The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,130
of us. We’ll never forget your sacrifice.”
She hesitates. For a second, I think she’s going to refuse, which would be a contradiction to my vision. But then she straightens her spine, raises her chin, and tightens her grip on the machete.
“Goodbye, my friend,” she says to Merina. “It was an honor to serve you.”
“You served me well.” A little praise is the least I can give her in her last moments.
Water laps at her feet as she shuffles forward. Shivering, she keeps going until the bottom half of her robe is drenched and she’s wading at waist level. I’m not sure if she’s shaking from fear or cold, but I have to acknowledge her dedication.
She’s willing to die for the coven. Maybe, in their own sick way, they do know love. At least they have loyalty.
It’s a shame they never used their abilities for good. With the power they have, they could’ve done so many great things for Valora. Instead, they tried to topple entire kingdoms and threw vengeful curses at innocent princes.
The witch is submerged up to her shoulders now. Although she can’t see it, I create an image of myself at the bottom of the pond and make it scream. Bubbles float out of the open mouth and pop up to the surface.
Damon stiffens at the sight. Even an imaginary version of me struggling is difficult for him to handle. I melt a little and rub his arm reassuringly.
Blade first, the witch dives. Before she can get to me, my image turns to nothing but a dark mist, and the machete penetrates the sand.
Now she realizes she’s stuck in a nightmare, just like I was after the car accident. She wants to wake up, but because of Damon’s power, she can’t.
As the witch flails helplessly, the dream changes. Fight or flight kicks in, and she’s trying to escape by wishing she were somewhere else. Trees and bushes flicker around us, and I see a glimpse of their village. Six huts are hidden in a rocky valley.
I thought I’d feel better in this moment, but revenge isn’t sweet. It’s just… final.
The most tragic part of all is that the prophesy they spoke of was self-fulfilling. They brought about their own demise because they wouldn’t leave us alone.
They gave us no other choice, because the coven would never stop hunting Damon and me. Or our family and friends. Or even worse, our future children.
Maybe this is a lesson from fate. It can’t be manipulated. It won’t be tampered with.
When the witch finally goes still, our surroundings darken.
As soon as she dies, Damon and I are sucked out of the dream as her brainwaves diminish. Holding onto his hand, I drift with him as he searches for the next dream orb. I float, giving into the weightlessness as I try to conserve my energy.
It’s going to be a long night.
I’m already wrung out, but all we can do is keep moving forward.
As my feet touch down on another bed of leaves, I take a deep breath and ready myself to dream weave again.
One witch down. Eight more to go.
Damon
Whitley’s breathing is slow and even as I lie next to her. She’s not sleeping because of me. No, she’s just exhausted.
It’s been two days since the confrontation with the coven, and my Glow-amplified power started to taper off after about twenty-four hours. Just before dawn this morning, our crew began to wake up.
I can hear them celebrating outside our tent. Pots clatter. Fires crackle. People chatter about our victory in cheerful tones.
Because we were victorious, Whitley and me.
After the first drowning, we found four more witches nearby, and they met the same fate as the first. The others were more difficult to locate. One had been hiding in a tall tree in the Night Realm. Whitley used a dragon illusion to get her to fall to her death.
Three had taken refuge in the Shadowlands. All Whitley had to do was lure them out of their cave, and the monsters in that hellish place took care of the rest.
However, there’s still one left unaccounted for. Merina was nowhere to be found. She must’ve managed to get out of my range, but I haven’t given up. Even after Whitley had to tap out, I kept trying to catch Merina during sleep.
No success yet, but that’s okay. I’d need Whitley with me anyway, and I have a feeling she might not be up for dream hopping for a while.