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Darius gasped and desperately stood in front of me in an effort to shield me, but with him invisible to her, the attempt was futile.
After a few moments of gawking curiously at me, the novelty of seeing a floating stranger and dreamlike objects in her bedroom evidently wore off. Maci scrunched her face and began to cry, her screams reverberating around the magic-drenched bedroom. Seconds later, the sound of Maci’s mother’s approaching footsteps pounded on the stairs.
I was vaguely aware of Stardust tugging my arm and of Darius’s frantic shouts. Slowly, his blurred form came into focus, his eyes wild as he pointed towards the window. “Her mother’s coming. You have to leave.”
I couldn’t move. Hypnotically, I watched the dreams interact with the Mortal World, my heart pounding furiously as my mind tried to fully comprehend the consequences of this moment.
“Hurry, get out of here.” Darius pushed me towards the window. “I’ll take care of everything.”
When I remained unmoving, Stardust scooped me up and flew us outside, where we hovered near the roof, out of sight but close enough to hear Maci’s bedroom door burst open and the exclamations of surprise and confusion from her mother.
The magnitude of what had just happened washed over me. I buried my face in Stardust’s frothy body and sobbed.
All my efforts to belong, as well as all my hopes I’d painstakingly stitched together since arriving, had unraveled. I could feel the last grains of sand trickle down the hourglass measuring my time here, drawing my stay to a premature close. How could I have deluded myself into believing I could ever fit into the Dream World, especially when I’d never before fit in anywhere else?
It was over. I had failed.
Who was I? Did I belonganywhere?
We were halfway to the Dream World when the summons came. Stardust spotted it approaching us and sped up to avoid it, but it immediately gave chase. Stardust darted this way and that, changed directions mid-flight, even flew in loop-de-loops, but nothing could evade the summons’s persistent pursuit. My fate was sealed.
“Don’t worry, I can outfly it,” she panted.
And although the idea of running away was appealing, I knew I couldn’t escape, especially when I had nowhere to hide.
“It’s alright, Stardust,” I said, and she finally slowed.
The summons skidded to a stop and bounced impatiently against my hand, heavy and imposing when I picked it up. With a deep breath I slid open the message I knew would change my life forever. It twirled out and formed into ribbons of cursive scrawl:
The Council is waiting. Come immediately.
Chapter 34
Flickering lanterns lit the familiar Council Chamber, casting dancing shadows across the solemn Council, who encircled me like a tight noose. Head Dreamer Galaxy stood in the center, his grey eyes flashing as he studied me, the Investigations Team draped behind him on both sides like a small army. A protesting Stardust had been ejected from the chamber by two burly Investigations Team members, leaving me alone, where I’d been waiting for over an hour, my nerves escalating with each passing minute. Finally Galaxy rose.
“Dreamer Eden.” His voice echoed ominously off the glass walls that imprisoned me. “The Council detected a massive surge of magic from within the Mortal Maci’s bedroom on Earth, magic that defies the natural laws of our world by being able to be seen by both the young Mortal and her mother. Such magic is beyond our current knowledge, as normally Mortals are incapable of seeing magic. We don’t take such unusual power lightly.”
Trinity’s words echoed in my mind.The Council is afraid of any magic different than their own, especially when it’s of far greater power. Goosebumps prickled my arms, as if all the glitter on my skin bit me with icy teeth.
Two Investigators stepped forward, their arms laden with sweets, fallen stars, and glowing hearts; an enchanted book managed to wiggle from their tight hold to flutter towards the domed ceiling.
“We’ve had quite a night trying to clean up your mess,” Galaxy said. “One we’re still seeking an explanation for. Luckily, the child is young enough that she’ll soon forget the event, but her mother is a different matter entirely. After she fainted, we sent our most skilled Weaver to create a dream as similar to the magic she witnessed as possible in hopes of convincing her that tonight’s events were nothing more than a dream. In addition to this peculiar magic, we’ve just been informed you possess an even stranger power: the ability to see and enter dreams.”
The Council hummed at his words and horror seized my furiously pounding heart.No…it couldn’t be true. Darius would never…but there was only one way for the Council to have learned these secrets—from the Nightmare I’d foolishly given my heart to, and now he’d broken it into a thousand pieces.
But the part of me that loved and trusted Darius still didn’t want to believe it. It couldn’t have been him; my heart refused to accept it. I desperately tried to think of anyone else who could have betrayed me and my mind immediately latched onto Blaze and Trinity. But my denials died in my throat when Galaxy revealed a black notebook, encrusted with silver spiderwebs.
My heart stilled. I’d seen that notebook several times before—it was full of all the evidence Darius had accumulated about me, one whose magical charm could only be unlocked by Darius himself. His involvement was unmistakable.
I stood frozen, numb with disbelief. I could still feel the warmth of my realization that I loved him, the comfort of his arms around me, the shadow of his kiss. To think I’d actually believed that anyone could ever feel such sweet, precious feelings towards me…but it’d all been a lie. From the very beginning, Darius had set me up, and like a fool I’d fallen for it.
“This is full of unusual information about you, Dreamer Eden. I had no idea Nightmare Darius had managed to dig up so many secrets in the time he’s been investigating you, all of which are quite…enlightening, this one in particular.”
He flipped to a marked place in the center of Darius’s notebook.
“Upon your arrival, you failed to mention a particularly condemning bit of information: your relation to the Nightmare Ebony, who, due to her use of dark magic, was suspended and subsequently disappeared on Earth.” He shook his head. “And to think I actually believed your ridiculous story of having been a rare Weaver born outside this world who gained her powers through self-study.”
My hands tightened into fists and hatred burned within me, not just towards the backstabber Darius, but for the entire Council, who smirked mockingly from their perches, as if relishing my humiliation.
