Chapter 15

After Arhyvhynne was silent for a time, the Dweller smiled at her in sympathy. Or maybe he smiled to himself. In either case, he slowly made his way to her and took her hand. Arhyvhynne, though she felt akin to the old man, still covered herself as best she could with her other hand. But as the Dweller began to speak to her she dropped her hand to her side. Arhyvhynne not only realized that the Dweller was blind, but that he could see beyond the nakedness of her body to that of her Soul.

There was a profound sadness when the Dweller spoke and his age was reflected in his voice. "I have followed the progress of your Path in my mind's eye for many years. Though you have studied long and hard and are pure of heart, you are still very young and naive. You know not the enormity of the tasks which await you. Though I have waited a long, long time for these events to transpire, I wish for your sake that it could be another who stands before me, Arhyvhynne. But alas, it must be you."

All through the course of the Trials Arhyvhynne had a small hope buried that this might pass her by. But somehow the words of the Dweller brought a finality to her situation, seemingly causing her scrapes and sore muscles to burn more fiercely and the force of the winds to increase.

"Before you remains one Trial. But the trials you will face after this will require more than you have given here. Perhaps more than you are willing to give." The figure of the Dweller Between the Stone lingered for a moment and Arhyvhynne heard his final words: "You have it within yourself to accomplish this. Whether you choose to do so is a question only you can answer." Then he was gone.

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Eyrmysse stood just inside the mouth of a cave which she came upon while climbing down the opposite side of the mountain. Her descent had not been as treacherous as the ascent. The winds still buffeted her, but they were not as strong and she had easier access to handholds and footholds. She found her clothes on the ground and she put them on carefully, her sore muscles protesting against the movements and the fabric of her robes irritating the scraped skin. She discarded the shoes, her feet being too raw and blistered.