War for the Skies (completed) (Book 1 of the Heroes of the Realms series)

Chapter 48

As we entered the inn, something bothered me. What the shadow-man said stuck in my mind, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.

This wasn't the first time you've met me, and it won't be the last.

The fact that I might meet him again didn't scare me. The fact that I had met him before scared me. I had an idea of where I had seen him, but I wasn't entirely sure and the theory did seem kind of stupid to me, but there was no other logical explanation.

"Well, here you are then!" Bofur pointed to a door and beamed at me. I was the last in our group to be introduced a room, and I was glad, because Bofur- as I later figured out- had to tell me something important.

"Bofur?" I whispered and patted his shoulder. He turned around and looked at me, eyes wide.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Is there any sort of taboo that I should know of so we don't get killed at the feast?"

He gazed deep into my eyes for a moment, then doubled over and broke into a huge belly laugh, and I was afraid the ground might start shaking again.

"Ta-ta-" he started to say, but burst out laughing again.

"What? Is there?"

"Leon, we're dwarves, of course not!"

"Well, anything else I should know so we don't get killed?" I asked.

"Just go in!" he shoved me toward the door. I turned the golden doorknob and entered the room. It looked like a really fancy hotel room. A golden chandelier clung to the middle of the ceiling, the walls were colored cream with brown outlines, a king-sized bed lay in the middle, and two couches were put on either corner. There was a large flat-screen  TV on the wall, but judging from all of the cracks webbed on the screen I expected it didn't work. Two windows let in the little light that was found in the cave.

I heard the door shutting and Bofur laughing to himself outside "Taboos... ha-ha!"

I sat down on the bed and tried to solve the mystery of what just happened. I had an idea of where I had seen him before, but I couldn't be sure, because that last time I had seen him, he did not look like a shadow. Then again, he probably changed form to remind me of where the gateway was to the Cursed Lands.

I didn't really know, and I decided to not bother my brain with questions, and just relax for a little bit. Just stare into nothing, and have nothing in your brain. It was relaxing for a bit, but then my relaxation made me realize how exhausted I was, and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

Of course I had a vision, because, of course I did. In my vision, I was back in the ruins, where my journey first began. I remembered the day before that. It was a peaceful day in the village. My sister had gone out to buy groceries, and I was at home, cleaning up all of the horse dung in our yard (don't ask).

It had seemed weird to me then- that I was cleaning horse dung. But now, looking back to it, it felt so normal. What I was experiencing now- dwarves, Legends, end of the world- those were actually weird. I snapped out of my thoughts when I saw one of the ruins glowing dark purple. I saw a rune embedded on it. I couldn't exactly make out what it was. There was certainly a moon shape on it, and some other symbols that I didn't understand.

"The end draws near," a familiar voice said. The rune glowed brighter as Tormenius spoke. "I am close to awakening, son of Aeon."

"You still have two more days," I mentioned. Just the voice of Tormenius sent shivers down my spine, and made me want to wake up.