See How She Falls (The Chronicles of Izzy #3)(9)
“We will be," Kennan promised. “Now, go be the terrifying Council leader I know that you are.”
“Pshaw. I wish. Is there some sort of proper way to send off Council members, other than flipping them the bird? Because, that is really all I want to do to them.”
“No, just go stand out front as their cars leave. That’s what Isadora always did. Oh, and look bored. That always seems to annoy them.” Kennan moved toward the door and opened it, waiting for me to pass.
As I entered the hall, I was immediately flanked by Conall and Kennan. We moved through the halls quietly as people paused to bow their heads in my direction. I nodded back to each of them, knowing that I would never truly get used to this sort of attention. I felt like a fraud. As we reached the front of the house, Kennan and Conall fell behind me, allowing me to exit in front of them.
“We bid you farewell," Brutus shouted. I needed to find out screamy-pants’ name.
“May God bless your journey. I expect to hear from you soon regarding the darkness. Until then, be well.” The words poured from my mouth without thought. It was as though I was channeling Isadora.
“And you, milady," Damali said through clenched teeth.
With that, the four Council members piled into two black sedans and were off. I wasn’t sure if I would hear from them or not, but their absence was a relief. The breath returned to my lungs, and the weight lifted from my shoulders. Shaking off the oppression their presence brought with them, I reveled in the fact that I would no longer have to hide what was happening to me. Other than the contacts, I was free. Well, maybe the sparky thing would have to be hidden. I should really talk to Aberto about that one.
“What is on the agenda for the rest of the day, Milady?” Conall asked, never looking away from the departing cars.
“A nap. Some food. Maybe a little research?” I swayed on my feet slightly, only to be caught by Kennan.
The runes were still taking a heavy toll on me, even with the extra protection that Aberto had applied. I felt tired all of the time, yet I was terrified to go into the dreaming for fear of being marked more. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take before I ended up like Cait, Conall’s would’ve-been Seer. The memory of her approaching that monstrous beast skirted through my mind, before disappearing.
“I need to lie down.” My voice came out a mere whimper. I had to maintain a strong fa?ade for the Council members, but now that they were gone, I felt the toll the strain had taken.
“Let’s get you to bed.” Kennan reached around my side to support the majority of my weight as we moved inside the house and up toward our room.
Chapter Five
My feet were lead bricks dragging beneath me as I sluggishly made my way to our room. Exhaustion pulled at me, beckoning with the promise of peaceful rest that I knew was a mere tease. I really wanted to get this whole prophecy thing over with. Maybe in death I would find some rest. Perhaps that was a bit too melodramatic, but at this point, death was definitely starting to have an upside.
“Do you need help getting your contacts out?” Kennan shut the door, pulling me from my dour thoughts.
“Yuck! I don’t want your fingers in my eyes.” The very thought of it caused my stomach to churn. “I think I have enough energy to handle it. But if you could undo my zipper, that would be awesome.” I turned my back towards Kennan. As his hand brushed down my spine, trailing the zipper with it, chills rushed through my body. His lips brushed my neck and traced the line my zipper had just made, causing my toes to curl.
“Kennan, I don’t think I can right now. I am so….” I collapsed to the floor leaving the words unspoken. Consciousness had once more eluded me, a circumstance that was unfortunately occurring more and more frequently. Perhaps the runes were to blame, or maybe my body couldn’t cope with Aberto’s soul residing inside of me, either way, it was annoying. Nothing like a narcoleptic leader to save the day.
Awesome, I was once more in the dreaming. How I’d arrived there was beyond me considering that I’d been doing my durndest to avoid the place. Staring out into the fog, I knew. The menace that lurked within the dark shadows was growing. The darkness beckoned, whispering promises of pain, of unimaginable torments. Shivers travelled down my spine.
I looked around, half searching for Ren’s spirit. I’d grown so used to her company in the dreaming, no matter how unpleasant, it seemed strange to no longer see her here. Though I wouldn’t wish an eternity in the dreaming on anyone, I selfishly missed the companionship.
I moved through the fog with no real purpose. I’d been pulled into the dreaming for a reason, eventually it would show itself. Here’s hoping it wasn’t for another rune attack. Yep, that’s what I’d dubbed them, much to everyone’s chagrin. Rune attack sort of sounded like it should be a punk rock band. Maybe I could get some Guardians together and form one. I moved along, with my ridiculous train of thought for company, for a small eternity. What came before my eyes pulled me to a stop.
I was looking out at myself, a mere image of my childhood form. It was almost transparent, but I was there. I was huddled in a ball crying out for the nightmare to end. I could remember this, I didn’t know how, because I thought I’d never been in the dreaming until last year. I was a child, I shouldn’t have been here. How could I have forgotten this? I moved toward myself, but as I drew near, another figure appeared causing me to draw in a sharp breath.