“It’s not real yet?” Anya whispered to Devlin.
He shook his head and whispered back, “Not quite. The Knights of the Illuminate Front have to approve our charter before we can become a true Aspirant Guild. But what he said sounded encouraging.”
Anya nodded, “I hope swift means the same thing to someone that ancient as it does to us.”
Devlin chuckled softly, “So do I!”
Apparently even ancient dreamers could still move swiftly at times. Next dream, Anya entered the Courtyard of Awakening and ran up the ramp to the Threshold of the Radiance. She paused as she passed through the portal, feeling a soft thumping against her chest. Anya gasped, and reached down with trembling fingers. Her hands clasped a cold, circular medallion. She looked down, and tears of joy flooded her eyes. The mark of aspirant hung from her neck. She felt a broad smile spreading across her face.
A soft chuckle roused her from her bemusement, “You look just the way I felt a few minutes ago,” Terrell told her.
“It’s real now, isn’t it?” She said with a wide smile.
Terrell grinned at her, “You bet, Anya! We’re on our way! Just an Aspirant for now, but The Knight told Medla and me to make sure all our members meet him at the House next dream.”
“Do we know how to open the House?” she asked.
He shook his head, “I think it’s a bit different for everyone. I asked some house members, but they all hinted at different things and said it was really a House Secret. I believe that’s why we have the Knight as our Guide. He’ll be able to tell us what we need to do to win the House.”
Just then the portal chimed and admitted Devlin, who ran in, wearing a grin almost wider than his face, and a small medallion in the middle of his chest. Terrell and Anya exchanged glances and both started to laugh.
“I looked just like that?” she asked.
“Exactly like that,” he affirmed.
Devlin came out of his bemusement with a big grin and said, “We made it! They approved! Gods! I can already feel the strength of the house flowing into me, I’ve got so many new arts to get used to!”
Terrell chuckled at him, “Don’t complain, Dev, I’ve got all yours and a few extras. Including at least one I hope I won’t have to use very often.”
Anya looked up at him, a question in her eyes and Terrell grimaced, “Demote. It’s a Ruler’s responsibility to remove someone who might be harming the Guild or who’s violated the Charter.”
Anya’s eyes grew wider still and Terrell smiled at her, “Even though we’re well on our way to winning our House, we’ll still face some opposition. Not all Illuminates understand that draining saves the trapped souls. Some of them believe that you drain everything into your avatar, even the soul.”
Anya grimaced, “That’s horrible! I remember someone told me that when I was just newly awakened. Surely they don’t think we’d drain if it was like eating the souls!”
“Some of them do,” Devlin told her.
“And some of them may want to fight with us about it,” Terrell added.
“Meanwhile, we have a job to do. We need to make sure all our members are going to be able to dream tomorrow. The Knight has asked us to meet him at the House. I hope that means he’s going to tell us how we can earn the right to open it,” Terrell continued.
“I must waken now, but if you two can stay here for awhile and make sure anyone else who dreams gets the message, that will be a big help.”
Devlin nodded and said, “I can stay. I want some of those sons of ‘mares who’ve been saying we’d never get our charter approved to see our new crests!
“And we’ll keep watch for the rest of the family and pass the message about tomorrow.”
Anya nodded too, “I’ll stay too. There’s a certain daughter of an emphant that I want to show my crest to!”
Terrell grinned at them, “By all means show people that we’re to be taken seriously, but try not to get us into any wars before we even have our House!”
“We’ll be good!” Devlin assured him, “Safe wakings, Terr.”
The next day passed all too slowly for Anya. Not for the first time she wished she could share her excitement with her waking family. But like most people in their village, her family believed that dreamers were evil monsters who should be cast out. So Anya kept quiet and dreamed her dreams in secret. It made her feel as though her Dream family were closer than her waking family.
In the Dream, she was important. Even as the youngest member of the Guild she shared the mission. There were new things to learn and discuss in the Dream, and a sense of purpose she had never felt before.
As they worked together pulling weeds in the family’s garden patch, Anya turned to her sister and asked, “Why are we doing this, Nel?”
Nel looked sideways at her and said impatiently, “So the weeds don’t choke out the pease we want to eat, silly.”
“I know that. But why do we keep eating pease? All we ever do is try to grow enough food so we can stay alive and grow some more. Isn’t there more to life than that?”
Nel cast a sly grin at her younger sister and said, “Got your eye on a boy, have you? That’s a lot more fun than just eating. And when you get preggie, you can set up your own household with him. I’m thinking maybe Jeck’s the one for me. It’s sure fun trying with him, anyway.”
Anya smiled vaguely and gave up. She’d known that Nel didn’t think beyond the village and having a place and a family of her own. She’d always known she was different from her waking family, and now she firmly closed her mouth and pulled weeds. The last thing she needed was to make her unimaginative sister aware of the differences between them.
The long day finally dragged to its close and Anya sought out her pallet, so excited she could hardly achieve the calm state of mind necessary to sleep and dream.
Entering Threshold of the Radiance, Anya cast Locate Dreamer and realized that most of her Guild were already gathering at the House. She tapped the Dexterity alteror that Terrell had given her, adjusted her shield and ran out to the Valleys of Totality. This time as she ran up the Valleys, Anya looked at them with a proprietary eye and observed that there was a beauty and majesty to the rocky landscape that was missing in the softer and lusher planes.
She passed through the portal into the Entrance to the House and found her Guildmates milling around excitedly.
“Well met, Anya.” Medlana called as the younger dreamer entered, “Did you see Blue Lily or Arrol on your way up?”
Anya shook her head, “No but I’m sure they’ll be here. They were as excited as the rest of us that this was the Dream.
“Is the Knight here yet?” she asked, looking around the Courtyard.
“No one’s seen him,” Medlana replied.
As the two women spoke, the outer portal chimed again to admit the last two members of the Guild.
“Well come, Lily, Arrol,” Medlana called, “we’re all here now.”
As though her words had been a signal, the portal from the House sounded and the Knight strode through.
He bowed slightly to the assembled Guild and beckoned them closer. When they were gathered around him, he spoke, “You are come in good time, Crusaders of the Radiance. Hark you now to what we must do this dream.
The Great House sleeps deeply. It dreams of the last Guild who walked its halls and called it home. To make it your own, you must follow the ritual and take it from those long dead dreamers.
“Were they dreaming still, they would fight you and call upon the Spirits of the House to resist you. You would have to battle your way into the Prime Room and cast your art of Taint on the Prime. Once tainted, the Prime would need to be held against the old Guild for twelve hours. If, at the end of that time, you were victorious, you would recast Taint and the House would accept your sovereignty.
“Though the last owners are long gone, and the House Spirits sleep, you must come to the Prime Room and each of you cast your art upon the Prime. That will rouse the House and prepare it to be retaken. You will not have a battle to take this House, but a different sort of challenge.
“Let us go now, and begin. I will take you to the Prime Room. Each in turn will take up the Prime Key and cast the art. When all are done, I will explain the challenge which faces you.”
With that, the Knight raised his hands. Anya felt an instant of disorientation, then found herself standing in the most majestic room she had ever seen. Overwhelmed, she gazed around in awe and heard her friends murmuring their own awe at the sight.
The Knight approached Medlana and handed her something, “This is the Prime Key, Lady Ruler. This dream you will use it to Taint the Prime. In future, you and your folk will use it for happier purposes. Take it now, cast your art and pass it to your Co-Ruler.”
Medlana took the key and faced the faintly glimmering Prime which dominated one end of the room. As she cast the art, it seemed the glow of the Prime was muted further.
Each member of the Guild took a turn, holding the Prime Key and casting Taint. When the Key came to Anya, she felt sorry that her evoke cast the final pall over the light of the Prime.
“Lay down the Key, young Crusader,” instructed the Knight.
“Now heed well, all of you. You have pledged yourselves to the service of the Faith and to the saving of souls. To prove your worthiness to open and hold this Great House, you must begin your work. Each of you must collapse twenty-five nightmares and bring their essences to the House.
“As it is your faith that through draining the souls are saved, you have been granted the art of Drain Essence. Should you succeed with your challenge and win the House, the art will be yours to keep. Should you fail, you may lose even the art.
You must each drain five of the essences you bring. The remaining essences you will give to the Prime. This will alleviate the suffering of the trapped souls and begin to restore the power of your Prime.
“To serve the Faith, you must bring with you at least one new recruit who has accepted your beliefs and wishes to be initiated into your House.
“The Prime must remain Tainted for at least twelve hours. Therefore, you have until this time next Dream in which to complete this task of service.
“Next Dream I will again meet you in the entrance court. If your service is complete, I will bring you to this room. Your Ruler will again cast Taint on the Prime and the House will waken and accept you as its new owners. Each of you will then use the Key to transmit your essences to the Prime.
“Once the Prime has the power, you may initiate your recruit into your company.
“Go forth and begin!”
With those words from the Knight, Anya found herself standing in the Entrance again, her Guildmates standing with her.
