Okay so I lied. The last one was short too. I promise I will try and make this one longer.

They were heading for the memory chamber when Anya found them. "Melody! Thank goodness you've returned!"

"What is it? What's happened?"

"The counsel needs to see you right away! The sun stone… it has been stolen!"

"Why would the counsel need to see me about… oh no…"

"What?" Trace asked.

"When I had my conversation with Achenar he had a large reflective stone in his hand. He said he was borrowing it."

"One cannot 'borrow' the sun stone!" Anya exclaimed. "The memory chamber needs it to survive! If the memory chamber dies without another to move the globes to, all of our history, our families will be lost forever!"

"Calm down Anya," Melody told her, taking her hands. "I promise we'll get it back. The man who took it, he said there was a reason and that he would return it. How long will the memory chamber last without the sun stone?"

"Already it begins to die," Anya said, tears in her eyes. "It will not last the night."

"We have to move quickly," Trace said. "There was obviously a reason Achenar took the sun stone. Maybe to stop Sirrus. Anya, we need to get into the memory chamber again."

Anya shook her head. "It has been sealed by the counsel until the sun stone is retrieved and everything returns to normal."

"It's important Anya," Melody insisted. "Yeesha might be trapped somewhere inside or beneath it!"

Anya looked uncertain. "I have never heard tell of such a thing. You must speak to the counsel. Maybe they will listen to you."

In route to the counsel chambers, Melody turned a corner and nearly ran into an older woman. She had long light brown hair with streaks of grey, purple robes and purple marks across her cheeks and down her chin.

"I'm so sorry," Melody said quickly.

To her shock, the old woman eyed her with animosity. "My sister's say you are a friend. But if that is true, why is everything falling apart when you are here? The sun stone is missing, the harvester is destroyed, the memory chamber has been sealed."

"Old one," Anya said. "None of those things are Melody's fault."

"I know who is causing all of this," Melody added. "I know you're people are in danger and I will…"

"You are a stranger here!" the woman snapped. "You cannot begin to imagine the threat this poses to my people! The memory chamber needs that stone to survive. Without it, we may never see our loved ones again! You have been a curse to my people! You and that child…!"

"Shut up!"

Everyone's eyes went to Melody in shock. She spoke quietly, but rage simmered in her eyes. "Don't you dare say a word about Yeesha. She is an innocent child who is being threatened by someone she thought she could love and trust. And don't talk to me about suffering. In the world I came from, when our loved ones died they were gone. No globes, no chamber, no dream world where we could see their memories and relive happy times. All we have are our own memories which we struggle to keep alive in our hearts. You… you haven't even experienced true loss."

The old woman studied her long and hard. She started to leave, then turned back. "I hope the child is unharmed. You will not stop looking until you find her?"

"Never."

The old woman nodded, looking pleased. "If you truly are a friend, you will also not stop until you return the sun stone to us. We do not have the same strength as you do."

As she walked away, Anya turned to Melody. "Please do not take offense. Sarai is old and bitter. Her husband recently passed on and she fears she will no longer be able to see his memories."

"I only hope we can save everyone in time," Melody answered and they continued on to the counsel chamber.

Since Trace had not been invited to speak to the counsel he had to remain outside. The three women on the counsel looked so much alike they had to have been triplets. They looked middle aged, had very dark skin, almost no hair and like the other protectors had different colored robes and face paint. One had red robes, the other white, the other blue. For some reason they reminded her of Avatar the Last Airbender.

They stood when she entered. The one in red spoke first. "We have been waiting for you. Things have taken a most troubling turn."

"While you were exploring the physical realm of Serenia," the blue one spoke. "We have been searching her mirror realm, a place we call Dream, for any memories that might lead us to what happened to Yeesha."

"But nothing like this has ever happened before," the one in white said worriedly. "We have no memories to guide us in what to do. You seem deeply connected to all of this. We therefore must turn to you for guidance."

Melody nodded. "I will try to be any help I can, but I don't completely know what's going on myself. Yeesha has been kidnapped by her brother. He is planning something having to do with the memory chamber."

The counsel nodded. "Yes we are aware of the child's disappearance," the red one told her. "While we were in Dream, we saw something strange. We cannot make it out. We believe that it is something only you can understand and interpret. For that, you must journey to Dream yourself."

"Me?" Melody squeaked. "But… I haven't studied your ways. I wouldn't know what to do."

The one in red smiled. "You needn't be afraid. You will not be alone. Any new travelers to Dream are watched over by the Keeper."

"The Keeper?" Melody asked, confused. "Who is that?"

"While only women are allowed to be Protectors, there is one man who holds an important position. While we care for his body, his mind remains constantly in Dream. He knows more than anyone in Serenia. He oversees the many memories and makes certain that travelers find the memories they are searching for. We informed him of you and the unusual circumstances under which you must travel to Dream. He has agreed to help you as much as he can."

"Then you have to open the memory chamber," Melody said.

The counsel looked troubled. "This disturbs us," the one in blue said. "It is not good to endanger the chamber until the threat has passed."

"It's the only way," Melody insisted. "Trace will guard the outside until I come out, then we'll seal it again."

The counsel women still looked unsure, but they finally gave their consent. "Dream is a dangerous place for one who has not prepared for the journey. You must follow the guidance of the Keeper or you could be in danger of having your mind crushed by the weight of the past and sometimes current memories there."

Melody nodded. Nothing like a little pressure, she thought.

"We have placed everyone on high alert," the one in white said. "Please be extremely careful in your journey. We will pray for your safe return."

"What did they say?" Trace asked when Melody emerged from the counsel chamber.

"You're not going to like it," she warned him and told everything the counsel had said.

Trace frowned darkly and set his jaw. "You're right. I don't like it."

"But it needs to be done Trace and as quickly as possible."

He reluctantly agreed and followed her to the memory chamber, which Anya opened for them. After searching the inside and confirming there was no one, he waited until Melody went in. "I'll be right outside," he told her. "I'll see if there is a hidden chamber underneath or nearby."

Before he could turn away, she hugged him tightly. "Be careful," she said. "Sirrus is devious."

Because he knew she was scared, he refrained from being offended by her implying that Sirrus was a threat to him in any way. He hugged her back before she entered the chamber and shut the door.

The counsel woman in the red robes was waiting for her. "Time seems to be against us. Unfortunately, there is little I can say to prepare you for what you are about to experience. The Dream realm is different for everyone who travels there."

"Why?" Melody asked, curious.

The woman smiled. "It is a journey of the mind and as you know, every person's mind is different. You will not be completely alone. The Keeper of Dream will be there to guide you."

Taking a deep breath, Melody exhaled and nodded. "What do I have to do?"

"Lay down on this table," the counsel woman indicated. "I shall place a globe in the hollow above you. Stare into the light that comes from the heart of the memory chamber. You will sleep and begin your journey in Dream."

Sounds similar to hypnosis, Melody thought.

"I wish I could remain until you return," the counsel woman continued. "But with everything that has happened today, I cannot."

"I understand," Melody said. "How long will the journey take?"

"As long as it needs to. You mustn't rush the mind. You might miss something important."

Melody considered and sighed. She really didn't have time for this New Age trippy, hippie stuff, but there wasn't anything she could do. Maybe she could convince the Keeper to give her a crash course in memory finding.

The counsel woman placed a sea green globe in the holder above her. A light that was reflected from the heart room up into the globe bathed the room in a calming sea green light. Melody didn't hear the counsel woman leave as her eyes began to feel heavy. Her body began to go numb and she forced herself not to fight the feeling.

It wasn't long before her eyes fluttered closed. She was already asleep and didn't notice the figure that entered the room. He stood beside the table and watched her. She was much more amiable when she was asleep. He brushed her hair back from her face. He wondered briefly about his plan. Melody had proved to be very intuitive. Would she see through him?

It wouldn't matter if things fell into place correctly. He wouldn't have to fool her for long. Just long enough to see his plan set firmly in motion. Soon it would all come together. There were only a few more obstacles in the way, but those were easily removed.

Soon he would have everything he wanted. Everything he deserved.

He stepped back. He would leave Melody to her dreams.

It was time to remove one of the obstacles.

So I'm sure you can all figure out who that was. What is he going to do to Trace?

Thank you for reading.