Dreamcastor | The Girl Without Words

Chapter 21: The Other Voice

Chapter 21

Professor Kadam didn’t seem particularly interested in her request when she went to find him at dinner that night. He looked up from his bowl of soup, eyebrows raised. She handed him a small piece of paper with what she wanted written on it. He read it, and then read it again, his brow creasing the smallest amount. “I see,” he said at last.

“Is something causing you distress, professor?” a man with a short brown beard speckled with silver asked. “What does the little one want from you that couldn’t wait until the morning?”

“Your student has been talkative,” Kadam said shortly. Wren realized this man must have been Harkfell, Kais’ teacher, rumored to be the best Dreammaker in centuries.

“Ah, the princess’s somniatis?” Harkfell said quietly. Even though his voice was hardly louder than a whisper, a couple teachers looked over with interest. “I can see why she would be interested in such a thing. And her haste, too. The deadline for potential students was yesterday.”

Wren’s jaw dropped. It had already passed?

“It was?” Kadam frowned. “I was under the impression there was time.”

“Not for new students, Hadir,” Harkfell said, leaving Wren to wonder who he was talking to. She realized it must have been his first name. Everyone called him “Kadam” or “Professor” until now. “However talented yours is, she is still a new student, is she not?”

“Who’s in charge of the somniatis this time?”

“Arenbaum,” the older man said cheerfully. The name caused her teacher to make a face. “He’s been hounding your teacher to take over his position for the last few years,” he explained to Wren. “He’s in charge of teaching basic dream manipulation theory to first years.”

“He smells like old cats,” was his response to Wren’s stare.

“But I’ve heard he’s already chosen the representative from the first year students,” Harkfell said offhandedly. ”It was an easy choice, apparently. Not that the competition wasn’t stiff, it always is every year. There was just a very strong candidate.”

Wren blinked, her head turning quickly in his direction.

“Her name…” Harkfell frowned. “It was Willow, or something like that. Willow from Swansville?”

Wren’s heart sank. Winslow had made it to the somniatis?

He continued, taking a bite of his bread roll, dipping it in his soup. “She’s made quite a splash herself. She’s young--younger than you, Wren. Still using Elyzian water, I hear. Not that that seems to be much of a deterrent. Her name was put in by three of her teachers.”

She stared at the floor, feeling tears stinging her eyes. It was great that Winslow was  representing the first years at the somniatis, wasn’t it? Then why did she feel like crying? She should have been happy for her friend. There was a tap on her shoulder, and Wren looked up into her teacher’s gray eyes, unusually kind.

“I can still talk to Arenbaum. If you want me to, that is,” Kadam said so that only she could hear. “It’s my fault. I didn’t realize there was a different deadline. I’m sure he’ll make an exception and add you into the list of candidates. Wren?”

She blinked her tears away, clenching her fists tightly. Wren wanted to nod so badly. Kais’ excitement at the chance had been infectious. And it was such an incredible opportunity. She was fairly certain Kadam would do it for her.