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Ember glared at Darius. “As one who is still only a mere apprentice, you’re treading on very thin ice.”

“I’m merely offering another perspective,” Darius said smoothly, unfazed by his mother’s tight, rather dangerous smile. “Look at the facts: Eden’s powers are weak, her knowledge about our world limited, and she has no motive, not to mention she’s a Dreamer, not a Nightmare.”

“We know nothing about her,” Ember said. “Both where she came from and the extent of her powers remain a mystery. For all we know, she could be a Nightmare, or worse, the one we suspended all those years ago. If you recall, none of these unusual illegal occurrences started untilafterher arrival.”

“That’s not true,” Stardust piped up. “The dream dust thefts beganbeforeEden ever set foot in this world.”

Galaxy stroked his chin. “An excellent point.”

“Those thefts are definitely not her,” Darius interrupted. “One look at her locket and her lack of dream dust only confirms that.”

“Thank you for that insightful opinion, Nightmare Darius,” Galaxy said. “I agree, those thefts are likely the work of someone else, but unfortunately there are other suspicious matters surrounding Dreamer Eden which must be addressed.” He cast me an apologetic glance. “We’ve noticed your unusually frequent trips down to Earth at times other than for Weavings. The Council is also reminded of the observations made by Nightmare Darius when you first appeared before us—being seen by Mortals while living on Earth, suspicious magical activity surrounding you, outrageous claims to be able to receive dreams…isn’t that right, Nightmare Darius?”

Darius hesitated, casting me an uncertain, even regretful glance. “That’s true…however, my earlier investigation was inconclusive, so I’m currently pursuing other possible explanations.”

Ember waved his words away dismissively. “But didn’t you tell me she’s scarcely won any Weavings for your Mortal, who is already several months old?”

“I admit my concern has only grown the more we’ve monitored her,” Galaxy said. “It’s unacceptable for a Mortal to experience so few dreams. I expected better after Eden’s earlier showcase of skills.”

Darius shrugged. “With all due respect, it probably can't be helped when her partner is considerably more talented than she is.”

Galaxy pursed his lips but seemed to accept this explanation, and I relaxed my rigid posture. I never would have believed there would come a time when I’d appreciate Darius’s usual conceit.

“But you’ve been investigating her for months,” Ember said with an almost hungry desperation. “Haven’t you discovered anything unusual in all that time?”

I tensed as everyone turned towards Darius. I braced myself—this was the opportunity he’d been waiting for to expose all my secrets he’d discovered and ensure his coveted place on the Council.

He glanced at me, and I pleaded with my eyes for him to keep quiet. He didn’t even hesitate before turning to face the Council. “I’ve been with Eden every night for the past several months and I can confidently conclude there’s nothing unusual about her.”

I sank against the cloud podium in fierce relief. I couldn’t believe it. Darius—the man who’d given me so many reasons not to trust him—had just rejected his perfect opportunity to betray it and kick me out of the Dream World.

Darius caught my eye and winked, an assurance that everything would be alright. A flutter filled my heart as I smiled shyly back.

Our exchange wasn’t lost on Ember. She looked back and forth between me and Darius, her face twisted as if she’d tasted something sour. Her disapproval only deepened when Darius avoided her eyes, which only seemed to confirm her suspicions.

Before she could confront him, a member of the Investigations Team entered the Chamber and whispered something into Investigator Cedar’s ear. His face grew solemn, and with a curt nod he straightened. “Please forgive the interruption, but I’ve just received the results from our test on the magical fingerprint discovered at the scene.”

Ember pounced on the opportunity. “Excellent. Present it immediately.” Before he had the chance, she snatched the parchment from the investigator’s hands and hastily read it. She smirked. “As I suspected—the magic is an exact match with Dreamer Eden’s.”

My legs weakened. I clutched the podium for support.

“Impossible!” Stardust exclaimed. “She didn’t do it. She couldn’t. Shewouldn’t.”

Galaxy shook his head, face chalk white, while Ember gloated in sickly triumph. “The truth has prevailed.”

Darius gnawed his bottom lip. “I still assert she’s innocent.”

Ember swiveled towards him. “You don’t know when to give up, do you? How could you possibly make such a claim after all the irrefutable evidence that’s been presented?”

He hesitated only a moment before he clenched his jaw and lifted his chin. “Because it was me.”

Gasps erupted throughout the chamber, the loudest being Stardust’s gleeful “I knew it!”

Ember looked like she’d been slapped. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I assure you, it’s true,” Darius said, his voice gaining confidence. “I’m the one who created and used the metamorphose potion, which I learned at the Academy. As her weaving partner, I’ve had ample opportunity to obtain some some of the residual dream dust left behind from her weavings under the guise of assisting her, and tonight at the flying colors I planted a vial on her and stole one of her clips when I touched her hair. In essence, I set her up.”

The room became deathly quiet. My mind scrambled to connect Darius’s mismatched confession together, but the pieces wouldn’t fit. “It couldn’t have been you.”