You told Hendren 'Stonecore is the next big sound in Aabahran and you can tell people you heard it before everyone else, or you can tell people you missed it. Your choice.'
Hendren told you 'Hmm, interesting.'
Hendren told you 'Where will it be playing?'
You told Hendren 'Got our big break in Elium but we're takin the show on the road and soon hittin the Dragon Inn in Maelbrim!'
You told Hendren 'But if you see me out buskin in the streets, stop by for a treat for yer ears!'
You said 'There's a fire in the deep that the sky never sees,'
You said 'Burning low, burning long, in the roots of the trees,'
Brundrarlum bows his head over the guitar, fingers moving faster, the chord progression climbing in a way that strongly suggests something is about to happen.
You said 'And I came up from under with the flame in my hand,'
Brundrarlum lifts the guitar above his head with both hands, holding it there for slightly too long, waiting for a reaction that does not come.
Brundrarlum takes a single step backward, plants his feet, draws in a breath that seems to fill his entire chest, and locks eyes with no one in particular as the rhythm tightens beneath his fingers.
You said 'To remind the world where it began.'
Brundrarlum points with all five ringed fingers, the gesture suggesting that what is about to come out of his mouth will change your life.
Brundrarlum tosses his dreadlocks back with the practiced confidence of a man who has done it in front of mirrors more than crowds.
Brundrarlum leans into the smallest member of the crowd, whoever that happens to be, and says with absolute sincerity, "You're the reason I do this."
You said 'I built a cathedral out of everything you took from me,'
You said 'Lit a candle for the version of myself I used to be,'
Brundrarlum takes a single step backward, plants his feet, draws in a breath that seems to fill his entire chest, and locks eyes with no one in particular as the rhythm tightens beneath his fingers.
The small crowd forming in the tavern starts the cheer and rock out with Brundrarlum!
Brundrarlum bows his head over the guitar, fingers moving faster, the chord progression climbing in a way that strongly suggests something is about to happen.
Brundrarlum points with all five ringed fingers, the gesture suggesting that what is about to come out of his mouth will change your life.
You said 'The Dragon Sea is rising and the saints are all asleep,'
Brundrarlum throws his head back mid-solo, dreadlocks flying, his face contorted into the universal expression of a man who believes he is briefly touching the divine.
You said 'And I'm drowning in the promises I couldn't keep.'
Aabahran