Page 12 of Veil of Dreams

Another elf charges towards Gorthak, his blade of fire slicing through the air with a hiss. Gorthak sidesteps the attack and brings his axe down on the elf's arm, severing it cleanly at the elbow. The elf screams in agony as his blade falls to the ground, extinguishing with a sizzle.

Gorthak doesn't give him a chance to recover. He brings his axe down again, this time cleaving the elf's head from his shoulders. Blood spurts from the stump, spattering the walls and floor with a sickening splatter.

I watch in horror as the remaining elves fall one by one, their bodies dismembered and lifeless. Gorthak is a whirlwind of destruction, his axe slicing through flesh and bone with ease.

As the final elf drops to the ground, Gorthak swivels towards me, his chest rising and falling heavily. His eyes are wild, yet there's a gentleness in them that I hadn't noticed before. He approaches me with slow, deliberate steps.

"Are you hurt?" he asks, his voice barely more than a whisper.

I shake my head, speechless. I'm in shock, reeling from the brutality. But at the same time, a strange sense of relief washes over me. Gorthak has saved me from an unimaginable fate, and I know that I'll never be able to repay him.

Gorthak searches my eyes, concern etched into his features. "Did I scare you?"

I shake my head, still in awe of the display of power and violence I just witnessed.

He looks surprised by my answer, but relief floods his face. "Good."

I can't help but feel drawn to him, to his strength and dominance. It's disturbing, but I find myself attracted to his brutal dominance. I don't tell him this, of course. I simply gaze up at him, my heart racing.

Gorthak secures his axe on his back and extends his hand toward me. His stance, his expression, the way he steps toward me… every move oozes sex. As if I have any knowledge of that. But when I look at him… I feel like I do.

His hand lingers between us, palm up. "Let's get out of here."

11

GORTHAK

Igroan as I push myself up from the sand, my head pounding and my vision blurry. I squint against the harsh sunlight and look around, trying to get my bearings. The last thing I remember is the storm, the boat going under, and then... nothing.

"Gorthak! You alive, boss?"

I turn my head and see Burguk stumbling towards me. He's got a gash on his forehead and his clothes are torn, but he's grinning like a madman.

"Yeah, I'm alive," I grunt, rubbing my temples. "What happened?"

"We crashed, boss. Boat's gone. But some of us made it."

Scanning the shore, I spot a handful of my crewmates dotted along the sand, each appearing as disheveled and battered as Burguk—some of them unmoving. A wave of relief washes over me. We're not all dead.

"All right, listen up," I growl, pulling myself upright and steadying my balance. My head still throbs, but there's no time for self-pity. "We need to find some shelter and forage for food. Let's move out!"

As I issue the command, I can't help but feel a pang of concern for the missing members of my crew. But there's no use dwelling on it now. I push the thought aside and focus on the task at hand.

The forest looms ahead, a dense wall of green that promises shelter and sustenance. But as I lead my crew through the underbrush, my thoughts keep drifting back to that dream. Cassia's face, her vivid green eyes, the way she felt in my arms...it's all too real.

"Fuck," I mutter under my breath, shaking my head to clear the image. I can't afford to get distracted right now. Not with my crew depending on me.

But it's no use. The dreams keep coming back to me in bits and pieces. The sound of dark elf screams, the feel of my battle-axe slicing through flesh, the sight of Cassia's terrified expression as she called out my name.

She's too beautiful to be real. But she has to be. Because what's the point of surviving all this shit if I can't have her by my side?

Suddenly, the smell of smoke fills the air. I look up just in time to see a wall of flames racing towards us, consuming everything in its path.

"Shit!" Kogan shouts, his eyes wide in alarm. "We can't catch a break! It's like the universe wants us dead!"

"Shut up and run!" I bellow, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him along. The rest of the crew follows suit, sprinting through the forest as the flames lick at our heels.

We manage to escape the inferno, but not without cost. Several of my crewmates are singed and coughing, their clothes smoldering. And our spirits are low.