The Nightmare Dilemma

35 Aftermath

When I finally did wake, I found myself alone. The room was a familiar one, the bed large and luxurious with a black and white satin comforter. White sheer curtains hung from the single window. Various paintings decorated the blue-gray walls, one depicting a sunset, another an ancient ship caught in a storm.

I knew this place. This was the spare bedroom in my mother’s house on Waterfront Lane. Framed pictures of me lined the top of the chest of drawers in one corner. There were too many to count—my whole life captured in still, single moments.

All of this I had taken in without sitting up, and I slowly became aware of how heavy and sluggish my limbs felt, as if they hadn’t been used in a long time. I slowly pushed back the bedclothes. When I did, I saw I wasn’t as alone as I’d thought. A sword lay in the bed beside me. The blade was sheathed in a leather scabbard, but I recognized the bone hilt.

Bellanax.

At once everything came back to me with startling clarity. The way I had jumped into that burning fissure. The way the sword had known what to do on its own, absorbing the power of the Telluric Rod as it had just begun to explode. It had pulled that power into itself, and then channeled it outward, breaking the spell before it could complete.

And when it ended I had fallen all the way through the hole and into a channel that led me out to sea. The merkind had rescued me, but I couldn’t remember anything after that.

Gritting my teeth, I sat up, muscles protesting the movement. The action left me panting and weak as I slumped against the headboard. I was wearing a pair of silk pajamas, the kind with a long-sleeved, button-down front and pants. I ran my hand over my stomach, alarmed at how easily I felt my ribs, my belly a sunken, hollow cave between my hip bones. The sight of my body in such a condition set my head to pounding with fright. How long had I been unconscious?

I peered at the closed door into the bedroom, wishing it would open. I didn’t actively engage my mind-magic. I knew I didn’t have the energy for it. But after several minutes of this, I gave up the hope, and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The movement was easier, my muscles warming up, but still it left me panting and exhausted.

I slowly slid off the bed and stood, testing my balance. Wobbly, but okay. I glanced at the sword and debated picking it up. I wanted it with me, and yet I didn’t. It filled me with both awe and terror like a wild beast I wanted to tame but was too afraid to approach.

Turning my back on the sword, I crossed the room to the door. I leaned against it for a moment, catching my breath, and then I pushed it open. I walked down the dim, empty hallway with one arm braced against the wall for support. When I reached the end of it, I looked around the corner and spotted my mother standing in the kitchen across the way, only her head and torso visible over the divider into the living room.

Before I could call out to her, she turned and spotted me. The glass in her fingers slipped and crashed to the floor. She didn’t care as she dashed through the kitchen toward me.

“Dusty,” she said, pulling me into a hug. I sagged against her, grateful for the support. Mom pushed me back. “You shouldn’t be up.” She hugged me again. “But I’m so glad you’re awake. So, so glad.”

The relief in her voice made me feel like crying.

Finally, Mom’s grip on me loosened. “I need to call the doctor, let them know you’re awake. You go back to bed.”

I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to lie down again. Bright light was streaming in through the back porch window, and I pointed at it. “I want to sit out there.”

Moira glanced behind her, debating for a moment. Then she sighed. “All right. For a little while.” She ran a hand over my hair tied in a loose braid. “Goodness knows you could use some sun.”

A few moments later, I was settled down in a wicker chair on the back porch, staring out at the calm waters of Lake Erie. Despite the warmth of the day, Mom brought me a blanket and wrapped it around my legs. Then she brought me tea and insisted I drink it.

“The doctor should be here soon,” my mother said, taking the seat opposite mine.

I took a long drink of the tea, surprised to find I didn’t hate it. Finally, I cleared my throat and said, “Is everyone okay? Did the island stay afloat?”

Mom sighed and crossed one leg over the other. “Yes and yes. What you did … it was amazing, although if you ever do something so dangerous again, I’ll ground you for life.”

I smiled, a part of me fully aware that she wasn’t joking.

“What do you remember?” Moira said.

I took another sip of tea and then gave her the best summary I could. It was hard talking about it, but only because I was tired and my throat sore from lack of use. “So what happened after the merkind saved me?” I asked when I came to the end of it.

“We took you to Vejovis. You were there a few days while the doctors treated your injuries. There were surprisingly few. Some burns on your arms and legs, mostly healed now and with very little scarring.”

I frowned and pulled up my shirtsleeve. The skin there was bright pink, like a newborn baby’s. I exhaled in relief. I’d gotten even luckier than I realized. But then I remembered that force that had wrapped around me as I fell—perhaps it wasn’t luck at all, but the sword.

“How long have I been unconscious?”

My mother swallowed, and her eyes looked wet. “Ten days.”

I sucked in a breath. That long? How was it possible? No wonder she was so relieved to see me up and about.

Mom turned her gaze toward the water. “The doctors worried you might not wake at all. I’m so glad you proved them wrong.”

“Me too.”

Mom turned back to me, smiling.

“But why am I here?” I motioned to her apartment.

“After that first week, the doctors said there was nothing left to do but wait and see. So I brought you here where I could keep a better eye on you. It’s also made it easier for your dad to visit. There are so many restrictions on ordinaries visiting Vejovis.”

I sat up. “Dad’s been here?”

“Everyone’s been here, Dusty. Eli and Selene have come by every day. Even half of the Magi Senate has come to visit you.”

I blinked, the mention of the Magi Senate setting my mind to racing. “What about Magistrate Kirkwood? Did they stop him?”

“Oh, yes.” A dark look crossed Moira’s face. “They arrested him and Gargrave while they were still on Lyonshold. They were on the outer island, along with some of the other senators. Titus pretended to be innocent of everything until he spotted Brackenberry’s men coming after him. Then he and Gargrave tried to flee, but they didn’t get very far.”

For the first time since I’d woken up, I felt good, happy even. I smiled. “Did Brackenberry haul them off to jail?”

Moira stood up. “I think I hear the doctor.”

I frowned. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“I’ll be back in a bit.” She turned and headed for the door.

“Wait, Mom.” I knew instinctively that she was avoiding the question. “What are you not telling me?”

Mom faced me, folding her arms across her chest. “I don’t want you to worry about it. Right now all you should be thinking about is getting better.”

I glared. “Don’t you dare try and do that. I have a right to know what happened.”

I could see the debate raging in my mother’s expression. Finally, she sighed and came back to her chair. “Gargrave is in jail along with his men.”

“And Kirkwood?”

Moira’s nostrils flared as she answered. “Titus Kirkwood is dead. He was murdered inside his cell in the jailhouse. And no, they don’t know who did it or why, but it’s a Magi concern. Not yours or Eli’s or Selene’s. No matter what you all might think.”

I would’ve laughed if the news hadn’t been so terrible. It seemed the Dream Team had been carrying on without me. A sudden powerful desire to see my friends came over me. “Can I use the phone? I want to tell them I’m awake.”

Moira looked away from me, her expression impatient again. “I’ll do it for you. But no visitors until the doctor clears you. I don’t care if Eli and Selene try to break down the door. Understood?”

“Understood.”

“Good. Now sit out here and relax while I make you something to eat.”

The idea of my mother’s cooking filled me with a whole different kind of dread, but as she disappeared inside the house, I did as she asked, resting my head against the back of the chair. I was asleep again in moments.

The next time I woke it was to the sight of a doctor standing over me. The woman seemed nice enough, although her fingers felt like icicles when she had me raise my shirt so she could check my heart rate and breathing. Twenty minutes later she gave me a clean bill of health and a regimen of lots of bed rest and food for the next two weeks, and only approved visitors.

I shot a look at my mom as soon as the doctor had left.

She rolled her eyes. “I told Selene that she and Eli couldn’t come over until tomorrow at the earliest. They’ll be here as soon as school’s out for the day.”

I sat up straighter, suddenly remembering my educational duties. “Crap, I have exams coming up.”

Mom waved. “Don’t get excited. With everything that’s happened, you’re being given a pass in all your classes with the Magi Senate’s approval. It’s the least they could do. I expect sooner or later they’ll bestow some award on you, once things have settled down.”

I didn’t understand at first, but then I remembered Consul Vanholt lying dead among the ruins of the pavilion. No wonder things needed settling down.

“What about Paul? You haven’t mentioned him. Is he okay?”

Moira sighed. “He’s fine. He’s just … unavailable. He’s been placed in protective custody for his own safety. Word about his uncle has spread despite efforts to contain it. Brackenberry feared Paul might be in danger of retribution. The attack on Lyonshold was the biggest in the island’s history. Seventy-two magickind dead.”

I swallowed, my throat and eyes burning. So many lives lost. How many were my schoolmates? Even knowing that there could’ve been a lot more didn’t make me feel any better. And poor Paul. It was so unfair. He’d escaped the threat of his uncle only to be put under this new threat.

But maybe there was a light at the end of the tunnel. “And what about my cell phone? Were they able to identify Marrow’s supporters?”

Moira huffed, clearly not wanting to talk about it any longer, but I held her with my gaze, insisting she go on. “By the time they caught up with Magistrate Kirkwood the cell phone had been destroyed.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. Why would he destroy it?”

“He didn’t. It was some kind of self-destruct mechanism.”

All the air whooshed out of my lungs, making my head spin. He lied. Paul had lied. After all of that. Only … the pass code had worked. I’d seen it with my own eyes. But then I remembered how he had wanted to make sure the app was hidden again when he first showed us it inside the Kirkwood mausoleum. Maybe the app had to be shut down properly or it would self-destruct, just another one of Paul’s insurance methods.

With an effort I pushed thoughts of Paul from my mind. Maybe there was an explanation for what had happened to the data and maybe not. Either way, it didn’t matter now. The list of Marrow supporters was gone.

True to their word, Selene and Eli arrived the next day, both of them eager to see me. Selene hugged me so hard, I didn’t breathe for a full twenty seconds.

“I’m so glad you’re awake. And if you ever go unconscious for that long again, I’ll never forgive you.”

Eli hugged me next, far more gently than Selene had. His touch was tender and intimate, full of the longing that still existed between us. But no sooner had he wrapped his arms around me than he pulled away. We were in the living room, and he walked to the farthest sofa and sat down.

I looked at him, sadness squeezing my chest. Nothing had changed. He still believed in the dream-seer curse. I’d known better than to hope things would be different, but it still hurt.

Thank goodness for Selene—she managed to draw my attention away from Eli with talk about school and all the things I had missed. She and Eli had attempted to learn more about Titus Kirkwood’s death, but they hadn’t gotten very far. “But the most surprising thing that’s happened,” Selene said, “is that Miss Norton gave Eli her talking stick.”

“What?” I craned my head at him, noticing the bracelet on his wrist for the first time.

Eli rubbed a thumb over the smooth leather. “Yeah, she says the wand has formed some kind of connection to me. I guess the magic in it has been mostly dormant for a long time, which is why she used it the way she did in class. But for some reason it’s started working again. For me.” A slight color rose up in his cheeks. If possible, it made him even more handsome. “But personally I just think she feels guilty about the part her precious Terra Tribe played in the disaster at Lyonshold.”

Selene snorted. “I think it’s probably a little of both.”

I smiled halfheartedly as my thoughts drifted to the sword sitting on the dresser in the spare room. Eli’s situation with the wand made me wonder about my own with Bellanax. Had it chosen me? It certainly felt that way.

I glanced at Selene who was watching me with open concern. I pushed hair out of my face. “So speaking of the Terra Tribe, who all—” I paused, swallowing. “Who all made it?”

Eli and Selene both shifted in their seats, neither wanting to go first.

At last Selene drew a heavy breath. “More than you would’ve expected, mostly thanks to the ritual itself. I guess after they lit the bonfire, they were supposed to walk to the nearest natural water source and extinguish the flames. Melanie was the only one who didn’t make it.”

I stopped breathing, a terrible pressure wrapped around my entire body. Melanie Remillard was dead? I remembered all too well how we’d fought the last time I’d seen her. And now I would never see her again. I would never have the chance to right that wrong. Tears stung my eyes and I couldn’t hold them back this time.

“Who else?” I said, wiping the dampness from my cheeks.

Eli sighed. “Nobody we knew, a couple of seniors and a freshman. Nine students in all. They’re holding a memorial service for them next week at Arkwell before exams start.”

Selene nodded, then added in a lighter tone, “Lance is back. They finally broke the curse. Britney’s back, too. She’s doing so much better. She’s still on crutches, but in her mermaid form she’s fully recovered, apparently.”

“That’s great,” I said, welcoming any happy news at this point.

“Britney filled in a couple of the blank spots for us,” Selene said. “Like how she ended up under Kirkwood’s thumb. It seems her mother is a head scientist in a senate-run environmental research lab at Lyonshold. Britney works in the lab with her mom on weekends and stuff. Magistrate Kirkwood was one of the government overseers for the lab, so he’d met Britney a number of times.”

Titus Kirkwood had been a horrible man, no doubt, but I could easily picture him being charming and friendly when he wanted to be—a lot like Paul. I bet Titus had an easy time first befriending her. Then later, he’d turned vicious, forcing her to do his vile deeds.

I didn’t bother asking if Britney had said what Kirkwood had on her mother to make her do what she did. I knew she hadn’t. Britney had been willing to curse and kill to protect her mother. I doubted she would give up that secret now.

I didn’t blame her. I would do the same to protect my mother. For some reason the thought made me feel like crying again.

“You okay, Dusty?” Selene said, bringing my attention back to the present.

I nodded. “Just tired still.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t see how someone who’s been asleep as long as you have could still be tired.” A smile broke across her face, and she winked. “I’m just kidding. What you did … well … it was incredible.”

I blushed. It didn’t feel incredible. It felt like something someone else had done. Once again questions about the sword crowded into my mind. I’d picked it up and held it a hundred times the last two days. And each time I felt that presence. Felt Bellanax. But it seemed less strong than it had on top of the tower. Dormant, perhaps, like Eli’s wand had been. Even still, I couldn’t forget the way it had seemed to take control of me. Could it do it again? And how far did that control reach? It had already made me jump into a fiery pit.

I shivered and then tried to cover it up with a yawn.

Selene came over and hugged me again. “You get some more sleep. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” said Eli. “Tomorrow.” He stood and turned toward the door, but then he changed his mind and came over to give me a farewell hug. It lasted longer than the first, if only by a couple of seconds. But that was okay. I would take it.

With the way things were changing for the worse around here, I would cling to any good thing I could get.