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In the vast distance, I heard Dewara shout, "Fool! Fool! She has you now! You’ve become hers! You’ve opened the way and condemned us all!" The words cahtsent a fresh rush of dread surging through reed? What would the tree woman’s victory mean to me?

Yet there was no triumph in the tree woman’s voice, only acquiescence to my hen she spoke "As you have asked it, so shall it be I take you up Corasp my wrists and pull ers touch the top of er than the tops of my ears, as befitted a soldier son, but in ripped me by the hair on the top of my head Even then, she did not pull etting a better grip on it

Di in a raised voice She ignored me, and sent her words over the abyss to Dewara "Was this your weapon, Kidona ic has chosen hiiven him to me I will use him well Thank you for such a fine weapon, Kidona man!"

Then her voice went very soft I think I only heard it in rip She pulled relentlessly upward on my hair now, but it did not seeed her, but she did not heed ic will give a token Guard it carefully and keep it by you And from you, I take a token of my own It will link us, soldier’s boy What you speak, I will hear I will taste the food you eat, and in turn I will fill you with my sustenance All you are, I will share and learn

"To you I will give a great task; you will stop the spread of the intruders You will turn back the tide of encroachers and destroyers from our lands Of you I will make a tool to defeat those ould destroy us" As my mind reeled with pain and I atteain "He serves ave hiave your weapon into my hand! And now I take it!"

Her words made no sense to me and I had no tihten onout of affed fish Deep inside ed out of

Suddenly her face was so close toI could see were her gray-green eyes as she said, "I have you now You can let go"

I did I fell into blackness

CHAPTER 5

The Return

So My ; that ry Her words were clipped, the corners sharp "He is my son, too, Keft It was…unkind of you to keep me uninformed" Obviously she had rejected a much harsher word than "unkind"

"Selethe Sos are not a woman’s concern" Fro forward in his chair I ihs, elbows out, his shoulders hunched against her rebuke, his stare intent

"When it comes to Nevare, I am not merely a woman I am his mother" I knew that my mother had crossed her ar arrow-straight, every hair in place, spots of color high on her cheeks "Everything that concerns my son ismy concern"

"Where he is your son, that is so," reed blandly But then he added sternly, "But this concerned Nevare as a soldier son And where he is a soldier, the boy is h many dreams to reach this place and time But this was not a dream This was my old life I had found my way home The moment that realization caht I forgot everything in my haste to rejoin my life I tried to open my eyelids but they were stuck fast The skin of my face felt thick and stiff When I tried to , froo I had been badly sunburned and u jelly I took a deeper breath and s up!" My mother’s voice was full of hope and relief