“Natural world?” Chance asked, tone edged with disbelief. “You consider shifters and vampires natural?”
Elyse patted her son’s leg. “Of course, dear. They’re very much part of this world.”
“Uh, what determines that?” I asked.
“Well, for one,” Gran said. “They can’t go into the Dream-veil, unlike the ones who reside there. Things like wraiths, shades, or echoes. These things can slip in and out of the Dream-veil, but only to be seen. They can do no harm on this side, however, they can do all kinds of things inside one’s sleep. Drive them mad or push them to do unspeakable things.”
I shivered, fighting the urge to tuck in next to Chance like we’d done many nights when one of us was scared or upset. “And so when we’re in the Dream-veil, they can what? Attack King?”
She nodded gravely. “They’ll do anything in their power to keep him from returning. And you can’t go there without him. You can’t go back to find him once he’s lost. He’s the guide. You’re the tether. You anchor the two of you between this side and that. But there’s more. When dealing with other, some things can only be seen with magic. He cannot kill that which hecannot see. Some things can only be extinguished with magic. King doesn’t, nor will he ever have, the types of abilities you have.”
“Abilities that are much the same as Chance’s here on this side, if I’ve understood correctly,” Elyse said.
“Mhm. Much of your training will be the same. You’ll just do it in two different realms. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?”
Giving up the pretense, Chance and I leaned into each other heavily, gripping hands tightly. To be as awesome as my bestie was badass. To face these things Gran spoke of? Terrifying.
Chapter 10
King
After I leftthe manor to drive to work, I stopped at the boardwalk. Maybe I should’ve brought Sky with me, but he’d been so shaken up that I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. In fact, he was so preoccupied with his own perceived failure that I was pretty sure he’d forgotten how conscious the dreamer was of our presence in his haunting. I hadn’t been able to get it off my mind, so here I was.
It was still early, so I didn’t have a hard time getting a metered parking spot near the entrance of the amusement park section. The rides didn’t open until 9:30 am, so this area would start filling up soon, but I’d be long gone by then. The best section of the beach for sunbathing and swimming was on the other side, so I didn’t encounter too many people in their suits and beach paraphernalia, mostly only those who came to the boards to walk and get their steps in.
Going back to the same spot to hop the railing as I’d taken Sky last night, I easily cleared it and crept toward the tunnel. Luckily, I’d had the foresight to bring a flashlight. Even with the sun shining overhead, if the man from last night was still here, he’d be too far into the tunnel for much natural light.
After walking for a few minutes, sweeping my light back and forth from one side to the other, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I’d passed the spot we’d been in last night without finding a soul. Turning to go back the other direction, I moved slower, keeping the light focused on the side of the tunnel where the homeless man had been, hoping to find anything to prove that he’d been here in the real world as much as the veil.
Finding nothing, my shoulders sagged. It wasn’t only that I’d wanted to see if he remembered anything from his dream or me and Sky, but I’d wanted to see if he needed anything. Food, money, maybe I could even get him a job with one of Jetty’s construction crews if he was interested. I hated the idea of this guy being under attack in his sleep, alone, with nowhere to go during the day, either.
“Good morning, Kingston,”Malcolm said, coming into my office. “How are you?”
Firing up my computer, I smiled at my boss. Malcolm Everett offered me this job right out of high school. I’d been shocked. Working for the township in any capacity was an awesome job to land without further education or an in with someone who’d give a personal recommendation. I’d always appreciated that he’d given me, not just an opportunity for a job, but a career.
“I’m alright.”
He frowned. “Is something worrying you? You’re looking a little stressed this morning.”
If only he knew, but I kept my smile pasted on my face. “No. Everything’s fine. Just, you know, I didn’t sleep that well.”
That wasn’t a lie. Generally, I still slept pretty good, even when we dreamwalked. It was like my body got its required restwhile my spirit went where it was needed. I’d certainly been getting more shut-eye since I stopped avoiding sleep when my dreams were freaking me out before I had Sky by my side.
Last night had been different. Feeling the weight of our failure, Sky and I had talked until morning. By the time Jetty came down for our morning fencing lesson, I’d already taken a walk down to the pond to greet the ghosts I’d come to consider friends. Since Jetty was my closest friend, it had taken him exactly five seconds to realize something was wrong, so instead of fencing or Tai Chi—which both kind of seemed like a waste of time last night—I’d confessed what a horrific night it had turned out to be.
Not the time before and after sleep when Sky and I talked, though. Those conversations were probably the most real we’d been with each other so far, and they’d meant a lot. Getting to go deeper, share my fears and burdens, and hear some of his was…nice. I felt more connected to him now than any shared crescent moon birthmark had made me feel. That mark might mean we were destined, but it was bearing our souls to each other that made me feel more like the possibility of us being in this thing together for the long haul was possible.
Malcolm hummed. “I think you’re ready.”
Startled at his phrasing, I stopped clicking on emails and looked up at him, paying attention to how intense he looked. We’d known each other for years, and I’d never seen him this serious before. An older man in his sixties with salt-n-pepper hair and a pouch around the middle, he was generally affable, directing our small staff in a friendly but absent kind of way. There were times he disappeared for hours at a time, but none of us thought too much of it. Who the hell knew what all of his job responsibilities were? When at work, I clicked off my tasks quickly and efficiently, to the best of my ability, so beyond meetings and reviews, we didn’t have too much to talk about.
“Uh, for what, sir?”
“Come along,” he said, then walked out of my office, giving me no choice but to follow.
We walked down the short hall, into his office, then into the adjoining conference room. I’d noticed the extra door in there before, figuring it was a utility closet or something, so I wasn’t all that surprised when he opened it and there were shelves of cleaning supplies, a mop in a bucket, and a broom hanging on the wall.
Malcolm stepped into the small space, then turned and beckoned me forward when I hovered outside. “Come on.”
