CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

Dreamstrike: Elspet's Story

lspet approaches me after having read some of my collection. She points out inaccuracies from previous chapters and affirms that she, herself once owned the art. She agrees to share her story to my delight: "The FreeSoul Alliance was reformed in those days to punish the Illuminates, primarily the Light and the Gathering, for their continued harassment and disrespect to all of us FreeSouls. Calenture and the Keepers fought to see who'd learn the art next, one of theirs, or one of ours. A deal was made. Whoever gathered three pieces first, would get the two from Order. Keepers arranged a trade with a houseless dreamer and was first to collect those pieces. So we learned it. They weren't thrilled it was me, but... it was decided by the others. I'm not sure why. "Pertinax, Synteny, and I were Disciples then, with me as first. They agreed on my learning it, though I'm unsure why, except we worried over Pertinax, his being so young. Conveniently, Pertinax had located the Cowled One's presence the week before, but no one else had. We had him to ourselves, with the primary bulk of the FreeSouls going to other planes. No one found us in Albino until it was too late. And so I learned it. "It was a few days later, or possibly even the night before, that Star Scream joined us. Nobody really knew who learned it, at least nobody outside of the leaders of the FreeSouls. A few were convinced Darby had, I do remember that. She even lied on my behalf once or twice. Didn't do much good, not in the end. But very kind, still. "I hid it reasonably well for awhile, until we were betrayed by Fang X. He emptied our armories, and betrayed secrets of ours to the Gathering, to a woman. He, who we welcomed into our home with open arms. He treated us so. It was determined then that we show that we were not afraid, that we will not ever tolerate traitors to the Shadow. He thought he was safe, when we went up to the Keep. "I waited with the evoke up, during an attack. Waited until he walked in with others to battle. Waited until he collapsed. And then I used it on him. Him... I don't regret. He was a traitor, a thief, a liar, and worse. He earned his fate. "The day Lace and the others were 'Struck, I walked Evernight on the arm of Knave. Foolish, but I didn't think Gerroz would dare use it on me in his presence. I don't think I had any better reason for doing that... than to prove it wouldn't happen. To this day I don't know if his presence kept me safe, or if I would have been safe anyhow. I don't remember if I knew the art then, or not. Time is so blurry now. "Clarity... was a good woman. Not that the others weren't good people, but she was a Keeper at heart, though she was crested as a Calenturian. She belonged with us. "Star Scream told you about Avrax? He saved us. Dreamers think so poorly of mares, but look what little Avrax did for us. He begged us to destroy him, once it began taking him over. I tried to forbid Star Scream from doing it, he'd be hurt already so much from using it... But he didn't listen, and he did it before I could. He didn't want me to use it, either. "Have you seen a soul essence? Does anyone still have them? They have ninety-nine strength. Using corrupt essence on them turns them into something absorbable by primes, but with only one strength, whatever the level of corrupt. I don't recall whose we experimented on." "Star Scream said that sometimes when Strike fails... it would drain a permanent, single DreamSoul. I never could repeat that. It didn't matter if I was with other Dreamers, cursed, with soul spheres... I couldn't repeat it. It did improve, but I lost it before I was able to try to train self it to 10. I was very curious if I could." Elspet generously allowed me to examine an essence. It looks beautiful, gleaming in my hands, and I realize why others call it a soul crystal. It glitters like a many-faceted jewel in the light.