The Hidden Dragon: the Stargods #1 by Irene Radford

Author:Irene Radford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: DAW

CHAPTER 25

THE dream crept into Kim’s consciousness like fog slithering over the surface of the bay. A wall of confusing images and distorted sounds that enveloped his entire being.

“I’m just dreaming,” he reassured himself. “I’ve dreamed this before.”

But the images came clear and fully detailed, much more precise than any previous time.

He thrashed, sweeping away swaths of mist that were immediately replaced by thicker layers—layers that smothered like wool blankets. Somewhere out there was reality beyond this dreamworld.

The dreamworld became more real than reality.

His hands turned slick with sweat. The sweat turned red.

A thick coppery taste coated his tongue. He shied away from it, knowing it portended death.

He’d known death before, shared it with the man he had killed. Pain stabbed his heart and soul at the memory. He dropped a thick veil of forgetfulness between himself and the image of the man’s face contorted in agony.

Immediately he found himself back at a local produce fair at the first home of his memory on Aurora. His parents owned and operated a small shipping company. Da was gone a lot, transporting fresh produce to civilized planets for distribution to the wealthy.

This fair was a celebration of a successful harvest. Da had just left that morning. Kim never saw him again. Mum never knew his fate. She hid her grief from her children with stoic pride. Da’s name never crossed her lips again.

But this memory was from before they knew that Da was gone forever. Happy times. Togetherness. Family.

Thick smells of fried foods and sugar mingled with the scents of livestock gathered in pens for show and sale. His mouth watered. He swallowed around the almost-tastes that gathered on his tongue.

He remembered the shouts of his older brothers as they ran off to explore the carnival rides, the games, and the treats. His sister—almost forgotten since she’d been separated from the family so long—whined to follow Loki and Konner. Mum clutched both Katie’s and Kim’s hands tighter, promising a special treat.

Thin plastic cones appeared in their hands topped by clouds of pink spun sugar. He bit into the hot sweet tangles of candy cotton. It clung to his cheeks, hair, and hands like . . . like the fog gathering around his dream. Moist, dark pink, clinging relentlessly.

The fog invaded his lungs, filled his mouth, became solid. Choked him. He gasped for air only to inhale more of the stuff.

His vision reverted to the carnival. The sounds became deafening. Bright lights strobed, blinding him. The fat from a deep fried dinner and the sugar from the later treat roiled in his gut. Strangers crowded closer and closer, pushing him away from the safety of his mother’s hand.

“Mum!” he called, hearing it with his real ears but not within his dream. “Mum, I’m lost.”

Strangers reached for him. The strobing light shadowed their faces into mockeries of humanity. Bulging eyes, elongated teeth, deeply hollowed cheeks. Ears extended into extra folds, resembling bats. The fingers on each grasping hand became claws, more bone than flesh, impossibly long.

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