Chapter 14 #4
I take a step toward the door, yanking Tia along with me. “This was a mistake,” I say, needing time to regroup. To think.
“There is no time to waste,” Vance says. “You’ve seen them, haven’t you?” Vance’s words freeze me in place.
“Them?”
“The Hunter and the King. The man with golden eyes who pursues you in your dreams. And the Nightmare King, whose eyes shine like silver.”
Tia squeezes my hand. Hard.
“How the hell do you know that?” I ask.
His eyes meet mine, soft, yet unflinching. “As I said, I was very close to your mother.”
A rail-thin man with wire-rimmed glasses shifts forward. “The barriers are weakening,” he says, his voice reedy and nervous. “Creatures are slipping through. You must know this. Just as you know that you must keep the barriers from falling.”
“What? I don’t know any of that. I never heard any of this until I walked into this room. So why on earth would I be the Chosen One?”
“Your bloodline, of course,” Vance says.
“This is crazy,” I mutter, more to myself than to them. “You’re all crazy.”
“You know better than that. We’re your allies, Cora. We can help you in so many ways.”
“Such as?”
“Controlling your dreamwalking. Perhaps even using it to your advantage.”
Tia steps forward, her voice sharp with suspicion when she says simply, “Why?”
“Dark times are coming,” he says. “If the barriers fall, the Oneiroi will be prepared. You must be too,” he says, his focus on me. “Your role in the new order will be quite significant.”
I believe him. Or, rather, I believe that he believes what he’s saying. But I don’t believe that he’s told me everything. Not even close.
“I need time,” I say. “This is a lot to process.”
Vance nods, seemingly satisfied. “Of course. We wouldn’t expect you to make such a decision lightly.
” He circles the table, then hands me a business card.
“When you’re ready to talk further—about the realms or about your abilities—call that number.
” He puts his hand on my shoulder in a gesture that feels almost paternal. “Day or night, Cora.”
I tuck the card into my pocket as I step away from his touch. “Well,” I say, facing them all, “this has been interesting.” I glance at Tia, who rolls her eyes, then follows me out of the room.
“That was intense,” Tia whispers as we descend the staircase. “And I still don’t have a clue what they want from you. Do you know?”
“Not remotely.” I exhale as if I’m pushing out bad air. “Let’s get out of here. Want to hit that all-night coffee place?”
Tia nods, and we make our way toward the French doors at the back of the foyer. The night air is cool and damp, a welcome relief from the stuffiness inside. Only a few other guests are out here, smoking or engaged in quiet conversation, and no one tries to talk to us or stop us from leaving.
By the time we reach The Coffee Beanery, I’ve shaken off most of the icky feeling that lingered after the encounter with Vance and his minions.
“Do you believe him?” Tia asks, once we’re both seated at one of the outdoor tables with foam-topped lattes and warm cookies. Comfort food, and much needed. “About barriers falling? And what does that mean, anyway?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” But that’s a lie, because right then, all I can think about is thin. About how I keep having that strange sensation that the edges of reality are becoming thin. I guess I was right.
Yay, me?
“I think they’re kinda nuts,” Tia says firmly. “I mean, if there are barriers between realms that are breaking down, we’d look up and some fire-breathing dragon would turn us into ash right here and now.”
She looks up as if expecting that dragon, then shudders, her body sagging as she looks at me. “This is really real, isn’t it?”
“I think so,” I say. “And I’m right in the middle of it, without a clue how to stop it. Or even if I’m supposed to stop it.”
“I’ll help. You know I will.”
“Thanks.”
“Well, you don’t have to thank me. I mean, hell. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep nightmare dragons from turning me into a crispy critter.”
I actually laugh, which feels pretty good. “I meant for being my friend. And holy crap, doesn’t that sound corny?”
She reaches across the table for my hand. “I like the way it sounds. Really. And thanks for being my friend too. I mean, you’re like destined to save the universe. I’m destined for nothing.”
“Nice that you have options, though. I have a feeling I’m pretty much stuck.”
She shrugs. “The grass is always greener…”
And isn’t that the truth?
I take another sip of coffee, then settle back in my chair, wanting to talk, but not wanting to at the same time.
“What?” she says, proving how well she already knows me.
“It’s just…Vance. Do you think—never mind,” I say, firmly cutting myself off.
“What?”
I wave my words away. “Just that he seems trustworthy and completely bogus all at the same time.”
“I think that’s how all leaders of supernatural societies come off.”
“So he’s just normal?”
“Pretty much,” she says with a grin I don’t return. I’m too busy looking at my coffee cup and chastising myself for not asking what I’m really wondering—was it my imagination, or was Vance hinting that he’s my father?
I draw in a breath, ready to give it a second try, but Tia tosses her cup, then stretches. “Should we get going?”
“Probably,” I say, wondering if this is how Luke felt after Darth Vader dumped that paternity bomb.
“What do they think you can do?” Tia asks. “About the barriers falling, I mean.”
“I don’t know.” I glance sideways at her. “I’m going to have to ask, though. I mean, if there’s something I can do to keep nightmare creatures from popping through cracks into our world, I need to do that, right?”
“You’re going back to Vance?”
I shake my head. I’m not going to see that man again until I’ve worked up the nerve to ask the bigger question. “Chase,” I say. “And if he blows me off again, I’ll ask him in a dream. I mean, that’s the thing, right? Fight the monsters in the dreams before they find a way through?”
“Will that fix the barriers? Or just hold the monsters back? And the barriers between what? Us and the nightmares? Or are there more?”
“No clue,” I admit, thinking that being some sort of prophecy girl really should come with a manual. “But I guess I need to figure it out soon.”
“You know I’m in for the research,” Tia says as we walk through the quad.
“Thanks,” I say.
She hip-butts me. “Always happy to do whatever it takes to keep out the monsters.”
There’s a moon tonight, and we’re not the only folks walking through the dappled light that cuts through the Widow Maker’s leaves, painting patterns on the stone walkways.
I see a couple making out in shadows, two girls arguing on a bench, a tall, lean man with dark hair that falls across his forehead, and many others out for a stroll or hurrying back to their dorm after a date.
I envy them, not knowing about barriers and prophecies and nightmares walking in our world.
We’re circling the Science Center as we head for Hamilton Hall when I see him again. Onyx Eyes. The same lean and gawky man I saw before, watching me from the shadows between buildings.
He’s wearing a thin coat that catches the breeze, and those huge eyes seem to glow in the moonlight.
“Tia,” I whisper. “We need to hurry. Now.”
But he’s already moving toward us with fluid, predatory grace. There’s something inhuman about the way he moves—too smooth, too silent, and yet awkward at the same time.
And then, when he lifts his hand and sends a dagger hurling straight toward me, I know that we’re really and truly fucked.