Chapter Six
To Dream and Ponder

    "What do you mean, she's not an Anipeilan?" I almost yelled. "She has to be!"
    "Just what I said," answered Faust placidly. "Amy isn't an Anipeilan, but she is a Truthseeker."
    "And what is that supposed to mean?"
    "It's a rare gift. She'll have extrasensory powers beyond any Anipeilan," Faust explained.
    I was dumbfounded. How could my sister, only seven years old, be a psychic? It made no sense. I also felt a little jealous. Even my little sister had powers that I didn't have. "How can she have psychic powers? If she did, she would have already known about all of this. It's impossible!"
    "You've just entered a world where the people can turn into animals and have elemental powers, and you still believe that something is impossible?" Faust retorted. "Besides, she did have two dragons, disguising as toys, who have sworn their allegiance to her and her family."
    A mental picture of Goryn appeared in my mind again, huge and powerful, dark blue eyes full of emotion. "Goryn?"
    Faust nodded. "And another dragon as well. They'll serve your family from now on, but for now, only Amy can communicate with them."
    "But she's only seven!" I protested.
    "Don't underestimate someone because of their age," advised Faust. "There are a lot of adults who would underestimate us because we're younger than they are."
    At that moment, Gwen came up to us. "Sorry to interrupt, but Faust, we need to talk." She glanced at me. "You ought to get back home before your family starts to worry."
    As if on cue, my mom appeared behind Gwen. "Sharon, there you are. Come on, we should go now."
    "Wait a minute; there's one more thing," Faust interrupted. "Sharon, your training as an Anipeilan will begin tomorrow. Your mentor will come and find you in the morning."
    I was about to ask more about that, but then Gwen tapped Faust on the shoulder, looking impatient.
    "Well, I'm sure we'll find out more tomorrow, when your mentor gets here," Mom told me, as Gwen and Faust left.
    As I walked back home with Mom beside me, I wondered, What was my training going to be like? They mentioned someone named Eclipse... Is that a villain of some kind? Am I going to learn to fight against them? I had read plenty of fantasy stories before I came here, and secretly, I had always dreamed of being a hero like the main characters. Now, I was in a fantasy world of my own, that wasn't in any book, and I was the only one who didn't have an element. I felt like a failure.
    Before I realized it, we were at the doorstep of our house. "Go on up to bed, sweetie," Mom told me softly, and so I obliged.
    As I settled in my soft, new bed, I became lost in thought again, trying to process all that had happened since I got here. Eventually, I got too tired to think anymore, and dozed off into a deep sleep.

    Everything around me was pitch-black. All I could do was stand in place, the only spot I knew was safe to stand on. I began to take cautious steps, and fortunately, there was ground beneath my feet. I continued on, not entirely sure where I was headed, until I heard a voice nearby.
    "Better be careful. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of them again."
    I wasn't sure where else to go, so I followed the sound. As I got closer, I heard another voice, which sounded older than the first. "There you are."
    "Well, sorry to keep you waiting, 'Your Majesty.' Shouldn't you be waiting on your golden throne?" retorted the first voice, laden with sarcasm. I pictured the speaker rolling his eyes.
    Now, I could see faintly. I could make out a boy who looked about my age, with light brown hair and green eyes. I couldn't see the other person, but occasionally I thought I caught a glimpse of a tall silhouette and a pair of gray eyes.
    "You should at least make an effort to hear us out," insisted the unseen speaker. "You might just come to your senses and change your mind."
    "As if! You yourself may have good intentions, but I'd suggest that you check the people you're working with," countered the boy. "You're on the losing side, which you should have realized. Come on, you're better than this."
    "The same argument as when we last spoke," sighed the first voice. "You would be a valuable asset, but instead you chose to be an enemy."
    "I don't have to be your enemy. But if you keep up what you're doing, then I will be."
    Suddenly, blackness obscured my vision once more. When I could see again, I was in another unfamiliar area. Three shadowy figures were gathered together at the edge of an ominous-looking abyss.
    "What have you found out now?" A scathing female voice spoke up.
    One of the figures straightened up. With a shock, I realized that it was Ganvil. He looked more nervous and worn than I had ever seen him. "Well," he piped up, "I, uh, didn't really get a lot of information before that Dynidge interfered. So far, she's weak and inexperienced, but she might turn out to be a powerful adversary."
    I got the horrible feeling that they were talking about me.
    "Indeed, that's probably accurate." Once again, I could see more clearly. I noticed that Ganvil's face was covered with slash marks, some minor, others nasty. Standing beside him was a strange creature. It stood up on its hind legs and had a tall, humanoid build, but the resemblance stopped there. Dark fur covered the creature's body, and its face was oddly wolf-like.
    A long-haired woman stood before them. Her face was beautiful, but her eyes radiated pure evil. She wore a long-sleeved, dark gown, and her fingernails looked strangely like claws, or was that just a trick of the light?
    "I am going to keep a close eye on you from here on out, Ganvil," the woman snarled. "You've failed this time, but you are strong, and it would be a shame to lose you as an ally now."
    The wolfish creature gave a sharp cackle. Ganvil glared.
    "Dexas." The woman turned to look at the wolf. "I will take that as a request to volunteer for the next task I need done. May you perform it well."
    Dexas grinned viciously, revealing razor-sharp teeth.
    "Wait a minute, why shouldn't I do it?" Ganvil protested. "You still trust me, don't you?"
    The woman's voice softened slightly. "I must admit, Ganvil, I was disappointed by your less-than-adequate performance earlier. Besides, just look at those scratches. I think it's best you sit this one out."
    Ganvil sighed. Dexas nodded in agreement to the woman's words, and then, as quick as a flash, he was gone.
    The dream began to blur. My vision went fuzzy, and then darkness clouded my eyes again, just before I woke up.
    As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar face staring back at me.
    "Rise and shine!"
    I let out a yelp as I jumped hurriedly out of bed. "Who the heck are you?"
    "I'm your new mentor. Name's Chester." He grinned. "Nice to meet ya!"
    "Did my brothers let you in here?" I inquired suspiciously.
    "You mean Toby and Barry?" Chester responded. "Uh, no, they didn't," he lied quickly. I didn't question it.
    At that moment, Gwen came into my room. "Sharon, it's time to - Oh, no," she groaned when she saw Chester.
    "Hi, Gwen!" Chester greeted her.
    Gwen didn't return the greeting. "You're a mentor?"
"I sure am!" Chester answered happily. "And I'm responsible for Sally here."    
"It's Sharon," I corrected him.
"Chester, you hardly know what responsible means!" Gwen snapped.
Chester seemed unfazed. "Sure, I do. Just ask Faust. He's the one who authorized me."
"You know what? I think I will." With that, Gwen left the room.
"Well, Sharon, is it? The training is supposed to begin with a tour of the surrounding forest," Chester informed me. "So, meet me at the border of Estic, okay?" And he, too, exited the room.
What is this going to be like? I quickly changed into a new outfit, and then walked down the stairs, where Mom was waiting for me.
"Sharon, honey, I know you're off to explore with your mentor. I'm sure he knows what he's doing, but I want you to have this anyway." She handed me a small satchel that, when I opened it slightly, was full of snacks and also had a water bottle in it.
"Thank you, Mom," I thanked her. "But you know I'm not going to be gone for very long."
"I know," Mom replied, "but in a place like this, you should always be prepared."
I looked around, realizing for the first time that Mom and I were the only ones here. "Wait, where are the others?" I asked.
"Oh, they're already out with their mentors," Mom answered.
"So, I overslept? Oh, great!" I rushed out the door, calling a hasty goodbye to Mom as I went, and headed for the edge of the village. For now, I was able to put last night's dream out of my mind.

Author's Note:
Yay! My favorite character makes an appearance! Granted, it's a pretty brief appearance, but still there!
"A fantasy world that's not in any book..." But it is on Fanpop and DeviantArt! ;D
Anyhoo, please tell me what you thought of this chapter in the comments!