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Which meant Shade’s relationship had begun when he’d still been partners with me; they’d likely been coupled when he’d kissed me, the cheating scum.

“Why is he upset?” I asked, trying to focus on the part of me that relished his misery rather than the pinprick of concern filling my heart I couldn’t quite quench, even now.

Shade frowned, considering. “It started after his last weaving partnership ended rather badly. I’m not entirely sure what happened, for he refuses to talk about it, but from what I’ve gathered his weaving partner was suspended and he took it rather hard.”

I startled, even as the hope buried within me that just wouldn’t go away flared to life again. If he was upset by my suspension...did this mean that someone else was responsible for betraying me? But ifhehadn’t betrayed me, who had? Andhow?

Surely it had to be him; there was no other potential suspect, for Mother hadn’t been in the Dream World at the time and Blaze and Trinity couldn’t have accessed the magical lock on Darius’s notebook. But if hewasguilty, why had he given up his position on the Council in an attempt to overturn my verdict? I gave my head a rigid shake. None of this made any sense.

Shade thoughtfully tapped the feather of her quill on her notebook. “I know it sounds strange that losing his weaving partner upset him, especially due to the usual animosity in weaving partnerships, but things were different between Darius and his Dream Weaver. The longer he knew her, the happier he became, and the more he looked forward to his Weavings...though I believe it was hispartnerhe was excited for, not the Weaving itself.”

She tilted her head, her eyes so wide and innocent, making it even more difficult to stubbornly cling to my anger. I both embraced her words and tried to push them away before they could work against my guarded heart.

Poor Shade, so oblivious to the fact that Darius had likely been cheating on her throughout his time with me. The thought made me feel dirty, as if I’d been caught tangled in an affair.

Once again, Shade failed to notice my reaction, lost in recounting her story in a bright tone, which only made me feel all the more guilty that she couldn’t even consider the possibility that Darius’s motives had been anything less than innocent. If she was to be believed, he’d obviously feltsomethingfor me at one time...before our relationship had broken.

Shade sighed. “I miss the old Darius. He used to be so confident, cheerful, and focused. Now he hardly pays attention to anything, much less anyone. It’s as if a part of him is missing, and until he finds it, he’ll remain lost.”

He’d seemed cheerful at the tea shop yesterday, and plenty attentive, too. I searched Shade’s expression for any signs of deceit, but the only emotion I detected was concern. “You’re worried for him.”

She nibbled her lip. “I am. Not only is he having a difficult time, but something happened to him last night.” Trepidation knotted my stomach as she leaned forward, eyes wide with fright. “Do you remember when Dreamers’ magic was being stolen? They caught the criminal responsible several months ago and suspended them, but then this morning the thief struck again and stole Darius’s magic.”

My heart pounded in my ears. “Darius noticed he was missing dream dust?” I hadn’t considered his reaction when I’d been blinded by my own rage.

“Of course,” Shade said. “He’s impeccably obsessive about his magic level; I suspect it strokes his rather large ego.”

I rolled my eyes. Typical Darius. I’d been hoping I could steal several of his nightmares before he noticed, but I shouldn’t have underestimated him. Now he’d likely turn me in...if he hadn’t already. I’d be suspended from the Nightmare Realm before tonight’s Weaving. Relief washed over me in a rush before I succeeded in smothering it.

She continued. “He noticed while we were having breakfast together...”

They atebreakfasttogether? Whatever doubts I’d vainly harbored that the two were paired were now utterly dashed. The thought made me nauseous with envy.

“...he became pale and gaped at his dream locket. I asked him what was wrong and it took him a moment to answer, and when he did, he only sighed and muttered, ’Oh, Nemesis’ in a rather dejected tone—a strange comment considering that’s what he used to call his weaving partner—before telling me that the magic he’d earned from last night’s Weaving was now missing.”

My heart lurched. So he already knew I was the culprit; he’d always been suspicious of me. For some reason this thought was the most painful from this draining conversation.

“I told him to report the crime,” Shade continued. “But he’s rather insistent on not doing so.”

I frowned. “What’s his motivation for remaining silent?”

Shade shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’d have thought his desire to help preserve the Universe’s balance would be motive enough, yet he refuses. But luckily, despite this morning’s theft, he was still willing to write these notes for you.”

She handed me her notebook. I immediately recognized Darius’s neat penmanship, which had carefully written out several pages of detailed instructions.

“Darius wrote these? Forme?”

“He did. I told him I met you the day of our chance encounter; he nearly choked on his ice cream when I gave him your name. I didn’t realize two of my favorite people knew each other.” Her eyes brightened in happy surprise before she sobered once more. “Then this morning I told him you’d received a weaving assignment and would need help. He immediately volunteered to assist you. He spent a lot of time on these; he genuinely wants you to do well.”

A pinprick of warmth entered my heart, but suspicion threatened to eclipse it as I warily eyed his notes. Would his advice be unhelpful in revenge for my having stolen from him? But as I perused each page, even my relative inexperience recognized the quality of his help.

My heart prickled, both in guilt and wonder. Why would Darius be so invested in helping me even after the crime I’d committed against him? I traced over each stroke of his handwriting as the usual conflicting emotions and confusion raged within me, a constant inner battle that was quickly growing wearying.

Over the next hour Shade went over Darius’s advice step by step as she helped me create my first nightmare blueprint, but it was difficult for me to focus on my nightmare plan as my thoughts unwillingly lingered on a certain Nightmare I’d been so determined to forget, but whom I still couldn’t manage to completely let go of.

* * *

The timebefore my first Weaving stretched endlessly. Despite Shade’s assurances, I spent the entire day anticipating the Council’s summons ordering me to appear before them in order to charge me for the dream dust theft against Darius...but no such summons came. By dusk, it became apparent that for whatever reason, Darius had chosen to remain silent about his stolen magic, which meant I had no way to escape my new role as a Nightmare Weaver.