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“Normal Dreamers can’t, but there’s something different about you, and I’m going to find out what.”

I fidgeted beneath his glower. He was right: Iwasunusual, and he’d already discovered three reasons why: the nightmare he’d given me, the suspicious magical activity he’d caught me performing, and the bottled dream he’d stolen. If he could manage to prove any of his suspicions to the Council, I’d be banished for sure.

“I’m the same as every other Dreamer.” At least…Iwantedto be.

“Oh, but you aren’t.” Darius’s leer broadened, and from the triumph in his eyes, I knew I’d have to be on my constant guard to keep him from discovering any more of my secrets. “I still can’t believe the Dream Council assigned you a Mortal, but no matter: your pathetic weaving attempts will be no match for my incredible talent. I will conquer all our Weavings, Maci will never see a dream, and the Council will have no choice but to suspend you.”

I clenched my fists and Angel tugged my elbow. “Don’t humor him with a response. Let’s just leave.”

Darius waved. “See you tomorrow, Nemesis, when our battle—and my domination—will begin.” He disappeared with a sizzling crack. I gulped.

“I can’t believe he’s your partner,” Angel said. “Of all the Nightmares to be partnered with…and to think herequestedyou. I had a class with him at the Academy. He’s extremely full of himself, and it’s irritating how often he reminds you.”

“Is he as talented as he claims?”

Angel grew quiet. That was a definite yes. “Don’t worry,” she said hastily. “I’m sure you’ll beat him after a bit of practice, and then you can rub his conceit right back in his face. Don’t let him intimidate you.”

She was right, I couldn’t let him get to me. No more sloppy dreams. I’d show I was a capable Weaver, and by so doing, prove I truly belonged here.

Chapter 14

Ilay on my stomach to watch the scenery below as Stardust flew me back to the Dream World, trailing behind Angel and her pink cloud, Sprinkles. Because I’d taken so long at my Weaving, night was already melting away as dawn settled over Earth, glistening off the frozen rivers and treetops covered in a thin layer of snow.

But the beauty of a new day was lost on me as I continuously revisited my latest encounter with Darius. I tried to fit all the pieces of our interactions together, but with his contradictory behavior, it was impossible to assemble; regardless of how I tried to arrange them, I always came to the same conclusion: no matter how much he insisted or how much I secretly wanted to, I couldn’t trust him, not until he’d earned it. For some reason the thought made me achingly sad.

“How was your first Weaving?” Stardust asked. “What dream did you create?”

The Weaving itself felt so long ago after my confrontation with Darius. “A rocking lullaby. Though it wasn’t the dream I would have chosen to create, Maci seemed to enjoy it.”

My heart warmed at the thought, even as my fingers caressed my dream notebook nestled inside my bag, filled to the brim with ideas for more magical dreams I had planned for her—adventures with talking animals and unicorns, tea parties with fairies, sailing through the stars to kingdoms of sugar plums…

“You shouldn’t weave anything too complicated yet,” Stardust warned, accurately guessing the direction of my thoughts. “You’re just barely starting. You have plenty of time to create more intricate dreams as Maci grows older.”

While her advice was sound, I couldn’t afford to create less-than-stellar dreams now that I was partnered with a talented Weaver determined to find a reason to encourage the Council to suspend me. “I wonder if you’d give the same advice if you knew who my Nightmare partner is.”

“I don’t make it my business to be acquainted with Nightmares,” she said.

“Trust me, you’re familiar with this one.”

Stardust froze mid-flight. “Don’t tell me it’s the Nightmare who gave you a horrible time with the Council. You can’t partner with him. Demand a reassignment.”

I sighed. “I can’t, not when I’mhisreassignment; he claims he requested me specifically.”

Stardust frowned. “He definitely has something sinister up his sleeve. You’ll have to constantly be on your guard and never mess up.”

And I’d undoubtedly have to create more complicated dreams if I were to have any hope of winning against a man of such supposed talent.

I spent most of the day preparing for my next Weaving in the Enchanted Gardens, a park made entirely of floating paths and waterfalls that changed color to music as they cascaded. I loved to go there after a long night of studying and sit on the bank listening to the musical rapids as dawn painted the sky.

Despite Earth being blanketed with winter, the Dream World remained vibrant, as if summer hadn’t left at all, but merely lingered beneath a mask. Snowflakes blew gracefully in the warm, floral-scented breeze, ice crystals glistened from the trees, and snowflake-shaped blossoms dotted the landscape.

I lay on the snow-coated grass and flipped through my stack of dream journals, all while battling off my ever-present drowsiness. Each dream was like revisiting a cherished story, all enchanting in some way. Picking between them would be like choosing my favorite star from the heavens.

“How about this one?” I tipped my journal towards Stardust, who floated around the park chomping on moonbits. She leaned closer, dropping crumbs all over the page.

“A garden of flowers transforming into butterflies? I suppose that’s a nice dream…”

I frowned. “Yousuppose? It’s just the thing to add a bit of summer to Maci’s dreary winter.”