AWhisperAfterMidnight

BookThreeoftheNorthernCrusade

ByCHRISTIANWARRENFREED

Edited,Produced,andPublishedbyWriter’sEdge

Publishing2014

©2014byChristianWarrenFreed.

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsysteminanyformorbyanymeanswithoutthepriorwritten

permissionofthepublisher.

Allcharactersinthisbookarefictitious,andany

resemblancetorealpersons,livingordead,iscoincidental.

Acknowledgments

Formybelovedwife,Anicie.Iamallthingswithyouby

myside.

OtherNovelsbyChristianWarren

FreedTheNorthernCrusade

Series

HammersintheWind

TidesofBloodandSteel

AWhisperAfterMidnight

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CKDX3WChttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IAEDMZIhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JFLU08C

EmpireofBones

TheMadnessofGodsandKings

EvenGodsMustFall

AHistoryofMalweirSeries

ArmiesoftheSilverMage

TheDragonHunters

BeyondtheEdgeofDawn

http://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

PROLOGUE

Coldwinterwindskissedthe broken mountaintops.ThispartofnorthernMalweirwasawickedandcruelplace,filled with nightmarishdespair, the perfect place forthe Hags to roost. The threeharpiesweresisters,wretchedand cunning. They claimedthe broken peaks and forced

away smaller animals andother predatory birds. Menseldom came this far northwithout truly understandingthe perils in the mountains.Only a tribe of Giantsoccupiedthevalleyatthetopof the mountains: Venheim,the fabled forge ofGiants. Itwas here the Hags chose tomaintain their watch. Andwait.

Freina flexedher clawedfeet, tilting her head back to

enjoy the breeze. Her darkeyes watched the mountainpassfarbelowandfocusedonthe small band of travelerswith their wagon. She wassurprised they had made itthis far with all of the oddsthrown against them. AmarKit’han and the Dae’shanseemedintentonkillingthemall but one, yet nothing theyhad done worked. Freinaattributed that to the wizard,Anienam Keiss. The last of

his kind, his magics camefrom deep in the earth andwere stronger than anythingsherememberedencounteringbefore. Thewizardmade herand her sisters cautious,perhaps overly so. The Hagsbristledattheirdefeats.

Brom crooned, a strangecombination of pain andimpatience. “We should nothave agreed to help thedevils.”

Freina spread herwings,

dark feathers tipped withfrost. “These choices are notourstomake.Ourkindsworean oath and we are honorbound to adhere. Do notquestion my decisions,Sister.”

“She speakswhatwe allfeel, Freina,” Gareldasnipped.Smaller thanFreina,Garelda’s heart bled withhatred.“Thisisnotourwar.”

“Men are weak,” Freinacountered swiftly. “The

Dae’shan herald the comingage of the dark gods. It iswise to serve them now sothatwearerememberedwhenthepropertimearrives.”

“Atwhatcost?”Freina cocked her head.

“Explainyourquestion.”“Our kind has exhausted

itself to near extinctionfollowing the corrupt ordersoftheDae’shan.Sofewofusremain it is impossible torebuild.Wearedying,Sister,

andyourblindobediencewillsee us put in the ground aswell.Itistimetobreakawayfrom the dark gods and findourownpath.”

Brom jerked back,shocked by her sister’sboldness.Freinaclenchedherfists, claws digging into thecalloused flesh of her palms.“We serve as our ancestorsdid.Thereisnogreatercausethan that given to us by ourbirth. To do less would be

blasphemy.”“Against what? We do

not worship the dark gods,Freina. Is it not time toreclaim our lives and rebuildthegreataeries?”

Freina seemed toconsider the wisdom behindGarelda’s comment. Thethought of building a nest, aplace to raise children andbecome queen of her raceenticed her, but not to thepoint of abandoning her

oaths. Honor spokeotherwise. They wereHarpies, as ancient andvenerable as the greatDwarvenkingsofold.

“Our kind has neverworshipped thegods.Wearesisters of sky and mountain,yet we have sworncommitments. The Dae’shancommandusnow.”

“The Dae’shan will seeus all brought to ruin beforethisends,”Gareldacountered.

“Whatsayyou,Brom?”The larger Hag puffed

out her chest, dark feathersglimmering in themoonlight.“The winds have changed.Wearenottheownersofourlives.Difficultdecisionsmustbemade,butallforthebetterofourkind.”

Freina waved her clawsdismissively. “Everything Idoisforourkind.Thereisnopersonalmotive,Sister.”

“I have doubts,” said

Brombeforefallingsilent.Toomuch had happened

since Amar Kit’han firstordered them to follow theDelrananian princess. They’dbeengivenfreereintokillasmany of her protectors asnecessary, but had yet tocome close enough to makethis a reality. The desire tosink her claws into humanflesh was becomingoverpowering. She needed tofeel the thrill of a kill, the

tasteoffleshandwarmbloodfilling her belly. The Hagshadn’tkilled in sovery long,giving her pause to believethis lay at the center of theirdiscord.

Turning to her sisters,Freina said, “We have muchto do if our charge is to befulfilled, but we obey onempty stomachs. Too longhas passed since our clawsenjoyed ripping flesh. Thereis a smallMan village at the

baseofthemountains.Letusgo and fill our bellies andrelievethistension.”

The prospect of huntingagain stole away seditiousthoughts, for the moment atleast.Bromnodded and tookflight first. Garelda, everdistrustingofhersister’strueintentions, followed suit,leaving the frigid elder sisteralong on the smalloutcropping with darkthoughtscoursingthroughher

mind. The past remainedunchangeable, but the futurewaslockedindoubt.Sheverymuch wanted to see hersisters free again but lackedtheforesighttodiscoverhow.With a heavy sigh shelaunched into the midnightsky and hurried after hersisters.

Far below, the wagonrambled on, unaware of theforcesgatheringagainstthem.Only the Hags watched their

passing.

ONE

Ambushed

Palemoonlightcastedtheworld in a haunting glow,broken only by heavy stormclouds and overshadowingmountains. Light snowdrifted down, adding toalready deepening driftspouring down from themountain peaks. Cold winds

howled like wolves on thehunt, shredding through thepines in unabated wrath.Winter had come to theMurdes Mountains, the vastrange separating DelrananandRogscroft.

Only a fool would darecross the long forgottenpasses high in the clouds.Only a fool or a man sodesperate it was all he coulddo. Mahn and Raste weredesperate.Theirkingdomhad

fallen to the combinedmightoftheWolfsreikandanarmyof Goblins from the east.Their king lay dead,murdered at the hands ofKing Badron himself.Deposed, what remained ofthe army broke into bandsand retreated to the relativesafetyofthemountains.

Older,Mahnwatchedthetrees with casual interest asthepairofscoutsnestledintothe snow.Younger andmore

energetic,Rastelookedboredand impatient. There was somuch more to be done thanhidinginthesnows.Manyofhis friends died during thesack of Rogscroft, leavinghimwithagrowingdarknessinhisheart.Revengecalled.

“Stop moving. You’llgiveusaway,”Mahnscoldedquietly.

Raste rolled his eyesagain. “Away to whom?Wehaven’t seen so much as a

deer or rabbit sincesundown.”

The older scout calmlyshook his head. Raste hadbeen a hothead since they’dfirst met but the war onlypushedhimfarther.Excessiveexposure to violence anddeath threatened to undo theman Raste was capable ofbecoming.Mahndidn’tknowwhat todo.The lossofKingStelskor and the burning oftheir city inspired hatred in

muchoftheyouthand,whileMahn could never bringhimself to forgive the act, heunderstooditonabaselevel.Wars were won bywill, andthe Wolfsreik showed moreofit.

“PrinceAurec sent us towatch the mountain passesfor a reason,” Mahn replied.“We have to know enemytroop movements so we canretakeourkingdom.”

“Prince Aurec hides in

Grunmarrowwhile we wasteour time countingsnowflakes.” Fires burned inhis eyes. They’d spent twoweeks hunting Goblin warpartiesbeforethisassignmentand Raste chafed at beingsuddenlyleftout.

Iamlosinghim.Thiswaris stealing our very souls.Nothing will remain but theburnthusksofwhatwewere.And for what? That monsterBadrononlywantspowerand

is willing to plunge Malweirunder the blade in order togetit.Still,Rastehasapoint.Aurec has become a hollowreflection.

Mahn’s last glimpse ofAurec was of the youthhunched over a small fire attheir refuge in Grunmarrow.Thelookofdespairwalloweddeepinhisspirit.Hisfather’sdeath robbed him of whatmighthavebeen.Aurecwasafine man, but not the

experienced warfighter hispeople needed to lead themthrough the dark times. Aprinceatdawn,kingatdusk.Mahngrinnedruefully.Aurecwas a king without akingdom.

“Leave Aurec to hissorrows for the moment. Noman should come to thethronebysuchmeans,”Mahnsaid.

“Theprincehas…”Asuddensnap,crispand

echoingacross thedeepeningnight, stopped him inmidsentence. Anotherfollowed. And another.Heavy boot steps turned intoa loud roar. Armor jostlingandweapons clanging joinedin.Mahn’s eyes narrowed ashe tracked the sounds. Bothscouts forced themselvesdeeper into the snow as thefront ranks of a company ofGoblins marched into view.Theirsquat,greybodiescame

in raggedranksdeep into thenarrow pass. Mahn smiledcoldly.

The scouts had beenchasing rumors of Goblintroop movements since theinitial displacement fromRogscroft in late autumn.Winter slowed most militaryaction considerably, givingthebeleaguereddefenderstheopportunity to gather theirstrength and refocus theirefforts. Badron decided to

keep his ten-thousand-manWolfsreik in the lowlands tosecure the kingdom and sentthe Goblins into themountains to root out therebels and the Pell Dargatribes. The war quicklydevolved into a brutal seriesof ambushes and hit-and-runengagements.

Mahnstartedcountingasthe Goblins went past. Thismarked the first time in twoweeksheandRastehadseen

the enemy. Fifty had alreadygone by, causing Mahn toswear under his breath. Atleast a full company was infrontofthem.Forsomanytobe in one place meantsomething big was about tohappen.Thearmoredcolumncontinued on. Every fewGoblinscarriedtorches.Eachflicker threatened to revealthescouts.Neitherwouldlastlong if they were forced toflee. Goblins might be slow

witted and better suited tofight in caves, but theywereexceptional trackers andnotoriouslyvicious.

A small Goblin with atorch stopped abruptly andturnedhisheadup to theair,sniffingdeeply.

A second barreledthrough the ranks. “What isit?Whatdoyousmell?”

“Manstink.”Howlsandgrunts spread

through the column. Short

swords, the traditionalweapon preferred by Goblininfantry, were drawn inanticipation of battle. Theywereananimalisticrace,bredfor warfare. Carnage andslaughter were like an elixirfromthegodstothem.Headsswiveled, peering into everyshadowandsnowdrift.Theystrained. Chests heaved.Blood heated, the Goblinswantedtobesetloose.

Mahn slowly reached

over to tap Raste’s shoulder.The younger scoutimmediately understood and,usingtheGoblins’ownnoiseforcover,startedworminghisway back down the slope.Theymighthaveachanceofescape if they could make itto the pine standwhere theirhorses were tethered. Thedistance was only onehundredmeters,butthegoingwas narrow and treacherousduetotheweatherconditions.

Ice coated the rocks anddrooped from pine needles.Loose snow went downnearly a foot at its deepest.Mahnknewtherewasn’t thatmuch luck in theworld.Anyhope of escape he harboredvanishedthenextinstant.

“FindtheHumans!Bringme their heads and it’s anextra ration of grog!” theGoblincommanderroared.

The column broke apartlike a hammer stroke in a

chorus of howls and cheers.DeprivedremnantsofthefirstDwarves, Goblins lusted forthe taste of flesh. They drewsword and axe. Their breathcame in ragged plumes ofsteam.Angerfilledtheireyes,hatred filled their hearts.They split into squads andbegantohunt,thepromiseofdining on Man anunquenchable lust. Mahncursed again. The Goblinswere better organized and

moving much faster than heanticipated. They torchednearby trees and brush withenough foliage toburn.Soonthickcloudsofchokingblacksmoke wafted up. Snowbegantomeltattheirfeet.

“We need to run, now,”Raste hissed. The fear ofdeathheldnoswayoverhim,but he knew folly when hesawit.

Raste had lived throughthefirstcampaignofthewar;

an act of guerrilla attacks ontheWolfsreikbeforethearmymanaged to bring its fullmight to bear on the plains.He’d survived the siege ofRogscroft with barely ascratch despite watching toomany friends die. Weeks ofskulking in shadows andstriking from the blind sidetooktheirtollbuthewasstillfully mission capable. Butthis,waitinginthesnowtobediscoveredbyoverahundred

Goblins, was plain madness.Every instinct screamed forhim to run. The scouts werecut off, leagues of hostileterrain separating them fromthe rest of the army. Deathstalked the pass, its icyfingers crept towards histhroat. Itwasallhecoulddonot to scream. His heartthumped,threateningtoburst.His mouth went dry. Rasteknewitwastheendatlast.

Mahn didn’t argue but

the horses were still too faraway to offer any real hope.Desperation filled his heart.He knew he had failed kingand kingdom.Deep down heknew they weren’t going tomakeit.Ahigh-pitchedvoicesnapped out from a stand ofnearby trees, breaking hisdismalthoughtprocess.

“Run!”Raste didn’t wait for

further encouragement.Beside himMahn lurched to

hisfeetandranasfastashisold legs could go. Goblinsspotted them almostimmediately and roared inalarm. Others stoppedlooking and rushed towardsthe fleeing scouts. The hunthad begun. The frozen earthtrembled beneath the thunderof so many boots as theGoblin company converged.Raste darted past Mahn. Hiseyes fixed on the horses andfreedom. Mahn lagged.

Weeks of huddling in snowbanksandlivingoffoffrozenfoodsdrainedhisstrength.Hefelt the Goblins drawingclose, ready to reach out andgrab him by the nape. Fearpropelled him, blinding himto all else. Entirely focusedonescape,hefailedtonoticethe crisp whistling soundflashpasthisleftear.

A spray of hot bloodwhipped across his back asthe first Goblin fell dead.

Several more followedquickly.Mahnrefusedtolookback. If this was death, he’drather not see the poisonedbladearchingforhisback.

“Formranks!”Arrowscontinued to spit

intotheGoblins’lightarmor.A wave of bodies soonlittered the mountain pass.Less than a minute and theGoblinshadbeenreducedbya fifth. Their advancefaltered, stopping altogether

as the survivors huddledaround, unsure of theirenemy.Heads twisted to findtheir attackers. Theircommander, his flat facepeering out from under aleather faceplate,snappedhiselongatedjawsopenandshutrapidly. Every instinctdemanded he order them tocharge. Cowardice held noplaceamong thedeepcaverndwellers.

A cry erupted from the

back ranks, cut off abruptlywith a gurgle of blood. Thecaptainspunandbellowedananimalistic fury unlike anyMahn or Raste had everheard.

“Ambush!Behindus!”Brute force a favored

weapon, the Goblin captainbellowed an attack. Hewatchedhelplesslyasthefirstrank of Goblins wasskewered on a wall of shortspears popping up from

literally nowhere. Confused,he hesitated. That hesitationproved his undoing. SpearsjoinedthearrowsandGoblinsfell by droves. Screams andcries of pain sang amongstthe thin pines. Mahn frozeand watched in muted shockaswhathadseemedacertaindeath situation turned intosomething else. He’d neverseenthelike.

What remained of theGoblinrankscrashedintothe

spearwallwith a thunderoussound. Lines of Pell Dargawarriors emerged from thetrees in measured step.Garbed in various pelts, theshort mountain warriorshackedandslewtheGoblins.Their dark brown skin incontrast with the greyGoblins,thePellwereequallycunningandmurderous.Theykilled with prejudice,slaughtering the invaderswithout thought. The battle

quickly turned into a rout.NotasingleGoblinsurvived.

Mahn finally found thestrengthtorise.Mouthagape,he stared at the dark bloodstrewn recklessly across thefresh snows. Once, such ascene would have appalledhim.Sixmonthsofdesperatecombat left him largelyimmunetosuchscenes.Eachnewbattlestoleanotherpieceofhissoulandmadehimlesshuman. He looked down on

the bodies with as muchdetachment as the godsprovided. For that he wasglad.

Splattered in blood, thePell warrior shouldered hisspear and stopped before thescout. “I am Gol Mad. Wehave followed these,” hegestured with a sneer to thecorpses, “for three days.Morecome.”

“How did you find us?”Mahnasked.Hisheartbeata

little slower now that theimmediatethreathadpassed.

Gol Mad grinnedsavagely.“CuulOlsentustoguard pass.Wewatched youformanyhours.”

“Youcouldhaveshowedyourselves sooner,” Rastesaid angrily. “They nearlykilledus.”

“Deathveryactivehere,”Gol agreed, ignoring theyouth’svenom.

MahnscoldedRastewith

a sharp glare. “Thank you,GolMad.Wemust return toGrunmarrow.Theprincewillbe expecting our report. Theenemy is finallymoving andwe aren’t prepared to stopthemall.”

The Pell paused toconsider the words, his facethoughtful and dark. UntilKing Badron of Delrananinvaded Rogscroft, the Pellhad been a peaceful people,content to live in their

mountainhomeswithlittletodo with the rest of Malweir.War changed that. Youthfulinexperience drove thewarriors into battle, eacheagertoprovehimselfagainstthemostfearedarmyinallofthe northern kingdoms: theWolfsreik. Instead, Gol andmanylikehimwererelegatedto fighting the grey skins inless-than-honorablecombat.

“Thiswarnotours,”Golfinallysaid.“ManyPelldied.

Wehunt,wekill.That is theway of the world. Life doesnotcareaboutourconcerns.”

“This war will claimyour way of life. You mustunderstand that,” Mahninsisted. “The Pell are nolonger safe in thesemountains.KingBadronwillhunt you down and destroyyou one hunting party at atime until nothing remainsbutboneanddust.”

“Wewilldoaswemust.

ItisthePellway.”Raste puffed an angered

breath. “Look, we need youtowinthewar.TheWolfsreikandtheirGoblinalliesaretoopowerfulforustofightalone.Whycan’tyouseethat?”

“You are young, despiteyour experience. Time maychange this.Goback toyourprince.CuulOlhasspoken.”

Mahn stopped Rastefrom coming forward, andmaking a fatal error, with a

swift backhand to the chest.“CuulOl also gave hiswordthat the Pell would come toour aid whenwe required it.That time is now.Thousandsof Goblins roam themountainsandlowlands.Youcan’t possibly think to hidefromthemall,canyou?”

“Wedoaswemust,”Golrepeated. His stance shifted,becomingmoredefiant.

Mahncursedsilently.Hewasn’t a politician or a

diplomat. Dealing with arelatively primitive tribe asthe Pell Darga brought himmore frustration thananythingelsehe’deverdone.Itonlyreinforcedhisfeelingsof exhaustion and mentalfatigue. So much hadhappened so quickly hestruggled to comprehendmostofit.Therewasn’tmuchchoice, however. In the endhe simply followed ordersanddidthebesthecouldina

terriblesituation.Mahn decided to push a

littlefurther.“Doesthehonorof the Pell extend tofollowing Cuul Olcompletely?”

Gol’s fingers whitenedon his spear shaft. Freshanger flared just behind hiseyes. “You seek to challengeme?”

Theolderscoutraisedhisempty hands. “No. I seek toawakenthetruthyourleaders

onceinspiredinyou.”“Our leaders know the

value of honor! We fightwhen Cuul Ol commands.Notbefore.”

Gol Mad fell silent,forcinghimselftocalmdown.He knew what Cuul and theotherchiefshaddecreed.ThePell Darga weren’t strongenoughtofightthecombinedarmies ravaging their lands.Not even the remnants ofRogscroftcouldcontendwith

such might. So many menhad gone to the dirt beforetheir time. So many familiesshattered by needlessviolence unsought andundeserved. Three of hisbrothers died fighting thewolf soldiers during theinitial stages of the war; itwas enough to fuel his needfor vengeance as well asinspiring his caution. Helearned that he was not thewarrior he once imagined.

Therewasmuchneededtobelearnedbeforehecouldreturnthefightsufficiently.

Sensing the internalconflicts, Mahn backed off.“Verywell.Rasteand I shallreturn to the prince and lethim know of your decisions.Wethankyouforrescuingus.TheGoblinswouldhavetornusapart andeatenus alive ifyouhadn’tshowedup.Thankyou,GolMad.”

Jerkinghishead towards

their horses, he and Rastestarted to leave. Enough hadbeen done for now. Thewarwasstillyoung.Rushing intothe future without properfollow through would onlyresult in more death, moredestruction.Mahnoncebentaknee to offer fealty to KingStelskor.ThatbondpassedtoStelskor’s son upon the sackofRogscroft.ManymendiedtoensureAurecescapedalivetofight forwhat remainedof

their kingdom.He andRasteweretwoofthemostvaluableassets the new army hadavailable. They made itbarely a handful of stridesbeforeGolcalledout.

“Wait. We come. Thehonor of the Pell shall neverbe questioned. Cuul Ol willunderstand,”heexplained.Heturned and barked orders intheircrudelanguage.ThePellwarriors immediatelycollectedwhatuseablespears

and arrows lay scatteredacross the scene and meltedback into the small pine andscrubbrush.

“What about them?”Mahngesturedatthedead.

Gol gave a final look atthe corpses and shrugged.“Foodforwolves.”

TWO

Grunmarrow

The night passed swifterthan Mahn had hoped. Hisfingers and toes ached,tingling from the extremecold weather at suchelevations. Winds continuedto strengthen the lower theywent. He glanced back atRaste, watching the younger

scout shiver uncontrollably.Not even the bearskin cloakofferedmuchprotectionfromprolonged exposure. Theyneeded a fire and somethingwarm to eat and were stillmanyleaguesfrombeingabletomakethathappen.

A wolf bayed off in thedistant valleys, followedquickly by another. Theirsong echoed a hauntingmelody that sent fresh chillsdown Mahn’s spine. Once,

long ago, wolf song soothedhim. Now it only served toremind him of theWolfsreikand their wave of carnagesweeping across the north.Shadows came alive. Eachtree and bush hid an enemysoldier waiting to kill. Heknew it was mere childishsuperstitions. He knew theywere creatures doing onlywhatnaturecreatedthemfor.That didn’t stop hisapprehensionsfromgrowing.

There was nothingnatural about the Wolfsreik.They were the ultimatefighting force in thenorthernkingdoms, perhaps rivalingthose of the king of Averonfar to the south. Their nameinspireddeepfears.Madethemightiesttrembleattheknee.Mahn once thought they hada chance to stop theWolfsreik, but then Badronunleashed an entire army ofGoblins. The initial invasion

campaign ended quickly, butnot without massivecasualties. He and Raste andwhat remained of thescouting corps infiltrated theruined carcass of the city todiscoverhowbadlyBadron’sarmies spent their strengthbreaking down the walls.Whathesawsurprisedhim.

Hundreds, perhapsthousands, of Goblins laywhere they fell. In fact,mostof the bodies littering

Rogscroft were the squat,greywarriors.VeryfewMenlay among the dead, leadingMahn to believe that all wasnot well with the alliancebetween Delranan and theGoblins. That fact could beexploited if only it could beconfirmed. Scouts were sentrepeatedlyouttothelowlandswith specific instructions tofind any truth in Mahn’ssuspicions. Most failed toreturn, forcing the young

prince towithdrawhis forcesandwaitoutthewinter.

“The nights get too colduphere,”Mahnsaid,tryingtospark conversation from thesullenRaste.

The younger scoutfrownedandnodded.“Winterhasbeenveryharshthisyear.Do you think the Pell willfight?”

“Hard to say. I knowthey want to, despite thereluctance Gol stated. They

areaproudpeopleunused tobeing cowed in their ownlands.Thisbandwilljoinus.”

He left the thoughthanging.Toomany variablesobscured his normally goodhunches.Newsnowstartedtofall. The flakes were cold asthey melted on his nearfrozen face. Mahn hadsuffered through manywinters,mostcolderthanthis,but he’d always had thecomfortsofawarmhomeand

spiced wine after. TheMurdes Mountains were noplace for sane men to travelunder the best conditions,muchlessthedeadofwinter.A thought crept in, strangeand alien. He suddenly feltregret for having wasted hislife in servitude.Any chanceofhavingawife, family,andanynormalcyinhislifeweregone, slashed away like somuch detritus. His shouldersslumpedjustatouch.

“We’re going to needmore than this bunch,”Rastesaid. “Badron has to have atleast twenty thousand troopscommitted to this war. Evenwith thePellwewouldn’tbeabletohalfthat.”

“Haven’t you learnedanything, Raste? Look atwhat Aurec managed on theplains before the Wolfsreikbrought their full force tobear.”

“And for what?” Raste

countered darkly. “Rogscroftstillfell.Theonlywaytowinis by using their own tacticsagainst them. We need tomakeDelrananfearus.”

Mahn looked at Rastesadly.Howdo I tellhim thathasneverbeenourway?Wewere largely a peacefulsociety until the war began.He’s letting his anger drivehis emotions. It will be thedeath of him. “Prince Aurecwillfigureitout.Wecanwin

thiswarifwestaytruetoourprinciples, Raste. Don’t letthe enemy change who youare.”

“Theyalreadyhave.”The scouts rode on in

silence,disturbedonlybythesoundsoftheiced-oversnowbreaking beneath eachfootstep.

*****

Grunmarrow waseverything a military camp

should be. Secluded in thefoothills of the MurdesMountains and accessible bya single road, the stonebuildingswerewellprotectedfrom attack and concealedjust enough to keep othersguessing its whereabouts. Inthe sixweeks sinceDelrananhad invaded, not a singlepatrol, Goblin orMan, cameclose to discovering thehidden base. Massive stoneformations ringed the camp.

A small stream flowed downfrom the mountains,providing drinking, cooking,and washing water. Ancientpine trees filled the smalldraw.

Foresight and carefulplanning filled thestorehouses long beforewinter set in. Stelskor was avery prudent man and hadtaken every precaution toproperly equip the defendersat Grunmarrow for a long

winter. Sacks of grains andflour, dried meats, cannedfruits andvegetables, aswellasgrainfortheherdanimals,filled dozens of speciallybuiltstoreroomsdeepintothemountainside.Candles,cloth,blankets,weapons,andarmorfilled even more. The twosmiths echoedmetal-workingconstantlylongintothenight.Fletcherscutarrowsfromashlimbs.Fishermenandfarmersprovided for the ample

civilian population.Grunmarrow was everythingamilitary camp shouldbe. Itonlylackedmorale.

PrinceAurecsatuponhisfavoritetreestump,lamentingthe loss of his belovedMaleela. He failed to acceptthat itwas his kidnapping ofher that instigated the war.Badron had had his eyes onRogscroft since both he andStelskor were boys. Hemerely used Maleela’s

disappearance as an excuse.The resulting wave ofdestruction proved almostincomprehensible. None ofthe survivors ever thought tosee death and wantondestruction on such massivelevels. Six months later andAurecwasstillinshock.

His eyes focused on theflamesdancingupbeforehimfromthesmallfireathisfeet.Gold, red, and orangeflickered around the tiniest

hint of blue, buried deep intheflames.Aurecdidn’twantto lookaway.Didn’twant toaccept responsibility for thethousands of men, womenand children, his people,living in Grunmarrow whiletwo enemy armies ravagedtheirkingdom.Didn’twanttobe more than a lover toMaleelaandperhapsonedaya father.He’dneverasked tobecome king, but his innercouncil decided it was past

time he accepted the crownand bore the title of king ofRogscroft. He’d argued. Ohhow he’d argued. Rogscroftwas no more, reduced to anoccupied territory. What usedid the displaced have for athroneless king? His wordsfell on deaf ears. The peopleneeded leadership and it washisinherentresponsibility.

The ceremony was setfor the end of the week,giving Aurec plenty of time

to daydream about runningaway. Again, he’d protestedagainst one. Venten andseveralothersputhimbackinhis place by reminding theyoung prince that theceremony was for thepeople’s benefit, not his. Hecouldwallowawayhisnightsin solitude as long as thecitizens of Rogscroft tooksome measure of comfort inseeing a new king crowned.So much had happened that

the coronation might be theonly thing keeping many agood man or woman fromending it all in the coldwinter.Toomanyhadalreadydied, leaving the rest apreciouscommodity.

Sergeant Thorssonsalutedcrisplyandconsideredwaiting for Aurec to replybefore giving his report,briefly. “Sire, Mahn and theother scouts have returned.They…ah brought guests as

well.”Aurec scarcely looked

up. “Guests? We have noallies, Sergeant. Who willhavecome?”

“ThePellDarga.”His immediate reply

shook away some of thedisease clinging to Aurec.ThePellhadopenlydeclaredwaragainsttheWolfsreikandGoblins but had yet toactually do much about it.The war continued on at an

agonizingly slow pace withvery few engagements.Having their representativesin Grunmarrowmight be thecatalyst they needed to turnthe war and begin a newcampaign. A spark flared.The old Aurec started toawaken.

“Is it Cuul Ol? Howmany have come? Are theyready to fight?”heasked toofast.

Thorsson enjoyed seeing

theprinceregainsomeofhisold self but the questionswere toomuch tohandle.Heheld up his hands in mocksurrender. “I don’t have theanswers you seek, sire.Perhaps Mahn can addressthemmoreappropriately.”

Aurecshotup.“Takemetohim,Sergeant.”

Thorssongrinnedandledthe way through the smallhuts and homes, emerginginto the camp’s outer

defensive perimeter. Thereawaited Mahn and thecompliment of Pell hunters.AnyhopeAurechadofusingthe Pell to overpower theWolfsreik died upon seeingtoo few arrayed in the openfield. The Pell hadn’t comeafterall.

“Sofew,”hewhispered.Mahn and Gol Mad

noticed the prince first andquicklymadetheirwaytohisaudience. The older scout

immediately noticed thegrowing despair in Aurec’seyes but was warned not toquestion by a stiff shake ofThorsson’s head. Instead hesaluted and began his report.“Sire, this is GolMad, fromCuulOl’s clan.He’s broughtfiftywarriors.”

Eyes flicked back andforth as Aurec silentlyprocessed thenews,or ratherwhat hadn’t been said.Mahncarefully avoidedmentioning

any sort of formalcommitment by Cuul orwhetherthesePellhadagreedto fight in the lowlands.Stifling his sigh, Aurecreached forward to greet thePell.

“Welcome, Gol Mad.You are most welcome toGrunmarrow.Iwouldoffertothrow you and your warriorsa feast but we are slightlyunderprepared for suchfestivities.”

Manyof thewordswerelost on him, but Gol stillmanaged to sound courteous.“ItdoesthePellgoodtoseeanew king in Rogscroft. Wecome to fight. To kill wolfsoldiers and their foul-skinnedfriends.”

So much for small talk.Mahn added, “There is stillno official word from thelarger clans, leading me tobelieve Cuul Ol and theothers already have their

hands filled. The Goblincolumn Gol saved us fromwas at least one hundredstrong. Never before havetheirnumbersbeensohighinthemountains.Sire,Ibelievea new phase of the war isbeginning.”

“Inthemiddleofwinter?Badron has to be mad if heexpects totacklethePellandnature in these blastedpeaks,”Aurecresponded.

“Agreed but the two

most likely courses of actionaretheWolfsreikscoutingforan open passage back intoDelranan for reinforcementsand supplies or they arepreparing to findanddestroyas many of the clans aspossible before spring. Nooneintheirrightmindwouldexpectafullassaultthisdeepintothewinter,”Mahnsaid.

“I need to knownumbers,Mahn, before I cancommit what little forces I

havetothefight.We’vedonewell enough raiding supplycolumnsandstrikingscoutingparties,butifwhatyousayiscorrect we won’t stand achance against so many.”AurecturnedbacktothePell.“DoesCuulknowtheGoblinsare moving in force againsttheclans?”

“Many Pell have giventheir lives against the greyskins.We fight.CuulOl andother leadersswear tokillall

thatcome.”Thorsson nodded

approvingly. His opinion ofthe Pell improved, slightly,makinghimwishmoreofhisown men were ready andwillingtocommitthemselvesso wholeheartedly to thecause. Perhaps then theymight have a chance to winthewarproperly.Heglancedbackoverhis shoulder at thesound of approachingfootstepsandsaw the freshly

reinstated General Ventenwearily make his way toAurec’sside.

“Damned illness iskeeping me from doing myjob,” he coughed and spat.Bright red blood laced thephlegm. “I guess our friendsdecided to come down fromthe mountains and join thefun.”

“General,youareheroinsome circles,” Golacknowledged with a bow.

“Many warriors sing yourglory.”

“I didn’t know I was ahero but I’ll take it,”Ventenreplied with as much of asmile as he could managebefore another fit of coughswrackedhim.

Mahn’seyescrossedeverso slightly at the mention ofheroes. Leaning close, hewhispered, “Have you got astorytotell?”

Ventenshrugged.

“Gol Mad, please makeyourself at home among us.We are honored to host thePell at our fires,” Aureccontinued.

“My apologies, prince.Wecannotstay. Iamhere tohearyourwordsforCuulOl.”

“Idon’tunderstand.”Gol adjusted the grip on

his short spear. His darkbrown skin seemed almostout of place among somuchsnowand stone.Agood foot

shorter than Aurec, he wasalso in contrast to the morewell-fed lowlanders. Hisbody was a mass of muscleand terrible strength, foldedandshapedbyyearsofharshlivingconditionsandthefiresof combat. The lines on hisface came from constantbeatings by the weather andhis eyes were hard as flint.Shoulder length black hairframed his wide shoulders,giving him a wild, unkempt

appearance.GolMadandhisPell warriors were naturalkillers.Alltheyneededwasalittle push in the rightdirection.

“The council of eldersagreedtowar,butwearenotstrong enough to fight in bigbattles like you want. Westrike at our enemies in themountains and trees. That iswherewe are best.At home.Your kind call us ShadowPeople,andweare.Icometo

see your camp, your army,andreturntoCuulOlandtellhimwhatIsaw.”

Aurec paused, takenaback. He’d been expectinganarmyofPellcomingdownfromtheirmountainhauntstotake the fight back to theWolfsreik.Insteadhefoundameager war band that mighthave the drive to fight butwere restrained bycomplicated orders. He feltlike hitting something. “Of

course,GolMad.Please,takefood and drink by our fires.Rest the night beforereturningtothemountains.”

Satisfied, Gol said, “Wewill eat and rest for a time.Thankyou,prince.”

They waited until hereturned to his people beforespeaking.Aurecbegan.“Youcould have done a better jobconvincing them to join us.Cuul Ol’s proclamationhappenedmonthsagoandwe

still haven’t seen muchsupport.”

“Sire, I don’t think theyhave much support to give,”Mahn countered. “Myimpression is that they arebeleaguered under Goblinattacks. This band savedRaste and I from a seriousproblem.Weowethemalot.”

“I could use about ahundredofthemtohelptrainthe new recruits, even someof the old ones. I’m not cut

out to be an instructor. Mytalents are wasted in camp,”Thorsson said. His desire tobe out in the field almostoverpowered his sense ofdutytothenewking.

Venten coughed again,understanding exactly howthe sergeant felt. He’d beenwith Aurec since birth andhad earned his place duringthe opening campaign of thewar.Unfortunatelyhishealthcontinuedtodeclinesincethe

fallofRogscroft.Hecouldn’ttake to the field any morethan the wounded Thorsson.“We all have new jobs,Thorsson. I was just abodyguarduntilGrunmarrow.NowI’mthechiefofstate.”

“Don’t forget hero,”Mahnadded.

Hefrowned.“There must be

something we can do toconvince the Pell we needthem.It’snotamatterofjust

getting them to fight. Anyfool can do that, butwewilllosethiswarwithouttheirfullsupport.Mahn,howweretheGoblinsequipped?”

“Heavy infantry. Theywere hunting,” he answered.“Though for us or the Pell Idon’t know. We didn’t havemuch time to analyze thebattlefieldafterwards.”

Aurec shook his headandplacedbothhandsonhiships.“Keepworkingonthem,

allofyou.Wehavetofindaway to get them to fight.Otherwise…”

Ventenlaidagentlehandon Aurec’s shoulder, muchthe way a father would hisson. “Goand take some rest,sire.We’ll figure out how tobreakthem.”

“Ihopeso, forallofoursakes,” Aurec said andreturned to his hut. Histhoughts had already turnedback to Maleela and the

brokenlovetheyshared.

THREE

Doubts

Faraway,atthesouthernendoftheMurdesMountains,rambled the much abusedwagon carrying Maleela andher companions. They’d setout from Venheim a weekago andwere still trapped inthe dark limestone andgranitemountains,alldespite

Groge’s assurance that heknew the correct paths downout of the mountains. Ofcourse, he’d never been outof Venheim before, a factnoneoftheothersbotheredtoconsiderbeforesettingout.

Maleela wasn’t herself.She doubted any of themwere these days; especiallyafter all they’dbeen through.Kidnappedbytheloveofherlife from her verybedchambers, she’d been

hunted ever since. Bahr, heruncle, unwittingly aided herfather in stealing her back,thus paving the way for hisinvasion of Rogscroft. Shefelt helpless; like it was allher fault. Worse, shediscovered a dark hatredfestereddeep inher soul,butforwhatshedidn’tknow.

“You seem troubled,”Anienam Keiss, the oddwizard, commented from hisdriver’sseatonthewagon.

“We should all betroubled, Anienam,” sheanswered. “Howdoes any ofthis make sense to you?We’rechasingghosts.”

The wizard snickeredsoftly.“Whatdoyoumean?”

Sheshothimawitheringglare.“Seriously?Lookatus.Aboy.TwosellswordsthatIstill haven’t decided if theyare mentally capable or not.A foreign woman who’skilledmoremen than any of

the rest of us except perhapsBoen.” She gestured towardsthe massive GaimosianKnight riding at the front ofthe group. “I’m convincedyou’reborderlineinsaneandIdon’t know what I’m doing.That brings us to our Giantwonder boywho’s never lefthome. And what are wedoing? Travelling halfwayacross Malweir in search ofan ancient weapon that mayor may not exist to defeat

powers that have existedsincethedawnoflife.HaveIleftanythingout?”

“Our friend Ionascu,”Anienam added. “He’sperhapsthemostbrokenofusall.Itrulydon’ttrusthim.”

“Precisely my point!None of us belong togetherandyouexpectustosavetheworld from something thatseemingly can’t be defeated.What’sthepoint?”sheasked.

A few of the others

paused to look her way, butwere wise enough to staysilent. They each faceddemonsofapersonalnature.

“The dark gods willenslave the entire world,Maleela.Nothingwill be leftsacred to their depredations.Right now, at this singularmoment in time, we are allthat stands between totalannihilation and at least theopportunity for peace.Daunting, I know. Destiny

rarely calls upon us atmomentsofourconvenience.Thisisoneofthosetimes.”

She listened to hisexplanation but remainedangry.“Whyus?Whatmakesany of us so special the fateofallMalweirshouldfallintoourhands?”

“IliketothinkI’mfairlyspecial. Leastwise my fatherandhiskindwere.But that’snotmypoint.Perhapsnoneofus are truly special,which is

what makes us all special ifyou following my meaning,”hesaid.

“You’retalkingincirclesagain,”shegrowled.

He snuck a cautiousglance before actingindignant. “What? Circles?How dare you, youngprincess! I am the lastofmykindandhavebeengrantedacertainamountof flair inmymannerofspeech.It’snotmyfaultthatyoucan’tfollow!”

He finished with a sternharrumph. Maleela watchedhim with vicious eyes,suddenly tired of the miragebeing played. She’d beenthrough more than any otherwoman her age and still hadso much more to go beforethe end. Emotionally shewasn’t sure she had thestrength to last. Traumasheaped upon her like wavesbreaking against the rockyshore. Hope started to fade,

leaving her in a position ofmassconfusion.

“You can’t carry thedeeds of others on yourshoulders,” Anienam saidafter noticing the internalbattlewagedeepinhereyes.

“What choice do Ihave?”

Hesmiledsoftly.“Doingso will only bring you low,drag you down into animpossible hole you canneverclimbfrom.Iknow,for

I’ve done it toomany times.Thisworld isnotakindone,nomatterhowmanytimeswetry tomake it so.Oftentimesourgooddeedsgetreducedtotragedy, orworse. I’d like totell you that it will all workoutintheend,thateachofuswill go on with our livesunchanged.Ican’t.”

“That doesn’t give memuch hope for the future,”shecountered.

He shrugged. “Hope is

what youmake of it. Have IevertoldyouthetaleofhowImanaged to talk a group ofTrolls out of waging a civilwar? Silly creatures really.They’dcomeuponaclaiminthe Bairn Hills that theDwarveshadmissed.Gold isa powerful thing, especiallyto smaller minds. Why, Irecallhowthey…”

Maleela rolled her eyesand tried to focus on thestrong back of her uncle

Bahr, riding alongside theGaimosian.

“She should not havecome,” Boen grumbled toBahr.

Bahr nodded crisply. “Iagree, but where else shouldshebe?TheOneEyewillkillher if she stays in Delranan.We can’t take her back toRogscroft. The list of safehavensseemsrathersmall.”

Born without a home,Boen spent his life roaming

the kingdoms of Malweir,paying for a crimehewasn’talive to commit. The fall ofancientGaimoswasthemoststoriedlegendinallthelands,a tragedyunrivaled.The ideathatanyGaimosianssurvivedthis long provided testamentto the strength of theirconvictions. He, and thosefew hundreds like him, wereascourgeontheworld.

“Atwhatpointdoesyourcharity turn to liability?” he

asked. The thought ofcontinuing to babysit theprincess and a few othersalmostinsultedhim.

Bahr felt his cheeksflush. “She is my niece,Boen. No matter what elsehappens I can’t ignorefamily.”

She’stheonlytruefamilyIhave.Mybrotherhasfinallybecomea tyrantand Iamasmuch of an exile as you are.He knew something about

being displaced as well. Theblack sheep of the family,Bahr left home at an earlyage, leaving the kingdom toBadron. The open sea calledand he gleefully threwhimself into her bosom.Decades of pirating thenortherncoastlineearnedhimthe nickname Sea Wolf but,despite having an impressiveestate on the outskirts ofChadra, henever truly felt athomeinDelranan.

The decision to returnhome at last hadn’t been ofhis choosing. Harnin OneEye, first among Badron’slieutenants, bore specialhatred for the forgotten sonand used deception to enlistBahr in rescuing Maleelafrom Rogscroft. It had allbeenaruse.She’dneverbeenkidnapped. The kingdomneverinjeopardy.HarninandBadron used him to start awar.NowneitherMaleela or

Bahr could go home. Imagesof Bahr’s estate burning tothe ground haunted himcontinually:avisualreminderofwhatmighthavebeen.

“You are letting youremotions compromise themission.”

“We’retryingtosavetheworld, Boen,” Bahr replied.“I think a task like that willneed all of the help it canget.”

Boen scowled. “You

knowwhatImean.Thisisnogame,Bahr.Whatwe’veseenand done is nothing if whatthewizardsaysistrue.Thisisgoingtogetmessybeforetheend.”

“Is there a choice?Neitherofuswaslookingforawar,butonehasbeenthrustupon us. My home is gone.My kingdom taken over andturnedintoadictatorshipandmy brother has gone to warwith a perceived enemy for

the sake of his own vanity. Ifeel like Maleela and thatbothersmedeeply.”

Boen almost suggestedtheoldmangetbackintothesea where he was morecomfortablebuttheDragon’sBane had been burned to thewaterline for Harnin’samusement. Nothing hadgone right since. “Bahr, youaren’t used to this life. I’vespentmylifegoingfromonebad time to the next without

anyhopeoffindingahome.Iknowtherisks.Iacceptthem.Youshouldtakeherandfinda place to settle down whileyou still can. This questwillclaimusall.”

“You’re sounding likethat cracked wizard,” Bahrsaid. “Mybrotherwon’t stopwith Rogscroft. And if therumors are true, he’s got anarmy ofGoblinsworking forhim.” He shook his head.“Noneof thismakessenseto

me.There’snowayheshouldhave been able to gain somuch power without anyoneknowing.”

“A spy?” Boensuggested.

The implication lurkingbehind the commentdisturbed Bahr. He’d knownIonascu was one of Harnin’slackeys and had takenappropriatemeasures to keephim neutralized. At least hehaduntilHarninturnedonhis

spy and left him a brokenshell of a man. Ionascuremained haunted, somethingsinister lurkingjustunderthesurface. No one else seemedcapable of turning againstBahr.They’dbeenchosenfortheir friendship, loyalty, andknowledge of combat. OnlyRekka Jel and young Skuldremainedmysteries. The boywas easy enough to figure.He’d overheard aconversation between Dorl

Theed and Nothol Coll anddecidedtotryandgetrichontheir coattails. Rekka Jel,however,wasanenigmafromthe moment she arrived onthe docks. Bahr didn’t likesurprises. Between thestrange woman from thesouthern jungles and thewizardshelookedupto,Bahrdidn’t knowwhere he stood.What began as a quest torescue his niece quicklyspiraled out of control and

lefthimmiredinanunendingstringofmisery.

“After all we’ve beenthrough I can’t see howanyoneisworkingagainstus.Even young Skuld wastortured by Harnin’s men,”the Sea Wolf answered. “Idon’tknow,Boen.Explaintome how the enemy alwaysseems to know what we’redoingbeforewedo.”

For once the Gaimosianhad no answer. His well-

honed combat instinctswhispered of being watched,forcinghimtolookbackoverhis shoulder far too manytimes.Nomatterwhathedidhe couldn’t shake the feelingand that perplexed himterribly. He was a man thatneeded to fight, morecomfortable in battle thancivilization. The thought thatsome darkness haunted himand stayed hidden wasbeyondinfuriating.

“I would like to get myhands around the neck ofwhoeveritis,”hefinallysaid.“I feel like we are runningaway. That doesn’t sit wellwithme,Bahr.”

“Running don’t sit wellwith any of us but this isn’tlike anything we’ve seenbefore. The whole damnedwarisunnatural.”

Boen shifted in hissaddle,hislowerbacksore.“Ineed a stand-up fight. Never

beenanygoodwithsneakingaround.”

“Agreed.” Bahr decidedto shift topics. “What aboutthe wizard? How muchcredence can we put in histheories?”

“I think the oldmanhashad too many mugs of badale. He’s half cracked andtakingtherestofuswithhim.Still, Iget the feeling thathemightknowwhathe’sdoing.Found Venheim, with the

helpofthatbookofcourse.”Bahr nodded slightly.

“He’smad,thatIagree.Istillcan’t figure out why heshowed up on my doorstepthatnight,buthe’sguidedustruethewholetime.Isupposeit’s better to have a wizardwithusthanagainstusifthiswarisgoingtocontinue.”

“War,thatwouldbenice.Instead we’re going halfwayacrossMalweir foraweaponthat might not even exist,”

Boen grumbled. “All thoseGiants and they send us amereapprentice.Idon’tknowabout you but they’d havegiven us amore experiencedperson if they believed theirowntales.”

The Giants had beenreluctanttoaccepttheirsmallband andmore than eager togetridofthem.Venheimwasone of the last true hiddenplaces in Malweir, and forgood reason. Giants were

largely extinct throughoutmost of the world. Poorbreeding contributed toincreasingly low populationnumbers. Whatever theymight have been, the Giantsof Venheim were now asecluded, superstitious clancut off from the rest ofcivilizationandmiredintheirown demons, self-created orotherwise.

“Groge seems a goodenough lad,” Bahr said.

“What better way to getexperience is there than bygoingoutintotheworld?Hissize and strength willdefinitely come in handy ifand when we get into a realscrape.”

“Size doesn’t make agoodfighter.Thatboyhasn’tswungaswordinhislife.”

Bahr carefully peeredback over his right shouldertotheGiantwalkingcasuallyalongside the wagon. “He

doesn’t need to. Very fewhave ever seen a Giant andI’m guessing they’llwind uppissingthemselveswhentheydo. We have a smalladvantageatleast.”

“He’s also big enoughthatwecan’thideifneedsbe.GrogeistwiceastallasIam.He’llbealiability.”

“One I’m willing toaccept. Legends say theirhides are so thick no mortalweapon can pierce them. He

doesn’t need to fight well ifthere’s any truth in it.Damnation, he can step on amanandkillhim!”

They shared a laugh, thethoughtofGrogesquashingagrown man to pulp oddlyamusing. Nothing had gonerightsinceacceptingHarnin’smission to rescue Maleelafrom Rogscroft and now,even with their recentadditionsandknowledge, thetunnel continued to lengthen.

Bahr would have very muchliked a platoon of Giants athisservicebutinsteadheonlygotayoungapprenticesmith.Something being better thannothing, he recognized theirneed to include Groge. Ifwhat Anienam said wascorrect, only the Giant wascapable of handling thelegendaryBludHamr.

Theyonlyneededtofinditfirst.

“What’sournextmove?”

he asked Boen, hoping theGaimosianhadabettersenseofthingsthanhedid.

“Thosesnowstormskeptus pent up in the mountainsfor too long, not to mentiongetting lost in the damnedfoothills.We’ve lost a lot oftime. The quickest way isdown the short road to theKergland Spine and then theFern River. Rekka says wecanmovefasterbyboatandIagree. The current will be

withuson thevoyagedown.Getting back will be moredifficult.”

Bahr considered theroute. “The Kergland SpinetakesusintoDwarfterritory.”

“It’sthefastestroute.”They both knew the

reputations surroundingDwarves. Bitter andreclusive, the mountaindwellers were feared almostas much as they wererespected for their

craftsmanship. Bahr and theotherswoulddowelltoavoidanyrun-ins.

“We’re most likely notgoing to make it in time, ifthe wizard’s calculations arecorrect,”Bahrsaid.

“Ahandfulofmonthsarefartooshorttomakeitalltheway down to the southernjunglesandbackagain.Thereisnotime.We’llbefortunateifwemakeithalfthatfar.”

A cold wind shuffled

through the rocky corridor,blasting them with unabatedfury. Bahr, no stranger tofierce weather, ducked downinto his bearskin cloak in afutile attempt to keep thewindout.Hiscurseswerelostonthelowgrowlofthewind.

“You’re getting old,”Boenlaughed.Hisdeepvoiceboomed with each syllable.“There was a time when themightySeaWolfwouldhavespit in the face of such a

breeze.”“Therewas a timewhen

he also had a boat, but lookwhere he is now,” Bahrcountered.“I thinkI’mgoingto go have a talk withAnienam.SeeifIcangethimtorereadthatpartinthebookthatbasicallytellsusifwe’rescrewedornot.”

The Gaimosian nodded.“I will keep point. The wayout of the foothills is clearnow.We shouldn’t have any

trouble.”Bahr failed to remind

Boenhe’dsaidthesamethingaweekago.

FOUR

Doldrums

Every rock looked thesame. Every grass-coveredmound, lichen-covered rock,and moss-striped tree lookedthesame.Thegroundofferednothing new. The same skycontinued to look down

mockingly. The northernreaches of the MurdesMountains might be filledwith many foul anddangerous things, but thesouthern end drove men todespair.Notasingleaspectofthe mountains had changedsince leaving Venheim.Nothing except it got muchcolderwithouttheheatofthemassiveforges.

Dorl Theed took a longpullfromhiscanteen,swirled

it around in his mouth andthen spit. The makeshiftgoggles cut out of pine barkhelpedreducedtheglarefromthe snow to the point hefound it almost manageable.Weeks of wanderingaimlessly down from thepeaks threatened tobreakhisspiritthough,athingheneverthought possible. Not evenHarnin’storturersmanagedtodo much more than break afewbones.

He began to regret thedecisiontosignonwithBahr.Nothinggoodhadcomefromit. The old man wasn’t theadventurer he oncewas.Nordidheseemtocaretoomuchabout the fate of Delranan.Any other man would havesnappedalready.Home,boat,anychanceatanormallifeallwiped out on a madman’swhim. Dorl found himselfgrowing angry over theindignity of it, and nothing

hadhappenedtohim!“Yourmind is clouded,”

RekkaJelsaidsoftlyfromhisside.

He smiled. He couldn’thelpit.Shewastheonethinggoing right for him sinceleaving Delranan all thoseweeks ago though he stillwasn’t sure what she saw inhim. Rekka came from anentirely different culture farto the south, a tribe lockeddeep in the jungle and given

the purpose of defendingsomethingmore ancient thanthe gods themselves. She’dcome so far on sheer faith,bearing a warning for Bahr.The selflessness of itimpressed him greatly.Though he couldn’t help butwonder why she’d chosenhim.

Heanswered,“BecauseIcan’t seem to make it up.Noneofthisisright,Rekka.”

She appeared confused.

“Whatiswrong?Wehavethewizard, a Giant to wield thehammerandknowwhereitislocated.Idon’tbelievewe’remissinganything.”

You’vegot to be kiddingme. Not missing anything?How about common sense?How about knowing what intheworldwearedoinginthefirstplace?Dorlwantedtotiphisheadbackandshoutatthetopofhislungsinthehopeofbringing the mountain down

on his head to relieve thefrustration. Too manyquestions and doubts kepthimdownandhehadnooneto ask that fatal question to:why?

“Rekka, what made youcome toDelranan in the firstplace? There has to be morethan your elders decided itmustbeyou.”

She stiffened slightly,caught off guard. “One doesnot question the gods. They

commune with the spirits ofthe gods and of the earth.Knowledgecomesfromthemalone. We must all obey orthecauseislost.”

“Cause?” he asked,decidingtopressfurther.

“Good and evil mustcoexistinorderfortheworldto spin with symmetry. Onecannot vanquish the other orallwe knowwill be plungedinto total chaos. Yet therecannot be too much of one.

Balance must be maintained.We are the keepers of thebalance.Mypeoplehavelongdefended the temple mastersbut we are very few. Weserve righteousness andjustice. The Dae’shan andtheirmastersthreatentoundous. Therefore our cause is ingreat peril. You were allchosen for reasons that gobeyondmycomprehension.”

Rekka fell silent, havingsaidmorethanenough.She’d

been given specificinstructions not to getinvolved with the brutal andbarbaric northerners. Not totell more of her life thannecessary in order toaccomplish her mission. Shehad questions of her own.How would she know theright ones to approach?Would they be pure enough?The elders brushed off herconcerns and sent her on herwaywith the knowledge that

she was setting out to helpsave Malweir from eternaldarkness. Fortunately, manyof those questions wereanswered easily when shestumbled across AnienamKeiss. Now that they’d beentogether for a few months,Rekkacame todoubt findinghimwasanaccident.

The wizard guided herthrough those dark patchesshecouldn’tnavigate,helpedher understand the much

larger picture her elders hadeither forgotten or neverknew. He always knewprecisely what to say andwhen.Everytimeshefeltthetug of doubt hewas there towipeherconcernsaway.No,findinghimwasno accident.Anienam Keiss had beensearching for her from thebeginning.He toomust haveguessed the time ofconfluence was fastapproaching.Atimewhenthe

dark gods would make theirnext attempt at returning toclaimtheirvacantthrones.

And he should. Theancient order ofMages onceheldthosedarkforcesatbay.Born from the trials of ahandful of Gaimosians, theorder slowly became thedominant body on allMalweir. They were soughtfor their great wisdom andabilities to heal and more.Everyone celebrated their

society at IpnShaluntil theymadethecrystalofTolShere.The dark gods infiltrated theMagesandusedthecrystaltowreakunspeakablehorrorsontheworld. In the end, only ahandful ofMages lived.Oneof them was Anienam’sfather.

Centuries of hit-and-runbattles and weak attempts atregaining power filled thespacebetween the fallof IpnShal and now. Centuries of

unprecedented grief anddespair. Anienam’s fathergave his life to the cause,stopping his arch nemesis,Sidian the Silver Mage, inwhathethoughthadbeenthefinal battle. History provedhim wrong. The dark godslingered on, ever hungeringfor their return. Now onlyAnienam remained: the lastofhiskind.Magicwasdyingand therewas little room leftin Malweir for it. People

didn’twanttoberemindedofwhatmagicdidtothem.Howbadlyithadalteredtheirstyleoflife.

WhenDorlspokeagainitwas slow and thoughtful. “Idon’t believe I will everunderstand you, Rekka Jel,but you have my devotion.Never doubt my intent toremainatyourside,nomatterhowdarkthenightbecomes.”

She reached out andsqueezed his offered hand

before riding to the front ofthecolumn.

“I don’t believe I justheard that come from yourmouth.”

Dorl narrowed his eyesonhisoldest andbest friend,Nothol Coll. “Just had toopen your mouth and spoilthemoment,didn’tyou?”

“Ihadtoopenmymouthto vomit,” he replied withlaughter. “If I didn’t knowbetter I’d say she had your

balls in a little pouch aroundherneck.”

Dorl,angered,pointedanaccusing finger. “Just youlisten up, I can take a fairamount of abuse from you,friend, but I draw the linewhenitcomestoher.”

“Soshecan’tabuseyourears?”Notholasked.

“YouknowdamnedwellwhatImean!”

Laughing harder, Notholheld up his hands. “Relax,

Doral. I’m only playing andyouknowit.Whatarefriendsfor,right?”

“They’re not for this. Icantellyouthatmuch.”

“Nonsense.” Notholstopped laughing. “We’reheadingdeepintoithere,myfriend, and I need to knowyou’ve gotmyback just likebefore. We can’t trust toomany of the others, in caseyou haven’t figured it out.Thatmeanswe need to stick

together no matter what. Idon’tmindhelpingoutonanimportant cause and all butI’m not ready to give upmylifeforitjustyet.”

“When have you everbeen willing to die forsomething not your choice?”Dorl asked, still upset withhow easily Nothol hadcrossedtheboundary.

“IneverhaveandIdoubtI ever will, but if what thewizard says is even half true

then we might have a realshotatimmortality.”

“Now you want to liveforever? I don’t get you.You’re starting to talk likethatcrackpotoldman,”Dorlsaid,shakinghishead.

Nothol reached out andsmacked him on the back ofhis head. “No, stupid. Ain’tnobody can live forever. I’mtalkingaboutmyname.Howmany future generations willlook back on our deeds and

say, ‘There was a true hero!A selflessman.’Think aboutit,Dorl.Wehave the chancetobecomeheroes.”

Dorl couldn’t believewhat hewas hearing.NotholCollwasnormallyareservedand prudent man, now hetalked like Skuld at thebeginning of the quest.Dreams of treasure andgreatnesshadfilledtheyoungboy’shead,atleastuntiltheyran into trouble and he saw

how wrong he’d been. NowSkuld only hoped tomake ithome alive. And Notholsuffered from delusions ofgrandeur.

“Heroes die young,” hefinally said. “I’d like to liveawhile longer if it’s all thesame.”

Nothol shrugged. “Now,later.Whatdifferencedoes itmake? In the end we all goback to the dirt and fadeaway.”

“Have you beendrinking?”

“Not yet. I didn’t knowwehadanythingleft,”Notholreplied.

Frustrated, Dorl spurredhishorseforward toconfrontAnienam on filling his bestfriend’s head with nonsense.Nothol watched him go,pausing only to glance up atthe wagon. He found Skuldlooking back at him. Theblank look on his face told

Nothol everything. Suddenlydisturbed,helookedskyward.Not sure what he’d find, hesearched the grey clouds foranswers, truths, for any signthat hewasmaking the rightdecisions going forward. Hiseyes focused. Is that?Perhaps I’m too tired. Longnights in the saddle haverobbedmeofmysenses.ButIknowwhatIsaw.Threedarkspecks drifting into theclouds.We’rebeingwatched!

“Areyoucertain?”Boenpressed.

Thegentlecackleoftheirfire filled the background ofthesmallvalethey’dcampedfor the night in. Everyonegatheredafterabriefmealofold bread, dried meat, andwhat was left of a wheel ofwhite cheese. Now they

listened to Nothol explainwhat he believed he’dwitnessedafewhoursearlier.

He nodded. “Absolutely.Theyweremuch too large tobe birds, even the greatcondorsofthehigherpeaks.”

Bahr poked at the firewithablackenedstick.“Whatdoyoumakeofthis,wizard?”

“It could be something,might not be,” Anienamreplied. “There aren’t manybirdsinthispartoftheworld.

Nor dragons or any suchnonsense. I honestly don’tknowwhattheyare.”

“Not exactly confidenceinspiring, is he?” Maleelawhisperedtoheruncle.

Bahr suppressed a grin.“Hush girl. We’ve knownwe’re being followed for awhilenow.Thismightbethebreakweneed.”

“We know Badron isallied with dark powers,could theybesomeconstruct

of the Dae’shan?” Rekkaasked.

“Possibly,butunlessyoucan manage to shoot onedown I can’t know forcertain.” Anienam shook hishead, frustrated at thecontinuing depth of thepuzzle. Much of his planswerecenteredonspeculation,preventinghimfromlearningthe truth in too many areas.Blinded,hehadnochoicebutto carry on with his original

plans.Andpraytheyworked.Nothol shook his head.

“No. They were much toohightoshootdown.”

Ionascu suddenly brokeout in bitter laughter. Hiscrippled hand thumped downonhisthigh.“Fools.Runandhide. Stand and die. Whatdifferencedoes itmake?TheOneEyewill findusandkillusall!”

Boen’s fist clenchedinstinctively. He looked to

Bahr. “Say theword and I’llcavehisskullin.”

Bahr gently shook hishead.

“Violence is not thesolution to every situation,Gaimosian,” Anienamscolded. “This man isdamaged,brokeninmindandbody, but he may yet be ofusetous.”

“The big man goesdown!” Ionascu cackledbefore ambling off to his

bedroll.“Ireallydon’t likehim,”

Boengrumbled.Ignoring him, Bahr

asked,“Whatdowedoaboutour spies? They’ll give usawaythemomenttheyfigureoutwherewe’regoing.”

The wizard shrugged.“What canwedo? I havenospell that can bring themdown.Deceptionwillmerelydelay us to the point offailure.”

“About that,” Bahrasked. “Are you certain youread that book correctly?Because according to yourtimelinewe’realreadylate.”

Anienam paused. He’dnever considered beingwrong; so few times in thepast had he ever been. ButBahr brought a valid point.Perhaps he had misread thebook.“Icancertainlygobackand reread it, but that’s notthe issue at hand. I have

concerns about thosecreatures Nothol claims tohaveseen.”

“Saw,” Nothol correctedsharply.

Anienamwavedhimoff.“Irrelevant.Thereisavillagenot far fromhere. I thinkweshould make for it andregroup. Perhaps that willthrowourtrackersoff.”

“Fine,butwhatdowedoabout him?” Bahr asked,pointingatGroge.

The Giant lingered justoutside of the range of thefire.Toweringovereveryone,he still didn’t feelcomfortable being aroundthem. Groge had never seenanother species before andfound he was fascinated bythem. They bickered andargued like old friends. Boregrudges contrary to theiractions. Theymade no sensetohim.He found it alloddlyrefreshing. Life in the forges

heldsolittlevariation.“I will remain in the

forests,” Groge finally said.“Your kind will not takekindly to seeing me, if whatourelderssayistrue.”

“Trueenough.Giantsareextremely rare these days,”Bahr said. “I think your bestmove is to remainhiddenforaslongaspossible.Wedon’tneed any more unwarrantedattention.”

Groge nodded, that

feeling of seclusion steadilygrowing stronger.Hewantedtobepartoftheirgroup,partof something that matteredforachange,buthissizeandracesethimoutastheoddity.The idea was absurd. Theyneeded him to wield thefabled Blud Hamr when thetimecame.Theyneededhim.Hefoundtheideacomforting,but remained apprehensive.Humanswerevastlydifferentfromhispeople.Certainlynot

whatheimagined.“Rest up,” Bahr told the

group. “We need to movequickly. I don’t want ourspies to grow comfortablewhile we dither on what todo. I’ll take first watch. Weleaveinfourhours.”

FIVE

Fedro

Mired in the shadow ofthe mountains, Fedro was alargely forgotten village.Originally intended as awaystation for travelers seekingtogooverthemountains,thetownquicklysproutedupandgrew too far beyond itsoriginal intent. Bandits and

thieves lined the streetshopingtofleeceunsuspectingmenandwomen.Worse,theyoften set ambushes in thefoothills. The MurdesMountains were lawless, afact Bahr was counting on.The less law enforcement inthe area the better. He knewHarnin would already havebounty hunters and worsescouring the neighboringkingdoms.

Smoke rose from a

hundred chimneys, chokingthe air with subtle pollution.The roads were wet andmuddy, sprinkled with lightsnow.Treesandbusheslinedthem, giving Fedro a smalltouch of class. Most of thehousesweremadefrompine,though a few brick homeswere interspersed. Bahrsuggested they were mostlikelythehomesofmerchantsand factors. Most peopleweren’trichenoughtoafford

brick.Bahr guided them down

the two-lane road past theshantyguardhousesand intothe heart of Fedro. They’dleft Groge about a kilometerbackinaheavystandofoakswith enough food and waterto last thenext twodays.Hehadn’tputupanargumentbutstood with sad eyes as theotherscontinuedon.

The size of the groupdrew stares and gawkers,

more than Bahr or Anienamfeltcomfortablewith.They’dbeencountingonsecrecybutonly succeeded in drawingattention to themselves.Bahrcursed, knowing he shouldhave left the wagon withGroge and broken the groupdownintotwosandthrees.Somany newcomers at oncewere bound to draw thewrongkindsofattention.Toolate for that, he pushed themontothenearestinn.

They’dbeenon the roadforweekswithoutarestandagoodnight’ssleepwitharoofovertheirheadswasjustwhatthey needed to recharge.Leaving Nothol and Dorl tosecure stable space for thehorses and a berth for thewagon, he, Maleela,Anienam, and Skuld went intogetroomsandpayfortheirmeals.BoenandRekkawentoutthroughFedrotoscoutthestreets and identify potential

escaperoutesshouldtheneedarise. Only broken Ionascudeclined to accompanyanyone and remained in thewagonbed,curledupunderapileofblankets.

Dawn broke by the timethey gathered together forbreakfast in the commonroom. The smell of baconcooking assaulted theirsenses, making stomachsgrowl. Heaps of apples andfreshcheesewerebroughtout

along with pitchers of icecold mountain water andfreshlymadedarkbreadwithjam.Bahrpaidalittleextrainorder to have eggs as well,knowing they needed theprotein. The group’s moodinstantly improved and soonthe room was alive withgenuine laughter. Every careseemed forgotten, for themoment.

The door openedsuddenly, allowing a small

child in, accompanied by astrong gust of wind. Hewalkedrightup to their tableas if he’d known they weregoing to be there. “You arethe Sea Wolf,” he stated toBahr.“Ihavebeensentwithamessage. The Old Motherwishes to see you. She hasnecessary knowledge to aidyouinyourquest.”

“Go away, boy. We’veno need for cheap parlortricks this morn,” Boen

frowned.Anienam waved a

cautious hand at theGaimosian. “Careful, Boen.This boy is more than heappears. You’re a taken,aren’tyou?”

The child cocked hishead, studying the wizard.Recognition flashed in hisdull, brown eyes. “We havemet before, old one. Longago, in a distant land. Doesthisnewbodythrowyouoff?

Perhaps you’d recall myprevious form? An elderlyman with no right eye inAlloenis.”

“What devilry is this?”Bahrsnarled,reachingforhissword.

“Patience,Bahr.Thisisavery rare creature. They areknownastaken,ancientsoulsthat travel from body tobody.”

“Demons!”The taken laughed, a

terrible hissing soundescaping grit teeth. “Yourknowledge of the world islimited, Sea Wolf. My kindhas walked these lands sincethefirstdawn.Weareneitherangel nor demon. Wesimply…are. But that isunimportant.TheOldMothercommandsyouraudienceandyouwoulddowelltofollow.”

Deflated, Bahr droppedhis hand back on the tableand leaned back in his chair.

“Verywell, taken,wherecanIfindthisOldMother?”

“Comewithme,butonlytwo may go. She is not onefor large groups and themessage will be diluted iftherearemorethantwo.”Thetakenedgedbacktowardsthedoor.

“Idonotlikethis,”Boenrumbled.

Rekka added, “I agree.Hesmellsoffoulness.”

“The taken are many

things but deceptive is notone of them. I shallaccompany you,” Anienamsaid. “Ifwhat he says is truewehavehaddealingsbefore.”

“This smells bad, likeRekka said,” Dorl said.“Couldbeatrap.”

“No,IhaveheardofthisOld Mother. Some say shehas visions. What she saysmight prove useful in thecoming days,” the wizardsaid.

Bahr finished the last ofhis eggs, the golden yolksrunning down the stubble onhis chin. “Very well. Let usget this over with. I amanxious to be out of thistown. And someone makesureGrogegetsenoughfood.Wouldn’tdotolethimstarveoutthere.”

The taken smiled andopenedthedoor.

Tucked away in aforgotten part of old Fedro,the Old Mother’s home wassmall and unassuming.Mosscoveredthewallstotheroof.Vines and angry bushesliningthehousesetbackmostcurious passersby.Candlelight glowed throughthe gloomywindows. Smokegustedfromthelowchimney,dark and fetid. The takenignored their cautious looks,leading the pair up to the

frontdoor.“Icangonofurther.The

OldMotherawaitswithin,”itsaid.

Bahr and Anienamexchanged wary glances butsaid nothing. Any ill thatmight happen was bound towhethertheywanteditornot.BythetimeBahrlookedbackto the taken it was gone. Adark cloud settled over hishead.Hestarted to speakbutwas cutoffwhen the cottage

dooropenedsuddenly.“It seems we go in,”

Anienammused.On edge, Bahr grunted

and pushed inside. His noseitchedfromtheoverpoweringstench of somany herbs andspices.Gloomclung towallsandceiling,impenetrableandoppressive. He immediatelyfelt confined.He felt trappedin a cave. How can anyonechoose to live like this? Alesser life might be had in

betterplaces.An ancient voice crept

through the gloom. “Youdisparage my home, Bahr,sonofBrogon.”

“How do you know myname?”heaskeddefensively.

“Bah, I know manythings the light never finds.ComeclosersothatImayseeyou.”

HewaitedforAnienam’sencouragement beforedelving further into the

cottage. Odd, exotic plantshung from the rafters.Flowers he’d never seensprouted from rows of potsalong the walls. Very littlefurniturefilledtheinterior.Abroken down chair by thefireplace.Asmalltableunderthe largest window. Dirtcovered the floor, leadingBahr to believe no one hadbothered cleaning this placeinaverylongtime,ifever.

Something dark brown

scurried away to the farcorner. Bahr ignored it andmoved towards the sound ofthe voice. He didn’t knowwhybuthisheartbeatalittlefaster. There was a strangepower at work here. He feltthe power rippling across hisflesh. Electrifying his bones.Different from the wizard,thispowercamefromtheair.He felt the currents passthrough his nostrils, into hislungs.Nauseaquicklyspread.

Hisheadbegantoache,adullthrobbingechoingdeepinhismind.Anienamplacedahandon his shoulder and heimmediatelyfeltwarmthflowthroughhim.

“Thank you,” he saidwithout understanding. Themagical effects beganwearingoff.

Anienam nodded andkeptwalking.TheyfoundtheOld Mother in her bed, tooold and fragile to get up.

Wiry white hair hung downwell past her shoulders.Wrinkles distorted her face.Bahrcould justmakeout thethick hairs on her chin andupper lip. Her teeth werebroken, crooked, and staineddarkbrown.Everythingaboutherscreamedsheshouldhavealready passed to the nextworld. Everything but hereyes. Her eyes were strong,vivid.TheywatchedBahrandAnienam approach. The Old

Mother calculated everyminute fact, every nuance intheirstrideandstance.

“Ah, you bring the lastscionofruinedIpnShal,”shemused. “I did not think youstilldrewbreath,Anienam.”

The wizard stiffened.“Baethesida. You’resupposedtobedead.”

“You know thiswoman?”Bahrasked.

“Of course he does. Tellhim, wizard. Tell him how

your order abandoned mykind. Threw us out to thewolves to fend for ourselves.How dozens of us werecaptured or slaughtered forour unique abilities. Yourself-destruction was the bestthingtohappentoMalweir.”

“You summoned us,”Anienam said, ignoring herbarb.

She waved him off. “Isummoned him. You camebecause you cannot help but

interfere with the affairs ofothers. How like the rest ofyourdeadkin.”

“Some would name youabomination, witch-seer,” hesnapped.“Everyouandyoursisters sought to control thewills of others. Haven’t youlearned from meddling thatlife does not follow yourdesires?”

“Desiresareall the fleshiscomprisedof.Whoareyoutocondemnmeformygifts?”

Bahr stepped betweenthem. “Time is short, OldMother. You summonedme?”

Her eyes flicked to him.“Indeed.Youembarkuponanepic quest, thinking theanswersareallknowntoyou.You are wrong. Everythingyouthinkyouknowisalie.”

“Speakplainly,woman.Itoldyouwedon’thavetime.”

Anienam frowned.“Careful,Bahr.Sheisoldbut

extremely powerful. Itwouldn’tbewisetoupsethermorethannecessary.”

“I don’t understand. Shedoesn’t look like much,” hereplied.

“Your eyes deceive you,Sea Wolf,” Baethesidacrooned. “Open your heartand the truth will berevealed.”

Bahrfeltmorefrustrated.“I don’t do riddles, OldMother. What is it you

want?”“Want? Nothing. What

can an old woman such as Ineed from the likes of you?”she replied chastely. “I wishto give you information youwill haveneedofbeforeyoureachTrennaron.”

“Howdoyouknow this,witch-seer?” Anienamdemanded.

“I knowmany forbiddenfacts,wizard.Youshouldnothavecome.Mywordsarefor

Bahralone.”“Perhaps she is right.

We’re getting nowhere likethis.Waitoutside,Anienam,”Bahrsaid.

Thewizardbristledattheindignity,butheldhistongue.Enough damage had beendone to their little band andthey couldn’t afford moreangst.Reluctantlyhenodded.“Do not trust what she says.The witch-seers are famousforthepoisonintheirwords.”

Bahr clasped Anienam’sforearmandwaitedforhimtoleave before turning back totheOldMother.

“He will become aproblembefore the end,” sheremarkedcasually.

Bahr frowned. “Why amIhere?”

“Thiswarisbeyondyourabilitytowin.Yourbrotherisenslaved by the Dae’shan, awilling servant of the darkgods. Soon his power will

rival the mightiest kingdom.His spies hound yourmovements, reporting everyturn to their masters. Youmarch across the world insearch of a weapon unseenfor thousands of years.Whatis it you hope toaccomplish?”

For the first time herealized he had no answer.No personal objective otherthanmeresurvival.He’dbeendrawnintothisaffairwithout

the opportunity to see anypersonal gain other thansavingMaleela.Byallmeanshis taskwascompleteandheshould take his fewpossessions and find a quietcorner of the world to settledown in. Reality and desireseldomcrossedpaths though.He’dneverbesafeaslongasBadron continued to rule.OtherswouldhunthimtotheendsofMalweirjusttopleasetheir lord and collect the

amplebounty.So what did he hope to

accomplish? His only truechance at freedom lay inturning around and stoppingBadron, even if that meantkillinghim.Truthfullyhehadno desire to murder his onlybrother. Nor did he wish toascend to the throne ofDelranan. Leading theirgroup south to find theBludHamrwasn’t his first choice.Meantfor theopensea,Bahr

needed the feel of sea sprayonhisface,thesaltintheair.He felt stymied this deep inthecountryside.

“Freedom,” he finallysaid.

The Old Mother noddedever so slightly. “Everelusive,whatyouseek.Manynever come to know what itmeans tobe free.The choicebeforeyou isplain.Continueon the path you haveundertaken and it shall claim

yourlife.Thedarkgodshavepowers no mortal canunderstand.Fightthemifyoumust,butyouwilldie.Itisasinevitableastherisingsun.”

He’d never run from afightinhislonglife.Theverythought galled him. Therewas no honor to be found incowardice, no glory or fame.His nature told him to standup and confront threats asthey come, not run and hidein the nearest hole. Even

when confronted byimpossible forces his baseinstinct was to fight. A manlike Bahr thrived off ofintense situations and neededthe adrenaline rush to feelalive.Hisestates inDelrananwereexpansive,builtwiththebest money could buy, buthe’dneverfeltathome.

“I can’t give up justbecausearandomoldwomanwantsmeto,”hesaid.“Deathneverheldswayoverme.Go

frightenlessermenwithyourwarningsandportents.”

Baethesida’s eyeswidened.Decadeshadpassedsince one so foolish rebukedher. “Youmisunderstandme,Sea Wolf. If you continueyour quest to find the BludHamr, you will knowdarkness the likes of whichyour pet wizard hasn’tdreamed. Pain and sufferingwillclaimyou.”

Frustrated, he turned to

leave. “We’re done here.Goodday,OldMother.”

“Wait, Bahr. This hasmore to do than with yourvanity.Maleelawillsufferthelongeryourquestgoeson.Inthe end she will fall todarkness.”

Bahr stiffened but saidnothingandstormedoff.Thewitch-seer watched him go,quietly debating whether totell him the truth. Darknessrode the horizon, storming

towardshim,andheremainedblinded. She smirked,knowing the path he hadchosen would only lead tohorror.

SIX

SeedsofRebellion

Far to thenorth, inwhathad once been the kingdomand city of Rogscroft, KingBadron ofDelranan sat uponthe burned throne of hisvanquished foe. Stelskor’scorpsehungfromtheceiling,minus the head. Badronpersonally impaled the

severed head upon a spearand set it at the gates to thecityforalltowitness.Armedguards patrolled the areaconstantly lest one of theformer citizens attempt to benoble and rescue their deadking’sdignity.

The throne room reekedof rotting flesh. Flies buzzedin thick clouds. Many ofBadron’s advisors refused toenter, secretly citing theunnaturalness of it all. Their

king had lost his mind,surrounded by corpses andpuddlesofdriedblood.Half-chewed bones scattered thecorners. Badron sat inamusement as the dogsdevoured his dead enemies.Only the senior rankingGoblins felt comfortable inhis presence. The dank,musky air and overpoweringfeeling of death made themfeel at home. Badron caredless. His mind walked down

paths very few had evertrodden. He looked forwardto thewhispered promises ofthe Dae’shan. Amar Kit’hanspoke of the coming timewhen Badron would becrowned lord of the entirenorth. Master of the worldfromthewesttotheeast.Allhe needed to dowas kill hisdaughter and find truefreedom.

Lost in one of his nowfrequentdarkmoods,Badron

failedtonoticeGrugnakenterthe throne room. TheGoblincommander marched up tothe broken throne, head heldhigh. His black armor wasdented and filthy. Hairplastered wildly about hisface and neck. His normallydull grey skin seemed pale,gangrenous.The anger in hiseyes reflected the hungryflamesfromthetwinbraziersflankingthethrone.

“Two hundred more

dead,” he growled in brokenspeech.

Badron didn’t botherlooking up. His head restedon a fist, staring off into thedistanceatvisionsnooneelsecouldsee.

Grugnak stepped closer,handdangerouslyclosetohissword. “Did you not hear?Moredead.Wemustattack!”

“What difference doestwo hundred make?” Badronasked suddenly. “I have a

combined force of close totwenty thousand combatsoldiers. Two hundred isnothing.”

“Two hundred Goblins!WhendoMenbegindying?”Grugnakdemanded.

“Why,sinceourcreation.Do not think to lay claim tounprecedented violence.Manis more terrible than thefoulestGoblin.”

Badron fell silent again,leaving the Goblin

commander to stew. He hadbetter things to occupy histime than a disgruntledpuppet. For in the end thatwas all the Goblin forceamounted to: puppets. Heplanned on sacrificing everysingleoneofthembeforetheend. After all, why wastegood, able-bodiedMenwhenyouhadanotherarmywillingtofightanddieatnocost?

The crisp sound of steelbeing drawn from the

scabbard echoed throughoutthe room. “Maybe I takemyarmy back to the DeadLands.”

“Maybe you should,”Badroncountered.“Rogscrofthas fallen. I don’t need youanymore.”

“Maybe we go toDelrananinstead.”

MoreswordsweredrawnasBadron’sguardsringedtheGoblin.TheirgazewentfromGrugnaktoBadron,eagerfor

thecommandtoslaythefoulcreature.Badrondidnothing.Grugnaksnarledandspit.

“Coward.”“Beware your words,

Goblin. I had no qualmwithsacrificingyourtroopstotakethiscityandI’llhavenoneinspitting your head besideStelskor’s.”Badron rose.Hisbulk more than a match forthe shorter Goblin, hetowered over Grugnak withunmistakablemenace.“Ihave

no patience for ignorance.Speak out of turn again andI’ll have every last one ofyourpeopleputtodeath.AmIclear?”

Grugnak swallowed,fingers dancing over hissword hilt. Killing Badronwouldn’t prove difficult.Whatever he might be nowwas but a shadow of hisformer self. The king ofDelranan might have foughtmanywarsbuttheywerelong

ago. He hadn’t swung asword in combat in decades,givingGrugnaktheadvantageif he could only get closeenough. Reluctantly hesheathedhissword.The timewouldcomesoonenough.

Badronnodded,as if theoutcome had never been indoubt. “I knew you’d seereason,myfriend.Nowas tothose two hundred of yours.Whereweretheylost?”

“Inthemountainpasses.”

So the Pell have finallythrown in. It took them longenough. “The Pell areruthless, far more so thanyour kind. Digging them outwillprovedifficult.Wemustdoubleourefforts.Thesnowscontinuetodeepen.IwantthePell brought to heel quickly.WemarchonDelrananinthespring.”

“I need moresoldiers,”Grugnak said, ignoring mostof what he’d been told.

Badron’s dreams of conquestmeantnothingtohim.HehadbeensentbyAmarKit’hantoassist in the conduct ofBadron’s war and to helppreparethewayforthereturnof the dark gods. Faithless,Grugnak cared little for godsand conquest. He merelywanted to fight, to feel therippingsensationofhissworddriving into flesh. Nothingelsemattered.

Badron rubbed his tired

eyes. “I shall informGeneralRolnir to detach twobattalions. That shouldprovide sufficient strength toaccomplish your task,Commander. Now, leaveme.”

Visibly insulted,Grugnak turned and leftwithout a word. Thoughts ofmurderingBadronentertainedhimashemadehiswaybacktohisarmy.

*****

“New orders just camedown,” Rolnir announced tohis gathered commanders.“None of you are going tolikethem.”

Piper Joach cut a slicefrom his green apple andpopped it in his mouth. “IthinkIcanspeakforallofuswhenIsaywehaven’tlikedadamned thing since enteringRogscroft.”

“Keep that noise toyourself, Piper. The king hasears everywhere,” Rolnirscolded, disappointed hiscommander didn’t knowbetter. Or perhaps he justdoesn’t care anymore. Thiswaristakingatollonusall.Ionly pray we have what ittakestomakeitoutalive.

Rebuked, Piper dippedhis head. “Yes sir.What areourorders?”

Takingadeepbreath,the

red-haired general almostcouldn’t bring himself tospeak.“Thekinghasorderedtwo full battalions to assisttheGoblinsindrivingthePellDarga out of the mountains.TheyaretoreporttoGrugnakatdawn.”

“Hedoeshateus,doesn’the,” Ulaf, master ofengineers,said.

Rolnir couldn’t help butgrin. “It appears that way,doesn’t it? Regardless of his

likes or dislikes, he is ourkingandwearehonorboundtoobey.Herger,Ineedtwoofyourbest.”

The dour-faced Hergergrimaced with displeasure.His thick beard hung justbelow the rim of his chestarmor, as black as midnight.“Why my best, General?Chances are the damnedGoblinswillturnonthemthemoment they see theadvantage.”

“Of course they will.Which is exactlywhy I needthebest.Gru