At first I didn’t see anything other than a forest. Then I realized that there were houses everywhere, grown into the trees. Not houses in the trees, but trees that were the houses. Trunks melded together and branches twisted around and connected to form walls with irregular-shaped holes for doors and windows. Tightly woven vines formed the roofs of the homes and the ladders to get to levels that were higher in the trees.

  I was speechless. My heart swelled with an overwhelming feeling of happiness and peace. The wind gently stirred the leaves on the colossal trees and filled me with contentment.

  People began to emerge from the tree houses. They approached us slowly. Many of them made gestures of respect.

  Some of them looked like Robert, warriors with broad shoulders, powerful arms, and dark red hair that looked almost purple. Most of these were dressed in bright colors – blues, reds, and yellows – and had large weapons, mostly axes and broadswords, strapped to their waists.

  Others were tall and lean with smooth pale skin and hair so blonde it looked white, and their dark, inky eyes looked almost out of place. They were wearing colors that would allow them to blend with the trees. Their skin was covered with tattooed leaves and webs in browns and blacks and greens. Their weapons were more refined, consisting mostly of bows and arrows and slender swords.

  As I looked around wondering what to do, a woman approached us, and I was shocked to see another Emilia, identical to the one standing with us. Both of them laughed at the looks on our faces, then the one who had been with us winked out of existence.

  “Come,” the remaining Emilia said, beckoning to us. We dismounted and followed her through the group of people. I noticed many of them staring at me. Several made the sign of respect to me. I remembered Robert doing the same and Emilia’s reaction, and began to wonder why the people were so interested in me.

  We reached an ancient tree with one of its branches curved down to the ground. As Emilia started up the branch, I noticed stair-like bumps growing out of it. At the top of the stairway there was an opening in the trunk of the tree.

  I stepped through it into a room that looked almost identical to Emilia’s cabin in the mountains. The ceiling was covered in leaves and light poured in several windows that were naturally formed by spaces in between branches and vines.

  “Sit and eat,” Emilia said, smiling. “I had a bigger table brought in.”

  As I munched on the now-familiar fare of bread and cheese, I felt my energy slowly returning.

  “This place is wonderful,” I said to Robert.

  Keegan nodded. “How was it made?”

  Robert tilted his head towards Emilia.

  “You made this house?” I asked her.

  “This whole village,” Robert replied.

  “How?” I asked, amazed.

  “Over hundreds of years,” Emilia explained.

  “It’s beautiful,” Keegan said, adding after a few moments, “Not that I’m complaining, but why did we come here?”

  “Several reasons,” explained Emilia. “For one, you need the rest, and it is too dangerous to stay in the open. For another, we need to plan and discuss our next move. I just got word that Cyrus is already marching his troops south. That makes it difficult to know where Soren is. Cyrus may have left him in Berul, but he has traveled with him in the past.”

  “But Cyrus’ll not want to lose him again,” Robert interjected, “and it’d be much safer for him to keep Soren in Berul. But if he’s expectin’ a rescue attempt, he could have Soren hidden anywhere.”

  “So, how do we figure out where he is?” asked Keegan, breaking into their discussion.

  “I will find him,” Emilia said. “It may take some time, however.”

  “There’s an easier way,” Robert said pointedly, but Emilia shook her head, again with a look of warning in her eyes.

  “What?” demanded Keegan. He looked back and forth between Emilia and Robert, but neither of them spoke.

  “He wants to let the Changelings find us,” Donavan said slowly. “Correct?” he asked Emilia.

  Keegan shoved back from the table. “No way!” he shouted, getting to his feet. He moved behind me and gripped my shoulders. “I will take us out of here, right now!” He turned to Emilia. “I will not let us get Tethered here!”

  “Peace, Keegan!” said Emilia. “I will find him.”

  Robert muttered something, too quietly for any of us to hear him.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “What?” Keegan shouted at him. “Let yourself get captured if you want to find Soren so much.”

  Robert stood and spoke slowly, as if addressing a child, “I wouldn’t be taken to where Soren is. I’d be executed as an example. Cyrus won’t kill a Dreamer. He’ll send him to Marilain. And Marilain’ll be where Soren is.”

  “Yeah, and then she’ll Tether us here,” said Keegan angrily.

  “You could leave the dream before that would happen, Shifter,” said Robert.

  Keegan turned to Emilia, “First of all, why does this man know so much about what I can do? And second, no way. It is too dangerous.”

  “Robert is the leader of all of the rebel groups in Wendellia,” Emilia said quietly. “It is due to his efforts that Cyrus has not taken over all of this world. He cares about this world, more than you can know.” She paused. “You can know, actually,” she continued. “It has been too many years since there has been a Trader among us. Maria, show Keegan.”

  I looked up at Keegan, still standing behind me. He glared stonily out a window. I hesitated and sent him my unsure feeling, asking him if he was okay with me playing with emotions. I got back frustration, but after he felt my question, he shrugged, and I knew that he was willing to know what Robert was feeling.

  “Show him why you don’t want to do it,” I whispered up at him. He looked down at me, and his eyes softened. I could feel his desire to protect me mixed with a desperation to do this one thing right growing in him, stronger and stronger, until I was shocked that everyone else could not feel it.

  I turned to Robert and was surprised that his feelings were almost as strong, but his were more complex. The strongest feeling was deep and steady, tied to the mountains and trees and rivers of his land. But there was also personal love involved, and I realized that he must have a family that he wanted to protect, just as much as Keegan wanted to protect me.

  The only other time I had attempted it, I hadn’t been very successful at switching emotions between two other people. I was determined to do a better job this time. I pulled the emotions out of them slowly, careful to keep them outside of myself. Keegan was used to this, but Robert’s eyes grew wide as I sent Keegan’s emotions crashing into him. I pushed Robert’s into Keegan at the same time.

  Both of them eyed each other with new understanding.

  Robert looked thoughtful. “It’s a powerful gift you have, Trader,” he said, addressing me, once again touching his fingers to his forehead.

  I looked to Emilia, unsure of what to do. She bent her head, ever so slightly. I followed her example, inclining my head towards Robert.

  Keegan stepped towards Robert. “I will do what I can to help save Wendellia,” he said, extending his hand towards him, “as long as she stays safe.”

  Robert grasped Keegan’s wrist. Keegan hesitated only a moment, before grasping Robert’s.

  “And I’ll do what I can to protect the Trader,” Robert replied. “She’s important to us all.”

  “Robert,” said Emilia softly, a warning in her voice.

  “What is it?” I asked quietly. “What’s going on?”

  “What is important now is to rescue Soren,” Emilia said, dismissing my question.

  I wanted to argue with her, but I knew it would be fruitless. Both Keegan and Robert took their seats again.

  Donavan, who had been quiet through the previous exchange, spoke up, “Could we not allow Cyrus to capture Emilia? Then she could disappear and tell us where they were.”

  We all turned to Emilia who shook her head. “Cyrus knows me. He would make sure that it was the real me before taking me to Soren.” She reached out and grasped my hand and Keegan’s. “As I said, I will find him.”

  “You also said that it could take you some time to do that,” Keegan reminded her.

  “Yes, but that will give you time to complete your journey into Severak. Cyrus would not move Soren beyond Severak’s borders except to keep Soren within his camp. And Cyrus has not yet left Severak.”

  “I will be able to take them there in only a few days,” said Donavan.

  “No, it will be too dangerous,” replied Emilia. “Severak is too populated. You could stop right in the middle of a group of people. Or near a Changeling. You will stay here with Robert to help the Rebels.”

  “No, Emilia,” Donavan said. “I will be going with Keegan and Maria.” His voice was not raised, but had a finality to it that was so firm that Emilia nodded without arguing after staring at him for a few seconds.

  “Very well. We will have to travel on horseback from here,” she said. “If you insist on accompanying us, Donavan, I want you ready to Travel with Soren as soon as you get to him. You’ll be able to go further if you are not exhausted from Traveling with Keegan and Maria,” Emilia explained. “And if you take only him with you,” she added.

  “And what are we supposed to do?” demanded Keegan. “Hang out with Cyrus until we wake up?”

  “You can Shift out,” Emilia calmly replied. “You will have fulfilled your promise to Soren, and to Cyntia.”

  “Oh. Right,” said Keegan.

  “But, Emilia,” Robert began.

  “Enough, Robert,” Emilia said. “Their vow will be fulfilled.”

  Keegan gave a quick nod. “Okay, then,” he said.

  We spent the rest of the night plotting our course through the rest of Itharan and Severak. We would make our way towards Berul until we knew for sure that Soren was somewhere else. Both Robert and Emilia had information about where there were Changelings and what areas would be safe to travel through.

  “Of course, the Changelings will always be able to track your abilities if you get too near to them, but we will try to stay as far away as possible,” said Emilia.

  “And it’ll be better if you avoid people altogether, but I don’t think that’ll be possible,” explained Robert. “Trader, you must be assessing the situation at all times. If anyone feels anything that could become a danger to you, take care of it.”

  I nodded, feeling confident that I could help.

  Several times, Robert called people into Emilia’s tree and sent them to fetch supplies that we would need for our journey. They always looked at me with something approaching reverence. When I tested their emotions, they were full of a mixture of hope and longing. It was a yearning for peace, for better times.

  After hours of discussion, the sky outside began to grow dark.

  “Trader, Shifter, Traveler, we’d be honored if you’d join the warriors for a meal,” Robert said at last.

  I looked at him, startled. I had stopped paying attention to the discussion a while before, thinking instead about the strange turn my life had taken since I had started Dreamwalking. I stood up, stifling a yawn.

  “Thank you,” Donavan said. “It would be an honor.”