The Nightmare

He stood opposite me. I knew him, without truly understanding why. We’d never met before, but he’d be in Marren Vale, with the rest of his family. The Lockwoods. At some point the youngest girl slipped away, taking with her my brother Anton, they must have some kind of relationship, and the youngest Lockwood boy. The whole time his eyes were on mine, expectation within them, because he did know me. So did she. Yet she’d avoided me the entire time.

Father still thought he’d started building a relationship with the most powerful family in our new home. He stood beside Thaddeus, the only one I had a name for, prepared to take part in a ritual he didn’t, because he wasn’t willing to, accept was a trap, the darkness already changing him after one visit to the house. It swirled around him, stronger than before, and if he survived he wouldn’t be the same person I knew before.

Mama stood between the two Lockwood wives. I hadn’t dreamt of introductions, I didn’t know their names, but none would survive, although one fought, using her power to try to keep the darkness from destroying those she loved. There were others, one I felt a kinship with in a way I didn’t any of the others, and when I glanced at him he nodded at me. Clearly we’d got to know each other, yet in that moment I didn’t have a name for him, or even how he was related to the other Lockwoods.

Thaddeus, it seemed, had a brother, because the two men looked alike. So the two women would be their wives, and then there were children. Marcel was between two more of the girls, who I’d say looked more like one of the women than anyone else, so they were potentially sisters. As the day came closer I spent more time learning within the nightmare than I had before, needing to understand what we’d be walking into. More than once I’d tried to control it, to see more, but I couldn’t. Instead the same experience happened every time.

I walked into the house for one reason. Turning my attention back to him, the power surrounding him not only his, I understood why. He was far stronger than I could ever be. Breathing deeply, I closed my eyes, to try once more, even though the most likely scenario was my failure. Darkness started to swirl around us. Panic followed. Even Thaddeus hadn’t expected it, not knowing the man he’d chosen to work with was a danger to him too. Yet there was a chance he was Thaddeus’s son. For him to have made that choice… then again I knew he’d killed before.

During those moments, as I tried to save the people I loved from a fate worse than death, I saw her once more. She died in my arms, because of him. That was the one true memory I had of what came before. With her image in front of me, the belief we did still have a chance of a future far stronger than it should have been, I gathered everything I had, even though it had never been enough before. Unconsciousness took me moments later.

When I woke I was alone, the only survivor of the carnage he’d caused, and I slowly moved, reaching up to touch the horns I knew were there. The darkness transformed me, my strength helping me survive. I closed my eyes, the weight of my failure heavy on my shoulders once more, wondering what happened to him. Surely the same should have happened, but instead he was gone. Dead? At least I thought Anton still lived, thanks to her. Had she known? Could she not have chosen me instead?

Unless I was wrong. She wasn’t the reincarnation of the woman I believed was my soulmate. Then it made sense her choosing Anton, because the connection I imagined between us didn’t actually exist. Yet I was more certain than I’d ever been before she was mine, even though I didn’t truly see her. I simply felt her, the distance between us, and accepted she knew better than I did what the right time for a meeting was. With things as they were it couldn’t happen, but then I heard footsteps.

Fortunately I opened my eyes to my bedroom, no longer another being entirely, still with a chance of finding a way to stop that from being my fate. I breathed deeply, throwing the covers off my sweating body, the summer heat even more oppressive after the nightmare, thinking about what came next. Nothing I’d said so far changed Father’s mind. Even if it hadn’t been for the letter Anton and Marcel coming into their power was a sign we needed to make the journey to Marren Vale. No one truly knew anything about it, except it was the home of magic. If my brothers were to learn we needed to be there.

Receiving a letter from an unknown great-uncle felt more like the beginnings of the trap. He’d sent it to us, to make certain we were in the right place at the right time. I raked a hand through my hair, already dry but crispy. Convincing Father of that was an impossibility. Even Mama tried, seeming uncomfortable with Father’s decision to move us to Marren Vale for different reasons. Yet his mind was made up. We had a house, so there was no reason to stay somewhere the twins couldn’t learn, and he wasn’t entirely wrong. The problem was the Lockwoods.

I reached for a shirt, mind turning to Thaddeus. Before the nightmares I’d had flickers of what was to come for months, but when the letter came everything changed, because of Father. His decision we were going meant that was the most likely future. First he’d knock on the door of one of the houses closest to us, where he’d meet Thaddeus Lockwood. Thaddeus reacted badly. Returning home Father would have doubts, go over the reasons for the journey to Marren Vale, and give it a few more days, which was enough for us to still be there when Thaddeus knocked, with an apology for Father.

Of course it was enough. He agreed to join the Lockwoods for a ritual, and that choice would lead to his death. Shirt on, I walked through the house, seeing the first light from the sun touching the sky. I had three days. Another conversation wouldn’t change anything. Not when I couldn’t tell Father why. Before the twins I’d said nothing about my own experiences, having seen my transformation. Rather than admit to him I had magic I hid it, knowing innately how to control it, the same way the twins had. However the twins had no reason to keep it from Father.

Learning I’d said nothing to him, chosen not to trust him, broke something between us long before the letter. Mama understood. She tried to speak on my behalf, only causing problems between them, so I asked her to stop. Father’s feelings were mostly understandable. Had I been in his position I’d have probably felt the same way. That didn’t stop it hurting. Once we’d been close, and I could have talked to him about anything. Now… I sighed. I’d made what I believed was the best choice, even though it ended up not changing the future the way I hoped it would.

As I reached the sunroom I realised Mama was already awake, sitting there with a hot cup of tea. “I think the time has come for us to talk about what’s to come, Dante.” She didn’t even look at me. “Especially as I think you know more.”

“Mama?”

“Do you honestly think I don’t see it?” She turned to look at me. “You’re exhausted, and terrified of the very thought of Marren Vale.”

“No, but…” She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want to cause any more problems between you and Father.”

“You are not the problem.” She stood, setting her tea down on the nearest table, and stepped over to me. “I think, darling, there are things we’ve both been keeping from your father.” Gently, she took my hands in hers. “The best thing we can do now is share that with each other, to be better prepared for what’s to come, because I don’t imagine anything good will come from being there.”

“How much do you know about Marren Vale?”

She closed her eyes for a moment. “I lived there, once.”

All I could do was stare at her, questions going through my mind I didn’t know quite how to ask without sounding like Father. “Does Father know?”

“We’ve had a conversation. He’s not happy, but what he doesn’t understand is that for you to be as strong as you are both of us need to have magic. I thought I’d chosen a man who had no connection to Marren Vale, in the hope none of my children would be born with magic, only to find all three of you are powerful enough going back there might be the best chance of you being able to learn how to use it.”

“Even though you don’t want to.”

“Returning is something I hoped I’d never have to do, because I’m not going to pretend I have good memories.” Mama drew me over to where she’d been sitting, not letting go of my hands, and we looked at each other. “Father was the head of one of the Greater families, but he’s not the reason you have the power you do – that was Mama. Although she was from one of the Lesser families she’d been born with strength unlike any seen in their bloodline for a very long time. I was far closer to Mama, while Father… sometimes I think he hated me for not being a boy. Neither of my brothers inherited Mama’s strength, but he didn’t believe I could be the heir. What he wanted to do was use me in the hope he’d have strong grandchildren he could make his heir.”

“Clearly that didn’t happen, as you’re here, with Father.”

“Gregor Tyrell was the strongest of all the heads of the Greater families. Father believed I’d be able to marry his son, Isaac. I think it might even have happened, had it not been for the arrival of Emory, Petra, and Thaddeus Lockwood.”

A name I hadn’t expected to hear right then. “What do you mean?”

“Jasper was the last of the Lockwoods. He was getting older, and he believed the time would come when the family would regain their lost power. Decades before, when there was still a Council, the Lockwoods had control over Marren Vale, but then something happened, a ritual went wrong, and Titus Lockwood, along with his sister Anne, died. Emory tried to recreate the Council, but it didn’t work the way he hoped it would.”

Finally I had names, the way they resonated within a sign I was right to believe I had some connection with them. Titus was the man who stood opposite me, while Anne left entirely, choosing to save my younger brother. I ran my tongue over my bottom lip, not certain how much I’d share with Mama. Did I tell her I thought I’d held Anne when she died? She was my soulmate? Had it not been for the nightmares I’d be travelling to Marren Vale myself, to be with her? With her name I felt a far stronger connection than before, as I saw her the way she was all those years ago, feeling her lips against mine just before I lost her for what I thought was forever.

“In order for that to be possible there needed to be Lockwoods in Marren Vale. Until then I hadn’t known they were out in the world, but they were, and not long before Jasper died they returned. When Thaddeus ran into Marion Tyrell one afternoon it managed to undo all the work Father had done to build a relationship with Gregor, because Thaddeus was far more powerful. Again Father blamed me, even though there was no reason for him to think my gender would have changed anything. His reaction was bad enough Mama made the decision it was time we left Marren Vale for good.”

“Mama…”

“Emotional magic can be very dangerous. Father… I don’t think he meant to harm me, but… Mama could never forgive him, because I only survived due to her quick thinking. My brothers stayed, they didn’t want to leave Father, and I don’t know if anyone asked what happened to us. Maybe Father even admitted to what he did.” Mama sighed. “Leaving changed my future, Dante. I met your father, fell in love, did what I could to forget everything I’d been through… only for your brothers to be born with a strength that means we do now need to go back.” A tear escaped. “You’re the same, but you chose to hide it, so I need to know why.”

“Neither of us can change what’s to come.”

“You have no way of knowing that, Dante.” She squeezed my hands. “A Seer very rarely Sees Certainties. Everything, no matter how it may seem, is a Possibility.”

“How do you know about Seers?”

“Although he wasn’t particularly strong my brother was a Seer. He taught me, in case my children inherited it, so I’d be able to help. If I’d realised sooner… tell me what you’ve Seen.”

“Death and darkness.” Even I could hear the bleakness in my voice, as I looked down at the floor, because it was easier than keep looking at Mama. “There may not be a Council, but it seems the Lockwoods have regained some of their lost power. Our inherited home means the first person Father will meet is Thaddeus Lockwood.”

“Who fell head over heels in love with Marion Lockwood, leading to Isaac’s meeting with Petra. Both the Tyrells, I’m certain, married Lockwoods.”

So the brothers were Thaddeus and Emory Lockwood. “What did Marion look like?”

“Both Marion and Isaac had the Tyrell red hair.”

Making it likely the man opposite me was also related to a Tyrell, but he was a Lockwood. He’d be Thaddeus and Marion’s son, Titus, with his sister, also a red head, was Anne, who’d avoided the ritual entirely. Along with me. I bit down hard on my bottom lip. She’d have been invited over by Anton, yet she must have said no every time, something I could only assume was for a reason. Maybe to protect me from Titus. That made the most logical sense, considering her last moments were because he couldn’t accept the fact she’d chosen to leave Marren Vale. Or at least that was what I thought we’d done.

“Isaac wasn’t at the ritual, but Marion and Emory were.” I closed my eyes. “Along with who I can only assume was Emory’s wife, and their children.”

“Ritual?” Mama drew me down into one of the chairs, before sitting opposite. “Start at the beginning, Dante, so I can understand a little better what’s going to happen. Your father meets Thaddeus Lockwood.”

“Thaddeus isn’t welcoming.”

“He wouldn’t be.” I looked at Mama. “Thaddeus fell in love with Marion, but Marion saw a way out. Not a husband. For them to be together now there has to be a reason, and they’re probably living in the Tyrell house, because Emory would have inherited the Lockwood house from their father. He wasn’t well when I left, so I doubt he’d have lived much longer.”

“You knew Marion?”

“Once I’d have said she was my best friend.”

“Until you left?”

Mama nodded. “She was the only person I took the time to say goodbye to. We both cried, but accepted I needed to go.”

“Was that due to your father?”

She shook her head. “No, Marion and I got to know each other a long time before Father made the decision I should marry Isaac. I won’t pretend I didn’t like him. He was nothing like Gregor, fortunately, but there was nothing between us romantically. Marrying him would have been for all the wrong reasons. Even though it’s hard now I love your father. Being with him is very different to the attempts I had with Isaac. Kissing him… neither of us enjoyed the experience.”

“Gregor wasn’t a nice person?”

“No, he was a Tyrell.” Mama studied me. “Before we make the journey to Marren Vale I’ll talk you through the Greater and Lesser families, so you know what to expect. If Thaddeus married Marion it was most likely because of Gregor.” She sighed. “We both realised quickly enough Thaddeus was exactly how we expected a Lockwood to be, but he was Marion’s best chance of being able to escape Marren Vale. Last time I saw her Thaddeus still hadn’t met Gregor. She’d done everything to keep the two of them apart.”

“They have at least two children – Titus and Anne.”

“A decision Thaddeus must have talked her into, because we both studied Marren Vale’s history. Choosing to name their children after Titus and Anne isn’t something she’d have wanted to do. Unless she changed. It’s always possible, but the Marion I knew believed the names were cursed after what happened to the last Lockwood siblings with them.”

“I think she was right, because of what happens.”

“Victor meets Thaddeus. Thaddeus reacts exactly the way I expect him to when a man knocks on the door, who he’d view as new magic, further complicating the situation. If I were to go with him that would be the first change, Dante, because I did meet Thaddeus a few times. Maybe I can help to build a relationship between the two of them that doesn’t lead us to the ritual.”

“No matter what, Mama, the ritual will happen.” Words I knew were true, even though I didn’t entirely understand why. “Titus needs it to. He’s got some kind of plan.”

“Let me try, and if that doesn’t change anything we can try something else.” Mama squeezed my hands again. “It would be nice to see Marion again too.” She smiled. “There is a chance we might be able to get something good out of this. We have to try, even if it ends up being futile.”

Saying no wasn’t going to change Mama’s mind either. Clearly she’d made her choice, which were coloured by a past I knew nothing about. Maybe she was right, and we could get something good out of our time in Marren Vale, instead of the fate I’d Seen so many times before. I didn’t want to become a demon, because then I probably would lost Anne for good. Rather than Anton being the first to meet her I might be instead, which… I closed my eyes. No, I needed to keep my distance if she didn’t come to me. There was a reason for her choice.

“Do what you think is best, Mama. I’m not going to pretend I think you’re right, but I have been affected by what I’ve Seen.”

“Like every Seer is.” Mama lifted my hand to her mouth, and gently kissed the palm, leaving a warmth behind it. “This should help a little. Certain magics can free you from a loop. I think that’s what you’ve got trapped in, because you didn’t have anyone to teach you. Hopefully tonight you’ll See a different Possibility.”