It was one thing to see images in her dreams. Even seeing them whenever she closed her eyes was something she had...not gotten used to, but accepted...sort of. But to see them and hear voices with her eyes open, wide awake, was something else entirely.


    Felit?a had looked and sounded like Chica. The only explanations for that Akna could think of were, she was going mad, or someone had cast a spell on her. Both seemed equally plausible.


    Find me.


    She had no idea what to do about that. Perhaps there was nothing she could do. Perhaps the madness would just decide her actions for her. That was a frightening thought.


    But she still wasn’t comfortable enough around Felit?a.


    But there was no way of catching up to Meleng and Jorvan now. No, she was stuck here.


    “You want to talk about it?”


    she was too young for that. How could Fra-Chan—or Corvin—be ready for it?


    Akna nodded. “Not just a friend. She was my closest confidant. And more.”


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    Nin-Akna looked distant again. She was looking at the queue at the well, but was looking right through it. Mixed feelings of fear and worry emanated from her. She had been like this all day, only brightening up for a short while at Agernon’s. Now they had left, though, she was back to how she had been earlier.


    “Keep an eye on the Watch,” Felit?a said. “I wouldn’t put it past Almais to have told them to keep me from doing any meditating here.”


    She is here with us.


    Where am I?


    She was in a gleaming silver corridor. It stretched ahead of her, curving to the right. She turned around and saw that the corridor curved to the left. Like the corridor formed a circle.


    Where was the well? A moment ago, she had been at the well. Where was she?


    “Hello? Is anybody here?”


    Her voice echoed down the hall, bouncing off the strange, silver walls.


    There was no answer, so she walked down the hall, turning with it.


    “Does it matter?”


    The voice came from an opening in the wall up ahead to her left, a bright light shining from it.


    “It matters.” This voice was deeper, booming and distant.


    Felit?a peered into the opening, about to ask for help, to ask where she was, how she’d gotten here. But the light was blinding. She pulled back, squeezing her eyes shut.


    “She is here with us.” A third voice. There was a deepness to it, but not like the one before. There was a smoothness to it, and it didn’t boom.


    She opened her eyes. A woman had come out of the room. The most beautiful woman. Tall with dark skin, and thick hair worn in dreadlocks that framed a mature, but somehow ageless face. She wore a sparkling silver gown that reminded Felit?a of the blinding light in the room, except calmer and not as difficult to look upon. Her right hand grasped a long staff, the end of which was carved like a winged snake was coiled around it. The snake had sparkling gems for eyes.


    “She is powerful indeed if she can see us in this place,” the booming voice said.


    Felit?a tried to speak, but all that came out was a harsh gargle.


    The beautiful woman smiled and knelt in front of her. “Felit?a,” she said. The third voice.


    Felit?a nodded. “Where…?” She had to gasp the word out and nothing else would come with it.


    The woman’s smiled broadened and she reached out her free hand to Felit?a, brushing aside some strands of hair that had fallen in front of Felit?a’s face. “Possibly more powerful than any of us would have ever expected.”


    “It is too soon,” the booming voice said. “You know what to do.”


    “Are we sure about this?” The first voice again. Softer, higher pitched, and coming from inside the room.


    “We’ve been through this,” the beautiful woman kneeling in front of Felit?a said. “Felit?a, you must listen to me.”


    Felit?a couldn’t even nod. Fear was finally taking over. This place made no sense. Where was she? How had she got here? She wanted to scream these questions, but she couldn’t.


    “You will soon forget this, but you must remember.” The woman laid the flat of her palm on the side of Felit?a’s face, covering her cheek and ears. “Zandrue. Rudiger, Borisin. Meleng. Corvinian. Jorvanultumn. Quilla. Kindanog. Nin-Akna.”


    The names went on. When they ended, the first voice—the soft one—said, “You left one out.”


    Nin-Akna shrugged. “I don’t know. Thirty...forty minutes?”


    You left one out.


    You left one out.