“Don’t.” I tugged my bag away, but Stardust grabbed hold of the strap and yanked it towards her. “Let go.”
“But I want to try a Mortal moonbit,” she whined.
A few people paused and stared. I resented the fact that Stardust was invisible to everyone but me, undoubtedly making it appear as if I was playing tug-of-war with a ghost.
“Stardust, please—”
She gave another fierce tug.
Rip.
The bottom tore open. Quills, ink, three of my dream journals, The Building Blocks of Magic: A Beginner’s Foundation, and my bottled dream tumbled to the ground. The amber dream spilled out as the jar shattered. Instantly, the dream sprang to life, and a roaring fire whose flames changed shapes and colors erupted in the market center.
Screams and gasps filled the smoke-blistered air; all eyes were riveted to the rampaging flames as they swelled and caught the nearest stall on fire, threatening to engulf the rest of the square. Panic erupted as the crowds fled from the scorching heat. I stood rooted to the spot, frozen with shock, my mind whirling. How was it possible for a dream to interact with the real world?
In the midst of the crackling flames and screams, a new shout was heard. “Look, it’s the witch!”
“She caused the fire with her powers.”
Pointing fingers, glaring accusations. I caught sight of Sophia’s mother in the midst of the crowd as she spotted The Building Blocks of Magic at my feet.
“She even has a book on magic!”
“Get her!” The mob lunged forward. I turned and bolted. Several wide-eyed villagers leapt out of my way; others yanked my hair and scratched my arms in their attempts to grab me. Stardust cried out behind me but I didn’t slow.
I ran blindly through swirls of dense smoke, crashing into stalls and tipping over barrels, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. A knot tightened in my stomach. After all of these years it had finally happened: the villagers had witnessed my magic, and I knew what happened to witches who were caught.
I hurtled down a narrow alley, stumbled into one of the outer village walls, and fell. Dead end. No. There had to be a way out. I frantically combed the wall, searching for grooves I could use to climb over it. Nothing. I was trapped.
“We got you now.”
I spun around. The villagers had caught up. They leered at me, their expressions twisted in disgust, yet their eyes wide and frightened.
“We always knew you were a witch.”
I pressed my back against the stone wall. “Please,” I whimpered. “I’m not a witch.”
They crept closer, merciless to my plea. There was no escape.
“Stay back.” I summoned my powers, and although they came at my command, I had no way to defend myself—no spells to turn back time, erase memories, or freeze the approaching villagers. I pushed my feeble magic towards them anyway, but all it did was brush against them before fizzling away. Defeated, I shrank against the wall. “Stardust!”
The villagers froze. “Was that a spell?” one murmured.
“Quick, grab her before she finishes it.” A grubby grip dug into my arm, but at that moment Stardust blessedly flew into view, my bag wrapped awkwardly around her plump body. She scooped me up and shot into the air, pausing only briefly several feet from the ground for me to balance on my knees. I peeked down at the villagers gaping up at me.
“She’s floating in the air!”
“She’s getting away!”
I clutched Stardust with white knuckles. “Let’s get out of here.”
Stardust zipped from the village and the multicolored flames consuming the market square. My insides twisted in a pleasant terror at the sensation the higher we flew, like I’d left my stomach on the ground. Far below, the village faded into green patchwork fields that carpeted the landscape and rivers that twisted like strings of ribbon, all lightly brushed with the soft orange and pink hues of sunrise. In the distance was our cottage, looking like a miniature dollhouse tucked against the mossy forest, its surrounding gardens beautiful colored quilts.
“Incredible,” I murmured.
“Isn’t it?” Stardust gushed. “Flying is the greatest thing in the entire Universe.” She skidded to a stop. “Look!”
In the distance, swarms of crowds scurried from the gates like ants bustling from an ant hill. “They’re heading for home. We have to get Mother.”
Stardust immediately swooped down, and moments later landed gracefully in our front garden. I scrambled inside, but the only thing that greeted me was dark silence.
“Mother?” My footsteps echoed as I ran through each room, but they were all empty; even the dozens of Mother’s potted plants that usually filled the house had vanished. I jiggled the knob of her study, but it was locked again. “Mother?” I pounded on the door. No answer. “Mother!”
Stardust slipped through the crack into the study, and after a moment she re-emerged. “Empty,” she whispered. “Most of her Cultivating notebooks and books are gone, too.”
My stomach clenched. “She…abandoned me?” I crumbled to the ground and leaned against the door, the pain from my breaking heart seeping over me, threatening to swallow me whole.
Stardust nuzzled me. “Eden, we need to go; the villagers are coming.”
I didn’t budge. I pressed my hand against the door, cool to the touch.
“Come on.”
When I still didn’t move, Stardust slipped beneath me and gently lifted me, flying out of the house and into the sky. I stared numbly ahead as we were swallowed up by swirls of clouds. Without even asking I knew where Stardust was taking me: the only place I could possibly be safe.
We were going to the Dream World.
Chapter 9
The Dream World appeared to be straight from a dream itself, more beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined. Tall, frothy turrets constructed out of clouds teetered at lopsided angles which defied gravity and stretched so high they disappeared into the perfectly blue sky.
