The Mageborn
an excerpt

He smiled at her and took her hand into his own, warm and disconcertingly real for what surely must be a dream. Sara opened her mouth to speak but found that she could not speak nor make any sound.

They walked onwards for several minutes, hand in hand. Sara found the time pleasant--she felt strong and capable walking in the air without Chairy.

After a while, they arrived in a clearing. A raised platform of black rock dominated the space, its top surface utterly flat and smooth. The platform, knee high, had rough edges.

The young man helped her step up onto the platform. He raised one hand and reality appeared to jump, discontinuous with a brief flash of light. In its wake at the center of the stone dais rested a white bier.

Sara felt herself led to the bier, which was covered in golden samite. His mien serious, the young man spoke to her but she could no longer hear any words. Her eyesight rapidly filled with a bright light, but she was dimly aware of being helped to lie down upon the bier.

Something soft brushed against her face. Sara slowly opened her eyes. She was back in her own bed. Rahn purred softly and tickled her face with his whiskers.

"Some dream," she whispered to herself. She turned her head on her pillow to glance at her clock. The gleaming red LED display solemly proclaimed that it was 3:23 AM. Sara groaned and sighed and closed her eyes, turning over to try to return to sleep.