Page 149 of A Dance of Water

It was the same place as before. The same dream as before. Only this time, something was different. She was aware she was dreaming.

She reached up and touched the amulet on her chest, feeling its soft, pulsating warmth in her palm.

"I can see," Luella realized aloud. Her voice was wavering and low, as if spoken from some great distance.

She cradled the amulet in her hands and lifted it away from her chest.

It was beautiful, just as she imagined. A soft blue stone encased in a cage of delicate silver. She rubbed her thumb over it, feeling the grooves of the cool metal scratch against her finger, so different from the smooth, warm stone held within.

Tharenhad made this for her.

The same male who had drowned her. The same male who had first awoken her in her bed, a dagger against her throat, as he ripped her away from everything she had ever known.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could not feel anger here—only longing.

Voices pierced the tranquil air.

"Enora!" a masculine voice called. "Enora. You can’t run from me."

The lake was no longer serene.

With his black hair and pale skin, Caliban strode along the bank, passing a large, jagged collection of rocks near the water. His steps were purposeful. And his eyes.

She stumbled back a step.

His eyes were a muted green, filled with shadows.

"You cannot run from me, Enora. I’ll find you. And when I do, you’redead." Caliban slammed his fist against the side of the rock, and a loud crack filled the air.

Shadows teemed in the hidden areas created by the rocks,stretching along the ground, growing larger and larger as they searched.

"I don’t like this." Luella clutched the amulet in her fist as if begging to be released from this nightmare."I want to wake up."

Caliban stalked closer. His fists were clenched by his sides, dark shadows curling around his fingertips. "When he fucked you, was he better? Did you come harder? Or did you find the most pleasure in making me worry, in being unfaithful? I tried to believe you, Enora, I really did. But when he kept staring at you, and you him, I knew it wasn’t all in my head. I knew you had done the unforgivable… You had given your body to another. "

He tipped his head back and laughed. The sound was deafening. Birds cawed in the treetops.

"Tell me, does your little human have your heart, too? Or did you save that for me?"

Luella stumbled back. Away from the monster before her. Away from the shadows crawling on the ground.

Nestled behind a tall tree, she saw feet peeking out—and a fearful face peering around the trunk.

Enora.

Pale and trembling, she huddled behind the tree. Her lips moved, but Luella could not hear her small, desperate pleas. Her deep brown hair hung around her shoulders like a silken curtain.

Caliban stepped closer to her hiding spot.

A small whimper tore from Enora’s lips, and she shoved her hand against her mouth to stifle the sound. But it was too late.

The shadows swept forward, crawling swiftly across the ground as they tangled around Enora’s ankles.

She gasped. "Caliban, please. This isn’t you!"

The shadows tugged her across the ground, curling around her body like inky vines. Caliban only laughed.

"This isn’t me?" Caliban lifted his hand, and the shadows forced Enora to stand, shoving against her as she stumbled. "I am the mostmeI have ever been."

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