The Deceiver

Chapter Four

I lay in my bed paralyzed, eyes wide open. Staring at the blank ceiling, I try to piece it all together. What was the voice last night, and what did it mean. I dig back to try to remember the words that were uttered... something about dreams seizing?

And what is that supposed to mean? The voice came first, then the falcon flew over, like it was sealing in whatever message it wanted to send. Almost like it was making a promise. 

And that feather; how did it get in? The falcon could have just dropped a feather, and the wind blew it inside, but from reading Edward's father, he had no recollection of that tantalizing wind. And the feather in the book... I've been trying not to think about it. How could it have gotten in?

I hug my arms close to my chest. It dawns upon me; someone must have put it there. Someone else knows about the falcon, and it's someone who has access to my room. 

I dare not touch it. To have something cursed in my possession would be unforgivable. A disgrace. I think back to what Jeanie and my mother have been telling me. This is what they have been warning me about. What lies on the other side is not some mysterious place filled with things that we don't understand. No, it is filled with rage and power beyond belief, and it is coming for us again.

I close my eyes. Despite everything, I still have a job to do. A duty to fulfill for my people. I have failed last night. I can't fail again.

So, I lay motionless on my bed. Feeling its comfort around me like I do every night to rest myself. I detach my mind from my body. Like I had explained to Edward in the chapel, I let my mind wander free, following any soul who is crying out to be heard.

My limbs go numb, another good sign that I will actually be able to walk tonight. I can feel my fingertips start to tingle, and my mind being woodshed somewhere else.

I open my eyes. The corners of my lips pull up in satisfaction. You can do it, I think to myself.

A chill runs down my spine. My teeth start to chatter.

I will usually wake myself and be in clouds of lavender, or gardens that have the sweetest aroma ever, but this is different. This is dark. All the color from this world is muted to a dark blue... or is that purple?

Twisting, naked trees wind and bend around the pathway that lies in front of me. I look down. Kicking up dirt, I cough in the rough air, desperate for me to clear my lungs.

No one is here. 

"Hello?" I call, my voice echoing in the dark and lonely abyss. "Is there anyone there?" I yell again, still only hearing the empty hollow of my own voice. 

I trek deeper on the path, the trees above me becoming more thick and tangled in their own branches making my own stomach twist into knots. My hands get clammy, my heart thudding in my chest. This is not right. Something is not right.

"I'm here!" I cry out, hoping for this third time to get a response, but again there is nothing. I look around wondering what my best option is. I could always leave, but that would be denying one of my people. What if they are stuck here? No, I can't leave.

Off in the distance I spot what looks to be a valley similar to the one that I had climbed with Edward this afternoon. The one I usually climb alone every morning. I decided to start my walk. If I can get to higher ground, then I might be able to see what all is before me, and find whoever's dream I am in.

Just like the valley in Oneria, this one is easily climbable as well. Making it to the top I look down, my heart stopping, my stomach dropping. What stands before me is not someone's dream. It is not a world that someone has created in their mind, it is... mine. Oneria. But, this isn't Oneria, it can't be.