A troop of gnomes had been sent out to deliver the parcel. None of
them could believe that the king of Del would be receiving anything from a
legend buried so deep in gnomish history. The legend of Shriivok the Seer
was known only by the eldest of the gnomes, who told the story to the
younger ones. Many had forgotten the legend until this day, when the
familiar name was seen on the parcel that the gnomes dutifully carried
onward to Del. They now came upon the land where the lapis lazuli had
formerly been hidden in the Shifting Sands. Their journey was noted by
many, as almost everyone there had never even seen gnomes before, and had
heard of them only from travelers from afar. Thus the gnomes pressed
onward, to deliver the parcel from Shriivok.
Lief walked among the city tonight, as he did so often nowadays. He walked past the forge and the market. Past homes filled with sleeping families. He thought about adventures past, remembering when he first learned that he would be setting off on a journey. Remembering when he first learned he was king of Del. And remembering when he learned of the Pirran Pipe. He looked at the moon, almost full tonight, and… was it just him, or was the moon getting smaller? He blinked twice, and looked again. What the…? he thought. It wasn't just him. And then he remembered something else, he remembered himself sitting outside as a child, watching the moon. What was it called again? An eclipse, wasn't it? Yes, he remembered now. There were many superstitions about them, happening so infrequently, and the last few had been during dark times. But the Deltora Annals had used them several times to mark dates. "The eclipse in the summer of that that year," noted a tale held in the years before the Shadow.
So, feeling like a kid again, he sat down, and watched the moon shrink slowly, as if it were slowly disappearing forever, until the last sliver disappeared into darkness. Only the stars shone brightly now, thousands of pinpricks in the sky.
He looked down to the Belt of Deltora, expecting to see it gleaming in the starlight.
He was dumbfounded, however, to see not seven beautiful gleaming spots, but five. He squinted, and could make out the ruby and emerald… Both dull and foreboding.
He could not believe this! All is safe! he thought. The Shadow banished! The slaves freed! What could be wrong!? He was bewildered. He was angry! After everything they had done! But now, the topaz was drawing him to it. Before he knew what was happening, his hand had touched the topaz, and he calmed down instantly. He could not let anger blind him. He would search the Annals. That was the most obvious thing to do. In the meantime, he would tell no one. He couldn't worry anyone just yet. He immediately head for the library, almost running. Not noticing that the moon would not return from its shadow that night.
Lief walked among the city tonight, as he did so often nowadays. He walked past the forge and the market. Past homes filled with sleeping families. He thought about adventures past, remembering when he first learned that he would be setting off on a journey. Remembering when he first learned he was king of Del. And remembering when he learned of the Pirran Pipe. He looked at the moon, almost full tonight, and… was it just him, or was the moon getting smaller? He blinked twice, and looked again. What the…? he thought. It wasn't just him. And then he remembered something else, he remembered himself sitting outside as a child, watching the moon. What was it called again? An eclipse, wasn't it? Yes, he remembered now. There were many superstitions about them, happening so infrequently, and the last few had been during dark times. But the Deltora Annals had used them several times to mark dates. "The eclipse in the summer of that that year," noted a tale held in the years before the Shadow.
So, feeling like a kid again, he sat down, and watched the moon shrink slowly, as if it were slowly disappearing forever, until the last sliver disappeared into darkness. Only the stars shone brightly now, thousands of pinpricks in the sky.
He looked down to the Belt of Deltora, expecting to see it gleaming in the starlight.
He was dumbfounded, however, to see not seven beautiful gleaming spots, but five. He squinted, and could make out the ruby and emerald… Both dull and foreboding.
He could not believe this! All is safe! he thought. The Shadow banished! The slaves freed! What could be wrong!? He was bewildered. He was angry! After everything they had done! But now, the topaz was drawing him to it. Before he knew what was happening, his hand had touched the topaz, and he calmed down instantly. He could not let anger blind him. He would search the Annals. That was the most obvious thing to do. In the meantime, he would tell no one. He couldn't worry anyone just yet. He immediately head for the library, almost running. Not noticing that the moon would not return from its shadow that night.