The Dreamfarer

3

"Me?"

Maeve just stared at him, not comprehending. She had been freaked out that he had even known her name; now he was trying to tell her that he brought an army to their gates... for her?

He only smiled. "Yes, Maeve. You."

She struggled to find words, her mind no longer thinking about running away. At this point, she needed to understand. She could not handle any more uncertainty and secrets in her life at the moment. This man, however untrustworthy he might be, obviously had answers.

"Why?" she demanded, stepping towards him. His heavy eyelids drooped closed for a second before being tugged upwards again, and he cocked his head with a disturbing sense of interest. Every little movement he made seemed forced, as if he had to constantly remind himself to act like a human. The more she stared at his face, the more he reminded her of a roach of some sort; she only wished he was small enough for her to crush under her boot if it came to such measures. As it was, she was at a disadvantage.

Still, she had to try. "Tell me!" she exclaimed when he didn't respond. His smile grew.

"Trust me, Maeve, I had full intentions of telling you everything... in fact, my intentions were much broader than that. Unfortunately, I realize that you are not yet ready to experience what we have to teach you."

Mae rubbed a hand across her forehead. This is ridiculous. I should be having dreams about unicorns and crushes at school and random things I saw the day before I fell asleep; it's not fair that I have to put up with this nonsense. What is wrong with me?

The man stepped forward, the lines of his face wrinkling with irritation. "Nothing is wrong with you, Maeve. You have just closed your mind off to the truth. Accept your gift and begin to embrace it; that is when I will be back for you. Until then, we will have our eye on you," he promised, his black eyes unreadable.

She was beginning to feel light-headed, tired of this conversation, and frankly, sick of this dream. She crossed her arms across her chest and teetered back and forth on weak legs. Briefly, she wondered why none of the guards had showed up yet. Surely, after this long, at least one of them would have noticed the warlock standing on the barricade. But no, there had been nothing but silence throughout their exchange. Mae glanced around, a stroke of worry brushing through her mind.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the warlock stated, and Mae sagged in relief at the words themselves, not at the promise behind them, which she knew was not to be trusted. The man had not even told her his name and had threatened to stalk her; what about him was supposed to be trustworthy?

The warlock grinned as he leaned against the wall, looking down at his empty hands as if he was holding something in them. He flicked his index finger to the side a few times, as if flipping through the pages of a book. She noticed his eyes scan through the air quickly, and wondered if she was going crazy and there really was a book there that she just couldn't see.

"You are already beginning to open your mind to its presence. Good," he complimented. He glanced back down at his invisible book and smiled as he clearly found what he was searching for.  

"My name is Kroma, by the way. Remember everything I've told you, Maeve: Accept your gift and then learn to embrace it. See what you can do to make it your own. I'll be in touch."

Mae squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to see her bedroom when she opened them again. No such luck; she was still on top of the western barricade, apparently in the midst of an invisible invasion, the only active person in the whole town, and standing opposite a dark sorcerer that was rejected from grace at birth. Her mother had just been attacked somehow and she did not know if either she or Caleb found safety. Meanwhile, her curse of dreams was taunting her even while she was stuck inside of one.