”
“Sounds like that’s what Luce was going for?” suggested Rachel. “Maybe he’s trying to attack the best of us in our sleep or something?”
I shrugged. “That would require Luce having access to each of us,” I told her, shaking my head. “And he only shares mind connections with some of us. Not all of us.” I glanced at Dureau and found he was wearing a poker face and I couldn’t read his expression. And I found that to be odd.
“Thank you, Bryn,” he said when he caught my gaze. “I realize you risked your own life coming after me, and I’m beyond grateful.”
I nodded. “You’ve done the same for me, so let’s not get into the thank yous and all of that.” I took a deep breath. “We don’t have the time.”
He chuckled. “You’ve always been all about business.”
“That’s how you get things done,” I answered with a quick smile.
Mercedes strode up between us, scowling. “Be that as it may, it fails to answer a very good question brought up by the princess. Not all of us have a direct psychic connection to Luce. Thus, Dureau, how did Luce enter your mind to attack you in the first place? You don’t have a telepathic link with him, last I understood?”
Dureau gave a brisk nod, appearing slightly uncomfortable. “You’re correct—I don’t.”
“Where did Luce’s ability to enter your mind come from, then?” A hint of accusation had entered Mercedes’ tone.
But she did bring up a good point. Luce had great magical powers as an Elemental, but they weren’t strong enough to give him the ability to telepathically invade the mind of just anyone—especially a powerful fae with whom Luce had no direct connection. Actually, it was odd that Luce would attack Dureau at all, as they had no history that I knew of. I was surprised Luce even knew about Dureau’s existence, because Dureau had only ever visited me in dreams while I’d been a member of the Tribe and I’d never mentioned the dreams to anyone. The entire situation was strange and didn’t make sense.
“Hmm, I’d be interested in know this, too,” Sinjin said thoughtfully, looking at Dureau with interest. In that moment, he looked more like Dureau’s rival than ever before.
Dureau looked around the room, briefly making eye contact with each of us as if to try to figure out the thoughts going through our minds. He then shrugged, like he was suggesting the entire event was totally beyond his comprehension—like he wasn’t the person to approach for answers.
“Dureau?” I asked.
“I’m not sure how Luce was able to attack me,” he said, finally. “Perhaps he was able to connect with me when we rescued Dayna from Al-Jafar?”
“Dureau,” interjected Mathilda suddenly, in a stern yet kind voice. “The truth.”
The truth?
I frowned as I glanced from Mathilda, who wore a knowing expression, back to Dureau. He took a deep breath and then expelled it slowly.
“Is there something we are not aware of?” Sinjin asked, studying Dureau with a narrowed gaze. “Something you have been keeping from us, perhaps?”
“Dureau,” I added, when it seemed like he was battling with something he didn’t want to tell us, “the time for secrets is way expired.”
“I can explain.” He sighed and then shook his head, as if buying time before he began to speak again. “I knew I couldn’t keep this a secret forever, but it’s also not something I enjoy sharing.”
“Go on,” I encouraged when he began to falter.
He nodded. “This was something I’d kept to myself, because it’s my greatest weakness,” he continued.
“We all have had to deal with weaknesses,” Sinjin put in, his tone of voice hard. I was sure he was referring to the time when he’d been struck human when crossing the fae trods. “And none of us kept our secrets from one another.”
“Everyone is different and handles his insecurities differently,” Dureau responded with narrowed eyes. I could identify with having trouble being vulnerable in front of others, especially when it came to needing help with things I thought I should be able to do myself. That pretty much summed up my whole life.
“Sinjin, let him speak,” I admonished, giving Dureau a clipped nod, encouraging him to continue.
“I kept this secret because, quite frankly, I find it deeply embarrassing to be so vulnerable and it was something I thought I could resolve on my own.”
“Did it have something to do with the agreement you made with Monsieur D?” I asked.
Dureau shook his head. “Just like my sister Audrey, I suffer from a curse.”
“Shapeshifting?” I asked.
“Not exactly.” He grew quiet again and wouldn’t look at any of us. Whatever his secret was, it was clearly weighing on him significantly.
“Then?” I prodded.
“As you remember, Audrey—until I bargained otherwise with Monsieur D—could not stray too far from the swamp or she would lose her ability to transform out of her crocodile form.”
“We remember,” Sinjin said cooly.
Again, Dureau nodded. “I am similarly tied to the dream world.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means I have one foot in the dream world at all times. I’m never fully, truly awake, and I’m never fully, truly asleep. I live in both worlds at once.”
I frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s like living two lives,” he explained. “I have to spend equal time in the dream world as in the real world.”
“Isn’t that the same as being asleep?” Rachel asked.
Dureau shook his head as he faced her. “No, because I’m not asleep. I’m fully awake, fully functioning. It’s more like being trapped both in this world and the dream world, but never truly being able to exist in one.” He took a deep breath as we tried to understand exactly what he was saying. “It can be hard to keep track of what happens in each separate world—sometimes, my dreams are more real to me than reality…” he finished, his voice slowly trailing off.
“That does not sound much like a curse,” Sinjin said with a shrug. “I am not one who is able to enjoy sleep, at any rate, either.”
“It’s not about not sleeping,” Dureau countered.
“Then what, pray tell, is it about?” Sinjin demanded.
“Madness,” answered Dureau.
“What do you mean?” I asked as I eyed him.
He sighed. “The more time I spend in the dream world, the more it affects my time in this world. It’s becoming more and more difficult to tell the two apart. As time goes by, I will lose my hold on reality in the real world until I can no longer recognize the difference between what’s real and what isn’t.”
&nb
sp; “You’re saying you’ll go crazy?” Rachel asked.
Dureau nodded. “There are times when it hits me that I can’t tell the difference between the two already.”
“Then the object you wanted Monsieur D to retrieve?” I remembered the incident when Monsieur D had offered each of us a chance to make a wish.
“Prydwen,” Dureau corrected me.
“Prydwen,” I repeated, and recalled Sinjin telling me that Prydwen was the fabled ship of King Arthur. “Wasn’t that supposed to reverse your curse?”
He gave me a short nod. “It did and it didn’t.”
“What does that mean?” Sinjin insisted.
Dureau faced him and frowned. “It means that I was able to help my sister’s curse but not my own.”
“Then Prydwen wasn’t the answer to your curse?” I asked.
He shrugged. “As I understood, Prydwen was the answer to the family curse,” he explained.
“So Monsieur D didn’t hold up his end of the bargain?”
Dureau shook his head. “He did.”
“Yet you still have your curse,” Rachel pointed out.
“The deal I made with Monsieur D was to break my sister’s curse.”
“But you just said Prydwen was the answer to the family curse?” I clarified, frowning. “That would include your curse?”
“It is,” Dureau insisted. “But Monsieur D owns the responsibility of Prydwen and dispensing its gifts. The deal I made with him was to reverse my sister’s curse rather than the family curse.”
“Why?” I started.
“I didn’t realize Monsieur D was the gate keeper to Prydwen,” he explained. “I thought it was simply a matter of locating the vessel and the family curse would be broken. I didn’t realize Monsieur D had to give his blessing. And I didn’t realize he would be so literal in my request.”
“Then the loophole in your contract was that you didn’t ask the right question?” I asked, feeling anger starting to brew inside me. Monsieur D was a piece of work—he’d answer for this.