For the second night in a row, Ammey woke abruptly, having experienced the same nightmare. Her heart hammered and her flesh was severely chilled from a cold sweat. Some men had Stripe cornered in a deep woods; that’s where the dreams had begun. Vincent had pushed forward to protect him, and someone had stabbed him. That’s when she woke, and in real pain. She pressed gently on the spot, but it was no longer painful.
Two nights in a row. This was no mere dream, it was a premonition. Or perhaps something had already befallen her friends. She’d had a terrible feeling when Vincent left. She’d experienced a powerful desire to stop them, but she hadn’t. Why hadn’t she? Her legs felt shaky as she got up and began dressing.
As she stepped from her lodge, the freezing predawn air stung her skin and made it difficult to breathe, but the black of night was letting up. It would soon be light enough for her to be on her way. She moved toward the communal lodge, hoping someone would be awake so she could leave a message about why she had taken leave. Marko would be upset by it, but she would not dwell on it.
She stepped into the lodge and saw Sho, himself, seated on a thick fur in front of the fire. “So you will go?” he asked.
She started at the deep voice. “Are they in danger?” she asked as she came forward. “Do you know? I’ve had dreams.”
He looked at her. “I’ve had them, too.”
Ammey knelt beside him, searching his face in the firelight. “Are they alive?”
He hesitated. “I don’t know. I wish I could tell you otherwise.”
A sigh escaped her. “I have to go.”
“I know. You are connected. You swirl in the same eddy, each keeping another afloat. You came together for a purpose.”
Worry gnawed at her. “I don’t even know where they went!”
Sho turned back to the fire and closed his eyes to concentrate fully. His face relaxed and he looked younger and untroubled. “Seek the familiar,” he said.
Meaning her father? Her family. Yes. She would seek out the military camp and perhaps find Vincent and the others along the way. After all, it was likely that’s where they had been headed. She stood knowing she needed to leave before Marko woke. He would not understand and she could not take the time to make him understand.
“I will tell him,” Sho said as he got to his feet. “I will explain.”
He held out his hands and she clasped them. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”
He nodded. “Keep your canteen close to your body, inside your cloak, or it will freeze. Do you have food?” He released her hands and brushed past her. “You’ll take traveling packs with you. Dried meat and berries and nuts. You haven’t time to hunt and gather.”