Dream Casters: Milieu (Dream Casters Series Book 3)

By Adrienne Woods

The third and final novel in the Dream Caster series by USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Adrienne Woods.

Chastity Blake, or just Chas as her friends call her, is in the Nether with Ash, the remaining shadow hounds and her grandfather, Lord Cradone.
The Death of her mother, Veronique, a Shadow Caster, weigh heavy on Chas, and her relationship with Leigh is a dangling situation.
She doesn't remember much of the night her mother died, but she knew there is a betrayal, she doesn't know who is behind it, and she might or might not have the entity of Magdalena hidden deep inside her.

The third and final part of Dream Casters is filled with secrets, a twist no one sees coming, and secrets that will be revealed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing
• Release date: Jan 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781947649583

Adrienne Woods

Adrienne Woods resides with her family on the East side of Joburg, Gauteng. If she isn't writing, she is reading and love to spend time with her two beautiful little girls. You can find out more about Adrienne Woods at www.authoradriennewoods.com   

Book preview

Part One

One

GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

I sat up in the bath and water splashed over the sides. My heart pounded in my ears. My head whipped to the left and then the right. I was alone, but I heard that voice.

It was silent now and a horrible feeling, one I didn’t like filled me. This feeling felt like utter loneliness, mixed with fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the Hether and Eric. Paranoia slowly started to swirl in-between the loneliness and fear.

Stop it Chas! Deep breathes, deep breaths.

The now-cool water swirled around me. I must have fallen asleep. This didn’t surprise me; I had been through the ringer.

I heard her voice though, it was as if she was right here.

Eric and Leigh thought that Magdalena had taken up residence within me, speculated about whether Lord Crane had succeeded.

I looked slowly back to the door. Could that be the reason why Leigh was spending his every waking minute with me? Why Eric, the man who had dedicated his life to creating the Hether and finding Milieus like me—Casters with both light and dark sand—needed to know everything that had happened?

I didn’t like this new feeling that was coiling deep inside of me. It made me feel sick and make me not want to trust anyone around me.

I had no idea how old Eric really was, apart from his mid thirties, maybe early forties look, something tells me he was much, much older than that? His hair was white, meaning it could only be blonde. I miss seeing color, but it was easy assuming the colors. His eyes a light grey, meaning that it could be a piercing blue.

Images flashed through my mind. Images of what happened that night. I blacked out with Guinevere beating my mom and re-emerged with Crane’s breakdown, that his life’s work was gone, and the blue liquid on the floor.

No matter how hard I tried to regain my memory of that night, nothing happened. It was simply gone.

I couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t anymore. I didn’t know who I was. Which made me wonder if Crane didn’t succeed.

I needed to clear my head and get in touch with myself. And Leigh…that paranoid feeling of why he was waiting outside, swirled in my gut again. Then the fear overpowered the paranoia. I changed too much. He wasn’t going to be able to help me this time and I fear that it was going to pull us apart forever.

Love never conquered.

I’d learned that the hard way the night my mother had died.

A knock tore me from my thoughts.

Chas, you okay? Leigh called from the other side of the door.

I’m fine. Give me a few minutes. I tried not to sound too panicky.

My mother left you some clothes. I hope they fit.

Thank you.

Those words—thank you—all of a sudden felt unfamiliar. I don’t know why, maybe I was just being paranoid thinking about Crane and Magdalene, and the possibility of him succeeding.

It had to be that as my mother had taught me manners.

My heart clenched at the thought of my mother. Her loss lay heavily on me, like a boulder strapped to my chest. I needed to work through my grief—through everything that had transpired lately.

Leigh’s face flashed through my mind and formed a pit in my stomach. My feelings felt wrong and it brought on the fear again.

What did all of it mean? That a part of me blamed him for not being there that night? That he wasn’t there with me in the Oblivion? That Lord Crane succeeded? What? I never felt anything like this toward Leigh, toward anyone before, but the feelings were strong.

I know someone had betrayed us that night as Crane knew our every move, and I wanted to find out why.

I hated not knowing the truth. But maybe Mr. Grey could help me figure it out. Him I can trust, I know that now.

A faint memory scratch the edges of my mind. Lord Crane, saying Magdalena wasn’t able to talk about a specific event. Why couldn’t Magdalena talk about it? What had occurred during her last few hours in Revera?

The Guile flickered through my head, but the vision I’d experienced in that hellhole, where all the bad things in Revera’s history replayed, were dark and faded when I tried to examine them. The blonde woman in the guile—Magdalena—had been happy and in love, which had cost her dearly.

I remembered how she was begging someone as official-looking men closed in on her, but I couldn’t hear her. Dark sand formed in her hand, and she disappeared before she was killed.

Raw emotion overwhelmed me. It was real. What I had seen in my mind had happened.

Selene was hiding something. Ever since she had tortured me for having black sand, I’d known she wasn’t the benevolent Somnium who Light Casters had revered for nearly a millennium. I could feel her deception, but my brain wouldn’t work. It didn’t want to push the memory that lurked at the edge of my mind to the forefront. Was it even my memory?

Stop it Chas, Crane wouldn’t have screamed like that, break down like that if he’d succeeded.

The image of him crouching in front of his beloved blue liquid spilled on the floor flashed before me, behind closed eyelids.

There was another knock, and I jumped, sending more water over the edge of the tub.

Lunch will be served soon, Chas. Leigh sounded antsy.

He started to work on my nerves. It was his behavior that was making me feel all of this. Doubting whether Crane’s plan had failed.

That was what these intrusions really were. He wanted to be close to me all the time, not because he loved me but so he could spot any changes if Magdalena appeared.

I got out and dressed in clothes Karin had left out. I caught myself absently rolling up on the balls of my feet into demi-pointe ballet position. It had been so long since I had even thought of ballet. I smiled to myself, put on some flats, and opened my door to leave. Leigh was sitting on the floor just outside the bathroom.

He grinned. An hour and a half. You must’ve needed that bath.

I gave him a small smile. Something like that.

He stood and put his arm around me. How do you feel?

After my long-ass bath? Pretty good, thank you.

His brows knit together, but his lips were still curved in a smile. No need to thank me. Is it true they don’t have bathtubs in the Oblivion?

Yes, but my mother conjured one. My throat tightened. Her sand was like magic in the Oblivion.

He pulled me closer and brushed his lips atop my head. A confused mix of emotions overpowered me. I liked him—but simultaneously, part of me felt trapped by his touch.

Why? This was Leigh, for crying out loud!

Tell me about the Oblivion. What was it like?

Dark, cold, lonely, I answered shortly. I’m not the same girl anymore, Leigh.

I know, Chas. You’ve been through a great deal. I imagine all you did there was fight for survival.

If it weren’t for my mother… My voice cracked as grief assaulted me. I swallowed hard.

I’m sorry, Chas. I can imagine how difficult this is for you. I wish I could help you in some way. His lips brushed my temple.

I shook my head, but I didn’t look at him, scared my expression might give me away that I didn’t want him so close to me. I rubbed my hands over my face, stepping out of his embrace, and let out a groan. It was frustrating not knowing what had truly happened.

Suddenly, I remembered that Lord Crane was still here. I’d already talked to him, but he hadn’t revealed anything. He’d seemed surprised I was suffering from memory loss.

Magdalena’s voice had been in the bathroom with me. Why could she talk to me? Was it… no, it wasn't Chas.

Chas? Leigh asked, concerned. You okay?

Nodding, I stared down the long hallway. Everything was in varying shades of gray, black, and white—if the place was filled with every imaginable color, I wouldn’t know. I despised this dull vision.

I stopped in my tracks as another revelation hit me. The vortex had been real, and it had sucked all of us in. Including…

I grabbed Leigh by the arm, and he turned to face me with a perplexed expression.

Is she here? I asked, meeting his eyes.

His expression shifted to understanding, and he nodded.

My mother was here. Her body was here.

Can I see her?

They’re performing the autopsy, Chas. Maybe in a day or two when they’re done.

Why are they doing an autopsy? They know how she died! She was beaten to death by Guinevere. Speaking the name chilled my heat as suddenly as it had risen. Guinevere, my cousin—dead at my hands.

Eric wants to see everything your mother endured. Caster autopsies are quite different from those in the Domain.

I felt my eyes widen. What do you mean?

We have a device that can analyze her sand. He raked a hand through his hair. I don’t know how to explain it to you, Chas, but I’ll try. His brow furrowed. The device is like a machine that soaks up the last bit of a dead Caster’s sand. It’s usually embedded deep in their wrists. When it’s harvested, the screen shows the last few seconds, sometimes minutes, of the Caster’s life.

Wait, does that mean we’d be able to see the last few minutes of my mother’s life?

If we’re lucky. Eric wants to find out who betrayed us and jeopardized the mission.

It was Lord Crane. My voice held more steel than I felt. I think he knew and just hid it, played a long to catch us in the act. He might be sadistic, but he’s not stupid.

We need to be certain.

Wait you said us? Leigh were you there that night in the Oblivion?

He nodded. I was one of the team members who had to open the Vortex, me and Eric.

I didn’t know how to feel about that. I thought he just sat back and waited with Eric. Discovering that both of them were there…I forced myself to keep on topic of conversation. You think someone else betrayed us?

We need to be sure, Chas. If someone else told them about that night, and that person is still among us, we need to know.

I understood what he was saying. Nobody trusted the newcomers to the Hether, including me.

Can I sit in when Eric analyzes the last moments of my mom’s life? Maybe something will trigger my memory, like it did with Lord Crane.

He looked away. He’s still your family, Chas. Your only family.

He’s a monster! He killed his daughter. I should’ve known that he wouldn’t give a crap about me either. I wiped away an angry tear, feeling so stupid that I said he could use me like that. If that’s the family I have left, then I’d rather have no family at all. I headed in the direction I vaguely remembered my room to be in.

Chas, what about lunch?

I paused but didn’t turn. I’m not hungry anymore.

Back inside the room where I had woken up, I flopped onto the unmade bed. Magdalena’s voice replayed on a loop in my head: Hello, Chastity. At last we meet. I couldn’t shake it from my mind. She’d sounded pleasant and creepy at the same time.

Had Lord Crane succeeded in transferring Magdalena into me? No, he couldn’t have. I’d seen the blue liquid on the floor. The broken syringe. Lord Crane lost his mind as if his hard work had failed and everything was lost.

Yet I was hearing her voice. Then why was she talking to me?

Two

LAST GOODBYE

That night I dreamed I was stuck in the Guile. Fear suppressed my breathing, and my heart raced.

It was like watching a scene from a movie. The blonde woman was running from someone, but she wasn’t scared. Happiness shone on her face. Around her, a garden was in full bloom. Then suddenly, the image burned up like an old photograph—like it had in the Guile.

The dream continued. Each time it started in the same place, and the heaviness on my chest increased. It felt as if I was waiting for something else to happen.

I could practically hear horror movie music, when something is about to jump out and scare the living crap out of you. Except, in the dream, nothing happened, and it would just start again.

I woke in a cold sweat. The Hether didn’t feel like the safe place like people kept assuring me it was. I glanced around, still cloaked in the darkness of night. I searched for Mr. Grey, but as usual, my wandering, wayward Anitule wasn’t here.

Sweat dripped from my forehead, and I reached a hand up to wipe it away. The moment my finger touched wetness, a strange emotion washed over me—gratitude.

What was there to be grateful for?

Could it be? Maybe Lord Crane had injected me, somehow saved Magdalena’s essence from the mess on the floor. Maybe he hadn’t. Either way, my name in what I assume was Magdalena’s voice was scary as hell.

I should tell Eric and Leigh about it, but I was terrified. Terrified that they would lock me up like Lord Crane, terrified that they wouldn't listen to a word I was going to say, and if she was going to wake up, she was a Somnium. I stopped my thoughts just thinking about it and saw the blue liquid on the floor again. No, he couldn’t have succeeded. This was my paranoia and I just have to work through this alone. Like I had in the Oblivion before my mother showed up.

I took a quick shower and dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt someone had left for me.

I wished Max were here. For a second, I couldn’t picture his face. Was he in the Hether? I’d meant to ask Leigh about him, but it escaped my mind.

Max and I had both endured weeks of torture at Selene’s hands, and I longed for the simple presence of a friend who could understand even part of what warred within me. Even if he did remain loyal to his awful twin, Margot, who had always disliked me. She was probably here somewhere too.

It felt as if I was losing a hold of my memories and my heart started to beat faster.

It was such a weird feeling, and I had to will myself to stop. I was being paranoid, more than usual.

I took a few deep breaths and took a seat on the windowsill and stared at the scenery outside.

It looked as if I was in New York. Why was I seeing New York?

Because you are in New York Chas. I hate the Domain? I turned around and found Mr. Grey laying on my bed.

We are still in the Domain?

Yes. How do you think Eric creates. When a compound in the outer gets destroyed, that is when he grabs parts and pieces. If you go to another room you can see Boston.

Seriously. It was hard picturing it.

Yes, the Hether is a place a few steps to the left of the outer? Nobody would ever put two and two together that it’s still a place after they destroyed a compound in the Outer.

The Hether was invisible, but still in the Domain, just like the Outer, but invisible to the Outer too?

Bingo.

I huffed. It wasn’t really a question I thought I would get an answer, but that was Mr. Grey for you. Always answering my rhetorical questions.

Quite clever if you asked me, I said. How is all of it together if they are so far apart from one another.

"Beats me. That is Eric’s mojo. But if they find the one in New York and get into it, they could destroy all of them as they are linked. Not so clever after all."

My lips twitched slightly upwards at the way Mr. Grey said the last part.

I remember what I was told about the outer. To non-Casters, the Outer resembled a run-down haunted house. Inside, too. All real. And creepy.

But to Casters it was the opposite. It was a safe house filled with life.

The outer was among the Domain, just not everyone could see it, and I remembered Fox telling me that sometimes the Outer gets destroyed too.

This entire compound reminded me of some sort of a commune, a big building with rooms, like a university's dormitory, just a big ass one. Antique furniture decorating the rooms, and the building creaked and groaned, which kept my nerves on edge.

I hated this feeling. It felt like I would never be free again.

My mind turned to Kiara, the Shadow Hound who had become close to my heart. Most people thought Shadow Hounds were vicious monsters, but Kiara and her twin Kaleido were kind. I’d loved her with all my heart.

I couldn’t believe Ash had spared Lauderdale. That monster had killed Kiara, and Ash let him live! He claimed he couldn’t kill the beast because it was a Shadow Hound, but that wasn’t a good enough reason for me. Kiara deserved to be avenged.

She had been created for Leigh, but she’d been mine for months. Losing her had broken my heart.

Too much damn grief.

With some effort, I willed the thoughts of Kiara to the back of my mind, instead focusing on Mr. Grey. He was still my Anitule, the closest friend I got. And he would answer all my questions.

It was a concern that he didn’t answer them now and I looked back to the bed.

There was no trace of him. He was always wandering around. For someone that says he hated the Domain, he sure loved taking a stroll through it.

I stayed on the windowsill for hours, staring at the snow-covered buildings in the distance.

I knew it was New York as I’d seen many pictures of New York and watched every year the ball drop on New Year’s Eve with my mother. She had wanted to take me, but we’d never gone. We’d call it our big shopping spree, but never saved enough money to go. A drop of salty water hit my jeans; I hadn’t realized I was crying again.

How long had we been in the Oblivion before finally escaping here to the Hether? Long enough, judging from the snow covering the streets and the building.

I tried to figure out how Eric was linking all the broken compounds in the Outer to form what became the Hether. Why didn’t any of the Casters ever discover that the destroyed compounds actually turned into something else. It was wracking my brain and Eric was sure one hell of a caster. I know my mother would’ve loved to see how it all worked.

I took a steadying breath, wiping furiously at my cheeks, and stared at the light coming from the billboards and streetlights.

Everything I’d imagined about the Domain’s city that never slept.

It was dazzling, but I couldn’t enjoy it without my mother. She’d told me she would always be near, but I couldn’t feel her anymore.

Nothing but confusion and fear.

I should have felt secure here, but I felt closed-in.

This wasn’t what I imagined finding Leigh, discovering that he was real.

I watched as the sun rose on the horizon, peeking between the buildings. Amid my whirlwind of fear, grief, and sadness, I barely registered the knock on the door until Leigh walked in with a pleased expression.

You’re awake, he said, surprised.

His presence made the air around me hard to breathe and I tried to force feeling something different. I couldn’t sleep.

Thinking about the Oblivion?

I nodded.

Hiding my true feelings, and not telling him about any of it, was going to drive a wedge between us, but it couldn’t be helped.

Leigh came over and gently rubbed my back. I let my head rest against his shoulder, willing to feel what we once shared. It was so strong.

He kissed the top of my head and squeezed my arm.

Chas, you’re safe here. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.

It was as if he could hear my silent doubts. I gave him a small smile.

I came to tell you that your mother’s autopsy is done. If you’re ready, I can take you to see her and watch the last few moments of her life.

I jumped up. Of course I wanted to see her. I needed to cement her in my memories.

Leigh led me down a long, dark hallway. Lights came on as we passed them, casting an eerie glow. I shuddered with every step. This place is creepy.

He chuckled. It only looks creepy to you because you only see in monochrome, Chas.

I blew out a breath. When will my vision return to normal?

It takes a while. But it’s different with Millues. You only gain seeing in color with one eye.

I remembered he told me that and sighed imagining how unbalanced I would feel.

Leigh grinned. It’s going to beat the monochrome, Chas. You will see. I promise you it will happen.

I nodded as we walked the rest of the way in awkward silence because my mind was reeling with the new revelation that I was only going to gain color back half way.

I snapped out of it when we came to a stop in front of a large metal door. It screeched as Leigh opened it. He gestured for me to go ahead first.

I stepped into a crowded room. I had to swallow the emotions swirling inside me. A man caught my eye. He had a friendly face, short, dark hair, and eyes that twinkled. He smiled, and it seemed so genuine I couldn’t help but return it. I studied him. He was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place him.

Chas, Leigh said from behind me, and I tore my eyes away to face Leigh. He had a nervous smile.

I want you to meet the head doctor of the Hether compound, who also happens to be my father, Ben. Dad, this is Chastity.

Leigh’s dad laughed, and the sound filled me with warmth.

Leigh seems nervous, doesn’t he, Chastity?

I hadn’t noticed. I glanced back at Leigh, who did have a sheepish look on his face.

Well, Dad, I don’t want you telling Chas any embarrassing stories about me.

I laughed as I shook his extended hand.

Nice to finally meet you, Chastity, he said, and it suddenly dawned on me where I had seen him.

You were there that night. The night I was tossed out of Revera. You tried to save me.

I wish I had succeeded. I could tell that he meant it. It was something in his eyes.

It couldn’t have been easy. And please, call me Chas. Everyone calls me Chas.

Then I insist you call me Ben.

That made me feel warm inside, but it faded when I caught sight of my mother’s body on the table behind him. Leigh’s Dad—Ben, Ben, Ben—must have seen my eyes shifted because he stepped aside. I rushed forward.

She was in a body bag, which was zipped up to her neck. It looked like a dark blanket covering her while she slept. If it weren’t for the bruises covering her face and the dark bluish tint to her lips, I could almost fool myself that she was sleeping. She appeared serene.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms to keep some shred of composure.

I’ll give you a minute, Chas. I was able to retrieve the last particles nestled in her wrists. It’s not much, but hopefully we can glimpse what happened that night. Ben’s voice came from behind me.

I nodded without taking my gaze from my mother, barely registering when he squeezed my shoulder. Footsteps faded, but I could still feel Leigh’s presence.

I reached out and stroked my mother’s hair and face. She was cold to the touch, so cold. The dam broke. I draped myself over her as guttural sobs wracked my body. Snot and tears were streaming from my face.

It was real.

She was dead.

I felt Leigh’s hand on my back, but he didn’t say a word. There was nothing he could say. Nothing that would ease the pain slicing through my every fiber.

He just got Karin back. His mother was still alive.

I wanted to stay with her like this, forever. I wasn’t ready to let her go. A stray thought floated through me: no one is ever ready to let go of someone they love with all their heart.

At least Mom was at peace now. I had to believe that.

Suddenly, I felt a twinge that something was slipping away from me. Something important. War raged within, and my memory, something now foggy and lost, was the casualty. Such a strange thing to feel with such certainty. Why was I losing memories? A part of me wanted to scream. Something was wrong, so wrong, but I know the outcome if I tell anyone. So I kept my pose and push that to the back of my mind, refocusing the last precious moments with my mother.

Ben returned after I regained some composure. My eyes felt swollen and sore. My throat was dry. He told me they were having a memorial for my mother later that evening, and Eric was waiting for us so that he could analyze her sand.

Are you ready to see your mother’s last moments, Chas?

Yes, I croaked.

I followed Ben a haze, worrying