Dreams and Shadows (The Aylosian Chronicles Book 1) by Jeffrey Collyer Page B

it as she apparently had wanted him to.
    The rest of the day, Michael found, was really quite boring. When Michael told the police he needed to get back to work, they sent an officer to the library, and Maggie and Beth both soon appeared. Michael had never seen Maggie look worried before, and he almost thought that perhaps underneath her gruff exterior she cared for him. And Beth’s accent was so strong that, despite the day’s trauma, he still could barely avoid breaking into a smile, the musicality of her voice reaching new heights. His humour at her voice added an annoyance that, combined with her anxiety over his welfare, just made her accent stronger still.
    He was taken to the hospital for scans because he had hit his head, where it seemed he spent most of the rest of the day waiting for staff and equipment to be made available. He decided, though, that it must be good news if they didn’t consider him urgent. And then he waited for the police so that he could give them a statement of events for the investigation and manhunt that was now underway. It was well after dark by the time he finally got back to his flat.
    Exhausted, he entered his small living room. He had started the day with little sleep, and the events that had transpired had sapped what little energy that remained. But he knew he wouldn’t sleep, images of the woman, and the slow motion of his bullet racing, going round his mind again and again, causing his head to become dizzy with confusion.
    He wasn’t hungry, having been given a light meal at the hospital, so he sat in his armchair to ponder on his remarkable week: from the dream that wouldn’t leave his mind, to the shopping precinct today. It was a lot to comprehend and he needed to carefully consider it all.
    As his thoughts wandered, his hand reached to his chest and felt the shape of the crystal medallion through his shirt, his fingers rolling around the edge. He thought of the man who had given it to him – a gift from the lady he had said. He had also said, “When you are quiet at home tonight, please take the time to study the etchings engraved on this.”
    He pulled on the chain, removing the medallion from its hiding place. Taking the chain from around his neck he held the medallion in his hand, directly under the light of the table lamp so he could get a good look at it. The etchings were intricate and tiny, and he pulled it close to his face so that he could begin to decipher the images on it.
    Starting at the left of the medallion, he could just begin to make out what looked like mountains, somehow being able to discern the snow on their jagged peaks. The mountains continued all the way down the left hand side. A gap appeared for a short distance along the top before the mountains returned, continuing along the top and then down the right hand side, although here Michael could see no snow.
    In the top right corner bordering the mountains, it looked like there was a city. As he studied it carefully, he could begin to make out individual buildings. Along the lower edge of the city there were a series of waterfalls, cascading into a small lake, itself feeding a river and a couple of smaller streams. Michael was astonished as the water appeared to flow within the image, and he blinked quickly a few times, tilting the medallion back and forth to try and determine how the effect was created.
    His attention was then caught by a domed building in the centre of the city. He could see no ornamentation on the structure, but felt strangely drawn to it, his heartbeat quickening as there appeared a glimmer from its walls. A larger structure then caught his eye on the very top edge of the city, almost merging with the mountains themselves. This appeared an imposing structure, as elaborate as the domed structure was plain, with numerous spires and turrets adorning it. I’d like to see that building in person , he thought.
    As his examination moved from the city, he could see some smaller hills