All the Sights and Sounds

Yvaine was restless on this dark night. The sky was free of clouds, but the moon remained hidden. A beast howled in the distance as a cool breeze blew through her opened window. Many memories of her life replayed as she slept. Though unconscious she was acutely aware these were not normal dreams, she felt another presence with her as she tossed about in the bed. Her eyes glowed beneath her pale eyelids as the visions began.

Yvaine’s boots crunched on the gravel pathway that lead to the small village of twenty or so buildings, several were in pieces, the edges of the stones blackened with soot. The air was warm and a gentle breeze ruffled her hood as she approached the silent village that no indication it was inhabited. Somehow, she was aware this was Conyberry, a small village near Neverwinter. The woman had never been here, but she found an unnatural sense of direction to come to this place, as if it were a place she frequented often. Standing on the outskirts, some movement within one of the charred buildings caught her attention. A woman, and not one that she would expect to see in this type of place. The young girls's golden hair cascaded past her shoulders and spectacles occasionally reflected the sunlight towards Yvaine. The woman seemed to be inspecting the ruins, oblivious to the newcomer’s approach, taking notes in an expensive looking leather-bound journal. Catriona was this girl’s name, she knew, somehow. As she opened her mouth to call to Catriona something caused her pause.

Yvaine’s stomach wretched as she felt as if she was being pulled from a painting before being thrust further into it. The sides of her vision blurred as her sight was rushed through the town and further into the wilderness. She was moving south, nearly fifteen miles, again she didn't know how she knew this, but she knew. It seemed Yvaine also knew where she was going before she arrived. The ramshackle tower was half collapsed, with a small attached well. She knew there was something inside, but as she stood in the swaying wheatgrass, others approached. To her left, a human woman, a half orc, a halfing riding an exceptionally large dog, a dwarf, and an elf walked noisily. They were seemingly unconcerned with what dangers lie ahead. The half orc took a drink from a flask and taunted the woman leading the band. Yvaine's eyes shot opened, covered in sweat that chilled across her body as the wind continued to blow in from the window. Above her, the glowing hand lifted from her face, fading into nothing before it winked out of existence.