“Perhaps I should confess my abilities so that they can help me understand myself. Surely I’m not the only magical being who can see others’ dreams…”
“As far as I know, you are,” Stardust said. “If you really want to stay, you can’t tell them.”
I’d never wanted anything as much as I wanted to remain in the Dream World. Already this fantastic place felt more like home than Earth ever had, despite spending my entire life there. If I couldn’t belong here, I wouldn’t belong anywhere.
Though we arrived all too soon, we were forced to wait for quite some time before the Council would see us, a wait which only escalated my nerves before I was finally admitted.
The Council chamber was a circular room made entirely of glass, located in the highest turret of the Dream World. Through the windowed walls, the infinite expanse of cloudless blue sky surrounded us on all sides, as if we stood on an island in the middle of a vast ocean. Despite it being night, sunlight tumbled in from the domed ceiling above, bathing the room in swirls of golden light and warmth, a contrast to the cold fear seeping over me.
The distinguished Dream Council’s scrutinizing gazes followed me as we flew into the chamber. They encircled the room on elevated rainbow seats, all positioned behind a silver-haired man perched above the rest. He sat like a king on a throne, his plain white robes and lack of any specific style a distinct style in and of itself. Despite his silver hair, there was something eternally youthful about his face.
A woman cloaked in black and clutching a silver staff stood with a young man tucked behind a column away from the Council, the only part of the chamber cast in shadow. My stomach lurched in recognition as he stepped into the light. Darius, the same one who’d given me the nightmare and had both interrogated and tried to protect me on Earth…or had at least pretended to.
For a moment we stared at one another. He did nothing to mask his wide-eyed shock at seeing me, an emotion that was slowly eclipsed by horror. He glanced between me, the Dream Council, and the black-shrouded woman standing beside him. I could almost see his mind working frantically, but whether it was for a plan to help me or hurt me I didn’t know.
The answer became clear almost immediately when his emerald eyes—the same that had watched me from the forest two days ago—narrowed. A distrustful scowl twisted his expression as he leaned towards the woman beside him to whisper something into her ear. Whatever he said caused her own suspicion to deepen.
My heart sank. Stardust had been right: this Nightmare was most certainly my enemy. Resentment that he’d so easily tricked me burned in my veins. If only I could confront him, but our audience made such a wish impossible.
The silver-haired man—whose seat had floated down while my attention had been diverted—stood and clicked his gold staff three times. The waiting Council’s murmurs immediately dissipated, replaced by an almost palpable anticipation as dozens of pairs of eyes focused on me. My stomach churned.
“Stranger, our magic detected your entrance into our World. You’ve been summoned by the Dream Council so we may discover your identity, as well as your purpose in coming uninvited to our world. I’m Head Dreamer Galaxy.”
He gestured for me to take my place at the center podium, constructed out of gold clouds matching the intricate marble floors. My footsteps echoed in the solemn stillness as I approached, while Stardust glided silently beside me.
“We will speak with you alone; your cloud will wait for you outside.” Galaxy motioned for Stardust to depart. I itched to grab her as she shrugged apologetically and floated from the chamber.
The moment the door closed behind her with a resonating thud, Galaxy’s penetrating stare fixed upon me. I shifted under his attention and tried to smooth out the wrinkles in my rumpled dress. Galaxy’s grey gaze softened. “There’s no need to be nervous; you’re not in trouble, only under suspicion.”
“But I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“You’re a stranger to our world; we need no other reason to be suspicious.” Galaxy motioned to the woman in black and Darius. “May I introduce Head Nightmare Ember and her son, Nightmare Darius.”
Darius was related to the Nightmare Council Stardust had so adamantly warned me about? I glared at him, and though his hardened expression didn’t waver, his eyes widened slightly, almost imploringly, as if pleading for me to trust him. But I knew my trust was the last thing I should ever give him. I immediately looked away.
“I’ve been informed that you’re the individual Nightmare Darius noticed during his investigation of the unusual magical burst that occurred several days ago on Earth.”
The Head Dreamer’s words caused me to ball my hands into fists. Despite his claims that his investigations on Earth had only been a ruse, he hadn’t wasted time turning over the evidence he’d found.
“The Investigations Team has concluded you aren’t connected to that mysterious occurrence,” Galaxy continued. “They suspect another for whom we’ve been searching for quite some time. However, based on additional findings from Nightmare Darius, both the Dream and Nightmare Council are now suspicious of your sudden appearance in our world and feel obligated to investigate you further.”
I returned to glaring at Darius. How much did he know? Had he turned all the information he’d gathered about me, as well as whatever remnants from my dream catching he might have discovered, directly over to the Council? Had he learned of my ability to see dreams? He didn’t flinch under my accusatory stare, but instead glared right back, any earlier sign of reassurance completely absent.
“Let us begin,” Galaxy said, and I reluctantly yanked my gaze away from the Nightmare creep. “Because you’re from Earth my first assumption is you’re Mortal, yet not only do you possess the appearance of one from our world,
