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“Miss Vogeli.”
Thicket flinched at the sternness of his tone. She squeezed her hands together, waiting for the lecture she knew was to come.
There was a pause, a breath, then, “It pains me that you have kept this information to yourself for this long. That you have been suffering alone. I know I can be… strict sometimes, but you do not need to be perfect, nor handle everything on your own. Yes, you are the future queen. Yes, you have a mountain of responsibilities on your shoulders. But I never want that to be a reason you do not come to me. I am your Adviser. I am here to advise you. More than that, I am here for you.”
Thicket didn’t expect the words to hit so hard until her exhausted eyes started to burn.
The blue jay cleared its throat, shifting its stance on Marcellus’ arm. “Putting that aside for now, Lotta and I did some research to see if we could discover anything that could explain why the Soumort Princess retains the ability to influence your dreams outside of the sleeping curse. However, aside from an old myth detailing the origin of curses, we didn’t find much.
“The only insight I can provide on this matter is based on pure speculation. I have long since believed that your unconventional method of escaping from the sleeping curse might have resulted in your amnesia. Now, I wonder if perhaps your memories were not simply a cost, but a side effect of not fully waking up from it, which would explain why you remain tethered to the curse and therefore, the Soumort Princess.
“If this is true, then in order to sever the connection, you will need to find a way to fully break the curse.”
Marcellus’ eyes slid to hers.
Fully break the curse? Thicket didn’t even know how she escaped it in the first place.
“In the meantime, you must find a way to limit the Soumort Princess’ access to you. I am not sure what she hopes to gain by influencing your dreams but you must not let her get inside your head.
“Please keep me informed about any further developments. If you cannot figure a way to sever the connection soon, then at worst it will sever once the Soumort Princess is dead.”
The air left Thicket’s lungs.
She had been so focused on not being able to beat her sister she had almost forgotten what she would have to do if she did.
“I am sorry I cannot be of any further help. I will send Bayo back with the item you requested in the next few days. If anything else comes up, please keep me in mind.”
The blue jay closed its beak and, with a chirp, took off into the air.
“Tell me more about your dreams,” Marcellus said.
They were back at the farmhouse and, to her dismay, back to cleaning.
“There isn’t much to tell,” Thicket said. Wind zipped around the hall, nabbing cobwebs, debris, and chunks of frayed wallpaper in its wake and sweeping it into a neat pile by Marcellus’ feet. He emptied a shovel full of it into a barrel he found upturned around the side of the farmhouse. Dust puffed from the opening and he grimaced, waving his hand to clear it. “I’ve got nothing but time.”
Thicket hummed, trying to think of where to start. “I had them every night for as long as I could remember. They were always just images. Sometimes fragments, sometimes entire scenes. Never enough for me to piece together a full life, but enough for me to fall in love with the magic of the world, which, of course, took a turn for the worse.”
She then explained how she was taught to differentiate between her dreams and reality. Marcellus took a moment to let everything sink in.
“Do you think your sister knew you were having glimpses into your old memories?”
“I don’t know. But I do think she was connected to the sleeping curse. Looking back now, there were some things that just didn’t make sense, as though everything was designed to make my life hell.”
Her father’s death. Jett and Linda abandoning her. Principal Kline not even giving her a chance to explain before removing her from school. Making a mess at Mr. Dunkums. Either she was truly the unluckiest girl in the world, or there was someone pulling the strings.
A loud plunk made her jump. The ball of water she kept on standby had plummeted to the ground, splashing Marcellus and seeping into the dirt pile, turning it muddy.
He glowered at her. “You’ve gotten better at using spells simultaneously, but your focus apparently needs work.”
“Sorry,” Thicket said, willing her wind, which she had somehow managed to maintain, to dry the puddle.
He sighed, wiping off the rogue droplets clinging to his face. “What else? What finally pushed you to wake up?”
Thicket thought back, walking through the last few days before she went through the door. “The memories weren’t the only dreams I had. They didn’t happen often. Only when I was at a really low point in my life. I would be stranded in darkness, unable to move or speak or even see. Just listen. After years and years, I finally sensed someone next to me. They pleaded with me to wake up.” Marcellus stiffened. “I tried to move, to reach out, but before I could, I entered a new dream. This one was of a hallway with a single door at its end.”
“This door,” Marcellus said carefully, clutching the shovel. “Where did it take you?”
She met his eyes, smiling softly. “Here. The door led me here.” Home.
