Delighted with how easily it had worked, the princess stood up and was about to walk around the table to push Garrett’s wheelchair, but Ryn beat her to it.

"Good morning," Ryn said with a wide smile as she took hold of the handles of Garrett's wheelchair. "Are you ready for our meeting this morning?" She asked Garrett, who, without missing a beat, nodded.

"Of course," dipping his head to Princess Louise, he excused himself, and Ryn pushed him cheerfully back into the hall, and then into his office. Her smile faded as soon as they had entered the room and she had shut the door, and letting go of Garrett's wheelchair, she left him to push himself to the desk while she flopped down on one of the chairs.

Her gaze was hard, practically pinning Garrett in place as she stared at him.

"Not sure what's going on with you, but I feel like I'm about to get whiplash."

Once again, Garrett was faintly astonished at just how perceptive Ryn was. He could feel, through their shared connection, the concern she felt for him, and knew that she had picked up on the shifts in his emotions over the last week. It must have been something of a shock to see that he had returned to his old self so abruptly. Before she could continue, Garrett lifted his hand.

"I think the discussion we're about to have is very important," he said calmly, "but before that, I need to give Obe an instruction."

"Fine," Ryn said, crossing her arms over her chest, "but don't think you can get out of this."

Smiling faintly, Garrett looked toward the door, and a moment later, Obe opened it up, sticking his head into the office.

"You wanted to see me, boss?"

"Yes. I need you to send a message to Baron Gelavin's estate. Ensure that only the Baron, or Thomas, the Baron's son, reads it."

"Sure thing, boss." Entering the room, Obe glanced at Ryn curiously, and accepted the sealed note that Garrett was holding out.

After he had left, and the door had closed tightly behind him, Garrett turned his attention back to Ryn.

"Now, let's discuss," he said. "As we open up the conversation, however, I think some context is important."

The seriousness of his tone caused Ryn to sit up, pushing her hair out of her eyes. Ever since she had awakened, Garrett had been able to sense her rapid growth. It was as if her soul had been firmly suppressed before, and now was beginning to expand into the size that it should have originally been. As he spoke, his eyes couldn't help but flicker to Ryn's forearm, where he knew a tattoo of a raven rested. Organizing the thoughts in his head, Garrett began to speak quietly.

"As you have no doubt guessed, I'm awakened, and currently in the Shaper stage. My powers do not manifest themselves physically, as you can see, but instead exist in the realm of the mind."

Ryn had long suspected that this was the case, but was surprised to hear Garrett, who never seemed to trust anyone, admitting it. Noticing the shift in her expression, the corner of Garrett's mouth curled up slightly, and he continued.

"In addition to things like communication, illusions, and the ability to interface with mysterious artifacts, I also have access to something known as the Dream."

This piece of information caused Ryn's eyes to widen, and she suddenly pointed her finger at Garrett, pieces falling into place in her mind. "You're the man with the mask."

"I am," Garrett admitted. "I'm the one who created and maintains Dreamer's Rest."

As one of the earliest dreamers, Ryn had long since gained access to Dreamer's Rest, and often passed her nights there, interacting with the other patrons.

"Part of my responsibilities with Dreamer's Rest include defending it from other beings with powers similar to mine," Garrett said, "and the foe we faced, who summoned the army of undead, was one such. Thankfully, he was defeated, but in the process, I ended up getting contaminated by some of his madness. The shifts in my bearing and emotion over the last week have been a result of this."

Ryn listened quietly, her thoughts hidden behind an inscrutable expression. She only spoke once Garrett finally fell silent, and it was to ask a question.

"And the flowers," she asked, "what are those?"

"The flowers are a means for me to extend my energy at a distance," Garrett said. "You might think of it as a spy network. It allows me to pass messages and observe, making it much easier to coordinate the members of the family."

Ryn stared at Garrett silently for a moment before leaning forward, her gaze growing intense.

"It's rather terrifying, you know? To find out that somebody's watching."

Garrett didn't protest, and instead just returned Ryn's stare calmly. Taking a deep breath, the young woman sat back in her chair.

"Okay, so why are you telling me all of this? Knowing you, there has to be a reason."

"Indeed, there is. Out of everyone I know, you're the one who knows me best," Garrett said, "and the most likely to notice changes in me. What is truly terrifying is the fact that I did not notice the change until it was almost complete. And even when I did, it was only blind luck. I need someone to watch my back, as it's inevitable that I will run into the same situation again. The forces we play with in the dream are insidious, beyond belief. So insidious, that I fear I might never spot them until it's too late. I want you to act as my guardian, identifying when I have begun to change or deviate. Just as you have entrusted yourself to me and the Klein family, I wish to entrust myself to you."

By this time, Ryn's eyes had grown wide as saucers, and she stared at Garrett in absolute shock.

"Wow. It must have really been scary for you to ask me something like this. I think this is the first time I've heard you ask anyone for anything. I mean, anything this serious. I don't know what to say."

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For a few minutes, they sat in silence, each occupied with their own thoughts, until Ryn finally nodded.

"Fine. I'll do as you say. I'll keep an eye on you, and if I think you're starting to get weird, I'll let you know. But in return, I want something as well."

Taking a deep breath, Ryn fortified her courage and met Garrett's curious gaze squarely.

"I want you to teach me," she said, "how to do all of this."

"I'm not sure that I can," Garrett replied, his voice even. "Your powers are different than mine."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about," Ryn said, her forehead furrowing. "I don't need your powers. I need to know how to do this."

Seeing her wave her hand in a circle around her head, Garrett blinked.

"Oh, you mean run the Klein family?"

"Yes. I need to know how to run an organization, how to negotiate and strategize, deal with threats, you know, all of that stuff."

"I'd be more than happy to teach you all of that, regardless of whether you accept my request," Garrett said, causing Ryn to smile widely, all of the frustration vanishing from her expression.

"Oh, I know. But all I'm saying is that I want you to actually do it.”

“Does it have something to do with Black Raven?"

Garrett's question made Ryn's smile falter, but a moment later, she appeared to come to some sort of decision and nodded.

"Yes, it has everything to do with Black Raven. You must be a magnet for people who have lost what is rightfully theirs, because just like that princess of yours, there's something of mine that I need to take back."

Rolling up her sleeve to show the Black Raven tattoo, Ryn grimaced.

"I wanted to leave it all behind, to pretend it just didn't exist, but ever since I awakened, I realized that wasn't possible. My soul spark is growing, no matter what I do, and it's even forming into a specific shape."

“Isn't that a good thing?" Garrett asked.

"It would be, if it was complete," Ryn replied, still looking down at the tattoo on her fair skin. "But I can feel it. There's a piece of me missing. A piece of me far away. And until I'm able to get it, it's going to be harder and harder to grow. Eventually, my progress will stall completely. But the good news is, I know where the piece of my soul is hidden, and the requirement for getting it is simple. Take over Black Raven."

"Why do you need to do that?" Garrett asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

"Because I need the leaders of the five wings to be present in order to open the ancestral vault," Ryn said, sounding rather depressed.

"That sounds as good a reason as any," Garrett said. "I'm happy to help you learn whatever you think is going to be helpful. Let's start with teaching you how to run a team. We're coming into a season when we'll have quite a bit of work to do, both in regards to the Ebony Association and Marcus Parrow. So put together a team for yourself. You'll be directly responsible for them and solely in charge of them, and they will follow all of your commands. You can pick from anyone in the family, but they have to be willing to follow you. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great," Ryn said, growing excited. "And in return, I'll make sure to watch you carefully, just in case some weird dream thing tries to mind control you again."

About to correct her choice of words, Garrett stopped and rubbed his forehead.

"I guess that is what happened."

Excited to begin recruiting for her own personal team, Ryn ran off, and Garrett was able to get in a few hours of uninterrupted work before Obe returned and informed him that Baron Gelavin and his son Thomas were expecting their visit just after lunch. After letting the princess know, Garrett continued his work up until lunchtime, and then, after grabbing a quick bite to eat, he had Obe help him into the carriage, and he and the princess, along with Obe and Morris, headed toward the Baron's estate.

To get there, they had to pass over the Lower Bridge, a first for Garrett since he had come to this world. The bridge was a massive affair, made of stone and steel. The river below seemed deceptively still, but Garrett could sense the swift undercurrents that even now carved a channel in the riverbed as the water rushed from the mountains in the north down into the swamp in the south. Apart from a cursory glance from one of the guards, they were able to pass over the bridge without incident, and immediately, the homes and streets began to look nicer.

They were wider and cleaner, and there were fewer people camped out along them. There were almost no stalls, an omnipresent sight in the northern district, and instead, the roads were filled with carriages and well-dressed individuals strolling leisurely this way and that. As nice as the carriage they were riding in looked, Garrett couldn't help but feel it was slightly shabby in comparison to most of the other carriages they saw, and he detected more than a few glances being thrown their way.

It took close to 45 minutes before they arrived at the baron's estate, a modest mansion set in a small park with a few green rolling hills, no doubt artificially made, and a small forest. They had been directed to a building hidden in the trees of the forest overlooking a wide pond, also man-made, and when the carriage pulled up, Thomas appeared on the steps to welcome them. He waved to Garrett as Obe helped him down, and then came down the steps to lend the princess a hand in alighting. He feigned his surprise very well, and kept a light grip on her hand as he bowed deeply to her.

"You must be Princess Eloise," he said. "I find myself beyond embarrassed that I didn't recognize you at the arena. I must have sounded like a complete fool."

Secretly pleased that she had managed to fool him, the princess smiled prettily and took her hand back.

"It's more than okay," she said. "I was traveling incognito."

Garrett found it curious, and had it been a few days earlier, he no doubt would have rolled his eyes. Instead, he just observed them calmly, watching as the two played their game. Though he could see exactly what Thomas was trying to do, the princess wasn't experienced enough to recognize it, and she allowed Thomas to escort her into the building.

There were a set of stairs blocking Garrett's path, but Obe walked up behind him, took the handles of the wheelchair, and lifted him into the air, carrying him up the stairs and depositing him at the top. Inside, the princess was already being introduced to Baron Gelavin, a portly, middle-aged man, with a cheerful, smiling face and red, rosy cheeks. After greeting the princess, he turned his attention to Garrett, who was waiting silently in the doorway.

"Mr. Klein, thank you so much for your help in setting up this meeting, and for providing the princess with accommodation up until this point. Your assistance has been invaluable."

Flashing a smile at Garrett, Baron Gelavin didn't bother giving him time to respond, and instead turned and invited the princess to sit. Though slightly put off by the cursory way that the Baron was treating Garrett, the princess took her seat, Morris standing behind her. As Thomas sat down, he flashed an apologetic smile in Garrett's direction, and then turned his attention back to the princess. The Baron sat down as well, perched on the edge of his chair as if about to spring up, his eyes twinkling brightly as he stared at the princess. Garrett, largely unnoticed, rolled his wheelchair forward, stopping before he intruded into the conversation.

"Princess Eloise, I cannot begin to express my deep sorrow for the loss that you have suffered. And I promise you, we will bring the murderers to justice."

"Thank you for your kind words, Baron, but I was under the impression that they had already been found and executed for treason," the princess replied, smiling calmly.

Unshaken, Baron Gelavin flashed a smile, revealing a set of perfect teeth.

"That's the official word, princess. But I suspect, as do many others, that the cause of this incident runs far deeper. There is a taint in our city, one that must be excised if you are to assume your rightful place on the throne."