The Child Dreamer: A Dead Dreamer Prequel

Chapter Eight: False Truths

It was then I heard them. The voices. They were subtle at first, but still there. In the back of my mind, the voices of spirits began to infect me as they screamed. They screamed for freedom. They screamed to be set free from this unnatural trap. Whether or not Kieran could hear them too, I wasn't sure. If they did, they made no move to acknowledge it.

In only a few seconds, the air calmed. The boy placed his hand on the door, transferring the energy he had been wielding from the orb. Small runic characters began to surround the door. Without thinking, my feet took me forward as I reached to touch them. Although I could hear Kieran telling me to stay away, I couldn't. My hand lightly touched the marked door, only to increase the volume of the voice in my head. It felt like my entire body was being torn apart from the inside out.

The power. The immense power. It was greater than anything I had ever felt before. My other hand lifted, showing me the flames I had lit earlier. They were now dancing more violently than I had ever seen before. As I stared at the flames, my lips turned up in a slight smile, feeling the surge of power rush through me.

Behind the light of the fire, Lorcan stood, watching. He was pleased. His grin made that evident. But the boy was not. He hid behind the blue-eyed man, not wishing to be anywhere near the fire. My grin grew wider.

"You were meant for this," Lorcan murmured.

"I am," I said in reply. The voices were still screaming when I released the door. Within my mind, the runic markings flashed across my memories, as if they were imprinting me as well. It felt invigorating.

"Can - can you hear them?" the boy asked in a whisper.

"Yes," I replied.

Lorcan shifted his gaze between the two of us. "Them?"

My hand shifted so I could continue to watch my flames as the power slowly died down. "The voices."

"Ah," he said, quickly understanding. "You mustn't let those voices deter you. They're merely a test for our Dreamers. To test if you have the strength to continue this work. They're merely the voices of the demons, trying to tempt you to release them."

"Of course," I nodded. Even after stepping back a few feet, the voices continued to follow. On instinct, I knew Lorcan was wrong. But I didn't care. They were easy to suppress, though this explained the nervousness of the boy. He was probably too young to handle the noise in his head.

Lorcan stepped closer toward me as I lowered my hand, extinguishing the flames completely. He glanced between myself and the boy again before grinning. "So, what do you think?"

My grin grew wider. "This was magnificent. The power from the runes was extraordinary. And the demons being sealed away will save me time from hunting every single one of them down."

Though the words were true, they tasted a little bitter. Admitting Lorcan was right was one thing. But not being able to hunt the demons anymore left me feeling empty. Hunting them was my life's work. Or at least, I thought it had been. The seal seemed easier to create and gave me such a power boost that it had to be the best option.

"I want to create a seal," I said.

His grin grew wider at my determination. "Of course, son. But it will take some time to learn how to create one. We can begin your training whenever you like."

The boy continued to hide behind Lorcan, never once looking me in the eye. My glare narrowed as I looked down at him. "I won't need any training. I can create one on my own without help. Tomorrow night."

The seal Kieran had created was fine enough, but I wondered if it could be made stronger. My need to be more powerful than the boy gave me the drive and determination I needed to betray the tribe. Everything we had just done tonight betrayed Catori and the rest of them. But it was too late to stop now.

"Tomorrow," Lorcan said as he nodded in agreement.

When the two of the left to return to the village, I stayed with the door until morning, watching. The energy of the trapped human souls traveled through each rune. Each letter carefully etched into the wood glowed with a shimmering brilliance that left me speechless. But the voices continued to scream within my head. I pressed them down each time they tried to become riled up.

My eyes finally opened after the sun had shone through my soul, forcing me to leave the door behind. It surprised me when I sat up to realize the voices didn't disappear when I was back inside my body. They were still there. My fist reached up to press into my forehead, forcing them down again.

"George," a voice said from outside the longhouse.

Without bothering to move the bed back, I stood up and walked outside. Catori stood to the side of it, her fingers playing with the necklace I had given her. Her blind eye seemed to find me first as she turned to see me walking towards her.

"What's happened?" she asked, calmly.

The voices screamed again as if to respond to her question. As they screamed, her eyes narrowed. She reached forward to grab my arm. "George. What happened?"

"Nothing," I answered, coolly.

She reached to grab my face, this time with both of her hands. "Do not lie to me. Something happened with the dead. Something - something unnatural. Something evil. Tell me. Please."

Shaking my face from her grip, I took one step backward. "A blessing occurred. There was nothing evil about it."

Her eyebrows pulled together in anger. It was rare to see her lose her temper. "What have you done, George? What have you done?"

"You'll see," I said, before turning my back to her.

They would all see. This would be for their benefit. Everyone would be safe after that night. No one would suffer the way I did. No one else would be tortured the way my father was. No longer would the demons corrupt the minds of people. Tonight, I was going to seal the evil away.

Forever.