Page 90

Icy fear cinched my heart. “Surely the Council wouldn’t condemn me for havingmorepower?”

“It’s not about having more,” Stardust said slowly. “It’s about having powers that aredifferent. The Council is suspicious of any magic they don’t understand, magic that in the past has been used to tip the balance in unfavorable ways. Even if you have no intention of using your magic in such a way, they’ll suspend you out of caution.”

I tightened my jaw. That hardly seemed fair, especially since I had little control over my unique powers. A flare of resentment towards the Council burned in my heart before I hastily tried to squelch it. “Though Darius wasted no time in sharing my secrets with Blaze and Trinity, at least he hasn’t turned me in to the Council…yet.” But considering I now knew I couldn’t trust him, surely it was only a matter of time.

Stardust frowned. “Then he must have another plan up his sleeve, especially if he’s consulting other Nightmares about you.”

I didn’t want to think about Darius’s betrayal. Instead, the question that had been festering within me ever since my interaction with Blaze and Trinity burned on my tongue. “What do you think about Trinity’s conclusion that dreams are separate worlds? Do you think anything inside a dream could really help—”

“Certainly not,” Stardust interrupted fiercely. “And don’t you dare go trying it. The fact that they suggested it proves it’s dark magic.”

“What if they have no ulterior motive?” I said desperately. “What if it’ll really help me win more Weavings? Isn’t it worth trying?”

“The only thing that will help your Weavings is additional study, practice, and more age-appropriate dreams.” Stardust’s eyes narrowed. “You don't actually believe them, do you?”

And that’s when I realized that I did—as if the knowledge that I had the potential to influence dreams had always been a part of me, and Trinity had simply illuminated it.

“Let’s not worry about it now,” I said hastily. “Let’s just enjoy the festival. We can visit the unicorns again.”

After visiting the unicorns a third time and riding the gumdrop carousel, we explored the World of Colorexhibit for nearly an hour as Stardust browsed through the newly-released coloring books andoohedandawedover the recently discovered color: a soft mix between orange, blue, and a hue I had no name for.

“Would you like to enter a name suggestion?” The tie-dyed Dreamer in charge asked.

Naturally Stardust couldn’t resist such an invitation. “I wonder when the color will be ready to include in the Mortal world?” she mused after a ten-minute ordeal of agonizing deliberation over which name to choose. “Like all the past colors, it’ll probably be introduced gradually over the course of several years. When orange was created, Dreamers began by dipping a few of the flowers in it before adding it to sunrises and even fruits. Oranges used to be, well, not orange.”

“There’s the cultivating display.” I pointed to the greenhouse up ahead. “Let’s go visit Iris.”

Stardust gracefully changed directions and kept talking.

The scent of floral perfume and earth filled my nostrils as I gingerly stepped over a vine twisting itself around the doorframe and entered the humid greenhouse. Amidst the thick crowds and pots of peculiar plants, I spotted Iris in an animated discussion with a group of wide-eyed onlookers about a rainbow-colored daffodil the size of a small shrub, with ivory fruit growing from its petals like tiny ornaments.

“This fruit creates a unique illusion with each bite,” she told the enthralled spectators as she plucked one. “Would someone like to try?”

I ducked down a row of newly created crossbreeds: a bamboo and cattail mixture, an ivy and holly hybrid that grew acorns, and pinecones bursting from honeysuckle wreaths that tinkled like wind chimes. One shelf was devoted to plants exclusive to the dream festival—such as popcorn flowers and fluffy cotton candy bushes—while another displayed unique hybrids that had been grown in the Cultivating Fields, too unusual to use in dreams: sweet-tasting rain, the tickle of purple, and the smell of discovery.

The Dreamer supervising the display fiddled with the butterflies in her hair. “Incredible, aren’t they? Some Cultivators are trying to petition for their use in dreams, but the Council is convinced using untested details not found in the Mortal world could cause havoc.”

Stardust interrupted with a tug at my sleeve. “Look over there.”

Blaze and Trinity huddled in a corner with three other Nightmares, whispering.

“What do you think they’re up to?” I murmured.

Stardust had already changed into a spyglass, which she used to study them suspiciously. “It’s hard to tell.”

“Can you get a closer look?”

“I’m on it.” Stardust morphed into a ladybug and fluttered over to investigate. I hovered beside a berry tree and pretended to be admiring it as I watched through its floral petal leaves.

“No luck,” Stardust suddenly murmured from somewhere beside me. I searched for her before finding her ladybug form resting lazily on a dancing plant.

I leaned closer. “You didn’t find out anything?”

The ladybug Stardust flittered off the plant and morphed back into her usual chubby form, nearly knocking over the row of pots and causing a nearby Cultivator to glower.

“Nothing,” Stardust said. “They were only arranging a time they could meet before the flying colors show, and then Blaze slipped something to the Nightmare oozing mold, but they pocketed it before I could see what it was. I tried to sneak inside his pocket, but it was too tight of a squeeze.” Her eyes widened. “They’re leaving. Quick, let’s follow them.”

My heart pounded in trepidation. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. I wouldn’t want them to catch me.”