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.Dreams are a distorted mirror into our lives, sometimes so clear it’s as if we’re looking through a window into another world, other times so confusing we wake up feeling like we’ve just endured the reading of an epic poem by Harold Danmaw.” She cringed.“Before we dream, we must live and we must feel.Those blind from birth don’t see in their dreams.Those deaf from birth don’t hear in their dreams.And right now you’re both blind and deaf to terrislaks.It’s better if you enjoy this last night.”CHAPTER TWENTY-TWOIf Shara only knew the dread she caused, she wouldn’t have said anything.Usually I didn’t sleep more than a few hours, but now I couldn’t even get to sleep.I stirred, continually trying to find a comfortable position, but I simply couldn’t.It was like I was already out in the desert, running from a monster I couldn’t quite see no matter how hard I tried.I heard grunts coming from our horses.I sat up and checked on Shara.She was a mound of shadow among a sea of darkness.I couldn’t see where her blanket ended and she began.I’d lent her one of my two blankets, making the cold another reason I found it difficult to sleep.As I made my way over to our horses, my stomach complained and my shoulders sagged.We had some bread left from what I’d bought in Cessri, but it wasn’t much.Tomorrow we’d need to hunt.Shara made this sound easy, but I wondered how much she really knew about it.I could clean a kill and cook it just fine because I bought carcasses at the market all the time, but I had no experience hunting.Both mounts were on their feet, but only mine was awake.“Can’t sleep, Vkar?” I whispered.He neighed as I started to pet him, causing me to snatch back my hand.I waited a moment and tried again.He made no sound this time.I couldn’t tell if he wanted to be touched or not.Shara would know.I wondered if one of her parents had worked with horses.Every time I started to forget about the terrislak, it came right back to the forefront of my thoughts.I should’ve asked Shara how many extra days it would take to go around the desert, then I could have spent this wasted time making a decision.Why hadn’t she at least suggested the idea? She didn’t seem worried.I could feel myself relaxing as I stroked Vkar’s mane.I was about ready to try sleeping once again when I heard Shara rustling.I looked to find her sitting up.The silhouette of her wild hair was all that identified her against the backdrop of the night.“Something wrong with the horses?” she asked.“No.” I returned to her, sat on my blanket, and pulled it up over my shoulders.“Will they always sleep standing?”“Probably.Horses’ sleep habits are different than ours.They sleep a little at a time, often taking naps when they have the opportunity.Sometimes they lie down depending on the terrain and weather, but most of the time they stay standing.Their legs lock in a way that requires no effort to maintain balance.”“Is there anything you know nothing about?” I teased.“Yes, why you aren’t ever asleep when I wake up during the night.” She paused.“Is it me?”“No, I’ve been like this for years.”“You should think about something comforting, something you know well that’s just complicated enough to distract you.”“What do you think about?”“When I can’t sleep, I go over the path north in my mind.I imagine the land—the grass, the hills, the lakes.I think of sneaking past the terrislak and befriending a forest diyma.I see myself reaching the capital and meeting the king.It makes me feel at peace.”“How could sneaking past a terrislak bring you peace?”“Because it’s easy when you know how to do it.” She giggled.“Did I frighten you and that’s why you can’t sleep?”“No.” I’m not sure why I lied, but it felt better than telling the truth.“Well, we should rest while we can.Pleasant thoughts, Neeko.Pleasant thoughts.” She nestled into her blanket, and her silhouette of hair disappeared.As I lay my head down, I thought of food.A steaming plate of braised pork and potatoes, glistening with butter.A shaker of salt nearby and a mug of water.My stomach got all too into the idea and called loudly for the plate.This was more likely to keep me awake than help me sleep.I needed something else.I thought of getting the money I was owed from the master of coin.I would buy a house, a cheap one that needed fixing up.I could live there as I worked on it, add a room, paint, put in a few glass windows.I was surprised at my next thought: showing my place to Shara when she came to visit, her face lit brightly with a smile.This image stuck with me until I finally fell asleep.When I awoke, I grinned when I saw Shara had a fire going.I went over to warm my hands.“Morning,” I said.“Mm,” she grunted without looking away from the fire.She was either tired or upset, but something was different from the other mornings.“Here.” She dumped half a handful of red berries onto the dirt between us.“I found some an hour ago.There’s your share.” Her voice was harsh, and she still wouldn’t look at me.“Thank you.You’ve been up that long? 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