[coronatiger]

Thoughts on November 27th

New record, today! I’ve usually had only one or two listeners when I’ve talked about Sulla, but today there were four! I showed Sulla’s love to each of them after the talk.


Thoughts on November 28th

I dreamed again. The dream was a continuation of the one from two nights ago. The winged lizard crashed into a great wall of stone and veered off, but pieces of the wall came off and tried to envelop the lizard. Like with the tree, the lizard resisted and sucked up the essence of the stone. Similar episodes followed, with the lizard absorbing new essences. The lizard grew to become an entire world with many small creatures and plants. Then an impatient voice said, “Now it is your turn to clean up. You have learned the ritual, so make a wish and get it over with!”

I told Olivia about the dream, first thing. At breakfast, I started to ask Va’lyndra and Leopold if they also had dreamed, but Va’lyndra didn’t want to talk about it in the common dining room, so we agreed to meet in our room after lunch so we could discuss it privately. Olivia saw that I was desperate to find out more about the dream, and gave me a challenge to occupy myself with while I waited, presumably so I wouldn’t start talking about the dream to anyone else.

“How far can you cartwheel without stopping?” Olivia’s voice echoed in my head while I grew dizzier and dizzier, spinning round and round outside the compound wall. When I came back to the gate after my first circle, I was really queasy, so I stopped and leaned my back against a tree. The world kept spinning, and I compensated, only to find myself on the ground, looking up at a concerned gate guard. I assured him I was fine, just dizzy and in need of a little rest.

I was soon back on my feet, ready to try again. I had made it once around the compound, but I had forgotten to think. When I tried again, I twisted around every tenth or so cartwheel, so I alternated between facing the wall and the woods. That worked wonders to prevent the dizziness, and I kept going until I was too tired to go on. I staggered in to Olivia and crashed onto the bed with a disarming smile to alleviate her worries. Then I realized I had forgotten to count the rounds.

I took a bath and helped Olivia with hers, then it was time for lunch. Talking to Va’lyndra and Leopold afterwards, I discovered that they’d had the same dream as me, but they weren’t any wiser than me about the meaning of the dream. They dispersed to their studies, leaving me decidedly unsatisfied.


Thoughts on November 29th

Ilzo came back in the evening, during my performance. I was eager to ask him about the dreams. I was convinced he must have dreamed the same things as Va’lyndra, Leopold and me, but Olivia dragged me off before I could ask. Or rather, she gave me a look that I couldn’t resist.


Thoughts on November 30th

I asked Ilzo at breakfast if he’d dreamed of a flying lizard, which he confirmed. Leopold was more interested in telling us that he had finally deciphered Neriel’s book. Va’lyndra made us all shut up about things we should keep secret, and instead had Ilzo talk about his trip back to Alvheim.

In Leopold’s room after the meal, we could talk about what Leopold had discovered. The Serals planned to take over the world, as we already knew, but Leopold revealed that the Serals had an enemy in the spider people, who I gather live somewhere far to the south or west. The Serals also had some trouble in the Old World, and Alvheim was a thorn in their foot.

We decided we had to get the Serals off balance. If they could deal with each obstacle at their own pace, they would win. Leopold wanted to try a magic ritual, just a small one with only us to power it. He didn’t think we’d throw the entire world into chaos if we just did it small enough.

We brainstormed what we could pray for. Someone suggested turning the Serals chaotic. That would certainly put a spanner in their works, but we didn’t think it would be within the realm of possibilities. The ritual would put us in contact with one of our gods, and we had to ask for something within that god’s power to give. Leopold and Va’lyndra also thought that the favor had to be proportionate to the amount of mana we put into the ritual.

I suggested asking for the Serals’ disguises to fail since the only reason they can operate the way they do is because everyone thinks they are human. Va’lyndra thought this might be doable with the mana we could scrape together, but none of us were sure that we knew a god who could dispel disguises.