“I’m going to investigate the library.” Jiit said, after a short rest.

  “I’ll join you,” Kilek said, he picked up two of the hall passes Professor Xuliaga had brought.

  “Try not to draw too much attention to us,” Thunder said. “I get the feeling the headmaster wouldn't be happy if they found out we were using one of the dorms.”

  “Then we have Kilek tell another story.” Mayhem chuckled.

  “Perhaps we’ll get an encore of the whale story.” Thunder said before the two women laughed together.

  “You laugh, but it works.” Kilek said with a wink.

  “We shouldn’t be too long, I hope.” Jiit said. He and Kilek left the room and headed down toward the library. Their passes hanging on their neck.

  “You are a scholar, I imagine?” Kilek asked. Jiit shrugged.

  “Not in the way the students are. But I’ve been around, seen a lot.” Jiit said, then looked at Kilek. “Much like you.”

  “You must have some kind of hypothesis.” Kilek said. “I don’t want to ruin it, but I shared a watch or two with him and I might have trivia you don’t.”

  “I don’t have any ideas,” Jiit sighed. “I know there’s something. A rumor, or hearsay. I’m hoping the library will give me clarity.” The hall ended into a stairway that the two traveled down. Students walked along the halls quietly with no heed to the pair.

  “Have you ever heard of the Astral plane?” Kilek asked.

  “I have, it was the first thought I had when I saw the moons.” Jiit said, “Yours too?”

  “Not when I saw the moons, but when we shared a watch he asked me about a place with two moons.” Kilek said. “It might be that he’s been having these dreams for a while and only now is someone else able to see it.”

  “Pure chance that anyone would.” Jiit agreed. “But a place with two moons? I don’t think they were moons.”

  “Eyes?”

  “Yes.” Jiit said and opened the door to the library. “Are there dragons in the astral plane?”

  “How d’ya figure?” Kilek asked, looking at the map layout of the library.

  “He said his spirit animal was a dragon. That has to be something.” Jiit said.

  “Wishful thinking?” Kilek said and pointed in a direction.

  “I mean, that certainly could be part of it.” Jiit agreed, looking at the spines of the books they passed. “But we're already going off so little, we might as well consider all angles until proven otherwise.”

  “Don't cloud the waters, you won't see the bottom.” Kilek said. They started in the planar sections, researching for an hour for everything that was known about the astral plane but the nature of the plane was so unknown and contradictory that finding anything of use seemed impossible. They moved to history but the astral plane seemed to have no known history at all. So they moved further on to their last idea, the massive religious section. It took some asking around but they found a few books on the beliefs in and out of the astral plane.

  “Kilek.” Jiit said, after hours of searching. Kilek looked up and moved his small reading glasses with a raised brow. Jiit turned his book to show him the picture. It was a recreation of a famous painting called Dreaming of Gods. It was several of the holy figures associated with the astral plane. Hovering in the inky sky was a pair of eyes that resembled moons. And the outline of a feathered dragon.

  “I'll be damned.” Kilek said. “There is an astral dragon.”

  “It's one of the gods of the plane.” Jiit said. Taking his book back to read more. “There was some sort of war with the dragon gods and these particular ones escaped to the astral plane and thrive there as gods of dreams.”

  “And one must have taken a shine to Shaynen.” Kilek said. He sighed in relief. “Good to know he's just having a normal religious experience.”

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  “Unless the cult is worshipping it and it's going to bring death and destruction and we're delivering the key piece right to it.” Jiit said, continuing to read. “Banishment from the material plane is exactly the kinda thing that breeds spite and discontent.”

  “Perhaps, but then why remove the demon trying to possess him?” Kilek said. “It said ‘now you've seen me’... Could it have been trying to reach him?”

  “Yeah. That's how possession works.” Jiit said dryly.

  “No, I mean. The boy was clearly a child when the dragon came to him and then he went to the monastery.” Kilek said. “That's why his vision was murky. Is it possible that the dragon was there first?”

  “Maybe.” Jiit said, narrowing his eyes. “Do you think we could borrow this book?”

  “Probably not,” Kilek said. He took the book and shared a look around before sliding it into his shell. “But that's all right, we can just put them back.” He gave Jiit a wink. Jiit stared at him, barely containing his judgement and horror.

  “What if it’s enchanted?” He whispered. Watching every other person in the library with new suspicion.

  “So’s my shell, specifically for small things that are enchanted.” Kilek said. He got up and started picking up his books to put on the return cart.

  “I beg your pardon?” Jiit hissed. “Your shell has a dispel charm on it?”

  “A low level one, doesn't stand a chance against strong enchantments but little ones like a library book, it’ll serve. It's actually a funny story-”

  “Save it, I don't want to hear a story.” Jiit snapped. He put his books on the return cart and hurried out of the library with Kilek strolling behind him.

  Shaynen began waking up as the pair returned from the library.

  “Good news!” Kilek announced, pulling out the smuggled book.

  “My head is killing me, can you talk quieter?” Shaynen asked, burying his face in the pillow.

  “Well, I have something that might make you feel better, my lad.” Kilek said, though much quieter this time. He sat down on the bed and flipped open the page with the painting. “What do you see?”

  “A book? With a painting in it?” Shaynen mumbled, looking at the book.

  “Top of the painting.” Kilek directed. “Is it familiar?” Shaynen sat up and looked hard at the painting.

  “It’s hard to see, but I don't remember anything in particular. Why?” Shaynen asked as he handed back the book.

  “We think the eyes in the sky might have belonged to a race of dragons that live in the astral plane.” Jiit said. Still ashamed of Kilek's thievery.

  “What?” Thunder asked.

  “Are you being serious?” Mayhem asked. Kilek turned the painting to them.

  “Look for yourself, it's right there at the top of the painting.” He said. The women looked at the painting in surprise.

  “Damn, looks like your spirit guide was a dragon after all!” Mayhem said. Shaynen stared off into nothing as the information sank in. Then he began to laugh. Little giggles turned to chuckles to loud laughter.

  “I think I missed the joke.” Thunder said. Shaynen shook his head and covered his face.

  “Sorry, I. It's just really funny.” He said. “At the monastery I said that I had a dragon for a spirit guide and no one believed me. They all said I was over imaginative and trying to one up everyone else.”

  “Kids can be like that.” Mayhem said. “Hell, I'd probably be one of the kids who bullied you.”

  “I didn't get bullied. I was top of the self defense class.” Shaynen said offhandedly. “And it wasn't the kids who were saying it, it was the teachers.”

  “Really?” Kilek said, looking at Jiit with snugness. “Please tell us more.”

  “Uh… not much to tell.” Shaynen said. “The teachers used to say that I would tell anyone who would listen that I saw a dragon and even that I was taken in by a dragon in the forest. Master Ayre said I came up with a story that sounded good after the trauma of losing my family.”

  “Did they?” Kilek said. Scooting closer. “Would you say they tried to… persuade you that it was all a dream?”

  “It was.” Shaynen said. “I mean. I thought it was. Cause, you know, who gets picked up by a dragon?”

  “You, apparently.” Jiit said. He leaned on the door and scrutinized Shaynen. “You had dreams of a dragon, and when you came to the monastery, they stopped?”

  “No, I always had those dreams.” Shaynen said. “I never remembered them after my meditation sessions with Master Ayre but, dreams are weird.”

  “Called it!” Mayhem said, throwing her hands up into the air. “you got brainwashed to forget!”

  “Why?” Shaynen laughed. “Isn't it easier to believe that it's a rare occurrence that no one believed until it had some tangible proof?”

  “A recurring dream in a place called the temple of dreams, isn’t believed?” Jiit asked. Shaynen tried to say something but found he had nothing to say.

  “If I was the guy in charge of a temple all about spirit guides and dreams, and this kid shows up with a dragon for a guide I’d be over the moon.” Kilek said. “That kid would never leave my sight. He’d be the golden child of the school.”

  “Which is why you don’t run a school.” Thunder said. “Favoritism is frowned upon.” There came a knock at their dorm’s door. Jiit stood up straight and answered it.

  “Professor,” He said to Xuliaga on the other side of the door.

  “It’s time for dinner, I’m inviting you as my guests.” The professor said, “Would you like to join us?”

  “That’d be wonderful!” Kilek said, “let’s get a proper meal in us.”