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dragons refused to come out, and she sensed their fear and confusion. Something was not right, but her
little friends did not know what.
In the thicket not far from her, a squirrel picked up a nut, scampered along a rotted log, and buried his
treasure.
Kale sat up, attending to the small details around her, and waited. Overhead, a bird took off from a limb.
The branch shook and three leaves fell to the ground. Kale looked at the fallen leaves in the dirt. They lay
in a rough triangular formation.
With her lips pressed together, she watched for more signs of life in these woods. A bee flew to a bush
covered with small white flowers, then after a long pause, a bluebird brought a twig to the tree at her left.
Her eyes turned to the sky and followed a cloud as it sailed past a mountain peak.
In the thicket not far from her, a squirrel picked up a nut, scampered along a rotted log, and buried his
treasure.
Kale nodded her head and waited patiently for the three leaves to fall from the tree after the bird took to
the air. They landed, making a triangle on the dirt. In due time, the bee came, and then the bluebird with
his twig. She looked up to the mountain and saw the same cloud drift out of sight over the same mountain
peak.
We re in an illusion, she announced, loud and clear.
She closed her eyes for a moment, dreading what she might see when she looked at her three male
companions.
They had the same discussion over and over, but they didn t use the exact same words.
She turned her head and opened her eyes.
Bardon, Regidor, and the tumanhofer had stopped what they were doing and stared at her.
She sighed and smiled. I m so glad. I thought you might be part of the illusion as well. In which case, I
would be alone. But you re not repeating.
Bromptotterpindosset glanced first at Bardon and then at Regidor. Does anyone know what she s
talking about?
I think, said Bardon as he stood, these maps are useless in our present circumstances. He moved
toward Kale.
What does he mean? the tumanhofer asked Regidor.
Regidor rose to his feet and looked down at Bromptotterpindosset. If this place is under a spell, the
maps will not guide us out.
The meech followed Bardon, and the mapmaker got up clumsily. See here, I ve been around the world,
and there has never been a time when my maps failed me. Even if I couldn t determine where we were
by landmarks, the stars remain constant to the celestial charts. You, yourself, said the sun never lies.
Yes, said Regidor over his shoulder, but is that the sun?
Bromptotterpindosset glanced at the sky and then sputtered, Ridiculous! How could the sun not be the
sun?
Regidor ignored him. Tell us what you ve seen, Kale.
She pointed to a limb above them. That bird will take off, and three leaves will fall to the ground. She
pointed to the dirt. They ll come to rest there, making a triangle.
The bird took to the air, and the leaves landed in the dirt just as Kale predicted.
Next a bee flies among those white flowers, then a bluebird carries a twig to that tree.
The three men watched the insect and the bird.
Coincidence, scoffed the tumanhofer.
Bardon and Regidor cast him disapproving glares.
Next, said Kale, the cloud goes over the mountain peak.
Bromptotterpindosset shifted in irritation. Anyone can see which way the cloud is going.
Kale ignored him. Notice the three leaves are gone.
They looked to where dirt lay in the cleared patch.
The cloud drifted out of sight.
A squirrel will pick up that nut and bury it over there.
I m convinced, said Bardon as the squirrel flicked its tail and grabbed the nut.
What does it mean? asked the tumanhofer.
Regidor frowned at the shorter man. It means we re lost unless we can break the spell.
Kale put her hand on Bardon s arm. We broke a similar illusion in Risto s dungeon with music. Dar
played his flute.
Bardon reached inside his tunic and pulled out his small silver instrument. He played a few random notes.
Nothing happened. He played a scale. Nothing. He played the first bars of a popular tune. Still nothing.
He looked to Regidor. Any ideas?
We could try interrupting the cycle.
It s the bee s turn to make an appearance, said Kale.
Regidor stood ready beside the flowers and scooped the insect out of the air with his bare hand. He
threw it to the ground and stepped on it.
It didn t sting you? asked the tumanhofer.
My forefeet are covered with very thick skin. But that s beside the point. It didn t try.
A minute later, the bluebird flew by with a twig in its beak.
So, said Bardon, the destruction of a bee did not disturb the order of the illusion.
What do we do now? Bromptotterpindosset asked, while looking around nervously.
I doubt that anything is going to attack us, said Regidor.
The tumanhofer s eyes snapped back to glare at the meech dragon. I didn t expect that something
would. It s just he shuddered this place is unsettling. Nothing s real, isn t that so?
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