Dream Killer: Book One in the Nadia Chronicles

Dimitri and Nadia walked to the City Center steps as the sun was setting. Suddenly, the chilly night air was filled with music, laughter, and the smell of food being roasted over open fires. Dimitri took Nadia’s hand again as they wandered over to the source of the noise and delicious smells. The Prestarian’s camp was outside the City Center in a large open area. They had twenty or more tents set up with almost as many fire pits burning. There were three fire pits setup specifically for cooking. There were many pots bubbling and birds on spicks turning while they cooked. There was a makeshift band setup in the center of the tents. The instruments were unlike anything Nadia had seen on Earth, but they sounded wonderful when they were all played together. Most of the Prestarian’s were singing quietly to the music, but there were voices that carried above all the others. It felt surreal to Nadia. It felt like she had walked into a fairy circle or an old folk story of wandering gypsy people. It brought a smile to her face to see children helping with dinner and singing along to the music. Nadia laughed aloud when a large dog came up and dropped a ball at her feet to be thrown for catch. Dimitri picked up the ball tossing it into the village. He was very comfortable among the Prestarian’s. He had met most of them and had been getting lessons in herbal healing from a few of the elders, including Astrid. Even after the emotionally draining day, Dimitri was genuinely happy in that moment.

Nadia and Dimitri were greeted by everyone they saw and were quickly brought into the festivities. They felt like honored guests. No matter how many times they offered, they were not allowed to help with any of the dinner preparations.

Soon everyone was enjoying a body warming stew and a heart-warming song. After dinner, the Prestarian’s danced together in large groups and intimate couples. The Prestarians also talked while helping one another with small chores like sewing, lessons, whittling, and so on. Nadia and Dimitri enjoyed dinner in comfortable silence and observed the Prestarians while sitting just within the fire’s light of one of the larger bonfires. After Nadia started to nod off, Dimitri decided she had had enough excitement for the day and helped her up. All the Prestarians were suddenly quiet as if Nadia and Dimitri standing was a signal that something was about to happen. Astrid stood as well and slowly crossed to Dimitri, took his hand and asked him to sit back down. Then, she turned to Nadia and Nadia felt like she had a hot spot light on her. Everyone within the circles of light was looking directly at Nadia, even the small children. Nadia glanced around quickly, a little uncomfortable with the sudden attention. Some of the ghosts of the villagers she had seen earlier had even approached the fire light to watch.

“Nadia of Earth,” Astrid began in a commanding voice. “You have given the Prestarian’s here a great gift. The gift of freedom. You did this at great peril to yourself and now we ask what we can do to repay this debt.” Astrid finished and the Prestarian camp was ringing with silence.

Nadia took a deep breath before she said, “Astrid, you and your people have already given me so much so I lay no obligation on you to give any more.” That simple statement was met with whispers that spread through the camp and ended as quickly as they had started. Nadia held up a hand for their attention once more. “I ask for no obligation, but I would like to ask for a favor. I know that Dimitri has been learning herbal healing with a few of your elders and I too crave this knowledge. More than this I want to learn to fight. I have special skills,” she stopped to look at Dimitri before she continued, keeping with the vague statement. “And therefore, I have special needs in my training. Even without my skills, I would like to learn simple, yet effective hand-to-hand combat and weaponry. I am wondering if anyone could find the time in their already busy day to train me.” She ended a little sheepishly no longer looking at the group. The silence was so complete it seemed no one was breathing, and then the clearing burst into life. There were people jumping up all over camp speaking loudly over each other, but the only sound Nadia could hear clearly was Dimitri’s laughter. “What is going on?” Nadia asked Dimitri.

“It seems that they all want to teach you,” he grinned. “Even the children and very elderly from the look of it.”

When the noise started to dim, Astrid approached Nadia again and said, “You have bestowed another great honor on us. It will take some time to sort out who will be best suited for your needs. May I suggest that we all depart to bed for this evening. There will be much talk tomorrow on the matter. Thank you, Nadia and Dimitri.” She said each of their names with a small nod of her head and the circle broke up.

Nadia had horrible nightmares that night and more than once awakened weeping, screaming, or hyperventilating. She was glad that Dimitri volunteered for the night watch. She had dreamed of the dead Lenora, Benicio, and the other villagers and knew Dimitri would have suffered along with her if he had known. The part of the dream that haunted her the most was after the dead were killed they would turn to her and shout something that she was unable to understand. Even Lenora’s youngest sibling, the infant, screamed something at Nadia before crawling over to his mother’s dead body. After the last dream, Nadia decided it would be better if she stayed awake, afraid of what closing her eyes might show her. Nadia wasn’t sure what time it was, but from her window she could see one of the two moons still high in the sky. She could just make out the Prestarian camp below and envied them as they slept. She felt like she had had maybe two or three hours of sleep and knew she would have a long day ahead of her.

She sighed, “Now what?” She looked around the room, quickly trying to find something to entertain herself. She wandered over to the herb table again. She didn’t open any of the containers, but she rearranged everything and cleaned the counter until it was spotless. Then, she made her bed and Dimitri’s bed, pausing when she noticed Dimitri’s distinct, calming aroma coming from his pillow. She laughed at herself after she pressed his pillow to her face to breathe in his scent. “You’re a dork,” she said to herself when she placed the pillow back on the bed. She would have been embarrassed if anyone else had seen her.

She found her backpack under Dimitri’s bed and decided she was going to rearrange it too. She searched through it. She was looking for the book she had brought with her, but discovered that it was missing. Nadia guessed Dimitri had taken it to keep him company during his watch. She smiled, remembering that she had never really explained what a hobbit was. She knew he would figure it out. She took out her small sewing kit and hand stitched a tear she had gotten in two of her shirts. While she sewed, she thought about her dreams again and wondered what the dead were trying to tell her. She glanced at the door noticing the line of salt and herbs protecting her from the ghosts that were trapped in the City Center.

She knew she could not hide in her room forever and Dimitri could not keep running her to and from the City Center. Eventually, the village ghosts would also want to chat. What of the world outside the village? Nadia was sure there were trapped spirits out there too, just waiting to accost her ear drums. She decided in the middle of night, with no witnesses, was a good time to try and talk rationally with the dead who seemed so desperate to talk to her.

Nadia stood up while mentally reassuring herself that she could face the dead without any back up. She thought about how she looked in her blood stained blue jeans and what she assumed was over fluffy hair. Then she smiled. I don’t think the ghosts will care what you look like, she thought as she inched over to her door trying to be as quiet as possible. She didn’t want to wake any of the living and half hoped she could sneak up on the dead.

Nadia opened her door slowly and whispered, “I know you all want to talk to me. But if you scream at me, I won’t be able to understand any of you. I am going to remove a small portion of the salt line and I ask that only one of you come in at a time.” She couldn’t actually see the ghost while she was on the other side of the salt line so she felt a little funny talking to no one. Using her toe, she brushed a small portion of the line away from the door.

She felt and saw the ghosts pushing their way into her room. She was shoved forcibly back by a large male ghost that looked to be in his mid-thirties when he died. She stumbled onto her bed and instantly wished Dimitri had not left their room.

“Whoa, guy,” she said still trying to be quiet. “You got my attention. Now what is it that you need?”

“You little harlot,” he growled at her. “I leave to protect you, the one I loved with all my heart, and you send me this.” He pulls a letter from his leather jerkin. “I have found someone, but thought you should know? A letter? What is wrong with you?”

“What are you talking about?” Nadia said, shocked by his forcefulness and accusations.

“Don’t you play coy with me,” he said as he stepped onto the bed with Nadia, leaning into her. “Bellona, I swore I would never hit you but I am so close to losing my temper. Admit what you did and that you are a filthy harlot.”

“Sir, my name is Nadia and I am not who you think I am. I’m not even from Baako.” Nadia stood on the bed and scooted back into the corner of the bed until she hit the wall. She felt trapped and wasn’t sure what to do about the extremely angry ghost who clearly didn’t know where he was or who he was talking to. She didn’t have time to decide because the man jumped at her and she was forcibly slammed against the wall.

She was grinding her teeth in pain as she received flashes of memories that belonged to the ghost. It was nothing like the emotional, non-pain inducing memories she had received from Benicio. The soldier’s memories were full of rage and for Nadia full of physical pain. Nadia saw a teary-eyed woman in her mid-twenties waving to the man as he left for battle. He was so full of pride for his ‘beautiful pearl’ and felt certain she would be waiting right where he left her when he returned. Then, his memories shifted to when he received word that Bellona was not going to wait for him. She wanted him to move on without her and she had moved on without him. He had beaten the messenger so badly the messenger was unable to walk for weeks. The soldier received punishment for that, only making him angrier and foolhardier. He had foolishly attacked a group of the enemy without orders to do so. He got himself and several other soldiers within his militia killed. He didn’t care about anything but revenge and in his moment of death he was too enraged to move on. He wanted pay back one way or another. Nothing anyone could do or say would change that.

When the memories ended Nadia, was standing in the middle of Dimitri’s bed holding her knife. The moon had shifted in the sky and Nadia felt disoriented. She knew that an hour or more had passed, but she had felt like the memories had only taken moments. Nadia re-sheathed her knife as she climbed off the bed to put it away. She noticed several slash marks in her blankets and on the door. It kind of looked like she may have been trying to get out, but why? She looked at her own clothing and noticed a rip in her pants where the knife must have nicked her leg. She had dried blood in her hair and was starting to get a pounding head ache. That is when she noticed what looked like a head shaped dent in her wall and realized she must have head butted it.

“But how? When?” Nadia said, running her hand over the dent and then her own head. “Possession?” She wondered, “I don’t remember.”

Nadia glanced outside again and decided against going to get Dimitri to find out what was going on. She could handle a few ghosts, right? After all, Dimitri wasn’t always going to be with her, but she had a sinking feeling the ghosts would be. She noticed the salt and herbs were back in place and wondered how that had happened. Nadia stepped over the line thinking about the ghost of the soldier and her need to go for a walk to clear her pounding head. She was instantly accosted by the other ghosts and tried to ignore them. She tried to push through, because asking them nicely to move didn’t work. The ghost simply pushed back.

A girl that looked to be in her early teens walked easily through the other ghosts. “Please,” she asked right into Nadia’s ear. “Please listen to my story.” Nadia was taken aback by the girl and tried to focus on her, but the others were jostling Nadia. They were all screaming to try to get her attention. “I’m sorry,” the girl whispered into Nadia’s ear.

“For what?” Nadia said, trying to keep the other ghost at bay while she focused on the girl.

“I saw what that angry soldier did when he jumped into you like that,” the girl whispered. “He controlled you and ruined your room.”

“But that was not your fault,” Nadia said trying to comfort the girl.

“No,” the girl said with a small head shake looking ashamed. “But this is.” And she jumped at Nadia.