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Alison shrugged. “Eighty percent at this point. Thanks to Horace, the scarring on the wing-locks was minimal.”
“That’s very encouraging.”
“Yes.” Alison approached the desk. “In a similar vein, Warrior Medichi asked me to check on you. He said you were at the Superstitions last night.”
“I was. It was … horrible.” A mess, burned feathers everywhere, blood and death. “I tried not to pay too much attention to anything except Luken. He’s such a powerful man but lying there shaking, his eyes wild with pain—”
Alison rounded the desk and put her hand on Havily’s shoulder. Waves of warmth flowed through her and eased her heart.
“Thank you,” she murmured, covering Alison’s hand with her own.
“I’m always here for you,” she said. “I need you to know that. You were a tremendous comfort to me during and after my ascension.”
Havily looked up at her and saw the sincerity in her eyes. She recalled the two of them sitting on Havily’s bedroom floor, weeping together. Alison had thought she would never see Kerrick again, and Havily had wept because Warrior Marcus had left Second Earth with no intention of returning. She shouldn’t have been so upset that he left when he did, since it had been for the best, but the breh-hedden had taken its toll and so she had wept. The women had bonded because of it.
She smiled. “I try not to burden you since you have enough on your plate with Madame Endelle.”
Alison served as Endelle’s executive assistant, a job nobody wanted. She had the good grace to grimace and shake her head. Generally, she was a model of discretion and composure, something she had to be since her boss was a foulmouthed she-devil. But it helped to know that Havily was not the only one suffering at the executive end of the building.
“Regardless,” Alison said, “anytime you need me, I’m here for you.” She then took a deep breath, and her hand slid off Havily’s shoulder. “Now there are a couple of things I’ve been commissioned to ask you.” She moved back to the front of the desk and took up a chair opposite Havily so that they were eye-to-eye.
“Sure,” Havily said, but her heart rate rose.
Alison smiled then tilted her head as though she was nervous as well. “I need to ask you about your dreams.”
Havily blinked. More than once. She felt a wave of heat climb her cheeks. “My dreams?”
“Yes, but I can see that I’ve already embarrassed you and for that I’m so sorry.”
Havily laughed because she didn’t know where to begin except to wonder what had brought her to ask the question in the first place. “Why do you need to know about my dreams?”
At that, Alison looked away from her. Her shoulders sagged just a little, and she sighed. “I can’t explain exactly except that I know your dreams have great significance and I was asked to tend to them.”
“You’re to tend to my dreams? Madame Endelle wants you to tend to my dreams.”
Alison shook her head. “Not Her Supremeness, but more I can’t say. So let me ask you this: Have you been having unusual dreams lately?”
Havily laughed again but she didn’t know what to say. “Well, it turns out the dreams that I thought were dreams aren’t really dreams.”
Alison nodded and released a strange, knowing noise, “Ah. That actually sounds about right. Do you want to explain?”
There was something in Alison’s tone that once more set Havily at ease, and for some reason the whole story just poured out of her—the tale of the last four months, and of Marcus.
To Alison’s great credit, she listened intently and nodded her reassurance several times. She never once gasped or expressed disgust, despite the content of Havily’s admission. But then Alison had been a therapist on Mortal Earth and had probably heard everything, especially since the Commander had actually used Alison as his personal therapist for the entire year preceding Alison’s ascension. Now, there was a bizarre story.
When she finished her dream history, Alison sat back in her chair. “There can be no question that this is the breh-hedden.”
Havily nodded. “I completely agree.”
“And you’re certain these aren’t normal dreams or fantasies.”
Havily sighed. “I had physical proof this morning when I ‘returned’ from what I had thought was a dreaming experience. Trust me, the events of the past four months happened.”
When Alison fell silent, Havily asked, “What are you thinking?”
“I’m trying to connect the experience you had of your vision of Warrior Luken with those you had with Warrior Marcus. Do you believe there’s a connection? Or can you see a connection?”
“I don’t know exactly except in one aspect in particular. On both occasions I ended up in a place that darkened around the edges and blocked me from going into the place that was real. Does that make sense?”
“Not exactly.”
“So you haven’t experienced anything like this?”
“No. Not at all.” Alison was silent for a moment then said, “Well, I would just like to impress you with my belief that for some reason, this ability of yours to dream and yet have very real experiences is critical. Obviously, because of this ability you saved Warrior Luken’s life. So my suggestion to you is that you be careful of this power, treat it with great respect, and be on your guard.”
Havily nodded. “I will.” She then told her that both Warrior Luken and Medichi had been so concerned for her safety because of what they believed to be her emerging power that she now had a telepathic link with Medichi.
“I think that’s excellent. Something is going on here of great significance. I can feel it. I suspect you can as well.”
“You know, I’ve been so busy with the Festival that I haven’t stopped to think about anything else. But you said you had two things to discuss with me?”
Alison rose to her feet and rolled her eyes. “Endelle told me I was to yell at you until you agreed to go to Mortal Earth and persuade Warrior Marcus to come back to Second Earth and resume his duties as a Warrior of the Blood.”
At that Havily chuckled. “Does she even know Warrior Marcus?”
“I know. That’s what I thought. My impression of him is that he’s going to do what he damn well pleases and she can just, you know, stuff it.”
“Hello. Exactly.”
Alison laughed. “You know, the only thing I would recommend is that you go to Mortal Earth and talk to Marcus about what’s been going on between you two. I can sense how distressed you are, and I suspect these strange dreaming episodes will only continue unless you confront him. But I refuse to say more than that.” She straightened her shoulders and added in a sharp voice, “Well, then, now that I’ve yelled at you about Warrior Marcus, I can tell Madame Endelle that I have hereby discharged my duty.”
