Some Progress

I've made some progress on "Dragon Crown."

Below is a brief snippet. First draft, please don't quote or repost.

His rooms seemed lonely without Tamli’s presence. Asher pulled off his boots and stretched across their large bed. He supposed he ought to undress, but he couldn’t find the energy. He lay and stared at the bed’s canopy before sliding into sleep.

In his dreams, he saw Tamli. She stood, tall and beautiful, and smiled at him. Light seemed to glow and cling to her.

“Asher,” she murmured.

He reached out to her but couldn’t hold her.

“I’m sorry that I can’t be with you anymore. I wanted to stay, but I didn’t have the strength.”

Asher dreamed he tried to say something, tried to tell her to stay, but he couldn’t speak.

She leaned forward and he felt the brush of ghostly fingers on his lips.

“Goodbye, my love.”

She started to fade. Asher reached out, trying to speak to her, ask her not to leave him. Her smile, sweetness and regret intermingled, faded away.

Asher woke with a shout of repudiation on his lips. He stared up at the canopy above him in confusion.

It was a dream. He wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to convince himself.

Somewhere, in the hollow of his heart, Asher knew the truth.

Tamli was gone.