Loki's dreamer: Yay. I can't wait to see you join me in Cephera and Loki's next adventure.

Doctor Loki love: don't cry! There will always be another story. Chapter one will be going up the day this one ends :p I have it written already :D

Poodle warriors: Loki did not know about the crush. Lol. Cephera decided it was a bad idea to tell him. I'm glad you all support me no matter what I write. It warms my heart.

Sorceress if the trees: hehe that life sometimes. Cephera's used to Loki bring that way now.

Chapter 87: Dreams

Loki woke to Cephera having a fitful sleep. She'd been having dreams lately that had been making it hard for her to get a solid nights sleep. She woke tired and cranky often. Loki was unsure what to think of it. They came on so suddenly and had they not happened every night he wouldn't have been concerned but they did happen every night.

Even the twins had noticed a change in her. Her eyes shadowed by darkness below, her eyes constantly droopy, her movement slowed. When he'd ask her what she dreamt she claimed to not remember but Loki felt as though she did but just didn't want t talk about it. He wondered if it had to do with the events of the passed few years. And if so why would she be plagued with them now and not then.

Loki watched her throw her hands in front of her face defensively and jolt up to sit her eyes wide. She looked around wild and he waited for her to calm and realize where she was before he carefully put his arms around her and pulled her down to cradle her against him. He felt his chest become wet. She was crying. This was also not unusual since the dreams started. She cried often both in her sleep and when she woke.

Loki said nothing to her as there was nothing he could say. He held her until she drifted off once more.

Cephera sat on the children's room floor playing with Seria. She was three now and her development was coming along differently then the twins. She still would stare off into space and then back to reality blinking and smiling. She simply stood up one day and walked across the floor with ease and her speech went from near perfect to childlike randomly each day. Cephera wasn't sure if she liked it or not. She felt the angels had a hand in a lot of things having to do with her youngest. Cephera wasn't fond of the idea that they might be toying with her development to suit their needs. But she couldn't very well stop them. She couldn't even see them or contact them.

Seria's development regarding magic concerned Loki. She seemed to be unable to or perhaps unwilling to do any at all. He tried often and so did Diana. They both tried teaching her something here and there but she just stared at them like they were fools. She was still the same pleasant child she was when she was born. Calm and quite. Diana and Devian adored her and had refused to let her have her own room yet. They wanted to wait until she had her own big girl bed which Cephera decided would be next year.

"Mother." Devian said as he walked in. "You look worse then yesterday." He told her as kindly as possible. Cephera didn't take offence. She knew she looked like shit. Even though she slept each night the nightmares were taking a toll on her outward appearance. Loki had even tried concocting a dreamless sleep potion but was unsuccessful so far.

"I know." She replied smiling as he joined them.

"Still dreaming?" He asked. All her family knew about it.

"Yes." She said no more. Loki was right in his assumption that she was holding back. The dreams she had were gruesome and she loathed to relive them when she was awake. That and she didn't want Loki to worry. She told everyone she couldn't remember them but the scary truth was she remembered every moment.

"It will be ok mommy." Seria said breaking them both from their awkward silence to look at her. She was leaned forward with a hand on Cephera's.

"Of course." Cephera said picking her up to hold her to her. Seria wrapped her fingers around and around Cephera's loose curls. Cephera could only hoped that things would be ok.

[There was blood and lots of it. All over her and the ground below. She was dying slowly as she knelt there helpless. Her arms chained down as she was slowly losing strength. She watched Diana die, Devian next. A baby crying in the distance and she just knew it was Alexis, the child she never got to meet. She couldn't see who was killing them. She could only see them as they lay mere feet from her their eyes blank and their mouths gaping.

Loki was not there and Seria was no where to be seen. Everything was black aside from the few dim lights. There was laughter that echo'd and distorted off the ceiling. Her lids felt heavy and she was fighting the urge to let go. She wanted to see Loki again. She wanted to hold her children once more. She didn't want to die and fear had overtaken her long ago. Fear and sorrow.

The laughter died out and she heard Seria calling out to her and her father. She called to the twins her voice fearful and shaking. Cephera tried to tell her to keep running but she couldn't speak. Her eye lids flicking unintentionally as she began to lose her fight with the dead sleep awaiting her. Before her eyes closed completely she heard her remaining child scream in terror and then everything went quiet.]

Cephera woke with a scream of her own. She looked around and felt her own skin to make sure she was ok. Loki was asleep next to her. Tonight she hadn't woken him but something had woken her. Usually her dreams didn't end there. They dragged out longer as she would watch her own dead self lay there as both her husband and daughter were slaughter but not tonight. Tonight she survived that part and she wondered why.

Cephera climbed from the bed and pulled on her nightgown and stepped out into the warm nights breeze. She jumped when she saw a shadow off to her left. She turned, her eyes wide but she didn't feel afraid. "Who are you?" She asked squinting to try and see the figure.

"You know who I am." A familiar voice said softly.

"Vicerial?" Cephera said surprised. "What are you doing here? I thought angels couldn't touch down on Downrealms unless they fell?" Cephera felt confused. Angels had many rules and Cephera only knew a couple.

"Those are not the questions that matter right now." Vicerial said her voice coming from the shadow but still Cephera was unable to see her for what she really was.

"Then what?" Cephera asked stepping forward. The shadow vanished but Vicerial's voice remained.

"There are no questions I may answer for you that will bring you comfort. Know only that we are watching and that someone who means you harm is getting ready to strike. I am bound by rules and have already over stepped my bounds but I felt I must. Seria's correct upbringing depends on having her family. Beware the evil descending upon you. Stay strong." Cephera felt a chill run up her spin as she was touched on her back between her aurora. "I have blocked your dreams. Save your strength. Before long all of you will be tested and you must win." Vicerial's voice faded and her presence was gone instantly. She took a moment to breath and stepped back inside and stared her mouth wide as she looked at herself still lying in bed.

Was she dead? She felt afraid again and raced to the bedside. She grabbed hold of herself and felt a pull. Cephera woke, sitting straight up in bed coughing and gasping for air.

She was still not completely sure what had happened that night. All she did know was the dreams had stopped and she was slowly regaining her strength back. She felt it was something she shouldn't keep from Loki and so she told him what Vicerial said.

"I believe I would like to make note that I do not like angels. They are cryptic, manipulative, secretive beings that no one may oppose because they only appear to you and never the other way around." He had said after thinking it over.

"Sounds a lot like someone else I know." Cephera teased nudging him with her elbow. He didn't find that funny however.

Whatever it was that was coming they were trying to prepare themselves the best they could mentally and physically. Cephera couldn't deny she wanted this battle to be over and their tormentor revealed. Why couldn't Vicerial just tell her who it was? Cephera guessed it was too far over the line to get away with. Either way the enemy was closing in and hopefully everything would end for better and not for worse.