THEMADNESSOFGODSANDKINGS

BookVoftheNorthernCrusade

By:ChristianWarrenFreed

Edited,Produced,andPublishedbyWriter’sEdge

Publishing2014Allrightsreserved.

©2014byChristianWarrenFreed.

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsysteminanyformorbyanymeanswithoutthepriorwritten

permissionofthepublisher.Allcharactersinthisbookare

fictitious,andanyresemblancetorealpersons,

livingordead,iscoincidental.

OtherBooksbyChristianWarren

Freed

TheNorthernCrusadeSeries

HammersintheWindTidesofBloodandSteel

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CKDX3WChttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IAEDMZI

AWhisperAfterMidnightEmpireofBones

TheMadnessofGodsandKings

EvenGodsMustFall

AHistoryofMalweirSeriesArmiesoftheSilverMage

TheDragonHuntersBeyondtheEdgeofDawn

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JFLU08Chttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K1S1OAQhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OC12CHChttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OC12L9Qhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVN2DAOhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OAA0Q0U

Acknowledgements

For my wife, Annie.Whowouldhavethoughtthatwe’dcomethisfarsosoon?

ONE

IngridBlack smoke mingled

with dust as the handful ofhorses sprinkled through thebattling infantrymenthundered across the tinyfarmstead.A pair of dappledgeldings already lay dead in

thesnow-coveredfields,theirridershavingbledoutshortlyafter. Spent arrows andbrokenspearhaftswerejutupat random, turning thefallowpotato field into a macabrescene. The old barn, ricketyand half broken down, wasblazing away. Flames lickedhigh into the late winter skyas the sound of cold steelclashingsangitsgrizzlysongacrossthetundra.

An arrowwhistled past

Ingrid’s head, too close forher liking. The reluctantwarriorknewshehadnothingto prove by being caught inthe middle of another battlebut she’d vowed, not only toherselfbuttotheothersintherebellion,not to stagnate likethepreviouscouncil.Perhapsif they’d had more nerve tobeseenonthefrontwiththeirpeople therebellionwouldn’thave almost been destroyedbyHarnin One Eye’s forces.

Her earlier crisis of faithabatedaftermanylongnightsof deliberation with hershadows Orlek and Harlan.Their insights had thus farproven invaluable in keepingasmanyof her fighters aliveas possible while Harnincontinually spread his ownWolfsreik reserve forces thinacross the breadth ofDelranan inavainattemptatstopping her. Ingrid feltmomentum rebuilding with

eachpassingdawn.None of that would

matterifshegotherselfkilledout on this lonely farm. Sheaccompanied a platoon-sizedelementoutfromtheirmobilebivouac site thirty leaguesnorthwest of the capital citywith the intentonseizing thefarm to lay an ambush. Thevastmajorityof the rebellionwaspeasantsandfarmers,notlike the trained professionalsthey were facing. She knew

theycouldn’tgotoeto toeina pitched fight, leaving littlealternative but to strikethrough guerilla tactics. Athick network of spies andlocal informants stretchedfrom the farwestern coast tothe base of the MurdesMountains in the east. Everymovement Harnin made wasobservedandreportedbacktothe central commandstructure of the rebellion.Sometimes thatmeant delays

of days, borderingonweeks.Theywere delays Ingridwasforced to tolerate as shestruggled to keep one moveahead of the One Eye tyrantoccupyingthethrone.

They’d arrived at thefarm in the predawn hoursonly to find a Wolfsreiksupply train reinforced withheavy infantry alreadycamped out. Both the farmerandhiselderlywifehadbeenkilled long before Ingrid

arrived, under suspicion oftreason. The lieutenant incommand found the couple’swinter stockpile andwrongfully assumed it wasfortherebellion.Ingridspiedtheirbodieshangingfromthebarrenbranchesofanoldoaktree just in front of thefarmhouse.

Faced with the toughchoices of fleeing back totheir camp without makingcontact or fighting an

essentially losing battle,Ingrid reformulated the plansand struck just as fast as shecould get her people intoposition. They fired the barnwith flaming arrows as otherarchers targeted the wagonhorses. Wagons couldn’tmove without horses. TheWolfsreikwaseithergoingtohave to abandon theirsupplies or, after fighting along battle, carry them ontheir backs. Neither prospect

suitedthewolfsoldiers.Ingrid gave their

lieutenant credit for howquicklyherousedhissoldiersand formed a defense. She’dbarely had time to send hermeagercavalry,moreakin tolight raiders, around behindthe farm while her archerscontinued an occasionallypunishingbarrage.Ahandfulofwoundedmeantlittleintheenemy’s capabilities,however. The Wolfsreik

locked their heavy shields inawallandeffectivelyreducedany aerial assault to merenuisance.

Anyinitiativetherebelsonce held dissolved like somuch spring snow asHarnin’s soldiers organizedanddefended.Theymadenomove to go on the assault,content to wait for Ingrid tocounter and make the nextmove. Any notion of astalemate ended abruptly

when Ingrid sent her cavalryin from the rear and infantryfromthefrontundercoverofarchers. The battle remainedstagnant for the first fewminutes before the enemylines cracked. Ingrid sent thelargest men first. Theircombined weight bowed theenemy line, distracting themenough for her cavalry tostrike from behind. TheWolfsreiksquarebrokeanditquicklybecameamelee.

Hand-to-hand combatwas fierce. Men, and anoccasional woman, fell deadorwounded.Theirrichbloodpainted the melting snow.Ever the opportunists,Ingrid’s rebels snatched upthe better-quality weaponsfrom fallen Wolfsreik andsurged ahead with renewedconfidence.Ingridwasabletostay behind, barely, as herforces steadily overwhelmedthe surviving enemy. She

didn’t offer quarter. Neitherwould they.This typeofwardidn’t allow for prisoners.Each side bore that burdeninto battle every time. Itwasa sad fact that countrymenkilled countrymen withruthlessabandon in thenameof causes they didn’t trulyunderstand.

Ingriddidn’tpretend tounderstandthem.Anofficer’swife, she’d been around thearmyforaslongasshecould

remember.Many of themenfighting her now seemedfamiliar, invoking fondmemories turned painful bythewarat theveryleast.Sheoften wondered if any wereonce friends. Thinking ofkilling former friends didn’tsitwell.Noneofherpreviousemotions meant anything inthe ongoing struggle for thesoul ofDelranan. She foughtjust as harshly as her enemyand expected the same from

them.Shelookedup,tryingto

findthearcherthathadcomewithinabreathofkillingher,spotting him just in time tocatch Orlek plunge his shortbladedownbetweentheneckandshoulder.Thearcherdiedwithagrimace lockedonhisbearded face. Orlek’s scowlprevented Ingrid fromsmiling.His displeasurewithhaving her on the battlefieldwas well known to everyone

inthecommandcell.The archer’s death

signified the end of the realfighting. Ingrid’s rebelshunted down the survivingWolfsreik, mercifully endingthe suffering of thewoundedwith a quick swipe acrosstheir throats. She couldn’twatch. Death was her booncompanion but she viewedtheir relationship in a foulatmosphere.Evenafternearlyafullwintershestillcouldn’t

stomachwatchingamandie,muchlesskillingoneherself.Allthemorereasontoreturnto the village and lead frombehind the scenes. Gettingyourselfkilledwillonlymakematters worse for everyone.The rebellion’s been throughso much I don’t think theycould stand going throughanother restructuring. Shesaw that sentiment echoed inOrlek’s dark eyes as hestalked across the distance

separatingthem.“What do you think

you’redoing?”hefumed.She held up her hands

in protest while letting himvent. There wasn’t muchpoint in trying to stop him,not when his emotions wereamped up. He was a man,afterall.Of course it doesn’thelpthatwehavefeelingsforeach other. She sighed.Romantic entanglementsnever worked out in these

sorts of situations. One ofthem was bound to end upface down in a field, leavingthe other a broken husk of asurvivor.Shealmostprayeditwas her dead in the fields,thatwayshewouldn’thavetobeartheheartacheofseeingasecondmanshelovedkilled.

Hepausedmomentarilyafter noticing her reluctanceto engage. “Don’t give methat silent treatment, Ingrid!I’m serious. War isn’t a

game. Men die, horribly.You’retheleaderof….”

“Of the rebellion. Iknow this, Orlek, but thatdoesn’t negate myresponsibilities in being aleader. These men andwomen need to see me outdoing what leaders aresupposed to do. We’ve hadthis argument a hundredtimes since fleeing Chadra.Inaella and the others weremore politician than leader.

How can I inspire anyonewhen they never see myface?”shefiredback.

Ingridplacedherhandson her hips, daring him togiveherfurtherfuelforhertoattack with. She had just asmuchpassionforDelrananasherrebellionandwouldarguelike a badger until heropponent saw her point ofview.

“Ingrid, we’re slowlyturning the tide back against

Harnin,”hesaid,muchoftheearlier conviction bled fromhis voice. “But we can’tmaintain momentum if yougetkilledbyastrayarrow.”

“Only that wasn’t astray and you know it. Hemeant to kill me. I’m arecognizable figure now.Harnin has my descriptionplastered in every village hehas the tiniest grip on. I’m atargetnow,Orlek.Hidingmeawaywon’tchangethat,”she

told him. “He’ll stop atnothing to get atme and cuttheheadoff the rebellion forgood.”

Orlek’s shoulderssagged. “We should havemade sure Inaella was deadbeforeleaving.”

“She’sonlyasmallpartoftheproblem.”

He barked a bitterlaugh. “Women scorned areseldom small parts. I have afeelingshe’soneof themain

driving forces in Harnin’snewoffensive.”

“Of course she is,”Ingrid replied. There’d beenrumors of a pockmarked,dark-haired woman at thefront of Harnin’s formationsasthecampaignwagedacrossthe western part of thekingdom. Until Ingrid hadconfirmation, there was littlepoint in pursuing them. Shewanted Inaella dead morethan any other save perhaps

Harnin himself. Once, shepitied Inaella. The womanhad lost everything and beenstricken with the plague.Whatever remained was ashallow representation of thewoman she’d been. Hatredfueled her thoughts, hatredfor Ingrid. There was areckoning coming and Ingridcould only hope somethingfoul happened before itarrived.

“Inaella knows all of

your secrets. She’ll stop atnothing to see you hangingfromthegibbetsoverChadraKeep,”Orlekneedlesslysaid.

Ingrid finally allowedsome of her ire to calm.Living with Inaella’s wrathwas a burden only she couldbear. Anyone else caught inthe path would either beswept aside or driven under.Their fire threatened toconsume the northernkingdom all lost amidst the

growing conflagrationbetween good and bad. Noone in Delranan knewanything about the comingstorm between the gods andtheir minions here onMalweir.

Flashing a soft smile,Ingridpushedalockofblondcurls from her face. “I can’tlet her stop our progress.She’s only one woman andlacks any knowledge ofwhere we’ve come since

leaving the city. Herinformation is outdated.Harnin will see her for thatand, from what I can guess,will have her strung up orsenttooneofthelaborcampsin the east for wasting histime.”

The camps wereequally rumor. Ones shetended to believe. Evenbefore the rebellion fracturedand abandoned the majorcities, Ingrid had heard

mention of Harnin’s troopsfortifying theeastagainst theeventual return of KingBadron and his much larger,more professional army. Nodoubt Harnin felt trappedbetween two ragingconflagrations. Dealing withthe rebellion in a swift,efficientmannerwashisbestoption, especially with theten-thousand-strongWolfsreik returning fromcampaigninRogscroft.Ingrid

still had a chance, albeit aslight one with a closingwindowofopportunity.

“All I’m asking is thatyou bear with me until wecan force this ordeal to aconclusion,” she told himwith all sincerity. “We canbreak Harnin. Leave himineffective and bloodiedwhenBadronreturns.”

“Where does that leaveus, though? We’ve all hearddark things about the king.

Howcanwetrusthimtotreatusorthekingdomanybetter?For all we know he’ll comeafterusthemomenthe’sdonecrushing Harnin.” Orlekfrowned. Deep creases linedhis weather-beaten forehead.A soldier, he’d chosen tokeep his past hidden fromIngrid. There were somethings she justdidn’tneed toworry about. “Right nowweneedtofocusonmoppingthismess up. We can’t afford to

let any of Harnin’s menescape.”

She felt the weightdragging her heart down getheavier. Killing was nevereasy,norshoulditbe.Ittooka different kind of man totake a life. Those rare fewfinding perverse pleasure inthe deed left stains on all ofhumanity.Ingridorderedmenkilled because she had to.Because there was no otherviable solution to ending the

rebellion inDelrananwithoutlettingHarninwin.Toomuchhad happened already. Toomany depravities. Too fewpeople standing up for whatwas right. The imbalance ofsocial justice spurred herdecisions. Her consciencewouldhavetowaittobedealtwithoncethefightingended.

“Order the cavalry tohunt down the survivors. Asmuch as I’d like to takeprisonerswe can’t afford the

manpowernecessarytoguardthem,”sheinstructed.

Orleksheathedhisshortsword. “Themenknowwhatto do. I’ll see to it. I suggestyou get inside the farmhouseand try to get warm. It’s along ride back to camp andweneedyouwithallofyourfingers and toes, if you takemymeaning.”

She forced a smile.Frostbite was a very realconcern plaguing the rebels

as they struggled through thedeep snows previouslyuntouchedbyanything largerthanabullmoose.“Leavemea few to take care of thefarmer and his wife. Theydidn’t deserve to die,especiallynotat thehandsofthe same army sworn todefendthem.”

“Of course,” was allOrleksaid.Therebellionhadseen its share of civiliancasualties. A sad fact of war

was that more civilianswound up getting killed thansoldiers.This farmingcouplewas merely the latest in alonglineofvictims.

Ingrid watched himwalkawaywithmildinterest.Shecouldn’thelpbutwonderif they’d ever find the pathback to normalcy or wouldDelranan suffer under thecloud of madness until thegreat fire went out of theworld? Unwanted answers

assailed her as she stalkedinsidewithheavyheart.

TWO

ALastMealA flock of red ibis

floated overhead, addingflavor to the endless sky ofblue. Not a cloud could beseen, leaving thegolden raysof sunlight to warm theground.Nestledinthemiddle

of a gigantic clearing restedtheonlytempleofthegodsoflight in Malweir. Trennaronwas a symbol of hope tosome, myth to most. Only aselect fewwere ever allowedadmittance. Artiss Gran, theonlyDae’shanremainingtrueto their original purpose,focusedhisthoughtsonthosefew resting within thecomfortsofTrennaron.

The long war wasfinally coming to a close.

Centuries of careful planningand unseen manipulation toensure the proper bloodlineswerepresentattherighttimewere about to pay off. Atleast he hoped. Even one aspowerful as himself couldn’tpossibly foresee everpotential future. Artissstruggledthroughcenturiesofsolitude while his errantbrethrenscavenged theworldin search of souls taintedenough toenact the returnof

the dark gods. The crusaderanging across northernMalweir was their finalgambit.

Amar Kit’han and theotherDae’shanhadarmiesattheirdisposal.Artisshadonlya handful of collected heroesto counter the rising tide ofdarkness. His faith that allraces would respond to thechallengesfacingthem,whilewell intentioned, wasn’tstrongenoughtorelyon.The

withered, oldman closed hiseyes and gently punched thetop of the wall keeping himfrom falling off of the roof.So many uncertainties kepthim from doing what heknew, or thought he knew,whatneededtobedone.Howcould he be sure he wasindeed acting in accordancewith the gods of light whenhe was trapped within thealabasterwallsofTrennaron?

Asmuchashe’dliketo

abandon the temple and seehisbandofheroessafelybackto the holy site of ArlevonGale, hisoathsboundhim toTrennaron. Should he leave,the magic of the templewould fail andhis lifewouldbe forfeit. Artiss sighedagain. Perhaps there werematters in life that meantmore than one soul. Hecontemplated leaving hispost, if for no other reasonthantocombattheotherthree

Dae’shan. Nothing the racesofMalweirhadwassufficientenough to battle the servantsofdarkness.

LeavingTrennaronwasa temporary solution to apermanent problem. Theknowledge of the gods oflight rested safely within theundergroundvaults.Whowashetorisklosingthewealthofknowledge for all time justfor thesakeofexorcisingthedemonsthathadplaguedhim

since the dawn of Man? Hefound it suddenly odd thatafter several mortal lifetimesthe end game had begun.Yearswasted thinking of thepotential outcomes werestripped away, leaving himonlywithwhatwasandwhatwasn’t. Artiss Gran pridedhimself on being practical.Practicality stated all of hisefforts and hard work werecoming to a close, a grandfinale fromwhich therewere

only two possibleconclusions. Those basest ofallmortaldesigns:successorfailure. He wished he coulddomore,butthegodsoflighthad been specific with theircharge. Reluctantly, Artissturned from the dawn toconfronthisguests.

He found themshiftingblandlythroughtheirmealofroast fowl, freshly bakedcornbread, and a wheel ofyellow cheese. Of them all,

onlyBoentheGaimosianandIronfoot the Dwarf held anappetite.They ravenously setabout devouring whateverfoodwas laid out in front ofthem, washing it all downwith freshbrookwater andapint of Trennaron’s finestmead, an indulgence Artissnevermanagedtoshakefromhisyouthful,mortaldays.Hesmiled at the memories,watching the pair consumehis favorite drink produced.

Artiss took a minor measureofprideinhavingsomeofthefinest honey bees in thesouthernkingdoms.

“Our host returns!”Boen called raucouslybetween bites of fowl and aratherloud,uncouthburpthatechoedthroughoutthedomedhall.Juicedribbleddownintohisbeard.Olderthanmostofthem, the Gaimosian, namedVengeance Knights by themajority of the world due to

their curse of never having ahomeland, was far too set inhis ways to bother or worryaboutchangingnow.

Artiss forgave him histrespass and offered a curtbow.“MasterBoen,Iseeyouare enjoying what my cookshaveprepared.”

“Indeed. No finer afeasthaveIhadsincejoiningthisdamnedfoolcrusade!”hesaid as he laughed anddrained his mug. “Almost

makes me forget what’s tocome.Almost.”

“I’mafraidthereisonlysomuchIcando toalleviateyour apprehensions of thefuture,” Artiss repliedsmoothly, choosing to ignorethe lack of manners. “Howdideveryonesleep?”

Bahr, once knownacrossthenorthernpartoftheworldas theSeaWolf, ranahand through his nowsilvered hair. Heavy bags

darkenedhisfacebeneathhiseyes,accompanyingthefreshset of wrinkles he’daccumulated since the questbegan. “Sleep has not beenour ally in a long time,Artiss.”

“Understandably so.It’s not everyone’s place inlife tobeasked to rescue theworldfromcertaindoom.”

Bahr rubbed his chinand gave the Dae’shan arueful glance. “You have a

waywithwords.”“An unfortunate side

effect of living in nearseclusion for so long. I findthatI’velost thesubtleartofconversation. Perhaps, oncethisordeal is finished, I’ll beabletoreturntoanormallifeand open the doors ofTrennaron to those wiseenough to care for theknowledge.” Sadness echoedinhiswords.Theawful truthhewantedtoconcealcasually

bledthroughhisdemeanor.Bahr paused, making a

mental note of Artiss’sunspoken regrets beforereplying,“Noworries,Artiss.Weare inyourdebt foryourhospitality.”He left anaturalpause at the end of thestatement.

Artiss picked up on itimmediately. “But you aremore than ready to be aboutyourbusiness?”

“I’m afraid so,” the

wizard, Anienam Keissadded. Responsible for themajority of those assembledbeing included in the questandthesoledescendantoftheorderofMages,hisfatherhadbestowed the knowledge ofthe dark gods’ return on himatayoungage.Hewasforcedto live more than a hundredyears with the burden ofleading a handful of peopleinto the worst possiblesituation conceivable. Their

lives rested in his hands andhe wasn’t wholly convincedhe was going to be able tokeep them all alive. As itstood,onehadbeencapturedand anothermurdered on thejourney to Trennaron. Howmanymorewouldfallbeforethey reached the end? “Youof all people recognize theneed for haste.We must getthe Blud Hamr to ArlevonGale before time expires onus.”

“Long have I awaitedthismoment,AnienamKeiss.It has been so long I wasbeginning to think it wouldnever come. I cannot say theway ahead will be easy, butwhatever trials you undergowill be dwarfed by therewards of a missionsuccessfully accomplished.”The Dae’shan glided acrossthe bronze, marble floor towhere the group sat. “Youhave all already proven your

worth.Veryfewinallofmyyears could have done whatyou have, and in the face ofsuchadversity. Icongratulateyouallandwishyouthebestof luck on the final stage ofyour quest. The fate of allMalweirrestsinyourhands.”

TheDae’shanstruggledtothinkofwhatelsehecouldsay toalleviate theharshnessof their final stage.Many ofthem would not make it outalive. Itwas a sad truth he’d

known since the breaking ofthe Dae’shan. Victorydemanded prices higher thanmany of those assembledknewtheyweregoingtohaveto pay. Righteousness wasdemanding and cruel. Hesnortedmildly.Nowondersomany found it easier to turnto darkness and let theiremotions control their deeds.How many good souls havebeen corrupted simplybecause they lacked the

conviction to preserve indifficultsituations?

Bahrheldouthishands.“Little else needs to be said,Artiss. None of us, save thewizardhere,haveanyinklingof what comes next but thathasn’t stopped us frompushing forward. I think it’ssafetoassumethatwearealldedicated to seeing thismatter through to the end,whatever that may be. All Icanpersonally ask is foryou

not to coatwhatwe’re aboutto face. We’re all provenwarriors, for the most part,and have been through toomany exploits for our owngood. I’d personally like toretirefromthislife.”

His eyes darkened asthey remembered the flamesfrom his burning estate andthose from his beloved ship,the Dragon’s Bane. HarninOne Eye stole them both inthespanofasinglenight.All

he’d accumulated in nearlysixdecadesof lifewipedoutat the whim of a man bitterwith personal hatreds for aperceived wrong even hedidn’t understand. Bahrslowly began to regret thedecision of placing hisbrotheronthethrone.Perhapshe should have taken thecrown instead of wanderingoff to make his name in thewiderworld.

Then again, if he had,

where would he be rightnow?Delrananwaslockedina bitter civil war while hisbrother, the rightful king,busily destroyed neighboringRogscroft. People in bothkingdoms died by the scoreswith nothing to show for it.Theentirenorthseemedtobecollapsing in on itself whiletherestof theworldwatchedwith baited breath, secretlyhoping the conflagrationwouldn’t spread to yet more

kingdomswhiletheydeclinedrequestsforaid.Bahrquicklybegan to lose faith inhumanity.

Artiss visibly relaxed.“Thank you for that, Bahr.I’ve imagined thisconversationathousandtimesifonce.Eachtimeitplaysoutdifferently inmymind, for Ihad no way of knowing thecaliber of the individualsgathered to defend Malweir.You have far surpassed any

expectationsIonceheld.Youare all truly champions ofwhat the gods of lightrepresent.”

Only Rekka Jelremained untouched byArtiss’sspeech.OutcastfromhernativevillageofTengforthe supposed reason behindherformersuitor’sdeath,shestruggled to find her newplace in life. Always therehad been the promise ofreturninghomeoncehertime

served at Trennaron wascompleted. That way wasnowclosedtoher.Muchhadchangedoverwinter’scourse.She’d found love in the sellswordDorl Theed,who nowsat beside her, oblivious toher internal deliberations.Unwanted complicationsseemedtoplagueher,makingit exceedingly difficult toconcentrate on her truepurpose: find Bahr, escorthim to Trennaron to retrieve

the Blud Hamr, the onlyweapon capable of stoppingthe dark gods, and get himbacktoArlevonGaleintime.Nothing else mattered. Lifeanddeathwererelativetermsshe forced aside for thegreater good of all life onMalweir.

Her eyes casuallyshifted over to Dorl and herheart warmed. Just being inhis presence had a calmingeffecton thewarriorwoman.

Years of servitude to ArtissGran robbed her of theemotional stability normalpeoplehad.Shebecamemoreof a machine, focused onprotecting Malweir ratherthan developing as a person.Theselfneglectthreatenedtoprove detrimental to theothers,unlessshemanagedtofully understand what itmeanttobehumanagain.

Artiss slowly pannedhis gaze across the motley

assortment of characters inthedininghall.ADwarffromDrimmen Delf, Giant fromlong forgotten Venheim, aGaimosian, a boy who hadyet to realize his fullpotential, and a handful offalse heroes from Delranan.Neverinhisdreamscouldhehave imaginedbringing themall together with commonpurpose.Despitehismusingshe knew there were no finercandidates for the appointed

task.“I will leave you to

your meal. My instincts tellme it will be your lastpeacefulone ina long time,”Artiss announced quietly.“Rekka, if you would escortthem into themaincourtyardwhen you are ready toproceed?”

“Yes, Master,” Rekkareplied curtly and watchedwith flint-hard eyes as theDae’shan floated out of the

hall.Boen burped again.

“Sure does like to make ashowofthings,doesn’the?”

Ironfoot the Dwarfwipedhismouthon thebackof a sleeve. “People like thatare well beyond myreckoning. Life is simplerwithout mystic ranting. Givemeanaxeandpointmeattheenemy.”

Boen nodded hisagreement.HeandtheDwarf

were kindred spirits.Gaimosians had roamedMalweir for centuries afterthe destruction of theirkingdom. Deemed toopowerful, a concentratedeffort by a host of kingdomstried to wipe their race fromexistence. It failed, despiteGaimos being destroyed, andthe survivors spread acrossMalweir. They claimed thetitle of Vengeance Knightsand slipped through the

cracks as mercenaries. He’dlived a warrior’s life, neverstopping to settle down andhave a family. His life wasoneofperpetualfrustrationofhis own choosing. Boenwasfar from complicated. Hewentwheretheworkwasandlivedwithnoregrets.Joiningthe quest to save Malweirfrom the dark gods had beenon a whim but, after carefulretrospect, he couldn’t thinkof any place else he’d rather

be.The Dwarf captain’s

predicament came aboutthrough vastly differentmeans. He was responsiblefor capturing Bahr and theothers in thefoothillsoutsideof Drimmen Delf. OnceAnienamKeissmadehimselfknown to King Thord,Ironfoot was placed as anescort. Together theyassaulted the enemy darkDwarf lines and ended the

siege of Drimmen Delf.Thord promised Ironfoot intributetoBahr’scontributionsin the battle of Bode Hill.He’d proven an invaluableasset to the overall missionthusfar.NexttoBahr,hehadthe most combat experienceinthegroup.

Anienam ignored theirconversation and turned toBahr. Their relationship wasfragile at best and he neededto smooth over the creases

before they returned toDelranan. Otherwise….“Bahr, might I have a wordwithyouinprivate?”

Suddenlywary,theSeaWolfdebatedstayingwiththeothers. He had no secrets, atleast not since it wasdiscovered that Maleela washisnieceandhewas the trueheir to Delranan’s throne.That great weight slippedfromaroundhisneck,leavinghim more content than he’d

been in avery long time.Heexhaledasharpbreathbeforenoddingonce.

They walked into thenearcavernoushallwayoutofearshot and Bahr folded hisarms across his chest. Hisdark green shirt crinkledunder the pressure. His eyeswere tired but strong. Theysearchedthewizard’sfaceforany clues as to what thisimpromptu meeting wasabout.

Anienam didn’t wait.“YouandIdon’tcareforoneanother. I recognize this andacceptitforwhatitis.Weareboth so set in our waysnothing will change. Thatbeing said I want to ensurethe air between us is clearbefore we head back toDelranan. Too much is atstake for petty differences togetintheway.”

“I agree, but don’t seewhyyoubring this up now,”

Bahrcountered.Theyalreadyexpressed theirgrievances enroute to Trennaron. Bahr,grievingthelossofhisniece,was ready to cut his lossesandrun.Hisanimosityshiftedonto Anienam for reasonseven he wasn’t sure of. Yetthe wizard’s words werewise. The time fordisagreements was past. Thewarwascoming,barrelingatthem at full speed while theworld burned around them.

Anienam was the last in thedistinguished line of Mages.Bahr needed his magic inordertogethomeandsurvivethelongdarkness.

Anienam rubbed hispalms together. “In order tofully understand you mustrealize what is about tohappen.”

“I already know. Wefail and the world isdestroyed.”

Anienam shook his

head.“Itgoesfarbeyondthat,Bahr. The dark gods are thevery definition of evil. Theywill stop at nothing to getrevenge on the onesresponsible for imprisoningthemsolongago.Bahr,everyrace played a part in thatbanishment. Should theDae’shan succeed in openingthe nexus betweendimensions, all life onMalweir will wither and dieunderthetormentsofthedark

gods. No one will be safe.Each and every life willsuffer endlessly until theirhearts expire and deathmercifullyclaimsthem.Ifwefail, our sufferingwill be thegreatest. Even Artiss Grandoesnotknowthefullextentof the horrors that will bevisited.”

“You once said all ofthe nexuseswere destroyed,”Bahrcountered.

“So I had thought, but

my timehere and during ourjourney south has led me tobelieve otherwise. ArlevonGale is the final nexus. Theone most scholars thoughtwas destroyed centuries agoduringaminorborderwar.”

He paused as oldmemories rushed back,redirecting his train ofthought. “My…father onceglimpsed the dark gods. Heled agroupofheroes similarto ours to destroy the Silver

Mage one thousand yearsago. He was never the sameagain. Nightmares plaguedhimuntohisdeathbed.Itwassadaffair. Idon’twant togothroughthis.Idon’twantanyofusgoingthroughthis.Theonly way to prevent it is bythe two of us presenting aunified front and leading theothers.”

Bahr remained silent,casually contemplating hisoptions.Hedoubtedhe’dever

carefortheenigmaticwizardbut knew he was going toneed his magic before theend. A small part of himwanted to punchAnienam inthe jaw and call it even butviolence wasn’t going tosolvemuch,notat thisstage.Reluctantly he agreed withwhat the wizard had said.They’d nearly come apartafter the battle with theGnaals, leaving them weakand ready to fall.The lament

over finding Ionascu’smurderedcorpseandtracesofMaleelabeingcaptured leftagapingholeinside.Aholeheneeded filled. Ionascu wasone of Harnin’s men, atwisted,bitterwreckofamanwho deserved his fate. Theonly question was why hisniecekilledhim.

Bahrrespondedquicklybefore his thoughts gotsidetracked. “Very well. Forthe sakeof theothers I’ll set

aside any animosity towardsyou. You have my fullsupport andcooperationuntilweendthis.”

“Thank you. You havemine as well,” the wizardreplied.

Bahrunfoldedhisarms.“Anienam, know this. Oncewe’vestopped thedarkgods,I don’t everwant to see youagain.”

Thewizardgrinnedandreturned to the remnants of

hisbreakfast.

THREE

TheChamberBagspackedandanew

wagonpresentedtohaultheirsupplies and weapons, thesmall band of heroesassembled in the courtyard.Sunlight beamed down,warming their flesh in away

they wouldn’t see again formonthsonce theyreturned tothe frozen north.Unexpectedtension encompassed thegroup.Conversation faded tothe bare minimum. Handsabsently toyed with swordhilts or loose buttons onclothing. More than one ofthe group stared off intonothing as thoughts begancenteringonthefightoftheirlives.

They’dspentmonthson

the road. First to rescuePrincess Maleela from hercaptors in Rogscroft--a liethatwaslaterdiscovered--andthenonthejourneytothefarsouthern Jungles of Brodeinto find the mythicalTrennaron. Constant battleswith impossible creatures,river men, and Harnin OneEye left them depleted onmany levels. They werealready at the ends of theirphysical limits, mentally

worndowntothepointwherepoor decisions might lead toaccidents.

The few days spent inTrennaron did much to healand replenish their strengthbutBahrquestioned if itwasenough. A man could onlyendure so much before hebroke. The Sea Wolf lookedto each of his companions,peoplehe’dknownforonlyafew short months in mostcases. He tried remembering

a time before they’dmet buthismindwasconsumedwiththe quest. Imagining lifewithoutanyoftheminitwasdifficult. He’d come to relyontheirskills,judgments,andfriendship, much like thecrewoftheDragon’sBane.

HewatchedBoen slidehis leather armor down overhis barrel chest, stretchingandwiggling to adjust it justright. Despite his penchantfor absolute mayhem on the

battlefield, the Gaimosiannearly always laughed andjoked. At least he did nowthatIronfootwasalong.Bahrshookhisheadruefully.Likeminds and all that, hesupposed. The big man wasBahr’s best asset and longestfriend. They’d sharedjourneysbefore, thoughnoneso dangerous as right now.He couldn’t help but thinkhowemptyhe’d feel ifBoengot killed. Friendswere hard

for aman likeBahr to comeby. Losing them was a sadfact of his lifestyle and onlygot harder as the years wentby.

“Look at theoldman,”Dorl whispered out of thecornerofhismouth.

Nothol Coll rolled hisneck slowly and said, “He’sjust nervous. I don’t blamehim.”

Theyoungersellswordwas taller and stronger than

Dorl but was the perfectcomplement to Dorl’sworrisome nature.Lighthearted with dark hairand eyes, Nothol wanderedthrough life trying to be agoodman andmake the bestout of bad situations. Hedidn’tbotherlookingtoBahr.There were enoughconflicting emotionsrumbling in his ownmind toworryaboutsomeoneelse.

Dorl frowned tightly.

“You should start thinkingaboutmorethanyourself.”

“Why? I have a hardenoughtimedealingwithmyown problems,” Notholansweredtartly.Itwasanoldargument.

“You might just livelonger,”Dorl accusedwith apointed finger. “I might justlivelongerbecauseofit.”

“Now who’s beingselfish?” Nothol said andlaughed. “Relax, Dorl. It’s

either going to work out orit’s not. There’s no pointworrying overwhatwe can’tcontrol.”

The thought of beingmagically transportedhundreds of leagues back tothekingdomwherethisaffairbegan in the span of a fewheartbeats left turmoilgnawingawayathisstomach.He didn’t trust Anienam asfar as he could spit but wasnotconfrontedwithhavingto

rely on powers beyond hiscomprehension. Questionsbothered him the longer hethoughtonit.Hetried,failingmiserably, to think of thepower capable of moving aperson across so muchdistance. Even Anienamcouldn’t provide an answer;he merely mumbledconfusing thoughts on spaceand time interchanging. Dorlhadstoppedlisteningearly.

“You can’t expect me

tobelieveyou’recomfortablewithwhatwe’reabouttodo,”Dorl demanded as his angerlevel began to rise. Afteryears of working together,Nothol knew exactly how topushhisbuttons.

Notholshruggedlightlyasheensuredhisswordcameout of the scabbard easily.“Dorl,youshouldrelax.Thisis a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity. Don’t you wanttobeabletotellyourchildren

about what you did to savetheworld?”

“Somehow I doubt I’mgoing to live long enough tohave kids,” he replied flatly.“Nothol, we’re all going todie.”

Rekka finishedstrapping her pack down onher horse and glanced upsharply. The possibility ofcertain death wasn’t new.She’d been bred for specificpurpose.Deathwasmerelyan

unfortunate side effect shewaspreparedtodealwith.

The sell sword paused.Hismouthopenedandclosedas his mind cycled throughthe possible futures. Deathcertainly changed things butnotenoughtokeephimfromfollowingBahrthroughtotheend.Therewasneveranyrealchoice, not for a man likeNothol. He worked for thehighest bidder and, in thisinstance, men he knew he

could rely on. Bahr wasn’tperfect, but he was goodenoughforNothol.

“We’ve been houndedby Lord Death from thebeginning,”hesaidcarefully.“Howmany times shouldwealready have been killed?You’ve seen the darknessgrowing in Delranan andother parts ofMalweir.Dorl,we have a chance to stop it.To end it all so our childrenwon’t have to endure the

sametrials.”Heheldhishandup to keep Dorl silent. “I’mnot trying to sound like ahero. You know me. But Ithink after all we’ve beenthrough we owe it ourselvestoseethisthingthrough.”

Dorl Theed had nocomeback.Nowittybantertolightenthesituation.Asmuchas he wanted to deny hisfriend, refute his claims, hecouldn’t.Deepinsidehetookpride in knowing his actions

were going to matter. Tomake a difference forgenerations to come. Howcould anyone in their rightmind argue against that sortoflogic?

From atop the wagonbed Skuld listened to theirexchange with rapt interest.Almost at the end of histeens, he was the leastexperiencedoneofthegroup.Childish dreams of grandeurmade him stow away aboard

the Dragon’s Bane whenBahr sailed off to rescueMaleela. He’d come so far,seen somuch that that youthwas gone, replaced by ayoung, confused manburdened with moreresponsibility than he everwanted.

He’d come to envyDorlandNothol’sfriendship.Growing up on the harshstreets of Chadra left himwith little friends. The

cutthroat world he enduredfor years made him hard,calloused in ways the othersweren’t. The one thing heeverwantedwasatruefriend.He hoped to find that beforethe end of this journey.Perhaps then he’d become aman. Skuld climbed off thewagon to inspect the wheelsandundercarriage.

Ironfoot slapped Skuldon the shoulder andgrumbled, “They bicker like

anoldmarriedcouple.”The youth didn’t have

anywitty replysohemeeklynodded in reply.His lifestylehadn’t allowed for family,brothers or sisters, leavinghim with no frame ofreference to reply to theDwarf. Ironfoot noticed hisawkwardness andwalked offchuckling.SkuldwatchedtheDwarf, still unable to readhim any better than he wasBoenorGroge,theGiant.

Each step thunderedacross the courtyard asGroge, Blud Hamr strappedsecurely to his back, ambledovertostandbesideBahr.Hewasn’t a warrior and had noaspirations to become one.Violencewasanathematohisclan. They secludedthemselves away from therestoftheworld,claimingthemountaintops to establishVenheim, the forge of thegods. Each day they labored

to create the perfect tools.Legend said Giants hadforged the Blud Hamr inresponse to the coming warbetweenthegodsoflightandtheir dark brethren. Perhapsforgemaster Joden knew thetruth of this, but at hisadvanced age it was nearimpossibleforhimtorecall.

Surrounded by otherswho had no qualms withtaking lives,Groge struggledto findhisway in almost the

samemannerasSkuld.Whilehestoodnearlytenfeet tallerthantheboy,andwasroughlya hundred years older, hefound himself liking Skuldgreatly. They’d spentcountlesshoursdiscussingthesmall matters that revolvedaroundyouthofeveryrace.

“Ah Groge, feel anydifferent?”Bahraskedwithabrightsmile.

The Giant cocked hishead as he tried to decipher

Bahr’smeaning.“Isleptwelllastnight,Captain.”

Boen broke out withlaughter. “He’s talking aboutthe hammer, lad. Does thehammer make you feeldifferent?”

Cheeks reddening,Groge said, “No. It’s heavybut I haven’t felt any of themagic transferring into mybody.”

“Nor should you,”Anienam added. “Fromwhat

I’vebeenabletodiscover,thehammer’s magic won’tbecome activated until it isnear the Olagath Stone. Youshouldbefineuntilthen.”

“What happens then?”Bahrasked.

Anienamdidn’tofferananswer.

Artiss Gran arrived inhisfashion,silentanddriftinga few inches off of theground.He listened patientlyas they dithered over minor,

unchangeable details beforemaking his presence knownwith a gentle cough. Not allof the subtle nuances ofmortal interaction had beenlost tohim. “The timehasatlast arrived, my friends.Captain Bahr, is your teamprepared?”

“They are,” Bahranswered without lookingback.

Artiss nodded, thegesture almost faint beneath

thegossamerhood.“Good.Itis time to go into thechamber. Iaskyouallnot totouch anything. The way isguarded by powers leftbehindwhenthegodsoflightdeparted Malweir. They willdestroyyou instantly.Followmeandallwillbewell.”

Nothol gave Dorl aplayfulshove.“See,howbadcanitbe?”

Ignoring the barb,Dorlshifted the weight of armor

and watched as Artiss Granspread his long arms. Rawpower danced between hisfingertips, violent shades ofgreen in stark contrast to thegentle smoothness of thealabaster walls. The groundtrembled as a crack opened.Thin at first, it widened toreveal a wide slope goingdown. Dust began to settle.Rocks stopped rolling.Artissslowly lowered his arms andbowedhishead.“Followme,

please.”The Dae’shan

effortlessly began to glidedown. A rainbow of lightsreflected sunlight back up tothe surface, temporarilyblinding the others. Thepassage down widenedenough to allow both horsesand wagon and deepenedenough for Groge to walkcomfortably. Bahr followedwithout hesitation. Better toget it over with. Delaying

survivednopurpose.“Great, we’re going

backdown,”Dorlcomplainedjust loud enough to makeNothollaughinreply.

Going down didn’tprove as difficult as any ofthem imagined.Soonenoughthey stood on level groundscarcely one hundred metersbelow ground. Artiss strodeto the center of the circularchamberandproducedathickrod of oak and steel the

height of a man. Gesturingfor the group to gather infrontofhim,heslammedthestaff one time. Ringingechoesdancedthroughoutthechamber as it came to life inseas of colors. Bahr lookedaroundandnoticed theentirechamber was made of glass.Theeffectwasdizzying.

“What is done cannotbe undone,” Artiss said, hisvoice baritone, authoritative.“Once the light issummoned

you will be taken acrossspace and time to thekingdom of Delranan. Staywithin the light until it fadescompletely or you will belost, trapped in a dimensionakinto theprisonof thedarkgods.Doyouunderstand?”

Half nodded while therestmumbledaquietyes.

ItwasenoughforArtissGran. He slammed the staffonceagainandbrilliantwhitelight bathed the chamber.

Bahr and the others wereforcedtoshieldtheireyeslestthey were blinded. One byone they faded from reality.ThejourneybacktoDelrananhad finally begun. Artissstood alone in the coldchamberoncethelightfaded.Exhausted, he leaned againstthestaffforsupport.Muchofhis strength bled away fromthe raw power the chamberdemanded. He’d done all hecould, for Bahr and for

Malweir.Therestnowlayinthe hands of the eightindividuals en route to thefrozennorth.

FOUR

TheArmyMovesWestThe column of horses

wound nearly a full leaguebacktotheeast,tothecityofRogscroft. Bundled underthickcloaksfromwolvesandbears, the riders shiveredunder the cold steel of their

body armor. Sharpenedspears jutted from theirsleeves attached to eachsaddle. Swords clanged andjangled with each bouncingstep. Banners waved in thelightbreeze.Whathadbeenasight reviled--thebloodstained wolf head onsnow-colored background--was now celebrated in thesmall towns and hamlets asthe Wolfsreik marched westtowards the Murdes

Mountains.Justafewshortmonths

agothey’dcomefightingandkilling their way acrossRogscroft to lay siege to thecapital before conquering thekingdom. King Badronexecuted King Stelskor andclaimed the kingdom in thename of Delranan. Thevictory, which should havegone down in history as oneof the Wolfsreik’s proudestmoments, became tainted by

the unexpected involvementof an army of Goblins. TheWolfsreik’s commandinggeneral, Rolnir, suspectedfouldeliberationsbetweenhisking and the Goblincommander. Worse, darkinfluences altered Badron,subtly at first but progressedto the point of brazendementia.Rolnirdidtheonlything he could in order tokeep his army intact. Herebelled.

Virtually all of hisarmy, those still combateffective to carry on, sidedwith him. Only a handful ofunits that were closest toBadron refused. Rolnir hadnearly seven thousandsoldiers ready to throw intothe field. Another fifteenhundredwerewounded,mostnotsevereenoughtostayoutof the war. The rest wereeither dead or on their deathbeds. Seven tenths of his

army remained intact and,combined with the survivorsof Rogscroft and themountain tribes of the PellDarga, he found himself incommand of nearly fifteenthousand soldiers. Therewasno greater military force inthenorth.

Commander PiperJoach looked back at thesnake his command hadtransformed into with amixed grin and grimace.

Compared towhat lie ahead,they’d already accomplishedthe easy part. Rogscroft hadbeen secured from Badron’sinsanity and was alreadybeing rebuilt. Rolnircommanded thealliedarmiesas they drovewhat remainedoftheenemyout.MostoftheGoblin force was dead,ambushedbytheWolfsreikatthe turn of the tide. All thatremained was to drive themback into the Murdes

Mountains and let the Pelldealwiththem.

Only that wasn’tenough.Themountainpasseswere buried under feet ofsnow and all but impassable.Goblins and traitor soldiersalike would flounder and becaughtorkilledbyCuulOl’soddfighters.Theyhadordersto offer any capturedWolfsreik soldier theopportunity to return to thearmy,butPiperhadafeeling

nonewouldmake it that far.He’d seen the Pell Darga inaction, fought against thempersonally,andthethoughtofthem sent chills down hisspine.

Far from handsome,Piperfittheroleofsecondincommand perfectly. He’dbeen the first to engage theRogscroft defenders and,whileheconsideredthebattlea stinging defeat, opened thewayforthemainbodyofthe

armytoinvade.Heborescarsfrom a dozen wounds,marring his chiseled facialfeatures. Proud eyeswatchedall keenly beneath thin,brown eyebrows. Lightlymuscled, he wore his armorlikeasecondskin.

He was the perfectsoldier.Everyoneinthealliedarmyknewhis name and hisexploits. He demurelyshruggedasideanyaccoladeswhile remaining focused on

the mission. A mission hewasn’t sure of the purposeany longer. The invasion ofRogscroft had been simple.Badron responded to themurder of his only son andattacked after following theevidence. Only when theGoblinsbecame involveddidPiper’snotionofjusticebeginto muddle. Right and wrongmixedwithoutjurisdiction.Inthe end he was forced tofollow his commander, and

hisheart.Cold winds blasted

down from thenorth,drivingunder his cloak to themillimeters of spaceseparatingarmorandclothes.Piper spent his entire lifeenduringtheharshconditionsof Delranan. The north wasno place for weakness. Menand women alike learned togrowhardfromanearlyage.Punishingwinterswereoffsetby humid, blistering

summers. The only respitecamefromfleeingsouth.Themenofthenorthwereamongthe toughest in all Malweir.That didn’t mean Piperenjoyed freezing in theelementswhenhemighthavebeen sitting in front of aroaringfirewithamugofhisfavoriteale.

Dreamsofthatmomentkept him going. Aprofessional soldier, heforced aside his simple

dreamsofwarmthinordertolead his men back to theirhomeland.He’dneverbeableto rest until they reclaimedDelranan from Badron andHarnin. Peace came with aprice too few understood orwere willing to pay. He’dalready buried more friendsthanheeverwantedandwasburdenedwiththeknowledgethatyetmorewouldgototheground before the campaignended. Cut off from

Delranan, neither he norRolnir knew what to expectupon their return.All reportssuggested Harnin hadsystematically transformedDelranan into a livingnightmare.

“Winter seems to betakinghersweettimemovingon this year,” General Vajnacommenteduponnoticingthelook of consternationpinching Piper’s face. TheRogscroft man grimaced as

anotherblastofwindslashedthrough.

Suppressing a shiver,Pipernodded.“Itgrowsmosttedious.”

While neitherconsidered theothera friend,both men had grown torespect the other. Onceenemies,PiperandVajnahadtried their best to kill theother before Rolnir defectedand changed the scheme ofthe war. Now they shared

command of the massivevanguardas it slowlygroundthrough mounds of heavysnow into the foothillsof theMurdesMountains.

“I hope the passesaren’t too congested,” Vajnacontinued. “Spending time inthe mountains isn’t my ideaof fun. Nor the men’s Isuspect.”

Piper thought back tothe beginning of thecampaign when he’d led the

Wolfsreik over the MurdesMountains and down intoRogscroft and replied, “Thesnowsweren’t very deep thefirsttimepassingthrough.OfcoursewehadthePelltodealwithinstead.”

Nodding, Vajna said,“We’ve had more than ourshare of ill dealings withthem in the past. Nastyfighters but good to have onyour side. I’m glad Aurecmanaged to gain their trust

overtheselastfewyears.”Otherwise they’d never

beabletocrossthemountainsintact. The Pell Darga hadbeendrivenfromtheirhomesin the east long ago andsettled in the heart of themountain range separatingRogscroft and Delranan.Fiercely independent, theyignored the laws of mostlowlandkingdomsinfavoroftheir own brand of justice.They’d spent generations

fighting with the peoples ofboth kingdoms, earning afierce reputation. Fact turnedto fear and fear into legend.Eventually the Pell Dargabecamethecreaturesmotherswarned their children of.UntilAurecmadepeacewiththeir chieftain, Cuul Ol, noonehadanyreasontobelieveotherwise.

“They are among thefiercest warriors I’ve everencountered,” Piper added

respectfully.He found it oddhow allegiances shifted socasually.Whathadoncebeenimprobable only a few shortmonths ago was now takenfor granted. The warproceeded withunprecedentedtwists,makingitdifficulttofollow,evenforaseasonedveteranlikePiper.In the end it came down toone simple conclusion: hissole purpose was to keep asmany of his soldiers alive as

possible until the end of thewar.Nothingelsemattered.

“We’re less than a dayaway from the base of themountains,”Vajnaexplained,shifting the focus of theconversation before itdevolved into past hatredsand rivalries. “The sun’sgoingdown.Isuggestfindinga bivouac site. There’s nosense in trying to scout outthe mountains in the night.Nor letting the men freeze

whiletheywait.”Piper agreed. He

couldn’t wait to warm hisfrozentoes,evenifforonlyalittle while. “I’ll lead ascoutingpatroloutanddotherounds. Badron may havealready taken ship back toDelranan but there is still astrong Goblin forcesomewhere between us andthemountains.Setupcampatthefirstsuitableplaceandgetthe fires going. I don’t want

to lose anyone to the cold.This damned war’s alreadytakenenoughfromallofus.”

“Staysafe.”“AsmuchasIcanbe,”

hereplied.Piperwouldn’tfeelsafe

until theGoblinswere foundand eradicated. Their filthwasablightontheworld,onethreatening to spread ifBadron was suddenly inleague with them.Technically subordinate by

rank, both Piper and Vajnaagreedthatitwouldbebestifhe remained in command ofthe Wolfsreik regulars untilthe war’s conclusion. Vajnahad no qualmswith that. Hedoubted his own men wouldfind it easy to take ordersfrom a man from anotherkingdom, much less onewho’d been an enemy onlymonthsbefore.

The alliance was stillextremelyfragile.Pettyfights

and arguments broke outalmost daily, resulting inseveral trips to the fieldhospitals, prisons, and morethan one body being buried.Those guilty were punishedaccordingtotheirinfractions,regardless of which armythey had once served. Rolnirand King Aurec understoodthat the only way to forge astrong alliance was byenacting a singular set ofrules for everyone. Balance

must be maintained in orderto facilitate the fullassimilationofthreedifferentcultures. Failure here meantfailureattheend.

The one hundred meninthescoutcompanydividedinto two equal groups. Piperled the one that rode northwhiletheotherhurriedsouth.They’d cross paths halfwayaround and meet back up atthe starting point in a fewhours, hopefully before the

sun dipped over the distanthorizon. Daylighttemperatures were tolerable,ifjust,butthecombinationofdarknessandwindchilldrovethecolddeeperpastfreezing.Piperdidn’trelishtheideaofmoving through unfamiliarterrain while worrying aboutfreezingafingeroff.

Still, he had no otherchoice but to move slowerthan normal. Uneven snowsleft the terrain hazardous.

They’d already lost severalhorsesonthepushwest,eachone further constricting theircombatcapabilities.Heknewitwasjustthebeginning.Thesoldiers, all of them, weretired. They’d been fightingfor months. Mistakesstemmed from exhaustion.Mistakes got people killed.More soldiers died fromaccidents and diseases thanenemy contact.Until the daycame when that was no

longer true,Piperwas forcedtomakethedifficultchoices.

Soonthesoundsofaxesand hammers ringing acrossthe snow-covered fieldsfaded. The scouts had gonefar enough away fromVajna’s camp that they felttotally alone. Alreadyshadows crawled across theworld as the sun began todrop. Piper shivered as thetemperature plunged morecruelly than any dagger ever

could.His facewas red, rawinplaces.Hislipsburned.Hiseyeswere sore, tired, and onfire.Thoughtsofgoinghomedidn’thelp, leavinghimtrulymiserableforthefirsttimeinmany years.Hemade a noteto give Rolnir a piece of hismind when the main bodyjoined back up with thevanguard.

“Rider coming in, sir!”the burly sergeant withflowing crimson hair

announcedandpointed.Piper followed the

directionandhisheartleaptatseeinghowfast theriderwasapproaching.Snowkickedupwith each thundering step.Speed meant trouble. Hishorse pranced with nervousanticipation, causingPiper topat its neck reassuringly. “Ifeel it too. We might beheadingintoafight.”

The sergeant shot himan interested look, his mind

racing over pre-combatprocedures in the event of afight.

Too anxious for hisowngood,Pipergesturedhissergeant to follow and rodeforward tomeet the flusteredscout. The rider reined to ahalt and tried to catch hisbreath.

“What’s the word?”Piperasked.

“Commander, we raninto a small column of

Goblins marching this way.Mustbeafewhundredofthebastards. Looked like theyweredraggingfreshkills.Wesaw smoke coming from thedirection they’re marchingoutof.”

Piper frowned. TheGoblins were still strongenough tobe raidingvillagessuccessfully.Heglancedbackat his fifty men. They werelight cavalry, not meant forheavy charges. Piper’s force

was specifically designed toengage the enemy fleetinglyandkeepthemdistracteduntilthe heavy infantry arrived.They were never meant tofight a pitched battle againstlarge numbers of infantry.Pikes and horses didn’t mixwell.

“How well armed arethey?” he asked, the wordscomingoutrushed.

Thescoutusedasleeveto wipe the sweat dripping

down his face. “Enough togive us trouble. They gotpikesandspears.Bevinsawafew axes, too. All of ‘emcarried swords and wereheadingthisway.

“We have enough tokeep them busy, but notdestroy them, Commander,”the sergeant offeredthoughtfully.

Piperstruggledwiththeurgetostrikesomething.“Wedon’t have a choice.A force

that size can cause mayhemacross the countryside. Ifwhat this man says is truethey’refreshoffofakill.Wehave a chance to strike nowand catch them with theirguarddown.”

“We’re going to needhelp.”

“Dispatch three menback to General Vajna. He’stobring fivehundredmenasquickly as possible,” Piperordered.

Aneyebrowrose.“Youmean to attack them atnight?”

“Is there a choice?”Piper didn’t want to. Nightattackswerehazardousforallparties. Goblins werecreatures that lived withoutthe sun. Darkness was theirelement. Fighting anumerically superior force atnight and on unfamiliarground was tantamount tosuicide. A thought sprang to

life, quickly growing fromsparktoflame.“Havetherestof the men gather as muchkindling and torchwood aspossible in the next fewminutes. We’ll have a nastysurprise waiting for thoseGoblin scum when theyarrive.”

*****Rolnir came upon the

battlefieldshortlyafterdawn,having ridden through the

night to reach the vanguard.A regiment of heavyinfantrymen panted behindhim. They’d come expectingto dig their scouts out of amessbutwerealmoststoppedin their tracks when the sunshowed the full extent of thefight.Bodies littered theareaforhundredsofmeters.Mostwerethedark,greybodiesofGoblins but more thanenough were Wolfsreik.Rolnir lamented the losses

but saw them asmanageableenough to call it a victory.Piper and Vajna werestanding in the center of thefield pouring over maps andcaptureddocuments.

Haggard, much as henormally looked these days,Piper lookedup to his friendandcommandingofficerwithexhaustion in his eyes. Hewas tired of fighting and itwasbeginningtoshow.Everysoldier endured their own

private strugglewithhowfarthey could go before thebreaking point crept uponthem and dragged themdown.Piperwasalmostthere.He threw up a hasty saluteand waited while the red-haired general slid to theground.

“Piper, Vajna. I wasn’texpecting you to engagewithout heavy support,” hesaid, keenly eyeing thebattlefield. Delighted as he

was to see so many Goblinbodies, he subconsciouslycountedhisownlosses.

Piperbarelymusteredashrug. “They left us littlechoice.”

“Whathappened?”Watchingfromtheside,

Vajna saw Piper’s reluctanceto answer and decided tojump in. “The out ridersspotted a small raiding partyheading towardsus.Weonlyhadashortamountoftimeto

react. Commander Joachdispatched riders back towarnthemainbodywhilewepreparedanambush.Themenstrung wire across all likelyavenues of approach and settraps.Theyweren’tmuchbutI’ve seen more than a fewkilled by them. We had alimitednumberofarchersbutused them to harry theGoblins into the areas wherewe’dbemosteffective.”

Rolnir listened intently

though his mind neverstrayedfromthedeepstreaksof black circling theimmediate area. “And these?Whataretheyfrom?”

Vajna actually broke agrin. “Fire.Wehadcollectedalotofscrubbrushandfallentrees. Once the Goblinswalked into the trap we setthe whole damned area onfire. They panicked enoughfor us to hammer them fromthreesides.Andagoodthing

too. If it hadn’tbeen for thatdistractionwewouldn’t havewon.”

Nodding his approvalfor Piper’s innovativethinking,heasked,“Whydidyou engage? Light cavalryagainst heavy infantry isn’ttheidealsituation.”

“We didn’t have achoice,” Vajna said flatly.“They moved faster thananticipated and very nearlycaught us off guard.

Fortunately they were drunkfrom their previous raidonavillage not far from here.Runner came back andreported everyone there wasmurdered. The housesburned.” His eyes blazedfiercely as he took in thenearest corpse. “Thesebastardsgotwhatwascomingtothem.”

Rolnir had heardenough. “Gentlemen, verygood work. That’s two

hundredlessGoblinsweneedto worry about. Have yourvanguard form up and returnto the main body. I’ll haveanother unit dispatched tocover the advance to themountains. You did goodtoday. All of you. Get somehot chow and refit. Thecampaign is just beginningand I’mgoing toneedyou ifwe’ve any hope ofsucceeding.”

Piper took offense at

being relieved; memories ofhis first engagement inRogscroftstartedreplayinginhis head. “General, we cancontinue themarch.Givemeanhour tobury thedeadandcollecttheirgear.We’regoodtogo.”

Rolnir’s eyebrow rosesharply.Heseriouslydoubtedhis second in command wasin as good of shape as heinsisted, but he didn’t haveany reason to pull him from

theline.Notuntilhemakesamistake and gets someonekilled. Damnation, but beingacommandingofficerishard.Retirement doesn’t sound sobad right about now. “Verywell.Iwantyourunitrefittedby the time my infantrycleans up the battlefield.Piper, that’sanorder. Idon’twanttohearit.”

“Yes sir,” he repliedmeekly andwent back to hissoldiers.

Rolnir returnedVajna’ssalute and watched his bestfriend stumble back throughthe carnage, all the whilethinkinghewasgoingtohaveto find a way to rest Piperbefore the end. Some livesweretoovaluabletowasteinthepreliminaryroundsof thefight.

FIVE

DelrananBurning“Ever you have sought

to be more than yourancestors allowed. Countlessdecadesofservitudetoothershave left you bereft ofdignity. What it means totruly be your own man. Did

you find it difficult to carryondayafterdayastheworldprogressed while youstagnated?”

HarninOne Eye glaredsharply at the coalescingshadowsdancingacross fromhim. He despised beingmockedbyanyone,muchlessone of the mysteriousDae’shan. Two factspreventedhimfromactingonthoserawemotions.Thedarkcreature, Pelthit Re, was

infinitelymorepowerful thanany mortal and he hadfacilitated Harnin’s rise topower. If it hadn’t been forPelthit, Harnin might neverhavehadthenervetomakeagrab for the throne. Badronshould have insisted heaccompanied the army oncampaign. Harnin snarled.Look where that arrogancetook you! Delranan is nowmine.

“Ifeelyourhatred,One

Eye. It consumes you inglorious pain, slowlydevouringeachpieceofyourconscience. Give in andbecomemore than yourself,”Pelthit cooed. It was an oldgameheenjoyedplayingwithhis victims. Righteous menfellsoquicklyandeasily.TheDae’shan preyed upon theirstrengths, casually turningthemagainstthemselvesuntilonlyabitterhuskremained.

“Yougivenmeenough

ofyourgifts,demon,”Harninsnapped.“Irulethiskingdomandnolongerneedyou.”

Pelthit concealed hisamusement. If only Harninknewhecouldsnaphimwitha thought, hewouldn’t be sosmug. “Do you? Therebellion you have failed toquash has found new life inthe countryside. How manyunits have you lost over thepastmonth?Adozen?More?This Ingrid has proven more

than capable of stymieingyour grand intellect. Townsand villages are steadilyabandoning your rule,choosing to becomeindependent rather than liveunderyourbrandoftyranny.”

“The rebellion is myproblem todealwith, thoughI suspect you had a hand toplay in their resurgence,” heaccused sharply. “I can takecareofIngrid’srebellion.”

“Perhapsbutthere’sthe

matter of King Badron’sreturnyouforget.”He’dusedthe royal title purposefully,hoping to inspire Harnin tonew levels of hatred anddepravity.

“Badron’sanon-factor.He’s bogged down inRogscroft and won’t be abletoreturnuntilafterthespringrains melt the snow in thepasses. I have time to dealwith him,” Harnin said,wavingtheconcernoff.

“Less time than youimagine, One Eye,” Pelthittaunted. The air betweenthemgrewchill.

Harnin’sfacetightened,the mass of scar tissuetwisting like a handful ofearthworms pulled from thedirt.“Whatdoyoumean?”

“The Wolfsreik hasabandonedhim.Evennowheis heading back to Delranantoreclaimhisthrone.”

Harnin slammed his

palm on the hard, woodentable. “The throne is mine!Withnoarmyhehasnohopeofstealingitback.”

Shadows swirled,solidifying long enough forHarnin to make out theDae’shan’s harrowing face.Ice-cold eyes glared throughthe darkness. “That is whereyou’rewrong,OneEye.Isaidthe Wolfsreik betrayed him.He still has an army ofGoblins at his side and

another impossibly largearmy en route. You cannotwin.”

Goblins! In Delranan.Theyhadn’tbeenseenthisfarwestincountlessgenerations.Harnin felt cold dread danceacrosshisflesh.Fightingmenwas one matter, a nation ofGoblins entirely another.Hismind began calculating howbest to approach this newdilemmawhilecursingPelthitRe and his brethren for

bringing his kingdom downto this point. Despairthreatened to consume him,robbing him of any sense ofsecurityhehadbeenfeeling.

He still clung to hope,if barely. Badron was weeksaway, if not longer, givinghim plenty of opportunity tofinish constructing thedefenses in the east whilehuntingdowntherebellioninone final gesture. Harninbelieved killing Ingridwould

effectivelyendanyresistanceto his rule. Jarrik and Inaellawere already in the field,wasting manpower as far ashe was concerned. Theircombined incompetencejeopardizedallhe’dstruggledto build over thewinter.Theold Delranan was dead,burning away as the neworder slowly crept into everycornerofsociety.HarninOneEye,thearchitectofthisnewmadness,laughedgleefullyas

hisworldtransformed.Only now he felt it all

spiraling away. His enemieswere compounding while hisown forces, meager bycomparison, bogged down inanasty,guerilla-stylewar.Heneeded tomake amove nowbeforetheclockexpired.

“Icanwin.AllIneedtodoiseliminateIngridandhercommand staff and focus thebulk of my army along theline of redoubts I’ve ordered

built in the east. Trappedbetween those forts and themountains,Badronwillgrindhis armydown to thepoint Ican attack.” His twinkle hadreturnedtohiseyesasHarninenvisioned taking Badron’shead in front of whatremained of his army. Theeventwould go down as oneof the most renowned inDelranan’shistory.

Pelthit folded his armsacross his transparent chest.

Theoutcomewasnever trulyin doubt. He played Harninlike an instrument whileallowing the delusional manto think he wasaccomplishing some grandlydesigned purpose. It was anold game the Dae’shanplayed with mortals. Eachgeneration had its share ofdegeneratesmorethanwillingto give in to depravity fortheir own selfish needs.Harnin had languished in

Badron’s shadows for yearsbefore garnering Pelthit’sattention. His downfall wassystematicandeventual.Howhe arrived to the dismal endwas a matter of theDae’shan’sdiscretion.

“Thatis…plausible,butwhat happens when theWolfsreik returns home?What then shall you do, Iwonder?”

Harnin frowned. Hehadn’tthoughtofthat.

Skaning entered the

throne room with greattrepidation. He’d never likedHarnin and was wary fromtheirearliestdaysofknowingeach other. The older OneEye was devious from thecore. A man like that didn’tstay at the right hand of aking for so long withouttaking care of the odds and

ends behind the scenes.Skaning knew Harnin hadpersonallykilledoverascoreof men without Badron everfinding out. That was beforethechange.Therebellionandtheft of Delranan changedmatters drastically. Harninwasfreetokillatwill.Jarrikhadalreadybeenbanished,inallbutname,tothewestinafutile attempt at huntingdown the rebellion andrestoringorder.

Giventherashofrecentfailures, Skaning tended tobelieve Harnin was about todrop the hammer. He wasforbiddenfromwearingarms,but managed to smuggle ashort dagger under his tunic.Conspiracies ran rampant inChadra Keep. Bodies swungfrom the ramparts daily,pecked apart by crows.Skaning had no desire tobecome the latest addition tothemakeshiftgallows.

“Come in already,”Harnin snapped upon seeingSkaning’shesitation.

The younger lord, lastof the council, entered andhalted a respectful distancefromthebrokenthrone.“Yousummonedme.”

Ignoring theimpudence, Harnin drummedhis fingertips on the carvedarmrest.His eyenarrowed inwhat would have been amenacing glare if he’d had

both eyes. Instead it merelymade him appear to besquinting in the twinklingfirelight. “Jarrik has failedme,again.”

“Therebellionisspreadout across the kingdom.Finding the head is not aneasy task,” Skaning replied,defendinghisfriend.

“Truly. Perhaps youcan explain how Jarrik’smanagedtoloseoveradozensupply trains while

accumulating minimalresults? Or how losses inpersonnel vastly outweighenemy deaths? Don’t preachto me about difficulties,Skaning. We have tacticalandnumerical superiorityyetwe can’t defeat a militiacomprised of peasants.Why?”

Because you command.YethowcouldheexplainthattoHarninwithout having hisheadtakenfromhisneck?He

alreadyknew theansweranddecided to redirect Harnin’saccusations before becomingavictim.“We’vesuccessfullydriven the rebels from all ofthe major cities. Theycommandahandfulofminorvillages and have less than athousand capable fighters.Jarrik is driving them deeperintothewilds.”

“He’s being led deeperinto the wilds,” Harnincountered.“Takenawayfrom

the culture centerswhere thearmywillbeineffective.”

“Therebelswillalsobeineffective. They arescattered, incapable ofcoordinating amajor attack,”Skaning theorized. “Wehavethe opportunity to cut themoff and destroy them groupbygroup.”

MalevolencesparkedinHarnin’s eye. “I’m glad youand I agree on this, Skaning.You will take a small

command of specializedsoldiersandhuntdownIngridandher leadership.Kill themall.Doyouunderstand?Huntthemdowntothemananddonot return until thewilds areretaken. Only then can wefocussolelyontheeast.”

Turmoil sparked in hisstomach. He’d expectedsomething drastic and,thankfully, wasn’t beingorderedtokillJarrik.Atleastnot yet. Still, that didn’t

prevent him from wonderingexactlywhatHarninexpectedhim to accomplish with ahandful of men whereasJarrik already had close totwo thousand in the field.Life secure for the moment,he wasn’t about to press.Instead he asked, “Is therewordonBadron?”

Shadows swirledbehind the throne,brieflyyetenough todrawhisattention.“Our beloved king is already

making the return journey. Iexpect him to set foot inDelrananwithin thenext fewweeks.”

Adding reason to yourobsession with the rebellion.It begins tomake sense. Youcan’t move against Badronwith an enemy force in yourrear. How I don’t envy you,One Eye. All of your plotsand schemes are boilingdown into dismal failurebefore your very eyes. No

wondermadnessisyourbooncompanion. “When do youwantmetodepart?”

“At the dawn. There isnotimetowaste,”heordered.“Do not fail me, LordSkaning. I will have need ofmenIcancountonwhenthedust of this war settles.Remember that as youconduct your business. Nowleaveme.”

*****

They made landfall inthemiddleofthenight.Skiffswere launched to take thepassengers to shore. Frigidwater sloshed against theweather-worn boats, spillingover the rails alreadydangerouslylowinthewater.Badron, King of Delrananand Lord of Rogscroft,clutchedtherailswithdisdainto prevent from tipping intothesea.Hisdisgustforwaterstemmed back to an early

age.Perhapshavingafamousbrother who made areputation sailing the seasaided in the rising jealousy,perhaps not. Regardless,Badron couldn’t wait to beback on dry land again. HebrieflycontemplatedorderingGrugnak’sGoblinstokill thecrews and have the boatsburned but anticipatedneeding them again at somepoint,especiallyifhisattemptat reclaiming Delranan went

ill.Aviableescapeplaninhisback pocket helped ease histroubledmind.

Each splash of the oartookthemclosertotherockyshorelineofhiskingdom.Themensittingbesideandaroundhim were just as eager toreturn to their homes, theirfamilies, their lives. Badronknew this through hisdealings with Amar Kit’hanand the other Dae’shan thatwhisperedinhisearwhenno

onewaslooking.Hedespisedtheir involvement, secretlywishing he’d nevermade thedeal with them in the firstplace. Grief over the loss ofhis only son and, hebegrudgingly admitted, thekidnapping of his onlydaughter,drovehimwillinglyinto theDae’shan’s embrace.So far gone, Badron dancedlike a puppet on strings. Atleast they have no qualmsabout letting me reclaim my

ownkingdom.Shadows of pine trees

loomed, dark and ominous.They reminded him of thejawsofsomegreatbeastfromlegend,eagertoswallowhimand all who travelled withhim.EversincedeployingtheWolfsreik to Rogscroft,Badron felt Lord Deathbarrelingtowardshim.Itwasonly a matter of time beforeevents let them meet. Heknew he lacked the strength

towithstandanyassaultLordDeath chose to make and,oddly enough, he was readyto meet it. Life had neverbeenkindtoBadron,notevenduring his tenure as king.Watching his wife die inchildbirth pushed him closerto the edge. Life lost itsluster, turning to shades ofgreyanddoom.

He’d placed all of hishope in his son,whowas socruellymurderedonenightat

theendofautumn.HatredforMaleela, his lone daughterand reason for his wife’sdeath, spurred him to invadeneighboring Rogscroft. Theold king allowed Harnin torecruit Bahr and a crew ofmisfits to reclaim Maleelafrom her captors while hetook thearmy toconquer theone kingdom he’d enviedsincerisingtothethrone.Thenightmare campaign thatfollowedwastheresult.

Now,monthslater,he’dlost his kingdom, his army,and what remained of hisdignity. The few hundredmen that remained loyal tohis banner huddled togetherinthelongboatsasseawatersplashed over them. Despitehavingsomanyfamiliarfacesclinging to him, Badronfoundnocomfort.Theyweretheremnantsofmorethantenthousandsoldiersandanotherthousand of his personal

retinue. The Wolfsreikabandoned him almost to theman. That left him with aGoblin army not even hewanted.

Badronfoldedhisarms,reluctantly, across his chestand frowned as his thoughtscentered onGrugnak and hisGoblins. They’d originallyinvaded Rogscroft under thedirection of Amar Kit’hanand the Dae’shan forpurposes he wasn’t made

privilege to. The insult dugdeepbutBadronlearnedearlyon that his puppet mastersnever divulged moreinformation than theywantedhim to know. Killing andmaiming their way acrossnorthern Malweir on theirmarch from the Deadlands,the Goblins arrived inRogscroftreadytofight.

He begrudginglyacknowledged theircontributions in sacking the

capitalcityandexecutinghisrival, Stelskor. Everythingwent south after that.Somehow the young whelpAurec got a hold of Rolnirand twistedhisminduntilheconvinced the commandinggeneral of themost powerfularmy in half of Malweir toturntraitorandtakehisarmywithhim.Thatbetrayalledtoa near absolute slaughter ofGoblins outside ofGrunmarrow. Grugnak had

beenbesidehimself,much toBadron’s chagrin. While theking of Delranan enjoyedseeing his longtime enemydestroyed, it lefthimwithanexposedflaw.Therewasn’taforce strong enough to keepRolnir from coming afterhim.

“Holdon,we’reputtingin,”oneof the crewmen saidbrusquely. Bald with a longmoustache and tattooscovering his exposed

forearms,he ignoredBadron,treating him like nothingmore thanacommonthief inthenight.

Badron’s stomachchurned as the bottomof theboatgroundacrossthegraveland sand. His ears burned atthesound.Forcinghimself tostand, the king of Delranansteadiedhimselfandpreparedto take his first steps on hishome soil in months. Thetime had finally come to

reclaim what was stolen.Grugnak and his Goblinswere behind in the otherboats,welloutofearshotbuthe kept his thoughts privatejust in case. Sound alwaystraveled farther at night. Thelastthingheneedednowwasthe complication of Grugnakoverhearing his order toscuttle the other boats.Reluctantly he admitted hewas going to need theGoblins in order to kill

Harnin and reclaim hiskingdom.

Thedecisiontoexecutehis longtime friend turnedbitter rival wasn’t easy tocome to. Badron vieweddecades of loyalty in greatesteem. Every man wascapable of moments of poorjudgment. Harnin certainlysufferedfromhis.Theformerfirstadvisor in thecounciloflords seemed to abandonreason the moment Badron

left for Rogscroft. Rumorssaid he’d turned Delrananinto a nightmare beyondreckoning. Civilians werebeing massacred. Towns andvillagesburnedtothegroundas the survivors starvedduring the unusually coldwinter.Whathisfamilyspentgenerations trying to developHarninruinedinthecourseofasingleseason.Therewasnochoicebuttokillthemanforhisindiscretions.

“Captain says to waitherefertherestofyerparty,”thesamecrewmanordered.

Badron turned on theswarthy man with a raisedfist. “Mind your tongue, cur.You’readdressingaking.”

Tensionfilledthesmallboatuntil thecrewmanbrokeoutlaughing.“Notmyking.Idon’tgivearat’sasswhoyouthink you are, mate. This ismy boat. My rules. Now ifyou please, yer Majesty, get

yerassoffofmyboat.”Badronquicklycounted

heads and saw he wasoutnumbered. Those fewloyalistsridingwithhimweretheweakest ofhisgroupandwouldbarelyslowthepiratesbefore he was skeweredhimself. Conversely, none ofthe pirates appeared meek.Eachofthemlookedreadytokill for no reason. He didn’trelishthethoughtofhisbodydriftingout to sea as hebled

out. Holding his tongue, hesteppedontotheshore.

SIX

DarknessMaleela drifted in and

out of consciousness longerthan she remembered. Herbody was abused, scratched,and torn from the harshtreatment of the Harpies.Many long months on the

road, first en route toRogscroftunderAurec’scareandtheninthecustodyofheruncle, had taken their toll onher. She was mentallyexhausted. Reality wasfragmented as she struggledtoput recent events together.Neverhadsheexpectedtobetorn from Bahr’s protectionand taken to….where? Shehad no way of knowing.Trapped in a semi-permanentdark room, Maleela could

onlyguess theywereback inthe north. Cold wind gustsslashed into the room eachtimethedooropened.

Herlifewasreducedtobouts of troubled sleep andpoor meals of gruel andmoldybread.Shemighthavebeenaprincessbutwasnevermade accustomed to an easylife of luxury. She ate whatthosearoundherateandlivedin the same fashion. She’dbeen a prisoner before but

this went far beyond thetorments Harnin devised.Worse,shecouldn’tshakethefeeling of being underconstantsurveillance.

Her skin crawled eachtime the door hushed open.Shefelt,morethansaw,coldeyes scrutinizing her. Asmuch as she felt the need torise up and confront hercaptors, Maleela found shecouldn’t. She imagined theywere drugging her food,

trying to maintaincomplacency. How manydays or nights she’d beentrapped in her tiny cell shedidn’t know. Not a soulbothered to make itselfknown to her either, furthercompounding her buildingrage.

Maleela lacked thestrength to stand so shecrawledacrossthefloorinanattempt at giving her prisondefinition. Unlike traditional

cells, like theonesher fatherkeptunderChadraKeep, thisone was relatively clean.Therewasnodecayingoffal.No rats crawling throughsoiled straw. It lacked thesmells associated with mencondemned to never seeingthe sun again. Maleela tooksmall comfort in this, for itgave her a brief insight intoher captors. If they wantedher tortured and killed theywouldn’t have put so much

effort in keeping her cageclean.

The door opened andclosed suddenly before anylighthadthechancetoslipin.Maleela cringed as thetemperature droppedconsiderably. She wasn’talone.

“Princess,myapologiesfor keeping you like ananimal,” the wicked voicehissedwithanoddlysoothingtone.“Iwouldgiveyoubetter

but it has been a long timesincethisplacewaslastused.You are the first guest ingenerations.Welcome.”

She tried to speak butonly managed to croak fromthe lack of water. Her throatfelt clammy. Her lips werechapped. So manyaccusations burned in hermind in amental scream butfailed to materialize.Frustrated,shehuddledinthefar corner and pulled her

kneestoherchest.“Ah, your passion

invigorates me. Long has itbeen since I’ve last felt suchfire in a mortal soul,” hecooed. “Turning you shallbe…enjoyable.”

Maleela coughed andspat awad of phlegmon thefloor.“Turnmeintowhat?”

Herwordswerehoarse.Ill formed, they stumbledoffher lips like a child learningto speak. Her tongue was

swollen, slow to react. Sheresisted the urge to punch tocold ground, but what elsecould she do? Her bodybetrayedher.

“That is a conversationfor another time. I leave younowwithafinal thought.Allyour long years spentlanguishing under yourfather’s indifference havepreventedyoufrombecomingthe woman you deserve.What punishments should be

delivered upon a man whowouldneglect his ownbloodkin?”

“How dare you!” shetried to shout before herthroatconstrictedandleftherchoking mildly as the doorclosedagain.Thesecondtimeshesaiditcameoutasbarelya whisper. Feeling patheticand helpless, Maleelacollapsedinonherselfandletdarknessclaimher.

She spent hours tryingto think of a proper reply tohertormentor.Hermindbentaround his words. Logicdemanded he was trying toinfluenceherthoughtpatternsand change her preconceivednotionsofhowlifewasmeanttobe.But towhatends?Shewas the current heir to thethrone and would never situpon it. Delranan wouldnever accept a queen nomatter how justly she

attempted to rule.Superstitions and male-dominant dogma crippledtheirmindstothepointwherethey, as a people, wereintolerant of anything new.Maleela frowned, suddenlygrowing angry. She deservedbetter.Herkingdomdeservedbetter.Perhapsitwastimefora changing of the guard.Otherwise Delrananthreatenedtoslidebackintoadarker, earlier age few

remembered and even fewerwishedtoreturnto.

Thethreadofweaknessthat had prevented her fromobtaining her full potentialandbecomingtheproperheirto the throne finally frayedand snapped there in theimpossible darkness of hercell. Events both past andpresent swirled like thewaters of a great maelstrom,colliding into a bright andterriblefuture.Thenotionshe

could elevate to become aqueenofdreams,ofunbridledrighteousness enticed hermind. She felt inspired. Ifonly therewereawayoutofher prison and back into thethroneroomofherancestors.

Memories of killingIonascusuddenlybursttolife.She closed her eyes to willthe visions away, but all shesaw was the slender bladepunch into his crippled bodyand the confused look in his

eyes as he died. Screaming,she opened her eyes andfuriously rubbed her handstogether in a desperateattempt at wiping the bloodoff. Guilt stained her soulmuch deeper than sheimagined it ever could. Painand nightmares mocked herfrom the distance.Nomatterhow hard she tried to shovethem away the memoriesreturned time and again toclutch her, holding her in a

lover’sembraceas the futureworldburnedaroundher.

Rage turned to sorrow.Maleela wasn’t as strong asshe wanted to believe. True,she’d killed a man in coldblood but the strength in heractionswasn’t translated intoherownblood.Shewasweakand knew it. Racked withconflicting emotions, shecollapsedbackonherselfandcriedherselftosleep.

The feeling of beingwatchedreturnedthemomentshe opened her eyes. Therewasnotellinghowlongshe’dbeen asleep or how long hercaptor had been watching.She took small comfort inknowing he seemed to lackanyurgeoftouchingher.

“Youmusteat,princessof Delranan,” he suggestedsmoothly. His wordsglistened in the dark likejewels waiting to be carved

from mountain veins.“Strength is required if youare to ascend to yourappointedplaceintheworld.”

She blindly kicked atthebowlsomewherenearherfeet, missing in the futileattempt.

He laughed. “Everdefiant. That is good. Youwillneedthatfire.”

“What do you wantfromme?” she asked for thehundredth timesincearriving

here.Hopeslowlybledawaywitheachasking.

“To become more,” heansweredblankly.“Whatelseisthere?”

Maleelashookherheadvehemently. “That’s not ananswer. You starve me. Youtorment me with endlessquestions and hollowpromises.WhyamIhere?”

“Be careful who youaccuse of what. It might notend well for you,” he

snapped. “You say wetormentyou,wheninfactyouare the one expounding anendless stream of questionswith the vain attempt atdiscovering truths your mindis not prepared for.We feedyou. Perhaps not the sort offoodaprincessisaccustomedto,butenoughtoensureyourhealth. You have not beentouched, nor shall you be.Tell me, what then have wedone that prompts your

insecurities?”Itwasherturntolaugh.

His redirectionofguiltbrokeagainst her newfound rage.She clenched her fistsdefiantly. “I was taken frommy uncle, my friends byforce. Your pets cut andscrapedme.Theybeatmeonthe way to wherever we arenow.When my father learnsofthis,he….”

“Willdonothing!Yourfather is a pathetic waste of

human flesh. Men like thatbetter serve thegods aspackanimals. They are meant tosuffer and wallow like pigswhiletheirbettersrule.Spareme your false sincerityconcerning your father. Hehasnomoreloveforyouthanyouforus.Ohyes,weknowall about your brokenrelationship. The countlessnights spent wallowing inself-pity as you struggle toknow why you’ll never be

loved.”“Thereyouarewrong,”

Maleelasaidbetweensobs.“Ihave all of the love I’ll everneed.”

Therewassilenceforamoment,as ifhercaptorwastaken off guard. When hespoke next his voice wassofter, lacking the visceraledge. “You refer to yourbeloved Prince Aurec. OrperhapsIshouldsayking,forthe death of his father--at

your father’s hands--has lefthim the heir to a ruinedkingdom.”

“My father wouldn’thave.” Her protest soundedweakevenasshesaidit.

“But he did. Badronrelished murdering his waythrough Rog