I woke up next to Kyle laying in the sand with me. He was just staring at the clouds. I grabbed his hand and he looked at me with a smile.
"I can't believe you slept out here." he said
"Once I laid down, I immediately fell asleep." I said
"Kent explained the dreaming thing to me this morning. I kind of understood." he said
"Don't worry. We don't really understand it either." I said with a chuckle.
"I want you to know that I am always here for you, Rowan." he said, looking into my eyes.
"Thank you. And I'm always here for you." I said, hugging him.
"Do you think Kralovia will join Evermoon?" I asked
"I hope not. That would mean that we would be one of the first lines of defense." he said
"Yeah, that's true. When are we returning?" I asked
"Don't know. Frank and Jack planned this. We just tagged along." he said
"Makes sense. Where is everyone?" I asked
"Toby is sleeping. Kent and Will went for a walk. And that's all I know." he said
Soon after we packed up the camp and journeyed back to Fort Zeke. The trip took no time at all. But by the end of it we were all tired from hiking with our equipment. Of course when we got back to our barracks, Toby went straight to bed. We arrived late to dinner but in time for some food. Kyle, Kent and I walked back together after saying bye to Frank and them.
"Sooo..." Kent said, trying to break the awkward silence.
"Training tomorrow?" Kyle asked
"Isn't that what we ask?" Kent said
"I was asking if you want to." Kyle said
"Sure." I said
"Sure." Kent said
"I need to talk to Athena." I said randomly
"Okay, you don't need to ask for permission." Kent said, with a chuckle
"I know. It's just that I'm going right now." I said
"Oh." Kyle and Kent said
"Why now?" Kyle asked
"You can come too, if you want." I said
"I'll pass. I'm really tired." Kent said
Kyle and I just looked at each other for a minute.
"I'm going to go to bed as well." Kyle said
I was hoping he would come too. But I knew if I asked him, he would've. So unconsciously I, for some reason, didn't want him to.
"I'll be back later." I said, running in the opposite direction.
I went to where we first saw her. In the back of the fort, at an old training ground that now is half a park. I didn't know if she would be there or not. Athena Burns. I heard the name Burns before. I think my father said it before. A rare name and not a wide family tree, the family name will probably die when, or if, Athena gets married. I hurried to the spot and there she was, in full armor, minus the helmet. I looked around and saw Colonel Pole laying in the grass and looking up at the stars. I slowly approached her.
"Hey Athena, it's me Rowan." I said
"I remember who you are. Where's Kyle?" she asked
I was frozen. I opened my mouth but no words came out. In the corner of my eye I saw Colonel Pole with his hand on the handle of his sword, ready to draw, giving me a death stare.
"Hello?" she said
"Oh, sorry. He- he went to bed." I answered
"Did you need something?" she asked
"I wanted to ask you a personal question." I said
"Sure." she said
"Who is your father?" I asked
"My father was Peter Burns." she said with a sad look.
"I'm sorry for intruding, I didn't know." I said
"No, no. It's alright. Why are you asking?" she said
"Your last name is familiar. Not many people have it. I heard from my father that all Burns were great warriors and the best ones could fight ten on one." I said
"It is true that I come from a long line of knights, but my father didn't want that life. After my mother died, he quit and drank himself to the grave a couple months later. My ancestors were great knights, not a single one of them ranked lower than a captain. I'm the last one." she proudly said
"When you fight Colonel Pole, do you give it or all?" I asked
"No, we both hold back or we might kill each other." she said
"What could you fight, so that we could see your full potential?" I asked
"What a stupid question." Colonel Pole said
"You want to see what I'm capable of?" she asked
"Both of you. I want to see how strong you truly are." I said
"What sparked this?" she asked
"A dream." I hesitantly said
Colonel Pole's eyes stared right into my soul as he spoke.
"What happened in this dream?" he asked, taking a step further.
"I promised not to tell anyone the details, but-" I started to say
"I order you to tell me." he said sternly
"Nate." she said
"I saw a war, enemies stormed the fort and began to destroy it. Killing, stealing, and worse." I said
He stepped even closer.
"Do you believe you saw a glimpse of something?" he asked
"I do. A friend of mine also had a dream similar to mine." I said, taking a step back.
"Who were the enemies?" he asked, getting too close to me.
"I didn't see them." I said, "Possibly Kralovians."
"Did you see us?" he asked
"I didn't, but my friend did." I said
"What were we doing?" he asked, getting close enough to where I could smell him.
"He said you were fighting together against them." I said
He placed his hand on my shoulder. Athena took a step closer and reached her hand out.
"Did you touch a book in the village?" he asked
"Yes." I said
I could feel his grip tightening and I saw death in his eyes.
"What was the book called?" he asked
"The Dreamer." I answered
He reached into his side holster with his off hand and pulled out a small dagger.
"Did you open it?" he asked
"No." I said
"Did your friend?" he asked
"No." I said
"I felt your heart rate speed up, are you lying to me." he said
"Nate!" Athena yelled, pulling him away from me.
"What?" he asked
"You held a dagger to his chest! Of course his heart rate would change!" she exclaimed
"Yeah, sorry." he said
"Why did this matter to you so much?" she asked
He just blankly stared at her.
"I'm sorry about him." she said
"No, it's alright." I said
"If I tell you two this, then you have to promise not to tell a soul." he said
"Yeah, of course." we both said
"It was around last year. I was with Tyler and we were walking around the southern parts of Heart Stone. Specifically, the beach. We came across a strange boat. It was long but looked like a rowboat with a mast. The mast was broken and the ship was a wreck. Here we found a man, who was half dead and half alive. Tyler rushed to him, as he would, and the man spoke his last words to us. He said: 'The Dreamer will be the end of time! Stop The Dreamer! He... is... coming...' Tyler looked at me and said we have to destroy this boat and bury this body. We burned the boat to ash and buried the man hidden in a cave. He said he would kill me if I told anyone, he also said to kill him if he told anyone. So now I say the same thing: I will kill you if you tell anyone." Colonel Pole said
"Where was the man from, you think?" Athena asked
"Some uncharted land." he said
"How real did the dream feel?" he asked
"Like I was living it." I said
"What was the weather like?" he asked
"I don't really remember, I was in a panic." I said
"Was it warm or cold?" Athena asked
"Warm." I said
"Then it is close." he said
"You believe it's real?" I asked
"Partially." he said
"Since we are telling stories that we shouldn't repeat, I have one." Athena said
"Okay." Colonel Pole said
"My father told me that beyond the sea, into the horizon lies a vast land where barbaric people live. They kill and eat each other. They steal from their neighbors. And worst of all, their gods do the same. He said if they ever cross the sea then it means our god has forsaken us. I believed it when I was a child, but after doing research of my own, I never once found any book or record of another body of land out there. I think he made it up so I would stay in the faith or something." Athena said
"Interesting." I said
"We should find that book." Athena said
"No. We leave it." he said
"Do you think the man you found was referencing the book or a person?" I asked
"At first I thought it was a person who had a strange title, but then Tyler and I saw that book. We never dared to touch it, just looking at it made my stomach twist." he said
Athena hugged Colonel Pole from behind. His face changed and he seemed more relaxed.
"If you have another dream, come find me at my barracks. Just barge in, it's usually just Athena, Tyler, and myself there." he said
"Of course." I said
As they were walking away Athena ran back at me and whispered in my ear.
"Sorry about Nate. He has separation anxiety and he takes things very seriously." she said
"Thank you." I said
She ran back over to Colonel Pole and waved bye.
When they left I went straight to bed. The dream haunted me for some reason. It was dark and I couldn't see anything. I knew I was standing on something. I stood still and tried to listen. I heard something. It was distant but getting closer. I could hear whispers. A voice and another. I recognized the voice. It was my mother. She was begging for help, crying, screaming. Another voice, one I didn't know. It was a deep voice, threatening and angry. I couldn't see anything, but I tried to run. My legs wouldn't move. I tried to yell, but there was only silence. Then a bright light flashed before my eyes, and I saw a silhouette of a man. I couldn't make out any features. Looking at him made my blood boil. And something told me that I had to kill this man.