A loud noise woke Dalin from his night's rest. It had sounded like someone screaming. Then hoof-beats interrupted the noise. Dalin quickly stood and turned toward the clearing as another centaur entered the clearing.
"Dalin, Madame Drasilla requests your presence right away," the centaur said, then turned and ran back in the direction of the camp. Slightly confused, Dalin followed the other centaur to Madame Drasilla's wagon. Outside her wagon was three other centaurs carefully guarding the wagon. One of them waved his spear and told him to enter.
Carefully stepping inside so as not to harm anything, Dalin saw Madame Drasilla lying on her bed, she looked very sickly. In her hands was a parchment, rolled and sealed with her personal mark.
"You requested my presence Madame?" Dalin asked cautiously. The old gypsy woman turned her head toward Dalin and said, "Yes young one please come in further so that we may talk." Coming further into the cramped quarters of the wagon, Dalin tried not to knock anything over. "Dalin," she continued, "what do you know of the wars in the East?"
"Almost nothing Madame," Dalin said, "I know that the Dark Legions and the Light Legions are fighting again, but I know no more than that." The gypsy groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, then said, "There is much more to it than that. Shadal will soon be free again if nothing is done to stop his armies." Dalin stared wide eyed in amazement. Shadal free? That would be an utter disaster. The most evil of all the Gods and Goddesses allowed to leave the heavens and wreak havoc upon the world!
"Certainly Kaltionis, the Great Gold Dragon, would not let this happen?" Dalin asked, his voice edged with fear.
"It is not that simple young one. There are seven people that have the power of Shadal and are ruining town after town in the East. They must be stopped before they reach the mountains!" Madame Drasilla proclaimed.
"How will they be stopped? And who will stop them?" Dalin asked, already afraid of the answer. Drasilla clutched her chest and let out a small scream of pain. When the spasm had passed she said, "The only way to stop Shadal and the seven is to find the clan in the mountains. They are the guardians of great knowledge. They will show you where to go. You must go find them."
"But Madame, I do not know the way to the Great Mountains of the East. I have never traveled far from the camp and I know not the ways of the world. I am still young yet," Dalin protested. The old gypsy fixed him with a sharp look and said, "you must go Dalin, to save the world. There is one who knows the way to the Great Mountains. Take this parchment and deliver it to the Tower of Elderoth. There is one there who can help you. Go now. Time is wasting!" Dalin took the parchment, backed out the door and said, "It shall be as you have said." With that Dalin ran out of the camp towards to last mages' stronghold, the Tower of Elderoth.
"Tasgen, there is someone down there trying to get in. It may be important. You know how those guards are. Fly down there and see what is going on," Andric said pulling on clean clothing. Tasgen stretched his wings and flew down to the tower gates.
Andric finished pulling a crisp white shirt over his head, jumped into a pair of dark blue pants and yanked on a pair of black leather boots. He hurried for the door, then thought better of it. There were quicker ways to the Tower gates. Picking up his satchel, Andric hopped up onto the window ledge and jumped off yelling in the arcane language of magic.
"What is going on down here!" the hawk said. Dalin stared at the hawk in disbelief. He couldn't believe that it had spoken.
"Who wants to know?" the guard asked, "As far as I know it is none of a familiar's business to invade on the job of a Tower Guard." The hawk got a huffy look to him and said, "Shows what you know wool-head. I was sent by the mage Andric Do'Aldros. He wants to know what all this commotion is about. Here he comes now." The hawk flew from the man's shoulder to where Andric was floating to the ground.
"Well my friend, did you find out what is going on?" Andric asked Tasgen as the hawk landed on his shoulder. Tasgen, still looking all huffy, said, "No, these stiff-necks are refusing to tell me because I am a familiar!" Andric's eyes narrowed at the guards, "You are refusing my familiar information? For that matter are you refusing any familiar information that its master requests?" The guard appeared shaken at the sight of Andric, one of the high ranking mages of the tower.
"Well, Sir Mage, it really is none of your hawk's business" the guard said. The conversation between the guard and Andric soon turned to a shouting match. Tasgen rolled his eyes, flew over the gate and landed on Dalin's back. This surprised the centuar.
"What is your business at the Tower of Elderoth?" the hawk asked. After a moment Dalin answered, "I came to deliver this message to one of the mages. Only I don't know which one."
