Page 65 of Sanctuary with a Dragon
Elandor lowered his massive head to my level, studying my faintly glowing outline. I lifted my hand and stared at it, too, surprised by the soft shimmer tracing my fingers.
I looked like myself, only I seemed to be made of light and air.
“It’s all right,” I said. “I’m not dead. But you were right, the dreamscape can’t give both of us tangible bodies. It seems to favor Elandor when we’re here.”
My hammering pulse steadied when Elandor thrummed peace through our bond. Even telepathically, the sound was deep and resonant, spreading warmth through me.
Everly, with her curious mind, and despite her fear that she’d killed me, reached a finger out and tried to touch me—but her hand passed straight through. Elandor exhaled, but his warm breath swept over me without a trace of heat.
It was disorienting. I was here but I wasn’t. I felt as if I were made of light particles. Matter... but different.
I wondered... if I focused hard enough, could I make part of my body corporeal? Could I touch Everly? If I managed it, I still might be able to be useful on this trip.
I wanted to try.
I cautioned Everly to hold still. Then, drawing in a deep breath, and drawing on every ounce of strength and force of will I possessed, I reached for her arm.
When my glowing fingers brushed her skin, we both gasped—then I collapsed. My knees buckled, and I dropped to the ground, the world tilting and spinning. Weakness rolled through me, flattening me against the soft grass. Everly reached for me instinctively, eyes wide and hands outstretched, but her fingers slipped through my chest as if I were made of mist.
“Okay,” Everly said softly after a moment, her voice trembling. “Let’s not try that again. We don’t need you so weak something happens and you get... scattered or worse.”
I grimaced. “Yeah, that would not be optimal.
It took a few moments more, but I eventually gathered enough strength to push myself upright again. I couldn’t lean against anyone, which made standing harder when I felt so drained, but my strength came back slowly, and I straightened fully at last.
Turning in a circle, I glanced around. I’d expected to see the golden threads immediately, but there was only a rolling field of grass, a burbling stream, and a forest stretchingoff into the distance.
“Where are the threads?” I asked. They felt close, but I couldn’t see a single one.
Everly faced the open meadow, following the direction of my gaze. “Oh, I have to bring them here. I guess I better get on that.”
She closed her eyes, and the air shimmered with energy. The hum of the threads, the power I could feel in my bones, deepened, and then the world lit up.Thousandsof golden threads appeared, drifting in slow, graceful motion. Some were dim and fading, like dying embers. Others shone so brightly they left afterimages on my retinas, and I blinked hard against the glare.
“That’s... a lot of shifters who need help,” I murmured.
Everly’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah. It really is. But Elandor told me that even if I can only help one at a time, it still matters. That I will make a difference.”
I smiled faintly. “That sounds exactly like something he’d say. How do we start?”
“I focus,” she said, scratching at her wrist. “I close my eyes, find the thread that feels the most urgent, then grab it and pull on it. It’ll take us where we need to go.”
I sighed. “Wish I’d brought weapons.”
Elandor’s amused rumble echoed through my mind.Weapons wouldn’t help much without a body.
I couldn’t help a grin.Fair point.
Everly straightened. “Okay, I found it. Get ready.” She reached for one of the glowing threads, and theworld lurched. We fell through darkness and light, through mist and shadow, until our feet hit solid ground again.
Everly grimaced. “It’s so hot in here! I wonder where we are?”
I glanced at her in concern. “Your magic doesn’t tell you?”
She shook her head. “Nope. It just... brings us.”
Well, that wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t the most important thing right now. The cavern around us stretched wide and shimmering, heat rolling off the stone walls in waves
I cocked my head. “Do you hear that?”
