Page 81 of Light and Shadow
Trying to remember the moment when I knew I would help Aaran brings my mother’s illness to mind. She’s well now, and probably living a good life with her friends beside her. Maybe she’ll meet a nice man and find love again. I’ve always wondered why she never dated. It’s possible she thought I would disapprove. Maybe she was right. Now, I just want her to be happy.
Still, Aaran saving my mother wasn’t the moment. Before that, I saw him sleeping on my couch that morning. He looked troubled even at rest. His pointed ears were peeking through his tousled hair. My heart contracted at the sight of him, as if I’d known him all my life. My gut told me to help him even when my head said no way. When he was healing my mother, I knew he wouldn’t hurt her, just as I knew he might harm himself.
Fancor has scribbled three symbols in the dirt. One looks like a diamond with a star inside it. The next is like an open safety pin with the sharp end facing down. The last is a capital L shape, but the bottom part is tipped up at an angle.
“He changed me. Some things are hard to explain with words.”
Fancor nods.
“What does that mean?” I point to his drawing.
“It’s the protecting runes of my people.” He stands. “Get some sleep, Harper. I’ll watch over you both.” He moves a few feet away and leans against a rock.
There’s no telling him that he too needs rest, so I snuggle along Aaran’s good side and close my eyes.I’m here. I wish you would let me know that you’re still with me.
“There is no place far enough that I can’t reach you, human. I will destroy everything you love while you watch. Once that is done, I will come for you.”The witch queen’s voice sounds loud and painful in my skull.
Wake yourself. It’s only a dream. I know she’s not really here, but she has entered my mind just the same.
“That elf spawn of Elspeth’s will be the first. I’m almost glad he survived the Cuanuilebheist. Now I can kill him slowly. Now I can make you watch while he suffers. I will find those you left in the human world and destroy them.”
Even in the dream state, my fury rises. I’m in darkness. There’s no body to go with her voice as there was when Elspeth came to my sleep. It’s only me in the dark.“If you could make good on any of these threats, you would be standing before me in the real world instead of disturbing my sleep, Venora Braddish—idle threats to frighten me and make me run. Maybe you think you can convince me to come to you as you did when I first arrived in this world. You make threats in the darkness, but you haven’t the power to follow through.”
“You dare call me by my familiar name? I’m your queen. You are nothing but a tiny human who will die easily enough.”Her rage manifests as a shadow demon that sweeps past me but doesn’t hurt or drain my power. It’s not real.
Rather than give her the satisfaction of seeing my fear, I laugh.“More smoke and shadows from a pretender to a crown. You are no queen, and I am going to wake myself up.”
As I pull myself out of the dream, her rage-filled scream follows me. I sit up. My heart races, and my chest feels like an anvil is pressing down on it.
Fancor jumps to his feet and draws his sword. “What in the name of the old gods was that?”
“You heard that?” I look around at the rest of the party. No one else rises or stirs in their sleep. Even the soldier standing guard is unfazed.
Fancor tilts his head as if he’s listening for more. “I heard something, but your lips didn’t move, lass.”
“Venora was in my dream.” Sitting up, I cross my legs and shake off the remains of the dream.
“Are you saying I heard her through your dream?” He takes a similar position facing me, and adds a log to our dwindling fire.
Watching the wood catch, I shrug. “I guess you must have.”
“What did she say?” His dark-brown eyes are full of worry.
Like I might have any favorite uncle, I tell him the whole story of my dream. It helps relieve some of the pressure in my chest.
His left brow lifts, and he stares into the fire. “I think you had the right of it. She’s making empty threats. She wants to frighten you.”
My laugh matches the sarcasm and strain within me. “She needn’t have bothered. I’m plenty scared enough. Her invasion only made me angry.”
“That’s better than scared. She’d have been wise to learn more about you when she had you in her grasp.” He shakes his head.
Giving that some thought, I consider the time I spent under her control. I’ve been pushing those memories away. The terrorof the dungeon, the cold, the pain, and the helplessness were all too much, and I wanted them gone. But now, I let those days back into my mind, looking for clues. “She’s self-absorbed, Fancor. She thinks of nothing but herself and how one person might benefit her or another might do her harm. She never considers the true value of a person. Of course, this is just my opinion based on observation.” I’m no psychiatrist. Still, I’ve always understood people and their motives, even when I don’t like the outcome.
“You have seen her at her worst. Who better to judge?” He pokes the fire with a stick.
“Even Ciaran means little to her. She’ll use him up and find another. Though, for him, she plays the part of a lover. He must have been very strong and not very smart. Maybe he thought he could manipulate her and seize her power. He’s fading now. She’ll start looking for someone new to help her.” I touch the runes still showing in the dark. “Could this be why she couldn’t show herself in my dream?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe. They’re meant to protect you from evil.”
