\n\u201cWhere\u2019s Ghenn?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nMy question drew a blank look from Daoris. The senior governess, she had charge of the younger children fostered to the royal household. She should have known each one.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cTiaghenn Nysteri-avin,\u201d I said.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShe must be with the others,\u201d Daoris said. \u201cIf she isn\u2019t, I\u2019m not going back.\u201d She flitted a look across the courtyard as if expecting the castle to melt. \u201cThe carriages are ready to depart. No one will miss her.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nThis might be true. The island of Nysteri had vanished four years ago. The fostering system was designed for the king to influence the next generation of leaders, and\u2013without an inheritance\u2013Ghenn had no place. Another child might have made herself one, but Ghenn was shy, tangled up in her own thoughts.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe courtyard was a chaos of sound and stench. The young nobles fought their fear by complaining or clinging to dignity.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019ll miss her,\u201d I said. \u201cThough I suppose I\u2019m not anyone.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nDaoris looked flustered. It didn\u2019t help I was two heads taller than she. My clan ran tall and wiry, and urban folk found our pale eyes disconcerting.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry about her, Lira,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to get to the mountain retreat before the city is consumed.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI have plenty of time to find her,\u201d I said. \u201cIt will take the mages a while to complete the barrier.\u201d Assuming it would have any effect on the mysterious storm advancing across the kingdom. No one who entered the storm emerged again, whether royal scouts or villages in its path. It had taken Nysteri years ago, prompting the royal mages to encase the island in a magical dome. They thought they had succeeded \u2026 and then a few months ago, the storm surged across the ocean, crossing miles a day.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI wouldn\u2019t risk it,\u201d Daoris said.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIf I don\u2019t come back, the king can always find another taster.\u201d I strode away before she could make the obvious reply: not one like me.\n<\/p>\n
\nI slipped into the castle halls. I relished the cool scent of the stone as I headed for the rotunda. Nursery, academy and everything in between, it was where young nobles learned to serve their kingdom. For some, it was also a prison. The king gave his vassals no choice. Each child came to the castle and did not return until he decreed.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe rotunda\u2019s heart was a grand marble dome onto which multiple stories opened, lined with balconies. A glass skylight let in the lurking bleak of clouds.\n<\/p>\n
\nI entered Ghenn\u2019s room. Whether the children were from the richest territory or poor farmland, every room was equal at first. The wealthier heirs loaded down every inch with finery. Ghenn had nothing but parchment and ink, but her drawings flooded the space with personality. She sketched the people and places around her, but she also sketched dreams, images that stepped sideways from reality. She laid down more brush strokes than she ever spoke words.\n<\/p>\n
\nI inhaled deeply. The acrid tang of ink, the sweet decay of paper, a trace of lavender. It was comforting; I spent my free time in the library. I could have wrapped myself in books, but no one wanted my mind. They wanted my nose, a sense of smell so keen I could detect poison without putting my tongue to it. It had saved my life a few times.\n<\/p>\n
\nI searched the room. Ghenn\u2019s sketch kit was missing. The garden, perhaps? It was rich with inspiration. The stables? Horses were another popular subject.\n<\/p>\n
\nWith the impenetrable storm shrouding the landscape just beyond the city walls, there was really only one place she could be.\n<\/p>\n
\nI ascended to the top floor of the rotunda. I ducked into the servants\u2019 nook, pulled down the ladder and climbed onto the roof. The handholds notched in the dome were for maintenance. Servants came up to clean the skylight. I moved cautiously, fixing my gaze ahead. I couldn\u2019t make myself forget the drop.\n<\/p>\n
\nHalfway up, I saw a bare foot swinging in the air. A few more notches, and the rest of her came into view, splayed on her stomach with the sketchpad under her chin. She stared towards the storm.\n<\/p>\n
\nGhenn was slight and slender as only a child could be, her hair a straight shield of onyx. Her skin was peppered with freckles, her eyes a few shades darker.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cGhenn!\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nShe twisted up on her elbows, startled. \u201cLira?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe need to be gone,\u201d I said. \u201cThe storm is coming.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nShe shook her head. \u201cI can\u2019t leave yet.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou have a good memory. You can finish your sketch in the carriage.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nGhenn swung upright. Her drawing was not of the storm, but of buildings in the city around the castle, an attempt at a map.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI saw the sparkle of a dream tree in the city. They grew in the groves at home. I miss them.\u201d She would have only been five years old, but she sounded as wistful as an old woman remembering her girlhood. \u201cI\u2019m going to find it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNo, you\u2019re not,\u201d I said.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAre you going to carry me?\u201d This was not a threat. It was a request for information.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat would look ridiculous.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nShe smiled a bit. \u201cYes.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m expecting you to walk. To safety.\u201d I looked behind me. It was a mistake. The ground plummeted out of my visual range. I hated heights. I was really going to hate being in the mountains.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know it\u2019s safe.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe know it\u2019s better than that.\u201d I nodded to the obsidian whorls that formed a quivering, flickering wall on the horizon. It stretched from the ground to far above sight. Dark clouds\u2013normal clouds\u2013drifted into the field and vanished. I smelled the change in the air, rain coming \u2026 and something else, something that snuck past my nose in flashes of color.\n<\/p>\n
\nUntil a week ago, the mages had confidently promised the storm would never breach the city. Those who believed them or had no place to go remained; the more affluent had taken refuge in the country. All the while, the royal court planned their escape. If their magic was not strong enough to cloak an entire city, it would be reserved for the king\u2019s mountain estate.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know that, either.\u201d Ghenn\u2019s eyes lifted to mine. \u201cPlease, Lira. I just want to take a piece of my home with me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nShe had lived here a stranger for years. She had no trace of Nysteri: as a precaution against the calamity that struck the island a month after she arrived at court, the mages had insisted on burning everything she owned. I had only been at court for a few months myself, and I knew a little of her loneliness. We bonded.\n<\/p>\n
\nShe mattered to no one else; Daoris had reminded me of that. It seemed cruel to deny her something she could hold onto.\n<\/p>\n
\nI also remembered the dream trees had been unique to the island. Legend had it their branches captured people\u2019s memories and wishes, fragments flavoring the leaves. If there was a dream tree here and it had retained a trace of Nysteri, might it help the mages unravel the secrets of the storm? I might accomplish something other than passively waiting for poison, which was all that had ever been expected of me.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhere did you see it?\u201d I asked.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn the public gardens. I\u2019ve only been there once, so I was trying to draw a path through the city.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHave you seen it before?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNo. I think it must have reflected off the storm. That\u2019s a long way for something to sparkle.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nI really didn\u2019t want to look down to find the gardens. I forced my eyes to concentrate on the pattern of buildings, the line of streets between. I pulled my attention to Ghenn\u2019s feathery map.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat looks right,\u201d I said. \u201cAnother turn here and here \u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nGhenn dashed down lines where I indicated. \u201cWe have a good map, then. Let\u2019s go.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cSlow down,\u201d I said. \u201cI haven\u2019t agreed yet.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cYou haven\u2019t?\u201d There was mischief in her eyes.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThis is not a game, Ghenn.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe still need to laugh sometimes.\u201d She went still, face as clear as ice. \u201cI understand, Lira.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nMy memory of the route to the garden was hazy; I doubted I would have been able to find it from memory. I studied the makeshift map. The path was straightforward, through neighborhoods that would either be quiet or deserted. The surge of panic and fury when it became clear the mages could not stop the storm had subsided in the past few days. The public garden was also reassuringly far from the churning wall.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe will go,\u201d I said, \u201cbut if we can\u2019t find your dream tree, we head directly for the mountains. Deal?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cDeal.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nShe tucked away her sketching supplies into her bag. We descended the dome to the ladder. I climbed down first, tasting ease as the roof closed over me.\n<\/p>\n \nWe exited the rotunda and headed for the main courtyard. The remaining castle guard were set on watch to make sure angry locals didn\u2019t break down the gates. I wasn\u2019t sure how hard they would try to prevent it: they had been left behind, after all.\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn hesitated in the hall. \u201cWill they let you leave?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nI slowed. \u201cMaybe not, if they recognize me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cYou could dye your hair with my ink,\u201d she said, \u201cbut you wouldn\u2019t stand out so much as a boy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nI was halfway there: I had few curves and always wore trousers. \u201cGood idea.\u201d I ducked into a storeroom, found a sack, and used it for binding. Ink deadened the color of my hair. It felt sticky like blood and smelled worse.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cYou look perfect,\u201d Ghenn said.\n<\/p>\n \nThis was definitely not accurate, but I had no vanity. I strode across the courtyard with Ghenn at my side. \u201cNeed to go down into the city.\u201d I didn\u2019t have to drop my voice much to sound masculine.\n<\/p>\n \nThe guard captain squinted, but I got only the briefest look, and his eyes never lowered to Ghenn. \u201cYou sure?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nNot particularly, I thought. This was as much risk as I had taken since arriving in the city, even though it was measured. \u201cGot business.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cSorry to hear that. Crack the gates!\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nAs soon as we passed, the gates slammed shut. I clamped down on my nerves. The identity I\u2019d hidden would get us back, or Ghenn\u2019s would.\n<\/p>\n \nWe descended the castle mount into the high quarter. The wealthiest homes were eerily silent or in regimented control. Many denizens had already left, and the rest prepared for departure in any direction but west. The winds washed me with a cloying melange of florals.\n<\/p>\n \nSwamped with that aroma, the trace of smoke struck my mind like a knife. I grabbed Ghenn\u2019s shoulder.\n<\/p>\n \nAround the next bend, flames lit up an estate. Their spears and smoke escaped the top floor, heralding a collapse in the roof. Shadows of people flitted inside; their shouts battered my spine. Robbery gone wrong or revolt in the house guard?\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cDon\u2019t look,\u201d I said. \u201cKeep walking.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe high quarter trailed off, giving way to shops. The buildings were locked tight or broken and empty. Wary eyes watched from inside. I smelled the vestiges of trade, fresh carved wood and the perfumes that protected fabric. The silence was worse than screams.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe\u2019re halfway there,\u201d I said.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cSee? I knew we could do it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nI wondered wryly how it had turned into her reassuring me. \u201cWe may not find anything.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cOr we may. That is what dreams are about.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nHer face shone bright enough to make the city less lonely. I was surprised how much it meant to her, the promise of this dream tree. It seemed like such a small thing.\n<\/p>\n \nAnd what if we didn\u2019t find it? What if she had to leave behind everything she knew once again, without a scrap to hold onto?\n<\/p>\n \nI wanted to promise that wouldn\u2019t happen, but it was outside my control. Unlike Ghenn, I was old enough to know I couldn\u2019t will it into existence.\n<\/p>\n \nThe shops bordered a warehouse district. I had planned to detour: unsavory types used them as bases of operation, and surely more so now.\n<\/p>\n \nA handful of people hurried out of the shops. I halted Ghenn and crouched against the wall. Their mood was focused, excited. They chattered among themselves. This was not what I expected.\n<\/p>\n \nI waited until they passed. Ghenn scurried in my wake, flashing a curious look after them.\n<\/p>\n \nTwo streets later, we crossed paths with another group. I halted sharply. Ghenn bumped into me. Like the last group, they were energetic, friendly, and anticipating something.\n<\/p>\n \nA broad man slowed, turning to us. \u201cGoing to the speech?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cOf course,\u201d Ghenn said before I could open my mouth. \u201cWhat speech?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe Renewer,\u201d he said. \u201cShe wants to prepare us for the new city.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cEverything will be better in the new city,\u201d a woman said.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cOpportunity for all.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWhere is this new city?\u201d I asked.\n<\/p>\n \nThey looked at me as if I had sprouted wings. \u201cThis is the new city,\u201d the woman said. \u201cAfter the storm has scared off all but the chosen ones.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nI understood now, and by the way Ghenn gripped my arm, she did as well. She quivered.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThere\u2019s nothing after the storm,\u201d she said. \u201cThere will be no new city.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe group shifted. Eyes narrowed; scowls crinkled their faces. They pulled together, mood darkened.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cUnbelievers are not welcome,\u201d the man said. \u201cMay you be cast to the storm.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn emitted a little cry. I shielded her with my body. \u201cNo one deserves that fate,\u201d I said. \u201cExcept maybe those who wish it on others. Go on your way.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe man snorted. \u201cBetter our path than yours.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nHe turned away. The others followed. If the city was not enveloped by the storm, the royal court would come back to something with its own rules. I had heard rumors of how the king dealt with rebellion. I didn\u2019t want to be in the middle of that. I had never needed to choose sides.\n<\/p>\n \nI pulled Ghenn around for a hug. She burrowed into me. I understood her distress even if she didn\u2019t: if there was a way out of the storm, it meant her parents hadn\u2019t come back for her.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cAre you all right?\u201d I asked.\n<\/p>\n \nShe leaned back, a deep breath fleshing out her frame. \u201cYou aren\u2019t going to get me to turn back that easily.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nI ruffled her hair. \u201cOf course not.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nWe continued along the detour. It added to our walk, but I didn\u2019t want to run into the Renewer and her people. A cold wind stirred my skin, carrying the iron scent of rain.\n<\/p>\n \nThe Lily Gate rose into view. The stone sculpture atop the arch identified the entrance into the public gardens.\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn sprinted towards the gate.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWait,\u201d I said. \u201cWe should go cautiously -\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nI spoke to myself, and even I wasn\u2019t convinced. I rushed after her. She disappeared through the Lily Gate.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cGhenn!\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nBy the time I reached the gate, there was no sign of her.\n<\/p>\n \nMy heart pounded. It drove the tumbling scents of earth and flowers out of my nose. I reasoned with myself. Who would start bloodshed in a garden? The morbid side of my mind pointed out it was an excellent place to bury a body.\n<\/p>\n \nIf I rushed around hunting for Ghenn, we could miss each other a dozen times. I decided to look for the dream tree instead. I knew what it was supposed to look like. If I located it, hopefully she would, as well.\n<\/p>\n \nI let the garden sink into my senses. The public garden had been designed by a royal architect generations ago. Hedges formed boundary lines between terraced flower beds; flowering trees from every corner of the kingdom provided shade. The garden boasted six gazebos. The song of artificial ponds and waterfalls trickled in the back of my mind.\n<\/p>\n \nThe path was lined with lilies of every color, delicate white breaking up the line between firebursts and stars. Their aroma ranged from faint to cloying, the press of clean pillows and sweet morning.\n<\/p>\n \nHematite danced on my tongue. Startled, I huffed out air. I sniffed, but it was gone.\n<\/p>\n \nI wrapped my arms around myself and pushed forward. Still no sign of Ghenn. I reminded myself how large the garden was. Lucky we were searching for a tree, not a flower.\n<\/p>\n \nA chartreuse aroma swept past me. I spun to follow. I couldn\u2019t see the color, but it flooded my nose and told me the direction of the wind.\n<\/p>\n \nThe path ended at a hedge wall. If I hadn\u2019t gone straight for it, I wouldn\u2019t have noticed the gap. I squeezed through into an older part of the garden. Dead leaves cluttered the grass. The skeleton of a broken trellis pulled my gaze upwards.\n<\/p>\n \nI saw only iridescence at first, breaths of opal that formed a hundred delicate silhouettes. As I focused, I realized it was branches. The angular leaves looked heavy even though their veins were the faintest echo of green. Easy to believe its boughs could cradle the most intangible bits of human experience.\n<\/p>\n \nOf course, Ghenn was already there, embracing the trunk. My smile shattered as a noxious odor blinded me. My senses tumbled, muddling together, and when I managed to focus, I stared at the occluding haze of the storm, swirling over the grass. When had it entered the public garden? It seemed to be only a tendril, like fog settled in a valley. The obsidian field ended an armspan from the dream tree.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cGhenn, move away,\u201d I shouted.\n<\/p>\n \nShe blinked as if waking from welcome slumber. She pushed off the trunk and examined the roiling layers of onyx and oak. My terror lurched to a halt when I realized the storm was not moving. Whatever had spawned its numinous finger, it was static.\n<\/p>\n \nShe should have been as scared as I was\u2013more so, because she had lost so much to that storm. But her lips were soft with wonder, and she extended her hand.\n<\/p>\n \nA different fear doused me. \u201cGhenn,\u201d I whispered.\n<\/p>\n \nThe storm smelled like sunset, fading into darkness. The last thing I wanted was to run towards it, but my need to protect her overcame the ice in my limbs. I rushed up, wrapped my arms around her. She gasped in surprise, twisting.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cGhenn.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe repetition of her name calmed her. \u201cHow did it do that? It must want the dream tree.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe have to be cautious,\u201d I said. \u201cWe stay as far away from it as possible.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn nodded, expression reluctant.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cLet\u2019s find seeds and go before -\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe storm quivered, a spasm of illumination. Two figures stepped out. They were human, two dark-haired men in tunic and tattered trousers, and I relaxed even through my shock.\n<\/p>\n \nThen I blinked, and everything changed.\n<\/p>\n \nOne was now female, the other thinner and older, red-haired. Ghenn pressed against my side. I broke my attention to look down at her, and when I lifted my head again, they were children, feral and fanged.\n<\/p>\n \nThey advanced on us. My shoulders hunched, my body hummed with the need to run.\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn pushed away from me, shoulders straight, chin set. \u201cI am Tiaghenn Nysteri-avin,\u201d she said, \u201cand this tree is my birthright.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe pair hesitated. Their lips moved, their voices coming as winds, toneless and formless. As they brushed my skin, I smelled images.\n<\/p>\n \nHer name, outlined in gold. Brighter, fiercer.\n<\/p>\n \nAn infant cradled by her mother. A wall of soldiers defending them.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n \nI started to have a sense of dialogue. They recognized her name; they had orders to protect her. Somehow, they spoke in scent. My nose was keen enough to understand it.\n<\/p>\n \nWinds scattered the soldiers and dashed the infant to the ground. The wind arced around the dream tree, forming a silver shield.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n \nInwardly, I translated. To guard the tree, to protect her \u2026 these things contradicted each other. Anyone else would have had no sense of their dialogue, but I did.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cShe is no threat to the tree,\u201d I said. \u201cYou know who she is, and you know she is right.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nTheir attention shifted to me.\n<\/p>\n \nLightning, wild, spiraling.\n<\/p>\n \nGold spangles.<\/em> Recognition of my words.\n<\/p>\n \nShadow and silence, wreathed in smoke.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI can understand you,\u201d I said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t know what to do, let us speak to someone in charge.\u201d I wasn\u2019t sure I wanted to meet any more of these beings, but if they went to retrieve a supreme, it would give us time to act.\n<\/p>\n \nA joining of hands.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n \nIf I had had any doubt of the meaning of that, the two individuals\u2013an old woman and a burly man in furs\u2013turned swiftly and disappeared into the storm.\n<\/p>\n \nMy breath rushed out. My plan had worked. \u201cGrab some seeds,\u201d I said. \u201cThen we run.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn did not move. \u201cPeople came out of there.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cNot people like anything we understand. Their world is trying to devour ours. We need to go.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe words hit the blank of her eyes and bounced off.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cGhenn. Please.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nFinally, she nodded. She stretched up and snagged a branch. She pulled it down, running fingers between the leaves.\n<\/p>\n \nAcid burned my nose in warning. How could the creatures have moved so fast?\n<\/p>\n \nFour creatures emerged from the storm, their forms changing every time I shifted my attention. They parted before two figures I instantly knew were human. None of my frantic blinking proved otherwise: they remained exactly as they were. The woman was tall and strong with ebony hair, its sculptured wings inverse crescent moons about her pale face. The man towered over her, his eyes sea green. Something about them seemed hazy, as if they were backlit by illumination I could not see.\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn\u2019s breath whirled out in a cry of delight. She bolted to the pair. The man swept her up into his arms and spun her about with a booming laugh. He stopped whirling as he faced the woman. Ghenn vibrated joy, her body bright like dawn.\n<\/p>\n \nThe woman embraced them both and kissed Ghenn\u2019s brow. \u201cI\u2019m so glad you\u2019re safe.\u201d Her eyes swept to me. \u201cWho is this?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThis is my friend Lira,\u201d Ghenn said. \u201cShe\u2019s the only one who stands up for me at court.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cLira,\u201d the man rumbled. \u201cPleasure to meet you. I am Karil Nysteri-ver, and this is my wife, the Lady Fuilyn Nysteri-arl.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI am honored.\u201d My mind gyrated, bumping off thoughts. How was this possible? \u201cAnd happy to see you reunited. Do you live within the storm?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cYou might say that,\u201d Fuilyn said.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI can\u2019t wait to see our home,\u201d Ghenn said.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe left our home a long time ago, dear one.\u201d Fuilyn\u2019s gaze cleaved me in two, bared for her examination. \u201cStay with your father, Ghenn. I need to speak with your friend.\u201d She strode over, the kick of her stride assured.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe thought you were dead, vanished into oblivion,\u201d I said.\n<\/p>\n \nFuilyn regarded the obsidian mist. \u201cDoes that seem like oblivion? On the other side is a realm of dreams, created by intuition and the deepest currents of the mind. My husband and I did not die. We found our true selves.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nWas the storm only a border? My heart lightened. If that were true, they were still alive: those who had attempted to scout and never returned, the mages who had tried to divine its secrets, and those too stubborn to leave their homes\u2013or unable to.\n<\/p>\n \nExcept \u2026 \u201cWhy hasn\u2019t anyone come back?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cHumans cannot cross back over,\u201d Fuilyn said. \u201cBoth my family and Karil\u2019s have dreamblood running through our veins. We have never been truly human.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI think that\u2019s a state of mind,\u201d I murmured.\n<\/p>\n \nAnnoyance flickered in her eyes. \u201cYou are wrong. Though if that were the case, I would choose otherwise. You have taken good care of Ghenn, I see.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nUnnerved by her first statement, I almost missed the second. \u201cThe credit goes to the royal governesses.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI doubt that. I remember my time in the rotunda without fondness. The fostering system only serves beauties and bullies.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nI couldn\u2019t argue with that. \u201cI can understand why you came to rescue her.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nFuilyn inhaled sharply. \u201cWe did not come for her.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIf you assumed she was dead, that makes sense.\u201d I hurried the words out. \u201cThe king has been known to punish children for their parents\u2019 sins.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe did not come here for such a petty matter as a child,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n \nYour child, <\/em>I thought, but the words stuck on the roof of my mouth. I felt like a coward as I swallowed them. \u201cThen why are you here? Why is this here?\u201d I waved to the storm.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe people of the dream realm conquered Nysteri to claim its dream trees, which allowed them\u2013allowed us\u2013to nourish and grow the realm,\u201d Fuilyn said. \u201cKaril and I were afraid, of course we were -\u201d though her tone never wavered, barely inflected \u201c- but when we embraced its wonders, we realized that this world, this bleak and boring world, could become something more.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe conclusion came to me between the words. If the dream trees were connected to the growth of the dream realm, study could also reveal its weakness. The denizens would not want to allow that. It was why the storm had sent forth a tendril to the garden. It was why the dream creatures had emerged to confront us when no one had seen even a hint of life from the storm before.\n<\/p>\n \nI realized, too, that this Renewer who spoke in the city had been correct, though surely not in any way she had ever imagined.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cBesides that,\u201d Fuilyn continued, \u201cdo you understand what a tyrant your king is? I will not be content until his rule is unseated. As to this particular place and time, I came for the tree. It does not belong to you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI don\u2019t need anything from the tree,\u201d I said. If I could take a seed to the royal mages, would I? The coldness of Asteri\u2019s lady made me wary, and she was wrong about the king being a tyrant \u2026 wasn\u2019t she? He could be cruel and heavy-handed, but that was not tyranny. My position had already been decided for me: I was a member of the court, however minor. \u201cNow that Ghenn is reunited with her family \u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThat is what I wished to speak to you about. She will remain with you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nMy thoughts stumbled. \u201cI\u2019m not her family.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe are at war,\u201d Fuilyn said. \u201cThe battlefront is no place for a child. And the conflict will not end soon: your cowardly king will keep finding ways to defend himself.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nIt was valid reasoning, but I couldn\u2019t help the rising sense it was an excuse. I fought my instinct. These were her parents. I glanced over at Karil and Ghenn. He sat cross-legged; she pressed her forehead to his. They whispered in conference, the perfect pair.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWhat about your home on the other side?\u201d I asked.\n<\/p>\n \nHer face retreated into stone. \u201cI hope you\u2019re not picturing Nysteri as it once was. The dream realm is more elaborate and sophisticated, shaped by one\u2019s will. Ghenn is only a child. She would not be able to find her way.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI know your daughter,\u201d I said. \u201cShe is more self-possessed and poised than many adults.\u201d Sometimes, I thought I could include myself in that. \u201cIf it is a question of will, she has it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIt does not matter,\u201d Fuilyn said. \u201cGhenn is too human to adjust without fear and anxiety.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nShe kept changing her objections. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d The words spilled out. \u201cIf you both have dreamblood, and she\u2019s your daughter \u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cYou don\u2019t understand how dream heredity works, or what it is like on the other side. Even grown humans -\u201d her tone morphed into scorn \u201c- have difficulty, which has caused so much clutter in the landscape.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nI had trouble wrapping my mind around it. \u201cHow \u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cPeople would like to think they can create castles with the blink of an eye, but the best most can do are vague rocky bulks. Humans are inferior, but they will eventually adapt to a better world.\u201d Fuilyn sighed to dismiss it. \u201cKaril and I want our daughter to have the best circumstances until she is old enough to take care of herself.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThat\u2019s with you.\u201d Karil drew my eyes again. If he felt differently \u2026\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cMy husband and I are of one mind in this,\u201d Fuilyn said. \u201cThe royal governesses are capable of the basics, I suppose, but a tender girl needs more. Support, guidance and belief. A listening ear and guiding hand. You will be that for Ghenn, with or without the royal court.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe words were dry, lifeless. The dream realm might come from intuition and imagination, but it seemed it did not come from empathy. They were also a command, not a request.\n<\/p>\n \nI could have taken the order without thought. It was how I had lived, simply accepting my place in the royal court, risks of poison and all. But I recognized the importance of what Fuilyn was asking, even if she did not\u2013even if she seemed to take it for granted that she could foist her child off into the hands of another. Could I be those things for Ghenn? I wasn\u2019t sure, but she needed someone to try, and that \u2026 that was something I could promise. I couldn\u2019t handle the thought that no one else would.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI will,\u201d I said.\n<\/p>\n \nShe nodded. \u201cThen your time here is done. You will leave to rejoin your cowardly king.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cAren\u2019t you concerned about what I\u2019m going to say?\u201d The question escaped me before I could stop it.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThis is the last dream tree on this side,\u201d Fuilyn said. \u201cThere are no others you can destroy to hinder us. Tell the king to be ready for war. I know better than to believe he would accept the possibilities of the dream realm. Will you tell him about us?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nWe both knew that would put Ghenn in danger. I shook my head. My eyes flitted up to the tree. If I could grab a branch \u2026\n<\/p>\n \nFuilyn\u2019s fingers encircled my arm, spears of diamond. She guided me over to her husband. Ghenn hopped upright, flashing a luminous smile.\n<\/p>\n \nKaril lumbered to his feet. I pulled out of Fuilyn\u2019s grip and spoke in a whisper. \u201cIf you want your daughter with you, we can figure it out.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nHis eyes swept through me like a blade. \u201cYou know that\u2019s not possible.\u201d His tone was gentler than his wife\u2019s, but without compromise. Ghenn\u2019s head swiveled, eyes curious, but it was clear she couldn\u2019t make out what had been said.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cGive us a moment of privacy,\u201d Fuilyn said.\n<\/p>\n \nI did, stepping aside. If I had entertained thoughts of creeping up on the tree, the flat expressions of the guard creatures dissuaded me. Fuilyn knelt to explain to Ghenn. Her gasp of shock cut through my spine. Her voice lowered, spiraling through denial, dismay \u2026 and finally acceptance. The family embraced.\n<\/p>\n \nNew scents blasted my nose\u2013orders to the guards, the scorch of ash. The barrier swelled, parting to allow the lady of Nysteri and her entourage to pass. It swallowed the tree, writhing with lightning, then went still.\n<\/p>\n \nI thought my heart would break my ribs open. I couldn\u2019t catch my breath.\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn\u2019s hand slipped into mine. \u201cThey promised they\u2019d come back for me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nHer voice calmed my world. I turned to face her, her brightness only a little dimmed \u2026 and I knew I would never tell her. She didn\u2019t need to know her parents had simply ignored her existence, then used every excuse to leave her in my hands.\n<\/p>\n \nI was going to make sure that was the right choice, in spite of them. I knew what side I had chosen in this conflict: hers.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI know they will,\u201d I said. \u201cLet\u2019s go back to the castle.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn stared at the barrier, expression thoughtful. \u201cI\u2019m not afraid of it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI don\u2019t think I am, either, but it\u2019s not our world.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cNot yet.\u201d She tugged my hand and headed for the path.\n<\/p>\n \nWe had descended into the city for a piece of the dream tree and failed to get it. That would have been enough of a disappointment when we started, but now I knew it had bigger implications. I pushed the thought aside. We could deal with that once we rejoined the royal party and reached safety.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI\u2019ve got five seeds,\u201d she said. \u201cWould you like to have one?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nI stumbled to a halt. She held them in her other palm: perfect orbs, otherwise ordinary apart from a faint shimmer of silver.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cHow did you get those?\u201d I asked.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI plucked them while I was with my father,\u201d she said. \u201cHe picked me up, and he\u2019s so tall I was in the lower branches.\u201d If she was more human than her parents, she was also something of the other side. She might, more than the seeds, end up being the key.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI would very much like one,\u201d I said.\n<\/p>\n \nShe placed it in my free hand. I folded my fingers around it, feeling a trace of the future there. Then I tucked it in my pocket.\n<\/p>\n \nGhenn sobered. \u201cWhat happens after the city disappears? When the storm comes up the mountains?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cNo matter what happens, I\u2019ve got you,\u201d I said. \u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cWhere\u2019s Ghenn?\u201d My question drew a blank look from Daoris. The senior governess, she had charge of the younger children fostered to the royal household. She should have known each one. \u201cTiaghenn Nysteri-avin,\u201d I said. \u201cShe must be with the others,\u201d Daoris said. \u201cIf she isn\u2019t, I\u2019m not going back.\u201d She flitted a look across …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105996,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[20084],"class_list":["post-138183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-the-colored-lens-38-winter-2021","entry entry-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/105996"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=138183"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139443,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138183\/revisions\/139443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=138183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=138183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=138183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}