Page 66 of Obsessed in Blood
“I had to leave so I could get more help. Lorenzo is too powerful for me alone.”
His gaze cleared, the edges of his own turmoil receding like a veil being lifted. “You’re a dreamwalker.”
I nodded and held out my hand. “Come with me to a safer place where we can talk. I want you to meet someone.”
He hesitated, glanced around at his cell, then took my hand.
The ragged clothes he’d been wearing changed to a suit from the 1920s, his hair in a style fit for the era. Colantha and I wore similar clothes.
He tried to slip away when he recognized the study, but I could feel Colantha holding onto him. I gripped his hand, squeezing it.
“You have nothing to fear from us. Colantha is my mentor and a powerful dreamwalker. She’s here to help. We’re searching for you, but we’re not positive of your exact location, so we wanted to bring you to a place where you might find some comfort.”
He tore his hand away and broke down. His thin body shook, and tears flowed from what seemed a bottomless well. Colantha hummed a soft melody, her voice strong, warm, and inviting. Several long minutes passed before Hamilton settled.
He rubbed his arms before curling into himself, his gaze darting between the two of us. “I don’t know who to trust.”
“That is understandable, young one.” Colantha’s voice continued in a soothing tone. “You have been gone from us for a long time. You are still in peril, and your mind knows it, regardless of the construct we share.”
He wanted to believe us. I could see it in his eyes. He was searching for help or for someone to put an end to his suffering. “I’m not sure.”
“Does this place look familiar?” I asked. “Take your time and look around.”
He did. And within a couple of heartbeats, his weeping continued, and he shook his head. “No.”
Then he vanished.
I fell backagainst the chair. My breath heaved, and my arms hung at my sides. I was exhausted and disappointed. Colantha appeared as fresh as when we’d started, which only added irritation to my emotional fatigue.
“What happened?” Lyra grabbed Devon’s arm.
“Let’s give them a minute.” He placed a hand on hers, and she settled back into the sofa, but her expression was filled with anxiety.
“If it’s truly Hamilton, which I believe it is—” Colantha gave Lyra a soft smile that was neither good nor bad, “he’s afraid.”
“Of what?” Devon asked. “Lorenzo?”
She shook her head. “He no longer has fear of his captor. And that isn’t always a good thing. In this case, I believe it’s a sign he’s given up.” She leaned over, her focus pinned on Lyra, who had paled. “I don’t mean to hurt you, child. But you need to understand. He’s been calling for help for a long time without success.” Her expression softened, and her shoulders slumped. “I believe he was tortured during the early years of his captivity. That’s why he hasn’t been able to connect with anyone. His torment would have made his constructs dark and terrifying.”
I watched Lyra, as pale and still as stone, but after a moment, she nodded. Was that acceptance of Colantha’s interpretation or that Lyra had been aware of the earlier torment, but was never aware of who was receiving it or creating it? What if she’d been pulled into a construct and had experienced everything Hamilton had lived through? If that was true, it was amazing she’d been able to break out of her psychosis.
“But now we have the means to rescue him.” Devon seemed to sense Colantha’s shake of her head before it happened.
“He’s convinced himself he won’t be freed. His contact with Cressa on the island was out of habit. When she left, it reinforced his inability to find help.”
“That’s great.” I didn’t look at Lyra. It was bad enough that I’d made matters worse, I didn’t want to see it reflected back at me through her eyes.
“Stop it.” Lyra’s tone was sharp. “I don’t blame you if that’s what you’re thinking. None of this is our fault. It’s Lorenzo’s.”
Lyra always found a way to surprise me. Instead of reacting to the worst, she’d doubled down on finding an answer. “When can you try again? I want to go this time.”
“Not yet,” Colantha said. “If he were to see you now in his current state, he might become lost to us. Once he accepts the reality and that we aren’t a hallucination, we can help. That will be the time to bring you in.” She accepted the glass of juice Jamison handed her. “We’ll use it as the final push he needs to reengage. Then we’ll see what he can tell us about his prison.”
We decided to rest for a couple of hours and then retry. Colantha sat with Lyra and the two fell into a whispered conversation, oblivious to the rest of us.
I stood and stretched, wincing as the tension in my muscles released. “I guess I’ll get some rest.”
“I think you should eat something first.” Devon took my elbow and steered me toward the door.
