Chapter 34
I’m pretty sure the sharp, feminine voice I hear singing in my head is a combination of dehydration and lack of sleep setting in as delirium. Yet I can’t help but agree: it is a beautiful name for this blade. My finest work of art surely deserves an equally resonant name.
“Alright. I shall call you Dream Singer.” The blade hums brightly, as if acknowledging my words with approval. Then sparks begin to crackle off the blade, like small fireworks. It seems amused, celebrating its own creation.
When the great blade cools back to an indigo-blue metal, I take it in my hand. Appreciating it in the light, the feel of it, miraculously lighter than the first short blade I made. It is perfectly balanced. An absolute marvel.
I decide to jaunt outside and practice whipping my blade through the early morning air.
The brisk breeze carries the savory smells of morning breakfast from the dining hall.
My stomach growls in protest, reminding me I haven’t eaten since the morning before.
I hear a grumbling louder than my own. I look down to see Pip weaving between my feet in a figure eight.
He’s so excited for breakfast, I’m surprised he hasn’t run off without me.
“Just a few more minutes, little dragon.” I lower down, scratching under his chin, when I notice two odd new bumps on the ridges of his shoulders. Before I can inspect them further, he is scampering off after a bug.
My body shifts into a fighting-stance position.
I whirl my blade through the air, as if dancing to the song it resonates through my bones.
The sword shimmers a brighter shade of blue with every movement until it’s almost white.
We twirl together, becoming more and more in tune, until the blade is nothing more than an extension of my own desires.
My movements abruptly become more chaotic; sparks fly from the blade, creating a veil around us. As if we are surrounded by invisible enemies, we violently swirl through the chaotic blaze. Light flares, cloaking me in magic, keeping me hidden from what lurks far beyond the seams of our world.
Streaks of lightning pierce the earth, branding the soil in a circular pattern.
Runic patterns unfold, weaving a protection spell.
Some I know, but many I do not. My form whips into a whirlwind of chaos, lashing between blades of the storm.
My movements surrender to the melody, as if puppeteered by the very heavens above.
Yet I’m not afraid to yield control of my body to this force beyond my own.
Perhaps it’s the ancient energy wrapping me in its sacred force as I let go.
Allowing the universe to guide me, for once, rather than having to fight back with gritted teeth.
I lose myself as every nerve awakens in my body to the static charge that thickens the air.
My magic cascades through me, tunneling into the blade, as if it’s a conduit.
My lashes flutter shut. I’m dancing among the cosmos, swirling through the stars.
My hands reaching out as I weave gases and stardust together in the clouds of the nebulas, watching stars coming into existence at the tips of my fingers.
Humming once again the song the blade sings to me as I weave.
Guiding the chaotic collision into a beautiful ballet orchestrated by the movement of my hands.
Hoot. Hoot. HOOOT.
My dream is suddenly thrust away as my mind eddies back to my body at the sound of an owl hooting loudly behind me. The sparks dwindle as the lightning ceases. I spin to see a Scroll Owl flapping its robe-like wings aloft.
He spits a scroll at my feet before frantically flapping away. A hint of annoyance prances along his hoots as he fades into the distance. Clearly, he has been there waiting for me longer than I realized.
Without so much as a thought, an indigo leather holster appears, and Dream Singer flies into the sheath along my back. Maybe I am hallucinating.
I bend down to pick up my scroll and begin to read.
TO: SAVAé ENTROPé
NEW ELLIAN KNIGHT ROOM ASSIGNMENT: Penthouse, Starlight Sanctuary
Please note, personal items have already been moved to your new location.
BLOODLINE PAIR—
Unfortunately, the rest of the parchment is burnt off in a tree-like pattern. Apparently, I almost struck the Scroll Owl with the field of lightning moving around me. No wonder he was pissed at me. Well, I’m sure I can track down one of my professors to find out my Bloodline pairing.
But first, Pip and I need food and a bath.
Excitement bristles through my blood, numbing the exhaustion from lack of sleep and low blood sugar.
In my new penthouse suite, I’ll have a private bathroom.
Today feels like a day to indulge in a shower and then a bubble bath scented with jasmine and eucalyptus, my favorite soapy combo.
Pip changes into the dragon pin strung through my now-messy bun. As I trot my way back to center campus, I try to tuck the hair that comes loose behind my ears, but it’s no use. The delicious smell prancing along the air pulls me in like a lure.