“Who are you?” asked Aiden.
The woman ignored him and stepped inside. Loose Teeth recognized her and whinnied happily. The woman smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes. Silently she looked around the stall, her gaze darting from Mini’s supplies to Loose Teeth’s foreleg firmly planted on the ground. Mini stepped back as the woman approached the horse and stroked his nose.
“Curious,” said the woman, turning to look at Mini. The woman’s voice was sweet and high-pitched. “Few can bear to be so close to these creatures.”
Aru felt a flash of nerves. Was this Mini’s test to win Dee Dee back? Did that mean Aru’s was next…or had it already passed?
“Yeah, well, Mini’s really brave,” said Rudy, crossing his arms.
Mini glanced at him gratefully.
“Either that or she’s all too familiar with fear,” said the stranger, lifting an indifferent shoulder. “Are you often scared, child?”
Mini opened her mouth, then quickly shut it, hurt flashing across her eyes. The confident girl who had been standing tall and proud a moment ago had disappeared.
The stranger didn’t seem to notice Mini’s silence as she scratched Loose Teeth’s velvety muzzle. Loose Teeth snorted with pleasure.
“Night mares are terribly misunderstood creatures,” she said. “People think they’re evil, but they serve a beautiful purpose. They force you to behold yourself more clearly. They make you honest.”
“Can they, uh, make a path for us to get out of here?” asked Aru.
Mini’s weapon hadn’t returned, so maybe that meant this wasn’t the test. Aru’s relief was short-lived and followed by a wave of guilt. Was she really that selfish?
Not selfish, said a kind part of herself. Just scared. That’s okay.
“Oh, you’ll leave soon enough,” said the woman. “He’s bound to wake up soon, and then the Halls of Nidra will vanish and re-form elsewhere.”
Rudy raised his hand. “Um, who’s going to wake up?”
Brynne shushed him.
“Yeah, about the whole vanishing thing…” said Aru, taking a step toward the woman. “We don’t want to be thrown out of the dream—we need to get to the end of it. To the labyrinth entrance—”
“And soon,” cut in Brynne. “There’s—”
“A battle brewing?” guessed the woman.
“How did you know that?” asked Aiden nervously.
“The Halls of Nidra are ripening, for the realm of dreams loves a good battle,” said the woman, looking around. “It is only in dreams, after all, that one’s dearest wishes and fiercest terrors may be realized.”
“Right…” said Brynne. “Well, it was nice to meet you, stranger! We’ve got to get going now!”
The woman chuckled softly. “You’ll never make it. The realm of dreaming will detect that you are not part of this world, and the door you seek will only grow farther and farther away.”
“So that’s it, then?” said Mini. “We can’t get through?”
“Nonsense,” said the stranger. “I will help you.”
At that moment, Loose Teeth stepped forward. Her wings arced up, and her shadow fell over Mini, who smiled and reached up to tickle the mare’s chin. The dark horse grunted, its blue eyes aglow.
It could have been the low light playing tricks on her, but Aru could have sworn that a look of annoyance flashed over the woman’s face.
“Why?” asked Aru warily.
“I do not enjoy being in anyone’s debt,” said the woman, gesturing to Loose Teeth’s foreleg. “You healed one of my charges. In return, I shall supply transportation to the end of the dream world.”
Brynne, Mini, and Aru looked at one another, all silently asking the same question: Can we trust her? But could they afford not to? Nikita and Sheela’s warning was clear: the Halls of Nidra would not last forever. And their chance of ever getting into the labyrinth would soon be lost.
“I have no reason to harm you,” said the woman mildly. “I can tell by the celestial weapon your friend carries that you are doing the great work of the gods themselves. Why should I not offer assistance?”
Brynne’s chest puffed out a bit, but Aru was still wary.
“Normally I would not concern myself with such matters, but, as I said, I owe you a debt.”
“Okay, but who are you?” asked Mini.
The woman bowed her head. “I am the one who tends to the dreams. You may call me The Lady.”
Aru raised an eyebrow. “Is that a first or last name?”
“Names are dangerous here,” said The Lady. “They make the dream world…specific to you. Give it your name, and you’ve given a part of yourself that perhaps you may never be able to take back.” A look of sorrow crossed The Lady’s face. “Now, you will have to ride a dream to make it to the other side. Come. I shall introduce you to the herd.”
Normally when one hears You will have to ride a dream, that sounds unequivocally awesome. Ride atop a dragon made of marshmallows? Excellent. Hurtle through space and time inside a cozy, hand-painted bathtub? Sign me up!
End up face-to-face with gigantic monster horses?
Hard pass.
The Lady had lined up the night-mare herd, and they snorted eagerly, the blades of grass under their hooves brittle with frost. Rudy whimpered. Brynne tried to stare down the demon horses while Aru positioned herself somewhat behind her sister.
Aiden seemed to have won over Inexplicable Natural Disaster by snapping her photo and showing her the result. The horse had whinnied appreciatively, even tossing her mane, which dripped like some sort of toxic sludge down her thick neck. Then she took a gentle step toward Aiden.
“She has chosen you as her rider,” said The Lady, scanning the rest of the line.
Don’t Look Under the Bed sniffed at Rudy, who ducked to one side…
Mistake.
DLUTB huffed. The sound raised goose bumps on Aru’s skin. Rudy tried to move out of the horse’s line of vision, but the creature only mirrored his movements.
“She thinks you’re playing,” observed Mini, who was standing a couple of feet away. Behind her, Loose Teeth snuffled Mini’s hair. Compared to the rest of the herd, Loose Teeth did look rather small. Her wings were stunted, as if they hadn’t grown properly, and she kept them tightly folded along her back.
“The girl is right,” said The Lady, nodding at Rudy. “Don’t Look Under the Bed has chosen you.”
Rudy, horrified, inched sideways toward the steed.
“I’m not scared of you,” said Brynne, pointing to the horse who hadn’t broken eye contact with her. “You’re mine.”
The Lady arched an eyebrow. “That one is Bugs in Your Hair.”
Brynne’s hand instinctively went to her hair as the horse stepped toward her. The moment Brynne touched the mare’s nose, the horse whinnied. Brynne whinnied back.
The Lady surveyed the herd. Most of them had broken off from the line, tails swishing as they nosed through the grass, looking for dreamers. Only one remained. It looked at Aru as if she were a piece of food dropped on the ground and it was deciding whether or not she was worth eating.