"You have to keep him from dying."
"He's a lot better at this battle thing than I am." I point out.
"You have the magic of an entire world, one that's depending on you."
"No." I shake my head. "You did not invite me here for me to fix the world. That's absurd."
"How often are we given a chance to make a difference?" she challenges. "My life before Black Moon Draw was miserable! I hated my job, my life, the fact I didn't matter to the man I thought I loved. I was dead inside."
Her story sounds too familiar. My hands are growing clammy, my pulse quickening.
"I wanted it to change, and it did. You wouldn't be here, if you weren't looking for something else. Something bigger than you. A reason to matter, a way to make a difference and feel alive for once."
"You think I asked for this?"
"I did. Maybe you did, too."
"That's impossible. I. . ." was drunk. I have no idea what I might've wished for, but I know I was desperate, heartbroken, and miserable. "But you . . . you got chopped down, along with your husband," I manage. "How is that living?"
"Those few short months meant more to me than the rest of my life up until that point. I would've rather had my Shadow Knight as a husband for an hour than never at all."
There's a lump forming in my throat. As in the previous dream where I saw her die, I envy the depth of her emotion and conviction. I've never let myself feel so passionately about anything in my life, and it tugs on the part of me that thinks she makes more sense than my parents and the guidance counselors in college combined.
She had a man who loved her inside and out for half a day before they both died, and I'm envious of those short hours. It's crazy.
Clearing my throat, I look away. "So he's the Hero of this book."
"Maybe." Her intensity eases and she cracks another infectious smile. "Or maybe you're the Hero and this is your story. You wanted a journey and a chance to live a better life. This is it."
That can't be. I started reading this book online before it sucked me in. It's definitely not the kind of place I'd choose to go for a new start.
For reasons I can't understand or accept, I might be destined to be here. The thought is nauseating . . . exhilarating . . . beyond belief.
"You could spend years with the man you love exploring the flower covered valleys of Gold Spur Sky or sail the dark seas of Black Moon Draw. This is your world, your home, your fate," she adds.