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Side A – Yasgrid

Yasgrid hadn’t been surprised when Nia dropped in on her dream. The two of them sharing the same mental real estate was familiar territory, and comfortable as well. 

Kayelle however could not be part of the dream Yasgrid was gripped within.

Except her adopted sister was standing within the eye at the center of Ending’s vortex, and a preternatural awareness told Yasgrid that none of the people around her were the products of her own imagination.

“Your dream is starting to fray,” Kayelle said answering Yasgrid’s unspoken question. “Makes it rather easy to slip inside, which is going to be a problem unless I miss my guess.”

Before Yasgrid could ask what that meant, Nia, still appearing as the Stoneling Yasgrid had once been, but someone smaller than Kayelle, wrapped her sister in a hug.

“You made it! You are the best!” Nia said, her eyes closed as a happy grin lit her face.

Kayelle, by contrast, looked somewhat shocked and alarmed.

But she didn’t try to escape the hug.

“How did you know to be here at all?” Yasgrid asked. The storm around her was losing ground on the storm of confusion within her, but that seemed oddly comforting somehow.

“You broke Endings,” Kayelle said. “Was sort of easy to notice that. It took me a minute to work out where I could still feel an echo of it though.”

“And that was all it took to travel to this dream?” Yasgrid asked.

“I didn’t know it was a dream at first,” Kayelle said.

“Wait, what did you think was happening?” Nia asked, releasing her hold on Kayelle and stepping back to observe her sister.

“I thought Yasgrid had freed Endings power and was going to carry it to its own ending so that Elshira wouldn’t be able to wield it ever again,” Kayelle said.

“That’s…you’re remarkably perceptive,” Yasgrid said.

“I had to be or my little sister would have outshone me in everything by the age of two,” Kayelle said, a faint smile gracing her lips as she studiously avoided looking in Nia’s direction.

“Wait…no, that’s not important, but wait, if you thought Yasgrid was going to die, what, and I mean what exactly, did you do to get here?” Nia asked, her joy at seeing her sister turning into a frown.

“I’m…well, you see, it’s best not to take irrevocable action,” Kayelle said.

“Yes. I agree. So what, dearest sister, did you do?” Nia’s words grew sharper with every syllable.

“I am, at the present moment, somewhat drowning,” Kayelle said. “But it’s fine. I have someone watching over me. They’ll pull me out of the lake before its too late. Probably.”

“What do you mean probably?” Nia held back from screaming the last word but her intention was clear.

“Well, it will very much matter what we choose to do next, won’t it?” Kayelle said. “If anyone is going to carry Endings power beyond the last veil, I’m clearly the proper candidate.”

“Except you’re both right,” Yasgrid said. “No one needs to die here. We can do better than that.”

Side B – Nia 

Nia knew neither Yasgrid nor Kayelle wanted to die. She also knew that neither of them valued themselves even a tiny fraction as much as they should and therefor she was not surprised that they’d each, independently, arrived at the notion of self-sacrifice being the proper means of resolving the world ending threat before them. That Yasgrid was at last convinced that there was another path was a wonderful change, though a part of Nia was still concerned over what path Yasgrid might have in mind.

“You  have come so far,” the soul which had been Endings said. “I have cherished all of the Bearers, and I remember them all still, but you are remarkable even among that multitude. If you will let me offer nothing else, then let me offer this; I believe in you.”

“As do I,” the Darkwood’s incarnation said.

“Then I suppose we shouldn’t let you down,” Yasgrid said.

“Or each other,” Kayelle said, and reached out to grab one of the shards of Endings power.

“So what are we going to do then?” Nia asked, holding her shard before her and letting its shifting light illuminate them all.

“Endings power is fraying this dream,” Yasgrid said. “Which means it’s fraying me.”

“And letting other things in,” Kayelle said. “I don’t want us to hurry for my sake, I can drown a while longer yet I think, but if I felt Endings power loosed, Elshira will have too.”

“I figured as much,” Yasgrid said. “And yet she’s not here.”

“Which means she’s afraid to try to claim it when it’s like this,” Nia said.

“It would present too great a risk,” the soul said. “She was never one to move when she could not predict the outcome.”

“I’m more concerned about the part where it’s fraying Yagrid to pieces,” Nia said. “And Kayelle drowning. We need to fix that too.”

“If I’m right, the same answer might apply to both,” Yasgrid said.

“It’s not one that I’ve considered then,” Kayelle said.

“It’s a long shot,” Yasgrid said. “And possibly as likely to get all of us killed rather than just one.”

Nia wasn’t surprised by that. She knew that the vortex around them was not going to be tamed by simple or safe measures.

Away in the distance, she could feel her hands still playing the simplest part of the beat which Margrada was leading. Others were joining in. Lots of others.

I can feel that you’re worried, Margrada played to her, emotions more than words sinking into Nia through their connection in the music. I can’t be there with you, we’re too far into this song, but I think I can feel what you’re worried about. There’s a problem in the Darkwood isn’t there?

Yeah, Yasgrid’s holding it back for now, but we need to try something drastic to tame it.

Let her know that we can help, Margrada played and Nia could feel the distance between them shrinking and shrinking.

I’m counting on it, Yasgrid played into the music, her drumming adding to the torrent of song which bound the two realms together.

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