thinking about?” Mara brushed a strand of hair away from Talis’s eyes, and he felt himself shiver in response.
The wind picked up from the north, a cold wind, smelling strangely of salt and the sea. Talis peered out over the Nalgoran Desert, dimly lit in the light of the four moon sisters. His skin prickled with chills, and he felt anxious about what was out there waiting for them. If the gods appeared so easily at the mention of them, and their anger so swift, then perhaps other ills were soon to fall over their city….
As Talis gazed across the meadows surrounding the temple and farther out to the desert beyond, a grey figure wobbled towards them in the dark, illuminated by the moonlight. A lone traveler, braving the northlands, and impossibly crossing the Nalgoran Desert on foot.
“Look over there.” Talis pointed at the figure. Mara and Nikulo squinted, and shielded their eyes from the moons’ glare.
“Where? I don’t see anything,” Mara said. “Wait, there it is, a shadow moving across the field. What is it?”
“Not a shadow, a figure.” Talis strode forward to get a better look.
“I see a shadow as well, a rolling shadow,” Nikulo said.
Talis concentrated, allowing the power of the black crystal to fill his body. He gazed at the location of the figure and closed his eyes. An old, leathered face appeared in his mind, curiosity and amusement pouring from pale-blue eyes. Those eyes, something hideously familiar, as if they reminded Talis of someone from the party in Darkov….
As Talis stared at the old man striding across the sands towards them, fire and wind and ice seemed to strike out from his eyes, and sent Talis tumbling dizzily to the ground.
8. AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
Talis pushed himself up, looking uncertainly at the old man who had suddenly appeared in front of them. He wore a black cowl that covered a scraggly mane of silver and black hair, and smelled of pine and lemon and salt. In his mouth he chewed a stick, and every now and then he rolled it around as he studied Talis, Mara, and Nikulo. Instead of shrinking back, Talis stood his ground, feeling a strange familiarity with the traveler.
“I am aware of a certain young wizard from the lands of the south.” The old man’s nostrils pulled in as he inhaled a deep breath of air. “And I find myself in a precarious predicament. I don’t like situations I can’t control.” His hands flung out wide, startling Talis. “I’m used to a kind of…dominance, a certainty that allows me to prevail in all things.”
The traveler took a hesitant step towards Talis, keeping his eyes low. He glanced up quickly at Talis. “Do you grasp my meaning?”
Talis flushed with irritation, then composed himself when he thought how it might apply to himself. “Actually…I suppose I do know what you mean. I too am used to dominating….” His voice trailed off as he glanced at the Temple of the Sun.
“You see, the problem with most sages is that they have too much knowledge and too little imagination.” The old man cleared his voice. “Day is day, and night is black. And… bad things lurk behind the curtain of night. Don’t they now?”
“The stars shine beautifully at night.” Mara lifted her eyes to the sky.
The traveler tilted his head, as if considering her words. “Or the fury of the black universe chokes the stars into submission, until only a meager portion of their brilliance shines through. Which is it?”
“Neither,” Talis said. “Half-truths for halfwits.”
“Hah! Oh, I like this young wizard, truly I do. Ahhh, at long last I can rest these weary feet and enjoy fine wine, roasted…oh, what is it you hunt around here?” The old man flung aside his animal-skin backpack, and let it thump to the ground.
“Deer, quail, boar, if you’re good.” Mara grinned at the old man.
“Boar…how I long for the taste of roasted boar and red wine.”
“Ahem, we seem to have the problem of not possessing said game and
The wind picked up from the north, a cold wind, smelling strangely of salt and the sea. Talis peered out over the Nalgoran Desert, dimly lit in the light of the four moon sisters. His skin prickled with chills, and he felt anxious about what was out there waiting for them. If the gods appeared so easily at the mention of them, and their anger so swift, then perhaps other ills were soon to fall over their city….
As Talis gazed across the meadows surrounding the temple and farther out to the desert beyond, a grey figure wobbled towards them in the dark, illuminated by the moonlight. A lone traveler, braving the northlands, and impossibly crossing the Nalgoran Desert on foot.
“Look over there.” Talis pointed at the figure. Mara and Nikulo squinted, and shielded their eyes from the moons’ glare.
“Where? I don’t see anything,” Mara said. “Wait, there it is, a shadow moving across the field. What is it?”
“Not a shadow, a figure.” Talis strode forward to get a better look.
“I see a shadow as well, a rolling shadow,” Nikulo said.
Talis concentrated, allowing the power of the black crystal to fill his body. He gazed at the location of the figure and closed his eyes. An old, leathered face appeared in his mind, curiosity and amusement pouring from pale-blue eyes. Those eyes, something hideously familiar, as if they reminded Talis of someone from the party in Darkov….
As Talis stared at the old man striding across the sands towards them, fire and wind and ice seemed to strike out from his eyes, and sent Talis tumbling dizzily to the ground.
8. AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
Talis pushed himself up, looking uncertainly at the old man who had suddenly appeared in front of them. He wore a black cowl that covered a scraggly mane of silver and black hair, and smelled of pine and lemon and salt. In his mouth he chewed a stick, and every now and then he rolled it around as he studied Talis, Mara, and Nikulo. Instead of shrinking back, Talis stood his ground, feeling a strange familiarity with the traveler.
“I am aware of a certain young wizard from the lands of the south.” The old man’s nostrils pulled in as he inhaled a deep breath of air. “And I find myself in a precarious predicament. I don’t like situations I can’t control.” His hands flung out wide, startling Talis. “I’m used to a kind of…dominance, a certainty that allows me to prevail in all things.”
The traveler took a hesitant step towards Talis, keeping his eyes low. He glanced up quickly at Talis. “Do you grasp my meaning?”
Talis flushed with irritation, then composed himself when he thought how it might apply to himself. “Actually…I suppose I do know what you mean. I too am used to dominating….” His voice trailed off as he glanced at the Temple of the Sun.
“You see, the problem with most sages is that they have too much knowledge and too little imagination.” The old man cleared his voice. “Day is day, and night is black. And… bad things lurk behind the curtain of night. Don’t they now?”
“The stars shine beautifully at night.” Mara lifted her eyes to the sky.
The traveler tilted his head, as if considering her words. “Or the fury of the black universe chokes the stars into submission, until only a meager portion of their brilliance shines through. Which is it?”
“Neither,” Talis said. “Half-truths for halfwits.”
“Hah! Oh, I like this young wizard, truly I do. Ahhh, at long last I can rest these weary feet and enjoy fine wine, roasted…oh, what is it you hunt around here?” The old man flung aside his animal-skin backpack, and let it thump to the ground.
“Deer, quail, boar, if you’re good.” Mara grinned at the old man.
“Boar…how I long for the taste of roasted boar and red wine.”
“Ahem, we seem to have the problem of not possessing said game and
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