Weaver's Curse

Chapter 4- The Weaver

When the stranger had wandered into The Sleeping Sow and announced to her that she was looking for a Malachite, Sedine had nearly decided to lure her out back and shank her.

Despite the obvious hazard of the troops of feral hogs, Yester was one of the only three places that Sedine had felt safe in during the past year and a half. She'd actually been enjoying her serving job. And she didn't plan to let anyone ruin that.

But then the stranger had saved her own life by adding that she was a friend of Nigel's. And now Sedine was helping her.

She fell asleep instantly as soon as she crawled into bed, as she intended to. What she didn't plan on doing was immediately have her dream hijacked.

Sedine found herself standing on the balcony of Malachite Hall, her old home. Her cousin, Darren stood beside her.

She quickly reached a hand up to her hair, and found it was long and still blonde, like it had been when she had fled.

Good. He won't be looking for my disguise.

"I really appreciate you butting your way into my private delusions," Sedine said, rolling her eyes. "And you don't even have to say it. Let me guess: 'Sedine, please come home, I promise you are in no danger'?"

"If you've got the monologue memorized, then will you please just return?" Darren said.

"Hm. No." Sedine said.

"Look, we never intended you any actual harm," Darren pleaded.

"A knife to the throat is a knife to the throat." Sedine said. "It's easy to say no harm was intended when you weren't the one that was attacked and hunting like a fox. Now would you stop contacting me? I've got shit to do."

"I see you haven't gotten any less vulgar," Darren sniffed.

"I got worse on purpose." Sedine said, spitting at his feet. "You won't want me back. Now buh-bye."

She forcefully shifted out of the dream and woke up, gasping. Vassa, her room-mate, who had yet to fall asleep, gave her a concerned look.

"Are you alright?" she whispered.

"Yeah." Sedine assured her. She rolled over and went back to sleep, this time visiting the person she intended to.

The dream she shared with the weavers was hazy, unlike the dream she'd just left. Moe specifically, the weaver. There was only one, and Sedine could barely make out what she looked like. Her form kept blurring and reforming.

It finally settled on a pretty woman the bore a faint resemblance to Indeara.

"Who?" the woman gasped.

"A friend. Probably." Sedine said. "Someone's asked me to help her find you. Her name's Indeara. I don't think she means you harm."

"In... dear..." the woman said. "Y... yes. We are... friends?"

"Where are you?" Sedine asked.

Whoever this woman was, it seemed like she hadn't spoken to anyone in years.

"Mountains. The... uh... Constellation! Yes, Constellation Mountains!"

She suddenly blurred into an elderly woman.

"See you soon, then." Sedine said.

Constellation Mountains... It looks like she's much older than what the dream showed me initially... They're probably called something else now.

I'll ask Cadence.

She pictured the Mistress of Blackhall, and she found herself standing in Blackhall Academy's library. Cadence Asher sat in one of the armchairs, reading.