Intermezzo I
It was a moment between two ages, a gasp in history when the world didn’t know what to do next.
One moment was the reign of the dragon lord; the next, a dawn that had no name. Yet the sun still rose all the same on the coast of the fishing village, the huts charred by dragon fire, the lines of fish laid out like beads of a broken necklace. The waters still ebbed and flowed over the bodies lying facedown in the sand, their hands clutched around rocks and swords and what was left of their children. The wind still blew through the forest and rustled the leaves where Old Dark lay, swollen with sleep.
One moment it was darkness, an age where you couldn’t trust your shadow for fear it would betray your secrets, for there were ears everywhere—and the next, infinite silence.
Uncer
