CH 4
Skyler stared at the man, incredulous.
"My father," she repeated quietly. "You're my father…"
Nought frowned down at her, "Did I not just say that I was?"
"You did," Skyler said, anger forcing its way past her usual calm and practically dripping from every syllable. "But I just wanted clarification, because if that's true, I'd really like to know where you've been my whole life."
Nought frowned in disapproval. "Did you not know that we were called back to.."
"Avalon," Skyler bit out. "Yeah, I got that memo. I'm talking about before that. Growing up it was mom and I. Just mom and I. Where were you?"
Nought sighed. "I did not know for most of your life that you existed, and Phoebe chose not to let me know of such a development until a short time before the Gathering."
"Uh, huh," Skyler said, crossing her arms over her chest. "So here you are in your suit and cape, looking like a Darkwing Duck cosplayer. Why the interest now?"
"Cosplayer?" Nought frowned at her. "What is this, 'Cosplayer'?"
Skyler sighed and flung her hands in the air. "It's not important. Just say what you've got to say, and you can go back to wherever you came from and I can chalk this up to a weird dream and get on with my life."
Nought glared at her. "This is not a dream."
"Really," Skyler asked sarcastically. "Then what is it?"
"I misspoke," He said. "This is not your dream."
That gave Skyler pause. "What do you mean?"
Nought pointed behind Skyler, and she turned to see a familiar winged figure, and once she noticed her, it was as if the whole scene had been muted but suddenly had sound. Nayeli was running through the field, laughing and chasing the fireflies with an almost comically large net.
"How is she here?" Skyler asked.
"This is her dream," Nought shrugged. "We're the interlopers in this situation. It seems that you got that ability from me."
Skyler looked at him in confusion. "Got what…exactly."
"I am a Dream Walker," Nought said. "I am able to wander through dreams. You can learn a lot from the dreams of others." Bending, he picked up a perfectly flat stone, and sent it skittering across the lake's surface. "What they like. What they love. What they fear. It's all there, and sometimes very useful for information." He turned to her then, "Have you never heard someone talking about a dream and thought it sounded familiar if not identical to one that you had? Dreamt of things and places that you have never been before?"
"Well, sure," Skyler shrugged. "It's called Deja Vous."
"Humans come up with such quaint phrases to describe things they don't understand," Nought said. "You are a Dream Walker. You have the ability to talk to people through their dreams without them remembering clearly what was said. You also have the power to change their dreams to fit your needs. Take this child, for instance." He gestured to Nayeli. "You told her about this place, even showed her pictures. She is dreaming of this place tonight in a peaceful setting, but," He held a hand up as dark clouds rolled in to cover the stars and lightning suddenly split the sky, causing Nayeli to stop and look up with a worried expression. "Dreams can become nightmares in the blink of an eye."
"Stop," Skyler shouted at him. "Don't do that. Not to her," Skyler looked at Nayeli's distant figure. "Let her dream in peace."
"So you finally believe me?" Nought asked, dropping his hand. As he did so, the clouds dissipated once more, leaving the sky full of twinkling stars.
"Let's say that I do," Skyler said slowly. "What happens now?"
"Now," He said, holding an arm out in a very old-world manner. With his free hand, he made a wide circle and called forth a green glowing door. The door opened, but the space beyond was nothing but black, "I fulfill my promise to your mother and teach you what you need to know."
Skyler hesitantly put her hand on his arm, and together they walked through to the other side and into the darkness.
If nothing else happened, she would have at least gotten Nought away from Nayeli.
