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One moment Dream had reappeared in his throne room and Jessamy landed on his shoulder. The next both of them were fighting the irresistible pull of ancient magic. The impact knocked Jessamy out long enough for instinct to take over. As soon as her head stopped spinning she took to the air and fled.
She had expected Dream to follow. Likely after he had punished the mortals who summoned him. Her Lord's ire was a dangerous thing after all.
Jessamy waited for years. Always patient, so certain he'd find her after he satisfied his rage. Eventually she remembered a rare smile and trembling hands, the cold body under her feet. Her Lord did leave for a journey of his own, one he insisted he had to take alone. It must have weakened him somehow.
So Jessamy stayed close to the manor and observed. She watched the myriad of ignorant humans come and go. They were blinded by Burgess' delusions of grandeur, fascinated by powers their narrow minds would never understand.
She recognized their type easily. They were the type to exploit even the kindest souls for nothing but prestige, the mere appearance of power and knowledge. It reminded her of her first life in which there was no comfort except in her dreams. Dreams of freedom. She had been treated like a wild animal, caged next to lions and elephants for the viewing pleasure of the rich white men who sent their soldiers to capture and steal what should never be theirs. She would not wish it upon her worst enemy.
Jessamy would give her life for Dream who had granted her comfort and safety in his realm without hesitation. He even offered her a second life by his side. Free as a bird. She could not abandon him and return to the dreaming. Not even to get help, not when she was unsure if there would be a way to find him again in the waking world.
The Corinthian's appearance gave her hope at first, but his betrayal was all too obvious. Shortly after he left, glass and metal were carried inside and soon the familiar presence in the depth of her mind was gone. So was Dream's presence in everyone and the collective subconscious went unchecked.
She tried to call upon the other Endless, begging them to help their brother. She dug deep into her memories to find the raw despair of trying to survive. She cried out in her desire to help Dream, as there was nothing she wanted more. The twins however did not come. She tried to believe with all her soul that it was her destiny to free her savior, just as Dream had saved her. But Destiny did not appear. She did not call on Destruction for he had vanished centuries ago, nor Delirium for she could not twist her feelings to fit her.
Since the siblings were unsympathetic to her pleas, Jessamy flew all over the British Isles to find the one human she was certain to be alive and possibly willing to help. She looked for months, but there was no trace of Hob Gadling and she dared not look farther and leave Dream behind.
So she returned and observed and waited for an opportunity.
The manor was filled with many riches over the years. Carpets and curtains and books in abundance, numerous books. All things that would easily burn. Armed with a plan and trusting the primal fear all mammals shared, Jessamy took her chance. If the humans would not run, at least the smoke would obstruct their view and hide her advance.
The next time the door was opened, Jessamy rushed through it. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears, blocking out the shouted commands. She dove for the matches and lit one with almost childlike glee. Fire to purge the evil! But she had no time to watch it spread, she made for the cellar as fast as she could.
Men were rushing through the corridors, they hurried past her. They were looking for the source of the smoke, leaving their assigned posts. Jessamy found the path underground and finally she saw him!
Trapped, displayed like a trophy, sealed off from the world, stripped of his power. In her haste she crashed against the glass prison, rousing Dream. She caught his eye and saw the hope sparking in it. Quickly she glanced down at the circle made of symbols of old. She had to break it!
Jessamy looked up again and blinked in disbelief. Dream had tears in his eyes. He mouthed her name. She tried to reach for him, but it was not with wing nor beak. Her shaky hand was stopped by the very prison that mocked them both.
"It is time, Jessamy."
Jessamy turned around, hand still resting on the glass, even as all sensation dulled to nothing. Death- the only Endless everyone met. At the end of a lifetime. "Free him, I beg you." Jessamy sank to her knees and bowed her head in respect. "He does not deserve to suffer like this."
Death crouched down to touch Jessamy's shoulder. "All I could give him is death and it is not his time." Death glanced up into the face of her brother, tears stopped by the ice cold rage that had silenced even Desire before. He would endure. He would have to change.
"Thank you for accompanying him. He loved you dearly." Death smiled at Jessamy and offered a hand. "Come, I'll walk with you."
"Is there nothing I can do?" Jessamy looked Death in the eye, bare as the day she was born, helpless as a babe. "I would give anything."
Death took her hands and gently pulled her up. She studied Jessamy's expression for a long moment.
"You already have."
Death lead her towards the flames that rose higher and higher and higher until all they could see was searing white.
"You already have."