Page 6 of Veil of Dreams

I turn and walk away, my mind racing. What did she mean? And how did she know about my dreams?

With every step I take through the bustling market, the woman's words weigh heavily on my mind. They're true, I can feel it in my bones. The problem is, I've never met this woman before. How can she know about my dreams? How can she know about the pull I feel towards her? It's like a magnetic force, drawing me in, even when I'm awake.

The crew's laughter reaches my ears as I approach the boat. They're mocking me, thinking I've fallen for some old seer's tricks. But they don't understand. They can't see the visions I see when I close my eyes at night. They can't feel the connection I have with this woman.

"Gorthak, you really believe that hag's nonsense?" Gruk sneers, tossing a crate onto the deck.

My hand instinctively goes for the hilt of my axe as I glare at him. "Watch your tongue," I growl.

He holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Just saying, boss. You're usually not one for fairy tales."

I turn away from him, my mind racing. The woman's words echo in my head. "You will, but only if you stop looking forward and look behind you."

Suddenly, it hits me. It's not about my future. It's about my past. In order to find the woman from my dreams... in order to find my mate, I need to stop moving forward and look back.

We need to turn this vessel around.

"Gorthak, by the Gods, what the fuck is up with you?" Kogan asks, his brow furrowed with frustration.

The rest of the crew eyes me, clearly just as curious as he is.

"We need to turn back," I say, my voice firm.

6

GORTHAK

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Gruk spits furiously.

I grip the railing of the boat, my knuckles turning white as I try to keep my cool. "Listen, you lot," I growl, "I know it sounds mad, but we have to turn back."

Burguk crosses his arms, his face twisted in disbelief. "We've already fished those waters, Gorthak. There was hardly anything there to begin with."

I can feel the frustration building inside me, but I take a deep breath and try to explain. "I know, Burguk. But something's changed. I can feel it."

Kogan steps forward, his eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'something's changed'? Is it something that seer told you to do?"

I hesitate for a moment, unsure of how much to reveal. But then I decide to just come out with it. "It's about a woman," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Gruk lets out a loud, sarcastic laugh. "You and a woman? What woman? We've been on this damn boat for years, Gorthak!"

I glare at him, my anger boiling over. "It's not like that, Gruk. I've been having these...dreams. About a woman who's in trouble. And I think she's in those waters."

Gruk rolls his eyes. "Oh, great. So now we're playing the hero? What's next, Gorthak? You gonna start singing love songs to this mystery woman?"

I ignore his jibe and turn to the crew. "We're going back."

"No, we're not," Gruk snaps. "You're no longer fit to captain this boat. You're unreasonable and delusional."

"You wouldn't understand," I say, my voice low and dangerous. "You've never had a dream like this before."

Gruk scoffs. "And you have? Since when are you some kind of seer, Gorthak?"

I clench my fists, trying to hold back my anger. "I don't need to be a seer to know that something's wrong. And I'm not going to let your ignorance get in my way."

Burguk steps forward, his eyes blazing. "You're not thinking straight, Gorthak. We can't just turn back because of some dream."

I glare at him. "It's not just a dream, Burguk. It's a warning. And if you don't want to listen to me, then you can stay here in this nowhere village and rot for all I care."

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