Scrollmother
They all knew someone would be chosen.
But when the name was proclaimed in the Great Hall, a low ripple of emotion moved through the Storytellers and Sages - shock, relief, and a deep sadness settling over them all. The Slayers stood at attention, silent and unmoving, but every one of them felt the weight of what had just been spoken.
**"Barnabas..."**
They leaned toward one another, their voices barely above breath.
**"Then again... who else but Barnabas? He is the best. If any can survive the Unknown, it will be him."**
Barnabas was more than a Slayer - he was *their* Slayer.
Tracking beasts was child's play to him.
His sword stroke was death every time.
He trained harder, fought fiercer, rose earlier, and returned from quests others would have died attempting.
He had been injured many times, but he always recovered and came back with a vengeance.
Since the death of his wife, he took every battle personally.
He never backed down.
He never failed.
And long before all of that, the villagers whispered of the night he was found as a Toddle - the storm, the crash, the shattered cottage, the immense tree that crushed everything except the crying child nestled safely among its leaves.
The hand of the Creator had been on him that night, and many believed it stayed on him as he grew.
His adopted father, Daniel, always said Barnabas was called for a special purpose.
But destiny is never simple.
A wound nearly killed him.
The healers warned him: **If you quest again, you will die.**
The choice was his - and he chose life, laying down his sword to become a Storyteller.
He believed the calling on his life had ended.
He was wrong.
When the Creator summons him a second time, Barnabas must walk a quest he cannot survive - with a wound that could betray him at any moment, and a destiny that has followed him since the night he was pulled from the leaves.
A tale of calling, sacrifice, and the courage to rise when destiny knocks twice.