Dreamwalkers: The Awakening

CHAPTER 12

It doesn't take us long to get settled in to our room at the hotel. By 9:45 Zoë is filling the bathroom with hot steam from the shower as I lay out the contents of the bag on top of the bed I've claimed.

For a split second, I consider calling home. I want to talk to my mom and tell her everything is okay and I'll be home as soon as I do this crazy thing, but that would only create more problems. Leaving it behind for my dad to deal with is all I can do.

Turning to one of the journals I haven't had a chance to explore, I dive in headfirst. I'm surprised to find it full of illustrations.

The first few are all of places. Several of them, wooded areas with medieval looking architecture; much like the place I'd been to when I first encountered Natalie. There are drawings of plant life and faded explanations of the benefits each has to offer the dreamwalker. When I reach a drawing that's so delicate and beautiful, somehow so familiar, I'm captivated.

My eyes are first pulled to a large tree with incredibly low lying, trunk-sized branches jutting out in every direction. The branches hover just inches above the ground, calla lilies nestled between them. Light fog hangs in the sky, depicted through delicate shadowing and blurring. The drawing is done in only black ink, but the painstaking attention to detail allows my imagination to fill in the colors and more. I can almost smell the sweet perfume of the flowers and feel the warm breeze blow through my hair.

Turning the page introduces me to a much darker drawing, in a place more frightening than I care to venture. Tall, branchless trunks surrounded by fallen trees and their remaining stumps occupy most of the image. Moonbeams shine through what's left of the trees, illuminating the outline of a human figure peering out from behind a tree. A chill rushes over my body as I catch my first glimpse of it.

Its features are shrouded in darkness. The only way to distinguish the creature from the trees is by the bright light creating a harsh outline around it. I turn the page to an even more frightening image, a detailed drawing of the hidden creature.

Its humanity ends at the shape and size of its body. The creature's skin is thick and reptilian, mostly shades of white and yellow, as noted in the description. Its eyes, a liquid black and much larger than they need to be. The label under the drawing states that the creature is called a bettinger. It lurks in the darkness waiting for an unguarded moment of weakness to attack its prey. One final sentence takes my breath away. "Feeds on the blood of the unisus but will make human exceptions at desperate times." I have no idea what a unisus is, but a creature that feeds on blood of any kind is enough to worry me.

Voices outside our door catch my attention. What begins as gentle whispers quickly builds in intensity. More and more voices appear, overlapping and talking too fast for me to understand. The chain on the door moves of its own accord, sliding ever so slowly toward the unlock position. I should be scared but all I feel is intrigued.

My attention is drawn to the pendant around my neck. I pull it out from under my shirt and rub my thumb over the bumps of the design. As I stare at its intricate twirling pattern and admire its craftsmanship, I suddenly realize, the voices I hear are coming from within it. They're captivating, more so than I've ever noticed any voice to be. I long for the knowledge that would enable me to speak their language so I know what they're trying to tell me.

The bathroom doorknob squeaks as Zoë turns it. All at once the voices disappear and the trance they had me under vanishes. The chain on the door remains locked like nothing ever touched it. I drop the pendant back inside my shirt as she steps out of the bathroom, clean from her shower but wearing the same clothes she had on before.

She walks across the room and takes a seat on the edge of the other bed. I pass the journal to her. It's still open to the page with the drawing of the bettinger. "What is this?" she asks, her mouth hanging open in shock.