Chapter 5 Eryx
Eryx
You can’t sleep, can you?
I close my eyes tighter, trying to block Nightmare’s voice. It doesn’t work.
I bet you could sleep if you found her. Searched the dream world for her.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. I wouldn’t know where to start.
I do. I know where to start—with dreams of ponies and rainbows.
A growl rips from my throat, and I sit up, eyes wide open.
The first thing that hits me is darkness. Deep inky black, but with a wave of my hand, a candelabra lights and the flicker of candles reveals a room with stone walls trimmed in silver. The velvet chaise I’m lying on is hard as a rock, which usually doesn’t bother me.
But tonight everything bothers me.
What are you doing? Are you going to search for her?
At night? No.
I cross to the window and throw it open. A light spray of rain pelts my face. Below, the gray stone buildings of the quarter—my quarter, my Nightmare District—unfold before me.
In the distance the lights of Castleview shimmer beyond the barrier. I can just make out the flickering of gas lamps, the blue witch fire that illuminates those streets.
Here, we don’t have witch fire. We have nightmares to light our streets.
Glass globes filled with swirling dark purple matter throw light and shadows on my buildings. But even that power can’t keep Nightmare at bay.
You have to enter the realm, you know. If you don’t, the nightmares will build up. You remember what happened last time. You didn’t work for a whole week—
You don’t have to remind me. I pour a glass of water from a crystal pitcher left on a table. I haven’t forgotten.
But it’s prattling on. I kept saying you needed to work, but no, you weren’t interested. You had to avenge your father.
My hand on the glass tightens.
And I warned you. I said, you’ll set yourself on fire if you don’t do what you’re supposed to, and next thing I know—
I nearly burned to a crisp.
I think parts of you are still singed. Which is why, it adds in a grim voice, you must work.
How can I work with you prattling on? I need rest, I growl.
Touchy, touchy. But I know what you mean. I don’t really feel like plotting revenge today anyway.
Which is a shame. I’d give anything for it to go back to talking about death and destruction. Anything but—
It sighs dramatically. The sound bounces around my head like an echo in a cavern. I know that sound. It’s what Nightmare does when it wants attention.
It always wants attention. What is it?
I’m…sad.
A bitter laugh slips from me. You’re sad? You? You don’t have emotions.
I do. I have plenty.
I swipe a hand down my face, wiping away the mist that clings to my skin, and turn from the window. I take the glass back to the chaise and plop down, feeling the cushion bend beneath me.
And what could you possibly be sad about? The fact that you’re not letting me sleep?
I resent that, it says quietly. I let you sleep.
I bark a laugh. You’re the one who won’t stop talking. What do I have to do to get some rest? To quiet you? You haven’t talked this much since you first became part of me.
There’s a sharp silence then, but it’s charged as both of us remember that day—all the blood, the agony, and how we were joined together.
The scar on my chest itches. I resist the urge to scratch it and instead drop my head back and close my eyes. I rest the glass on the floor and exhale a heavy breath.
Did you forget that I’m sad?
“No!” I yell, bolting up. “What in the world do you have to be sad about? What could make you sad?”
It sniffles as if I’ve hurt its feelings. This is so much worse than it talking about revenge. It’s gone soft on me.
You shouted, it says timidly.
I open my eyes just to roll them. And?
And it hurt my feelings.
Oh my God. I might just jump out my window to get some peace. Do you want an apology?
No. I want you to find her.
Her. Just imagining that woman today makes my body come alive.
I knew you liked her.
I don’t like her, I correct.
She makes me happy.
You don’t even know her.
But we want to.
What about revenge? I ask.
Who can think of revenge when she’s in the world, just waiting for us to ride up on a black stallion and save her from the tower she’s locked in. I've lived for millennia, Eryx. Seen kingdoms rise and fall. Watched empires crumble. And not once—not once—have I been this intrigued with anyone.
I think it’s lost its mind. First of all, she’s not locked away. She was out.
That’s a moot point, it argues.
Secondly, I continue, we don’t have a stallion.
Oh, but you could make one out of darkness and nightmares. Wouldn’t that be fun?
I have to admit, it might— No. It would not be fun.
Now who’s the grouch?
I curl my fingers into the cushion. For years Nightmare has demanded blood. Now it wants braids. And I don’t know which is worse.
Revenge is worse, it answers.
Do you mind staying out of my inner thoughts for just a moment?
Sorry, but you were thinking out loud, it replies softly.
But even though I’m frustrated, my body isn’t as tight as it usually is. I’m not sure when that happened.
The past few hours have been nothing if not a relief from how our conversations usually go.
Besides, we’ve found my father’s killer. Now we need to plan. You lost her.
Later, it says dismissively. First, the blonde.
If I find her, will you shut up?
Yes, it promises.
Fine. I rise from the chaise—no doubt I won’t sleep tonight anyway—and stride back to the window. I peer through the mist, into my realm, the dark buildings, the purple lights, the silver sliver of moon, and I breathe it all in deeply.
On the other side of this is where she lives.
Light.
I live in shadow.
How do you propose I locate her? By sending out a dream asking for her to be delivered to my doorstep?
Um, no. That would be a bit stalkerish, don’t you think?
I mean, is that really a question you want to ask when all you’ve done is wax poetic about her and ponies for the past eight hours?
I’m going to ignore that and pretend you said something nice. Anyway, no, we’re not going to send out a dream, though that’s a fantastic idea. We’re going to do something different.
I can’t wait to hear this. And what’s that?
I swear Nightmare smiles when it replies, We’re going full fairy tale.