Chapter Five

When I sat up, I was not in my bed. I was in a forest, where heavy, shimmering gold mist floated around me. My mind felt cloudy and unfocused, but I staggered to my feet and looked around, wishing I had a weapon of some variety.

“My Champion.” a voice cooed softly, and I turned towards the voice. It sounded gentle and loving, and… familiar? Hovering there in the air was a ball of golden energy, rippling and crackling, “I am Solana, goddess of the sun, and your patron. Welcome to Avandor, the Forest of Dreams.”

“This is a dream?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes and no. This is happening while you sleep, but it is not a dream. Avandor is real, and it can only be accessed through sleep or… other methods. Those are kept very secret, and have been for eons. If you die in Avandor, you’ll just never wake up. Avandor can only be reached by those who are connected to the Everlight.” Solana explained.

“Wait, I’m connected to the Everlight? Like Amalie is?” I asked.

“Yes. You are the Dawn King, did you think you would not be?” Solana asked me curiously.

“I never thought about it. So, I can shape, then?” I asked eagerly.

“Not quite yet. Your connection to the Everlight was mangled by the trip here, and I cannot restore it here, in Avandor. Gods have limited presence in the mortal world as things are established currently, so I do not think I can reach you unless you enter a temple dedicated to me.” Solana confessed.

“Where’s the nearest one of those?” I wondered.

“Not in Avona, I’m afraid. The nearest temple of me is in southern Illian.” Solana informed me, “However, there are priestesses of me here in Abara. There is no temple here, but they are traveling back to the temple. If you join their group, you can reach southern Illian in a week or so.”

“What about the Dawn Order? And Ciren?” I asked.

“You are not yet powerful enough to turn the tides of that battle, my Champion. Without your connection to the Everlight, you are no more the Dawn King than a farmhand is.” Solana told me.

“So… I’m just meant to abandon the Dawn Order?” I demanded.

“Yes, you are. The world needs you connected to the Everlight. With that power in your grasp, you will be able to return to Avona and rebuke the Illian invaders, if the forces of Avona can just hold out long enough.” Solana appealed.

“Where are the priestesses?” I asked grudgingly.

“They are in the Rolling Plain, an inn across town.” Solana said, and there was a bright golden flash. On the inside of my left palm was now a swirling golden sun tattoo, and it seemed to throb with energy.

“That is my Mark. Show it to the priestesses, and they will know instantly who you are.” Solana explained.

“Right.” I said with a sigh.

“You are not abandoning the Dawn Order, my champion. But they believe you can save them from their fate, and without the Everlight, you cannot.” Solana soothed me.

I nodded grimly. Maybe this would help me feel less like a fraud.

“How do I leave Avandor?” I asked.

“You have to fall asleep here to awaken in the real world.” Solana said. I laid down and laid my head on my arm, and sleep immediately overcame me.

———

I sat bolt upright in bed, panting, and beside me flashed a motion. Angelica was sitting up immediately, and she touched my arm.

“My king, are you well?” she demanded of me.

“Yes, I’m fine.” I waved her off, putting my head in my hands, “I was just in a place called Avandor.”

“The Forest of Dreams? You went there?” Angelica whispered in stark awe.

“I did. I met a golden bubble who called herself Solana. The goddess Solana. She said I had to go to one of her temples, so she could repair my connection to the Everlight. It got damaged when I was traveling between worlds, apparently.” I explained to my sworn Vengar.

“I see. You cannot ignore a quest from a goddess. This clearly overrules the necessity of our ride to Daena. I’ll inform Matthias of the destination change immediately.” Angelica said, sliding out of bed.

“Wait, you guys are going to come with me?” I asked, stunned.

“Yes. You are the Dawn King, we would not abandon you to ride to Illian on your own.” Angelica said simply. I grinned. I had never even considered that I might not be kicked out on my own. Angelica left the room and I hopped out of bed to buckle my boots on and gather up my small amount of items before I headed out into the hall and went down to the foyer.

Matthias and Rosalie were there already, talking with Angelica. Tomas stood behind Matthias, and Cassius was nowhere to be seen.

“I see you’ve communed with a goddess.” a sultry voice spoke out of nowhere, and I wheeled to my left to see a woman sitting at a table. She had luscious waves of blond hair, vivid teal eyes, and tits so big I wondered how she managed to stay upright. She wore a cloth shirt that had a low neckline, and skintight brown pants. A knife was buckled on her belt, and the lack of gold rings around her eyes meant she couldn’t shape.

“Who are you?” I demanded.

“I am Raina.” she inclined her head politely.

“That’s all? You say I talked to a goddess and then don’t elaborate?” I asked.

“I am a Weaver. I can see the strands of time, and predict what patterns they will shape. Sometimes, in a place of divine power or when loaned strength from the Everlight, I am capable of altering those patterns. Of changing the future.” Raina explained. Her lips were so full and gorgeous, and those eyes, those fascinating and beautiful eyes that simply didn’t exist back on Earth.. I was madly into her, and that wasn’t even mentioning how enormous her breasts were.

“Do you know who I am, then? Do you know my future?” I asked in a hushed, anticipatory whisper.

“Yes, and yes.” Raina nodded.

“Will you tell me?” I asked. She bit her lip, then gestured to the chair opposite her. I sat in it, and she took my hands.

“I have a policy of not telling anyone their future, but I think you already know what title you will claim in the coming months. King of the Dawn.” Raina whispered the last four words.

“Why won’t you tell me?” I asked.

“Telling people their futures drives them mad. It would drive me mad, if I could see my own future. I can see parts of my future, in yours. Even that is enough to make me question things, so I admit I can’t focus too much on your future. But I do know that you and I will be together for months to come.” Raina said softly.

“How much do you see?” I wondered.

“I can see glimpses, flashes, symbols. If I look at you without tugging on any strings, without diving deep, I see a golden sun, burning with righteousness. I see a sword with a lion on the hilt. I see a crown made of fire, I see a grave in a field of flowers, I see a kingdom in ashes, and I see a naked young woman in your arms. I see a woman with purple eyes who you will give… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t.” Raina shook her head. She took her hands from mine and I realized abruptly she had used the physical contact to sharpen her sense of my future.

“What do those things mean?” I asked, slack jawed.

“I do not know.” Raina said truthfully, “I just saw visions on the surface, I did not probe your future. I know as much about those images as you do, I swear it.”

I looked at her thoughtfully.

“Purple eyes? Is that common?” I wondered.

“No, but it is also not unique to just one woman.” Raina told me.

“So… do you know where I’m headed next?” I asked.

“The Temple of Solana, in Griffsburg.” Raina answered readily, “And I will be accompanying you. But remember, I won’t tell you of your future. I cannot. If I sense that we are to be attacked the next day, I must keep that quiet. Without a reservoir of power to draw from, I can make no alterations to the patterns of time. I can change nothing, any action I make will only propel the events into motion.”

“So, I can’t rely on you like a personal fortune teller.” I grumbled.

“No, you cannot. But I will follow you to the end of time, as that is my future.” Raina said softly.

“Great.” I said with a sigh. Then, a thought occurred to me.

“If you said I can’t change the events, and you can see my life continues for months, does that mean I’m immortal?” I asked. Raina shook her head.

“No. I told you that I cannot change the events, not that you cannot. The problem is that telling you the events never gives the whole story. It never works. You can die, Will. It will doom the world if you do, but yes, you can die. Perhaps I shouldn’t be around you. I could inadvertently tell you more than I should, lead you down the wrong roads… you are too important to the survival of our world.” Raina whispered.

“I don’t think knowing the future is a weakness, I think it’s a strength. You may not have all the answers, but I think I can trust you’ll have the ones I need when I need them.” I said, unsure why I trusted Raina so much. She could just be a very good scam artist, to be honest. Wait, but no… she’d known my name. I hadn’t told her that.

Raina smiled.

“I will help you as best I can, I swear.” she nodded, and we rose from the table together to join the Dawn Order delegation.

“Who’s this?” Angelica asked.

“This is Raina. She’s a Weaver.” I explained. Rosalie looked skeptical while Matthias looked at Raina appreciatively, then his gaze shifted to me.

“How interesting. You met a woman unique among women at a random inn in a small city. When you arrived in this world, you happened to be found by Amalie Varielle, a Healer who helped you recover, contacted us, and fell for you. You happened to receive a message from a goddess right before a dividing of paths. A lot of fortuitous occurrences happen around you, my king.” Matthias said thoughtfully.

“Is everyone going to Illian?” I wondered, choosing to ignore the comment I was unsure how to answer.

“Cassius is riding on to Taron Bluff to meet Cassie and then the twins will continue on into Daena to rally support for the campaign in Ciren. We will head eastwards not west, and enter Illian. We’ll reach Griffinsburg, and repair your connection to the Everlight in our time there. The timing sounds like it will align just about right. You’ll be able to make it to Ciren right on the heels of the Illians. Another fortuitous occurrence.” Matthias said.

“I’ll escort you to meet the priestesses.” Rosalie volunteered, looking at me.

“Do you want Angelica with you?” Matthias asked me. I glanced at my Vengar, and shook my head.

“No, we’re inside Abara, we’ll be safe here.” I decided.

“Understood. I will ride out with Tomas, Angelica, and… Raina, and we’ll meet you two and the priestesses at the fork of the road, then we’ll ride due east together.” Matthias made a quick plan.

“Sounds good.” I nodded.

“Raina can have Honey while you ride, I’ll ride with my king, if he’s OK with that.” Rosalie addressed me. I nodded.

“That works well.” I agreed, and Matthias led his group away while Rosalie and I headed out of the inn and began walking for the Rolling Plain, as I told her the name of the place and explained a bit more about my dream with Solana in it.

She listened intently to me.