As many of you already know, several of my protagonists are musicians. Music as a form of magic is one of the central themes I try to convey through my writing, whether it's the right song sung at the right time in the right location to open a portal between dimensions, or even if it's just a song performed as a gift to a forest, bringing protection and goodwill for a night.
Music often reveals more about the one performing it than about any overt subject matter contained on the song's surface, and I hope--reading between the lines below--you'll have a revealing glimpse into what's going on in Gren's head when he chooses this particular song to perform while traveling through the Pixie Forest in northern Dahrigek. The magic in this instance does not open a portal or even protect their stash of supplies, but it does trigger a much-needed conversation later on in the story. Think of the song what you will, and feel free to speculate in the coming months before Hidden is published on what, exactly, Gren means.
Without further ado, allow me to present Gren's "Dark Fire."
When we were young and played with fire,
Each step we took was on a wire,
I took your hand, and you took me higher...
But we fell into the dark.
We fell into the dark.
When we were young and danced all night,
I kissed you by the fireside,
The stars shone brighter than city lights...
Then we just fell apart.
Funny how things fall apart.
I looked straight into the abyss,
Picked up all the things I'd missed,
I lost myself, but I found this:
An ember to strike a spark.
When we were young and blazed a trail,
Like a flaming phoenix's tail,
We burnt out, our train derailed...
Our destruction became an art.
Demolition turned into art.