His eyes met Antyr's. ‘Why do you ask?'
Antyr was about to shrug off his inquiry casually, but something in Pandra's gaze drew him forward. ‘I've a problem,’ he said somewhat to his own surprise. ‘Something strange has happened-to both of us.’ He indicated Tarrian. ‘And I, we, just don't know what to make of it or where to turn for advice.'
'Oh dear,’ Pandra said sympathetically, but not particularly hopefully. ‘If I can help you I will, of course, but I'm very slow these days, virtually retired now. Very much out of touch with modern developments.'
'I don't think it's a modern problem,’ Antyr said. ‘I think it might be a very old one.'
'Ah. I wondered what you were doing thinking about the MaraVestriss legend.’ Kany's high-pitched voice interrupted the conversation. ‘What were you looking for?'
Though the rabbit looked old, the curiosity in its voice was that of inquiring and vigorous youth, and both Antyr and Tarrian started.
Pandra lifted a restraining hand. ‘I'm sorry,’ he said. ‘I'm afraid Kany's very nosy. Not to say rude.'
'Well?’ asked Kany ignoring the comment.
'I don't know what we were looking for, but this is what we found,’ Antyr said, indicating the illustration.
Kany sidled over to the book and peered at it, his nose twitching. ‘And?’ he asked.
'Master of the monosyllable, this one,’ Tarrian muttered, prompting another prod from Antyr's foot.
'I was visited by such an apparition last night,’ Antyr said bluntly. ‘And separated from the protection of my Companion.'
Pandra's eyes widened in disbelief and then alarm. He drew in a noisy, shocked breath. Kany made a strange, high, whistling sound.
'Separated? What do you mean? What happened?’ the old man managed, after a moment, his face full of concern.
Briefly, Antyr told him, aware that Kany and Tarrian were communicating between themselves as he did.
When he had finished, the dusty silence of the library seemed to close around the group. Pandra shook his head in dismay. ‘I've never heard the like,’ he said, eventually. ‘Never. How could such a thing be? If you weren't a Dream Finder I'd say you'd been dreaming.'
'I don't know,’ Antyr said. ‘That's why we're here. Floundering around. Searching for anything that might tell us what's happening or what to do.'
'It should be a matter for the Guild Council, I suppose,’ Pandra said, without conviction. ‘But it's not what it was.'
He pursed his lips and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. ‘Fees seem to be the only thing that they're interested in these days. And anyway, I wouldn't trust some of them to find the Duke's palace on Viernce Liberation Day, let alone a dream. And as for dealing with this…’ He shook his head. ‘Kany, what do you think?'
'I think I'm too old for this,’ the rabbit replied. ‘And so are you. I've heard Tarrian's side, and it's bad. Beyond anything we can help with. Take me home.’ There was a brief private communication between the two which ended with Pandra picking the rabbit up and placing him back in his pocket. He threw an appeal for understanding to Antyr.
Antyr nodded. ‘I'm sorry,’ he said. ‘It was thoughtless of me to burden you with such a problem. Maybe I will take it to the Council, after all. They should know about it even if they don't know what to do with it.'
'They'll either form a committee to look into it, or strike you off the roll for intemperance,’ Kany said unexpectedly.
Antyr's mouth dropped open.
'I'm sorry, I had to do a little burrowing into you,’ Kany said sincerely, but in a tone of regretting the need rather than the deed. ‘But if it's any consolation, the wolf's right. What happened was none of your doing.'
Antyr shot an angry glance at Tarrian who must have conspired in this intrusion, but his reproach was met with the same attitude. ‘Companion's need,’ Tarrian said, almost tersely. ‘Who knows what danger we're in. And we need all the help we can get.’ Adding privately, ‘He might be a bad-tempered old rodent, but he's sharp, believe me.'
Antyr heard the justice in Tarrian's words but he still felt humiliated by this clandestine observation of his inner thoughts. ‘Damn you both,’ he said turning away. ‘You could have asked.'
Kany chuckled darkly in the warm comfort of Pandra's pocket. ‘Since when does a hunter tell the prey what's going on?’ he said.
'He means you'd have shut him out, Antyr,’ Tarrian interjected hastily, seeing Antyr's jaw tighten. ‘It's very difficult not to. Especially when you're afraid.'
Pandra reached across and laid a hand on his arm. ‘Don't be angry,’ he said. ‘You know he's right. Kany's confirmed the reality of what happened. Something like that could have been an accidental coincidence of thoughts between you and Tarrian. A sort of unknowing mutual deception. I've heard of such things happening. Never actually met anyone to whom it's happened, mind you, but…'
Antyr put his hands to his head and closed his eyes. He had not even been aware of the faint, flickering hope that he now felt dying out, but its passing left him feeling starkly alone.
And frightened.
He stared into the shapeless colours that flitted behind his eyelids, and wished himself far away.
'I need a drink,’ he said bitterly, only just overcoming an urge to sweep all the books off the table.
'Have as many as you like,’ Kany said brutally. ‘Drink yourself into a stupor if you want, but you're the focus of this problem and it won't go away.'
'How the hell do you know anything?’ Antyr said angrily.
'I know because I'm old, like the wolf here,’ Kany snapped back, in like vein. ‘A damn sight older than you, I might add. And because I know most of my strengths and weaknesses.'
'I know my weaknesses well enough,’ Antyr replied acidly. ‘As does everyone else in Serenstad judging from the amount of advice I'm given about them.'
'I really am too old for you humans and your endless foolishness,’ Kany said wearily. His voice was suddenly quieter, but there was such restrained fury in his reply that Antyr quailed before it. ‘It's your strengths you don't know, not your weaknesses.'
The rabbit's words seemed to burn into Antyr's head.
'Strengths, Antyr,’ Kany repeated, more gently, and speaking privately to him. ‘Pandra here is a fine Dream Finder. One of the old school. Cares about his craft, cares about his clients, and me. I couldn't wish for better. But you're different. You're far beyond him. I can tell that even without working with you. And Tarrian is beyond me. He keeps it from me but he must have been touched by humans of rare skill in his growing.’ He paused, puzzled. ‘And by something, someone, else … strange … subtle … but…'
His voice drifted into silence.
Antyr, still shaken by the unexpected power radiating from such an incongruous source, picked up his last word. ‘But what?’ he said in some despair. ‘I'm not aware of any strengths in myself. And if I were, what use is this strength if I can't know how to use it?'
Kany was silent and Antyr could feel his sense of impotence.
'There's old Nyriall, of course, perhaps he can help,’ said Pandra.
Antyr felt Kany's mood fill with self-reproach and then brighten. ‘Ah,’ he exclaimed. ‘I'm a useless old doe. I'm getting so forgetful. Of course, Nyriall. And he's got a wolf for a Companion too. Or he used to have.’ He became ecstatic. ‘Yes, yes, that's it. Go now. Go quickly. See Nyriall.'
Antyr found himself standing up under the urgency of Kany's appeal.
'Where does he live?’ he asked in some bewilderment.
'I've no idea,’ Kany said brusquely. ‘See that old fool of a porter. He'll have it somewhere in one of his precious books. Go along. Hurry up.'
Bustled out of the library by Kany's urging, Antyr turned to Tarrian as they trotted up the stairs. ‘What are we doing, running about like this at the behest of a rabbit?'
'I really can't comment about a fellow Companion,’ Tarrian said, with dignity.
'Yes. Unless they happen to be feline,’ Antyr replied with some amusement, finding an unexpected release in the simple physical activity of walking. ‘I noticed he had you jumping as well.'
Tarrian glowered at him. ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘I just deferred to an older colleague as is fitting.'
