Page 19 of Shadow Caster
Ice did a slow trickle through my veins. “You think you’re dreaming?”
He blinked at me and pushed his spectacles up his nose. “Oh, yes. I went to bed, and then I was here, so it’s a dream. I have vivid dreams all the time, but this one is the best so far. Although those monsters were more of a nightmare, but I was like, I need to get help, and there you were.” He grinned and nodded. “Lucid dreaming. I made you guys appear, I guess. But I can’t … I can’t seem to wake up.” He gave an awkward little laugh.
“Fucking hell,” Harmon said.
“They wouldn’t.” Thomas sounded unsure.
Oberon let out a wry bark of laughter. “Yeah, well, looks like they did.”
The human was real. He was real, and he was in the sim.
* * *
“What the fuck?”Thomas whispered.
We huddled a little way from the fire, one eye on the human and a sleeping Minnie.
“They took a human and stuck him in a pod.” Harmon scratched his stubbled chin. “How many more?”
“One for each team, probably,” Oberon said.
So, we’d established the human was not a computer-generated character, unless … “That could just be his script.”
“What?” Thomas made a face. “You mean they created him to say that?”
Oberon stood, tongue in cheek, and nodded. “It could be.”
I sighed. “It doesn’t matter. We’re stuck with him for now. We can’t leave him out here alone. It’s probably part of the test, the wholesave the humanthing.”
Minnie moaned and rolled onto her side. “Indie?”
I left the guys and rushed over to her. “You okay? You in pain?”
She smiled up at me. “Nah, it’s gone.” She ran a hand over her abdomen. “All healed.”
I held my hand out to her. “In that case, let’s get a move on.” I hauled her up and looked up at the rapidly pinkening sky. “Looks like we’ll be hiking during the day.” I couldn’t help but smile. “Been a long time since I saw the sun, even if it is a fake one.”
Harmon kicked earth over the fire, and we were off.
* * *
It wasstrange feeling the kiss of the sun on my skin, feeling my lungs work with exertion, and feeling my limbs tire. Harmon and Oberon were unaffected by the sun, but Thomas, Minnie, and I lagged a few meters behind the two guys.
Oberon said something, and Harmon threw back his head and laughed.
Thomas snorted derisively.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Minnie snapped. “If it bothers you so much why continue to date him?”
Thomas’s jaw clenched. “None of your business.”
“It’s not like you hide your feelings on Harmon’s wandering eye.”
It was obvious. “He’s in love with him. He thinks he’ll change.” It was my turn to snort. “People don’t change.”
“Fuck you, Justice.”
“Ain’t gonna happen.”
