*In the Barrens, an undead warrior follows a mountain trail,sweating and cursing in his tongue.His sword hangs heavy from his back and his hair is covered in sweat and dust.Then,at a sudden turn of the trail, a small tauren hut appears.Its walls are made of tough leather and decorated with mystic signs,among which the symbol of an open eye is frequently repeated.
*The warrior sighs in relief as he enters the hut.The cool air inside is a huge relief after the heat of the desert mountains.In the dim light inside the hut,his eyes have a hard time to make out objects,half blinded by the piercing sun.
*A low,calm voice sounds,dirupting the deep silence:
Your kind is not welcome here.
*He turns toward the voice and starts to make out a tall figure with short horns.A long cloak covers the body of the,female by the sound of the voice,Tauren.One could take her for a statue as she stands completely still in her dark corner.
I want the seer that resides in these parts of the barrens.*His voice shows a hot tempered character,used to give orders and have them obeyed.
Your kind is not welcome here.
*Her tone has not changed a bit.The undead smiles a wicked smile,showing white teeth that come in contrast with his dark green skin.
My information tells me that these are welcome though...
*Twenty golden pieces fall on the table in the middle of the hut.A beam of light,coming through a hole in the western wall,falls upon them,and the room shines as if a lamp was turned on.The Tauren stirrs for a second in her place and then with a swift move makes the golden pieces disappear in a hidden pocket of her robe.She looks straight in his eyes.
What do you want to know?
There is an Elf I want to find.She...owes me...a lot!*His voice turns hard as steel,and his face distorts from anger.
Come,sit.*She takes a place at the head of the table and shows him a stool on the other side.
What is her name?
She is called Amarien.*His words drip with bloodlust,as he speaks the name.
*The seer produces a few dry leaves and a bowl from underneath the table.With two grinding stones she lits them up,and as the smoke rises,she draws a small knife and makes a cut in her hand.Drops of blood fall on the leaves,and the smoke becomes of a red color.
I seek the Elf called Amarien.I seek the Elf called Amarien.*She repeats the call to the void,but nothing seems to happen.After a minute,she stops.
The one you seek cannot be found in this world.
What do you mean?You have been paid,now you must find her for me!
*His voice is full of hatred and impatience.His hand starts to reach his sword.
That won’t be necessary.*She smiles for the first time.
I might not be able to find her,but I can give you her past...
*His look shows temptation and then satisfaction.
Tell me everything you can for her.I want to hurt her in every way there is.
*She produces a few pearls from another hiding place.She empties the bowl,then replaces the burnt leaves and adds the pearls.
I must inform you though that we must see her from the present backwards,and we’ll only be able to see important incidents of her life and not everything we want.And we can’t stop the journey till it reaches its end,at the time she was born.
*The seer’s words seem to bore him,but he nods affirmatively.Then the seer uses the grinding stones again.
I seek the past life of the Elf called Amarien.I seek the past life of the Elf called Amarien.*The chant starts,and immediately the smoke starts changing colours.The warrior can’t make out anything,but that doesn’t seem to apply to the seer...
She was with a group of Elves that wear the same symbol,a picture of their huge tree...She considered them allies and some even friends...She was with a dwarf who also was her friend...
Names!I need names!*The warrior slams his fist on the table.
I can’t hear names.I can only see pictures.His pet was a grey eagle.She met him many times in the dwarven caves...I must move backwards now...She learned to use the bow and she found a loyal friend in the form of a spotted feline...*At the sound of that the undead warrior shifts from his position slightly,as if memories come to haunt him.
Deeper in the past...I see a young child growing in a farm in the woods...The child had an unkeen ability to communicate with the beasts of the forests...*The warrior yawns.
I don’t need her childhood.I’ve heard enough!I’ll look for the dwarf and make him spit her wareabouts...or maybe I’ll ask impolitely those stupid elves that call themselves sentinels...*He makes an attempt to rise,but his feet won’t obey him
I told you that the journey must be completed*The seer half-smiles.
Now sit down and be patient.There is not much more left...*The colours of the smokes change again,become darker,dimmer.
A small child alone in the woods...she looks scared,lonely...she doesn’t know where she is...she can’t find her parents...
*Suddenly,the smoke becomes very bright,sending light to every corner of the hut...The warrior takes a look at the seer...her face is distorted with terror!She places her hands in front of her as if to protect herself!
NO!NO!It is HIM!It can’t be HIM!Time still flows through his presence.He can’t be able to see me!He can’t be able to reach me!He can’t have any power in this era!He has been dead for eo...
*Fire suddenly sprouts from the bowl.The undead warrior hardly has enough time to close his eyes,when a huge blast and a tremendous heat hits him.He is thrown half-conscious through the hut walls to the stone ground outside.It takes him two whole minutes to regain conciousness,and a quarter of an hour to become able to stand again.As he rises to his feet,he sees that he has been half-burnt and there is a foul stench on him.
*He takes a look back at the hut.The few pieces of it that are still standing burn with a greenish fire.He closes to the remains and makes out the body of the Tauren seer.Only ashes and bones remain,black and brittle.He picks the gold pieces from the scorched body slowly and curses again and again.
Foolish Taurens!Foolish seers!Damn goblin informers worth horse droppings!Cursed magic!
*He spits upon the tauren body and makes his way down the mountain trail.But he can’t take a picture out of his mind:
two black,fiery,serpentine eyes,watching straight at him through the bright smoke just before the explosion...
