With Daniel and Nemo having put the oars down and dozed off for quite a good while, the little lifeboat continued to rock the waves of the sea which seemed to finally be awakening, slowly but surely. Rowing was much harder work than they had initially thought, and the sea hadn’t helped much. Around them, the night was now growing lighter and dawn seemed to be breaking through. A light breeze was also picking up, but it still wasn’t of much help to them. Not at first, anyway. Gradually and building up to it, the breeze slowly turned into a strong wind, but did not stop there. It kept upgrading itself to a gale and then a storm, until eventually, the little lifeboat found itself in the middle of a crazy hurricane raging all around them. The sea, which up until then had been perfectly happy to ignore them as if they did not even exist, now seemed hell-bent on tearing them to pieces, before or after drowning them.

  It made for a terrifying wake up call. As the waves grew wilder, Daniel and Nemo held on to the lifeboat with both hands and feet, hoping against hope that it would not turn upside down on them. Initially, the violent wind sent them flying over the waves a good distance farther than they had travelled so far, but eventually and after much struggling, they did end up thrown overboard, with the lifeboat toppled over their heads. They tried hard to hold on to it, but the wind was much stronger and the boat flew away from them, weightless, like a piece of paper.

  The boys were now truly lost at sea, with nothing and no one to hold on to but one-another. The waves continued to beat against them, furiously trying to separate and drown them, but they did not let go. If they lost each other here, they might never meet again.

  ‘Now what do we do?’ Nemo asked first, shouting to be heard over the storm.

  ‘I don’t know,’ answered Daniel. He was struggling to stay afloat as much as his best friend was. ‘There’s not much we can do at this point, but swim. I think our best bet is for you turn back into a merman, Nemo. You can keep us both alive, and let’s face it, you’re a better and faster swimmer as e merman.’

  He had not even finished speaking, when he noticed that Nemo’s attention was drawn somewhere in the distance behind his right shoulder. He turned to see for himself what it was, and at first didn’t know what to think. It was like a black speck that kept growing bigger the closer it got.

  ‘What do you think that is?’ asked Nemo.

  ‘I think it might be a ship of some kind,’ Daniel answered, still unsure. ‘At least, I hope it is.’

  As the object grew closer, it became clearer that he had guessed correctly. Soon, they were able to see exactly what kind of ship it was, though what they saw, left Daniel speechless. It was about three times longer than the yacht, and twice as wide. It had a single large white sail hung on its only mast, looking quite old and battered by the winds, while a large number of oars jutted from both sides, at present not being used. Breaking the waters was the wooden sculpture of a woman wearing a warrior’s helmet, while on her back men could be seen buzzing about the ship, hastily performing different duties.

  Daniel felt as if he had jumped back in time a couple millennia. Here was a ship straight out of mythology, Greek, if memory served. What kind of a world was this?

  There was no time to wonder, however; they needed to get the sailors’ attention at any cost. When the ship got close enough, they began waving their hands wildly above water and shouting as loud as they could. The ship almost passed them by, but they were lucky; one of the sailors spotted them and informed the others. With a couple of quick manoeuvres, the ship came close enough for the sailors to throw a rope at the boys and eventually get them on board.

  Daniel and Nemo were so relieved to finally rest on something solid, that they practically hugged the ship’s deck. The storm raged around them, but they were finally safe, or so they thought. They had not even filled their lungs with air, when a number of sharp swords appeared an inch away from their necks. Out of the frying pan and into…

  ‘Get back, all of you,’ the authoritative voice of one man sounded over the storm. ‘Don’t you see they’re unarmed?’

  ‘But they could be sirens, or sea nymphs, my king,’ one of the men protested.

  ‘Only you would dream up three-legged sea nymphs, Perimedes,’ the king replied, winking at the other sailors who all laughed. The man retreated, embarrassed.

  The king now came into full view of Daniel and Nemo. He had the appearance of a man in his early forties, with long black unkempt hair and a couple of days old beard. His sharp eyes seemed able to pierce through to your very core. He wasn’t the tallest one among his men, but commanded respect, nonetheless. And, despite the clearly vagrant appearance, he still maintained a royal air about him.

  ‘Who are you, strangers?’ he demanded from Daniel and Nemo.

  The boys stood up slowly, keeping a watchful eye on the men with the swords. Since they apparently stood in front of royalty, Daniel saw fit to bow, with Nemo following his example.

  ‘We’re travellers, my lord, from a land far from here. My name is Daniel, and this is my friend, Nemo. We ran into a freak storm that destroyed our ship, and got lost at open sea. We don’t really know where we are.’

  ‘That sounds like a lie, if I ever heard one,’ a man standing to the right of the king said, moving his sword ever closer towards Daniel’s neck. ‘I bet they’ve been sent by Poseidon himself to sabotage us.’

  ‘Maybe they have been sent by Poseidon to sabotage us,’ the king replied calmly and in a thoughtful manner. ‘Or it could be that Athena has sent them our way to help us. Even yet, maybe Zeus himself has finally decided to intervene and this is a test from him. How do we tell which is the case, Eurylochus?’

  Daniel could not believe his own ears. His guess about the origin of the ship had been spot on; these people seemed to have come straight out of the Greek myths. But which king was this one? The names Perimedes and Eurylochus sounded vaguely familiar, but he could not remember where he’d read them. The Greek mythology was very rich and there were simply too many characters to remember.

  The king continued.

  ‘I would have you tell me immediately where do you come from and where you’re headed. Speak the truth and you may have whatever assistance we can provide; but try to lie to me, and you will be thrown back into the water and left to face your own destiny. I warn you, though, I can always tell a lie when I hear one.’

  Daniel had to think fast before he replied. He did not know enough of the history to make up a convincing lie; and even if he did, he didn’t want to take the chance with this man. Their lives were clearly in his hands for the moment and he did not want to risk getting on his bad side.

  ‘We come from a kingdom called Endërland, my lord,’ he dared to risk some truth. ‘It’s a wonderful and peaceful place. About six days ago my daughter went missing from our home, and my friend and I set out to look for her. Right before you found us, the storm cast both of us at sea, and if it hadn’t been for you, I don’t know what would have happened to us.’

  ‘If this Endërland is a faraway kingdom, as you say, then how did you come here?’

  ‘We simply sailed with our small ship all the way from there. We’ve lost track of how many days we’ve been at sea. We were told that our two kingdoms meet somewhere in the middle of the ocean, but didn’t really know where. We sailed blindly, and it was by pure luck that we ended up here.’

  The king kept staring at them, his brooding gaze betraying a series of thoughts awakening in his mind. The surrounding sailors kept their swords raised, while the storm continued to batter the ship from all sides.

  ‘You do not seem to be lying, yet your story does not sound very convincing. There is much you do not say, Daniel from Endërland.’

  ‘Actually, I’m from Endërland,’ Nemo corrected, ‘he was born in another world entirely.’

  Daniel closed his eyes in despair; he had not meant to disclose that part of the information. This was definitely not going to help their case. Nemo seemed to be getting that message,
because he retrieved back, taking on a guilty look and suddenly finding his own feet very interesting.

  The king, however, seemed even more intrigued now. He signalled his people to get back to their work and motioned for Daniel and Nemo to follow him. He led them to the front of the ship, away from the rest of the sailors, and sat down on the hardwood floor, prompting the boys to do the same.

  ‘Tell me more about this other world,’ he ordered Daniel, but now with a softer tone of voice. ‘Is it true, what your friend is saying?’

  Daniel wasn’t sure what he wanted to add to his account. To begin with, he had no desire to tell this stranger all his story and everything there was to know about Endërland or his home world. He did not know the man and might be putting his people at risk if he wasn’t to be trusted. But even if the man was harmless, telling him that Endërland and in turn this world were dreamworlds might come as a shock to him. And if that happened, who knew what he might do? So, he tried to limit the information as much as he could and not give much away.

  ‘What my friend says is true,’ he started. ‘The first eighteen years of my life I lived in another world; a world so much different from this one, or our Endërland,’ here he gave Nemo a reproaching look, ‘and so out of reach now. On the day of my nineteenth birthday I visited Endërland for the first time, and I’ve been living there amongst its people ever since.’

  The king’s face hardened again. Daniel’s short and evasive account obviously left him dissatisfied. He took out a long knife from the leather pouch hanging on his belt and put it to Daniel’s throat.

  ‘Again, you do not lie, but you keep too much to yourself, boy. Is there a reason why you refuse to share your story with me?’

  ‘I do not know you,’ Daniel almost shouted, defiantly looking into the king’s eyes. He could feel his own blood boil and his face grow hotter. Diplomacy would clearly not work with this man. ‘I am not going to share things with you that might put my world and my people in danger of any kind.’

  He half expected the knife to pierce his skin and flesh, or at least a punch upside his face, but instead he saw the king smile and put his knife back where it had been.

  ‘You are very brave, Daniel of Endërland; and very wise indeed. Forgive me, I should have introduced myself earlier. I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, King of Ithaca. At your service.’

  He bowed his head lightly, while Daniel’s jaw dropped. Of all the great people he’d read about as a child, this man, this hero of the Greek mythology was one of his most favourite characters of all time. He’d read everything that was ever written about him and had made it a point to watch any movie or documentary where he was mentioned. But he’d never thought for even a moment that the man had been anything more than a mythical figure. Yet, here he was, standing right in front of him in flesh and blood. What was this world he had come into? Whose world was it?

  Odysseus was too attentive to miss Daniel's reaction.

  ‘Something tells me that you have heard of me,’ he said.

  ‘In a way, my lord, yes. I’ve heard songs about you, about your bravery and great wisdom. You are credited with nothing short of ending the ten-year siege on Troy with your wit alone. It is indeed a privilege and an honour to be in your presence.’

  Daniel bowed again, still awestruck, while beside him, Nemo nudged him with an elbow. ‘You really know this man?’

  The king smiled.

  ‘The honour is mine, Daniel of Endërland. And now that you know who I am, I trust you will feel more at ease to tell me what I want to hear.’

  ‘Yes, my lord,’ answered Daniel. ‘But before I do, would you mind if I ask about your journey until now? If I’m not mistaken, you left Troy with twelve ships, but I only see this one.’

  Nemo kept looking at Daniel wide eyed, clearly feeling completely out of the loop. Daniel ignored him and stayed focused on the king.

  Odysseus wasn’t sure why Daniel asked what he did, but if he doubted his intentions, he did not give anything away. He decided to go ahead and answer the question.

  ‘Our story is a very long one, and telling it in all its detail will have to wait for a better time and place. The short version of it, however, goes something like this.

  ‘After we set off from Troy and after our attack on Ismaros, where I lost a good number of my men, a storm drove my ships near the land of the lotus-eaters. I sent three soldiers to scout the land, but they tasted the lotus flowers there and forgot about home and everything else. I had to take them away from there by force.

  ‘Our next stop was the island of Polyphemus, where I lost six more men to that godless cannibal. At least I blinded him before I managed to escape, but I would have felt much better if I had killed him. I did do something very stupid, however; I actually told Polyphemus who I was, and now Poseidon, his father, is trying his best to get us killed. So, you can understand why we are not too trusting of strangers we find lost at sea.

  ‘Fleeing from that island, we ended up near Aeolia, where Aeolus, god of the winds, lives. He was kind enough to offer us his help; he tied up all the winds in a bag, except the west wind, which would take us straight home. He gave me the bag, advising me to not open it until we reached our home safely, and I didn’t. We sailed smoothly and surely all the way to Ithaca, but just as we were entering the harbour, my most trusting men,’ here he raised his voice so that his men could hear, ‘decided to open the bag, thinking there was gold inside. All the winds blew out of the bag and sent all my ships back where we had started. Geniuses my men, all of them.’

  ‘Zeus almighty, when will we hear the end of this,’ Eurylochus yelled from farther back, rolling his eyes.

  ‘When you die,’ Odysseus yelled back, not really amused. ‘Maybe not even then. Anyway,’ he turned again to Daniel and Nemo, now with his voice hushed once again. ‘Aeolus refused to help us a second time, so off we set again on our own. The Laestrygonians were next, the most hateful of creatures to roam on this earth. Eleven ships full of good men I lost on that day; men who fought bravely and survived the Trojan War for ten long years, only to be killed by rocks thrown at them, or worse, roasted alive and eaten. By Zeus, I would erase those creatures of the face of the earth, if I could.

  ‘My ship was the only one that survived. We went on and drowned our sorrows for a whole year at Circe’s island. She was crafty and turned most of my men into pigs when we first got there, but we overcame her too. She tried to keep us there longer, but one year was more than enough. Every day we spent there was yet another day away from home, from our families. We first sailed all the way to the Underworld, where I had to consult with Tiresius, the blind prophet who gave me advice on how to get back home safely. After one last stop at Circe’s island to bury one of my men who’d died there, we finally sailed again and that brings us to today.’

  ‘So, that means the Sirens are your next stop,’ said Daniel without thinking.

  He remembered Odysseus’ journey very well, having read it many times as a kid. After the Sirens, the king of Ithaca still had to face the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, the cattle of Helios, and spend seven years with Calypso, before she would finally release him and he’d end up in the land of the Phaeacians, having lost every single one of his men. From there he would be sent to Ithaca where he’d have to sneak his way in and rid his palace of all the suitors who fought over his wife and throne. The man was still such a long way from home and Daniel could not help but feel sad about all that he’d been through and still faced.

  It was now clear to Odysseus, however, that Daniel knew more about him than he let on, and this troubled him greatly.

  ‘How do you know about that?’ he asked Daniel, a stern look on his hardship battered face. He now stood up, stepping away from them, clearly distraught. ‘Which of the gods are you, come down here to toy with me? Haven’t I suffered enough? Thirteen years I have been away from my home and my family. My wife and throne are being robbed of me, my son has grown into a young man without me; I have
less than a tenth of the men I left home with, and the shores of our homeland are forever being denied to us. What sin have I committed that I’m paying for so dearly?’

  For the first time in his life, Daniel wished he’d done things other than reading while growing up. And just when did he turn into such a blubbering idiot, speaking without thinking first? Wasn’t that Nemo’s thing?

  Nemo for his part continued to sit there, a spectator to a story he had no part in. Behind Odysseus, his men all stopped what they were doing and stood still, wondering what had troubled their lord and king.

  ‘Forgive me, my lord Odysseus,’ Daniel decided he’d be a bit more forthcoming with the king. ‘We’re mere mortals, dealing with our own lot in life; there’s nothing godly about us. All I’ve said until now is true, including the part about the songs I’ve heard about you. You see, in my home world, where I was born and grew up, these songs are written down in paper for everyone to read. And in them is recorded your entire story, from beginning to end. That is how I know what next awaits you and your men on this journey.’

  ‘But how can my entire story have been recorded, if it hasn’t happened yet?’

  ‘I’m not sure how to answer that; how to explain you being here. You see, for you, here in this world, the story is still unfolding; but where I come from, it’s history, it’s already happened a long time ago.’

  Odysseus finally seemed to be realising something. A faint light brightened up his dark brown eyes for a moment and then he asked another question, pretty much predicting the answer.

  ‘Tell me, Daniel; when you left your world to go and live in Endërland, how did you go by it?’

  Daniel knew this would sound unbelievable and he probably shouldn’t say it, but he’d gotten himself into a fine mess at this point and there was no way out of it that he could see. So, he answered with more truth.

  ‘It was through my dreams, my lord.’

  Odysseus sat back down and leaned against the rails, smiling for the first time that day, though why, Daniel could not yet understand.

  The statue of Athena with her arched back turned on the sailors continued to bravely break the slightly calmer waters.

  ‘Now I know you’re telling me the whole truth,’ the king eventually said. He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, as well as make sure that his sailors were not eavesdropping. ‘I feel like I’m finally waking up from a very long slumber. It’s been such a long time now, that I had begun to lose my grip on that reality and think myself crazy. You see, Daniel, I finally remember that I wasn’t born here, in this place; I think we come from the same world, you and I. I vaguely recall leaving it the same way you did; it’s like a childhood memory that gets weaker and weaker the older I grow; it’s fuzzy, but it’s still there.

  ‘Poseidon never forgave me for blinding his son. He and Athena fought over my fate for a very long time, eventually forcing Zeus to intervene and make a decision. He spared my life and allowed me to go back home and grow old with my family. But my suffering did not end there, for Poseidon would not be appeased. Zeus found a way to please both him and my goddess,’ here he motioned towards the woman at the bow of the ship. ‘He allowed me to return home, but at the same time, he gave life to my dreams and made me re-live all my worst nightmares over and over again in my sleep. I’ve clearly passed on in that world; the man you see before you is nothing but a copy, a shadow of who I used to be, stuck here for eternity and condemned to endlessly repeat this journey.’

  Odysseus stopped for a moment and Daniel thought he actually heard his voice crack towards the end. The king, however, resumed speaking soon after, his voice having regained its former strength.

  ‘I must have been resigned to that fate a long time ago, because I’d forgotten of that past and instead chosen to only see and live the here and now. But there here and now never ends for me. Every time I’m near the shores of my beautiful Ithaca, a freak storm takes me away from there and I end up right back where I started, leaving Troy with my twelve ships and beginning the journey all over again. I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve done this, just like I’ve lost hope of it ever ending. Until today. Meeting you is the very first time something different has happened, and I cannot help but hope that our luck might finally be changing.’

  Daniel was speechless. Of all the things he had expected to hear and learn from Odysseus, this had not even crossed his mind. The implications that arose from this man’s, this legend’s story, were mind-blowing. If this was true, it meant that Daniel might have just discovered the origin of all dreamworlds. Not only did this mean that Odysseus himself was the first ever Dreamer, but that Daniel was somehow his descendent.

  Odysseus’ descendant; how does one get his head around that?

  ‘Dan, you’ve gone quiet,’ Nemo nudged him on the side again. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘What?’ Daniel snapped out of it. ‘Oh, nothing; I’m fine, Nemo.

  ‘Forgive me, my lord Odysseus,’ he now turned to his ancestor, who was intently observing him. ‘I think you’ve just given me the answer to a couple of questions I’ve had for a long time. I can say that I understand certain things a bit better now.’

  ‘Well, that makes one of us,’ Odysseus replied, still smiling kindly. Daniel smiled also and continued to speak, now with a hint of excitement in his voice.

  ‘If what you say is true, then this is the oldest dreamworld in existence, the very first one to have ever been created. I’m guessing that whatever curse was laid on you, was passed on through the generations to your descendants, of which I might be one, and they in turn have all created their own dreamworlds.’

  ‘You mean, there are other worlds out there, besides this one and your Endërland?’

  ‘Oh, yes. It was only recently that I found this out, but it makes sense. There’s several bloodlines of Dreamers still in existence, and throughout history many of them have created entire new dreamworlds from nothing.’

  ‘So you’re saying that my curse was inherited with my blood by all my descendants, and now many of them suffer in their own hell because of me? Zeus is even more cruel than I thought.’

  ‘Not necessarily so, my lord. I believe your curse has lost its power with the passing of time, and only the blessing has remained. It is certainly true in my case. Endërland is a place of eternal joy and happiness, where people never grow old and die, and where hunger and wars do not plague them. Besides, Zeus and the rest of the Greek gods have not been worshiped for thousands of years, so maybe that curse died along with them.’

  Odysseus stood up again and began pacing around the forecastle. This drew the attention of some of his men yet again. They knew better than to disturb him, however, he would talk to them when he felt good and ready to do so.

  The storm was finally passing and the sea had now calmed down considerably. They still had a favourable wind that was pushing the ship in a timely fashion towards its next destination. They weren’t very far from the Sirens now.

  Finally, Odysseus stopped pacing and stood before Daniel.

  ‘Well, I guess that would explain why I haven’t heard from the gods in a very long time now. But still, I don’t see how this can help me. My problem remains; how do I break this endless cycle of suffering that’s got me and mine locked in this vicious hell?’

  Before Daniel could even think of an answer, one of the sailors in charge of constantly scouting the horizons yelled “land”.

  ‘The Sirens,’ Odysseus and Daniel both said at once.

  ‘Polites, quick, the wax,’ Odysseus ordered one of his men. ‘Get it and spread it to all the men. Make sure their ears are properly sealed, so that they hear nothing. Eurylochus, get the rope. I want you to tie me up at the mast securely, and do not release me until we’ve passed the island, no matter what I say or do. Understood?’

  ‘Yes, my lord,’ Eurylochus replied and ran for the rope.

  ‘What about us?’ asked Daniel.

  ‘You will seal your ears with
wax, just like the rest of my men. I do not want to lose you to the Sirens.’

  ‘What are the Sirens?’ Nemo asked.

  ‘Not now, Nemo,’ Daniel dismissed him, something which the Sea-King did not really appreciate. He seemed to be getting a lot of that from Daniel recently and he decided he did not like it one bit. ‘I want to be tied at the mast with you. I want to hear their song for myself.’

  Odysseus looked at Daniel, thinking to protest, but then changed his mind.

  ‘Alright then, come along.’

  ‘I’m coming, too,’ Nemo exclaimed. “I want to be a part of this.’

  ‘Alright,’ Odysseus repeated, annoyed but unwilling to waste any more time arguing. The island of the Sirens was getting ever closer and they had no time to lose. ‘You can come, too. But you better not put the rest of us at risk; if one gets loose, we all do.’

  ‘Your men will just have to make sure they tie us down really well,’ said Daniel. And then he added with a lowered voice. ‘You’ve done this before, so it shouldn’t be a problem.’

  ‘I’ve always been tied down on the mast by myself; never with two other men.’

  ‘It will work,’ Daniel encouraged him. ‘It’s always worked, remember?’

  ‘What if your appearance changed things? What if something different happens this time because of the two of you?’

  Daniel had to admit that Odysseus had a point, but they had no time to second-guess themselves. Eurylochus arrived with a long thick rope and the three of them put their backs against the mast and let the sailors tie them down. The rope circled around them, from their shoulders, all the way down to their knees. They were able to barely breathe, let alone move. If he’d had any doubts until that point, this convinced Daniel that they would be safe from the temptation.

  To his left, Nemo finally remembered to ask.

  ‘Dan, what are we actually doing?’

  Daniel smiled at his friend, but it was Odysseus who answered.

  ‘My young friend, you are about to listen to the most beautiful voices and the most enchanting song you have ever heard in your entire existence. I tell you, out of all my journey, this is the part I anticipate the most. Words cannot do it justice. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the Sirens themselves are easy on the eyes.’

  ‘But what are these Sirens you keep talking about?’ Nemo asked again.

  Daniel would have kicked himself right then, if he could. He could not believe he hadn’t stopped to make the connection earlier.

  ‘Um, Nemo, Siren is another name for mermaid. These specific three are a vile kind; they draw ships passing by with their beautiful singing, and cause them to shipwreck on the nearby rocks. They then kill everyone that’s left alive.’

  ‘Ouch,’ said Nemo. ‘That doesn’t sound like any mermaid I know. Not even Vanessa would be that cruel.’

  ‘This is a different world, Nemo. We’ve left Endërland behind, and things here are not as we know them.’

  He’d just finished speaking, when a strange sound reached his ears. He guessed they were now close enough for the song of the Sirens to be heard. By this time, all sailors had blocked their ears with beeswax, so none of them could hear the song except for the three of them.

  Turning in the direction from which the song came, Daniel spotted in the distance a solitary rock rising but a little from the sea, upon which three long-haired women sat. Their arms were raised towards the ship, and their beautiful red hair blew in the wind, covering their pale faces. Behind them a rocky island arose high and hostile, seemingly uninhabited.

  The closer the ship came to their spot, the louder their song got and the sweeter their voice. Their sound tugged at his heart and made him want to weep with joy and sadness at the same time. Daniel always loved to hear the mermaids sing and enjoyed their songs every chance he could get, but he’d never heard anything like this. It was more than just their beautiful voices and melody, so much more; it was as if a wildfire had started inside of him, and he knew that only their sweet embrace could quench it. All of a sudden, he felt like he had to get free of his bonds and swim towards the Sirens, in whose arms he belonged.

  Lost as he was in his own inner battle, Daniel ignored his two companions, who were going through a similar ordeal. Odysseus kept alternating between barking orders and pleading with his men to untie him and let him go, but lucky for him, his men could no more hear his words, than they could the Sirens’ song.

  To Daniel’s left, Nemo kept struggling just as hard to break free as the other two men, if not harder. Tears kept rolling down his face, as if he was in real pain, but no one could do anything about it.

  And then, it happened. Just as the ship was about to sail past the Sirens and the sailors thought they were out of danger, Nemo’s struggle began to intensify. His lower legs began to join together and scales began to appear all over his skin from the waist down. Under his armpits, the skin broke open and his gill slits reappeared, while his human legs joined together, turning into a merman’s tail.

  Odysseus’ men looked on terrified as Nemo – now slimmer and slimier as a merman – lifted himself with much struggle and slid up and out of the ropes that kept him and his two companions tied to the ship’s mast. Falling on the wooden deck he quickly pulled himself over the railing and jumped over, landing into water.

  ‘I knew they were sea nymphs,’ the man called Perimedes yelled from the ship’s deck, his raised finger pointing at runaway Nemo. None but Daniel and Odysseus could hear him, of course, but even those two were too busy to pay any attention to the man. Both of them, free now that the rope had fallen loose on the floor, followed Nemo off the ship and into the sea, swimming as if Poseidon himself was chasing after them, and competing who would get to the Sirens first.

  But Nemo had the advantage; he’d had a head start and, of course, as a merman he could swim ten times faster than they could. By the time Odysseus and Daniel had gotten even halfway to the Sirens, Nemo was already there and that’s when their song stopped.

  All of a sudden, Odysseus and Daniel came to their senses and found themselves overboard, not sure what they were doing.

  ‘What happened?’ it was Daniel who spoke first.

  ‘I don’t know,’ answered Odysseus, looking around, surprised to find himself in the water. ‘We got loose; I told you this time it might be different. Where is your friend?’

  ‘Nemo,’ Daniel whispered, finally understanding what had happened. ‘Oh, no. Nemo,’ he called out loud this time, not expecting to actually get a response.

  ‘Dan, over here,’ Nemo’s voice came from the rock where the Sirens sat. Daniel looked in their direction and saw Nemo waving at him. ‘Come quickly; you gotta see this.’

  Daniel started to swim towards him, but Odysseus held him back.

  ‘Don’t, it’s a trap. They got him, and now they want us.’

  ‘They already had us,’ said Daniel. ‘We were swimming towards them, remember? But they stopped singing. It’s not a trap; Nemo would never do that.’

  Not fully convinced, but not wanting to leave the boys to face their fate alone, Odysseus swam after Daniel. The ship had now stopped in the distance behind them and the men were observing what happened to the trio.

  When Daniel got near the Sirens, he was confused. He saw Nemo cradled in the arms of one of them, while the other two were holding hands together and crying. Only, it did not seem to be tears of sadness, but of joy and happiness. When he reached them and Nemo was freed from the Siren’s embrace, Daniel finally saw the face of the third one and it all made sense to him. He knew those eyes, that face; he knew her.

  ‘Daniel,’ Eleanor opened her arms and beckoned him to her. ‘Oh, I’m so happy to see you.’

  Opening her eyes to find a gigantic pear of golden eagle heads hovering right above her nose was not Hëna’s best wake up moment. She screamed and tried to get away, only to be soothed by a female voice, sweet and kind.

  ‘Be still, child. Your wounds need tending to.’
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  Only then did Hëna feel the pain on both her shoulders and remembered being grabbed whilst emerging from the tunnel. She felt a hand clasp hers and heard her companion’s voice answer the next question she was just about to ask.

  ‘You’re alright, Hëna, you’re safe. We’re with friends.’

  Glad to hear Séraphin’s voice and to know they weren’t in any danger, she willed herself to relax a little and let the eagle do her job.

  It turned out the eagle’s medication technique consisted of nothing more than a good licking of her wounds, both front and back. Séraphin then proceeded to dress the wounds for her and, when he was done with that, he helped her up.

  Hëna felt a bit light headed and her shoulders hurt to the bone, but strangely enough, the eagle’s saliva seemed to be numbing the pain and cooling her skin. She raised her eyes towards the large bird, who retreated to give her some room, and bowed her head slightly. She’d never seen a creature as majestic as this, and that was saying something, coming from a place such as Endërland.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, feeling grateful for the pain in her shoulders lessening to a bearable level.

  ‘It is the least I can do,’ mother eagle replied, also bowing her heads towards her. ‘My name is Mara; Junior is my son. I would apologize for him. You see, ever since his father was killed by the tergs, he’s been ever so eager to join the patrol squad, and so he went out without my permission to prove that he can do it. Only, he’s never seen a terg before, so he mistook you for one.’

  ‘A terg?’ asked Hëna.

  ‘Long-time enemies,’ Séraphin offered. ‘They live underground.’

  ‘They’re an old race of people, coming into this world long after my ancestors. Ours is a very old feud, originating in the old world long before our leader settled here. Officially a truce exists between our peoples, signed long ago by our leaders. My kind rule the surface and the skies, they dwell underground, where they’ve built entire cities and make use of the earth’s riches. They come out at night if they need to procure what only the surface can provide, but other than that, both our people keep out of each other’s way.’

  ‘Then why the patrol squad?’ asked Hëna, still pretty confused.

  The eagle shifted in place to arrange herself better and continued.

  ‘The peace between our peoples has been challenged recently. Their numbers have increased greatly and they seem to have grown tired of living underground. Their younger generations do not recognise the old truce. They often come up to the surface, sometimes even in daylight, and cause trouble. They hunt down and kill the animals that live in this land, many times just for sport. They’ve also killed several of our kind when we’ve tried to stop them. It’s beginning to feel more and more like a war it’s coming, though we’ve managed to avoid that so far.

  ‘But enough about that; I am curious to know about you. We’ve never had visitors of your kind before. Who are you and where do you come from?’

  Without getting into too much detail, Hëna briefly told her about Endërland, her and Séraphin’s trip from there and their reason for it. The eagle listened with curiosity, and towards the end seemed to look sad, well, as sad as the face of an eagle can look. The tears in her eyes, however, could not be mistaken.

  ‘I am sorry,’ said Mara when Hëna was done speaking. ‘As a mother myself I cannot imagine losing my baby. He is old enough now to join the patrol squad, but with everything that’s happening in our world recently, I’m loath to allow that.

  ‘As I said earlier, you are the first of your people we have ever seen in this world, so if your daughter came this way and was met or spotted by any of my kind, our leader would know. I can take you to him, if you want; he lives about half a day’s flight from here.’

  Hëna and Séraphin both agreed that they had nothing else to go on, so they accepted the offer.

  ‘What about me?’ a young voice chimed from behind Mara. They all turned to see Junior appear from the mouth of the shallow cave that served as a shelter for them in times of bad weather.

  Instinctively, Hëna retreated back a few steps as he approached. The young eagle noticed this and lowered his heads as if in shame. He stopped beside his mother and said.

  ‘I’m sorry I hurt you. I thought you were a terg.’

  Hëna wasn’t sure what to say. The young eagle sounded genuine enough; his, had clearly been just a child’s mistake and she knew she should forgive him. Part of her, however, felt rather angry. It wasn’t as much for the wounds he’d given her, as it was for the fact that she had almost died for no good reason, without even having a chance to get anywhere close enough to finding her daughter. She would never forgive herself if she failed Serena.

  On the other hand, she could not afford to be rude to the eagles and hold grudges; she was a guest in their land and needed their help. So she had to put her feelings aside and accept the young eagle’s apology.

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ she forced herself to say without looking into his eyes. ‘No real harm done. I’m still alive and that’s what matters.’

  She might have said the right words, but Junior could see the resentment in her eyes, and felt even worse about the whole thing. He did not blame her; he’d acted worse than a terg. But he still wished she would forgive him; he was truly sorry for what he had done.

  Mara guessed easily what was going on in her son’s mind.

  ‘You can come with us to the leader, son. I might be gone for at least a day and I wouldn’t feel right leaving you alone during that time.

  ‘I trust you don’t mind,’ she now turned to Hëna.

  ‘Not at all,’ Hëna hastened to reply, sensing that she had made things a bit awkward with their new friends.

  ‘Good, then,’ mother eagle said. ‘We leave right away. You can ride with me, and your friend is free to ride Junior, or fly along as he wishes.’

  Séraphin would love nothing more than to stretch his wings and taste the high winds of this lovely new world again, but they still hurt a little from earlier that day. Plus, he felt that the young eagle could do with a friend right now. So he wisely decided he’d have plenty of time to fly on his own.

  They both mounted the eagles, Hëna climbing on Mara’s back and Séraphin sitting on her smaller offspring, who seemed somewhat relieved. Mother eagle spread her enormous wings and rose to the skies first, with Junior following quickly behind her. Hëna wound her legs tight around her very warm body, sliding them just underneath her enormous wings. The eagle was huge, and her toes did not reach far down either side of her.

  Throughout the entire flight, she felt as if they were gliding through the air, and the occasional beating of the eagle’s wings did not trouble her. She sat there, unafraid of ever falling down from her host and thoroughly enjoying the ride. It had been a while since she had been so high up in the sky and she did miss it.

  The eagles’ nest was located halfway up one of the numerous peaks on this western cluster of mountains, and it wasn’t the only one. Mara’s clan, of which she was in charge, consisted of about three hundred families, all occupying the same area. Eleven more clans, all much bigger than hers, had built their own communities spread around all the land on the rest of the mountain tops.

  This amazing race of eagles were not the only habitants of this world, however. As the visitors soon saw from high above, the land was full of life. All the usual kinds of animals freely roamed the earth, and the sky was just as crowded with every type of bird known to them. It looked like they had walked into a massive zoo where humans had never stepped foot on, and where the eagles seemed to be its appointed custodians, its rulers.

  Hëna decided that she liked this world; it wasn’t that much different from her own after all, minus the people, wingmen and the mermaids. Oh, and the sea, which was apparently missing. As far as she could see, the mountains extended towards all the horizons around them. This world looked like an enormous arena; a far-stretching plain, wider than the eye could see,
surrounded on all sides by crazy tall mountains, like those of Endërland. Hëna guessed they formed the borders of this world and that no one had actually ever gone over them.

  A great river ran in the middle of the land, wide and bountiful, turning left and right as it went along. They flew over it for a good while, close enough for them to hear the song of its crystal clear waters. When they eventually turned towards one of the highest mountain peaks on their right, the river continued on for miles and miles, snaking farther away in the distance.

  ‘Your world is really beautiful,’ Hëna struggled to be heard over the wind and the flapping of the eagle’s wings.

  ‘So it is,’ replied Mara, without even turning any of her heads to face her. ‘We have been blessed; with all the mountains that you see, it is a land fit for eagles.’

  ‘How far do they go?’ asked Séraphin. ‘They seem to never end.’

  ‘They don’t. They go all around our lands, encircling them like a crown. Both sides meet at the edge of this world, where the great river dies. That’s about two days’ straight flight from here.’

  ‘Have you ever flown beyond that point?’

  ‘Many have dared to fly over the mountain tops, or down where the waters fall, but none have ever made it. Our youngest always challenge each other to fly as high as they can up the mountains or down the river stream, but they never manage to get too far. Their wings get heavier the higher they reach, and their breathing harder, until they can climb no more. And even if one were to reach the bottom of the river and survive such a feat, they would never be able to come back up and tell the tale.’

  Hëna wondered about it for a good while as they flew. If this dreamworld was connected to another one, like it was with Endërland, there were few options for them to find their way into it. They could either try and find another secret tunnel under the mountains, if it existed, or they could follow the river over the edge of this world and see where that would lead them. She had a feeling that the river landed somewhere, most likely in the next dreamworld, and if she was going to keep looking for Serena, that might have to be her next step.

  Close enough behind them, while Hëna thoughtfully considered their next move, Séraphin and Junior flew together in silence. This was definitely a weird sensation for Séraphin. He’d always regarded the eagles as the most noble of all the creatures of the sky, and he’d never thought them willing to carry riders on their back; though, they were admittedly much smaller back in Endërland. Even less imaginable had been riding one himself, yet, here he was, high above the silver clouds, and his own wings rested tucked behind his back. But then, he reminded himself that this was not Endërland and that things were bound to be somewhat different here.

  He suddenly smiled at himself. He’d grown up knowing very little and believing even less; that was, until he’d met Daniel and followed him on a fool’s quest. Everything had changed from that day. All his life he’d thought of Endërland as the only world that existed, and yet here he was, in a strange new world, with strange new friends, all of whom had their own story to tell. No, things were definitely not the same anymore. He wondered what else waited out there for them to find.

  His double-headed young friend continued to fly quietly beneath him, and Séraphin guessed that he might still be feeling a little chastised because of Hëna. He thought this needed to be rectified and decided to strike up a conversation with the proud eaglet.

  ‘So, is your name actually Junior, or were you named after someone?’ he asked.

  Junior seemed to have not been expecting the question, thus it took him a while to decide on whether he should answer or not. Was the man-bird really interested in knowing, or was he just feeling sorry for him and pretending to want to talk?

  ‘My name is Gjergj,’ he finally answered, a trace of guilt still evident in his voice.

  ‘Was that your father’s name?’ Séraphin continued now that they’d broken the ice again.

  ‘No, my father’s name was Gjin. My mother tells me I was named after someone else, but I don’t know who, yet. She says she will tell me when I’m old enough.’

  ‘Well, it’s a beautiful name, Gjergj; it suits you,’ Séraphin complimented. He then paused for a moment, trying to come up with another subject for conversation, but he did not have to think long. Junior took heart from his kindness and kept the conversation going himself.

  ‘So, what exactly are you, anyway?’ he asked the wingman, happy to be friendly with at least one of the foreigners. ‘You’re not a man, and you’re clearly not a bird.’

  ‘I’m a wingman,’ Séraphin clarified for him again. ‘I guess you could say that I am half bird, half man.’

  ‘Okay, but what kind of bird do you take from?’

  ‘I don’t know. The Great Lord created us this way, so it’s not like we come from two different species. But we like to think that the bird part of us belongs to the eagle. Our claws are razor sharp, our eyes can see far, even in the dark, and we fly as high as the eagles themselves, even higher sometimes.’

  Junior turned one of his heads to gaze at him and held it like that for a moment, his eyes moving up and down as if to check him out.

  ‘Well, you got the wings right, for your size at least, so I guess you could be half-eagle. This is so cool; no one’s ever heard of a man-eagle before. Wait ‘til everybody sees you.’

  ‘Wingman,’ Séraphin corrected. ‘I don’t think my people would like the term “man-eagle” much.’ He smiled at the young one. He clearly wasn’t a bad kid, and he was sure that pretty soon they would all forget about all that unpleasant business that had happened with Hëna earlier. It was unfortunate that she got hurt and that she wasn’t healing as soon as she would have, had the Summer water worked. But it had been unintentional, and he was sure Hëna would not hold a grudge for long. Still, he had not missed her reaction earlier. He was surprised she hadn’t forgiven the young eagle right away; this was so unlike her.

  As they neared the end of their flight, the eagles approached what looked like a small village at the base of a foothill with several actual buildings. They were little bigger than huts, built of stone and looking quite medieval. Hëna found it strange that there were buildings in a land where no humans lived.

  The eagles finally landed softly on a square between the houses, in the middle of which, a single monument stood erected. It was a sculpture of a two-headed eagle, with wings wide spread and heads staring in opposite directions. It was a majestic piece of work, seemingly carved from white marble, and proved that there had definitely been people living in this land at some point.

  Hëna and Séraphin slid down from their rides and stretched their legs. They’d been flying for over half a day without stopping. Hëna’s wounds felt slightly less painful now, though she could do with some more rest. Séraphin wouldn’t mind some either; he had not slept at all in almost two days, and it was taking its toll on him.

  Before they even had a chance to take a look around, the biggest golden eagle they had seen yet landed gracefully with a soft thud right in front of them. It seemed to be considerably older than Mara, and carried itself with authority and pride. Its wings seemed to have turned a light shade of grey, while the plumage on both his heads had grown almost entirely white from age. Several more supersized eagles followed behind it and landed all around them in a circle, as if to prevent the outsiders from fleeing.

  Stepping slowly towards mother eagle and Junior, the big eagle ignored Hëna and Séraphin at first.

  ‘Welcome, Mara, daughter of Mariz. And welcome, Gjergj, son of Gjin. This is an unexpected visit; I did not anticipate to receive you until the next full moon for your regular report.’

  ‘Well met, my lord Ìskender,’ said Mara, bowing her heads low to the ground. Junior followed her lead. ‘We come with guests before you, my liege; two visitors from another world. May I introduce to you, Hëna, daughter of Autumn, ruler of Endërland, and Séraphin, King of the Skies and of the Wingmen of Endërland. They co
me before you, seeking your council.’

  Hëna and Séraphin both knelt on one knee, and with a hand on their heart bowed their heads, as the leader now turned to face them.

  ‘It is a great honour to meet you, my lord,’ said Hëna, for the both of them.

  ‘The honour is ours, visitor,’ the leader replied. ‘Please arise and take a seat before me.’ He stepped aside, allowing them to see several stone poufs placed around the monument. Hëna and Séraphin did as they were told, while the leader also made himself comfortable before them. The rest of the eagles stood where they were.

  ‘Now, tell me, where is this Endërland you come from and what brings you to Arbanon?’

  One more time Hëna recounted everything she had previously told Mara, but now adding a bit more information about Endërland and its people. For some reason she felt certain that this amazing race of eagles were no danger to her world. Séraphin filled in any detail she’d left out and which he thought relevant, until the leader of the eagles was satisfied that he had heard enough.

  ‘It sounds like a beautiful and magical place you come from,’ he said, when they were both done speaking.

  ‘No more magical than this world,’ replied Hëna. ‘I mean; I have never heard of such a magnificent race of eagles such as yours that could actually talk.’

  Hëna could swear that the eagle was actually smiling just then.

  ‘Ah, but it has not always been so. We weren’t always eagles. Our roots are human, believe it or not, settled here from another world.’

  Ìskender stopped there, as if he had no intention of saying any more. But he had already aroused Hëna’s curiosity. Could it be that this “other world” was the very same one her Daniel was from?

  ‘I would very much like to hear more of your history, my lord,’ she prayed, hoping she had no overstepped any boundaries. The eagle leader seemed to be considering it for a moment, but then apparently decided to oblige her.

  ‘I am the first of our kind,’ he began. ‘I was only a child when I first came to visit this place. Back in my home world, I was a slave for more than twenty years, a nizam, as we used to call it, forcefully taken from the home of my father to fight in the army of a terg sultan hated by many. Other boys were taken with me, but I was one of the few who survived the captivity. I know now that it was only because of this world; coming here every day kept my spirit alive and my heart strong.

  ‘It was difficult at first; I was only a little boy then. I was alone here and didn’t know how to live on my own. Birds and animals were the only habitants and it felt quite lonely. Soon I began to wish that I were one of them, and before I knew it, I was transforming into what you see now. It was such an exhilarating, yet liberating experience. I don’t know why I took this form and not something else, but I am glad; eagles have always been revered by my people and I consider it an honour.

  ‘Time went by in my world; I grew into an old man, worn out by constant war and beleaguered by disease. When my time there was done, I didn’t even feel it happening; death must have come for me in my sleep. All I know is that one day I woke up in this world and I never went back. Life continued for me here much as it had before; I spent all of my time as an eagle and rarely returned to human form. Until, one day I met another visitor like you. She came from a different world altogether; not mine, nor your Endërland. It was how I learned that Arbanon is only one of many worlds in the dream realm. She was also alone and she disliked staying in one place for too long. So she would travel for days without end, until she eventually found her way into Arbanon. We instantly fell in love and she stayed with me for a very long time; building a life and a family here. If I am the father of this race, she would be the mother.

  ‘I lived more as a man in those days, but I never gave up my wings. Our children inherited that from me, as well as my love of the mountains and the skies. Eventually, we all decided that we preferred to live as eagles, and we made the change permanent. It has been a very long time since then, and even if I tried, I don’t think I could become a man again. But I don’t regret it for one moment; I lived more than two human lifetimes, but my happiest days belong to the eagle in me, and my heart will always belong to the skies.’

  ‘What about the girl,’ asked Hëna. ‘Did she also become an eagle like you?’

  ‘No, it wasn’t in her blood. Long after our children had grown up and we had had enough of happiness to last us for eternity, she decided she wanted to take up travelling again. So she followed the great river out of Arbanon, and left for good. We have not seen her again since.’

  ‘If you don’t mind me asking, my Lord, how did she follow the river exactly?’

  ‘Our youngest son went with her; he loved her too much and was loath to part from her. She rode on his back and together they flew off the edge of this world and followed the river stream downwards. Whether they made it to the bottom and what they found there, I could not say.’

  ‘So, you don’t know what really happened to them, and if they’re alive?’

  ‘My heart tells me that they are, and I believe it.’ Ìskender paused for a moment, realising the reason behind Hëna’s questions. ‘I understand that you would like some form of guarantee; that if you follow in that same direction, your search for your daughter would not end abruptly. But that, I’m afraid, is not something I can offer you. Sometimes, taking a leap of faith is the only option we have left, but that’s usually the only option worth taking.

  ‘I have had no reports of anyone entering or leaving these lands up until today, so I do not know if your daughter ever came this way. If she did, none of my eagles saw her. I can even ask the tergs’ representative if they have seen anything, but their word counts for too little these days. In the end, I fear the choice before you will always remain the same one, continue on with your search, hoping your journey will not end at the bottom of that river and you will make it to the next world, or go back through the tunnel and hope that one day she will return to you safe.’

  Hëna knew he was right. She had hoped that she would find something once they’d crossed over into this world, some sign that Serena had come this way, some trail she might have left behind. But there was nothing and now they were back to square one. She still faced the same dilemma she and Daniel had faced before leaving Endërland; do they continue on blindly, hoping that at some point they might get lucky and learn something about their daughter’s whereabouts? Or do they go back home and leave her to her fate? She had no doubt about it; nothing had changed as far as she was concerned, and she had no choice but to continue on with her search. She was not about to make this decision without consulting Séraphin, however; he was also a part of this quest.

  ‘It would seem that choice is indeed the only one I still face, my lord. However, I cannot make that decision alone; I will need time to think and discuss this with my friend. We would appreciate your hospitality until tomorrow morning. The night is approaching and we could do with some rest before continuing on with our journey, whichever direction we may take.’

  ‘But of course, child,’ the leader said, now rising up from where he had been sitting. ‘You are welcome to stay with us as long as you like. Tonight, you can sleep in what used to be my own house. There’s not much in there in the way of comfort, but it will shield you from the cold and any surprises of the night. And when you are ready, I will help you get to wherever you need to go.’

  Hëna and Séraphin bowed down once again and thanked the leader. Then, he and the rest of his followers spread their wings and rose above them, flying higher up the mountain towards their own nests and leaving them behind.

  Several days had passed since Serena had appeared in the real world, and aside from a growing concern that she might never be able to dream herself back home, she was enjoying herself and Freddie’s company. She had not had a dull or a boring moment; there was always something to do and Freddie seemed to be a master in keeping her well entertained. He was doing his best to keep her mind at
ease and distracted, and for the most part it was working. But he had not forgotten his promise to help her. He’d finally heard back from the Order of the Guardians with an address for David’s new house, and they were on their way to meet him.

  They’d boarded the train from Victoria Station late that morning and were heading towards Horsham, a small town in West Sussex. David had purchased a house there and chosen to retire away from the always busy and noisy London. Damien had refused to be separated from his father again, so he and Sam had followed him in the new place.

  It was the first time Serena was riding a train and she was loving it. There was nothing like it in Endërland. She’d ridden horses, flown with wingmen in the sky and swam with the mermaids in the sea, but there was something so exciting about travelling on a big metal coach that rode so smoothly and so fast, carrying with it so many people. She was just amazed at what people could build and how far they could go.

  Of course, somewhere in the back of her mind she worried about never being able to go back home, seeing her family and friends again. But then she thought about this world. After getting to know more about it every day, she knew that if it ever came down to it, she could build a life here too, and who knows, maybe she’d finally find The One.

  She looked at Freddie sitting across from her. His gaze seemed to have been lost outside the window and he did not have his trademark smile on just now. He had been so good to her, more than she might deserve. He’d opened up his own house, providing her with not only a place to sleep, but also with food to eat and clothes to wear. He spent time and money on her every day, taking her places and showing her things she had never seen, all the while never asking for anything in return.

  She’d asked him earlier why he did this, why he had chosen this kind of “job” for himself. He had smiled one of those smiles she didn’t see very often - which she secretly thought it made him look really cute - and had answered, “because Dreamers are too important to be left to their own devices.” He’d gone on explaining that they all need help in the beginning, whether it was with making sense of what they were experiencing, or learning the basics of being a Dreamer. And he also had a duty as a member of the Order of the Guardians to protect this world from any Dreamer who could become a threat to mankind.

  Sam had asked if she was considered a possible threat, and the answer had been a hesitant “yes”. “You, more than anyone else, to be honest,” he had explained. “You see, all Dreamers are omnipotent in their own dreamworld, able to do anything and everything they please, without being held accountable by anyone. But in this world, they’re usually harmless. Usually. There have been cases when Dreamers have sought the same kind of power they’ve had in their worlds, and they’ve tried to gain it by bringing war and suffering on mankind. You, on the other hand, have appeared in this world as a Visitor. Now, if the usual rules applied, that would make you this world’s lord and ruler. So, yes, you are considered a threat and you can be sure that you are being closely watched. If the Order decides that you bring danger to our world, they will not think twice about it, they will eliminate you. It’s what they exist for.”

  Serena could not imagine being a danger to anyone, much less to an entire world. She understood little of what Freddie had said, though the message was clear enough; her coming here had made certain very important people uneasy. And those people had the power and the means to end her life, if they so decided. She was not troubled much, however. She knew she was not a threat to anyone, and sooner or later the Order would see that too and leave her be.

  Right now though, all she cared about was getting to her granddad and uncle. Things would be much better once she did, or so she hoped. Her uncle Damien at least was sure to know something more about her current predicament. After all, he’d been living as a Dreamer all his life.

  After about an hour and a half ride and multiple stops on the way, the train finally arrived in Horsham, and they got off. From the station they took a taxi and gave the driver the address for David’s new house. Within ten minutes they were there.

  The house was in a very quiet neighbourhood, with similar houses all around and a lot of green space. Serena felt almost as if she was back home for a moment.

  Freddie rang the bell and they waited. Only seconds passed until someone came to the door, but they felt like hours to Serena, who was suddenly feeling rather nervous.

  The door opened and a man in his early sixties greeted them. He was tall, had a reasonably lean body and stood up straight. His hair showed early signs of grey, yet despite his age, it looked still healthy and shiny. Serena involuntarily held her breath; the man in front of her looked like an older version of her father. They were definitely in the right place.

  ‘Can I help you?’ David spoke first, his eyes going straight to the young girl on his doorstep.

  ‘Good morning,’ said Freddie. ‘Mr. Adams?’

  ‘Yes,’ David answered, without taking his eyes of Serena. Something in her eyes caught his attention, but he couldn’t comprehend the reason behind it, yet. His gut, however, already knew, because it started tightening into a small ball inside of him.

  Freddie decided to keep the uncomfortable moment short.

  ‘My name’s Freddie; I believe you know who I am. I’d like to introduce you to someone.’

  Serena stepped forward and offered her hand.

  ‘Hi, granddad,’ she said, a shy smile on her youthful face.

  David’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

  ‘Serena?’

  Serena nodded. David opened his arms and took her in.

  ‘Oh my god, how did you get here?’

  Serena did not answer; it wasn’t Q&A time just yet. She put her arms around her granddad and revelled in his embrace. It was strange; David felt so much like her own dad, he even smelled like him, yet she was very much aware that this was a man she had never met, though she’d heard about him all of her life. Her dad and uncle always spoke so well of him and with such love that she had grown to love him too, from a distance. But now, here she was, in his arms, and it hit her just how extraordinary this whole thing was. She began to weep, something she almost never did, and she wasn’t alone.

  David had heard that she had gone missing, and had been worried about her for days, but he never thought she would appear at his doorstep. Seeing her now in front of him and holding her in his arms, a huge weight suddenly lifted off his shoulders. But there had been something more than that, something in her face that he never thought he’d get to see again. It wasn’t very obvious to others, but to someone who had lived with those eyes and loved them for years as he had, it was unmistakeable. Serena looked very much like her mother, except for the eyes, she had Diane’s and Daniel’s bright emerald eyes.

  David felt tears of his own roll down his face, but he wasn’t embarrassed. He was happier than he’d been in a very long time. Never in a million years did he think he would get the chance to see his only granddaughter, and yet, here she was, feeling so much like his Diane. He was so emotional he could barely contain it.

  Unsteady, he let Freddie and Serena in the house and then the questions began pouring. They both did their best to recount and explain everything that had happened as they knew and understood it, but many things still remained a mystery. There were no precedents to Serena’s appearance in this world, and no one could say what it meant, or how things might evolve from here.

  For his part, David told them of what he had learned through Damien regarding Serena’s disappearance and her parents’ decision to look for her. This news was very hard for Serena to hear, who now on top of her concern about being stranded in this world also had to worry about their fate. Suddenly, the adventure she had always wished for no longer felt like one. Too many things seemed to be going wrong and danger crept around every corner, ready to attack at the first chance it got. She was seriously having second thoughts about the whole thing.

  David realised that the news about her parents upset her,
and he tried to ease her fears. Daniel and Hëna had been through worse and she knew this better than him; they would find a way to bring the family together again.

  After they’d had lunch, David called Damien and Sam to let them know of Serena’s arrival. They were currently in Chicago, where they had decided to seek professional help for Sam’s depression. David hoped word could somehow be sent to Daniel and Hëna about their daughter’s whereabouts, though that was highly unlikely. They’d already left Endërland and there was no way they could be contacted that anyone knew of.

  Talking to her uncle on the phone was definitely weird for Serena, for it was her father’s voice that she heard, albeit a bit older and more mature. But it would have been even weirder if he had been there that day. This was a man who wore her father’s body, face and voice, and yet was not. One could really go crazy trying to deal with all of it, even if one knew how these things had come to pass.

  At the close of day, Freddie announced that he was going back to London. He promised Serena that he would go back to the Order and try to find whatever information he could regarding her parents, and would come back to see her again. Until then, it was agreed that she would be much safer staying with her granddad.

  Reluctantly, Serena said goodbye and watched him go. She’d grown quite fond of the guy, silly smile and all, and somehow did not feel too happy about him leaving her behind. Her so called adventure in this world had started with him present and it wouldn’t feel right if he wasn’t there for her all the way. Or at least that’s what she chose to tell herself. Deep inside her heart Serena could feel that that was not the real reason.

  After the first visit to his nocturnal world, Drake found himself returning there every night. He was confused initially, unable to understand how it could be that he was living two different lives, in two different worlds. Eventually, he stopped trying to understand it and just went with it. He was lucky after all; not everyone gets two lives, and his new one was considerably much happier.

  For one, he was a prince there, living in a palace and being looked after by a great number of servants. He did not have to worry about stealing and conning people out of their valuables in order to please his parents. In fact, his parents seemed to live for no other reason than to make him happy, and he found that a very welcoming change. They lavished him with gifts on a daily basis and always made sure he had everything he wanted and was ever the centre of attention. Parties were thrown regularly in his honour, while families fought among each other for the privilege of having their young boys be part of his entourage.

  When he wasn’t partying and being spoiled by his parents, Drake’s days were filled with horse-riding, fencing, fighting and learning everything else that a young prince like him was supposed to learn. All of this made for such a contrast to his other life, that he sometimes felt like he was two different people. The only thing constant in both worlds, every day, was his Bessie, and he was most glad to have her.

  Draeland, as he soon learned his dreamworld was aptly called, didn’t seem to be much bigger than old London as far as he could tell. His father’s kingdom had been built on a single island, favoured by the sun and the northern winds. The weather seemed to always be summery and the rain almost never showered its lands. That was just as well, Drake had never liked the rain; he always managed to get himself soaked to the bone back in London, and would often fall ill with a cold. His mother hated it when he fell ill with a cold.

  Fishing was the islanders’ main source of living, though many also worked the land and raised different kinds of animals. The city’s streets were always full of traders and entertainers, much like back in London; only here there seemed to be plenty of everything, and he was hard pressed to find any beggars or thieves around. Drake seemed to appreciate this one single fact over everything else about his new home.

  Years passed and he grew up in both worlds, his separate lives unavoidably taking different directions. In the real world he became a real master of the fine art of robbery, the best. Not only was he quick and quiet, and nobody ever saw him come or go, but he came up with whole new tricks and jobs that were never done before. Thanks to him, the Bagleys’ fortune increased greatly in a matter of years, not that that changed their attitude towards him. Sure, they were less miserable now that they were closer to realising their dream, but nothing about the way they were with him changed. If anything, they’d grown colder, especially Mrs. Bagley. Drake could not remember the last time she had sat down with him, played, talked or even smiled at him. Eventually he gave up on her and focused on his father, who at least took some professional pride in his work, and was more forthcoming with praise and compliments after each job.

  Back in his dreamworld he grew up to be a strong young man, fast and agile, quick-thinking and smart. His skills with the blade of any size, the bow, the spear and any other type of weapon that existed were unmatched. He was the undisputed champion in any organized event and enjoyed the respect and admiration of anyone in his kingdom. Boys tried hard to become like him, while girls began to line up every night for a chance to share his bed. His parents seemed as happy and proud as anyone could be with their children and there was nothing more Drake could have asked for. This life was definitely the one he preferred, and soon he came to wish that it was the only one.

  But in line with his height and fighting skills, his ego and sense of self-worth also grew to monstrous proportions. It was interesting how the same pair of people that constantly put him down and crushed his spirit in the real world, in Draeland drove him to feel like he really was Hercules, the hero of the people, appointed by the gods themselves. Drake soon became the master of his own dreamworld and eventually came to learn that nothing was off limits to him; what he wanted, he got. If only that could be true in his real life, too.

  He did not realise when it happened, when he lost track of which world was the real one and which was the dream. Days and nights blended with each other and it seemed to him that he never slept. Most of the time he was absent-minded and lost in his own thoughts, and it was not seldom that he would get confused and mix up his two lives, not sure where he actually was, or who he was, the prince or the thief. But the day was fast approaching when everything he knew would suddenly and drastically change.