“Damn it all to hell!” Eurynome shouted, slamming his fist against the stone wall. “We finally have a reason to hold this bastard and Adramelech interferes!”

  Stolas unchained Ipos with a careless look. “There isn’t much we can do about it. None of us have the power to defy him,” he looked over his shoulder at Keshiema, “yet.”

  Ipos walked to the door. He was obviously in pain, but was doing his best to hide it. “If I wanted you dead Keshiema, it would have been done already.”

  “Anything you have to say, you can say it out loud.” Ayperos responded.

  “I’ll see you around ‘Little Sparrow,’ probably sooner than you think.”

  Stolas was ready to attack, but if Ipos never arrived, his father would likely come himself. “Our mother may have been fond of you, Ipos, but that was a long time ago and things have changed. I don’t trust you and if I catch you near my sister it won’t matter what Adramelech wants.”

  They all watched helplessly as Adramelech's messenger led Ipos away.

  “I don’t get it.” They all turned to look at Keshiema. “Ayperos, if you know he’s using telepathy, can’t you just relay what he's saying? Why get so upset?”

  “There are limits to our connection, Kesh. I don’t know what he's saying; just that he’s saying it.”

  “I see.” “But you can clearly read my thoughts, can’t you tap into what I’m hearing?” She did not want to get Ayperos in trouble by letting Stolas know he had been reading her mind earlier.

  “That trick only works for sounds originating outside the mind, I’m afraid.”

  Stolas set his hand on Keshiema's shoulder and spoke sternly. “The both of you go to the dining hall; I need to speak with my sister.”

  Eurynome glanced at Keshiema apologetically as he followed Ayperos out of the room. She tried to reach out to his thoughts, but was met with a headache. ‘A mental wall?’

  “I'll walk with you. We'll talk on the way.” She started to follow obediently, but Stolas stopped after a few steps. “Keshiema, I consider you my equal, won’t you please walk next to me?”

  Closing the gap between them, she stood by his side, “Of course.” her heart thrummed and a heavy stone formed in her stomach. They walked in silence for a few minutes before the anticipation was too unbearable. “Um, Alex? You said you wanted to speak with me?”

  "Right," Stolas let out a heavy sigh. “I know you didn’t sneak off campus by yourself. You couldn’t have. The sentinels are placed too strategically for you to leave without being notice. Even with your speed, they'd have at least caught a glimpse of you." Stolas pleaded, shaking his head in defeat.

  "At first, I believed Damien had taken you, and was using the fog to make a getaway. You proved me wrong when you woke up and asked to see him. Surely you would not want to speak with your abductor so soon.”

  “Why would you think it was him in the first place?” She disliked the direction the conversation had taken.

  “He was seen on the roof above your dorm room last night. Sitting there, appearing to be waiting for something.”

  She had no words. ‘Was it when Dásos came to see me?’ She blushed at the thought of him.

  “Kesh, did you call for me?” Dásos asked from afar.

  “No, no, no.” she repsonded before thinking to herself, 'Just thinking about last night.' She blushed, her hair and eyes turning pink as her face got hot.

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  “What’s pink for?” Stolas asked, “I’ve not seen that color on you before.”

  “I’m not sure.” It was a lie; she knew exactly what pink meant. She cleared her head and grounded her thoughts to return to blue. “I didn’t sneak out with Damien last night.”

  “Then who did you leave with?”

  Unsure of a convincing lie, she did not answer him. It took every bit of her control to avoid turning gray. “Kesh you’re panicking. Are you sure you don’t need help?”

  “Hey, can you get out of my head for like five minutes!” Stolas stared at her, wide-eyed. "Oh shit."

  “Who’s been in your mind, Kesh? Hasn’t Ayperos taught you how to block others out? Unless…”

  “Well I don’t understand the full scope of it yet…”

  “Someone drank your blood. Blood you gave them.” Stolas’s crimson aura grew, buzzing and crackling like electricity. He went to no lengths to hide his anger. He placed his hand on her star, holding on to her head tightly. She tried to pull away, but something kept her from struggling. “Miskia" Stolas hissed.

  “Dásos, help me!” She reached out to him just before passing out.

  ***

  The world around her was swimming in a thick fog. She was home- the home of her early childhood. She looked at the stuffed polar bear she held at her side. “Glacier…” She knew she was forgetting something. A lifetime of memories felt like they were escaping her. Had she ever left? Had any time even passed? She looked at the house that stood unchanged. Her small hands felt weak. The trees towered around her. The loneliness bore down on her. “Hello?” she tried to yell, but her voice came out as barely more than a whisper. She clutched Glacier to her chest and tried not to panic. The tears welled up and started to overflow. Her golden brown hair cascaded around her as she fell to her knees. “Mommy? Daddy? Gramma? Papa? Liza? Arista? Somebody? Please help me…” she cried for what felt like hours. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. Why couldn’t he just let me join you? At least then I wouldn’t be so alone." She heard the crunch of gravel behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw a familiar face. “Do I know you?”

  “Aye, child, you know me. I’ve been trying to reach you for awhile now.”

  She stood and turned to face him. Still clutching her bear to her chest, she reached out one hand towards the familiar man. He took hold of it and stepped forward. He hugged her tightly. Soon, the fog lifted and the house disappeared.

  She was in a large clearing. The oak tree before it stood tall, towering over the other trees. She was awake now. Back to her normal self.

  She let Dásos hold her a bit longer. He waited until she pulled away, then held her at arm’s length and looked deep into her eyes. “Kesh, what was that back there? You’ve never mentioned such a horrible place in your journals. And those people you were calling? You had a family?”

  “A human family adopted me as a newborn. They were murdered when I was young. I sort of watched it happen.”

  “Kesh, I’m sorry.”

  “I’ve grown to accept it, I guess.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Kesh,” he gently brushed her hair away from her face. “The pain you felt in that realm was palpable, even without our connection.”

  “I know this place,” The familiarity was discomforting.

  “Mmm, every healer has a special connection to this tree.” He gestured to the massive oak tree.

  “No, I’ve been here. I can’t remember it, but I know I’ve been here. Many times.”

  “Ah, this is probably where that dream-walker brings you.”

  A hazy memory started to form, but the more she tried to think about it, the more her head would hurt. She gave up after a few moments.

  “Keshiema, what was going on in that dungeon? You were under quite a lot of stress. And for your own brother to use his most powerful magic on you.”

  “is that what happened? I can’t really remember it that well.”

  “Well it was a watered down version, meant to put you in a dream-like state. But it was still cruel.”

  “He wanted to know why I had snuck out and who I was with. I know you don’t want anyone to know you're around. I felt like I was trapped.”

  “Kesh, Stolas is a powerful demon. If he wanted to kill you... I’m sure he had no intentions of hurting you, but I don’t want you to put yourself in that kind of situation for me.”

  “Ayperos already knows you’ve been hanging out in the library. He figured out that I’ve been talking to you. And he knows I drank someone’s blood. And now Alex knows I gave my blood away. If they figure out it was you… I just don't want you to get hurt because of me.”

  “Well, I suppose it’s time we go."

  Dásos saw a question lingering in her eyes. “What do you know about the Elders? About Ipos?” his demon name felt odd to her.

  “You haven’t read that book yet. It has everything to satisfy your curiosity, Kesh; the history of the empire and of its royal families. If you want to know about the Elders and Ipos, I suggest you start there.”

  He was not going to give her answers; she knew pressing further would be pointless. “So, can I ask where we’re going now?”

  “I think it's about time I let them know I'm here. We are going straight to the throne room. By now I’m sure your brother is telling the others you’ve been kidnapped.”

  Keshiema took Dásos’s outstretched hand and prepared herself for the teleport.