Sometimes he would describe something exactly as she expected, and then his account had a special kind of excitement. He had indeed been to a tournament in the city of Nedek, very much like the one in Valan and Ishurti. There really were thick forests and green meadows on the mainland. This was more fantastic than even the idea of the tournament. She knew seaweed, of course, but had never seen grass, much less a tree. All the things she had dreamt about, the forests and rivers and snow-capped mountains, the huge cities crowded with people, all became completely solid, utterly real, now that he told her of them.
In turn she spoke about her own life, of her flight into the sky, of the island and its many spirits. He could not conceal his amazement, and seemed to be a little afraid of her ag
