We huddle around her, pushing as much peace and love through our bond as we can.
“Then what, Love?”
“Then? I scream.” She looks up at Luca, and he wipes a single tear from her cheek. “Lu always comes for me. He rescues me from my nightmare and holds me until morning.”
“How often does this happen?” I chew my lower lip, glancing around the field.
“A lot more often when I was younger, but as long as we kept moving, they would slack off. It was as if Pops was outrunning them, as odd as that sounds. If we were moving, I didn’t dream.” She cuddles into Lu.
“Until recently.” He shakes his head. “We can’t settle in anywhere for more than a day without her night terrors getting worse. Most nights, I stay up because I worry she will hurt herself before I can bring her out of it. So Axel and I started sleeping in shifts to make sure someone was there to wake her but also rested enough to ride safely.”
“You didn’t tell me that!”
“What would it have helped, Oats? The dreams alone upset you enough.”
“He’s right,” I mutter, “This explains why we had such a tough time finding you until today. It was infuriating but smart. It kept you safe.”
“Her dreams-” Berk sits in the grass next to where she is standing and pulls her down with him. “Do you think they are a warning or self-preservation?”
“Um, hi?” She blushes, trying to wiggle away, but Dom sits on her other side, blocking her in.
“Mind backing off?” Luca barks, and Berk chuckles.
“She doesn’t mind. Do you Sweets?” He bumps his shoulder with hers. “Don’t be jealous, LuLu. She can’t help it any more than we can. We are destined to be together. Foretold or whatever.”
“Uh.” She looks from Berk to me to Luca uncomfortably. “I don’t understand.”
“The prophecy,” Dom places a hand on her knee, relaxing. “Many years ago, when our land was bathed in light. A woman came to the king, your grandfather, warning of a powerful darkness lying in wait. She claimed the darkness was biding its time, gathering lost or weak souls, and warping their magic. She told him soon it would begin targeting soldiers, using them to build its strength and stealing what they knew of the kingdom’s defenses.”
“The Echoes,” Ottilie breathes and I nod, dropping to the grass in front of her.
“The crazy guys from the motel?” Luca paces. “This is insane. You know that, right?”
“Yes, Love. The Echoes. Anyway, the King laughed at the woman and ignored her warning. Said his kingdom was impenetrable and the darkness only held power in the mortal realm. See, Bergljot had only known light and peace. We had no war. No famine. No sadness or unnatural deaths. The king wasn’t a dumb man, but he was overly confident in his power. Yes, he had an army to keep up tradition, but they were honorary positions based on natural ability and used for training new magic, not fighting.”
“An honorary guard?” She smiles humorlessly. “So the king marked his best men, making it all the easier for the darkness to target and harvest their powers?”
“Brilliant girl,” Dom chuckles. “Yes, but you have to understand; it wasn’t uncommon for those with impressive power to show them off, making sure everyone was aware of their abilities. By giving them honorary positions, it encouraged them to share their knowledge with the younger generations, ushering in a stronger, more unified Bergljot.”
“Apprenticeship programs.” She nods. “Okay, it’s making more sense. You’re saying that the royal line became too comfortable and considered themselves untouchable. Let me guess- they didn’t notice the threat until it was too late.”
“Exactly,” Berk sighs.
“I swear if you tell me we have to fight off the big bad, I will scream.” She glares at each of us, studying our faces. “You have got to be kidding me!”
“I’m sorry, Love, but yes.”
“Okay, finish it. Tell me the rest.” She puffs out a breath, waving us on. “If I don’t get a talking animal sidekick in this, I am going to be hella pissed.”
I smirk, continuing the tale, “The woman’s warning eventually faded into nothing more than lore used to scare children into behaving- distorted retellings of a formless boogie man- until the evening the king stumbled upon a familiar, yet unexpected visitor.”
“One night, many, many moons ago,” Berk interrupts dramatically, “the seer returned to the castle once again with a message only for the king. She was relentless in her pursuit, her gossamer face a disturbing apparition in the nights, planting visions in his dreams and scaring the king enough to send his men to her home. Two days later, his soldiers returned, carrying only the news of her passing the previous year and a small book. The Bergljot Enchiridion.”
“Yes, thank you, Berk,” Dom gripes. “The Enchiridion explains how the darkness will overtake our kingdom. It tells of shadows that will exploit our fears and sew distrust throughout Bergljot, weakening the light just enough to strike. It will ooze into homes, greedily ripping powers from the hearts of our people so violently it shreds the very fiber of our being. Most will resist at first, but as the darkness grows, our souls will relent, allowing the darkness to share their corporeal forms. Once all of Bergljot falls, the darkness will lead its depraved army through the veil, moving from realm to realm until it consumes everything. Our people will spend a lifetime as puppets for the darkness, hoping to preserve enough of their life-force that when their physical body finally fails, they can pass to the next.”
“Oh my God,” She gapes. “Okay, where do I come in? Why can’t the king stop it?”
“Yes, well, he tried, but it was too late at that point. The darkness had grown too strong and couldn’t be snuffed out so easily. It is said he had a plan, but a few days later, your father discovered him dead on his throne.” Dom takes her trembling hand in his. “Having known of your grandfather’s mistake, your father, now king, studied the Enchiridion. After reading it from cover to cover, he was distraught. See, your mother was pregnant, and had your grandfather not died, he would have killed you before you were ever allowed to come into this world. The book claimed only you, along with your four, could save the kingdom, and he planned to harvest our powers for himself. Making him the savior.”
“What?” She shouts. “What kind of sick asshole does something like that?”
“A desperate man, unwilling to admit his mistakes. You are far more than you realize, Love, and your father knew that. He devised a plan to hide you and your magic here in the human realm until you were of age. On your nineteenth birthday, you were to return, fully bonded with your fated guards, to take the throne and bring the light back to Bergljot. You, Ottilie, are the rightful Queen.”
“And let me guess,” she coughs out a laugh, “You crazies are my fated whatnots and the rightful kings? So, am I supposed to do all of you at once or would you prefer to take turns?”
“You-” Dom chokes, “You don’t have to- I mean, I guess there will be a time when you could choose to. I-”
“Great, you shorted out Dom’s brain,” Berk howls, leaning forward and shoving him to the side. “I knew it was just a matter of time before he hit full capacity. Can you fix him, Sweets?”