The Urge - Part 2

The man looked into Dorn’s eyes for a long moment. He chuckled lightly as if it were all a joke. 

But Dorn didn’t chuckle. 

After a moment the man seemed to be convinced of the fear and trepidation in the tavern owners eyes. His grin faded away, and he placed another silver coin on the counter. 

Dorn refilled the mug and slid it towards him. 

The man took another long drink and looked at Dorn. 

“What is this evil? Does it have a name” 

Dorn hesitated. He wasn’t a religious man, nor was he particularly superstitious. But Dorn was no fool either. He knew what the village was afraid of; he knew what speaking to this man about it might do to his business. 

“It’s nothing more than rumor”

At that, both men turned as a chair was over turned. 

“Rumor?” A young man exclaimed angrily. “Rumor? Tell that to my father! Tell that to my brother! Tell that to Ellen, Dorn! What happened to her, Dorn? Do you know?”

The stranger’s smile returned. He was finding delight in the argument.

Dorn could feel himself growing angry with the young man. His cheeks began to grow red. “No, Andrew. I do not.”

Andrew took one last look at the stranger and walked quickly out of the tavern. 

Dorn turned away, grabbing another glass to clean. 

“Ellen, eh? A relative? No. A lover?”

Dorn’s hand stopped as he stood there facing the shelf. His mind flooding with memories. 

“Yes. A lover, she was” The stranger answered his own question. 

Without his realization, the glass slipped from Dorn’s hand and shattered on the floor. 

“Yes” His voice was trembling slightly. “She was.”

“What about this terror?”

Dorn stood there for several moment’s wondering how much he could tell this stranger. How much he could reveal. 

The town needed help, but could this stranger be of any help? Would the risk be worth it?

Dorn struggled with the words. His mind was willing, but his lips seemed to hinder him. As if his mouth knew the consequences. 

Dorn turned once more to the dinning room. Everyone in the room was looking at him. A dozen eyes all begging him not to speak. A dozen hearts who knew the pain and loss all had experienced within the previous month. 

Dorn looked the stranger in the eyes. 

“They call it…” Dorn drew his breath for one last burst of courage “The Urge”