Source Of The River Read Free

movement from the corner of his eye. High overhead, an
object was falling from the top of the waterfall. River stared at the object,
his mouth dropping open. Within a few seconds, it hit the water, crashing
violently below the surface.
    Glancing overhead to be sure a second item
wouldn’t follow the first, River moved toward the fallen object. As he moved
closer, he could plainly see that this was not some random bit of debris. A
dwarf had fallen to his death from somewhere in the mountains.
    Nervously, River approached the dwarf and looked
down on his lifeless form. Placing a hand at the side of the dwarf’s neck,
River could feel no trace of a pulse. The dwarf’s face was pale, suggesting he
may have been dead before the fall. There were no obvious bruises or cuts on
his skin, which seemed strange considering the route the body had traveled to
reach the Vale.
    Others within the village had witnessed the spectacle
and were on their way to investigate. A few of them had already gathered on the
bank, watching intently as River inspected the corpse. Ryllak noticed the
commotion and decided to make sure River was all right.
    Pushing his way past the crowd, Ryllak waded into
the water and made his way to his son’s side. River’s face was troubled, and
Ryllak reached out to comfort him.
    “Are you all right?” he asked.
    “Yes, but this dwarf certainly isn’t.” His concern
was obvious in his voice, his hands shaking slightly as he placed them on each
side of the dwarf’s head. Blue magic spread over the body as River looked
inside the dwarf’s mind.
    Ryllak waited anxiously, maintaining his silence so
as not to break River’s concentration. He worried what his son might see and
hoped it would not be too much for him to handle. Though he was of age, Ryllak
could not stop thinking of him as a child.
    “This man was ill,” River said softly. “He is a
miner from a dwarf village in the mountains, and he became ill shortly after
beginning his work this morning. He went to a creek somewhere above to cool his
fevered skin before falling in.” River removed his hands from the dwarf and
looked at his father. “I believe he drowned and was carried away for miles in
the current before ending up here.”
    Thinking of his son’s welfare first, Ryllak
replied, “Is this illness contagious? Should you be touching him?”
    “I don’t know what it is,” River admitted. “The
Spirit may know since the dwarf is in its waters. I don’t sense any danger for
myself, but for the rest of our village I cannot say.”
    “You should speak to the Spirit, then,” Ryllak
said. “I will move this unfortunate dwarf to the riverbank.” Carefully, Ryllak
dragged the body away. As he reached the bank, other elves offered their
assistance in pulling the dwarf from the water.
    River turned his attention back to the waterfall
and stared into the deep blue water at its base. Focusing his energy, his eyes flashed
sparkling blue. The Spirit had come to offer its guidance. Sensing its
presence, River relaxed his body, allowing his mind to open and receive the
Spirit’s words.
    Ryllak gazed out into the water where River stood
encompassed by a pale-blue light. He hoped the information his son received
would be good news, but in his heart, he knew that would not be the case. The
appearance of this dwarf was far too strange to be a mere coincidence. Such a
thing had never before occurred in the Vale.
    Patiently he waited until River began making his
way to the riverbank. As he drew closer, Ryllak could see the concerned look on
his son’s face, and his heart sank. There was trouble ahead, and he feared that
his son might soon be in grave danger.

Chapter 3
     
    T hunder rumbled
softly in the distance as Kaiya sat motionless, her face turned toward the
wind. A gentle mist began to fall, and she lifted the hood of her gray woolen
cloak. The sky grew ever darker, encompassing the dwarven villages of the
Wrathful Mountains in shadow.
    “You’ll