Dreamwalker

8- 17 Cote Road

Neither Bell nor Li planned to sleep that night. They would have to wake up anyway and tire themselves out even more, so what was the point? Both of them just sat on their beds. Bell took the Sacred Writings of Nisa from Emeric again so she could keep herself awake. Meanwhile, Li sat on her mattress watching the wall, fidgeting with her fingers and picking at the ragged blanket.

"Hey," Li said out of nowhere.

"Hm?"

"Look."

Bell looked from her book, across the room at Li. Li snapped her fingers and fiery sparks flew as if she just struck a piece of tinder. "Nice, right?" she said.

"Yeah. What else can you do?"

"I can make things move without touching them. It doesn't matter how big they are. And I can sometimes make myself move-- in the air. It isn't really flying but I float a good distance off the ground if I try really hard... I think that's all."

"Nice."

"Mm-hmm."

Neither of them said anything for a while. Both of them, it seemed, were quiet by nature. Bell returned to her book. A clock tower outside chimed eleven o'clock and Li let out a huge sigh. "I am so bored," she moaned.

"I know," Bell replied from the other side of the room.

"Cheer up. You're about as interesting as a potted plant. Talk to me or I'll go crazy."

Bell just shrugged. She didn't like talking as much as Li wanted her to.

"How about this: I'll ask you questions, and you answer honestly. Then, you ask me a question, so it's fair," Li proposed.

"Whatever."

"Question one: why are you here?"

"My father was kidnapped."

"Are we rescuing him too?"

"No, I'm rescuing him after we leave Niege. I think I might know where he is."

"You're lucky. My father died so I never knew him."

"Sorry."

"Alright, now you ask me something."

Bell closed the book and set it down next to her. Nathan's idea was worth a shot. Li mentioned Laurier before, so maybe she knew about him. "Who is Laurier?" Bell asked at last.

Li's eyes widened. "You don't know?" Bell shook her head. "Incredible. I thought everyone knew who he was. Yes, I know him. He's the witch-hunter."

"The what?"

"Witch-hunter. He kidnaps witches and wizards and brings them to his castle in the mountains. Nobody ever comes back from there. My mother was a witch, and she was taken when I was just a child. My father died trying to protect her. The only reason why they didn't take me was because they didn't think I had any magical abilities. The truth is, I don't have many magical abilities. I have a few but I never really considered them magic. Laurier would though. That's why I stay hidden and anonymous in Niege."

"Why does he do that?"

"I'm not sure. Some people say that he's trying to bring magic back to the world by working with all the witches and wizards in the land. But I would rather die than work for him-- I've heard the stories. I heard that he becomes a monster every full moon, and he drinks the blood of witches to stay young." Li lowered her voice for dramatic effect. "I heard that he tortures his prisoners with his magic. He makes them see things that they don't want to see, and they go mad."