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A sudden
flurry nearly blinded the cold man and he stopped for a moment. When
his vision cleared he looked down to see his feet at the edge of a
cliff. The ground below was invisible in the night, but Freki could
hear the wind tearing at the stone far below him. The little creature
just smiled and waved for him to step off the cliff. Freki hesitated,
unsure if the little demon meant for him to die or whether Belrus had
sent the creature to guide him to the hidden home of the wizard.
Hoping that this foolish decision would not be his last,
Freki stepped off the edge of the cliff and found himself slowly
floating through the strong winds as if held in a giant hand. The hand
took him down the cliffside then into a cave, depositing him gently on
the stone floor. The little creature followed Freki through his short
flight and led him into the sudden maze of tunnels.
Many side passages to the right and left went by until
Freki couldn't have found his way back out should he want to leave.
Finally, they reached a large oak door, behind which Freki could see
candlelight emanating. The little man gestured for Freki to open the
door and go in, then flitted up the passage the way they had entered.
Nervously, the young man opened the oaken door and stepped into a huge
chamber full of candlelight, shining from candlabras and many sconses.
A large man wrapped in a thick wool cloak sat on the cold
ground at a low table poring over figures cut into an ancient
well-preserved hide.
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The man turned
to look at Freki, sizing him up silently, then nodded to himself and
slowly walked to the far end of the room and began pulling assorted
objects wrapped in silk from a seachest. Freki could see the many lines
of age on his face, he had never seen anyone that old, but there was a
strength behind those eyes that gave him pause. That old man was still
as strong as he had ever been and more powerful than the legends could
ever have told.
Eventually the old wizard found whatever he had been
looking for in the chest. He turned with a huge grin and handed Freki
the silk-covered object. The object was long and thin, Freki hoped it
was a weapon to defeat the dragons. When he removed the cloth he wasn't
disappointed; a gleaming blue-steel blade greeted his eyes. The gilded
and leather wrapped hilt and sheath matched perfectly, Freki had never
seen anything so beautiful. He looked to the wizard, who nodded, so
Freki slipped the belt around his waist and felt the weight of the
weapon on his hip. It was very light, the young warrior barely noticed
it was there. He pulled the blade and swung it through the air. It was
quick and seemed to guide his wrist to slice cleanly through his
imaginary enemy.
Freki could not have hoped for such a weapon. Belrus
slowly smiled, seeming to approve. Quite suddenly he stared directly
into Freki's eyes with a look that commanded all his attention. Belrus
spoke in a low, deep voice.
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