Battlefields: Veil Walkers Book Three

Chapter Nine

Denmark, 1387 CE - South Camp - Cahya

"What the hell? Cahya?" was the greeting he received when Galen's portal closed. Ming Yue gawked at him as Galen pushed the elder aside and rushed toward the cinnabar dome.

"Stop!" Danika shouted before he reached it.

Galen obeyed, turning to realize what Cahya already had: everyone stood outside the dome, while Namid and Deza lay within.

Astrid and Keegan stood with one hand each on the dome and their other hands joined. They coaxed at it together, trying different methods to break through and taking care to work with each other's attempts. At hearing Cahya's name, though, Astrid released Keegan's grasp and turned to investigate.

"It's been like this since we got here," Astrid explained as she rose. "We don't know what to do or how to get in."

Tears streaked the dirt away from her face in dramatic lines, and Cahya could see why. Not only did Deza lay in seizure, but off to the side lay Namid with the shaft of an arrow protruding from his back. She must be as desperate as Galen to get within.

Cahya rolled to the dome with some effort. His chair wasn't meant for rough ground use. He reached for the shield while others talked and laid his hand upon its surprisingly solid surface. This was like nothing he had ever witnessed, a shield so solid that it resembled aquarium glass. How had Deza done this? He closed his eyes and felt along the barrier with his energy, heedless of the crowd of onlookers.

His consciousness shifted to one beyond this realm, beyond explanation, really, as he gained entry and felt along the interior of the dome. He needed a mind capable of dreaming. Namid's was distant, deep in a mixture of trance and dream that helped his exhausted body cling to life despite the pain. Conversely, Deza's mind appeared too intense, flashing from haunting image to haunting image. Since cinnabar was her color, the dome was hers. He had no choice but to impede on the woman's nightmares and pray he didn't get lost along with her.

Behind him, Galen argued with the dome. He arched power into it, begged it to give him access, swore when it wouldn't budge. He slammed it with his fist and shouted until he started crying, all of which Cahya could feel as he prepared himself for the task. The dome wanted to react to him, to his and Deza's link, yet refused. It was as if some conductor demanded his ticket before boarding, regardless of his relationship with the other passenger.

A smirk came to Cahya's lips. So long as the conductor was busy with Galen, he might slip in unnoticed. He made himself scarce, kept his power focused entirely on Deza's mind. What power had she stirred to create this? One image kept replaying in her mind: her possession. That moment when Imala came home from the mission, sweaty and tired. Deza greeted her and Imala left. Cahya knew what happened next, but had never witnessed it, not like this. The demon peeled itself from Imala's back as she left the portal room and manifested before Deza. She turned to combat the creature, got her shield up and a weapon formed, and then the world went black.

It was a horrible nightmare, vivid in every detail. He hated to latch onto something so terrible, but he had little choice. The conductor would only be distracted for so long. Cahya drew a long breath and slid along the flicker of consciousness, implanting himself in the scene. He grappled on to the moment just before Imala's portal brought her home and hit the proverbial pause button.

A confused Deza caught the shift in the nightmare. Good, she had felt him. He spoke aloud, needing the extra effort to get through the barring magic. "Deza, it's Cahya. Galen is here to help, but we're locked out. You must drop your dome shield."

More confusion. Other images tried to press in, but Cahya held them back. It was a painful struggle, something that taxed his mind, but he had no choice. It had to work. He had to free her. "You're in Denmark. You created a dome to protect you and Namid. We need to get in to help you. Let us in."