1

Scattered Dreams

A blood curdling scream pierced the air. The cry echoed off the stone walls flashing past her as she ran. Her feet splashed through cold water pooling from the damp ceiling, but it didn’t slow her. Heavy, labored breathing and the scratching of claws on stone grew louder. Her heart pounded in her hears, and her throat burned as she pushed herself, her eyes darting back to the darkness behind her.

The lantern she carried was the sole source of light in the dark subterranean tunnel, but it didn’t illuminate far. Not even as it reflected off the crystals in her forehead, casting speckles of colored light in the otherwise grim tunnel. Still she couldn’t see her pursuer.

A door at the end of the tunnel came into view. She pushed harder, until she collided into the door. Fumbling with the metal handle, she yanked it open and rushed inside, slamming the door close behind her, and leaned against the door.

Her relief was short lived when she realized her lantern wasn’t the only light source in the new room, and then a voice chuckled. “Well, what do we have here?”

Her eyes snapped to the center of the room where a man in robes stood, is features obscured. He carried a glowing orb in his hands, and behind him, something long and pointed moved in the darkness. Was that a spider leg?

“We can’t have rats skittering around here, now can we?” came a scratchy voice from the darkness. The sound sent a chill down her spine. “Take care of the pest.”

A large presence loomed over her from the left. All the muscles in her body tensed and she tentatively looked up. Terror flooded through her as the sight of the enormous jagged maw opening up next her, saliva dripping from the razor sharp teeth within. She screamed when the entity lunged for her.

Aviana woke with a start, sitting up and breathing heavy. Sweat dripped off her skin, the chilly winter air pricking the droplets through her cloak, cooling her heated skin. She pulled her knees to her chest and draped her arms over them, sinking head low. She did her beast to control her breathing, her eyes focusing on the fire burning before her. What an awful chaotic dream. What did it mean? She knew better than to believe it was merely a nightmare.

Frosted grass crunched nearby, followed by the jangling of chainmaille. Aviana lifted her head to see the familiar bearded dwarven face of Orsik approaching, his jolly demeanor present even at this hour. The warm light of the fire added more color to his normally reddish-pale hair. In his hands he carried a waterskin. “Fer ye, lass.”

She accepted the offering. “Thank you.”

Aviana took a quick swig to wet her parched lips. Her eyes wandered as she tried to calm from her ordeal. Her sister Temperance’s red hair peeked out of the cloak she’d wrapped herself in. The young woman slept soundly, curled around her blue dragon toy, Kyanite.

The balding gray head of Galinndan reflected in the firelight on the other side of the fire. The old, height challenged elf sprawled out of his coverings, as if he were overheating. Aviana wasn’t sure how that was possible.

The large form of Draeon slept restlessly under several layers next to the old man. As much as Aviana didn’t care for the dracarthian, she pitied him. He out of all of them, struggled the most with the cold temperature. It made him sluggish, and sleeping wasn’t easy as he struggled to stay warm. Next to Asher, he took most of their warm layers available.

A cold breeze blew through their camp. She pulled her cloak tighter around her body. She hated this weather. Aviana didn’t know how anyone could live in it. And losing some of their more essential possessions to handle the weather hadn’t helped. No one had tents and the reclaimed cargo didn’t have any furs or heavier cloaks to utilize. So everyone had to sleep by the fire, the elected person on their night watch shift tasked with waking everyone now and then to ensure they didn’t die in their sleep.

The concept alarmed her. How could anyone live in a climate that could kill them like that? Then again, the same could be said about the Karma Wilds. The storms during certain seasons were quite violent. Her clan had resorted to erecting special barriers over the town during those times to ensure everyone’s safety.

“Feelin’ better?” Orsik asked.

Aviana took another sip of water and nodded. “Getting there.”

He plopped down next to her. “What did tha gods warn ye aboot?”

She froze, her gut knotting. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking, Orsik.”

The dwarven man poked the fire with a stick. “I be a cleric, lass. I know when gods reach out. That mark on yer forehead, it glows when they talk tae ye.”

Aviana’s eyes drifted to the sky. A sliver of pink tinted the eastern horizon. The last time she’d received a vision in his presence, it’d been quick enough she doubted any change to her Shikala symbol transpired. No one was supposed to find out about her clairvoyance or connection to Akorith and Lusaria. It wouldn’t be safe. But now, here she was, trying to salvage this situation.

“Ye dinnae have tae talk aboot it, if ye dun want tae. I wonae make ye.” He peered up at her with kind green eyes. “But know, lass, ye can trust me.”

Can I though? Aviana had traveled with him for several months since first meeting him in Lakecross. He hadn’t caused any trouble. On the contrary she’d come to enjoy his presence. And the way he looked at her, even now, always felt like she was talking with an old friend. Something akin to her time spent with Akorith. He’s also a cleric of Ildri. To worship the goddess of life, that should mean he wasn’t a threat, right?

Something deep inside her said to put her trust in this man. That she couldn’t keep doing this alone, and he could help. “The Shikala worship two gods, Lusaria and Akorith.”

“Both dragon gods?” Orsik mused. “So tha rumors be true? Ye worship dragons?”

Aviana rocked her head back and forth. “Worship isn’t exactly the correct term. Vikala and Tikala worship, we Shikala revere them—live alongside them as equals.”

“More clans like ye, but different? That’s complicated.”

Aviana chuckled. “I suppose it would be for someone not from the clans. To sum it up, we were all once a single clan, Shikala. But when Lusaria fell to madness in the second era, the clan split into three. The two new clans adopted new philosophies, while we Shikala have desperately tried to cling to our ways.”

“That doesnea sound good. Thare be trouble in yer clan?”

Aviana nodded. “There has been for some time. It’s why no one knows much about us. We closed ourselves off from most of the world. Growing up, I thought maybe it was just the Clan Under the Stars that had. But after I’d traveled beyond our borders a few times, I learned all the clan settlements had faded into obscurity on Alaria.”

“Clan Under the Stars?”

“Oh, sorry, that’s the title given to Starglade. Each settlement of the Shikala has their own titles.”

Orsik scratched his head. “I think I’m startin’ tae understand. Sae yer clan worships Akorith, and they still worship Lusaria?”

Here came some of the tricky explanation. When Lusaria fell, the darkness that came from it caused the races of Aecis to see her as a dark deity, and any who followed her were not good. “We worship the queen she used to be, not the maddened one she’s become.”

He gazed at her for a moment. “I see sadness. What be wrong, lass?”

Aviana’s lips twitched. It seems she wasn’t doing well keeping herself in check. “I can’t share much, as the clan does have secrets. But the reason I’m out here with Temperance isn’t just to help her grow. My clan has lost their way, and I need to figure out a way to fix it. If I don’t, a terrible darkness will consume them.”

“This lost path they be on, daes it have anythin’ tae dae wi’ Temperance’s condition?” Orsik asked.

She nodded. “Her mother sheltered and controlled Temperance out of fear to the point she isn’t even aware there are dragons living among us.”

Orsik pursed his lips. “That dun sound good. Safe tae guess tha dragons dun fly in tha skies if she doesnae see them?”

Aviana nodded, her hands clutching her cloak tighter. “It’s wrong. All of it. And it’s up to me to figure out how to fix it.”

“Tha visions ye received? Why ye be tha only one tasked tae save yer clan? Why cannae others help?”

Aviana’s lips twisted as she wrestled with her answer. “I am of the Xenre family, a strong family line known for its devout dragon priestesses.”

Orsik’s eyes bugged out, his voice raising. “Yer a dragon?”

Aviana’s hands flew up to his face and she hushed him. “That’s not what I meant.” I can’t let him know yet how close to that truth he is. “It means my family personally tended to Akorith and Lusaria before they were sealed on the celestial plane in the midst of Lusaria’s turn to madness. Their devotion to our gods gained their favor, and one priestess in particular was blessed with a special child. This child was given a gift that Lusaria herself had—clairvoyance. She used this ability well, aiding to improve the clan. And thus she was called, the Oracle.”

Aviana adjusted her clock when a breeze blew. “Then, when she had a child, a daughter, she too had the gift. The title was then also bestowed onto her, and every female child in that line who inherited the gift.”

Orsik leaned closer, his green eyes sparkling. “Ye have tha gift o’ clairvoyance, lass?”

Aviana nodded, taken aback by his enthusiasm. “I’m also an Oracle. But…”

Orsik cocked his head, uncertainty and concern flickering in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not a well loved one. I’ve…” she sighed, her shoulders sagging. “Let’s just say, thanks to the lost nature of the clan, my bloodline is now seen as tainted because of me. No one in the clan can know I inherited the gift, else my life will become… even more difficult.”

“Lass, they wouldn’t try tae kill ye, wou’ they?”

Her eye fell onto the fire. The answer lodged in her throat. It wasn’t like attempts on her life didn’t happen already, so it should be easy to say. But verbalizing it with someone, it made that reality hurt even more.

“Why? What be about ye taints ye in their eyes?”

Aviana’s lower lips quivered, her fingers tangling in the fabric of her cloak. Her mind raced with arguments to reveal the truth or not, and her shoulders tightened—the conflict raged within her. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Orsik, but I can’t say.”

“I understand.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. “I see why you choose to be selective wi’ sharin’ yer secrets. Most wouldn’t understand, and maybe I wouldn’t have either if I hadn’t traveled with you for so long. But I dae. And thank ye, lass, fer trustin’ me. I’ll tell nary a soul. And if ever ye need help, ye can count on me tae be thare fer ye.”

Hearing those words sent mixed emotions flooded through Aviana. Even if she hadn’t been able to divulge the whole truth, it felt good to share some of it with another, and then have them not reject her. Could he in time, be someone she could trust to know everything? It’d been so long since Tar’kash, it would be nice to have someone accept and support her. Sure, Krax probably wouldn’t have an issue like his father hadn’t, but she’d been conditioned to fear telling that full truth, no matter how close she got to them.

Asher twisted in a small fit next to Aviana. His chestnut hair tangled around his face, his tan skin still red from the fever he’d been fighting all day. Before she could reach out, Orsik rushed over and hovered his meaty hands over the human. A blue-white aura glowed around them and then Asher a moment later. Not long after, Asher’s fit subsided.

Aviana pitied the man. He was doing well hanging on after his ordeal, and Orsik and she were doing their best with their limited healing resources. She’d even gone through her entire supply of medicinal herbs to help him. We really need to get to Ashbourne, and soon.

Orsik let out a sigh when the glow around his hand disappeared. “That should dae him fer now.”

Aviana’s eyes didn’t leave the now resting man, her mind going back to her dark vision.

Orsik snickered and he reclaimed his spot on the other side of her. “Still fancy him, lass?”

A small smile slipped up the side of her face, her eyes flicking to the stout man. “Perhaps I do. But that’s not what I was thinking about. What can you tell me about Ashbourne?”

The dwarven man cocked his head. “Daes this have anything to do with yer vision?”

Aviana worked her jaw. “It might. I’m not quite sure.”

She decided to tell him what she’d seen. It couldn’t hurt to have two heads trying to decipher the message. The cleric listened, intent on every word. When she finished, he let out a tight sigh and dragged his hand down his beard. “That… that be quite the vision, lass. Are they always like that?”

She shook her head. “Sometimes they’re clearer cut and others are a vague verbal warning that requires some deciphering.”

“Are they always this… ominous?”

“No. I’ve had some easier to handle visions.” And even darker ones than this. One in particular that’d reoccurred every few years flashed through her mind. Fire—dead bodies—a large creature that vaguely resembled a dragon flying in the air. Aviana blinked it out of her thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to entertain that one.

“Ye asked aboot Ashbourne,” Orsik said, helping to draw her attention back. “Dae ye think this is about that town?”

Aviana worked her jaw. “I can’t say for certain, but I believe so. Before traveling North, Temperance and I spent time in Windshire. There I’d learned of some rumors and sightings north of Kirdarim about humans who were confused on their surroundings. Further still, there’d been a spike in dangerous and even unusual creature activity and the makeup of the forest in the area had changed in some places.”

She tapped her lip with a finger. “I hadn’t thought much of it until meeting Gimor and Asher. No one can deny it’s strange they come from a town no one knows of while they also know nothing of a popular city like Kirdarim. Traveling with them had only proven to create more questions than answers for me, and then the attack with the goblins…”

Aviana shook her head. “There’s something unusual going on, and I need more answers. You know Gimor personally. So you either met him outside of Ashbourne before or you’ve been there.”

The cleric nodded. “I can see why the gods entrust you wi’ these visions. Ye pay attention tae details most would never bother tae worry aboot. Aye, I met Gimor before I met Galinndan, maybe by a month or two.”

The dwarven man’s brow crinkled as she thought. “Ye know, I think it was around the time everyone else was findin’ them and the rumor started spreadin’.”

A month or two before? That was around the time Akorith gave Aviana her task. None of this could be a coincidence. “Have you been to Ashbourne?”

Orsik nodded. “Aye, that’s how I found out aboot the place. Travelin’ around and stumbled upon it. Not many other folk that ain’t human. Couple o’ dwarves and some elves. They’re strange aboot outsiders, and it seemed as though there was some strong feelin’ about the non-human types.”

Aviana grimaced. That didn’t bode well for them, given the fact Asher was the only human here, and he came from Ashbourne.

“Gimor wasn’t like them o’ course,” Orsik continued. “Neither is his business partner, Droyn.”

That name had come up before during their travels before Gimor had been taken. “I suppose he’ll be the one we break the news to then, yeah?”

Orsik nodded. “Aye. He won’t be happy tae hear it neither.” He leveled sad eyes with her. “What are we gonna dae, lass? Droyn will pay us for our job gettin’ the goods to him, but Gimor…”

“If you think I’m just going to give up finding him, you’re wrong.” Resolve gripped her tight. “I don’t know what Galinndan and Draeon plan to do once they’re payed, and I don’t really care. I was hired to protect Gimor as much as his wears. I failed to do that and I’m going to set it right.”

She stared into the burning campfire. “We know he’s at this… Shalador Fortress. And it has to be around Ashbourne. That town has answers, and I’m going to find them.”

Orsik squeezed her shoulder. “I’m with ye, lass. We’ll work together tae find him, alive.”

Aviana nodded, her resolve bolstering.

Asher mumbled in his sleep. Something about telling his mother about a beautiful woman he met who’d make a wonderful bride.

Orsik chuckled, his eyes dancing. “I think he be dreamin’ aboot ye, lass.”

Aviana frowned, a sharp pain hitting her heart, and she brushed a stray curl out of Asher’s face, and then adjusted one of the many cloaks they used to ensure he stayed warm in his state. “I hope not. I’d only ever bring him heartache and misery.”