Chapter Four: Crossroads in the Dream
A/n: Thanks for reviewing! I have another disclaimer here for your reading benefit...
I own Carayni and the librarian. These are completely imaginary characters from my own head. This goes out to all those NQ players who might read this story and think that they actually have to find and defeat the Head Librarian, however unlikely it may be. I wish that there actually were librarians in the Palace! It would be kind of cool...
Anyway, sorry about that. Here goes the story again!
***
After the battle of the dinner table, Shiryami gladly returned to her room, now occupied by Lilynris and Ashayie. "I am so glad they came," Shiryami said to Kyerind on the way up the stairs.
"I'm sure you are. First, if they hadn't come, you would be sitting in your room reading a book you nearly memorized. Second, you would be too hungry to concentrate on the book."
"And third," Shiryami whispered, "I never would have gotten a ticket out of here."
"Good point. Anyway, good night."
"Night, Kyerind. See you tomorrow." Shiryami turned right and ascended a small staircase to reach her loft room, where Lilynris and Ashayie already had sleeping bags spread out. "Hi, guys."
"Hello."
"Hi. Nothing new going on, I assume?"
"No, nothing new is going on, Ashayie. Aunt Brithinell hasn't stolen the Staff of Ni-Tas, Kyerind didn't burn down the house, and no armies of crusaders have turned up."
"You know," Lilynris said, "we'll have to take them on eventually."
"We've fought them before," Ashayie said with a yawn. "The one who lives over in the Palace will be worse."
"Very smart perception, Ashayie," Shiryami said.
"You know, Shiryami, maybe you shouldn't be talking, considering you never fought a battle in your life."
Shiryami yawned. "I'm not going to start a war of words now, Ashayie. It's too late at night. You know it was wonderful meeting both of you?"
"You told us a couple hundred times today."
"You're better than I thought at these word fights, Ashayie," Lilynris commented. "Too bad we can't just defeat the one who lives in the Palace with words. We'd probably cream him."
"I wish," Shiryami said sleepily.
"Well, whatever you want, he's going down whether with words or weapons. Good night."
Shiryami closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep.
The place where Shiryami stood was one of her sanctuaries, a lonely tree that only existed in her dreams. She didn't see anyone around her, but threads of suspense hovered on the wind. An invisible presence popped into being inside the tree.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Shiryami, Shiryami. Don't you remember me?"
"I can't see you. How could I recognize you?"
"You understand voices that are familiar enough. Surely I'm that familiar to you?"
"Not quite yet. I don't remember very many of my dreams."
"Well, you'll remember this one, Shiryami. Now," the voice relaxed, "I think I should probably take on a spirit form, so you'll remember me."
The grass and sky in front of the tree shimmered to reveal a faerie Kacheek hovering in the air. "Remember me now?"
"Carayni. I see why you've turned up now."
"Well, yes. You are about to embark on a life-changing quest, if you choose to join Lilynris." Carayni hesitated. "And if you remain...well, that will change your life as well."
"So basically I'm at the crossroads in my life."
"Well, you could say that."
"I can say that, and I just did say it. Basically, no way am I staying here. Kyerind is leaving to seek adventure with Lilynris and Ashayie, and he's the only one who's somewhat nice. Even though I'm kind of scared of what will happen when Lilynris finds the one who lives in the Palace, I have to go. And I want to go. And I will go."
"Well said, Shiryami. You do have a way with words. Maybe it will help you...but you have chosen your way. Now, face its dangers!"
Carayni vanished, flickered out of being, and Shiryami looked around nervously. "This place seems a little too real..." she said to herself. "Not like most dreams."
"What, you think you'll ever have a normal dream again? You are a shock witch, Shiryami. I always knew."
"Right. You don't belong in my dreams, unless you're a spectral witch. By your own calculations, you obviously don't have that power. Therefore, go away, illusion," Shiryami said without turning around.
"How could it be like most dreams?" another voice said. This voice was deeper, silkier, scarier. "Carayni could not live inside a normal dream. Neither could these illusions. This is the dream you will remember. I will make it so, for I have mastered the dream. And I command the dream to trap you inside." That voice vanished as well, and Shiryami found herself at the bottom of a deep, dank cave instantly.
"Wow..." she said. "That one must have taken a lot of practice. Hundreds of years of practice, perhaps. Well, I have to find my way out of here on my own." Shiryami hesitatingly stretched out a hand and touched her left wall. "Follow the wall to the end of the maze. That's how you get out." Shiryami took a few steps forward. "Of course, there's a trap here."
She stopped at an invisible wall. "Wow. Words really do have power."
"Of course. Why do you avoid saying the name of your boss?"
There was the mysterious voice again. Shiryami immediately retorted, "He is not my boss. You are not my boss."
"Well, obviously. I'm just the lowly librarian who has spent hundreds of years in the Palace studying the prophecies and the ways of the dream in preparation for the day when you would come along. Don't think you're special, though. You can't fight this, as I have seen."
"You know, you're making a mistake. The word is my most powerful weapon, and I know I can beat you."
"Indeed? How do you know this?" The voice laughed. "It's so easy."
"Well, there is something I do know about how I can beat you, so it's not as easy as it seems," Shiryami said after a few seconds. "You're the Palace librarian, out of your own mouth. See you there in my physical form." Shiryami immediately darted forward, sure that the wall would have shattered for a few seconds out of shock. She passed through.
"Since you're not very special, I have better things to do than torment your dreams," the voice said nonchalantly. "See you tomorrow night."
"Right. I don't plan on it. Bye, loser."
The crusaders charged into the cave, led by their Major. "Well, Shiryami. I killed your parents twelve years ago. Now, it's your turn," the Major said.
"Yeah. Right. I'll warn the others." Shiryami willed the cave to dissipate, and luckily for her, it happened. The featureless gray mist surrounded her once more.
"Shiryami! Wake up! What has been going on?"
Shiryami looked at Lilynris, who was bending over her. "Not much. I met a guardian spirit who told me I was at the crossroads of my life. Then this crazed Palace librarian tormented me, and we stalemated in a battle of words. Finally, I saw the crusaders charge in. What has been going on with you, Lilynris?"
Lilynris took the middle staff out of her pack. "Take it, Shiryami. You'll need it. We've been discovered."
Shiryami threw on a coat and boots, then took the staff. "The crusaders?"
"Yup," Ashayie said, holding her staff. "They found us last night. I'm surprised that they did it so quickly."
"The librarian," Shiryami immediately said to herself. "The librarian traced you, and then he found me in the dream. I probably had something to do with it when I fought off all those creatures. Got an escape plan?"
"I wish," Kyerind said, flying in through the window.
"We don't have an escape plan?" Shiryami screamed.
"Don't yell at me! We only decided to leave yesterday."
Shiryami threw her head back and looked out the window. Big mistake. "Oh, wonderful. We've got this huge army advancing on the farm and no escape plan. One of the smarter things I've done in my life."
A/n: Thanks for reviewing! I have another disclaimer here for your reading benefit...
I own Carayni and the librarian. These are completely imaginary characters from my own head. This goes out to all those NQ players who might read this story and think that they actually have to find and defeat the Head Librarian, however unlikely it may be. I wish that there actually were librarians in the Palace! It would be kind of cool...
Anyway, sorry about that. Here goes the story again!
***
After the battle of the dinner table, Shiryami gladly returned to her room, now occupied by Lilynris and Ashayie. "I am so glad they came," Shiryami said to Kyerind on the way up the stairs.
"I'm sure you are. First, if they hadn't come, you would be sitting in your room reading a book you nearly memorized. Second, you would be too hungry to concentrate on the book."
"And third," Shiryami whispered, "I never would have gotten a ticket out of here."
"Good point. Anyway, good night."
"Night, Kyerind. See you tomorrow." Shiryami turned right and ascended a small staircase to reach her loft room, where Lilynris and Ashayie already had sleeping bags spread out. "Hi, guys."
"Hello."
"Hi. Nothing new going on, I assume?"
"No, nothing new is going on, Ashayie. Aunt Brithinell hasn't stolen the Staff of Ni-Tas, Kyerind didn't burn down the house, and no armies of crusaders have turned up."
"You know," Lilynris said, "we'll have to take them on eventually."
"We've fought them before," Ashayie said with a yawn. "The one who lives over in the Palace will be worse."
"Very smart perception, Ashayie," Shiryami said.
"You know, Shiryami, maybe you shouldn't be talking, considering you never fought a battle in your life."
Shiryami yawned. "I'm not going to start a war of words now, Ashayie. It's too late at night. You know it was wonderful meeting both of you?"
"You told us a couple hundred times today."
"You're better than I thought at these word fights, Ashayie," Lilynris commented. "Too bad we can't just defeat the one who lives in the Palace with words. We'd probably cream him."
"I wish," Shiryami said sleepily.
"Well, whatever you want, he's going down whether with words or weapons. Good night."
Shiryami closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep.
The place where Shiryami stood was one of her sanctuaries, a lonely tree that only existed in her dreams. She didn't see anyone around her, but threads of suspense hovered on the wind. An invisible presence popped into being inside the tree.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Shiryami, Shiryami. Don't you remember me?"
"I can't see you. How could I recognize you?"
"You understand voices that are familiar enough. Surely I'm that familiar to you?"
"Not quite yet. I don't remember very many of my dreams."
"Well, you'll remember this one, Shiryami. Now," the voice relaxed, "I think I should probably take on a spirit form, so you'll remember me."
The grass and sky in front of the tree shimmered to reveal a faerie Kacheek hovering in the air. "Remember me now?"
"Carayni. I see why you've turned up now."
"Well, yes. You are about to embark on a life-changing quest, if you choose to join Lilynris." Carayni hesitated. "And if you remain...well, that will change your life as well."
"So basically I'm at the crossroads in my life."
"Well, you could say that."
"I can say that, and I just did say it. Basically, no way am I staying here. Kyerind is leaving to seek adventure with Lilynris and Ashayie, and he's the only one who's somewhat nice. Even though I'm kind of scared of what will happen when Lilynris finds the one who lives in the Palace, I have to go. And I want to go. And I will go."
"Well said, Shiryami. You do have a way with words. Maybe it will help you...but you have chosen your way. Now, face its dangers!"
Carayni vanished, flickered out of being, and Shiryami looked around nervously. "This place seems a little too real..." she said to herself. "Not like most dreams."
"What, you think you'll ever have a normal dream again? You are a shock witch, Shiryami. I always knew."
"Right. You don't belong in my dreams, unless you're a spectral witch. By your own calculations, you obviously don't have that power. Therefore, go away, illusion," Shiryami said without turning around.
"How could it be like most dreams?" another voice said. This voice was deeper, silkier, scarier. "Carayni could not live inside a normal dream. Neither could these illusions. This is the dream you will remember. I will make it so, for I have mastered the dream. And I command the dream to trap you inside." That voice vanished as well, and Shiryami found herself at the bottom of a deep, dank cave instantly.
"Wow..." she said. "That one must have taken a lot of practice. Hundreds of years of practice, perhaps. Well, I have to find my way out of here on my own." Shiryami hesitatingly stretched out a hand and touched her left wall. "Follow the wall to the end of the maze. That's how you get out." Shiryami took a few steps forward. "Of course, there's a trap here."
She stopped at an invisible wall. "Wow. Words really do have power."
"Of course. Why do you avoid saying the name of your boss?"
There was the mysterious voice again. Shiryami immediately retorted, "He is not my boss. You are not my boss."
"Well, obviously. I'm just the lowly librarian who has spent hundreds of years in the Palace studying the prophecies and the ways of the dream in preparation for the day when you would come along. Don't think you're special, though. You can't fight this, as I have seen."
"You know, you're making a mistake. The word is my most powerful weapon, and I know I can beat you."
"Indeed? How do you know this?" The voice laughed. "It's so easy."
"Well, there is something I do know about how I can beat you, so it's not as easy as it seems," Shiryami said after a few seconds. "You're the Palace librarian, out of your own mouth. See you there in my physical form." Shiryami immediately darted forward, sure that the wall would have shattered for a few seconds out of shock. She passed through.
"Since you're not very special, I have better things to do than torment your dreams," the voice said nonchalantly. "See you tomorrow night."
"Right. I don't plan on it. Bye, loser."
The crusaders charged into the cave, led by their Major. "Well, Shiryami. I killed your parents twelve years ago. Now, it's your turn," the Major said.
"Yeah. Right. I'll warn the others." Shiryami willed the cave to dissipate, and luckily for her, it happened. The featureless gray mist surrounded her once more.
"Shiryami! Wake up! What has been going on?"
Shiryami looked at Lilynris, who was bending over her. "Not much. I met a guardian spirit who told me I was at the crossroads of my life. Then this crazed Palace librarian tormented me, and we stalemated in a battle of words. Finally, I saw the crusaders charge in. What has been going on with you, Lilynris?"
Lilynris took the middle staff out of her pack. "Take it, Shiryami. You'll need it. We've been discovered."
Shiryami threw on a coat and boots, then took the staff. "The crusaders?"
"Yup," Ashayie said, holding her staff. "They found us last night. I'm surprised that they did it so quickly."
"The librarian," Shiryami immediately said to herself. "The librarian traced you, and then he found me in the dream. I probably had something to do with it when I fought off all those creatures. Got an escape plan?"
"I wish," Kyerind said, flying in through the window.
"We don't have an escape plan?" Shiryami screamed.
"Don't yell at me! We only decided to leave yesterday."
Shiryami threw her head back and looked out the window. Big mistake. "Oh, wonderful. We've got this huge army advancing on the farm and no escape plan. One of the smarter things I've done in my life."