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He shakes his head, frowning. “Nothing good. Normal dreams, I’d be able to wake you from. These ones…these ones don’t release you until they’re ready. I assumed I’d lost my touch for waking you up, but now I wonder…”

I search his face. “What?”

“Controlling dreams is a Night Kingdom trait. It’s possible someone’s targeting you while you sleep, perhaps the same someone who’s taking soldiers.”

He’s coming for you.

“The Thief of Souls,” I whisper.

Chapter 38

Who exactly is the Thief of Souls? And why would he invade my dreams? That’s what I wonder as the two of us head to Mara’s throne room.

If my dreams are more than just idle nightmares, then who was the black-haired man? And was Dream Des anything other than an illusion meant to scare me? Or could it be possible my dreams have nothing at all to do with the disappearances?

All these questions are making my head hurt.

Des and I head into the Flora palace, the walls awash with living, blooming plants. Part of Solstice entails sitting near the Queen of Flora in her throne room as she holds an audience with her subjects, so we’re on our way.

“What Night fae, aside from you, has enough power to enter my dreams?” I whisper as we head through the castle.

“Many.”

Er, that’s unsettling.

Des shakes his head. “But,” he continues, “none should have enough power to keep me from waking you. If I had any living siblings, perhaps they’d be strong enough to perform that kind of magic, but my father killed them all off.”

That’s interesting to know—that power moved through bloodlines.

“And your father?” I ask. “Could he—?”

“He’s dead,” Des says, his face stoic.

Whelp, guess that takes care of that.

I quiet as the two of us enter Mara’s throne room and join the throngs of other fairies.

The throne room is the same place we met the queen when we first arrived. I look around it again, taking in the vaulted ceilings, the vine-covered walls, and the chandeliers with their dripping candles as Des leads me down the aisle.

My stomach drops when I see Janus at the end of the room, standing off to the side of the queen’s throne, looking like the morning sun.

How doeshefactor into this mystery?

As soon as the two kings see each other, the tension in the room ratchets up. Others must sense it too because fairies glance around. The air begins to thicken with magic, making it hard to breathe.

This is what happens when two juggernauts come together.

I touch Des’s arm. “It’s okay.”

If only I were half as brave as my words. I steel my spine.

I am someone’s nightmare, I tell myself.

Sure, that someone is probably the next macaron I come across, but hey, we all start somewhere.

We end up standing near the King of Day, much to the frustration of both Des and Janus.

But Janus isn’t the only fairy who has beef with us. A dozen different Fauna fae sit or stand throughout the throne room, and most of them throw me and the Bargainer dirty looks.