Domain of Power-The Dreamer (Book 3)

Chapter 5: Broken Dreams

                                                   ~Broken Dreams~

Chirping and coos filled the room. I turned my head in the direction of the melodic songs only to find that the four walls around me had disappeared. My eyes grew large when I realized my bed was in the middle of a grassy field. Surrounding the field was a ring of tall trees. No ceiling here to block the sun. Just clear blue skies.

"Troy!" I turned around only to see a black-winged creature glide from one treetop to the next.

"Troy!" There was that voice again. Yet it was a soft and soothing tone. It belonged to a woman. I blinked, and then I saw her clothed in a black garment that looked like a cloak. She pulled back her hood, giving me a full glimpse of her face framed in long dark tresses. I never saw someone with eyes like hers. Blue, like the color of the sky. She smiled at me. It was hard to keep my eyes off her.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The better question is, who are you?"

I was still trying to answer that question myself. I introduced myself as Troy Acertius. I was a fifteen-year-old prince from an island called Aegea. I had a terrible horse-riding accident about a week ago. That was all I knew.

"Anything else?" she asked.

I shook my head. "That is the only thing I remember."

Her eyes brightened. "Come with me. There is a pool of water as ancient as time. Its water heals the mind and soul."

"I want to go, but I cannot walk."

"That is in your head." Her dainty fingers pulled back the sheets that covered my exposed legs. The bruises were gone as if nothing happened. Her supple hands graced my skin, sending waves of pleasure to my lower region. Her hands stopped short of my thigh before she retreated from my bed. She motioned with her hands to get up. She did not have to tell me twice.

I swiveled my legs like they were feathers. With both feet now planted on the earth, I was ready to follow her. But she took off into the forest. I called for her to slow down, but my pleas were ignored. By the time I made it through the other side of the thickets, she was gone. I did not even know her name.

The tall, lush grass that tickled my feet had become bare here. The ground was hard and unforgiving to my flat soles. Now I wish I had worn sandals. I would have turned back had it not been for the steam rising from a pool of water ahead. Waiting by the pool was someone in a dark cloak. The person turned around.

"So, she brought you here." The voice was deeper than I expected. It was a man!

Where was the woman? This was a mistake.

"You came for the pool, too?" I looked down at my toes. Physically, I seemed well. No aches or pain. I moved with relative ease as I ran after the woman, not caring what sharp object might graze my feet. But my memories of my past still escaped me.

I nodded before stepping closer to the man as he left his position by the pool's edge to greet me.

"What happened to the lady who brought me here?" I asked.

"You mean Aurora. She will return here eventually. This is her pool, but I guard it now. You never did tell me what brought you here."

"A woman came to my bed, telling me to follow her. That I could be healed. Is that true?"

He flashed a toothy grin before nodding.

He must have sensed my confusion because he added, "Ah, yes. The pool is like none other. It heals all ailments."