him as a friend.”
Bastian took a deep breath and spoke softly. “I am sorry for your pain Areen. I thank you for sharing, it will help me better understand Tolen and his needs. Unfortunately, the knowledge also makes what I have to show you that much more difficult. You wanted to know what brought me here, why I was drawn to Tolen.” Bastian lifted the Ninth’s crystal from beneath his shirt. “Tolen’s shard found me.” Areen looked up and her face crumpled.
Macy twisted her hands in her lap and started chewing the sucker in her mouth.
“So Daedal is dead.” Areen sniffed. “I—I’ve wondered for so long.”
“We don’t know that Areen.” Dane squeezed her shoulders. “There’s something you both should know. Tolen’s Watcher’s eye is also gaining strength. I think it might be showing him glimpses of his father. It’s just a guess, but based on the descriptions he’s given me, I can’t help but wonder.”
“What are you talking about?” Areen’s voice trembled.
“I apologize. I never meant to keep things from you, but I wasn’t certain, and with your declining health I feared to add one more worry to your mind.”
“How did you come to this conclusion?” Bastian leaned forward, his eyes anxious.
Dane sighed. “Tolen has been telling me about a repeating nightmare showing him a sick-looking man lying on a floor of a dark room. The man calls out to him in the dream. Tolen hasn’t said so aloud, but based on the emotions I can feel emanating from him as he tells of the nightmare, I would guess that he is not only dreaming about the man, but feeling what the man feels, seeing what he sees, just as a Watcher does. The nightmare plagues Tolen. It scares him.”
Macy pulverized the sucker between her teeth. Great, the kid’s got Watcher abilities too?
Bastian pushed off from the counter and started pacing. The stained floor squeaked beneath his boots.
“Where is he?” Areen’s eyes were pleading as she tugged on Dane’s arm. “Where’s Daedal?”
Dane cleared his throat uncomfortably. Areen had grabbed his hand, squeezing so hard her knuckles turned white. “Well, from the description, it sounds like . . . ”
“What? What?” She shook his arm.
“The Shadow Prison.” Bastian spoke from the doorway.
Dane nodded slowly.
Macy’s elbow slid off the table. All air and sound seemed sucked from the room.
“H-how can you know this?” Areen’s voice broke.
Bastian resumed pacing and ran a hand over his face. “I have sensed the darkness of Tolen’s dreams this past week, but I did not know for sure what they meant. Your shield kept the fullness of their content from me.”
“So even if Daedal is alive he’s as good as dead.” Areen covered her mouth with her hand.
A heavy weight seemed to be crushing Macy into her chair. The Shadow Prison? Do the Shadows know they have the Ninth’s father? Fear, irrational and horrifying, filled her mind.
Bastian walked back to Macy’s side and laid a hand on her hair. Her breathing steadied.
He took a slow breath. “If Tolen is actually seeing as a Watcher sees, then the Light must, for one reason or another, desire him to find his father.”
“No! Tolen can’t go there!” Areen stood up still gripping Dane’s arm.
Tolen suddenly stood in the doorway, his face drained of color. He ran past them and out the screen door.
Areen turned on Bastian. “You knew he was listening!”
He nodded guiltily.
“How long?”
“Just after I told you about his shard.” Bastian stared at the door.
“So he doesn’t know about the . . . the Ninth .” She spit the last word.
“No. And I think it would be unwise to tell him until he comes to terms with what he has learned already.”
“I hate you.” Pure loathing seethed in Areen’s eyes.
“I am sorry for that,” he said softly.
A sob ripped from her throat and she dropped back to her chair.
Dane resumed rubbing her back as Bastian cupped his hand over Macy’s cheek. “
Bastian took a deep breath and spoke softly. “I am sorry for your pain Areen. I thank you for sharing, it will help me better understand Tolen and his needs. Unfortunately, the knowledge also makes what I have to show you that much more difficult. You wanted to know what brought me here, why I was drawn to Tolen.” Bastian lifted the Ninth’s crystal from beneath his shirt. “Tolen’s shard found me.” Areen looked up and her face crumpled.
Macy twisted her hands in her lap and started chewing the sucker in her mouth.
“So Daedal is dead.” Areen sniffed. “I—I’ve wondered for so long.”
“We don’t know that Areen.” Dane squeezed her shoulders. “There’s something you both should know. Tolen’s Watcher’s eye is also gaining strength. I think it might be showing him glimpses of his father. It’s just a guess, but based on the descriptions he’s given me, I can’t help but wonder.”
“What are you talking about?” Areen’s voice trembled.
“I apologize. I never meant to keep things from you, but I wasn’t certain, and with your declining health I feared to add one more worry to your mind.”
“How did you come to this conclusion?” Bastian leaned forward, his eyes anxious.
Dane sighed. “Tolen has been telling me about a repeating nightmare showing him a sick-looking man lying on a floor of a dark room. The man calls out to him in the dream. Tolen hasn’t said so aloud, but based on the emotions I can feel emanating from him as he tells of the nightmare, I would guess that he is not only dreaming about the man, but feeling what the man feels, seeing what he sees, just as a Watcher does. The nightmare plagues Tolen. It scares him.”
Macy pulverized the sucker between her teeth. Great, the kid’s got Watcher abilities too?
Bastian pushed off from the counter and started pacing. The stained floor squeaked beneath his boots.
“Where is he?” Areen’s eyes were pleading as she tugged on Dane’s arm. “Where’s Daedal?”
Dane cleared his throat uncomfortably. Areen had grabbed his hand, squeezing so hard her knuckles turned white. “Well, from the description, it sounds like . . . ”
“What? What?” She shook his arm.
“The Shadow Prison.” Bastian spoke from the doorway.
Dane nodded slowly.
Macy’s elbow slid off the table. All air and sound seemed sucked from the room.
“H-how can you know this?” Areen’s voice broke.
Bastian resumed pacing and ran a hand over his face. “I have sensed the darkness of Tolen’s dreams this past week, but I did not know for sure what they meant. Your shield kept the fullness of their content from me.”
“So even if Daedal is alive he’s as good as dead.” Areen covered her mouth with her hand.
A heavy weight seemed to be crushing Macy into her chair. The Shadow Prison? Do the Shadows know they have the Ninth’s father? Fear, irrational and horrifying, filled her mind.
Bastian walked back to Macy’s side and laid a hand on her hair. Her breathing steadied.
He took a slow breath. “If Tolen is actually seeing as a Watcher sees, then the Light must, for one reason or another, desire him to find his father.”
“No! Tolen can’t go there!” Areen stood up still gripping Dane’s arm.
Tolen suddenly stood in the doorway, his face drained of color. He ran past them and out the screen door.
Areen turned on Bastian. “You knew he was listening!”
He nodded guiltily.
“How long?”
“Just after I told you about his shard.” Bastian stared at the door.
“So he doesn’t know about the . . . the Ninth .” She spit the last word.
“No. And I think it would be unwise to tell him until he comes to terms with what he has learned already.”
“I hate you.” Pure loathing seethed in Areen’s eyes.
“I am sorry for that,” he said softly.
A sob ripped from her throat and she dropped back to her chair.
Dane resumed rubbing her back as Bastian cupped his hand over Macy’s cheek. “
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