5. Gorthak

5

GORTHAK

T he boat grinds against the dock as we pull into the harbor. The crew grumbles, casting sidelong glances my way. I hear whispers of "lazy" and "slacking." They don't understand. They can't.

I heave a crate of fish onto my shoulder, the smell of salt and scales filling my nostrils. "Enough! You gossip like wenches," I growl, my voice rumbling like distant thunder. "We've got work to do."

Grunts of acknowledgment follow, and the crew springs into action. I join them, unloading the haul and carrying it to the market. The town is small, nestled between the sea and the mountains, with cobblestone streets and whitewashed buildings. It's quaint, but it's home.

As we sell and trade our catch, I can't shake the feeling that something is off. The dreams have been growing more vivid, more real. And the woman...

"Gorthak, you there?" Gruk, my second-in-command, claps a hand on my shoulder. His brow furrows with concern.

I shake my head, clearing the cobwebs. "Fine," I grunt. "Just tired."

He eyes me skeptically but doesn't press further. They know something is wrong, but they don't know what.

And I can't tell them. Not yet.

The strange orcish woman blocks my path, her wild mane of gray hair framing her piercing blue eyes. Even for an orc, she's short. "Gorthak," she rasps, her low voice sending a chill down my spine. "Your fate is not what you think it is."

My crewmates snicker behind me, but I can't shake off the unease settling in my gut. "What do you mean?" I ask, barely above a whisper.

She reveals a row of crooked teeth as she smiles. "Come with me," she says, turning and heading towards a nearby table. I follow her, the mocking laughter of my crewmates fading behind me.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kogan exclaims, tossing his hands up in the air.

I snap at him, "Just go trade for supplies, Kogan."

He scoffs, staring at me for a moment before ushering the rest of the crew away. The woman sits down at the table, motioning for me to join her.

"What could you possibly want with me?" I ask, feigning indifference, though her words send a chill down my spine.

The woman leans in, her eyes piercing mine. "The woman haunting your dreams," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. "She is your destined mate."

I let out a harsh laugh. "That's impossible," I scoff. "I've never even laid eyes on her. And besides, she's human..."

The woman's expression remains unchanged. "You will," she says, her tone steady. "But only if you stop looking forward and start looking behind you."

I shake my head, trying to clear the fog clouding my thoughts. "What are you talking about?" I ask, my voice growing hoarse. "Who are you?"

She reveals a row of crooked teeth as she smiles. "I am a seer," she says. "And I have seen your past."

"A seer?" I scoff. "Aren't seers supposed to see the future?"

"If you don't learn from your past, your future will never come," she says, her cryptic words hanging in the air. "In order to reach her, you must use your present to find enlightenment."

I push myself to my feet, the chair scraping against the cobblestones. "This is preposterous," I growl. "I'm not mated to some human I've never met, and you're mad."

The woman's smile fades, but her eyes remain locked on mine. "You will find her," she says, her voice filled with conviction. "And when you do, you will know what you must do."

I turn and walk away, my mind racing. What did she mean? And how did she know about my dreams?

With every step I take through the bustling market, the woman's words weigh heavily on my mind. They're true, I can feel it in my bones. The problem is, I've never met this woman before. How can she know about my dreams? How can she know about the pull I feel towards her? It's like a magnetic force, drawing me in, even when I'm awake.

The crew's laughter reaches my ears as I approach the boat. They're mocking me, thinking I've fallen for some old seer's tricks. But they don't understand. They can't see the visions I see when I close my eyes at night. They can't feel the connection I have with this woman.

"Gorthak, you really believe that hag's nonsense?" Gruk sneers, tossing a crate onto the deck.

My hand instinctively goes for the hilt of my axe as I glare at him. "Watch your tongue," I growl.

He holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Just saying, boss. You're usually not one for fairy tales."

I turn away from him, my mind racing. The woman's words echo in my head. "You will, but only if you stop looking forward and look behind you."

Suddenly, it hits me. It's not about my future. It's about my past. In order to find the woman from my dreams... in order to find my mate, I need to stop moving forward and look back.

We need to turn this vessel around.

"Gorthak, by the Gods, what the fuck is up with you?" Kogan asks, his brow furrowed with frustration.

The rest of the crew eyes me, clearly just as curious as he is.

"We need to turn back," I say, my voice firm.