Dragon Heartstone > Chapter 5–Northam

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Alric watched Britta ride away with Gall. He did not doubt the logic of sending her off, but it did nothing to ease his concern in trusting the man. Even more troubling had been the darkness of his visions surrounding Britta’s future. Still, that was often the case when it came to her. However, the growing dark void of uncertainty surrounding his future was more disturbing. Yet, introspection led nowhere.

He turned to Vig. “Time for us to leave as well. We should make Wolfbern by nightfall.” The dwarf nodded, and with assistance from Ulrich, they helped Larah onto a horse. She remained quiet but swayed as the horse moved.

“We may need to pace ourselves. Keep an eye on her. Let me know if we need to stop,” Alric said.

“I will, your Majesty,” Vig replied. With a handful of guards as escorts, the small group rode south.

The morning faded quickly as the miles disappeared behind them. The sun rose above the mountains, and the azure sky turned blue. Wispy clouds obscured the snow-bound tops of the highest peaks, which looked down on the small knot of riders as they rode on. By noon, the low buildings of Northam appeared in their path. Though they made good time, Larah tottered and slumped in the saddle until she toppled forward, her dark wavy hair spilling onto the horse’s mane.

The dwarf immediately snatched the reins. “She’ll never reach Wolfbern; we must stop now,” Vig insisted.

Alric pursed his lips but nodded. “Into the village then.”

Ulrich led them into Northam and toward a small tavern. They dismounted and entered the ramshackle building as guards stabled the horses. A rheumy-eyed old tavern owner eyed them critically. After requesting a room and giving payment, Alric’s entourage retreated to it.

* * *

Vig laid Larah on the bed, and she stared vacantly at the ceiling. A thread of despair ran through his expression. “She seems to be getting steadily worse.”

Alric leaned over and looked into Larah’s unresponsive eyes. “She is detaching herself from reality. We have to stop that before she becomes unreachable, because if we don’t death will follow.”

Vig tensed. “What do we do?”

“I need to walk in her memories to discover the source of her pain. But before I can do that, I need her to be asleep. Trying to memory walk with someone who is drifting between reality and dreams is dangerous; her reaction to me could be unpredictable. In a dream state, she is more likely to talk to me.” He sat beside Larah and placed a hand on her forehead. In low soothing tones he spoke, “Nunc requiem tempus somniorum [Rest now it is time for dreams].” Larah blinked a few times, before her eyes slid shut. Slowly, her body went limp.

“Good, she is asleep. I can now memory walk with her.” From around his neck, Alric pulled a pendant from his robes. The centerpiece was round, with symbols of the sun, moon and a star.

“What is that?” Vig asked.

“A tool for memory walking. The different symbols allow me to move within a memory, forward or backward, or stop the memory in place.”

“Amazing,” Vig said, his eyes widening. “Where did you get that?”

Alric sighed. “It belonged to my wife. Where she got it from, I don’t know.” He settled in, next to Larah, bracing his back against the wall. With one hand on pendant, and the other gently resting on Larah’s shoulder, he closed his eyes. Murmuring words in an unintelligible voice, his form grew still and silent.