Chapter 3

Arrival

The three traveled for days without stopping, passing forests and deserts (one desert to be precise). They were about to leave the last encountered forest, before reaching their goal - Graytown, a medium size town, belonging to the Benlor kingdom. (we'll get to that in other chapters). Surprisingly, in all those days of travel the party did not exchange stories or talk at all, except a few short phrases thrown in by Myriam, as she unknowingly spoke her thoughts aloud.

Noticing the three's formation we see Sitrim walking in the middle - being slightly ahead of the rest, with Myriam on his left, who was as always lost in her thoughts and Zal'jin on the right, with his head held low, obediently following his master.

With the three continuing as such, Sitrim was busy looking at a river, which was running right beside the road they were using. But what caught his attention was not the river itself, but the logs that were floating down stream, to the opposite direction then the three were going, and their number seemed to be infinite with one log after another floating for hours without stop. With SItrims gaze preoccupied on such a view, it finally found the source – on the other side of the river, mills were stationed, with lumberjacks swarming around like ants, occupied with the matters of their own little world. Once he observed all that, Sitrim, closed his eyes for a moment and diverted his eyes from such a view, changing his object of observation from the lumber mills, to the road that he was using.

And this is when Myriam, that came back from her thoughts just at the right moment, noticed a slight look of dissatisfaction on Sitrims face. She looked around to find the source of it and soon noticed the lumber mills, deciding that the objects at hand have the highest possibility of being the reason for Sitrims dissatisfaction in her opinion. After finding a new thing to think about, she ventured back into the halls of her mind, and continued onwards lost in thought again.

As they left the forest, their destination revealed itself to them. What stood in front was Graytown – a town surrounded by blackened stone walls with gray smoke coming from behind them. As the three approached the towns' walls, Sitrim noticed activity near the opened main gates with caravans and plenty of travelers going in and out of the town. He slowed down and gazed sharply at the moving figures and seemed hesitant for some reason. Myriam noticed this and quickly realized the reason.

"Do not worry, such activity is normal these days. You should see what's going in in the capitals of each kingdom" – she explained. – "let's just try to mingle with the crowd and not stand out too much"

After the explanation Sitrim hastened his step and joined the movement of travelers, with his two followers at his side, quickly entering the town. As they walked deeper into it, Sitrim was busy looking around, noticing the three to four story buildings on the sides of the road they were using, and the figures that inhabited the town itself. For his surprise he noticed that there were multiple races living here, be it humans, trolls, dwarves or even strange humanoids with green skin and sharp fangs. He then turned to Myriam.

"To what race does this settlement belong? And what are those green humanoids called?" –he asked.

"Well the current landlord of Graytown is a High elf, but the town itself does not belong to one race. The races of Kalimdor intermingled after the defeat of the orc's, who are those green humanoids you speak of. They were summoned from their home planet of Draenor by a magician a hundred years ago, to carry out the Burning Legions bidding and weaken or even take over Azeroth" – Myriam explained – "We'll get into all that some other time. I'll explain the current situation in Kalimdor, but let's go check into an inn and rest for the time being"

"Very well" – Sitrim replied.

The three then went towards the east end of the town, with Myriam leading the two. They walked through narrow passages between the three-story houses, going deeper and deeper into the dark corners of the town, only to reach a rundown two-story inn. The sign on it said "The rotten limb".

"Here we go. Not the most prestigious inn in town, but since the owner owes me a favor, the stay will be free and we will be able to avoid unwelcome attention" – Myriam said and entered the inn, with Sitrim and Zal'jin behind her.

"Fend! Two rooms for me and my friends here" – Myriam shouted after entering the inn.

"Ah, Myriam! Long time-no-see" – a voice replied from the shadows behind the reception table. And soon after, a deformed goblin limped out of the shadow. Just looking at the goblin would give you an awkward feeling as he was all twisted and just plain unpleasant to look at. Even his walking felt awkward. – "There're actually two rooms free, you're in luck. One's on the second floor and the other one is below" – Fend explained, while pointing his fat finger towards the floor (not like he himself was fat.)

"Very well, we'll take them" – Myriam replied and turned to her companions. - "Ok then, I'll take the room on the second floor and you two can stay together in the basement room. Have a nice night" – She then said and went upstairs, leaving the two near the entrance of the inn.

"I be sorry for her insolence my master. If master wishes so, I be teachin' her the proper way to address you" – Zal'jin then whispered to Sitrim.

"No need. Her knowledge of the present state of Kalimdor is still a must. I do not wish to be recognized as of yet" – Sitrim replied and walked towards the staircase, leading to the basement.

Once Sitrim reached the mentioned room, which he did not need to search for, as the basement contained only one living space, he looked around his plain looking new home. It contained only one bed, a chair and a table, but had enough space for ten people to stay in. He then walked towards the bed and lied down, without taking his armor off, and with his sword, still sheathed within the scabbard lying next to hm. Zal'jin on the other hand sat down near the entrance to the room and remained so, half asleep, half on guard.

In the meantime Myriam did not go to sleep, once she reached her room. She quickly dropped her backpack on her bed and started searching its contents.

"Sitrim, Sitrim…I know I heard that name somewhere before" – She murmured to herself while searching – "I think it was…in the times of the second crisis"

She took out book after book from her strangely small bag (how does she fit all that in there?) and after a few more moments of searching she leaned back with a large book, with thick black covers in her hands.

"Ah, I think it's this one!" – Myriam expressed her joy out loud.

She quickly placed the book on the only table in the room and started browsing through the pages of it, quickly turning page after page, with her finger moving through its content, indicating the fearsome speed in which she is able to read. (what fearsome skills indeed) As she reached the middle of the book Myriams finger suddenly stopped. The female human stood there with her gaze fixed on one spot in the book and after a few moments she fell helplessly to a chair that stood right behind her.

"I knew he had something to do with those times…but I never imagined…"- She whispered to herself and got lost in thoughts, with the book left alone on the table, with a sinister truth written in it, that even managed to surprise this bookworm of a human.

And so Myriam remained for the rest of the night. Remaining so on the chair with no movement in sight, deep in her thoughts she was lost, pondering on things of past, present and future.