“And just think of all the super powers you might actually have hidden away,” Karesh added, sounding far too excited about the situation. After looking at the faces around the table once more, Finley felt his shoulders drop, “Fine,” he replied sounding a little exasperated by the whole thing.
However, if Finley thought more one moment, he was merely going to be lying down on a couch while Meldra worked her magic, he was very much mistaken. Firstly, she asked him to explain absolutely everything he knew so far. Thankfully the younger dwarf, Moira, was not long in bringing in a tray with several large mugs on, before disappearing off again with a large teapot, so big it needed two hands to lift it. Finley chuckled thinking it resembled one of the watering cans his father used to use to water the garden than a teapot.
Dwarf tea was certainly very different from that served up by their elven cousins. Whereas the latter preferred delicate herbed and fruit flavours served in beautiful porcelain cups, the dwarf’s version was far from it. To start with there were no cups, just thick large mugs, made for the thicker hands, and the tea was dark and strong, but very sweet. Although a little bitter in taste because it was so strong, Finley actually preferred their version to that of the elves.
With him explaining so much, his tea had cooled sufficiently enough for him to drink it back in one go. Only to have his large handled mug refilled by the lingering Moira, who still seemed intent on staring at him. Each time Finley glanced up, he could see from the corner of his eye, the young dwarf focused purely on him, so much so that he was actually beginning to feel uncomfortable.
Eventually, Finley got to the part about his more recent dreams, explaining he needed to find the king of the skies, but had absolutely no idea what or who that was. Galdrac then intervened, adding his own bit about finding the ring, and writings, which they had still not entirely managed to decipher, despite stealing the rare documents from the elven library. To be fair, aside from the time spent in the waggon they had not really had much time to sit down properly and try to translate it but thought it needed mentioning anyway.
“The dragon is the king of the skies!” Moira piped up, deciding to add her opinion despite not even being part of the conversation. “Yes, thank you, my dear,” Meldra added, “Perhaps you would be so kind as to make up some spare beds for our guests. They will need to spend the night.” The young dwarf looked a little crestfallen, and after glancing over to Finley, she rather sullenly turned and walked away.
Only once Moira had left the room did Meldra speak again. “She’s a good girl, but crying out for adventure,” she told them. “Sitting in here all day looking after my needs is no life for a young dwarf,” she added. Meldra explained that she thought that Moira was indeed correct in her comment, confirming the Dragon was the king they sought. “The ring…I am sure that has something to do with it,” Galdrac added reminding them of the symbols read out by Finley.
“Show me!” Meldra said sharply turning her glare towards him, and once more looking as if she was going to start acting all odd again.
Finley looked over to his mother for some kind of guidance and noted her just nodding her head to say it was okay. After reaching into his shirt and revealing the ring still looped about the necklace that he had since learned was some kind of charm. Meldra did not touch the ring though, but merely grabbed across the table and took hold of Finley’s hand. For a dwarf of her years, he thought she could indeed move quickly when she wanted to and had a grip most human men would have been proud of.
Finley noticed Meldra’s eyes once more rolling back into her head, revealing just the whites. Her hairy, wrinkled face twitched just a little before her wide mouth opened to speak. “Zerus Maldhor, that was once your name. Yet for all you did, I feel no hatred, just pity you for your tortured soul,” she said as everybody listened on. “The gods are giving you a second chance Zerus Maldhor. Right what was wronged, make the world whole again, carry the banner of light in the fight against the darkness.”
There was a slight pause, before the dwarf continued on, her hands shaking as they held Finley’s. Meldra’s eyes flickered, just very briefly back to their normal colour, before going black, like pools of ink. “You carry the Dragon Stone. Find the beast that soars the skies,” she added her voice changing almost as if not her own, before letting out a loud cry. Meldra’s eyes closed and her body went limp, as Galdrac leant over to try and steady her.
After a few moments where Finley actually thought the dwarf was dead, he was actually glad to her eyes slowly open. After thanking Galdrac for his aid, Meldra once more turned to face Finley, reaching out for the ring that dangled from his necklace chain. She lightly touched it with her fingertips, tilting her head slightly to one side, “You must seek out the youngest of beasts, and do so alone. Only that way will you make the necessary link.” If Finley thought the session was going to be all about him, he was wrong, as the elderly dwarf turned sharply towards Galdrac, “You must return with the elf to Durn Raldun. You have brought the darkness this way and must help defend against it. Only with your help will the capital of the dwarfs stand firm.”
There was another pause as Meldra looked around the faces at the table, her eyes once more black as pitch, “Your son is at a crossroads, the very future of our world hangs on his shoulders, you must be there for him when the time is right.”
“Always,” Leyna answered immediately, despite not even knowing when or where that time would be.
“You,” Meldra spoke now in a deep, husky voice. The target of her gaze was none other than Karesh. “Seek out one of the fallen race and unite us all once more. Only then will Abalyon be defeated and the lands healed.”
The room fell silent, if the words of Meldra were to be believed, then they had all been given their roles. As to whether they heeded her warnings or undertook the tasks she had set them was now to be discussed. Moira re-entered the room, saying she was preparing a pot of stew for the evening meal, before noticing the exhausted state of her grandmother. “Come along, you need to rest,” the young dwarf said, showing a gentle, caring side, Finley had not seen in the race of dwarfs before. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt the need to stand and help Moira escort her grandmother over to one of the cushioned chairs beside the fire. “Thank you,” the young dwarf said softly. Finley just nodded his head, as if to say it was not a problem, before returning to his chair beside the table to finish off his tea.
“We need to discuss our plans,” Galdrac told them.
“You believe what she says?” Leyna asked lowering her voice just a little.
“Every word. Like I said, Meldra is a bit strange, but I have never known her to be wrong. If she says we have to do something, then that is what we should do.”
Galdrac could tell by Leyna’s face that she was not convinced. After all, why would she be? The thought of having to split her family apart was clearly not a welcoming one, especially considering they had not long been back together.
Galdrac tapped the table with his bony fingers, telling her the story of his last visit to Meldra. Several years ago, she had told him that one day in the future he would be asked to find a boy. That boy would be like no other, and depending on the path taken, would determine the very future of the world. “I now believe I have found the boy she spoke of,” he said sounding surprisingly calm.
“Me?” Karesh said interrupting.
“What? No, not you Karesh. Finley!” the old mage said being thrown off his train of thought by the interruption.
“So when I asked you to find Finley. Did you know then?” Leyna asked.
Galdrac shook his head, “No not really. It was always at the back of my mind that he might be the boy Meldra had spoken of, but only when I saw his power at Barilyn did I know for sure.” He explained that as soon as he had witnessed Finley using magic without anything to channel it through, he had then known for certain that he was the one he had been foretold about. “I knew then we needed to bring him back here to see Meldra and have her help us
map out our path,” he added explaining the reasons for dragging them all so far from home.
Chapter 7.
After a welcome evening meal and another mug of dark sweetened tea, the group had discussed their plans at some length. Leyna was naturally concerned about letting her sons both wander off to different parts of the world on the say so of an old dwarf Seer. Since Meldra had made her foretelling, she had fallen asleep beside the fireplace, with her granddaughter checking she was okay every now and then, while keeping the others topped up with tea.
They were all somewhat surprised when Moira joined them at the table, holding her own drink in hand. She informed them that she had secured the sale of two horses to take them back to Durn Raldun. “Two of us?” Leyna asked immediately thinking the number was clearly wrong.
“Yes, two. You and him,” she replied pointing to Galdrac, before explaining further. If Karesh were to find the missing race, that would obviously mean a troll, and that would mean him travelling far to the south-west, probably crossing the wastes or at least somewhere near. Nobody really knew for certain, but it was believed a small settlement existed on one of the islands off the mainland just west of The Wastes.
Leyna interrupted again. “You think I am letting my sons roam around the world by themselves?” she snapped getting quite defensive. The feeling that she was losing both, risking them to great dangers was not a welcoming one. Galdrac made an attempt at calming her down, reminding her of the outcome if they failed to deal with the warnings foretold by Meldra.
“You think I should put both in terrible danger, on the ramblings of an old seer?” she said reiterating her earlier point.
“No offence!” she said, turning to Moira, hoping she did not take umbrage.
“None was taken!” the dwarf replied mockingly. “Although I am not sure their lives are yours to control,” she added giving Leyna a stern stare.
Galdrac quickly leant forward, putting his arm out as a means of stopping any argument. Fortunately, Leyna was clearly not going to stoop to that level, as she merely dropped back in her chair, waving a hand nonchalantly in the air. “I don’t like this,” the elf finally said looking first at Karesh then at Finley, as if hoping to get an indication of what they were thinking. “If I have to go alone, then Sessi can travel with Karesh. I’ll have him keep a watchful eye on him, and providing I can still connect with Sessi at a distance, I’ll be able to see what he’s up to,” Finley suggested trying to appease his mother’s worries.
“And who will look after you?” His mother asked.
“I’ll be travelling with him for a little of the way. I’ll need to show him where the dragons are usually seen,” Moira told them.
Finley cringed. The thought of travelling with the young dwarf did not really appeal to him, especially since she seemed insistent on staring at him. As an excuse he suggested that perhaps Moira needed to stay to look after her grandmother, trying to make it sound as convincing as he could. “There will be no need to care for me,” came the voice from beside the fireplace. “Moira is destined to take you to where you need to go, I have already foreseen it.”
“Oh really? And what else have you foreseen? Perhaps you can tell me if I will get my son’s back in one piece,” Leyna said with more than a little annoyance to her voice. Meldra seemed not to care, and answered the question as well, “I cannot see the outcome. Like I said earlier our very existence hangs on a knife edge.”
Galdrac suggested they all call it a night, and perhaps in the morning they might discuss things again having had time to digest what needed to be done. However, even that was not going to happen, as Moira instructed them that she and Finley would be leaving at first light. Karesh and Sessi would also need to go, and he and Leyna would have to journey back to the dwarf capital. Finley suggested this was all happening a bit too quickly, and that he nor Karesh had any supplies to make such a trip. However, apparently even that was foreseen, and Moira had been collating provisions and packing them in rucksacks for the past couple of days.
“You knew we were coming?” Karesh asked, aiming the question towards the elderly dwarf.
“Of course I did,” came the abrupt answer, as if he had insulted her by asking such a thing.
Moira led them to a smaller room at the back of the house, where she had laid four sets of blankets out on the floor. Although there were no beds to sleep in, she had also placed a soft pillow beside each set. The room was already warm, as a fire burned in the small hearth in the corner. The light came from an oil lamp which hung from a hook in the centre of the room, which Karesh duly extinguished when everybody was ready to settle down.
Finley lay there for a while, thinking of what Meldra had said. He wasn’t even sure whether someone could predict the future, but he had to admit she had known things about him that suggested perhaps she might. The idea that he would be once more leaving his mother behind saddened him a little. While not as close as Karesh was to her, he felt in the time they had known each other properly they had grown much closer. Even leaving Karesh did not feel right, and had anyone suggested a few months back that he cared so greatly for an orc, he would have thought them completely insane. Yet, for all the not wanting to leave his family, somewhere deep down he knew Meldra had told them all the truth. As much as he hated the thought of everyone relying on him to do the right thing, and that he would once more be leaving his family behind, he knew he would have to step up to the mark and do what needed to be done.
After a surprisingly good night’s sleep, especially considering their make-shift arrangements, Finley quietly stood. He grabbed his things and tiptoed out of the room where his mother, brother and Galdrac had all used the night before. Sessi followed him out of the door, and once into the room they had all sat in the previous evening, he crouched down and looked the creature in the eye. “I need you to look after Karesh for me,” he said giving Sessi a light scratch behind the ear. The wolf licked his face, causing him to chuckle before it slowly and quietly made its way back into the other room and settled down beside the orc.
Finley felt a pull, a feeling of not wanting to go, yet took a deep breath and turned about. His dreams that night had been surprisingly average, so much so he wasn’t even sure he had dreamed anything at all. No gods, fallen or otherwise had been present, although he was quite aware that meant nothing as far as they went.
Moira was already packed and ready for him. Wrapped up in thick furs, and laden with possibly the largest backpack he had ever seen, she beckoned him to hurry. “No breakfast?” he asked in a loud whisper.
“You can eat on the way. We have a long way to go, come on,” she replied handing him a small package wrapped in brown paper, he assumed contained his food. “You want me to carry something,” he asked picking up his own smaller pack and the long staff he still carried, although apparently no longer needed. Moira shook her head as if offended by the remark, “I am quite capable of carrying a few supplies,” she replied tartly. Finley held up his free hand in a defensive motion, before gesturing for them to go before the others awoke.
He had decided to leave while the others slept was the best way. Having long drawn out farewells was not only upsetting but would also infuriate Moira in delaying their start. After all, even she was leaving family behind, to help him, somebody she had only met the previous day. Finley had thought long about this, thinking that if Moira was willing to give up everything to show him where he needed to go, then she must have had ultimate faith in her grandmother’s abilities.
After making sure he had several layers of clothes on, and wrapping his cloak around himself, he and Moira headed outside. Although still dark, he could tell it would soon be light, although he thought it very cold. The wind, although reduced by the fact all the interlinking pathways were below ground level, was still bitingly chilly, making him wish he had a few more clothes to put on.
As his body became a little more accustomed to the cold, he followed Moira, who had set off at a quick pace. With the huge
pack on her back, he noticed she carried an axe at her waste, and wondered if she was expecting trouble. Within ten minutes they were free of the confining space of the walkways, and up onto the open land. A thick mist hung just a few feet from the ground making visibility difficult. Moira, however, seemed not bothered by it and pressed on relentlessly.
“Keep up,” the young dwarf shouted over her shoulder, as Finley decided to eat some of the food she had given him in the parcel. He afforded himself a smile as he realised what was inside. Between two thick slices of bread were several large sausages, “Ah proper food at last,” he mumbled to himself, before taking as big a bite as his mouth would allow. Deciding to only eat half now and save some for later, he wrapped the remains up in the paper and shoved them into his cloak pocket.
As the morning sun rose into what was a lovely clear blue sky, any hope that it might warm up were seemingly gone. Despite the sun, the temperature remained low and the wind as bitter and biting as it had when they left the house that morning. Moira had only allowed one stop, and even that was so brief he had barely been able to take a drink of water from the canteen he carried in his pack.
The ground underfoot was firm and covered in long grass and shrubs, and here and there were the long haired cattle he had seen briefly on their ride in. Roaming amongst them, feeding on the thick grass were dozens of mountain goats. These hardy, versatile creatures appeared to have free reign on where they went, and although calm and passive, they did have some rather nasty looking horns atop of their heads.
The Dragon Stone Page 5
