Prologue - Planet Dulon

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Nine light-years from Earth, the planet Dulon was dying. For eight thousand years, the Eirdula had advanced their technology until their science looked like magic—but their brilliance was outpaced by their hostility. When the soils turned poisonous and the moons tracked over a fracturing world, the judgment of the Great Creator descended with a terrifying ultimatum: change or perish. The elliptical system contained two moons, and its distance from Earth was a mere nine galactic light-years away. Life prospered for the resourceful species called the Eirdula, and their population grew rapidly. For the next one-thousand years, the Eirdula struggled, and staggering numbers of lives and vegetation were lost. New diseases emerged and spread, and food and water lost their nutrition, sometimes even turning poisonous. Self-indulgence and self-righteousness proliferated until the species careened out of control. The planet Dulon grew closer to becoming inhospitable and unable to sustain itself.

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Eventually, judgment from the Great Creator descended upon the yellow and blue planet. The ultimatum from the creator of all galaxies was simple: either change or perish. The ruling was a consequence of Eirdula’s actions. Then, there was the matter of atonement. The Eirdula needed to make amends for their ways, to select another planet heading toward the same fate. After considerable contemplation and consultation with Dulon’s highest intelligence, Eirdula cleansed their planet and formed a better relationship with one another. They discovered that clear communication was the key to success. Necessity increased maturity and humbleness, and servitude became a prized custom. By the third pass of their golden star, a complicated social, political, and economic structure had developed, turning Eirdula into a compassionate race.

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One of their redemptive tasks was the formation of a team meant to save Earth's lifeforms. After months of deliberation, the wisest Eirdulas organized a squad approved by the Great Creator. The squad's mission was to raise humans' need for hope and dreams, as the Eirdula had learned that a lack of hope led to indifference, uncircumspect thinking, and disregard. The team contained 107 guardians sent to protect the dreams of Earthlings, both human and animal alike. The troop was then divided into sub-teams, known as Dream Guardians. In their dreams, humans recognized them as fairies, Pegasus, sprites, and anthropomorphized animals.

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                                    1 – Planet Earth, Buffalo, New York. Wednesday, September 27

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The decree was set. Asima folded her six silvery wings against her back, bracing herself for the descent into the heavy, fractured atmosphere of the blue planet.

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Nine galactic light-years away, the cold was entirely different. It didn’t bite with the pristine purity of Dulon’s upper atmosphere; it smelled of wet pavement, exhaust, and coming rain.

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Asima descended into a girl’s bedroom, her wings pushed against the air to slow her landing.

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The sleeping girl shivered, pulling her blankets tighter around her.

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Rosalie, a Dream Guardian in training, and the girl’s tuxedo-colored cat, Louis, both acknowledged her with a nod.

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Lightning split the night, and thunder rumbled outside.

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“It's Callie’s third nightmare this week,” Rosalie reported.

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Asima disliked the foul imaginings, especially those that were demons. She handled the hard cases: children invaded by Level Three or Four nightmares, those that were high-intensity, and those that were outright demons. She also worked on her graduation project, which would help secure her desired position in the Special Forces. Her project was to investigate whether true love existed between couples on Earth or if it was merely a fantasy. Beyond her personal reasons, she knew the answer would help Eirdula. They had to make a difference for Earth, or the Great Creator would destroy their planet.

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Callie’s eyes flickered under closed lids as she mumbled in her sleep. Her body writhed with distress as her breathing quickened. “I don’t want to move, Daddy.”

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Asima looked around the room, noting the animal posters on the walls and an open laptop on a desk. “Stand back,” she said to Rosalie. This was Asima’s third dream-demon cleansing tonight, and she was weary. “Watch for now.”

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Rosalie stepped back. “I wouldn’t have called you, but this nightmare is beyond a Level Two.”

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Asima tensed. “You’re right to be careful. Nightmares of this level can harm Dream Guardians. Fighting them also means the dreamer could wake and see us, which we must avoid.” She didn’t add that nightmares could also cause gruesome trauma.

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“Isn’t it good if a dreamer wakes, though? I mean, we can use our invisible cloak.”

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Asima’s eyes shifted from Rosalie to Callie. “The invisible cloak isn’t easy to use with these level nightmares.”

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Rosalie had brought Callie’s case to Asima’s attention a few weeks ago. The girl had started seventh grade at a new school after moving to Buffalo. Asima learned that Callie had an abusive mother, and the situation resonated deeply. The face of Asima’s own angry father flashed before her mind’s eye. She also recently learned about the bullying Callie received at school. These types of cases always grabbed her attention. If the girl wasn’t helped, she could lose her mind and be an easy target for night demons forevermore.

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Asima sealed the room against the storm outside, a necessary but stifling act.

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A tightness pulled at Asima’s back muscles, like too many cranks on violin strings, and her body grew hot. She’d dealt with several stubborn nightmares already tonight and desperately needed sleep. It seemed like a constant uphill struggle.

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Asima scanned Callie’s body and frowned at a faint, sparkling mist above the girl’s midsection.

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A husky voice vibrated from Callie’s body, while a pungent sulfur scent wafted into the room. “You must be a Special Forces Dream Guardian,” said a deep voice.

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Asima’s eyes narrowed, and she patted the knife at her thigh under her skirt, hoping she wouldn’t need it. Special Forces had a series of procedures. The first was to scare the nightmare away with their reputation. The second was to suck the nightmare from the dreamer’s body. The third was to wake the dreamer without them seeing the guardians. The fourth was to cause physical harm to a demon nightmare. With repeated dire threats, the nightmare would be placed inside a liquid sphere and shot into space.

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“The others told me to be wary of you,” the voice said.

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“Leave!” Asima demanded in Draha, the native language of the Eirdula people, from Dulon. Her face darkened, and she swallowed the rising fire in her belly. “Save both of us some time.” Her tone was a deadly threat.

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The nightmare gave a few guttural breaths. “I will leave when I’m ready and not before. Besides, you cannot save this girl. Go back to your planet.”

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Asima scowled. “The other nightmares forgot to inform you what happened to them, especially the defiant ones.”

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Sulfurous emissions swirled from the girl’s stomach and, seconds later, blasted toward Asima.

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A dark green head with spidery veins rose from Callie’s chest. Shades of gray and pale slime oozed together and dribbled from the top of the demon’s head.

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