Dream Weavers

Chapter Twenty

When Aline got up, she didn't even look to make sure it was the correct time. She couldn't sleep again. It wasn't a rare occurrence anymore, but it still bothered her.

Most of the time, the dreams consisted of Hain standing over her, taunting her with his hurtful words while Radin and others kicked at her until she bled. This time, though the same scene, there were two bodies next to her, staring at her with dead eyes. Valda and Sable.

Rubbing her arms, she tried to shake off the chills over her body and flicked on a lamp, filling her room with orange light. The calming sensation of the light made her feel better, made her feel like she wasn't so alone anymore. Her mother had given her the lamp as a present for one of her birthdays.

Brushing her hair with minimal effort, she reached over to grab her satchel dangling from its place on the drawer. The leather and the cool silver button was a gentle reminder that it had just been a nightmare and it wasn't reality. She rubbed at the leather, feeling the love Sylvie had embedded into it while stitching it for her.

It was like her anchor. Knowing that her sister had made this for her helped her stay happier. She had friends who cared for her--most of them did, anyway--and she had a loving family. That was good.

Aline slipped out of her clothing and into a new pair. She opened her window and crawled out, shutting it again. Her father would wake before she could make it back to the house unnoticed, as would her sister, but they knew that she wouldn't go anywhere without a good reason to.

The escort choosing technically didn't start until later, but she couldn't stay in that house any longer than she needed to. Aline hadn't thought to glance at the time, but from the color of ever-lightening sky above her, she figured that it was at least past curfew by an hour.

It was nice, being in a quiet kingdom for once. Sometimes everything just overwhelmed her, despite her bursting positivity she tried to put out. Aline thought of it as a peaceful, quiet time to just stare up at the sky with lights hanging overhead, casting shadows across the paths and houses nearby.

Aline fluttered out into the cobblestone pathway, looking up at the castle. She clutched her chest, trying to calm her heart. It gave her a strange feeling, unsure of how she felt while looking at the silhouetted castle that was usually bathed in light.

Shaking off the feeling, she turned her head over her shoulder to see if there was anything behind her. She had a strange feeling that something was lurking in the distance, stalking her in the shadows. Maybe it had been a bad idea to go alone. Clutching her satchel to find the resolve she didn't have, she started on her way and hoped that it was just paranoia in her veins and not someone behind her.

Halfway there and Aline began to feel calmer again, despite the obvious noise of someone's wings behind her. The brush of a tail against a house, the slight of a shadow before darting into an alley, the quiet huff they gave when Aline stopped to see how far away they were. They were doing quite a bad job of trailing her, and they knew it too.

They weren't malicious, Aline knew, because of the calming aura she was feeling around her. Like someone watching her to protect her, to make sure that she'd be safe. They weren't exactly being quiet, after all. They could easily just fly behind her.

"Hain."

A shuffling noise and she turned around, staring at Hain. He started back at her, halfway to another alley to hide into. He was dressed in a black cloak that tied overtop his clothing--something all the knights wore to keep themselves concealed in the hours before dawn.

Most of the time, knights in training were out in the early hours. The knights were disliked the task of staying awake for hours to make sure the kingdom was kept safe, so they shoved it aside to the newbies. No wonder why Aline barely saw the black-cloaked knights.