There was one glaring difference, of course. In his case, the choice to be what he was had been his. In hers, it had not.

He went into the bathroom, showered and shaved, and came out again and dressed in the light of the bedside lamp. When he was finished, he packed his duffel bag. He went downstairs to the lobby, dropped his key on the desk, and walked out.

Sunrise was brightening the eastern sky, a faint, soft glow against the departing night. The day was just beginning. By nightfall, John Ross would be in another town, looking to make a change in the way the world was going. His dreams would begin to tell him again what he could do that would make a difference.

It wasn’t the worst sort of way to live one’s life. In his case, he concluded hopefully, perhaps it was the best.

TO JIM SIMONSON, LAURIE JAEGER, LARRY GRELLA, & MOLLIE TREMAINE

Good friends and the best of neighbors.

By Terry Brooks

Shannara
First King of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara
The Elfstones of Shannara
The Wishsong of Shannara

The Heritage of Shannara
The Scions of Shannara
The Druid of Shannara
The Elf Queen of Shannara
The Talismans of Shannara

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
Ilse Witch
Antrax
Morgawr

High Druids of Shannara
Jarka Ruus
Tanequil
Straken

The Genesis of Shannara
Armageddon’s Children
The Elves of Cintra
The Gypsy Morph

The World of Shannara

The Magic Kingdom of Landover
Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold!
The Black Unicorn
Wizard at Large
The Tangle Box
Witches’ Brew

Word and Void
Running with the Demon
A Knight of the Word
Angel Fire East

Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life