usually glowing skin looked pasty and grey. I needed uninterrupted REM cycles.
The nightmares had started on Saturday, the night the demons had attacked me. Grampa and Bran had teleported into my bedroom at the same time, both thinking I was being attacked. Though I’d like to think I wouldn’t scream like a demon on its way to Tartarus. We Guardians were tougher than that.
Grampa had left after Bran reassured him he’d stay until I fell asleep. And he had. The night after, he hadn’t left after I woke up screaming again. Just as well. Immediately after I’d fallen asleep, the dreams had started again.
It was terrible fighting what you couldn’t see, being surrounded by a dense fog while lightning speared the air around you. Then there was the carnage, the cacophony of sounds. Shrill, brain-numbing, ear-piercing screams.
By the third night, Bran hadn’t even bothered going home. Grampa never slept. He came and went during the night, so I knew he was aware of our new sleeping arrangement. That he didn’t say anything said just how worried he was.
Voices came from bedroom and I realized Bran had disappeared from the doorway. They were talking in low tones, but I heard them anyway.
“I don’t like it,” Grampa was saying. “Maybe a long break might be better.”
Don’t like what? I angled my head to catch more.
“She has shadows under her eyes and looks so fragile,” Grampa continued.
“You shouldn’t ask her to stop, Cardinal. The only times she doesn’t feel the pain is when she trains,” Bran said.
How dare they discuss me? I opened my mouth to protest and closed it without speaking. Lack of sleep was making me cranky. I splashed more water on my face, then dried off.
“What does Master Haziel say?” Grampa asked, his voice fainter. “He and I haven’t spoken since he started the new regimen.”
“He wants her to control the powers and pushes her hard, but she likes that, which is very unlike her. It’s like she craves it. She and I train between group lessons, too.”
“Interesting,” Grampa mumbled. “I wonder if the adrenaline rush helps her block the pain.”
“Endorphins,” Bran corrected.
Endorphins? When his energy soothed mine, it eased my headaches. Making out worked wonders, too. If they were talking chemicals, I’d vote for dopamine. I derived some pleasure from training with him. He was a better fighter than me, but because of my new powers I’d acquired more stamina and went toe to toe with him. Izzy called it foreplay. Too bad it never led to anything.
Walking back to my bedroom, I waved my hand and turned off the bedside lamp, then slipped under the blanket. Sleep wasn’t going to come easily. I turned my head and buried it in a pillow. It had the woodsy scent Bran favored. I smiled, but that soon changed to a scowl.
Why was I having these nightmares? Were they residual memories from the attack, or something the dagger’s powers induced? Considering how many demons it had killed over the millennia, there was no telling what was stored in the writings that usually covered the dagger’s blade. All I knew was that they were somehow connected to the powers of the dagger.
“You still haven’t found Gavyn, Cardinal?” Bran asked.
Grampa and Bran’s voice grew stronger or maybe hearing Gavyn’s name pulled me out of my funk. If there was a demon I wanted to hurt, it was Nitwit Gavyn.
“I’m afraid not. Without him, tracking down the Summoners is impossible.”
“You should let us give it a try, Cardinal. I know you said you didn’t want us out there, but—”
“I still don’t. As long as the Tribe is on the loose, waiting to catch you young ones unaware, I want all of you inside the valley.”
“What if I went alone? I work faster and I promise to be discreet. Gavyn is also more likely to come out of hiding when he hears I’m looking for him without the Guardians.”
I held my breath as I waited for Grampa’s verdict. He wouldn’t dare let Bran go. Surely, he couldn’t be that desperate.
“I’ll discuss it with the Cardinals and Master Haziel.”
Unbelievable. I jumped out of bed. “What is there to discuss, Grampa?”
“Lil—”
“He’s not going out there, period. What are you trying to do? Use him as bait?” Grampa closed the gap between us as I continued. “If you haven’t noticed, the Tribe only comes out to play when
Grampa didn’t speak. He held me as I cried, something I’d avoided doing since the attack. Lack of sleep had reduced me to a whining ninny. Of course he would never use Bran as bait. Grampa had integrity. He was likely to use himself first before sending anyone else.
He leaned back and studied my face.
I swiped my cheek and gave him an uncertain smile. “I’m sorry. I’m exhausted and not thinking straight. You’d never do something so despicable.”
He smiled and kissed my forehead. “No, I wouldn’t. So? How are you feeling?”
“Like Tartarus swallowed me whole then spit me out.”
He chuckled. “What do you remember of your dreams?”
I frowned. “Why? Do you think there’s a reason I’m having them?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart. The Psi-dar didn’t give us anything to work with.” He let go of me and pushed his hands inside his coat, making me realize he was dressed for hunting. He must have either just arrived home or was about to leave when I screamed. “I’m trying to understand what is happening to you.”
That made two of us. “The fog appeared out of nowhere, then the lightning and the sounds.”
“And the woman’s voice?” Grampa asked.
“I still can’t understand what she says. The sounds and the screams always swallow her words.”
He touched my clammy forehead. “I don’t know what is going on, but you can’t go on like this forever. Bran says training is good for you, but—”
“No,” I protested. “I need to train. It burns off the excess energy.”
Grampa sighed. “Okay. We’re going to have a joint conference of High Council members and senior Cardinals from all the sectors starting tomorrow, to discuss our next move. The High Council members love wasting time listing useless diplomatic solutions where a pre-emptive strike is needed. I will be in and out as usual, just not as often. Will you be okay?”
I nodded, then a thought occurred to me. What if they were attacked during the meeting? The attack by the nature-benders had decimated the Guardians. Having the High Council and senior Cardinals in one place could be disastrous if the Tribe attacked them.
“Where are you meeting?” I asked.
“Rio, headquarters of the Southwest Sector.” He pulled out a pocket watch from his coat pocket and glanced at it. “It starts in exactly twenty minutes. It might be 5 a.m. here, but it is eight in Brazil. Since I’m opening the meeting, I think I’d better head out.”
“Could you change venues every few hours?” I asked.
Grampa frowned. “We could. Why?”
“All those psi energies in one place are bound to draw attention and make you guys sitting targets.”
“Sweetheart, every High Council has an impenetrable security created by its Psi-dar,” he reminded. “No demon can breach it.”
“Yet the Tribe found us in Bermuda despite the high-security shield,” I said.
“She has a point, Cardinal,” Bran added, coming to stand by my side. “The Tribe might not have known the exact location of the island, but they were drawn to our combined psi energies. I think you should do as she suggested.”
Grampa’s frowned deepened then he palmed my face and pressed his lips to my temple. He reached out and gripped Bran’s shoulder and nodded. “I think we’ll do just that. Now try to rest. Both of you. Help her go to sleep.”
