I sighed. Not even a minute in and I was already frustrated enough to throw something. I’d been the stag for nearly a year and still had nothing to show for it. Other than the unconscious regulation of Soren’s power and the connection we had as the stag and Erlking, I was no closer to unlocking any abilities that the stag might have. Bitterness rose in my throat like bile. The more I tried and the more I failed, the more I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing some fundamental part of being … well … whatever I was supposed to be. That this destiny laid out for me might not truly have been my path at all.

Ah, Janneka. Always conflicted.

“Get out of my head,” I muttered under my breath. Diaval raised a fine black eyebrow.

“Still bothering you, is he?” she asked.

“Hence the rough night. Both him and nightmares. I ended up breaking a mirror.” I released the tension between my shoulder blades, head coming to rest against my palms.

“Poor Soren,” Diaval said dryly, before becoming serious once more. “Have you told him yet? About these things?”

I scoffed. “What am I supposed to tell him? He’s got enough to worry about without me seeing the specter of his dead uncle and dreaming of the apocalypse.”

“You two are the stag and Erlking. More important, you’re partners. I may not partake in relationships, but I think that should mean something regarding these types of situations.” Diaval ran a hand through feathery black hair. “What’s more is that obviously whatever you’re experiencing, it has to do with being the stag. It started with the stag, right?”

I shrugged. “I guess so. At least, there was a month in between all the chaos. But I’ve never heard voices or seen figures before now, so I guess it must.”

“But you’re not hearing voices and hallucinating,” Diaval said. “It’s real, what you’re seeing.”

Real. It couldn’t be real. I didn’t think I could possibly stand it if it were real. “It’s not real,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Denial isn’t a very good look on you, you know,” she said. “Tell me, do you really think whatever is going on is simple nightmares and hallucinations? Because I know you don’t. Also, I know the difference between someone who’s losing their mind and someone going through psychical magical visions. I do have some experience in this. And you need support for it besides me. Which is why you need to tell Soren.”

“Soren was right. The longer you keep a secret, the harder it is to tell,” I said.

“Soren kept a secret for over a hundred years. You’ve kept this for a few months, I believe it’ll be easier to break,” Diaval said, a hint of snark in her voice.