Dream Killer: Book One in the Nadia Chronicles
Chapter 5: First Impressions

Nadia groaned in pain as she woke up. Her back was protesting the position it was in, but she was wrapped so tightly in her blankets. Refusing to open her eyes, she wiggled around and repositioned her pillow hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep before she had to face the coming day. I must have fallen asleep with my light on again, she thought annoyed. And what did I do yesterday? Pain was beginning to grow in her limbs and re-double in her back. She felt the breeze on her face, smelled the damp mossy forest around her and the memory of that place came crashing down on her. She let out an audible gasp as she sat up too quickly for her tired, sore body to handle. She immediately regretted her decision. She gripped her head with both hands hoping to ease the nauseous spin and painful pound behind her eyes. She sat very still taking deep breaths until her curiosity became stronger than the drumming in her brain. It was all coming back to her. She was not in Arizona and her strange dreams had a surprisingly helpful panther.

She looked up slowly, taking in her surroundings. She was, in what she assumed, the very same forest she had woken up in before. The first time she woke she was too busy impaling her hand to notice the bright, saturated colors of the forest. The trees were magnificent. If it were not for their deep plum color, they would have been identical to pine trees. The plum pines reached for the sky as if to welcome the sun. They only allowed streams of light to penetrate their branches, greedily using the rest to continue to grow. To Nadia, the dim light made it seem like it was twilight under the canopy, but she guessed it was closer to midday than sunset.

She stared up at the trees in awe as she marveled at their height and majesty. To anyone else, the looming trees may have felt dangerous. But to Nadia the vibrantly colored forest looked like a comfortable adventure, a haven for hikers or outdoor enthusiasts. She turned her attention to ground level and discovered patches of moss that were a deep burnt orange and other red moss that grew up the trunks of the trees. There were amazingly effervescent flowers growing all around Nadia. The flowers ranged in size from as small as a quarter to larger then Nadia’s head. She could smell their pungent fragrances. She wiggled out of her sleeping bag as she heard the calls of exotic sounding birds in the trees’ canopies, cooing to one another in a calm, chatty fashion. The breeze blew through the trees, shaking small droplets of water onto Nadia as she turned her head to look this way and that.

She sat, awestruck by the beauty. She could have explored her little area of the forest all day, but her thoughts were interrupted by sounds in the distance. One sounded like a river through the trees to her left. It was bubbling over rocks and maybe even slamming over the side of a water fall somewhere far off. Another noise was the clear hum of the wind as it passed through thick trees, singing its way through the forest. The last noise was not as clear to Nadia and made her the most concerned. It sounded like walking, but she couldn’t tell if it was a person or a creature of the forest. Either way, she was instantly more alert as she hurriedly uncovered herself and took stock of what she had in the camp. She didn’t have a plan for a diversion or attack, but her adrenaline started pumping fiercely forcing her into action. She moved to her backpack. It was slung on a low branch of a nearby tree several feet away from her sleeping bag. The pack hung in a convenient place to hide as she dug through it in search of her knife. She found a hair tie. She pulled her hair back into a bun to prevent it from getting into her eyes or being used against her if it came down to a fight. Once she had the knife in her hand she was wielding it like a pro within seconds. That is, if a pro is someone who has no training in knife wielding or fighting, but had seen a lot of TV and movies that may or may not have had knife fights in them.

Nadia forgot the pain in her left hand and the weariness in her body as she slowly stretched out her limbs to loosen her muscles. She was preparing herself both physically and mentally to face her attacker. She felt alive and ready for anything. She backed herself up against the tree to protect her back from attack, and waited. If she was not so focused on what might have been approaching, Nadia would have been surprised at her own ability to ready herself for a fight. After all, her knowledge of fighting came from a simple stage combat class she took in high school and watching a lot of TV.

If I make it out of this, whatever this is, Nadia thought. I am going to write the Discovery Channel an email to thank them for all their survival shows. She was looking through the trees to replace a route of escape just in case she needed flight rather than to fight. She froze when she heard the distinct crack of a dead twig. The footsteps were coming closer and her senses were on high alert to figure out where they were coming from. She could tell that the walking was brisk, but not urgent, heavy but probably not a large animal and it was coming from behind the tree and to the right. She glanced slowly around the tree trying to hide while still being able to see who or what was approaching. She could hardly hear anything except the thud of her own heart beat pounding in her ears. She mentally tried to calm down so she could keep tabs on the intruder. The hand that was gripping the knife started to sweat and she feared she would not have a good grip on it if she had to use it. Above all, she was concerned about tripping over her own feet and impaling herself with her own weapon. She started to think a hundred thoughts at once. The most important thought was what if the person or creature approaching was too big for her and her little knife?

She decided her best bet was to leap out and make as much noise as possible while slashing her knife through the air. She was hoping that the noise would at least scare the animal or person. That way Nadia would have enough time to run or maybe the noise would cause the animal to run. She had used this tactic before in fights and it seemed to give her the upper hand, even if she did look like an idiot. She had also been in high school at the time and her high school was about as safe as they come.

She took a deep breath, counted to three and leaped out. She was screaming as loud as she could and was relieved to be slashing at a man and not a large creature. The man, however, was a little taken back by the noise and the sudden attack. He looked greatly concerned for Nadia. He held his hands out in a calm, nonaggressive manner, standing perfectly still.

Under different circumstances, Nadia would have laughed at herself and the situation, but her screaming was cut short. She dropped the knife uselessly and slumped to the ground. Nadia kept her eyes on the man even as he swam in and out of focus. She reached for the knife, wanting it close despite her inability to wield it. The startled man dove for Nadia as she collapsed. He slowed her descent, even though he had to have been at least 8 or 9 feet away from her when she jumped out from behind the tree. He didn’t stop her completely and Nadia knew she had just added a whole new set of bruises to her already abused body.

“Nadia,” the man began. “You should not be using so much of your energy. You need to rest. The poison that flowed from the thorn is still coursing through your veins.” Nadia weakly tried to pull away from the stranger, but she wasn’t sure if the man knew she was attempting to escape until he said, “Do not fear me. I am here for you.”

Nadia looked deep into the silvery, gray-blue eyes of the gentle stranger. He had a deep, soft voice that could command the attention of thousands of soldiers or soothe a small child after a nightmare. His voice held sadness well beyond the years his face showed and it captivated Nadia. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, but his eyes were much older, as if he had seen a lot in his life time. Without knowing why, she reached out to him and he took her hand. He had a firm but comforting grip and never took his orb like eyes away from hers. Nadia’s groggy mind slowly noticed his mid-length, soft black hair that changed to a dark midnight blue in the sunlight. She guessed he was about 6’ 4” or 5” and she could see that he was well toned in his tight black woven shirt. He wore an open jacket made of strong animal skins, fashioned like a Renaissance Faire actor, except his was excellently made and not some cheap knock off. His pants, like his shirt and jacket, were well worn and aged by the sun and use, but fit him well. His fierce jaw and overly large eyes seemed animalistic in nature, but could not take away from his gentle face.

Nadia smiled sheepishly as he helped her to stand. They crossed to her sleeping bag and he carefully set her down as if she would shatter with one false move. She reluctantly let go of his hand and laid back on her sleeping bag, sighing. Her muscles released some of the tension they had been holding since she jumped out like an idiot from behind the tree. She felt his eyes watching her. She longed to question him about all that had happened, but she felt exhausted and more than slightly embarrassed for trying and failing miserably, to attack him. So, she remained silent.

He pulled out a small pot and what looked to be dried meat and spices from his bags before he said, “Welcome, Nadia of Earth.” He paused as he began to build a small fire in a pre-dug fire pit. That gave Nadia time to focus on the beautiful stranger, though it was becoming increasingly more difficult to remain awake. “There is much I need to tell you.”

“Like, how you know my name,” Nadia cut in.

“Yes,” he said with a slight smile.

“Or maybe, who you are and where I am?” she continued getting slightly louder.

“Yes, and yes,” he said simply. “But for now, you must rest. You have been battling the thorn’s terrible effects for three days. You have a great will to live and succeed, which is what you are going to need to survive here.” He trailed off as he lit the fire. The warmth instantly washed over Nadia as she remained half awake and half asleep. The welcoming stranger’s caring presence and soft musical voice was like a warm blanket that made her feel like nothing in the world was wrong. He glanced at her as her eyes fluttered closer to sleep.

“Nadia”, he said louder and faster than even he expected. “You need to remain fully awake until you have eaten and drank some broth. You cannot have any more dreamless sleep powder because if taken too often it can sap you of your strength. You need a clear mind before you can venture again into dream realm.”

“Who are you?” Nadia asked again, abruptly cutting him off. “I’m sorry, but I don’t

have any idea who you are.” She spoke in little more than a whisper with the hint of a yawn in every word.

The man chuckled as he finished adding spice to the food that was simmering over the fire. He turned to face Nadia, sat down gracefully and settled in. He could sense her curiosity and knew he had to keep her awake long enough to feed her and rewrap her bruised, damaged left hand.

“I am your guide and protector. My name is Dimitri. My gift is the ability to shape shift. After you woke here in Baako three days ago, you were immediately impaled upon a thorn and you may remember me approaching you as a panther.” Nadia was absentmindedly stroking the palm of her left hand as if that motion would relieve the pain that was beginning to creep up her arm. “I am sorry for the pain you have,” he said when he noticed what she was doing. “I tried desperately to arrive before harm had come to you. It seems I have failed you once already, but there is still much I must teach you before you face more danger.” He finished, grimly turning back to stoke the fire.

She propped herself up and asked as quickly as her tired mind could form the words, “I don’t understand, why do I need protection? What was that insane dream I had? I remember two moons. Are there really two moons here? Where is here?”

Dimitri crossed to her so swiftly that she did not realize he had until he gently stopped her from rising by placing both his hands on her shoulders and laying her back down. In her excitement, she sat all the way up and was trying to see the two moons through the thick trees. “You are a very curious creature and only time will tell if that is a good or bad trait,” he cooed in her ear as he placed her pillow under her head. “I will answer your questions in time and the best I can, but please remain still.” When he was confident Nadia would remain still, he continued. “First, you will need protection as well as a guide and teacher. You are going to be faced with many challenges and dangers. I will be able to assist you with some. But others, I am afraid, you may be forced to face on your own.” He stopped to take the small stew pot off the fire, placing it aside to cool. “I do not tell you this to scare you. You will replace this land to be very different than the world you are from. Baako has dangers you may face that you have only ever seen in your wildest dreams.”

Nadia had to stop herself from shuddering as she remembered her most recent dream. “I still don’t understand,” she began with more questions than answers. “How did I get here? Are there any dangers I need to be aware of right now?” She glanced around half expecting wild beasts to run at her.

“Nadia, time will reveal all that you will need to know. For now, eat this and sleep again. I will keep watch tonight,” Dimitri said kindly as he scooped out a meat stew from his small pot. When he turned to hand it to Nadia, she could see the concern deeply etched on his face and spilling over in his eyes. He tried to hide it with a kind smile.

The food Dimitri made warmed Nadia and comforted her from the inside out. He also gave her a broth to drink that he had mixed something into first. It smelled strongly of a peculiar herb, but she could not place it. It gave her that same warm blanket feeling again and she felt instantly tired. She dropped her glass as she fell back onto her sleeping bag bed. Dimitri had anticipated her reaction and caught Nadia and her glass, placing both gently on the ground. He sat next to Nadia watching her sleep motionlessly for a few minutes. He sighed deeply as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes feeling a heavy weight on him and fear for her. He thought about all those that had come before her and how they had failed as he dosed the fire and slowly finished his own supper. Night had fallen when he finally decided that Nadia should not be burdened with the knowledge of the prophecy. She does not need to know how many had tried and failed with the very same task she was about to undertake.

She is different, he thought as he checked the traps he had laid for intruders. He frequently glanced at her sleeping form in wonder. But would it be enough? He knew he could not stand by and witness another horrible end to one so young. He walked a perimeter around the camp to make sure nothing out of the ordinary was in the woods. He spoke a silent prayer to any who would listen to protect her and to give him enough strength to see this journey through to the end. When he got back to the camp he settled in to keep watch, but had difficulty watching anything but Nadia sleeping.

He noticed Nadia had an average look to her. She was nothing like the ‘beauties’ of his land or hers, but he remembered how captivating her eyes were as she stared up at him. They were so full of curiosity and, was it hope? Selfishly, he wished she were awake so he could stare into them trying to uncover their mysteries. At first glance Nadia’s eyes were green and forgettable, but to hold eye contact with her reveals a thin blue line that travels around her black pupil. She also had brown flecks all through the color, but color alone was not what he first saw. He noticed that when she was in pain the first time they had met in the woods her eyes were a deep, almost black shade of blue. When she was curious they were a pale, olive green and when she was trying to fight him they were a jewel green. There was also a great deal of wisdom that her youth could easily disguise and compassion that not even her pain was able to subdue. He felt that when she looked at him, she could see the secrets that he tried so intensely to hide. He could also see the trust she already had in him and that scared him more than the idea that she could see right through his defenses. As he watched, her facial expression changed and her fists clenched as her body tensed. He crossed to her, lifting her head gently and placing it on his lap to give her comfort and lend Nadia some of his strength. He also slowly unclenched her left hand holding it between his hands to prevent Nadia from re-injuring it. He did not understand why he was so afraid and instantly so protective of Nadia. The others came and left. And though he was becoming increasingly saddened by their failure, he could never feel their emotions. He knew Nadia was afraid, but he could also feel her determination. He glanced around the small clearing listening intensely. He wanted to be close to her, but he also had to remain alert. While she was being attacked in her dream, he did not want to be caught unaware in his wakefulness.