The vision returned in pieces. There were strangers and heat building behind my eyes. All faceless, excepthim. And Gwin. I had tried to see more of that street, the same one from my nightmares, and understand why Reagan and Gwinifer were there. But pressure had slammed hard against my skull. I remembered nothing else beyond knowing Laerune had just siphoned her mana to me in the midst of a divination lesson.
It was the second time I’d fainted during her lesson, waking with my body as heavy as stone and something wet on my face. Yet, Ihadmanaged to see something.
“Did someone throw water on me?” I asked, blinking.
“Worse,” Gwin said, her blurry form hovering above me. “It’s blood.”
“Blood?” I blinked as she brushed a soft fabric over my face.
“Bleeding is a sign of exhaustion,” Laerune said. “You reached beyond what your body could sustain.”
“Is that normal?” Joy asked.
“Now that she’s tapping more of her Sight, yes,” Laerune replied. “But exerting herself means she will need more rest.”
I stared at the ceiling of our usual practice room as Gwin withdrew the cloth, my blood darkening the beige fabric.
“I swear I ate enough before this,” I said.
Laerune’s narrow brows drew together. “I believe we should suspend your lessons for a short time. All of them. Have you been sleeping well?”
“That depends on your definition of well,” I said, trying to lift my head. Gwin helped me sit up.
“If you had slept well, I believe you would have endured that vision for longer.”
“No,” I answered. “I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Then that must be addressed first. Without proper rest, you will not progress.”
I bit back a curse. I was already moving at a glacial pace.
I needed the divination lessons to look into Reagan’s threads and attempt to find if they had been tampered with. It dawned on me again that I had seen him in the vision. Perhaps I was closer to finding his specific thread during practice.
“Miss Darling?” Laerune prompted.
I blinked back to her. “I’m sorry. Did you say something else?”
Her thin lips flattened. “I did. I’m cancelling all your lessons for a week. You will rest.”
A week felt excessive, especially if it meant missing spellcraft lessons as well.
“I cannot stop now,” I said, trying to sound a little more alert. “I saw him. I think I can follow his thread now and look for the proof we need.”
Three pairs of eyes narrowed on me.
“Who did you see?” Joy asked.
“She saw the Mage Lord,” Laerune said, settling onto the couch across from me.
“And I saw you,” I said to Gwin, who lifted one brow slightly. “You both were on the same street I keep seeing. I think it is a future thread. But I need to look into his past threads.”
“What were we doing in your vision?” Gwin asked.
“You were just there,” I murmured, trying to remember more. “Watching. But I passed out before I could learn anything else. I need to keep trying. It’s giving me more every time. I just don’t know how to look into the past.”
Laerune folded her hands. “If you are able to walk through the thread, we could divine for the Mage Lord. Butafteryou rest for a week. We’ll revisit this then and search for the threads you need.”
Gwin hummed, watching as she seemed to deliberate. I didn’t even know how she and Joy had arrived. Laerune had probably sent for them.
