Dancing Through Dreams

by S K Wee

  “I’m not sure, Amma. I think they may be bites, but I can’t seem to remember receiving them. It’s part of my pit experience that I can’t seem to recall. Maybe later, when I’ve had time to sit and relax, it will all come back to me.” Dianna absently rubbed the sore area while Conny finished her hair.

  How she had missed Conny. Dianna had no memory of her birth mother and though everyone went out of their way to share wonderful stories about how great her mother was, she knew her mother could never love her more than Conny, her amma. Theirs was a strong mother-daughter bond.

  They met in the dining room and it was the first Dianna had seen of Kappy since her return. He was even more handsome than the last time. By far the most handsome boy she had ever seen—though not a boy any longer. Kappy would be eighteen in just a few weeks and looked much more mature than before.

  Kappy took her hand when he approached her. “Sweet Diana, I was so worried about your disappearance and extremely happy you have been returned to us unharmed.” Dianna smiled at him and thanked him for his regard.

  He then walked her over to his lady, Birgit. She was about the same height as Dianna but was certainly filled out much more and in all the right places. Dianna tried very hard to stamp out the jealousy she was feeling but the more she watched the graceful young woman, the more jealous she became. Of course, Kappy would want someone like that, who wouldn’t?

  With Sylly on one side and Amma on the other through dinner, Dianna started to feel more relaxed. So what if Kappy only had eyes for Birgit. At least she was back with her loving family, and Dianna knew she wasn’t close to being ready for marriage. But seeing the two lovebirds smiling at each other and touching hands whenever they could caused her to yearn for something similar.

  Conny made their excuses shortly after dinner. Uncle Ekky and Dank would be anxiously awaiting her arrival back in Briar so they should leave right away. Sylly was going to stay with his guard unit in Port Devdan, and Dianna hugged him close and thanked him for being there for her. The only other person she wanted to see before she left was Quin. He was the one who had rescued her and she wanted to once again express her gratitude. He was nowhere to be found, though. Dianna had to make do with leaving a message for him.

  *****

  With all the excitement of Dianna being found, Kappy was a little put out that his announcement about an upcoming betrothal seemed secondary. He was thrilled Dianna had been found and seemed unharmed, but this was his impending betrothal and to him, it was the most important event in the world. Until the wedding, anyhow. He didn’t know how he was going to wait patiently for that. Aunt Rose had told him that it would be at least a four-month wait between the betrothal and the wedding. That seemed like a very long time to wait.

  The thought of bedding Birgit was all that was on his mind for weeks already. Now that he knew it was going to happen, the waiting seemed even worse. But wait he would have to do. Birgit seemed all about propriety. She would let him hold her hand and they would walk together in the garden, but when he would try to kiss those luscious lips of her’s, she would always turn her head. Thus far, he had only managed to kiss her cheek. She would always look like she regretted the action as much as him, though he couldn’t imagine it. How he would love to capture those lips just once.

  Birgit always dressed quite modestly also. Never would she have allowed even a hint of cleavage to show. But Kappy was no fool—he could still envision what she tried so hard to disguise. Birgit was built very well indeed, but for the most part, Kappy had to use a fair amount of imagination to picture the end product. For some reason, that made her all the more alluring to him. She wasn’t as well-endowed as Pritha, but she was close. Sometimes his fingers would actually tingle in anticipation of what her breasts would feel like.

  *****

  As much as Frankie would have loved to leave the celebration early also, she could see that Kappy was put out by having to share the spotlight. She really missed her children who were on the island with Arlie and would have loved just to leave and join them. Frankie was surprised at the amount of envious colors running through Dianna went she met Birgit. Kappy was an extremely good-looking young man, much like his father had been. So it made sense that Dianna might have become infatuated with him. At the same time, since they had been raised together, she could see that Kappy’s feelings for Dianna were more toward a sisterly caring.

  Dianna was young yet, and Frankie was certain she would eventually find someone to love. Frankie remembered she hadn’t been much older than Dianna when she had first met Twig. Though she hadn’t felt love for a couple of years after that, she remembered her first infatuation and knew those could be quite painful experiences.

  The dance floor had been cleared out and the band was playing. She really didn’t feel up to dancing when she found Darby suddenly standing in front of her. “Care to dance with your old papa?”

  “I would love to!” How could she possibly deny her father anything at all? He would want to get back home also. They would all be going together to the island—Twig, Darby, and her. Quin would stay behind with the guards.

  While they spun around on the dance floor, Frankie quickly scanned everyone’s colors. She still wasn’t really sure about Kappy and Birgit. Though their colors went together, they were also closely matched. She worried that their marriage would be stormy as they were both a bit self-involved. Neither would be willing to give as much as take. But Kappy wanted this more than anything, and Frankie thought it might be the best thing in the world and bring about more of the giving in him.

  “Thank you for the dance, Papa. I am so very ready to leave. I hope Kappy won’t be too upset with me for leaving so soon. I assume you are ready also?”

  “I would have left before dinner if I thought I could have gotten away with it. Erram is ready also. She’s not used to being away from her mate this long, and I must admit that I don’t care to be away from mine either.” Frankie had to chuckle at that. Darby was never one to admit to human emotions.

  “I say we make our farewells and get back to the island. It will already be dark when we get there. The twins will be fast asleep, and maybe Twig will like to go for a quick swim at the waterfall.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think Twig will do much swimming if you go with him to the waterfalls. Ha! Swim! He probably doesn’t even know how to swim. But just remember how early your twins wake up. I’m not going to watch them. I have my own ‘swimming’ to make up for.”

  “Papa!” Frankie laughed at him. She also knew that if she and Twig didn’t make it back from the waterfall, Darby would love spending some extra time with the twins.

  Chapter 14

  City of Briar, East Coast of Mandalay

  As quietly as she could, Dianna made her way down the stairs and to the kitchen. She had the same dream once again and didn’t want to wake anyone else up just because she couldn’t get back to sleep. She grabbed a snack and curled up in Uncle Ekky’s study. Settling into the study, she munched on a roll and rubbed the base of her scalp, which was now completely healed. She had a dream about a snake, a very large one. She could feel the viper slowly wrapping itself around her torso and Dianna could now remember this had actually happened to her.

  Reliving the experience was not something she wanted to do, but Conny had suggested that she spend some time studying her dreams. She said that the more she examined the content of them, the less fear she would feel from them—they would lose their sting. Dianna sat and reflected on what this dream may mean. She could almost feel the serpent circling her hips and chest, moving upward toward her neck. She remembered being afraid of having it strangle her, but it moved carefully, almost tenderly, across the front of her throat and to the base of her skull. Then, the jolt of pain as the viper sank its fangs in deep. Then nothing.

  The dream came to an end, or at least all that she could remember of it. The next memory was of lying outside the pit. There was something alongside her and when she looked over, she saw the de
sert viper. Quin had told her this also, but at the time she couldn’t remember seeing it. Now, remembering the snake, she felt regret or sorrow that the snake lay there dead. She almost felt that she had bonded with the viper and had somehow come to know it.

  Shaking off the vision, Dianna lay back on the sofa and closed her eyes. Would it ever end? Since she returned home, there hadn’t been many dreamless nights. Most every night something in her dreams jolted her awake. She tried to relax and go back to sleep but soon realized that it was useless.

  “Dianna, is that you?” Conny walked into the study.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you, Amma. I had another dream and was trying to remember all the details like you told me.” Dianna told Conny everything she could think of about the dream. Conny asked many questions and that brought forth even more hidden details. They decided that Dianna should keep a journal handy to write all the details down as soon as she woke.

  As the days and weeks went by, Dianna’s dreams became more like lessons. She was met with a kindly old elf almost every night. He would patiently talk to her about the land and the lore of the MinSu elves and the kol-da trees where they made their homes. Sharing her journal entries with Conny they traveled to all the major libraries looking for any further information about either.

  They even went to the Academy to look through the library there. Though they didn’t expect to find any information about the trees, they had a dual purpose in the visit. Twig had access to many old memories. At one time, Twig had used the body of an aged shaman who had knowledge that predated humans. The problem was trying to dig through to retrieve any important facts. Dianna outlined all that they had found out thus far about both the MinSu elves and the kol-da trees hoping to jar any tidbit of information.

  “Minichoo. That’s what they were called. It’s possible the name has evolved through the years, but that must be the same sect. They were more warlike than their cousins. The mountain range was the border between the two very different races of elves. The Minichoo were in the west; yes, it makes sense the desert would have been their home only it was not a desert at the time. My memory consists of a history passed down by the shaman. I don’t know how accurate the facts are.”

  “That is already more than we could find out about them by scouring all the libraries. What about the trees, though? They said the trees were poisoned somehow and that is how the desert came about.” Conny seemed happy to receive any information.

  Dianna had drawn a picture of one of the huge trees. “They look like this in my dreams. They are huge, even larger than the ones on the island or the Silvanas Forest. In my dream, they fill the whole of the desert area. Do you have any memories of them?”

  “Mmm . . . it seems to me that magic, not poison, destroyed the forest, though the poison could be magically created. Dianna, can you picture one of its leaves for me and draw it out?” Twig handed her some parchment and quill.

  Dianna knew the trees and leaves very well. They had been a big part of her dreams for weeks now. She surprised even herself, though, when she drew the leaf’s spine and intricate markings without pause. “My dream mentor had me study the leaf. He led me to a nearly barren tree and had me count from the trunk, through all the branches and limbs. As I followed the trees offshoots, there at the end of the last twig stood a fresh leaf, not even browned or curled. He explained to me that it was my leaf, my life—the offshoot that would save the forest. The last bud, he claimed, nature’s last calling.”

  “An extinct tree, but it sounds like he seems to think you are the instrument of its revival. That is interesting. Just how are you supposed to accomplish this task that has been set before you?”

  How, indeed? “I don’t know. That’s why Amma and I are searching the libraries and picking your brain. Anything we learn might be of some help. You have already helped with your memory. I do believe the sect is this Minichoo and I also feel that they were a warlike tribe. Now, though, I believe that they just want some of what was lost to them. They called me their Oveestra, savior. My dream mentor has also called me by this title. I do feel that I need to help them in some way not yet known to me.”

  “You may be right. I think eventually your dream guy will let you in on the how. He’s probably still trying to get you committed to help. Now that he sees your willingness, maybe you will find out how. Let me know of any way I can help and please, please, don’t try to do anything on your own, Dianna. You have a lot of family members willing to help.”

  “Thanks, Twig. I know I have everyone’s support. I truly don’t think I could accomplish anything at all without that.” They were now ready to go back home. Twig had been a great help to them.

  “I hope to see you next week at Kappy’s wedding. We’ll talk then.” Dianna had all but forgotten about Kappy’s impending nuptials. At least, she had been trying to. She still felt jealous but was beginning to accept the fact that she would never have been good enough to become the wife of an Amir.

  They took the bridge back to Briar and were just in time to walk back to the manor with Uncle Ekky. He was busy discussing some shipping contract he had brokered with the elves in Silvanas Forest. He was to meet with them in Uttara the next day and invited Dianna and Conny along. Conny’s brother, Hammish, was running the company’s other site in Uttara, and Dianna always loved to visit with him. He would regale her with stories about their old life on the farm and some of his misadventures in his youth.

  Hammish had met and married a woman in Uttara, even though he still sometimes talked about his first disastrous love affair with one of Frankie’s maids. He now had three children with another on the way.

  The following morning, they took the bridge to Uttara. Uncle Ekky’s old house was still the exit of the bridge and Hammish and his family now occupied the house. Ekky had not spent any time there for many years. With the bridges so convenient, they seldom needed to spend any nights away from home. Dianna followed along down to the shipping office. She was still mulling over something new in her dream, trying hard to visualize what exactly it was.

  Within the shipping office, Hammish had a bulletin board set up near the doorway. He could then post anything new that had arrived and let everyone know what was available. When Dianna looked at the board, she immediately was drawn to a sketch posted on the board.

  “Where did you get this picture, Uncle Hammish?” Dianna suddenly knew this was what she had seen in her dream. How could that be?

  “Your cousin, Tally, drew that. She had marveled at the statue she saw at the monastery when we brought supplies there the last time. She’s quite the artist, isn’t she?”

  “This statue is at the monastery? Does it look just like this?” Dianna was sure that this statue was part of the puzzle in her dreams. Something about it would lead her on her quest.

  Conny came up alongside her and removed the picture from the board to study. “Why do you ask? I’ve seen the statue many times and this looks like an accurate depiction. Pilgrims stop to pray there every day.” Conny looked over at Dianna, looking for an answer.

  “Amma, I think I need to see this statue. My dreams point me toward it for some reason. I need to find out more.” She felt like she was being drawn to it or compelled in some way to locate it.

  “We don’t have a bridge to that destination and I don’t believe we could make it there before dark. They close the gates at dusk or they used to. We could ask if Twig would take you there. He has the power to transport there and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” They spent some more time with Hammish while Ekky got the shipping loads and schedules approved. Dianna was more than a little excited to speak to Twig.

  By mid-afternoon, they had contacted him and he agreed to help. Dianna had never been transported before and didn’t know what to expect. Conny told her to close her eyes tight and hold her breath. Twig landed them just to the east of the gate near some brush. Though her stomach cramped up, Dianna was able to breathe deeply and soon the feeling passed.

  Di
anna looked around the area. “How did you know where to land us?” She knew that to transport the mage needed a very accurate vision of where they were going.

  “I remembered these bushes and envisioned them somewhat larger. I’m happy no one saw fit to cut them down. They grew a little larger than what I had thought, which is why your stomach was probably upset. The closer to perfect the image is, the smoother the transport will be. Let’s go before they close the gate.” They hurried through the gate and Dianna had eyes for only the statue looming largely in the center of the area.

  “This is it, Twig. This is my dream. The staff seems to be screaming at me to touch it.”

  “Wait, hold on. Let me touch it first. I want to see if there is some sort of compulsion magic at play here.” Twig moved in front of her and touched the staff. “I can feel something, but it doesn’t seem at all malevolent. More peaceful and serene. Go ahead, Dianna, but if it feels invasive at all, let go immediately.”

  As she reached out, she knew this was part of her destiny. Her fingers touched the staff ever so lightly, and then a strong tingling went up her arm and through her whole body. “It’s the tree. This is kol-da wood and it’s still alive, still sentient. I think I could actually communicate with it.” Dianna went even further and grasped the staff in her hand. She sent awareness into the wood but something was missing. She needed something more to be able to make a solid connection.

  “It seems that my education is not yet complete. This is part of the solution, that much I am certain. My dream tutor will need to finish my training.”

  Chapter 15

  Palace of Amir Kurush, City of Port Devdan, Country of Bhaelor