Melissa Barker-Simpson

The third installment of the Collective Series, Warrior’s Promise will be released in July, and given that a new character will be introduced, a character I know will play a big part in coming tales, I thought I would write a short story to introduce Harper-Rose properly. I’ve split the short works into three parts.

Part 1

Benjamin 

Haunted 

Benjamin shot to a sitting position, launched from the dream to full wakefulness in the blink of an eye. He felt certain he would remember the details this time, but they faded as quickly as sleep, and he was left with the impression of pale blue eyes that were clouded with fear and confusion. 

As a member of the Elite, a soldier of the elfin army he wasn’t accustomed to feeling helpless, especially when it came to mindscapes. It was part of his gift, creating scenes from memory; he built them as easily as, well, breathing. Granted, a Quies was a form of illusion, a landscape he could fool anyone into believing was real, but his mind could not hold a single detail of the nightmare. 

He’d been having the same dream for a week now, and he knew it was the same one because he was left with the same impression every time. A presence, no, a cry for help he couldn’t ignore and yet when he woke, he had nothing to work with but a pair of haunted eyes. 

To avoid falling into the same cycle and therefore back into a fruitless dream, he left his quarters and walked the perimeter of Grangefield. Though he belonged to a unit of three, his team formed part of a wider task force. It was their duty to protect the safe zone and he took that responsibility seriously. So why did it feel like he was falling down on the job? 

“I take it you haven’t learned anything new?” 

He turned to see Toran, a fellow Elite, walking towards him. “Not a thing.” 

“Maybe you should commune with the Ashoka,” Toran said, grinning. 

The Ashoka were earth spirits who, after waking from a deep sleep, had fortified the site by bringing the vegetation to life, and at Grangefield that meant a veritable forest. They communicated mind to mind, their thoughts a series of images which he appreciated, as a fellow being of the earth. 

“Maybe I will, after we do another sweep of the area.” 

Toran rolled his eyes. “Joshua is already out there, so we might as well add to the party. I’ll get Bree.” He jogged off to find the third member of their trio. 

Benjamin watched him go for a moment, then turned his eyes skyward. Of course, he couldn’t see Joshua from where he stood, but the Warrior Angel was out there, and he knew this because he had been plagued with the same sense of urgency Benjamin felt. The angel just couldn’t put a name to the feeling, it was gut-deep and that was without the nightly messages that had somehow failed to get through. 

He judged that they had several hours left before the first rays of sun hit, so they would be glad for the eyes in the sky. Who knew what ugliness lay out there waiting. He just hoped that vermin weren’t the only thing lurking in the shadows, that tonight he would finally figure out who and what was calling to him.  

__________

I will post the second installment next Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by

Mel