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One of the Nightmares frowned. “But Your Grace, we can’t—”
“Do as I say,” she hissed. He departed with a bow and soon returned with a thick file. Trepidation filled my stomach as Ember impatiently opened it and snatched a paper at random.
“Newborn Easton from Oak Creek.”
My heart lurched at the name of the village where I’d lived prior to coming to the Dream World nearly a year ago. Ember studied the file for a moment before giving a dainty shrug.
“This will do.” She turned to me. “Considering a Mortal’s first dream is given by their Dream Weaver, you won’t begin your assignment until tomorrow. I suggest you use the extra time to prepare.” She dismissed me with an indifferent wave.
Questions burned on my tongue as Mother seized my arm and led me from the chamber. Why had my magic been unrecognizable to the Nightmare weaving pool? I glanced back at Ember as if she held the answers I sought. She frowned as she stared suspiciously after me, as if even she didn’t quite know what to make of me after what had just happened.
Chapter 5
Istirred my now lukewarm pinecone-bark tea with my finger as I leaned on my elbow inside Broken Teacups, a cafe where Mother had taken me, Blaze, and Trinity to celebrate my new weaving assignment. It hadn’t lasted long before she’d unexpectedly been forced to forgo this particular celebration due to an unexpected summons that had drawn her away.
As much as I pretended not to care, I couldn’t deny I was hurt that she considered her plans more important than spending time with me.
“Don’t give me that dejected look,” she’d said impatiently. “You’re too old to be so spoiled, especially when you know how important my plans are.” And without so much as a look back, she left.
So I was forced to endure an already disappointing outing with Blaze and Trinity, with whom Mother seemed determined for me to forge a friendship. As usual they were lost in their own romantic world, ignoring me as I determinedly ignored them. I was trying to distract myself from the awkward silence by pretending I didn’t care Mother had left. It wasn’t working.
“This place is creepy,” Stardust, disguised as a cockroach, muttered from her perch on my shoulder. “The Dream Realm’s Teacups and Treats has a much more cheery atmosphere. Nightmares even take things as cozy as tea shops and twist them into something so...distorted.”
We’d been sharing a private conversation for the past half hour as we nursed my tea and nibbled at my plate of maple scorpion tails, which I frequently lifted up to share with her. Stardust had practically eaten the entire plate by herself since Blaze and Trinity’s frequent romantic gestures were causing my stomach to swirl.
My gaze wandered the tea shop, which was swathed in dark colors and decorated with broken cups; root scents emanated from the various seeping brews of tea, further suffocating the already stifling atmosphere. I didn’t like this place at all, but of course I kept this observation to myself; Stardust didn’t need any additional fuel for her continual insistence I didn’t really belong in this realm.
“These scorpion tails aren’t half bad,” Stardust observed as I fed her another bite. “Although they’re nothing like moonbits.” She sighed wistfully before her expression became frantic at her faux pas. “Not that I miss them. There’s no need for you to steal dream dust in order to buy me any, especially when I’m on a diet.” As she spoke, she inhaled an entire scorpion tail, dribbling maple-coated crumbs into my tea.
“I’ll get more magic soon,” I said. “Eventually, I’ll steal it fromhim.” It’d be the only way to replenish my magic; despite having a weaving assignment, I was under no impression I was skilled enough to actually win.
Stardust’s cockroach form scurried down my arm to the plate, now empty save for a few crumbs, which she picked over with the eagerness of a cloud who’d been deprived of sugar for far too long.
“I’m sure you will,” she said with far too much doubt for my liking.
She was halfway back up my arm when the tea shop’s door jingled open. Her eyes narrowed at whoever had entered, but I didn’t bother to look. Even when Stardust returned to her perch on my shoulder she didn’t take her eyes off the Nightmare, and when the door opened again a few minutes later she stiffened.
“Uh oh...” she murmured.
“What is it?” I asked halfheartedly, not really caring.
She didn’t answer immediately, and when she finally did she chose her words carefully. “It would be best if you avoided looking towards the table nearest the window.”
My head whipped around and my heart skittered to a stop. Darius sat enjoying a cup of steaming tea and a plate of chocolate-covered bat wings, and he wasn’t alone;Shadesat with him. The two looked suspiciously cozy together.
“What’shedoing here?” I hissed. “And withher?”
Stardust groaned. “I told you not to look. Why don’t you ever listen?”
I glared at Darius’s angled form. Even though I couldn’t clearly see his face, I easily recognized his spiderweb style, upright olive-green hair, and the spiderweb tattoos snaking the hand that repeatedly lifted his cup of tea. He shifted in his seat enough for me to fully glimpse his handsome profile. My breath caught as both yearning and anger vied for my attention. Yearning won. I groaned at the sharp, prickling pain of seeing him again.
I took a steadying breath before managing to force words past my dry throat. “How long have they been sitting together?”
“Spiderweb entered the shop several minutes ago. I didn’t mention it until Shade arrived and kissed him on the cheek before joining him.”
Horror curdled my stomach at the terrible possibility suddenly piercing my guarded heart: were theycourting? A whimper escaped my throat before I could contain it. “Oh, no.”
Pity filled Stardust’s expression as she used the antennas of her cockroach form to stroke my cheek. “Maybe it’s not what it looks like.”
