Song: https://youtu.be/tIKQqvt-sWM

Barrett jumped to his feet, as did I in alarm. "That bigot!" He growled before latching onto my arm and yanking me towards the stairwell. "Come on, we'll get out through the attic." He told me, hauling me up the first couple of steps.

I scrambled after him, trying to keep up as the rest of my dream played out in front of me. If we went up to the attic, we would surely be caught, and now I knew why. It was a trap set by Lord Dominic. The thieves who stayed near Tyren's tavern often would know about the attic escape. Thus allowing Lord Dominic to catch those who would normally be able to sneak out that way. But what about the innocent who didn't know about the escape way? He'd be burning them alive just to catch a couple of thieves!

Stumbling up the steps, I snapped back to reality as we reached the top of the steps, heading for the attic.

"W-Wait!" I called, but Barrett wasn't listening. It would take time to explain the trap ahead, time I didn't have. As we headed past an open window, I got an idea.

Planting my feet, I grabbed Barrett's arm with both hands and swung him sideways towards the open window.

"What-ack!" He started before letting out a strangled cry as I tossed him out the window. His grip on me was firm however, and I was yanked after him out the second floor window. We crashed to the ground in a tumble of each other's bodies.

"What the devil?!" Barrett snapped at me, detangling himself from the cloak he'd put around me. I grabbed his arm, speaking in a swift and quiet tone.

"There were men up on the roof in my dream. They caught us while we were trying to escape." I told him as he looked up at the window we'd escaped through.

"That's impossible. Lord Dominic doesn't know about that exit." He argued with a shake of his head. I sighed.

"You also said he wouldn't dare light Tyren's Tavern ablaze." I countered as he stared up at the roof. We couldn't see anyone from where we had landed, but I knew they were up there.

He held out his hand, helping me up before pushing me into the brick wall. "Who are you? What are you?" His red eyes burned into mine.

"My name's Monica." I said, somewhat breathless at being pinned against a cobbled wall. "I told you, I dreamed of this place."

"You didn't say you were a seer." He hissed, lowering his voice. I made a face.

"I wouldn't call myself a seer. I can't just see the future like that."

"But you did. You predicted the fire, and now you're saying there are men up on the roof."

I opened my mouth to say something, but I didn't know what to say. Instead, I merely shrugged. I couldn't explain what had just happened. What was happening. This entire kingdom, world, was supposed to be a figment of my imagination. But I already knew I wasn't dreaming, so what else could it be? The only thing that came to mind was magic. But that wasn't an answer that would satisfy Barrett.

He huffed at my shrug before letting go of me and looking back up at the roof. "Well, we'll have to run to the trees. If they spot us, they'll give chase, so just keep running." He told me before staring into my eyes with that same silent command he'd given me just before the end of my dream.

Keep up, don't fall behind.

I merely nodded, waiting until he moved and ran after him. We raced across the space between the inn and the forest, dipping into the trees as quickly and quietly as a breeze. The only thing lighting the way into the dark was the blaze that was still consuming the inn.

Swallowing hard, I tried not to think about the people who no doubt were getting caught, and the others who weren't aware of any way out. Was there a way to get them out? I didn't know. But leaving them behind made my eyes sting and my heart burn. Was there nothing we could do?

My feet stopped moving, and I looked back at the burning building. Back home, there were specialists that handled this everyday. People who would brave the fires to get those they cared for out. But here, were there such people?

Then I spotted the men on the roof. They had others on the roof, getting them down. But they weren't saving those people, they were trapping them.

Tears leaked down my cheeks and I raked a hand through my hair, holding it out of my face. How could this Lord do such a thing? How could anyone let him get away with this? How could those soldiers follow his command?

I knew possible answers, but each and every one made me feel sick to my stomach. Taking a step back, I watched the fire begin to consume the building. There was no way to get back inside. Going back now was suicide. Even so, it wasn't until an explosion burst from one of the walls that I finally stopped staring and turned to flee deeper into the woods.

There was no sign of Barrett as I ran, but that was my own fault. He had told me to keep running, not to fall behind, but I'd disobeyed. Caught up in my own desire to do something more. But there was nothing I could do.

Wiping my face, I tried to keep a steady pace as I ran. But the further I got from the inn, the harder it was to see, until I was surrounded in darkness. Soon enough, I was in the dirt again, having tripped. Over what, I couldn't tell, a root, a rock. It could have been my own feet for all I knew. But I was face down in the dirt, and when I rolled onto my back, I could see the stars above me.

Some of the trees around me were dead, letting me see past their branches into the sky, while others still had leaves that blocked the stars from view. The sky was beautiful, I just wish I could see it better through my tears. But they blurred my vision.

I was all alone out here, on my own. In the land of my nightmares.

When Barrett was with me, I hadn't felt the fear so much. But now that he was gone, I could almost see my nightmares playing out in front of me once more.

That's when I thought of Lord Dominic. I could see his face in my mind. His smile... He was the one in all my nightmares. I hadn't even felt a sense of familiarity when I'd seen him before, but now I couldn't get him out of my head.

Who was this man? What right did he have to torment and destroy these people? How could I stop him? Could I stop him? Or was he just like in my dreams? Unrelenting and impossible to oppose? The only escape I had for him then was to wake up. But here, I wasn't asleep, I couldn't just wake up and be back in bed.

This was all, really happening. Those people were really just trapped and burned, and I had lost track of Barrett shortly after the fact.

Could there have been anything I could have done better? Was there any way to go back and warn everyone?

I curled up, bundling myself in my cloak on the ground. Did Barrett have any of these questions burning in his mind? It wasn't his fault, he couldn't have possibly known. But I did, if I'd tried to warn him, would he have listened? Would he have warned others?

The questions burned inside of me, keeping me warm as I cried myself to sleep. Wondering, and wishing that I could go back and change the outcome of what had happened.

I was dreaming, I must be. I was with Barrett again.

We were walking down a dirt road and came to a fork in the path. After debating, Barrett chose the path to the right. I followed without complaint, keeping up rather well. I even ventured ahead a little to explore.

Then however, I stepped on a wolf trap that clamped shut around my leg. It didn't hurt, because I was simply dreaming. But even after Barrett helped me out of it, I managed to step into another only a short while later. It got bad enough, we had to turn back. But I was injured, and Barrett ended up tripping a trap as well. Only this one, we were strung up, stuck in a net. He tried to cut us loose, but I fell, and something snapped shut loudly, around my head once I hit the ground.

Gasping, I lurched up to sit. Panting heavily, I looked around at the trees. There were plenty that were dead, but some that lived with branches full of leaves. I set a hand next to my ear, listening to the birds singing around me.

"Just a dream." I murmured to myself, trying to calm myself. Just to be sure, I felt around my head. A couple of dead leaves and a twig were all I found in my hair, and nothing was clamped around it.

I got to my feet and stomped them awake before sniffling as I wiped away the tear stains on my cheeks from last night. I wasn't sure if it was safe to return to the tavern. It was probably little more than ash by now, and I wasn't sure if there was anywhere else around that place that was truly safe. But then again, I didn't really know where else to go.

My stomach growled then, painfully loud even as I hugged my stomach to muffle the sound. I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday. Barrett hadn't gotten the meal he'd asked for at the tavern either. Though with his archery skills, I didn't doubt that he would be able to get something to eat quite easily.

I perked up at the thought. If he did manage to catch something, he would need to cook it over a fire.

Brushing myself off, I pushed Barrett's cloak behind my shoulders, allowing me to climb up one of the trees that was still alive. Once I got higher into the tree, the cloak began to snag more and more on the branches. This made me wonder why Barrett wore a cloak when hiding in the trees.

Not being able to stand it any longer, I detangled the giant cloth once more before taking it off and twisting it up, tying it around my waist. This allowed me to climb more freely and I was able to get even higher to get a better look at the surrounding forest.

Trees for miles stretched out around me. To my left, I could see the greener canopy of the brighter woods I had come from, but no trees stuck out amongst them. As if the larger tree I'd emerged from didn't even exist.

Ahead of me, a little ways off to my right, I spotted a small column of smoke. A smile curved my mouth at the sight and I quickly made my way down the tree. If it was Barrett, I'd be able to get to him within just a few minutes. As long as he didn't move.

If it wasn't Barrett, well, I'd just have to be more careful. That way, I could disappear into the woods without anyone knowing I was ever there. I just needed to be careful.

With that miniature plan under my belt, I pulled Barrett's cloak back over my shoulders. Placing the hood on my head, I started in the direction of the smoke. Hoping beyond hope, that it was who I was looking for.

If you could see glimpses into the future. Would this power scare you? What would you do with it?

Have a thoughtful Evening,
G'Night Stars.