A strange name. She’d never heard nothin’ like it before. But then she’d never heard nothin’ like those voices before neither. Was that strange word their name for her, their name for the One? Had to be.

But who were the voices and what did they mean about “preparing the way”? What was the “everything” that depended on her, the One?

She had to find out. Maybe she’d learn tonight. But she had to do a couple of things before then. One of them was gettin’ her other eye-shell back. But first…

“I’m changin’ my name, Luke.”

He laughed. “That’s crazy! You can’t just change your name anytime you feel like it.”

“No. I got to. That’s why I was called back here. I thought the lagoon was talking to me when it said it wanted sacrifices, but it wasn’t. It was the lights—or at least the things that live in the lights.”

“Lay back down, Semelee. You’re talkin’ outta your head.”

“No.” She pushed him away. “Don’t you see? It was all to bring me here, to this place, at this time—to teach me my True Name. And now that I know it, I’m gonna use it.” She rose to her feet and looked out at the lights still flickering up from the hole into the early morning darkness. “Big changes comin’, Luke, and I’m gonna be part of them, I’m gonna be right at their heart. And if you and the rest of the clan stick by me, we’ll have our day. Oh, yes, Luke, we’ll have our day.”

“Semelee—”

“Told you: I ain’t Semelee no more. From this moment on you call me—”

The name died on her lips. She realized that she mustn’t tell no one her True Name. It was only for her and those closest to her. Luke was close, but not close enough. The man called Jack, the special one…she could tell him maybe, but not right away. He’d have to prove himself worthy first.

“Call you what?” Luke said.

“Semelee.”

Luke stared at her. “Wasn’t you just tellin’ me—?”

“Changed my mind. I’m goin’ to change my name inside, but outside you can keep callin’ me Semelee.” She rubbed her stomach. “We got anything to eat round here?”

Luke straightened. “I’ll go check by the fire.”

As soon as he was gone, Semelee stepped out onto the deck and looked up at the stars wheelin’ above her.

“Rasalom,” she whispered, lovin’ the way it rolled off her tongue. That was her new name. “Rasalom.”

2

The man who was something more than a man opened his eyes in the darkness.

His name…someone had spoken his name. Not one of the many he used in the varied identities he assumed for various purposes. No, this had been his True Name.