| |
I woke in the middle of the night with my heart racing.
I was having a dream that I was in one of the rooms fighting to make the bed, but the sheets were trying to strangle me. There was a pounding noise, like someone was at the door, but everything in the dream exploded as the furniture collapsed with a boom.
Believe you me, you make enough beds and those are the things that haunt your nightmares, too.
In bits and pieces, I came back to the real world. There was a half moon in the sky. The dragons who usually have eaten it by now must have been interrupted. I then realized the reason I could see the moon was that my lead-paned window was open and banging in the wind. I usually kept it latched against the flying beasts of the Other Side, but must have forgotten to refasten it when I was cleaning. That must have been the noise invading my sleep.
I stood up and it felt like my ankle was going to collapse. It felt like someone was jamming a knife into that darn goblin bite. Tomorrow, I was going to have to see a practitioner about it. Just another added expense that I could have taken care of myself if I still had my powers, I grumbled.
I hobbled over to the window and shut it, then climbed back into bed. I snuggled under my damask duvet, ready to fall back asleep.
But instead, I found myself lying there, the terror washing over me again like the nightmare was still going on.
What on earth was happening?
Back when I still had my powers, I had the slightest touch of the sixth sense. I mean, not enough to go opening a tea reading shop or anything. I was no psychic. But just enough to let me know if something was not on the up and up.
This almost felt like that, except I knew it could not be true. All my powers had been stolen by my coven and I knew for a fact they had not reversed any decisions.
And yet, my heart was still racing. My body was telling me I should run.
Perhaps I had eaten something that had caused my blood pressure to spike. Or perhaps it was just remnants of the last of the goblin poison leaving the wound in my foot.
That had to be it.
I readjusted my pillows and tried to get comfortable. It was just remnants of the goblins.
Everything was fine.
It was fine.
I stared at the window latch and prayed it didn't fly open by the force of some invisible hands.
A chill ran down my spine.
Everything was... fine...