Page 16 of Bonds of Magic
Noah’s brow furrowed. “An incubus should be able to fall asleep on their own, within a few seconds if necessary.”
“Well, we’ve already established that I’m not a very good one,” I said, a little annoyed. “So are you going to sit there and watch me, or…”
He sighed. “Just close your eyes, would you?”
I did, and after a moment, he started talking. It sounded more like he was talking to himself than to me, but his voice was quiet, almost gentle, and surprisingly soothing.
“As a half-human incubus, there’s a part of you that’s always connected to the dreamworld. You’re human, but you’re also dreamstuff. You just need to tap into it.”
I could hear him shifting in his chair, trying to get more comfortable.
“There’s a weightlessness inside you. Or there should be. Some people feel it in their gut. Others in their head, or their chest. Wherever it is, it’s light and smooth. Thin as gossamer, but stronger than steel. It connects you to the dreams you were made from.”
His words washed over me, and as he spoke, I felt something stir in my chest. Was it weightlessness? Or nerves? I wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t something I’d ever felt when Romero was talking.
“Find that connection and follow it. You don’t need to grab it or tug. Put your hand on it and let it pull you in. Pull you under.”
I experimented with that in my mind. I pictured my hand touching the bubbly feeling in my chest, and immediately, it smoothed out. It felt dark, like a long ribbon of midnight bluesilk. And as soon as I felt it against my skin, it began to pull me through the air, like a feather on the wind.
“You’ll feel its caress. See where it brings you. That primeval forest inside of you, full of sparkling lights. It’s dark in the trees, deep night, but there’s no reason to be scared. It’s exactly where you’re meant to be.”
Some part of me frowned, but I wasn’t sure if it was the dream part, or my body in the waking world. A forest? That wasn’t what I saw at all. I was back in the starry sea again. I’d slipped underwater with such ease, I’d barely noticed it happening.
Dimly, I could hear Noah’s voice in the background, but it was more of a hum than distinct words. It was still comforting, though. The way a mountain is comforting, or an old tree. Something ancient and immovable. Always there.
I turned my attention away from his voice and spun around in the sea. It looked the same as it always did, some stars bright and shining, others more muted, all of them spinning and spiralling in individual dances. Were they the same as the twinkling forest lights Noah had talked about?
Noah. His name drifted through my mind and if I’d had a mouth at that point, I would have smiled. My anchor. Ridiculous. It probably wouldn’t even work.
But there was only one way to find out.
A dark green and gold star spun at the edge of a reef to my right. It reminded me of the colors in the night forest Noah had described, which was as good a reason to pick it as any. I reached down and brushed my invisible fingers against it. It grew and grew, and as the swirling colors reached the top of my head, pulling me into its vortex, I repeated one word over and over.
Noah, Noah, Noah, No—
Blackness swallowed me and I tumbled forward. When I could see again, I was standing in a small room that looked vaguely familiar. There was a bed in one corner, covered with a plaid blanket, and a rickety desk piled high with gold-lettered books.Advanced Teleological Magicsaid one of the spines.
Magic? I blinked. What the hell? Who did this room belong to, and why was I here?
As if to answer my question, a door on the far wall swung open and a guy walked in, running a hand through his auburn hair worriedly. He smiled when he saw me, though.
“You’re still here,” he said. Clearly, he knew me, but I wasn’t sure I knew him. I felt like I should, though. “I was worried you’d gone back to your room.”
“My room?” I said. So this room wasn’t mine, then. But whose was it, and who was this person in front of me?
“I told them you were here to work on your light spell,” the guy continued. “That I got stuck tutoring you as a punishment.”
My light spell? Spell, as in magic?. But magic wasn’t real, was it?
“You okay, Cory?” he asked. “You look kinda shaken up. Don’t worry, they won’t interrupt us again.”
“I’m fine, Lance,” I said, then blinked. Lance. Of course that was his name. I knew that. He was an upperclassmen at Vesperwood and I was—
Vesperwood. As soon as the word popped into my consciousness, my memories resurfaced. Some of them, anyway.Of course I was at Vesperwood. I’d come here a month ago to work on…something.
Dammit, I still felt like there were big chunks missing from my memory.
“Good.” Lance stepped forward and slid a hand behind my back. He leaned in and kissed me greedily, his mouth claiming mine. When he pulled back, he had a crooked grin on his face. “Because I think I was about to tie you to the bed. And I’d hate for that to get postponed.”
