Quicksilver Dreams (Dreamwalkers) (26 page)

The smaller of the two suddenly became engulfed in vibrant blue light and disappeared with the bag. The larger of the pair tilted his head back and roared out his displeasure at being left behind. This dislodged his hood, which caused immediate pandemonium.

“Brausa!” Someone shouted, horrified.

Screams sounded.

People ran wildly.

Hysteria reigned, echoing chaotically throughout the cavern.

Vibrant light flashed sporadically around me as most escaped through transferring, but I could only stare at the giant before me, frozen with fear.

Massive, enraged, muscles heaving, the man was well over six feet tall and wearing leather breeches and a tunic of a heavy cloth. His brown hair was long, dirty and matted into locks that fell down his back. He was an animal!

His feelings of wrath and betrayal intertwined and swamped me. I tried to backpedal, realizing I hadn’t thought this part through very carefully, but I couldn’t make my feet work properly. I couldn’t even turn to run. It was like they were rooted to the ground.

“You think to stop me?” he roared, rushing me. “I will own you!” I had no time to think. His putrid breath reached me before his arms encircled me in a punishing grip that nearly cut off my circulation. A sharply pointed, metallic edge suddenly dug into my side. I gasped with the pain. “Take me from here! Now!”

This was the second time I had stared death in the face, and it was dirty, rank and filled with a fuck-all fury that was terrifying. My heart pounded triple time. I struggled to drag air into my lungs.

He was going to shove the blade into my side and not give a rat’s ass about it.

“Do it!” he roared in my face. A droplet of spit smacked my cheek.

I didn’t know what he wanted from me, but my brain went into survival mode. I closed my eyes and flashed back to the mental attack I’d pulled on Ryder earlier.

If it worked once...

A surge of unnatural energy pushed through me, and I gritted my teeth, pulling it all in, soaking it up. I imagined a gigantic fist, a haymaker, projecting through space, building momentum, speed and power before pounding through the thick skull of the brute holding me. He shouted out, his grip loosening. I threw fist after mental fist like a grappling MMA fighter who’d sunk leg hooks into his quarry and was just pounding the shit out of his unprotected face—in this case, unprotected mind. The power surging through me was practically tangible, crackling behind my lids.

He cried out again and let go, holding both hands to his head as though in great pain. His dagger clanked onto the stone floor. Cocking my knee back, I rammed the guy in the nuts with as much strength as I could muster and felt a hit of pure satisfaction when he bent and grabbed his groin with a shout of anguish. He was on level with me, and I cracked a head butt across the bridge of his nose.

We both cried out on that one. He fell to the floor with blood gushing down his face, and I stepped away from him holding both hands to my forehead. Helping hands were dragging me away from the guy, and armed men suddenly swarmed the area, taking the brutish warrior into custody.

The door whispered shut in my mind, and the power surge ceased.

“Thank Pere’ you were here, and that you’re okay.” Cynthia held on to me tightly. The problem for me at this point was that I was absolutely wiped out. I couldn’t even stand anymore. Black spots swarmed like bees before my eyes, blocking out my vision.

“Taylor?”

“I’m so tired,” I whispered from a thousand miles away, unable to see through the darkness. “I’m okay. I think I’m...going to sleep.”

* * *

The darkness took over.

Cynthia’s cry receded into nothingness as I left the corporeal plane. The darkness opened up to the airy blue heavens and the rhythm—
whump...whump...whump
—of my old animal friend.

I ran gentle hands over his beautiful feathers as we skimmed high, thin clouds. I thanked him for helping me with the final bit of energy I’d leveled at the bad guy, but telepathically, I was told that it was all part of a larger plan. Nothing was coincidental. There were no accidents. There was no judgment. There was no good or evil.

I
don’t understand.

He let me know in soft tones that I soon would.

I felt a familiar energy signature.
Is Dreya nearby?

The knowledge that she was present and wanted to speak with me was relayed.

I
would love to see her.

We descended through the clouds, flying low over the lake that sparkled with a thousand points of brilliant light as the water rippled under the sun. We left the field of iridescent flowers swaying in our wake, and Dreya was just there, coming down her porch steps as we landed. Her hair was beautifully white and swinging clear down to her waist. She was in a light, flowing peasant dress, and I was surprised that she was wearing clothing that had been outlawed. I had to give her points, though. She was very bohemian.

Stepping down, using one massive outstretched wing as a ramp, I thanked my animal friend and wished him all health and happiness. He responded in kind and flew straight up and away in an impressive show of magnificence.

I
felt the strength of your power
,
Taylor.
You seem to have come through your first trial with hardly a scratch.
Dreya enveloped me in one of her hugs that felt so good, though her clear blue eyes reflected a shadow of uncertainty.
I
hope your next is as easily resolved.

Will I have time to rest first?
My body seems to be worn out
, I offered with some amusement.
I
think I left it behind.

Dreya’s smile faded.
This is the Gods’ plane
,
dear.
You have access to this.
The Great Spirits are here
,
watching everything.
It takes much energy to be a conduit for the Great Spirits.

The Gods’ plane?
I
must be moving up in the world.
Can I tell that to the IRS?

This is no laughing matter
,
Taylor.
I’m here to tell you that your next trial will be of the heart.

Fear pricked my gut. Another trial? Really?
Does this have to do with Ryder?
I’m really not good with romantic relationships
,
and I’ll likely bomb any test you give me
—

I
will only tell you that you must find your mother.
Quickly.
She is very important to your journey
,
and your journey is important to all of us.
You are the first step on a new path
,
but she must first answer your questions.

This request threw me for a loop. It was the last thing I was expecting to hear.
What questions?
I
don’t have any questions for her.

You do.
Look into your heart.
Find her
, Dreya insisted sharply. Panic struck fast and furious as I imagined my mother in front of me again. It struck me that I was afraid of knowing what was more important than me that kept her away.
I
don’t even know how to find her!

You will.
Think about it.
Haven’t you wanted to find her your whole life?
You weren’t ready yet
,
which is why you never succeeded.
Now it’s time.
You must overcome your fears.

I wanted to howl in protest.
She’s a junkie somewhere
,
maybe even dead!
She couldn’t have cared less about me.
How do you expect me to find her?
My heart suddenly tripped up as I thought of not just finding my mother, but actually confronting her. Momentarily, I relived the pain of the moment when I realized she wasn’t coming back. I viciously ripped that mental poster from my private memory bank, tearing it to shreds. What would I even say to her?

Life makes us who we are
,
Taylor.
Life has made you strong
,
allowed you to survive and thrive
,
though you’ve had to face challenges.

Challenges?
You make it sound so simple.
I
had challenges.
I laughed without humor.
Let me tell you something.
Making it across the San Fernando Valley during rush-hour traffic is challenging.
Growing up a second-language learner is challenging.
I
had to raise myself!
I
was alone with cruel
,
angry adults taking pleasure in putting me through hell!

You don’t know the details
,
Taylor.

I
don’t want to know.

You will soon learn.
Then you’ll understand.

Alone!
No one cared about me!
The bitterness was suddenly welling up from the depths of my soul, overwhelming my heart and mind. I could see all the times I was heartsick, missing her, wishing she would show up and take me home with her. I remembered all the times when I had no one to talk to who cared, no one to share news with, good or bad.

Why did she leave? What did I do that was so bad that she didn’t want to be around me anymore?

The pain flayed my lungs. I was hyperventilating with my sudden rage, and I felt disoriented, wondering where it was coming from and why I was feeling all this now.

All things happen for a reason.
Dreya’s voice was firm, but kind.
Your struggles won’t be for naught.

So easy for you to say!

Remember.
No judgment.

How will I remember this?
I
don’t even get to keep you.
It hurt. It really did. Dreya was becoming another source of warmth to be teased with.

You’ll remember when you need to.

The darkness enveloped me again. Gratefully, I let the dream fade into the mental black hole that housed unwanted, painful memories.

* * *

Opening my eyes, I saw that I was in yet another room I’d never been in before, tucked into a warm, fluffy bed and feeling pretty good. Sleep was a beautiful thing. I managed to take it in stride, remembering immediately that I was on another planet. My pulse didn’t even flutter. I was probably all tapped out of fear at this point.

“Oh, thank the Gods you’re awake,” Cynthia murmured from a chair by another of those cool floor-to-ceiling windows, like I’d seen in Ryder’s library, where I’d first learned what I’d gotten myself into, surrounded by his stacks of books. The wild jungle was just beyond, and it didn’t seem quite so frightening to me anymore. She set her book on a side table and approached the bed quickly. “How are you feeling?”

I was somewhat confused by the concern in her warm brown eyes, but I cautiously did a quick internal check and replied, “Good. Why?”

“Ryder has been going out of his ever-loving mind since he met us at the medic ward. I think they were glad to let him bring you home. They couldn’t wait to get rid of him.”

“The medic ward.” I let that sink in a moment.

That’s right!

Memory returned in a messy, tangled flood of sound, color and texture. The marketplace, the Brausiian warrior who was going to gut me—these were all things that had taken place, along with a host of other equally terrifying events.

Yes. I’d survived them all. They were all lovely things I would be able to add to my résumé. Visited foreign planet...check. Defeated big, nasty warrior with cool ninja mind trick...check. I smirked, feeling like my life had become one big sideshow.

“Don’t worry. Aside from a minor scratch from the dagger he pinned you with, nothing is broken, and you’re just fine. You slept like the dead, though. Nothing could move you. No one could connect with you.”

“Connect?” I assumed she was referring to dreamwalking or mindwalking, but I didn’t get confirmation on it. Cynthia wasn’t listening to me. She seemed a bit distracted, almost absently continuing her monologue of what had occurred while I was out.

“So the Brausiian was removed, people were saved, but you were out cold. The medic unit arrived with a stretcher, and we got you all checked out. I called Nick so he could let Ryder know what had happened, and he showed up at the ward all crazy with worry.”

As an afterthought, she added, “What have you done to that man? He’s become certifiable. He has only ever behaved calmly, logically and with a cool head, but not today. Ryder was barking orders at everyone, ripping on the medical team for not curing you. No one knew what to do, and the general consensus was to let you sleep it off, since your vitals appeared fine, but that wasn’t enough for Ryder. Nick had to physically remove him from the examination room, which almost caused a fight between the two of them, when the medics were checking you out.”

“What have I done to him?” The question bemused me. Like I had the power to do anything. He was a big, powerful male, probably used to getting his way in all things. There wasn’t anything I could do to influence him one way or another. “I’m sure he just feels responsible for me.”

She shook her head exasperatedly, obviously in disagreement. “Anyway, we now have this big investigation to conduct. The tapes were retrieved and reviewed by the council over the last few hours.”

“Tapes?” I knew I was sounding like a parrot, but there was nothing else I could contribute.

“We have all public places surveyed continuously.”

It sounded very Big-Brotheresque to me, but who was I to criticize? I didn’t live here.

“It’s been an eventful afternoon.” Cynthia finished her recitation and paused.