Tethys carefully wrapped the egg she’d found in a soft cloth as she heard the familiar sound of the peddler’s cart, tinkling through the village as it did every other Sunday. There was nothing in particular that she was in need of, but boredom led her towards the marketplace, where old Jak had stopped to hawk his wares.

“Ah, it’s pretty young Tethys,” he said, noticing her among the milling group of people who’d gathered around the cart. “See anything you like, just give me a holler.” He went back to watching the sticky fingers of his youngest customers.

Tethys perused the back of the cart, and nothing really caught her eye. She turned to go, but suddenly felt an unmistakable pull towards a small parcel at the very edge of the platform. Curious, she moved towards it. The closer she got, the more it sounded almost as if a distant voice was whispering on the edge of her consciousness.

She unwrapped the item to find a round silver amulet. It had intricate engravings upon it, the largest of which was an angered dragon. Its eyes were the same color as the large ruby stone in the middle of the amulet, which had a simple silver chain. Her breath caught as she touched it. Instantly, the whispering sensation stopped.

Tethys pulled Jak aside. “What do you want for this?” she asked, trying to keep her voice casual. The amulet was clearly worth a lot.

Jak looked it over passively. “Oh, that old thing… Found it in the dirt at the base of a mountain. Not much to look at, but if you really want it, I’ll take anything you have on hand.”

Tethys stared at him. Not much to look at?! Was he not seeing the same thing she was seeing? “Are you sure?” she pressed, figuring that he might just be jesting around with her.

“’Course I’m sure. It’s a pebble on a string, dear,” he pointed out.

Still confused, but not about to pass up on such an offer, she held out her treasure from earlier. “A Golden Honeywing egg. I was going to cook it with dinner, but it’s yours in exchange for the amu- for the pebble necklace.”

Jak raised his eyebrows. “You ask me, a Golden Honeywing cream with sweet bread is worth more than this trinket. But, it’s all yours.”

Tethys gladly made the exchange and hurried home. Once she was alone, she took out the amulet, and couldn’t stop staring at it. She barely remembered to eat dinner once the sun went down. Finally, she fastened the amulet around her neck, and fell asleep, clutching the pendant in one hand.

In mid-slumber, she felt a shadow of herself awaken, as though she was aware that she was dreaming. But where was she? A wide, grassy plain she had never seen before materialized around her, and across the way was a magnificent oak tree, beneath which sat an unmoving figure.