Book 3 Chapter 3

Willow awoke with a strangled scream, images of fiery figures fading from his mind as he fully parsed where he was, though his heart still hammered and his mind raced. It had been some time since this particular nightmare had plagued him, but he knew the steps that would help him get through the night.

The fire dream again? Eos asked in concern, but he simply replied with a quick hug, not trusting himself to speak or send his thoughts right now.

A quick cycle of qi and concept had her a little calmer and created distance from the version of herself that had killed five people.

She then did a quick walk about their camp, giving Rotter a pat and removing a piece of shed skin that they’d missed during his yearly rub down, which the big snake thanked her for with a fond flicker of his massive tongue.

Willow stretched her senses as far as she was able, and then let out a held breath. She was safe, she was strong, she would choose the path of peace next time.

She would be better than she was.

“Been a time since I last heard you have a night terror like that. Everything alright, Willow?” Miss Mu asked, her core a mix of heartfelt concern and burning curiosity. She’d noticed her mentor had awoken during her scan of the surroundings, so her approach wasn’t a surprise to her in the slightest.

Willow forced a smile on her face. “I’m fine. Probably just nerves from meeting the Wanderers soon.”

Miss Mu searched her face, likely taking note of the false smile. “Girlie, you’ve done all you can, and I’m sure the head’ll see reason. He’s a good man, and while he gets a wee bit odd about the fragments of balance, I’m sure he’ll see a kindred spirit in you.”

Willow was less confident than her mentor. She felt like she had merely scratched the surface of her capabilities over the years she trained. There was always another facet of using the qi types and concepts she had access to.

Another thing she had to consider in any given fight.

“I’m sure you’re right, Miss Mu.” She lied. “This whole thing will be as easy as a walk in a meadow.”

She didn’t mention that the meadow she was thinking of contained a beast king in it.

Miss Mu smirked. “Won’t be quite that easy, unfortunately, but that is a better mindset to have, rather than all that constant frettin’ you tend to do. The others will likely want a demonstration of your capabilities seein’ how you’re my apprentice, and some of them have odd senses of humour.”

Willow still didn’t like the sound of that, but she’d been warned about the potential for odd tasks and tests when she arrived long ago.

“Have you heard if anyone else has taken on an apprentice?” She asked for not the first time.

Mu shook her head. “None that I’ve heard of, but if I kept you mostly a secret before the gatherin’ then someone else might’ve done the same. Though I sincerely doubt any of the rest of them will be as impressive as you.”

Her mentor checked the sky, and let out a yawn. “But that’s enough talk of that for right now, aye? Should try to get some sleep before we need to hit the road again.”

Willow nodded, going back to her bedding and getting as comfortable as she could.

However, instead of sleeping, she went to Change’s void, gently tugging on her bonds as she went in case any of them wanted to join her.

Eos, Phoebe, and Xandra answered the call almost immediately, and Calypso popped in a little later, likely taking a bit to process what the tugging had meant. Meanwhile Andrea sent a sleepy grumble her way as a reply, their yin form too attuned to sleep and Dreams to to want to give up their prime time for the activity. As always, Change was in the center of his realm, giving her a wave, but seemingly preoccupied discussing something with his sister. They could be like that sometimes, and as always she let them have their private talks.

She wanted to trust her friends.

A fiery form tackled her projection in a hug upon her arrival to the white void, pulling her from her thoughts on the twins. She immediately returned the hug with a fond smile. Her little flame was so much bigger now, looking like a little girl made of flame and warmth while she was attuned to yin, and an excitable little boy with a corona of light when she was attuned to yang. Eos still hadn’t found a yin concept that appealed to her enough to commit to, but she was actively searching.

Are you feeling alright?You didn’t reply when I checked on you earlier.

Willow felt a pang of guilt. “I’m fine Eos, just had trouble with my words after the nightmare. Sorry for worrying you.”

Xandra waved using a projected form of Willow herself, with the occasional flicker of moments from her past reflecting on the surface of the mirror beneath. Willow liked to think she knew her metal spirit well, but there were still times that she worried they couldn’t properly communicate, and their continued lack of an ability to speak made her feel like this would be the permanent state of affairs between them.

Still, she returned the wave with a tired smile. Very tired, if the one returned to her by her friend was any indication. Xandra liked to reflect Willow’s current appearance, and if that reflection was anything to go by then she looked quite ragged right now. Which made sense, she liked getting her full night of sleep for a reason even if she was still an early riser.

Phoebe orbited around Willow and Eos, projecting calm concern. Her thoughtful stone had become somewhat more abstract than the majority of her friends. Their original body was now a bit bigger than her head and was orbited by two smaller stones and one slightly larger one. Moonlight shined from the many markings on their surface and something vaguely resembling a face was carved into the slightly larger orbiting stone.

And it was from this face that an ethereal voice spoke. “Should sleep. Quite late.”

Speech was still quite taxing for her earthen friend, as far as she could tell, so she was extra grateful for the concern they spared for her.

“Need to stay up a little longer, want to make sure I don’t return to that same dark dream.”

Technically she could use Andrea’s concept to guarantee such a thing, but her grandmother, her mentor, and Li Wanyu had all individually warned her of the dangers of relying on such a concept for sound sleep. There was apparently quite the catalogue of tales involving the misuse of similar concepts and the consequences thereof. None of them were pretty in their endings.

Even still she’d found herself tempted on occasion, though she had yet to succumb.

Little Calypso wibbled up to them, likely uncomprehending on why they were gathering so late at night, or possibly not even understanding that it was odd for them to do so. Willow was a little concerned by the water spirit’s lagging growth compared to the rest of her friends. They were gathering power just fine, their reserves and control were proof of that.

Yet their form was the same, and they were no closer to gaining a concept as far as she could tell.

She tried not to worry, everyone had their own pace for these things after all, but when the rest of her spirits had at least one concept to work with, it made her afraid that something had gone wrong with her little raindrop friend.

But she’d just have to trust that Calypso would figure their path out eventually.

For now she was happy to spend the night with her friends, distracting herself as best she could until she drifted back off into peaceful sleep.

Dark dreams did not disturb her any further that evening.