The Sage of the Desert

The water in the marble basin shimmered in the violet light of a sparkling crystal lying at the bottom of the pool. An odd-looking youth with long, blond hair and shimmering golden skin sat on one of the steps leading to the edge of the pool. Birds were circling above him, singing a cheerful song. Vrenli's gaze fell on the glass bow and the quiver of silver arrows lying on the step. He watched as the man picked up a book from one of the steps, opened it and began to read it.

That's my grandfather's book, thought Vrenli excitedly. He recognized it by the purple leather cover with silver ornaments. He was just about to climb down the tree when the young man closed the book, picked up his bow and quiver from the step and walked away from the pond. Vrenli jumped hastily from the tree, but landed unhappily face first on the forest floor, which was covered in damp leaves. When he straightened up again and looked around, the stranger was already more than a hundred paces away.

"Stop, wait for me!" Vrenli called after him, but he didn't seem to hear his call.

Vrenli ran after him, but as it was already dusk, he soon lost sight of him. Vrenli followed the narrow path that led him deeper and deeper into the forest. Suddenly he heard screaming in the darkness ahead of him, whereupon he ran towards it as fast as he could. He almost fell in shock when he saw the young man shrouded in a dark shadow. When a tall figure emerged from behind the shadow cocoon, Vrenli froze. He looked into the pupil-less eyes of a face distorted beyond recognition and covered in scars.

"Get away from me, servant of darkness!" the man shouted and was about to put an arrow in the string of his bow when the figure bent down to take the book that had fallen from his hand.

"No! Not the book. Give it back to me!" he pleaded and wanted to jump towards the figure, but the shadow surrounding him prevented it.

With a ghastly grin and the book in his hand, the figure dissolved into nothingness within a moment, while the shadow ball slowly lost density and finally disappeared.

Vrenli looked at the young man, who was kneeling beside the spot where the book had been lying on the floor, weeping.

"Forgive me, father. I've lost the book," he whispered in a low voice. Then he got up and followed the path north. Vrenli brushed off the fright that had gripped him and followed him through the night.

"I will find the book again, father. I swear it," his voice repeated aloud as he made his way through the forest.

Vrenli was startled when he heard bugles and a thunderous noise. Cries of despair, weeping and the sounds of fighting reached his ears. He stopped for a moment, but the young man took his glass bow from his shoulder, put an arrow in the string and began to run in the direction of the screams.