The last to arrive at the camp, were the messengers from the Queen of the Seas, with the news that Eleanor would not join them. She authorized Nemo, however, to represent her in the council. In the meantime, she would organize her mermaids and prepare them for battle. Nemo was a bit disappointed that he would not get to see her there, but proud that she had chosen him to represent her and their people in this historic gathering.

  The village was beginning to awake under a state of alarm, as the tongues of fire claimed Selim’s entire house. Butler and his men were already gone when a single man with long greasy hair and dressed in dirty rags appeared. He entered the burning house quickly, and dragged Sam’s unconscious body out of there. No sooner were they out of the fire and danger, when the little house collapsed completely unto itself, making a loud cracking noise. The villagers kept gathering to witness the event.

  Sam’s eyes were closed and she did not appear to be breathing. The man checked her for a pulse and when he saw that she had none, began doing chest compressions on her to try and revive her. He did that for about half a minute and then stopped to check again for a pulse. There was nothing. He moved his hand over her abdomen, where there was still blood oozing from underneath her blouse. Lifting it, he saw the wound that the bullet had created. From his side pocket he took out a small flask and undid its cap to pour some colorless liquid onto the wound. In reaction to it, as the blood washed away, the skin around the wound began to grow back, slowly causing the wound to close. The insides also seemed to shift, pushing the bullet towards the exit. Eventually, the wound was completely gone, as if it had never been there.

  Hopeful, the man went back to doing his chest compressions on Sam. He continued doing that for about two or three more minutes, checking her pulse every now and again, but it didn’t seem to be working. He was about to give up, when it suddenly happened; Sam took one deep breath, as if emerging from deep waters, and opened her baby blue eyes, greeting the evening sky above her. The man stopped pushing on her chest and put one hand underneath her head, helping her up, while with the other one he brought the small flask in front of her mouth.

  ‘Here, drink this. You’ll feel much better.’

  Sam did as he said, letting the cool water soothe her aching throat and bring life back into her insides. When she felt she had had enough, she pushed the flask away from her and looked at the man. A creased line formed on her forehead, as she seemed to realize or remember something.

  ‘I know you; I’ve seen you before.’

  The man smiled.

  ‘Yes, Sam, you have. Can you remember where?’

  It took her a little longer to clear her head and remember.

  ‘You’re the homeless guy outside my building.’

  The man helped her sit up, positioning himself beside her on the cool ground.

  Out of their view, Selim’s house continued to burn down, while the villagers tried in vain to figure out what had happened.

  ‘How do you feel?’

  Sam put her hand over her stomach, remembering her wound. As she lifted her blouse, she was surprised to see that there was nothing but smooth skin where she had previously been shot. She knew she had not dreamed it, however, and the still fresh bloodstain on her clothes proved it. She looked at the man sitting beside her.

  ‘Did you do this?’

  He looked at her with the same eyes that had drawn her to help him the first time around.

  ‘It wasn’t your time, Sam; you still have work to do. Daniel needs your help; you have to get back to London. Once there, you will find Daniel at the same place they took him before, the clinic. Butler thinks you’re dead, so he’s not worried about anyone rescuing him again.’

  ‘So, that’s his name,’ she said, raising her tired blue eyes to look into his, as if studying him. They had the same color as hers. ‘How do you know all of this?’ she asked, believing she already knew the answer.

  ‘I know a lot of things, Sam. For example, I know why you haven’t been able to sleep ever since you were little.’

  Sam kept her eyes glued to his, asking through them, instead of her voice.

  The man continued.

  ‘It was for your own protection. You know by now what Daniel is, right?’

  Sam nodded, but again did not speak.

  ‘You and Daniel have the same ability. Had you been able to sleep, you too would have travelled to the same place in your dreams and would most likely have fallen victim of the same person who captured Daniel’s brother and others before him. Making sure you stayed out of that dreamworld was the only way of keeping you safe. I’m just sorry that it cost you so much.’

  Sam couldn’t even blink. She finally knew, yet she felt nothing. She had partially suspected the reason when she first found out she shared the same birthday with Daniel; their similar predicament couldn’t have been just a coincidence.

  Then she thought of something.

  ‘Hang on, how come Daniel can now dream, yet I’m still unable to sleep?’

  ‘That I do not know. Daniel is not supposed to be dreaming, but for some reason he is. I think it’s because he is even more special than I thought possible, and for that I’m actually glad. There’s a lot depending on him right now. But Sam, if Daniel does not wake up, Butler will kill him. You cannot let that happen; Daniel has to live.’

  ‘He will live,’ Sam said and got up, though a bit too fast. She felt lightheaded and almost fell back down. The man caught her by the arm and held her steady.

  ‘You need to take care of yourself, Sam; you are still healing and will be quite weak for the next few days.’

  ‘Don’t worry about me; I’ll be fine, but I need to move right away. If Butler does not feed Daniel, he won’t have to kill him; he will die soon enough. I have to get to him.’

  She started towards the village exit, when she noticed he was not following her.

  ‘You’re not coming with me, are you?’

  ‘No, Sam, I’m needed elsewhere. But you will be just fine, brave one; your journey is almost over and I promise you that soon you will find what you’ve been seeking all along.’

  Sam was not sure what he meant. She thought of her reason for flying halfway across the world and smiled. She had not thought about her cure for a long time now; she no longer cared. All she wanted was for Daniel to be safe. She looked at the man one last time and asked.

  ‘You’re the oracle, aren’t you?’

  ‘I am and I’m not,’ the man replied in his cryptic way. ‘Who knows, maybe one day I’ll introduce myself properly to you.’

  ‘I’ll hold you to it,’ she said and greeted him goodbye, resuming her walk.

  The main tent that served as the official quarters for the Great Lord was closed off, with all the leaders gathered inside to discuss their next course of action. The oracle had once again taken his place beside Daniel, while joining the improvised council this time were also Gabriel as the leader of his tribe and Hëna. She had finally left her tent and though there was still a weary look about her, Daniel had the feeling that she had shed the heaviest part of her burden. Still, she avoided any direct eye contact with him. Daniel tried, but found it hard not to be affected by it. It was just as well that she chose to sit behind him, that way neither of them would have to deal with awkward looks.

  The rest of the council members were sitting in a circle before him, with Diane the first on his right, followed by his great-grandfather Ari. The oracle sat to his left, and next to him sat the proud Sky-Queen, accompanied by Séraphin, wings tucked behind his back. Gabriel followed and Nemo closed the circle, representing the mermaids.

  Daniel looked at the group of people in front of him and knew that this was the moment when he had to convince them all that he was indeed their Great Lord. Only, he didn’t know how; he was still trying to convince himself of that. He didn’t know how he had earned that title, what gave him the right, nor had he any idea of how to prove it to himself or them. And yet, the oracle was right, they desperately needed t
he Great Lord now, even if a pretender was all they could get. That would be better than nothing at all, or so at least he hoped.

  When everyone had taken their place and were ready to start, it was time for him to be the Great Lord again. It felt beyond weird to be in front of these lords and queens, and pretend that he was anything but a nineteen-year-old boy, whose experience amounted to little more than a book reader. Still, he forced himself to get up from his chair and address his subjects.

  ‘My dear friends. Thank you for accepting my invitation to gather here on such a short notice; I am most grateful. The last time I was standing before some of you, I was just Daniel, a Visitor; accused of a crime for which we now all know who is responsible. A lot has happened since that day and many things have changed. This kingdom that was once a wonderful place full of joy and life, has now become a place of fear and death. Winter has come with full power and threatens to stay forever, plunging everything into cold and darkness. Already the sun is gone and with it all the warmth and light it gave us. Endërland will not be able to survive like this for too long. Soon, all life will fade away, buried under snow and ice, and there will be nothing left of the magnificent and colorful world that we all know and love. That is why I have called you here, so that we can stop this from happening, together.’

  He stopped for a moment, measuring the mood in the room and happily concluding that he had their undivided attention. All eyes were focused on him, watching and listening carefully. He continued.

  ‘As you have rightly guessed from my letter, I intend to build an army, as big and strong as we can, in order to face the White Lord and force him to give up the Silver Throne. We will of course try to reason with him and avoid going into battle, if possible, but I have a feeling that he will not be so easily persuaded. He has gone into too much trouble to give up the power that he now has. Perhaps having an army to back us up might cause him to reconsider, though I highly doubt it. He has surrounded himself and sealed Arba off with legions of creatures that were created for one purpose only, war. And that, I fear, can only mean one thing; he is prepared to go all the way. For this reason, we must also be prepared to fight, for without doing so, we will never be able to take back our kingdom and restore it to its former glory.’

  Having finished his initial speech, Daniel went back to his chair and sat down. A mother’s proud eyes followed him from her seat.

  ‘Does anyone wish to speak?’

  As he had anticipated, the Sky-Queen was the first one to speak. Without getting up from her chair, she bowed her head slightly towards Daniel and said.

  ‘I do beg your forgiveness, my lord; you called and my wingmen and I came to you. We have pledged to follow you into battle until our hearts stop beating, or our wings can no longer carry us, if that is your will. However, I cannot help but wonder if this is indeed the only way. You have finally returned to us, surely you have the authority and power to overcome the White Lord. Angry as I feel for allowing him to use me and my people to play his games, I do not wish to go into battle against him, knowing that even a single one of my wingmen may die.’

  It was the same question Gabriel had asked before in the castle, and Daniel and the oracle looked at each other. The oracle made as if to speak, but guessing it was going to be the same answer he had given to the Chieftain, Daniel stopped him. He looked at the faces of the people before him and knew that he could not lie to them.

  ‘I will not hide anything from you,’ he began, his eyes fixed on theirs. ‘Being the Great Lord was as much a surprise to me, as it was to you all. I do not know what happened, or how I came to inherit this title, just like I do not know what power there is in me, if any at all. But I do know that if we want to save Endërland, we need to bring all our people together, and if that is the only thing I ever accomplish as your Great Lord, then that is more than I would ever wish for. Being united as one is all the power we will ever need against Winter and his army.’

  Everyone fell silent, pondering Daniel’s words, while he fearfully expected at least the Sky-Queen to get up and storm out of the tent, furious for having been deceived. But she didn’t. She bowed her head ever so slightly and spoke again with a humble voice.

  ‘What I have seen and heard are proof enough to me that you are the Great Lord, and if bringing our people together to fight for our home is indeed the only power you have, we will still follow you and do your will. The Sky-People are proud to be part of your army, my lord, and we will fight for you and Endërland.’

  Echoes of cheers and approval sounded among the people present in the room, as the Sky-Queen leaned back in her chair and spoke no more. Daniel already felt overwhelmed; this was going much better than he had hoped.

  Diane was the one to speak next.

  ‘My people are not trained for war and battle, my lord, but they are ready to do their part in taking back our kingdom, and they will follow you wherever you will lead them.’

  Daniel smiled at her, as more cheers erupted from the members of the council. He then turned his attention towards Nemo, who spoke for his queen and people.

  ‘The mermaids of the seas will do their part in this battle, my lord; whosoever can, will start their pilgrimage today and join your army on the ground under my command; the rest will fight from the water, led by the Queen of the Seas herself.’

  Nemo bowed his head like the queens before him, prompting Daniel to return the gesture. He felt so proud of his best friend in this moment; he had come such a long way from being the frightened boy he had met that first day, surprising and delighting everyone along the way.

  Daniel continued to address the council.

  ‘Thank you, all! I really do believe that together we can win this war. I am well aware of the difficulties in raising and organizing an army in such a short time, but I believe we have the right man for the job.’

  He now turned to Ari.

  ‘What do you say, great-grandfather, this is what you were trained for a long time ago, isn’t it? Will you help us? I may be the Great Lord, and I shall be the first in line to face Winter and his creatures on the battlefield, but I am no soldier. We will have a much better chance with you as our general.’

  It was Ari’s turn now to bow his head and speak.

  ‘It would seem this is indeed what I was trained for, my lord, and it would be my honor to build and lead your army into battle. You can count on me and my sons.’

  Daniel bowed his head yet another time and returned his attention to the rest of the council.

  ‘Very well, then. I guess there’s nothing left for us to do but talk strategy and technical details.’

  The meeting went on for a long while after that. There were numerous issues to be discussed, starting from procuring the weapons to arm every soldier and up to devising a strategy for taking Arba, if things went that far. The good news was that, following the oracle’s advice, his mother and Ari had already been preparing for something like this. As he learned, for quite some time New Sotira had become a secret base for producing and storing weapons, as well as training key people in the art of war. This would save them much time and effort in preparing the new army to march towards Arba.

  By the end of the meeting, everyone was feeling quite worn out, so they all retreated to their own tents to rest.