Destarium Trilogy Part 1: Fates Power.

Prologue

In a flash that lit the dark grey sky and shattered the imposing darkness, the lightning snaked its way through the night, followed closely by a rolling tumultuous thunder. The valley erupted in an explosive uproar as an assortment of forest dwellers were awoken from their peaceful slumber and ran for whatever cover they could find. The birds began to twitter in the trees as they were torn between fleeing to safety or staying with their nests and young.

The lightning struck again, this time it claimed a victim, a willow tree which was torn asunder, casting embers up into the night air. A terrified family of Cassals, a small rabbit like creature, ran out of their hole beneath the tree and fled into the forest. The embers rained down from the sky into the dry leaves that covered the forest floor and the dry clumps of arrow head grass, which almost instantly began to smolder and burn.

As the smoke began to rise and the flames spread, growing ever fiercer the birds finally took flight all at once, rising into the night sky with a raucous racket. As the fire began to spread quicker and fiercer, through the underbrush and into the nearby valley, a horrendous roar echoed out into the darkness from somewhere in the distance. All at once a hush fell across the forest, not a single animal dared make a sound and the only noise came from the crackling fire and the rolling thunder.

Across the nearby valley a lone wanderer, leading a terrified steed on foot, appeared from out of the gloom, he ignored the fire that was consuming the nearby forest and tied his horse to a nearby tree stump. He took off his pack, all the while muttering to himself. He withdrew a large canvas from the horses back and a series of poles, which he clipped together and pushed into the soft soil until they stood on their own. He promptly threw the canvas over the poles and entered his new abode. As soon as he was under cover the heavens broke with a thunderous roar, releasing their watery load down onto the valley and forest. The flames sizzled and snuffed beneath the downpour, becoming little more than a memory within minutes.

Inside his makeshift abode the wanderer set up a small area for a bed, he unrolled a sleeping bag and a small feather pillow. Next he set up an area for a small fire and with a small snap of his fingers a blue flame sprung to life. He emptied his pack on the ground and went about setting up a small stove area around the fire place.

Outside the rain bucketed down and small creeks began to form in the cracks of the sun scorched earth yet not on single drop entered the man's abode.

"Avis Noctum Harrm"The man called out to his only companion, his steed. The animal brayed and stomped on the wet ground in response. The man sighed, slowly got to his feet and peered out at the animal.

"Argh, what is it boyo?" He queried as he watched the rain falling. "Let me hazard a guess? You want a cube?"

Again the horse brayed and stomped on the ground. The man withdrew a small purple velvet satchel from his robes and went to the horse's side.

"I spoil you boyo! Always with the cubes! Do you even know how much this stuff costs? It's a rare commodity these days!" He reached into the small bag and withdrew a small white cube of refined sugar. He held it out to the horse on the palm of his hand and the animal sniffed it emphatically. A long blue tongue snaked out and in an instant the sugar cube was gone. The wanderer smiled and ran a hand down the horse's damp mane, chuckling happily to himself. Carefully, he untied the horse from its tether and leaned in close to its head.

"I will see you in the morning boyo, go frolic while the rain lasts!" The animal whinnied and happily trotted off into the valley where he began tearing at the new shoots of grass that had already begun to push through the sodden ground.

"Te com nei" The man muttered as he went back to his makeshift abode, His companion answered with a neigh from the valley. He sat down at his stove and began mixing ingredients. Within minutes he had a mixture of berries and nuts in a bowl and a pot of hot water on the boil, ready for his last cup of Jarril tea before bunking down for the night.

He ate in silence and breathed in the cool, moist night air, savoring its freshness, and once finished with his food he poured himself a cup of his coveted Jarril Tea, sat down in the doorway looking out over the soaked valley and forest. From somewhere far away a roar rang out, echoing across the valley.

He jumped, nearly spilling his tea and then listened intently for the roar again, his right hand gripping his blade. The roar never came and he relaxed, finished his tea and lay down on his bed.

"I must be hearing things." Were the last words out of his mouth before he slipped away into the oblivion of his dreams.