Foreshadow (16 page)

Logan

Every night, and early every morning, I sat in my room and thought of Raena, praying I would feel her presence and be able to slip into her dreams. Every night I fell asleep thinking of her, hoping against all hope that I might be pulled into her mind. I woke disappointed. I walked through the days like a zombie, the lack of sleep taking its toll. I had to find her. I had to save her.

Several days had passed, and I’d had no success entering Raena’s dreams. I felt frantic. Each day I failed meant Raena spent another day stuck in the Shadow Imperium with Andrei. Who knew how he was treating her? I didn’t think Andrei would kill her.
He seems to want something from her. Maybe he just wants her to be with him, like he did from the beginning. It seems to be a control thing. He appears to be someone who always gets what they want,
I reassured myself.

I had to be doing something wrong. I spent my days in constant research. I had become a fixture at the local library and also become a frequent visitor at Father Matthias’s church. He didn’t seem to have any answers as to why I couldn’t infiltrate Raena’s dreams, but we were working on developing my powers.
That
’
s about as easy as trying to get into Rae’s dreams,
I thought.

The priest had mentioned that I might have the ability to teleport. I had tried to teleport directly into the Shadow Imperium, but that also proved to be impossible for me at the moment. I couldn’t even manage to teleport across the room, let alone into some other dimension, or wherever.

I had at least succeeded in figuring out how to unfold my wings from my back, and how to retract them at will. It looked like that might be the only thing I would master. When I had first discovered my angel heritage, I had thought there was something wrong with me. Now I wondered if there was something wrong with me because I didn’t seem to be able to get my powers under control.

I had been unable to find any more information. I had no answers. I could only try again.

I sat cross-legged on my bedroom floor with the lights out. The lights would have alerted my parents, and I wanted to keep them out of this as much as I could. I had white candles lit in a circle around me and all around my room. I had borrowed them from the priest. They had been prayed over and blessed. I hoped they would help focus my mind and my will…or something. It was almost midnight, and I hoped the time might help me. I had been told that at midnight, the different planes of existence were closest to one another.

The clock in the hall began to chime the hour. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and concentrated with all my might on Raena.

Raena

I jumped as the bolt to my prison door rattled open. To my surprise, Andrei appeared through the doorway. It had been days since I had seen him. My only company had been the silent, nameless girl who brought my pitiful meals twice a day.

“So are you ready to help me?” Andrei asked as he entered the room.

“I don’t understand what you want me to do,” I told him.

He sighed. He seemed more annoyed than angry, which I took as a good sign. I didn’t think he’d be in a good-enough mood to let me go, but maybe I could at least get some better food out of him.

“Rae, I’ve already explained this to you. Whether you believe it or not, you are one of the nephilim—the only female nephilim we know of. As such, you have powers we don’t. You still have a connection to Heaven, where we have none. The avenging angels don’t like nephilim, but they will tolerate you. If I tried to get anywhere near Heaven, my wings would be ripped off, and I would be banned from earth the same as I have been banned from Heaven. My powers would be stripped. You, however, can still go there. You can plead our case.”

“Why would they listen to me?” I asked.

“There is a prophecy, Rae, that a female descendent of a Watcher will be the one to return the Fallen to their rightful place in Heaven. You are that descendent,” he said.

“Andrei, there’s a reason the Fall happened. How could I restore Heaven to you? It just doesn’t make sense.”

“I’m going to keep you here, chained and starving, until you agree to help us,” he threatened me. Apparently he didn’t intend to answer my question.

“Do what you want. I can’t help you. I don’t know how. I have no powers. I have no wings. I don’t know how to get to Heaven. I don’t care if you starve me. I don’t care if you chain me and let me freeze. I can’t help. Even if I knew how, I don’t think I would. Nothing you have done has shown me that you or any of the Fallen are worthy of redemption.” I cringed, knowing my little speech would make him angry, but at the same time knowing it had to be said. What he wanted me to do just didn’t seem right.

To my surprise, he didn’t get mad. “You don’t need wings. As the child of an angel, you have the power to teleport. You can teleport yourself directly to the gates of Heaven. From there, the angels who guard the gates would allow you in. Then you can convince them to allow us to come back.”

“I’m not going to do it, Andrei. I don’t think it’s right. You and the other Fallen rebelled, and this is your punishment. I don’t care if you lock me up and starve me. I’m not going to be a part of this,” I said.

“Fine!” he shouted. “I guess you need some more convincing.”

He headed for the doorway, then stopped and turned around. “You know I’m never going to let you go, Rae. You’re going to help me. You can’t get out of here until you do what I want.” He reached for the door handle, and then paused again. “Oh, and don’t think Logan is going to rescue you. Even if he can get into your dreams, he will only reach the outer realm. He can’t get in here physically. And even if he did figure out how to travel here, it wouldn’t do him—or you—any good. He would have no powers here. Because angels have no authority in the Shadow Imperium, his powers would be useless.”

He exited, throwing the bolt behind him and leaving me alone with my anxious thoughts until I at last fell into a restless sleep.

Logan

I opened my eyes, ready to admit defeat once again. But glancing around, I realized I no longer sat in my bedroom. I faced different scenery.

I’d done it! I had broken into her dreams on purpose! Now if I could just figure out where Andrei had taken her. I stood in a desolate, blackened field that stretched as far as the eye could see. Swirls of fog surrounded me. It was as dark as midnight. It didn’t seem as though anything lived.

I could just make out some shapes looming in the distance. I squinted, trying to see the shapes more clearly through the eddying fog. I wandered toward them. They proved to be large rocks, forming a sort of mountain. I walked around the mountain, looking for some sort of entrance or a way to climb it. Maybe Raena was being held somewhere inside.

She appeared out of nowhere, as if I had subconsciously summoned her. Her dress hung in tatters.
Dress?
She hadn’t been wearing a dress when Andrei had taken her. Her feet were bare and her hair disheveled. She appeared thinner than usual. I wondered if Andrei had been starving her.

I ran to her, relieved. I tried to put my arms around her, but they passed through her body. What was this? Hadn’t I been able to hold her before? That had been how I’d saved her in all her other dreams, by grabbing her and flying away before Andrei caught her. Wasn’t it? Why was she intangible in this dream? I stood in front of her, dying to touch her. “Raena, where are you?” I asked.

“Andrei has taken me to the Shadow Imperium,” she explained. “Your powers won’t work here.”

“What do you mean, my powers won’t work here? I’m an angel! My powers work everywhere!”

“Not here. Angels have no power in the Shadow Imperium. Devils hold the power here. Devils like Andrei.” She started to cry. “Logan, I’m scared.”

“I know,” I tried to soothe her, wishing I could take her in my arms and comfort her. “I will find a way to get you out of there! How do you get to the Shadow Imperium?”

“We’re in part of the Shadow Imperium now. The outer part that you can only visit in your dreams.” She paused. “Logan, how did
you
get here? Are you actually here? How are we speaking?”

I gazed deep into her eyes. I had missed her even more than I had imagined. But now I needed her to listen to me. “Raena, I’m actually here, but in your dreams. I can get into your mind in a dream state. That’s how I saved you in all those dreams. It was me. I just didn’t realize it until now. You have to listen to me though. Andrei has the power to enter your dreams as well. That’s why you had all those nightmares. That’s how he found us at the hotel. You have to be careful. You have to learn to guard your mind from him somehow, but at the same time, you may need to learn to keep your mind open to me, at least until I can get you out of here.”

She stared at me, looking stunned. “Do you mean to say those dreams were real? Well, not real, but Andrei was there in my head? You were there too?”

“Yes, but there’s no time for that now. We can figure that out later.”

“This is insane. All of this! Now you’re telling me that you and Andrei can both come into my dreams?” She sounded panicked.

“Raena, I would
never
try to control you. I love you. You know that. The reason I am here now because I needed to know how to find you. I want to keep you safe. I’ve only ever entered your dreams to protect you, to save you.”

She stared at me, tears springing to her eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I do. You need to tell me how to get to the physical Shadow Imperium.”

“A portal. There’s one in Andrei’s house. That’s how we got here. There may be others. Logan, there’s not much time. I think—look out!” she shrieked.

A shadow crossed her face, and I barely had time to duck before a sword whistled over my head. I spun and faced Andrei. “Ah, Logan, Logan. You shouldn’t have come. You’ll never be able to find her,” Andrei taunted.

I had nothing to defend myself with. I wasn’t a physical being in the dream, but I still feared that Andrei could kill me. If I died, I couldn’t rescue Rae.
No, I can’t leave her trapped here with him!

I ducked and rolled as the sword swung down again. Rae started screaming. I could hear her sobbing, begging Andrei to stop. If Rae were right, I would have no powers here. But still, I had to try…

Light streaked from the dark sky and coalesced around my hands. I looked up at Andrei, whose eyes widened in shock. He froze, his sword point dipping to the ground. I took my opportunity. I flung all the energy at Andrei, knocking him down and pinning him to the ground. Light flashed again, and a blade appeared in my hand. I wondered where it had come from, but I couldn’t pause to think about it. I ran at Andrei.

He jumped up, his wings spread as he hovered in the sky. I extended my wings, too, and leapt into the air. I held my sword in front of me, ready to battle.

Andrei chuckled menacingly. “Do you expect to fight me,
boy
? You’ll never win!”

“I could beat you any day!” I shot back, hoping it wasn’t an idle threat.

Andrei considered it for a moment. “No. Now is not the time or the place for our confrontation. Come find me in the Shadow Imperium if you dare.” With that, he swept past me in a blinding movement. He grabbed Raena, and she sobbed louder.

“Logan!” she screamed my name, extending her hand toward me as they vanished.

“Raena! No!” I yelled into the darkness as she disappeared yet again.

Everything went black. I sat straight up, gasping for breath as her name echoed all around me. How would I ever find her?

Raena

I woke up suddenly, screaming Logan’s name into the darkness. Had the dream been real? Had I actually spoken to him? He had told me it was real, that he could somehow get into my dreams, but had I dreamt that as well? I curled on my side on the bed as best I could and sobbed so hard I shook. My chains clanked loudly. Desperately, I prayed that I had, in fact, spoken with Logan, and he now knew how to get here and save me.

I felt relieved that despite Andrei’s taunts, Logan’s powers had worked. It meant that he might have a real chance against Andrei. I didn’t want them to fight again because I feared Logan would get hurt, but I had to get out of here, and he might be my only way to safety.

The walls were beginning to press in on me. I had never considered myself claustrophobic, but being stuck in this room was making me lose my mind. I had no idea how I could get out on my own, although I would try if I could just figure something out.

The lack of food had left me so weak I didn’t think I could overpower the tiny girl who brought my food to me, let alone Andrei or anyone else I might come across if I tried to make my escape. Andrei claimed I had powers, but I had no idea what they were or how to use them. Even if I did, I didn’t think I would have the energy to do much of anything. No, as much as I hated feeling powerless, I figured it would be best if I just waited for Logan to come.

I heard footsteps outside the door and held my breath as Andrei entered the room. I pretended to be asleep. I didn’t want to answer any of his questions. He sat in a chair next to the bed and stroked my hair softly. It took all my will to not pull away from his hand. “Ah, Rae, your Logan will never find you here. Only one portal to the Shadow Imperium exists, and by the time he figures out how to make his own, you will be dead.”

He stood and stared down at me. “Such a foolish girl,” he crooned. “You don’t even realize just how real your dreams are. If you only knew that I controlled your dreams.”

The revelation startled me, and I had to force myself to continue to breathe evenly. I had to hear what else Andrei might say. He couldn’t suspect I was awake.

He continued his confession. “I wonder how you would react if you knew what I was really doing.” He chuckled to himself, clearly amused. “I wonder what you would say if you knew I have been sneaking into your room at night, forcing you to dream of me. The first night, I almost couldn’t get in because you had locked your bedroom door. Your foolish sister would never think to lock hers. I snuck in through her bedroom. But you had wedged a chair under the door! The chair was no match for my strength though. I knocked it aside easily. When I heard you stirring, I had to make a quick escape.

“The next night, I tried to be a little sneakier. I came in through your window. It made for a faster exit, and you thought you had left your window open! You almost caught me both nights, but I made you think nothing was amiss. You would never see me. Even if you could somehow see through my deception, my glamour, I had to take the risk. I had to exert my control over you in case you ran.

“Run, you did. You see, Rae, I never would have been able to find you at the hotel if I hadn’t had control of you. If you had only learned how to shield your mind, you could have hidden from me. But you were too naïve to even think of erecting a shield in your mind.”

He fell silent for a moment. I wondered whether he’d finished with his little monologue. Finally he began to speak again. “You know what the funny thing is, Rae? If your little
boyfriend
” —he spat the word— “hadn’t interfered even in your dreams, I might not have had to bring you here. Every time I almost caught up to you in your mind, your little angel boy came to the rescue. I could have bent you to my will, but he would arrive and pull you away at the last moment. If he hadn’t done that, I could have already done what I had to do and I would be back in Heaven, where I belong. But he did interfere. And now you’re here. Your little guardian is never going to find you.” He leaned forward and whispered the last few words in my ear. “And you’re never going home.”

There was a faint click as he exited the room again.

I stayed completely still until I heard the bolt slam home and heard his footsteps walking away. I willed myself not to cry again. So he planned to let me die? Or would he kill me himself? He seemed to act as though I were the only one who could help him—I didn’t understand what he could gain by letting me die. I hoped it was just a ruse. But why would he lie if he thought I’d been asleep?

One thing I knew for sure—if Andrei knew what had happened in my dreams, I had been right all along. He could get into my mind and control me in a way. I had actually been running from him the whole time. That also explained how he’d found Logan and I when we had fled to the hotel.

That meant Logan could get into my dreams as well. I had talked to him and now I had some measure of hope he would be able to rescue me.

Despite the craziness of my dream, it had been good to see him again, however briefly. I had missed him more than I realized during the time I had been trapped. Even though I couldn’t touch him, I was glad to know he was okay.

It seemed as though he had gotten stronger and learned more about his powers as an angel. I didn’t know whether he knew my dreams had a real quality to them and had come on purpose, or if I had subconsciously pulled him in, as I had seemed to do in the past. Whatever had happened, I felt relieved I had been able to tell him what I knew. I closed my eyes once again and slept more peacefully than I had since I’d been taken, knowing Logan would be coming for me soon.