Coroban suddenly looked distracted. “Not to alarm you, Helian, but it seems as if something is going on outside.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I can’t tell exactly, but there are a lot of people around and Rosa seems quite upset.”

  “That’s concerning. Is there… something we can do about it?”

  “Well, it would be ideal if you could wake up, but I’m not sure you would be in any condition to help since you’ve been asleep in bed for so long. And I assume if you knew how to wake up, you already would have done so.”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “That’s true.”

  “I do have an idea though, if you don’t mind… I could probably step out for a bit, I think. I promise not to stay out there for too long, and I’ll try not to spook Rosa too badly, since I’m sure she won’t be expecting me.”

  Step out? What does that mean? “Well… if you think you can help her, I would really appreciate it. She’s important to me, so I don’t want her to be in any danger.”

  Coroban nodded, and as she dissipated into smoke, she bowed. “Be right back, my dear!”

  The bright blue sky suddenly turned pitch black, and I wondered whether I had just made a terrible mistake.