Jess blinked, taken aback by how the poor girl trembled before her like a mouse before a serpent, even as now a dozen girls were openly staring at her, the murmured whispers only increasing in frequency. "Um… the girls that are missing from the school. But don't worry if you can't remember them, it's not your fault. When people slip into the Dreamrealms, they can become lost to the real world, pulled from the wheel of history entirely, the people who knew and loved them forgetting who they were, the entire world forgetting that they had existed at all."
More than one raptly listening girl shivered at Jess’s declaration.
“Ye gods, imagine being spirited away, and your family forgetting you had ever been!” One girl shook her head in horror of the very idea.
Jess nodded solemnly. "Yes. It can happen to anyone who dares to enter the Shadowrealms. It is why the Guild formed in the first place, so that Bards could transcribe and remember the tales of adventurers who had dared venture forth into those lands of legend, bringing back tales of adventure and artifacts from eras long since faded from the records of man. Yet when those brave souls pass on, no trace is left behind, save those mysterious items of mystical power they had reclaimed over the course of their journeys. Artifacts which everyone might forget the very origins of, had the bards not diligently preserved records of those Delvers' forays into Shadow, so that they may be remembered in legend and story, even as memories of the Delvers themselves fade into dream, forgotten by all."
Jess's voice had instinctively lowered in pitch, and her solemn words seemed to have an almost hypnotic effect on the girls gazing at her so raptly, focusing so intently on every word she uttered.
"You know an awful lot about these so called Dreamrealms," one of her peers observed. "Do you have contacts within the Guild?" This, Jess sensed, was something the girls could respect; the process of making connections and allies in whatever organizations one could gain a foothold within, whether it be noble, mercantile, or Guild affiliated.
Jess smiled. “I am a Delver myself, and am considered a Friend of the Guild.”
“You can’t be serious!” One of the more skeptical girls scoffed, blowing back a dark curl with a habitual puff of her cheeks.
“Quiet, Louise! Look at her uniform, worn bold as brass,” another girl quickly rebuked. “And no proctor has dared to say a word. The head disciplinarian is nowhere to be found, and the headmistress refuses to see anyone!” The girl gave Louise an almost pitying shake of her head. “All you have to do is look up. You're not blind, girl.”
Jess flushed when everyone gazed up in unison at what was clearly visible at this angle; a gaping hole in the buttressed wall of the headmistress's office.
“I thought it was forbidden magics or alchemical experiments that the headmistress herself was practicing,” another girl whispered. “Do you seriously think?” The words hung in the air, furtive glances increasingly sent Jess's way.
Louise shrugged. “I thought it was all just talk. None of us actually think that Jess can punch a hole through a solid stone wall, do we? Everyone knows the Guild is just a tool of certain noble clans, after all.”
“Oh, the Shadowlands are very real,” whispered another student. “Didn’t you hear what almost happened to the Turnsby Estates? To say nothing of those places you can no longer find on a map, which rumor says were swallowed up by Shadow entire!”
"That's all just rumor and circumstance. Come now. Lands can't actually just… disappear, now can they?" Louise blinked and swallowed, looking increasingly uncomfortable as her peers exchanged tales of the dark goings-on that had plagued their kingdom of late. It appeared that most of the students were at least somewhat aware that untoward things were occurring in Erovering, happenings that had best be taken seriously, Jess noted with some satisfaction.
“In any case,” Jess interjected, “one of the reasons why I am here is to investigate this mystery. I think I am getting a handle on it, but anything any of you might know about missing students that you can share with me would be very much appreciated.”
Jess sighed when all she got were negative shakes of the head. “Very well, then. I would like you all to pass around a suggestion. If you find yourself awakening late at night, and are not sure if you are awake or asleep, my advice is to just lay back down and close your eyes. Whether you are dreaming or in a daze, should you have the sense to lie back down once more and close your eyes, you are sure to wake with the dawn. But if you allow yourself to wander in strange dreams, that may be all it takes to lose yourself in Shadow.”
Several of the girls gasped aloud at this.
“Jess, you are going to scare them! No one can control their dreams,” Apple softly rebuked.
Jess shrugged. “Isn’t it worse to tell them nothing at all? We all know of the discrepancies at the gala. Thirty noblemen without partners, implying that thirty girls have gone missing since the invitations were sent. Disappeared so thoroughly that not even memories of their passing have remained. It is a truth too ugly for your proctors and professors to face. But to not face it is to let you all be picked off like pheasants, too distracted to hear the whistle of an arrow's feathers as the hunter comes for you, one by one."
"Are you saying this school is haunted? That we're doomed to be preyed upon by dark spirits who will tear us free of the mortal world and into some horrible nightmare realm?" asked one girl clearly terrified of the prospect.
Jess noted that more than a few of the students were gazing at her with a rapt sort of horror, carefully constructed porcelain masks of indifference cracking under the strain of the doom they feared awaited them. And the crowd of students gazing so intently at Jess had only grown larger in the few minutes that she had been speaking.
Jess shook her head. "I think during our waking hours we are all perfectly safe. This is only my hunch, but I think the portal to this realm of Shadow is very faint, opening only in dreams directly. And going through this portal, as with any portal, involves a potent force called Choice. I don't think we can be forced, only enticed. We must choose to take that first step into whatever strange realm is haunting this school. Does that make sense?" More than one girl nodded at this, several looking visibly relieved.
"But we still have to be careful. Remember, we are not entirely ourselves when we sleep. Far more prone to wonder, ideation, impulse, and fancy." Jess grinned. "I don't know about you girls, but for me, most of sleep is chaotic madness, at least it is in my head. But that being said, there are times when I feel so alert, so self-aware, that I wonder if I am awake or dreaming." More than a few nods Jess received at that declaration.
"Now the interesting thing is, once we are awake in truth, we never wonder if we are dreaming. So if you are ever uncertain, it is best to assume that you are asleep, and in grave peril. For in that state you are both trapped in dream, and yet sentient enough to embrace Choice. If the sinkhole to Shadow involves some sort of enticement, we could easily give in to dreamlike impulse and embrace it, if we are not careful. Then the trap is sprung as we slip through cracks in the waking world, and plunge soulfirst into realms of nightmare."
More than a few girls shuddered at the thought. “So let us assume it is like the most fantastic of tales. Sweet sirens of one sort or another are seeking to lure you away." Jess shrugged. "Perhaps your ears will be captivated by sensuous sounds, or eyes entranced by exotic sights, and you risk being seduced by their call, wondering where they lead. With such risks to face, if the powers of story are indeed infecting the living world through dreams, then it is best to simply lie back down on your bed, whether real or imagined, and allow true sleep to reclaim you once more."
"That is a very good idea, Jess," Juliana concurred breathlessly, having arrived from the library at last. "The important thing now is that we all do what we can to keep each other safe. If one of us sees another sleepwalking, let's be sure not to let them wander about. Perhaps there is some spell of entrancement our enemies are using."
"A good point, Juliana. Magics o
f entrancement might indeed be in play." Jess paused, making sure to catch the eyes of those few girls that looked openly skeptical, thinking she had caught the telltale glimmering strands of at least one discrete little spellweb being cast. Not hostile, but some sort of protective ward. "I have no doubt that some of you, at least, have taken an interest in the arcane arts. For all that magics involving healing or the mastery of the elements are the only formal branches of arcane study in Erovering, the only two acknowledged paradigms of magic, I assure you there are others. Magics both crimson and dark, free of the limitations that elementalists face.
"I myself have fought corrupted wizards who had access to vile arts utterly unlike anything modern magics can mimic, able to manipulate the minds of most anyone. Able to master their enemies' minds so utterly as to compel them to flay themselves alive." She shivered in recollection of the poor screaming guardsmen cutting off strips of their own flesh for the cold satisfaction of one Galeck Borson, an infernalist she suspected had met a particularly fitting end deep in the virgin forest near Raphael diOnni's country home. "With such dark powers out there, the ability to charm and seduce vulnerable girls in their sleep should certainly be within the realm of possibility. Just be glad that Choice cannot be forced, only enticed."
The gathered students did not look at all comforted by Jess's pronouncement, though at least one pair of skeptical eyes had turned thoughtful. Good. They could think whatever they liked of her, so long as they were careful in their sleep.
"All right then," Jess addressed her raptly attentive audience, "be careful when you dream. Don't go wandering off, entranced by a beautiful face or haunting song, whether you think you are sleeping or awake, and let me or my friends know if you find anything strange. Any questions?"
Most of the students shook their heads mutely, only one or two tentatively raised their hands.
"Is it true you're really a representative of the Guild, and not a student at all?" one asked softly.
Jess shrugged. “Does it matter? My mother wants me to be here, and I’m on good terms with the Guild. I’ve also been asked to do what I can discretely, but since I’m not very good at discrete, I’ve decided to go for the direct ‘storm-the-castle’ approach. Besides, I can’t abide dresses, and I can’t stand acting under pretense. Not a very good agent of intrigue would I make, eh?”
This earned Jess a smile here and there, and even if she still felt a bit awkward around the slowly breaking up knot of students, at least she didn’t feel like they despised her quite so much for being so different. Some even seemed intrigued by her. And though she was quick to disparage the academy’s philosophy of friendships based on convenience and intrigue, she really would love to have more friends, hopefully genuine ones.
On some level, her sister seemed to sense this.
"Come on, sis," Apple said, leading Jess away from the remaining students and to their quarters proper. "Good work, if I didn't say it already, Jess."
“Thank you, Appolonia. That means a lot to me, you know,” Jess said while hugging her sister. “And now for the exciting part, seeing if I can track down the portal to this Dreamrealm, while I am dreaming myself.”
“Not so tight, Jess!” Apple wheezed, Jess immediately letting her go.
“Perhaps you wouldn’t mind some company on your little adventure within the land of nod?” Offered a teasing voice that sent a delightful thrill coursing through Jess.
“Rulia! Your back, I see. How did your own investigations go?” Jess gave her lover a playful kiss, earning Rulia’s husky laughter and a far more serious kiss in return, broken only when Apple started pointedly clearing her throat.
Rulia's amorous gaze turned thoughtful. "Most of the students still seem a bit uncomfortable talking to girls who take a bold approach to life, such as you and I; girls who are not so comfortable hiding behind skirts and innuendo. Still, your lover has a few admirers who might have stolen a kiss or two, once upon a time."
Jess pouted as Rulia laughed teasingly. "Fear not, my beautiful Jessica. None of them could hope to touch what I feel for you in my heart, already. Whereas they were tiny flickering candles shining light in the gloom that was my lonely heart, the warmth of your smile is like the blazing sun chasing away the darkness of night with the glory of a fine spring day."
Jess chuckled appreciatively, kissing her lover affectionately once more, twining her fingers about Rulia's own, sharing a knowing look, and together they headed for Jess's quarters.
“In any event,” Rulia continued lightly, “one of my former admirers confessed that there was a bit of a hush-hush with the Academy staff. Supposedly, three girls went missing on the last full moon. Not a trace has been found of them, and indeed, save for their panicked families, most specifically the girls' mothers who swear they can hear their children crying in the depths of their own nightmares, they seem to have been forgotten as easily as morning dew fades to nothing, which is perhaps the scariest thing of all. For those are just the three students missing that the instructors were able to determine. I can only imagine that there are any number of others who perhaps don't have mothers haunted by their daughter's sobbing cries in the deep of the night. Mothers who have forgotten their babes, just as surely as the rest of us have."
Rulia shivered. "Can you imagine it, Jess? It was one thing to do the math regarding the missing girls at the gala. That was chilling enough. But this, it makes it all so... visceral. I might have spoken to or jested with any of these girls, and now I can't even remember that I knew them, let alone recall what they may have looked like."
Jess gave a solemn nod. “It is a chilling thought, but one every adventurer accepts when she takes up the blade and journeys into lands lost to time, chasing after flickering fragments of halcyon days at the height of a forgotten empire’s finest hour. You can find treasure and wonder to put a king’s glories to shame, but darkest death can also find you, as you journey deep into living realms of Shadow. Should death find you there, none would even recall your name, save the bards who honor all adventurers by faithfully recording their deeds and exploits so that, at least in high tales and legends, they will never be forgotten.” Jess's gaze hardened. “But I doubt any of those girls realized their dire peril, aching with wonder and a child's desperate longing, enticed and vulnerable in their dreams.”
Rulia nodded. "I've heard a lot about the philosophy of adventurers while I've been here. All consolidated within the Guild, and denied formal rights of rulership. Yet those Delvers who dare such exploits as you have, exploring forgotten lands lost to time, often come back the stronger for it, in all sorts of unexpected ways. As you have shown me firsthand, taking on a dozen knights and one headmistress, no?"
Jess gave a low, throaty chuckle. "You have the right of it, my dear Rulia. Some of us come back quite changed indeed." Jess sighed then, her bemused confidence suddenly transferring to something far more serious. "It changes you. And I can't say it's necessarily for the better." She paused, thoughtfully, even as Rulia gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's like a contest, I think. Should you fall in those lands, wonderful and terrible as they are, that realm of dream absorbs you, and all that you ever were. But should you survive your adventures, it is you who absorbs some of the power and potency of that strange living dream you visit, and come back the stronger for it."
Jess shivered. "My shieldbrother, Malek and I, we have Delved deep, and survived many wondrous and terrible encounters. It changed us both. Greatly. And sometimes I fear what we have become."
Rulia, resting chin to palm, gazed at Jess with the critical air of one judging a work of art. “Strong, beautiful, noble, a brave fighter and a good friend. I, for one, think you will survive and overcome any changes for ill that it may have wrought. For if you were truly treading down a dark path, my dear Jessica, you wouldn’t mind your journey at all. The fact that it worries you shows us all your heart is true.”
Jess's smile was sardonic. "Except for my smashing a massive hole through a wall of soli
d stone in the Headmistress's own quarters, before jamming her flailing body through it, just to intimidate her into leaving me be, just because, let's be painfully honest with ourselves here, I was sick of wearing dresses and smiling meekly in front of spiteful gossips."
Twilight took that moment to gaze at his master in bemusement. "Genuine reflection and an honest self-assessment. How surprisingly unexpected. There is hope for you yet, my dear mistress. Of course, there is the little matter of Zerona being complicit in manipulating you into an arranged betrothal that the former head disciplinarian had turned into a botched assassination attempt, costing a handful of otherwise honorable knights their lives."
Rulia, unable to see or hear Jess's familiar, quirked her lips in a surprisingly similar grin. "There is that, my dear Jess. There is that. However, let's not forget, that bitch Grimsly was using the headmistress's utter disregard for you as the perfect opening to arrange for your death." Rulia's eyes flashed. "For both of our deaths, in fact, without batting an eye. And let us remember as well, that the threat to your family is real. And if the powers that be can successfully intimidate you into coming to heel for them here, it is only a matter of time before some chosen royal lackey claims you for his own, expecting you to sit, stay, roll over, and raise your rump for his pleasure, with your family forever held hostage, captive to your meek obeisance."
Rulia gave Jess a gentle, reassuring kiss. "To my mind, what you did was remind the players that fear of reprisal can work both ways. You let them know that though the king might hold your family hostage to your good behavior in order to intimidate you into submission, the first serpent who seeks to cast you down will suffer the full might and fury of your wrath, far worse than whatever pleasure he could hope to find in your downfall. Mutually assured destruction. Similar to why the Deathwalkers of Velheim have a treaty with the Adventurers Guild of Erovering. Though our countries might be in a constant state of undeclared war, should those men and women take up arms, it would be a mutual bloodbath.”
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