Dream Killer: Book One in the Nadia Chronicles

Dimitri only stared at her, open mouthed, from within the fiery circle. He had a look of awe mixed with fear. She would have laughed at him but she felt weak, almost empty, and very dizzy. She took a step toward him to tell him not to be afraid and to see if he was all right. Her legs gave out and she collapsed instead. Dimitri watched Nadia fall still unable to leave the circle of fire for fear of getting burned. When Nadia hit the ground unconscious the fire went out. He reached for her, but hesitated. He could feel heat rolling off her in waves.

In all his time as a warrior and short time as a guardian, he had never seen anything like what Nadia had done. In all his travels and in all the histories he had studied, no one had ever wielded the kind of power Nadia had and lived to tell about it. He was still unable to touch her. Dimitri did not know what to do for her and fear began to consume him. He could remember stories of people wielding lesser powers with such disastrous ends. Their lives and horrific deaths became a warning to all who may attempt to use such power.

Nadia crumpled up in a ball on the ground as she came to, trembling all over and yet she seemed calm, almost peaceful, to Dimitri. She could be going into shock, he thought. Nadia was still warm to the touch, but he could not wait any longer. He carefully picked her up and cradled her in his arms like a fragile baby as he slowly crossed to the fire. He was confused by the emotions and thoughts coursing through him. A woman that he hardly knew just wielded the elements like her own personal weapons. She had also spoken as one of the ancient warriors, risked her life to save his, and bested one of the most powerful wizard monks in the land. Yet, she allowed him to scoop her up and carry her like a child. She trembles fighting to stay conscious and yet remains unafraid, he thought fascinated. He did not understand Nadia or why she stared up at him as if he had just saved her.

Dimitri wasn’t sure how long he held her in his arms even after she had fallen asleep. He was staring at her peaceful face lost in his own thoughts and wonder until he realized the fire had gone out. He gently placed Nadia onto her sleeping bag accidentally waking her. “I did not mean to wake you,” he said quietly in a husky voice. “Rest, you have more than earned it.”

Dimitri turned from her to get the fire re-started when Nadia abruptly started to laugh. Dimitri was startled, worried that she was going into shock after all. He was relieved when he realized why she was laughing. Nadia was holding pieces of her shirt in her hands. Her clothing had disintegrated because of the proximity to her fiery hand and the rain she had wielded during the fight. She was laughing at the chunks of cloth that were easily coming off her shirt and pants. Dimitri breathed an audible sigh of relief that Nadia heard through her laughter.

“Why did you sigh like that?” she asked as she slowly and cautiously got up to change. “Did you think I had snapped?” She yawned widely as she crossed to her backpack. She sniffed her hair before pulling a clean shirt over her head. She was glad she didn’t reek of smoke, but she could still faintly smell smoke on her.

He smiled and responded without turning, allowing her privacy while she changed. “Yes. I was worried.” He tossed a few more logs on the fire giving him time to gather his thoughts. “What you did was nothing short of amazing and, if truth be told, very foolish. What you have been through in the short time you have been in Baako could have easily broken the most hardened of warriors. Yet, you find a way to giggle through it.” He paused shaking his head. “I am awestruck. I have never met anyone like you.” He finished in almost a whisper. If Nadia was not as close as she had been to him she would not have heard him.

Nadia blushed deeply. She had never been able to take compliments well and shot back, “Stop. You’re just saying that. I am sure there are a lot of people who can do what I did and manage to not ruin their clothing. Plus, it wasn’t me. It was the gift that Gaia had given me.” She rubbed the warm spot on her forehead where Gaia had kissed her before saying, “As for the laughing thing, well, I laugh all the time. It is what I do to get through things. It gets me into trouble from time to time. I mean I laugh at everything and everyone. Especially myself.” She giggled as she looked up to find him looking at her with a crooked sort of smile. “I know,” she said. “I am such a bad person, but sometimes you just have to laugh.” She paused long enough to move her ruined clothing from the ground under the tree to the ground next to her sleeping bag. “There is so much I want to ask you. If you’re up to it, I mean.”

“Me?” he asked. “You just fought twenty armed men and you worry about me? You’re a funny sort of person, aren’t you?”

“I have been told that before,” Nadia said with another giggle. “But you were hurt. I just want to make sure you are well enough for a long chat.”

“Yes, I am well enough, but let me look at your shoulder first,” Dimitri said reminding Nadia of the injury she sustained during the fight.

“Deal,” Nadia said taking his hand and shaking it once. His touch sent a shiver through her body that he must have felt because he stoked the fire to help warm up their small camp.

Nadia was a good patient, standing still and quiet as Dimitri cleaned and bandaged her shoulder. “Can I look at your hands?” Dimitri asked when he was done with Nadia’s shoulder.

Nadia jumped slightly because he had startled her out of the thoughts she had been lost in. “Yes,” she said casually showing Dimitri her hands. He grasped her right looking at it closely as he turned it over, then her left. “What are you looking for?” Nadia asked curiously.

“I wanted to see for myself that you were not burned by the fire,” he said without looking up at her. She had a large scar across her left palm and a matching smaller one on the back of her left hand. “I am sorry you are scarred from the thorn,” Dimitri said quietly.

“I’m not,” Nadia said matter-of-factly. Dimitri was surprised out of his examination and looked at her confused. Nadia tried to explain, “It is a constant unwavering reminder to keep up my guard in this new world. I used to think sleep was safe and fun. Dreaming was an escape from reality, a nightly adventure. But now,” she sighed and rubbed her fingers slowly over her scar. “This will remind me to take nothing for granted and be ready for anything whether I am awake or asleep.” Nadia stood rubbing her scar for a minute more thinking about all that she had experienced in the last few days. When she looked up Dimitri was sitting near the fire once more watching her. She crossed to her sleeping bag and wrapped it around her shoulders. When she was comfortable she began to retell the tale of her first dream about the boy in the ocean. When she had finished, Dimitri sat stock still with his hands balled into fists and his eyes blazing with fury.

“No one has ever been attacked before they have arrived. Why would they? How

would they even know how to find you?” Then his mood shifted so fast it was hard for Nadia to keep up. “He must be scared, really scared.” Then he looked at Nadia with a strange mix of awe and curiosity that quickly passed. “I am sorry.” He took a deep breath. “Please continue with your dreams.”

“Um,” Nadia said trying to remember where she had left off before Dimitri’s mood swings. “Where was I?”

“You arrive in Baako and tumbled unaware of where you are,” Dimitri said very business-like. “Now your next dream if you please.”

“Okay, wait,” Nadia was still gathering her thoughts. “Couple questions. The dream I had at home wasn’t a normal nightmare but some kind of dream walk?” Dimitri nodded. “Good to know. Second, I did not tumble ‘unaware’ as you put it. I tripped and fell because I am exceptionally clumsy and uncoordinated, which I feel you should be made aware of. Third, who was the guy in my dream? He had really creepy and rather sinister orange eyes. Is that normal here in Baako? Oh, and how did you know where to find me? Did you know to look for me specifically or did you just know to be here?”

Dimitri cut her off, “Nadia, I know you have many questions, but they must wait.” He held up a hand to stop her from interrupting him. “I’m not saying I won’t answer your questions in time. I need to know all that has happened to you before I am able to give you any adequate answers.”

Nadia almost crossed her arms to pout like a child, but decided he had a point. She told him of the second dream. She hesitated when she got to the fairy wondering what had happened to her. “Wait. I must ask, is this dream walk thing real? I mean what happens to me while I’m sleeping? Can it affect my sleeping self, my body?”

“Yes,” Dimitri said heavy hearted. “There are many that have entered the dream realm and have never awakened again. Others have been killed instantly. Still others that are in a forever dream state but bruises or injuries appear on their bodies seemingly of their own accord.”

“That,” she paused searching for the right words. “Really is kind of terrifying. So, does the dreamer have control or can they take control of their own dream walk?”

“That is a question we have asked for a long time but I have no real answers for you. With your ‘dream walks’ as you put it, it sounds like a mixture of made up world with some of the real, but maybe it’s because you’re still half uncontrollable or perhaps it was partially your creation.” He stopped thinking for a moment. “You are one of the few people I have met that has been able to leave the dream world unscathed, mentally sound, or able to leave it at all. But please continue and I may be able to tell you more with a better understanding of what has happened to you thus far.”

Nadia told him about the orb she threw at the chandelier and how the scales tipped. Dimitri wondered aloud about the scales debating with himself so quickly that Nadia could not hear him clearly. When she got to the end of the dream he was beaming, but he still would not tell her anything. Nadia shrugged and repositioned herself so she was more comfortable before continuing. The last dream was the most confusing for Nadia so she told Dimitri every minute detail. When she got to the introduction of Gaia, Dimitri sat up straighter and leaned in. As she told him of the impending attack and how Gaia reacted, Dimitri became statue stiff. The anger was rolling off him like heat from an oven. Nadia mentioned the book causing Dimitri to glance toward his coat subconsciously checking to see if it was still there. Nadia finished the dream slowly by telling him about being ejected but still getting a glance of the army. “Even though I have only spent a few dreaming hours with Gaia,” Nadia said solemnly. “I feel like I have known her for a life time. I also feel like she is the kind of woman who could make good on her promise to dispatch the intruders quickly. I will not mourn her until I know there is no hope.”

Dimitri cleared his throat, “Gaia is a strong guardian and an even stronger woman. You are right to believe she is able to take on such a foe. I will follow your lead and believe the best until otherwise informed.” He was so business like Nadia was certain he was hiding something. Of course, she could have been mistaken. She was bone tired from the fight, but also determined to learn the answers to some of her questions.

She sat still, watching the dreams sink into Dimitri and tried to decipher what he was thinking. Nadia watched him for a long time. He has beautiful hair, she thought sleepy. Really strong arms too. I bet he is more than a foot taller than me. Having strong arms and being taller than Nadia were two physical features Nadia looked for in a man. She smiled a cheesy, girly smile to herself as she drifted off to sleep analyzing and reanalyzing Dimitri’s physical appearance. She woke to the sun bright in the sky and birds singing in the trees.

“All my determination,” she grumbled to herself.

“What determination?” Dimitri asked.

“My determination to stay awake,” she said turning to him. “And get answers to my questions. But instead I fell asleep. What an idiot.”

Dimitri chuckled, “You were tired. It is understandable after the immense power you displayed during last night’s fight.” He paused while Nadia blushed. “We have lost much of the day. I would like to leave this place as soon as you are up to it. We have lingered in one spot too long.” Dimitri began erasing all traces of their camp as Nadia was slowly stretching out her stiff muscles.

“Yeah,” she said very drawn out during a particularly long stretch. “Just give me a few minutes to get ready. You didn’t save me any breakfast, did you?”

After Nadia was packed and fed, they began walking. They walked in comfortable silence for many hours while Nadia tried to look at everything around her. Nadia couldn’t tell which way they were going because the trees were so thick she was unable to see the suns positioning. Then she remembered that Baako may not be like Earth. The sun may not rise in the East and set in the West like it did where she was from.

“Dimitri,” she said catching up to him. “What is the name of this place?”

“Which do you mean?” he said absently as he walked. “The forest, the land?”

“Yeah and how many people live here?” she asked getting more and more excited about the adventure she was on. “Do you have different animals here than we do on Earth? Does everyone have gifts?”

Dimitri sighed with slight annoyance, “It seems to me that Gaia gave you the history of my world already. Are you unable to access these memories?” He didn’t look at her, but instead picked up his pace so he was a few strides in front of her.

Nadia stared at his back so surprised by his mood she stumbled on the uneven ground. Last night he kept saying how awed he was by me, she thought taken back. And now he treats me like a whiney child? Nadia didn’t think she was asking anything unreasonable and asked quietly, “Is something wrong? Did I do something to upset you?”

“No,” Dimitri sighed again. “It’s not you. I am just angry and tense about what has already happened in such a short amount of time. I am sorry for my temper.” He slowed so Nadia could catch up.

“So,” she began hesitantly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I will,” he said smiling down at her apologetically. “But let me begin with a basic history for you. There is much you need to learn and little time to do it in.”

“Actually,” Nadia said cutting in. “I didn’t mean the history. I meant what you are so angry and tense about. I may be able to help. If nothing else, I listen well.” She smiled bumping into him gently.

“No, it is okay,” he said a little sheepishly. Nadia raised an eyebrow at him convinced talking about the problem would help him. “Really, I’m fine. I am just thinking about Gaia and where we should be right now rather than trudging through the woods.” He paused glancing around, “but I do have a lot to teach you. You know we call this world Baako. But did you know Baako means born first.”

From the moment Dimitri started to talk about the history of Baako, Nadia could see it as a movie playing in her mind. She was hanging on his every word as he continued. “This world is a sister world of your Earth; an older sister. You probably see this world as simple and undeveloped where as we see your world as lost and forgetful.” He took a quick swig of water from his canteen before continuing, “Once your world was just like ours. Magic ran through its blood and nature was more alive. The connection to the Earth had a deeper meaning than planting new trees to make up for the ones that were cut down. Here in Baako it can mean talking to the trees and understanding their needs, wants and desires. For others, it means learning and enjoying the noises of a forest rather than fearing them. Nadia, I know that you have felt what I am saying is true.” He stopped as if to give her time to respond.

There were many times she felt a kinship to trees and nature in general. She always wished she could communicate with them and heal the wounds that humans so carelessly brought about. She would get so frustrated if a plant she cared for died. She had wished she understood what it needed to survive. Nadia didn’t want to interrupt what she had been waiting to hear since she had arrived. She only nodded, still captivated by his voice and the historical pictures he painted.

Dimitri took her head nod as an understanding and continued. “When I was a boy a long time ago there was a great war that continues still. This war was prophesized to produce an unnatural tyrant, that possessed tainted powers and no one could kill. One, with seemingly no fear or weaknesses, but for the other. The other will have the ability to stop the one’s reign of terror.”

“Whoa,” Nadia was pulled from the movie in her mind. “That is not the prophecy with my name in it, right?”

“No, that prophecy has no name in it or maybe this war would have ended by now.” Dimitri took a deep breath to steady his rage then continued. “We need to setup camp for the evening. I will clear an area for us. Can you get some fire wood?”

“Sure,” Nadia said quietly. She set her bag down near a tree, took out her ruined clothing to air out, and adjusted the knife she had strapped to her thigh. When she first put in on she felt very Tomb Raider and the feeling had not worn off yet which made her smile. As she walked by Dimitri, she put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry for all the sadness you have had to endure,” she said simply and walked into the woods to gather fallen wood for a fire. She was deep in thought about the history of the land and the evils it must have endured.