The Broken Throne (WIP)

One

Even in these wretched times there are still a few who walk with the Light,

Whose hearts have not yet been corrupted and eaten away by the Darkness

He pushed aside the moth-eaten curtains and ducked inside the hut. Sickly-sweet smoke choked the air. Through the haze he found her seated on a pile of rugs. The woman was shrunken and her back hunched, her face carried the creases of centuries, and her eyes were clouded.

"Have you come to hear your destiny?" she asked in a surprisingly strong and deep voice.

From within his cloak the young man drew a long bundle wrapped in cloth. He undid the fastenings and a sword rolled out into his hands. It nearly blinded them with its bright gleam. He knelt before the woman and laid the blade across her lap.

"My father left me this. Can you tell me what it means?"

The crone sighed as she stroked the bright metal. "This bears the mark of the Old Lords," she whispered and touched the sun symbol on the pommel.

The man frowned. "The Old Lords?"

She handed the sword back and said, "I will tell you what I told your father."

"My father! He was here? When?"

"Many years ago. Your father came to me just as you have come to me now."

"What happened? Do you know where he is?"

"Hush!" she interrupted him. "You must seek out the Blind King and all your questions will be answered."

"Who's the Blind King?"

"You will see. And you must find him!"

"Very well," he nodded. "Where must I go?"

Shakily she pointed a crooked finger out the only window. In the distance a black forest obscured the horizon.

"The Darkling Wood," the man whispered.

"One more thing, before you go, visit the Forgotten Chapel on the hill and give the priest this," from the folds of her robes she produced a smooth stone with a symbol etched on one side. "May the Light guide you."

The young man bowed and left.

The Keeper stared after him. A tear rolled down her wrinkled face. So another had risen to the call. She remembered his father, and he, like all the others who came before, had failed to return. Will this one fail as well? A flicker of hope stirred within her. This one was different. There was fire in his eyes and the Darkness had not yet touched his soul. Perhaps . . . yes perhaps he would succeed where all the others have failed.

Then again, she had thought the same of all the others.

But she had a feeling with this one. Whether he will fail or succeed, only time could tell.