Ash almost felt bad, but old Edina Talcott's location made her the perfect target. At least Ash could find solace in knowing that it wasn't anything against the elderly lady. There were only two people stationed in that particular corner of Market Square: Edina and Mistress Poppy. The middle-aged woman claimed that the gods had gifted her with psychic abilities. Nobody believed her about that because they all knew the truth. Mistress Poppy was the biggest gossip in the village, and most of the readings she got right were based on the things she'd heard.

She'd be the worst choice to allow to see a secret letter passing between hands.

She was, however, the best choice to allow to witness the faked reappearance of the long-unseen Dreamwoven.

The entire village would hear about the glimpse of Odella Crest within the hour.

They emerged from the alley with cloaks on and faces hidden in the shadows of their hoods. Ash had wiped her palms off before they'd trekked out of the alley, but they already felt slick with sweat again.

Roan turned to her, the green of his eyes still impossibly vivid in the hood's darkness. He raised a brow.

Instead of answering, Ash straightened, pulling her shoulders back. She was Odella. Even when sneaking, she'd have to move with confidence. That certainty in herself was one of the things that drew people to Odella, so they'd notice the lack of it. Ash was sure of it.

She pointed to Edina's stand. Roan nodded, and they crept toward it, sticking close to the nearby walls.

As noon was more of a distant memory, many of the stalls had already packed up and left. This left even fewer people than normal around their area. Mistress Poppy instantly noticed their appearance with no other distractions. From the corner of Ash's eyes, she saw the woman watching them intently behind her paper fan.

Edina's back was to them as she rearranged her collection, humming contentedly to herself. The prick of guilt stabbed into Ash's chest again at deceiving her, but Odella flashed through her thoughts, and she pushed the guilt from her mind.

She cleared her throat. "Miss Talcott?"

Edina startled. She gripped her chest as she turned to face them, and their appearance did nothing to ease her surprise. "Well, hello there!" she said as she glanced between them. "I'm sorry. I was getting ready to close up for the day. Of course, the day I'd want to leave early I'd have customers. Should have realized young Ashlin's visit was a sign! I—"

Her babbling cut off, and she blinked. Ash had raised her head ever so slightly, giving a better glimpse of her face. She could almost see the thought process of Edina's mind on her face. Who she saw before her looked like Ash, but Ash would have no reason to return later in the day cloaked with—her eyes darted to Roan—an unfamiliar companion.

Edina's hands flew to her mouth. "By the will of the holy seven," she murmured, her eyes watering. "It cannot be... Odella?"

Ash stepped forward, grabbing Edina's hand with one of her own and lifting her other to place a single finger against the woman's lips. "Miss Talcott, I need you to be quiet."

Edina's eyes were impossibly wide as they swept over Ash's face. There were signs of who she truly was, but Edina's own hope must have blinded her to those differences.

"Thank the gods. I kept the faith that you were well, but I must admit, I couldn't help but worry..." Edina blinked rapidly. A couple of tears escaped before she could rid herself of them.

Ash felt sick and could only hope her expression wouldn't show it.

"I cannot stay, but I remembered you were always true to the will of the gods, so I believed myself safest to approach you. I—" The prideful gleam growing in Edina's eyes made Ash choke on her words for a moment. Ash cleared her throat. "I need someone to deliver this letter to my parents. I ask that you tell nobody that you've seen me. I had to hide my presence for a very long time to avoid a great danger, and I don't wish for it to find its way here."

Edina nodded along as Ash spoke, every word seeming to fill her with more raw emotion. "Of course, of course. I completely understand." Taking Ash's hands into her own, Edina first kissed the tips of Ash's fingers and then pressed both of their hands to her forehead. The entire time, she didn't stop crying. "Thank the holy seven. Thank them for keeping you safe."

Ash forced herself to count to five before slowly removing her hand from Edina's grip. "Thank you for your faith and prayers, Edina. Please, be swift in delivering the letter, and keep my presence here a secret. I look forward to the day I return without the shadow of danger looming over me."

"Of course." Edina bowed her head slightly while keeping the letter clutched to her chest. "You can count on me, great Dreamwoven."

Roan leaned forward, putting himself near her ear. "Odella, we must hurry."

Shooting him what she hoped was a grateful glance, she nodded. "Yes. Thank you again, Edina, but as my companion says, we must be going."

"May the gods bless your paths and enlighten your dreams," Edina said.

After repeating the same prayer back, Ash turned and followed Roan back the way they'd come. Her entire being thrummed with tense energy as they walked away, sure that the world would go dark and their entire plan would crumble around them.

They stepped out of the view from the village square, and Ash allowed herself to breathe normally again.

"The woman behind us watched the entire thing," Roan said. His long legs would have easily allowed him to outpace her, but he kept to her side. "Just before we turned out of view, I saw her hurry off to one of the remaining venders."

Ash tossed her hood off and shook out her hair. "Mistress Poppy is nothing if not predictable."

Roan also removed his hood and glanced her way. His eyes twinkled with good humor. "You did quite a good job selling it to the bookseller. You sounded like you'd stepped straight from the pages of an epic tale."

Chuckling lightly, Ash averted her gaze and tried to ignore the heat filling her cheeks. "Odella put her mind to learning how to read at a young age. She practiced by reading to me. I'll admit, I may have drawn inspiration from some of those heroes."

Memories swam to the surface of Ash's mind, and she could almost hear a younger Odella reading in an exaggerated voice as she enacted the words on the page. Ash's throat tightened.

"It was an excellent performance," Roan said, oblivious to her momentary misstep into sadder territory.

With a deep breath and a great amount of will, Ash forced her thoughts to return to the present. "Thank you. Now, earlier, you said you had a way you thought would make this all even more believable, even to the Modika if they saw us. What is it?"

It was the only part Roan had kept to himself. He'd insisted it was a vital piece but that he needed to wait until they'd executed the rest of the plan to reveal it. Seeing the hesitance on his face now, Ash couldn't help but worry she'd made some sort of misstep by trusting him so quickly.

Roan brushed his fingertips across the vines that wound through his hair. His hand paused over a small, dark flower. It had been too small to really make out before, but seeing it now, Ash was memorized. She'd never seen a flower whose petals so closely reflected a starless night sky.

"I have not been fully honest with you about who I am."

Ash took a half-step back as the words sent a wave of unease through her. That was not something she wanted to hear after all the other parts of their plan had been enacted. Was it reversible? Could she run back home now before it could all unravel—

"I was not only Odella's companion; I was her Watcher."

Ash frowned, her unease still there but overshadowed temporarily by her confusion. He spoke the term as if it should have meant something to her, and there was a slight tingle of a distant memory, but she wasn't sure of the importance of the term.

At her confused look, he smiled gently. "You likely have heard little more about us than mere rumors whispered into the wind. We try to keep our existence secret. The light is supposed to shine on the Dreamwoven, after all, and our presence, if known, could cast a shadow."

His tone hadn't shifted from the soft, almost fond one he'd begun with, but Ash still took a small step back. "Roan, I need you to explain to me rather than being cryptic if you wish for me to continue trusting you."

He bit his lips, expression torn for a moment, before he finally said, "Maybe it's better if I show you."

Releasing a deep breath and closing his eyes, Roan lifted a fist over his heart and murmured what sounded like a quiet prayer, but he didn't speak in a language Ash had ever heard. His eyes shot open, their emerald shine unnatural. The brightness seemed to seep into the rest of his skin and make him glow from within, accentuating his ethereal beauty. Then it seemed like water poured over him, slowly unveiling a secret underneath.

It was as if someone had dragged through fingers across his skin, leaving a pattern of dark lines imprinted there. First appeared the open-ended diamond crest decorating his forehead, and then came the jagged slashes reaching from his jaw inward toward his face's center. Similar markings appeared on the other pieces of exposed skin she could see, and she had no doubt more covered what she couldn't.

Ash stumbled back a few feet as the shock of his appearance slammed into her. "You... You're a... a..." She couldn't get the words around the knot in her throat. Did she need to fall to her knees? Did she assure him of her faith in the gods? Though she didn't know what she was meant to do, she at least knew it wasn't babbling like a fool.

His lips twitched up into another smile, this one holding a mischievous edge beneath the reassurance. "Yes, I am a Scion. More specifically, I am the Scion that was tasked by the gods to observe and assist Dreamwoven Odella to complete this quest. Each of the chosen is accompanied by one of us."

The awe that had built with his appearance faltered as her sluggish mind pieced together the truth behind what he was saying. It didn't reshape much of what she had known about the Dreamwoven in general. If they, as their name implied, simply watched over the Dreamwoven, they were no different from a chaperone or guard. However, it changed everything about Roan's relationship with Odella, but in a way that made no sense.

"Why aren't you dragging her away?" Ash hated asking because she'd give her life to stop him from doing such a thing, but if he was a servant of the gods, it only made sense for him to take her back to her task.

"The gods are great, but they are above humans. They won't understand whatever Odella is going through. But..." Roan dropped his gaze, but she could still see the faint green glow emitting from his eyes. "During our travels, she became my friend, and I want to end whatever has fallen over her. To do that, I believe the quest needs to be completed. If she cannot do that, well, then you taking her place is the next best choice."

Next best choice. She'd known it, had long since accepted how special her twin truly was, but hearing it aloud still stung. But that wasn't important. Shoving away the foolish thoughts, she focused on his reasoning. Slowly, she nodded.

"So, having Odella's Watcher with me will convince the Modika that I'm truly her?" When Roan snapped his eyes back up to her, she grinned. "What? Did you really believe I'd turn away now?"

"Foolish of me, perhaps." He chuckled, though mostly to himself, and then he assessed her. "Having me with you will play a part in fooling them, yes, but there is one other thing," he said, and at her confusion, he grinned. "What would you say if I told you I could offer you magic of your own?"

*****

Woooo, Roan has sparkly effects!  Now he gets to be even more prettier!  Yes, that's correct English, don't question me.  All the set-up in the village is there, and now Roan has revealed some secrets.  As well as given an interesting proposal 👀 Ash with magic?  Does anyone really think she'll say no? XD Guess we will have to see.

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D Let me know if you want to join!