Olvan made a skeptical face. “They do what they do. They administer. They make and enforce laws. They squabble about commerce and they occasionally fight with each other. It’s just squabbling, human squabbling. But we were gifted to see something beyond the concerns of man. We were each gifted with a spirit animal. And so we will protect Erdas — all of Erdas — with everything we have.”
Rollan compressed his lips. “I’m not crazy. I don’t want Erdas to become a wasteland.” He considered. “What — what if I’m not ready to join the Greencloaks, but I’m willing to help?”
“May I suggest another option for you?” Olvan said. “We frequently work with Marked individuals who don’t accept our vows. We don’t normally give them access to our weightiest secrets, but these circumstances are extraordinary.”
“Let me sleep on it,” Rollan said.
Conor turned away and closed his eyes. Regardless of who else came along, tomorrow he would venture into the wilderness to chase a legend. Leaning close to his wolf, he whispered, “What have we gotten ourselves into?”
10 DREAM
MEILIN STROLLED ALONG A WOODEN WALKWAY THROUGH A manicured garden, a fragile parasol on her shoulder. She reached a bridge over a brook between two ponds. Below, ornamental carp swam in lazy circles, flashing their red, orange, yellow, and white scales among the purple blossoms of the water lilies.
Trees and shrubbery screened the house from view, but Meilin would have recognized any portion of her grandfather Xao’s garden. She had grown up roaming these pathways, enveloped in the scent of these blossoms.
Up ahead, a panda was coming her way. Meilin scrunched her brow. Besides the fish in the ponds and the birds in the trees, animals had never been part of the garden.
The panda came to her on the bridge and stood up on its hind legs. “You miss Zhong,” the panda said in a rich female voice. Somehow, Meilin wasn’t surprised to hear it speak.
“Why should I miss it?”
The panda offered no reply.
Suddenly Meilin remembered everything. Lenori had taken her away from Zhong. While her father fought a terrible horde, Meilin had run away to the other side of the world — Amaya, the New Lands.
How had she reached this garden? She hadn’t. This was a dream.
Meilin regarded the panda curiously. “Are you Jhi?”
The panda gave a nod. “I am sorry to be a disappointment to you.”
“You’re not . . .” Meilin began, but couldn’t finish. She sighed. “We’re at war. I’d hoped for an animal that could help me fight. I like you, but . . . my home, and my father, are in danger.”
“I want to like you too. Give me a chance and you may find I’m more useful than you suppose.”
“Lenori told me that you were known as a skillful healer. You were called Peacefinder and Healthbringer.”
“Among other things. Meilin, heed my words. You should get inside. This is no kind of weather for a stroll.”
Meilin peered up at the sky. The only clouds were distant, wispy, and white. The sun glared brightly. “It doesn’t look bad.”
“You don’t want to be here,” the panda said.
The warning made her uncertain, and she felt a faint chill. Meilin looked around for danger.
“Close your eyes,” Jhi insisted. “Ignore this illusion. Pay careful attention.”
Meilin closed her eyes. Pay attention to what? A frosty sensation chilled her skin. Yes, now that she noticed, she felt very cold. And wet. She hugged herself, shivering.
Meilin opened her eyes, but the garden was unchanged. The panda stared at her.
“I’m cold,” Meilin said.
“You don’t want to be here,” Jhi repeated.
Meilin turned and ran along the wooden walkway. The day remained pleasant around her, but her skin felt cold and wet. Thumping down the wooden walkway, she followed the turns that would lead to the door in the wall. Maybe if she could escape the garden, she could escape the dream.
The door came into view. Unsettled by the strange chill, Meilin kept watching for danger, but the garden remained tranquil. When she reached the door, she found it locked. She jiggled the handle and leaned her shoulder against it, but the door refused to budge.
Meilin paused. Goose bumps pimpled her arms. This was a dream. What if she imagined herself stronger than the door? Backing up a few steps, she lowered her shoulder and charged.
The impact felt jarringly real. As she stumbled back and fell to the ground, Meilin jolted awake, her eyes opening to a confusing scene. It was dark. Rain poured down on her soaked nightclothes. By the muted moonlight, Meilin could make out that she was on the roof of a tower bordered by battlements. This was Sunset Tower! But what was she doing up here in the middle of the night during a rainstorm?
Freezing and completely drenched, Meilin shakily arose.
Before her stood a sturdy wooden door, slick from the rainfall. She tried the handle. It was locked. Her shoulder still ached from ramming it.
This was the third time she had sleepwalked since summoning Jhi. There had never been a dream associated with the experience, but twice before she had woken up doing odd things in unusual places. This, however, was the strangest by far.
Meilin tried the door again. It held fast. Would anyone hear her if she yelled? If she banged long enough?
Meilin had told Lenori about the sleepwalking. The Amayan had explained that people adapted to new bonds in all sorts of bizarre ways. Vivid nightmares were common. Mood swings. Panic attacks. Even rashes. All sorts of side effects had been observed. Developing a pattern of sleepwalking was not terribly strange.
But this was ridiculous! Her teeth were chattering. She was in real danger from the cold.
Meilin banged on the door and yelled, but her efforts didn’t make much noise. The wind picked up, making her so cold that she whimpered. She stomped in place and flapped her arms, trying to generate warmth.
Then she heard the latch unfasten, and the door opened.
There was no light beyond the door. “Hello?” Meilin called softly, hands balled into fists, hesitant to cross into the deeper darkness. The cold, stinging raindrops continued their assault.
A flash of lightning, the first since she had awoken, briefly illuminated a black-and-white form.
“Jhi?” Meilin asked. Thunder boomed. The doorway was dark again. “Is that you?”
The panda gave no reply. Meilin felt stupid for expecting one.
Meilin stepped out of the rain, closed the door, then knelt down and hugged the panda. Jhi felt warm and perfect. Meilin embraced her for a long time, sinking into her thick fur and enjoying her scent as never before.