Kali long missed the comfort and safety of her own bed. She'd gotten all too familiar with sleeping on the hard ground. Or there were the times she woke in a cold sweat, forgetting the night before that they'd gotten a room in Linlea. She hadn't been well-traveled before her forced adventure.

She was still trying to get used to her own house, and her own bed. It wasn't the first night she kept waking up to nightmares. Kali finally decided that she wouldn't get back to sleep. She rolled onto her side to check on Spike and found him to be wide awake with her.

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I've had trouble sleeping the past few nights."

"Is it nightmares for you too?" she asked. Sometimes they lingered even after she woke up and she would have to go around the house checking every inch to make sure no one else was inside, that the house wasn't on fire and they wouldn't burn up with it. The fire dream was the most improbable, and she had to remind herself that fire couldn't hurt her. It would, however, hurt Spike.

"Dad brought me to the basement again," he said.

Kali nodded and didn't press further. That was the worst nightmare he had. "He's dead. He can't hurt you anymore," she said. One day she hoped it would stick in his mind even in sleep.

Spike sat up and stretched, "I can't get back to sleep. Is it safe to wander out at night?"

"Yes," Kali replied and scooted out of bed. It was dark, but she knew her house like the back of her hand. She went around each room, lighting the sconces with heatless fire until the whole house glowed warmly. Pillows and blankets were piled high in a few spots of the room. There was a window seat looking out onto a dark forest with a sprinkling of lights. Kali went into the kitchen and started a pot of water to boil, lighting the stove with her hands. While that was going on, she grabbed some noodles, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and spices, and made a hot noodle soup.

She brought all of it, tea and soup, into the bedroom and gave Spike his share. They sat upright in bed, drinking steaming tea, slurping noodles, until finally, Kali said, "we could take this into the woods. The sylvans are out tonight and so it should be safe to go for a walk even through the trees." Kali packed up the food and drinks, adding a crusty bread to the basket, and beckoned Spike to follow her into the woods.

A few feet in, the lines of lights were visible in the trees, hovering in place, like they'd been strung up. Kali followed their warm glow along a well-worn path that she'd traveled many times up until she'd been kidnapped. She touched several trees fondly as she passed. They'd grown there for decades, and she'd learned to identify each kind of tree as a kid. Her teacher, Miss Marsh, knew every flower, shrub, and tree in the forest thanks to her sylvan ability, and she taught what lessons the dryads requested of her to all the children of Sylvan Hollow. It was important, when living amidst the sylvans, to learn as much as possible, and to respect it all. The trees didn't talk to Kali like they did to others, but she swore they beckoned her deeper into a familiar clearing where the lights grew brighter, and the sounds of merriment livened up the night.

The singing was low, melodic, and soothing. A dryad band stood up on a small stage among a crowd of sylvans and humans on colorful blankets swaying to the music. Kali set out a blanket and pulled the warm soup out. The grove was sheltered by trees, so no breeze interrupted them as they sipped and listened to the soft twang of string instruments and the gentle trill of woodwinds.

"Is this common?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, Cat and I used to come out here on nights when we couldn't sleep. They're here almost every night. Sometimes I'll bring offerings to give them after the show." Kali dug into the basket and pulled out a bottle of Linlea's saltwater whiskey. When the singing and dancing died down, Kali went up to the stage, pouring each performer a glass of the amber drink.

She sat back down beside Spike.

"Can we just stay here til the sun comes up?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kali yawned. "I think I'm finally tired enough to fall asleep." She curled into him, her head resting on his shoulder. Beneath them, the ground seemed softer and carpeted with a moss Spike was unfamiliar with. It cushioned them as they both slept soundly and safely in the comfort of the Sylvan woods.

Nightmares

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