We didn't travel together long, but we've built camaraderie by facing danger together. I take a seat by his cot and produce my book.
In between transcriptions, thoughts come to me. Ordinary thoughts, troubled thoughts, and altogether alien ones. After a time, I come to notice my surroundings have stopped moving. I turn to look behind me.
"Fear not," a voice reverberates from the walls, "righteous one."
"Who are you?"
"It is not important who I am, but whom I serve." A sense of nobility and chivalry sweep the room during a short silence. "That one there is a reliable ally. His people's condition is an injustice of this world that the True God would see corrected."
"What would the True God have me do?"
"Ask about the curse. Your path will unfold from there. And beware the one in your dreams."
My sight fades to black. I open my eyes to see the book in my hands, fresh ink stopping mid-word. My guide stirs.