Waking was like falling into freezing water. Theodore sat up in the flowerbed, gasping for breath as if drowning. Oboe jumped to his side, helping him to his feet.

“Are you okay??” She said, concerned. “You’re crying!”

Theodore gathered himself enough to wipe his red hot face. “I’m fine!” He said, and staggered away from her. His body felt sore and empty. He needed a moment to gather himself.

“Then he can go on?” Said the faun in the flowers. “Put him back down, Oboe. There are more of us who need him to dream!”

“No, Zither! That is enough!” Feather said, striding between them. “We’ve given him three, and now his aura is dark and heavy. Any more will poison him.”

Theodore remembered the dream he had that morning and wondered if he was already poisoned. He was grateful the priestess was not pushing him to take on more.

“What about the rest of us?” Zither said, pointing towards the other half dozen fairies still ashen and Fate-starved. “Are we supposed to just die?”

“Stop your belly-aching, brat.” Thistle said. “We treated the worst off first. You’re young. You’ll be fine to sit here until we find a way to help you.”

Zither lurched to sit up. “You were doing a fine job of that locked in the dungeon. One volunteer human doesn’t change the fact that given enough time we’re going to drop dead!”

“We aren’t going to let that happen,” Oboe said. She offered Theodore his glasses back. “Right?”

Shaking off the weariness that had overcome him, Theodore put his spectacles back on and straightened his posture. “This isn’t a long-term solution. I need to bring this matter to the attention of city officials.” He consulted his notes, and grimaced. “There’s another problem, however. I understand now why fairies are sneaking past the ban, but it doesn’t explain the epidemic in the city.”

“What epidemic?” Feather said.

“A bunch of humans are sick because they haven’t got enough magic in their bodies,” Oboe said. “They think we’re stealing it from him.”

Thistle burst out laughing. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! Which is saying something, ’cause I’m old and deal with humans a lot. You creatures are always blaming us for things that are your own damn fault.”

“What do you mean?” Theodore said.

“You build a big city out of iron and wonder why you aren’t getting enough magic.” Thistle crossed his arms. “You’re dampening the ambient magic in the air with all your machines, and you aren’t letting creatures like us touch you with our magic. OF COURSE you’re getting sick! You’re starving yourselves and don’t even realize it!”

Theodore recalled how Dr. Stillwell claimed the number of cases exploded after the ban was expanded. If this was the cause of the sickness, it made sense. “There’s a problem with this theory. The ban started because the duke in control of the district was attacked by a fairy. He was the first documented case of the illness.”

“We shouldn’t all have to suffer because some idiot did something stupid,” Zither said. “You need to help us. It’s your job, right?”

Oboe pulled on Theodore’s sleeve. “We should tell that doctor why people are getting sick. That way we can help everyone.”

“I don’t know that I can prove that, though,” he said.

“You have to try!” She said. “You know they aren’t responsible for this, but other humans won’t listen to creatures like us! They need you to speak for them!”

Theodore looked at the affected fairies again, knowing that city had let them fall through the cracks. He always believed that laws and government regulation were supposed to be there for the benefit of everyone, but the governor had proven to him that this wasn’t always the case. He looked at the handful of fairies who were in better shape now, and knew they needed more than one bad dream to get them by. They needed their city to recognize their needs.

“I’ll do everything I can to help,” Theodore said.

Theo dropped the sweet potato into Oboe’s hands. It was wrapped in old newspaper and still so hot she had to bounce it palm to palm. The street vendor snuffed the flame of his grill and closed up shop. The day was fading and they were the last of the customers. Off the bridge and in the distance, workers in the shipyard hurried to tie up sails and unload cargo before the sun set.

“Thank you!” Oboe said. Excited, she unwrapped her sweet potato and took a big bite. She burnt her tongue and had to puff with the morsel in her mouth before she could swallow. After going so long without a meal, it tasted amazing.

“I’m sorry you had to pay for me,” she said. “I’ve caused so much trouble today.”

Theo sat down next to her on the bench. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, waiting for his food to cool. Oboe wondered whether it really was okay. He’d been quiet ever since he woke up from the fairy dream. Something was bothering him, but it didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it. He was like a bottle you couldn’t see through. She finished her own potato, while he stared off watching the sailors work.

“Hey,” she said. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you hungry?”

Theo stared at his wrapped food. “…Yeah,” he said. “Starving, actually.”

“It’s gonna get cold if you don’t eat it.” She gave him a gentle poke. “You’re supposed to eat it while it’s hot. That’s the rules.”

Mustering up the effort, he managed to unwrap the sweet potato. Something still wasn’t right. He was hesitating. Oboe knew she would only make things worse by talking, but she was worried. She wanted to help.

“Are you okay?” She said.

“Not really,” he said.

It was more than she expected. He always said things were fine, that she shouldn’t worry. She scooted closer.

“Because of the dream?” She said.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s part of it.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

He looked at her.

“You don’t have to!” Oboe said, wondering how many mistakes she was making. “But… maybe talking about it would make you feel better.”

He opened his mouth. “I was…” He stopped, and took a big breath like he was about to do something scary. “I was dreaming about my father.”

Oboe tried not think about how long it had been since she’d seen her dad. “That sounds like a good dream.”

“It wasn’t,” he said. “He and I never got along.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.” Theo leaned forward, his face tense. “We argued all the time. Always about the same thing, all the way up to the day he died. He was always trying to make me into a knight.”

Oboe blinked. “But you are a knight.” Then, she thought about it. “Oh. You told me you wanted to work at the university. He didn’t want you to do that?”

Theo chuckled. “The only thing he cared about was making me fit the family legacy. Every day he forced me to train, to fight, to learn how to kill. I hated it.”

“Did you tell him that?” She said.

“I tried,” Theo said. “He never listened. All that mattered was that I become a knight like him.”

It was hard for Oboe to relate. She would’ve liked to have a purpose given to her like that, but it sounded like Theo had found one already. “It’s not what you wanted.”

“Not at all,” he said. To her surprise, an actual smile crossed his lips. “He threw the biggest fit when I told him I planned to attend the University. Do you know he withheld my inheritance to change my mind? One of his better tricks. Not that it worked. I was done letting him pressure me.”

“Why didn’t you want to be a knight?” Oboe said.

“They’re awful,” Theo said. “Muscle-headed brutes paid to kill and maim. Nothing more.”

Oboe squeezed her empty money pouch, feeling the toy soldier inside. That’s why he didn’t like her gift. “That’s not true. My tutors taught me about the treaties when I was little. The Knights of Laien are sworn to come help us if things get bad. That’s why we’re friends with the humans.”

Theo tightened his lips. “You make them sound like heroes. I don’t think real knights are like that.”

“I think you are,” Oboe said. “You didn’t want to stay in the Whirlwood, but we needed you so you did anyway. You came to the rescue just like knights are supposed to.” She clutched her pouch tighter. “Maybe some knights are bad. Like how some creatures are wicked. But that means the ones like you are wonderful.”

He looked stunned. “That’s… kind of you.” He didn’t know what else to say, so he looked down at his sweet potato instead. “Thank you. For that, and for listening. I never talked about this with anyone before. It feels nice.”

Oboe felt warm inside, happy that she’d helped.

Theo ate his cold potato. He seemed to enjoy it anyway. “We’d better get going. If we’re going to save the day, we’d better talk to Stillwell before it gets dark.”

She smiled, and they crossed the bridge together.

Theodore descended the stairs of the medical tower, rehearsing his arguments in his head. He found Dr. Stillwell in a dim room sharp with the scent of cinnamon and frankincense. He was leaning over a table, a talisman pressed to his brow. The doctor was holding a hierogram, the symbol of the Mother of Magic, his lips trembling in soundless prayer. Theodore was startled to walk in on this private moment, having never imagining Stillwell as a man of faith, but worse was the shock when he saw why.

 Below Stillwell, a body was laid out on an exam table and covered with a clean white sheet. Theodore stiffened as he realized what he was looking at. It was a corpse.

“Good evening,” Stillwell said. He slipped the hierogram back under his robes. His eyes were sunken and tired. Today had not been kind to him. “You’re back sooner than I thought you’d be. Tell me you’ve found something.”

Theodore could not help but stare at the shrouded body. The air was heavy, spiced to mask the smell of morbid reality.

“What happened?” Theodore said.

“Cardiovascular failure,” the doctor said, staring into space. “Without a thaumaturgic grounding, his body went into shock. By the time we got the machines on him again, it was too late.”

 The moment hung like a wet towel.

“I misjudged his constitution,” Stillwell said. “He was young. I thought he could hold out longer. I thought we had time to tend to the others.” He wiped his hands on a wash cloth and tossed the rag to the floor. “Now I’ve another damned body on my conscience.”

“I’m sorry,” Theodore said. Deeper words than that were hard to find.

Stillwell sighed. “So am I. For the sake of the others upstairs, I hope you’ve had better luck than we have.”

It took a moment for Theodore to put himself back on track. “…I believe I’ve found the cause of the epidemic.”

“Already?” He perked up, eyes focusing again. “You weeded out the fey responsible for this?”

“Not exactly. I believe there is a misunderstanding. Fairies are not the cause of this condition. The fairy ban is.”

Stillwell narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“You had it backwards,” Theodore said. “Fairies aren’t the reason people are suffering from a deficit of magic. They’re suffering because we aren’t allowing fairies to interact with them.”

“That’s ridiculous. What about the attacks?” He said.

“Dream sowers lost their licensed territory because of the ban,” Theodore said. “Now they’re starving. Those creatures are trying to deliver enchanted dreams to stay alive. We’re all suffering because of the ban. There isn’t enough ambient magic in the city. We need those enchantments to stay healthy.”

The doctor moved across the room, putting the table and the body between them. “And you are basing this… theory on what, precisely?”

This is what Theodore dreaded. “I investigated the convicted fey and spoke with the community in the Whirlwood. There was no malicious intent. They just want to help their own people.”

“Let me get this straight,” Stillwell said. “You asked the convicts why they did it, and they proclaimed their innocence. So, you believed them.”

“I have character witnesses,” Theodore said, hot with discomfort. “I believe them.”

Stillwell squeezed his forehead, world weary again. “Mother’s mercy. I can’t believe someone in your position could be so naïve. Do you know nothing about fairy biology? They are driven by instinct to take advantage of us, and therefore we’ve no choice but to doubt their motives. They are parasites!”

Theodore’s temper flared. The fairies were more than that. Oboe was more than that. “Ghasts and fairies are creatures of magic. If they cast a spell on one of us, that should expose us to purified magic. Enough to cure those people upstairs.”

“Are you suggesting we bring fairies in to enchant human beings?” Stillwell clenched a fist. “Out of the question! They could cast curses, transform bodies, or worse! It’s too dangerous!”

“But it will work!” Theodore said.

“We don’t know that,” Stillwell said.

“But the explanation makes sense. You said yourself that the number of cases exploded after districts were added to the ban.”

 The doctor waved at the corpse between them. “People’s lives are on the line. I’m not going to have you gamble on conjecture!”

Theodore banged a hand on the table. “This is the University! This is the seat where we advance our understanding of the world through hypothesis and experimentation! If we aren’t willing to at least investigate this idea, we are already risking people’s lives! I know that I’m right, but if you won’t trust me then that means there is only one answer! We need to test this idea to disprove it!”

The two of them glared at one another, until Stillwell’s eyes drifted toward the body again.

“I don’t like it, but you are correct. We’re short on ideas and treatment options. There’s a chance this could work. I owe it to my patients to find out.” He turned away. “I’ll ask for a volunteer. Bring in a subject of your own. If the data bears out your theory, then maybe we have an answer for our dilemma.”

Relief washed over Theodore. The doctor had given up ground. All Theodore needed was show him the truth.

“You’re limping!” Oboe said. “Let me help you!”

Zither pulled away from her. “I’m not dead yet,” he said. “I can walk on my own.”

“You’re both too slow!” Thistle shouted from farther up the valley trail. “Hurry up before the humans change their mind!”

Oboe dawdled just enough to stay close to Zither as he hobbled along. As grumpy as he was, Oboe tried not to take it personally. He was weak, and angry about it. Pretty soon they’d get him to the city, and Theo’s plan would save him. He’d have a long happy life after that.

“We have a long way to the capital,” Oboe said. “It’s okay to count on other creatures.”

Ignoring her, Zither tried to push on by himself uphill. He stopped halfway, out of breath and clutching his chest. “…Alright. Fine.”

He leaned on her, arm around her shoulders. His fur had a smoky scent. Oboe felt a rush to be this close to another faun, but tried to stay calm. Just because she picked Zither as the fairy to help in Theo’s experiment didn’t mean he would want anything to do with her after this. That was okay. Still, there was a part of her that hoped. It would be so nice to have someone other than Thistle to spend time with.

“What’ll you do once you’re better?” Oboe said.

“One dream isn’t going to do much,” Zither said. “I need Fates to live. If the humans here keep on like this, maybe it’s time I packed up and moved somewhere else.”

“You don’t have to go!” Oboe said, worried. “We’re doing this so the humans will lift the ban. You’re gonna get your license back!”

“It’s not going to make any difference,” he said. “The humans don’t care about us. They’ll find a way to get what they want and then forget about us. That’s how it is.”

His hoof slipped in some loose dirt. Oboe caught him before he fell.

“That’s not true,” she said, putting him back on his feet. “Theo is a human, and he set this up for us.”

Zither scoffed. “It’s just his job. He’s not our friend.”

Oboe slowed to a stop, and wondered how true that was. She forced herself to keep moving.

“You gotta look out for yourself in this world,” Zither said. “Counting on other creatures is just going to get you killed.”

“I don’t like that,” Oboe said, righting him on her shoulder. “If we can help each other, we should try. That would make things would be better.”

“Wanting something doesn’t make it true,” he said. “This is how things are in this world. You have to take whatever you can get.”

The trees thinned and the walls of the capital loomed high over them on the rim of the valley. There was a long way left to go to get there, and it seemed so much less friendly now. She didn’t like Zither’s attitude. She wished he were nicer, like Theo, but maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to take what she could get to be happy.

They caught up with Thistle at the gate. “More of you?” The guard said, sword half drawn. “Visas, or clear off!” They were so much kinder when Theo was with her.

“Show them the permit, kid,” Thistle said. 

Oboe unfolded her visa and the exemption paperwork Theo prepared for Zither. The knight snatched the documents and scowled when he saw they were valid. He made them wait while he went to speak to a superior to make double sure. Watchmen scanned them with adder stones before finally signaling for the gate to open.

“Official business, huh,” the guard said. “Don’t cause any trouble.”

“We won’t,” Oboe said.

The watchman grunted and let them through.

Theodore hefted the canister of thaumatic fuel into the exam room, grunting and huffing. It weighed as much as a stone slab and the handle dug into his hands. He only managed to get half way across the room before he had to set it down again and catch his breath.

Things had been hectic all morning. Even though Dr. Stillwell gave his permission for the experiment to take place, the University was too overwhelmed with patients to set up the equipment. So, Theodore got up before sunrise to make sure it got done. He sent Oboe to fetch an ailing fairy from the Whirlwood sanctuary while he caught the first trolley bound toward the university. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

There was a lot of heavy lifting, moving machinery around, but half his time was spent pouring over technical manuals to puzzle out how everything connected. It was the most fun he’d had in weeks.

He dragged the canister up to the console and attached the fuel line. Double checking the diagram, he took the rune rod and tapped the canister twice. It lit up, and the entire rig sprang to life with a soft hum. The diagnostic crystals shivered, hanging over the examination bed like a chandelier. With this, they would be able to track the magic aura of the test subject in real time.

“Impressive,” Stillwell said, entering from the hall while Theodore was running tests. “I had my doubts when you said you’d have it ready. And you’ve no formal training? I wish half our students had your aptitude.”

Theodore’s smile was feeble. “My assistant should be here soon with the dream sower. Did you find a volunteer?”

“Yes, he did, damn it.”

Duke Ambergrail was wheeled into the room by a student. Theodore gaped. This was the last person he expected.

“You think you can fix me, do you?” He said. “This had better work, or I’ll make sure the Governor has you sacked.”

“Y-your lordship.” Theodore cleared his throat. “It’s a… pleasure to see you again. Were you… informed about the nature of this experiment?”

“The duke is aware that he will be exposed to fairy magic,” Stillwell said. “I’ll be frank. He is desperate for an alternative form of treatment. Our ambient magic diffusers are losing their effectiveness on him. My prognosis, given the rate of his decline, is that he has less than a month to live.”

Felix Ambergrail stabbed the floor with a walking cane. “I’m your test rat, Deputy, but don’t think for a moment that means I’m a fool. The only reason I’m indulging this test of yours is the off chance it might keep me alive. We’ll do this, but I’m still a duke, and we’re doing this on my terms.”

His lordship was no less charming than the first time Theodore met with him. “Meaning what? “

“I sent my bodyguard to keep an eye on your conspirators,” the duke said. “If Mort suspects anything, he’ll chop them apart. I need this to work, but I’d sooner die than fall prey to a trick of the fey.”

As frustrating as it was to be stuck working with this man, Theodore realized this was an opportunity. If he could prove to the duke that the fairies were the key to ending the epidemic, it would be that much easier to have the ban undone.

“Do whatever makes you feel is necessary,” Theodore said. “I promise that you will not be in any danger. All that will happen is that you will be given a fairy dream and, If the experiment is a success, you should begin to recover once you wake up. Maybe then you’ll see that fairies are not a threat to us.”

“We shall see,” Felix said. “Have a seat. Your pets should be here shortly.”

Oboe steadied Zither on her shoulder, eyeing the knight who ordered them to come with him. He was tall and scary, with chainmail that rattled and a harsh grumbly voice. This human made Oboe think about all the mean things Theo said about knights. Where was Theo? He was supposed to meet them at the trolley station. Meeting this guy instead made her feel like something had gone wrong.

“Hurry up,” the human said as he herded them up the stairs somewhere inside the university.

“Keep your lid on, you tin can,” Thistle said as he helped with Zither. “Going as fast as we can.”

 The students stared as they passed. Oboe wondered if there’d been some mistake. It felt like they were trespassing even though they were told to come. It was a relief to see Theo waiting for them at the top of the stairs.

“There you are,” he said. He looked ruffled, which did not put Oboe at ease. “Sorry that I didn’t meet you outside. Things aren’t going as planned. I need to brief you before we go in there.”

“What’s going on?” Zither said.

“We have a shot at getting the ban undone,” Theo said. “The volunteer we have for you to enchant is Duke Ambergrail. I need you both on your best behavior. He’s the one who ordered the ban.”

“He is??” Oboe said. “What should we do?”

Theo held up his hands to calm her. “Same as before. We cure him and prove you aren’t a threat. We have to be careful, though. He hates fairies.”

“Obviously,” Thistle said with a grimace.

They followed Theo into the next room. It was white and smelled like stinging soap. A mobile of crystals hung from the ceiling, rotating on clicking wheels and gears. A robed doctor helped a shriveled young human out of a chair and into a big bed.

 “That’s him?” Zither said, leaning on Oboe. “The human that took our territories away?”

“I guess so,” Oboe said, nervous. The man was glaring at them while Theo went to talk to him. “We can fix this. Make it right again.”

Zither’s gaze grew firm. “You’re right,” he said. He let go of her and balanced on his own hooves.

“He’s ready,” Theo said, coming back. “You can start your preparations.”

Thistle set down his wicker backpack and rooted through it for his tools. He took out a long clay dish etched with runes and got to work. He uncorked a decanter of river water and poured. A mix of herbs were sprinkled on top and then it was time to add the spell. Oboe watched her friend concentrate on the water. Thistle’s brow knit, his antennae twitched, and the water turned golden.

“Your turn, kid,” he said.

Zither took the dish in his palm and limped toward the bedside. The knight kept a hand on his sword nearby. Ignoring this, Zither closed his eyes and curled his fingers over the water to mold the magic. He lifted his free hand and a dark red bubble surfaced to float between his fingers. 

Something was wrong. Thistle’s dreams were never like this. Even the nightmares Thistle made were like a warm blanket, something you could slip in and out of. The magic in Zither’s hands was angry. Sticky, like hot tar. She needed to say something, but the words caught in her throat.

“Stop!” Oboe said. “That spell isn’t right!”

“What the hell?” The duke said.

Zither bolted. The knight drew his sword, but before he could swing Zither hurled the clay bowl in his face. Zither lunged at the duke and pressed the dream into his head before Theo or anyone else could act. The knight pulled him off, tossed him to floor and aimed his blade to kill.

“Wait!” Theo said, stepping in the way. “Hold your strike!”

The doctor raced to the duke’s side, but it was too late. The duke thrashed for a moment and then slumped into his pillow, unconscious. The crystals dangling over the hospital bed twitched and flickered. Zither’s spell made them dance and rattle. 

“Devil damn the lot of you!” The doctor said. “I knew this would happen, and I trusted you anyway! Look what happened! He won’t wake up!”

“What happened?!” Theo said, and turned to Zither. “What did you do?!”

Zither was still too weak to stand. He laughed instead. “Making things right. He thought he could treat us like garbage? Well, I made him pay for that!”

Oboe grabbed Zither and slammed him against the wall. The smug look on his face made her angrier than she ever remembered being. “Are you stupid!? This was our chance to help you! Help all those fairies too!”

Zither’s fur bristled as color returned to his body. “We were never going to change the mind of that man.” He gripped Oboe by the arm, strong enough to fight back now. “Better that I make him suffer for thinking he can push us around!”

She hurled him across the room, where he crashed face first through a table of medical tools that all clattered to the floor. The noise got the attention of more humans, who burst into the room. The whole pack of humans got hold of Zither before he could get back on his feet. He bucked, and fought, until they managed to lock his hands in iron shackles.

“Summon the watch,” the doctor said. “I want these creatures dealt with.”

“No!” Thistle said, trembling. “No, no, no no, no, no! If this gets out, the humans are going to take it out on us fairies! You can’t let anyone know!” 

The doctor shook his head. “You don’t get a say in this, sylph!  Now sit down until they get here and decide what to do with you!”

“This is my jurisdiction,” Theo said. “Let me handle this.”

“You’re the reason this happened!” The doctor said. “I’m done listening to you!”

The humans drew closer to Oboe, brandishing another set of shackles. The knight pointed his sword.

“She’s innocent,” Theo said. “You don’t have to restrain her.”

The knight glared. “As innocent as the other one, I’d wager. Not taking any chances.”

Oboe backed away. She wondered if she ought to run, or maybe fight. She looked at Theo, who looked terrified as the other humans shoved him into a chair. There was no way she could fix this, but she didn’t want to make it any worse either. She held out her arms.

“I won’t fight you,” she told them as they cuffed her wrists. “I’m your friend.”

The crystals swayed and tinkled in the machine above. Dr. Stillwell adjusted dials to focus the instruments and better read the spell cast over the sleeping duke.

“How is he?” Theodore said, feeling helpless.

“His condition is bad,” Stillwell said. He moved to take the duke’s pulse. “He’s alive, but the enchantment is severe. Nothing I’ve tried seems to wake him. I don’t understand.”

Thistle folded his arms. “I can tell you exactly what that idiot did!” His slender sylphan wrists were too small to be shackled, so Mort chose instead to tie an iron chain around his waist to block him from casting spells. “He bound that human to a night terror.”

“What does that mean?” Theodore said.

“All this fancy equipment and you clowns can’t figure it out?” Thistle rolled his eyes. “He’s stuck in a nightmare he can’t wake up from.”

Stillwell studied the array of gauges on the console of the augur machine. At the center of it, a glass ball interpreted the magic aura surrounding the duke with a swirl of red and black color. “That… makes sense, given these readings. If that’s the case, maybe we can dissolve the spell.” He stared into the crystal ball. “…But with an enchantment this heavy, that could take months.”

“Months?!” Oboe stood up, only to be pushed back to the floor by Mort and the campus security. “It shouldn’t take that long! You have a dream sower right here! Thistle can dig the spell out. Let him help!”

“You fairies have done enough damage already!” The doctor said. “We will fix this mess you’ve made on our own!”

Theodore wrung his hands. There was more at stake here than how quickly the duke recovered. If news of this attack got out, Laien’s fear of fairies would be reinforced. Other districts might adopt the ban and both fairies and humans would suffer because of it. “If there’s a chance Thistle can save Felix Ambergrail right now, we owe it to the duke to try.”

Mort looked up. “Hey doc? Not that I get a say here, but I’d rather my boss be awake enough to sign my paychecks. Just saying.”

Stillwell scowled at his captives, his face tight with the burden of making a choice. He peered back at the blackening crystal ball, and sighed. “And what, praytell, does the sylph propose we do?”

“Oh? Now you WANT my help?” Thistle laughed. “Good. About time one of you grew a brain. Real quick, as a favor, can I ask you not throw me back in jail if I clean this up?”

“Don’t help them, you old roach!” Zither shouted. “This is what they deserve!”

Mort kicked Zither onto his back and prodded his underbelly with the tip of his sword. “Shut your mouth or I’ll gut you right here!”

“Then do it!” Zither said. “I’d rather die than spend another second under your bootheel! Kill me!”

Thistle stood up. “You know what? Do you what you want with me. I’m helping out of spite now.” He dragged his chain as far as it would reach. “Here’s the deal. All fairy magic longs to find a purpose. Even if it’s misused, like it was by that idiot behind me, it will resolve if the dream expresses whatever it thinks the dreamer needs. I can’t pull him out of the dream. That’s not how it works. But if this man confronts whatever the nightmare is tormenting him with, that’s when he’ll wake up.”

“How does that help us?” Stillwell said. “We can’t affect what Ambergrail does inside the dream!”

“Yeah, well. What I can do is I can insert someone else inside the dream to help him. How’s that?”

A look of horror seized the doctor’s face. “You’re suggesting we connect another person to the spell? Are you out of your mind?!”

“Well, I can’t go inside,” Thistle said. “The dream only works on humans.”

“Let me do it,” Theodore said, standing up. “This is my responsibility. I should be the one to make it better.”

“Out of the question! I’m not risking another life to this dangerous magic!” The doctor said.

“Do you want to try and dissolve the spell?!” Theodore said. “You told me the duke has less than a month to live. He doesn’t have enough time! But if I do this, there’s a chance I can fix this. This is my life, and I trust these fairies with it!”

Dr. Stillwell stared through Theodore, his eyes narrowing. Theodore met the gaze, breath held.

“I wash my hands of this foolishness,” Stillwell said, walking away. “Do what you want.”

Mort unwrapped Thistle from his chains, anxious about his job security. Oboe looked frightened.

“Theo, you already had three fairy dreams yesterday,” she said. “This might be too much magic for your body. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

It was four dreams, if he counted the one from the other morning. Theodore had no idea what he was doing. His brain was mush of anxiety, thinking of all the ways this could go wrong. “Yes,” he said.

Thistle finished stretching. “Before I stick you in there, there’s something we need to do first. The dream is gonna screw with your memory. For you to pull this off, we need an anchor to the real world. Something small I can enchant. Something that makes you feel intense emotion. That’s your connection to reality, and how we make sure you remember what you need to do.”

Theodore searched his pockets. He didn’t bring much of anything with him. “I don’t think I have anything like that.”

“Wait!” Oboe said. She opened her pouch and produced the little toy soldier. “Would this work?”

Theodore frowned. “You kept that?” He had forgotten about his outburst at the toyshop. He felt ashamed for having blown up at her, and a thorny mix of other emotions about where his life had gone. “Why?”

Thistle looked at Theodore’s face, and snatched the toy from Oboe. “Yeah, that’ll do.” He gave it a flick, and it started to glow, and then he waved it around in Theodore face. “Remember this, okay? You’ll be trapped in a nightmare forever if you don’t.”

“Alright, alright!” Theodore save, pushing it away. “I’m ready.”

They moved Theodore’s chair to the bedside. Thistle climbed on top of a nearby counter, and placed four grubby bug hands on Theodore’s face.

“Hey, no pressure, but if you screw this up, these humans are probably going to kill us.”

Before Theodore could say anything, the world around him erupted into blinding white.

Theodore tried to stay on his feet.  The wind howled around him, whipping his face with hot sand. He couldn’t see anything through the roar of the sandstorm. It was all he could do to cover his face and move forward.

His head felt like a doll with its stuffing ripped out. He knew he needed to go somewhere, to do something. Something terrible would happen if he didn’t. It hurt to think and to hold onto the thought. He doubled his effort to push through the storm. 

The dust cleared. Theodore looked down and jumped back. He was one step away from walking off the edge of a rooftop. The tiles under his feet gave ever so slightly. He realized, as his vision cleared, that the building he stood on was made of sand. It was the same in the streets below and beyond. A whole city stretched ahead of him, the shape of its skyline and building familiar but made again with fine grit and dust. It was Laien, home, and yet not. At the center was a structure he did not recognize: an impossible tower made of steel that pierced the sky.

Vertigo hit Theodore. It was a long fall to the ground and the roof he walked on was crumbling with each step. He needed to get to somewhere safe. Stepping lightly, he searched for a regulation fire escape to climb down to ground level. Preferably one that wasn’t also made of sand. The wind kicked up again before he could locate one. Theodore turned to look where the storm was coming from. That’s when he saw it.

A face hung in the red sky like a constellation. He knew it. Curling horns and a notched goat ear. The name was on the tip of his tongue. Zither. That was right. A faun that he had wanted to help. What was he doing? His mouth was open, lips pursed as he sucked up air and dust until his cheeks were full. Then, holding it all for just a moment, he blew it out again. A great squall tore through the buildings, scattering them to nothing.

Theodore’s heart jumped in panic. He needed to get down before it reached him. Bounding forward, he looked for anywhere he could jump down to safety. The roof was too weak. His leg punched through, trapping him. Twisting around, he saw the gust ripping towards him. He tried to pull himself free, but it was no use. There was no choice. He slammed his fist into the tile under him and the rooftop crumbled. He fell, slamming into one interior floor after another, each one slowing his fall with a rough grainy slap, until he hit the ground. The storm rushed over his head, burying him in dust.

Theodore had the foresight to hold his breath. He lurched, trying to free himself from the heavy piles of sand he was trapped under. As soon as he wormed his way to the surface, he gasped for air. The storm had subsided.

He got up and took in the path of destruction Zither had created. A line straight through the city to the tower was toppled, but the tower stood the blast. The giant faced glared in the distance. It hovered across the sky at glacial pace and looked for another angle of attack.

Theodore brushed himself off and wracked his brain trying to remember what was going on. This was all wrong. Zither shouldn’t be doing this. Why was the city like this?

He remembered something despite the headache. He needed Oboe’s toy soldier. It was important, like a bright beacon in his mind, but why? Somehow knowing he needed it was enough. He knew where to find it. The toyshop.

There was no point in going to the trolley station. If it was made of sand it wouldn’t be operational. So, Theodore steered himself to try and find the streets he had explored with Oboe. His boots slipped on the even ground as he marched across the loose sand. He stopped to take refuge when he heard Zither readying another windstorm and kept clear of the attack.

When he reached the toyshop he grabbed the doorknob, only for it to fall apart in his hand. Feeling stupid, Theodore kicked an opening through the door and stooped to climb inside.

He remembered Oboe’s excitement over the toy store. All of the model trains and toy puzzles were mirrored here, sculpted in fragile grains. Only one object in the whole shop was made of something else. Theodore picked the little wooden knight off the shelf and everything come back to him in a rush. Zither had betrayed them. This was the duke’s dream. He was trapped inside with him, needing to save him before the news got out of what had happened. Theodore needed to find the duke and make him confront the dream.

Another wind blast shook the city. Theodore ran out of the toy store before it collapsed on top of him. After the sand settled, Theodore looked and saw the iron tower was still standing in the distance. The duke could be anywhere, but that seemed the obvious place to start looking.

Theodore got moving, but almost tripped. There was something clamped tight around his wrist. A shackle, with a taut chain trailing off it. Turning around, Theodore saw there was something on the other end holding his chain.

“Where do you think you’re going, son?”

Theo’s face stirred, wincing in his sleep. Oboe watched and worried, sitting on the floor, while the doctor checked his pocket watch again. It was only a matter of time until the watchmen came, and then Oboe didn’t know what would happen.

“Kid,” Thistle said, whispering. “If this goes sour, I want you to run. I’ll keep ’em busy. You’re young. You can run to the Korveil border before they can catch you. It’ll be safe there.”

The idea made her angry. “I’m not leaving you guys,” she said.

Mort leaned over them, leering. “What are you fey scheming?”

“Well, I WANTED to plot a daring escape,” Thistle said. “But if no one wants to cooperate, I guess I’ll wait to die instead!”

The crystals dangling from the human science doohickey chimed. Their colors shifted, and the magic around them tensed like a stretched sheet. The doctor rushed to a control panel. His face grew pale.

“Something’s happening,” he said. “The aura-form is spiking.”

“Good,” Thistle said. “Looks like the deputy found his pressure point. If he’s worth anything, he’ll prove to the dream that it should help him.”

“And if he doesn’t?” The doctor said.

“You sent that human to die,” Zither said.

“Shut up!” Oboe said, wishing she’d left the buck to wither. “Theo can do it! He’s smart, and he wanted to help you!”

The doctor planted his hands on the control panel. “This was a mistake. I’m going to cut him out and put a stop to this.”

“He’ll be stuck in there if you do that!” Thistle stood up, and Mort blocked him with his sword. “If you tear the dream, it won’t work right!”

“I don’t care how it works!” The doctor whipped around. “This man’s aura is in the red zone! He’s at risk of going into a coma! This magic is dangerous!”

“It’s only dangerous because it was used wrong,” Oboe said, shooting a glare at Zither. “Magic doesn’t want to hurt anyone. It wants to change things, and make them grow. It wants to be good, even when we’re wicked. You need to trust it.”

There was a knock at the door, and a robed woman entered. “The Watch is here, Dr. Stillwell.”

“Send them up,” he said. “I’ll give report to them myself.”

The door closed. Oboe felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff. The knights were coming to take her away. If the humans ripped open the dream, it would be weeks or months before Theo could wake up. Depending on what they did with her, she might not see him again.

“I don’t see anything good about what has happened here today,” the doctor said to her. “Give me one reason why I should trust anything about this magic.”

Oboe felt her heart flutter. She remembered what Gardner Feather had told her before. The words weren’t hers, but they felt right.

“All magic, and every creature touched by it, is born with the purpose to do good,” she said. “That includes me, and you, and that spell too. We all mess up, but Thistle says the spell can be a good thing if we let it. Isn’t that what the Mother of Magic thinks too?”

The doctor reached under his robes and pulled out a round talisman. It was the same symbol Oboe saw at the fairy sanctuary, a circle with other shapes inside that all fit together.  He held it in his palms as if trying to read it. His shoulders drooped.

The door swung open. A troop of knights crowded in, dressed in white and green tabards. “We received your alert. What is the situation?”

Stillwell replaced his amulet under his clothes. “Yes. There’s been a fairy attack, and I need it dealt with.” He pointed at Zither. “This one cast a curse on Duke Ambergrail. The man’s bodyguard can corroborate if you need proof. I want this creature taken into custody at once.”

The watchmen eyed Oboe and Thistle. “What about these others?”

“Leave them,” he said. “We’re attending to the duke’s condition as we speak. They are assisting me. If they cause trouble, I will send for you again.”

Pulled onto his hooves, Zither’s stony face wavered now that he had to meet his fate. He clenched his jaw, and gave Oboe a determined look before they took him away. Oboe didn’t care. She turned her attention back to Theo, and waited.

The doctor sat down across from them. He seemed more at ease, but not so much to undo their chains. “Tell me more about how this magic works,” he said.

Lance Grayweather pulled Theodore’s chain and knocked him off his feet. He loomed over Theodore, ten feet tall and dressed in shining armor.

“You’ve wasted enough time, Theo,” Lance said. “You need to start taking your training seriously.”

Theodore spat the sand from his mouth and staggered to his feet. “This isn’t real,” he told himself, his heart pounding. “You’re dead. This is just a dream.”

The phantom of his father tugged on the chain leash. “What’re you babbling about? A knight who stays sharp is in no danger of dying. You’ll understand that if you open your ears. Now come!”

Theodore tried to stand his ground, only to be dragged across the soft sand. The tower was right there but his father was pulling away him away from it.

“Let go of me!” Theodore said. “I have a job to do!”

“As do I,” Lance said. His hand wrapped around the hilt of the sword at his belt. It slid from its sheathe with a gentle scrape. “I have to make you a proper Grayweather.”

“You can’t do anything!” Theodore said. “You’re dead! Just a ghost I dreamed up!” He tried to pull the shackle off. He knew none of this was real. Why was it so hard?

Theodore rolled out of the way as Lance brought his sword down. His father swung again, forcing Theodore to lean outside the arc of the blade. What would happen if he was killed here? If Theodore could not wake up, if he had no control over this place, he could not afford to take a single hit.

Yes!” Lance said, ecstatic. “Just like I taught you!” He chopped and sliced, cutting only air. “You’ll be a knight like me in no time!”

“I don’t want to be like you!” Theodore said, winded. “I never did! But you would never leave me alone! Even after you died, after you ran off got yourself killed like I knew you would, everyone is still trying to make me like you! I don’t want any of it!”

His feet slipped on the sand. He couldn’t keep this up forever. Theodore needed to do something, but what? Thistle said they needed to confront the nightmare, but what did that mean? He didn’t have a weapon and they were already fighting. He looped his hand around the chain.

Lance readied his blade, staring down at him. “You’re a knight, whether you like it or not.”

“I know!!” Theodore yanked the chain into the air, using it to block the sword. He hoped it would break the chain, but it didn’t. Of course it didn’t. “I haven’t got a choice!”

An insufferable smile spread wide on his father’s face. “Then you understand. This is what you are. A soldier.”

Old bitterness filled Theodore, like a cup overflowing. He hated this man, with every fiber of his being. Looking down, he noticed that while dodging he’d dropped the toy knight Oboe had given him. It reminded him about what she told him, about what the creatures of the Whirlwood needed. About what knights were to her.

“I am a knight,” he said. The chain went slack in his hand. “But maybe, I’m a different kind.”

Lance lowered his sword. He was smaller now, no larger than Theodore. His grin was gone, replaced with a face somber and soft.

“You hate me,” he said.

Theodore felt his anger itch, but he put it aside. Tears budded instead. “I didn’t know what to feel, after you were gone. Everyone wants me to pretend to be you. I wanted to run away, but I guess I can’t. I have a job to do. If I’m going to do this, I need your help.”

Lance vanished. The chain fell to the ground with a thump. Theodore stared at the empty space. His father was gone, but he was still shackled and the cuff would not come off. Typical. Stepping closer, he found his father’s sword lying in the sand with the other end of the chain linked to it. Theodore took the weapon. There was no sense dragging it.

The city was in bad shape. The windstorms had gutted the dream world, leaving scattered ruins. There was still one place untouched. Theodore made all haste to reach the tower. The base of the tower was buried in sand thanks to Zither. Theodore stabbed the sword in the ground and rolled up his sleeves. He dug through the hot sand with his finger, hoping to unearth the entrance. Before he could make any headway, Zither blew another gust through the city and buried it all again.

Theodore let out a growl of frustration. There was no time for this. He plucked his feet out of the fresh dune, grabbed the sword, and struck the tower out of anger. The steel wall tore like vellum.

He stood there, stunned. A prod with his hand revealed that the tower was rock hard to the touch. He stabbed at the tower with the sword and the wall ripped. It cut through like there was nothing in the way.

Theodore made another incision and, with a little work, carved out an opening large enough to step through. The iron collapsed inward and Theodore dropped down inside.

It was empty inside. The tower was hollow. The only thing contained was a rickety looking iron-wrought spiral staircase that reached all the way up to the top. Theodore wasn’t sure what he expected. A lavish mansion? He clambered onto the steps and resigned himself to a long climb.

A shock of wind rocked the tower as he scaled the stairs. The tower groaned and creaked, visibly leaning under the stress. Theodore clung to the thin railing, wondering if it would hold. There was no going back. He pressed on, pushing himself to double his pace, wondering how he could feel this exhausted while fast asleep, until he reached a door at the top.

It was locked. Theodore glanced back at the long drop behind him, and decided to try knocking.

“No! Get away!” A voice answered. It was the duke. “I won’t let you take me! I won’t!!”

“I’m not here to hurt you! This is the Ranger Deputy!” Theodore said. “Let me in! I want to help!”

“This is a trick!” Felix said, hysterical. “It’s always a trick! I won’t open the door! I won’t! Get out of here! Begone!!”

Exasperated, Theodore pushed the sword through the door and sliced its hinges off. It fell open, and Theodore stepped through into a small bedroom. He expected to see the duke. Instead, he found a child.