Dylan flew over the burning city, breathing flames. Another building ignited, and another. The sharp scent of burning materials filled the air. Everything was hyperreal—the sights, the sounds, the scents. And then in a flash, Dylan knew he was dreaming. Not only that, but he’d had this dream before, several times. The last few times he’d talked to a dark fae named Morgan. There, up ahead, was the building where they’d met before. Dylan backwinged and landed on the rooftop, looking toward the corner where the dark fae always appeared.
There was the shadow, which coalesced into a man’s shape. In a few seconds it sharpened into the man with leaves in his hair, carrying the scent of fall. “Hello again, dragonkin Dylan.”
“You disappeared before you told me what you wanted me to do. You always leave me hanging, and it’s starting to piss me off.” Dylan loved his growly, deep dragon voice.
Morgan bowed, his black eyes glimmering. “My apologies. I will tell you now. Starting at the dark of the moon, take a vessel of water and prick your finger over it. Just one drop, but you must do this every night for three cycles of the moon.”
Dylan frowned. “Blood magic. That’s serious stuff.”
“Yes, dragonkin. I need you to perform very powerful magic to open the pathways between our worlds. And for your assistance, I pledge to take power away from the wardens. They will no longer cage you with their rules.”
Dylan had been warned against dark fae by his mom. “Why do you want to open the pathways so bad?”
Morgan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “They were never meant to be closed. Faery is meant to be our home and our retreat, but it was never meant to be our prison.”
“So you feel as trapped as I do.” Some kids got temporary passes to go out into the human world for vacations, but Dylan had never been allowed one. He was deemed too dangerous. His whole life, he had never been outside Shadow Valley.
“Yes, you see,” Morgan said and threaded his fingers together, “we have a mutual solution to our problems.”
It didn’t even have to be about his twisted fantasies of burning down large cities. It was just about the freedom to go wherever he wanted and not worry about hiding his powers. He could see up close the things he’d only seen on a screen. The ocean, the desert, cities like Los Angeles and New York. Or places outside the US, like Paris and London. Australia. Or he could go to Africa, see lions running wild. Go to the mountains of Norway where his mom had grown up. Anywhere and everywhere.
“And after I’ve made this blood potion for three months?” Dylan asked.
“I will give you further instructions when the third month nears its end. I must make my own preparations.”
Behind the dark fae, Dylan noticed the color fading from the flames, the sign that the dream was about to end.
Dylan grumbled. “So more bullshit from you? Why won’t you just tell me now?”
“What difference will it make? You must wait anyway, and you may forget the instructions. They must be followed in detail, and I would need to repeat them to make sure you remember them. Besides, our time here is coming to an end once again. Remember, one drop each night into a vessel of water, starting at the dark of the moon, which is two days hence. And be sure that you conceal the vessel so no other may find it.”
Dylan snorted. “Of course I wouldn’t leave it out for my parents to find.” Or Aiden when he came to visit. Dylan hadn’t mentioned these dream visits to his friend. He knew Aiden wouldn’t understand.
“Good, good.” Almost all the color behind Morgan was gone. “I shall visit again in a fortnight.” Then he was gone.
“Wait,” Dylan said as the dream continued to fade. “What’s a fortnight?” But the dream world disappeared, and he passed into regular dreams.