Moggthegob said:
Mardigan setles ina seat acoss from Kenn and bust out a set of travel chess. " Care for a game of chess. it is going to be a long journey and, even for one likem yself these trips can grow quite dull. Tell me about you, you look cyran, where were you during the mourning? I was in riedra at the time so you can imagine my surprise when i went ot land in Cyre with information...... it was a hard day."
Kenn smiles ruefully, takes the white side, and advances king's pawn forward two spaces.
"I was working counterintelligence during the war -- interrogations, investigations, and cryptography."
He sips his tea.
"I was working a prisoner exchange with Thrane on a keelboat in Scion's Sound. We got our package dropped off and were heading home. I finished up debriefing and was standing at the bow.
The first thing I thought was that dawn was coming awfully early, because there was a glow in the east. I saw the mist, too, but I couldn't understand why it was glowing.
Then I heard the Scream."
The capital "S" on the Scream is clearly audible when Kenn says it. He sips his tea again, and Mardigan can see the liquid tremble in the glass as Kenn sets it on the table.
"I understand not everybody heard the Scream, for which they should all be grateful. It was almost indescribable. Imagine if every living thing in Cyre was strapped to a table and some malevolent army took redhot pincers and ripped their hearts out simultaneously.
It was much worse than that, but it was more like that than anything I could ever think of."
Kenn shudders and drains his tea.
"Not fair to make a man talk about that when he can't drink."
He takes a deep breath.
"There's not much else to say. The scream knocked me flat on my duff and left me weak and shaking -- the crew said I was stark raving mad the next three weeks. They lashed me into a bunk to keep me out of the way and sailed hell-for-leather down Scion's Sound looking for someplace safe to make landfall. They ended up not stopping until they were halfway down the Brey River, where we were interned for a few weeks until it was clear Cyre ... didn't matter any more."
Kenn looks longingly up at the bar and the bottles therein.
It's commercial travel! Who's going to attack you on the Lightning Rail? One drink won't hurt...
"BOOAARD! ALL ABOOAAARRD!"
Kenn looks up sharply.
"Come on. That's our train."
).
