#dreaming

They move onto new trees, "Come on, I'll show you one that's a pro"

"Oh... no, I.. " She checks the weapon again. "I won't give her up. She's mine."

"More illusion-trees?" Curious.

"But you don't know how you got her..." He says

"And yeah.. this one is really good at it"

"No, I don't. But she's mine. I probably don't deserve her, neither, but I got a lot of stuff I don't deserve..."

"Ain't gonna give up Jaymes or Tove without a fight, and I don't deserve them."

"Then if you don't deserve the house, do with it waht youv'e been doing with other things you got.... take care of them, use them for the good. Everything else? Self distraction"

"I guess."

"Oh, and Jaymes aid he's not sure he's good enoough a dad.. so ironically, he's not sure he's good enough to deserve you. Grass is always greener..."

Snort. "Jaymes deserves the best kid. He's great."

"He can't have the best kid. Sylvi is taken" proud

She laughs at that. "Totally unbiased, huh?"

"Oh completely" Lie " Anyway that..."

Jaymes screams in pain

She tenses, eyes wide and already drawing her weapon from her back.

Turning, she sees a clearing, a small sapling in a lit spot..as Jaymes fights for his life against blood red wolves tearing at his flank..he's killed some.. but there's still so many more.

Her father's blood pours from numerous wounds.

"You... you said it's a lie..."

"This, right? That's a lie?"

"Maybe..." he says "use your head, figure it out"

She tightens her grip on the handle. "You said it... Jaymes is at work..."

"What do you have to know? USE your senses, then think about waht you're looking at" he says

She chews on her lower lip, looking at the scene ahead. She's tense, ready to leap and fight...

"Welcome to the Rover's biggest challenge... we protect those travelers in need, but we cannot leave the trod unless we're sure it really is them. Now, you're in the dreaming, glamour everywhere, what doees Jaymes have that most won't? What edge do you have, Gwydion?"

"I... I can tell if someone lies?"

"ARE YOU JAYMES?" She bellows.

"Dagmar? It's me! Your father... help me.." LIE LIE LIE

"Okay, good, now don't let that Gwydion temper provoke you into..."

The tree pretended to be her father, took his form, used his image to ...oh there might be rage

"LIAR!"

The illusion breaks, and instead of a small sun light sapling, there is a hungry black leafed silver barked willow tree, with fangs under each leaf.

"you okay?" olgar asks

She's glaring.

"That tree is a jerk, too."

"Yup. That one's a pro at it. The time it pretended to be Kerri? I nearly lost my shit" He admits

"I bet."

"Now, without the boon, how would you have known what it was? Without me warning you before hand?"

"It.. Jaymes is at work. Should be."

"Logic, often the enemy of fae, can actually serve you well here though the time distortion means even that may not be on your side... another method? Kenning... because there is one thing we have that a lot of the beings you met won't. Can you guys what it is?"

"...Banality?"

"You're damned right" He says "Changelings have a mortal side... and mortal sides bring just a wee dollop of Banality. Those illusions are dream born, but one thing theyh ave a hard time duplicating is the stuff that's kryptonite to chimera... Banality. You ken for the cold...not the warmth, and you might have your kithain... not that is always meaning you've got a friend. Thallian have banality too and they'll murder you in your sleep or kill you to your face for giggles if they can"

"So it could be a thallian pretending to be Jaymes?"

"Well sure, we got chicanery and metamorphisis and the like and they have arts too" He says

"Joy."

"if roving were easy, anyone would do it" He shrugs "Oh.. there's kind an escheat for the dreaming... but honestly I think of them are more guidelines"

"Yeah?"

"Rule one: Stay on the path-this one you know. Rule two: Never retrace your steps- as a rule, it's always better to keep going forward...sometimes you'll find backward isnt' there any more. Rule Three: Journeys are different from trips- You're on the trod for a purpose, in this case, to learn. Everything you see and experience might be teaching you something. Rule Four: Jouneys have shapes- I hestiate to mention this one but basically it means don't shy away from adventuring , it's part of the price you pay for being in the dreaming. Rule Five: Remember your destination- IMPORTANT... it's great to 'wee' adventure, but staying on the path does you no good if you lose your point for traveling entirely... you can get lost even on the silver that way. And last.. Rule Seven: Time dissapears on the road. TIme moves differently here anyway, so no need to rush especially if rushing will make you sloppy"

"Journey is important, but destination is too - even if that destination is just the other side?" She asks, clarifying.

"Yeah, let's go with that"