Chapter Five: Nightmare Thread

A black spider with a silver belly crouched atop the flight board, its eight legs pinned down by tiny iron hooks. Each hook bore the hunters' burning-arrow emblem. “It isn't catching dreams,” Blackbean said. “Someone is forcing it to broadcast nightmares.” Lu Chen cut the first hooked line and fell into his own dream. He stood in the fire from nineteen years ago. His father shouted at him through glass. This time, a much younger Director Qin stood among the flames, handing a route diagram to someone in a red-copper mask. “Can dreams lie?” Lu Chen asked. Blackbean's voice came from beyond the fire. “Dreams invent stories. Fear does not invent smells.”