Page 1 of Forgotten Fate
CHAPTER ONE
Ihad the dream again last night. Not that it was an uncommon occurrence over the past year, but three times in one week was excessive. Each night that I awoke drenched in sweat and heart pounding in my chest, my need to find answers only intensified. And today, one of the rare days I was allowed to walk the streets of Rimor, was the perfect opportunity to do just that. Once I was able to evade the King’s guards, I snuck into Rimor Library.
Although the building was public, it was one of the many establishments I was not allowed to go, which is why evading the guards was necessary. I crept through the library, ignoring the strange looks and hushed whispers from the patrons.Shit. Had I been recognized already?
“We’re going to get caught, Aura,” Rose whispered from behind me, as I reached a section of books that looked promising.
“Not if we’re careful,” I whispered back, thumbing through the wall of books. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was looking for. Perhaps a book about interpreting dreams, if such a book existed.
Rose shuffled nervously behind me. She had been my handmaid and best friend since I was a girl. I had asked her in secret to meet me here, and although she didn’t want to be caught aiding in my misconduct against the King’s orders, she agreed anyway – albeit, reluctantly.
“If you’re not going to help me look for a book, at least keep watch,” I said to her in a hushed tone. Well, IthoughtI was being quiet. When I looked back, it seemed more people had gathered to stare. It seemed I was recognized more quickly than I had hoped, even with the hood of my cloak pulled over my head.
That couldn’t be good. I left the shelf and ventured deeper into the library, pulling my hood up even higher and keeping my head down while Rose trailed behind me.
“I want to help you, Aura,” she said using my nickname again. “But I also think searching for answers is only going to lead to trouble. Who knows what kind of magic could cause such vivid dreams to repeat.”
I rolled my eyes. “There is no such thing as magic, Rose.” I said it like I believed it, and yet having this recurring dream somehow seemed supernatural.
When we reached the back of the library, I silently cursed under my breath. We had hit a dead end, and we had been in the library for too long. A patron or a librarian was bound to give us away soon. I turned to look for a different route to the exit, frustration building. Escaping the guards was never easy, and I truly thought I would have more time in the library before being recognized. Perhaps I should have just asked Rose to search for a book on my behalf since she wasn’t banned from the library, but I wasn’t positive she would knowwhat to look for. Especially sinceIwasn’t even sure what to look for.
“Let’s just go,” I sighed, feeling defeated. I turned on my heel ready to weave in and out of the aisles to avoid prying eyes, when something caught my eye. Against one of the back walls of the library, I was able to make out what appeared to be a bookshelf that was smaller than the large oak shelves that surrounded it. Instinct told me to step closer, and as I did so, I could see that the wood was stained a different color. Other than the shelf simply appearing out-of-place, something drew me to it.
Knowing my time was running thin, I hastily began trailing my fingers over the hard edges of the books. I pulled out one at a time, quickly reviewing their title then putting them back when they didn’t seem promising. When I pulled on one in particular, I was met with resistance, and heard a smallclank.
To my surprise, the entire bookshelf moved forward, the wall moving with it.
“Whoa,” Rose muttered next to me, her eyes as wide as mine.
A secret door. Rimor Library had asecret door. Whatever drew my instinct to it happened for a reason, and I was more than ready to find out why.
“Come on,” I beckoned, but Rose hesitated.
“M…maybe I should keep watch. In case the guards come,” she whispered.
I sighed. “Okay, let me know if anyone’s coming. I’ll just be a minute.”
Rose nodded and I pushed on the bookshelf a little more until there was enough room for me to squeeze through the trap door.
I was met with a dark room, the light from the secret doorway the only thing helping me see inside. In the room there was only one bookshelf. It looked old and worn, and I felt an eerie sensation as I stared at it – like it was calling to me.
Reluctantly, I walked over to it. I could tell the books hadn’t been opened in years, because dust went flying as soon as I picked one up.
A cloud of dust hit my lungs, and I stifled a cough before opening the book I had grabbed. The first thing I noticed was the curious writing. It was in a language I didn’t know, and there were symbols drawn in that I did not recognize.
I flipped through the dusty pages, and my heart stuttered in my chest when I came to a detailed drawing of a large wolf. It looked eerily similar to the one I had been seeing in my dream.
* * *
I’m always standing in the middle of a forest. I’m usually walking barefoot through the woods, often stopping to admire a flower or tree or an interestingly shaped stone. In reality, I hadn’t been to the woods since my mother died, but it somehow felt like home to me in my dream. When a twig snaps behind me, I quickly turn and see a black wolf stalking towards me, and I freeze in my tracks. The wolf is almost the size of a horse, and it has piercing gold eyes that look hungry… like they’ve been craving something for a long time, and I was the only thing that could satisfy that craving.
As the wolf stalks closer, I finally come to my senses and take off running. I zigzag through trees and hurdle over rocks, streams, and fallen branches. I always feel the wolf’s breath behind me, like it is inches from reaching me and snapping me in its massive jaw. Then, every time, I reach a cliff. The dead end leaves me in uncontrollable fear, as I slowly turn my body to face the wolf. The wolf stalks closer and closer, until my heels press into the very edge of the cliff, causing small rock debris to trickle down into the raging river below.
Its claws rake the earth. One step closer. Two. I’m done for. When its enormous head is less than an arm’s length from my face, I close my eyesand instinctively put my hand out as if I could stop the beast with just a touch. But instead of feeling fur or even sharp teeth, I feel skin. Human skin.
* * *
The damned dream terrified me. But when I would open my eyes to see where the wolf went and who my supposed savior was, my eyes would always open in real life. My view was never of a person, but of my bedroom ceiling. I was usually drenched in sweat at that point, and more than often incapable of falling back asleep.