by Gareth Otton
“I came to warn you.”
“Warn me of what?”
“The librarian the Dreamwalker... I mean Tad... spoke to about finding yia-yia has guessed who you were. She is a gossip.”
“So other people on the island know I’m a long-lost relative, so what?”
“Stella, Hydra is one of the most heavily populated communities of Eidolon in the world. They know you exist, and they’re watching. I wanted you to be careful because if they think you are growing beyond what they think is safe, then they will come for you.”
“Another threat?” Stella asked, her tone cold.
“No. I’m not threatening, I’m warning. These are powerful people. They don’t have the abilities they once did, but they have power in other ways. They are scary people and I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“You know, your warnings sound an awful lot like threats, whether you mean them to or not. I don’t like threats, I never have. So give them a message from me. I’m not looking for more power or to become a god or whatever the hell it is you think I’m doing. I just want to get on with my life and help as many people as I can along the way. But if they come for me, then I won’t just sit by and let them do whatever they want. That is a threat.”
Leon looked pained. “Please, Stella. I beg you. I have just found out about you. I don’t want to lose another family member so soon.”
“You’ve given your warning, and it’s been heard,” Stella said coldly. “If that’s all, I’m a busy woman.”
For a second Leon looked like he wanted to argue, but then he slumped into the chair, head hanging low in defeat.
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll leave you too it.”
Slowly he climbed to his feet, hesitated like he wanted to say something else, and then walked out the office without looking back.
Stella swore the moment her door closed and threw her pen at the desk in annoyance. Damn Tad for sticking his nose into things that didn’t concern him. She really didn’t need complications like this in her life.
Yet you’ve wanted them regardless, a small voice said from the back of her mind. It was a voice she’d locked behind a wall for years without letting it see the light of day, but it had been freed recently.
Stella hesitated another second, wondering just what that voice meant, then she swore again because it was right. Jumping up from her chair, she ran out of her office as quick as she could. She rushed down the hall, through the door and down the stairs, eventually throwing herself through the entrance of the building just in time to catch a young man climbing into the back of a taxi.
“Leon, wait,” she called, horrified once more to hear the shake in her voice and to feel her hand trembling on the door she held open.
Leon looked up from the car in surprise but said nothing. He just waited for Stella to speak again.
“What time is your flight home?”
“It’s not booked yet,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure how long I would need to be here.”
“Tad’s daughter, Jen. She’s turning thirteen tomorrow and we’re throwing a party. We need another adult to help control the guests. Can you stick around long enough to lend a hand?”
He hesitated a moment, but slowly a smile spread across his face and he nodded.
“Yes. I would only be waiting for a new flight anyway, so why not?”
Stella nodded, then reached into her pocket and came out with a business card. “Send me your contact details to the email on there, and I’ll let you know the specifics later on tonight.”
His smile growing, Leon accepted the card and held it up to her.
“I will do that,” he promised, before slipping it into his trouser pocket. “See you tomorrow.”
Stella nodded. “See you then,” she said.
He smiled a final time and climbed into the back of the taxi. A few seconds later it was accelerating away, and Stella gave a brief wave of farewell. The moment he was out of sight, she slumped against the door, her whole body shaking. She’d just done something she thought she’d never do. She’d willingly invited her family back into her life.
He wasn’t lying, that small voice in the back of her mind whispered. When he was talking about meeting you and getting to know you, he wasn’t lying.
No, Stella thought back to that inner voice, he wasn’t.
Slowly a smile spread across her face as she realised just how huge that simple truth was.
33
Friday, 22nd July 2016
14:48
Once again Jacob had created a familiar space in Dream and had given up on the competition he used to have with Tad. This wasn’t a scheduled Dreamwalker meeting, but Tad was disappointed at appearing in a Dream version of Jacob’s garden, regardless.
Jacob rose from his chair, leaving behind Brad and two other dreamwalkers who often stayed after meetings. Tad greeted them with a friendly smile, but inside something felt wrong.
“Jacob. Everything okay?” Tad asked. “From your text it sounded urgent.”
“Sorry about that. Everything’s fine, I just wanted to have a catch up.”
“And we’re doing it here because?”
“Because I’m not comfortable going home at the moment. None of us are. But come, take a seat and have a beer.”
Tad let himself get led to a free chair but waved off the beer when he was offered one. “I’ve got birthday celebrations to plan, so I better not.”
Jacob grinned. “Jen’s finally turning thirteen. She’s been talking about that since I first met you.”
“She’s been talking about that since she turned twelve,” Tad replied and Jacob laughed.
“Look, I know I offered to come over and help, but I will have to take a raincheck. Sorry, brother.”
“Of course,” Tad said, waving it off. “We’ve got it covered, anyway. You were more for sanity reasons than anything else.”
“Don’t say that. Now I feel worse than ever for letting you down.”
Again Tad waved the comment off. He turned his attention to Brad, who he hadn’t seen since the confrontation outside the FBI field office.
“Hey Brad, how you feeling?”
“I’m on the mend. That big fucker was stronger than he looked.”
“He looks like a cross between a man and a bear,” Tad noted and Brad grinned.
“Exactly. But I was wrong, there’s no man in that boy. He’s all bear. If I’d have known I’d have used my gun.”
“So long as you’re feeling alright,” Tad said and Brad tilted his beer in Tad’s direction in response. “So guys, what’s up? Is everything alright?”
Jacob took a pull from his beer and sighed, drawing Tad’s attention.
“Don’t take this the wrong way because we really don’t mean anything by it, but we just finished up a dreamwalker meeting.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and the reason we didn’t invite you was because we wanted to figure out where we stood without wasting your time. We know you’re busy doing important work and didn’t want to pull you away.”
Tad didn’t believe him for a second, but he nodded like it was the most normal thing in the world.
“So what did you talk about?”
“We were discussing what happened, the news coverage, and what’s next for us. The truth is brother, a lot of us have gone into hiding.”
“Why?” Tad asked, genuinely confused.
“Because we’ve been outed. That video showed a lot of faces who’d rather be kept in the dark. It went everywhere. To friends, family, governments… everywhere.”
“I never thought about that. I’m so sorry, guys—”
“Water under the bridge,” Jacob interrupted. “You told us what to expect when you shared your plans. We knew what we were getting into and again we’re thankful you respected us enough to let us in it. We all respect that.”
“No problem,” Tad said, suddenly awkward. He didn’t like where this was leading.
“Anyway, we’re in hiding while
we wait to see how this turns out. But after watching the news, we’re not liking the way the wind is blowing. Some people like your reporter friend have spun things in a good light, but most are scaremongering. The public is starting to fear us. A lot of us are worried about just where this will go.”
“Things will settle again. We have dreamcatchers rolling out on Wednesday that should free the Borderlands from Nightmares. Trust me, when that gets out people will see things better and opinions will change.”
“Maybe, maybe not. The truth is, we’re fighting a losing battle. Every day more people are joining the Movement, speaking out on TV about how much they hate us, and the world is becoming a scary place for dreamwalkers.”
“What are you saying?” Tad asked.
“I’m saying it’s time we take a more firm hand with things. We need stronger action to protect ourselves. You’ve done an amazing job, but it's just not enough anymore. People didn’t like what they saw on those cameras, and liked what happened in Chicago even less. Normals are picking sides and they wouldn’t do that unless there’s a fight coming. We have to stop hesitating, brother. We have to get ourselves ready to fight.”
“Come off it. Things aren’t that bad,” Tad argued. “Besides, if you gear up to fight, people will see that and think we want a fight.”
“We don’t have to publicise this, but we’d be stupid not to act,” Jacob disagreed. “Those dreamcatcher twins were just the first to come at us like this. Now dreamcatchers are in the hands of the Children of ADaM, it’s only a matter of time before more people come after us.”
Tad tried to argue, but Jacob talked over him.
“Sorry, but this isn’t a request anymore. We’re not asking for advice, we’re telling you what we will do and asking you to join us. Like I said, we appreciate everything you’ve done, but we can’t have this sit on just your shoulders anymore.”
“It never had to sit with me alone,” Tad argued. “You could have joined the Dream Team, come work with the Prime Minister, taken any job. It never had to come to this, it still doesn’t. This is the wrong move, Jacob. You’re just going to get people worked up over nothing.”
“Hardly nothing. But I hear what you’re saying. You’re not ready for this and that’s okay. You’ll have a chance to give us your reasons at the dreamwalker meeting on Sunday. I just wanted to let you know that some of us are preparing to do our own thing. We have to.”
“Look, guys. I appreciate you telling me this, but do me a favour and think on it until the meeting. Give me time to find more ways to change your—”
“Tad, enough. You’ve done your best and it’s more than any of us could do. But we’ve made up our minds. Don’t worry, we’re not going out causing trouble. We’re just protecting ourselves so what happened with the Campbell twins can’t happen again.”
Tad wanted to argue some more, but he could see they had made up their minds. So, he bit his tongue and shook his head, and let that be all the argument he had left to give while the conversation turned to other things.
Jacob waited just long enough to be sure Tad was gone before sitting back down.
“That didn’t go well,” Brad pointed out.
“Not as well as I’d hoped,” Jacob agreed. “I didn’t dare tell him everything. You could see in his eyes that he’s not with us. It will disappoint the others.”
Two of the three dreamwalkers nodded in agreement. It was Simon, a twenty-six-year-old man from New York, who was the lone holdout. He was one of the more recent members of their Sunday meetings and didn’t speak much in the circle. He only came out of his shell to Jacob after Tad and most other dreamwalkers had left. That was when he was loudest, just like now.
“He’s a coward and too afraid to admit the truth or pick a side,” he said.
“Shut your fucking mouth,” Jacob snarled, loud and angry for the first time in longer than he could remember. He didn’t mean to, but the kid’s comment got under his skin. His brother always teased Jacob about his temper, telling him he held it too long. He acted calm and collected all the time, letting the pressure build rather than snapping at people. The trouble was that eventually something would cause him to blow, and like now it wasn’t always anything big.
Simon flinched from Jacob’s angry response even as the other two jumped in surprise.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—” the boy started, but Jacob interrupted him.
“Tad Holcroft has done more for you, me and our people than you will ever be able to appreciate. You’ve just got to look at the scars on the man to know he isn’t a coward.”
“I didn’t mean like that. I meant he’s afraid to choose sides.”
Jacob shook his head. “No, he’s picked his side. The problem is that the side he picked isn’t actually a side he can pick. He doesn’t realise yet that there’s normal people, and there’s us. He’s tried to pick both. He’ll come around eventually though, have no doubt.”
An awkward silence fell over them, and again it was Simon who broke it.
“How could he do that light blast?” he asked. “Twice I saw him use it. That was pure Dream, I know you all felt it. I couldn’t come close to doing that if I tried.”
“He’s right,” Brad said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been amazed at what Tad can do. He’s not like the rest of us, is he? I used to think it was just training and using his powers more than us, but it’s more. What he did with those dragons, the way he blew that giant through your wall, the light that cut those damn people in half. He’s not normal, Jacob.”
Jacob hesitated before answering, as this was a question he’d been pondering himself. Finally he shook his head.
“No, you’re right. There’s more to Tad than we know, but I don’t think even he knows it.”
“It’ll be a problem if he turns against us,” Brad said. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love it if he didn’t, but we both know he will never come round to our way of thinking in time. If we end up crossing horns with that man… I don’t know, Jacob. He’s got a habit of doing the impossible. He could ruin everything.”
Jacob shook his head again, all anger gone and just feeling cold inside. Though it hurt him to admit it, he knew Brad was right. Tad wouldn’t be with them on this, at least not at first. It meant he’d have to neutralise him while they got the ball rolling. Once their plan was in motion, there’d be no stopping them, but until then…
“Leave Tad to me,” Jacob said.
“What are you going to do?” Simon asked, not getting the hint.
Having already spent his anger, Jacob didn’t snap at the kid. Just counted to ten and answered his question.
“For all that Tad is strong when he needs to be, he’s got a serious weakness that I’d hoped never to exploit. If he ever finds out it’s me, he’ll never forgive me.”
“What is it?” Simon asked, his voice little more than a whisper in his excitement.
“He cares too much,” Jacob answered. “You get between him and something he cares about and he no longer thinks clearly.”
“Hang on,” Brad protested. “I want to neutralise the man, not do something drastic.”
“Drastic action is all that’s left,” Jacob said. “Sacrifices are necessary in the grand scheme of things. Trust me, this time tomorrow Tad won’t be a problem for us.”
Downing the last of his beer, Jacob mentally prepared himself for what he had to do, and hated himself for being the one to do it.
34
Friday, 22nd July 2016
18:14
Stella passed the colander to Tad so he could drain the steaming pasta into the sink.
“He basically said they’d kill me if I show signs of changing,” she explained as she returned to her spot at the breakfast island. “I don’t think he meant it as a threat, but he was serious. The last thing I need is to be on the lookout for these arseholes.”
Tad glanced back at her and was clearly thinking dark thoughts.
“Don’t worry,”
she said, guessing at those thoughts. “I’m surrounded by Trevors’ people at work, and they’ll all be suped up soon. Whenever I’m not there, I’m usually with you, so no one will get to me.”
“Maybe we should speak with the Prime Minister about getting that security detail back,” Tad suggested as he put the pasta back in the now empty pan, pouring over the sauce he’d made before returning it to the stove and stirring it with a wooden spoon. “He protested hard enough when we asked them to remove everyone’s but Jens so—”
“No, I’m not going back to that,” Stella said. “Besides, it’ll blow over. So I can tell when people are lying, it's hardly divine.”
“Your strength is pretty serious,” Tad said. “I saw what you did to that guy during the fight.”
“Yeah, and what did Kuruk do to me five minutes later?”
“A suped up Kuruk,” Tad protested. “Come on Stella, even you admit you’re changing.”
“I know I am, I just don’t think I have to worry about becoming some kind of goddess anytime soon.” Before he could question her further she added, “Anyway, I’ve invited Leon to help with Jen’s party tomorrow. Sounds like it was a good shout now Jacob’s not coming.”
“Really?” Tad asked, so surprised he turned away from what he was doing for the first time in the conversation. “You actually invited him over.”
“I just thought it would be good to speak with him a bit while he’s here,” she answered defensively.
“I’m not saying it wasn’t a good idea,” Tad tried to explain.
“No. Well, what were you saying?”
He frowned at her tone and turned back to the pasta.
“Nothing I guess. Can you shout Jen and Tony to tell them dinner’s ready?”
She snorted at his clumsy attempt to change the topic, but did as asked. A few seconds later there was the heavy pounding of Jen rushing down the stairs followed by the awkward thumping of Hawk following her. Half a second after that, the kitchen door exploded inward and they both skidded to a stop.
“Tony’s not here,” Jen said in way of greeting, walking straight to her usual spot at the kitchen table and dropping into the seat. “He’s with Amber.”