Blood of Half Gods: Kallen's Tale (12 page)

As soon as she sets the cup back on the table, Dagda stands up from his chair.  “Sindri, if you would please have these things removed.”  Sindri nods and leaves the room to get what is needed to remove the octopus safely along with the other items on the plate.  Turning to Xandra, Dagda says, “Xandra, I hope for all of our sakes that you truly do have a dreamless sleep.  I suggest that we all retire for the evening.”  Eyeing both  of us now, he adds, “To
sleep
.”  I am surprised, I thought he would insist on us sleeping apart this evening.  He really must be exhausted, at least, too exhausted to have the argument with Xandra that he had with me. 

Xandra’s face is instantly beet red.  “Got it,” she grumbles in embarrassment.  She, Kegan and I stand up to go back to our rooms. 

I too hope it is a dreamless night.  My mind has taken in enough for the day.  I would love to simply turn it off and sleep peacefully.

Chapter 11

Content with Xandra in my arms, it does not take me long to fall asleep.  My contentedness slips almost immediately as my mind begins to twist and turn.  I am in the midst of a dream that surrounds me in fear.  Dark, black fear. 

I am in a lighted house staring out into the darkness.  I am searching for Xandra, trying to see her in the night, calling to her, willing her to come to me.  But she does not.  She ignores my calls.

“Xandra, where are you?” I shout.  “Xandra, it’s dark, you need to come back inside now.”  I know in my heart that if she does not come inside, I will lose her forever.  Why is she doing this to me?

A movement in the dark catches my eye.  I feel the slightest amount of relief, for it must be Xandra.  But my relief is quickly replaced with burgeoning anger knowing that she is so close yet refuses to heed my call.  What of our love, does it mean nothing to her?  I see her move again.  “There you are!  Xandra, you need to come inside.  You can’t be wandering around in the darkness.  It’s dangerous,” I scold. 

But it is no longer my voice coming from my lips.  I have become her mother.  “Xandra, the door is unlocked; you only need open it to come in.”

“Mom?” I hear Xandra say tentatively. 

Thank god she finally answers me.  “Xandra, I can’t see you.  Why won’t you come back inside?  I’m so worried about you.”

“Mom, I don’t know what you mean.  I’m not outside,” Xandra says, her own voice full of fear.  If she would only let me, I could comfort her, protect her from the things in the night.

“I can’t see you, honey.  Your father and I are so worried.  If you can’t come inside, open the door and we’ll come get you.”  I try the knob on the door but it will not budge.  It can only be opened from the outside.

“But, Mom, you can float through doors.”

I shake my head in growing frustration.  “Don’t be silly, Xandra.  I thought we settled all that foolishness.  The doctor said you should be better now.”

“What doctor?” she asks.

My frustration is turning to exasperation.  “Xandra, you know very well what doctor.  Now, you stop this nonsense and come back inside.”

Xandra’s voice is still laced with fear.  “You aren’t real.  You’re just a dream.”

“How can I be a dream, Xandra?  You can’t dream.  The medication keeps you from dreaming and letting your imagination run wild with thoughts of magic, and all those other ridiculous notions you were going on about.  Now, open the door so we can come get you.  We’re waiting for you.”

“Why can’t you or Dad open the door if you’re not ghosts?”

Enough of this foolishness.  “Xandra Illuminata Smith, stop being smart with me and open the door.”

“I can’t even see a door, it’s too dark,” she says.

How can she not see the door.  The light from the house shining through its window should be a beacon for her.  “You simply need to reach out and you will find it. Just turn the knob and open it.”

Xandra’s response is a terrified scream.  “Aaaaaahhhhhh,” she yells.   Why is she suddenly frightened?  “What are you guys doing in here?” she demands.

What is she talking about?  “Xandra, honey, please, just open the door.  It’ll be okay, you can come inside.  You can even talk about magic if you want.”  Anything to appease her, to get her to come. 

In a panicked voice, Xandra recites a spell before I can even open my mouth to stop her.  “
Deep in slumber, caught in the fray, used as vessels, as evil’s prey.  In the clutch of sleep, its fingers holding tight, awaken now to the reality of this night
.”

Instantly, my eyes pop open.  Screams snap my head around to where Kegan and Alita are standing behind me.  I mutter an oath under my breath and note that Dagda is also here, and he is not pleased.  Poor Alita looks like a frightened kitten and Kegan seems shell-shocked.  Radella is also here.  I pay no attention to her. 

“What the hell is going on?  What did you do?” Dagda demands.  His forest green pajamas are barely wrinkled, as if he hasn’t even had a chance to lay down in them. 

“Hey, I’m not the one sleepwalking in someone else’s room,” Xandra says defensively. “I’m the one who woke you up after you scared the crap out of me.”

I shake my head trying to rid myself of the last remnants of the dream.  “I was dreaming about you,” I say.  “You would not come in from the darkness.  I kept asking, but you would not come in.”

“No way,” Kegan says, looking a little green, now.  His t-shirt and black pajama pants are definitely wrinkled indicating he is not suffering from insomnia.  I guess sleeping in his bird form is not happening.  “That is what I was dreaming.”

“Me, too,” Alita says quietly.  Radella and Dagda both nod, indicating they had the same dream. 

“Well, this is freaky,” Xandra says.  That about sums it up. 

“Why are we having your dreams?” Kegan asks, with more than a little accusation in his voice.

Xandra gives him a dirty look.  “How should I know?”

“They were not dreams, they were possessions,”  Dagda states matter-of-factly.  Every eye in the room snaps to him.

“What does that mean?” Xandra asks.

He rubs his hand over his face as if to clear away the cobwebs of sleep.  Or a possession.  Sitting down heavily in one of the chairs across from the bed, he says, “Whoever, or whatever, haunted your dreams earlier, must have tried to go through us when your mind was not accessible.”

It takes a minute for her to comprehend the meaning behind his words.  When it does, she gasps.  “You think I was possessed??”  His eyebrows dip into a scowl, not liking to repeat himself and not bothering to now.   

There is clear accusation in Xandra’s voice when she says, “Why didn’t you say that before?”

He shrugs.  “I was hoping I was wrong.”

I sit up straighter.  “When Xandra and I lost time earlier…” I believe that is enough for everyone to know what I mean.  I do not have to expound upon the details.  “Do you believe possession to be at fault there, as well?”

Dagda sighs as he looks around the room.  Radella, who is wearing skimpy pink lingerie, is now leaning against the door frame.  If she is trying for a sexy stance, she has definitely missed the mark.  Not one male eye wanders in her direction for a second look.  Kegan and Alita are both sitting on the floor now, not knowing what to say.  “If someone or something is powerful enough to possess the five of us, I believe that is a strong possibility, yes.”

“But…” Xandra begins and then hesitates, looking for the right words.  “I’m supposed to be the strongest magical being around.  How can someone possess me?” 

Dagda chuckles.  “And you accuse me of delusions of omnipotence.  Well, lovely daughter of mine, there may be monsters out there that are bigger, stronger, and more powerful than you.”

Narrowing her eyes, she demands, “Okay, name a few.”

He still looks amused, as he says, “I will grant you that I cannot name any off the top of my head, but that does not mean they do not exist.  They simply have not made their presence known before now.” 

Xandra crosses her arms over her chest and leans back against the headboard glaring at him.  “So, there’s a monster who’s bigger and badder than me that’s invading my dreams; and if I’m not available, it’ll go through you guys to get to me.  Gee, I’m so glad I chose to stay in this realm,” she grumbles.

I cannot believe she just said that.  “I believe your problems have more to do with your magical ability than the realm in which you reside,” I say in a clipped voice.

Ignoring my statement and not looking me in the eyes, she says, “What do we do about it?”

Dagda stands up.  “The first thing we are going to do is get you off this carriage.”

Xandra’s eyes are huge now.  “You’re kicking me off?”

He chuckles.  “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

Anger is seeping into me for the hundredth time today.  “You will leave us here to find our own way home?”

Dagda’s face sobers.  “I am disappointed your opinion of me has dropped to such a level, Kallen.”  He honestly looks hurt.  “Xandra obviously has a power about which she has not been forthcoming,” he narrows his eyes in my direction.  “She seems able to will herself to another location.”

He is still holding that against us?  “An ability that was discovered only moments before our departure and is yet untested.”

“Then it is time to test it, for I fear that I will never reach my destination as long as she is on board this carriage.”

Xandra gives us both dirty looks.  “I’m right here, you know.  And you’re the one who wanted me to come in the first place,” she says to Dagda.

Dagda rubs his hand over his face and mouth.  He is tired and stressed.  As are we all.  “I still want you to be a part of this, Xandra.  I simply want to send you on ahead.  Because at the rate we are currently going, the Giants may erase themselves from existence by the time we get there.”

Calming, Xandra says, “Kallen’s right.  I don’t know much about this teleporting thing.  I could teleport us to the middle of the ocean, or back to Isla’s.”

“I have more faith in your ability than that,” Dagda says, trying to stifle a yawn.  “I have a residence in the Uluru area, as I find it quite peaceful when the Giants are not trying to tear each other apart.  Kallen has been there, so if you can get to the general area, I believe he can get you the rest of the way.”

Xandra is not convinced.  “I don’t know much about teleporting, but it seems like I would have to have at least some idea of where I’m going.  I have no idea where Uluru is.”  Valid point.  She is unfamiliar with the geography of this realm. 

Turning to Radella, Dagda says, “Please bring the photo from my office.”  She nods and turns around, but he’s not done yet.  “Radella.”  She turns back.  “When you come back, I expect you to be appropriately attired.”  Both Kegan and I have to stifle a chuckle.