Page 132 of Gift from the Nexus

“Gentlemen. I know you’ve all been wondering why the sudden change in plans and why we’re evacuating the school. A recent threat was made against us from the Mastery leader, the Summum-Master. He’s searching for my Primary once again,” Tillman states, looking at me apologetically. I see now why they were just going to tell me later, but it’s okay. It’s the truth, so I might as well face it.

“He’s made the threat of coming himself to kidnap Willow and a prisoner we were holding at Rebel Castle, so that is why we’ve evacuated both structures. Due to this, we’ve moved up the timeline for infiltrating the forest. Instead of a week, we’ll be leaving in two mornings. That’s the amount of time he gave us to turn over Willow and the prisoner, so while he’s searching for them, we’ll take on the forest.

“The plan from there is the same. No one is to interact with the vampires whatsoever. We are to locate the vampire in charge and my Nexus will handle negotiations with me. If we can work something out, he will be leaving with us. If there are hostages in the forest, they will be leaving with us. We don’t want to engage in any fighting if we can help it, but it’s always a possibility. So before we depart, we’ll all be drinking a Bane of Essence vial. That’s our best defense in a situation like this. If they can’t or at least won’t bite us, we have a much better shot at taking them if they attack.

“Those who aren’t coming. Now with the looming threat and change of plans, you’re to stay here and protect the academy, but only to the extent it doesn’t cost you your life. An academy can be rebuilt, but we can’t bring you back from the beyond. If an overwhelming number of Mastery show up and breech the wards, transport to the palace compound. Any questions?” He pauses, looking over the many, many stern faces. “Then get to post and positions. Continue your training and preparations to leave.”

With that dismissal, Tillman sends everyone off. Including me and Oakly. Since we securely strengthened the wards, we’re put back into our normal training circuit and that’s the torture we deal with for the remainder of the day.

By the time we get home, my legs feel like jello, and it’s dinnertime, but I’m sweating too much to even want to eat. That doesn’t fly when I tell Corentin that, though. Granted, his argument about me working off any nutrition I put in my body is sound, I’m too hot and tired to care. So he sends me off to my bath and says I’ll be hungry once I’m cool and clean.

Of course he’s right because after an hour of me literally lying in my tub full of healing oils, doing absolutely nothing but floating here staring at my waterfall, I’m starving. The rumbling of my stomach is the only thing that convinces me to leave my oasis.

The knowing, cocky grin he’s wearing as he hands me a plate full of food as I crawl into my spot makes me want to roll my eyes, but I don’t. I love the fact he knew this is exactly what I was going to do. He also probably knew I was going to be pretty hangry, so he was prepared for whatever way that was going to go.

In a matter of embarrassingly fast minutes, I have the entire plate scarfed down and I’m snuggling into Caspian’s cool chest. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect pillow as I fall hard and fast asleep.

Shit. Why does it always have to be caves?

Waking up, if that’s what I’m supposed to call this when I just appear in someone’s dream, I turn in circles, trying to see if I recognize the cave. I’ve been in enough so far that it wouldn’t surprise me too much if I did.

Sadly, the only recognizable thing is the wild thud of my heart.

After the whole finding out I could dream walk, I dove into whatever research I could find. It was with a heavy heart I learned that I don’t actually pop into their dream like a dream-walker does. I’m not joining in with them on the dream or nightmare they may be having. Instead, I’m entering their subconscious while they’re asleep and pulling their presence to me.

More times than not, we meet in the place they’re most familiar with.

So like I popped into Aria’s stone-walled prison, now I’m popping into another dark and damp cave where I’m sure someone’s being held against their will. No one would choose to live like this.

“Hello,” I call out, going ahead and making myself known. “I promise I don’t do this on purpose, nor do I bring you any harm.”

“Of course you bring me no harm. Our kind do not fight amongst one another,” a deep feminine, almost otherworldly voice hums out.

The only issue is that hum isn’t ricocheting around the cave. It’s bouncing around my mind. I stop my walking and turn in a slow circle, looking for any sign of anyone, but my eyes don’t find anything other than jagged walls. My gifts don’t work as they normally would in my very much awake, corporal form, but I should still be able to sense someone else’s presence.

“What do you mean by that?” I ask.

“What has brought you to me, young one?”

“I…well, honestly, I don’t know. I don’t typically dream walk for fun. I’m usually sent to someone who needs me or needs help. If I end up in the mind of someone else, it’s usually a visionof the past.” My mouth pours that information out far faster than my mind has time to tell me to stop.

“That would explain it. Willow, correct?” she asks.

“Yes, but I didn’t tell you that,” I say suspiciously.

I hold in the audible sound that wants to escape me when piercing gold eyes suddenly appear in the far end of the cave. She doesn’t move any closer and neither do I. We both just take a moment to stare at one another, analyzing each other in fascination.

“No, you didn’t. Your creator did. It’s time for you to go to the forest they’ve locked my lord in.”

But her lord. I don’t like how that…

“You’re…you’re Keeper’s treasure,” I whisper, piecing it together.

Her eyes look like that of an overflowing treasure chest that holds a wealth of golden coins.

“My name is Tanith. I am bound to the lord for life. That was a willing choice on my part, young one. Your protectiveness rises quickly,” she says with a happiness to her tone that simmers me down.

“It’s a tad instinctual now. I’m glad Elementra gave you a warning about my arrival, but she didn’t give me one, so I’m very confused. You came with him here? Well, obviously you did. Are you okay? Safe for now?” I ask frantically.

---