He passed beneath the massive archway at the Temple of the Elders and paused at the chōzuya. Dipping the waiting ladle into the fountain, he rinsed out his mouth and washed his hands before continuing on.
Grumbling under his breath, he then traversed the center courtyard and entered the haiden where the Elders awaited him. They sat before him in semicircular rows that faced the columned entryway he had just come through. Rising several stories above him, there were so many benches that the Guardians had lost count of how many Elders occupied them long ago.
“Captain Cross,” greeted one of them. Which one, Aidan couldn’t say. As always, he thought of Master Sheron, knowing the teacher was one among the many, absorbed into what Aidan saw as a collective consciousness. The knowledge saddened him.
He bowed respectfully. “Elders.”
“Tell us more about your Dreamer, Lyssa Bates.”
It was a struggle, but he kept his face impassive as he straightened. Just the sound of her name spoken aloud sent a shiver of pleasure through him. Despite the darkness of her dream, he had enjoyed his time with her. He’d felt secure behind the massive door, comforted by her trust, inwardly surprised and contented that she would turn to him for himself, not as a phantasm she had created for her own relief. And she’d commiserated with him, seen him as a man, not an automaton who craved nothing so much as a hearty fight and a willing fuck.
“I’ve told you everything I know.”
“There must be more. Seven sleep cycles have passed since you gained entry, and she has denied all subsequent Guardians.”
He shrugged. “Leave her alone. She’s safe and sane. When she’s ready, she’ll let us in. She has no immediate need for us.”
“Perhaps we have need of her.”
His posture rigid, Aidan raked his gaze across the sea of faces, his heart increasing its rhythm. They stared back, clad in dark gray, cowls raised and shielding the upper halves of their faces so that they all looked the same. One entity. “Why?”
“She asked for you.”
His breath caught. She remembered him. Warmth spread through him, and he hid his reaction with a dismissive “So?”
“How is it that she recalls you by your true name?”
“I told it to her when she asked.”
“Why does she see through every guise we present to her?”
“She’s a doctor. She’s smart.”
“Is she the Key?”
Aidan scowled. “No. If you knew her, you would know how ridiculous that is to even consider. She would never open the Gateway to the Nightmares. She fears them as we do. Besides, she has the least amount of dream control I’ve ever seen. Turning the lights on is beyond her, so she’s sitting in the damn dark.”
“We must send more Guardians to interact with her so that we may prove you correct, but she will not let us in. If we cannot gain entry, we will have to assume the worst and destroy her.”
Beginning to pace, Aidan clasped his hands at the small of his back and tried to find a way to argue reason against their unfounded paranoia. “What can I do to convince you?”
“Go to her again and urge her to open the door to us.”
As much as he longed to go, he dreaded it. Already this last week he’d been unable to stop thinking about her. Was she well?
She was thinking about him…
A soft shudder coursed the length of his frame. He’d been in her mind, seen who she was on every level. He knew her as well as she knew herself, and he’d liked what he saw and craved more time in her company.
The conflicting desires to be with her and to avoid her goaded him with equal strength. Like a banquet of desserts set before a hungry man—although he knew an attachment to Lyssa would satisfy, it wasn’t good for him and he would only end up hungrier. The turmoil he was experiencing proved that.
“If you will not go, Cross, you will leave us with no choice.”
The threat hung heavy in the air. The request to revisit a Dreamer was not unheard of, but it was very rare and it had never been asked of an Elite Warrior before. He steeled his resolve. He could manage to hold himself aloof, just as he’d done forever. “Of course I’ll go.”
“You will be assigned to her until she opens to other Guardians.”
He couldn’t hide his surprise. “But I’m needed elsewhere.”
“Yes, your leadership will be missed,” the voice conceded. “However, this woman is unique in her ability to bar both Nightmare and Guardian with that door. We must know why she does this, and how. Perhaps it is a skill we can replicate in other Dreamers. Imagine the benefits if they could defend themselves.”