Unnamed Journal Volume 4, Issue 4 | Page 36

The Sword in the Cave their fighting stances and one or two even lowered their blades but Tygg did not. Drea found herself considering Tygg's instincts to be as generally good as her own and began to step back but then the woman in front of her raised a hand, motioned her to stop. "We have waited for you," she said. Her voice was clear, and flowed through the woods like a breeze. "You have waited... for us?" said Drea. "Long have we waited. We had begun to fear you would not come. We had almost given up." Drea peered into those same eyes. "Where is... Where is 'here'?" The woman drew a long breath before responding "This is Khaz, the far west of great Golcorda." "The lost land," said Drea, her voice suddenly sharp, "The Road to Beg-Elu, Greatest of the Seven Cities of the First Age of Men." "Not lost. We have waited. Come, there isn't much time." II " ' The wide earth shall be hour home,' said Urseth, 'and you shall be masters in your home. But you are not the only masters, nor is this home for you alone. The beasts of the earth shall fall to your care, and you shall leave the Kuldar in their place.' " -The Sacred History of Cevalon, Chapter IV, verses 4-6 As they walked through the darkened forest, the way lit by strange crystals the women wore in their hair, glowing yellow and blue, Tygg found himself looking at the shape of the women who had gathered ranks around his party. Their cloaks were dark and reached down to the ground, so they bizarrely seemed to float along, bobbed by unseen zephyrs, as they went. The strangeness of this left Tygg unable to either assure himself that all was well or to justify his continued battle readiness. He seemed coiled on the inside, yet could not know which direction he ought to strike. Something was missing in this land, of that he felt certain. He kept his hand on his hilts as they marched. Gradually the trees fell away and in a clearing a small village arose. A large stone hearth sat in the heart of the village. The lip of it came to the waist, and more hooded figures awaited around it. The heart was lit and the fire was reaching up to the sky. The strange sweet scent grew as they got closer. Drea stopped as they approached, and the woman who spoke stopped with her, and so too did everyone else. "What is this place?" asked Drea. "This is our place of Meeting," said the woman. "And the day of Choosing. You have come at the right hour." "What do you mean?"