Find Me If You Dare (Dreamcatcher Book 2) (28 page)

At Richard’s order.

They were his army. And I’d bet any of his remaining “Horsemen” could control them, too.

“Daniel?” Kayla touched my arm. “What are you thinking?”

I ran my hand down my face. Blast, this was bad.

“War,” I said.

Their eyes narrowed, and Trishna tilted her head.

“In my dream just now, Kay”—I caught myself, clearing my throat—“my attacker said, ‘Soon, the red horse rides.’ We’d heard something similar in Philadelphia, except then they’d referred to a white horse. Right before ‘Pestilence’ spread.”

“So, wait, you think either Adelynn or Alex is the second horseman, and they’re going to use the Nightmares as soldiers?” Trishna asked.

I nodded. “I read through the whole passage the night Eric came back. Revelation referred to a second rider on a red horse with a sword, and it would make men slay each other. We know Richard’s manipulating the verses to fit whatever he’s got planned.”

Trishna’s tanned face paled. “If one of those kids are able to control the Nightmares and plans to use them like an army to destroy everything—and everyone—in their paths, we are in more trouble than we thought.” She looked at Kayla. “How soon until you’re able to do a locator spell?”

Kayla stuttered. “Um, a couple days, maybe?”

Trishna nodded. “Good. By then, the rest of the coven should be recovered, and we can all rejoin forces. Then, when we find Richard, we can strike him. Let’s just hope we’re not too late this time.”

never went back to sleep. Instead, as soon as the sky turned a lighter shade of blue, I broke for the field and did as many exercises as I could—pushups, sprints, sit-ups, lunges…even those little things people these days called “burpies.” By the time the others joined me, I was shirtless—I hated working out with a T-shirt clinging to me—and drenched with sweat from the early August heat.

A few coven members I didn’t know followed my usual team. After Seth, Samantha, Kayla, Nolan, Lian, and Ivan, there were four others—all Magus. They introduced themselves as Vinny, Bernice, Ashleigh, and Alice.

“Trishna’s instructions are to train us all like new Protector recruits,” Alice said.

“We already know how to fight with magic, but we don’t know how to fight without it,” Ashleigh added.

Bernice agreed, “Or alongside your kind.”

I nodded. “Sounds like a good plan. Stay close to the Protectors in this group. We’re going to train hard, and I know you all aren’t used to it. So, if you need a break, take one. If you need help, grab one of us. That goes for you two, also.” I tipped my head toward Kayla and Nolan. “I don’t know what your schedule’s like, but don’t let me wear you out.”

“We’re with you all day,” Kayla said.

“Even though I haven’t had my caffeine,” Nolan added. “Which is bullshit, by the way. Trishna should at least have someone take me to a gas station.”

I shook my head. “All right, then. Here’s how I train my new recruits: Run until I tell you to stop. Drop when I tell you to drop. Do whatever I say when I tell you to do it. Last one standing gets a free pass on the first round of the tournament.”

Ivan, Lian, Seth, and Samantha’s faces lit up.

“Wait, we’re doing a tournament?” Samantha asked. “Like, an actual Catcher tournament?”

I nodded once. Usually, the Catcher Tournaments took place after twenty years of training. All the Dreamcatchers who were recruited the same year battled for their positions—the best got the toughest cases, the ones with more prestige. They advanced in the ranks quicker, became mentors faster, and eventually “retired,” coordinating the Protector soldiers versus actually being one. I’d been on my way to “retirement” when all of this happened.

Now, a tournament would have zero significance. But to a true warrior, like my fellow Catchers, winning was a prize in and of itself. To the others, it’d at least be good practice. And the best part—the part that would train them for a battle—was that they’d experience what it truly felt like to get hit. No gloves, no tape. No kill shots, but there’d be blood. Lots of it. Maybe some broken bones. But they’d be ready and learn how to recover when stars popped into their vision. Trishna would be here to heal them immediately afterward, anyway. I wasn’t worried.

“And what about you?” Ivan asked. “You fighting,
tovarishch
?”

Once upon a time, he would’ve called me a derogatory term instead of “comrade.”

“Hell yeah, mate.” I smiled.

In a typical Catcher tournament, contestants had to go through a “preliminary round” for warm-up and to offer the victor a chance to bypass the first round. After giving them a few basic instructions—like what to do when I called “blades out”—I shouted “run” and joined them as we sprinted in snakelike patterns through the field. Usually, we would’ve been racing through rough terrain, invisible so the rest of the world couldn’t see us dashing around like crazed lunatics, but we didn’t have the luxury to choose a different location.

Again and again, I’d shout directions to them, and after an hour of running, my legs burned. I pushed through it, unwilling to admit I wasn’t the strongest in the pack. Twenty minutes later, the only ones standing were me, Lian, and—to my surprise—one of the four Magus who’d joined us: the warlock from Mexico, Vinny.

Finally, Vinny dropped out, and I shouted at Lian, “First one to the woods wins.” We were maybe a quarter mile away.

She grinned, and the two of us took off, sprinting as hard as we could. My lungs were ready to explode, but I struggled onward, nudging Lian out of the way when she closed in on me. She swore at me in Mandarin, falling a few steps behind.

I turned my head to hound her to move faster, but my stamina faltered, a cramp forming in my left hamstring. “Shit!” I shouted, stumbling.

Lian pushed me as she sprinted past. I tipped sideways and landed hard, laughing with my face in the dirt. Knowing she’d won, Lian stopped and returned to where I lay trying to catch my breath. She put her foot on my back. The others laughed, and I imagined her putting her hands on her hips, like a child playing “King of the Mountain.” With a smirk, I flipped onto my back, grabbed her ankle, and pulled her to the ground. She squealed and landed on her bum, laughing as she backhanded my bare chest.

“Dude, you
are
getting old,” Nolan joked when he and the others caught up to us.

I pointed at him and kept smiling. “Hey, I can still kick your ass.”

Above us, the sun was high in the sky, and no clouds filled the bright blue backdrop. An airplane soared, its soft hum a familiar sound. It flew lower than usual, but not to the point that it would cause concern. We weren’t too far from Yangzhou, after all. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if a Nightmare got hold of a plane.

“All right. I think it’s time for a break,” I called as I pushed my aching body off the ground.

Ivan pulled Lian to her feet as Seth asked her, “Think you can score us some Chinese food?”

“We
are
in China,” Nolan replied.

“And maybe some clothes, soap, and shampoo. There’s got to be a lake or river around here somewhere,” Samantha said.

“Yes, through the trees that way.” Lian pointed off to my left. “A small waterfall with a pond. My brother and I used to swim there all the time.”

I nodded, remembering the sound of running water when Samantha and I hiked through the woods. I turned to Nolan. “Was Trishna right about Richard not being able to sense when we evaporate around here? Is it safe to make a supply run?”

He nodded. “Unless he’s found Chinese followers in the few weeks since I left. In which case, we have bigger problems.”

Nothing like stating the obvious. “All right, then. I’ll go with Sam and Lian for food, clothes, and toiletries. Nolan, that should give you time to work with Kayla. The rest of you, take a break or work out on your own. Whatever you want. We’ll start preparing for tomorrow’s tournament after lunch.”

When the group dispersed, I linked hands with Lian and Samantha. Lian took the lead, and we popped into the busy streets of Yangzhou. Hundreds of people hurried past tall, white buildings with coned roofs. The sweet-yet-spicy-and-sour smells of soy sauce and fish oil hit my nose. My stomach grumbled as my mouth watered; I was hungrier than I thought. Loud chatter bounced off the shops, and children played in the dirty streets. Invisible, we hurried through the massive crowd past food, clothing, and souvenir vendors to a small, red-roofed convenience store.

Together, we walked through the wall and went corporeal when no one watched. We filled baskets to the brim with small containers of shampoo, bars of soap, and bottles of water. Being to the point where we had to steal to survive again made my stomach churn, but it was our only option. When we were out of the sight of cameras, we went invisible, taking all the goods with us.

A few more times we stopped at various shops, filling bags with clothes and nabbing take-out orders before cooks and customers realized what happened. Twice, Samantha returned to the barn to drop off our loot, and when we were satisfied that we’d taken more than we needed, we returned to our team.

The twelve of us who weren’t unconscious ate fast. It was our first hot meal in days. Laughter filled the barn as people swapped stories, and for an hour, we forgot about how miserable our lives had become—and the possibility of the world ending. It’d been a long time since I smiled for this long at one time.

Samantha stood and lifted two of the plastic bags we’d filled as Seth gathered the now-empty containers.

“Who wants to go swimming?” she asked.

“Are we seriously going skinny dipping?” Bernice asked.

“Hey, take your clothes off when you’re already in the water, and nobody sees anything,” Vinny replied.

“Until you get out. I make no promises on keepin’ my eyes closed,” Seth replied.

Nolan laughed and whistled as Bernice blushed.

I grabbed one of the bags from Samantha. “We brought bathing suits, you dimwits.” Snatching swim shorts from the bag, I threw them in Seth’s face.

“Aw, man,” he said.

Kayla rose to her feet, taking the other bag from Samantha. “Then what are we waiting for? Boys, go change outside, and we’ll meet you when we’re ready.”

“I’m so peeking through the door,” Nolan said as he rose to his feet and dug red shorts from the bag. I smacked him upside the head. He grinned.

Outside, we tossed our dirty clothes into piles on the ground and dressed. When the girls met us, most of them carrying their shirts and wearing nothing but bikini tops and shorts, Vinny, Seth, and Nolan wasted no time catcalling.

“Oh, shut up,” Samantha said, pushing Nolan as she strutted past him.

I shook my head but had to agree: Kayla was freaking hot. Her hips swayed with every step, and the top of her bathing suit revealed more skin than a sports bra. An image of her naked, wet chest pressed against mine flashed through my mind. My cheeks baked. I took Kayla’s hand and started weaving through the trees before I could talk the others into staying behind.

Don’t pretend you weren’t staring at my boobs
, she said.

My cheeks burned hotter.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.