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Carleah
“Carleah.” My name is little more than a whisper on a breeze, but it pulls me from sleep. I sit up and note sunlight streaming down from above, bathing the world around me in bright color. Birds chirp happily in the distance, but Fort is nowhere to be seen.
A heady aroma fills my lungs, but it’s eclipsed by the panic that sends my heart thrumming like a heavy drum. I push to my feet and scan the clearing. “Fort!” I call out, but there’s no answer. “Fort!”
Still nothing.
I start running, sprinting through the colorful flowers as they claw at a white dress I wasn’t wearing before I fell asleep.
“Even more beautiful in the sunlight.”
Hot breath fans over my neck, and I spin, but there’s no one there. “Who’s there!”
“We have already covered this, have we not?”
“Son of Flame,” I whisper, unease churning in my belly. One nightmare, I could brush off. But two? What are the chances? “Show yourself, then. If you’re so interested in seeing me.”
“Soon.”
“Why soon? Why not now?”
“You are not ready. You still think of him.”
“Of who?”
“Until next time. Remember that this is what awaits you should we fail.” The scenery around me begins to change. The edges of the floral petals turn to ash right before my eyes, an unseen fire sweeping across the otherwise beautiful meadow.
The air chokes my lungs, seizing the breath in my chest as my eyes burn from smoke I can barely see through. “Wait!” I scream. But I receive no answer. Instead, standing just before me is a shadow.
A man whose form moves with the very smoke surrounding him.
Only, it’s far darker than anything nature could conjure.
“Until next time,” he repeats and disappears.
The smoke begins to grow thicker. I stumble through it then fall to my knees and try to crawl. The ground eats at my hands, heat burning me until a deafening scream sears my throat.
* * *
“Carleah!”
I come awake, choking on the air around me as I claw at my throat. Hands pin me to the ground, and I fight against the hold he has on me.
“Carleah!” My name again. This time, clearer. I pause, momentarily pushing my panic down as I meet the terrified amber gaze of Fort. He stares down at me, pale-faced, eyes wide, his hands clinging to my shoulders.
I fall still, my heartbeat still hammering as though I’m standing in that burning field all over again. “I don’t think they’re nightmares,” I choke out. “I think he’s trying to talk to me.”
Fort’s expression turns murderous as he releases me and sits back. “Who.” It’s not a question.
“The Son of Flame,” I reply as I push up to my feet and attempt to catch my breath. My lungs still burn as though they’d been full of smoke, which is impossible of course since the ground around us is unscathed. Even Shadow looks a bit confused as he watches us from where he lies beneath a large tree.
“The Son of Flame,” Fort repeats slowly and stands, crossing both muscled arms over his chest.
“That’s who he says he is when he comes to me.”
“What else does he say?” Fort’s tone drips with venom.
“That he’s my other half. He comments on my appearance and tells me that—” I start to mention his comment about me not being ready to see him. About me still thinking of him. I know he must be talking about Fort, but mentioning that now when Fort looks about ready to level the realm doesn’t seem smart. “That the realm is at risk should we fail.”
