There was no way to be certain whether it was the wine or the stories, but my dreams were fierce. The fire that surrounded my mother flamed hotter, felt as if it were scorching my skin as I watched her burn. I could see shapes in the flickers, a blaze of deep red curling amongst the orange and amber tongues, and I made out Ruby, the fire fairy, dancing in the hideous glow. The flames seemed endlessly in the background of the other images, the screaming, broken bodies as Fannie razed the village, the faces of each council member that she had butchered, the blood spilling from the mouth of the panther as she reaped a terrible revenge, her eyes finding mine, knowing. They were there as I saw Junnie, a smoldering luminosity in the background, not reaching her as she ran, her council colors flowing in the tassels that waved behind her. She wore an unfamiliar dark cloak and I felt she was hiding something, some threatening mystery. They crackled and popped, hostile and foreboding until, suddenly, they were gone and I was standing in darkness. A faint light showed me the face of Rune then, as he focused on the body before him, the one who writhed in pain and abruptly became rigid when the torment redoubled. I stood, helplessly watching, waiting for what I knew was coming, though never quite fast enough. Finally, I heard the crack but, instead of what I had expected, instead of seeing the strike hit Rune, grace him with an eternal scar, the lightning flashed bright, a painful brilliance that illuminated Chevelle in a way that was not just clear, but lucid. At that moment, I saw him more clearly than I could ever remember seeing him. And I knew that he was Rune's son.
Though drenched in sweat and aching everywhere, I woke with an unexpected calmness. That was, until I realized I was not alone. Chevelle was balanced on the edge of my bed, trying to wake me or watching me sleep, I wasn't sure. But I jerked at the surprise of seeing him, doubled by the shock of the dream, and then I was speechless.
He observed me silently for a moment and then, when he thought I'd gotten my bearings, he handed me a drink from the side table. I accepted it gratefully, my hands still trembling.
"You should take better care of yourself," he admonished gently.
He had no way of knowing the actual cause of my distress, though I couldn't be positive the wine wasn't partially to blame, but I wasn't about to tell him, now entirely aware of the reason behind his strong reaction to my other dream, when I'd mentioned his father's name to Anvil. I remembered the color drain from his face and I suddenly became paranoid he'd somehow know that I knew, which resulted in a flush, trailed immediately by Chevelle standing and swiftly walking from the room, informing me on the way out (without looking back) that I was to meet Ruby in the practice rooms.
Ugh.
I sluggishly crawled out of bed, splashed my face, and attempted to get dressed. I was suffering from the preceding night's festivities, but, in truth, that wasn't entirely why I dragged my feet. I wasn't exactly in a hurry to see Ruby, now that Anvil had filled me in on my prior issue with fairies, which was apparently causing Ruby problems of her own. I'd been sheltered from the public so they wouldn't recognize my bonds were still in place, for my protection, so I hadn't realized she wasn't free to move about as the others until she'd taken a separate route to the castle. I wasn't sure how to deal with that, though it wasn't altogether my fault, considering they'd kept so much from me, for my protection, and I was missing the majority of my memories. Like Rune... and Chevelle.
I tried not to let the dream take over my thoughts. Concentrating on lost memories made my spinning head throb and my ears ring. But I couldn't help it, I kept returning to it. Something about it bothered me more than it should. And it wasn't merely the agony that I'd repeatedly watched him endure. It was something else, something forgotten.
It felt like it was right there, alongside the anguish of seeing him tormented, the knowledge of his father, the gratitude toward Anvil for his intervention. A significant truth, just out of reach. But it was adding to my headache so I brushed it off, counting stones in the corridor on my way to the practice rooms.
Which, to my surprise, I found right away. I was certain it was because I'd wanted to avoid Ruby, who stood front and center, impatiently waiting for me.
She saw my state and shook her head, clicking in disapproval. "Can't you at least try?"
I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to smooth it. She wasn't impressed. The way she was looking at me, like it was time for a renovation, actually made me eager for practice. "Ready to get started?" I asked.
She smirked. "Chevelle asked me to step it up this morning."
Oh crap.