Ch.7

"Celene?" she repeated. She glanced back at the tree where the man had been standing, wondering whether this had all happened after she fell asleep. Then she remembered—she had not felt her father awake that morning. There must have been someone else. Perhaps this was him?

"Yes. Celene." He lowered himself down to the ground, observing her as he spoke. "This is a dream."

She blinked. "A dream?"

"Yes, a dream." The man smiled, and she found herself drawn in. He was not handsome, but there was something about the way he carried himself, the ease with which he spoke, and the sense of calmness within him, which made her want to trust him.

"My name is Evander. You don't remember me do you?"

She shook her head. "I . . . I don't understand."

"I suppose if I tell you my story, you will," he sighed, taking a seat by the tree. "There will be a man and a woman, and they will ask you to let them go. You won't think twice about it. In time, there will be another man and he will do the same thing. The third will simply pick up the other two and toss them into the air. Do you understand? That will happen three times, and every time you will allow it to. The fourth time, though . . . the fourth man will try something different. When you finally turn your back on the world and decide to stop fighting . . ." His smile faded, but his eyes remained serious as he spoke. "That's when he will strike."

She sat still, the world fading away around her. He was saying things that made sense, but she couldn't put them together. Someone else was asking her to let her father die? How could he possibly know that? Why would she ever agree to such a terrible thing? But how could she explain? She didn't have the words—no one did. And yet, for some reason, he had been there in her dream. Perhaps they were just dreams after all.

"You understand now?" he asked. "I" ve begun to explain the simplest part of what I" ve learned. Of course, my father got farther . . ."

He frowned and stared at the ground. She wondered if she should continue, or leave him alone to wander the forest. Without waiting for an answer, however, he spoke again.

"There is someone who needs your help. A girl, a mage, like yourself. Her name is Rissa. You can meet her soon . . . even today." He paused, frowning. "Why did you not tell me before?"

For once, she found herself unable to say anything. All the questions that had been rolling around inside her mind suddenly seemed very trivial, and she couldn't make the right words come out.

Evander took a deep breath. "Well, do you want to talk about it? We still have time. Or perhaps we don't." He stood up, stretching his legs beneath the grey sky. "Regardless, I do believe you have someone you must speak with first."

Celene couldn't think of anyone who might need her help, though her head began to spin as she considered everything Evander had said. Did she have someone like him? Was there a mage out there, like her? Someone who could show her the way back into reality? As she stared blankly at the trees, the sound of a twig snapping from behind her came rushing towards her, and she turned to see a shadow moving through the foliage. She tensed, but when it moved closer, she recognised the face.

It was Roxy. The girl had walked silently, keeping pace with the tree in front of her, and now her pale blonde hair shined in the morning light. For a moment, Celene wanted to call out, to see whether Roxy needed any help. Then she remembered what Evander had told her. This isn't real. It could never be real. But what did that mean, exactly?

Roxy continued walking, and for a moment, it looked as if she would walk straight through Celene. For all she knew, this was nothing more than another dream, a part of her imagination that she couldn't quite understand yet. And then she saw what she wanted to see. Rissa appeared from behind the tree, her hand held out to stop the others. In an instant, Celene"s mind went to that of a girl who had lost everything she cared about—all the people she loved. She felt the desperate need to talk to her father, to hold on to his strength as long as she could, before the sword changed them both forever.

She woke from the dream with a shudder, remembering everything. She had no memory of lying beside her father, but she was sure he had done it. It had been what happened after that, however, that was the problem. It must have been a dream, she decided as she got out of bed. She had simply given in to one of those dreams when she should have been asleep. It made sense; she didn't trust her thoughts anyway. There was only so much she could understand while she slept.

She stood and started walking down the stairs, feeling tired, though she couldn't be sure why. It was more likely she hadn't had enough sleep than anything else. Once she reached the bottom, she stepped outside and glanced around. The sun had just begun to rise, painting the sky in the same vibrant shades of orange it would for days to come. She felt no fear at the prospect, instead feeling that life could not get any better. Celene smiled as she looked up towards the sky, taking pleasure in the simple beauty of a new day. She decided then and there that it was time to start rebuilding the city, to take her father"s place. This couldn't be the end. Not for her, or for anyone else. She closed her eyes, imagining herself standing over her father, watching her take his place.