All that noise just stopped. The howl of the wind, the crash of
waves, even the crackle of fire: gone, only to be replaced by a
pensive silence.
“Wake up?” Mary asked, “You mean they've been sleeping?”
“Yes,” Raven replied, then “No. Sort of. They are not
habitually used to consciousness.”
The three of us fell silent again, trying to understand what that
meant. Mary was about to ask something more when Raven said:
“Nevermind. Try not to think about it too much. Just have
patience, and all will become clear in the fullness of time.”
The flames roared once more, but this time the sound was different:
the fire was speaking, and I could understand what it was saying.
“Tell us again,” it said, “Which of you was the First?”
“I was,” Raven replied. I think he was looking a bit anxious
when he spoke.
“And it was you who brought us here?” the fire asked, “Ignoring
all protocols?”
“I did,” Raven said, his hands clenched in fists by his side.
“Unusual,” the wind roared, “Let us hope you don't find reason
to regret it.”
