Trace warred between patience and anxiety in deciding when to take a second foray into the Emperor's dream.
On the side of patience, he was determined to let the monarch calm as much as possible before endangering his wife and the prince again.
On the side of rushing, he wanted to have all this over with as soon as possible and get home. He also knew he couldn't endure the flow of this much magic through him forever.
If only they didn't waste so much time searching for the dreamer. It seemed counterintuitive; the Emperor was enormous, he should be easy to locate even in such a gargantuan dream. But he was oddly elusive. From the outside, Trace could not locate him.
From the inside, he still wasn't confident he could do so quickly.
Mia lingered nearby, looking contemplative. For once, Ford wasn't right next to her, being occupied with moving the latest batch of bodies from view.