Artmancer's Epics: "A Dire Warning"
"Fire hums in the grate A simple ring meets the flame Gandalf holds his breath
Gold gleams, innocent A party trick, a small laugh Gone—then back again
Frodo smiles, recalling Bilbo’s vanishing act Harmless as candlelight
Gandalf lifts the chain Silence tightens in the room The fire leans in
Letters bleed from gold Ancient words wake in the heat Truth burns through the lie
Not a jester’s toy Nor a trick of nimble hands But a watching eye
Frodo’s pulse quickens The room feels suddenly vast Home begins to fade
Great evil stirs now From stories whispered at dusk Older than the hills
The Ring drinks in the flame Darkness wrapped in beauty Power without mercy
Hands begin to shake Fate settles on young shoulders Soft feet, heavy road
Outside, crickets sing Inside, worlds are breaking Time cracks at the seam
The Shire feels far Even as the fire warms Goodbyes form unspoken
Gandalf’s eyes are grave Love sharpened into command The truth cannot bend
Gold dims in the fire A life turns toward shadowed roads A dire warning
The journey is set To lands where hope falls like ash One chance, no return"
