Chapter 32

Ignoringa barrage of questions from Pom, I teleport to the tower of sleepers as soon as I appear in my palace. Swiftly, I find Cadmael and leap into his dream.

A dream that is clearly a nightmare.

Icelus agents are cutting Itzel into small pieces with their ceremonial daggers while Cadmael is tied up and powerless to save his granddaughter.

Not bothering with subtlety, I evaporate Icelus, make Itzel whole, and have her kiss her grandfather on the cheek before sprinting out of the room. Finally, I free the gnome from his nightmare bindings.

He rubs his rope-burned wrists and stares at me with utter incomprehension. "How?"

"You're dreaming," I say calmly. "That was a nightmare. I'm a dreamwalker. My name is Bailey."

"Bailey," he says, still looking stunned. "Itzel mentioned you."

"Great," I say quickly. "Sadly, we don't have time to get better acquainted. Icelus kidnapped you. They made you build a bomb from Vega reactor technology."

He looks like I've slapped him.

Good. I need him to snap out of the dream haze and smell the apocalypse.

"Did it go off?" he asks, his voice small. "How many dead?"

"It hasn't exploded yet, but it could at any moment. Which is why I need you to wake up and disable it."

The gnome's back straightens. "Where is it?"

I turn the room around us into the hundredth floor of the hub building—with Icelus, the bomb, and the rest of it.

"You're here." I point at his bed. "The bomb is there." I point at the podium. "Make sure to avoid him." I point at where the High Priest stands over my body.

Eyeing the High Priest warily, Cadmael nods. "How do I wake up?"

"Just wish to do so," I say.

He closes his eyes.

I help him with a jolt of my power.

He stays, eyes still closed.

Whatever they gave him to make him sleep is strong.

Only I'm stronger. Quadrupling my usual jolt, I shoot Cadmael with it.

It works.

He disappears and I find myself back in the tower of sleepers, where Pom stares at me with an unblinking gaze.

"We might survive this yet," I tell him and terminate the dream.