The Dream Sanctum: Beyond The End (21 page)

A
few days later, Kai found
himself looking upon a familiar sight. He stood on the field next to the
Coliseum, staring out over the crowds of people who gathered on the field in
celebration of another one of the Dream Sanctum’s wonderful events. This one
was called the Flame Catcher; it was similar to the Festival of Lights, but
this time, instead of watching the various lights and fireworks, dreamers had
to chase them. Small flames of various colors drifted across the world, and
dreamers were forced to run, fly or swim after them to catch as many as they
could. The one who caught the most flames would have their name etched in stone
in the Golden Capital.

Kai felt he had experienced enough adventure lately, and decided to enjoy
the massive bonfires which once again dotted the fields. At the center near
where they stood was another fire that stood at least two stories tall and
emitted waves of comforting heat that could be felt from nearly anywhere on the
field.

Alastor, Elvia, Lindsay and Kwin stood with him, and Emma and Luna joined
them. The newcomers appeared to be adapting quickly, and both were nearly
overwhelmed with joy at the wonders the Sanctum had to offer. Both received new
clothes, and Alastor and Kwin had found them a lovely home in Aqua Capital.
Luna preferred to stay away from Golden Capital until she had processed what
had happened, and the others were more than happy to accommodate.

On their way back they had stopped by the Forgotten Isles to return the
journal. Hardly anyone was there, including Elkid the 17
^th
so Kwin
returned it quietly while Alastor gave the remaining Shuski a tour of the ship.
It had been a pleasantly quiet experience that time, Kai thought.

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed until Lindsay spoke up.

“I’m getting really bored, you guys. Won’t one of you come with me for
this event? I don’t want to go alone!”

“All this time in the Sanctum and you’re still worried about getting lost
if you go out on your own?” Alastor asked sympathetically.

“No!” Lindsay exclaimed, but at a knowing look from Kwin, continued,
“Maybe.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Alastor replied. “If you go off by yourself,
nearly anyone will be able to help you get back. It’s dark, so just follow the
lights. If you fall off the edge of the world, you’ve gone too far.”

Lindsay laughed and gazed up at the sky that was filled with thousands of
flames that darted swiftly around, avoiding the few dreamers that were able to
fly after them.

“I think I’ll stick with you guys. Now that I’m finally back here and
safe, I don’t want to go anywhere again for a long time.”

“Speaking of which, what happened to Hercules and the Shuski?” Kai wonder
aloud.

“They’re working steadily, and apparently making great progress,” Kwin
answered. “He says they’re planning on staying as long as they are physically
able. They’re cycling beyond the barrier to rest and then back again. He is
more dedicated than I’ve given him credit for.”

“How do you know that, anyway?” Kai continued. “Have you seen him?”

“My father was kind enough to give him my email address when asked,” Kwin
grumbled. “I woke up one morning to find nothing short of a thirty paragraph
essay documenting every small thing he’s been up to. If he took out all the
references to how amazing he thinks he is, it would have been less than a
page.”

“So is he staying with them permanently now?” Kai asked.

“I believe so. He said he has finally found his true calling, but that
he’ll visit from time to time. I asked him to make sure he tells me
beforehand.”

“Yes!” Lindsay cried, making them all jump. As they all turned to look at
her, she held up her hand in which rested a small, blue flame. “Sorry. I caught
one as it was flying past.”

“You seriously need some entertainment,” Alastor sighed, then nodded to
Elvia. “Distract her with shiny objects or something.”

In response, Elvia smoothly drew her sword, then pointed it at the large
bonfire. Flames instantly covered the blade, alternating quickly between
different colors as she held it, and everyone in the vicinity turned to watch
her.

She slowly raised the blade above her head, then swept it down around
her, weaving intricate patterns into the air. The flames lingered for a few
seconds as she twirled her sword, surrounding her in streams of burning colors.
Her sword began to move so fast that Kai couldn’t see it anymore, and the
strings of light emanating from the blade began to pulse outward, expanding and
weaving between each other, then fading slowly as they floated away.

Elvia’s movements were like an elegant dance, and she moved so smoothly
that Kai couldn’t look away. Her sword came within a hair’s width of touching
her own skin, and the flames that followed fell gently around her body like a
soft fabric of light, but she was not touched or hurt. Her free hand now held a
ball of fire that glittered and sparked, and with it she created even more
intricate patterns into the air.

With a final twirl, she leapt into the air, then landed lightly on the
ground, sweeping her sword around her and setting loose a bright, golden wave
that passed through the crowd, then dissipated as it reached the forest’s edge.
Elvia sheathed her sword as the last of the streams of light faded, and smiled
at Lindsay, who looked speechless.

By now a large crowd had assembled, and they burst into applause as Elvia
bowed politely. Alastor applauded extra loudly, clapping Elvia on the back and
grinning as she turned away, clearly embarrassed.

“There. Will you stop complaining now?” Alastor asked Lindsay with a look
of mock seriousness on his face, and Lindsay nodded happily. “Good. You know,
some people call Elvia ‘The Flame of the West’ around here for things like that.
What they’re referencing I don’t know, because they’re geographically
incorrect. This is a more eastern part of the Sanctum.”

“Oh, go get cultured, will you?” Kwin sighed.

“Oi, you two are awfully silent, what are you doing?” Alastor called to
Luna and Emma, who were standing on the other side of the fire.

“Thinking about going to catch some of these fires!” Emma called back.
“Luna is more excited than I can put into words about all this.”

“Sounds good!” Alastor replied, then turned back to the others. “You
know, they’re adjusting really well, Luna especially. I can’t imagine going
through what they did, but at least for now they’re doing fine. What they need
now is someone to go with them, someone who is hyper and easily distracted.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” she giggled, but as she turned around she ran
right into a young woman walking behind her.

“Oh dear. Are you all right?” the woman asked Lindsay.

“Yes! I’m so… sorry…” Lindsay gasped, trailing off as she gazed up into
the woman’s face.

Kai stared, then looked between the young woman and Elvia. Apart from
their clothes, they looked almost exactly the same. The young woman’s vivid red
hair fell freely behind her from underneath a wide-brimmed summer hat, and it
even had the same purple streaks. She wore a sleeveless sun dress with light,
wooden sandals on her feet. She had the dark skin and the same deep red eyes;
the only difference was that she looked a little older.

“Don’t worry about it!” the woman assured Lindsay, then turned to look at
Alastor. “I was that I could find you here, and after a show like that I’m sure
I found the right person. You
are
Alastor, aren’t you?”

“That would be me, yeah…” Alastor replied quietly, but was otherwise at a
loss for words.

But speaking didn’t appear to be necessary. Before anyone else could say
a word, the young woman ran over to him and took him into a tight hug that
Alastor, after a moment’s pause, returned.

“Ella?” Alastor asked incredulously.

“Yes!” Ella exclaimed. “Oh, I’m so glad I was able to find you, Al!”

They took a step back from each other. Ella was already starting to tear
up, and Alastor looked as though he still wasn’t quite sure how to react.

“It’s really you,” he finally murmured. “You actually came and found me,
just like I’d always hoped.”

“When you first told me about this place I thought you were just making
up another story,” Ella replied with a small laugh. “But then, after… after I
had to go, I realized that I could never go back home, and that the only way I
could find you was by coming here.”

“What about calling, or coming by to visit in person?” Alastor asked
weakly, and Ella sighed.

“It’s just been so long. After I left, I gradually forgot everything as I
pushed it out of my mind. I tried for months but couldn’t remember the address
or phone number or anything. Even if I had, I couldn’t be assured that you
would still be there, or that our parents wouldn’t be. I couldn’t know how they
would react if they saw me.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” Alastor replied with a half-hearted
smile. “They left me everything. They abandoned me and the house. It’s just me
now, along with Fred and the housekeepers, of course.”

Ella’s expression turned sad as she realized what Alastor was saying, but
if she wanted any more details, she didn’t ask.

“I’m curious… how long have you been looking for Alastor?” Kwin inquired.

“If you count how long I’ve been trying to get in here in the first
place, months,” Ella replied. “It was years after I left that I even remembered
what Al told me, and it helped me fight my depression. I remembered that there
was still hope, and it got me back on my feet. When I got in here I mentioned
who I was looking for, and… well, it seems you’re quite the celebrity.”

They both laughed, and Kai could already see that they were a lot alike;
they shared the same awkward amusement, the same honest smile, and the same
expressions of pure adoration as they looked at each other for the first time
in almost a decade.

“Oh, Al… I’ve been through hell and back in the real world, but now it’s
all worth it,” Ella said, tears now falling freely down her cheeks. “Sometimes
I thought I’d never make it, but… just seeing you again is all I could have
asked for.”

They hugged again, and this time it was a much more powerful embrace. It
was a few minutes they broke apart again, and there wasn’t a person around who
wasn’t smiling. Ella was the first to break eye contact as she looked over at
Elvia, who now looked very self-conscious, even guilty.

“Who is she?” Ella asked curiously. “Is that…?”

“I call her Elvia,” Alastor explained. “After you left I knew I’d
probably never see you again, knowing our parents. So I created her, knowing
that if you ever took my advice and made it in here, she’d help you find me.
It’s been years, but I kept her around all this time just in case you ever made
it.”

“It worked!” Ella exclaimed happily. “The person I asked said you were at
‘the field.’ If it weren’t for her performance, I wouldn’t have been able to
find you in this crowd. They told me about your companion, but… well, now this
explains why so many people were asking me strange things.”

“Like what?” Lindsay asked.

“Well, a few people asked if I planned on entering something called the
Tournament of Blades again next year,” Ella replied, and Kwin snickered.

“Well, listen,” Alastor said, putting a hand on Ella’s shoulder. “At some
point tonight, let me know where you’re staying so I can come by for a visit or
something.”

To his evident surprise, Ella shook her head.

“No… I don’t want that. I want to go home. I don’t
have
a home right now. I haven’t been able to stay anywhere for
more than a few weeks since I left. I can’t find stable work and I’m stuck
living in spare rooms or shelters. Please… I want to come back. I want to come
home.”

Alastor looked slightly taken aback, but then smiled.

“I’ll have you home by tomorrow afternoon,” he said. “Just let me know
where you are and I’ll be there as fast as I can, wherever you are in the
world. One of the perks of having a former stock-car racer on my team.”

By now, Lindsay and Luna were in tears as well, and they stood next to
each other as they watched the reunited siblings. Kai and Emma looked on with
appreciation, but Kwin looked slightly bothered. Alastor noticed and gave her
an inquiring look.

“What?”

Kwin didn’t respond; instead, she turned to face Ella.

“If you aren’t aware of your brother’s chauffeur, I advise you take your
trip home on an empty stomach. And, in the event you do happen to make it back
to Alastor’s house in one piece, I would like to be there to welcome you.”

Ella smiled, a reaction Kai was not expecting.

“Oh, yes. Roller coasters were never quite as exciting after being taken
everywhere by Frederick. But I’d love to meet all of you in person, so please
do come by when you can. I’ve heard as much about all of you in this world as I
have my brother.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll have Kwin and the others come visit as often as they
can. In the meantime, we have a lot of catching up to do, so if you’ll all
excuse us, I think we’ll take a walk.”