Disclaimer: Diadem: Worlds of Magic does NOT belong to me. It belongs to Peel and his publishers, currently Llewellyn Worldwide. I highly respect his work and am making no profit from this, nor do I intend for this piece of fan fiction to interfere with his profits.
Author's Note: Takes place sometime after Book of Nightmares and before Book of War
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Diadem: Book of Thoughts
CHAPTER 4: “It Begins”
by Luna
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CHAPTER 4
Helaine starred at the back of her closed door, feeling a strange mixture of guilt and annoyance. Now that she was calming down, she felt a little bad for forcibly evicting her friends, especially since they were annoying her out of concern. Still, she was glad they were out of the room. A large chunk of her pride had just been chipped away; she felt mortified at screaming over a nightmare. She was a warrior and the daughter of a Lord, not some whimpering peasant! The last thing she wanted was to be poked and prodded by their questions. They were only dreams. They had to be.
Helaine had stopped shaking, but she felt unwilling to resume sleep, despite the protests from her exhausted body. “What is wrong with me?” she thought. Even she had experienced some fear when encountering an opponent -- only fools rushed in without any fear -- but never before did she feel a sickening helplessness and apprehension. These were emotions new to Helaine, intensified each day by her reoccurring dreams.
Helaine place a hand on her forehead, trying to will away the remaining images of those dreams and the smothering, overpowering dread that refused to leave her, even after she awoke. She felt haunted by the mysterious, dark figure in her nightmares.
Each time she fell asleep her dreams became dreams within dreams. Images and events would flash in her mind. She would see herself, Pixel and Score trapped in sticky white stands, struggling to escape, while a small figure in the shadows laughed sinisterly. She would then “awaken” only to see herself battling Pixel and Score in a magic duel. Flame the unicorn, was also there, and for some reason she knew she was left with the decision to fight her human friends in order to save her unicorn companion. When the battle ended, Score’s bloody and prostrate body lay before her. It was that image, clearer tonight than it had ever been before, that caused her to scream in such anguish. As much as she tried to deny it, Helaine realized her feelings for Score had begun to run far deeper than mere friendship. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the strange Earth boy, but the very idea of him being harmed, or worse, killed by her hands left her nauseous and trembling.
Sadly, that was only the beginning of her cycle of nightmares. More and more horrific images of a small figure, always hidden from her sight, causing destruction and pain across the Diadem would bombard her unconscious. Not until her tossing and turning resulted in her crashing painfully from her bed onto the cold, hard floor would she awake. Although an unpleasant rousing, it was far preferable to continuing the nightmare.
Helaine’s night terrors were leaving her edgy and sleep deprived. She was starting to doubt her own sanity. What else could explain these strange dreams? Or worse, was she becoming Eremin? Was the dream a glimpse into her future, aiding some unseen enemy and causing the death of her friends? Madness seemed far safer to consider than the possibility of Score’s blood on her hands.
She couldn't tell the others. She was too ashamed and frightened of their reactions.
Helaine clutched her head in her hands. Of all times, her sixth sense had started to detect danger. “Not now. Please, not now,” she thought. However, it wasn’t as strong a feeling as she was used to experiencing. Most of the time, she felt a strong, strange sense of alarm moments before an ambush or attack. This was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, combined with her unshakable dread and apprehension. She tried to ignore it, but it persisted, making her uneasy.
Completely giving up on any chance of sleep, Helaine dressed herself. Suddenly, she felt a different but familiar tingling in the back of her mind, similar to an itch; someone was trying to communicate with her using telepathy. Helaine pulled her agate from her pouch to strengthen the connection.
*Help! Help! We’ve been captured!* exclaimed the voice inside her head.
*Blink? Is that you?*
*Of course it’s me. Shanara and I need your help!* yelled the panda.
*Slow down. What’s wrong? Who has you captured?*
*Morphos! Shanara, he’s brainwashed her and I’m next. I don’t want to be made into a stuffed animal!* cried Blink hysterically.
*Did you say Morphos?*
*Yes! Now hurry!* yelled the panda in panic.
*Are you still on Rawn?*
*Of course I am. In Shanara’s castle, hiding. Stop asking me questions and stop him before it’s too late! He’ll find me soon and know that I’ve contacted you.*
*But how will he know that?* Helaine couldn’t help but ask.
*He can read your thoughts, see into your mind. He-* Blink stopped suddenly in mid-thought.
*BLINK!* yelled Helaine with her mind. There was no answer. The psychic rapport was severed.
Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
