Visioness by Lincoln Law Read Free Book Online Page A

himself. He has spent most of my life locked in
a dream, after all.”
    It was the truth. She saw it
in Mrs. Abeth’s eyes. Adabelle was at a distinct disadvantage.
    “Well I think the best way
to stop this from troubling you into restlessness is to keep thinking to
yourself that what Larraine saw was nothing, and that until you see it
yourself, there is no need to worry.”
    “I suppose you’re right
there,” Adabelle said, “but by the time I actually see him it might be too
late.”
    Mrs. Abeth’s eyes rolled.
She inhaled deeply, the kind of breath that preceded a rant.
    “Well I do not mean to be
rude or tough on you. Heaven knows you’ve been through enough for five people
in your life. But you need to hear this. Yes, the Oen’Aerei are going to try
and enlist you in their ranks, and that’s because you’re quite good at what you
do. There is no use denying what you are, Adabelle, because it’s who you are,
it’s who your mother was, and it’s who your aunt was. They and your father were
immensely powerful Dreamers, and simply by way of blood, you are powerful
yourself. But you have to trust others more. Stop putting so much weight on
your own back and let someone else shoulder it for a time. Go to the Professor
Oakley to talk, and then once you’re done decide what you want to do after
that. And I know what you should do. Go to the Oen’Aerei and ask for their
protection. They will send Dreamers to protect you—they are on your side, after
all—and they will keep everything normal enough for you so you can sleep. I can
pull some strings so that you can dip into your inheritance for the payment.”
    There had been a rather
sizable sum of money left by her mother and father in her and her sister’s
name, with the parents as signatories as account holders. After their death, it
stayed in all their names, as a family trust until Adabelle turned twenty, when
her half would be given. She was not far off twenty, but she didn’t mind any
way. Mrs. Abeth was an authority on the account, and was allowed to withdraw on
all their behalves. Adabelle had her job at the café, which offset most of
their daily expenses.
    “Now that’s only if you really are ready to deal with the Oen’Aerei. I’m not going to force you, but I think
it’s about time you faced your own fears and deal with them personally.”
    There was silence in the
room for a few seconds, during which Adabelle didn’t know whether to be angry,
offended or happy. What she spoke was sense—utter and complete sense. But the
hard part would be facing her fears.
    “I’m sorry,” Mrs. Abeth
said, rather bluntly, “but it needed to be said.”
    Adabelle nodded. “Not at
all. It needed to be said, you’re right. But I will talk to the professor
first, and decide after that.”
    “Very good,” Mrs. Abeth
said, smiling. “Now I do have quite a bit I have to finish before the evening
cleaners come in, so if you would please leave. Thank you.”
    “Thank you,” Adabelle said,
rising to leave. She stopped at the door, holding it open. “What do you think
mama would say were she here? About me? About what I should do? What would she
do?”
    Mrs. Abeth considered the
question. “She would marvel at your bravery, and then she would face it, too.
She never backed down. She always fought when she could. You are both so very
much alike.”
    If only she was here to hold
me.
    She reached for her
handkerchief as the familiar choking feeling that came before tears rose from
within.
    I would love that so very
much.
    She left Mrs. Abeth, closing
the door behind her.

Chapter Three
Professor Oakley’s
Advice
     
    Adabelle had been way off
the mark in what would be the hardest thing to do. It was not going to the
Oen’Aerei, or even going to sleep that night. It was telling her sister that
her father might be after them. Charlotte had never known him as Adabelle
had—and even then, her knowledge of her father was a distant one.
    But was there any need