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  Pushing himself up, he grabbed the large mallet resting at the column’s base and lifted it. Twisting with all his might, he brought the iron head across, knocking a chunk of stone from the natural pillar.

  Several dalari around the cavern did the same, busting the underground framework. One by one, the pillars collapsed and the earth began to groan.

  “Get clear, she’s coming down!” Gareth yelled, backing away from the busted support. Reaching the escape tunnel, he turned and waited for the others to join him.

  Dust and small bits of rock fell from the ceiling. Rubble danced on the ground, unable to remain still due to the combination of boots overhead and weakened structural support.

  Seeing the last dalari reach him, Gareth pulled a fist sized stone from his belt pouch. Thumbing the unnaturally smooth rock, a blue glow formed at its center. Rearing back, he took aim and launched it into the cavern depths. It disappeared in the darkness, sounding off against the rocky floor.

  “Get ready. When she blows, we’re gonna’ be surrounded by a mass of black-skinned bastards that need killin’!”

  As if his words were the trigger, an explosion erupted in the darkness. An orange glow formed in the distance, moving rapidly toward them. The walls trembled and shook, knocking heavy stones from the ancient catacombs.

  Gareth grabbed the small shield he’d been given for this very task. Lifting it overhead, he heard the rocks ping off, protecting him against the falling debris.

  Daylight shot through the massive pit, displaying tumbling rock, dust, and disoriented dreualfar. Hundreds were killed in the collapse, but many others began to pick themselves up from the avalanching stone.

  “Attack! Don’t let a single one of these infernal bastards escape.” Dropping the shield, Gareth charged into the fray, summoning his fist weapons. Without hesitation, he stabbed into the first dreualfar he saw, ripping him open. Trampling over the dying creature, he lunged into another, taking pleasure in each death.

  The dreualfar struggled to hold ground against such an overwhelming number. Thousands had fallen, never to rise again. Only a few thousand remained, and they were battered and without command. It didn’t help the dreuki and some of the stronger soldiers were arguing. If it weren’t for the attacking dalari, they’d certainly be at war with one other.

  Kashien stared from the bluff top. This war was already done. They just had to keep them disoriented. Signaling the unit to his right, he watched them spill down the hill, forcing the dreualfar resistance to huddle together. They were already trapped between the massive hole, the canyons, and his men. But it wasn’t the time to get sloppy. Signaling to the left, hundreds of arrows took flight, raining down into the trapped dreualfar.

  “All units, charge. Let’s squeeze these murders and rapist between everything we’ve got!”

  Stepping around the corner, Ravion let out a heavy sigh, seeing Gareth atop the mound of rubble, attacking anything that moved. Shaking his head, he marched toward the debris. They didn’t have time for this. “Fall back. We have to seal the tunnels!” He called to his friend and brother.

  Hearing the command, many of the dalari landed their final blows and turned the way they’d come.

  Ravion rushed past them and carefully climbed the large pile if settled stone. Looking around, it seemed he and Gareth were the only ones left. Cautiously approaching, he stopped just out of range, not that Gareth needed to be within melee to hit him. “Gareth, you can kill more up top. We have to move.”

  Slicing an ear from one of the fighting dreualfar, Gareth caught it in one hand and drove his psiblade through the creature’s face with the other. Turning, he smiled wide at Ravion, proudly displaying his trophy.

  “Well done. You’ve mastered claiming them before they’ve fallen.” Ravion’s tone held sarcasm that no one could have missed.

  “Efficiency, my friend. Saves having to waste time after the fight.”

  Hopping from the stone, Gareth reached the cavern floor and calmly walked toward the side tunnel. Seeing the shield he’d tossed earlier, he heaved it up and continued on. Just because he didn’t feel the need to keep it didn’t mean he wanted the dreualfar to have it.

  Ravion and Gareth reached the surface. The dalari were already in position, awaiting them.

  Turning to one of the dalari he recognized from the ACU, he reached into his pouch and retrieved one of the smooth, enchanted stones. “Are the charges set?”

  “Yes, Sir!”

  “Good. Blow it when you’re ready.”

  Waiting for everyone to get clear of the blast, the soldier activated the rune and tossed it into the hole. A moment later, it exploded, collapsing the tunnel.

  The sun lingered long after it should have, as if it wanted to see the final moments of the battle. By all accounts, it should have already reached the west horizon, but somehow it remained far overhead, creating waves of heat over the battlefield.

  Kashien dodged a crude scimitar swipe, stabbing his attacker through the ribs. Retracting the blade, he thrust his hand forward, magically blasting several out of his path. Working his way toward the edge, he noticed everything was in position. There was no way they could escape now. He raised his sword, letting his words carry. “Force these abominations into the darkness from whence they sprang!”

  The army roared forward, closing the gap around their enemy. The rear of the dreualfar army began to disappear into the chasm they’d created to contain them.

  “Where the hell are the hydralfar?” Kashien said aloud to no one in particular.

  He’d received missive not two hours ago that General Keal’neaus wanted to meet with him, but no reply followed his agreement. Shaking the thought from his head, he pressed on. There were more dire matters to tend than the absence of the alfar. It wasn’t as if they were really needed anyway.

  Seeing Trendal ahead, Kashien fought his way through the dreualfar. Reaching the embattled captain, a sense of pride came over him. So much had been lost since this war began. But few pressed on as Trendal had. He was a remarkable officer and an even better friend. Once this was all over, he hoped to make him the new colonel, if he’d accept the job. Seeing a familiar trinket on his captain’s belt, he smiled knowing everything was going to be alright. Moreover, if anyone deserved to carry Kaileen’s royal guard badge, it was his friend. “Trendal, I’m glad to see you made it. But why didn’t the alfar come with you?”

  “I don’t know, My Lord. They broke away when we left Durnal Hill. Haven’t seen them since.”

  “It would’ve been nice to know they weren't going to join us.”

  “Aye, My Lord.”

  “The men are tired. We need to end this now. Take your troops to the left flank. Send word to Razorius. I want his forces to cover the right. We have to horseshoe them and close the distance. If we don't funnel them quick enough, the plan falls to pieces.”

  Trendal fought his way out of the line of skirmish and disappeared among the cavalry.

  Kashien jumped back, avoiding an unseen stab. It narrowly missed his throat. Refusing to miss the opportunity, he lunged toward the creature and buried his sword in its neck. Spinning to block another incoming attack, he watched the creature’s head come loose. Blocking the secondary attack, he signaled the archers, letting a blue bolt of energy fire into the air.

  Seeing the signal, Demetrix grabbed the blue tipped arrow from his quiver. Nocking it, he looked down the line, seeing the others had done the same. Taking aim, he fired.

  Hundreds of arrows soared over the dalari and into the dreualfar forces. Finding their mark, a thick smoke began to billow from the center of the enemy ranks, obstructing view.

  Seeing the smoke, Demetrix dropped from his perch atop the rocks and made his way toward the rally. If they were going to curse the dreualfar to the shadow, he wanted to be there when it happened. Making his way through, he found Gareth and Ravion on the edge of the field, cutting a path through the dreualfar. More Gareth than Ravion.

  Ravion chuck
led, watching Gareth barrel over the dreualfar, forcing a small section to abandon their formation. It really was the little things that brought joy.

  Demetrix approached, firing two arrows, one on either side of Gareth.

  The bald warrior glared at Demetrix. He felt the breeze of the arrows on both sides of his face. Turning to see what he’d hit, there were two dead dreualfar behind him. One had an axe that appeared to have been primed and ready to strike. The other carried a rusted spear, but it seemed to have been knocked from his grip when he fell. Returning his attention to the younger dalari, he rubbed the stubble between his beard and ear, “You damn near hit me!”

  “Relax. I wasn’t even close. I had a whole three inches on either side.”

  Ravion couldn’t hold back his laughter. Leave it to these two to argue during the largest battle of their lives.

  A black armored man appeared in front of the group. It was odd, him being here. Like everyone naturally avoided where he was standing, yet nobody acknowledged his presence.

  “I remember you. You were the one that rescued me when I was a child.” Demetrix announced, seeking validity in his statement.

  “That I was. I told you I’d see you again one day.”

  “You sure picked a hell of a time to honor that promise.” Stepping closer, Demetrix studied his face. “You haven’t aged a day.”

  “I assure you, much time has passed since we last met. I’m what you would call a duke tarset. We serve the god Ozmodius and regulate his domain. The entity you knew as Jorin’otth stepped beyond the laws of time and came to this place with the intent to alter history. I could not find him on my own due to a relic he possessed. Which is why I asked you to come here and flush him out. I knew he couldn’t resist staying hidden once he realized you three were on his tail. For that, you have my thanks.”

  “First off, I never agreed to an arrangement with you. And secondly, if I had, I damn sure wouldn’t have gone through all this for ‘thanks’. I prefer to be paid in gold.” Gareth declared, keeping his eye on the armored warrior.

  Hearing the horns sound on both flanks, Kashien knew it was time to end this. Moving with his army, a familiar face caught his attention. Pausing, the dalari continued past him, displaying the duke in full view.

  “Meaius?” Kashien gasped.

  Seeing Kashien, Meaius gave a quick nod, acknowledging the dalari prince. “We need to be going now.”

  “But we haven’t cursed—” Before Demetrix could finish his sentence, they were standing in a glowing white room. The walls were nowhere to be seen, yet it felt relatively small considering how open it was.

  “This is purgatory. Time does not exist here. Being as you’ve done a great service for the world, I’ve arranged for each of you to be rewarded.” Meaius reached into a black hole in front of him. Retrieving a winged helm made of the black ore matching that of his bastard sword, he handed it to Gareth. “For you, a darkstone helm of the Udurnie. Being as you’ve only one eye, this helm will allow you the see as if you still had both.”

  Relinquishing the helm, he grabbed another item from the hole. Handing it to Demetrix, he continued. “A quiver of Celnuntos. From what I hear, you’ve already started down that path. This will come in handy. So long as you never remove the last arrow, it will never run out. And lastly—.”

  He reached in one final time, retrieving a sealed scroll. Handing it to Ravion, he explained. “The Seal of Vascreil. This is the treaty of independence, signed by Emperor Vascreil during the first hydralfar dynasty. It’s a magically binding contract between the hydralfar and the dalari emperors, declaring complete and total peace between the two races. It was written when the hydralfar declared their independence and segregated from the dalari. Fearing conflict between their peoples, the emperors wrote this contract as a means of assurance that no conflict would ever arise between them. The seal was eventually lost and its message forgotten. But all things lost, eventually end up here. When you’re ready, march to the gates of Lorengale and declare your birthright. Present the seal to the emperor. He’ll have no choice but to hear your plea, lest lose his throne for breaking the contract.”

  Ravion didn’t know what to say. It was more than he could ever hope for. Clutching the scroll to his chest for fear of losing it, he watched the duke form a series of runes in the air. He couldn’t hope to understand them.

  A gateway opened, revealing a wooded landscape on the edge of Marbayne.

  Recognizing it, Demetrix nodded his respect to Meaius and stepped through.

  Ravion paused on the edge. “Thank you for starting me on this path. It never would have happened had you not brought me back.”

  Meaius smiled. “It’s my pleasure. Now, go out and make your people proud.”

  Ravion stepped through.

  Gareth stood there for a long moment, watching Ravion and Demetrix on the other side.

  “Second thoughts?” Meaius asked, patiently awaiting the dreuslayer.

  “What we did back there. How often does that happen?”

  “What? Someone break the laws of time?”

  “No. How often do the dreualfar gain a foothold like they did back there. And again, out there.” Gareth gestured toward the magical doorway.

  “Once or twice every few thousand years. Why?”

  “Someone needs to be there to stop them.”

  “That’s a dangerous road you’re looking to travel. You understand there are rules that have to be followed.”

  “I do.”

  “That means when you’re told to let someone go, you have to adhere. No matter what. Just because you want them dead doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to kill all of them. In some cases, one or two have to survive to set certain events into motion. Without a protected timeline, everything falls apart.”

  “I get it already. Teach me what I need to know and let me do my thing.”

  “Alright. I recommend telling your brothers bye. It’s unlikely you’ll ever see them again.”

  Gareth stepped through the gateway.

  Ravion and Demetrix were standing there waiting for him.

  “I’m not coming. I’m gonna’ go with him.” Gareth pointed toward the portal with his thumb, “Travel through time and take out the dreu where and when they spring up. It’s not like I did much the last time I came back here. At least this way I get to keep doing what I’m good at.”

  Ravion stepped forward and extended his hand.

  Gareth took it, gripping him about the forearm. Pulling him close, he gave him a solid pat on the back.

  “You be careful out there and don’t hesitate to come get us if you get in over your head.”

  “Please, I never get in over my head. And without such a pretty boy at my side, I’ve a feeling things are gonna’ be a little less complicated.” Gareth laughed.

  “Yeah, this pretty boy won’t be there to save your ass. I’m serious though, if you need help, don’t hesitate.”

  “I’ll be alright.”

  Gareth turned to Demetrix. Holding out his had as Ravion had, Demetrix took it and did likewise. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Please. Like I ever do anything stupid. Now, enough of all this mushy shit. You guys go live your lives. Have kids. But don’t name any of those bastards after me. I’m not ready for that kind of commitment.” Chuckling to himself, Gareth walked backward into the gateway. It disappeared the moment he was clear.

  Epilogue

  Rightful Place

  Demetrix pushed the council room doors open. It was as if he’d never left. His cane laid on the floor beside the large wooden table where he’d dropped it. But something wasn’t right. The dagger wasn’t anywhere to be found. Walking into the room, he took a seat in his large, ornately carved chair and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head.

  Ravion closed the door and found his chair. Leaning against the back, he stared intently at his brother. “We’re the only two left. Are you still planning to go back to Irayth?”


  “I am. But I need to see what that horator was all about first.”

  “Alright. As I said before, you have my support. But before you go, we need to fill the chairs. I’m going to have my hands full rebuilding our people, which means I won’t have much time to lead the Order.”

  “I agree. We need some new blood. We have a niece training with the border wardens. Rayel. I believe her and William would make excellent additions to the council. Since you’ll still be around, you can hold the fifth chair. If we agree to those two, we just need to find two more. Which I have some ideas there as well.”

  “Niece? Alexzandra had children?”

  “From what Rayel told me. We left not long after I met her, but apparently she had twin girls.”

  “We need to see if she’s capable of handling the job. Once we have a list of potential candidates, we can interview them and find a good team to lead the Order into the future.” Ravion stood, pacing the length of the table.

  “Agreed. But first we need to stop the attacks on the southern towns. I haven’t been able to find out what their goal is. Right now, is just seems like random attacks with no purpose. Which means they’re either looking for something, or they want us to think they’re random as a distraction.”

  “Keep the border wardens on it. I’m going to travel to Fender’s Spear and have the barbarians on high alert as well. Plus, it’ll be good to let Senaria know I’m back.”

  “Have a safe trip, brother. And be prepared for a serious ass chewing. I haven’t been there for a few months before we left, but I carried out your will. Technically speaking, you’re no longer the Lord of Krondar. As you wished, that title went to her.”

  “She’s a good leader. I’ve a feeling she’ll do better than I ever could.”

  Pushing himself up, Ravion grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder. “Don’t spend too much time worrying about the dagger. It’s where it needs to be. We’ll have it again when we need it.” Refusing to give any further insight, he stepped out.