My face was wet with tears, my clothes were drenched with sweat, and I could not bear to see the outcome of what I had done.

  I reached the tree where I had met Keegan that morning and slid to the ground. I could feel the tattoos that Story had left behind burning into my skin and could smell the lilacs that grew nearby. A faint hum of conversation came from the clearing, but I could not make out what was being said.

  I heard someone walking through the forest towards me and looked up to see Emilia, a look of concern on her face.

  “How are you, Trader?”

  I said nothing, just closed my eyes once more, feeling tears slip out at the corners.

  Emilia lowered herself onto the ground next to me. “Maria, will you come with me?” she asked gently.

  I shrugged. I felt completely numb inside. Emilia’s hand rested gently on my arm and I felt my head swirl, as though I was so tired that I simply could not stay awake and was being sucked into sleep.

  I opened my eyes and found myself in the colored cave of my dream from the night before. This time, Emilia and I were alone.

  “Return when you are ready,” Emilia said. She walked to the mouth of the cave, turned to smile at me, and disappeared.

  I stood up and walked to the mouth of the cave and looked out across the landscape. Miles of red hills stretched out as far as I could see. A haze seemed to shimmer on the surface of the ground under a glaring sun.

  I turned into the coolness of the cave, noticing for the first time that thousands of candles lit up the interior. The pool where the old woman had been the night before seemed much larger, and the surface of the water was covered with rose petals. I could smell their fragrance filling the room.

  I walked back to the pool and dipped my hands into it. I could feel a slight stinging in my hands and pulled them out of the water to examine them. My fingernails had dug into the skin of my palms, and I was bleeding from several cuts.

  I put my hands back into the water. It was just the right temperature, refreshing, but not cold enough to be chilly. I rinsed my face and felt instantly better.

  After glancing around and seeing no one, I slipped into the pool, still fully dressed, not knowing who might show up here. The water was exhilarating. I felt all of the stress and worry slipping away from me.

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  I lay my head back, letting the water cover my ears. I could hear water gurgling and bubbles popping on the surface. I closed my eyes, bobbing in the water. I seemed to hear voices whispering under the water, calling to me.

  I let out my breath and sank under the water. The voices became clear. Hundreds of voices murmured tales of evil, of hope, and asked if I would be one with them. The water seemed to push me down, pulling me deeper and deeper, and even though there had been a bottom to the pool only moments before, now it seemed that I was sinking into a bottomless well.

  My eyes flickered open, and I could see that I was far under water. As I swam frantically for the surface, the whispers around me grew urgent, begging me to stay. For a moment I hesitated. The voices had an irresistible draw. I wanted to let them take me, pull me into the earth, let me rest.

  I closed my eyes, allowing the pool to pull me downwards once more.

  “Maria!” I heard Keegan’s voice, garbled through the water. My eyes flew open. I knew that wherever the voices were taking me, Keegan would not be there, and at the moment, I couldn’t bear the thought of that.

  I kicked towards the surface once more, realizing as I did so that it had been several minutes since I had taken a breath. I wondered briefly how that would affect my body in the real world, before breaking through the surface of the water.

  “Maria, what was just happening?” Keegan asked, concern edging his voice.

  I looked around, surprised to be sitting under the tree in Wendellia instead of in the cave.

  “How did I get here?” I asked.

  Keegan looked confused. “I came after you and Emilia. You were sleeping here, but then your hair started floating around, like you were in water, and you opened your eyes a couple of times, but you didn’t seem to see me. And then you kind of started shimmering. Were you waking up?”

  I shook my head. “I think I was Dreamwalking,” I replied hesitantly.

  “Maria, we are Dreamwalking,” Keegan said. His eyes peered at me closely, and I could feel him worrying.

  “I know, I know. I must have gone to a different world for a bit. I think Emilia took me there somehow,” I said.

  “But you were here,” Keegan replied.

  I shrugged, feeling confused. “I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure I was there too.”

  “Maybe it has to do with her power,” Keegan mused. “Maybe she can make other people be in two places at once too.”

  I frowned, unsure what to think.

  “Are you doing okay?” Keegan asked, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet.

  I nodded. Once again the tattoos on my eyes were flaring and once again I saw him as a fettered warrior. I put my hand gently on the side of his face, remembering my feelings in the cave, of how I could not bear to lose him. He gently tucked my hair back away from my face. My breath caught as he stared down into my eyes.

  “We should get going.” Emilia’s voice called through the trees. “We don’t have any time to lose.”

  I blinked and stepped back. Keegan shook his head, a rueful smile playing on his lips as we headed back to the clearing.