The Dreamfarer

42

Mae almost wished that she had not been watching.

Caleb. Caleb. Caleb.

Her best friend since she was old enough to speak, to think, to walk, to play. Her best friend throughout all of her years in Swynborough, the boy that had been there for her every moment of every day, no matter what she needed, no matter what she wanted. The boy that always made it clear that he would do anything for her. And now he had. He had paid the ultimate price. She was not so oblivious to what had just happened to think that he had done it for anyone but her. 

You wonderful idiot, she thought to herself, her body heaving as dry sobs built up in her chest and left her throat in the form of screams and shrieks of pain. She could not produce any tears, could not make her eyes water even when it was all she wished for, to be blinded from the sight in front of her. Caleb, dead. Dead. 

Beside her, Vivienne was shaking with rage. Without a word, she gripped Mae's arm once more and continued to drag her into the midst of the battlefield. They had paused at the edge when Caleb had fallen as Mae's legs gave out underneath her and the demons possessing Vivienne let out a cry of fury. They were clearly not any happier than Mae was with what had happened, and Mae had a feeling that they were about to get their revenge for it.

The rival armies were still facing each other without moving or speaking. Both sides watched as Dael fell down onto one knee and tore at his hair as if he was quite literally losing his mind. They watched as Folco weakly got to his feet and stumbled over to where Dael was kneeling, stepping over Caleb's corpse and tugging the dagger out of it as he did so. They watched as the leader of the warlocks positioned himself behind the Wayfarer and put the edge of his blade against his throat. Mae could hardly believe that nobody was moving; the scene was observed with bated breath and a complete silence.

That was, until Vivienne growled at her side and increased the speed of her stride. "No, no, she must be the one to do it, she must be the one to send him to his damnation--" the spirits mumbled under their breath, and even as they kept Viv's feet moving at a jogging pace, Mae watched her sister's eyes flutter closed. 

It was just a hunch, but Mae did not want it to evolve into more than that. She caught her sister by surprise as she tackled her, throwing herself at her with as much force as she could after being so emotionally drained. They both fell to the ground and her sister's eyes popped open once more, a penetrating black that embodied darkness, dreariness, that penetrated Mae's very being with a sense of hopelessness and hatred. Mae knew that the demons could easily defeat her, but she needed to provide a distraction. If they were to make Viv Dreamfare right now and stop Folco from killing her father, Caleb's sacrifice would be for nothing. She would not allow that to happen.

"You will not stop us!" Vivienne screeched, and launched herself at Mae, wrapping her hands around her throat and squeezing as she pinned her against the ground. Mae gasped for breath, hoping to get enough air into her lungs to last until Folco sliced her father's neck open. Until Dael was finally gone, and his demons with him.

That moment came when Vivienne slumped to the ground beside her, her eyes falling shut more abruptly than Mae would have thought possible. Mae blinked a few times to try to clear the spots from her vision and sat up, coughing at the unfamiliar feeling in her throat. She had never been strangled before, and it was an experience she would not be eager to repeat.

She stuck two fingers against Vivienne's neck for just a few moments, making sure that her sister was still alive. When she felt a pulse, she exhaled in relief. Struck by a sudden curiosity, Mae tugged one of her sister's eyelids up and nearly yelped aloud with joy. Viv's eyes had reverted back to the same blue as Mae's. No longer were they black as the future she would have had in Hell. The knowledge relieved Mae more than she could put into words, but she did not dwell on the revelation for long.