Saelina was trembling, even under the blanket Ezeas had covered her with.

Fear?

The thought did not sit well with him as he turned towards the concerned faces of his parents. Haylen had brought several books and was flipping through them with a strained expression; Tiyala had no books but her gaze was distant as she tried to pull up whatever information was stored in her memories.

Ezeas felt useless, his only contribution being recalling whatever he could about the human's behavior.

“Will she be fine?”

“No,” his mother responded.

“Not even in her sleep?”

She sighed.

“If we assume that none from this family poisoned her, and she hasn't met with anyone in secret, something which we would eventually have caught on to, then there's only one thing left I can think of: someone has whispered to her, in her sleep.”

She shook her head.

“All that uncertainty and dread, anytime she let herself doze off. Her memories altering, when her mind is at its most vulnerable. The strain is too much.”

“So even now?”

“Even now, her mind is being torn in two directions between the effects of the Shatter Bell potion and her original memories.”

Ezeas' chest felt heavy and his mind was swirling, unable to focus on any one thought in particular. Looking at Tiyala, it was obvious he was not the only one who fought to keep their composure.

“Wouldn't Dhíanvhúr help her?” Haylen asked.

“I think she lost her connection to him,” Ezeas revealed, hesitantly. “It would have been possible if we could find the dragon's physical body, but Dhíanvhúr has never been very forthcoming.”

Tiyala's expression had darkened and she seemed on the verge of saying something.

“Mother?”

She shook her head and stood up; her movements were sharp and agitated as she paced in front of the window. Her lips were pressed into a thin line and she refused to meet the gaze of either of the two men. Ezeas was infected by her restless behavior and clenched his fists to keep himself from imitating her. Haylen merely observed her with calm curiosity.

The minutes ticked by while Tiyala kept walking back and forth. Her jaw kept clenching and relaxing and her brows shifted every few seconds. Eventually, she made a sound of exasperation and turned towards the other two.

“I'm not happy about suggesting this, but we might be able to do something.”

Ezeas drew a sharp breath as he waited for her to continue, however, she seemed to only reluctantly say more.

“There's a way to connect two minds. It's rarely used and it's risky, but it could be the answer.”

“How?”

“The other person would need to be unconscious, as well. The rest consists of a magic ritual that will connect their conscious mind to her subconsciousness.”

“What would they have to do?”

Tiyala did not answer right away, her eyes becoming distant while she muttered to herself. The tension rose in the room and Ezeas felt his muscles coil into knots, as he waited to do something.

“They would have to help her identify the flaws in her memories and give her the perspective to recognize the exaggerated state of her fear. And that means-”

“That I would be the one to do it,” Ezeas finished.

Tiyala nodded.

“And what's the risk?”

“For one thing, you're invading someone's mind. You may be witnessing things you were never meant to know. For another, you're the person she fears and you're going to be right there as she's caught up in her fear.”

“I understand,” he said.

“No, you don't! You make a wrong move, at best you push her into a frenzied insanity, where there's no saying what she might do. At worst, you could end up wiping her mind, leaving her catatonic and unresponsive.”

Ezeas stared, suddenly very much on edge but Tiyala was not done.

“And that's before we talk about the risks towards you! You think going in and out of someone else's mind has no effect on your own? Feelings, thoughts, memories, sensations, all jumbled up to the point where you barely know where you end and she begins.”

“I can handle it!”

The outburst helped pause her tirade and she stared at him.

“That's not all,” she said in a low voice. “You're a man and she's a woman.”

“So?”

Ezeas was unsure where she was going as she took a shaky breath.

“Considering her past... It probably won't happen but if it does-”

He stepped forth and wrapped his hands around hers.

“Mother. This is my fault, I have to at least try.

His mother nodded after a moment's hesitation.

“Then we should get started.”

The set up for the ritual was complex and Ezeas was required to drink a sleep mixture and lay down, next to Saelina, on the floor. They were connected through their hands, as his mind faded from consciousness.

There was no telling how much time had passed, when he became aware of a voice. Deep and inhuman, it seemed to speak through his soul.

“You are the keeper.”

“The keeper?”

Ezeas did not open his mouth but the question rang clear.

“Ezeas, she calls you. You seek the red one. Saelina.”

“You're Dhíanvhúr?”

A rumble ran through him, sounding vaguely like a confirmation. At least, he chose to take it as such.

“How can I find her?”

“You will find yourself in her memories, soon. I delayed you.”

“What do you want from me?”

“You were involved in the chase for the human mage, Tahlisa.”

It wasn't a question.

“I was the leader of the mission,” Ezeas admitted.

“You injured her and you captured the red one. Why?”

“Because my country faces war and I would do anything to save it.”

There was silence for a while, as the dragon weighed his words. Ezeas thought he was about to be let go, when he felt the increase of a pressure he had not noticed, earlier. Perhaps Dhíanvhúr was punishing him?

“You've kept her hostage for a long time, training her to be your weapon. Yet, you've also aided her, when not necessary. Why?”

The weight of the question seemed near physical.

“It'll be better for us if she wants to help,” he argued.

There was another silence.

“That answer is not enough.”

The pressure increased and Ezeas tried to struggle but without a physical body, he was no match for the mental influence of a dragon.

“Why?” Dhíanvhúr repeated.

The nyx was forced to examine his motivations more closely. Why did he continue to help her? Why had he apologized after the ball? He had healed her pain, even when there was no injury and had not hesitated to dive into her mind.

“She doesn't deserve what's happened to her,” he hesitantly began. “I don't regret bringing her here, not when my country's on the line. But if I could somehow make things a little more bearable...I ought- no... I want to.”

The quiet lasted longer, this time.

“I will accept your answer.”

The pressure lessened and Ezeas felt a sense of relief flooding through him.

“What happens now?”

“I'll allow you to help the red one,” the dragon declared. “But know that I will protect the human and the piece of me, she carries.”

The darkness started to feel empty and he knew the dragon's presence was gone. The sensation only lasted a few moments before Ezeas was bombarded with something else. Images, sounds, feelings and thoughts flooded through the darkness, most of them fragmented and intertwined.

He was suddenly aware of his eyes being closed and opened them to stare down into a gray gaze; the world around her was white and red curls were spread around her head in a flaming halo. Her frantic heartbeat thumped against his hand, planted firmly on her chest. Tears were streaking her cheeks.

“You're killing me,” she whimpered.

“I wasn't,” he tried to remind her in a low voice.

Even when he said it, he knew the pressure he was exerting was too much, but there was no way to control the memory beyond talking to her.

“You're pressing too hard!”

“You kicked me off.”

“I can't,” she cried.

“Then why didn't I kill you? Try to remember.”

He's lying! He wants you dead!

The voice was distorted but powerful. He could see the despair on her face as his hand pressed harder.

“I'm right here, in front of you. I don't want to kill you, I never wanted that.”

“Then stop pushing!” she gasped.

“I can't. These are your memories, not mine.”

She did not answer, just silently weeping. Ezeas had to change tactics.

“Saelina,” he called softly, “do you remember the ball?”

She gave a small nod.

“What do you remember?”

“We were outside,” she muttered.

Ezeas nodded.

“The garden...it was beautiful.”

The snow melted away around them, allowing softly glowing moss to take its place as well as pink and lavender colored flowers.

“We weren't like this,” he supplied and she shook her head in agreement.

“No, we were standing in front of each other.”

There was a notable release in his body and Ezeas stood up, noting his clothing having changed to the uniform he wore that night. Saelina stood in front of him in that blue dress with a gold pattern on it. The last time he had seen it, it had been soaked in a blood from the ice spike, through her shoulder. Saelina winced and drew her shoulder up and he wondered if she remembered the same.

“We were talking,” he said to distract them both from the memory of her injury.

If she let her mind follow that tangent, they would enter another scenario where she had been in danger. She nodded and tall bushes sprouted up around them.

“You were angry with me for showing at the ball.”

His fists clenched and he could feel his face setting into a mask of anger.

“But I didn't stay angry,” he argued and his body relaxed.

It seemed he could exert some minimal control over the memory. She acknowledged his point.

“I think...I spoke a lot about how I was raised. How I enjoyed manipulating people, and now I'm the one being manipulated.”

A grim laughter erupted from her. Their surroundings seemed to shimmer and distort at the sound. Ezeas had the uneasy sense that she was slipping away from him and reached out to her, out of reflex. He was capable of grabbing her arms but the next part was completely beyond his control.