Day 41:

He hadn't meant to fall asleep. Something told him the moment he took his eyes off Reina she was going to disappear again. The fire was a crackling glow, comfortable in spite of the warm weather, and rock wasn't so uncomfortable now that his back wasn't one shredded mess.

The next thing he remembered was jerking awake, still sitting upright against the cliff face. His heart skipped. He should have stayed alert. He was supposed to be watching her, damn it.

But Reina was fifteen feet away, sitting on the edge of the flat and holding her phone to her ear. He caught the last few words—enough to guess she was speaking with Regis—before she hung up. On the other side of the fire, Ardyn was stretched out on his back with his hat over his face, his hands resting on his stomach, and ankles crossed like he had settled in for an afternoon nap.

Cor climbed to his feet. His muscles were stiff; they would be sore tomorrow, but for now it was tolerable. He crossed the camp—such as it was—to the edge where Reina sat. He hadn't noticed on the way up, but the view was breathtaking. Not worth sprinting up the mountain for, but finding Reina had paid that debt.

"Father is furious with me," she said.

Cor sat down beside her, letting his feet hang over the edge. He was still a mess—covered in dirt and ash and blood—and his shirt was torn open across the back. At least he was still in one piece.

"You'd think he would understand sacrifice to keep people safe," she said.

"Maybe he just doesn't want his daughter making the sacrifice," Cor said.

"Well I don't condone anyone else making that sacrifice."

"That's not your choice to make," he said.

From up here, all of Lucis seemed to stretch out before them. The meteor glowed in the Disc of Cauthess, a few scattered outposts were visible only through their flood lights, and beyond all that was the Crown City—a sea of lights in its own right.

"The only choice you get is whether or not to make relationships," Cor said. "If you don't, maybe no one will try to protect you."

"I can't push you all away again. It was hard enough the first time when I knew I would die. I don't think I'm strong enough to do it again."

"Strong enough? You think it takes strength to break friendships and go your own way? If you were strong, you'd let your friends fight beside you. It takes strength to trust, and to let them risk themselves—because your worry isn't a good enough reason to be selfish."

She looked up at him, surprised—maybe hurt—it was hard to read her. Tough luck. That was what being friends with him cost. She should have known that by now.

"If that is strength then I am weak," she said levelly. "But I will do everything in my power for you—for all of you. And that means I have to Dream."

She climbed to her feet. Cor scrambled after.

"On purpose?"

"I used to do it," she said.

"Inside a Dream," he said. "What if you get stuck again?"

She stopped on her way toward the fire and turned back to him. "That fear is why I haven't tried yet."

He didn't know shit about her Dreams. He didn't want to encourage an irrational fear but so far he hadn't seen evidence that it was irrational.

"You have nothing to fear, little Dreamer." Ardyn's voice issued from underneath his hat. "The power is still yours to command."

Somehow, his assurance only made Cor more certain this was a bad idea.

"Reina. I don't think you should do this without Regis present," Cor said.

"I have to." If she was afraid, he couldn't tell. She stared at the ground with that cold, distant expression she wore sometimes. "I have to know if anyone is in danger. But I have to fall asleep first. I tried to reach the In Between while I was awake before but couldn't. Unfortunately, I don't sleep well anymore."

That part was true, at least. It seemed like every time he stopped by upstairs after a late patrol in the city, she was still awake and prowling the halls. She never wanted to lay down or close her eyes. Probably she didn't sleep well because she was afraid of even trying, not because she struggled to fall asleep.

"You're really going to do this?" Cor asked.

"I have to try. Don't you see? If you could look ahead and know that I would be safe or see every threat in my future so you could divert them, wouldn't you?"

"Yes." Even if the risk was living ten years that had never happened. Even if he had to die in a Dream world to wake in this one. He sat down beside the fire and patted the ground beside him. "Come on, then."

"You're not going to try to stop me?"

"No. But I am going to hold onto your phone and call Regis at the first hint that you're lost."

He took her phone from her. His had died somewhere between trying to call for help and reaching the campsite.

She lay down between Cor and Ardyn. When she did, it left Cor and Ardyn staring at each other. Not exactly his idea of a nice view.

They waited. Cor was too strung out even to think about sleeping. He told himself the nap he had taken before had been enough. But he laid down anyway, because it was the best way he'd found to convince Reina to sleep.

If Ardyn needed sleep, he sure never showed it. He always looked the same. Reina tossed and turned. Trying to keep herself awake, probably, whether consciously or subconsciously. It was another hour minutes of staring at the stars before she drifted off.

He had been in Tenebrae that first time. He had never heard Reina scream before that. After, he mostly wasn't in the right place at the right time, but once or twice in the next twelve years he had seen what happened when she Dreamed.

It didn't happen. Not right away, at least.

The fire was dying, leaving them in the bare flicker of ember light and the pale glow of the moon. Reina slept on, still and silent.

"How long does it usually take?" He asked.

"To Dream?" Ardyn had lain down as well. Now he propped himself up on one elbow to look at Cor. "She should reach the In Between within seconds. To find whatever she is searching for could take a few minutes."

It had been more than a few minutes.

"Then again," Ardyn said, "She hasn't actually done any of this before. I'm sure Dreaming from a conscious sleep is more difficult than from within a Dream."

"So you're saying she might not be able to?"

"That is precisely what I am saying. The little Dreamer will simply have to learn to Dream again."

"Can you do anything to help?" Cor could hardly believe he had asked it, but the words came from his mouth.

"Me? Help? Perish the thought, Lion." Ardyn fixed Cor with an unsettling smile.

"You're the only one who seems to know anything about this shit." Though it hurt to admit they needed help from the imperial chancellor. Former imperial chancellor.

"Oh I certainly am. Dear Daddy has not ventured so far in his magic. Perhaps he can't. Or perhaps he is a coward."

Cor left the bait where Ardyn set it.

"Then do something for her," he said.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Lion, you should know I never do anything except for purely selfish motivations. Why would I help her Dream?"

"Because I think you like her. Whatever that means in your twisted mind," Cor said. "I think you've got a soft spot and you're trying to hide it. And doing a damn poor job."

"Not as poorly as you."

"I'm not trying to hide anything."

"Oh no?" Ardyn's grin stretched. When Cor failed to rise to this bait as well, he sighed and settled on his back. He put his hat over his face. "Goodnight, Lion. Enjoy your sleepless night babysitting a Dreamless Dreamer."

Cor leaned back and fought the urge to punch him. It wouldn't do any good. Besides, Reina was between them. He would wake her up.

If he let her sleep, would she eventually Dream? Or was she locked out for the whole night? Did she have a better chance of sleeping through the night if he woke her, told her to stop trying to Dream, and let her go back to sleep? Maybe, but then he would have to spend another hour convincing her to sleep at all.

He would just have to wait. All night, if necessary.

He made sure Reina was settled before sitting up. He put his back against the cliff to keep himself awake, and settled one hand on her shoulder. Hopefully that would be enough to warn him of any changes.

It was going to be a long night. Longer still for his climb up this damn mountain. But it had been worth it in the end.

Reina inhaled sharply and didn't exhale. She was still asleep, just as calm as before. He counted seconds. When her next breath finally came it was not in the same slow, steady pace from before. Was she Dreaming? Or had she just reached—what had Ardyn called it?—the In Between?

He had been expecting a definitive sign. Every other Dream he had witnessed had ended in Reina screaming like daemons were dropping out of the sky and flailing fit to fight them off. But this time she was only breathing—too quietly and consciously—as if she was awake. But not.

A minute later she jerked in her sleep. She twisted, back contorting, hands closing into fists. A pained grimace crossed her face.

"Reina?" Cor reached out to her, forgetting he wouldn't be able to wake her. Only Regis could do that.

Ardyn lifted one hand.

"She isn't Dreaming," he said from underneath his hat. "Not in any real sense. The Draconian has sunk his claws into her."

"What?" He said the god they were hunting had her in his grasp like it was just another sunrise. "We have to wake her!"

"She's not in danger." Ardyn removed his hat and sat up. "Yet. Let them have their battle of wits. If you wake her, she'll only be running away from a fight."

"A fight that can't hurt her." It sounded even more stupid when Cor said it.

"In a manner of speaking."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Tsk, Lion. You really are a simple lapcat, aren't you?" He twirled his hat in his hands. "You can't trust me for anything."

He smiled and for a moment it seemed to stretch farther, wider than possible, as his lips grew dark around the corners. Then it was gone. Trick of the light.

"But you said yourself," he said, "She is my Dreamer. And I am the black blood that flows in her veins."

A disturbing thought, in both directions. Cor decided to leave that one where it was, too.

Reina was still sleeping—if it could be called that—still tense, but not writhing or screaming. The grimace on her face had turned to something more closely resembling a snarl. Ardyn had said himself he couldn't be trusted. Cor knew he should wake her up. If she was stuck in a Dream the sooner she was out the better.

In spite of that, he found himself believing one thing about Ardyn.

He did like her.

Maybe it was fascination or morbid curiosity. Maybe it was something altogether different and much larger. But something brought him back to her time and time again. Something had drawn him to her during her ten year Dream and it wasn't exclusive to a non-existent future.

Cor let her go. He counted seconds, telling himself he would give her five minutes and no more. If she could Dream ten years in one night, five minutes should have been enough to see plenty. If she wasn't back by then he would wake her himself or—failing that—call Regis.

In the end, he didn't have to wait that long.

It was a minute later, give or take, when Reina sat upright with a gasping inhale.

"Reina!"

She stared straight ahead wheezing as she caught her breath. Cor took her shoulders, turning her to face him. Sometimes she seemed awake before Regis called out to her. Cor wasn't satisfied that she was really back in her body until she locked her eyes on him.

"Cor," she said, once she could speak. "It's alright—I'm fine."

Words that had come to mean nothing at all from her.

"Did you Dream?" He asked.

"No. I reached the In Between, thanks to Ardyn, but Bahamut found me. He pulled me out of the black river before I could look ahead and find the future."

Cor glanced past her to Ardyn, who had lain back down. A smug smile twisted across Ardyn's face. So he had helped after all. And he had been telling the truth about Bahamut as well. Bastard.

"Are you going to try again?" Cor asked.

"No. Not tonight. I suspect he's watching."

Hell.

"Then you'd better go to sleep," Cor said.

"I'll try," she said, in that dubious tone that made it clear she wouldn't try very hard.

"You're going to do more than try." Cor laid back down, dragging her with him until she was flat on her back once more. "Even if I have to knock you unconscious."

She smiled. It wasn't a comment that deserved a smile, but she gave him one anyway.