Wake Up, Witch

Chapter 33

I walked into the dream feeling numb. With nowhere else to go, I found myself in the only place I had ever felt safe since waking up. And like always, he was there waiting.

He must know that I had done it because he did not move. His eyes stayed on me as I took the seat across from him.

"I don't want to talk about it," I murmured, watching the fire dance in front of us.

He sat in silence for a while, as if he, too, was paying respects to my familiar. "Did Katz figure the way out?"

I nodded slowly. "We're all resting for the journey tomorrow." I turned and caught his gaze. "Wish me luck."

He scoffed. "You don't believe in luck."

The corner of my mouth twitched. "I don't."

When I realized his gaze could hold mine longer than I could, I blinked and my eyes landed on the corner where another shadow crept in. His eyes followed mine, and in a blink, the shadow disappeared.

"What is that?" I asked, looking into his eyes.

Honestly, I thought he'd lie like he always did. The struggle to give me the answer was there in the dark depths of his gaze. "They're the reason you left." He took a deep breath. "One of the reasons."

"What are they?"

His shoulder lifted in a small shrug. "You called them 'pests'."

"And what do they do?"

"What pests do." He looked around the room. "They're trying hard to eating the dream alive." When his gaze returned to me, he allowed a small smile. "The dream's crumbling."

"But you can control them. I've seen you do it."

"Only because it's my expertise." He sighed. "But they're not entirely made of shadows," he explained. "Shadows always follow my behest, but these try their hardest to resist my command, especially when you're around."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Ever since they started showing up, you've always felt like they're after you. We tried to find out more, but it was getting more difficult by the decades. I was the only one who could control them, and I couldn't be here all the time..." His voice faltered as his eyes retreated to a memory only he could remember. "You almost died one time. I got here just a few seconds before they completely drowned the damned dream in darkness."

I nodded, taking in the information he was willing to give, not asking for the ones I knew he would never. Like why he never told me he was trapped. Or why he never told me that this dream... this place that we had shared for centuries, was slowly coming to an end.

Closing my eyes, I let the cackle of firewood lull me to a state between sleep and peace.

"Do you need to feed?"

"Stop asking me that question," I murmured. "I'll demand for blood when I need it." Even with eyes closed, I knew he was smiling. "I need quiet."

And we shared the silence for a while.

***

Katz was already waiting for me when I awoke. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the light.

Now that the curse was broken, morning light saturated the forest. The air was fresh, the leaves moist with dew.

The fire had died, but Alistair was gathering more firewood for breakfast.

"Don't you find it weird that he entered the border with us?" Katz whispered when Alistair disappeared into the woods.

"What do you mean?"