Hard Trials (Book Five of the Into the Fray series)

Chapter Five

Ben--could we talk?

Armitage was dreaming. Ben was walking down a road surrounded by trees, Armitage following. It was night, their path illuminated by a large moon.

Ben, please?

Ben ignored him, continuing to walk away. Armitage began to jog after him. He continued to call, but either Ben hadn't heard him or was ignoring him.

Finally Armitage reached him. He grabbed onto his arm and spun him around.

Suddenly it wasn't Ben at all. Suddenly it was the tall green woman with a long black robe. Armitage screamed and fell backwards. He tried to scurry away from her but she advanced, grinning down at him. She laughed wickedly.

Oh, I see. Thank you.

Armitage screamed and bolted upright in bed. He grabbed his pistol from the nightstand and pointed it in front of him. He looked left, and then right. He was alone in his room.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Armitage wiped sweat from his eyes. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he put down his weapon. Sadly he looked at the empty spot in his bed. Now more than ever he wished Ben was there.

He doesn't trust you, he reminded himself, scowling. He was in the wrong. Why should I be the one to apologize?

Even so... This was now the second time he had seen this same woman. He was starting to think there was something much more sinister at play. He wanted to talk to someone - - but who?

Resignation settled over him. He didn't want to go crawling for help. But a nagging voice in the back of his mind told him that had been more than a dream.

~

"Armitage?"

"I'm really sorry for the intrusion. I know it's late."

Rey blinked at him for a few seconds through the holoprojector, clearly having trouble believing who is standing before her. She shook the fog clear from her head. "It's OK. You're just... The last person I expected to ever be messaging me in the middle of the night. Is everything alright?"

"Yes--I mean no." Rey rose an eyebrow. "I mean maybe."

"What's going on?"

Armitage looked at his feet instead of her. "I'm sorry... I'm not one to reach out for help. But I think this might be a bit out of my league."

Rey laughed briefly in an attempt to lighten the mood. She couldn't remember if she had ever seen Armitage so rattled. It was making her uncomfortable. "I know. Like I said, you are the last person I expected to call me in the middle of the night." When Armitage didn't react, she frowned. "What's wrong?"

Armitage told her about what had happened to him in the cockpit and in his dream. He chose to leave out the beginning of the dream however, the part where he had been trying to talk to Ben. He explained to her that he thought they were just dreams, but that he was jumpy with everything that had been happening.

"Can people who aren't Force sensitive even be affected by it?"

"Well, yes. I mean...everything is affected by the Force. I'm not sure what you mean."

"Could someone be affecting my dreams, I mean."

Rey hesitated. She didn't want to freak him out, but she also wanted to be truthful. "You're worried someone is... Invading your dreams?"

He nodded, looking uncomfortable.

"It could happen... But to what end?"

Armitage looked down again. "I don't know."