AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The guards faltered and glanced at each other. They were the same flat, gray, barely real beings I’d come to associate with Nightmare Castle, though I’d been assured that this was not the normal state of the guards.
“You will inform Baz that I am here to see him.” It about killed me to call him that.
Their eyes glazed over even more before they about-faced and marched out of the room. If I thought I could have kept up the act in the face of my tormentor I would have stayed in the chair, but I didn’t think I could do it, so I returned to the middle of the room.
Because I was Nightmare’s princess, I was able to command the guards, but we hadn’t thought it would work unless I sat on the throne because of not-Baz’s influence. Now I had to spin another story long enough for the guys to strike.
I just hoped I could handle this performance. I was used to being on stage and acting out a scene, but not with words. No, I normally acted with my movements. Still, I tried to get into the mindset and got ready to perform.
Ember
It didn’t take long before the doors slammed open and not-Baz stalked through. His presence pulled my attention from my hopefully confused-looking appraisal of my surroundings. I didn’t have to fake the terror I felt sending tremors through my body as he bore down on me. Unable to look away from his angry gaze, I simply did the best I could to remember my act.
“Well, well, princess. You’ve come back to us.”
“Not—not on purpose.” My voice cracked, but I got the words out as I backed away until my foot hit the first step onto the dais.
Not-Baz approached until he crowded my space. He didn’t quite touch me, but I could feel the warmth radiating off his body in the cool air.
“The shadows went crazy. I tried to shadow walk and ended up here.” I shuddered at the memory, and hoped he wouldn’t see through my mild misdirection.
“Such a shame.” Not-Baz’s tone gave the lie to his comment. “I guess we’ll just have to pick up where we left off.”
“Yeah, maybe we should try something different.” I hated how weak my voice sounded.
“Such as?”
“I don’t know. You could try to not be a douche canoe.”
“A what?” He tilted his head.
“A giant asshole.”
He frowned as if my word choices both confused him. Maybe he hadn’t been created with a full slang dictionary. It occurred to me that he might not be from the Unconscious Realm.
“Where are you from, anyway?”
“Whatever do you mean? I’m from Nightmare. Prince Baz?” He emphasized the last.
“Yeah, except you’re not.” I stumbled on the step behind me and barely caught my balance. What was taking the guys so long?
The dream essence curling through the air shuddered as not-Baz did something. I’d never been able to feel that before, but now I was in tune enough with the land to feel its revulsion at having to respond to not-Baz’s touch. I vaguely recalled feeling sorry for the shadows the first time I’d been here. Maybe I’d been responding to that unconsciously?
“If I’m not a Nightmare prince then why can I do this?”
Ropes of thick black dream essence coiled down from the fog-shrouded ceiling, looping around my arms and legs and tightening. They stopped just short of pulling me off the ground. My panic and fear actually eased, turning instead into a sense of amazement. Despite not-Baz’s display of power, now that I had practice, I knew I could take control of the essence away from him at any time. There were still many things he could do to me, but his special little torture was no longer available to him.
I straightened, not sure if I should give away that secret yet, but no longer cowed in terror.
“That is a rather good question,” Nic said, stepping out of the shadows and saving me from having to act. “Because you shouldn’t be able to do so as you are not my brother.”
Dio and Geraint slipped out of the secret doorway, and Robby appeared on not-Baz’s other side.
“Do answer dearest Ember’s question. We’re all dying to know.” Robby put the tip of his white sword—that he pulled from thin air—under not-Baz’s chin.
“Guards!” the pretender shouted.
I wrested control of the dream essence away from him, dissolved the bonds, and scrambled up to the throne.
