High upon a ledge of rock a pair of hooded malevolent eyes looked down. They missed nothing. On that windblown broken cliff side a cold cruel mind pondered as it watched events unfolding in the valley bottom below. The owner of that mind and those eyes watched as a man in a peasant's cloak trudged slowly along in the valley below until he reached its end and just a wall of rock was before him. From his high viewpoint and with his acute hearing the watcher could hear the man singing a song to himself sadly as he stopped and throwing his shoulder bag to the floor started to disrobe.
“He must feel the cold?” thought the watcher. It appeared that the man didn't.
It was indeed cold. A biting wind blew raggedly from the mountains to the north east bringing squalls of icy cold rain and sleet. The day was sunless as black ominous clouds blew rapidly through the heavens above. Even the ravens that he had heard earlier cawing from the higher peaks seemed to have quietened briefly as they sought shelter although darkness was still a few hours away yet. But it seemed not to trouble the naked man in the valley bottom as he pushed his cloak and bag under some rocks.
The watcher laughed quietly to his self. It wasn't a pleasant laugh. There was no hilarity in it but rather spite or even cruelty. He thought he knew what was going to happen next. He studied the naked man below with a great interest. Although no longer young the man had a fine muscled body. In his cloak he had looked older and even priestly but the watcher knew better. It was a disguise if anything, a mere deception. He knew this man. They had crossed swords, so to speak in the past, and although naked the man below was revealed to be in fine form. He possessed the body of a fighter. Not a spare ounce of fat on his tall frame and it was surprising how much taller he looked now that the cloak was gone. The watcher had seen him in action in the past and knew the result of underestimating him. He smiled to himself at the memory. Those that had mistakenly underestimated the man had paid a price and were mostly not in this world anymore or if they were then they were very much wiser and certainly more cautious people at the very least.
The watcher continued his lone vigil. The wind howled amongst the higher peaks but he paid it no attention. Slowly the naked man below walked up to the solid rock face still humming a sad song. There was a small opening there but certainly not enough of one to be called a cave as such. Not much more really than a small depression in the seemingly solid rock face. But the man approached it with confident steps … and then he was gone.
The watcher blinked. He had seen it happen before but still found it hard to believe. The man simply disappeared. No flash, no casting of magic spells or incantations. The man had simply walked up to the rock face and then disappeared as if into its very fabric. There one second but gone the next without a trace. That was one of the few things in his life that worried the watcher and caused his wicked smile to disappear briefly to be replaced by a frown of consternation. The 'not knowing' worried him the most. How had the man done this? It rankled him deeply that someone had a power like that, a power that he lacked, and above all a power that he longed for so badly that it caused him sleepless nights.
Immediately the watcher descended to where the man had disappeared into the cliff side. He examined the rock minutely where he had just witnessed the event occur. It looked solid. He looked at where the man had hidden his clothes and bag. There were other sets of clothes, a staff and a couple of swords but that was all. He knew that nothing would be revealed there to him and so quickly he once again ascended to his rocky outlook and waited. It wouldn't be long. Of that he was fairly certain. He also felt certain that major events were slowly unfolding in the land. He settled back against the hard rock and rested apprehensively in readiness for the man's return. Yes, something was happening in the land. He could feel it in his very bones. This would take much concentration but he would keep an eye on things. But above everything else he desired the man's secret.