Snowscape Trilogy (16 page)

With a sweep of his hand Nathaniel and Mara
was transported to a small table and chair set up outside a
friendly French café. Espresso already set, a waiter quickly
delivered a small tray of sweet breads and scurried off. Unlike the
real France, this current corner of the dream world remained
perfectly quiet, bereft of street noise and always rain free. Mara
nodded in agreement and quickly took a sip from the offered
cup.

“Had I know the letter would have moved us to
a move civilized locale I would have started with it instead of the
test.”

Nathaniel pursed his lips. “In my current
mood you are lucky I had not just turned you to ash the moment you
appeared, my friend.”

“You can do that here? My my, I now see why
you were so willing to give up your place in hell.”

“What brings you here, Mara? I know that you
would not have jumped at the assignment had there not been a good
reason.”

“Well luckily for you I am more loyal to our
friendship than to the politics of either heaven or hell. Tell me
first are the rumors true. Have you fallen in love with this
human?”

Nathaniel turned his head slightly and nodded
once. “Yes.”

Mara gently released the grip of his cup and
the soft sound of ceramic clink echoed off of the snowscape
silence. “To what end Nathaniel? You are here? You gave up all of
your power to rule here, but you are also now unable to leave. To
what end will this love take you? She cannot stay. She might well
choose the angel. If she gives herself over to him then you are
forbidden from even touching her? God and Lucifer will have your
head. She is a prize you cannot claim.”

The former demon sat silently looking at one
of his oldest companions. He and Mara had seen the rise and fall of
many kingdoms. Many tidings. Many angels. Nathanial smiled at Mara
a dark and brooding grin. “Sometimes the heart is not given to
reason. Did you not learn that lesson well enough when you fell for
a human?”

The rage and fire burned suddenly from within
Mara as he sat silently across the table. The dreamscape, reacting
to such emotions started to increase in temperature around them as
the ground turned from pavement to dirt to ash, but Nathaniel sat
comfortably sipping his espresso. Not bothered by his behavior, the
demon lashed out. “Why would you speak of her to me?” Mara demanded
between clenched teeth.

“Why are you really here?” Nathaniel asked
looking halfheartedly to the oncoming storm that Mara’s anger
brought.

“To see how my oldest friend is faring in the
oncoming storm.” This time he could not keep the words from
sounding rehearsed.

Nodding once again he stood up and raised his
slender arm subtly within the confined of his robe. “You forget
Mara. You are a demon and I am now and angel again. We can no
longer be called friends. Please inform your master to keep his
cold, conceited heart out of my realm. And give Lucifer my
tidings.” With a quick flick of Nathaniel’s arm Mara was thrown out
of the snowscape and directly back to hell.

Chapter 2

Nathaniel went about his quiet musings and
watched others dream carefully for any given sign of Amy. He knew
her power grew ever stronger and within a few short hours she would
become the most powerful human that had ever lived. God had
cultivated her and her life for eons and watched for the perfect
opportunity of a human soul that he had found worthy. He had
watched and waited and lined everything up serendipitously for a
simple angel to fall in love with a simple human and although he
wept at their pain, he presented them with a choice. They chose
correctly and although proud as a father should be, God ached at
tearing the lovers apart. But being an intelligent ruler, God had
learned from the previous mistakes made in the creations of a dream
weaver and knew that this girl must experience all of these things.
Love. Pain. Surrender. Choice.

Even with the foresight that he had wittingly
became a pawn in Gods plan, Nathaniel had resigned himself to that
fact and had played the fool willingly.

The angel to the snowscape had the luxury of
more time and more influence than Samandiriel or else Sam would
have discovered long ago that Ambrosia Ross had no real choice. Amy
will not be allowed to love. Not fully. Had she married Nicor and
made love to him, the demon would have unpleasantly found her body
burned to a charred crisp by sun up. Such was the price of
disobedience. God had sent down a rumor carried on the wings of his
most trusted angel, Gabriel. Of course the angel could not tell
that it was an untruth for their breed could not easily recognize
lies any longer. The dream weaver must remain pure, but it also
must be her choice. No other can sacrifice for her. No man can take
her either willingly or by force or her life will be forfeit. She
must fully give herself over to the snowscape or she would die. And
God would try again with another.

Such was the game that
Nathaniel played with her. Make her love
him
and no other. Their union could
never be consummated here in an unreal world. And her heart would
belong to his and no other. She would be safe from the ravages of
lust, love, and human contact. He would own her power, her heart,
and her loyalty. His scheme was coming to fruition and yet he found
little pleasure in it.

Nathaniel’s musings once again led him to the
wooded enclave they often found themselves in and with it the
memories he held of how he carefully treaded the line between
sanctity and virginity. He smiled to himself as her remembered her
fragrance of clover on his lips. How she felt between his
fingertips. He could feel her hair tickle his face and could see
her searching green eyes trying to un-cowl him for so long. He
looked up to find himself standing next to a large oak tree and
smiled more deeply. He could almost hear her call to him.

“Nathaniel.” He stilled as though death
captured his heart. She was here. Calling for him.

“Ambrosia,” he breathed out barely a
whisper.

Suddenly she came crashing towards him
falling over the scraps of greenery that littered the ground. He
could barely make her out, which means she was not asleep. Not
fully.

“Nathaniel!” She called again looking
around.

Stiffening he reached up to pull over the
hood and put on the mask that he always wore around her. “Ambrosia.
I am here.”

She caught sight of him finally and smiled.
His heart beamed at the gesture. “Thank god. Sam and I were
captured by some of Nicor’s men in the Poconos. They have us held
in a truck and I think they are taking us back to the city. I don’t
know what to do. I can feel it inside me. The power.”

“Is Samandiriel with you?”

“Yes, but he can’t move. I don’t even know
how I’m talking to you right now. I’m still awake and can see him
in front of me.” Her voice cracked ever so slightly. “They’re
taking me back to Nicor. Nathaniel I’m afraid.”

He rushed to her and gently tried to grab her
hand, but his passed through her fleeting form. “Your power is
growing. Soon you will be fully in control and able to move between
realms without needing to sleep. That is why you are able to see me
right now but cannot touch me.”

“Can you help me?” Her fear cut him to the
core, but he kept his voice calm and unwavering.

“My Ambrosia. I can only guide you from this
side. I cannot step back to that side any longer. It is the price I
was willing to pay for you. But I can tell you this…” His
indecision coursed through his body only momentarily. Consequences
be damned. “Do not lie with Nicor no matter what happens, or you
will die.”

“What?”

He gently traced the outline of her cheek,
which trembled even so slightly. “It is a test from God. You must
remain virginal or you will die. There is no sidestepping fate in
this. The angels have harkened the coming master of the snow scape
for many years and God has laid down many tests for you and this is
the final one.”

Her lips parted slightly as she looked at
what he could imagine was Samandiriel’s still form across from her.
“Sam and I-” A spike of cold fear shot through him rendering his
thoughts blank.

“Did you?” he could not finish the words.

She shook her head silently. “I wanted to and
he stopped me.”

Despite the fear Nathaniel shared with Amy he
smiled and looked to Sam. Their hatred and his jealously had
traveled with them through the years, but in this one girl they
finally found their truce. Doubting he could hear the words,
Nathaniel said, “I didn’t think he would have figured it out.”
Turning back to the trembling girl he said, “You have to get out of
there, Amy.”

Even coated in fear he could hear the sarcasm
dripping back from her frustrated words. “I know that. How?”

“If you are able to talk to me while still
awake, then you must be close to coming into your full power. If
that is the case then use it. You cannot be stopped by angel or
demon should you will it.”

“That’s nice and poetic and all but what does
that even mean? I can’t stop the air currents here.” Meekly she
added, “I’ve tried.”

“Amy. You control the entire world’s dreams.
Go find someone and wake them up.”

Book 1 – Part III

Dream Master

Chapter 22

It was all so simple when Nathaniel put it
that way. I smiled meekly to him and said, “Do you want to come
with me?” He nodded and with a moment’s thought we were in the
soothing dream of a nearby cop that had fallen asleep in his patrol
car just down the road from where the current convoy I was in was
driving. He had what I had learned was somewhat somber dreams of
raking up mid may leaves with his children now grown and moved out.
It was a dream of a happier time, a simple thing that had imprinted
itself wholeheartedly into his mind that it appeared to him almost
every night. He would never remember it the next morning though.
Just wake up with a sense of comfort and a small degree of loss.
The melancholy nature called to me to keep watch, but given my
current state I was not allowed that small comfort. He was close
and had a car. Everything I needed at the moment. With some gentle
prodding, Nathaniel at my side whispering in my ear, I planted a
subtle suggestion for officer Doyle to wake up with the sudden
sense that something was amiss, before pushing him off of the
precipice of sleep. My voice still ringing in his ears he awoke and
pulled out of the parking lot full force without looking for any
oncoming traffic.

Had I not been in the car
he rammed right into, I would have been more disturbed with the
results of my new power. I could have killed him, had I timed it
differently. For the first time, I had a clear sense of the power
that I now controlled and why I was a prize to be fought over. The
human emotion is a powerful thing and can easily override all other
senses. And
I
now
controlled those emotions.

As the patrol car slammed into the side of
the van Samandiriel and I were currently tied down in, I could see
Sam’s eyes wince open slightly as his head crashed into the cold
metal siding behind him. He hadn’t yet been awake for me to warn
him about the oncoming crash and I wasn’t entirely sure it would
work anyway. I had braced myself, ready for it and as the van
tumbled over onto its side I could faintly hear groans coming from
the front cab in addition to the not so melodious din of glass
breaking and metal crunching.

Now sideways, I hung precariously in front
of Sam’s still form. I kicked his leg, putting a little more anger
in it than I intended. Nathaniel’s recent revelation that I indeed
had no choice, was cutting my to the soul and all I allowed myself
to feel at the moment was the need to escape and the driving anger
behind it. I would not be played a fool. Not by God, by Nicor, not
by Samandiriel, no one. I kicked him again, harder this time for
good measure and he began to stir

“Sam wake up.” He groaned again and moved
slightly from side to side. “We have to go. Come on!” I kicked him
again. His eyes opened slightly more and I could see them slowly
coming into focus. “Come on demon. Work your fiery magic and get us
out of here already.”

I could see the corner of his lips begin to
turn up. He mumbled something and I kicked him again.

“What was that for? “ He managed to eek
out.

“For lying to me. Now can you get us out of
here already.”

He tested the zip ties that held him in
place against the van’s interior. “When did I lie to you?”

“Never mind that. Can we go please?”

He sat back. “We
can
. If you happen to have
a knife on you.”

“Can’t you just demon something out of the
air?

“I don’t think you understand how demons
works. I can’t just magically make things appear on whim.” I tried
to slump but given my current angle it was pretty much impossible.
“How did we get here?”

“We were ambushed in the hotel room and I
think they knocked you out before putting us in the back of a van.
“

“But why are we sideways?”

“I managed to convince someone to ram into
us?”

He grinned at me in a boyish and yet
completely seductive way. “Well done dream master.”

My fluttering heart fought against the next
words, but truth was truth. “It was Nathaniel’s idea actually.”

He sighed, the grin, falling. “Next time
tell Nathaniel to send us the Jaws of Life too. Are you injured?”
His slight retained amusement reminded me that I was still pissed
at him. Therefore I kicked him again. “Hey!”

“I am everything but okay right now.
You-“

“Shhhh” he motioned to the back of the van
with his chin. I could hear the voices now too and despite the
inner hope of the Pennsylvania police department being right
outside the doors, I could smell the sulphur coming in like
waves.