emptiness, or loss. Meghan was here. I was happy. That was all I needed to know.
Meghan tapped my forehead in a playful manner. “You do know that one of us has to wake up, don’t you?” she asked, and I grunted, not opening my eyes. “I don’t know if I’m a figment of your imagination or you’re a figment of mine, but eventually this is going to fade away.” I rolled to my knees to face her, and she blinked as I leaned in close.
“You can go if you have to,” I said, smoothing her hair behind one ear.
“I’m not leaving. I’ll still be here when you come back.”
“No, Ash,” came a new voice, shattering the peaceful moment. “You cannot stay.”
Meghan and I both jerked up, spinning to face the intruder in our private world. Ariel a stood a few yards away, shrouded in the mist, her face grim as she watched us.
“You were very difficult to find, Ash,” she said in a weary voice. “I almost gave up when I couldn’t find you in nightmare. I didn’t think to look for you in the dreams of another, but it makes sense that you should come here.”
“What do you want here?” Meghan rose with the regal grace of a queen, calm and unruff led. I noticed she subtly moved in front of me when facing Ariel a, a familiar gesture that caught me off guard. The Iron Queen was protecting me. “Who are you?”
“You know me, Meghan Chase.” Ariel a stepped forward, the mist parting for her, to stand before us clearly. “I am the one who was left behind, the one Ash knew before you ever came into the picture.” 131/387
Meghan didn’t move, but I saw her draw in a slow breath as the realization hit. “Ariel a,” she breathed, and I winced at the churning emotions in that one quiet word. Meghan shook her head, glanced back at me. “Is this another dream, Ash? Did you bring her here?”
“No,” Ariel a said before I could reply. “I am not a dream. Not a memory. I am as real as you are, Iron Queen. Death could not quite hold me, all those years ago.”
“Enough,” I rasped, finally shaking the fog from my mind. Memory returned in a rush: the journey to find the seer, the fateful trip down the River of Dreams, the quest to earn a soul. Stepping between them, I felt the heat of both their gazes piercing me like a thousand knives.
“Ari,” I said, facing her, “what are you doing here? What do you want?”
Ariel a narrowed her eyes. “I’m here to bring you out of this dream,” she replied with a brief glance at Meghan. “Your body is very sick, Ash, and the curse the hobyah shaman laid on you was keeping you trapped in sleep. I don’t know how you found your way here, but it is time for you to return to us.”
Behind me, I could feel Meghan’s stare burning into my shoulder blades. “You’re…with her now?” she asked softly, not quite accusing—not yet.
“How…how long have you known she was alive?”
“Not long,” Ariel a answered for me. “We haven’t had much time together yet.”
“Ari!” I turned to glare at her. She gazed back, unrepentant, her silver-f lecked eyes watching me sadly. In that moment, I saw the jealousy she’d never shown before, the hurt that I had chosen someone else, 132/387
though she knew it had to be that way. It was perhaps the first truly ugly emotion I’d ever seen from her, and my anger dissipated completely. I had done this to her. She’d given me everything, and I had turned my back on her.
“I see,” Meghan whispered in a voice that trembled only slightly. I could feel her fading, her presence leaving the dream surrounding us.
“Then…I’ll leave you two alone.”
“That is not necessary, Iron Queen.” Ariel a shook her head. “There is no need. I came here to bring Ash out of his nightmares, but this is your dream, not his. When you wake, the dream will fade, and he will return to us. I’m sorry to have intruded here.” With a slight nod to us both, she backed up a few steps into the mist, and disappeared.
Alone with the Iron Queen again, I held my breath, waiting for the explosion, for the storm of questions. But Meghan took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Was that really her?” she asked, still not looking up. “Ariel a? Is she really alive?” I crossed the space separating us, reaching for her hand. She blinked as I took her fingers, gazing up at me in surprise. “It’s not what you think,” I told her. “Please, hear me out.” Meghan gave me a sad smile. “No, Ash,” she whispered.
“Maybe…maybe this is for the best.” And though she didn’t move, I could sense she was pulling back, letting me go.
“Meghan…”