The Forbidden Journal of Indoril Nerevar: Entry #26

Vehk is locked away with Ayem and Seht and they all refuse to talk to me.

The seasons since Voryn left have been bittersweet. I discovered what I thought was a new and wonderful love with Vehk, exploring Resdayn, talking to the people and trying to better understand the sickness and dreams that grip our people.

Every so often we would trek back to Mournhold, to debrief with Ayem and Seht on our failures, while celebrating our successes.

Then one night...every mer in Resdayn woke up screaming from the same horrible dream. I remember it clearly although many can not:

A golden mer stood alone in a circle of shadows, beating a golden drum made from the skin of a serpent. The shadows writhed and swayed to the beat until one shadow strikes out from behind the golden mer and slowly pushes his heart out through his sternum. Every broken bone and sinew could be heard. The mer gurgled with agony, his eyes defiantly red, and he showed no fear.

The heart beats outside the mer’s body, he reaches out, as if to caress it. An outpouring of black blood forms a web across his body, and the heart beats faster.

The mer shatters and is broken into countless shards, the largest of which is a silver man, who bellows in what I could only understand was grief and rage.

The shadows part before his shouts and there is a massive brass statue glowing red to match the eyes of the broken mer. All the broken shards fly around it like moths to a candle, thrumming to the drumbeat.

The next day, without a word, my family left me alone with dark thoughts and a dull ache in my chest.