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“You know it’s from the crystal,” Paxt said.

Coltan sighed quietly. His nerves were brittle, and Ashir’s endless questions were wearing them thin. They all were on edge. One wrong word and they’d be at each other’s throats, and that was the last thing their mate needed.

“Yes, but… it’s changing. Look.” Ashir indicated Evelyn forehead with a pointed finger.

The gem shimmered with the Arabis crystal’s colors. Even the medi-bed had failed to remove it. It seemed as though it had fused with her body. But now, two days later, it had grown larger and more pronounced. It rose from her skin, forming a multi-faceted crystal-gem, her skin surrounding it perfectly, accepting it as it would a fingernail or strand of hair. It was a part of her.

As he watched, the gem began to glow with a bright pink light. “What the hells?”

Paxt shot up from his seat, moving toward Evelyn. The light leaned toward him. He jerked back and the light glowed upright.

“Do that again, Paxt. Lean toward her,” Coltan said.

Paxt frowned and hunching over her again. Once again, the light bowed in his direction.

Her hands twitched.

Coltan jumped up. “Did you see that? She moved!”

It was only a twitch, but still—she had moved!

“She needs the crystal, Paxt. Go and get it. I think… I think she may need its help to awaken,” Coltan said.

Paxt bolted from the room, his heavy footfalls echoing down the corridor.

Ashir stood, his expression hopeful for the first time in days. “Do you think that might be it?”

Coltan shook his head. “I don’t know, but I’m willing to try anything. Tell me about your hallucination when the scaled ones had tied you down. You thought it was a dream, but now I’m not so sure. Tell me about that beach you saw.”

Ashir shrugged. “It was dark. Cold. I saw her, but then clouds descended from nowhere and I couldn’t get to her. That’s it. But I’m sure it was just a dream.”

“Or it could be more than that. The entity the Ozar spoke about, it’s from another dimension. We know nothing about it. For all we know, it comes from a place of thoughts and dreams,” Coltan said.

“And nightmares,” Ashir said.

Coltan nodded. “And nightmares.”

Paxt came back into the room, cradling the crystal in his hands. As he approached Evelyn, the crystal glowed brighter, matched by the gem now fully formed on her brow.

“Fates! It’s working!” Ashir said.

“Put it on her, Paxt,” Coltan said. Excitement thrummed through his body. He watched her face, waiting to see her blue eyes open.

Paxt lay the crystal on her stomach and arranged her hands to hold the crystal. They all waited. The crystal glowed bright, but she remained motionless. His skin went hot as he waited for something.

Anything.

“It’s not working…” Ashir’s voice cracked.

“I thought… for sure.” Coltan said. It was all he could manage.

Paxt slumped onto the bed and trailed his fingertips along her face. The crystal erupted with light. He jerked away, and the glow died.

“Do that again, Paxt,” Coltan said.

He cupped her cheek and the Arabis crystal’s light increased. Her fingers twitched and she turned her head into his touch.

Then, she stilled again.