Page 109 of Trials of Dusk and Dreams
“You know,” Miguel sighs, his eyes reflecting the flames, “as much as I appreciate being alive again, I can’t help but wonder if it would’ve been better to stay frozen.”
Becky winces, her face a mask of barely concealed pain. “I keep thinking about my kids,” she says.
“You have children?” Lena gasps. “Where are they? Wait. Are they . . . even alive?”
My gaze catches Becky’s across the campfire. Once filled with suspicion and fear, her eyes now hold gratitude and uncertainty.
She answers, “We were separated after we awoke in Avorlorna, so I don’t know.”
Her voice breaks on the last word. I guess because it’s true. Even though we saw her children yesterday, anything can happen to them.
“Or worse,” Maggie chimes in, her tone bitter, “what if they’re in that subterranean hellhole beneath us?”
Colin tosses his empty bowl at her. “Read the room, Maggie.”
She gives Becky a guilty look. I stare mindlessly at my bowl, guilt coiling in my stomach like a serpent.
Geraldine clears her throat. “Come on, you lot. It’s not all bad, is it? We’re alive, aren’t we? And we’ve got each other.”
Max nods enthusiastically, though I can see the strain in his smile. “Geraldine’s right. We’ve got to focus on the positives. We’re in a magical realm! Who would have imagined that?”
“You were both Nothings a few weeks ago,” Becky reminds them, acid in her voice. “Have you forgotten already how you were almost down below, too? Luck can change in an instant.”
I know my friends were trying to lift the mood, to defend me without revealing my secret. But their words ring hollow against the weight of the other’s loss.
Colin leans in, his voice low but carrying clearly in the night air. “I overheard something interesting earlier. Lord Ignarius was talking to Lord Styx.”
The group falls silent, all eyes on Colin.
“What did you hear?” Ji-soo asks, her curiosity piqued.
His brow furrows. “Lord Ignarius said Legion was wrong to think Titania’s power is waning just because the watergates are thawing.”
“What does that mean?” Sarah interjects.
“Well, here’s the kicker,” Colin continues, his voice dropping even lower. “Ignarius said Titania was never strong enough to wake the dead in the first place. She can only make us slumber, dream.”
A murmur ripples through the group. I feel my heart begin to race, my palms growing clammy.
“But if Titania didn’t wake us . . .” Miguel trails off, the implications hanging heavy in the air.
“Then who did?” Maggie asks, her eyes narrowing.
The silence that follows is deafening.
Finally, Becky breaks the silence. “Whoever it was, if I win the trials, I’ll wish that person dead. Life has been nothing but heartache since we woke.”
The words pierce me like a dagger, twisting in my gut. I struggle to keep my face neutral, desperately trying not to let the horror and guilt show in my eyes. This secret, this burden I carry, isn’t just a ticking time bomb anymore—it’s a wildfire, ready to consume everything I’ve built here. And when it explodes, the fallout will be more than devastating. It will be apocalyptic.
My mind races with terrifying possibilities. They’ll all hate me. No, it’s worse than that. They’ll want me dead. The very people I’ve come to care for, to protect, will turn on me instantly if they know the truth. The warmth of their companionship suddenly feels like ash in my mouth.
Bodin ducks out of his tent, his broad shoulders stretching the canvas as he emerges. He calls me over, his deep voice carrying across the camp. I’m grateful for the distraction, anything to pull me away from the murderous wishes being casually tossed around the fire.
“After I speak with him, I’ll take the first watch,” I tell Geraldine, my voice low, trying to keep the tremor out. I place my empty bowl in her offered hand.
“Good.” She smiles at Max, where he’s drawing something in the dirt and explaining to Colin. I catch random words like “force” and “saber.” The young boy’s face is rapt with attention. I think they’re discussing a famous battle.
“Tonight’s the night I’m making my move,” Geraldine says quietly, a mix of excitement and nervousness in her voice, “and I need to build up my confidence first.”
