Entry 79: I had a dream

by Hayley Thomas

Dear Diary,

I had told the others I meant to revisit Sister Willow’s shrine, hoping the ritual there might draw out more secrets from my dagger. It wasn’t far, and I had planned to go alone—quiet work for quiet company—but of course they refused to let me. In hindsight, I suppose I’m glad they did.

Preparations came first. Alistan made the trip to Keralon to deliver the books he’d claimed from the Black Knight’s camp, placing them in Rachnar’s care for study. Luke busied himself splitting his attention between assigning tasks to his apprentice Anna and convincing Lumeria not to tag along. The latter effort ended with Lumeria marching off in a storm of indignation, her huff trailing behind her like a small, petulant cloud.

I’ll spare you the drawn-out awkwardness of Gael and Dynia’s farewell—though the sidelong glances and hesitant pauses were enough to make me wish for an early frost. Eventually, we were on the road north.

A few hours in, we passed the place where we’d slain the infernal dragon engine. The mages of Keralon had long since stripped it for parts, leaving only the scar in the land. Luke pointed out patches of strange, twisted flowers blooming along the edges—a riot of color bent unnaturally, their shapes warped by the demonic magic that had spilled here. I gathered a few blooms. Corruption or not, there might be something useful hidden in their nature.

The further we walked, the more the forest felt… wrong. Autumn should have been curling its fingers through the Lorewood by now, but here the air was thick with summer’s warmth, leaves still lush and green. The songs of insects and birds rose too brightly for the season. It felt alive in a way that wasn’t quite natural—like the woods were breathing in time with something unseen. We began to notice the missing runestones too: the old border markers meant to keep the feywild’s influence at bay. Many had been shattered, uprooted, or simply gone. Without them, the edges between worlds were blurring, and the feywild was slowly winning.

Evening came cloaked in cold and rain, the kind that seeps into your bones if you let it. Thankfully, Luke’s camping spell kept the damp and chill at bay, even if it couldn’t keep out the heaviness settling over us.

During first watch, Gael noticed Liliana and Alistan tossing in their sleep, but didn’t think much of it. Nightmares aren’t exactly rare these days. During second watch—something Liliana and I often share—our attention was drawn to our brothers. Both were restless, faces twitching as if caught between fear and anger. Liliana’s frown deepened when she spotted a tattoo on Alistan’s shoulder—a wolf staring up at the moon—that hadn’t been there before. Instinctively, she checked her own shoulder and found one too: a toad, its round eyes unblinking.

I examined myself but found no new markings. While I was still puzzling over it, Liliana closed her eyes and reached out with her senses. “Fey and fiend influence,” she murmured. “On all of us.” That was enough to rouse the others. Luke bore the mark of a bat, Gael an owl. The pattern was unsettling, though the meaning was beyond us. I wondered aloud if this was the work of King Ulther—perhaps echoing the Council of Nobles and their animal masks. But speculation got us nowhere, so I suggested we sleep and face it in the morning.

They say sleep brings answers. That night, it did.

I dreamed I was a little girl again, wandering far from the path in the Lorewood, ignoring my mother’s warnings. The air was sweet with flowers until the trees ahead grew dark and close-knit, a black copse that drank the light. I wanted to step forward, to discover what lay in the shadows—but fear rooted me in place.

Then they came: the wolf, the bat, the owl, the toad. They watched me with eyes that seemed to know more than I did. Sensing my hesitation, I asked the owl to go ahead first—its keen sight could pierce the dark. But it didn’t return. I sent the bat next, thinking it could navigate without eyes and warn us of hidden dangers. It too was lost. The wolf was my third choice—brave, strong, fearless. It vanished into the gloom and never came back.

Finally, I turned to the toad. I admitted I was afraid, that I didn’t want to face the dark alone. The toad blinked once, then hopped forward. I followed, and together we crossed into the shadows.

That was when I woke.

Continue reading...

Entry one: The trials

Entry two: The bramble

Entry 3: Rosebloom

Entry 4: Hearts and Dreams

Entry 5: of ghosts and wolves

Entry 6: Hillfield and Deals with Fae

Entry 7: mysteries and pastries

Entry 8: The scarecrow ruse
6th of Lug, 121 Year of the Tree

Entry 9: A betrayal of satyrs
7th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 10: The fate of twins
8th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 11: Cursed twins
10th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 12: Loss and despair
11th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Hayley's rules to being a Witch

Entry 13: the price of safety
12th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 14: A golden cage and fiery tower
13th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 15: A trial by fire
14th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 16: Keralon
15th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Letter to Luke 1

Letter to Luke 2

Letter to Luke 3

Letter to Luke 4

Letter to Luke 5

Letter to Luke 6

Entry 17: I shall wear midnight
1st of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 18: peace in our time
2nd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 19: Caern Fussil falls
3rd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 20: I see fire
4th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 21: Cultists twarted
10th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 22: Ravensfield
14th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 23: The Hollow Hill Horror
15th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 24: Burn your village
16th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 25: Ravensfield burns
17th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 26: There will be blood!
21st of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 27: A happy reunion
22nd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 28: The embassy ball
23rd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 29: The fate of Robert Talespinner
24th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 30: A royal summons
28th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 31: of Dogville and Geese
29th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 32: A boggle named Pim
30th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 33: A deal broken
1st of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 34: The cost of doing what is right
2nd of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 35: A dish best served cold
9th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

entry 36: Cornu returns?
10th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 37: A letter from Amarra
11th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 38: The case of the (not) missing villagers
14th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 39: A curse broken
15th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 40: Into the Lorewood
18th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 41: Cabin in the Woods
19th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 42: Myrdin and Anaya
20th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 43: Into the Immerglade
21st of Aran, 127 Era of the Tree

Entry 44: A tale as old as time
22nd of Aran, 127 Era of the Tree

Entry 45: The truth
23rd of Aran, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 46: Luke's Ordeal
24th of Aran, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 47: The festival
26th of Aran, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 48: Trouble at the Cathedral
2nd of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 49: Quinn's court
4th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 50: onwards to Latebra Velora
5th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 51: Where is my cow?
6th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 52: Here be dragons
7th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 53: Dragon hoard with a side of scarabs
8th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 54: Leave the basilisks alone
9th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 55: Return to Ravensfield
10th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 56: The needs of the many...
11th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 57: Dreams of Sister Willow
12th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 58: wetlands be wet
13th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 59: Baron Perenolde
14th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 60: Talebra Velora and the lady Morenthene
15th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 61: Cypria
16th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 62: Dragon takes Knight
17th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 63: Return to Talebra Velora
18th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 64: Your presence is “requested”
19th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 65: I stand alone
20th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 66: A day of normalcy
21th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 67: Into the Neverhold
22nd of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 68: The Warg King

Entry 69: Chased by birds

Entry 70: Whitewail

Entry 71: Nimmerhold

Entry 72: The menagerie
29th of Gobu, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 73: To the library!
30th of Gobu, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 74: The people's tournament
First of Mannan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 75: Nimmerhold party
First of Mannan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 76, The return home
Second of Mannan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 77: A week of peace
10th of Mannan

Entry 78: The tomb of the First King
11th of Mannon, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 79: I had a dream
12th of Mannon, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 80: The ritual for Sister Willow
14th of Mannon, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 81: Trouble at the Briar Ring
15th of Mannon, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 82: My day as a crocodile
21st of Mannon, 128 Era of the Tree

The return of the twins (Entry 83)
22nd of Mannon, 128 Era of the Tree

Earth and Sky (Entry 84)
26th of Mannon, 128 Era of the Tree

Wolf's Rest betrayed (entry 85)
30th of Mannon

The end of a chapter (entry 86)
first of Edon, 128 Era of the Tree

On the road (Entry 87)
second of Edon, 128 Era of the Tree

The Red Knight (Entry 88)
7th of Edon, 128 Era of the Tree

Dear uncle… (Entry 89)
8th of Edon, 128 Era of the Tree

Cut the bridge (Entry 90)
10th of Edon, 128 Era of the Tree

Home (Entry 91)
13th of Edon, 128 Era of the Tree

A tale of two shadows (Entry 92)
16th of Edon, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 79: I had a dream

Continue reading...

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