I woke with a jolt, sitting erect. A stream of sunlight was hitting my face. I rubbed my eyes to clear the blur and swallowed down the dryness in my throat. That same dream returned, haunting me. My chest was heaving. Sweat dripped from my body.
The dream started with the faceless boy taking my hand and leading me down a dark corridor. His face remained obscured, but the ring he wore on his left hand was in plain view, a cluster of black diamond’s outlining an oval eye. To my dismay, I stood in the center of a circle of black robes. Thirteen men. Always thirteen. Somewhere in the haze, a child’s cry wafted in the chill. Shivers rushed over me as my mind carried me through the dream.
Then my eyes popped open, and the dream vanished. The effects never changed, always leaving me in an icy t
