Free Harbinger (The Bleeding Worlds) by Justus R. Stone Page B

place.
    “Doesn’t like me. Angry with me. Traitor.” Sophia hissed.
    She released him and sat back.
    The Sophia in front of Gwynn was feral, her words coming in growling spurts. But the room held another voice. A voice that belonged to the Sophia he knew. Beyond the madness in front of him, there stood a phantom image of Sophia. The phantom had the long shining blond curls, the blue eyes that sparkled, and the smile that had led Gwynn to Hell.
    “I’m so sorry, Gwynn.” The phantom Sophia said. “To have to put you through this.”
    This vision of the Sophia he’d lost broke him. Tears burned at his eyes. “I’m the one who’s sorry. If I’d just stopped you. If I’d just been stronger…” He covered his eyes, no longer able to bear seeing her.
    Arms wrapped around him. Not the fierce grip she’d had on his face, gentle and comforting instead.
    The mad Sophia, solid and very real whispered. “Phantoms. Other worlds bleeding through. Wounds you need to heal.”
    “I don’t understand.” Gwynn said.
    “The beast long banished stirs. Blood taken through betrayal will release it. Only blood given can send it back.”
    “Sophia, I don’t understand.”
    The phantom remained, her eyes full of sorrow and pity.
    The Sophia that barely held onto sanity still held him in an embrace. When she spoke, the warmth of her breath tickled his ear. “Dragons for good, dragons for evil. Messenger, prophets, harbingers. Fall, fall, fall. The shadow rises. Don’t let it drown you.”
    Sophia let him go. The phantom Sophia had disappeared. Gwynn tried to process what she had said. None of it made sense. Then why did it feel so important? She sat away from him, rocking back and forth. Sophia’s eyes, that had held such power and focus, were now empty; focusing on some distant point which only she could discern the importance.
    Gwynn stumbled to his feet and knocked on the door. Sophia’s mother had hope in her eyes when the door opened, but her face fell when she saw Sophia.
    “Did she speak to you?”
    Gwynn’s head buzzed. The world swayed beneath his feet. “Yes.” His voice sounded thin. “It didn’t really make any sense to me though. I’m sorry.”
    Mrs. Murray managed a weak smile. “It’s fine, Gwynn. We had just hoped, well, maybe…”
    “I’ll let you be with her now, Mrs. Murray. Thank you for letting me see her.”
    The orderly escorted Gwynn down the hall and let him out the secure doors. Gwynn’s head seemed to be hurting more and his right arm throbbed so bad his fingers were numb. Shadows danced in the corner of his eye—something following him, something wanting him. He increased his pace, the hospital hallways becoming a blur of formless white. Gwynn trusted the deeper recesses of his mind to guide him out.
    “Gwynn Dormath.” A voice, sounding like it echoed from some impossible distance.
    Gwynn stopped.
    Someone jogged down the hall toward him.
    The man caught up to him, his breath huffing. “Gwynn, I’m glad I caught you. I thought for sure you’d still be in the hospital.”
    Who was this person? He seemed somewhat familiar.
    The stranger must have recognized Gwynn’s confusion. “It’s me, Gwynn, Pridament. We met when you first came out of your coma. I’ve been trying to see you, to finish our conversation, but there’s always been someone there.”
    “Oh. Sorry. So much has been going on. And I had no way of getting hold of you.”
    The man laughed. “I’m surprised to find you up and walking around so soon. The injuries your chart listed were extensive.”
    “Apparently I’m a medical mystery.”
    Pridament studied Gwynn.
    “Are you just being released?”
    “No, I’ve been out for a few days.” The reason for Gwynn’s visit, Sophia’s terrible condition, hit him hard. He said in a cracked whisper, “I was here visiting a friend.”
    “Sophia Murray?”
    Gwynn just nodded.
    “I heard about it.” Pridament’s eyes filled with sympathy. “I’m sorry. You