Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
Icould only enter Torin’s dream realm where he was truly himself, where his trauma had manifested, and I would be brought fully into his world, glimpsing what he truly wanted so that I could give him what he needed.
I could get hurt once I was there. Or worse.
I took another deep breath and let my body relax against the softness of the mattress. I was drifting off to sleep but was still conscious. I recalled the image of my rabbit hole and jumped down into the abyss as I saw it in my mind.
I landed in the familiar enchanted forest with the four elements carved into the trees around me. I darted my gaze around as I held my breath. No witch in sight. I listened intently, but I could only detect the slight rustling of the leaves from the gentle breeze. No witch’s voice.
Good.
Since the witch had spoken to me the first time I discovered my dream realm, I’d been unsettled about what she wanted from me.
From here, I’d have to visualize the burning cottage.
The sketches were done in pencil on white paper, so I pushed my mind to add color to the burning building—orange, brown, and green to the trees behind it. The forest around me started fading in and out of focus until the burning cottage stood before me.
My meticulous study of Torin’s drawings had paid off. I must have gotten it right, then.
The wooden cottage burned fast, angry tall flames engulfing it.
Had Torin lived here before? The structure wasn’t built up to our current safety codes.
The two long wooden beams supporting the roof were not the same size in thickness.
The cottage looked clunky, sloppy, and awkward, as if it were put together in a rush without any tools.
The boards of the door were not painted and were of different lengths.
Dark orange flames raged out of the broken windows by the door. The chances of getting burned when I opened the door were high. And yet, I took the steps forward, pulled by an invisible force.
Our mate bond. I could feel Torin’s presence.
What was the significance of this building to him? Did he have to live through losing his home in a fire?
I used my shirt to twist the doorknob, staying behind it as I opened it. Dark smoke escaped, and I waited before going inside. Stepping into the cottage was like entering a sauna. Suffocating and hot.
The smoke was everywhere, clouding my vision of the living room. My eyes stung, and my nose tickled as little particles flew inside my mouth and throat.
I turned into a short hallway and got to the entrance of what I thought was a kitchen. I covered my mouth and coughed.
Torin was walking out the back door, his back to me.
“To—” I attempted to speak but started coughing so hard that my lungs burned.
He was out of the hellish cottage, and I stepped toward the back door to follow him when a flame on my side seemed to grow taller. My eyes widened as it towered over me and reached for my elbow like a creepy hand that wanted to hold me back.
There was no wind, not even a breeze, the air stuffy and still. More flames glided toward the back door as if to block my way out.
A burst of panic cut through my chest, and I sprinted out the door but not before an angry flame brushed over my shoulder. Ouch.
I touched the red spot to ease the pain. It was so real. It felt real. I would have a minor burn when I woke up.
And I planned on waking up from this nightmare. I wasn’t going to die in Torin’s dream realm.
I was now in front of the first line of trees. I glanced over my shoulder at the wooden house completely engulfed by fire. The dark-red flames swayed around the cottage, the wood cracking under the heat. If I were to exit this dream realm, I’d have to return there and leave the same way I entered.
And I wasn’t sure how I’d do that when it seemed to me the cottage would be a pile of ashes by the time I returned.
I took a deep breath and looked ahead. The urge to find answers propelled me forward while I ignored the possibility that I could get stuck in Torin’s dream realm for a long time.
It was all worth it if it meant I could help Torin heal somehow.
While I worried about leaving this place, Torin had reached the end of the path in the woods and completely disappeared from my view.
I sprinted after him. I couldn’t believe I chased him again in his dream like I did in mine not too long ago. Maybe the Fates were trying to give me a hint to give up, but why had they bonded me to Torin?
I needed answers, and the thought kept me running.
I followed the narrow path through the dark woods. Fog spread among the tall trees that looked like malnourished bodies stuck in quicksand.
Was his dream realm always as dark as night?
I could only see enough ahead of me to prevent me from tripping and falling on my face. But I couldn’t tell what awaited me on the other end of the path—more danger or safety.
After several crows’ creepy coos echoed from the top of the trees, I guessed I would be in more trouble later.
I slowed down my run to look up at the dark sky. I couldn’t tell where it started and ended since smoke, clouds, and darkness choked the outdoors. The crows sitting on the tree crowns watched me with red eyes as if they were the guardians of this evil forest.
I questioned my sanity for deciding to enter this dream realm.
Breathless, I slowed to a walk. The suffocating air here tired me much faster than when I ran in the natural realm.
Ahead of me, an old tree on the side of the path had bent over, making an arch that I had to go through. The tree had a gaping large hole inside it, and two red eyes scrutinized me from within the black hole.
I rolled my shoulders to ease the tension in my body. I sprinted under the overpass, anticipating something would grab me.
On the other side, I let out a heavy sigh. Was the dark forest a manifestation of Torin’s soul? The contrast between our dream realms didn’t escape me. If mine was filled with enchanted forest, Torin’s was a scary forest with vampire-looking creatures. Two opposites.
A rustling sound echoed around me, and a cold chill ran down my spine. I halted as my gaze fell on a large black and white bunny, but it was no ordinary animal. The black stripes stretched over its eyes, neck, and belly, making it look like warrior markings.
Not the domesticated fluffy and friendly pet.
His ears were exceptionally long and pointy for a rabbit, and his red eyes fixated on me as if he dared me to run away. I calculated my chances of surviving a wild rabbit attack when it hopped closer and stopped as if it were testing me.
Another hop. My heart beat so fast it was ready to burst out. When the demonic bunny bared its fangs at me and screeched a sound no bunny could make, I took off running.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the bunny chasing me with speed it shouldn’t have.
The crows took flight at the commotion and swooped down at me. I ran and waved my hands like a madwoman while red-eyed birds snapped their sharp beaks at me.
As I ran, the hard edges of little rocks dug into my feet, sending sharp pain to my knees.
I couldn’t see any spot where I could take cover, but the end of the forest was near. I had to cross a bridge to leave the forest behind and get to the next bare hill.
I halted in front of it, looking behind me to gauge the distance between the wild creatures and me. They were close.
The narrow wooden bridge was short, but it was falling apart. The rails were rotten, and boards were missing, exposing large holes to a dark, bottomless abyss. I couldn’t tell what lay beneath it, and I didn’t want to find out.
The flock of birds swooped low and aimed at me while a bunch of wild bunnies hopped their way to my feet.
I was running out of time, so I tiptoed onto the side beam.
The demonic animal stopped at the beginning of the bridge and watched me.
I put one bare foot over the other. Something sharp stuck to my foot, and I lost my balance when I lifted it.
Stepping on the loose board was a mistake, making me twist my ankle and causing more pain to explode in my foot.
I could barely steady myself, and I took a deep breath before continuing. After limping to the end of the beam, I finally stepped on solid ground. I lifted my foot and took out a short but sharp splinter. What worried me more was the red bruise forming on my ankle. In moments, it’d be purple.
If some other crazy creature chased me again, I couldn’t escape.
It was as if everything in this realm was trying to keep me away from Torin and pull us apart while I kept being pulled toward him, drawn by our mate bond. Something or someone didn’t want us to be together.
Torin’s dream realm was like a war zone with booby traps set to surprise, harm, and kill.
I limped my way down the hill, stepping over dry grass.
Where was the woman’s voice that had talked to me in my dream realm? Not that I trusted a woman who didn’t reveal herself to me, probably a witch. I didn’t want to be alone here.
“Hello? Anyone here?” I called.
Silence.
Figured.
In the distance, an old castle sat on dry bushes and rock. The silver moon was so bright behind it that it illuminated the sharp edges of the structure. The triangular roof appeared to have spikes. It had four towers surrounding a rectangular part in the middle.
How were these places significant to Torin? If I asked him, would he tell me?
I could feel that he was inside the castle. Was he in trouble?
When I reached the hill's bottom, a wide river separated me from the castle. Wherever I looked, the red river flowed, surrounding the castle.
There was a bridge with metal chains on the sides, but it was drawn up to the side of the castle.
So swimming it was, then. I stuck my hand in the water and pulled it out immediately as the coldness struck my skin. It was freezing.