Breaking Normal (Dream Weaver #3) (13 page)

Chapter 18
Baby, Don’t Cry

              Sabre, Nick and I sat huddled over a map of the city at their kitchen table.

             
“I need you to process the memory again. I can pick out latent memories Thomas didn’t intend to reveal that are attached to the memory of his visit.” Sabre’s voice was low and monotone, serious.

             
“What are you talking about, Sabre? We don’t have that kind of ability,” Nick said.

             
“I do.”

             
“Since when?”

             
“Since I…”

             
I broke into their debate. “I don’t really give a shit where the power comes from. Let’s just figure this out.”

             
“No.” Nick wasn’t about to let this go. By the worry that pinched his eyes, I understood that something was very, very wrong. “Sabre…”

             
“I recently attained some abilities,” Sabre said succinctly, but the hint of naughty schoolboy eked into his curtness. Was Sabre embarrassed by something he’d done?
That’s likely. Not.

             
“From where?” Nick countered, but then realization seemed to dawn on him. “No. Tell me you didn’t.” Sabre simply scuffed his feet. “Sabre. Tell me you didn’t.” Nick’s voice raised to something close to panic.

             
“Tell you he didn’t what?” I demanded.

             
Sabre’s chest puffed up with a sigh of resignation. “I garnered memories and abilities from William’s blood,” he said with no hint of remorse.

             
Earlier that spring, Thomas and William had attacked all of us, seeking revenge for the death of William’s beloved sister Sarah Rose. Only in the end, we all discovered that Thomas, not Sabre, had killed the girl. William was mortally wounded in the fight and Sabre took his dying blood that held his memories and all of the abilities the Wraith had stolen from other Caphar over the centuries.

             
“Are you insane?” Nick smacked the heel of his hand against his forehead. “Of course you’re insane. This is the infamous Sabre James we’re talking about here.”

             
“Okay, whoa. What’s the big deal? He absorbed the gifts from a dead Wraith’s blood. So?”

             
Nick stormed across the kitchen and back. “So? So, we have no idea what Rephaim blood will do to Caphar. For all we know, it could kill him!”

             
A pinched smile puckered Sabre’s lips. “Still breathing.”

             
“Good god, Sabre.” Nick began to step away again, but stopped and whirled back around. “Well, at least you’re conducting your damned experiments on yourself instead of someone else this time,” Nick argued. Sabre countered with a shrug. Where the hell was this blasé attitude coming from? “Well? Tell us what you can do now.”

             
“I have acquired the ability to read peripheral memories. As well, I have also obtained some of the Wraith’s plans for our destruction. The locations they have unrestricted access to. Their plans on how to lure us out. What motivations they might use. This,” he said, rotating his finger in the air, indicating our current situation, “is nothing compared to what they had in store for us.”

             
I scowled at him and thumbed the handle of my sai. “This—” I said, mimicking his gesture, “may seem like nothing to you. But to me, this is huge. I realize Jesse and Ivy are no concern of yours, but this is my fault. I put my friends in danger just by being alive.”

             
“No, Em,” Nick tried and failed to reassure me.

             
Sabre stood before me and trailed warm fingers down the lines of grief on my face. The warmth spread from his touch throughout my body and mind. “We will find them.” Blessed reassurance from the man who scared me to death.

*          *          *

              Only a few short weeks earlier, Sabre had sent me on the adventure of a lifetime. I was the front woman for a rock band. And until it all came crashing down around me, I fully believed it was real. Now, we sat in the same room where I’d awoken after the weave. I laid on the same recumbent chair, the Weavers perched on either side of me, each holding one of my hands. Eddy laid stretched out between my legs snoozing.

             
“Okay, Em,” Sabre began. “I need you to focus on the memories Thomas projected of Ivy and Jesse.” His voice held the same magic as Nick’s, with the power to calm and comfort. I basked in the brief moments of relief from the turmoil my life had become. “Now, I want you to look to the edges of those memories, not the focal point of action.” I complied, looking to the edge of the darkness that surrounded my friends. “Good. Now, not just the edge, but the memories in the peripheral…”

             
The building is large and made of cement. Jesse’s screams ricochet off the walls. It’s dark as midnight, except for a rectangle of light off in the distance. I walk to the open doorway and stand in the blinding sunlight. The building, as vast as a football field, sits amongst weeds and sprays of wild baby’s breath…an abandoned building that seems remotely familiar. The grey concrete behemoth sits in a field, surrounded by a fence. Traffic hums close by. I grope for anything familiar, any landmark to identify it. Open sky. Children laughing. A sign—that I can’t quite make out. It’s yellow, and red, and white with a smiling face amongst the letters: ‘c’, ‘a’, ‘r’, ‘l’….

              I sat bolt upright. “Carl’s Jr. I know this building. It’s sat empty for ages just off Division beside the old Lowe’s building.”

             
“Yes, I concur. This is one of the buildings in William’s memories,” Sabre said. Something in Sabre’s voice felt—off, but each time I reached my mind to him I was met by a brick wall. I’d have to learn that trick, so I could keep people—other Weavers—out of my head.

             
Eddyson stirred in my lap. “So what do we do with the boy? I can take him home, but even that’s not safe from Thomas.”

             
Nick shook his head. “No, not really. But it’s probably the safest place for him right now.” His eyes narrowed at me. “So, did you really phase
with
Eddyson?”

             
“Yeah.”

             
His eyes widened in amazement. “I’ve never heard of Caphar doing that before. Non-corporeal objects only, nothing flesh and bones. It’s like, one person’s will can’t override another person’s will.”             

             
“Helluva lot of good that does us right now, though.”

             
“Well, hopefully Thomas doesn’t know you have this gift.” He scowled. “Or that Sabre now has William’s abilities.”

             
Sabre snorted and rose from his chair. Nick and I eyed each other. Sabre wasn’t prone to keeping his opinions to himself. “I should teach you two something, before we go,” he said to the wall. We watched the back of his head until he finally turned around, wrinkles of worry corrugating his brow. “But I will leave the decision up to you.” He was quiet, searching our faces for several long breaths. “As you both may have discovered, I now possess the ability to fully block you out of my mind.” Nick and I both glared at him. The thought of not knowing what dark and mysterious plans swirled in the mind of the notorious Sabre James was beyond frightening. “I am also able to impart this gift to you. If you want it. It will keep Thomas from knowing your mind.”

             
“But if we block him out, he won’t be able to communicate unless…” An evil smile blossomed on my lips. “…unless he comes to us. Yeah! I’m in,” I said. Nick scowled at me. He still wasn’t comfortable with the idea. “No more popping in like a hologram. He’ll have to manifest.”

             
“Either you’re both in—or only those of us with the block are going.” Sabre was back to giving orders and Nick pinned him with a reproachful glare. I bit my lower lip, watching between the two for who would back down first. I wondered if there was some back and forth arguing going on that I wasn’t privy to. Finally, Nick snorted, resigned to necessity and logic. Sabre stepped up to me, his hands bracketed my head, and a tiny pulse of energy trickled and tickled inside my brain. And then it was gone.

             
“Take Eddyson home. Meet us back here in ten. Armed.”

             
“I’ll go with her,” Nick offered as he stepped toward me.

             
I spun on him. “Seriously? You don’t think I can take care of myself for ten minutes?”

             
“No. I…I mean, yes, of course you can. It’s just…”

             
I raised my hand to stop him. Nick’s mouth slammed shut like a startled clam closing its shell. I shook my head, clutched Eddy to my chest, and phased from the house. I only lingered a moment to bask in the awe on their faces.

*          *          *

              It felt like the showdown at the OK corral as the three of us stood in the hulking shadow of the abandoned warehouse. The wind whipped bundles of baby’s breath across the lot like flowering, white tumbleweeds, and tugged at our clothes and hair like a persistent child. Strips of cotton candy clouds glowed pink as the sun slid toward the horizon, and our shadows crawled long and lean behind us. With a silent nod, Sabre led us into the darkness. Sweat trickled down my neck and back, and panicked breaths hiccupped in my chest.

             
Relax, Em.
Nick’s thoughts caressed my mind in that spellbinding way of his.

             
Relax? Seriously?

             
Emi, keep your head. Slow your breaths.

             
I gave him a quiet, aggravated snort, but complied. The peace of his presence soothed my raging pulse, and his smile warmed my heart.
Thanks.

             
I’m going to vomit!
Sabre protested. Nick and I quietly chuckled. Anything to make Mr. Bad Ass squirm.

             
The images Thomas projected to us showed Jess and Ivy at a distance from the doorway. So we skulked along inside the north wall through the darkness, scanning the building with every ability we possessed. I cast a glance back over my shoulder to the square of light from the doorway.
The angle is different.
Sabre’s groping fingers bashed into a perpendicular wall and he led us to the left. In the distance, a dim penumbra of light glowed. And at the edges of the circle of light sat two chairs.
Baby!

             
Emari! Stay calm,
Sabre chastised.

             
Calm. Right, calm.
A deep draught of breath appeased my lungs and decelerated my heart rate.

             
We stalked forward in silence, each step, each breath hushed and measured.

             
Anybody sense him?
asked Nick.

             
No. But he could be blocking, just like us,
Sabre countered.
Okay, now. Just like we planned.

             
The three of us descended on the two slumped figures. Weapons at the ready, the guys stood back to back in the center of the circle of light, while I went to Jesse, who seemed to have fared the worst.

             
“Jesse, honey?” I patted his cool cheek and felt for a pulse. Slow, but steady. At least he wasn’t still submerged in Thomas’ nightmare. “Jesse, honey, wake up. It’s me, Emari.”

             
His head lolled from side to side. “Em?” he rasped.

             
“Yeah, Jess. It’s me. I’m getting you out of here, okay?” My fingers pried at the knots anchoring him to the rickety wooden chair.

             
“O-kay,” he drawled.

             
When the knots were loosed, Sabre helped me pull my friend to his feet. “There, and back for the girl,” he reminded. I nodded and clutched Jesse’s body to mine.

             
“What if I can’t?”

             
“Plan B,” Sabre hissed. “Now, try!”

             
I closed my eyes and breathed. Slow. Calculated. I imagined helium filling my body and leaching into Jesse’s. I commanded the effervescence to expand and consume, and it bent to my will. Bit by bit, we diffused from the dark warehouse and into my movie monster bedroom. I opened my eyes to the familiar, comforting faces of Dracula, Wolfman and Edward.

             
“Oh! I did it!” Jesse slumped against me and nearly sent us both sprawling to the floor.
Time for super human strength.
I guided him to the bed and eased him down, then kneeled on the mattress beside him to check his pulse. Slow and steady. “One more. Hang in there, Jess. I’ll be right back.” And I phased back to the warehouse.