Page 64 of Keldori By Daybreak

“Not tonight, I have work.” He was dreaming, just like he had the other night.

I chewed on my lip.

Awake, he was able to keep his thoughts to himself, but asleep and as I held the bond between us open to better heal him, they slid over into my head as easily as if he were meaning to speak to me.

They were mostly nonsensical, like listening to a sleep talker mumble. I tried to focus on my work and ignore Ciarán’s unconscious ramblings. Part of me wanted to give him his privacy. He worked so hard to keep his thoughts his own when he was awake.

But then…

“Ethel prefers salmon…”

My head snapped up at the name Ethel. Ciarán had never called my grandmother Ethel. Not when he was this version of him, at least.

“Light cream cheese. Chives…”

I held back a disbelieving, elated laugh.

He was dreaming about my grandmother’s favorite bagel order.

Which meant he wasn’t dreaming as Ciarán, he was dreaming as Liam.

Which meant Liam was still locked in there, existing in that murky space between sleeping and waking, reachable only when Ciarán’s mind was at its most vulnerable.

“Ciarán?” I whispered, pulling my hands away from his chest. I pressed a shaking palm against his cheek, letting my fingers tangle in his dark hair. “Liam?”

My friend was so close by. I’d thought Liam might be gone forever, but there he was, swirling around in Ciarán’s subconsciousness.

My heart hammered in my throat.

“Liam, can you hear me?”

What if I could reach him? What if I could pull my friend out of whatever it was I wanted to call Ciarán?

And maybe it worked like healing magick?

I pried the bond between us wider. If I could see his thoughts better, if I could reach his dream…

My fingertips pressed against Ciarán’s scalp and tried to imagine invisible thread reaching into his mind to stitch back together his memories of Keel Watch Harbor.

Maybe if I did—

Colors burst as the room flipped, and I landed on a sidewalk.

15. Neuroscience of Memory

Maple leaves crunched underfoot, and a brisk sea breeze rolled in off the bay to cut between the marina shops. Autumn had hit Keel Watch Harbor all at once about a week ago, and while the orange and yellow trees that lined the main street were beautiful, the drop in temperatures had been less than welcome. I hunched against the wind, seeking refuge in the hood of my zip-up jacket.

My heart thumped nervously in my chest.

It’s probably nothing, I told myself. They’ll be back. They probably just forgot to tell me they were leaving.

But what sort of parents forget to tell their son they’re leaving for two nights and then not answer their phones?

“Liam?” A graying head poked out from a shop as I passed. Ethel Warrender pushed her glasses up her nose so she could better squint up at me.

“Hello, Miss Warrender.” I nodded a greeting but kept my focus on the sidewalk.

“That’s Ethel to you, Mr. Glass. Would you mind stepping in for a moment? I’ve just made a fresh batch of chickens and need a second opinion.”