The Sorcerer's Gate

thirty-seven

Jaxtyn had arranged some sort of deal with a man at the shipyard. Suddenly, they all watched as a ship pulled forward and they were escorted onto it. There was an entire crew. Aster realized that they were all Sorcerers, if it weren't for them casting left and right as she walked among them. Some Sorcerer made a joke about all of them appearing in their ballgowns and suit coats. Something about a runaway Prom. Underneath the ship deck, it beheld bedrooms and loads of space. There was an entire world on this ship.

The Sorcerer that was eyeing their evening wear had led the group to their assigned rooms and Aster had ran off into the bathroom. Elouise made to follow her, but she ordered her not to. Aster said that she had to be alone.

She sat in the stall and let everything out within her. She started crying hysterically. The ship swayed back and forth and so did the bathroom. Aster tried to steady herself as she began to feel like she was hyperventilating. She couldn't breathe. She was crying and gasping for air. She couldn't see out of her eyes. Her tears were stinging and burning. Aster gasped as she heard someone burst through the door. They knocked on her stall.

"Are you decent? Can I come in?" It was Zaide's voice.

"Leave me alone. This is the women's bathroom," Aster said in between sobs.

He peeked his eye through seeing that Aster was huddled by herself on the ground in the stall. He jumped over the stall door and entered the space with her.

"It's just a bathroom." Zaide said.

Aster was heavy breathing and shielding herself from him.

"Aster, it's okay. Calm down. Breathe," Zaide tried to soothe her as he knelt down beside her.

"I can't- I... I-" Aster began to say but couldn't talk between her gasps of air.

"I know. It's okay. Trust me I can hear the orchestra in your head," Zaide said. "I'll be your conductor, slow down. You need to breathe. Everything is going to be fine. You're safe."

Aster tried to calm down. She didn't know what to believe. How could she be safe? How could she know that for sure?

"You're safe," he whispered over and over again. "Breathe, please," he pleaded with her.

Aster tried to calm down and listen to him. She began steading her breath but she was still shaking violently. Zaide opened his arms and she let herself lean into him. He held her as she calmed down beside him. She shut her eyes breathing in his scent. He was real. This was happening. Everything that had happened tonight was real. Alyx was- Alyx...

"Don't think about all that right now. Maybe you go lie down for the night," Zaide suggested as he caressed her head.

"I can't. I need to speak with Elouise about everything. I need to know," Aster said firmly as she was sniffling.

Zaide leaned and grabbed some of the toilet paper holding it out to her.

"Okay. Let's go get changed first, yeah? I'd hardly want to unpack everything in my suit all night. Let alone a ball gown," Zaide suggested.

Aster nodded and slowly he helped her up.

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Aster was having trouble undressing from the gown when she heard a knock at the door. Elouise announced herself and walked in. She saw Aster struggling and went to slowly untie the ribbons of her corset.

"Can I trust you?" Aster asked in a whisper. "Can I trust all of you?"

Elouise stilled in her work behind Aster. "Yes. You know you can. Like before, you can feel it. It's still the same as now," Elouise said as she continued untieing the corset.