Ashling

 First Published:
Australia: Penguin (Viking), 1995
US: Tor, 2001 [Out of Print]
US/Canada: Random House, 9 Dec 2008 [also available in the UK through Amazon.co.uk]
 
"Sometimes dreams were gateways through which messages might come. Beasts called them ashlings: dreams that called..."
 
An ominous prediction again sends the powerful farseeker, Elspeth Gordie, away from Obernewtyn in the guise of a gypsy. She travels to the capital Sutrium, under the power of the totalitarian Council, where she must determine the status of the treaty between the Misfits and the rebel forces.

Elspeth journeys anxiously, anticipating the long-awaited summons from the OldOnes to fulfil her secret destiny. But as her journey takes her far beyond the borders of the Land, across the sea and into the heart of the mysterious desert region of Sador, Elspeth learns that even now she does their bidding.

 
Review/s:

"A very forceful and carefully constructed tale that keeps the reader engrossed. One will indeed look forward to the following volumes promised."
~ Andre Norton on Obernewtyn
 
"A great adventure, full of chases and hairbreadth rescues and new hints about the disaster that poisoned the world and made the Misfits what they are."
~ Locus