Thousands of years ago, the Kingdom of Nork.
Near the Dark River.
James… James... Heal yourself.
James...
The deep male voice that called to James was familiar. Always in his dreams, when his defences were weakened, but it was stronger now than ever before. It was so familiar that James could almost feel the familiarity of the voice.
In the back of his mind, he heard the tick, tick, tick of a clock. “Who are you?” he demanded.
An image flashed in his mind. Not of the speaker, but of huge, grotesque monsters crawling toward him. Each had eight legs, with sharp, deadly points. They were black and hairy, their eyes big and beady, their tails pointed and curling toward him. They were staring him down, as if he were a tasty snack. Bile rose in his throat, but James pressed on, ignoring t
