A petite woman with snarled blond hair stared back at her from a face that was gaunt and tired.
"This—" Eva's voice trailed off.
Tell me what you see.
"Stars. Countless numbers of them. A lake. My reflection."
What else?
Awe threatened to distract Eva before she shook it off, paying closer attention to the dreamscape.
Bright colors drew her notice upward, and she realized what she first thought were stars was something else entirely.
Rather than following the night sky she knew, the pinpricks of light were arranged in different patterns. Some spread out. Others clumped together.
"It's a map," she whispered.
Colorful flares of light danced along the black of night, shimmering and fading as they snaked across the sky in a brilliant display.
"I see waves of light," Eva said.
That is interesting.
Eva's eyes opened. "Why?"
It's a rare gift. One you will understand at a later time,Polaris said without explaining further.For now, you should focus on how to defend your lake and sky from intruders.
"How?"
How else does one protect themselves from invaders? By building walls.
Eva tried. She really did.
Only nothing worked. Frustration grew with each failed attempt.
Frustrated, she glared at her reflection in the lake. Why wasn't this working? After everything else that happened tonight, she couldn't walk away without figuring this out.
As if in response, something inside her relaxed. Ice crystallized beneath her feet, spreading in an ever-widening circle that stopped when it was about ten feet wide.
What did you do?
"I don't know. The lake is now covered in ice."
Your presence in my mind has faded. I can still feel you but not like I did.
Excitement lifted Eva's spirits. "Does that mean I did it?"
I think so.
The uncertainty in Polaris's voice wasn't exactly reassuring but Eva would take it.
It should be enough to protect you for now.
"And the rest?"
That's up to you to figure out.
Of course it was. Why did Eva expect anything else? Nothing ever came easy. This shouldn't be any different.
