She nodded gravely. ‘Maruman showed me, but later. Atthis only said that I must lead the man to you. I said I feared he would hurt you, too, but she said you would not be alone and that your companions would not allow any harm to come to you, or to his sister who was with you, so I woke and I led the man through the mountains as she had bidden me. Then the man hurt me again because he did not like it that I told him only this way then that way. He wanted me to tell him all I knew at once, but Atthis had said he would kill me if I did that. He hurt me so badly that I fainted. I was so glad to escape. I turned myself into a dragon but this time I couldn’t find Atthis. That is when Maruman came, only he had made himself into a greatcat.’ She paused and chewed at her lip for a little before going on with her story.

‘He made me remember that I made a Red Land for myself out of memories, so that I could be with my mother again.’ She frowned. ‘You were there and you were trying to help me but it went wrong and when my mother died I blamed you.’ Her eyes sought mine and she heaved a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of her soul.

‘For a long time I blamed myself, but I do not think either of us was to blame,’ I said gently.

‘Maruman told me you had risked yourself to come into the dream and help me remember so that I could be free,’ Dragon said. ‘Then he said I must wake, for now it was you who needed me. He said I must learn to be brave, for I was a queen.’

‘He was right and you are brave,’ I said.

She looked at me. ‘I went with Kella to Sutrium because I was afraid of you. I … I ran away from the Healing Centre because I thought you might come for me. My head hurt terribly all the time so that I could hardly think. I went back to the ruins but it was all changed. I crept back to the Land again. I thought I would go to the highlands and try to find Kella. That is when the … the man caught me.’

‘Do not think of him any more,’ I said, for her face was very pale.

‘I try not to, but sometimes when I sleep, I see him looking at me with his terrible mad eyes and I hear him telling me what he will do to hurt me.’