Seven Dreams

by English, Charlotte E.

  ‘Stop!’ Serena all but shouted the word. ‘Gracious, is there truly no end to your effrontery? After everything I just said?’

  Bron just blinked at her, hopelessly befuddled. ‘What? I like you, you’ve got spunk. We could be good together.’

  Serena marched to the door and yanked it open. ‘Out,’ she hissed. ‘I’m going to hope very hard that I never see you again, though I imagine that’s too much to ask.’

  Bron sighed and crossed to the door. ‘If you change your mind —’ he began.

  ‘OUT!’

  Bron left, his face set. Probably he was more displeased by her rejection than her contemptuous words of before; his was that kind of ego. Serena watched Bron and his two associates out of the house, then firmly shut the door upon them all.

  Egg and Iya showed up moments later. ‘We heard all that,’ Egg said.

  ‘Tosspot,’ said Iya concisely.

  ‘Pisseater,’ added Egg.

  ‘Clotpole.’

  Egg blinked at her. ‘Clotpole?’

  ‘It’s an insult,’ Iya explained. ‘It means...’ she frowned, and thought. ‘Actually, I don’t know what it means.’

  ‘Did you make that up?’ Egg eyed her young friend suspiciously.

  ‘Yeah.’ Iya grinned. ‘Might have, at that.’

  Serena threw an arm around each of them and squeezed. ‘You two are a delight,’ she said. ‘I’m grateful for you.’

  Teyo slept, almost uninterruptedly, for the next two days. Serena hovered outside his room, anxious to learn how he went on but afraid to disturb him. When he finally showed signs of waking, she almost had to physically restrain Egg and Iyamar from leaping upon him at once. Between them, they plied poor Teyo so liberally with food and drink — everything he could possibly desire, all at once, and without delay — that he was obliged to beg for mercy.

  They gathered in his room late one afternoon, when his strength was returning and colour once more graced his drawn cheeks. Everyone wanted to sit near Teyo; Serena was obliged to cede the bed to Egg and Iyamar, who perched one on either side of him. She herself settled in an armchair nearby. Tey’s eyes followed her, but he didn’t say anything.

  The conversation was frivolous, for a time. Egg and Iya took turns ribbing Tey about all manner of things, each trying their hardest to draw a smile from him. It wasn’t an easy task. Teyo had been quiet and withdrawn ever since his return; his characteristic, easy-going charm had subsided into silence, and his ready smile had vanished.

  ‘Look,’ said Teyo after a while, ‘I know what you’re trying to do, but I wish you wouldn’t. I...’ He tailed off, his hands plucking restlessly at the coverlet. ‘I’m going to be... that is, I... I can’t.’ He paused, his face anguished. ‘I can’t do it anymore. I’m sorry. I’m off the team.’

  Nobody spoke.

  ‘I know I’m disappointing you,’ Teyo said sadly, ‘and I’m so sorry.’ Serena thought she saw a sheen of tears in his eyes, before he turned his face away.

  Egg laid a hand over his. ‘Tey,’ she murmured. ‘How did you know Fabe was going to shoot Halavere?’

  Teyo blinked at her, nonplussed by the sudden conversational diversion. ‘Uh? Oh, I. Well. That place Fabian was, at that moment? I’ve been there before.’ He sighed, and seemed to shrivel a little into himself. ‘Years ago. Back when I was Yllandu. I, um. I found some of the people who’d... there was a robbery at my father’s business. He and my mother and brother were killed, and the place was burned down. Nobody knew how or why the fire started, but it didn’t matter. I was burned, but I got out alive. And, years later I... I found one of them again. And I almost killed him. With a knife.’ Teyo stopped speaking, his eyes unfocused as he stared into the past. ‘That look on Fabe’s face? I knew it instantly, and I knew he couldn’t hold back. I also knew... he’d regret it. If he carried it through. He’s not the type to kill without regrets; he’s got too much conscience.’

  ‘You regret it, then?’ Egg said, gently.

  Teyo nodded. ‘You can’t repay death with death, it only spreads the misery. Do you see? I satisfied my rage, but I almost took a life. I could’ve made a family husbandless, fatherless. He might have been scum, but who was I to decide he deserved to die?’ He passed a shaking hand over his face. ‘That’s why I’m here. I had to do something good, something constructive. I needed to combat the bad in this messed up world, but without adding to it. Do you see?’

  ‘Totally,’ Egg said.

  ‘But I don’t know if I made the right choice. Have I done enough good, or have I inadvertently made everything worse? A few days ago, I almost died. A lot of Yllandu did die, including my oldest friend. And Fabian... Fabian’s broken and gone, partly because I kept secrets from him. And from you.’ He almost, but didn’t quite, look at Serena. ‘It’s time I finished this.’

  Egg nodded once with satisfaction, and looked to Serena. ‘Do you want to tell him, or shall I?’

  Teyo blinked. ‘What?’

  Serena stood up, gently shoved Egg aside, and perched carefully on the edge of Teyo’s bed. ‘First, your friend — Levan? — isn’t dead. He’s pulled through. And he tells us that the casualties in the Warren weren’t as bad as they might have appeared. Only three died.’

  ‘Three,’ repeated Teyo, dully.

  ‘Three,’ said Serena. ‘And according to Levan, they were rotten to the core and the bastards deserved it.’ She paused. ‘Those were his words.’

  Teyo stared at her in confusion. ‘You’ve spoken to Levan?’

  ‘Yes, and so will you, quite soon. The other thing is—’

  ‘Levan is here?’ Teyo moved as though he intended to get out of bed. Serena restrained him with a hand to his torso.

  ‘Peace, Tey,’ she said softly. ‘Rest first. Levan’s not here, but you’ll see him soon.’

  Teyo subsided, collapsing back into his pillows. The look of pain in his eyes had eased a little, and Serena smiled. ‘Now, the next bit: you’ll like this. We’ve seen Oliver, and—’

  ‘Oh, blazes.’ Teyo covered his face with his good hand. ‘How bad is it?’

  ‘Not at all bad, in any conceivable way,’ Serena reassured him. ‘Look.’ She put a piece of paper into his good hand, but Teyo merely stared at it, unseeing. Serena took it back, opened it out and held it before his face. ‘See what that is?’

  Teyo blinked, and frowned. ‘No.’

  ‘What?’ Serena stared hard at Teyo, alarmed. Had something happened to his eyesight, some unforeseen consequence of his injuries? ‘Why?’

  ‘Because you’re holding it too close to my face.’

  ‘Oh.’ She pulled it back a few inches, but Teyo grabbed it from her.

  ‘It’s a deed,’ he said after a moment. ‘I don’t understand. What is this?’

  ‘It’s the deed to a piece of land,’ said Serena. She was so excited she could barely contain it, but she forced herself to speak calmly. ‘It’s a farm in southern Nimdre. Not too close to Tinudren, don’t worry.’

  ‘My name is on this,’ said Teyo, blankly.

  ‘That’s because it’s yours.’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘Oliver’s idea. It’s waiting for you. We’re travelling there as soon as you’re feeling lively enough.’

  Teyo blinked. ‘We?’

  Serena nodded. ‘Oliver felt you’d earned a peaceful retirement. He said he’s expecting some especially good gloren cider in a couple of years, when you’ve had time to get set up. As for the rest of us, apparently we need a holiday.’ She grinned at him, her excitement overflowing.

  ‘A holiday?’ Teyo repeated numbly. Serena fully understood his feelings: Oliver Tullen, head of the Torwyne Agency, hadn’t previously appeared to be aware of the concept of a holiday.

  ‘He was pretty firm about it,’ she said. ‘Told us we could consider it suspension from duty, if that would help.’

  ‘Oh.’ Teyo stared at Serena for a second, then back at the paper in his hand. He didn’t look delighted; more... lost. �
��I, um. Hope you have a good holiday.’

  Oh, foolish man. ‘Tey,’ Serena said gently. ‘This farm of yours. It’s been empty for a while, and it’s not in great shape. It needs a lot of work to make it habitable, and productive. You’re going to need some help.’

  Teyo’s brows rose. ‘Oh? How much help?’

  ‘Three able-bodied women have volunteered, for a start.’ Serena smiled. ‘Winter’s in the air. That gives us two or three months to sort out the house, I’d think? Then in the spring, it’s time to get started on your orchards.’

  ‘Orchards,’ Teyo repeated in a whisper.

  ‘Acres of them,’ Serena said. ‘Gloren fruit, nara, rylanes, even pippeens. Some of the trees are a bit sickly, not best suited to the climate perhaps, or the light. You might want to rethink the crop distribution, but there’s time for all that.’

  ‘Serena.’ Teyo dropped the deed and gripped her hand, a little painfully. ‘You’ve seen it?’

  Serena nodded.

  ‘What...’ Teyo’s words dried up; he moistened his lips and tried again. ‘What’s it like?’

  Serena beamed at him, and squeezed his hand. ‘It’s perfect, Tey. Perfect for you.’

  ‘And it’s really mine?’

  ‘Every last inch of it.’

  Teyo pondered that for a while, his gaze straying from Egg to Iya and back to Serena. ‘That must have cost a bob or two,’ he said.

  ‘Well, yes.’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘You surely aren’t expecting me to believe that Oliver just gave this to me.’

  ‘No,’ Serena admitted. ‘He only paid for, um. Some of it.’

  Teyo nodded. ‘Uh huh. And the rest came from...?’

  Serena coughed. ‘Um, we might have rustled up a little between us. But that’s beside the point, Tey! Don’t ask these questions! Just enjoy it.’ She smiled, but Teyo wasn’t having it.

  ‘Serena.’ He shook her her arm insistently. ‘Tell me you didn’t bankrupt yourselves over this.’

  ‘Noooo,’ she smiled. ‘Not in the least. I did say it was empty for a while! The owner was delighted to finally get rid of it.’

  Teyo looked at Egg, his face full of suspicion.

  ‘It’s true,’ Egg drawled. ‘No one’s bankrupted. Miss Carterett here has at least three Nimdren pennies left to her name. It might even be four.’

  Serena glared at Egg, who looked wholly unrepentant.

  ‘I can’t...’ croaked Teyo. ‘I can’t accept that.’ He tried to give the deed back to Serena, but she waved it away.

  ‘Pshaw, of course you can. Besides, it’s too late now! We can’t hand the farm back.’

  ‘Not that we would,’ interjected Iyamar. ‘Serena’s right, Tey! It’s so perfect for you. You’ll love it so much, when you get there.’

  Teyo shook his head. ‘But why,’ he said in confusion, ‘Why would Oliver? Why would you...?’

  ‘Because we love you,’ said Egg, and smiled.

  Teyo blinked. ‘Oh.’ His eyes strayed to Serena’s face. She detected a sheen of tears in them, for definite, and felt moved to lay a kiss on his forehead.

  ‘It’s true,’ she said. ‘We do. And we are raring to get going on that gorgeous house, so I hope you plan to get better quickly.’

  A tear dropped, and Teyo hastily wiped it off his cheek. ‘Thank you,’ he whispered. ‘I don’t... know how to...’

  ‘Then stop talking,’ Serena recommended, ‘and sleep some more. You’ll need your strength.’

  ‘But if we’re all going, and for months, what about Fabe?’

  Serena’s ebullience faded a little. ‘If... when Fabe comes back, he’ll go to Oliver. And Oliver will tell him where to find us.’

  Teyo nodded. ‘We’ll keep a room for him.’

  Serena smiled. ‘He’ll appreciate that.’

  The following morning, there came a knock upon the door of their little hideaway. Serena was not surprised, upon opening it, to find Orintha Mae standing there. She was only surprised that the Lokant woman hadn’t paid them a call sooner.

  ‘Come in,’ said Serena graciously, opening the door wide. ‘May I say how flattered I am that you used the door, rather than simply appearing in my bedroom?’

  Mae’s lips twitched sardonically as she stepped into the house, dusting a speck of mud off the long, sky-coloured coat that she wore. ‘You credit me with powers I don’t possess, I assure you.’

  ‘Oh?’ Serena shut the door behind her somewhat unwelcome visitor, and led her to the parlour. Egg and Iya had gone out to the market and Teyo was still asleep, so they were, to all intents and purposes, alone. ‘Seems to me that various of your associates have appeared in some mighty strange places, of late.’

  ‘It’s not as impressive as it looks,’ said Mae. ‘Nor as flexible. There was preparation involved. Anyway, that’s not what I came to discuss.’

  Serena acknowledged that with a nod, and gestured Mae to a seat. ‘Something to do with Ylona, I imagine?’

  ‘Where are the keys?’ said Mae, without preamble.

  Serena shrugged. ‘The ones I had are gone. I know nothing more.’

  Mae sipped from the glass of water Serena handed to her, then set it carefully down upon the table. Flashing Serena one of her charming smiles, she said: ‘Let us not waste time dissembling, Miss Carterett. I am acquainted with the adventure you and your team enjoyed by way of our keys. I would like to know what you did with them afterwards.’

  Serena blinked. ‘But if you know about that, then you know that we reversed the event of Fabian’s death, and everything that happened afterwards. So, in effect we never had anything to do with the keys after they were taken from us.’

  Mae raised a single, speaking brow. ‘So it never happened, did it?’

  ‘Not anymore,’ Serena said. ‘We unmade it, I suppose?’

  Mae nodded wisely. ‘And yet, you remember it.’

  ‘Uh,’ Serena said.

  ‘How is it that you recall every detail of it, if it never happened?’

  ‘So it did happen, even if we changed it afterwards?’

  ‘Apparently.’ Cool as a mountain stream, Mae sipped her water.

  An appalling thought occurred to Serena. ‘But then... that means... does Fabian remember everything?’

  ‘I imagine so.’

  If he did, he must remember his own death. Blazes. No wonder he had bolted.

  Serena shook off these reflections. ‘Even if all of this is true,’ she said, ‘I don’t know what became of the keys. None of us cared about them, after we’d gained access to the repository.’

  ‘Oh? None of you?’

  ‘No. Why should we? Fabian was our concern, and we didn’t need the keys after that. Our assignment was over, there was nothing more for us to do.’

  ‘Tell me everything that happened,’ said Mae, and Serena complied. When she’d finished, Mae sat in thoughtful silence for some time, tapping her long fingernails against the table.

  ‘If Ylona went through to the repository and remained there, then the keys should still be in the gate. But, they are not.’

  Serena blinked. When she had returned to her quarters after their disastrous second attempt at the Warren, the keys had been gone, just like the first time. As far as she could figure, then, Ylona’s people had still taken them, and they had, presumably, still gone through to the repository. But since, the second time around, Serena and her team had not followed them and taken the keys, then the seven stones should still be in the gate. If they weren’t, whyever not? How could that be possible?

  Mae smiled faintly. ‘The way I see it,’ she said at last, ‘there are a few possibilities regarding the fate of those keys. One: you’re correct in thinking that you diverted the course of events. Perhaps Ylona and her people never went through the gate, or perhaps they travelled to the repository, accomplished whatever it was they set out to do, and came back — taking the keys with them. But if that were the case, I’d expect to see some big changes around the Seven Realms ri
ght now. Such as, for example, the mysterious reappearance of the long-lost Library of Orlind. Since that hasn’t happened, I do not think that Ylona made it back from the repository. Perhaps she never set foot in there in the first place.

  ‘Two: perhaps the actions of your colleague, Miss Rutherby, hold true in spite of your subsequent jaunting about in time. In which case, the keys may still be in the repository. If that’s so, I shall be glad of it, as it effectively seals the door forever. That would also explain where Ylona and her followers are; presumably they remain with Rhoun Torinth.’

  She shifted in her seat, fixing Serena with an iron stare. ‘The third possibility is that the keys did not remain in the repository. The same person who transported them there may have transported them away again.’ She raised her brows at Serena, and sipped.

  ‘If Egg had them, she would have told me,’ Serena said.

  ‘Would she indeed.’

  ‘Undoubtedly. We have no secrets among my team.’

  Mae nodded slowly. ‘No doubt you are right, only I find the mystery curiously impenetrable. Ylona has vanished, along with her little riddles in the sky. Rhoun Torinth is not only alive, he was also persuaded to leave his precious repository for the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long. But there is no sign of him either. And the keys are missing, but there is surprisingly little furore about it — if one overlooks the crushing disappointment, outrage and general confusion suffered by the fine people of the Seven, now that their treasure hunt is over without the discovery of any apparent prize. And I find that you and your excellent fellows have considerably muddied the waters with your meddling.’

  Serena’s brows shot up. ‘I’m sorry if we complicated your life,’ she said with a touch of asperity. ‘Meanwhile, I have my brother back.’

  Mae inclined her head. ‘And I am glad of it, though I could wish you had handled things a little more professionally before, and therefore spared yourselves the necessity of bumbling about fixing your mistakes afterwards.’ Serena opened her mouth, but Mae held up a hand. ‘Save yourself the trouble, dear. I am a crotchety old woman, and I won’t hear a word that you try to tell me.’