Page 106 of Dreams and Dragon Wings
I do not know why my mind insists on returning to this nightmare every time I fall asleep, but so long as dream Bene continues to appear, I will not complain.
“Bene!”
My steps falter, and suddenly the corridor is gone. Instead, there is only the clearing. Instead, there is only Bene.
I stumble straight into his arms.
Fear and anger war on my dragon king’s face as he steps in close and cups my face with his hands. “You must run, Na’therya,” he whispers before I have a chance to speak, his voice low and husky. “You must leave this place. Leave me. Leave my aunties. Save yourself before it is too late. Cut off your chains if you have to. Crawl if you must. Just leave.”
I blink in confusion, shaking my head. Why is my mind encouraging me to be so selfish? I could never leave without them.
“But I can’t,” I insist. “Not without you.”
“Naei.” His brow presses to mine. His arms wrap around my waist. “Naei,” he exhales, holding me close, leaving me trembling within his embrace. “Leave me, selira feyra. I beg you. I would rather you live. Malice will kill you tonight no matter what you do. Don’t you understand? He wants your gift, nothing more.”
Excitement trills through me. This is it.
My opportunity to obtain the final piece of the puzzle I am missing.
“But what is my gift?” I ask.
That question hangs between me and Bene for a moment before he sighs and pulls away just enough to look me in the eye. Guilt writes itself across his features.
Guilt and shame.
“When the Great Weaver created the Jewels, He bestowed on them each a gift—a gift they were free to share with whomeverthey deemed worthy.” Almost reluctantly, he reveals, “A gift of life.”
A million questions spark to life, far more questions than there are surely time for answers. But I remain silent, just letting my subconscious speak. Perhaps I read about this once in my Drakaran history tome.
“It is not immortality per se, but a longer-lived existence. The equivalent of an extra lifetime—a hundred years give or take.”
I make a face. “But why would anyone want that? To live while their friends and family die around them?”
“It was often bestowed on those who felt they might have wasted their first life and needed a second chance. Or on a great ruler who was deemed worthy of living beyond normal years.” After a moment, Bene further reveals, “Sometimes, the Jewel would even… share the gift with their spouse.”
I freeze, staring at my dragon king.
He winces, the words clearly paining him. “In the times before the first Jewel War, it was considered… very desirable to take a Jewel for a bonded mate, in the hopes they might share their gift.”
Slowly, I ask, “But Jewels were never taken for a Therya’kai?”
I was under the impression that I was supposed to be special in some way in that regard.
Dream Bene shakes his head. “No,” he whispers. “It was always believed only a dragoness could be a Therya’kai until your mother came with her prophecy and informed the world otherwise.” He swallows visibly. “But that was long after the Jewel War. After your people retreated from the world to save themselves. There used to be great shields of Spirit and Mind surrounding the Vale, hiding it from all others, you see.”
My mind races. My breath hitches. I stumble out of dream Bene’s arms.
How do I know all of this?
Bene pursues me as I hurry away from him, my gaze skimming about the garden in which we stand. I see now that it is a garden, not a clearing. A garden I recognize despite its grotesque proportions.
It is mine and Mama’s garden from our little cottage in the woods.
Chapter 34
Benevolence
My throat tightens as she flees from me. I should have told her this before, back in Spindleton.
