Naomi's Motives

If Anorkin has seen my body disappear from in front of his eyes, I assume that he will conclude that I could still be alive and may send search parties to look for me. But if Naomi is so universally loved and respected as the book suggested, surely the members of the search party wouldn't be willing to take action against her, or against me if I was with her? Furthermore, she not only has great magic power herself, but also has powerful friends such as Max.

I put those points to Naomi. "I was thinking of your safety rather than my own," she says. "Once word gets out that you're a Dreamer there will be many who - like Anorkin - will want to use you for their own ends. I and my friends would do our best to protect you, but sooner or later I think that you would most likely fall into bad hands. Yes, potentially you have such great power that no-one could harm you, but it could take you many years to learn how to tap into that power. Especially since there are no longer any other Dreamers who could teach you. That's why we're going to try to find A'Yrede. If we can, we could get lucky and there could still be Dramers living there who could help you."

"And you'd really go with me, into exile? I can't ask you to do that."

"But you could be the most important person on this planet. The Dreamers are said to have enormous powers. If you can learn to harness yours, then you could be an enormous force for good. From what you've told me, I know that you've only been in this world for a comparatively short time. That makes you vulnerable, through lack of knowledge. So I see it as my task to ensure that you survive long enough to come into your inheritance, as it were."

I can see now why Naomi was so loved by the Dorians. That she would give up a life of power and wealth in Doria, which could have been hers for the asking, to aid me - whom she has only just met - is staggering. "How can I ever thank you?" I ask.

"By surviving," she says, and grins at me.

"Are you going to tell Max about this?" I ask, remembering her ability to talk to him telepathically.

1. "Yes."
2. "No. I shall tell no-one, not even Max. Anorkin might suspect that he knew your whereabouts and put pressure on him. All I shall tell Max is that I have to go away, possibly for some years, and that I will be out of telepathic range."

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