In the Dream I found Daisy immediately and we dashed into gleeful nonseh child-like enthusiasm.

  It wasn’t long before Vei’Ryn appeared, leaning against our dream ship’s railing and smiling at me. “Iing adventure. Not quite sure I follow.”

  I adjusted my horned helmet and smirked. “We’re space vikings, we’ve allied with the space pirates and spainjas to fight the great enemy.”

  “And who exactly is the great enemy?”

  “Space East India pany. They have bag from Spagnd but little enough for pusible deniability. We’re going to make them pull that support by causing their profits to plummet. Mostly through stealing and exploding their stuff.” I answered with a grin, Daisy squealing in agreement and raising her ser axe high.

  The Dreamer ughed. “You really are one of mine, aren’t you?”

  “Exploitation of native poputions is an evil that must be opposed.” I said, my tourning serious. “Preferably with ser axes in our case.”

  My Goddess nodded. “A worthy goal, my Saint.” Her eyes looked over the wooden longship with advahrusters stig out of the sides and took a slow breath. “It doesn’t feel real.”

  I almost made a ent about nothing in the dream being real, but I knew what she really meant. Jokes probably wouldn’t hit the same right at that moment. I stepped over and leaned on the railio her. “art? We’re not do, not by a long shot. Trying to vihe Uvtrayl priesthood that they’re only worshiping a memory is going to be a lot harder than what we’ve done so far.”

  “Yeah, but we’re THERE. I wasn’t sure we’d ever make it this far.” She sighed and shook her head. “I was fully prepared to fade away with them. Prepared to accept that the st thing I would see was them fading with me. Not that I believed we’d fail, just…” her voice faded as she stared at the star filled inky bck of space around us.

  “You just couldn’t imagihings going right. Yeah, I uand. Lietri retty much always like that, to be ho. Dani was the opposite though, never expected things to not get better. Sadly it meant she wasn’t prepared when they got worse. I think I lucked out, getting the best of the both of them. Some of the bad too, I won’t pretend to be perfect. But Lietri’s ability to face the messed up shit and e out okay mixed with Dani’s optimism allowio push for an eveer oute? ly a bad bination.”

  “What oute are you pushing for with that Visio?” She asked me without looking away from the starry view.

  “Henna trusts her, that means she’s wiving a ce. Removing the leader of Uvtrayl’s military wouldly go over well, but helping her overe some trauma would. Especially if it means she es out of things openly supp us.”

  “And this isn’t at all because you were upset and just didn’t want to deal with her?” The amusement was clear ione.

  I shrugged. “Look, it was the right call to make regardless of how much I did or didn’t want to punch her.”

  “Do you think it worked?” She finally looked at me.

  I returhe gaze and nodded. “I watched it going on, time really is all weird in the Dream, isn’t it?” I sighed and chuckled. “I get why she made the choices she did. More importantly, now she does too. Being aware of a problem is the first step to solving it. The ball is in her court now, but I’m fident she’ll make better choices from now on.”

  She smiled at me, standing up straight and fag me. “We should discuss the -”

  “Nope.” I interrupted her, crossing my arms.

  “Nope?”

  “Nope. I’m busy on important space viking business with my fellow space viking, Daisy. Saint matters wait, this very serious issue of the Space East India pany’s evils is all I’m fog ht now.” She stared at me, fusion pin on her features. “I’ve had to put off spending time with my friend for days now, while both of us dealt with serious, tiring issues. We’re on break. I’ll be happy to talk tonight and do all the pnning we need but I’ll be damned if I interrupt me and Daisy’s adventures again. We o wait for the leader people to make their deals and sigreaties first anyway. Rushing won’t help any of us.”

  Vei’Ryn ughed, her broad smile and rexing shoulders a sign that she uood. “Okay, fine. But I want to steer the ship.”

  Pying pretend in a dream realm with a god is a very odd thing, but Daisy had a bst and I certainly enjoyed myself so I’m not going to pin. A, adventure, drama, we threw ourselves into the roles and simply fot the world for long enough to feel the weight of the past several days slip from my shoulders. It occurred to me that I didn’t have any memories of simple childish fun from either of my past selves. Maybe that’s why I , I wao know what it was like to py pretend with a friend. I’m sure someone would think this was not proper behavior for a respectable adult, much less a Saint. But as far as I’m ed, just because I’m not a child doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to have fun. Especially when I’m with my best friend in a nd of endless possibilities.

  Daisy clearly also , she didn’t have bags under her eyes or anything, I don’t think Dream beings work like that, but I could tell she was tired. We didn’t talk about it, but I think there were just a lot more nightmares happening overall retly. The war between Uvtrayl and Pitrak was bad enough on its own, but everything I’d heard about the civil war in Sin Otev made it sound absolutely horrifying.

  It sounded like it wasn’t going to st much longer, but ao that war was still pretty likely to simply see the beginning of another as whichever sibling took the throo re-quer their formerly held territories.

  Add a power hungry empress taking trol of what was not the rgest nation in the world and turning her eye to all the nds she wanted and didn’t possess and things just looked terrible. But, Pitrak and Uvtrayl are be, strong nations and Willow Creek covers nearly a quarter of the ti and has millions ready to defend their homes and allies. We would survive this. It would be ugly, but we would survive.

  My nap sted about an hour, my dream adventures with Daisy sted far lohe three I’d sent into the visio had apparently left together right after I dozed off, with Dekarru leaving a message that they would be heading to a cafe to talk. I was hopeful that this meant a bond would form, they seemed to ect fairly well in the Dream after all.

  I checked in on the meeting and things were, as I suspected, still important and b. Though Sellian had a gleam in her eyes as she spoke. Like a fire had been lit inside her by people actually taking her seriously. I was damned happy to see it and lingered just to watch her for a few moments lohan I really needed.

  It was mid afternoon when I left, leaving the others to their duties and deg to just wahe city on my own a bit. I felt a draw towards the Temple District, the only time I’d seen it was when things had bee up fga’s speed I wao know what it was like most of the time.

  Walking through the city alone, I felt a twinge of painful familiarity. This wasn’t New York, it was nothing like New York, but something about it still drew out the sting of Dani’s memories there. I felt the hurt of the loneliness, the grief of losiy, the betrayal of getting dumped by Dani’s-… my ex. My leg started to hurt, drawing me bae, back to who I was now. I sighed as I pulled out the e Henna had given me, I hadn’t used it in a while but I never left it behind and moments like this were why. An ache in a part of my body I had lost months ago. I wondered if the phantom pains would ever stop, I wished I’d looked this up back when I still had access to the i but how would I know it would matter to me personally one day? I guess that’s part of the point isn’t it, we ’t really see the future to know what we o prepare for.

  Not that I’d want to holy. As a the ander of a space station once said, there would be no point in pying the game if you already khe oute. Or something like that. I agreed with the se, knowing would take the magic out of the journey. Also it would imply a level of predestination that would pletely remove my desire to walk the path in the first pce. What’s the point if none of your choices are choices at all?

  I waowards the Temple District, my thoughts on many different things, big and small. I passed through a street with a variety of restaurants and cafes and my mind jumped back to the present as I remembered my uping double date. I had realized I had no idea where we were going. I could have just left the decision up to the local couple, but this was my first date real with my wonderful elemental lover and it wouldn’t do to just coast along with it.

  As I looked at the various eateries I heard a familiar voice call out. “Oy! o see you not dying in the wilds!”

  I turned and saw Oscar striding towards me, wearing a light draping outfit that looked halfway between a toga and a saree, a wide grin on his face. “Oscar. Fancy meeting you here.” I sent him a happy grin. “I too am pleased to not be in pain.” I paused and gnced down at my e. “Well, in serious pain at least.”

  “Anything I help with? I’m still a medic even out of uniform.” The faun’s smile held a hint of worry, the doctor in him bubbling to the surface. Holy it made me like him just a bit more, which was impressive because I already had a damned good impression of him.

  “Just phantom limb nonse’s not bad.” I shrugged. “But enough about me and my annoying ghost leg. How are you?”

  He motioned me over to a cafe with outside seating “Lets sit if we’re gonna talk, I spend enough time on my hooves at work.” I k was for my sake, he just wanted me to have an excuse. A situational barrier to not feel like I was getting special treatment. I happily accepted the social y aook a seat. “As for how I’m doing?” He tinued as he sat ba his chair. “Damned nice. Being part of the unit that got to you all got us all endations, we’re first on the list to get that fanew armor from your donation, and Tulip has beehe moon since she got a ce to examine you.”

  I ughed. “That might be more because I bckmailed her into asking her crush out and it worked.”

  “Oh hells, that’s because of you too? At this rate you’ll be honorary family and I’ll have to remember your birthday.” He chuckled with a broad grin on his furry face. “I have to ge subjects a moment. I hope you don’t find this insulting, but I have to question your fashion choices. I know Path folk don’t usually wear clothes in general, but I hadn’t realized it meant you go overboard when you do.”

  I gnced down at my starry sky robe and a ugh leapt from my throat. “Oh gods, I’d fotten what I was wearing.” I shook my head. “I just had to go to a meeting and dress the part of my station. It wasn’t really my idea and I hope I get something a bit more… me, for ime.”

  “Your station? Wait, I heard you got Fae pranked into a champion, that wasn’t our Fae, was it? I know they’re in town, you have to go to some meeting with them?”

  I snorted, a smirk and a roll of my eyes my first response. “No it was-” I paused and thought for a moment, looking down at my robe and remembering the point of it. I wasn’t really in hiding anymore, right? I sent a small question to Vei’Ryn and got an amused giggle in response. “Actually, that whole story about this being the work of a Fae-Lord wasn’t really true. Just a cover for what actually happened.”

  He raised a brow and his look turned more serious. “The official stance of the Elders and the Oracle of the Green Mother, was a cover story? That seems… ominous.”

  I let a grin spread on my lips as I leaned forward. “The truth is, dear Merryberry, that I am-”

  “YOU! Father, she was one of them!” I heard another voice yell from nearby and though I couldn’t pce it, I felt a wave of supreme annoya it.

  I turo see a familiar looking or stomping towards me, an older and very simir looking or a step behind him. It took me a moment to pce him, but the memory of a boot striking him in the head brought it all back. “Ahh, you. I see you mao make it to aown without beien. How good for you.”

  “Now see here young dy.” The older man spoke as they came within a few paces. “My son has told me all about how you maniputed and lied to turn my brainst him, I’ll not have you insult my household further.”

  I snorted. “Has he now, did he tell you that the Oracle Dekarru was directly involved in this i?”

  “A misuanding of events led to her siding with you, I am certain.” He gred at me.

  “Your idiot son called the oracle of the Green Mother a ‘mule fug beast’.” I stated pinly, and oo quietly. We were gaining an audiend I had zero iion of deesg. If that spoiled brat wao make a fool of himself twice, I’d be happy to assist.

  Said brat pointed a fi me. “She’s the ohat was altered by a Fae-Lord! She used some manner of fae trickery to make it look like I was being disrespectful! I would never speak in such a way, father!”

  The father narrowed his eyes as he looked down his me, literally. “Ah yes, I have heard of you. I don’t know what you did to fool the people of this fiy into accepting you, but I will drag your deception into the light, Miss Dreamsinger.”

  Ahhhh, what a perfect opening. “Saint.”

  “Excuse me?”

  I stood, reag deep into myself and pulling on that same feeling I’d had when speaking with Azuriel in the Dream. I felt my hair raise and sway and my skin tih power. A quice at my hand ahe freckles on it had beore star shaped and were moving as I did.

  I faced the man, his eyes widening as he saw my body do the impossible. “YOU WILL REFER TO ME AS SAINT DREAMSINGER” I let my voice rumble through the street, eyes turowards me for as far as I could see. I could already hear the gasps and murmuring, my dispy of power was doily what I hoped it would. “YOUR BOY MADE AN ASS OF HIMSELF, INSULTING ALING OTHERS FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN TO MAKE HIMSELF FEEL MORE IMPORTANT THAN HE REALLY IS. HE HAS SLIGHTED THE TRIBE OF THE ORACLE DEKARRU NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE. THEN TO ADD TO HIS FOOLISHNESS HE NOW AHE ONLY LIVING SAINT ON THE TI.” My words held enough power that I could hear the gsses and tableware vibrating oable within several meters. I hoped this wasn’t causing much disfort to aoo close.

  The man had the seo tremble in fear and fall to his knees and drag his son down with him. “I did not know, Saint Dreamsinger, I am but an old man draped in ignorance! Please, five my fool son and punish me if you must!”

  I took a breath ahe power slip away. “I don’t believe in corporal punishment as a general rule. I do however believe that a few months doing manual bor on a farm would help him gain some of the empathy and humility he seems to be g. Perhaps ing out stables regurly will grant him more depth of character and keep such mistakes from repeating.”

  “Of course, I will see to it immediately! Thank you for your mercy, Saint Dreamsinger.” He backed away without looking up, dragging his quietly protesting son along with him.

  Ohe rounded a er and were out of sight, I sighed and sat back down. “Gods, what an ass.”

  Oscar stared at me. “How did you do that? I mean, even I’m near vinced, but there hasn’t been a saint in more than two hundred years.”

  I chuckled, noting that several people had started to approach. I sat up straight and spoke loud enough for the people to hear my clearly. “I am Esme Dreamsinger, Saint of Vei’Ryn Tayaloddess of Dreams.”

  “Well fuck me sideways. You’re serious?”

  I nodded. “I am.” I looked around and the crowd was growing thick. “In fact, I was just on my way to the Temple District. Perhaps we should go there, a more appropriate venue for speaking on this matter, yeah?”