Chapter 88 I don't own Merlin. Have fun with my little cliffie, did ya? Not entirely sure where this is going, but I'm liking it.
"You will make a Veil between the living and the dead. I don't know how, I don't know where, I don't know why. I just know…it's what been foretold. You're destined to help find a way to let the spirits of loved ones back."
"C-can I see Owaine again?" Cassie asked in a small voice, the weight of what she'd been told all but making her collapse.
"I do not know, I know nothing more. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything! There's no reason for you to know this!" she said quickly with wide fearful eyes. "Those who meddle with the strings of fate end up making everything worse! They pay the price."
"Addie! Adenora!" Cassie said firmly, stopping her from backing away further with a gentle hand. "It's all right. Truly. I won't look for this, I will just let it come as it must. It will be as if you've had no hand in this."
"That's not how it works, my Lady. I've already spoken, I cannot take back my words."
"Be calm, my friend. Nothing will happen to you. I will make sure of it. As will Gildas."
"How do you know?"
"I just do, do not worry."
"Bu-"
"Please, get some rest. We will not speak of this any more. You are my friend and I will not let anything happen to you." Cassie told her soothingly, watching as she relaxed infinitesimally.
"Good night. My dear friend." Adenora said with a small smile, her eyes still frightened as she backed away and went to where she and Gildas were set up.
"¿Podré ver a Owaine otra vez?" Cassie asked herself later that night, lying on her back and looking up at the stars, daring to dream and hope that she could. "¿Cómo puede ser? ¿Cómo lo haré?¿Será posible?"
She lay there pondering the new information over and over, her thoughts churning and her heart beats running a mile a million. "All I'm going to do is drive myself crazy. Might as well go to sleep." she said to herself, turning around and closing her eyes only to dream of vague veils and endless weaving.
"I've chartered a ship, Your Majesties." Miro said with a bow almost two weeks later, coming up to the two royals looking out over the sea quietly.
"We embark at once. Princess, after you." he said, taking her elbow and steering her towards the entrance.
"Thank you, my Lord. I believe we have made good time thus far."
"I agree with you. All that's left is convincing the rest of the passengers aboard of the true destination. We shall deal with that once we are out to sea."
"I believe, my Lord, that if we tempt them with fine recompense they will agree, without the need to kidnap them and commandeer the ship." Cassie admonished, allowing him to let her up the plank and shooting him a look once she was aboard.
"How sure are you, my Lady? Because there will be mutiny if you are wrong." he said after a few moments of consideration.
"Just as there will be mutiny if I am right." she replied quickly, realising they were going to do it his way.
"At worst you magic users can turn the tide in our favour." he said with indifference, watching as everyone else boarded and the plank was dropped.
"I hope you are right, King Gundemar. Although, you may not want to refer to us as 'you magic users'. We may not take too kindly to your moniker." Cassie told him coolly, walking off and following Adenora and her belongings below deck.
"You seem hot and bothered, my Lady. Anything I can do for Your Majesty?"
"Adenora, please, desist with the formalities. We are friends."
"Yes, but you seem exceptionally bothered right now."
"Just Gundemar's affectionate way to refer to us magic users." she said with a roll of her eyes, going over to the bed in the middle of the room and sitting down.
"Think nothing of it, my Lady. King Uther has referred to us in a worse manner. And Cenred, no need to mention him." Adenora told her, sitting down beside her and taking hold of her hand gently. "I find that you will be far less comfortable here than sleeping on the floor. This bed is lumpy."
"Nothing that can't be fixed with a simple word, Addie. Besides, I slept far worse on my way to Camelot. Actually, I wish to speak with Gildas. Perhaps he will have something to occupy my thoughts from the monotony of this trip. And the incessant words of King Gundemar."
"He doesn't speak that much." she said with a chuckle.
"It's not how much he speaks more than what he says. He is a man of little substance, I've found."
"No, Cassie. He's just not the man you wish to be speaking to. I've overheard some of what he has to say, his views are different but substantive. It's interesting to know some of how he thinks."
"He thinks he can muzzle those who do not agree with him."
"He has done no such thing to you. And you have been quite vocal about your disagreements."
"I have not!"
"Perhaps not to the soldiers, but to him? To us?"
"Let's say you are right. It still does not give him the right to assume I would become his wife! Especially not with him knowing I have a husband at home."
"A husband you do not speak of. One you do not show you miss."
"I cannot, if I do, he'll see right through me. I am not a good actress, I betray my words with my expression."
"Then we must work on that. Gundemar may not be the man that you wish him dearly to be, but I can see he is a good one. And a fantastic leader. With the right reason, he may just move mountains."
"I am not that reason. The reason should be the people he will govern."
"You represent those people, show him what they are, what they mean. You needn't open your heart to show him how important they are. You just need to get him to open his heart to them. He is a foreigner, with your counsel the people will grow to trust him. They will grow to love him as their ruler. All you need to do is make them see that."
"Wise words, my friend. I don't know how I can do that, but…"
"You can. If I were you, I'd spend as little time as I could in this… room." she said, looking around at the stateroom.
"Thank you for the advice. Are you and Gildas settled in yet?"
"I'm sure he must be doing so right now. I'll go check on him."
"Addie." Cassie called out to her, stopping her from leaving.
"Yes?"
"Remember what you told me a few weeks ago? Well, Do you think Gildas will help me?"
"I cannot answer that. Will you please not say anything about my telling you. He-he'll be furious. We're not supposed to meddle in fate."
"Oh, of course. I won't say a word." Cassie told her reassuringly, smiling and walking over to her. "Just tell him I wanted to speak with him. The trip is long, I'll request his help learning new magic or something." Cassie said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Okay." Adenora said, nodding and leaving her alone.
"Cassie? Can I come in?"
"I don't know, can you?" Cassie teased, opening the door and stepping aside.
"So, what did you want to talk about? Addie was rather vague." he said, rolling his eyes at her.
"Well, the trip to Hispania is long and… well, I know you have, that you can…what's the word when you go from one place to another?"
"Transport?"
"Yeah, I guess. You don't mind bringing me books from the Tower while we travel? Please?" Cassie asked, making a big puppy dog face.
"Well, I'll bring one. That's it. What do you want it to be about?" he relented, rolling his eyes.
"Portals." Cassie said quickly, before she could regret it.
"Portals? Why not something else? Like phrenic magic? Or elemental? Something less specific."
"It was the first thing that popped into my head. I remembered seeing a book on it one of the times I was in there, got me curious." she said innocently, looking at him with big eyes. "But if you want to bring me a book on phrenic magic I won't get angry."
"I'll see if I can find the book you saw. Phrenic magic is rather easy once you get the hang of it. Like how I know you're hiding something. But, I'll respect your privacy. For now." he said, warning her with his eyes not to think him a fool.
"Thanks." Cassie said with a wide smile.
"Yeah, you're welcome."
"What are you up to, my Lady?" Gundemar asked, his eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face as he appeared in the doorway.
"Your Majesty! I-I didn't know you were there."
"I know manipulation when I see it. My sisters taught me well to recognize it."
"Okay, there's something I have to do. And I need to learn a certain type of magic to do it. And Gildas has that knowledge."
"So you're not really friends?"
"No, we are. But, he has…rules."
"Rules you've just chosen to circumvent."
"Bend is the word I prefer to use." Cassie said with an impish smile.
"So, what do you need to do?" he asked her, crossing his arms and leaning against the frame.
"Figure out a way to fulfil my destiny." Cassie said.
"And what destiny is that?" he asked gently, the curiosity hidden behind his words.
"I don't really know, to be honest." Cassie told him, breathing deeply and shaking her head. "I do know that it's important. I can feel it."
"Is it here? With me? Or with your husband on the Isle?"
"It's with my husband." Cassie told him in a melancholy tone, her eyes tearing up. "I apologise, it's neither the time nor place to behave as such, my Lord. Have you spoken to the men, or are we still waiting?"
"Provisions are being loaded onto the ship, once they're done, we're shipping off."
"Very well, then. If that is all, my Lord?"
"No, it's not. I was hoping you would accept my invitation to dine this evening."
"My Lord, while I appreciate your invitation, I hardly think it's appropriate. I am a married woman."
"You misunderstand me, my Lady. I am not attempting to court you. I wish only to discuss our plans for when we arrive in Hispania." he said with a chuckle.
"Then I accept, your Majesty." Cassie said, curtseying.
"I'll be waiting on the deck, my Lady." he said, bowing to her and shaking his head in amusement. "Don't try the manipulation on me, it really won't work."
"Duly noted, King Gundemar." Cassie said, watching him walk away.
"You weren't really manipulating me, you know?" Gildas asked as he appeared from behind her, book in hand and smirk on his face.
"Wasn't I?" Cassie asked with a raised eyebrow, rolling her eyes and keeping a cool facade.
"You also don't fool me. I saw you practically jump out of your skin just now." he added with a chuckle, handing the book to her.
"Oh, be quiet!" Cassie said mockingly angry.
"My lips are sealed." Gildas told her, smirking as he walked away.
"You're very funny, you know!" Cassie called after him, opening the book and seeing the note he'd put in there.
"I try my hardest!" he called back, not looking over his shoulder and laughing as he rounded the corner.
"Está loco ese hombre." Cassie muttered to herself with a shake of her head, reading the note with a chuckle.
"My Lady, may I?" Gundemar asked as she walked in, holding her chair out for her.
"Thank you." Cassie said with a smile. "May I ask, what is this really about?"
"Proper manners. That's it." he replied, pouring her wine and going to sit across from her. "We'll have a nice meal, and then we will discuss our strategy. I don't know how much you know of strategy." he said, looking at her searchingly as they ate.
"Not too much, I confess. I was allowed in the room with my brothers after I expressed interest, but very seldomly and only when the matters weren't of utmost importance." Cassie answered. "If anything, most of what I know comes from personal experience. It's rather crude, but efficient logic."
"I can guess just how crude. But if you survived such a long trip by yourself, I can also guess how effective it is."
"Thank you, my Lord. We have the element of surprise with us. Gildas said he could cast a spell to keep anyone from seeing where we are and what we're doing. Well, what I'm doing."
"I know, you already said that. Quite a few times over the past month."
"Right." she said, blushing scarlet. "Well, I thought that if we landed at the Faros, we could travel south until we reach the Nalon and follow it south until the Douro. There's a forest that runs all throughout this part of the land, if we travel southwest, we can get to Toledo. My brother had allies there. Perhaps he still does."
"Most of the soldiers I've rallied will be in Septimania. We should go there first, then we can make our way along the coast of the Mediterranean and follow the rivers as you say."
"Yes, although, perhaps we should avoid the bigger portuary cities. We travel down the coast until we reach Valentia or Barcino and then through the forests. Or, well not those, they are very big cities. Perhaps a small village on the coast will do."
"Yes, but those forests are riddled with Druids and we cannot go near Tarraco. He is an ally of Witteric."
"I know. You don't have to remind me of that." Cassie said, biting back the tears that formed in her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realise it was a tough subject for you."
"The Druids slaughtered the city. Everyone. I suggested it because perhaps we would find Mstivoj. The person responsible."
"We know exactly where he is, Casiopea." Gundemar told her softly, placing his hand over hers. "Witteric has him in the palace under his protection. We meant to tell you when we arrived. It's what I meant when I said you should mete out justice."
"Then perhaps landing on the border of Aquitaine and the Asturias and travelling along the Pyrenees is better. There's a small island off the coast of Brittany. And a few others further south; I believe they are part of Frankish Territory. Perhaps we can stop off at each to give the men time to rest from all the sea travel." Cassie told him, not moving her hand out from under his.
"Such a big group will attract Frankish attention. We pick one island, reload on our rations and then continue. The less risk, the better." Gundemar said, nodding along. "Yes, we will land on the Cantabrian coast, cross the Pyrenees towards Septimania and then take our fleet down the coast."
"Now that you say it, perhaps taking the fleet by sea will certainly tip Witteric off if we travel along the coast. Perhaps going by sea is not the brightest idea. Have you trusted Generals?" Cassie asked him, her finger following the trail on the map thoughtfully as she spoke.
"Yes. Men I trust with my life. And, more importantly, yours." he said, leaning forward and looking at her seriously.
"Then we divide the troops. One group goes along the coast line to Valenta and then travels to Toledo. Another will travel along the rivers when possible and, if not, through the forest so the travel time is shorter. And the other one will travel a straight line to Reccopolis."
"We won't arrive at the same time."
"No, but the forests southwest of Reccopolis are dense, easy to hide in. Unless Witteric has made drastic changes, we can rendezvous there and communicate regularly."
"And how will we communicate?"
"Magic. One group will have me, another Gildas, and the third Ebro. I can communicate with Gildas urgently if I need to. And we can set up- hang on, there's something I remember reading. I have to speak with Gildas about it, confirm a few things. I'll get back to you on that, but I believe we can do this stealthily."
"I will speak with Miro and the men tomorrow. You decide which group we are in."
"The fastest route. The straight line. We arrive, I set up wards and spells to keep everyone away. Especially those we don't want seeing and those who will tell Witteric. That's what will happen. Once the others arrive, we strike."
"You say you are not a strategist, but you are very good at this."
"Thank you, my Lord, but I do not know how to think in his perspective. I know not how he will have his defences, and I do not know how he will react."
"Perhaps not, but Miro does. They served together for a short time, and Miro knows perfectly well Witteric's battle strategies."
"Then we must continue this discussion tomorrow. With Miro, Gildas and Ebro."
"I agree. We have a plan for our route, we need a strategy for the battle itself."
"Surrounding Reccopolis is the best idea, spread their forces. Where to go is another story, I haven't the faintest idea where to put the troops."
"We will continue this tomorrow. Allow me to escort you back tonight."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you." Cassie said, accepting the arm he held out and letting him lead her away.
"Good, so it's settled, we land on this island, replenish our rations and go straight?"
"My Lord, if it's not imprudent?" Ebro said nervously, waiting for permission to continue. "Why don't we just land at Brittanny and travel by land like we did before?"
"We're a large party. It might draw too much attention."
"The portuary city of Tréguier is safe. It's practically a monastery."
"We cannot risk the men. Or our surprise. We travel the Cantabrian Sea and then through Asturias."
"But would it not take too long?"
"It is a longer journey, but it's safer. We run very little risk of word of our entourage getting back to Witteric. By land, with such a big army, they'll know."
"Oh." he said, nodding his understanding.
"If our numbers weren't so great and the need for secrecy urgent, that would be our course of choice. But that is not the case."
"We could have travelled West, and travelled solely by land after crossing the British Sea." Cassie pointed out. "It's why we chose this route. But he may have a point. The islands are slightly North and we've provisions to last us until Tréguier. Then we sail around that cape and south towards Asturia."
"I was unaware, my Lords. I suppose it makes sense." he said, nodding deferentially.
"So we are settled on the route?"
"Yes." the others nodded
"And the groups are all divided?"
"Your Majesties, are three groups too great? Will they not attract attention? Perhaps we should divide the groups into six? Make them smaller." Gildas suggested, looking at the King and Princess.
"We only have three magic users." Gundemar pointed out.
"Four. Addie has magic too." Gildas corrected him.
"I figured you and your wife would rather be together." he said.
"Yes, but we don't have to be together every moment of the day. Besides, she's a gifted magic user. A strong ally." Gildas said, looking to his wife as she nodded her agreement.
"And a fierce woman. But we haven't enough to split the troops into six. We need to stay communicated. Even more so if we're travelling from so many different places." Cassie said, looking between the two men.
"True, but we've done this plan many times before without magic." Gundemar told them.
"The risk of being discovered is higher if we don't have every group communicated." Cassie said, looking at everyone gathered. "Miro, you're battle hardened and much more experienced in this than I. What say you?"
"I agree with both of you. Communication is key, but three groups will be too visible. I suggest when we land two groups break off, head towards Salamanca and Segovia. I believe you have allies in both those cities, my Lord?"
"I do."
"The rest of us head towards Narbonne and rendezvous with the soldiers you have gathered there. Then we break off into the three groups and it's divided into five. We have trusted generals, they can lead those two armies without fail."
"Perhaps we can communicate with them as well. I'm not sure if it works with non-magic users, but I can try." Gildas said, looking at all of them.
"I have no magic, use me to test your theory." Miro said, bowing respectfully to Cassie and Gundemar.
"Thank you, Miro. But if his experiments go bad, we cannot afford to lose you. We need a volunteer, a willing volunteer." she said, clarifying herself pointedly at Gundemar.
"I will speak to the men. What are you trying to do?" Gundemar said, looking at Gildas as he asked.
"There's a spell that allows me to communicate through dreams with other sorcerers. It's old and very difficult to master. I don't know its limits: how many people can be reached, how far it reaches nor if it works on those people without magic. All I'll be doing is appearing in their dreams."
"Would they not have to be asleep for that to work?" Gundemar asked him, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yes, they would. But if we agree to a certain time then it is certain to be useful." Gildas said.
"And, you don't know how far it reaches?"
"I've never tried it further than 15 tates."
"I'm sorry, a few what?" Cassie asked with a giggle.
"Let's say it was around… I don't know 120 Irish acres."
"Yes, and how big are Irish acres?" Cassie asked him with a roll of her eyes.
"Okay, fine I suppose we can say it was about 15 leagues I don't know."
"You are horrible at numbers, Gildas. 15 leagues is way too much. The tates don't reach a fraction of a league."
"Okay, I agree with Addie, you are horrible at that. And you need to find out if the spell works for long distances. I don't know how, but you really need to."
"How far out at sea are we?"
"Maybe 20 nautical miles."
"Hmm, I could go there and then try it out but one of you is going to have to go to sleep. Cassie? Ebro?"
"Okay, I will. You'll have to help me, it takes me too long to fall asleep." Cassie said, grabbing Addie by the arm before Ebro could say anything. "If you'll all excuse me, General, my Lord." she said, curtseying quickly and dragging Addie away.
"Are you sure you'll let me?"
"Yes, of course. I trust you. You're my friend. Now help me fall asleep. Do it!" Cassie said, laying down on the bed and closing her eyes, opening them when her friend did nothing.
"Fine." she said, rolling her eyes, taking a deep breath and saying "Swefne."
"Hello, my Lady." Gildas greeted, looking around at the clear, starry night sky as they stood atop battlements.
"Gildas, what are you doing here?"
"Our little experiment. It's very interesting, do you always dream of the night sky?"
"My dreams are private, Gildas." Cassie said, looking down at her hands and willing them back on the boat deck.
"They were battlements. What's so private about that?" he asked, smirking at her blush.
"You should have told me about this! Do you know how many nights I lay awake thinking of talking to my friends!" Cassie said instead, ignoring his questioning look.
"Look on the bright side, it works overseas."
"You're funny. Get back to the boat and we'll try it over a longer distance. Maybe two magic users can make it more powerful and it'll reach longer."
"Yeah, you're right. Bye, Cassie." he said, dissolving out of her dream and leaving her standing aft alone as she smiled to herself and willed herself back to the battlements, keeping full control over where her dream took her.
"Well it worked. My landing could have been better." Gildas said, taking off his shirt and wringing it out over the edge of the ship as Gundemar waved all the soldiers away after they hauled him up onto the deck.
"I thought it was spectacular." Gundemar said good-naturedly.
"Gee, thank you, Your Majesty." Gildas replied, bowing mockingly. "And where is her Royal Painness?"
"Is that any way to speak to royalty?" he asked with a scoff, walking away with a roll of his eyes.
"When you get to be my age, Your Majesty, you'll come to realise that it's best to speak as you wish. Be as irreverent as you want. If people like you, that's great. If not, their loss."
"Your age? And how old exactly are you?"
"My secret to keep, my Lord. And one that is closely guarded. Don't waste your breath or your time trying to find that out."
"37?"
"Nowhere near close, but let's say yes."
"If there's an anti-aging spell, you could make a fortune with the Ladies at Court."
"I could, but I won't. Besides, it's not a spell." he answered, stopping at the door and smirking at him. "After you."
"Enter." Addie said, standing up from the bed as a knock sounded.
"It worked perfectly well. We had an idea that two magic users might make the spell stronger. Care to try? You're the only one that knows it." Gildas said as the two of them walked in.
"Who with?"
"The longshoreman, I spoke with him a bit."
"You guide the spell, I'll just boost your magic." Addie said, accepting her husband's arm and looking at the King expectantly.
"Please, after you." he said, bowing to her and flourishing his arm out.
"Majesty." Adenora said, walking out ahead of both men.
"May I sit in? I am curious about this spell: how it works, how you do it." Gundemar asked.
"If you'd like, you won't see much though. It'd be as if we were asleep." Gildas said.
"Thank you. I appreciate it. From what I've gathered you aren't very trusting with your magic."
"Your Majesty, we're about as secretive about it as you are with matters of state." Gildas said with a chuckle.
"I suppose you're right." he agreed with a chuckle, walking into his stateroom and letting them inside. "Is there anything else you need?"
"Just to concentrate." Adenora answered, smiling at him and sitting down on his bed cross-legged. "We can make this more comfortable for you. A simple spell…"
"Later." Gundemar said, nodding slowly to hide his apprehension. "Shall we wait for the moon to be high?"
"Yes, we should, my Lord. Until then." Gildas said, standing back up as if only just remembering the time of day.
"Gildas, my Lady." Gundemar said as they walked out.
"Good evening, Your Majesty." Cassie said as the door opened and Gildas stood on the other side in confusion.
"Princess, have you a question for me?" Gundemar asked from where he stood beside Adenora.
"No. Addie told me about your attempt tonight. I am merely curious." Cassie said simply, smiling at Gildas. "Do you mind me sitting in?"
"Not at all, come in." he said, welcoming her in and pulling a chair out for her.
"Are you ready, Gildas?" Cassie asked him, her eyes challenging him.
"Majesty, may we do that spell we discussed earlier? For the bed, to make it more comfortable."
"Yes, go ahead." he said, waving his hand in approval and watching as her lips moved in an unheard spell and she sank into the mattress after her eyes faded back to green.
"Gildas, whenever you're ready." Gundemar said, ceding the rest of his bed to him and sitting down beside Cassie.
"Okay. ġesele mec inganges swa hwæt swa hine swefnaþ, ālīefenne mec to mænsumane hym." he muttered, looking into his wife's eyes as both their eyes turned gold and they stared unblinkingly.
"Do all spells look like this?" Gundemar asked Cassie in a soft voice after a few minutes in silence.
"I sure hope not, it looks creepy." Cassie said jokingly.
"Disconcerting, definitely." Gundemar agreed, nodding and looking around nervously. "Er, so you don't do much magic?"
"No I do, but it's more healing magic and little things than anything like this. I didn't even know this spell existed." Cassie answered quietly, not wanting to break their concentration. "And I never see myself do it."
"Healing? You're a healer, Princess?" he asked, looking at her curiously.
"Yes, I am. I very much like it. It makes me feel useful."
"Forgive me, Princess, but did you not feel that way in Hispania?"
"Absolutely not. I was just another princess who lived behind the castle walls and did nothing. In Camelot I help save lives, bring lives into this world, it makes me feel complete."
"That's a great sentiment, my Lady."
"I don't mean to disparage your work, Majesty, but being Princess was never what I wanted. It never made me feel like myself."
"Even less so with magic, I imagine. It's not part of our religion. If anything it makes you sacrilegious."
"I know. I never thought of it that way until I left Hispania. Everything I've learned since I left confuses me and my beliefs. I don't know what to believe anymore." Cassie admitted quietly, looking down at the floor as she spoke. "Forgive me, my Lord. I did not mean to speak so frankly."
"Think nothing of it, Princess. I quite like it when we forget our stations. Perhaps it could happen more often?"
"You forget I am a married woman, King Gundemar. I will not betray my vows." Cassie said, looking at the ground guiltily as she immediately thought of Leon.
"You continue to misunderstand me, my Lady. I have already forgotten about our engagement and have moved on. I know it is an impossibility, I only wish to be your friend." he told her sincerely.
"Then we can be more frank more often, my Lord."
"And we can forget formalities?"
"We can forget formalities." Cassie agreed with a soft smile.
"Thank you, Casipoea."
"Cassie." she corrected with a smile, her eyes flying to Adenora and Gildas as movement caught her attention.
"Cassie." he amended, following her line of sight and watching as they both stared at them with matching smirks.
"It works?"
"Yes, it works. I'm not entirely sure of the distance, but it worked on someone without magic. Now we just have to teach it to you and Ebro."
"It took two of you to make it that far, the groups have to be redivided for there to be two sorcerers." Gundemar said, helping Adenora up and looking between the three of them.
"It was just in case, I barely did anything. Gildas guided the spell and controlled everything." Adenora said, thanking him for the help and moving over to Gildas's side. "He just pulled me in with him."
"So you could do it again without Adenora's help?" Gundemar asked Gildas, looking at him expectantly.
"Yeah, sure. I'll go ahead and do it now." Gildas said, taking the chair Cassie had been occupying and muttering the spell once more, his eyes in a golden trance for fifteen minutes before he woke up.
"It went fine?"
"Perfectly fine. The man has some…strange dreams, but other than that nothing special."
"Great! I'll send for Ebro in the morning. Teach them the spell then." Gundemar said, walking them to the door.
"Yes, my Lord." Gildas said.
"Desist with the formalities, we are allies and we are friends. Call me by my name."
"I see your conversation with him was eventful." Addie teased mentally as Gildas answered Gundemar.
"If you'll excuse me, I am rather tired, it's very late." Cassie said, ignoring Addie's words and backing towards the door. "Good night, Gundemar, Gildas. Addie, will you accompany me?"
"Yes, of course. Excuse us." she said, smiling politely and following Cassie out the door.
"Stop teasing me!" Cassie said with a playful shove as Addie closed the door and she disappeared behind the screen to change into nightclothes.
"I'm just saying! Before we dream-walked, you and he were all prim and proper. And now you're 'dispensing with the formalities'? There's something on between you!"
"There isn't. Anything. You know perfectly well my husband is still in my heart!"
"I also know he's not the only one in there."
"Anything that could have happened between us is lost. I left and I told him to forget me."
"You really think he's going to do that?"
"Yes, I asked him to."
"He's not going to. He probably thinks about you every night. He's probably thinking about you right now."
"I hope not. He deserves to be happy, and with me he'll never be. No one could." Cassie said miserably, sitting down and tapping the bed beside her.
"Cassie, stop thinking like that. I know you're hurting, you're grieving and with every right. But there's a fine line between grief and thinking yourself into a negative hole." she said, gently pushing her onto the bed.
"Wh- I guess you're right. Thank you."
"Get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow learning that spell. It's very difficult." she said, leaning down and kissing her on the temple
"Okay, goodnight, Addie. Thank you." Cassie said, smiling sincerely at her as she stood up and went to the door.
"Goodnight." she said, closing the door and walking back to her room with Gildas.