Chapter 6
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
She awoke in the Veil. The lavender sky, dotted with white clouds floated above her, the tile of the court yard firm under her hands. She pushed herself up, looking down at her dress, pleased to see the familiar wrapping of cloth, like ribbons over her body. She often wondered how the Veil chose to dress her, why only she appeared in such strange garments when dreamers so often showed up in their everyday clothing or nothing at all.
"The flowers are gone," she said frowning. Her courtyard always held flowers, sturdy things made to survive the desert sand and heat. She held her fingers out to an empty pot, twisting the dream energy into the correct form, willing it to flow and over the rest of the courtyard, coming to life in a way. Soon she was surrounded by heavy flowers and leaves, an oasis that matched the real one in her home.
"This is as close as I'll get to that ever again," she said sadly.
She began walking through the courtyard, her steps making small sounds on the pavement as the path unfurled adding more than ever existed in the reality of the small space. Here in the Veil, she could make it so the courtyard never ended. The clouds moved slowly overhead, fountains bubbled and begged for her to sit at them but she ignored the scenery, focusing on her own uncertain future.
"What does he want from me? What is to be expected? Gods I wish my maids were more knowledgeable about this! Or the ones from tonight had said more than just, nothing!" she stopped and sighed, stepping up, a delicate spiral staircase forming under her feet. The building created itself as she climbed, a platform made of glass and air, high enough to see her kingdom without boundaries.
The space she could see was always as large or as small as she wanted. The Veil bent to her desires, the land of dreams, her playground. Other dreamers, normal dreamers who had no power here appeared as stars in her sky when she let them, each one a planet she could step into at will. Without her influence the Veil would be a vast expanse of darkness, all dreamers disconnected.
She traced a shape in the air, creating a butterfly to match the ones in her stomach. It flipped and flopped. She sat on the platform, letting her skirts spread around her, dropping her hands into her lap. "I wonder if he'll like me."
She thought of his hand grasping hers in the garden. It had been gentle. But he had been so cold afterwards, as if that moment had never happened. Still, the memory of her fingers in his grasp replayed in her mind, they had seemed small in his hand. "Will all of me seem that way?"
She had seen in the dreams of others the act. She blushed remembering the times she had stumbled onto those sorts of dreams. She always left without disturbing the dreamers if she could, it was none of her business but now she wished she had waited, maybe they would have taught her something.
"To think I would actually need that," she said to the air. Dreamweavers were never married, never had children. Eventually they all ended up in the Garden of Golden slumber, in service to the Emperor of Endless Light. Her father.
"And now I am married. A daughter of Endless Light to the Lord of All Shadows."
She held out her finger and a bird with long brightly colored feathers perched on them. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see."
"Hey there, girl!" a voice called from below.
What? There shouldn't be anyone else here, she thought bending over the edge to see who called her.
A women dressed in long skirts and a top made from beads stared up at her. Her hair was a deep auburn, her skin a dusty sand color. Her eyes burned like flames in the shadow of her face. The woman waved up at her, smiling, "Can I come up?"
"Yes. Who are you?" she asked.
The woman came up the steps and settled next to her, "This world is very nice, Sorgia. The colors are so bright!"
"Thank you but who are you?" Isilla stared at the strange woman, confused. No one entered her courtyards unless they went to sleep next to her, touching her skin. As her new husband would. The thought sent a shock through her.
"Worried, Sorgia?" the woman asked throwing her legs over the edge, staring out over the maze of endless courtyards.
"No!" she nearly shouted, blushing deep, then softer, "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"
The woman patted her leg, her hand was hot through the thin fabric, "Do not worry, little flower. He's only a man. He will do only what man do and then over. Quick, like a pinch."
"Ow!" she said pulling away from the woman's hard fingers where she had illustrated her point. "Who are you?" she asked moving a few inches away.
The woman smiled waving her hand in front of her, "No one anymore. Just a shade. Just someone for you talk to. Sorgia is always so lonely!"
She eyed the woman, taking in her strange half realized form. I've imagined her into being. Like the butterflies and the birds, she thought, I've never made a person before but today has been strange.
"What did you come to talk to me about, shade?" she asked pushing back her hair.
"You are the Sorgia. I come to tell you off your role. Help. Guide. That is all," the woman responded.
"Oh well tell me about tonight. Tell me about what will happen when my husband comes to my bed."
"Little flower, you know what will happen," her voice was gentle in its chastising, "If he is good he will make you ready. If he is not well, it will be over quickly."
"I suppose that's all anyone can tell me. I don't know how he will be," she said sadly looking down at her hands in her lap. They began to flicker and fade, "Oh, goodbye shade. It seems I am waking."
The world and the woman faded as she rose back to consciences.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
She awoke in the Veil. The lavender sky, dotted with white clouds floated above her, the tile of the court yard firm under her hands. She pushed herself up, looking down at her dress, pleased to see the familiar wrapping of cloth, like ribbons over her body. She often wondered how the Veil chose to dress her, why only she appeared in such strange garments when dreamers so often showed up in their everyday clothing or nothing at all.
"The flowers are gone," she said frowning. Her courtyard always held flowers, sturdy things made to survive the desert sand and heat. She held her fingers out to an empty pot, twisting the dream energy into the correct form, willing it to flow and over the rest of the courtyard, coming to life in a way. Soon she was surrounded by heavy flowers and leaves, an oasis that matched the real one in her home.
"This is as close as I'll get to that ever again," she said sadly.
She began walking through the courtyard, her steps making small sounds on the pavement as the path unfurled adding more than ever existed in the reality of the small space. Here in the Veil, she could make it so the courtyard never ended. The clouds moved slowly overhead, fountains bubbled and begged for her to sit at them but she ignored the scenery, focusing on her own uncertain future.
"What does he want from me? What is to be expected? Gods I wish my maids were more knowledgeable about this! Or the ones from tonight had said more than just, nothing!" she stopped and sighed, stepping up, a delicate spiral staircase forming under her feet. The building created itself as she climbed, a platform made of glass and air, high enough to see her kingdom without boundaries.
The space she could see was always as large or as small as she wanted. The Veil bent to her desires, the land of dreams, her playground. Other dreamers, normal dreamers who had no power here appeared as stars in her sky when she let them, each one a planet she could step into at will. Without her influence the Veil would be a vast expanse of darkness, all dreamers disconnected.
She traced a shape in the air, creating a butterfly to match the ones in her stomach. It flipped and flopped. She sat on the platform, letting her skirts spread around her, dropping her hands into her lap. "I wonder if he'll like me."
She thought of his hand grasping hers in the garden. It had been gentle. But he had been so cold afterwards, as if that moment had never happened. Still, the memory of her fingers in his grasp replayed in her mind, they had seemed small in his hand. "Will all of me seem that way?"
She had seen in the dreams of others the act. She blushed remembering the times she had stumbled onto those sorts of dreams. She always left without disturbing the dreamers if she could, it was none of her business but now she wished she had waited, maybe they would have taught her something.
"To think I would actually need that," she said to the air. Dreamweavers were never married, never had children. Eventually they all ended up in the Garden of Golden slumber, in service to the Emperor of Endless Light. Her father.
"And now I am married. A daughter of Endless Light to the Lord of All Shadows."
She held out her finger and a bird with long brightly colored feathers perched on them. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see."
"Hey there, girl!" a voice called from below.
What? There shouldn't be anyone else here, she thought bending over the edge to see who called her.
A women dressed in long skirts and a top made from beads stared up at her. Her hair was a deep auburn, her skin a dusty sand color. Her eyes burned like flames in the shadow of her face. The woman waved up at her, smiling, "Can I come up?"
"Yes. Who are you?" she asked.
The woman came up the steps and settled next to her, "This world is very nice, Sorgia. The colors are so bright!"
"Thank you but who are you?" Isilla stared at the strange woman, confused. No one entered her courtyards unless they went to sleep next to her, touching her skin. As her new husband would. The thought sent a shock through her.
"Worried, Sorgia?" the woman asked throwing her legs over the edge, staring out over the maze of endless courtyards.
"No!" she nearly shouted, blushing deep, then softer, "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"
The woman patted her leg, her hand was hot through the thin fabric, "Do not worry, little flower. He's only a man. He will do only what man do and then over. Quick, like a pinch."
"Ow!" she said pulling away from the woman's hard fingers where she had illustrated her point. "Who are you?" she asked moving a few inches away.
The woman smiled waving her hand in front of her, "No one anymore. Just a shade. Just someone for you talk to. Sorgia is always so lonely!"
She eyed the woman, taking in her strange half realized form. I've imagined her into being. Like the butterflies and the birds, she thought, I've never made a person before but today has been strange.
"What did you come to talk to me about, shade?" she asked pushing back her hair.
"You are the Sorgia. I come to tell you off your role. Help. Guide. That is all," the woman responded.
"Oh well tell me about tonight. Tell me about what will happen when my husband comes to my bed."
"Little flower, you know what will happen," her voice was gentle in its chastising, "If he is good he will make you ready. If he is not well, it will be over quickly."
"I suppose that's all anyone can tell me. I don't know how he will be," she said sadly looking down at her hands in her lap. They began to flicker and fade, "Oh, goodbye shade. It seems I am waking."
The world and the woman faded as she rose back to consciences.
She awoke in the Veil. The lavender sky, dotted with white clouds floated above her, the tile of the court yard firm under her hands. She pushed herself up, looking down at her dress, pleased to see the familiar wrapping of cloth, like ribbons over her body. She often wondered how the Veil chose to dress her, why only she appeared in such strange garments when dreamers so often showed up in their everyday clothing or nothing at all."The flowers are gone," she said frowning. Her courtyard always held flowers, sturdy things made to survive the desert sand and heat. She held her fingers out to an empty pot, twisting the dream energy into the correct form, willing it to flow and over the rest of the courtyard, coming to life in a way. Soon she was surrounded by heavy flowers and leaves, an oasis that matched the real one in her home."This is as close as I'll get to that ever again," she said sadly.She began walking through the courtyard, her steps making small sounds on the pavement as the path unfurled adding more than ever existed in the reality of the small space. Here in the Veil, she could make it so the courtyard never ended. The clouds moved slowly overhead, fountains bubbled and begged for her to sit at them but she ignored the scenery, focusing on her own uncertain future."What does he want from me? What is to be expected? Gods I wish my maids were more knowledgeable about this! Or the ones from tonight had said more than just, nothing!" she stopped and sighed, stepping up, a delicate spiral staircase forming under her feet. The building created itself as she climbed, a platform made of glass and air, high enough to see her kingdom without boundaries.The space she could see was always as large or as small as she wanted. The Veil bent to her desires, the land of dreams, her playground. Other dreamers, normal dreamers who had no power here appeared as stars in her sky when she let them, each one a planet she could step into at will. Without her influence the Veil would be a vast expanse of darkness, all dreamers disconnected.She traced a shape in the air, creating a butterfly to match the ones in her stomach. It flipped and flopped. She sat on the platform, letting her skirts spread around her, dropping her hands into her lap. "I wonder if he'll like me."She thought of his hand grasping hers in the garden. It had been gentle. But he had been so cold afterwards, as if that moment had never happened. Still, the memory of her fingers in his grasp replayed in her mind, they had seemed small in his hand. "Will all of me seem that way?"She had seen in the dreams of others the act. She blushed remembering the times she had stumbled onto those sorts of dreams. She always left without disturbing the dreamers if she could, it was none of her business but now she wished she had waited, maybe they would have taught her something."To think I would actually need that," she said to the air. Dreamweavers were never married, never had children. Eventually they all ended up in the Garden of Golden slumber, in service to the Emperor of Endless Light. Her father."And now I am married. A daughter of Endless Light to the Lord of All Shadows."She held out her finger and a bird with long brightly colored feathers perched on them. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see.""Hey there, girl!" a voice called from below.What? There shouldn't be anyone else here, she thought bending over the edge to see who called her.A women dressed in long skirts and a top made from beads stared up at her. Her hair was a deep auburn, her skin a dusty sand color. Her eyes burned like flames in the shadow of her face. The woman waved up at her, smiling, "Can I come up?""Yes. Who are you?" she asked.The woman came up the steps and settled next to her, "This world is very nice, Sorgia. The colors are so bright!""Thank you but who are you?" Isilla stared at the strange woman, confused. No one entered her courtyards unless they went to sleep next to her, touching her skin. As her new husband would. The thought sent a shock through her."Worried, Sorgia?" the woman asked throwing her legs over the edge, staring out over the maze of endless courtyards."No!" she nearly shouted, blushing deep, then softer, "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"The woman patted her leg, her hand was hot through the thin fabric, "Do not worry, little flower. He's only a man. He will do only what man do and then over. Quick, like a pinch.""Ow!" she said pulling away from the woman's hard fingers where she had illustrated her point. "Who are you?" she asked moving a few inches away.The woman smiled waving her hand in front of her, "No one anymore. Just a shade. Just someone for you talk to. Sorgia is always so lonely!"She eyed the woman, taking in her strange half realized form. I've imagined her into being. Like the butterflies and the birds, she thought, I've never made a person before but today has been strange."What did you come to talk to me about, shade?" she asked pushing back her hair."You are the Sorgia. I come to tell you off your role. Help. Guide. That is all," the woman responded."Oh well tell me about tonight. Tell me about what will happen when my husband comes to my bed.""Little flower, you know what will happen," her voice was gentle in its chastising, "If he is good he will make you ready. If he is not well, it will be over quickly.""I suppose that's all anyone can tell me. I don't know how he will be," she said sadly looking down at her hands in her lap. They began to flicker and fade, "Oh, goodbye shade. It seems I am waking."The world and the woman faded as she rose back to consciences.
