“Of course,” she said, looking around. “How else did you think I planned to accomplish something like this?”
“I …” He bit back the admission that he had never truly believed she could accomplish anything of substance. It had become suddenly and dramatically clear how wrong he’d been. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “You didn’t seem interested. And I suppose I assumed you would guess. None of this would be possible otherwise.”
“But your debut … this isn’t what you presented. Your display was …”
She arched a brow. “Weak? Uninteresting?”
“To be honest, yes. I don’t understand why your family would hide an ability so … impressive.”
A shadow flickered across her features, and she glanced away without answering. Evryn’s eyes widened with realization. “Wait. Your family is unaware as well?”
She nodded. “Only Petunia knows.”
“Why?”
Mariselle turned away slightly, her fingers idly tracing patterns in the air that left faint luminescent trails. “It’s a rare manifestation. Avaluablemanifestation. And in my family, valuable things tend to become … assets. Managed. Directed. Rarely by the one to whom they belong. I suppose I wanted the chance to shape it myself first—to prove I could. To have something that was mine before they decided what it ought to be. Perhaps then, I might have some say in the direction of my future.”
Evryn watched her quietly, turning her words over in his mind, each one revealing more than she perhaps intended, and yet still not quite enough.
They both looked up as a magnificent flower-shaped hot air balloon drifted overhead, its gossamer silk panels shimmering with pastel hues. Each petal displayed a living scene—children riding silver foxes, airborne dancers, and teacups floating on candyfloss waves. Music spiraled down around them as the enormous bloom began to open, its petals peeling back in elegant succession to reveal inner layers of light and glittering particles. With a luminous flourish, the flower fully unfurled, scattering stardust-like petals across the sky in a breathtaking display of color and light.
Mariselle’s laughter filled the air again. “Isn’t it truly spectacular?” She grasped his hand and squeezed, then let go, seemingly without noticing what she’d done. “Come, I want to show you more.” She stepped away, and Evryn stared at his open hand, half expecting to see some trace of the warmth she’d left behind.
He found himself following her, drawn by her evident delight in this world of her creation. She moved with the confident grace of someone in their natural element, occasionally gesturing to bring new wonders into being—a shower of glittering stars that fell around them before transforming into tiny singing birds, a bridge made of rainbow light that arched over a stream of flowing silver.
“We can actually do this,” he said faintly, reaching out to touch one of the crystal blooms. It chimed more loudly at his touch, and the galaxy within spun faster. “Dreamland can berealagain.”
Her smile contained a trace of bemusement this time. “Of course we can. I never doubted it.”
“But—wait. How are we—is the dream core not still sitting in Windsong Cottage?”
“No, I moved it back to its original position at the center of the pavilion.”
He stopped. “On your own?”
“Indeed, on my own. With magic. It was heavy, yes—as were you, I’ll have you know—but I managed.” She placed her hands on her hips, both brows arching. “I happen to be capable of a great many things, Rowanwood.”
“Yes, I’m beginning to realize that,” he answered quietly
As they wandered deeper into the dreamscape, Evryn’s gaze was drawn upward to where the impossible sky gave way to shifting clouds. Dark shapes moved there, undulating and coalescing like shadows of ink dropped in water.
“What might those be?” he asked, gesturing toward the roiling shadows.
Mariselle followed his gaze. “Oh. Nightmare entities, I imagine.”
“Nightmare entities?” He repeated, his tone carrying distinctly more alarm than hers.
“There’s no need to be concerned about them. I’ve constructed simple protective boundaries for now. While I’ve yet to perfect the art of weaving wards complex enough to permanently protect Dreamland, these modest defenses should keep such entities at bay during our brief visit.”
He turned back to her. “I recall you mentioning wards while working on the dream core with your cousin. Is this a skill related to your dream architect abilities?”
“No. Dream warding constitutes its own distinct magic. You may have heard of this type of ability in relation to the production of Dream-Bright Elixir? It’s an essential part of keeping nightmares at bay.”
“Ah.” Evryn had, of course, never paid the slightest attention to whatmight be contained within Dream-Bright Elixir. He angled his head then. “So you’ve manifested two distinct magical abilities?”
“I …” She trailed off, her expression becoming guarded, gaze drifting away from his scrutiny.
