flood of light and power the image formed and Durik was
transfixed. Caught by this sudden burst of light, he was surprised and
stunned, yet unable to escape its stark yet soothing embrace. He felt as if
somehow he had been spirited away to another place.
He found himself standing, though his feet did not
touch the ground just below him, looking out across a long natural stone bridge
which spanned a chasm that dropped off on either side of the bridge. The light
that surrounded the place was brilliant, brighter than the sun at noon-time in
the white limestone quarry near their gen’s caves. On the far side of the
bridge, almost at the edge of the brilliant light that bounded the vision,
Durik could see through the haze the bulky form of a muscular kobold warrior
carrying a large leather sack over his shoulder. As Durik wondered at the
vision, slowly, and without any conscious thought on Durik’s part, he began to
glide effortlessly across the bridge toward where the warrior was looking about
furtively. Deep within himself, Durik could feel that something evil was
occurring. There was such a feeling of sadness within him that tears began to
form in his eyes even as he was transfixed by the vision.
Suddenly, the warrior hefted the large sack and
threw it out into the void, where the heavy leather sack dropped swiftly off
into nothingness. In a moment of clarity, the kobold warrior’s face appeared
clearly through the mist. Durik was taken aback as he saw the face of Troll,
the chief elite warrior of his own warrior group. He felt a great desire for
justice begin to well up within him. It was as if he knew that he must take
action, yet didn’t know what to do.
I will help, Durik thought meekly, if
you will tell me what to do.
Suddenly his heart burned within his chest, and a
deep sense of power came over the young kobold. Suddenly he knew that there
would be much expected of him, but that much help would be given as well. Then,
almost as quickly as it had come, the vision disappeared from before his eyes,
leaving him alone and small again, back with his friends in the caves of his
heritage.
Durik was shaken, but a remnant of that feeling of
power lingered still in his heart. It seemed so unreal that, after a second of
silence, Durik wasn’t sure whether or not what had just happened had, in fact,
really happened or if it was just his imagination running wild. Either way,
his friends sat looking at him strangely. After a moment of embarrassment as
he came back to reality, Durik stated, “I do not know, my friends. I do feel
something coming our way, however; perhaps something greater than ourselves.”
“What do you mean, Durik?” asked Keryak, a
questioning look on his face.
“I don’t know, Keryak,” he answered. “I guess we
shall see… perhaps at the Trials.”
At that moment, Goryon entered from the forge
room. “That you will, whether you sleep before then or not! You’ve had enough
of root and talk. Now is the time for rest, not talk!”
Durik and Keryak said their goodbyes and left
Gorgon’s home. It was late and the first gong would sound sooner than they
wanted to think. As they walked together on their way to the large common cave
of the Wolf Riders Warrior Group, they chatted a bit, but without any
enthusiasm until Keryak brought up the subject of Troll’s missing lifemate.
“So, you think Troll did it? You know. Do you
think he killed his lifemate?” he said off-handedly.
With much greater passion than Keryak was
expecting from him, Durik stopped and looked Keryak in the eyes. “Yes!”
Realizing he’s startled Keryak, Durik demurred. “I don’t know why, but I just
know.”
Keryak raised his brows and nodded slowly.
“Alright… I guess.”
Durik turned and continued to walk, followed
closely by his friend. “I guess it doesn’t matter. We’ve got nothing to do
with whether the chief killed his lifemate or not,” he
transfixed. Caught by this sudden burst of light, he was surprised and
stunned, yet unable to escape its stark yet soothing embrace. He felt as if
somehow he had been spirited away to another place.
He found himself standing, though his feet did not
touch the ground just below him, looking out across a long natural stone bridge
which spanned a chasm that dropped off on either side of the bridge. The light
that surrounded the place was brilliant, brighter than the sun at noon-time in
the white limestone quarry near their gen’s caves. On the far side of the
bridge, almost at the edge of the brilliant light that bounded the vision,
Durik could see through the haze the bulky form of a muscular kobold warrior
carrying a large leather sack over his shoulder. As Durik wondered at the
vision, slowly, and without any conscious thought on Durik’s part, he began to
glide effortlessly across the bridge toward where the warrior was looking about
furtively. Deep within himself, Durik could feel that something evil was
occurring. There was such a feeling of sadness within him that tears began to
form in his eyes even as he was transfixed by the vision.
Suddenly, the warrior hefted the large sack and
threw it out into the void, where the heavy leather sack dropped swiftly off
into nothingness. In a moment of clarity, the kobold warrior’s face appeared
clearly through the mist. Durik was taken aback as he saw the face of Troll,
the chief elite warrior of his own warrior group. He felt a great desire for
justice begin to well up within him. It was as if he knew that he must take
action, yet didn’t know what to do.
I will help, Durik thought meekly, if
you will tell me what to do.
Suddenly his heart burned within his chest, and a
deep sense of power came over the young kobold. Suddenly he knew that there
would be much expected of him, but that much help would be given as well. Then,
almost as quickly as it had come, the vision disappeared from before his eyes,
leaving him alone and small again, back with his friends in the caves of his
heritage.
Durik was shaken, but a remnant of that feeling of
power lingered still in his heart. It seemed so unreal that, after a second of
silence, Durik wasn’t sure whether or not what had just happened had, in fact,
really happened or if it was just his imagination running wild. Either way,
his friends sat looking at him strangely. After a moment of embarrassment as
he came back to reality, Durik stated, “I do not know, my friends. I do feel
something coming our way, however; perhaps something greater than ourselves.”
“What do you mean, Durik?” asked Keryak, a
questioning look on his face.
“I don’t know, Keryak,” he answered. “I guess we
shall see… perhaps at the Trials.”
At that moment, Goryon entered from the forge
room. “That you will, whether you sleep before then or not! You’ve had enough
of root and talk. Now is the time for rest, not talk!”
Durik and Keryak said their goodbyes and left
Gorgon’s home. It was late and the first gong would sound sooner than they
wanted to think. As they walked together on their way to the large common cave
of the Wolf Riders Warrior Group, they chatted a bit, but without any
enthusiasm until Keryak brought up the subject of Troll’s missing lifemate.
“So, you think Troll did it? You know. Do you
think he killed his lifemate?” he said off-handedly.
With much greater passion than Keryak was
expecting from him, Durik stopped and looked Keryak in the eyes. “Yes!”
Realizing he’s startled Keryak, Durik demurred. “I don’t know why, but I just
know.”
Keryak raised his brows and nodded slowly.
“Alright… I guess.”
Durik turned and continued to walk, followed
closely by his friend. “I guess it doesn’t matter. We’ve got nothing to do
with whether the chief killed his lifemate or not,” he
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