Dream Killer: Book One in the Nadia Chronicles

It all made sense. After all, Gaia did tell Nadia that she could change forms. It also made sense to Nadia that she would not be so lucky as to be healed twice by Gaia. Gaia being Dimitri’s mom even made a little sense. Dimitri talked of her as an idol or a mother figure.

“Why so casual about your own death, Nadia of Earth?” Gaia wondered. “Does life mean so little?”

Nadia was taken aback, “Oh, no. Life means so very much to me, even more so since I have come to Baako. It is just that I am not surprised. When I finally have something amazing like a wicked adventure and Dimitri in my life, life itself is taken from me. Don’t get me wrong. I intend to fight this fate if I can.” Nadia hesitated, remembering how all-encompassing the pain was when she turned to see the woman in the cave. Nadia took a deep breath that sounded more like a sob before saying, “I only hope that if I do not win this fight I am able to talk to Dimitri before I leave him.”

She was speaking more to herself than Gaia, but Gaia still asked. “And what would you say to my son?”

Nadia’s smile was sad as she looked out onto a scene that she alone could see. “I would tell him there is always hope, no matter the past, he should always look to the future.” Nadia’s smile faded as she fought back tears. “I would tell him that none of this was his fault, because I know he would fall into a deep self-loathing. But most importantly, I would tell him that even though I have only known him a few short days that he has impacted my life in a way no other person could have. And that I love him.” She stopped and giggled a short sobbing giggle and whispered, “I love you, Dimitri.”

“I love you too, Nadia.” Dimitri whispered. She was forcibly slammed back into her own body, back on the floor of the cave once again. She gasped for breath and gripped Dimitri’s forearm, hoping for a reprieve from the sudden pain. Then it was over. She felt no pain, but she also could move nothing but her own head.

“I don’t feel anything,” Nadia said finding her voice again. Dimitri looked over at Althea and she nodded.

“Nadia,” Althea was walking slowly over to Nadia with her hands out as if to show she meant Nadia no harm. Althea had a large sword strapped to her back and eight-inch knives strapped to each of her thighs.

Two knives, Nadia thought with a dreamy air. I need to have two knives, she smiled to herself. But no sword, I would probably hurt myself.

Althea had her hair pulled back in a no-nonsense pony tail showing her serious face. Nadia could tell Althea was four or five inches taller than her even though Althea did not stand up straight. Althea had a jacket on that stopped at her knees and may at onetime have been a deep red. Like all her items, however, her clothing and jacket were dingy and dirty. She looked rugged and intimidating, but she had an interesting even semi-exotic sort of beauty about her.

“My name is Althea and I have the gift of telepathy,” Althea said as she knelt next to Nadia. “I have forced your mind to believe that you are no longer in pain and that you are unable to move, so you do not injure yourself further. I’m sorry, but there was no time to ask you. You were thrashing so much.”

Nadia cut her off, understanding the situation completely, “No, please, it is okay. Now, I can at least think relatively well, but I am sure this will not last.” She looked at Dimitri, “I have seen your mother and she said I am dying.” She said it so simply that it took Althea and Dimitri by surprise.

“No,” Dimitri screamed. “No, I will not allow this to. You to. No.”

“Stop, Dimitri.” Nadia whispered her words but he heard them clearly. “She said I will die if I am not brought to a healer right away. But Dimitri, please listen, if we do not make it, if I do not pull through this, there are so many things I need to tell you.”

“No,” he stammered, showing his vulnerable side for a mere second before masking it behind his determination. “No, we need a plan. We can talk about this later after you are healing. Please, don’t.” He held a finger up to Nadia’s mouth to stop the words he knew she was going to say. “Please, Nadia, I need to pack up camp, build a stretcher of some sort for you and get moving.” He leaned into her moving a strand of hair from her face as he said, “you need to save your strength. You have to fight.” He stood abruptly and nodded to Althea, who looked directly into Nadia’s eyes. Nadia had enough time to feel annoyed at Dimitri for forcing her not to talk before she slipped into painless unconsciousness.

Dimitri ran from the cave shouting, “Althea, pack up camp as fast as you can. We need to move, now.” Dimitri ran into the forest only vaguely aware of the rain. He was searching for sturdy pieces of wood to be used as a frame for a stretcher. He was mentally calculating how long it would take him to get to the closest village, when he found two six foot branches from a fallen tree. The tree had just recently fallen and the branches still had a little bend to them. He ran back to the cave to find Althea sitting very close to Nadia with her head in her hands. All their belongings were packed and resting near the mouth of the cave. Dimitri was within a couple feet of Althea before she looked up.

“Dimitri,” she began with strain in her already tired voice. “I can’t keep her mind locked down like this for long. Something is wrong. Something is fighting me and it is

draining me of energy.”

“What?” Dimitri studied her face and features to see if she was lying. “Althea, from what I have heard about you, you can incapacitate a small army. Yet, this one girl’s mind is giving you trouble?”

“First off, don’t believe everything you hear,” she began venomously. “Second, I have never encountered anything like this. It seems that she might be fighting me from the inside and something else is fighting me from the outside. You must make a choice Dimitri. Either I keep her in a dreamless sleep and risk becoming too exhausted to even move, or I release her mind. If I release her mind she may dream, but she may also wake. I can slow you down even more or I help you get her to a healer. Either way, she may not make it.” Before she was aware Dimitri was moving, he had the front of her jacket gripped in his hands.

“Don’t you ever say that again,” he growled. “She will make it. She has too.”

“Fine, neat, whatever.” Althea pried his hands off her defiantly. “If you had more dreamless sleep powder with you this would not be a debate, but you don’t so what do you want me to do?” Dimitri was lost in thought for a few minutes before answering. He was thinking about all the events that had already taken place. For one shameful second he even started to believe that Nadia may have been as accident prone as she said she was and therefore doomed. He especially weighed everything he had heard about Althea knowing he had to allow her to come. He hated the idea of an unknown and seemingly dangerous woman to be near Nadia and him in their vulnerable situation. Dimitri knew his mental defenses were strong enough to prevent her mind tricks from affecting him, but what of her ability to fight? He shrugged before finally responding to an impatient Althea.

“Let me get the stretcher made and her on it and then you can release her mind. As much as I hate to admit it, I need you to help me get her to safety.”

“Fine,” Althea crossed to their bags. “The faster we get started the faster I can get my strength back. How do you want to do this? Oh, and please don’t thank me for helping you. Your statement about hating my help already got me blushing.” She grinned wickedly at her own joke as she helped Dimitri make a crude stretcher with the branches, Dimitri’s sleeping bag, and the strips of Nadia’s burnt clothing. They put their bags at Nadia’s feet and used Nadia’s backpack as a pillow for her. They would have to carry the stretcher between them. Nadia was placed on top and covered by two of Dimitri’s extra shirts and his jacket to stave off the cold weather.

Although Althea had not released Nadia’s mind, Nadia had started trembling again. Dimitri feared hypothermia and idly wondered why she was unable to heat herself. He knew carrying her as far and as fast as they had to, to get her to a healer was going to be hot work and did not fear becoming too cold himself.

When Nadia was securely between Althea and Dimitri and the fire was put out Althea said, “Dimitri, I have to do it now. I can’t help her anymore.”

Dimitri chose to stand near Nadia’s head with the stretcher in front of him, so he could keep an eye on Althea and Nadia, before nodding to Althea.

“Okay,” he felt helpless. “But we are going to have to move fast. I have never made this journey in under a week and I was in much better circumstances. I figure we are going to have to make it in no more than four days but if we can we need to push for less. Are you up to this?”

“Well,” Althea started thoughtfully as she turned away from him so she could lead the way carrying the bottom of the stretcher closest to Nadia’s feet. “I don’t think we have much of a choice. I can say this, though. She is impressive. I don’t think I have ever seen

anyone take this hard of a beating and still fight me mentally. Once I release her mind though, she is on her own. What or whoever wants her will prevent me from helping her again until she wakes.” Dimitri nodded his understanding before Althea took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and cleared all emotion from her face. Then she gasped out, “Ow.” She shook her head like she had just been hit. “She’s free of my power, but went straight into someone else’s.” She rubbed her head thinking for a moment. “Does she possess her own abilities? Where is she from?”

Dimitri ignored Althea’s questions and instead watched the peaceful look melt off Nadia’s sleeping face, to be replaced by pain and fear. He could not bear to see Nadia like that without being able to do anything for her. He adjusted the straps of the stretcher and said, “Okay, let’s go and Althea.”

“Yeah,” she said annoyed by him blatantly ignoring her questions.

Dimitri had to swallow back his pride before he said, “Thank you.”