Dwellers of Darkness (13 page)

Later in the evening, I dragged myself back to the room, my mind and body exhausted due to the heat and exercise. I slipped quickly into a slumber.

My lids opened to a familiar scene in front of me. I stood in the magical forest. Glinting and dreamlike, the trees swayed under the light breeze.

“It feels too long since we have been here together,” Torin said from beside me. “I have missed this.”

I peered at his face. Here in the
dreamwalk, he was fully healed. It was hard to not have your breath taken away when he looked at you. Torin was beautiful.

“You really scared the crap out of me when I couldn’t contact you.”

“I apologize. I will do my best to never distress you again.” Out of my peripheral I could see him staring at me, his eyes full of heated longing. I kept my attention on the trees fluttering in the slight breeze, finding them the most fascinating thing I had even seen.

“Don’t say you’re sorry for something you couldn’t help.” I knocked my shoulder into his, trying to defuse the growing tension between us. He winced. “Oh, sorry. You look so normal in the dreamscape I forget you really are still hurt.”

He rubbed his shoulder. “I am fine. Your touch is always welcome.”

I bit my lip, my teeth tearing into the flesh.

“Stop.” Torin’s hand came up to my cheek, his fingers brushing over my mouth.

My breath caught in my throat. I was torn between pulling away and wanting to stay in his
warm touch. His eyes were focused on my mouth. He slowly pulled me to him. I knew how I felt about Eli, but I also couldn’t deny the part of me drawn to Torin—the bond which connected us. I always hated those wishy-washy girls in books and movies. They seemed weak, not able to make a decision. But here I was, being the same girl. Annoyance at myself, at Torin, and Eli had me jerking back out of Torin’s reach.

His lids narrowed as he watched me pull away. “Ember, don’t fight it. You know deep down we are supposed to be together.” He was trying to disguise it, but I felt frustration and aggravation skimming his thin facade.

My head started to twist back and forth, “No, no I don’t know that.” The reason my resentment intensified was because I did have those feelings somewhere in me. I didn’t like it. I did not want people telling me what to do or feeling I had no control or choice in a situation. My stubborn instinct wanted to combat it.

“Yes, you do.” His fingers wound tightly around my wrists.

“The bond may think so, but it’s not how I feel.” I shook my head again.

He tugged at my arms roughly, forcing me to look at him. “Stop it! The bond does not force you to feel anything you do not already experience. You are merely too afraid to admit it.” There was a wild note whirling in the pitch of his voice. My heartbeat stepped up, slamming into my chest. I knew Torin would never hurt me, but something seemed off. He was not quite himself. After what he had been through, who could blame him? He might never be all right again.

My expression must have shown some of the concern I felt. His eyes widened. He quickly dropped my hands, moving away. “I am sorry, Ember. I lost my temper.”

“It’s okay.” I licked at my lips nervously. I was okay, but his strangling grip and tone still startled me. He had never been aggressive with me before. Torin had always been extremely kind and sweet. Patient to a fault. I could feel his patience was now thin and near the breaking point.

It was barely audible, but with my Dark Dweller hearing, I picked up a low, deep growl coming from the forest. I swallowed nervously, scanning the woods. Eli was there somewhere, hiding in the shadows.

I needed to defuse the situation.

“I was about to go dreamwalk on West, my dad, and Ryan.”

“Then I will let you go.” Torin stepped forward and without warning cupped the side of my face and kissed me. His lips were warm as they softly covered mine. He broke off and leaned his head into mine, whispering hoarsely. “It was nice having this brief moment with you. You were what got me through the pain. Thinking of you during that time gave me hope.”

He let go of my face, not waiting for my response, and disappeared into the trees, leaving me dazed and frozen in place.

A branch snapped in the forest and eventually broke me out of my stupor. I could not face Eli or his bi-polar wrath.

I massaged my forehead as I tried to concentrate on West. I wanted to see my dad, but the images of the spikes rammed into West’s throat made him my first priority. He was family now, so I focused sharply on him. I wanted to get into the dreamwalk before Eli approached me. I didn’t need his indifferent or spiteful comments about Torin or my bringing both of them into my dreamscapes. The connection I felt for them seemed to automatically bring both in whether I wanted them to be there or not.

The queasy feeling was all I needed to realize I had left the forest. I opened my eyes, adjusting to the dark, seedy dungeon. The smell of urine and molding straw did not assault me, but I knew it was there. My nose still scrunched up in memory of the rancid stench.

My vision finally became accustomed to the murky gloom of the cell.

“West...” My feet tripped over themselves trying to move to him.

Blood trickled down his neck, pooling around the collar of his shirt. The blood loss had affected him greatly. Weight had fallen off of him; his cheeks were gaunt, his eyes were sunken, and his face was pale and haggard. His body was burning calories trying to reproduce blood, and he was losing too much to keep up.

“West, I am so sorry.” I knelt on the other side of the bars, reaching for his face. “I will get you out of here. I promise.” His eyes had been shut, but the moment I touched him they opened. A shiver ran through his body. He could feel me. His lids blinked, displaying his soft brown eyes. “I have to say you look like crap,” I teased, knowing he couldn’t hear me.

“You. Look. Like. Crap.” A halting voice came from the dark. I jumped, falling on my rear. My eyes scanned the area for the sound.

“And here I thought I had dressed to impress today,” West spoke back. His tone sounded rough as he struggled to talk.

Trepidation latched onto my nerves. No one could hear me while in a
dreamwalk. Was it just a coincidence? I stood still, wary of who had spoken.

“I. See. You.” The voice came again. My heart pounded in my chest. Was it talking to me?

“Well, there goes playing hide-n-seek with you. This was my best hiding spot.” West snorted.

My gut told me the strange voice was talking to me, not
West.

I moved forward, squinting, and tried to peer through the thick shadows down the prison walk. There was a soft shuffling sound before I saw a short figure. It only came up to my waist and appeared stocky, built like a square with a thick neck and large head. The closer it got, the clearer it became. I could now see the long beard, fat squashed nose, and deep-set, squinty eyes. The time in Lars’ library had once again come in handy. The sketches of a dwarf in one of his books almost mirrored the one standing before me. The description had stated they weren’t known to be friendly or sociable, kept to themselves, and preferred living in dark, underground places, in mountains, or like this stinky dungeon.

He waddled as he walked toward me, huffing with the effort. Both he and his clothes were filthy. The dirt and grime so deeply set in his wrinkles it looked like he had never bathed. Now I was more thankful I could not smell him as his odor must be horrendous. He carried a pitcher of water and spilled most of the contents as he shuffled to West’s cell.

“Do you see me?” I asked.

He didn’t look up or even flinch as I spoke, his stout body walked through me without hesitation. Okay, I was losing it. It must have been a fluke he had repeated what I said.

“I see you,” the voice said again. This time I saw the dwarf’s lips didn’t move. He only grunted in response. “But do you see me?”

“I don’t need to see you. I smell you,” West replied.

Movement on the dwarf’s shoulder caught my eye. What I had thought was part of the little man’s clothing was a bird. A large one. The raven’s inky, black body and bright, beady eyes turned toward me.

The raven had been speaking the whole time, not the dwarf.

“You came back. Fire. You returned home.”

“I’d miss you guys too much,” West replied dryly. “I think you forgot your medication today, raven. You’re being even more nonsensical than usual.”

“You see me?” It was less of a question and more an attempt to confirm this was really happening.

“I see all.” The creature tilted its head at me.

Crap. The bird really could see me. This wasn’t good. It could fly off at any time and tell the Queen I was here. And there was little doubt it knew who I was. My safety felt threatened; the urge to run was strong. I took a few steps, giving one last look to West.

“No. Stay.” The raven flapped its wings.

No, I should go.

I slammed my lids shut and thought about Mark and Ryan. I would see them before I left the dreamwalk. I hoped the raven would not tell her right away.

The room spun. When it stopped I reopened my eyes and examined the area for any potential threat where Ryan and Mark were being held. It looked like no time had passed since my last visit. It probably hadn’t to them. Mark still sat in the chair, hovering close to Ryan’s bed. Castien leaned against the far wall. Ryan was still unconscious, sleeping deeply. His skin had more color in it, and this time I picked up a slight glow. Oh, holy crap! My friend was sparkling like a true Fairy. The irony of this was not lost on me, and I couldn’t help burst out laughing. He would love this.

“So tell me again what a Dae is.” Mark’s annoyed tone broke into my musings.

Castien exhaled as if this was the tenth time he had answered the same question. “A Dae is half pure Demon and half noble Fairy.”

“So Lily, my wife, had been married previously to a noble Fairy but had an affair with a Demon?” Mark’s incredulous expression told me he was having trouble believing this.

“I’m not going through this with you again.”

Mark’s blue eyes glared at Castien. “You haven’t said yes or no to anything I’ve asked.”

“You need to discuss this with your wife, not me.”

Mark’s lids lowered. “Yes, if my wife was alive, and I was not locked up in Fairyland, I would love to talk to her about why she didn’t tell me the truth. Why she hid Ember’s and her real identity from me. All those years I secretly feared Ember was going insane. I doubted her. I could have been there for her. Goddammit, Lily, why didn’t you tell me?” he yelled at no one.

Castien scoffed. “Would you have believed her?” Before Mark could respond, Castien added, “In this world truth can either save you or kill you. In your case it would have been the latter. She protected you by not telling you.”

“But you still ended up here. I have to say I think Lily was selfish. Did she think past what she wanted, bringing you into this?” The Queen’s voice caused both men and me to jump. Castien straightened, assuming his guard stance. Mark knocked back his chair, standing, defensively putting a hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

Shit! Did the raven tell her I was here? Glancing around, I saw no sign of the bird, which didn’t mean it wasn’t there somewhere. The only thing keeping me from jumping out of my dreamwalk was the Queen did not look around. Her attention was completely on Mark and Ryan.

“You humans are so amusing. You would put your body in front of his, wouldn’t you? Do you not know that would be in vain? Nothing could stop me from getting to him if I wanted, and you would be merely another dead body I would have to drag out of here.” Her voice tinkled like soft bells, but her words cut like barbs of steel.

Mark’s hand didn’t leave Ryan’s arm. I was starting to see it wasn’t only my mom I took after. Mark had taught me protectiveness and dedication to those he loved. If I took after even one of his traits, I would be happy. My love for him burgeoned in my chest, almost suffocating me. My muscles itched with need to grab him and take him back to Earth with me.

“You are excused, guard.” Aneira didn’t take her eyes off Mark.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Castien bowed and headed for the door. I could see the concern in his eyes as he turned to look at Ryan as he left the room.