“Yes, but by confessing in a way that made it appear he was sticking up for you, he deflected the blame from himself. Such a trick is a common diversionary tactic amongst criminals.”
Angel stroked her chin. “She has a point.”
She smirked. “Finally someone who recognizes an excellent conclusion when she hears it. The fact so much evidence pointed to you indicates someone set you up, and Spiderweb is the one who could have most easily done it.”
“But if he were truly guilty, wouldn’t he have let me take the fall?”
For a moment Stardust looked deflated at the hole I’d discovered in her logic, but as usual she didn’t remain deterred for long. “I admit I’m still working out Spiderweb’s motive for that particular point, but I still have a solid case for his guilt. Let’s examine the main points of his ‘false’ confession in more detail.”
She morphed into her notebook form, flipped to a blank page, and tilted her body so we could see each point as she wrote it.
“Point number one: Spiderweb is quite familiar with your magical style, and you haven’t performed magic in front of any other Nightmares; therefore logically he’s the only Nightmare who is even capable of obtaining some of your dream dust. Correct?”
Heart pounding, I nodded.
“Point number two: he claims to have planted the vial in your bag at the festival, which he could have easily done. I myself am a witness to his disgusting touches, so don’t try to deny it.” Stardust shot me an icy glare.
My cheeks warmed at the memory of how close we’d sat together. Tonight had been one of the few times he’d voluntarily touched me.
“When would Darius have been able to do any of this?” Iris asked. “We were together most of the festival.”
“He and Eden watched the flying colors together.”
“Together?” Angel’s face coiled like she was about to be sick.
“Not together together.” My already warm cheeks burned. “We just sat next to one another.” Though I knew it had been much more than that.
“Snuggling is more like it,” Stardust muttered. “You were practically glued to each other, providing Spiderweb the perfect opportunity to plant the evidence.”
Angel’s mouth fell open, rendered speechless, and my face flamed. “That’s not true; we weren’t even sitting that close to one another.”
“You shouldn’t have been sitting with him at all.”
Angel folded her arms and gave me a she’s right expression. “It doesn’t matter what you two were doing together, all that matters is that you were alone with him, despite our repeated warnings that he’s not to be trusted. Everyone was fixated on the flying colors, including you, giving that Nightmare ample opportunity. Like it or not, Darius is the most likely suspect.”
“Finally some sense.” Stardust scribbled Culprit next to Darius’s name. “I don’t know why you’re in such denial over this, Eden. He seemed strangely persistent in getting you to attend the flying colors with him. We already know that was a ploy for him to interrogate you, so why wouldn’t he have also used it as an opportunity to frame you? It’s so obvious that an amateur could have deduced it. Spiderweb is guilty. Case closed.”
“Then when did he use the potion?” I asked. “As you so annoyingly pointed out, we were together the entire time.”
“Except for the very end,” Stardust said triumphantly. My stomach knotted. Comets, she was right. She smirked. “See? Everything fits together perfectly. As I said, case closed.”
Iris pressed her thumb to her lips thoughtfully. “If all this is true, why would Darius set Eden up only to help clear the charges against her?”
Stardust ruffled her notebook pages. “There are plenty of reasons: to make Eden look suspicious to the Council, forcing them to give her an ultimatum; to terminate their weaving partnership before Eden becomes too skilled; to make himself appear better to the Council in order to ensure his place on it…” She wrote each down one by one as she stated them. “Perhaps the best reason of all is simply because he’s a Nightmare. Need I say more?”
Angel frowned. “True. Being a Nightmare would make him naturally desirous to tip the balance in his favor.”
Stardust nodded in agreement, but Angel’s words only reminded me of my conversation with Darius during our Weaving about his fervent desires to maintain the balance. Even now, several days later, I could still remember the fervor which had filled his eyes.
“But he wouldn’t,” I said. “If anything, Darius is anxious to maintain the balance. Remember his concern about the increasing number of dream dust thefts only a few Weavings ago? He’s the last Nightmare who would disrupt it.”
“Another act so you wouldn’t be suspicious of him,” Stardust said. “He’s sly, I’ll give him that, but nothing gets past Detective Stardust.”
“I’m telling you it wasn’t him.”
“Why are you defending a Nightmare, especially one who’s had it out for you since the beginning?”
Angel’s frown was suspicious. “I think we all want to hear the answer to that.”
How could I explain? I’d been confused by the feelings I’d been experiencing from the moment and Darius and I had met, the strange need I had for his friendship, the intense desires to trust him, the way he’d made me feel from a single touch…
I lowered my voice so only Stardust could hear. “Despite having the perfect opportunity, he didn’t reveal my secrets, even when he had the chance.”
That thankfully silenced her…for now. Concentration furrowed her brow as she studied her notes. “But if it wasn’t him, then who was it?”
The arguments began once more, but I was too weary to participate. I slid my weaving bag off my shoulder to put it away and paused; it seemed heavier than usual. Curious, I peered inside. Carefully nestled amidst my dream flowers was the snow globe Darius had seen me admire at the festival. A piece of parchment was tied around it, written
