The Prophecy

Irving the Great's Inn | A new day...

Bud was proud of his history and the impression he made on the guests of Irving the Great's Inn. He took advantage of his sudden popularity to be offered round of beer, to wow the gallery a little more and to add a few more wild stories to those who patted him on the back. Cyd was not to be outdone. Half Moon, she was not satisfied. She got up and left the men to their own satisfaction.

The cool night wind erased the signs of tiredness that taught her that it was time to take a well-deserved rest. She stretched out like a young cat, and walked towards the barn. The back door had been left ajar so that the dragons, who were sleeping outside, could lay their heads on the hay balls that were stored in the barn. She sat beside them, next to their necks. Lindor opened one eye and seemed to smile as he recognized the half elf. She scratched him between the ears, whispering things only he could hear. At one end of the barn, Flavie trampled her hay bed in her dreams, a noise to which Fenril responded with his own growling sounds. Pulling a blanket over her, Half Moon cowered against Lindor's neck and began to fall asleep when the barn door opened with a soft squeaking sound. The straw was sprained, and a body sat heavily beside her. She straightened up. It was Bud. He reeked of alcohol.

_ You don't seem happy with my story, Half, he said emphatically.

_ No, she answered soberly.

_ What's wrong with it?

Half Moon straightened up, fully awake this time.

_ You tell it well, but you don't tell everything! Where have the other Wise Elves Men gone? Have they disappeared? And how is it that you abandoned YOUR dragons to the competitors of the brigands who kidnapped you?

_ Oh... that.... he said darkly.

_ Yes! That! She exploded.

_ That's another story. Don't get angry, beautiful... They're alive. No doubt. I hope they are.

_ You hope so? What do you mean?

_ We lost sight of them when we started to climb the cliff walls that sheltered us. The Pope had explained us that we had to go each at our own pace and that the meeting point was at the Golden Palace, a quarter-radius before the Grand Council, or, at worst, in the hemicycle itself.

_ You left them behind? rose Half-Moon.

_ You don't understand! It was an order from the Pope! I could not do otherwise.

_ Well, that must have been convenient, mustn't it?

_ No! he shouted, blushing suddenly with shame. I am not a coward! I do not abandon my friends, but ... I could not go against the Pope's order, especially since ... It was a smart decision: we would have been much more noticeable... If all of us had continued to climb the mountain in a long troop attached to the same rope... With Cyd, we took the lead, found some good holds to insure a safe climb. We separated only once we all arrived on the platform. The Pope knew that the most important thing for my brother and me was to find our dragons. So, he gave us his blessing to do just that. The next thing to do is meet up in Slindya-la-Douce.

Cyd and I knew that the brigands had taken our dragons to a nearby village where they could sell them to the highest bidder. In a kind of cattle market. It was less than half a day's walk away. We did not spare our efforts, but we arrived much too late: the merchant who had dealt with the brigands, didn't twiddle his thumbs.... The Dragons were already sold again. We thought that all was lost, but our luck changed when we learned that the buyers, some other kind of brigands, had not managed to force the dragons to obey them. They had to get them to a blacksmith specialized in crafting magical restraints. Sadly, once again, we got there too late. We had to take the stagecoach on the Post Road to avoid losing their trail. And just when we thought we had lost everything and were desperate to have lost our friends forever, we felt their presence in the grove of trees where we finally found eachother. He stopped, looking at Half Moon, who was looking at him without really seeing him.