The Awakening

Chapter One

The old man clutched his walking stick in his right hand as he struggled down the road. The sun was high in the sky and birds still danced in the trees to their melodies. A few horsemen rode past on patrol and the man hobbled off to the right to let them pass.

"Always in a rush... Shame really." The man mumbled

A bell rang out from down the road. The man checked his surroundings. The wooded area to the right was still thick and untamed. The left side had signs of hunters and animals frequently barreling through. He sighed and looked up. The sun was still rising and he had yet to see any wild rox thorn. His daughter loved the smell of the plant and he wanted to find some before she left.

A few twigs snapped in the wood to the right. The man looked over and briefly considered investigating like he used to before his bones grew frail. A light breeze brought a smell of the fall flowers in their last bloom before winter. The man looked about then set off of the path and settled in the ground. He pulled a wine skin from his belt and took a drink then replaced it. He took a deep breath then relaxed back a little. He grabbed his pouch of nuts and picked out a few and tossed them on the ground then ate a few of the others. Soon a brave squirrel dashed from a tree and cautiously took a nut. The man laughed gently.

"Go on take it I don't need it." the man said to the squirrel.

The man looked up again. The sun had started its decent. He settled down and used his arms as a pillow. He laid there a moment and soon sleep took him.

The man awoke as the sun hit the top of the trees. The smell of rox thorn filled the air. The man stretched his old bones and cursed his old age a he stood up. He looked around and saw that there was no rox thorn. Puzzled he smelled the air and still all be smelled was rox thorn.

The man started back to the road when suddenly he felt as though he was missing something. He looked around and noticed his walking sti0ck on the ground. He looked in amazement down at his legs. He was standing by himself.

Pulled by an unknow reason he walked further into the wood. Then he started jogging. And soon he was running. He found a clearing with dark low gown rox thorn. In the middle of The clearing sat a young woman wearing only vines and rox thorn leaves.

"Come to me and find your wounds and ailments gone. Lay among the rox thorn and know peace." the woman said in a smooth musical voice

The man moved into the clearing and laid down in the rox thorn. The woman started singing in a strange language and the man slowly drifted into sleep. The mans heart slowed and his breathing stopped. The woman laughed and faded along with the clearing and a man in robes stepped from behind a tree. He moved to the mans body and knelt down. His hand set on the corpse's chest and a thin knife slid from the folds of his robe. He cut into the body and carefully cut out the mans heart and liver. Then the man produced a sack with a draw cord. He placed the organs in the bag and stood up. He extended a hand palm down and spread his fingers. He mumbled a few words and the body erupted into flames. The man set off and down the road humming a soft tune.

Iras

Iras was a young man on the outside but an old man on the inside. His dark black hair and his deep grey eyes set on chisled features usually atracted many people. His knowledge got him by and his muscles helped him with nothing. His job requires no hard labor yet was harder work. He sat at a table in a dark corner of a tavern. The table had eight chairs and ,even though all the other seats were full and still people stood, no one attempted to sit at the same table. Iras had been frequent there since his arrival in town. At first the women wanted him and the men wanted to be him. Then his job came to light and the people stoped trusting him. Iras was an apprentice to Master Lulgwic. Iras was almost done learning and soon he'd be known as Adept or Acolite Iras. A man in armor made from what looked like hide walked into the tavern. He set toward Iras' table and he sat across from him. Neither one had a drink or meal or even a word. They both set a scroll on the table. Iras'  was purple sealed and the mans was blue. The man set a gold piece on the table. Iras' considered it a moment then set two gold pieces on the table. The man nodded and Iras took the blue scroll and the man took the coins and the purple scroll then left.

"I assume you know what this is." Iras said to the chair to his right.

A few people scurried away afraid the man has finally lost his senses.

"Its the last step." Iras continued. The chair didn't respond.

"Fine be that way." Iras said and stood. He set toward the door. The chair slid back scratching the floor as the one who had been sitting there stood up.

"There was that so hard"Iras said to the being.

It flipped his shirt front in frustration.

"Hey no need for that." Iras said and opened the door. The being closed it be hind them.

Iras looked down the road in both directions then, after a few seconds of thinking, he discretly passed the scroll to the being behind him. Then he went right following the road north and the being went left toward the small hut that Iras was staying in.
The being slipped through crowds and past animals. Iras strolled down the street petting a dog that wandered to him. Then he stopped to talk to a few vendors about their wares.

The being left the town and followed the small path to the hut nestled in a small wood. When the being reached the hut it placed the scroll on the open window sill then sat down by the door.