The Book of Dreams

by O. R. Melling

  Dana gazed dreamily into space. A shiver of joy ran through her.

  Followed by a jolt of horror.

  Her hands were shining with light!

  Quickly she clamped down on the flow, then glanced around her in panic. No one was looking. What would she have done if someone had seen? She would have to be more careful!

  Unnerved by what had happened, she hurried to finish her lunch. She wanted to try and call Jean again.

  “Is it okay to sit here?”

  Dana was about to point out there were empty tables nearby, but she didn’t get the chance. Without waiting for permission, the other girl sat down opposite her. Dana frowned. She knew her vaguely. Georgia Cheung was a top student, as well as the class beauty with her long black hair and almond eyes. Though generally admired and popular with her peers, she didn’t belong to any particular circle or group.

  “Work away,” Dana mumbled.

  Georgia had her food on a tray, a noodle dish she had heated in the microwave. The smell of spices wafted toward Dana, making her mouth water. She was glad that Aradhana had made her lunch that day, or she would have been jealous.

  Georgia took out chopsticks and began to eat, eyeing Dana’s samosas.

  “They look good,” she said.

  “My stepmother’s specialty.” Dana nodded. “When my dad makes lunch, it’s peanut butter and jam. Sometimes I make lunch myself, but it’s nicer when someone else does.”

  Georgia agreed heartily. “My great-granny always makes mine. She’s better than a restaurant.”

  They munched together companionably for a while.

  Then Georgia dropped her bombshell.

  “I saw what happened with your hands.”

  Dana choked on her food. Georgia leaned over to clap her on the back.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dana spluttered.

  “Sure you do. You can’t put me off. I know about magic.”

  Georgia continued to eat, giving Dana some time to recover.

  “Don’t worry,” Georgia said at last, “your secret’s safe with me.” Then she giggled. “Don’t you just love when you get to say clichés in the right place like that?”

  Dana couldn’t help laughing.

  “You’re Irish, right?” Georgia asked.

  Dana nodded, glad that the subject had changed. “And you’re Japanese?”

  Georgia made a noise like a buzzer. “Wrong. Chinese ancestry.”

  Flustered, Dana began to apologize.

  Georgia waved her hand breezily. “Don’t sweat it. I can’t tell the difference myself. I’m Canadian. My background’s a real mix. Mom’s Hungarian Irish. I told her about you. ‘The quiet girl.’ Dad’s Chinese Jamaican. I know more about the Chinese side of things, because my great-granny lives with us. So, where’s your boyfriend today?”

  “My—?” Dana blushed furiously. “He’s not … I mean …”

  It was Georgia’s turn to be apologetic. “Open mouth, insert foot! I’m always saying the wrong thing.”

  “Me too!” Dana exclaimed.

  They laughed together.

  “I don’t know if he’s my boyfriend,” Dana confided. “I don’t know that much about boys or going out with them.”

  “I could tell you a few things,” Georgia offered. “He’s really cute,” she added. “Definitely boyfriend material.”

  “He is, isn’t he,” sighed Dana, and they laughed some more.

  For the rest of lunch they talked about boys, school, the other kids, their classes, their teachers. Dana felt the happiness well up inside her. This was what she had missed for so long, a friend she could talk to and share things with. She appreciated that Georgia didn’t mention the light again. And what could she have meant by that comment about magic? Dana was curious to know, but at the same time she was cautious. Their friendship was promising, but too new to test.

  When the bell rang, Dana made a decision.

  “Would you like to swap phone numbers?” she asked shyly. “You don’t have to if—”

  “Great idea. I was going to suggest it myself, but I thought you might think I’m pushy.” Georgia grinned. “I am, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  They met on and off for the rest of the day as they shared several classes. Dana still hadn’t reached Jean, but Georgia’s steady stream of chatter kept her distracted.

  “What about that Crowley guy, eh? Definite child-molester type. He picked on you, didn’t he? I bet you’re not sorry he’s gone. Did you notice how we seem to lose teachers? Do you think they’re buried in the basement?”

  At the end of the day, Dana was disappointed to discover they lived in opposite directions.

  “Call me!” Georgia shouted as she ran for her bus.

  Dana was still waving good-bye when she noticed the young woman on the far side of the street. Her heart leaped in her throat. She had seen her that time, in the crowd near the musicians. Honor, the High Queen of Faerie!

  Overcome with joy, Dana raced across the road.

  “Your Majesty! How did you—?”

  “Oh no, Dana,” she said, “that name does not belong to me.”

  Dana was already realizing her mistake. The difference was subtle, but evident all the same. This young woman did not look as happy or as lighthearted as Honor. She was, of course, the High Queen’s twin sister whom Dana had been told about before she left Ireland.

  “I’m Laurel,” the other confirmed. “Honor’s sister. A mortal who lives in this world. Do you know where Gwen is? I’ve been trying to reach her. When I rang the school today, they were all strange about it and told me to contact the police. I know she was going east with you and—”

  Laurel stopped when she saw the blank look on Dana’s face.

  “Ms. Woods didn’t come with us,” Dana said. “We were going to talk to her about the trip, but she wasn’t at school.”

  Laurel looked as if she might faint. “Oh, God.” Her voice shook. “When did you last see her?”

  Dana thought back. She, too, was beginning to feel shaky. Something was very wrong.

  “We left Friday. She wasn’t there the day before … because that was the day the vice-principal took over. We thought she might be back today, but she didn’t show up.”

  “She’s been gone almost a week!” Laurel looked sick. She struggled for control.

  “It’s my fault,” Dana said as the horror dawned. “She wanted to be friends, but I didn’t trust her.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Laurel said sharply. “How could it be your fault? You’re only a child. You’re not responsible for what’s going on.” She put her hands to her head, trying to think. “I’ll have to contact the others and let them know what’s happened. It’s not your problem. We’ll deal with it, don’t worry. But right now, you and I need to talk. Are you on your way home?”

  “Yes, I—”

  “Fine, I’ll go with you. I live near Brunswick Avenue.”

  “You know where I live?!”

  “We’ve been watching you. Watching over you. Sorry, it was necessary. We’ve been trying to guard you, Gwen and I. That must have been …” Laurel bit her lip.

  Dana began to shake. Had Gwen been hurt—or worse—trying to protect her? She told Laurel about the enemy who had come from Ireland to kill her, and how he had taken over her teacher’s body to get near to her.

  Laurel’s voice was grim. “We suspected as much, but far too late to help you. I’m sorry. We did our best to guard you, but we didn’t move fast enough. Thank goodness you were able to fight him yourself.” Admiration echoed in her voice. “Now tell me everything,” she said. “Gwen was convinced you know about the mission? The closing of the portals and the need to restore them by Halloween?”

  Dana nodded dumbly, but she was slow to respond. Though she knew she could trust Laurel, she was reluctant to share her story. For one thing, she hadn’t warmed to the High Queen’s sister. Laurel’s manner was adult and bossy, and she treated Dana like a child.
Ms. Woods had been friendlier and more likeable. Dana regretted rejecting her. Worse still, that rejection may have doomed her teacher.

  “I need to know what you know. What you’ve achieved so far,” Laurel insisted. “I can’t help you, or Gwen, unless I know the story.”

  It was the need to help Gwen that spurred Dana to speak. She told Laurel about Edane’s visit and the quest to find the Book of Dreams. Then she related how Jean had brought her to Grandfather and his advice to travel the Four Directions. She described her adventures on Cape Breton Island with the giant and Brendan and the angakuk. Throughout her story she made it clear that Jean was her chief support, but she managed to exclude both the loup-garou and la chasse-galerie. Dana knew how fiercely Jean kept his secrets. With vague references to her own fairy abilities, she glossed over the question of how they had journeyed.

  When she was finished, Laurel shook her head with amazement.

  “You’ve done so well. Beyond anything we could have expected. I must apologize. I’ve underestimated you, I guess because you’re young. To be frank, for the first time since all this began, I believe there’s a real chance we might succeed.”

  Dana heard the approval as well as the apology and couldn’t help but be pleased. The High Queen’s sister was obviously not someone who was easily impressed.

  It was Laurel’s turn to tell Dana what she knew. She, too, chose to edit what she said. She didn’t mention the fate of the Companions in Ireland. There was no point in burdening the girl with more bad news. Instead, she sought to encourage Dana with what support there was.

  “There are others in the background working to help you. Even though we can’t all come to you in person, you are not alone. Whenever your enemy strikes against you, it means we have failed to hold the line. But I want you to know that we will fight to the last for you and your quest.”

  “Thank you,” Dana said, and she meant it.

  They had traveled by subway, talking in low tones. When they reached Dana’s stop, Laurel continued to accompany her along Bloor Street and up Brunswick Avenue. As they passed the old convent, Dana stopped abruptly.

  “What is it?” said Laurel.

  Dana stared at the empty building. The dark hulking structure seemed vaguely sinister. Most of the windows were nailed and boarded. Part of the wall was charred, as if from a fire.

  “I felt something,” she said. She looked around warily. “Something cold.”

  Laurel shivered. She reached inside her pocket for the protective charms. Her heart jumped. Her pocket was empty! She had been so distracted and disturbed when she couldn’t reach Gwen that she had forgotten to pack them.

  Laurel caught Dana’s arm. As they hurried up the street, she spoke quickly.

  “I’ve made up my mind. We must travel west. There are two other Companions of Faerie in Canada: Findabhair, who’s Gwen’s cousin, and Finvarra, Findabhair’s husband. He was once the High King of Faerie, but he’s mortal now. They’re musicians, on tour, in Vancouver at the moment. I don’t know why they haven’t joined us yet, Gwen was a bit vague about that, and right now I don’t care. It’s time they got on board. It can’t be a coincidence that your instructions include traveling west too. You know yourself there’s no such thing as coincidence In these matters. We’ll go together.”

  The more Laurel spoke, the more dismayed Dana grew. She was glad to think of a line of support at her back, but she wasn’t happy with the idea of others joining her quest. She preferred to think of the mission as something she and Jean did together. They were fine on their own. They didn’t need anyone else.

  “You should stay here and find Gwen,” Dana said. “I can go out west with Jean.”

  Laurel’s disagreement was instant.

  “Listen to me, Dana. You mustn’t involve Jean again. He’s mortal and not a Companion of Faerie. This has nothing to do with him. I understand how you feel, he’s your boyfriend and he has helped you through a lot, but if you care about him, you’ll leave him out of this. It’s too dangerous. He has no way of protecting himself. If he’s harmed in any way, it will be our fault, yours and mine.”

  Dana felt a surge of resentment against Laurel. How dare she interfere like this! Then an image flashed through her mind: Jean lying unconscious in the hospital room, swathed in bandages. Another image quickly followed. Jean on Baffin Island, racing toward the whirlwind that was Crowley. His eyes glowed amber as he made his decision to turn wolf in the daylight. Dana’s resentment changed to anguish. She knew Laurel was right. The quest put Jean in constant danger. She couldn’t bear to think of him getting hurt or worse, losing his humanity because of her.

  “All right,” she said with a heavy heart. “I’ll go west with you. Not him.”

  “Good,” said Laurel. “Now we just need to convince your parents to let you go.”

  They had arrived at Dana’s house and were standing on the sidewalk in front of it.

  “I’ll talk to my stepmother first,” Dana said. “She understands these things better than my dad. It’ll be easier for him when he hears you’re going, but I’ll have to decide how much to tell him.”

  “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Laurel said. “If they want to meet me, I’m available. We have a slight connection, I believe, that might help matters. Your dad knows my grandfather, Professor Blackburn. You could mention his name. Here’s my number. Call me tonight. I’m not far from you, at Massey College on Devonshire Place. If you need me, I can be here immediately. Oh, and tell your dad I’ll be financing the trip. I’d like to book our flights tonight. The sooner we go, the better.”

  Laurel was about to leave when she stopped and looked up at the house.

  “By the way, that’s one powerful protection spell you wove.”

  Dana smiled. “Not me, my stepmother’s guardian. She’s from India. He’s the Lord Ganesha.”

  “Ah, that’s it,” said Laurel softly. “You’ll always be safe here.”

  Again she hesitated. It was obvious there was something else she wanted to say.

  “What is it?” Dana asked.

  “I know your story, I heard it in Faerie, but I get the impression you don’t know mine or Gwen’s?”

  Dana shrugged sheepishly. “Actually, I didn’t even know your names. I always went to my mother in Faerie. She’s a spéirbhean, a Sky-Woman, not one of the Gentry. She didn’t hang around the Court much, where the harpers tell the tales, and neither did I. To be honest, I was never interested in human tales, especially ones about Canadians and Faerie. I blamed the bond between the two countries for the reason I had to leave Ireland.” She let out a sigh. “I didn’t want to be here.”

  Laurel listened with sympathy. “I understand. I’ve had my problems with Faerie too. It’s not always a picnic, eh? It’s unfortunate, though. If you had known our stories, we might have met sooner.”

  Dana winced. And things would have been different. Gwen would still be there.

  “I’m not accusing you of anything,” Laurel said quickly. “Stuff happens. There’s no point looking back. Believe me, I know.”

  Laurel’s words surprised Dana. For the first time, she thought she could like this young woman.

  “Perhaps you might tell me your story when we travel?” Dana said. “It’s a long flight out west, isn’t it?”

  “Good idea.” Laurel smiled at her thoughtfully. “I’m glad we’re doing this together.”

  • • •

  Dana hurried into the house, calling out for Aradhana, but a note on the table explained that her stepmother was working late. Gabriel was at home, practicing in his studio. The sound of the silver flute trilled through the house. She decided not to disturb him. She would wait for Radhi. When she rang Jean, his line was still busy. Where was he? What was he doing? She rang Georgia, but her mother said she was at a dance class. Though Dana was restless and anxious, she forced herself to do her homework. Then the telephone rang and she raced into the hall.

  “I’ve got it!” she shouted to her f
ather.

  It was Jean.

  “At last!” she cried, not bothering to hide her joy and relief. “Are you okay?”

  “Oui. Yes. But I am in Québec. With the Old Man and Roy. Grand-père est disparu. No one can find him. I come as soon as they tell me.”

  “Oh no.” Dana felt a cold grip on her heart. “Do you think it’s Crowley?”

  “I don’t know. Each year grand-père, he is more and more wolf. It may be this. Tonight I go to the Shaking Tent. I find the truth.”

  “Can I help at all?” she asked.

  Though she was overjoyed to know that he was safe, she was anxious about this second disappearance. Could it be connected to Gwen’s? She was tempted to tell Jean about Ms. Woods and Laurel, but decided not to. She had already agreed to exclude him from the quest, to keep him out of danger. But was it too late? And what about grand-père?

  “C’est okay,” Jean assured her. “With Grandfather and Roy, I find him. And you? Comment ça va? What happen today?”

  “I made a new friend at school,” she said, avoiding an outright lie. “I’ll introduce you when you get back. Don’t worry about me. Find grand-père.”

  “Bon. I call you as soon as I know. But you, fais attention. Be careful, eh?”

  “I will,” she said. “And Jean? You’ll take care, too, won’t you?”

  “I’m fine. This is the best place to be. But I worry for you. I don’t want to be—comment dit-ons ‘chauvin’?— chauviniste? You are strong, but still I worry. You will wait for me, yes? I ask you?”

  “I promise,” she lied. So much for good intentions.

  There was nothing left to say, yet neither hung up. Dana could hear him breathing on the other end of the line. Her heart ached.

  “Dana?”

  “Yes?”

  “I am missing you.”

  “Me too. I miss you too.”

  “À bientôt, chérie.”

  “Yes. Soon.”

  When the line went dead, she stared at it awhile. Then she ran to get Laurel’s number. She needed to tell her about grand-père’s disappearance. The phone rang for some time and then her call was redirected.