Page 186 of Skalterra By Nightmare
“Riley wasn’t real!” I didn’t mean to raise my voice at Gams, but I couldn’t help the sense of betrayal at it all. “And you knew he was dead, but you let Liam—I mean, Ciarán—”
“I tried to help him move on,” she insisted. “The same I did when his parents died.”
My stomach lurched with Skal and realization.
“Liam’s parents,” I said slowly, “they were Grimguards too.”
Gams didn’t reply, but the tight press of her lips told me all I needed to know.
“You.” I turned to Ferrin. “You killed them the night you murdered your sister. And you killed Riley!”
Heat flickered in my palms.
“And?” Ferrin shrugged. “This ends with me killing all of you. Don’t waste your tears on Grimguards.”
“This ends with you realizing this is a death-mission!” Gams snorted. “You’ll let me, my granddaughter,andmy cat go back upstairs to our home where I’ll call back all my Nightmare neighbors, and we’ll continue to keep both realms safe.”
“About the granddaughter.” Ferrin put his arm around Gams as if they were old friends. “I didn’t know Nightmares couldhavegrandchildren. Or children for that matter.”
“Nightmares are our ideal selves, and I was lonely,” Gams said matter-of-factly. “So my ideal self became pregnant with an exact genetic copy of myself. I am a Nightmare, but the baby I had was real.”
“Mom.” My voice shook. “Does she know?”
But I already knew the answer. It had been Mom who first told me to remove Riley’s posters.
And she had raised me away from Keel Watch Harbor.
Away from the town of ghosts.
“Nightmares can create life?” Ferrin mused.
“Only those who are also exceptional Magicians,” Gams sniffed. “So a hack like you shouldn’t get any smart ideas.”
Gams had to be wrong though, because I wasn’t an exceptional Magician. I scratched at my arms, thinking about the penicillium mold I’d spread across Ciarán’s chest.
That had been life too.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered.
Gams put her hands out to her sides as far as Ferrin’s hold on her would allow.
“Look at us, Wren. This is not a world I ever intended to burden you with.”
I stared through the ice at Orla and Fana with their mouths gagged and hands bound. Skalterra wasn’t a burden. Skalterra was wonderful and full of wonderful people, and when I’d been there, I’d been wonderful too.
Ferrin pushed Gams away with sudden fervor and took a fistful of my hair to drag me back from the ice separating me from Orla. Her muffled cry called out, and her eyes widened in fear.
“And there it is, straight out of the Frozen God’s mouth!” Ferrin shouted in triumph. “Skalterra is aburden, yet she would keep Keldori for herself!”
“Keldori is a mess. You should know that if you’ve been living there as a Nightmare.” The green blade at my neck had brought a new edge to Gams’s voice.
Ferrin shook his head. He had his arm around my chest, and I could feel his Nightmare heart hammering against my back.
“It’s a mess because I’m living a half-existence there, splitting my time between two worlds. If I could come to Keldori as my real self, imagine what I’d be able to do with my magick and Keldori’s technology.”
Gams gave a derisive laugh.
“Spare me the savior act, Quillguard. We both know you only want power.”
