The watcher on the wall stretched his back.\u00a0\u00a0He had been up here waiting for the sign for the better part of the night.\u00a0\u00a0All signs had pointed him to this spot.\u00a0\u00a0To this day.\u00a0\u00a0He had gathered what little strength he had left, not much after the last battle, and crawled his way out of the small ice cave where he had been sleeping.<\/p>\n
He had been here since the Wizards had abandoned him.\u00a0\u00a0Sleeping for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years at a time.\u00a0\u00a0It wasn\u2019t what his father had chosen for him.\u00a0\u00a0But being injured in the war had left him unable to continue down that path.\u00a0\u00a0High Wizard was not his destiny.<\/p>\n
Every time he awoke, it amazed him that the world hadn\u2019t changed more.\u00a0\u00a0Surely, his brethren had done more with their gifts.\u00a0\u00a0He had expected grand towers and luxury to make the day seem long.\u00a0\u00a0Humans would be slaves to their baser needs no longer.\u00a0\u00a0They could live simple lives while magic handled the mundane.<\/p>\n
But it hadn\u2019t changed.\u00a0\u00a0Still men crawled the outside of the wall with the same scaffolding and technology that had been prevalent during his days. For a few hours, he had sent messages out to see if any of his brethren would answer.\u00a0\u00a0None had, meaning he must be too far.\u00a0\u00a0Had they not rebuilt the relays?<\/p>\n
A pulse came first, reverberating through his bones.\u00a0\u00a0His eyes snapped open, the power evident.\u00a0\u00a0He scanned the valley below him, looking for the source.\u00a0\u00a0It wasn\u2019t anywhere close.\u00a0\u00a0He scanned for several moments until the shockwave hit his body.<\/p>\n
Dark energy flowed over him.\u00a0\u00a0It was faint from this distance.\u00a0\u00a0Closing his eyes, he opened himself to the magic around him.\u00a0\u00a0Felt the flow of the Tapestry over the world.\u00a0\u00a0Bright lines of magic spread over the world before him like a blanket, covering the landscape and outlining the features.\u00a0\u00a0The town below him was bustling with the ice trade, magic weaving and covering the people.\u00a0\u00a0It flowed in and out of them, making them seem part of the Tapestry.<\/p>\n
He scanned with his Sense, looking over every part of the valley before him.\u00a0\u00a0Farm after farm, river by river, he searched for the grimy feeling overwhelming him.\u00a0\u00a0It made his skin crawl and his stomach churn.<\/p>\n
At the edge of the Valley, where the road lead between a small group of hills south, was a farm.\u00a0\u00a0A single thread of darkness had sprung up from the house and wove into the surrounding threads.\u00a0\u00a0It pulsed with the time of his heart, tainting the threads.<\/p>\n
Dark Magic had returned to the world.\u00a0\u00a0And he was the first to see it.\u00a0\u00a0This small, the Wizards in Abberaon wouldn\u2019t sense it for years without their relays.\u00a0\u00a0And he couldn\u2019t allow evil to take root in the world again.\u00a0\u00a0It hadn\u2019t taken everything they had had to get rid of it last time.<\/p>\n
Reaching out, he spread his mind as thin as it would go, looking for a single relay he could latch onto.\u00a0\u00a0He could then reach his brethren.\u00a0\u00a0And get word to them about this.<\/p>\n
But there was no relay near him.\u00a0\u00a0He cursed a silent word.\u00a0\u00a0Had they grown so complacent?\u00a0\u00a0Had the Dragons driven them back to isolationism?\u00a0\u00a0That had nearly destroyed their kind before.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He focused back on the farm.\u00a0\u00a0It was still just a few threads, but they pulsed out along the Tapestry.\u00a0\u00a0It wouldn\u2019t be long before the dark spot spread to the entire valley.\u00a0\u00a0There had to be something he could do.<\/p>\n
The ice crunched to his left.\u00a0\u00a0No one should be up this high.\u00a0\u00a0That was why he had chosen this point.\u00a0\u00a0The human\u2019s scaffolding only came a few hundred feet up.\u00a0\u00a0He was close to a thousand feet off the Valley floor.<\/p>\n
He glanced over his shoulder at the source of the sound.\u00a0\u00a0Opening his eyes, he released the Sight.\u00a0\u00a0As the colorful threads faded from his sight, he glimpsed the person standing before him.\u00a0\u00a0Rather an outline of a person bathed in brilliant gold light.\u00a0\u00a0He glanced away, the bright light blinding him for a moment.\u00a0\u00a0It was several moments before his normal vision returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u00a0\u00a0Not used to this world yet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A beautiful red head sat down next to him.\u00a0\u00a0She wore skin tight blue cotton pants, a red shirt with some kind of image painted on it of a head with snakes for hair, and rugged leather boots that laced up in the front.\u00a0\u00a0The laces looked to be made of some kind of golden weaved cotton.\u00a0\u00a0Her pants looked to be made of sturdy material, with embroidered pockets and lines running down the sides of her legs.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuite all right, my dear.\u201d<\/p>\n
She scoffed at him, running her gloved hands through her short hair.\u00a0\u00a0It was standing up on the top and cut short on the sides.\u00a0\u00a0He had never seen such a look on a woman before.\u00a0\u00a0Out of her canvas bag, she pulled a metal container.\u00a0\u00a0Dented and covered in scratches, it had a screw-on lid.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know.\u00a0\u00a0I could stop this from happening,\u201d she said, pointing down at where he had seen the darkness growing.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIt would be really, really easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced up at her freckled face.\u00a0\u00a0She seemed sincere as she took a long pull from the container.\u00a0\u00a0She offered it out to him.\u00a0\u00a0He shook his head.\u00a0\u00a0He had water in the skin next to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy, perchance, wouldn\u2019t you?\u201d he asked.\u00a0\u00a0His voice was scratchier than he remembered.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIt could spread to the entire world if we let it.\u201d<\/p>\n
SHe chuckled at that.\u00a0\u00a0A smile spread across her face, reaching up to her emerald green eyes.\u00a0\u00a0A single tear rolled down her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could.\u00a0\u00a0But I\u2019m not sure that I should.\u00a0\u00a0Haven\u2019t been here long enough to know if I should interfere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Been here?\u00a0\u00a0Where did she come from?\u00a0\u00a0What could be the reason for not stopping the evil?\u00a0\u00a0He pondered for several moments as the woman swung her feet over the valley.\u00a0\u00a0She seemed different.\u00a0\u00a0The brilliant light of her magic was unfamiliar to him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
SHe looked over at him.\u00a0\u00a0Her eyes sparkled from the sun and her hair shined brilliantly red.\u00a0\u00a0Her smile faded.\u00a0\u00a0She placed a hand on the small of his back, over the scar there that had taken use of his legs.\u00a0\u00a0She grimaced as he felt heat spread through his back.\u00a0\u00a0Her hand trembled against his back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere,\u201d she said as she took her hand away.\u00a0\u00a0The head died down and his leg tingled.\u00a0\u00a0He rolled and looked down at it.\u00a0\u00a0He wiggled his toes.\u00a0\u00a0A laugh escaped his throat.\u00a0\u00a0He sat up and looked around at everything.\u00a0\u00a0His legs were slow to respond, but he could pull them up under him and sit.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThat I know I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears streamed from his eyes.\u00a0\u00a0They flowed down his cheeks and dripped to the ice below.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not know how to thank you, young woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled and looked back over at the farm.\u00a0\u00a0Her smile faded, and she shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to go.\u00a0\u00a0I can feel it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFeel what?\u201d he asked.\u00a0\u00a0But she ignored him as she stood up.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAre you leaving?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.\u00a0\u00a0There was a flash of light.\u00a0\u00a0When it cleared, she was gone.\u00a0\u00a0He stared at the spot where she had stood.\u00a0\u00a0Her boots had left an intricate pattern in the ice slush.\u00a0\u00a0He wondered about the strangeness of it all.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pulse was growing stronger.\u00a0\u00a0He had to do something.\u00a0\u00a0They couldn\u2019t allow evil to take root again.\u00a0\u00a0As he stood on shaking legs, he pulled on a thread from the Tapestry.\u00a0\u00a0He tied several knots, preparing the basic web for a spell.\u00a0\u00a0When he grabbed the last thread, the knots fell apart and his spell dissipated back into the air.<\/p>\n
Closing his eyes, he pulled up the Sight.\u00a0\u00a0The world around him transformed into the Tapestry.\u00a0\u00a0Below where the farm was, the darkness had spread from a single strand to a tiny black patch that enveloped the entire farm. In the center was a single dot of orange, tied to several of the black strands, whipping in place and pulsing to the beat of the threads.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pulled his thoughts away from the darkness around the farm.\u00a0\u00a0The strands, once beautiful and vibrant with color, were now muted.\u00a0\u00a0The Tapestry, closer to the farm, bleached of color entirely, their grayness washing the land in a depressing blanket.<\/p>\n
He grabbed a few of the strands around him and wove them into a simple flotation spell to let him glide down to the valley floor below, but again, the spell dissipated.\u00a0\u00a0A frown formed on his lips and he sat back down on the edge, letting his legs dangle over.\u00a0\u00a0Careful to not lean too far, he looked down at the scaffolding several hundred feet below.\u00a0\u00a0It was too far to jump without the spell. He would crash through the wood and stone to the valley floor.<\/p>\n
The ice shifted as he stood, reminding him of the precariousness of the drop.\u00a0\u00a0The sun was at his back as he strode off across the tundra to his small cave.\u00a0\u00a0He had to retrieve his things before he trekked off across the ice.\u00a0\u00a0Supplies were scarce enough as it was.\u00a0\u00a0And he had a long journey ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The watcher on the wall stretched his back.\u00a0\u00a0He had been up here waiting for the sign for the better part of the night.\u00a0\u00a0All signs had pointed him to this spot.\u00a0\u00a0To this day.\u00a0\u00a0He had gathered what little strength he had left, not much after the last battle, and crawled his way out of the small ice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t