Shadows Fall: Stories from the Dream Realm

By J.R. White

Running from an arranged marriage, DjinnRa Jade is hiding out in the Waking Realm and performing the duties of a Watcher. When she crosses the path of a lonely child without family she must put her own interests aside and return to the Dream Realm.

Stuck in the shadow of his enemy, Kree is left with nothing more than his voice to fight back with. He'll soon find that warring clans and nightmares from the Realm Beyond are the least of his worries inside the Djinn Clan's royal line. Can he and Jade come together and protect the destiny of the Dreamweaver child?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.R. White
• Release date: Jun 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201991197

Book preview

Shadows Fall

By

J.R. White

© J.R. White 2021

Terms and Conditions:

The purchaser of this book is subject to the condition that he/she shall in no way resell it, nor any part of it, nor make copies of it to distribute freely.

All Persons Fictitious Disclaimer:

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.

Star Cross Series

Just Beyond Daybreak

Caught by Nightfall

Chasing High Noon

Witching Hour Madness

Knot in Destiny

Saving Grace Saga

Witch Hunt

Fox Hunt

Fire Hunt

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter One

There was a sick feeling in the cool night air that turned the stomach and twisted knots in the gut. The streets were left in the flickering light of countless streetlamps. For passers-by, the most terrifying thing was the silence, but for DjinnRa Jade there was no silence. The steady thumping of her heart flooded her ears, broken only by the grunting of the demon in front of her and the clank of its massive claws on the metal pipe she held in front of her.

Jade had cornered the nightmarish creature in a narrow alleyway but had yet to subdue its rampage. Instead, the beast had turned its full attention to removing her from its path. She tightened her grip and shoved the pipe forward, pushing the hulking demon back a step.

You have to attack. Defense alone won’t get rid of this thing, a voice whispered in her head.

Eyeing the demon, Jade tried to ignore the voice. She wasn’t good at hand-to-hand combat, but if she could push the demon back just a few more feet, she would have time to pull out a crystal and release the brilliant flash that would send the creature back to the Realm Beyond.

Go on the offensive. Push it back and be done, the voice urged her.

Letting out a frustrated growl, Jade shifted her weight and braced her stance as the beast lunged forward. Large, clawed hands took hold of the pipe and jerked it this way and that. She held her ground, allowing for the give and take of physics, but when it shoved forward, she lost her footing and slid back towards the street.

You lost ground! the voice shouted.

Cinching her teeth, Jade adjusted and shoved back. Shut up, Kree! she yelled.

Her sudden outburst caused the demon to falter. Instead of charging into another attack that Jade knew could easily overpower her, the beast lifted itself and watched her. I’m busy right now and I need to focus, she said more quietly and took a step forward, reclaiming the ground she’d lost.

That’s not how you advance. It’s like this, the voice grumbled and suddenly the pipe in her hands shifted. Jade could feel hands covering her own, changing the angle of the makeshift staff. Put more room between your feet and step forward more with your left.

Fighting the unseen man’s actions, Jade said, Stop. She could only imagine what it must have looked like to the demon. Jade knew she looked crazy yelling at herself and fighting the empty air for her weapon. Maybe that’s why the monster chose then to attack.

The pressure on her hands became more firm as the pipe swung out. A wet, slapping sound rang out as the pipe struck the demon across its enlarged muzzle. Feeling a slight push at her back, Jade stepped forward and the invisible hands guided her to jab the end of the pipe into the demon’s gut.

Falling back several steps, the monster let out a grunt and Jade took the opportunity to reach into the open bag on her hip. Her fingers wrapped around the smooth sphere and she was already calling the light when she pulled it into the open. A blinding light filled the alleyway and the demon let out a deafening roar as the brilliance engulfed him.

When the light faded, Jade was left alone in the alleyway: all traces of the beast gone. That’s how you banish a nightmare, the stern voice whispered through her mind.

Well, Jade was as alone as she had been for the last six months at least.

Mind your own business, Jade complained, tossing the pipe to the side of the alleyway. The metal clanked against the brick and was followed by a moment of silence. She took that time to breathe slowly. The fight with the nightmare had taken a lot out of her. The muscles in her arms and legs ached from the strain of chasing and then pushing the beast back.

Jade rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the tension. You never should have agreed to take this job, Kree hissed.

Rolling her eyes, Jade turned and walked back out onto the street. It has nothing to do with you. Besides, I’ve been doing just fine for the last six months. I don’t need your help, she mumbled as she shoved her frozen hands into her pockets.

Even though she’d been doing the job of a Watcher for half a year, she’d been doing it with the nagging and disdain of Kree in her thoughts. To be more accurate, Kree had been harping at her from her shadow where she’d trapped him months before. It had been a desperate move to help get her clan’s Dreamweaver into the Dream Realm and it had worked. If I could do it over, I would have found a way to kill you, Jade said angrily.

You would have started a war, DjinnRa. I’m surprised my father hasn’t already attacked the Djinn Clan over this, Kree said smugly.

As much as she hated it, the Ikto prince was right. Killing him would have led to war, but the clans were swiftly heading in that direction already. War between the clans had never been seen by anyone still living and even those elders who had passed on had only heard stories.  

A war would lead into a truly unpredictable future. Of course, postponing it had only left her with a constant, annoying companion. Just let me do my job and we’ll keep looking for a way to break this spell, Jade grumbled.

A flood of rage washed over her and Kree shouted, Damnit, woman, you have no place being a Watcher!

The anger from the man set off a flare of her own anger and Jade snapped, Shut up, Kree. I’m not going to listen to you.

The Ikto prince wasn’t going to allow that. Instead, he pushed back at her mentally. You don’t have a choice. You need to go back to the Dream Realm, face your Elders and let someone that can do this job replace you.

I can handle it, Jade said. Of course she could handle it. She really didn’t have much choice. If she went back to the Djinn Lands, she would have to deal with the Elders and their anger. She would much rather deal with nightmare beasts from the Realm Beyond.

For a second, the man was silent and Jade wondered if he’d finally dropped the topic.

You’re going to get yourself killed. His voice pressed gently against her mind, this time with no bite of anger or contempt.

It sent a shiver through her, but Jade quickly shook it off and rolled her eyes. I didn’t know you cared.

Jade could almost hear the growl in his voice when he said, I still don’t know what would happen to me if you die.

No one really does, she admitted with a sigh. She knew there was a very real possibility that not only would he die with her, but that they’d be stuck like this until it happened.

The odd tickle of his voice that she’d gotten used to was gentle again as he pleaded, Exactly. So go back to the Dream Realm, talk to your Elders and find a way to free me to return home.

She knew for Kree it all sounded so logical. He wanted to go home, freed from her shadow and get on with his life. That’s just not how it was for Jade. Going back to the Dream Realm meant she’d be pushed into a marriage that she wasn’t sure she’d ever wanted in the first place. It meant fitting into a role the Elders had created for her the day she was born.

It ate at her that she couldn’t just go home like Kree wanted. Jade longed to walk the fields covered in grapes that reminded her of her mother. She wanted to hear the rustle of the leaves in the wind, but that would mean devoting the rest of her life to a role she never wanted.

What would Kree know about that? All he wanted was to go back to the Ikto lands and rejoin his father’s insane efforts to find a Dreamweaver.

Jade, we can’t do this forever, he whispered across her mind.

She knew that too. Jade glanced around the streets, trying to ignore him and the responsibilities waiting for her. A block ahead, the distraction she was looking for darted out onto the sidewalk. Jade watched as the child shot a frightened look over her shoulder and charged across the street.

As the child disappeared, a large, clambering beast appeared from the shadows. Jade’s feet were already moving as the nightmare ran after its prey.

FORCING HIS HAND TO protect Jade was a surprise to Kree. He hadn’t planned on helping her at all, but at the last second, he had reacted. There had been close calls before, but Jade had always managed to stumble through it. There had been times when he’d wondered if her death would free him. Other times he hadn’t cared if her death would drag him down with her.

But the demons from the Realm Beyond were becoming more frequent and the fights harder. Nothing made that more clear than seeing the child being chased down by one of the very nightmares Jade was supposed to be fighting. The child was fast, but he caught the sight of short brown hair and worn clothing. He was pale and small and completely helpless. It tore at his heart.

Kree could feel the shock radiating through Jade. It mirrored his own astonishment and at once, the Magi turned Watcher was racing into action.

Racing down the street, Jade darted down the alley and was at once facing the growling monster clawing at the brick wall. Kree spotted the child’s feet disappearing into an open window above the beast. He’s gotten inside, he said, turning his focus back to what Jade was doing.

The Watcher was reaching for her crystals and looking for anything in the alley she could use as a weapon. Kree wished she’d kept the pipe, but it was blocks away. The demon scratched at the wall, snarling and ignoring their presence completely. He thought it was odd that the creature was so focused on catching the kid, but it gave Kree time to stare at the grimy surroundings. There wasn’t much to work with, but she found a broken brick and before Kree could shout out a warning, she chunked it at the monster.

The board by the wall, Kree advised as the demon turned its attention to them.

The next moment was seamless. Jade darted after the board and Kree took control, swinging it up to smash against the side of the beast’s face. As the demon twisted away, Jade shattered one of her crystals at its feet and the brilliant light flooded the alley.

Just like the one they’d banished only a short time before, this one dissolved from existence and left behind no trace. At least it didn’t nearly kill us this time, Kree muttered from his shadowy prison.

Kree could hear the frustration rolling off Jade as she chunked the board aside and said, Nothing nearly killed us.

It did so. You had no control in that fight. If I hadn’t taken over, you’d be dead, Kree argued. He pushed his anger over her like a blanket. Over the last six months, he’d learned that Jade could feel his emotions and had perfected the skill. He could tell she wanted to argue with him about it, but she held back. What is it?

Jade turned and stared at the building. Where did the kid go?

Shooting a look up at the window, Kree said, Through that window. Don’t think you can reach it though. Thinking about it, he wondered if the child was still on the other side of the wall and just how he’d managed to climb up there. Should you call out? You know, see if they’re alright?

The woman walked out of the alley without even answering him. Instead, she rounded the building and paused. It’s a homeless shelter, she mumbled.

The front of the building was dark, but Kree could make out several large blacked out windows and a thick door. There was a large block letter sign above the door that read Springside Shelter.

Jade turned away from the building and grumbled about the nightmare they’d just banished. You did well listening to me. You should do it more often, Kree said, trying to encourage her to listen to him not just during their fights, but also to his advice to return to the Dream Realm. She lifted her hand and waved over her shoulder, as if she could really shut him up so easily. Let’s go home and rest. We can check on the kid tomorrow.

She nodded and turned away from the building. Brushing across Jade’s mind, Kree wondered what she was thinking. Even though he could normally hear and feel her thoughts, tonight she was hazy, almost confused. He took this chance to retreat from her and focus on his own thoughts. Six months before, he’d nearly gone crazy trying to separate his own thoughts from hers. Now, he enjoyed the private moments.

After seeing that nightmare come close to defeating the Magi, Kree wanted to find a way to convince her to go back to the Dream Realm. They’d both be safer back in their realm and they might even find a way to separate. He didn’t want to think that he was worried about Jade’s safety, but he was. She’d grown on him over the months and she was ill equipped to keep up with the duties of a Watcher.

Hell, Kree had been so worried about her that he’d taken over her movements. It was no different that reaching around a student learning fighting stances. His shadowy hands wrapped around hers and led her through the fight. It was a trick that she normally fought him over. This time she’d been more willing to accept his guidance with minimal yelling. It was a sign that she knew she was out of her depth, no matter what she said.

Her soft hands were small but strong. Gripping the pipe and board tightly, Jade had held on to the makeshift weapons as he guided her movements. She’d straightened her back, shifted her stance as he’d pushed his shadow form against her. He could tell the woman had never had formal combat training, but she would make a quick study.

But he didn’t want to teach her. He wanted her to take him home.

If he could push the idea that Jade needed to find someone else to take over the Watcher post, he might get her back to the Dream Realm. From there, he could find a way back to the Ikto lands and his home. He was sure his father had things under control, but Kree worried about his people. His once shining home had been engulfed in darkness for too long. The more nightmare beasts he saw in the Waking Realm, the more he worried about his clan.

As Jade made her way down the sidewalk towards the metro station, Kree wondered what his chances were. For whatever reason, the woman was steadfast in her resolve to stay in the