Beyond the Fairy Gate

Chapter 17

Nyline

Nyline's mind was pulled from her body and pushed in front of a floating river of sand. It only took her placing her hand into the current and sifting through it before finding the grain she was looking for. Then, holding it to her eye, she was pulled inside of the memory.

Then, she was standing in a vast snow-covered forest. Allowing the memory to play with her inside the skin of the owner. Turning, she watched the darkling running towards her as he slowly shifted back into his human form. It was Dashiner?

The knowledge of who this person was filled Nyline's mind. He was Dashiner Novak, mated to the female Adrenell Lockmore. The two of them together were all one needed to make a day better. Dashiner was always up for a prank, but when it came down to it, he had just a big of a heart as Adrenell. They made bets on just about everything and made a point to laugh at each other any time they could.

"I didn't expect you to return so soon," The words spoke from her mouth. The memory owner had just sent Dashiner and Sigma out this morning when there had been a flux of aether. He'd expected him to be gone for at least a day or two.

"I found nothing," Dashiner's voice was monotone as his eyes unfocused, looking directly at her.

"Are you okay?" She asked, worry taking over as her primary emotion as she stepped towards him. Dashiner was never monotone or spacy.

"I found nothing." He spoke again, his face going slack.

"Come here." Her voice was strict as Dashiner walked over, and she looked directly into his eyes. He knew there was something wrong. There was no other explanation. Depending on what happened to him would tell her what Dashiner had actually found on the other side of the fairy gate. She sifted and sifted, and then she saw it. Sitting in the far back of his mind, there was a little something tucked away behind some mundane memories.

She reached for it and surprise-filled her, both her own and the owner of the memory. In the memory, she was walking directly up to Dashiner in his darkling form. Her face was set, and even when Dashiner lashed out at her, his fear spiking for being attacked by scouts in the human world. Nevertheless, she didn't flinch, just continued to look at him, her expression that of calm and collected.

Then the memory was overlapped with another memory. One that didn't make much sense, and she could tell that it was hastily copied from another memory and random scenes of trees and landscapes filled her mind. Then, to her surprise, she saw herself yet again, only this time it was only a mind: one that she recognized, the familiar feeling of her own mind only in a different place. The owner of the memory grinned, making Nyline's face pull up as well.

He'd found her... As much as the owner had hoped when they sent him towards the aether flux, part of them just didn't think that he would. It shocked the owner down to his core.

"Gabriel! Dashiner!" She didn't pull her mind from Dashiner's mind as she put pressure on the tether that had been created on accident when the girl had overlapped the memories. She hoped deep down that she hadn't hurt her.

"Gabriel, oh my stars!" She pulled her mind from Dashiner right as Adrenell came running into the clearing. "Dash, are you okay? Dash!" She had him by the shoulder and was screaming in his face. "You went black. I thought you'd died!" Tears ran down her face as she shook him slightly as if she were trying to wake him up from a  deep sleep.

"Adrenell, take Dashiner back to his room and have him rest for a little." She looked over at her with shock and confusion on her face.

"What happened?" A smile of pure joy covered her voice.