Remove it from your dream space!” Annin’s urgent command echoed in the chamber. The chamber grew blurry and Nat found herself in total darkness. She clenched her jaw and thought of the crashing waves barreling against the cliff. A wave bursting with blue light formed in front of her. The Nala tumbled from the crest of the wave onto another wave Nat imagined in her mind. Water poured over Nat as she ran next to the wave, propelling it along until it crashed into the ledge of her dream space. The Nala disappeared the moment it passed over the barrier on the crest of the wave. Her protective lights shot up. Silence replaced the roar of the water. She stumbled from the ledge into the emptiness of her dream space, realizing she was completely alone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sun burst through the window of her room. Nat opened her eyes. The cheerful light did nothing to erase the dark images from her mind. Annin barged in and set a steaming mug on the table.
“Compliments of Ethet. Drink up, we’re leaving shortly.”
Nat sat up, rubbing her eyes. The tea tasted like algae mixed with soy sauce. She forced a few gulps before standing and stumbling toward her clothes hanging from a hook behind the door.
“How much of the Nala’s thoughts and my thoughts did you see in my dream space?” Nat asked warily as she pulled on her boots.
“Enough.” Dark circles hung under Annin’s eyes, and Nat wondered how much sleep she’d had after she’d left Nat’s dream space.
“What about Soris?” Her fingers caught in the leather laces, and she silently hoped Soris hadn’t seen the Nala when it had opened its eyes.
“You’ll need to ask him. He wasn’t too communicative when we broke the connection to your dream space.”
Nat’s heart sank. Annin tossed her a leather bag. She caught it with one hand and swung the straps over her good shoulder. She grabbed her orb and tucked it into the inner pocket of her cloak.
Annin led Nat down the hall to a set of thick wooden doors emblazoned with the emblem of the sun. When she pushed them open, the hallway flooded with light. Even at this early hour, dozens of people, young and old, tended the gardens that grew just beyond the door. The looming fortlike walls cast geometric-shaped shadows over the gardens. Nat followed Annin down a twisting stone path that bisected the rows of plants. A woman with brown plaited hair looked up from a mound of slender-leaved stalks and watched them pass. Annin gave her a curt nod. The woman’s hand holding the harvested stalks formed a perfect tapered tip. Nat quickened her pace.
“Does she make you nervous?” Annin asked, hopping over a stray rake.
“No, just mad.”
“Good, you’ll need that anger where we’re going.”
“Have you ever seen the cavern from my dream before?”
“No. But based on the pinnacles in the sea, we know where it is. Two days’ journey from here will get us to the coast . . . That is, if you don’t slow us down.” She nodded respectfully to a pair of Sisters conversing with a duozi boy whose only Nala feature was the bluish tint of his skin.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Nat said. “My leg is good. Whatever Ethet and Ethes did worked. Soris is kind of slow, though, he couldn’t keep up with me when I was here before.”
Annin laughed.
“What’s so funny?” They passed under an open-air walkway. Stone replaced the wood, and worn carvings covered a section of half walls. Nat ran her fingers over a frieze of flowers. She recognized the flower with the small petals. They were the same ones in the meadow near Benedict’s house and the field where she’d hit her head days before.
“Soris!” Annin beckoned him as he and Ethet emerged from behind a stone pillar. Soris and Ethet joined them. “Nat’s worried you might not be able to keep pace with us.”
“I’ll do my best not to slow you down, Sister,” he said as he adjusted the strap of a satchel over his shoulder. Nat mouthed a sarcastic
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sun burst through the window of her room. Nat opened her eyes. The cheerful light did nothing to erase the dark images from her mind. Annin barged in and set a steaming mug on the table.
“Compliments of Ethet. Drink up, we’re leaving shortly.”
Nat sat up, rubbing her eyes. The tea tasted like algae mixed with soy sauce. She forced a few gulps before standing and stumbling toward her clothes hanging from a hook behind the door.
“How much of the Nala’s thoughts and my thoughts did you see in my dream space?” Nat asked warily as she pulled on her boots.
“Enough.” Dark circles hung under Annin’s eyes, and Nat wondered how much sleep she’d had after she’d left Nat’s dream space.
“What about Soris?” Her fingers caught in the leather laces, and she silently hoped Soris hadn’t seen the Nala when it had opened its eyes.
“You’ll need to ask him. He wasn’t too communicative when we broke the connection to your dream space.”
Nat’s heart sank. Annin tossed her a leather bag. She caught it with one hand and swung the straps over her good shoulder. She grabbed her orb and tucked it into the inner pocket of her cloak.
Annin led Nat down the hall to a set of thick wooden doors emblazoned with the emblem of the sun. When she pushed them open, the hallway flooded with light. Even at this early hour, dozens of people, young and old, tended the gardens that grew just beyond the door. The looming fortlike walls cast geometric-shaped shadows over the gardens. Nat followed Annin down a twisting stone path that bisected the rows of plants. A woman with brown plaited hair looked up from a mound of slender-leaved stalks and watched them pass. Annin gave her a curt nod. The woman’s hand holding the harvested stalks formed a perfect tapered tip. Nat quickened her pace.
“Does she make you nervous?” Annin asked, hopping over a stray rake.
“No, just mad.”
“Good, you’ll need that anger where we’re going.”
“Have you ever seen the cavern from my dream before?”
“No. But based on the pinnacles in the sea, we know where it is. Two days’ journey from here will get us to the coast . . . That is, if you don’t slow us down.” She nodded respectfully to a pair of Sisters conversing with a duozi boy whose only Nala feature was the bluish tint of his skin.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Nat said. “My leg is good. Whatever Ethet and Ethes did worked. Soris is kind of slow, though, he couldn’t keep up with me when I was here before.”
Annin laughed.
“What’s so funny?” They passed under an open-air walkway. Stone replaced the wood, and worn carvings covered a section of half walls. Nat ran her fingers over a frieze of flowers. She recognized the flower with the small petals. They were the same ones in the meadow near Benedict’s house and the field where she’d hit her head days before.
“Soris!” Annin beckoned him as he and Ethet emerged from behind a stone pillar. Soris and Ethet joined them. “Nat’s worried you might not be able to keep pace with us.”
“I’ll do my best not to slow you down, Sister,” he said as he adjusted the strap of a satchel over his shoulder. Nat mouthed a sarcastic
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