Rothus laughed. “You know the answer to that. I’m never alone, long as I have the Dreamtide and the waves!”
Delilah left as the pair bantered, heading back up to the prow to watch as the Wood of the Wisps came into view.
Will Wisps… whatever they were, Delilah was excited. Supposedly the Enchanted Dominion was where all magic originated from. If the Will Wisps were tied to Summoning, they might be the key to that entire class of magic. They might be the source behind Delilah’s Felines. That was an exciting thought.
“You look happy,” Isabelle said, startling Delilah. The girl had come up to join her without Delilah noticing.
“I am,” Delilah said, smiling. “We’re about to see something completely new and amazing. And apparently it isn’t dangerous, either, which is a nice change. Plus, it has to do with my kind of magic.”
“Your magic is super cool,” Isabelle said, grinning. “I like your Felines. They make me feel safe when they’re around.”
Delilah smiled back at her. “They do the same for me,” she said.
Isabelle gasped, pointing ahead of them, and Delilah looked up. On the horizon, the Wood of the Wisps was starting to come into view.
Deep green grass and leaves formed every part of the Location that Delilah could see. It wasn’t a dense, foreboding forest like Hollow Island’s jungle, but spacious and open. Light streamed through the branches, and seemed to be dancing across numerous pastel-colored flowers.
It certainly looked beautiful and inviting. But where were the Will Wisps? Delilah wanted to know what they were. Were they invisible?
“The best part’s coming up,” Rothus said, joining Delilah and Isabelle. Gwen, Lorelei, and Chelsea followed, and the entire group watched the oncoming Wood of the Wisps expectantly.
Suddenly, the sky changed. What had been a white field with lights flashing within it suddenly grew incredibly dark, morphing to a deep blue and purple. Within it, pale blue and silver lights flickered and faded.
Finally standing out in the open, Anastasia appeared, keeping her distance from the group. Her dark hair, combined with the long coat she wore with the collar popped up, made it hard to see her face clearly, and she was always looking slightly away from the group. Wearing an outfit otherwise rather simple, her shoes stood out — black boots with long stiletto heels. There was something oddly familiar about her appearance, as if Delilah should know who she was.
“So that’s what the night sky looks like,” Lorelei said breathlessly, staring up at it. “It’s beautiful.”
Delilah agreed, but her eyes were fixated on the Wood of the Wisps. The change in lighting had brought the forest to life. Amorphous blobs of light floated in the nighttime darkness, filling the forest with glows of so many colors: blue and green and pink, red and orange and yellow, silver and gold and white and black…
And Delilah realized something.
“They look like Summons,” she said softly, staring as the shore came closer and closer, and the lights grew clearer and clearer. They had that sort of fuzzy look to them, and each was a single distinct color, glowing with a light all its own.
“They do, don’t they?” Gwen asked, smiling as she watched the lights. “Those are the Will Wisps.”
“But what —” Delilah started to ask.
“Time to disembark!” Rothus announced, bringing the Dreamtide in for a soft bump against the grassy shore. Dropping the gangplank, everyone except the captain exited into the Wood of the Wisps.
It was surreal. There was no beach, no real shoreline to speak of. The Wood just… ended, grassy ground stopping suddenly to give way to the green ocean, now dark, almost black, in the strange nighttime light. Standing there in the grass, looking up at Rothus on the Dreamtide, Delilah felt once again the mystical, unearthly nature of the Enchanted Dominion.
It really was a world of magic.
“Well, I’ll bid you ladies goodnight,” Rothus called from the deck, pulling up the gangplank. “Enjoy the sights, and I hope you all find what you’re looking for!”
“Thank you!” Delilah called out, waving as Rothus manned the helm and steered the ship away.
“Where’d Anastasia go?” Lorelei asked, looking around. Delilah looked as well, to realize the same thing as Chelsea — the mysterious woman was nowhere to be found.
“She was just next to me,” Gwen said, staring at the empty spot beside her. “Such a strange one. I hope she doesn’t get lost.”
“Might not mind getting lost in a place this beautiful,” Chelsea said, smiling as she walked a few steps into the Wood of the Wisps.
Isabelle was grinning, twirling as she danced in the beautiful kaleidoscope of colors bobbing throughout the forest. “It’s amazing!” she cried out, laughing.
“It certainly is,” Gwen said with a smile. She started to lead the way ahead through the brilliant forest. “Our destination is an exit on the other side of the Wood. Shouldn’t take us too long to make it there, and that will take us to our next Location. But we can afford to have some fun along the way.”
“What are the Will Wisps, anyway?” Lorelei asked. She reached out her hand as a bright blue Wisp floated by. As it brushed against her hand, Lorelei’s mouth grew into a wide grin and her eyes sparkled with delight. “Oh, that’s… that’s amazing.”
Delilah stepped towards an orange Wisp and held out her hand carefully. The blob of light twisted, squished inward, and then expanded, before floating over to her. As it brushed against her, Delilah felt…
Oh. Wow.
Amazing was right.
Her entire body felt suddenly alive with a warmth and lightness that stunned Delilah. She felt as if she could fly, weightless and free. She was smiling, and then laughing, unbidden and unable to stop. Tingles spread through her arm, to her shoulder, to her chest and her legs and her face and…
So many emotions rushed through her. They weren’t her own. Pulsing into her, coming in waves, Delilah felt longing, then joy; desperation, then freedom; sorrow, then elation.
The Wisp was reaching out to her, but these emotions weren’t even that of the Wisp’s. It was trying to talk to her, trying to gauge her own emotions, to understand her. Delilah wanted to understand it as well, reaching back out to the Wisp with her own feelings and questions.
“Maybe don’t keep that up,” Gwen said, standing next to Delilah and placing a gentle hand on her outstretched arm. “It’s not dangerous, but… well, Wisps have a habit of growing attached. And you already have a few of your own.”
“A few of my…” Delilah pulled her hand back, and watched the orange Wisp bob away. She looked up at Gwen. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t understand yet?” Gwen asked. She smiled. “You’re a Summoner. Where do you think your Summons come from?”
“The Wisps are…” Delilah stared out at the expansive forest, at the hundreds, thousands of Wisps floating through the air. “Every single one of these is a Summon?”
“None of these are Summons yet,” Gwen said. “Every single Summon is a Wisp that’s been called from the Wood by a mage. Each of your Summons was once a Wisp, floating along in this forest, waiting to be called.”
“They’re all waiting to become Summons?” Chelsea asked. “That’s all they’re doing here? Floating along, waiting for someone to give them a purpose?”
“That’s right,” Gwen said, looking out at the glowing forest. “They’re called Will Wisps because they desire a will — a purpose. They don’t have purposes of their own. People give them purpose. Why do you think Summons can take so many shapes, or that they always become exactly what their Summoner wants them to be?” Gwen laughed as she petted a golden Wisp that floated by. “Look at how they change their shape so easily. And yet they don’t have a single distinct shape of their own — not here, anyway. They’re waiting for a mage to call them. They’re waiting for someone else’s will to shape them into the form they’ll take for the rest of their lives. They’re waiting for someone to give them a pur
pose.”
“So all these emotions…” Delilah said, brushing her hand along a silver Wisp that seemed to laugh as if she’d tickled it, folding itself in half, and then flattening out like a disc, before zipping away. “They’re questions. They’re the Wisps asking what they should be. They’re the way the Wisps seek out a form and a purpose.”
“That’s right,” Gwen said. “And mostly, you’ll feel joy when you touch them. They like to be happy.”
“Who doesn’t?” Chelsea asked, chuckling.
“But it’s a deeper happiness,” Gwen said. “Joy, it comes from deep within, and bubbles out like you can’t even contain it. It’s more than an emotion — it’s a state of being. Joy is what these Wisps desire most of all. I guess that’s kind of like people, though. How can you truly feel joy unless you’ve found your purpose, your reason for existing? And how can you not feel unexplainable joy when you have found your purpose?”
So all of my Felines… they feel this constantly.
Delilah reached out to another Wisp, this one deep blue like Earth’s ocean, and it rippled like water at her touch. She felt it once more — a longing, a faint breath of joy. And even that tiny bit of joy was enough to make Delilah come alive, like electricity was flowing through her.
This is what it’s like to find your purpose in life?
Delilah grinned, feeling excitement, but it was tempered by a longing of her own.
I want to feel like this. So I still…
I still don’t know what exactly my purpose is.
“It’s all a nice sentiment,” Chelsea said. “But what about people who haven’t found their purpose in life? Or what about people who have no purpose?”
“Everyone has a purpose,” Gwen said. “Not everyone finds out what it is in their lifetime, which is terribly sad, but everyone has it.”
“So you search,” Lorelei said, smiling. “You don’t give up until you find it. Because once you do, it’s the best thing.”
“So you’ve found yours?” Chelsea asked, casting a skeptical look at her friend.
Lorelei smiled and nodded, her braid bouncing on her shoulder. “I have,” she said. “A long time ago, honestly. Everyone has one. If you haven’t found yours yet, you will.”
Chelsea suddenly had a strange look on her face, but it was one that Delilah had recently learned to recognize.
It was the way that Chelsea looked at Caleb.
And then Chelsea looked away, her voice tinged with longing. “I hope so,” she said softly.
“But what about all of these?” Delilah asked, gesturing at the endless forest of glowing Wisps. “There are so many. Won’t some of them die without being called?”
Gwen shook her head, a twinkle in her golden eyes. “Oh, no,” she said. “Wisps are the envy of Humanity in that regard. They’ll live forever, as long as they’re here. Until they are called, they will never die.”
“Isn’t that kind of bittersweet, then?” Chelsea asked. “Once they find that joy, then the timer starts on their lifespan.”
“A life full of joy is a life well lived,” Gwen said. She let out a long, breathless sigh. “Ah, but we really should get going. It’s a ways yet to our destination, so we’ll spend plenty of time with the Wisps. Just don’t get carried away. It’s easy to get attached, but unless you’re willing to be their Summoner, you don’t want to draw a Wisp to yourself. Enjoy the sights and feelings, but otherwise, let’s just keep moving forward.”
“How do you know so much, anyway?” Isabelle asked, skipping over to join them. She looked up at Gwen with admiration in her big, curious eyes.
“I’ve lived a long time,” Gwen said with a laugh. “And it seems you have, too, little one.”
“I dunno,” Isabelle said with a shrug. “Mommy always says time is difficult.”
Gwen cocked her head, as if a thought had occurred to her. “That phrase sounds oddly familiar…” she said. After a few moments, she shook her head. “Ah, I can’t think of why. It’ll come to me — or it won’t. Anyway, I’m glad to have you along, little one.” She ruffled Isabelle’s hair, and the girl let out an adorable giggle. “Don’t worry. We’ll find your home one way or another. You miss your mommy, don’t you?”
Isabelle nodded. “Very much,” she said.
“We’ll get you back to her,” Delilah said, smiling. “We need to get back home, too, but… well, you’ve been away from home a lot longer than we have.” She looked to Lorelei and Chelsea hopefully. “Seems like she should take precedence, right?”
Chelsea offered a shrug. “I’m game for anything, honestly,” she said. She shivered as a purple Wisp bumped against her, and then laughed. “I wouldn’t mind spending more time in this world.”
“I think we should put Isabelle first,” Lorelei said with a confident smile.
Good. I want to spend more time in this world. And… well, now Gwen and the Wisps have me thinking about all kinds of stuff. Joy unexplainable… my purpose… I thought I knew what my purpose was. Maybe it’s just because I haven’t succeeded at it yet.
And for that, my Felines and I need to grow stronger. So spending more time in this world can’t be bad at all.
Besides — they’ve found their purpose in me. I’ve got to step up. For their sake.
— G —
Far off from the group of girls, Anastasia watched from the shadows.
Her fingers ran over the shards of a Piper’s Flute in her pocket.
When that little girl had played her music at Grimoire’s library and their songs had collided, Anastasia’s flute had shattered.
And she’d ended up on Hollow Island. What a nightmare that had been.
Thankfully, she’d been there before. She knew how to navigate it far better than the foolish children who had been caught up in a massive battle with Hollows.
But still, she hadn’t accomplished her mission. Still, she had to watch carefully and wait for her chance to strike.
Her master needed Isabelle. Only from her could he obtain the True Flute and have the power he needed.
Anastasia had been put to this task. She would not fail.
As she watched the giggling girls, a grey Wisp brushed against Anastasia’s shoulder. She felt that electric tingle of emotion run through her, and shuddered away even as she found herself smiling uncontrollably.
It wasn’t such a bad feeling.
But she didn’t have time for it. She had to be focused, and find her opportunity.
Before they left the Wood of the Wisps, Isabelle — and her strange power — would be hers.
Chapter 22: Dawn Riders
— G —
Shana knew she was dreaming.
She’d had this recurring dream for years. When she dropped into it, she knew exactly what was going on.
Well, not exactly.
She knew she was dreaming. And she knew the content of the dream.
As far as what it all meant, well… Shana had only the smallest of ideas.
It didn’t help that each version of the dream was longer and more complex. It had started out simple enough. But it seemed every time Shana sunk into it, she delved deeper into the dream world, discovering new things and, most commonly, raising many new questions.
It always started with Shana atop a rocky spire. It was narrow, barely wide enough for both of her feet, but she never felt off-balance. All around her was a pale pink fog that obscured her vision. Eventually, she saw a strange golden light in the distance. Stepping off from the spire, she found she could fly, and she soared through the fog towards the golden light.
Early versions of the dream ended there, with her fading into wakefulness without ever reaching the light. But over time, new pieces were added. And with new pieces, new questions.
Why was she pursuing the golden light? Shana didn’t know. It was the only thing to see, at first, but as she flew, she came across a castle. Its turreted towers rose up out of the fog, and alighting on one, Shana walked along the top of the walls. Her b
ody felt weightless, and she could walk or run or even fly with little effort at all. Into the castle’s interior she went. Paintings adorned the walls. In earlier versions of the dream, these were blank, but over time, they began to be filled with different scenes: a lake frozen in winter, silver crystals rising up from a deep chasm, strange and beautiful whales cresting ocean waves. On and on they went, never showing a scene completely recognizable to Shana. She’d never seen them before, and yet… they all felt familiar to her.
Out from the hall of paintings, Shana climbed wide, carpeted steps to a balcony, and stepping off of it, she flew once more.
The golden light had vanished.
That didn’t bother Shana, though. New and exciting areas and sights came to her as she flew. She soared through rocky arches, ran along a beach of silver sand, and hitched a ride on a pink cloud zipping along over an ocean that boiled, steam rising up to obscure her vision.
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