Chapter One
The Beginning of the Journey
The rest of the day had gone smoothly, and Nathan, groggy, clambered into his bed. He expected a restful, peaceful sleep, untroubled by the care of the world. He expected to wake up refreshed and unperturbed.
He expected wrong.
His dreams were full of fire, destruction, and death. He stood watching a town be torn apart by the elements. Buildings that looked strangely like something out of a renaissance fair burned to the ground. Others collapsed with the force of an earthquake, while still others were torn apart and tossed around by gale force winds. Rain pounded so hard it nearly drowned out the screams of frightened children and their parents. And then came the fighting.
Nathan didn't even realize he was holding a sword until the first armor struck his shoulder and glinted off of the plate armor covering his body. 'Wait, armor? What the hell's going on?' He thought he heard a different pounding and backed up into a large body. He craned his head around and upwards. "Mike? That you?" Michael Corvin was the school's biggest linebacker, and one of the few jocks on the team that managed to keep from being jerks to most people. Nathan was saved thanks to his friendship with Marie Larson, the head cheerleader. The big man didn't respond. He was wearing chain mail and carried a rather large battleaxe. "Mike?"
"So that really is you then Nathan?" Nathan sighed.
"Yeah, it is."
"So what is this, exactly?" Nathan shrugged.
"Hell if I know, man." Another person strode over to join them, a female person with shoulder length red hair, emerald green eyes, a somewhat freckled face, and billowing white robes. Nathan's eyes widened as he took a look at the weapon she carried. Or, rather, not a weapon. Something more important than a weapon. "Marie? How the hell did you get the Staff of-" He was cut off as Mike gasped and pointed behind them. Nathan spun, and got the final confirmation of where he was. Armored bodies came into view, black armor with a familiar looking flower on their breastplates. "Dark Knights!" He had to yell to be heard above the rain and battle cries of the Dark Knights. "We're.I don't believe this, but we're on Krynn!" As if that word was a cue, the dream faded, and they all bolted upright in their own warm beds.
Yet, strangely enough, Marie reached her hand out to caress something that would provide more warmth. The staff, she realized, and pulled her hand back quickly.
Michael merely shook his head and laid back down.
Nathan sat awake all night, pondering exactly just what the hell was going on.
....................................
Nathan hadn't slept the rest of the night, and now he simply through on a black t-shirt with an evil looking happy face, a zip-up sweatshirt heavily patched with the logos of various metal bands pokadotting the gray hooded jacket, and a pair of wide legged, skater style pants, shredded at the cuffs. He grabbed his bookbag and headed out to the bus, then had to run back in to grab his glasses and CD player. Grumbling about his lack of memory, he let the music of Stabbing Westward throb full blast in his ears, headed for the bustop.
"Nathan, you awake?" Nathan groggily opened one eye from his position near one of the school's entrance/exit doors, sitting on the ground with his back propped up against the heater.
"I am now. What do you-" His eyes snapped open when he saw Marie standing in front of him, pink halter top and faded pink leather miniskirt, with reddish pink knee high boots standing loud (and he meant the clothes were loud, mind you) and clear in front of him. "Kind of an obsession with pink you have there, don't you," he mumbled absently as he bolted up. "Come on, we have things to discuss." She laughed.
"Huh, such a change in your attitude, for moi," she replied, a mocking tone of seductiveness in her voice.
Nathan smiled warmly and then contrasted it with the sarcastic bitterness in his voice. "I see you didn't bring your pretty staff with you this time." Her eyes widened in shock.
"So.that was real?"
"Who knows? But I was there, and apparently you were too. It'd be pretty naïve to think Mike wasn't. He always has breakfast here, right?"
"Yeah. What're we doing, anyway?"
"Going to figure out why we all dreamed ourselves to Krynn, what we were doing there, and.well, other than that, I dunno." She shrugged.
"Well, lead the way. You know more about this stuff than I do."
"Please, I have no clue what the hell happened to us." It was plain by the tone in his voice that he hated that fact, and the pair walked on in silence until they reached the cafeteria. Mike saw them and waved.
"Hey guys, what's up," he asked as they sat down, Nathan to his right and Marie to his left.
"A whole lot of Dark Knights, apparently," Nathan replied. Mike sighed.
"I was hoping I was dreaming." Nathan shrugged.
"Maybe we were, but it still meant something. All three of us, together? In the same place, on the same world? Kind of odd, don't you think?" Mike nodded.
"So? It could mean anything," Marie replied.
"Doubtful," Nathan shot back. "Even if it's just group hysteria, the fact that we were all there together makes it group hysteria." Mike shrugged.
"Well, look, the bell's about to ring, so why don't we talk about this later," he replied. Nathan and Marie said they're goodbyes to Mike and the other people at the table and departed. They both went to the same first period class, Chemistry, so they headed in the same direction.
None of them noticed the old man with the long gray hair pushed in front of his ears following them.
The rest of the day had gone smoothly, and Nathan, groggy, clambered into his bed. He expected a restful, peaceful sleep, untroubled by the care of the world. He expected to wake up refreshed and unperturbed.
He expected wrong.
His dreams were full of fire, destruction, and death. He stood watching a town be torn apart by the elements. Buildings that looked strangely like something out of a renaissance fair burned to the ground. Others collapsed with the force of an earthquake, while still others were torn apart and tossed around by gale force winds. Rain pounded so hard it nearly drowned out the screams of frightened children and their parents. And then came the fighting.
Nathan didn't even realize he was holding a sword until the first armor struck his shoulder and glinted off of the plate armor covering his body. 'Wait, armor? What the hell's going on?' He thought he heard a different pounding and backed up into a large body. He craned his head around and upwards. "Mike? That you?" Michael Corvin was the school's biggest linebacker, and one of the few jocks on the team that managed to keep from being jerks to most people. Nathan was saved thanks to his friendship with Marie Larson, the head cheerleader. The big man didn't respond. He was wearing chain mail and carried a rather large battleaxe. "Mike?"
"So that really is you then Nathan?" Nathan sighed.
"Yeah, it is."
"So what is this, exactly?" Nathan shrugged.
"Hell if I know, man." Another person strode over to join them, a female person with shoulder length red hair, emerald green eyes, a somewhat freckled face, and billowing white robes. Nathan's eyes widened as he took a look at the weapon she carried. Or, rather, not a weapon. Something more important than a weapon. "Marie? How the hell did you get the Staff of-" He was cut off as Mike gasped and pointed behind them. Nathan spun, and got the final confirmation of where he was. Armored bodies came into view, black armor with a familiar looking flower on their breastplates. "Dark Knights!" He had to yell to be heard above the rain and battle cries of the Dark Knights. "We're.I don't believe this, but we're on Krynn!" As if that word was a cue, the dream faded, and they all bolted upright in their own warm beds.
Yet, strangely enough, Marie reached her hand out to caress something that would provide more warmth. The staff, she realized, and pulled her hand back quickly.
Michael merely shook his head and laid back down.
Nathan sat awake all night, pondering exactly just what the hell was going on.
....................................
Nathan hadn't slept the rest of the night, and now he simply through on a black t-shirt with an evil looking happy face, a zip-up sweatshirt heavily patched with the logos of various metal bands pokadotting the gray hooded jacket, and a pair of wide legged, skater style pants, shredded at the cuffs. He grabbed his bookbag and headed out to the bus, then had to run back in to grab his glasses and CD player. Grumbling about his lack of memory, he let the music of Stabbing Westward throb full blast in his ears, headed for the bustop.
"Nathan, you awake?" Nathan groggily opened one eye from his position near one of the school's entrance/exit doors, sitting on the ground with his back propped up against the heater.
"I am now. What do you-" His eyes snapped open when he saw Marie standing in front of him, pink halter top and faded pink leather miniskirt, with reddish pink knee high boots standing loud (and he meant the clothes were loud, mind you) and clear in front of him. "Kind of an obsession with pink you have there, don't you," he mumbled absently as he bolted up. "Come on, we have things to discuss." She laughed.
"Huh, such a change in your attitude, for moi," she replied, a mocking tone of seductiveness in her voice.
Nathan smiled warmly and then contrasted it with the sarcastic bitterness in his voice. "I see you didn't bring your pretty staff with you this time." Her eyes widened in shock.
"So.that was real?"
"Who knows? But I was there, and apparently you were too. It'd be pretty naïve to think Mike wasn't. He always has breakfast here, right?"
"Yeah. What're we doing, anyway?"
"Going to figure out why we all dreamed ourselves to Krynn, what we were doing there, and.well, other than that, I dunno." She shrugged.
"Well, lead the way. You know more about this stuff than I do."
"Please, I have no clue what the hell happened to us." It was plain by the tone in his voice that he hated that fact, and the pair walked on in silence until they reached the cafeteria. Mike saw them and waved.
"Hey guys, what's up," he asked as they sat down, Nathan to his right and Marie to his left.
"A whole lot of Dark Knights, apparently," Nathan replied. Mike sighed.
"I was hoping I was dreaming." Nathan shrugged.
"Maybe we were, but it still meant something. All three of us, together? In the same place, on the same world? Kind of odd, don't you think?" Mike nodded.
"So? It could mean anything," Marie replied.
"Doubtful," Nathan shot back. "Even if it's just group hysteria, the fact that we were all there together makes it group hysteria." Mike shrugged.
"Well, look, the bell's about to ring, so why don't we talk about this later," he replied. Nathan and Marie said they're goodbyes to Mike and the other people at the table and departed. They both went to the same first period class, Chemistry, so they headed in the same direction.
None of them noticed the old man with the long gray hair pushed in front of his ears following them.