Lynneth trudged along the dirt road. Her legs were tired and sore, her skin filthy, and her clothing smelled of the three weeks' travel she'd spent. Her home was forbidden to her now; she could not return until she had found the subject of the dream.
*That damn dream....* she silently cursed. The dream had been littered with omens her grandmother had deciphered for her. Few were good. And because of them, the elders had sent her away, fearing the darkest times possible to come from them if she remained.
In her dreams, she had seen two massive beasts in the air. One was darker than the blackest midnight, belching a green-black miasma from its jag-toothed maw. The other was a bright silver, with flashes of blue-white lightning sparking from its golden eyes. The two battled high in the air, circling around one another in a patterned dance. The black beast let forth a powerful cloud of gas, blocking her view as the miasma fell to the ground.
She had coughed to clear her lungs as it cleared, revealing an imposing figure in heavy black armor. A long, sharp sword was in his hand, the point directed at her neck. The silver beast dove down, landing heavily between them; it was even more massive up close than she had realized possible. Gleaming armor the same color as its skin - scales? - fell from its back, appearing perfectly shaped to her lithe form.
Lacking time to put it on, she collected it into a bag, noting how light they felt in her hands. Grabbing hold of the silver beast's massive foot, she held on for dear life as the beast rose into the air and escaped.
But wherever the beast flew, the black-armored man followed, always mounted on his black beast, his sword always aimed for her throat. The two beasts circled again around a massive spire and landed on opposite sides. Around her shining companion, a group of people gathered of many shapes and sizes. Their faces were hidden from her view, but the care and support they gave filled her with hope.
The black beast's poisonous breath surrounded the spire. With a great crash, it collapsed. In her dream, the beast had grown larger and more powerful. It rushed through the ruins of the spire at them; Lynneth could feel the raw power of something within that she needed, that needed itself to be free, lost forever as the beast's jaws fell on her companions.
That was when she always woke. Before the fell beast's eyes could turn on her. Its eyes were deep pits of dread incarnate. Talking of those eyes alone had put the village elders against her.
"Go," her grandmother had told her. "You're stronger than you know. I cannot tell you what those beasts were that you saw, but you have an affinity toward one. You must journey and find it."
"But I've never been beyond the farmgrounds," Lynneth had complained, even as Grandmother had packed a bag for her. The elders had escorted her out of the town that very night. She had walked as straight a line as The Wilds would allow since. She had been fortunate that the lands had remained beneficial. A desert landscape had lasted only a few hours; it had been grasslands and woodland otherwise.
For now, she climbed hills. The sound of a stream caught her attention; a cool brook flowed nearby and slaked her thirst. Resting for a few moments, she looked around her current surroundings. Light shown against the darkening sky, away from the setting sun.
*A city!* Her heart leapt at the thought of a bed and fresh food. Her feet found new strength as she climbed the last hill between her and the source of the light. |