A tearing vibration pulls through me. In one moment I’m staring at her and the next watching the scene as though someone else is observing. And it’s the correct memory.
Sabina, Grandma and I making mud pie.
I turn around to see Artemis staring at me.
“What the hell is this?” I run my nails down my face to wake myself up. No dice.
“A dream.” Artemis shrugs. “Come.”
She doesn’t walk off. She reaches out and grabs my hand, linking our fingers as we head through my childhood home and to the front porch where many, many conversations once occurred.
It’s like closing a loop. A full circle moment.
“Why?” I shake my head as I sink onto the rocking chair. So absolutely confused that I can’t make heads or tails of a single thing.
“Why what?” Artemis sits in the opposing chair, her eyes steady on me in that unnatural way of hers. “Why are you dreaming about this moment. This particular one?”
“Yeah, that is exactly what I’m wondering.” I pinch myself again. “And why can’t I wake up?”
“Because I don’t want you to wake up.”
“Artemis.” I groan. “Not now. Now is not the time for your shenanigans. I’m in Faerie.” Trapped in a court that wants to bury me for millennia and I can’t even wake up.
“I know.”
I snap my head at her. “Wait,” I pause. “Morrigan and Artemis.”
Why is everything so fuzzy?
“A debt.”
“You are getting close.” Artemis begins to rock in the chair, still wearing grandma’s house dress.
“Artemis.” I rub my temples. “I don’t have the time or the energy for one of your games.”
“I owed Morrigan a life debt.” She sighs, her voice weary as though she finally lets go of every bullshit game she’s been playing up until this point. And believe me when I say, she plays her games.
“Is that why you took me?” Anger begins to bubble inside of me. Starting in my toes, giving them the sensation of burning. It creeps up my legs inch by inch. “You gave me to Graves.”
I grind my teeth.
“That’s what this stupid fucking dream sequence is about. You giving me over to a man…”
“Stop.” She pauses her rocking as her voice cuts through the air. “Nothing went to plan.” She doesn’t shout the words. She doesn’t have to. “Nothing went to plan.”
I snap my mouth shut. There is something about your grandma’s voice breaking. Even if sheisa goddess, she’s still my grandma, biological or not. And a small part of me remembers that. Remembers the version of me in the kitchen making mud pie with this woman.
“Morrigan called the life debt and we had no time.” She turns to look at me and there it is. What I’ve never seen in all our years.
Unshed tears.
“Nimah,” she can’t even get my biological mom’s name out. No, this strong goddess’s voice breaks. “She knew someone was hunting her.”
I can’t move. And the only reason I’m gulping in air is because I’ve forgotten how to breathe and my lungs pushed past my fawn response.
“She could feel eyes on her all the time. She hid Whispen first.” Artemis looks at the street where no cars drive past. No neighbors interrupt us. Not even the birds sing.
The whole dream focuses on her and the words she recites as Artemis relives something haunting.
