Author's Note: So this is kind of irrelevant but you know the friend in a coma? Well, the doctors have decided it's safe to wake him up so they're doing it tomorrow and I am super happy! They've found some new drug that they think will help him recover for good this time, although he has to wear this monitor thing at all times now. It basically checks his heart or something (maybe heartbeat, idk how it works) and if the numbers on it get to a certain level it calls an ambulance. I know y'all don't really care, but since I mentioned him earlier and you guys were so sweet, I wanted to update you on the situation. Thank you all!
This is a long chapter! I probably won't update tomorrow, but I will definitely have a chapter up by Monday night.
I hope you like this chapter, please review, I love you all so much!
As they free-fell, a scream escaped Sophie's lips. She blindly grabbed for Keefe's hand, the air rushing past them like they were on a roller coaster. A really fast, unsafe, deadly roller coaster.
Gisela wouldn't kill them, because she wanted them alive, but Sophie could see no end to this situation that resulted in their survival. The cliff was ridiculously high, and they would die on impact with whatever lay below them. Even if it was water.
Sophie attempted to speak to Keefe, but the wind ripped the words from her mouth. She could barely keep her eyes open, squinting against the force. Her breath was ripped out of her lungs. His fingers tugged her closer, and soon her arms were wrapped around his neck, his around her waist.
She wasn't sure how long they were falling, but it felt like an eternity. With each second that passed, Sophie tightened her grip on Keefe, as if holding him closer would save them.
Then they fell past the layer of mist, and every thought immediately went out of her head.
Below them she could see what looked like an orchard. Tall, towering trees with wide branches and large purple and blue leaves that obscured whatever lay below. For an instant, she was reminded of Calla's Panakes tree.
Then their fall slowed, as if invisible brakes had slowly come to a halt. Soon, they were gently floating down towards the iridescent canopy.
"That was terrifying," Keefe said, releasing her waist.
Sophie nodded, still finding speaking impossible. As they descended below the treetops, every thought rushed out of her head once again. In between the towering tree trunks —which were, to Sophie's confusion, pitch black— there were an assortment of tents. They looked like carnival tents, but midnight blue, with small silver stars speckled on them.
People of all species walked around, from trolls to goblins to ogres to elves to gnomes to humans.
Sophie took a second glance. Yes, those were certainly humans. She could distinguish them from the elves because they were less perfect, less otherworldly. They all still glowed with the kind of happiness that can't be faked, and that Sophie had only ever seen in humans.
"What is this place?" Sophie breathed.
As if the question had summoned her, a troll appeared. She was young looking, almost as young as Empress Pernille. That meant she had to be very old, since trolls aged backwards. She was dressed in a worn brown dress that looked like it would fit a child, and one hand held a cane with a silver-blue orb on top.
"Ah, you're early," she said.
"You were expecting us?" Keefe asked, no hint of amusement in his tone.
The troll merely smiled. "I am Saga Vates, and on behalf of the Nightwalkers, I would like to welcome you to your new home. The Garden of Dreams."
"Why are we here? I'm supposed to unlock my power," Sophie said, "But I don't have any clue-"
"Ah-ah," Saga tittered. "The sun has not gone to sleep yet, Moonlark. All will be revealed in due time."
Sophie groaned. First the Black Swan, then the Neverseen, now Saga. Couldn't anything be straightforward?
"What do you mean, 'the sun hasn't gone to sleep yet'?" Sophie asked, trying to control her growing annoyance and the urge to tug on her eyelashes.
Saga grinned. "Follow me, children. We have a few hours yet until sundown."
Sophie counted in her head. It had been 8:00 when her and Keefe arrived at the clock tower, and it couldn't be more than thirty minutes later. They still had the whole day ahead of them, much longer than just a few hours.
"Fate," came a deep voice from behind them. "Scaring the newcomers isn't part of your job description."
Sophie whirled around to find an ogre standing there. He was taller than King Dimitar, and had so much muscle that Sophie wondered if he might be able to beat the king in a fight. Keefe stood a bit taller, as if recalling a certain fight with the ogre king.
The ogre continued, "I am called Fortilaar. I apologize for her antics. Old age is getting to her head."
Saga smacked him with her cane, hard. Fortilaar winced, but didn't move.
"Old age," she muttered, as if it were a foreign concept. "I'm not that old, you dingus."
Fortilaar looked inclined to disagree, but he merely motioned with his hand for Sophie and Keefe to follow him.
"Come, I will give you a tour of our home," he said.
They followed him, and after a few feet, Fortilaar said, "Sorry about Saga. She's our Fate, and she takes the act a bit far sometimes."
"I heard that!" Saga yelled.
"What's a Fate?" Keefe asked.
"A fortune-teller of sorts. That's how we knew you were coming," Fortilaar replied.
They walked for several minutes, and Sophie began to realize exactly how large this place was. The tents seemed to extend forever in all directions. As they walked, some people waved at Fortilaar, some shouted greetings, but no one even seemed to notice Sophie and Keefe. They got a few odd glances purely for the clothes they were wearing, but that was it.
Everyone in the Garden of Dreams was clothed in something plain, almost dull. They almost looked out of place among the shimmering tents, but the way they moved and acted with ease showed that this was their home.
Fortilaar ducked his giant head into a tent that looked just like all the others, save for a small pocket watch hanging from a pin above the tent flap. Each of the tents, Sophie had noticed, had some sort of little charm hanging above the flap.
"Timekeepers," Fortilaar said to whoever was inside. "The Moonlark and her friend are here."
"You get to be called the Moonlark," Keefe whispered to Sophie. "They should give me a title, too."
She giggled. "I believe 'The Gulon' would be appropriate."
His answering smile seemed to brighten the entire atmosphere.
Fortilaar pulled his head out and said, "I'll leave you to their care. Bewarned— Aevum tends to get into trouble, and Aeva is. . . interesting."
With that, Fortilaar left, immediately disappearing behind the maze of midnight tents. Sophie glanced back towards the tent to see a boy and a girl emerge.
They were humans, and looked to be about Sophie and Keefe's age. They shared light brown hair and amber-colored eyes, and both wore the same dull clothes as everyone else. Despite being human, they were both as beautiful as elves tended to be.
The boy, Aevum, gave Sophie a head-to-toe glance. Then, he smiled at her mischievously. "Here I am. What are your other two wishes?"
Aeva smacked him in the arm. "Sorry about that," she said to Sophie, "he's a hopeless flirt."
She couldn't help but smile. "Sounds like this one," she gestured to Keefe. "They'll get along great."
Keefe grinned at Aevum. "Bold of you to assume she isn't mine."
Sophie couldn't contain the blush that chose to spread across her cheeks.
Aevum smirked. "Is she?"
"Not yet," Keefe replied with a smile.
Sophie's jaw dropped from the blatant flirting. Although, she wasn't sure if Keefe was flirting with her or Aevum. Maybe both.
"You two can get a room later," Aeva said, giggling at Aevum and Keefe's antics. "How about I show her around, and you can show him around. Since you're obviously soulmates or something."
Sophie couldn't help but laugh. It was good that Keefe had found a friend in this strange place. Maybe she could find one in Aeva.
A gesture from the girl had Sophie following her towards the tent. "This is where me and my brother live, but when the sun goes down, it changes into a theatre of sorts."
"A theatre?" Sophie asked.
Aeva nodded. "Have you ever been to a circus?"
"Of course, it feels sort of like this, with all the tents and whatnot."
"That's what we are," Aeva explained. "The Nightwalkers are a circus of magic. The Garden of Dreams is a whole separate world tucked in between two mountain ranges. Different species wander in here all the time, and most of them choose to stay. Very few know they're coming here, though. Most people feel a pull to this place. The magic draws them in, and they don't leave. The Nightwalkers entertain them. People always love magic."
"I was told the Garden of Dreams makes people reveal their secrets," Sophie said as they walked in.
As soon as the flap shut behind them, Aeva's smile faded. She pulled Sophie closer and dropped her voice, as if she were about to tell her a rumor, or a ghost story. Her cheerful eyes faded to a warning. "Yes. Moonlark, tonight you are going to see some of the most amazing things you have ever seen. There will be magic and mystery and it will dazzle you. Whatever you do, don't fall for it. It's all an illusion. This place is a trap, and the longer you believe it, the more it ensnares you."
"What do you mean?" Sophie asked. "If it's a trap, why is everyone so happy?"
Aeva grabbed her hand. "It's a game of chess, Moonlark. We're all pawns. It's up to you to take down the king."
Before Aeva could elaborate, the tent flap opened and Fortilaar stepped in. His smile seemed wicked, in the dim lighting of the tent.
"Getting to know each other?"