Chapter 53
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In the Veil, Isilla shifted through the dreamers in the space above, searching for the Udane's familiar signature. The darktellers were buried under other dreams, hidden in the ebb and flow of other's fears and desires. She found the woman pinpointing her and dropping into the space.
Piles of garbage met her, larger than anything could be in the waking world. Mountains of trash that towered over her head. She walked down the path, Ilun trailing behind her. Rats and cockroaches crawled over everything and puddles of noxious liquid covered the ground. She stepped around them following the familiar thread.
As Mireia had been, Udane simply sat on an upturned barrel, observing the dreamer as they played out their own nightmare. As before, she resisted the urge to change anything, pulling back the long threads of light that rose to change, to create more of itself.
"Hello, dreamweaver," the old woman said, her voice pleasant as she turned to face her.
"Hello, Udane," Isilla replied, nodding her head slightly in greeting.
"Aseir told me that you had spoken to him, that your husband may know the place where we are held," the woman said slowly. "I assume that is why you have sought me out today."
"Yes," she said taking a seat next to her on a crate.
"And did you speak to your husband? About us? About his dream?" she asked.
"No," Isilla answered honestly. "There wasn't time."
"And will you make time, Princess? There is a change, in the Veil. I can feel it, the energy has shifted, become more stable."
Isilla nodded, "Yes, but that does not mean I will abandon you. I told Aseir that I would find you as well."
"So what is it that you need from me? There is nothing I can tell you about where we are held. The king, at the time, strangled me until I passed out. I was brought to where we are now. The others were drugged or made to wear hoods. All I can tell you is that we are near the palace, perhaps in the city itself, perhaps in the wood. That is all I can say."
"No, it is not that," Isilla said slowly. "It is my husband. Did you know Arren?"
She tilted her head. "There were many people who came to where we are held. Many of them died there. Some of our captors have children that came with them. Some poor children were made to work but no princes were ever held with us."
"How do you know?" she asked.
She smiled sadly, "You say Ero is king now?"
Isilla nodded.
"How is he? Does he seem well?"
Isilla frowned, unsure of how to respond. "He is," she started, "well. I suppose. He seemed very healthy the few times I've met him."
"Does he," the woman started pausing, considering her words, "does he seem to have control of his darkness? Can you see it in his eyes?"
Isilla nodded, "I don't know how much control he has, I think he wants people to see it. Yes, you can see it in his eyes. He seems very strong."
"Ah," the old woman said. "That is too bad. His father would be proud. And the sons, what of them?"
"Lehan seems to be less powerful than Arren. Arren's darkness spills from him but he keeps it from his eyes."
"Then your husband has both power and control. That is good," she said softly. "It means that he is unlikely to hurt you. What of Eros wife? Have you met her?"
Isilla shook her head, "No. Now that you've mentioned it, I don't know what became of the queen. I assumed she had passed but no one speaks of her. Arren only mentioned his mother once."
"How interesting," the woman replied. "When I was still in the palace, the Queen was very important. I said that it was Ero's father, Luken, who had us put away and that is true, in that he gave the order but he did so at the behest of his wife, Queen Eider."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand why that is significant to your situation," Isilla said. "Regardless of who holds you, I will release you."
"It is significant because it is the working the Crown. Something that you should be familiar with or you will not survive it. Do not count on your husband to protect you from everything. His father, his brother, they will want to keep their power central and your husband, if he is not does not fight for that space, he will be destroyed by them. Because he is strong and it seems that he cares for something other than the crown."
Isilla nodded, "Thank you for the warning."
"It is not much," the woman replied. "But when you have outlived your usefulness, they will dispose of you, just as Ero did to whoever birthed his children."
"How do you know that she was disposed of? She may have passed on her own, or even left the castle all together. I do not get the impression that King Ero is easy to get along with," Isilla said.
"It is a feeling," Udane said. "The intuition of a very old woman."
"Then I will heed it," Isilla responded.
"You think your prince is different. Why?" Udane asked.
Isilla smiled gently. "It is complicated. When I met him I thought he was a monster, like his brother, but he had written me all of these letters that showed this other side of him. And he's begun to show that side more and more."
"You give your trust for a few pretty words?" Udane asked, a dismissive sound in her throat.
"No, he is like that here too, that secret side of him. I can take you to him, the next time he is asleep and you can decide for yourself if he is good or not," she said.
The old woman sighed, seeming to consider something beyond the nightmare before speaking again. "There was a boy, once. Long ago. He was not like us but he stayed for perhaps five or six years in the dark with us. His name was not Arren, it was Nik. He was a very small thing, frail. They told us to give him nightmares, me and the others who still lived then, before the young ones' time. We did not and they took him back."
Isilla tried to imagine Arren as a child, his height and broad build shrunk down into something small. The boy did not sound like he could be the same child. "Could you find him now, in the dreaming?"
"I never tried," Udane said simply. "It was enough that he was no longer in the dark with us."
"You must have cared for him," Isilla said.
"He reminded me of my own little boy," she said.
Isilla looked at her curiously but the woman did not seem to want to speak anymore of on the matter of the child.
"There is a ball," Isilla said suddenly. "It is to celebrate my wedding. There are people from my realm here. All of this will be over in three days. I will ask Arren then and if he cannot help me then I will be well enough to act on my own at that point. Please tell the others."
Udane nodded. "That is more than anyone else has ever promised us. We are counting on you, Princess."
"Just, Isilla. My name is Isilla," she corrected.
The old woman smiled, "Isilla then."
Isilla smiled and opened her mouth to respond when the numbness of waking washed over her, her eyes opening in the waking world.
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In the Veil, Isilla shifted through the dreamers in the space above, searching for the Udane's familiar signature. The darktellers were buried under other dreams, hidden in the ebb and flow of other's fears and desires. She found the woman pinpointing her and dropping into the space.
Piles of garbage met her, larger than anything could be in the waking world. Mountains of trash that towered over her head. She walked down the path, Ilun trailing behind her. Rats and cockroaches crawled over everything and puddles of noxious liquid covered the ground. She stepped around them following the familiar thread.
As Mireia had been, Udane simply sat on an upturned barrel, observing the dreamer as they played out their own nightmare. As before, she resisted the urge to change anything, pulling back the long threads of light that rose to change, to create more of itself.
"Hello, dreamweaver," the old woman said, her voice pleasant as she turned to face her.
"Hello, Udane," Isilla replied, nodding her head slightly in greeting.
"Aseir told me that you had spoken to him, that your husband may know the place where we are held," the woman said slowly. "I assume that is why you have sought me out today."
"Yes," she said taking a seat next to her on a crate.
"And did you speak to your husband? About us? About his dream?" she asked.
"No," Isilla answered honestly. "There wasn't time."
"And will you make time, Princess? There is a change, in the Veil. I can feel it, the energy has shifted, become more stable."
Isilla nodded, "Yes, but that does not mean I will abandon you. I told Aseir that I would find you as well."
"So what is it that you need from me? There is nothing I can tell you about where we are held. The king, at the time, strangled me until I passed out. I was brought to where we are now. The others were drugged or made to wear hoods. All I can tell you is that we are near the palace, perhaps in the city itself, perhaps in the wood. That is all I can say."
"No, it is not that," Isilla said slowly. "It is my husband. Did you know Arren?"
She tilted her head. "There were many people who came to where we are held. Many of them died there. Some of our captors have children that came with them. Some poor children were made to work but no princes were ever held with us."
"How do you know?" she asked.
She smiled sadly, "You say Ero is king now?"
Isilla nodded.
"How is he? Does he seem well?"
Isilla frowned, unsure of how to respond. "He is," she started, "well. I suppose. He seemed very healthy the few times I've met him."
"Does he," the woman started pausing, considering her words, "does he seem to have control of his darkness? Can you see it in his eyes?"
Isilla nodded, "I don't know how much control he has, I think he wants people to see it. Yes, you can see it in his eyes. He seems very strong."
"Ah," the old woman said. "That is too bad. His father would be proud. And the sons, what of them?"
"Lehan seems to be less powerful than Arren. Arren's darkness spills from him but he keeps it from his eyes."
"Then your husband has both power and control. That is good," she said softly. "It means that he is unlikely to hurt you. What of Eros wife? Have you met her?"
Isilla shook her head, "No. Now that you've mentioned it, I don't know what became of the queen. I assumed she had passed but no one speaks of her. Arren only mentioned his mother once."
"How interesting," the woman replied. "When I was still in the palace, the Queen was very important. I said that it was Ero's father, Luken, who had us put away and that is true, in that he gave the order but he did so at the behest of his wife, Queen Eider."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand why that is significant to your situation," Isilla said. "Regardless of who holds you, I will release you."
"It is significant because it is the working the Crown. Something that you should be familiar with or you will not survive it. Do not count on your husband to protect you from everything. His father, his brother, they will want to keep their power central and your husband, if he is not does not fight for that space, he will be destroyed by them. Because he is strong and it seems that he cares for something other than the crown."
Isilla nodded, "Thank you for the warning."
"It is not much," the woman replied. "But when you have outlived your usefulness, they will dispose of you, just as Ero did to whoever birthed his children."
"How do you know that she was disposed of? She may have passed on her own, or even left the castle all together. I do not get the impression that King Ero is easy to get along with," Isilla said.
"It is a feeling," Udane said. "The intuition of a very old woman."
"Then I will heed it," Isilla responded.
"You think your prince is different. Why?" Udane asked.
Isilla smiled gently. "It is complicated. When I met him I thought he was a monster, like his brother, but he had written me all of these letters that showed this other side of him. And he's begun to show that side more and more."
"You give your trust for a few pretty words?" Udane asked, a dismissive sound in her throat.
"No, he is like that here too, that secret side of him. I can take you to him, the next time he is asleep and you can decide for yourself if he is good or not," she said.
The old woman sighed, seeming to consider something beyond the nightmare before speaking again. "There was a boy, once. Long ago. He was not like us but he stayed for perhaps five or six years in the dark with us. His name was not Arren, it was Nik. He was a very small thing, frail. They told us to give him nightmares, me and the others who still lived then, before the young ones' time. We did not and they took him back."
Isilla tried to imagine Arren as a child, his height and broad build shrunk down into something small. The boy did not sound like he could be the same child. "Could you find him now, in the dreaming?"
"I never tried," Udane said simply. "It was enough that he was no longer in the dark with us."
"You must have cared for him," Isilla said.
"He reminded me of my own little boy," she said.
Isilla looked at her curiously but the woman did not seem to want to speak anymore of on the matter of the child.
"There is a ball," Isilla said suddenly. "It is to celebrate my wedding. There are people from my realm here. All of this will be over in three days. I will ask Arren then and if he cannot help me then I will be well enough to act on my own at that point. Please tell the others."
Udane nodded. "That is more than anyone else has ever promised us. We are counting on you, Princess."
"Just, Isilla. My name is Isilla," she corrected.
The old woman smiled, "Isilla then."
Isilla smiled and opened her mouth to respond when the numbness of waking washed over her, her eyes opening in the waking world.
In the Veil, Isilla shifted through the dreamers in the space above, searching for the Udane's familiar signature. The darktellers were buried under other dreams, hidden in the ebb and flow of other's fears and desires. She found the woman pinpointing her and dropping into the space.Piles of garbage met her, larger than anything could be in the waking world. Mountains of trash that towered over her head. She walked down the path, Ilun trailing behind her. Rats and cockroaches crawled over everything and puddles of noxious liquid covered the ground. She stepped around them following the familiar thread.As Mireia had been, Udane simply sat on an upturned barrel, observing the dreamer as they played out their own nightmare. As before, she resisted the urge to change anything, pulling back the long threads of light that rose to change, to create more of itself."Hello, dreamweaver," the old woman said, her voice pleasant as she turned to face her."Hello, Udane," Isilla replied, nodding her head slightly in greeting."Aseir told me that you had spoken to him, that your husband may know the place where we are held," the woman said slowly. "I assume that is why you have sought me out today.""Yes," she said taking a seat next to her on a crate."And did you speak to your husband? About us? About his dream?" she asked."No," Isilla answered honestly. "There wasn't time.""And will you make time, Princess? There is a change, in the Veil. I can feel it, the energy has shifted, become more stable."Isilla nodded, "Yes, but that does not mean I will abandon you. I told Aseir that I would find you as well.""So what is it that you need from me? There is nothing I can tell you about where we are held. The king, at the time, strangled me until I passed out. I was brought to where we are now. The others were drugged or made to wear hoods. All I can tell you is that we are near the palace, perhaps in the city itself, perhaps in the wood. That is all I can say.""No, it is not that," Isilla said slowly. "It is my husband. Did you know Arren?"She tilted her head. "There were many people who came to where we are held. Many of them died there. Some of our captors have children that came with them. Some poor children were made to work but no princes were ever held with us.""How do you know?" she asked.She smiled sadly, "You say Ero is king now?"Isilla nodded."How is he? Does he seem well?"Isilla frowned, unsure of how to respond. "He is," she started, "well. I suppose. He seemed very healthy the few times I've met him.""Does he," the woman started pausing, considering her words, "does he seem to have control of his darkness? Can you see it in his eyes?"Isilla nodded, "I don't know how much control he has, I think he wants people to see it. Yes, you can see it in his eyes. He seems very strong.""Ah," the old woman said. "That is too bad. His father would be proud. And the sons, what of them?""Lehan seems to be less powerful than Arren. Arren's darkness spills from him but he keeps it from his eyes.""Then your husband has both power and control. That is good," she said softly. "It means that he is unlikely to hurt you. What of Eros wife? Have you met her?"Isilla shook her head, "No. Now that you've mentioned it, I don't know what became of the queen. I assumed she had passed but no one speaks of her. Arren only mentioned his mother once.""How interesting," the woman replied. "When I was still in the palace, the Queen was very important. I said that it was Ero's father, Luken, who had us put away and that is true, in that he gave the order but he did so at the behest of his wife, Queen Eider.""I'm sorry, I don't understand why that is significant to your situation," Isilla said. "Regardless of who holds you, I will release you.""It is significant because it is the working the Crown. Something that you should be familiar with or you will not survive it. Do not count on your husband to protect you from everything. His father, his brother, they will want to keep their power central and your husband, if he is not does not fight for that space, he will be destroyed by them. Because he is strong and it seems that he cares for something other than the crown."Isilla nodded, "Thank you for the warning.""It is not much," the woman replied. "But when you have outlived your usefulness, they will dispose of you, just as Ero did to whoever birthed his children.""How do you know that she was disposed of? She may have passed on her own, or even left the castle all together. I do not get the impression that King Ero is easy to get along with," Isilla said."It is a feeling," Udane said. "The intuition of a very old woman.""Then I will heed it," Isilla responded."You think your prince is different. Why?" Udane asked.Isilla smiled gently. "It is complicated. When I met him I thought he was a monster, like his brother, but he had written me all of these letters that showed this other side of him. And he's begun to show that side more and more.""You give your trust for a few pretty words?" Udane asked, a dismissive sound in her throat."No, he is like that here too, that secret side of him. I can take you to him, the next time he is asleep and you can decide for yourself if he is good or not," she said.The old woman sighed, seeming to consider something beyond the nightmare before speaking again. "There was a boy, once. Long ago. He was not like us but he stayed for perhaps five or six years in the dark with us. His name was not Arren, it was Nik. He was a very small thing, frail. They told us to give him nightmares, me and the others who still lived then, before the young ones' time. We did not and they took him back."Isilla tried to imagine Arren as a child, his height and broad build shrunk down into something small. The boy did not sound like he could be the same child. "Could you find him now, in the dreaming?""I never tried," Udane said simply. "It was enough that he was no longer in the dark with us.""You must have cared for him," Isilla said."He reminded me of my own little boy," she said.Isilla looked at her curiously but the woman did not seem to want to speak anymore of on the matter of the child."There is a ball," Isilla said suddenly. "It is to celebrate my wedding. There are people from my realm here. All of this will be over in three days. I will ask Arren then and if he cannot help me then I will be well enough to act on my own at that point. Please tell the others."Udane nodded. "That is more than anyone else has ever promised us. We are counting on you, Princess.""Just, Isilla. My name is Isilla," she corrected.The old woman smiled, "Isilla then."Isilla smiled and opened her mouth to respond when the numbness of waking washed over her, her eyes opening in the waking world.
