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“Aha, magic prints on the ladder, no doubt traces of the criminal’s dream dust as they climbed up to add the spell that created their threat.” She scribbled the information in her notebook. “If we can figure out whose it is, we’ll have our culprit. Oh look, glitter.”

Glitter…my heart pounded as I glanced at my own sparkle-coated hand. “We shouldn’t be here.”

Stardust carefully brushed the glitter sample clinging to the side of the ladder. “We can’t leave until I gather more clues.”

“But we’re going to get—do you hear something?”

Murmurs sounded in the distance, followed by the patter of footsteps, drifting closer. I hastily ducked behind a clump of golden firs and yanked Stardust down with me. We crouched together and waited with bated breath. The voices grew louder, and soon through the slit between the branches I saw two figures enter the clearing.

“They must be the criminals,” Stardust whispered, a bit too loudly. “They always return to the scene of the crime. We’ll catch them redhanded.”

“Be quiet, they’ll hear you.”

Stardust morphed into ropes in preparation to apprehend the intruders and squinted through the glowing leaves. “Comets, it’s the Council.”

“What?” I carefully pulled a branch aside. Head Dreamer Galaxy and Head Nightmare Ember stood in the clearing, both their faces red with agitation.

Galaxy gestured frantically towards the sky. “Now do you believe the balance is tipping?”

“Ridiculous,” Ember said. “The balance is maintained by the strongest forces of magic that govern our entire Universe. It can’t possibly shift.”

“I’m telling you, a Nightmare is—”

“What makes you think a Nightmare is behind it?” Ember asked icily.

“Nightmare flowers are appearing in the Cultivating Fields, Dreamers are winning fewer and fewer Weavings, aspects of the Nightmare Realm are drifting into the Dream Realm, dream dust is being stolen nearly every night, and now this. Can there be any doubt?”

Ember pursed her lips. “The Nightmare Realm is just as concerned with the balance as the Dream Realm. What motive would anyone have to disrupt it?”

Galaxy’s face darkened, but before he could say anything more, a figure that had previously been camouflaged with its surroundings appeared seemingly out of nowhere and tapped Galaxy on the shoulder. Relief swarmed the Head Dreamer’s expression.

“Ah, Head Investigator Cedar. Have you discovered any leads?”

More figures stirred in the moonlit clearing I’d previously thought abandoned, so perfectly concealed they were no more than outlines. We hadn’t been alone after all…which meant they’d seen Stardust and me poking around in a place we shouldn’t have been.

My heart pounded in trepidation. “We should get out of here.” But before we could move, Investigator Cedar leaned down to whisper something in Galaxy’s ear and pointed directly to our hiding spot. My stomach lurched as Ember’s head whisked in our direction.

“Uh-oh,” Stardust murmured. In a few strides Ember reached the trees and pushed aside the branches masking us from view. Her eyes glistened like a cat who’d just cornered a mouse. I silently cursed being saddled with a cloud harboring an investigation addiction.

“Well, well, well, what are you doing lurking around the scene of the crime, Dreamer Eden?”

“I— I—” My mouth had gone dry and it felt like my throat had sealed shut. Ember smirked, as if my silence was a confession.

“We’re investigating,” Stardust said hotly. “The prime time to do so is always when the clues are still fresh. As a professional, I don’t waste any time dawdling.”

Galaxy and Ember frowned at her before turning their accusatory glare back to me. “Then why were you hiding?”

“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for Dreamer Eden’s behavior,” Galaxy said, but doubt lingered in his eyes. “This was discovered beside the cauldron where the flying colors were brewed. Does this by chance belong to you?” He held out a glitter star clip, identical to the ones woven through my ringlets.

My hand fluttered to my hair. “I’m not sure,” I stammered.

“Or this magic sample, provided by the Investigations Team.” Ember flashed a corked bottle containing lilac dream dust. Even from a distance, it looked similar to mine. “We have yet to perform any tests to be sure, but it looks uncannily like yours.”

My heart leapt to my throat as I frantically shook my head. “I didn’t—there has to be some mistake. I wouldn’t—”

“Silence,” Ember hissed, and I promptly snapped my mouth shut. “You’re obviously lying. Let’s proceed to the Council chamber and continue this interrogation in private. Come, Dreamer Eden.”

With a heavy heart I obediently followed her to the Council Chamber, feeling with each step that my time in the Dream World had come to a close.