Arc 4: Chapter 18: In The Court of The Gargoyle Lord
I woke drenched in cold sweat, gasping.
No. Stop. Don’t go any further. Turn back, go back to the light.
What light? Where had I been going?
I’d been in the forest again. They had been there, waiting for me.
Rustling sheets drew my attention. I was in the inn room. The window had been shuttered while I’d slept, closed tight and draped with a blanket. Despite the darkness, I knew the sun had risen. I could feel it on the walls.
Cat was there with me. She shifted, one bare leg caressing my back.
“Bad dream, big man?”
I glanced back at her. As I managed to focus, my eyes adjusted to the darkness. With the help of aura, the gloom fell away to reveal a slender, long-limbed form on the bed, a sleepy face half hidden by tangled hair.
“Did I wake you?” I asked.
“Been awake a while,” Cat said. “You were having a nightmare.” She fell quiet a moment before admitting, “I heard some of it. Your blood’s still in me.”
I winced. “I’m sorry.”