The Enchanted Path (Book 1 of the Dreamfarers' tales)

Chapter 33 - Twilight Dazzle

Who would have thought? Leirion and the manticore were friends. I've always wondered why they let a manticore stay in the Forest.

Dianthus rose and stretched his back, humming to himself in satisfaction. The hard agate floor of the cave was oddly comfortable to sleep on, even though the unicorn was used to the softest grass of his home. It was also true that he had been traveling for a while now, and he'd already tested out the most different sleeping arrangements, from the cold sand of the desert to a raft of rotten wood and weeds in the middle of the sea.

Wait: is that why Father was around Aster's den, that day with Cassidy? Was he visiting Aster like he does with Madame Griselda? But why was Aster scared of him if he was friends with Leirion? Uhm. Must've been an act.

It was painful to think that his whole life—that wasn't much to be fair—and relationships with the other dwellers of his home were built around a secret. Griselda knew about Leirion. Aster also knew about Leirion. The deer were bound to recall something of that time, too, and a little something blowing in his ear suggested that there was even more to uncover still.

As he got up, his gaze was drawn toward his reflection in the crystals around him. He had changed, after all. He looked at the snoring dragon and reminisced that day, the fear, the despair...

And now, here I am. Not scared to sleep in the same place with the creature who turned my little world upside down...in search of my sister, and probably another Creature. Dianthus smiled despite himself. It was hard not to marvel at everything had occurred in such a short span of time. Then his ear twitched, perceiving someone approaching from behind.

"Good morning, Birch," Dianthus said turning around.

"Hey, furball. Have you been here the whole night long?"

"Yeah...I was thinking, and I fell asleep. My dreams have become more frequent."

"Oh, have they?" The stag blinked. "Well, that's a good thing, right?"

Dianthus nodded. "I hope so. Still, I don't know what to make of them. At first, I thought they would have led me to Leirion but...well, that turned out terribly wrong, as we know..." Dianthus trailed off, lowering his gaze for a moment. "Now I'm pretty sure I'm just seeing fragments of my sister's past. The only question is...what for?"

Birch pondered about it for a few moments but then gave a shrug. "Not a clue. But in my opinion, if they happen more often, almost every night now, it must mean something in the end."

"I guess you're right."

Birch observed the unicorn. "You look weary, though."

"Do I?" Dianthus shrugged. "I think it's normal."

"Uhm, especially if you break your pretty head over this situation even in your sleep." Birch made a grimace as he looked the unicorn up and down. "I was wondering, maybe you need a little exercise...you know, to let go of the tension."

Dianthus raised a brow at him. "Exercise?"

"Cass and Mister The Dragon are snoring soundly. They won't hear us."

Dianthus snorted. "Birch, you know how the last time went..." he made a half-hearted smile, darting his eyes to the very visible scar adorning the deer's right cheek.

Birch waved him off. "Nah, that doesn't count! It will be just a warm-up, 'kay? You might have fun."

Dianthus gave him a look. "Birch, just say it: it's late summer and you need to crash your antlers into something."

"Besides," Birch continued, ignoring his remark. "If you want to protect birdie there you must know how to move 'round," the stag added with a sly smile.