Dread Nemesis of Mine

by John Corwin

Page 26

 

  But the memory gaps so typical after rituals were short, hours at most as opposed to months. If the nightmares Gigi had were indicative of Daelissa's probes for information, Elyssa could ask her father or Christian to have anyone who'd experienced such dreams to step forward. But maybe Daelissa couldn't invade just anyone's dreams. She might be powerful, but she wasn't omnipotent. What if she could spy on the thoughts of those people whose long-term memory she'd affected? That meant anyone who'd taken the White was susceptible. It meant Elyssa was susceptible.

  Not good.

  She shuddered. Good news, bad news. Either way, she was far more informed than she had been an hour ago. Even if it meant she could no longer be a Templar, at least the vast majority of her comrades would be safe from the rogue angel's touch.

  Adam returned. His face had returned to its normal gawky appearance, though his skin glowed sunburn red. "Now I remember why I hate using that spell unless I really, really need to. "

  "You must bring me up to date on these gadgets," Bella said. "It makes me feel like an old ninny when I have to look up something on my arcphone. Sad to say, I use the gizmo mostly for phone calls and pinning pictures on social media instead of using it for magic. "

  He offered her a strained smile. "Any time. "

  Elyssa grabbed the tablet off the desk. "We have to get this information to my father and Christian. "

  "You saw something incriminating?" Bella asked.

  "The White. " Cold prickles ran up Elyssa's back at the mention of it. "I think Daelissa can reach Martinez because she had her mind wiped. At least, I hope so. Otherwise, it means Daelissa can enter the dreams of any Templar. "

  Adam gave her a curious look. "Didn't you take…" he didn't finish the thought.

  "Yeah. I took the White. " Elyssa's voice came out rough with emotion despite her best efforts. She'd squandered her childhood, devoted almost every moment of her life for the Templars. But if she was a danger to their secrecy, she couldn't stay. Even her father would be forced to agree to her resignation.

  They raced across the compound to the assembly area. Nearly two hundred Templars stood in perfect rows as a tall man with a long red robe walked along the large stage in the front and spoke. Elyssa wondered where the rest of the legion complement was, or if her quick assessment of the crowd’s size was wrong.

  "Who in blazes is that?" Adam said, pointing at the man on the stage.

  "Oh, goodness. " Bella's eyes widened. "I believe it's Artemis Coronus, the Seneschal to the Grand Master of the Templar Synod. "

  And a Templar Knight. Elyssa almost stumbled with the realization as they jogged along the perimeter of the assemblage looking for her father. Very few of the Knights Templar remained, and almost no one in recent memory had been granted the ultimate honor. Even the great Thomas Borathen had never been offered the position, though he was known throughout the Overworld for his military victories over the centuries. For one of them to be here meant something serious was going on. For the Seneschal to be here meant—well, she didn't know what it meant, except major political forces were in motion.

  Artemis held up a gloved fist. "The days of pitchforks and persecution are over. While the Synod does not agree with the actions of the rogue vampires known as Blood Rush, we strongly advise against a military course of action. "

  "You've got to be kidding," Adam said. "Since when would a Templar Knight back down from a fight?"

  A deep chill gripped Elyssa's chest. The Synod could command the local legion to stand down if they brought it to a vote. They spoke for the Divinity. Supposedly, they were the only ones who had personally spoken to her—and remembered it. Elyssa didn't know the truth of the matter, but seeing how the Divinity and Daelissa were one and the same, it didn't much matter to her. If the Synod still trusted the Divinity, it probably meant they'd work against the Templars.

  "There's your father," Bella said, pointing to Thomas. Fausta and Meghan stood nearby, engrossed in conversation with the Commander Salazar while Thomas looked on as Artemis continued to rail against the decision to attack.

  "You two run ahead," Adam said, stopping and panting. "I don't have supernatural endurance. I'm gonna puke if I don't take a break. " He gave Elyssa another look. "And let me know when you talk to the other guy.

  Underborn. "I will. "

  Bella and Elyssa blurred around the perimeter, reaching Christian within seconds.

  The Templar commander looked at them expectantly. "Recruit Borathen, you'd better have an excellent reason for not being in formation right now. "

  "I told you she was getting proof," Fausta said, and spun to Elyssa. "You got proof right?"

  Elyssa put on her best poker face and held out the tablet to Christian. "I don't know how much they told you, but here it is in a nutshell: Daelissa has been invading Lieutenant Martinez's dreams to spy on the Templars. It's possible she can do that to any Templar, but I think she's more limited than that. After examining the Lieutenant's records, I believe I have reached an explanation. Daelissa can do it because Lieutenant Martinez took the White. "

  Christian's jaw tightened. He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Fausta, maybe you'd better tell me again exactly what you did. I know for a fact Healer Delgado is here at assembly, and only she, Lieutenant Martinez, and I know about her taking the White. "

  Fausta's face went white. "Uh, we…" She cleared her throat, looked down and said in a rush, "Broke into the officers' quarters where Meghan Andretti made sounds come out of the walls and figured out that Lieutenant Martinez was having bad dreams, and Elyssa read her diary, and then we—"

  Commander Salazar held up a hand, his eyes going cold with disbelief and anger. "Slow down and back up. You forcibly and illegally entered the officers' quarters, and read Lieutenant Martinez's confidential journal?"

  Elyssa decided Fausta wasn't doing a very good job of explaining things. "I think you're overlooking the importance of my discovery, sir. "

  Christian's stern eyes locked onto Elyssa. "You expect me to believe Lieutenant Martinez is a mole?"

  His angry look only hardened her resolve. "I expect you to believe Daelissa can use Lieutenant Martinez to find out our plans in advance. Daelissa is helping the vampires, and Maximus probably knows we're coming. "

  "How would you know that?"

  Elyssa took out the diary and turned to the last page. She read an entry she'd discovered while waiting on Adam to break into Healer Delgado's tablet. "This dream was much different than the others. At first, I was in the House. As usual it was foggy and rainy through the sliding glass door in the back, but outside the front door, the weather appeared beautiful and sunny. I walked out the door, toward the sunshine, and suddenly found myself reliving the briefing with Christian and the other officers as we discussed Thomas Borathen's plans to come via arch to La Casona. It felt like a lucid dream, except I couldn't control myself. I practically relived every conversation I had with Christian and the other officers from the day, but skipped everything in between. Usually, I don't remember every little thing about a dream, but this one I do. Maybe because it was almost an exact repeat of my day? I don't know. I don't feel stressed, but maybe this new war Thomas Borathen wants to start scares me more than I want to admit. "

  Elyssa turned to the next page. "Another strange dream. I started in the house, and after walking out the front door, found myself in the briefing with Christian, Thomas Borathen, and the other officers. In fact, this dream was exactly like the one from my previous entry—I relived briefings and several conversations from the day. This is too strange to be coincidence. It's almost like something is forcing me to relive this. Is it my troubled conscience? I never wanted war with the vampires, but after the ambush on our convoy, we don't have much choice. In my dream, I kept looking at Ludovico's empty chair and feeling the anger and pain. He shouldn't have died. How did the vampires know to be there?"

  Elyssa looked up fr
om the diary. "I think Daelissa is somehow pushing her to dream about Templar briefings. It would explain how the vampires knew about our arrival at La Casona. "

  "They're dreams, recruit. " Christian made an exasperated noise. " Lieutenant Martinez is obviously under great stress. Most officers, including myself, probably dream about briefings. " His eyes hardened to steel. "As for you and Fausta, you'll both have nightmares once we determine the punishment for your actions tonight. "

  Chapter 19

  I gave up trying to draw the sword, and readied my fists for a fight. Gray emotionless eyes regarded me. The golem tilted his—its—head ever so slightly to the right.

  "Has this entity offended you?" it said.

  "What's wrong with him?" Katie asked, staring at the gray hue of the golem's skin. "Did Maximus do something to the poor man?"

  Words finally came to my tongue. "You're a golem. A gray man. "

  It held its hands out, inspecting them as if for the first time. "This entity—I—am gray. Is it wrong to be this color?"

  My adrenaline rush faded. Either this gray man meant me no harm, or it was playing nice until I let my guard down. I'd fought these things before and knew I could take them one-on-one. Still, I wasn't about to turn my back on the thing. Positioning myself behind one of the tables, I nodded a head at the pile of bodies. "What did Maximus do to those people?"

  The golem approached the pile and knelt, taking a limp hand in his. "They are also gray. "

  Tearing my eyes off the golem, I soaked in details I'd missed earlier. Some bodies in the pile wore gray suits. Some were without clothing. Without exception, they were all gray.

  "Whoa, that's sick," Katie said, kneeling next to one of the bodies. Part of the skull hung open, revealing shiny metal inside.