“Probably. It would take time. But I have no interest in learning her whereabouts. That problem is yours to solve.”

“Is there . . . ,” Cole began, but he got choked up. The questioned mattered too much to him to finish it.

“. . . a way for you to get home?” Trillian supplied. “Not if you want to stay there. Not the way things are currently arranged.”

“Could they be rearranged?” Cole asked.

“Somebody with enough power could do it,” Trillian said.

“You?”

“Certainly, if I were free. Others, perhaps.”

“Who?” Cole asked.

Trillian waved a dismissive hand. “Enough irrelevant trivia.”

Cole wanted to press the torivor for more information, but he could tell Trillian was done with the subject. At least he knew there was a way! He couldn’t wait to tell Dalton.

“You already know what we came here for,” Cole said. “There isn’t much for me to say. Are you going to help us?”

Trillian smiled. “That question has burned in you since our conversation started. Though I can see your mind, Cole, there remains an element of mystery to you. It’s the main principle that keeps you mortals interesting. Your past is clear to me, as are your present thoughts, but I can’t be sure what you will choose tomorrow. I don’t know how you might react to new information. I don’t know because you don’t know. I can guess, but I can’t be sure. You temporal beings are capable of shocking change. Your opinions and attitudes evolve. You lie to yourselves. Your emotions fluctuate. These concepts are foreign to me. I see countless examples in your memory, but I don’t expect to ever truly understand your fundamental nature.”

“You don’t change?” Cole asked.

“Not really,” Trillian said. “At least not in my home world. In this temporal state, there may be unexplored possibilities. But in any state I cannot deceive myself. Who I am and what I want are in agreement.”

“What are you trying to guess about me?” Cole said. “Do you have an offer?”

“I take an interest in the five kingdoms. I will not be locked away forever. This world had a beginning, and so it will come to an end. But my time here is tedious. I enjoy influencing this realm through the people I train and send abroad.”

“You want me to do something?” Cole asked.

Trillian waved an arm, and they stood on a circular platform high in the sky. A large white moon gave light. Stars sparkled above. Cool air wafted around them.

As the platform began to descend, Trillian walked to the edge. There was no railing. Cole followed carefully and peered down.

Far below, in the distance, a town was under attack. Tiny people ran from a numberless mob of other tiny people.

“The threat from Morgassa and her horde is real,” Trillian said heavily. “These images came to me last week from one of my winged servants. The situation perturbs me. Peculiar elements are at play. Someone unleashed powers that they cannot control. I have sent out many scouts to investigate the problem. Thanks to your conversation with the soldier who witnessed the horde up close, you have better clarified the situation than the few servants who returned with far-removed visions like this one.”

“Honor can help us stop Morgassa,” Cole said.

Trillian stared at him silently. The torivor waved a hand, and they were back in the warm room with the fancy floor and the exotic furniture.

“Unchecked, Morgassa will overrun Elloweer within a month,” Trillian said. “I do not wish to see Elloweer destroyed. A live kingdom is a more interesting place to be imprisoned than a dead one.”

“What if Morgassa came here?” Cole asked.

Trillian tapped a finger against his cheek. “I’m not certain. Her strengths differ from mine. Even here, she could pose a threat to me. It would not be a dull contest.”

“Why not give us Honor and let us go after Morgassa?”

Trillian tilted his head. “Might you succeed? Possibly. Time to bring in your friend.” Trillian clapped, and Jace appeared. Jace looked over at Cole, surprised.

“This is Trillian,” Cole said. “We’re dreaming.”

“I know,” Jace said. “I’ve been talking to him.”

“I’ve been speaking to each of you separately,” Trillian said. “Time to confer together. You both want Honor. As does Mira. I brought Honor here for my own reasons. Given the threat posed by Morgassa, I am not entirely unwilling to let her go. But I will not make her a free gift. Such a prize must be earned, and I love contests.”

“Why not just help us?” Cole cried.

“Giving you a chance is help enough,” Trillian said. “You, Jace, and Mira must participate in the contest together, or we have no deal. If you win, Honor leaves with you. If I win, you all belong to me.”

“Leave Mira out of it,” Jace said.

“No,” Trillian said. “Cole will go fetch her. If he doesn’t return with her, he should not return at all. I asked to see all three of you, and you ignored my request. It’s time to heed me. You’re worried that the contest will be impossible to win. It will be difficult, but possible. If you had no chance of success, there would be no sport in it.”

“Why did you bring Honor here?” Cole asked.

“Bring Mira,” Trillian said. “That is all.”

The torivor waved a hand, and Cole opened his eyes. He was on the circular white bed in the small room without corners. No sleepiness lingered. The door stood open, and Hina was waiting.

Chapter 29

CONTEST

Cole found Mira, Dalton, Twitch, Skye, and Minimus waiting on the Red Road just outside the gates. Mira and Dalton ran to him as soon as he appeared. They looked anxious and relieved.

“Are you all right?” Mira asked.

“I’m okay,” Cole said. He felt reluctant to deliver the message from Trillian.

“You were gone for hours,” Twitch said.

“What happened?” Dalton asked.

“Where’s Jace?” Mira wondered.

“The torivor has Jace,” Cole said. “We talked to him.”

“What’s he like?” Skye asked.

“I don’t know,” Cole said. “He visited me in a dream. He’s from another world, but in the dream he looked human. He has a pretty high opinion of himself. He could read my mind.” Cole glanced back at the desolate view of the skeletal castle through the fence. “That place looks a lot different from the inside. Maybe what we see from here is a seeming. Maybe it’s all a big seeming once you go through the gates.”