Page 93 of Tides of Shadows

He stared back, barely conscious. I caught him as he sagged forward. He was heavy, too heavy, but I would not let him fall. Aidenar rushed in to help, and together we eased him to the ground. Dricus leaned against the cracked wall, his breath ragged, his arms trembling.

Then, in one swift motion, I drew my knife and pressed it to Aidenar’s throat.

“Who are you?” I demanded, my voice shaking with fury and betrayal.

He froze, eyes wide.

“Nerissa, what are you saying?”

“How did you know about my dream?! How did you know HE was there?” I shouted.

Dricus stirred weakly, his gaze lifting toward us.

Aidenar drew a breath, his shoulders sagging. “Nerissa, this isn’t the place for this conversation,” he began. “Let’s go somewhere safe.”

“No!” I blurted out. “I want to talk about this here and now. There are three of us. The chosen three, supposedly. If we’re to defeat this darkness, we have to start trusting each other. And I just stopped trusting YOU. How did you know about my dream?” I pressed the knife harder, a bead of blood appeared on his skin.

Aidenar hesitated for a moment, then his shoulders sagged. He took a deep breath, gently pushing my hand away. I let him just a little bit.

“I have dreams too,” he said finally. “Ever since we started training together. At first, I thought they were normal nightmares: darkness, screams, monsters. Then a figure started appearing, a woman dressed all in black, with long black hair and black eyes. And she started talking to me. I knew this wasn’t just a dream. She existed and was trying to invade my mind. But I always pushed her away. I...” he hesitated. “I can control it. I can protect my thoughts. And I used that in my dreams. This woman appears every now and then, but usually before she finishes the first sentence, the dream fades. Except for that night. She told me about you.” He looked me straight in the eyes. “I think she wanted to hold me as long as possible, distract me, but she said her brother would visit you. She called him Malric, the same name that Jasmine mentioned.” His voice shook. “She said… she said that he will want to play with you.”

The knife slipped from my hand. Tears welled and spilled freely.

“When I woke, I ran,” he continued, voice raw. “I ran through the palace as fast as I could. When I burst into your chambers, you were still asleep, but I knew something was wrong. There were black veins on your face. I started waking you up, screaming for you, drawing my power to your body. The rest… you remember.”

Chapter

28

We stood in silence. Dricus sat propped against the wall, looking at us with disbelief. Aidenar came to me slowly. I stood dazed, trying to piece everything together. He took me in his arms and let me weep upon his shoulder.

“It is all right now,” he said softly, as if promising something beyond his power. “I will not let this happen again.”

I cried a little longer, then drew back and wiped my cheeks. I did not want anyone to see me so torn and helpless, and there was more to be settled.

“Dricus,” I said, my voice cold, “I asked you once before. I ask you now for the last time: does anyone visit you in your dreams?”

Dricus kept silent. I did not like that quiet.

“Dricus,” I repeated in an icy tone.

He looked at me calmly, then dropped his gaze and finally answered, “The same woman Aidenar described. Only twice.”

I watched him, feeling betrayed, letting my gaze demand the whole truth, or else trust between us would end. He seemed to understand and went on.

“She tried to persuade me,” he said. “She spoke of my power, of how strong I might be, of how I should rule with her and her Family. She talked about how the Families despised me, that they thought I was a freak, that no one trusted me. That I would never be one of you.” He looked Aidenar in the eyes as he spoke. “But with her, I would unleash my true potential.”

Aidenar burst out, “And what did you answer her, Cineris?”

Dricus closed his eyes and rested his head against the stone. “After what I endured in the south, a few compliments aren’t enough to make me join some dark cult.”

“How did you break free from the dreams?” I asked.

He smiled at the corner of his mouth. “In my dreams, people mostly burn alive,” he replied. “Twice was enough to discourage her from returning.”

The three of us remained at the entrance to the blackened ruins of the temple. The fighting in the palace slowly subsided. The smell of burned rats hung around us, scorched earth hissed in the cool air, and ash fell like rain.

“We must go down there,” I said firmly.