A Breeding Darkness (Complete)

(23)

Lucy unhooked the latch of the tea box, and flipped the golden lid open.

And almost slammed it right back on.

The scent of fresh rain wafted up from the dried flower buds within the box, immediately revealing their identity to any Dreamwalker.

Dawn Briar.

Lucy held herself still, forcing herself not to whip around and seek out Bijal. It would only draw the attention of the Dreamwalkers and perhaps lead them to wonder why the smell of rain was filling the room when the night outside was calm.

Instead, Lucy quickly pulled out two buds, dropping them in the water along with the orange leaves from Camila. She picked up two more, dropping them into her pocket, and quickly closed the golden box on the tell-tale scent. As she waited for the tea to steep, she wondered how Bijal had gotten her hands on that much Dawn Briar. It was rarer than its sister, Sleep Briar, and so it cost much more to obtain. The delicate buds, once consumed, would wake anyone up from sleep or even a deep faint. It was useful for Dreamwalkers who needed to enter and exit Zerkalo many times a day without wanting to feel the pain of slicing their palms every single time. No wonder Alisdair could move between the worlds so frequently, if his manager could offer him such aids.

Bijal continued to chat with the other Dreamwalkers until Lucy was finished with the tea, and then she walked over to help pour them out into the cups provided by the other Dreamwalkers. Bijal pressed close, keeping her voice low.

"We'll see if my hunch was right," she said. "It should start to show in around a minute if I'm correct."

Lucy held her breath as she passed out the cups, hoping no one would be paying attention enough to smell the hint of the Dawn Briar beneath the scent of the orange tea. Gregor drank his tea, talking to Saul about the plight of the agriculture under the darkness, and Camila daintily sipped on her teacup while staring out the slatted windows. Soon Saul drank his, and Alisdair drained his within a few seconds. Morrigan was last, taking a gulp while glancing at her son's blanket on her bed.

It was agony waiting to see what would happen. The Dreamwalkers continued to talk in their strange new way of placidity and calmness, not seemingly bothered by the Dawn Briar. Lucy glanced at Bijal, her gaze asking what they should do if this failed.

Bijal shrugged and shook her head. There was no plan beyond this.

Gregor exhaled sharply and frowned. "Why are we trapped here if we've done nothing wrong?" he asked.

Alisdair nodded. "I've been wondering the same thing. Who does Koshmar think he is, capturing innocent citizens and putting them under house arrest?"

Morrigan scowled. "He drags me away from my son and does nothing to take care of him in my absence."

"And he's completely ruined my business," Saul said. "All his talk about the Findings being tainted will surely make it impossible to sell them even if he lets us go back in to Zerkalo one day."

Lucy nearly burst into laughter at the sound of their grumbling. She spun to see a small smile tugging at the corners of Bijal's mouth. They couldn't say anything, but Bijal's glittering eyes said it all. The plan had worked. The Dreamwalkers were back to themselves, and they were more likely to fight for their rights now.

"If we weren't under armed guard, I'd leave right now," Alisdair said. "I'm not a prisoner to be ordered around by Koshmar."

Bijal patted Alisdair fondly on the back and Lucy grinned at him.

"Good to have you back to complaining," Lucy said.

Alisdair's brow wrinkled. "What are you talking about?" He scoffed. "You're far more of a complainer than I could even dream to be, Shubin."

Lucy rolled her eyes but let it go. Alisdair continued his conversation with Gregor and Saul, and the three of them began to drift away toward their own rooms. Their voices grew dimmer as they walked further away, and Lucy edged near to Bijal.

"Shouldn't we ask them about what happened?" she asked.

Bijal shook her head. "We still have no idea what it was. They seemed to be stuck in a living dream, but how or why are a mystery." She took the box back from Lucy's hand and tucked it into one of her large pockets. "For now, I think we should keep this quiet, just in case."

Lucy nodded, even though she wished she didn't have to think of her fellow Dreamwalkers in such a cynical way. Whatever had happened to them, the Dawn Briar had brought them back to themselves.

Bijal left to her room, and Camila and Morrigan settled down to read and mend some clothing. Morrigan mumbled under her breath every bad thing onto Koshmar, and Lucy felt so glad to hear it.

##

Lucy didn't even realize when she fell asleep. Since she couldn't try to get to Zerkalo with the other Dreamwalkers in her room, and she had nothing else to do but stare at a wall, her eyes grew heavier and heavier until she slipped into a light sleep.

It had to be hours later when she bolted upright in her bed, her heart pounding and her ears straining. She glanced around, looking for a reason for these symptoms, but only saw their room, quiet and empty beyond Morrigan and Camila sleeping. The lanterns were dimmed to give off a soft glow, and nothing looked out of place.

There was no reason for Lucy to be staring at the shadows in terror.

No reason, that is, until the skittering began on the roof.

Lucy's gaze slammed upward as the sound of feet slithered across the wooden tiles. Nails clicked and something slid along behind the sound of the footfalls. It wasn't human. But it didn't sound like anything else Lucy could figure out. Too big for mice or a cat.

The skittering ran past their room and to the side of the building. Then it went silent.

Lucy jumped up, sliding on her boots and rushing out the door with her curls floating behind her. She ripped it open, stepping into the night air and looking upward to the edge of the roof. Only the carved idols looked back at her, squat and with arms up, holding the roof in place.

As she slowly turned to look out at the yard, she realized that the guards were missing. Her path stood open now. She could walk wherever she wanted and no one was there to see her. Of course, her options were narrowed by where the lanterns already hung on posts, but if she wanted to walk away, she could.

She was still deciding if she should sneak off somewhere to go to Joon in the dream world, when a black figure dashed by in her peripheral vision. She only processed that it was low to the ground and seemed like an animal, but when she moved to get a better look at it, it had already disappeared.