The Hound and the Leaper of Fate

Chapter One: A Step in Time

Do you believe in fate? Silly question, I know. But it is something I have to ask. Because this story is full of that shit. Full of fate, destiny and the power of love and friendship.

Quinn didn't know that at the beginning though. At the beginning there was just a throne room. And then there was her. Falling from the ceiling to land on the cold stone floor. She doesn't remember when she started falling. She just knows that she was walking and the ground vanishing beneath her feet to drop her in the midst of the most ferocious beasts she has ever met.

The ground is cold even though a fire is burning at each side of the room. Above her are looming shadows, ready to eat her in one bite. She can feel her heart picking up its beat. Faster, rushing through her ears like drums.

The sun is reflecting of the chest plates of the soldiers surrounding her, weapons at the ready. The girl stares in confusion at the sharp blades pointed at her head. What?

"It worked. It really worked." Quinns head snaps in the direction of a blonde man who immediately takes a step back. His armour is reflecting like crazy. He looks like a golden statue, covered from head to toe in the shimmering metal.

She stares at him in shock. Where is this place and what just happened? How is she here?

A quick glance around shows that about forty people are in this room. All dressed strangely as if they were cosplaying.

"That is a fortune teller?" The soldiers make room for a blond child with satin clothes who stares at the girl with a look of disgust. More and more people pass through the circle of soldiers and stare at her like she's some kind of circus attraction.

One of them is the blonde soldier. "I do not think she can understand us."he says. Her first impulse is to correct him, to inform him that she can indeed understand him but a blonde lady cuts her off as she opens her mouth.

"Did you bring the wrong one?" She almost growls at another lady who is dressed in red linen. While the two women bicker, the blonde man demands Quinns attention. "Can you understand me?" She answers with a slow nod. He breathes out in relief. Now everyone is glaring holes into the poor girls skull.

The red lady reaches her hand out to Quinn. "What is your name, child?" Her voice is high like she's on some kind of drugs but well she might not be the only one.

The girl can't really grasp what's going on here. Her brain wants to tell her that all of this is fake. But the fire is warm and the touch of the red woman's hand is too real to be a dream. Furthermore she was just walking through the mall before she fell so the chances that this is some kind of fever dream are pretty slim. Then there is another thing:

Quinns brain could never create something like this.

Now she notices that she has been staring into space in silence without answering the ladies question. "Quinn." A meek little whisper escapes her lips as she tries to push aside her confusion.

A gentle smile grazes the red lady's face as she helps the girl to get up and leads her to the side of the room, the soldiers parting for her like the red sea. "You are safe here, Quinn. No one will harm you." She guides Quinn to one of the fire places where red and yellow tongues eat at the dry wood.

"Look into the flames and tell me what you see." the lady demands as she points towards the fire. In mere seconds Quinn starts to get an idea of what's going on. In the few minutes she has been here, she has been referred to as multiple things. A fortune teller, the wrong one... and now this fire thing gets her thinking. Do they think she can see something in the flames?

Weapons clank dangerously behind her and she realizes that she might die. If she's not the one they are looking for, they will get rid of her. Quinn glare at the flames. How much time does she have to make up a convincing story? She doesn't know who these people are, so what is she supposed to do?

But the girl never has to make something up. The bright tongues start to twist unusually. For a second she is taken aback, her heart picking up its beat again as she frowns and leans closer to the flame.

"What do you see, child?" The red woman's voice is eager and curious. "A man. On a big wall. There is a wolf and a lot of people walking. They..." Quinn stutters, shakes her head and then looks again. But the picture hasn't changed. "They are dead. Some-some of them are missing limbs." Even though the fire's colour doesn't change, the girl gets a feeling of colours like blue and grey. What kind of drugs did they give her?

As soon as she finishes that thought, the vision vanishes. Quinn looks at the woman beside her, hoping that she can answer some questions. "The Lord of Light has sent this child. She will see more than uns, know more than us and whoever has her, will have power over time itself."