Dreams were curious things. The most bizarre events could play out in front of her, and Enfri would accept them without question. Within the world of the dream, it all made sense.

The sand was hot beneath her feet. Enfri stood in what felt like the very center of the Espalla Dunes. In every direction, she saw nothing but sand, dust, and sky. She stood firm, the song of magic in her veins.

The blood runners of Althandor called it the bloodsong. For such a storied fraternity, the blood runners were remarkably terrible at naming things. Everything was scarlet or sanguine or simply bloody with them. Enfri would have called this...

Come to think of it, she would have called it the bloodsong, too. It was an accurate description for harmonious ether resonating with every beat of the heart. It was intoxicating, and Enfri's bloodsong cried out with apotheosis.

Calling forth an apotheosis was not an easy feat. It required training, precision, and above all, power to work magic strong enough to summon it. She was fortunate that this apotheosis wasn't born of casting a spell, thereby draining her of ether, but from releasing a locked spell already in place. The creatures that pursued her could be given no further advantage over her. She could see them now.

Three black hounds appeared over the northern horizon. Still miles in the distance, Enfri's keen eyes could see them as if they stood only a pace away.

The beast in the center was the largest. He was a great, black mastiff, his fur fading to gray about his ears and muzzle. Strong and courageous, an experienced hunter. The other two were little older than puppies, yet still tenacious and fierce. Their teeth had drawn blood before. This wasn't their first hunt, and they wished to prove themselves to their elder. One had a long snout and was missing an eye. The other had the large paws of youth and impressive fangs. The three hunting hounds followed Enfri's scent.

Enfri took to the sky to lead them on a chase. The braying of her pursuers grew far into the distance. The landscape flowed beneath her like leaves in a stream, and soon she forgot that she had ever known of the hounds or of magic. Enfri was free and had no memory of ever being otherwise.

Her feet touched upon the ground. It was cold here. Cold and white. She stood on a pinnacle of rock, blanketed in fresh snow, and surrounded by what seemed a vision of all the world. It spread before her in all directions, and even the clouds were beneath her feet.

She saw the nigh endless sands in the west and the mountains guarding the distant lands of jade. The south held frozen seas and an ice-cloaked realm of warriors and wolves, home to a red huntress that was both and neither. She caught sight of a strong young man in black armor, joyful laughter on his lips, and a dagger he didn't see was pressed to his throat. The huntress and youth spiraled towards one another, but Enfri couldn't begin to guess what would happen once their paths met, only that they would. To the north were sweltering lowlands and moors, where scattered peoples lived in fear of the encroaching south. A small voice cried out for freedom and was answered with prayers for salvation. The east held vast steppes where the grass was red as if stained with blood, where a single spear was left abandoned on a lone hillock.

Enfri became aware of the light fading. The sun was still high overhead, but it was being hidden behind clouds. No, not clouds, but mist. Enfri's high-altitude perch began to shake, and she nearly lost her balance. A rumble shook the land. Something was coming.

Around her, bursting from the ground, arose a city like no other in the world. It rose to pierce the sky, higher than the pinnacle Enfri stood upon. Great spires built of stone, metal, and magic. Shrouded in eternal mists, each tower rose to dizzying heights. Even the smallest among them was taller than mountains. Anyone who stood at their top would be unable to see their base.

The spires were connected at every level by walkways hundreds of yards above the ground. There were streets that hung in the air by iron threads. Great machines powered by steam ran along elevated tracks, and all was illuminated by steady, unwavering gaslight.

"The skies are no longer ours," said a voice as deep as memory. "One day, they may be yours again."

Enfri turned towards him. The rising city had vanished, as had the vision of the Continent. Once out of sight, they were no longer important enough to be remembered. How could they be? The great elder silver she loved above all other dragons stood beside her on this mountaintop.

The Librarian was leaving soon. Enfri felt that it had been a long time since the mightiest of dragons first told her that he must leave her, and it would likely be a final farewell.

"I want to go with you," Enfri told him. "Why must you leave me?"

The elder silver, powerful as storms and wise as spirits of knowledge, turned from her. He could not bear to face her. "Sin and failure, dear Storyteller, and none of it yours. We deserve to be forgotten."

A young woman's voice spoke by Enfri's side. "You surprise me again, Sky Woman. Is this the creature that has been bonded to you?"

The elder dragon vanished. Then, Enfri turned to look at Jin. The assassin's forest green dress was trimmed with gold and made from...

I've seen this before, Enfri realized.

She gave her head a single, hard shake. Coming awake within a dream was like opening her eyes in a pitch black room; what she saw was unchanged, but now she knew the darkness for what it was.

It was regrettable that Deebee hadn't returned from her mission yet. She would have been able to recast the dream ward before Enfri slept and spare her from this intrusion.

"We have to stop meeting like this," Enfri sighed as she looked away from Jin. "Is this how you plan on catching me? By keeping me from a decent night's... I mean, day's sleep?"

Enfri folded her hands in front of her. She looked down at them and was momentarily disoriented. For some reason, she had expected to see claws instead of hands. Whatever dream Jin snapped her out of, it must have been a doozie. Enfri couldn't rightly remember much of what it had been about. Had Deebee been in it? Something to do with dogs, maybe.

Raw megathon. Never again.

Claws blessedly absent, Enfri was wearing her best linen dress. A shawl was wrapped over her hair, and her brace was strapped beneath her clothing. Enfri remembered what Deebee said, that this dream self was how Enfri saw herself, what she truly believed she was.

I'm a sky woman, she told herself. Being Aleesh or bonded to a dragon comes after that. Before anything else, I'm a healer and a herbalist.

Jin circled around until she was back in front of Enfri. Her brow was knitted together as her blue eyes traced over Enfri's face. "You... are lucid?"

"Wasn't I the last time you popped in uninvited?" Enfri asked. She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. If Jin felt the need to disturb her dreams, she had better get on with it. Enfri had some sleeping to get back to.

"No," Jin replied. "At least, not fully."

"Well, lucky for you. Grandmother always said I was poor company until I fully woke up."

Jin blinked rapidly in astonishment. "Forgive me," she said. "It's just that you caught me off-guard. This is unexpected."

"Oneiromancy must be a tricky spell," Enfri said with false sympathy.

Jin pursed her lips. "Evidently your dragon has been teaching you some things."

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes. So, you're an oneiromancer, too? I figured Tarlus was the only one you lot had."

Jin pulled back as if she just touched a hot cauldron. "How could you possibly know such things?"

Enfri didn't feel inclined to answer. If she remembered parts of Jin's last visit right, lying was impossible in these shared dream spaces. If she wasn't careful, Enfri might reveal something she'd rather Jin not know. Such as how Enfri had been spying on Jin's camp the previous night and was within a day's ride.

Jin tugged at her dress to straighten it, and she smoothed her expression. "You're correct. I have some practice as a dreamer, though my cousin is without a doubt the more skilled."

"Where are we?" Enfri asked, acting as if she were uninterested in what Jin was saying. "The summit of a mountain?"

"I wouldn't know, Sky Woman. This is..."

"My dream. Yes, yes," Enfri said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Doesn't change the fact I've never even been to a mountain's bottom, say nothing of the top of one."

Jin leaned closer, a frown on her lips. "You're not as I remember you."

"Because you've never met me angry before," Enfri retorted. "The way I see it, you're in my head. Guest-rights ought apply, so I don't have any reason to be scared of you."

"I couldn't harm you in a dream even if I wished to," Jin said.

"You're saying you don't wish to? Well then, what's all this running about the desert for?"

Jin's cheeks reddened slightly, and she got an angry look in her eyes. Enfri could have loosed a victorious shout at the sight of her getting flustered. Jin the Stoic wasn't as unflappable as she wished everyone to think.

Enfri grimaced as she surveyed this foreign mountaintop. This definitely wasn't something she'd ever seen before. It looked more like a place she could imagine Deebee having a moment to herself. Perhaps the bond affected dreams, and this came from her guardian's memories. She decided to ask Deebee about it when she had the chance.

In any case, this wasn't somewhere she felt comfortable. Heights gave her the willies. Enfri closed her eyes and concentrated on her own home. If it was only a dream, she should be able to put herself anywhere she wished.

"What are you doing?" Jin demanded. "I haven't finished with you."

"Very well," Enfri replied. She reached out and grabbed Jin's wrist. "Come along if you insist."

Jin tried to snatch her hand away, but only succeeded in pulling Enfri closer. They stood face to face, and Enfri was surprised at how much taller Jin was. It was true that her crooked spine was doing her no favors, but Jin would have had a few inches over her regardless.

"Don't tell me you're afraid," Enfri mocked.

The red in Jin's cheeks deepened. It was a fetching color on her. Enfri enjoyed the sight of it. It proved that she had the upper hand for once.

"If you think I fear you, Enfri, you've grossly misinterpreted..." Jin cut off when she saw that they were now standing in Enfri's home on the desert's edge. By the way she goggled at her surroundings, the change in location was a profound shock to her.

The hole Deebee made in the roof was gone. Everything was as it was before assassins made a mess of her life. There was a cozy fire crackling in the hearth, and the fading light of late afternoon shone through the window shutters.

"You're... getting stronger," Jin observed.

Enfri let go of Jin's wrist and sat at the dining table. Stronger? The idea was almost enough to make Enfri laugh. She felt like many things, but strong wasn't one of them.

"You're wrong," Enfri said without thinking. She removed her shawl and folded it in her lap. "I've never been weaker."

Jin took the chair on the opposite side of the table. They sat exactly where they had the night Jin came back into Enfri's life. Her eyes and the way she carried herself were wary, as if she expected Enfri to pull a knife. "What do you mean by weaker?" Jin asked.

Enfri leaned her elbows on the table. Even in dreams, her back troubled her when she tried to sit up straight. "I'm a cripple, Jin. I was never meant for things like this."

"Women are often surprised by what we're capable of," Jin offered. "Men have told you all your life that you're weak. Clearly, you are not."

It was true that she had been told that, but not by men. Enfri fought back a grimace. She didn't want to think about Mother right now.

"Is this something assassins do?" Enfri asked pointedly. "Do you think insincere compliments will convince me to give myself up?"

"That's not possible," Jin said. "Remember? I can't lie to you here. If you hear a compliment in what I say, it's because I believe it to be true."

That's not really answering the question, Enfri thought. This verbal sparring and dancing around what they truly meant was a sure way to get headache.

The pair of them made an interesting contrast. Pale skin and brown, black hair and golden, silk dress and linen, a fighter and a hunchback.

Enfri averted her eyes. Jin made her feel... lesser. She had always known that her back set her beneath most every other woman in the world, but not half as far as she was beneath Jin. The older girl was a descendent of the first Althandi bloodline, a royal by blood if not by title. She was tall, strong, and beautiful.

Even sitting down, her physique was intimidating. Winds, and that dress. Enfri couldn't take her eyes off of it. Gowns like that were what she always imagined a queen would wear.

"Your dress is lovely," Enfri heard herself say.

The compliment must have come as a surprise. Jin fidgeted in her seat as she brushed her fingers down the length of her skirt. "Thank you," she said. "It's a favorite, a gift from... a dear friend."

"You say that like you have other dresses just as fine."

The corner of Jin's mouth twitched, and her posture relaxed. If Enfri didn't know better, she'd say that Jin nearly smiled. That would have been ridiculous. Assassins didn't smile prettily when someone said their clothing looked nice.

"I like dresses," Jin said, her voice taking on a wistful quality. "Wearing them, having them made. I enjoy selecting the material and the cut. Few things are as satisfying as choosing the perfect dress for an event. You must make sure the colors match the venue and your escort, that you're equal to the hostess but not so close that you seem too eager to show off."

"You go to parties often?" Enfri asked. "That doesn't seem like what assassins normally do."

"Come now," Jin said, "haven't you heard tales of intrigue set amongst the elegance of the nobility? Stories where every other attendee of a ball is an assassin, a foreign spy, or a secret informant?"

Enfri shook her head.

"Good, because they're lies," Jin said while tapping her finger against the table. "Mostly lies," she amended. "The truth is, I attend such events because I enjoy them and no other reason."

"I wouldn't have guessed," Enfri admitted. "After all, I've never seen you in anything but studded leather before."

Jin gave her a patient look. She leaned back in her chair and rested her hand on the table. "Should I go armed to the premier of Master Deveoux's latest opera or the Dothraun's annual gala?"

Enfri shrugged and traced the woodgrain of the table with her fingers. "Maybe. Is everyone there as dangerous as you?"

This time, Jin actually did smile. "Not remotely."

She's certainly confident, Enfri thought. Then again, she supposed Jin had ample reason to be. If Enfri could look like that in a dress, she'd be confident, too.

"I always wanted to see it," Enfri said. "Little chance of it now, but I always dreamed of visiting the Spired City one day."

"Why?" Jin asked.

"It's said to be the grandest city in the world, and I've never been further from home than Sandharbor. More than anything else, I wanted to ride on a train."

"A train?" Jin asked in surprise.

Enfri nodded emphatically. "I once saw a merchant with a steam-powered carriage at the trading post. It was the talk of the village for months, and the headman said that trains were even more amazing. They can run all the way from Althandor to Melcia or Gaulatia or anywhere in just a day and a night."

Jin hummed in understanding. "Perhaps I'm too used to the city. I fail to appreciate it."

"But, it's something you love, isn't it?" Enfri asked. "Living in Althandor, going to the fancy parties of nobles and arcanists, dancing and feasting into the middle of the night."

"Does that surprise you?"

"I suppose it does. When I think of you, I see an assassin. My assassin specifically, thank you very much. It never occurred to me that you might also be... a girl."

Jin's hand slid closer to the center of the table. "Interesting, because I never had the same problem with you."

"Me?" Enfri blurted.

Jin stared into the hearth as she spoke. "When I first met you, I was astonished. I expected the sky woman to be a dried up oldwife, but instead I found a young girl who had more intelligence in her little finger than some hierarchs I could name."

There was a warmth in Enfri's cheeks. "I'm not so remarkable."

Jin glanced her way. "Aren't you? When you told us that you had been living on your own, I felt such envy. Here was a girl two years my junior and able to live as I never could. You treated Gain with skill that the king's own surgeons could hardly match. I admired you from our first meeting, Enfri. You were courageous."

"Quite the opposite," Enfri muttered. "I was scared out of my wits."

"Courage isn't the opposite of fear," Jin said. "No more than a bandage is the opposite of a wound. I wouldn't call you brave if you hadn't been scared. I knew, and I couldn't have been more in awe. Just as I am now."

Enfri swallowed to dislodge a lump she felt in her throat. Was that true? Not only what she said about courage and fear, but what Jin said of her.

Lies didn't dwell in dreams, so it must have been.

Enfri pushed her hand closer to Jin's in the center of the table. "I wonder. If one of us was born as someone else, if we weren't... like this, I wonder if we might have been friends."

"I've no doubt."

Enfri bit nervously on her lower lip. "I have to know," she said. "Why is Althandor hunting Aleesh? Shan Alee has been dead for six hundred years. Why do you want to kill me?"

Their fingertips brushed against each other, then Jin slid her hand forward to intertwine their fingers. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"I don't want to."

Enfri felt her heart begin to pound, and her eyes grew wide with astonishment.

Jin pulled her hand away sharply. When she looked at Enfri again, her eyes had grown cold. "But I will," she said.

In the blink of an eye, her dress was gone. It was replaced by the black garb of a royal assassin.

For a moment, Enfri thought, I fooled myself into believing she was human.

It had been a mistake. Jin was a killer. A beast-eyed monster. Enfri couldn't let herself forget that again.

The dream began to grow dim, and Enfri felt as if another place was pulling at her. She felt sand pressing against her face and a chill on her skin. For this brief moment, she felt as if she were in two places at once. One foot was still in the dream as she came awake.

Jin said one last thing before everything vanished. "Our next meeting will be in the real world."

END OF ACT TWO