"Come on," Claire laughed, walking ahead, then looking back. "You can walk faster than that. I thought you wanted to get out of this desert."

Owen smiled but maintained his pace. "Honeyflower told me not to walk too fast or too slow."

"Who's that?" Claire asked. She was still a few paces ahead, so she walked backward to face him.

"She's a fairy," Owen explained. "She's a bit strange, but she's very nice. She gave me directions." He decided not to mention how the fairy was this world's Ira.

"Directions to Eye?" Claire smiled. "And he can tell you how to get back into the real world."

"Yes, that's what I've said."

Claire turned around and fell into step with him. "So, are you sure you can't go any faster?" she started again.

"Not too fast or too--"

"But are you sure you're not walking too slow?" she teased.

"Trust me, I could go much slower." To prove his point, Owen stopped walking completely.

"You're never going to get to Eye that way," Claire said, smiling mischievously. Without warning, she took off running. "Race you there!" she called over her shoulder.

"Wait!" Owen called out to her retreating form. He was about to follow after her, but something strange happened. The sand underneath the princess's feet warped unnaturally, and though he could see her a second before, she vanished into thin air.

"Claire!" Owen wanted to sprint over to where she had disappeared, but the fairy's directions rang through his mind. Whatever had happened to Claire had happened because she was going too fast--he was sure of it.

There was no trace of anything. There was no hole she could have fallen into, and the sand at his feet felt normal. "Maybe she just faded out of the dream," Owen thought. But it had been so abrupt this time. Before, it had taken longer for her to disappear.

After studying the ground, Owen swept his eyes over the horizon to see if Claire had just ended up a little farther. He gasped when he saw what looked like a person sitting in the sand about ten yards away. It wasn't Claire; Owen could tell that immediately by the figure's bald head and loose robes. As he walked forward, he could more clearly see male features and browned skin. The most terrifying things that he noticed were the person's eyes--not just on either side of his nose, but also blinking on his forehead, scalp, cheeks, chin, and hands. There were so many eyes. Owen stopped nervously only a few feet away.

"Come closer," the man prompted, looking up from where he sat at the prince. "Who are you?"

Owen managed to take another step forward. "I'm Prince Owen." He struggled to focus on just one pair of eyes. "Are you Eye?"

The man smiled. "That was a safe guess. Yes, I am he. Since you already know my name, I assume you seek me. What is it that you want?"

Owen opened his mouth to speak.

"I apologize for interrupting," Eye said quickly. "But you may sit if you want."

Owen didn't hesitate to accept the invitation. He sat down in front of the many-eyed man. "The fairy Honeyflower sent me to find you. She told me you can see everything in Etherea."

"Ah, yes, now I remember," Eye said, all of his eyes growing slightly wider. "I saw you in Honeyflower's grove, talking with her. There was also a pig, I believe. Of course, I can only see everything, so I didn't know what you were talking about. Now I see. You have been in Etherea for quite some time now, haven't you?"

"Yes," Owen said. He was amazed how much Eye knew. There was more than a good chance that he could tell him the way to the edge of Etherea.

"I've seen it all," Eye continued. "You've had some exciting adventures." He chuckled. "And you have a companion in your travels--a young lady who visits in her dreams."

Owen nodded. "Yes, Claire." He froze for a moment, then scrambled to his feet. "I almost forgot! Claire! She disappeared and I need to find her!"

"Slow down. Sit back down," Eye said with amusement, patting the ground. "She will be fine," he explained as Owen settled onto the sand again. "You may have forgotten, but I see all that happens. She is merely farther along in the desert. She ran too fast and went right past me."

Owen tried to feel reassured, but he didn't know what Eye meant. "She went past you?"

"Honeyflower must have told you that you must keep a steady pace when walking through this desert," Eye said. "Did she? She is absentminded sometimes."

"She did," Owen said.

"There's a good reason for it," Eye continued. He swept an arm out at the desert around them. "This is a place of shifting sands. If you walk too slowly, the sands will move you almost nowhere. If you are steady-paced, they will always take you to where you want to go. And if you are too fast, like the princess was, they will sweep you right past your destination."

"So the sand...moved Claire away?" Owen said uncertainly. "How far did she go?"

The eye on Eye's forehead flicked around slightly. "She's approaching the other edge of the desert. She appears confused, but she will be fine. Now, you came here for my help. What do you need?"

Owen was still worried about Claire, but took his mind of her long enough to answer. "I need to go to the edge of Etherea to leave."

Eye nodded.

"Honeyflower said that you could tell me how to get there."

Eye rested his hands on his knees. "She was right. Listen well, then. To reach the edge  of Etherea from here, you must travel to the Dry Plains. You need not care what direction you go; the sands will take you there if your pace is steady. To the east across the plains is the Blustering Sea. The giant turtles will carry you across if you are polite. Continue east from there, and you will reach the edge."

Owen repeated everything in his head so he would remember it. Compared to the things he had already done, it didn't seem too difficult. "That's all?" he asked.

"That is all," Eye confirmed. "Is that the only question you want answered?"

Owen almost said that he was finished, but then he thought of something else. "Actually," he started. "Before I came here I was told that I had to leave at a certain time to return to the real world when I want to. I never found out when that will be. Do you know?"

The man's many eyes closed halfway in thought. "What time do you want to go back?" he said at last.

"When a hundred years have passed in the real world."

Eye looked up into the air as he did the calculations. "I have seen how long you have been here already. If I consider this, you will reach a hundred years' worth of time in...ah...a week. By the time the sun sets in seven days, a hundred years will have passed."

"Seven days?" Owen repeated, a little nervous. Was that enough to make the journey to the edge?

"Don't worry about the time," Eye assured. "It should take you about three days to reach the edge, four days at most. You may have to set up camp when you get there and wait the rest of the time. In fact, you may wish you could leave sooner." Eye laughed softly.

"Okay," Owen said, standing up. He brushed sand grains off his pants. "I might as well start now. Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," Eye said, his smile lighting up his many eyes.

Owen walked a step before stopping again. "Eye?"

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me where Claire is now?"

His eyes rolled around in their sockets, searching. "She is not in Etherea," Eye concluded. "Her sleep has taken her elsewhere. She is safe."

Owen nodded. After quietly thanking Eye again, he turned to walk away.

"Good luck!" Eye's voice called after him.

Seven days. He was so close. He just had to reach the edge successfully, and then he could leave. His quest and Claire's curse would end.