The Dream Deceiver Page 9

  Chapter 15

  After climbing down from the attic and carefully bringing down the box that Rhiannon had found, the pair went straight into Rhiannon’s bedroom.

  “Could you grab me a hammer and nail, please?” Rhiannon asked.

  “Of course, I’ll be right back,” Lilyette answered as she made her way to the door.

  Rhiannon opened the box again and pulled away from the tissue paper that lay inside, revealing the carefully placed dream catcher. The indigo-colored threads were tightly wound around wooden hoops and connected with a smaller circle on the inside that was slightly ajar giving the illusion of a crescent moon design. In the middle of the smaller hoop dangled a raw amethyst stone that was pale and ashen.

  Remembering the instructions in her mother’s letter, Rhiannon held the dream catcher to her chest, closed her eyes, and clutched the stone close to her heart.

  God, I thank you for this heirloom that connects me to my mother and my past. I pray for protection from anyone or thing that may come to me with malicious intent. Amen.

  Rhiannon opened her eyes and pulled the dream catcher away from her body and looked at it in awe. A glow emanated from the stone and color sprouted from within and covered the gemstone entirely becoming a brilliant purple like her eyes laced with shimmering gold streaks throughout.

  “Amazing…” Rhiannon whispered as she watched the magic of the stone become activated.

  Lilyette re-entered and saw the dream catcher in Rhiannon’s hands.

  “That’s beautiful,” she said as she came closer to look at it.

  “It was left to me, by my mom…” Rhiannon said sadly.

  “The stone matches your eyes!” Lilyette exclaimed.

  “Yeah,” Rhiannon said with a small chuckle.

  She thought of telling Lilyette why but wanted to relish in the feeling of having a little secret between her and her mother who she missed dearly.

  Lilyette held out the hammer and nails to Rhiannon and said,

  “I guess I know what it is you want to hang up now.”

  “Thank you for getting these for me.”

  “Anytime!”

  Rhiannon put a nail between her teeth, then stood up on her bed, balancing the hammer in one hand and the dream catcher in the other.

  “Be careful,” Lilyette said.

  “Mmhmm,” Rhiannon mumbled.

  After successfully hanging the dream catcher above her bed, Rhiannon climbed back down and stood away from the bed to inspect her work. She was relieved to see it was hung straight and could feel herself becoming calm just by looking at it.

  “It looks great,” Lilyette said.

  “Thanks,” Rhiannon replied, “by the way – what are Kalen and Oberon doing?”

  “Last I saw they were going to the front to ogle Kalen’s motorcycle,” Lilyette answered.

  “Wow, it’s kind of strange having them get along so well,” Rhiannon said as she contemplated it.

  “Yeah, definitely unexpected,” Lilyette said with a small hint of sullenness in her voice.

  “What are we going to do about Oberon, anyway?” Lilyette asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s the only one in this house that doesn’t know about the wing situation yet, are you planning to tell him?” Lilyette asked.

  “It hadn’t even crossed my mind…but I don’t see why we shouldn’t tell him,” Rhiannon said with a shrug.

  “Seriously? I can think of two huge reasons why we shouldn’t tell him – his mother and father!” Lilyette answered, eyes squinting in disbelief.

  “True…this is all so new, I’m not ready for his parents to start poking their noses in this – especially his dad,” Rhiannon replied.

  “I doubt they’d stop at just poking their noses in, they’d want to see if touching your wings worked for them as well, and who knows what else! They’d probably lock us up to study us or something else ridiculous,” Lilyette asserted.

  “I don’t know if Lady Villagomez would allow it to go that far,” Rhiannon replied.

  “You’re far too easily swayed sometimes. I know she’s been accommodating since you got back, but you must see that it’s got to be an act, right? She’s never been this nice before,” Lilyette retorted.

  “I just don’t want to believe the worst in someone until it’s proven to me. As crappy as she can sometimes be when it comes down to it, she is the person who has taken care of me all these years,” Rhiannon replied.

  “Fair enough, but we still have to be careful, and I think that means we don’t tell them yet until we know more about our wings and the powers they hold,” Lilyette answered, softening a bit.

  “We can just have Oberon swear not to tell them?” Rhiannon offered.

  “And you trust that he will keep his word?” Lilyette asked uncertainty dripping from her tone.

  “We are the three amigos! Why would he betray us?” Rhiannon asked.

  “Okay, fine. If he betrays us at least then you’ll be able to see his true colors,” Lilyette answered with a shrug.

  “We can tell him at dinner, sound good?” Rhiannon asked.

  “We will see,” Lilyette answered.

  Chapter 16

  “I want wings!” Oberon exclaimed, standing up abruptly after Rhiannon and Lilyette told him about the wings – leaving out any mention of Kalen having them – and rushing over to Rhiannon’s sides.

  “I haven’t figured out how to control mine yet, I can’t just whip them out right now,” Rhiannon replied as she put her hands up in front of herself and shooed him away.

  Oberon went back to his seat, his eyes gleaming brightly.

  “There’s got to be a way, this is incredible! Wings haven’t developed in a fairy in centuries! I always knew you were special but first the dream traveling and now this? Wow,” Oberon said as he looked at Rhiannon like she was a prize he had won.

  Kalen watched the way Oberon was looking at Rhiannon and bit his lip to keep his mouth shut.

  “Well…It worked with Lilyette in her dream so…” Rhiannon began.

  Oberon didn’t let her finish before pounding his fist on the table and exclaiming,

  “Perfect! You can come to my dream tonight!”

  “I’m willing, but Oberon, like you promised before we even told you, I need you to remember – this stays between the four of us, at least for now, okay?” Rhiannon said.

  “Okay, okay, anything, I promise,” Oberon answered impatiently.

  “This isn’t a joke. If you tell anyone…” Lilyette said as she felt her body tingle with heat.

  “I mean it, you guys; I won’t tell anyone – not even my parents. They don’t need to know,” Oberon answered thoughtfully.

  “Especially not your parents,” Lilyette said harshly.

  “I swear,” Oberon said, looking from Rhiannon to Lilyette.

  “Okay…I’ll do it,” Rhiannon answered.

  “Yes! Thank you!” Oberon exclaimed.

  “Don’t make her regret this,” Lilyette warned.

  Kalen got up and walked away, feeling conflicted about Rhiannon going into Oberon’s dream again.

  “I won’t,” Oberon promised.

  Chapter 17

  “Maybe I should just sleep in your room with you, you know make it easier for you to find my consciousness?” Oberon suggested while other thoughts played out in his mind.

  “I won’t have any problems at all, it doesn’t matter where you sleep,” Rhiannon replied.

  “Great, then I’ll sleep here,” Oberon said as he laid down on her bed.

  “That’s not what I meant, get up and go,” Rhiannon laughed.

  “Okay, okay fine,” Oberon said as he got up and headed for the door.

  “Kalen is taking the couch, and Lilyette has her room, so you can sleep on the other couch in the living room. There are blankets in the hall closet,” Rhiannon said.

  “Why is he still here anyway?” Oberon asked.

  “He just wants to make sure e
verything goes well tonight, I think he’s curious about the wings,” Rhiannon replied uneasily.

  “Whatever, it’s fairy business, but I guess since you and Lilyette have already told him everything it’s better to keep him here so he can’t blab to anyone,” Oberon replied.

  “Yeah, sure,” Rhiannon answered.

  Oberon left and got bedding from the closet then headed downstairs. Kalen was already laid out on the grander couch and had his back to the room so Oberon figured he must’ve already fallen asleep.

  “Way to take the big couch for yourself,” Oberon scoffed quietly.

  He then put his blanket and pillow down on his own couch and laid down, eager to fall asleep.

  Rhiannon laid down in her own bed and stared up at the ceiling. She knew now that she could travel relatively quickly once she set her mind to it, but knew that Oberon wouldn’t be asleep yet.

  A light knock came at the door as Rhiannon was zoning out.

  “Come in,” she answered.

  Lilyette walked in and sat at the end of the bed and looked Rhiannon in the eyes, her own filled with concern.

  “Are you sure about this, helping Oberon get wings?” Lilyette asked.

  “I don’t see why not, no matter who his parents are we know we can trust him, he’s our friend,” Rhiannon answered.

  “Okay, I just…just be careful. We don’t know what will happen when he gets his wings. So far, we’ve all had different types, and I just don’t want you caught in any crosshairs and getting hurt,” Lilyette said.

  “I’ll be careful,” Rhiannon said as she reached over and placed her hand on top of Lilyette’s.

  “Why don’t you sleep in here with me tonight?” Rhiannon asked.

  “Good idea! Then I can keep an eye on you when you enter his dream, make sure you’re okay,” Lilyette answered excitedly as she scurried under the blankets and put her arms around Rhiannon and gave her a hug.

  “Or, you could also sleep,” Rhiannon laughed.

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to,” Lilyette replied.

  “You’re such a worrywart. Hold on a second. I’m going to go peek downstairs and see if Oberon is sleeping,” Rhiannon said.

  She got up and headed out of her room and looked downstairs. Oberon was crunched up in an awkward position on the couch with one leg dangling over the side, his mouth partially open, and a loud snore escaping his lips.

  Rhiannon chuckled to herself and tiptoed back to her room and quietly closed the door then laid back down next to Lilyette.

  “He is definitely asleep,” Rhiannon said, “I’ll go into his dream and try to make it quick so I can wake up and show you that I’m okay and you can get some dang sleep.”

  “Works for me,” Lilyette said with a smile.

  Rhiannon shut her eyes and focused on Oberon and felt herself being immediately pulled into his stream of consciousness. It was starting to become second nature to her, the feeling of traveling into someone else’s dream, and she found that the journey was enjoyable.

  Rhiannon entered Oberon’s dream and found him waiting for her in a ballroom that matched the one from her Coming of Age ceremony. He held out his hand to her as if to ask her to dance, and music began playing around them. Rhiannon walked over to him and transformed her clothes to the dress from that same night except for this time instead of the fabric wings, she brought out her real ones.

  Oberon’s eyes widened in surprise as her wings came into view and her body became covered in a mystical and shimmery aura. Rhiannon grabbed his hands and guided them around her waist.

  “You have to touch them for it to work,” she said as he pulled her close.

  Oberon hesitated for a moment, taken aback by her beauty, but then eagerly reached for her wings.

  He screamed out as the intense electrical shock shot through his body, and he was thrown away from her and Rhiannon was thrown backward as well.

  Oberon felt a searing pain in his back then relief as his own wings emerged.

  Rhiannon looked up at him as he floated up towards the ceiling and covered her mouth as she gasped.

  His wings were like Kalen’s in that they were completely black, but the tips had a bright blue that matched his natural eye color. His eyes, however, were no longer the blue she was used to. His eyes, including the whites, were now pitch black, giving the appearance of two vacant holes in his head.

  Oberon gave Rhiannon a wicked smile, then disappeared.

  Chapter 18

  Lilyette watched as Rhiannon fell asleep instantly, and was impressed by how quickly she was able to do it. Rhiannon had a faint smile on her face, and Lilyette wondered what she and Oberon are doing inside the dream. The smile quickly faded, however, and was replaced with a grimace.

  Lilyette sat up quickly, worry etched on her face.

  Rhiannon’s eyes shot open suddenly, and Lilyette let out a small scream at the unexpected change. Rhiannon stood up from the bed and turned to Lilyette.

  “We need to go downstairs now!” Rhiannon exclaimed.

  Lilyette and Rhiannon ran out of the room and downstairs, Lilyette following not knowing what was going on.

  Rhiannon looked in horror as she saw that Oberon was no longer on the couch. She turned towards the front door and saw that it was wide open and ran out of it.

  Lilyette shook Kalen to wake him up then ran after Rhiannon.

  Rhiannon let out a scream as she saw Oberon – still with his wings and black eyes – outside the house.

  “Thank you for this gift,” he said with his voice sounding more profound and eerie.

  “Oberon, what are you doing outside? What if someone sees you?” Rhiannon asked.

  “Who cares? I feel so powerful. Let them see, I can easily destroy them,” Oberon answered full of cockiness.

  “Destroy them? What are you talking about? Come down here, please.” Rhiannon pleaded.

  Oberon turned towards a tree in the yard and reached out to touch one of its’ branches.

  “Destroy it just like this,” he said.

  Rhiannon watched in horror as the leaves and branches on the tree turned black and wilted, seemingly dying right in front of her eyes.

  “Holy crap,” Lilyette said as she watched from behind Rhiannon.

  “Don’t you all see? This could change the world; the fairies can dominate humanity. We will be superior in every way,” Oberon said.

  “Dominate? We coexist now. There are so many mixed-blood humans and fairies. The world is good as it is,” Rhiannon said.

  “Exactly! We can control who gets their wings – only the purebloods – and rule!” Oberon exclaimed.

  “Oberon, you don’t sound like yourself, please come down and just stop this,” Rhiannon begged.

  “You’ll see things my way soon,” Oberon said with a smirk as he turned and flew away.

  “No!” Rhiannon, Lilyette, and Kalen yelled.

  Rhiannon concentrated with all her might and felt her own power – gently at first then stronger – vibrating through her and focused it towards her back. Her wings sprouted forth for the first time in the physical realm, and without hesitation, she flew after Oberon.

  Kalen and Lilyette watch her leave and begin to focus themselves on getting their wings to come out. Their mutual worry for Rhiannon fueled their determination as they both felt their own wings come out. They both flew after Rhiannon hoping to help her.

  Chapter 19

  Rhiannon focused all of her anger and worry on her wings and flew in Oberon’s direction at an incredible speed.

  She caught up to him rather quickly, as Oberon did not expect to be chased.

  “Please, don’t do this, this isn’t who you are. You promised me,” Rhiannon said as they both floated suspended in the air.

  “Come with me. We can rule together, king and queen. Look down, how beautiful the world looks from this height, and we can own it all,” Oberon said as he reached his hand out towards Rhiannon.

  Rhiannon reached out and held his han
d tightly.

  “I thought you loved me,” Rhiannon said quietly, a tear coming to her eyes as she felt guilty for using that to distract him.

  While she held his hand, she began to focus on that spot, feeling the same intense shocks that had given him the wings – only this time pulling them towards her. She kept her face down to hide the pain that was stricken across it as she focused.

  “Love…love is nothing in the face of power. You gave this to me, and I won’t forget that which is why I want you to rule beside me, but if you try to get in my way, you can simply be ruled under me,” Oberon said not hiding the anger in his voice.

  “I don’t know who you are right now,” Rhiannon said sadly as she doubled her efforts.

  Oberon began to feel weaker and tried to pull his hand away from Rhiannon.

  “What are you doing!” he yelled angrily.

  Rhiannon wrapped her other hand on his wrist and focused with all her might.

  Her eyes started to shine bright white as she screamed out in pain as the electric power flowed aggressively into her.

  “Please…stop,” Oberon said weakly as the black was drained from his eyes, revealing a blue paler than they previously were.

  His wings disappeared, and his body became dead weight as he slipped out of Rhiannon’s grasp.

  Oberon fainted and began to fall rapidly to the ground.

  Kalen and Lilyette watch in horror as the scene unfolded before them.

  Kalen sprang into action the moment he saw Oberon begin to fall, knowing that Rhiannon wouldn’t want his death on her hands.

  He retracted his wings and nosedived towards Oberon’s limp, falling body and grabbed him by the ankles and spread his wings out quickly to parachute the fall.

  Lilyette watched as Kalen caught Oberon and let out a small sigh then turned towards Rhiannon.

  “Are you okay?” she asked when the shining finally subsided from Rhiannon’s eyes.

  “I feel so tired,” Rhiannon said with exhaustion clear in her voice.

  “Let’s go back to the house,” Lilyette said gently.

  “Oberon? OBERON! Oh my gosh!” Rhiannon said as she looked fearfully down.