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I shook away the anxiety-inducing thought. “Stop complaining and tell me what else is on my list.”
Stardust muttered to herself as she consulted the list I’d copied from my dream journal. She wrinkled her nose. “A music box melody? Where in the Universe are you going to use a detail like that in a tea party dream?”
I frowned. I’d likely added such a random detail midst my distraction, but I was too stubborn to admit such a thing, especially with my cloud already frowning in disapproval. “I thought it would add a nice touch to create a dream about an enchanted tea party, where music plays with each sip. The best dreams are layered, so there’s always something for the Mortal to discover.”
Stardust rolled her eyes. “As usual, that sounds beyond your current skill level. It doesn’t matter how many layers a dream has if it fails to interest your Mortal. Did it ever occur to you that Maci is too young for tea parties in real life, let alone in a dream? Maybe you should create dreams based off your own ideas rather than continuing to plagiarize others’.”
My guilt at using my exhaustion as an excuse for taking the easy way out deepened, as did my foreboding. If I resorted to such tactics after all the help Darius had expended to assist me…I couldn’t afford to do anything more to draw his suspicion, not when I had plenty of that already.
Surely he knows I can see dreams. My anxiety pressed against my chest so heavily I could scarcely breathe.
“I don’tplagiarizeanymore,” I managed shakily. “Not entirely; I use others’ dreams as a foundation for my own ideas. Now help me find my flowers.” As wary as I was about the current dream I was constructing, it was too close to the Weaving to create another plan now. I’d make a greater effort for tomorrow’s Weaving.
Despite her murmuring, Stardust still moodily followed me towards the auditory plot of the garden. The bright patchworks of flowers caressed our legs, vying for our attention as we strolled along the curving paths. We passed sections of scents, tastes, and tactile senses until we reached the one containing an array of sounds, where each blossom sang a snippet of the auditory detail it harbored. Although there was a large variety to choose from, I couldn’t find a music box melody.
I frowned. “They had some last night. Are they out?”
“No idea.” Stardust plopped on the moonlit path. “This is taking too long.”
I carefully parted a row of flowers so I could search the blossoms growing in the back and spotted several Cultivators standing several yards away. Iris worked amongst them, a basket of seeds beside her.
“I’m sure Iris will know where to find it.”
She looked up as we approached, and although she greeted us with her usual smile, it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Good evening. Isn’t it a beautiful night?”
“No,” Stardust said.
I sensed an upcoming revolt if I didn’t tend to my weary cloud soon. I took the list from her. “Go amuse yourself. Iris can help me find what I need.”
Stardust morphed from the tombstone shape she’d shifted into with her usual dramatic flare with a relievedpop. “Thank goodness, I was about to evaporate from boredom. Now I can search for clues for my latest investigation.”
“Don’t go too far; my Weaving is soon.” I called after her as she floated away.
“I won’t. After all, the Cultivating Fields are the scene of the crime.” She disappeared in the distance. Iris stared after her, gnawing her lip.
“Is something the matter?”
She jolted from her trance. “It’s nothing. What can I help you find?”
“I’m looking for a music box melody.”
“There’s a freshly grown batch just over there.” She gathered her cultivating supplies and led me through the field. Normally she was quite cheerful, but she seemed strangely somber as she cast frequent glances in the direction Stardust had flown.
“Do you know what Stardust is investigating?” I hoped it wasn’t what I suspected it was.
She stiffened. “What? Oh, I know a little bit. It’s most unusual…but I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about…ah, here we are, music box flowers. Take your pick.”
She gestured towards a small clump of flowers harboring different melodies, all contending for my attention like an ill-rehearsed symphony. I listened to each before selecting a twirling waltz. I plucked the crimson tulip and scribbled it off the list.
“That was the last detail I needed. Thank you, Iris…Iris?”
She’d returned to Cultivating. The concentration lining her brow as she burrowed her hands in the transparent soil and the way the plants blossomed at her touch was so similar to Mother’s fluid movements that for a moment my heart ached, especially since Stardust’s continued investigations still hadn’t yielded any results.
Iris blinked absently as she glanced up. “Did you need any more help?”
I knelt beside her, still fixated on her gentle movements. “It’s amazing how a single touch causes such fantastic details to grow so effortlessly.”
Iris brightened. “Anything is possible with a bit of magic.”
