Stuck

James was stuck in his dream world unable to wake.  Nearly a week had passed in which he and Amara waited to see if anyone from the village of Nether came back after their unusual disappearance.  All the while James felt Amara knew more than she was saying.

He recalled the events she had shared of the day he arrived, which was also the same day of the disappearances.  Amara had been in the next village, the Further, trading the spells her family has been making for generations.

The  Asha's had been Master Spellmakers for the last five hundred years, proficient in all six essential elements, one or some of which were required for the basis of every known spell.  These elements were:

• Terranium
• Aerium
• Aquadum
• Incendium
• Malum
• Castimonium

Or roughly Land, Air, Water, Fire, Evil, and Purity.

James had learned this from Amara's grandmother, Maryn Asha, the most powerful Spellmaker Nether had seen in 250 years and the current Matriarch.  

Amara was in Further trading for ingredients, and goods that were unavailable in Nether.  She did this every first moon lunar cycle.  The other moons were less reliable. 

During this visit to Further, the entire town was discussing the latest news from the North.  The Rulers of the dreamworld were based in the Northern City of Abra.  Unrest and an abuse of power were common there as two governing factions tried their best to bring balance to the rule of the Dreamworld.  Nether and Further were so far away from the Northern Villages that it hardly ever seemed to touch the lives of the people here.  And in the village of Nether, Maryn Asha led a committee of Matriarchs who upheld the law.

Amara explained to James that this visit to Further felt different.  There was a sharp edge of fear to the Furtherling's descriptions of a new comer to the city of Abra who was trying to unite the government.  The new comer was said to be firmly immersed in an ancient form of magic called Creperum, of which little was known.  The new comer was said to have strange ideas that would radically change Dreamworld and not necessarily for the better. Similar things had happened before and the two governing factions usually put a stop to it.  This time, however and against all odds, the new comer seemed to have obtained support from both sides.

Amara had planned to tell her grandmother and the rest of the village matriarchs what she'd learned about the newcomer but when she had completed her three day journey back from Further the streets of Nether were deserted and the houses empty.  Nothing appeared to have been taken, there were no signs of struggle.  It was as if in an instant the residents of Nether ceased to exist.

James didn't understand what was happening.  Amara busied herself in her grandmother's books, searching for answers, and together they grew increasingly frustrated at the lack of information available.  When James asked what she was hoping to learn from Maryn Asha's books, Amara merely shook her head.

"I don't know enough James.  Anything that I tell you would be conjecture and speculation. It will only add to our worry and I need us both to focus on the task at hand."

Amara had been pouring over the histories and spell books of her family with very few breaks.  For five days she used spells to stay awake.  These would take their toll the longer she went without sleep.

James found it difficult to sleep but for different reasons.  He was worried about his inability to return to reality and when he managed to fall asleep in Nether, he thought he could hear his mother pleading for him to wake up.  This resulted in an avoidance of sleep and James busied himself with scrounging around for clues that might explain what was happening and the disappearance.  

When nothing could be found to enlighten him, he searched instead for bread, cheese, eggs and milk.   Mentally noting what he took from whom so he could make reparations if anyone from the village reappeared.  Amara refused most of the food until her belly rumbles became louder than James' insistence she eat something.

Finally on the sixth day Amara seemed to come to some conclusion.

"We have to return to Further.  It's been a week.  Maryn Asha, and mother would not have left it this long to contact me.  I'm afraid they're in danger."

And so the two agreed to make their way to Further the following morning.  Amara slept through the sixth day entirely.  The sleeping spell finally taking what was owed.