The Dream Master
Resumé
The Dream Master by Josefine Ottesen
The young girl Tuva grew up in the Highlands, where people live in harmony with nature and are guided by the Great Dreams sent to them by the gods. They live according to the ancient pact that says: "Speak the truth and follow the pure light of the heart. Don't be blinded by wealth and reputation. Do good, but be cautious, for everything is interconnected. Do not break the bonds. Uncover the beauty where it is hidden. Embrace love, not hatred. Partake in the diversity of the World. Do not succumb to despair and helplessness."
Tuva has just returned to her clan after completing the basic training to become a Dreamer in the prosperous and bustling city of Shansha, many days' journey down the river. The city's wealth is based on glass production and trade, especially the creation of the black crystals that grant the bearers access to a shared well of memories, overshadowing everything they could learn through their own senses and experiences. The black crystals are made from immense amounts of sand mined from the Highlands, where mining poses a serious threat to nature and contradicts the Pact's injunction to be cautious, as everything is interconnected.
However, Dreamer training in Shansha has lost its original significance, as city dwellers no longer allow themselves to be guided by dreams, and none of Tuva's fellow students have the gift of Dreaming. They have only undergone the training to gain access to good positions, and Tuva is determined never to return to the shallow life in the city where the only thing that matters is the pursuit of personal gain.
Everything changes, however, when she is attacked by a large lynx and is forced to kill it in self-defense. Amidst a life-and-death struggle, the lynx shows Tuva a vision where a black wave of ice, ash, lava, and boulders pours down the river towards the city by the sea, destroying everything on it’s way.
Tuva's grandfather interprets the dream as a warning from the gods that Shansha and the Lowlands around the city will be obliterated unless the inhabitants once again start living in accordance with the Pact. He insists that Tuva has received a divine calling and that it is her task to return to Shansha and warn the Dream Master of an impending catastrophe. She is given a stone whose history she doesn't know, but she is told that it will grant her an audience with the powerful man.
After a long and arduous journey, Tuva arrives in Shansha. Here, she quickly realizes that it will never be possible for a clan girl like her to get anywhere near the Dream Master, let alone have the opportunity to show him the stone and deliver her message. The Dream Master hardly ever leaves the Glass Island, where he works around the clock to develop the black crystals further. Formally, he is the leader of the Council of the Wise, but he has no interest in the city's governance and leaves the decisions to powerful families and schemers.
Tuva's grandfather has misjudged her chances of getting an audience, and it seems pointless to stay in Shansha. But every time she thinks of returning home, the lynx appears, growling at her, and she must relive the terrible visions of the city's destruction. Recurrent earthquakes implies that a catastrophe is truly impending, and despite her grandfather's mistake, Tuva feels bound by her promise to him. She has no choice but to stay and warn the people that their greed for gold and wastefulness with natural resources will lead to the city's destruction.
Over several autumn and winter months, Tuva encounters people of all ranks in Shansha and experiences both grandeur, abuse of power, and numerous intrigues among the upper classes, as well as poverty, misery, and hopelessness among the poor and oppressed. Throughout, she is confronted with the calling the Gods have given her, which she alternately accepts and rejects. It doesn't make it easier that, for the first time in her life, love comes her way but turns out to be utterly impossible.
She realizes that the stone her grandfather gave her bestows upon her a special power when she speaks to people. Powerful individuals take notice of the compelling force she radiates when she holds the stone in her hand. People with conflicting interests are ready to exploit her in a power game she cannot fathom.
Everything unfolds tragically: the black wave arrives, and the city is partially obliterated, even though Tuva and a few others manage to save some of the residents. Now she stands with a small group of people from all walks of life, facing an enormous task. Despite grief, doubt, and uncertainty, they must take responsibility for rebuilding the city and the entire society in a way that reestablish the Pact with the gods.
(Chat GPT translation)
