I tensed when he finally climbed down from the tree, his expression impassive. “Did you find anything?” I demanded.
“Perhaps.” His serious gaze met mine. “Listen to me: you’re in danger.”
Fear prickled my skin. “In danger? From what?”
“There’s an investigation currently occurring in the Dream World. If the Investigations Team discovers what I did in that tree—”
“What did you find?” I asked again, but he shook his head, dismissing my question.
“I strongly advise you not to perform any magic for a while, at least until the investigation dies down. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
Why did he feel the need to pretend to care? He had no reason to, not when we’d only just met. I stubbornly lifted my chin. “Until you earn my trust, I have no reason to listen to you. Besides, I have nothing to hide from the Investigations Team; I had nothing to do with the dream dust theft.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise before his look became suspicious. “How do you know about that?”
I bit my lip. I’d already given away too many secrets. His frown deepened at my silence, as did the intensity of his perusal. I shifted beneath his gaze, wanting nothing more than to escape. I struggled against the strange force keeping me here until I successfully broke away, granting me the opportunity I was desperate for.
I slowly backed away. “I must go.”
But before I could leave, his fingers grazed my arm. Heat rippled over me from that single touch. I stared at where his hand rested before shyly peeking up at him. His eyes were wide as he stared unblinking at where his hand rested on my arm before he slowly lifted his own gaze.
“If you ever find yourself in the Dream World, come find me. I’ll help you.” He slowly released me, yet he made no move to step away, as if he couldn’t make himself leave. “My life just got a lot more complicated. Of everyone it could have been, for it to be you…”
“You keep acting as if you know me,” I said. “What do you know about me?”
He didn’t answer, nor did he cease looking at me. Despite his recent words acting as if our acquaintanceship was a great inconvenience, he didn’t look the least bit put out. Instead his eyes were bright at the prospect of embarking on a great adventure…a feeling I begrudgingly shared. This strange draw between us was just another mystery for me to try to unravel. I sighed wearily. I was tired of riddles, especially when everything up until this point in my life had already been one giant puzzle.
“What’s happening, Darius?”
“Later,” he promised, and after giving my hand a reassuring squeeze he released me before disappearing with a loud crack, leaving me staring after him, as confused as ever.
Chapter 7
Shortly after I’d returned from my dream-watching excursion and the strange interaction with Nightmare Darius which had followed, Stardust flew through the window with a stack of worn books balanced on her body. She dumped them on my bed of pillows.
“I’ve brought loads of information to begin our investigation.” She sifted through the pile. “We should start with The Magical Properties of Dreams, which will hopefully help us understand not only why you can’t receive dreams, but more importantly how you can see others’. I also brought the classic Magical History, which is filled to the brim with every magical fact you’ll ever need to know. I must warn you, though, it’s a bit dry; we’ll only crack it open in the most dire of need. And we should probably peruse Mortal Myths.” She held up a surprisingly slim volume. “We can use this to investigate your quirks, although I’m afraid many of them may be impossible to decipher.” She finally noticed my lack of response and slowly lowered Dreamers’ Essential Book of Legends. “What’s the matter? Don’t you like the books I brought?”
My thoughts had drifted back to Nightmare Darius and whether or not he was a friend or foe. I stifled a yawn and tried to focus my attention back on Stardust. “My apologies, I’m simply tired.”
“Tired or bored?” Stardust’s tone was dangerous.
“I didn’t sleep much last night.”
“Interesting.” Stardust rapidly flipped through the pages of Mortal Myths. “Is insomnia usually a problem for you?”
I tugged the book away from her in order to obtain her full attention. “I had my first dream last night.”
Stardust frowned, skeptical. “Are you sure it was yours?”
“Of course. It was more vivid than any nightmare I’ve ever experienced when viewing others’.” I shuddered at the memory, as if a few remnant spiders had escaped to tiptoe across my skin.
“Was anyone in the room when you woke up?”
“A man floated in that corner.” I pointed and Stardust zipped over to investigate. “I also saw him during my dream; it looked like he was sewing something.”
“He was weaving your nightmare. Was he alone?”
I nodded. She tsked and shook her head.
“As I suspected, which means that Nightmare performed an illegal Weaving. Typical. Did he do anything suspicious while he was here?”
My fists tightened. “He stole my bottled dream.”
Stardust gasped. “It’s gone? Unfortunately, it’ll probably be impossible to get back. The best we can hope for is that the Nightmare doesn’t figure out it’s a dream, or worse, hand it directly to the Nightmare Council. Your powers are too unique to share with them.”
“Who are the Nightmare Council?”
“The ones in charge of the Nightmare Realm,” Stardust said. “It’s their job to ensure all Nightmares use their powers within the bounds of magical law, so it’s surprising they allowed that Nightmare to weave alone last night, which makes me suspect he was sent by the Council specifically.”
That was exactly what he’d told the Investigations Team, meaning I hadn’t avoided detection after all. My heart pounded in my ears. First the Investigations Team and
