Page 5 of Veil of Dreams

Maybe I just need a good night's sleep, I think to myself. Maybe then I'll be able to clear my head and get back to normal. But as I finish up my tasks for the day and head to my small room in the servants' quarters, I can't help but feel a sense of unease. Like there's a storm brewing on the horizon, and I'm right in the path of the storm.

I shake my head, trying to dispel the dark thoughts. I need to focus on the present, on the tasks at hand. There's no use worrying about things I can't control.

But as I lay down on my narrow cot and close my eyes, I can't help but wonder what the night will bring. Will I have another nightmare? Will the orc be there again, watching me with those intense black eyes?

Gods, I hope so.

5

GORTHAK

The boat grinds against the dock as we pull into the harbor. The crew grumbles, casting sidelong glances my way. I hear whispers of "lazy" and "slacking." They don't understand. They can't.

I heave a crate of fish onto my shoulder, the smell of salt and scales filling my nostrils. "Enough! You gossip like wenches," I growl, my voice rumbling like distant thunder. "We've got work to do."

Grunts of acknowledgment follow, and the crew springs into action. I join them, unloading the haul and carrying it to the market. The town is small, nestled between the sea and the mountains, with cobblestone streets and whitewashed buildings. It's quaint, but it's home.

As we sell and trade our catch, I can't shake the feeling that something is off. The dreams have been growing more vivid, more real. And the woman...

"Gorthak, you there?" Gruk, my second-in-command, claps a hand on my shoulder. His brow furrows with concern.

I shake my head, clearing the cobwebs. "Fine," I grunt. "Just tired."

He eyes me skeptically but doesn't press further. They know something is wrong, but they don't know what.

And I can't tell them. Not yet.

The strange orcish woman blocks my path, her wild mane of gray hair framing her piercing blue eyes. Even for an orc, she's short. "Gorthak," she rasps, her low voice sending a chill down my spine. "Your fate is not what you think it is."

My crewmates snicker behind me, but I can't shake off the unease settling in my gut. "What do you mean?" I ask, barely above a whisper.

She reveals a row of crooked teeth as she smiles. "Come with me," she says, turning and heading towards a nearby table. I follow her, the mocking laughter of my crewmates fading behind me.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kogan exclaims, tossing his hands up in the air.

I snap at him, "Just go trade for supplies, Kogan."

He scoffs, staring at me for a moment before ushering the rest of the crew away. The woman sits down at the table, motioning for me to join her.

"What could you possibly want with me?" I ask, feigning indifference, though her words send a chill down my spine.

The woman leans in, her eyes piercing mine. "The woman haunting your dreams," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. "She is your destined mate."

I let out a harsh laugh. "That's impossible," I scoff. "I've never even laid eyes on her. And besides, she's human..."

The woman's expression remains unchanged. "You will," she says, her tone steady. "But only if you stop looking forward and start looking behind you."

I shake my head, trying to clear the fog clouding my thoughts. "What are you talking about?" I ask, my voice growing hoarse. "Who are you?"

She reveals a row of crooked teeth as she smiles. "I am a seer," she says. "And I have seen your past."

"A seer?" I scoff. "Aren't seers supposed to see the future?"

"If you don't learn from your past, your future will never come," she says, her cryptic words hanging in the air. "In order to reach her, you must use your present to find enlightenment."

I push myself to my feet, the chair scraping against the cobblestones. "This is preposterous," I growl. "I'm not mated to some human I've never met, and you're mad."

The woman's smile fades, but her eyes remain locked on mine. "You will find her," she says, her voice filled with conviction. "And when you do, you will know what you must do."

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