I would like that, Reggie conveyed. Master helped me?
“Seth helped free you from a prison of your own making,” the Diviner said. “He helped you make choices you could not make on your own.”
I left the cottage, Reggie communicated. I became dirt. I became his assistant. Master will still help me?
“I’ll help you find who you were taken from,” Seth said. “I wish somebody would do the same for me.”
“I will aid you,” the Diviner said. “Seth, it might interest you to know that your memories also escaped the place where Humbuggle contains such things. You will need cooperation from Humbuggle to find them. There are many forces with an interest in you, Seth. Yours is a grand and complicated destiny. I cannot see your full path, but mending Reggie will help you as well.”
“Can I help Seth too?” Calvin asked.
“You have and you will,” the Diviner said. “Remember the old saying: ‘Help thy brother’s boat across, and lo, thine own has reached the shore.’”
“I like that,” Calvin said.
“Much hinges on you breaking the nipsie curse, Calvin,” the Diviner said. “Seth is not yet the champion of light that you need, but one day he could fill that role, if he so chooses.”
“What should I do now?” Calvin asked.
“Serena is at Humbuggle’s manor,” the Diviner said. “Learn what she knows.”
“She is?” Calvin exclaimed. “Really? For sure?”
“I’m sure,” the Diviner said.
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Calvin said. “How is she? What has she been doing?”
“Her story belongs to her,” the Diviner said. “My role is to reveal your story to you. And I don’t see all. If I feel the rail vibrating, I know a train is coming. With sensitive attention, perhaps I can discern the speed of the train, perhaps the size, but not the paint color or the favorite food of the engineer.”
“Has Serena learned important things?” Calvin said.
“That much I can confirm,” the Diviner said. “A breeze with a certain smell and a particular amount of moisture can reveal a coming storm. A raging storm is heading for Titan Valley, literally and figuratively. You cannot stop it. You can choose whether to work with it or against it. My suggestion? When the gales come, raise a windmill, not a dam.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Seth asked.
“I can get no more specific,” the Diviner said. “You have all the direction I can currently offer.”
“Can we see you again?” Seth asked.
The Diviner stared off into the distance for a moment. “The way out of here is simple. Follow the blue carpet. If you should find me again, you will. If you should not, you will not. Let that supply what peace it can.”
Tess sat cross-legged on her bed, watching the light of dawn bleed into the sky. She knew if she crawled under her covers, she could probably fall back to sleep. But she felt eager for a new day, and she was enjoying the cool tranquility of the early hour.
Yesterday morning, a fairy had come to her window. Her name was Nina, and she had streamlined yellow wings, unusually sparkly. They had played for a time, and Nina had promised to return this morning, but Tess saw no sign of her.
Padding over to the window, Tess rested her arms on the sill and leaned out, conscious of the tremendous drop to the ground below. She saw no fairies.
Tess got dressed, then went out to the sitting area that separated her room from Knox’s. She crossed to Knox’s door and opened it just enough to see he was still sleeping beneath the covers. Closing the door and backing away, Tess retrieved the card she had made the previous evening and decided to seek out Emery, the beautiful servant who attended their group.
After unlocking the front door of their suite, Tess peeked into the hall. Emery stood talking with Raza. Tess felt strange remembering they both were dragons. Marat had looked nothing like a dragon in his human form, so she knew it was possible.
Emery waved at Tess, said something to Raza, and came her way. “Up early again?” Emery asked.
“I made you something,” Tess said, trying not to feel shy.
“Let me see,” Emery said, approaching and accepting the card.
Tess had drawn a picture of a dragon reading to a little girl. THANKS FOR THE STORIES was printed in all caps. Tess knew the art was imperfect, but she hoped the characters would be recognizable. “That’s you and me.”
Emery’s eyes widened, and Tess thought that tears might have glimmered for a moment. “Is this why you asked for colored pencils yesterday?”
“I wanted to thank you,” Tess said. “Would you tell me more stories?”
“I am here to serve you,” Emery said with a little curtsy. Her long black hair was pinned back in a complex style Tess had never seen. “Would you care for breakfast?”
“Sure,” Tess said. “Could I have eggs again?”
“Scrambled with cheese?” Emery asked. “Toast on the side?”
“Yum,” Tess said, following Emery to the dining room shared by all the companions except Kendra.
“What would you like to hear about?” Emery asked as she tied on an apron.
“Yesterday you told me about the different giants,” Tess said. “How the night giants and the hill giants protect the gentle giants. And how the sea giants almost went extinct. And how the sky giants used to live in a floating kingdom.”
“Good memory,” Emery said.
“What was it like being a dragon?” Tess asked.
Emery paused, an egg in her hand. “Dragons are a difficult topic for me. Too many painful memories.”
“Sorry,” Tess said. “It seemed interesting.”
“It is very interesting,” Emery said, cracking another egg into the pan.
“Why is this sanctuary called Titan Valley?” Tess asked. “Are there titans here?”
“There is one actual titan,” Emery said. “The father of the Giant Queen.”
“How big is he?” Tess asked.
“Much bigger than the Giant Queen,” Emery said. “But he has slept for centuries.”
“Where
