The Severaine

Chapter Seventeen Between Life and Death-2

“Answer my question. Are, you, real?” he demanded.

“I…” She paused, how could she possibly answer that? “Not in your world.”

“And here? In my dreams?”

“Yes, here I am real,” she assured in what she hoped he would find a comforting manner. He adjusted his position so he could better look at her. Slowly he extended his hand, touching her arm gently he closed his eyes, almost fearful she would fade. But the pressure of their contact remained firm.

“So if I wake, you will vanish?”

“From your dream?”

“From existence.”

“No.”

“Then… what are you?” His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he pulled his hand back from her.

“Now? I guess I would say I am on my way to becoming an Oneiroi.”

“You let me think you were dead,” he snapped rising to his feet, she followed suit.

“I am, I was, I mean I, I can't explain it. I'm told Night took me from Hades and gave me to the Oneirois.” He turned his back to her as she spoke. She could see his shoulders tensing as his hands balled into tight fists at his side. His silence struck her with more force than any words could have. “I tried to tell you, I wanted to. But there are creatures, Epiales, they are drawn to the Oneiroi life-force. If they realised I showed a dreamer preferential treatment, they would kill you.”

“I wouldn't expect you to understand. How could you? You've never had someone you love torn from you while you stood helplessly by.” Daniel's tones rose to accommodate his anger. “All this time I blamed myself for your death, and all the time you were here. How could you do that to me, to us! You nearly destroyed me, how could you?” His voice raged as he turned to face her, his eyes bore into Zo's tearful eyes. Through his anger, she couldn't help but see the sadness.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered, taking his almost rigid body in her arms and pulling him close. She felt the tension begin to drain from him, and finally he accepted the embrace. Raising his hands to the back of the toga he gripped her tightly.

“I've missed you so much,” he whispered as his grip tightened slightly. “Forget everything I said, please. I'm angry, but nothing eclipses how it feels to see you again. You're alive, that's all that matters.” His grip further increased. Beneath her touch she felt him tremble.

“Daniel, what are you doing here?” she asked. She had answered his questions, now it was his turn. He released her as he wiped his eyes in a subtle gesture.

“I'm not sure.”

“Daniel, this is no ordinary dream, it's a death dream. There are only two ways out, you choose to surrender, or you choose to battle on.”

“I have no fight left anymore,” he sighed, and from his tone alone she knew he meant every word. “I'm just so tired. It's getting harder and harder to define what is real and what is not. I attacked Eiji today, I almost killed him, I may have, I don't know. I dread to think what would have happened if Acha hadn't been there. The funny thing is I didn't see him, I saw her, Marise.”

“You're still with Acha and Eiji?” Zo questioned in surprise.

“Yeah, when I found out there may be a way to seal the Severaine they refused to stay behind. They're great friends.” He smiled faintly as he thought about them.

“Will you put them through what you're going through? They look to you for guidance, for protection, and as for the line between dream and reality, I think I may be to blame for that. Despite all that has happened we are still linked. I heard someone say the trouble we are experiencing could be due to us being tethered to each other. They are looking for a way to sever our connection, but for now, if you have any doubts, call upon the old magic held within your staff, it will help you see things clearly.”

“Zo, I don't want to think about that now. I've just found you again, don't make me go back it will be like losing you all over again. What if I forget, forget I was here, forget you are well?”

“That would be for the best,” she whispered. He looked to her questioningly. “I want you to forget I ever existed, but I can't make you do anything. Has it been difficult?” She reached out, stroking his arm comfortingly.

“I'll say.” He smiled slightly. “We're trying to assemble the key to the place you spoke of. First we had to convince that innkeeper to hand over the first part of the key, it belongs to Elly of all people. Then we rescued a young girl, who led us to Chrissie, after that we retrieved the cursed metal, which is the second part of the key. Only it had been forged into weapons so we had to go to the Mountain of the Spirits to meet the gnomes. They're not at all like I expected, they're made of moss and stone, but they won't help us unless we return the Star of Arshad, at least we think that's what they want.

“And you know what? It turns out most of Elder Robert's stories are true.” Zo nodded. “Anyway, he had a dragon's… no sorry, a wyrm's egg so we went to Kalia, the island of the wyrms, and there's a group of people, Eortháds, led by Alessia. She had the third piece of the star I've been collecting, which basically means they will give me the Star of Arshad as I possessed the other two fragments. But then Marise turned up and ruined everything.”

“No, she didn't,” Zo interrupted softly. She had to smile to herself though, as he recapped their story his voice had been filled with such enthusiasm. He looked to her, a look of concentration furrowing his brow.

“No…” he agreed slowly. There was a long moment of silence as Daniel frowned into the darkness. “It was Adom, a rival of Alessia's. Only instead of seeing him I saw her. He stabbed me and, I guess, here I am,” he surmised with no real attachment to the final words.

“It sounds like a lot of fun. Well except for the last part that is.” Daniel looked to her in surprise.

“You're right, it was.” He laughed suddenly as he realised the truth. “I just didn't realise it at the time.” In that instant she saw it, the small spark return to his eyes. “And you should see Nemean, he's enormous, at least eight times bigger than any wyrm recorded in Rosu's time. He could tread on us and not even notice, did you know all ancient creatures talk our language.”

“Us theirs,” Zo corrected with a knowing smile. “They are the ones who first taught us to communicate at the start of time, long before this era. As the cycles begin anew, we somehow return instinctively to that dialect, eventually developing our own as time progresses, but that is why we can understand them.”

“That's what Nemean said,” he grinned. “Oh, you know that potion collection? It's amazing, but I'm curious about what some of it does. Fire in a bottle, what are the effects exactly? I know it's an offensive smash phial potion, but what does it do, and how?”

“There's only one way to find out, you'll have to use it.” Her smile still hadn't faded as she listened to her old friend, although deep within her she felt her heart ache. He mourned her death, just as she mourned the loss of his friendship. Knowing she could never be involved in the life of someone she felt so close to tore at her. But her pain was not like his, at least she had known he was alive.

“I'm sorry I doubted you when you said you tried black magic. But you never mentioned your alchemy skills,” he continued. He had known all along Zo had some experience in alchemy, he just never realised the full extent.

“There has to be a few surprises, besides, mixing herbs is what I did anyway, it's not too dissimilar.”

“You know what I miss the most?”

“What's that?”

“Us, sitting talking about nothing.” The excitement from his tone died suddenly. “I miss you. I'll see or think of so many things I want to speak with you about. I'll turn to tell you, but you won't be there. You never will be again, will you?”

“Daniel, I miss you too.” She paused, almost as if there was more she wished to say but changed her mind and the subject. “But now you have united the star, you know what you have don't you?”

“A whole star?” he questioned pathetically.

“No, a gossip crystal! They're amazing things, when united it releases an energy leading back to its origin, after all, in reality it is only a fragment of a star. The star then creates a link between it and its severed pieces and you can communicate between them over great distances.”

“So I can give you one?”

“You already did. As one belonged in Darrienia the first time you slept, it would find the nearest Oneiroi, returning to the realm it came from. So this piece will always belong in Darrienia, with me.” She showed him the star fragment which she now held in her hand.

“So, do you see much of Seiken?”

“He's training me, or trying to,” she answered with a smile, even thinking about him made her cheeks flush with colour. It was a reaction Daniel was all too aware of.

“Thank him for me, he saved my life.”

“When he pulled you from the river?” Zo questioned uncertainly, wondering how he had learnt the truth. Seiken had only recently revealed his role in saving Daniel in the accident which had claimed his friend. It had been nothing more than a coincidence he was there, something belonging to his realm had beckoned him, but it hadn't been Daniel.

“Erm… yeah that.” Daniel briefly averted his gaze, biting his bottom lip as he examined the darkness. Before Zo had appeared, he had been caught in a strange slumber, one which replayed the events of his life. For the first time, as he watched from a third-party perspective the events of his brother's murder, he had seen the face of the one who had saved him from Marise. She had been intent on culling all life in Weft when his brother had intervened. Daniel had watched him die at her hand, and swearing vengeance took up arms against her. He had not cared for his lack of skill, he had been driven by the need to avenge his brother, his hero.

He felt his shoulders relax slightly as Zo didn't challenge his words. It seemed some of Marise's memories had remained separate from her own.

“You never told me about your friend. I'm sorry you lost him that way.” Daniel gave a slight shrug, pushing back the familiar pain such thoughts returned.

“Has he told you how he feels about you?” Daniel questioned, changing the topic quickly. Zo shook her head, the colour in her face intensifying as it became apparent Daniel knew the feelings were not one-sided. Then again, they were connected, they had been for some time. It would have been clear how she felt every time their paths crossed. “I'm happy for you. You'll be happy with him, just don't forget me okay?” Daniel paused. “When he tells you, what will you do?”

“It seems you've already made that decision for me.” She grinned. “Speaking of choices, have you made yours?”

“Yes, if it is all the same, I'd like to see this through,” he stated, noticing the almost subtle conversation change.

“I'm glad. Oh, and Daniel.” She smiled as the darkness, along with his image, began to fade. “Be careful in Lilesha's domain,” she whispered. He moved to embrace her one final time. As the darkness faded, she found herself caught by Seiken's arms, staring up into his enchanting brown eyes. They were filled with concern and worry, then again, she was not surprised, after all she must have been gone for hours.