THE FORGOTTEN SAGE

Episode 2: The Warning Nobody Heard Kaelen waited until the Mayor's steam-carriage disappeared beyond the market square before approaching Silas. The young guard moved carefully, as though speaking to the poor man might somehow attract the attention of his fellow guards. Around them, Oakhaven continued its restless morning routine. Merchants shouted over the prices of copper wire and dried mountain herbs. Aether-lamps flickered beneath iron awnings, casting pale blue light over the muddy streets. Silas swept quietly. “You truly believe the mountain is going to collapse?” Kaelen asked. Silas did not immediately answer. Instead, he pushed his broom beneath a wooden bench and pulled out a small stone. “Tell me what you see.” Kaelen frowned. “A stone.” “What else?” The young guard turned the stone over in his hand. It was dark and wet, with thin lines of red clay running through it. “I don't know,” Kaelen said. “It is cracked.” Silas nodded. “And why is it wet?” Kaelen looked toward the sky. There were no clouds. His expression slowly changed. Silas pointed toward the eastern ridge. “The rain stopped three days ago,” he said. “Yet the stones beneath the town are still sweating.” Kaelen handed the stone back. “That means water is moving beneath us?” “Not merely moving,” Silas replied. “Searching.” A cold wind passed through the market. For the first time, Kaelen looked uncomfortable. Silas leaned his broom against the wall and lowered his voice. “The mountain has veins, young man. Water travels through them just as blood travels through your body. But when those veins become blocked...” He closed his fingers slowly around the stone. “...the pressure must find another way out.” Kaelen looked toward the eastern gorge. “The mudslide?” Silas nodded. “But Master Boros said—” “Master Boros understands machines,” Silas interrupted gently. “The mountain is not a machine.” Before Kaelen could respond, a loud metallic whistle echoed across the town. Everyone in the market suddenly became quiet. The High Overseer's arrival preparations had begun. --- By midday, Oakhaven was transformed. Workers hurried through the streets, hanging banners from the stone buildings. The town guards polished their armour until it reflected the pale afternoon light. Even the broken Aether-lamps near the lower district were replaced. Mayor Vance wanted Oakhaven to look prosperous. He did not want the High Overseer to see the poverty hidden beneath the mountain's shadow. Silas watched from a distance. He had been ordered to clear rubbish from the road leading to the upper district, where the wealthy merchants and guild leaders lived. As he worked, he noticed something unusual. A line of steam rose from a crack in the ground. Silas stopped. The crack was no wider than his little finger. He dropped to one knee. A faint rhythmic sound came from beneath the earth. Thrum. Thrum. Thrum. Silas placed his palm against the ground. His face became still. Then the rhythm stopped. For several seconds, there was complete silence. Silas slowly stood. His eyes moved toward the mountain. “No,” he whispered. A passing merchant laughed. “Talking to the ground again, Poor Silas?” Several people nearby laughed with him. Silas ignored them. He grabbed his broom and walked quickly toward the eastern side of town. --- He found Kaelen near the guard post. “You need to come with me,” Silas said. Kaelen straightened. “What happened?” “The eastern gorge.” “What about it?” “The water has stopped.” Kaelen blinked. “Isn't that a good thing?” Silas looked directly into his eyes. “No river simply stops.” Something in the poor man's voice made Kaelen reach for his spear. They left the town together. The eastern gorge was less than half an hour's walk from Oakhaven. Along the way, Kaelen noticed that Silas was unusually silent. The forest around them was silent too. There were no birds. No insects. Not even the familiar cries of the sky-crows. When they finally reached the gorge, Kaelen understood why Silas had been afraid. The mountain stream was gone. Only a narrow trail of wet stones remained where a rushing river had flowed the previous day. Kaelen slowly walked toward the empty riverbed. “Where did all the water go?” Silas pointed upward. Kaelen followed his finger. High above them, hidden among the cliffs and dark trees, was a newly formed wall of earth and stone. A landslide. It had blocked the river. Kaelen's face turned pale. “The water is gathering behind it.” “Yes.” “And when the barrier breaks...” Silas looked toward Oakhaven. “The lower district will be directly in its path.” For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Kaelen turned sharply. “We must tell the Mayor.” Silas gave a bitter smile. “I already did.” “This is different! Now we have proof.” “Proof is only useful to those willing to see it.” Kaelen grabbed Silas by the arm. “Then make him see.” Silas looked at the young guard. For the first time, there was something deeper than sadness in his eyes. There was hesitation. As though the poor man had spent his entire life knowing something terrible about human nature. Silas finally nodded. “Very well.” --- They were halfway back to town when the ground shook. It was gentle at first. So gentle that Kaelen thought it was merely his imagination. Then the trees began to tremble. Birds suddenly burst from the forest in a dark cloud. A deep sound rolled beneath their feet. Thrum. Thrum. THRUM. Kaelen stumbled backward. Silas remained perfectly still. The mountain had spoken. And this time— Everyone heard it. To be continued...