Shit. Taryn didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t give away the Guild. He couldn’t break, especially with Airess somewhere nearby. He had to get out of here and continue his task. He wassocloseto completing his mission. He just needed to get through this.
Taryn inhaled a deep breath and grounded himself.
Calm. Collected. Controlled.
He could do this. Taryn gathered all the courage he could muster, blocked out the fear blaring within his mind, and spat on the ground in response.
The elven male stood up, clicking his tongue as he cracked his knuckles.
And swung.
Chapter 8
“I will do everything that is wrong,
so I can achieve what I know is right.”
— Written entry from Evyen Deyanira’s personal journal (Pre-Division)
Airess
Airess realized she was knocked into the dreamworld when she materialized before a small, circular hut she had never seen before.
She looked down at her dream form, dressed in the same crimson dress she always appeared in. Her translucent body glowed a golden hue in contrast to the dark night. The hut was made of oak and straw. Through the tiny windows she made out the faint flickering of a fyre. Smoke puffed out of the chimney.
Airess felt a pulling sensation urging her towards the door. She wanted to resist. Sheneededto wake up. But deep in her soul, she knew she was being called here, whatever this place was. She obliged, accepting the will of the dreamworld.
Airess walked through the door.
To her right were two cots made up with knitted quilts. To her left was a tiny kitchenette consisting of an iron stove, pots and pans hanging upon the walls. In front of her was a fyreplace and a woman sitting in the chair, watching her. She was a plump, dark skinned Human woman, presumably in her later years. The woman's body also glowed in a translucent sheen, similar to Airess, but reflected the color of violets. Wrinkles creased around the woman’s brown eyes as she smiled and looked directly at Airess.
Airess stopped in her tracks, her breath hitching. Airess never made contact with others in the dreamworld. She always dreamwalked alone, as if she were a ghost, floating around unnoticed. Unseen.
“My, you're even more beautiful than I ever imagined.”
Airess gaped. Usually, if she did see another dimensional being, they ignored her. Like they couldn't see or hear her.
But not this woman. Her eyes shone with a kindness that felt familiar.
Airess remembered to speak, her voice wavering, “Thank you.”
The woman before her smiled softly, giving Airess enough time to take in what she was seeing.
“Who are you?” Airess asked.
“A dreamwalker, like you,” she said. “You can call me Ima. Please, sit.” Ima motioned a hand toward the armchair across from her. Wearily, Airess walked forward and sat down. Ima was knitting, tendrils of emerald and crimson-colored yarn intertwining together as she workedthe needleswith familiar ease.
“I can only sense so much from here. But I can see you now,” Ima said as she knitted. “Which means you must have gotten out.” The woman said the words more to herself, eyebrows creased, her gaze falling to her yarn.
Airess sat up straight. “What do you mean? How do you know that?”
“Luciena is a place of many secrets, many betrayals,” Ima said. “The Shadow blocks out the Magick of truth, energy of souls, and the river of consciousness.”
Airess shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
The edges of the dreamscape began to blur. Airess' heart rate was increasing in the waking world, her body beginning to wake up naturally. The floor beneath her began to feel unstable, her surroundings blurred, flickering in and out of focus.
This was an aspect of dreamwalking she still hadn’t grasped yet. When her body wanted to wake up, she could do very little to force it to stay asleep.
