One moment, Holden was standing in Lady Biyu's fractured realm. In the next, he was standing in a warm summer glade on a beautiful day. He looked about, wary, until his eyes landed on his wife Esther. This wasn't the wife he left behind, but the woman he would one day marry. She wasn't all that old, not really, but the devastation of their village had taken its toll on her. He'd forgotten how sweet her smile was, and they way her eyes dance with joy. It reminded him of when he brought her home, and how happy he was that they had a future together. Looking down at himself, he found he was as young and hale as her.

  Hugging him, she nestled her face into his shoulder they way she liked to. "What a nice dream."

  Holden hugged her back, enjoying the opportunity to see her again. The moment couldn't last. "I'm dead, you know?"

  "Oh, don't you go reminding me, dear. I only just accepted you weren't coming back. Maybe that's why I'm having a nice dream? A little gift from Lady Dreams to salve my heart?"

  "This isn't a dream. I'm me. The Lady of Secrets and Dreams granted us a rendezvous. I'm… I'm not in the Heavens, though."

  His wife pulled back, her eyes looking over his face in concern. "What? Are you wandering the world, lost? You know you have to go east, don't you? Across the ocean? Um, that…" she said as she twirled in place, looking up at the sky to figure out which way was east.

  Holden shook his head. "No, that's not it, love. I was taken by a demon." As his wife's face twisted in horror, he tried to assuage her. "But she's a nice one! I'm alright. She treats us well!"

  "A nice demon? Can there be such a thing? No, no, she must be tricking you." Her face twisted with suspicion. "Has she seduced you? Don't tell me… have you lain with her?"

  Holden's mind blanked at the idea of the little woman seducing anyone. "I mean, she had a nice face, but… no! Besides, she has a wife and concubine. You think she'd… No," he shook his head, throwing off the cursed thoughts.

  He led her to a stone outcropping to sit with him. Taking her hands, he gave her a consoling smile. "Listen to me, she's the one who asked Lady Dreams to let us meet. Not just us, either. A whole bunch of people." Holden told her what he knew about the fight with the divine demon.

  "Oh," Esther said, uncertainty written all over her face. "I see. So, we won't meet again in the Heavens?"

  He felt his good mood slip away. "No, I won't. But, like I said, things aren't too bad for me. I'm tutoring a young woman in ritual magic. Well, not tutoring so much as assisting her to learning?"

  "What young woman?"

  "My master, Lady Biyu, has a daughter. A really smart girl. Smarter than me at least. We already figured out that a few of the things I was taught are wrong. Another month and she'll be better than I ever was. It's a little embarrassing, but…" he looked at Esther, trying to decide if he really wanted to tell her this. "I'm her pet rat, basically."

  His wife's eyebrows shot up, and she hid her smile behind her hand. "I'd like to see that." The smile faded. "Doesn't that mean you're still alive?"

  Holden sighed as he tried to think of a way to explain. His eyes took in the sun, and for a moment the silhouette of a woman peeked back at him from it.

  "I'm dead. Lady Biyu gave me a body, so I could work for her. Help teach her child. It's not a gift, and she can't give me my life back. I guess the way to say it is that it's my afterlife. Not the Heavens, and not the Hells. Just an afterlife of service until I've redeemed myself. Who knows what comes after that?"

  "So, we won't be in the Heavens together?" his wife asked again.

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  "No, I won't. I love you, Esther. A part of me wants to ask you to join me. You wouldn't have to let her kill you! I don't think she'd do it even if I asked. You can just… dedicate yourself to her. Claim her as your patron. Except… you have the rest of your life ahead of you. Death is the end of marriage. You aren't my wife anymore.

  "I'm glad I get to see you one more time. That I get to tell you one last time 'I love you, and I'll miss you'. You made me very happy, Esther. I'm sorry I let you down."

  Esther forgave him. They hugged and kissed him, and enjoyed the remaining time Lady Dreams had granted them.

  Holden was returned to Lady Biyu's ruined Heaven. He wasn't gonna call this place a Hell, not after his Master petitioned for them to receive that boon.

  Allie stood in her bedroom. Not the one she lived in now, but the one from her childhood. From before her parents' death. She was dressed in one of her favorite childhood outfits. It was light and comfortable tunic, perfect for a warm summer day. She looked at herself in a mirror, and was thankful she was still her proper age. Allie stared into the mirror, nostalgia taking her a moment as she took in her surroundings.

  Deciding to explore, she left her room. Her brother was standing on the veranda, dressed in his old belted tunic and hose. Bert was also his proper age, which felt weird to her. He gave her a perplexed expression, wary where she was nostalgic. "A dream?" he guessed.

  "Yeah," said Allie. She frowned. "Wait, you know this is a dream? Are we sharing one?"

  "Guess so. Issit Lady Biyu, trying to talk to us?"

  "She never saw our old home. If we're dreaming about this place…" She felt a thrill in her stomach. Running, she searched the memory of her home frantically. Bert followed after her, demanding she tell him what had her so panicked. When she found it in the gardens of the southern courtyard, he stood there stunned.

  "Mom, dad," breathed Bert. Shaking himself, he ran to hug them.

  Allie couldn't believe it. Meeting the dead in dreams was a common element in plays. Maybe that was because it was one of those things that actually happened? She looked up to the sky, and murmured her thanks to the Lady of Secrets and Dreams. Tears in her eyes, she joined Bert in hugging their parents.

  In the safety of the realm of dreams they told their parents about their lives after they died. Their time in the orphanage, and on the streets when the orphanages wanted to send them to a farm. They talked about Lady Biyu, and how she was caring for them now. When they reached the attack by the demons, their parents listened grimly. Finally, they talked about the last time they saw Lady Biyu, barely alive surrounded by fretful healers who admitted they weren't sure they could save her.

  Once they had finished their story, they broached the topic they dreaded to bring up.

  "Lady Biyu adopted us. So I guess she's our… uh, our father?" Allie looked to Bert for his opinion.

  "If anyone's the 'mother', it's Miss Iris," Bert said.

  "So, you have a new mother?" asked their mother. She smiled, but they could see the hurt underneath.

  "No! I meant she's the most mother-like," Bert said.

  "I know, Bertie. I'm just feeling a bit maudlin that I won't get to see you finish growing up." His mother gave Bert another hug, while his father patted his shoulder.

  "They treat you well?" their father asked Allie.

  "Yes. Miss Iris hired a Wizard to tutor me…"

  "Found something you want to do?"

  Allie couldn't meet their eyes. "I always wanted to be a Wizard."

  "Thought so," said their mother, leaning in to poke their father.

  "If you'd asked, we would have sent you along to a College. I'm sure we could find one that would have suited you. The gods know we could have afforded."

  "Who would keep the business open?"

  "Charles was a good boy. We could have adopted him to take over. He loved the business, and he knew it well enough."

  "But…"

  "Allie, the only thing either of us wanted was for you two to have a good life. If you wanted to be a Baron's wife, we… actually, we were approached with a good match. We vetted him through the Treasure Hunters and Viscount Lonelyknoll. You might've been happy with him. Imagine, a Baron's wife. You'd never want again, as long as the man was competent."

  "Oh… but, I always wanted to be a Wizard. Or a ritualist. It always looked so interesting. I mean, it's silly, isn't it? Becoming a Wizard because it looks interesting, and not because of the power and prestige?"

  "I became a merchant because I wanted to travel," her father admitted.

  "And that spirit of adventure is why I married him."

  "But, you become successful and have children, and sometimes your dreams change," her father finished.

  "So, are you going to call Miss Iris Mom?" their mother asked.

  Bert shook his head. "No! Maybe ma and pa, but you're mom and dad."

  Allie nodded her head, while imagining calling Lady Biyu pa.

  "You're happy, Bertie?" their father asked him.

  "Yeah. May was training me in swordsmanship. She's petty good. Got injured, though, so I've been training with Lady Biyu's soldiers."

  The continued talking, saying the things that never seemed that important when you could say them any time. Time came for the dream to end, and they said their goodbyes.

  Allie woke up feeling refreshed, ready to face a new day.