Logan
I opened my eyes, ready to admit defeat once again. But glancing around, I realized I no longer sat in my bedroom. I faced different scenery.
I’d done it! I had broken into her dreams on purpose! Now if I could just figure out where Andrei had taken her. I stood in a desolate, blackened field that stretched as far as the eye could see. Swirls of fog surrounded me. It was as dark as midnight. It didn’t seem as though anything lived.
I could just make out some shapes looming in the distance. I squinted, trying to see the shapes more clearly through the eddying fog. I wandered toward them. They proved to be large rocks, forming a sort of mountain. I walked around the mountain, looking for some sort of entrance or a way to climb it. Maybe Raena was being held somewhere inside.
She appeared out of nowhere, as if I had subconsciously summoned her. Her dress hung in tatters. Dress? She hadn’t been wearing a dress when Andrei had taken her. Her feet were bare and her hair disheveled. She appeared thinner than usual. I wondered if Andrei had been starving her.
I ran to her, relieved. I tried to put my arms around her, but they passed through her body. What was this? Hadn’t I been able to hold her before? That had been how I’d saved her in all her other dreams, by grabbing her and flying away before Andrei caught her. Wasn’t it? Why was she intangible in this dream? I stood in front of her, dying to touch her. “Raena, where are you?” I asked.
“Andrei has taken me to the Shadow Imperium,” she explained. “Your powers won’t work here.”
“What do you mean, my powers won’t work here? I’m an angel! My powers work everywhere!”
“Not here. Angels have no power in the Shadow Imperium. Devils hold the power here. Devils like Andrei.” She started to cry. “Logan, I’m scared.”
“I know,” I tried to soothe her, wishing I could take her in my arms and comfort her. “I will find a way to get you out of there! How do you get to the Shadow Imperium?”
“We’re in part of the Shadow Imperium now. The outer part that you can only visit in your dreams.” She paused. “Logan, how did you get here? Are you actually here? How are we speaking?”
I gazed deep into her eyes. I had missed her even more than I had imagined. But now I needed her to listen to me. “Raena, I’m actually here, but in your dreams. I can get into your mind in a dream state. That’s how I saved you in all those dreams. It was me. I just didn’t realize it until now. You have to listen to me though. Andrei has the power to enter your dreams as well. That’s why you had all those nightmares. That’s how he found us at the hotel. You have to be careful. You have to learn to guard your mind from him somehow, but at the same time, you may need to learn to keep your mind open to me, at least until I can get you out of here.”
She stared at me, looking stunned. “Do you mean to say those dreams were real? Well, not real, but Andrei was there in my head? You were there too?”
“Yes, but there’s no time for that now. We can figure that out later.”
“This is insane. All of this! Now you’re telling me that you and Andrei can both come into my dreams?” She sounded panicked.
“Raena, I would never try to control you. I love you. You know that. The reason I am here now because I needed to know how to find you. I want to keep you safe. I’ve only ever entered your dreams to protect you, to save you.”
She stared at me, tears springing to her eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I do. You need to tell me how to get to the physical Shadow Imperium.”
“A portal. There’s one in Andrei’s house. That’s how we got here. There may be others. Logan, there’s not much time. I think—look out!” she shrieked.
A shadow crossed her face, and I barely had time to duck before a sword whistled over my head. I spun and faced Andrei. “Ah, Logan, Logan. You shouldn’t have come. You’ll never be able to find her,” Andrei taunted.
I had nothing to defend myself with. I wasn’t a physical being in the dream, but I still feared that Andrei could kill me. If I died, I couldn’t rescue Rae. No, I can’t leave her trapped here with him!
I ducked and rolled as the sword swung down again. Rae started screaming. I could hear her sobbing, begging Andrei to stop. If Rae were right, I would have no powers here. But still, I had to try…
Light streaked from the dark sky and coalesced around my hands. I looked up at Andrei, whose eyes widened in shock. He froze, his sword point dipping to the ground. I took my opportunity. I flung all the energy at Andrei, knocking him down and pinning him to the ground. Light flashed again, and a blade appeared in my hand. I wondered where it had come from, but I couldn’t pause to think about it. I ran at Andrei.
He jumped up, his wings spread as he hovered in the sky. I extended my wings, too, and leapt into the air. I held my sword in front of me, ready to battle.
Andrei chuckled menacingly. “Do you expect to fight me, boy? You’ll never win!”
“I could beat you any day!” I shot back, hoping it wasn’t an idle threat.
Andrei considered it for a moment. “No. Now is not the time or the place for our confrontation. Come find me in the Shadow Imperium if you dare.” With that, he swept past me in a blinding movement. He grabbed Raena, and she sobbed louder.
“Logan!” she screamed my name, extending her hand toward me as they vanished.
“Raena! No!” I yelled into the darkness as she disappeared yet again.
Everything went black. I sat straight up, gasping for breath as her name echoed all around me. How would I ever find her?