by William Simonitis
The dim lights of Umbaroth twinkled in the distance, The high walls were not visible this early in the morning, but the torch-bearing scouts who patrolled its walls could be ever-so-faintly seen making their rounds.
Ko’Lakha watched the faintly flickering lights, her Murkuta companion sleeping off its exertion after the long day’s ride. Under the ministrations of Ukrena-Ha, she had been trained over a decade ago in reading the signs and omens. And one of the most reliable divinations was reading the lights, or Felvegemoy as it was traditionally called, of the city.
Certainly she had heard of the diviners of other lands who relied on the stars or on the entrails of animals. These things were practiced by some of her fellows, though few would waste the entrails of an animal on trying to scry the future. Food was too precious among the Duruk.
So, Ko’Lakha trusted in the revealed truths of the city. The stars might reveal their secrets in apocryphal or mysterious ways, but reading the city intuitively made sense. The future became clear. Unlike the many deceptions of the city-dwellers, there were no lies from unspoken signs of Umbaroth.
When Umbaroth prepared for forays into the wilderness, frequently to attack her people, the lights would move a certain way. When disease or plague weakened the city, meaning her people could venture closer to the walls, the lights would move a different way. There were many ways the lights would move, and each carried its own warning.
Tonight the lights moved in a way she had never seen before. It was similar to what was termed the plague-lights, but there was more agitation. She could not explain why there was agitation, but she could read it in the movements of the scouts. Something was wrong in the city. Something was changing. Something was definitely going to spread beyond the walls.
Ko’Lakha studied the lights for another ten minutes, expecting to see the pattern repeat, and it did. This confirmed it. Change was coming to Umbaroth. Change would spread beyond the walls and perhaps wind the Duruk into these changes. Time would tell.
And Ko’Lakha would need to study the lights tomorrow night to see if the omen held true.
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