The Orb of Truth (The Horn King Series) Read Free

just…”
    “Just what?” Spilf asked.
    “He needs a drink is what he needs.”
    “Good idea, Dulgin. C’mon Bridazak, let’s get our table at The Knot.”
    “Not this time. I’m going to sit this one out and get some rest. You guys go on without me.”
    “Suit yourself. C’mon Stubby,” Dulgin said as he grabbed the loot off the table.
    “You know I hate it when you call me that.”
    “You’d think you would be used to it, after two decades of travelling with me.” Dulgin headed for the door.
    Spilf followed, “I don’t mind a nickname but pick something with some pizazz, like Amazing or Magnificent.”
    “Sounds good. Let’s go Amazing Stubby,” the Dwarf laughed.
    The door shut behind them and their voices trailed off as they made their way down the path toward the tavern. Bridazak was now alone with his thoughts. His long-time friends were right; they had heard all the ridicule among the Humans before, so why was it bothering him this time? Thule brought up his kin in hiding. Why was he not with them? Why had he not succumbed to the pressure, like the Elves and Dwarves?
    “Thule did have one thing right; we are misfits,” he thought aloud as he hopped down off the chair and made his way to the bed. As he lay there, his mind began to race. Snippets of feelings came to the forefront of his memory and sparked to life. He closed his eyes and allowed them to continue. Ruauck-El had changed over these many decades, especially as the Horn Kings continued to dominate the good folk of the realm. A century ago seemed like yesterday—when he first met Dulgin on the road through Ogre’s Pass, and their years of adventures across Ruauck-El since. The Dwarf had been his only family until they found Spilf, another orphaned Ordakian, stealing food from a vendor on the streets of Baron’s Hall. Bridazak connected with Spilfer. He was alone, abandoned, and looking for something more to life than hiding their existence from the world—a true thirst for adventure. Spilf had been a younger brother to him these last twenty-seven years. Bridazak drifted deeper and soon fell asleep.

    His eyes opened, but he knew that he was still sleeping. Above him was a soothing, brilliant white light. He turned his head and peered down the side of his bed. Below him was darkness—a pitch-black that had no end. A cold fear forced him to look away. His bed hovered between the nebulous dream realms. The silence was broken by whispering above. He squinted his eyes, as he saw amorphous beings approaching. Bridazak felt waves of peace emanating from the aura above. The two ethereal figures were outlined by the light flooding from behind them. Their muffled voices became clearer the closer they came.
    Suddenly, his bed began to shake as their mysterious words finally resonated clearly, “It is time.” Their voices were hollow and their bodies ghostlike. The frame beneath him shattered and he could feel the hay-filled mattress give way. He didn’t fall with it; he was pulled on from both directions. The spirits stretched their hands, holding something, and he instinctively reached for it. As soon as he touched the object, a jolt of electricity shot through his arms.
    Bridazak lurched violently from his dream and awoke back in his bed inside the dark cottage. He could feel sweat trickling down his forehead and the cold chill of damp clothes. The intensity of the dream still seemed real. He told himself to breathe; he was safe at home. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and something fell from his lap and crashed onto the wooden floor. It startled him.
    He fumbled for the candle at the nightstand next to him, but before he could get it lit, the room suddenly glowed in a blue aura. The source was a small rectangular item on the floor. The words from his dream came back to him, “It is time.”

.
    2
    Bridazak’s Destiny
    B ridazak sat at the wooden table, staring at the candle’s fickle flame. His hairy, fur-topped feet were