Aevum of Itero

Chapter 25

He had begun to wonder if accepting help from a fairy had been the wisest decision.

He particularly pondered this when he realized how long it had been since he had last dreamt of his Brenda.

Three weeks.

The same three weeks he had spent waiting to see if Brenda uttered any additional strange comments about priests and jailtime.

He thought Itero may have left information out of their last chat, like that he would lose his ability to dream of Brenda if he managed to get her back.

Brenda's locker combination in hand, Dylan opened her locker to retrieve Brenda's books for their next period.

Only to find Itero flitting about in the locker, waiting for him.

Dylan leapt thirty feet in the air.

"Fuck!" he said. "Dammit, Itero, I don't remember speaking Novelese today. Give me some kind of warning if you're gonna just show up like that."

Unbothered, Itero handed Dylan the books that Dylan had intended to retrieve.

"How'd you know?" asked Dylan, staring at the covers.

"Fairies know," said Itero. "I come bearing grave news."

"I swear, if Anteros is planning to evaporate Bren just after I finally got her back," Dylan began.

"We have received confirmation that Arís is the reason your Brenda has been experiencing the flashes of her past lives," said Itero.

Dylan thought it must have been nice to achieve Itero's level of calm, likely built after however many centuries fairies lived.

"Then you can just order Arís to leave Bren alone," said Dylan. "She doesn't need the flashes to prove to her why we should be together."

"Arís can only be controlled by Anteros," said Itero.

"Then pretend to be Anteros," said Dylan.

"A fairy cannot fake the appearance of a god."

"Is that why I can't dream of her anymore?"

Itero said there was only one reason that would prevent Dylan from conjuring up the past Brenda in his dreams.

"She has found love with another," said Itero.

"I was able to dream her up just fine, despite her claiming to love Monaghan," said Dylan.

"Brenda's marriage was lacking the sort of love you and she had. She must have found it with another."

"Brenda will never find what we have with someone else," said Dylan. "She can try. She can try to replicate it as many times as I did, with just as many people, but it won't happen. What we have can't be replicated. And thanks so much for telling me about my kid, by the way."

"Eros only informs us of pertinent information," said Itero. "I was unaware of your child with Brenda until you yourself were aware."

"I'll accept that," said Dylan, though he did so grudgingly.

"There is more," said Itero.

The fairies had discovered two Brendas out of their time. Other Brendas would perhaps experience a similar situation if the two Brendas were not placed back in their correct time.

"Has there been any indication from the Brenda of your past that she may not be in your past?" asked Itero.

"If there has, it's slipped away from me the second we've woken up or the connection has been temporarily severed," said Dylan. "Are you saying Bren and our kid may be lost in time?"