Realms of Valen

Blasphemous Crusade

War of the Gods: Volume II

by Rickk Berry III

©2016
by Rickk Berry III

All
Rights Reserved

Blasphemous
Crusade and Realms of Valen logos

by
Rikk Berry

Edited

by
Lisa Marling, Ph.D.

Cover
background art

by
Samantha Kross

Thanks to
everyone who supported

the first novel
and helped me out

tremendously with
this second novel.

Here's to many
more projects

in the future.

Chapter I: Shadows Fall

Kaidia arched a brow slightly as she watched her new servant girl
bustle about the main chamber of her tomb-turned-home. The girl was
bright and excitable with a love for learning that Kai found
admirable. It was one such brush with hands-on learning that led to
the girl having dark blue hair and bright yellow eyes. A spell gone
wrong, she had said.

The girl's name was Vexarilia Ingzonnor. Most people just called her
Vex. She was human and had eagerly applied for the position of
Kaidia's servant when Sae-Mirra left to move in with Nadia in
Vortha. She had said she wanted to learn from Kai and had reasoned
that there was no better way than to live with the god. Not to
mention that being the personal handmaiden to a god was a pretty big
honor. Her cleaning skills left something to be desired, but she
tried hard and she was an excellent student when it came to learning
what Kai decided to teach her.

At the moment, Vex was sitting cross-legged on the floor, wearing a
pair of nearly knee-high leather boots, loose shorts, and a somewhat
loose, long sleeved tunic. Her hands were held aloft above her lap,
palms facing one another, a flame flickering between them.

“If you lose control of that and set something on fire...”
Kai trailed off.

“Yes, yes, Miss, you'll go get the orcish whip from the armory
and make me rue the day I was born,” Vex finished the sentence
with a smirk. Both women knew Kai wouldn't do that, but it didn't
stop the mercenary from threatening. The blue haired girl threw the
small flame into the nearby fireplace where it erupted into a roaring
fire. There was no wood to burn, but when one was a mage wood wasn't
a necessity for fire.

“Well done,” Kai complimented.

“Thank you, Miss. I think I shall start breakfast,” Vex
replied and walked out of the room.

Kaidia relaxed into her chair and stared at the book that lay open on
her lap. For the past few hours, the god had felt something amiss.
She couldn't put her finger on what it was, but something was nagging
at the back of her mind. Kai shook her head, looked back to the book
and tried to concentrate on reading. A few moments later, she simply
gave it up and snapped the book shut with a low growl.

“Something bothering you, Miss?” Vex asked from a couple
rooms away.

“Yes, but it's nothing for you to worry about,” Kaidia
replied, her voice raised slightly to be heard in the kitchen. Vex
appeared in the doorway.

“I don't know. When you get testy, I tend to get in trouble,”
the blue-haired girl reasoned.

“You get in trouble because you're a brat,” Kai retorted.
Vex simply stuck her tongue out and headed back to the kitchen.
Kaidia sat there, her right ankle crossed over her left knee, arms on
the armrests of her chair, eyes staring at the floor but not seeing
it as she tried to pinpoint just what it was that was nagging at the
back of her mind, just out of reach. Something just felt off kilter
and it was becoming increasingly frustrating to the mercenary.

For nearly an hour, Kai tried to put her finger on just what was
bothering her. When Vex announced the breakfast was ready, the
annoyed god decided to chalk it up as just one of those things, stood
up, and headed into the dining room.

* * *

Nadia was abruptly jerked from her dreams by a rather alarmed looking
Sae-Mirra. Nadia grumbled and rolled over, jerking the blanket over
her head. Sae was a cat girl, after all. She looked wild-eyed half of
the time she was awake.

“Wake up, Nadia!” Sae urged, shaking the woman.

“Nnngh... what? Did you lose your ball of string?” Nadia
asked, half asleep and teasing.

“No! It's under the chair in the living room. That's not the
point, get up!” the kyrian shouted with a light swat to the
back of the noble's head. That brought Nadia up to a sitting
position.

“Hey! No need for that, kitten,” She grumbled, rubbing
the back of her head.

“You weren't getting up,” Sae growled.

“Yeah yeah, what's the big deal?” Nadia questioned. It
was way too early in the morning for her tastes.

“Get up and look for yourself, woman,” the kyrian
gestured to the window. Nadia grumbled, but kicked off the blankets
and set her feet on the carpet covered floor. The young noble had
just worn a long, sleeveless tunic to bed that left her strong legs
bare, and despite Sae's alarmed state the cat girl took a moment to
take in the view. Nadia was her mate, after all. The kyrian was
already dressed for the day in a tunic and a pair of soft leather
shorts. Summers were hot, after all.

The still somewhat asleep young woman glanced out the window and
suddenly felt herself wide awake; any hint of sleepiness had
vanished. Outside the window, beyond the walls of the city, tendrils
of smoke stretched skyward.

“Cooking fires... for an army,” Nadia said, mostly to
herself. Just then a hard thump against the front door of the home
startled both women. They glanced at one another then headed
downstairs. Nadia grabbed her short sword along the way. She
unsheathed it before opening the door. On the other side was the
quite harried looking captain of the city guard, Adrian Xavier.
Adrian was perhaps forty years old; his mane of hair had once been a
rich brown, but was now more silver than anything else. His beard and
mustache had followed suit. But he was still one of the best warriors
in Vortha and had even taught the Valengaard sisters a thing or two
when they had been growing up. Upon seeing Nadia in only a tunic with
her sword at the ready, the man couldn't help but pause and take in
the sight. Sae had to snicker to herself.

“Ah...
Lady Nadia, Lady Sae,” the man said, looking between them.

“What is it, Captain?” Nadia asked, sheathing her sword,
and stepping aside, silently inviting the man inside. Adrian stepped
in and Nadia closed the door behind him.

“There is an army at our door, Lady Nadia,” Adrian
informed her.

“Yes, I saw just a moment ago,” Nadia replied.

“What you can't see from your home is how big it is,” the
captain countered.

“Well then, let me get dressed then you can show me,” the
noble replied before heading upstairs. Sae-Mirra smiled to Adrian
before following.

“Perfect time for my parents to be out of the country on a
pleasure trip,” Nadia grumbled as she jerked off her tunic and
went about getting into some fresh clothing, the eyes of her admiring
wife-to-be watching her the whole time.

“They wouldn't have left the city in your hands if they didn't
think you were capable of handling the job, love,” Sae retorted
with a smirk.

“I am quite sure they didn't think about a rogue army attacking
the city. Maybe a bunch of bandits at worst. This isn't a normal
situation,” Nadia replied, her tone calm. She wasn't letting
anxiety get the best of her.

“You will be fine,” the kyrian said with a reassuring
smile while buckling her dagger belt around her waist.

Nadia only replied with a quick kiss to Sae-Mirra's cheek before she
finished dressing, grabbed her leather armor, and slipped it on as
she headed downstairs. She fastened her sword belt around her waist
and eyed Adrian.

“Show me what we're facing.”

* * *

Upon the battlements of the city wall, Adrian, Nadia, and Sae-Mirra
stood looking out over the rocky field that had, just over four years
ago, been the site of the first battle with Adathir, the now dead God
of Eternal Night. Now stood a force that was perhaps five thousand in
number, breaking down their camps, putting out their cooking fires,
and preparing to attack. They didn't appear worried or even serious
at the moment.

There was no place to hide an army when attacking Vortha. Farms
surrounded the city walls but beyond them, rocky plains spread out
all around the city. If an army wanted to sneak up on Vortha, they'd
have to do it at night, as Adathir's army did… and even they
had been spotted. Given the rocky outcroppings in the plains, an army
couldn't march at night without torches to light the way and thus,
they'd be spotted before they got too close. But the move did give
Vortha's defenders less time to ready themselves.

This army didn't seem to care if they were spotted or how much time
they gave the city to prepare. That worried Adrian and Nadia, and
anyone else who knew a damn thing about tactics - which happened to
be the whole of the city guard.

“When did they get here?” Nadia demanded of Adrian with a
growl.

“Sometime in the night. Apparently without torches or the aid
of some magic to hide themselves. They just appeared,” the man
replied.

“What does the city guard number?” the noblewoman asked.

“Just over nine hundred,” Adrian answered.

“Not to cast doubt upon your men and women, Captain, but they
wouldn't win against an army that size, even if they were wild,
untrained barbarians. And by the looks of how orderly they are in
tearing down their camp, they're far from untrained. Their armor and
weapons are of high quality. I can see that from here,” Nadia
expounded, her eyes trained on the army beyond the wall.

“So what do you suggest we do, Lady Nadia?” Adrian
inquired, seeing no options himself.

“Keep the guard within the walls of the city. Defend it to the
last if I can't stop them,” Nadia stated, her tone firm.

“What?!” Sae exclaimed.

“You alone?” Adrian asked.

“Yes, me alone,” Nadia replied.

“Absolutely not! I forbid it! There's no damned way under the
gods I'm letting you go out there alone, Nadia Valengaard!”
Sae-Mirra growled, her feline ears laid back against her hair, her
tail lashing back and forth angrily, golden eyes wild.

“My sister is a god. I get special privileges,” Nadia
said with a smirk, undaunted by her lover's furious outrage.

“The hell you do, Nadia! You're powerful, but that's a
whole-gods-be-damned army!” Sae shouted, pointing to the army
over the wall. Nadia stood calmly, weathering the storm of anger.

“I have an idea,” Nadia responded, her tone reassuring.
Before Sae could mount another argument, she found fingers scratching
behind both of her ears and all she could do was purr and give her
future wife a dirty look. Nadia chuckled and then pulled the kyrian
into a heartfelt, loving kiss that lasted several long moments and
made Adrian genuinely smile. The love between the two was obvious
even if it had blossomed quickly.

“You be careful,” Sae growled.

“I will be. Oh, and if something should happen and I am unable
to attend to my duties as a noble, you are in charge of the city
until my parents return,” Nadia informed the cat girl with a
wink.

“I am?! Oh... shit,” Sae muttered.

Adrian chuckled at that, and then looked to Nadia.

“I trust you like I trust your sister. Do what you have to do,”
he stated, giving the noblewoman a curt nod, which Nadia returned.

“I will,” she replied before she simply turned and leapt
over the battlements and made the rather long plunge to the ground,
landing as if she were light as a feather before she took off at a
run between the farmsteads.

It was midsummer and already hot, even this early in the morning as
Nadia ran past the houses and out into the open fields beyond. She
slowed to a stop not long after passing the last of the farms and
caught her breath. Upon seeing her approach, a single figure broke
away from the organizing army and started toward her.

The man that walked up to her, stopping a respectful distance away,
was an elf. Long dark hair flowed down his armored back, pulled into
a ponytail, pointed ears and fine facial features giving away his
heritage. Something was off about him, though. Nadia could sense it,
see it in his eyes. Something about him was... twisted.

“The Honorable and Mighty Lady Nadia Valengaard of Vortha. An
absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Pirathias Orveth,
Commander of the Second Brigade of Khamora's Army,” the elf
informed Nadia with a gentlemanly bow.

“I can't claim the same pleasure in meeting you, Commander,”
Nadia replied curtly.

“I did not expect for you to share in my enthusiasm, Lady
Valengaard,” Pirathias stated.

“What is this?” Nadia questioned, gesturing to the army
behind the elf.

“An army, poised to take Vortha. I assumed you were here to
offer your surrender,” the commander answered, a pleasant smile
on his lips, his tone conversational, as if they were discussing the
weather and nothing more.

“No such luck, Commander Orveth,” the noblewoman
responded coldly.

“A shame, you would have been a powerful asset. But I respect
your decision. It is an honorable one, if foolhardy. A good day to
you, Lady Valengaard,” Pirathias said with a slight nod of his
head before turning and walking back to his brigade.

* * *

Up on the battlements, Sae-Mirra and Adrian witnessed the brief
meeting between Nadia and the elf commander.

“I wonder what that was about,” Sae pondered aloud.

“He was likely asking Nadia if she was there to offer Vortha's
surrender,” Adrian answered speculatively.

“He doesn't know Nadia too well, does he?” Sae asked with
a chuckle.

“Hard to say. Asking for surrender from a vastly outnumbered
force is standard protocol. It's one of the unwritten rules of
engagement,” the captain replied.

“Oh. I did not know,” the kyrian responded.

“You never served in your military?” Adrian asked.

“I did. But it's not a military like your own. We're tribes. We
band together to fight a common enemy. Sometimes we fight among
ourselves. It is kill or be killed. No mercy. Respect is given to the
dead afterward. You're either a soldier or a general. Those are the
only ranks,” Sae answered.

“Strange,” was all the captain could muster as a reply.

“Yes. That's what I thought of your human and elven armies when
I first ventured out of the south with Kaidia,” the cat girl
said with a smirk.

Adrian was about to respond when he saw the army outside the wall
starting forward, toward Nadia, who was standing alone. She stood
proudly, showing no fear.

“It's starting.”

* * *

The brigade started out at a march, a thunderous cacophony of
footsteps, boots tramping over the dirt. They held pace and formation
until they got about halfway to Nadia. At some signal, both unseen
and unheard by Nadia, the marching troops broke into a run, coming at
the lone defender of Vortha like a tidal wave made up of dark armor,
swords, shields, axes, and spears.

Nadia didn't flinch, simply stood her ground, watching and waiting.
As the horde of charging soldiers drew near, Nadia threw her hands
out to each side of herself. Ice exploded out of the ground on all
sides of her, engulfing her, spreading in a massive wall stretching
far on either side of her. Spikes of ice shot forward, almost as if
alive, impaling scores of soldiers at a time. Ice spread forward,
covering the field, seemingly hunting down the troops that were
abruptly in full retreat. Many tripped and fell in the rocky field,
only to be nailed to the ground by icy spikes. Others managed to stay
on their feet long enough to be run through by blades of ice that
lifted them off of their feet and into the air, freezing them in
their death throes. The ice moving along the ground sounded soft,
almost delicate. When it reared up to take another life, there was a
hiss of the frozen blades slicing the air and then the sound of metal
rending and soldiers screaming as the ice cut through metal, flesh,
and bone. It was so cold that it burned to the touch.

Pirathias Orveth watched in shock and sheer horror as his brigade was
not only turned back but utterly slaughtered within moments, right in
front of his eyes. His legs wouldn't move. He could neither move to
help his soldiers, nor run to save his own life. Not even when he
noticed the tendrils of ice snaking along the ground toward him. He
was in awe of Nadia's power. He didn't even blink until several
shafts of ice shot upward from the ground, impaling his torso,
running him through and lifting him skyward. As he died, Pirathias
took in the battlefield from his new vantage point, several feet in
the air. All he could see was a wall of crystalline ice glimmering in
the summer sun and nearly five thousand dead soldiers, all victim of
one woman who had just proven to any doubters that she was fit to
rule over the city of Vortha.

“Well done... Lady Nadia...” Pirathias managed to choke
out, blood flecking his lips and freezing there as the cold and
injury took him to his final sleep.

* * *

On the battlements, Adrian and Sae-Mirra cheered along with the rest
of the city guard at the victory over what had seemed, just minutes
before, an unbeatable force. Soldiers of the guard clasped hands,
shook one another in joy, and grinned like idiots. Some simply stared
in amazement at the icy monument to magical power that Nadia had
built in only a scant few moments. Normally, it would have taken
several mages, armed with staves to cast such a spell.

“We owe the lives in this city to those sisters twice now. Once
to each of them,” Adrian muttered to himself with a smile.

After a couple of minutes of cheering, Sae looked around eyes
watching for her beloved Nadia, now the savior of Vortha, to coming
running back to the city. But nothing moved in the frozen horror of
the battlefield.

Growing concerned, the kyrian put her hands on the stone of the wall
and leaned over it slightly, sharp eyes peering around the farms.
Seeing nothing there, Sae shifted her gaze to the icy monument to
death and power that Nadia had created. Her eyes finally spied what
they sought and the howling scream that echoed over the city moments
later, silenced every jubilant voice.

* * *

Kaidia was just about to cut into the ham on her plate when something
painful twinged in her mind and simultaneously throughout her body.
She drove the blade of her knife into the surface of the stone table
beside her plate with such force that the blade bent, then broke,
sending the broken piece flying across the room to ricochet off the
wall and clatter to the floor. Her muscles were tense, her breath
suddenly short, and her eyes wide with pained bewilderment. She had
no idea what was happening but the pain lancing through her heart and
her mind were nearly unbearable. And then they were simply gone,
leaving her breathing heavy and shivering faintly. Vex eyed her
mistress with concern.

“Miss Kaidia?”

Silence.

“Miss Kaidia!”

Kai looked up suddenly, shaking herself, bringing herself back into
control, back to normal.

“Yes, Vex?”

“Don't “yes, Vex” me, Miss. What's wrong?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You just broke a knife!”

“Oh, right. Sorry about that,” Kai muttered.

“I don't care about that! You looked like you were in pain and
freaked out.”

“Right. Something has happened. Something terrible. I don't
know what.”

“Well, that's vague.”

“That's all I've got.”

Vex sighed softly and stood up.

“Let me get you another knife, Miss.”

The blue haired young woman stopped in her tracks as a thundering
boom came from the front door of the tomb. Vex and Kai glanced at one
another, then both moved, heading into the main chamber and into the
winding hallway that led to Kai's front door.

“What the hell could that be?” Kai questioned herself in
a mutter.

“I don't know, but if we could hear it in the dining room...”
Vex trailed off.

Upon reaching the door, Kaidia pulled it open, keeping herself
between the door and Vex, just in case. Her eyes went wide upon
seeing what... or rather, who... was on the other side.

“Xerith?!”

Chapter II: Scorched Cities

“It was like the hells of the religions touted by the followers
of the new gods,” Xerith said with a shudder, remembering.

“Hells of the new gods?” Kai asked.

“Lakes of fire, burning pits where demons torture wicked
souls,” Xerith explained.

“So Sarkos was on fire?” Vex questioned tentatively.

“Yes,” the priestess answered, staring at the floor, a
mug of ale in her hands.

The priestess, usually immaculate and otherworldly sat in Kai's
favorite chair, shell shocked. Her normally white robes were torn and
stained with blood and dirt. She didn't appear to be seriously
wounded. She had, from what Kai could gather, teleported to Kaidia's
door from Sarkos, using magic. From what Xerith had related to her,
Sarkos had been attacked, the city half destroyed and burned. The
target of the attackers had been the Temple of the Gods. The massive
structure had been razed to the ground, according to the priestess.
The city guard, the people, and the clergy had all fought against the
army that laid siege to Sarkos, but they had been woefully
out-numbered and overpowered. Even Xerith, the powerful High
Priestess of the temple, had been overwhelmed.

“Who did it?” Kai queried, eyeing Xerith, not wanting to
press too hard.

“I don't know. It was an army. Seemingly endless. Led by twin
elf women. Twisted, but beautiful. There was no way to stem the tide.
There were too many of them. They claimed to be cleansing Valen in
the name of their one, true god,” the holy woman said with a
sneer.

“One, true god?” Vex looked up to Kai questioningly.

“One of the new gods. They all claim to be the only true path
to salvation,” Xerith spat, sarcasm and disgust heavy in her
voice as she finally looked up, and locked eyes with Vex.

“Oh. I didn't know,” the blue-haired girl mumbled.

“It's all a lie. The new gods are inventions of the corrupted
leaders around the world. Tools to instill fear in their people.
Tools to control their people,” the priestess growled, her tone
venomous.

“But aren't I a new god? I mean, I've only officially been one
for four years, but I don't, for a moment, think I'm any sort of path
to salvation,” Kai said, mildly confused. Matters of gods were
not her area of expertise, despite being one.

“You are one of the old gods, Kai. It's more like a class of
god, not an age bracket. The old gods, be they gods of the dark, the
light, or the grey area in between, strive for balance and peace.
They want their people happy, they want all the races to live in
harmony. These new gods are all about dividing the people, instilling
fear, and taking control. They are fictional tyrants created by power
hungry rulers. They demand tributes and sacrifices. It's all an
elaborate ruse. They fight themselves as often as they clash with the
followers of the old gods. I had no idea any of them had influence
here in Haelstross,” Xerith explained.

“Seems they have a whole damned army,” Kaidia muttered,
mulling the situation over in her mind as Xerith took a sip of her
ale. She jumped a bit as the priestess abruptly grabbed at her arm.

“They do. And I overheard, while hiding, that they're sending a
small force of soldiers to the temple that was built to you in the
town of Quinolt, about a day south of Sarkos,” the blonde woman
said urgently.

“What of it? I didn't even know there was a temple there. Let
alone that it was built to honor me,” Kaidia muttered.

“There are people there that worship you, people that are in
very real danger. If they won't convert to this new god, they'll be
killed,” Xerith explained.

“That... that's different, I suppose. But I can't possibly get
there in time. That's five days away with the fastest of horses,”
Kaidia protested.

Xerith reached into her robes, pulled forth a small scroll, and
pressed it into Kaidia's hands.

“This is a teleportation spell. You know where Quinolt is,
yes?” the clergywoman asked.

“Yes, I've been there before,” Kai answered.

“Good. Just think of it as you read the spell. You will appear
there. You can use the same scroll to bring yourself back,”
Xerith instructed.

“How long do you think it will be until this battalion reaches
the town?” Kaidia inquired.

“I would go as soon as possible,” the priestess advised.

“Right. Vex, look after her,” Kai ordered as she stood up
and started out of the room.

“Yes, Miss,” Vex responded with a nod.

* * *

A little while later, Kai stood outside, clad in her black armor. She
had just gotten it back from the blacksmith who'd originally forged
it. The repairs after the battle with Adathir had been expensive, not
to mention an entirely new helm, since the last one had been lost in
the fight. Unfortunately, the helm wasn't back yet, but Kai could do
without. The mercenary unfurled the scroll that Xerith had given her
and eyed it for a long moment before she rolled it up and tucked it
away inside her armor.

She started chanting silently, her lips moving but not a sound to be
heard. A slight tingle overtook her body before she was wrapped in
light and simply vanished from outside the doorway to her home.

* * *

In Quinolt, a village of a few hundred people, a force of five
hundred soldiers marched into town, led by a female elf. She was
beautiful in a dark way. Her skin was ashen grey, her eyes a fiery
orange, her hair a red so dark that it looked black in all but the
brightest of light.

The village was small, had no defensive walls and only a small
garrison of guardsmen. Those guardsmen, perhaps thirty in number,
were standing between the modest temple built to worship Kaidia and
the marching soldiers in dark armor intent on destroying it. Many of
the town's people, men and women alike, had joined the guardsmen but
they were out-numbered and most were utterly untrained with a sword,
axe, and shield. The guardsmen were hardly battle hardened soldiers
either. The hundred or so standing their ground between the temple
and the oncoming troops knew it wasn't going to end well for them.
But this was their home and this temple was the temple to their god.
They would die protecting it.

The marching soldiers stopped a few yards shy of the motley force
defending the temple. Only their leader, the beautiful elven woman
with dark grey skin continued forward.

“I would speak with your leader. Whomever that may be,”
she said politely, if not warmly.

An elderly man stepped through the crowd, walking with the aid of a
plain, wooden staff. He had seen many winters, but stood tall. His
need for the staff only due to his leg, injured many years ago, and
never properly healed. His body was cloaked in the dark blue robes of
a priest of Kaidia. A medallion of silver hung around his neck by a
chain, etched with the ancient rune for “dragon.” He
stopped in front of the elf, looking her in the eye.

“What do you want, child of shadows?” he asked, his
dislike for the young woman clear.

“I want to give you a chance, elder,” the elf replied.

“I promise you, we do not want the darkness you offer,”
the old priest stated.

“But I offer you salvation through the one, true god,”
the young elf said, almost seeming to plead her case.

“You offer the false hope of a false god,” the elder
growled.

“Blasphemer,” the elf snarled in return, reaching for the
elderly man's throat. The priest was quicker, cracking the head of
his staff against the elven woman's forehead, causing her to recoil.

“Don't tempt me to put you on the ground, elfling!” he
shouted.

“You can try, old man,” the elf shouted before lunging at
the priest. She jerked backward as a blinding light washed over
herself and the priest. The elf stepped backward, shielding her eyes
with her forearm, unable to see beyond a few inches in front of her.
The light was so bright that it stung the woman's eyes, causing them
to water.

As the light faded, the elf wiped her eyes and looked toward the
priest, having already assumed that the light was some trickery of
the clergyman's. But what she saw made her stare for a long moment.
In front of her was a woman in black armor, with a stern expression,
and a drawn sword made of black metal. A sudden realization hit her.
It was Kaidia, God of Dragons.

“Come to die with your faithful, charlatan?” the elf
asked.

“I have come to turn you back, by words or force,” Kaidia
replied.

“You may be powerful, Kaidia, but you are a false deity. My
troops are backed by the power of a real god,” the elven woman
stated boldly, haughtily.

“Gods do not exist,” Kai said, her voice low so that only
the elf heard her.

“You are wrong! I serve the one and only true g-” the elf
was cut off by the pommel of Kai's sword slamming into her gut.

“I grow weary of that speech already,” Kaidia purred in
the woman's pointed ear before she grabbed the woman's hair in her
left hand, and threw her to the ground. She turned her sword and
slammed the blade downward, into the elf's back and out her chest,
driving the blade into the ground. The mercenary stood up, put her
boot on the dead elf's back, and jerked her sword free.

“Anyone else want to mess with my followers?” she asked,
blood dripping from her sword.

The soldiers who had just witnessed the undignified death of their
commanding officer glanced about to one another, then started
forward, drawing their weapons as they advanced on the pissed off
god. Kaidia smirked at the sight. She always loved a fight. She broke
into a run, her legs carrying her directly toward the advancing horde
of soldiers. This caused a few of said soldiers to falter, their
confidence shaken. They had little chance to think about it before
Kai was on top of them though. The mercenary gave a great slash of
her sword, from her right to her left. The blade cut through the
three soldiers in front of her. The sorcerous energy that flew off of
the blade cleaved through many more, dropping a score or more of the
troops to the ground in pieces.

Startled by the display of power, the soldiers halted their attack,
apparently rethinking the soundness of their course of action. During
this momentary pondering, Kaidia struck again, slashing through more
soldiers. The remaining troops decided to go for broke and charged,
all aiming to strike at the single woman who was decimating their
ranks. The last thing they saw was a flashing bright light that
blinded them and everyone watching the battle.

When the priest and townspeople could see again, Kai was walking back
toward them, sheathing her sword. Behind her, nothing remained but
charred, smoldering ground and a few pieces of smoking, blackened
armor.

The townspeople cheered, raising their weapons, chanting Kai's name.
Kaidia was a bit taken aback by it all, but managed a bit of a smile.
She wasn't allowing herself to show it, but that last spell that had
vaporized the oncoming soldiers had taken it out of her. She raised
her hands for quiet and was mildly surprised when it was instantly
granted. She dropped her hands and took a breath.

“When the commanding force behind these troops finds out that
this detachment failed, they will likely send more. I cannot be here
to protect you every time they come marching into town. I suggest you
build defensive walls. Even walls made of wood will slow them down,
and give you time to organize. I greatly admire those who defend
themselves and protect those who can't fight. I would suggest that
you begin preparing immediately,” Kai explained, speaking
loudly enough to be heard by everyone. The crowd listened to it all,
hanging on every word. After all, it wasn't often that one got to be
an audience for a god. Upon her finishing, many lingered to admire
their god for a few moments before moving off, to do as suggested.
Soon, only the priest remained.

“Thank you for saving us, Kaidia. I'm sure we wouldn't have
survived. Though we wouldn't have gone quietly, either,” the
elderly man said his eyes on the young mercenary.

“I could see that. Willing to die for one building,” Kai
remarked, carefully neutral.

“It is more than a building, my goddess. It is a symbol of
hope. It is said that you so loved the world that you charged into
battle with the evil being Adathir to prevent him from spreading
darkness over our realm,” the priest explained.

Kai arched a brow, hands on her hips as she listened. She pondered
all of that a moment and then took a breath.

“I hate to say it, but I fought Adathir because he killed my
wife. He tried to kill me, and in the process, my sister and one of
my friends were also targeted. My real motivation was revenge. Though
no one deserves to live under what he had in mind,” Kaidia
responded.

“Yes, I am aware of your motivations otherwise, but the fact
remains that you saved Valen from a terrible evil and you obviously
have a good heart. You're wise despite your youth and you will grow
wiser as seasons pass,” the priest replied with a smile.

“Fair enough,” Kai agreed.

“Come, you look weary. Let's go inside. You can eat and drink.
We can talk,” the man said with a gesture of his staff toward
the humble temple.

“Thank you. I never caught your name,” the young goddess
remarked.

“My name is Orthos,” the priest replied as he put a hand
in the small of Kai's back and guided her toward the temple.

* * *

After a quick meal, Kaidia found herself looking into a mug of water
while Orthos peered at her across the small table in a back room of
the modest temple. The temple was only two stories tall and made of
stone. It was, in fact, the only building in Quinolt made entirely
out of stone. Everything else was mostly wood or wood and stone.
Regardless of its modest stature, it was flattering to have a temple
built in your honor. Or so Kai thought, anyway.

“What do you know about these soldiers that attacked us?”
Orthos asked after a few long moments of silence.

“I know that they're part of a much larger force that has,
apparently, been sweeping across the continent. They wiped out Sarkos
and the temple there. According to what I've heard, they're intent on
wiping out all the temples to the old gods and forcing people to
convert to their new god at the point of a sword,” Kai
explicated.

“This is terrible news,” Orthos breathed, eyes on Kai.

“Yes, it is. It's their own crusade,” Kaidia remarked.

“A blasphemous one. The gods want us to work and live together
in peace. Not war amongst ourselves. Though fighting is inevitable
from time to time,” the priest replied.

“War is part of life, but it shouldn't be constant. Nor should
it be done to further your religious power and influence. From what I
have been told, this group that's attacking temples is worshiping a
false god. One of the invented gods of the kingdoms on the other side
of the world. Though I see all gods as false,” Kaidia explained
further.

“But you're a god,” Orthos asserted. Kaidia looked up and
smirked.

“I know. Weird how the world works, huh?” she asked.

“It is,” the elderly man responded.

“What I find odd is that the force sent here was under the
command of a Selvath,” Kai said, looking up.

“Selvath... right, one of the races of elves,” Orthos
muttered, having to think of what that word meant.

“Yes. Known as the Smoke Elves, in the common tongue. They
rarely stray from their homeland,” the mercenary pointed out.

“I know little of the Selvath, Kaidia. So I can't explain why
one would be tempted away beyond the usual desires. Gold, silver,
jewels, and the like,” the priest said with a shrug.

“The Selvath live in the Dread Forest. They have a single city
there that wraps halfway around the Firespawn Lake. The lake, as you
may know, is on fire. The very water burns and no one knows why. Nor
does anyone want to live there except the Smoke Elves. The trees are
black, the foliage is grey. It's a dismal place, but they seem to
adore it. Like I said before, it's strange that one would leave to be
an officer in an army that isn't the Selvath's own. I doubt it was to
serve a new god. The Selvath have their own god,” Kaidia
expounded.

“Perhaps she was struck by wanderlust. It happens to all races
now and again,” Orthos suggested.

“Possibly, but something tells me that's not it,” Kai
responded thoughtfully.

“I am sure the answer will reveal itself in time,” the
elderly man placated.

“One can hope, Orthos,” the noblewoman muttered.

* * *

After awhile and more conversation with Orthos, Kai arrived back
home, outside her doors, in a brilliant flash of light. The mercenary
found herself already growing fond of this teleportation spell, even
considering the possibility of learning it by heart, so she didn't
have to have the scroll.

The mercenary had just reached up to push on one of the double doors
of her home when she felt a tingling in her bones and turned to look
around. At that moment, a flash of light came from a few feet in the
air in front of her and dumped a young man out of nothing and onto
the ground with a heavy thud. The man stood up and ran his fingers
through his shaggy hair and eyed Kaidia for a moment.

“I do hope you're Lady Kaidia, Dragon God and all that,”
he said, a little smirk on his lips.

“I am,” Kai answered, studying the young man.

“Ah good, the old buzzard hasn't lost his touch completely,”
the man replied, digging into a satchel that hung at his hip from a
strap that he had looped over his head.

“Old buzzard?” Kaidia questioned.

“Yes, the old magician who sends us couriers from Vortha
through portals when the message we carry is urgent. Last week, he
tossed me into one and I ended up coming out of the portal, upside
down, and landing head first in a pond,” he grumbled, rummaging
through papers in his satchel.

“Well that's not so bad. I'm sure you can swim, kid,” the
noblewoman replied.

“Yeah, I can. But landing in the pond wasn't the worst part of
it,” he responded.

“Oh?” Kai prompted, curious.

“The worst part was the fact that the pond I landed in happened
to be a lake in a High Elf city that was used exclusively by their
women to bathe and there were about twenty of them there when I fell
in. Usually, that would be a dream come true for a young man like
myself, but it becomes considerably less heavenly when you have to
climb out of the water and there are many armed elves waiting on you.
Even if the women look really lovely in that armor. Luckily they
listened to why I was there instead of killing me outright. They just
tossed me out of the city,” the young man explained.

“Sounds like an adventure,” the mercenary replied with a
chuckle.

“Oh sure, yeah, an adventure about three days ride from where I
was supposed to be sent,” the courier replied, finally pulling
out a letter and holding it out to Kaidia.

“It could have been worse. You could have fallen into an orc
bath house,” the warrior responded, taking the letter.

“Thank the gods that didn't happen,” the young man
chuckled.

“You're welcome,” Kai responded with a raised brow and a
faint smirk.

“Oh, right. You're a god. Forgot. You're personable and such. I
would imagine the divine beings of the world to be more... stuffy,”
the courier replied.

“Perhaps I am just the odd god out,” Kaidia suggested
with a shrug before closing her free hand into a fist, then opening
it and tossing the silver coin that had appeared there to the
courier. The young man caught the coin and eyed it for a moment.

“Perhaps so. You are definitely the odd person out when it
comes to compensation. Half the people don't even give me anything.
Those that do give me steel coins. Which aren't bad, mind you, but
they're no silver. Thank you,” he said with a smirk.

“You're welcome. Oh, and try not to fall into any Esmera bath
ponds along the way,” Kai quipped with a smile. The young
courier just grinned, bowed, turned, and walked away.

Kai glanced over the letter she'd been handed and quirked a brow as
she noticed the Valengaard family crest embedded in the wax that
sealed it shut. She was just about to break the seal when she felt
that tingling in her bones again that told her magic was being worked
nearby.

A few feet away, a flash of light caused Kai to squint, and out of
the flash stepped a woman dressed in fine robes of rich black with
golden trim. The light behind her faded and she smiled pleasantly
upon seeing Kaidia.

“Wonderful. I don't have to go searching for you, God of
Dragons,” the woman said, giving Kai a respectful bow before
she reached into her robes and pulled forth a tightly coiled scroll
of paper that was bound with a red ribbon. She held it out to Kaidia,
still smiling.

“Let me guess, this is important too,” Kai said, taking
the offered scroll.

“Yes, Mistress Kaidia. It is from the King's Council,”
the woman replied. She was beautiful. Her hair was reddish blonde,
her eyes a deep brown, and her smile warm as the spring sun.

“The King's Council?” Kaidia asked, her eyes fixing on
the woman questioningly.

“Yes, Mistress. It is urgent business,” the woman
replied, her smile fading a little.

“What about?” the noble asked, raising a brow.

“I suppose you do not know. Corrana has fallen to an army that
swept through two days ago. The King, the Queen, the Prince and
Princess... were all slain. The royal line is dead. That scroll is a
summons to meet the King's Council. I assume to discuss what to do
next,” the messenger answered grimly, her smile gone now.

“Wonderful. Politics. And they'll be all frantic because of the
dead royals. Though it's sad to hear about the king, I actually liked
him,” Kai muttered.

“He was a good man. And you are a noble, you must be used to
political games,” the woman responded.

“I am. I don't like them. I thought being a god might exempt me
from such things,” Kai replied.

“Apparently not, Mistress Kaidia,” the black robed woman
said, her smile returning.

“Indeed. Thank you,” Kai said before she held out a
silver coin. The woman declined by holding up a hand.

“No need, Mistress. I'm not your typical courier,” she
said softly.

“If you say so,” Kai replied with a shrug, the coin
disappearing as she wrapped her fingers around it.

“I do. Now, I must be on my way. The scroll contains the
details for your meeting with the Council, Mistress. Have a lovely
day,” the woman said before she waved a hand, the blinding
light reappearing. She disappeared into it and it faded, leaving Kai
by herself, now with two letters of seemingly major importance.

She opened the scroll first, taking in when and where she was
supposed to meet the King's Council. She was pleased to see the
meeting was to take place in Mehroth. After a moment's thought,
however, she speculated that the meeting taking place there must mean
that Corrana had been all but, if not entirely, wiped out.

Next, she opened the letter from Vortha, assuming that it was from
her sister, given the seal. She was shocked, however, to find
Sae-Mirra's handwriting instead. She read the letter swiftly, her
expression growing stern. She tucked the letter and the scroll away
in her belt before taking the teleportation scroll in hand again.

She read softly, barely a whisper. A bright light materialized in
front of her. She rolled up the scroll, tucked it away, took a deep
breath, and stepped into the light.

Chapter III: A Return to Vortha

Kaidia stepped out of the portal and onto ice. There was a chill in
the air, yet the sun beat down with an unmistakable summer heat. The
mercenary looked around. She could see a massive wall of ice standing
between herself and the city walls of Vortha. All around her were
soldiers run through with spikes of ice that appeared to be
impervious to the sun's heat. Some soldiers were nailed to the ground
while others were lifted into the air or impaled while standing on
their feet. They wore the same armor as the group that had attacked
Quinolt. A few had their helms knocked off in their mad scramble to
get away from the icy death that had chased them down. Their faces
were, quite literally, frozen in silent screams and expressions of
pain. They appeared to be mostly orcs with a few elves of all three
elven nations scattered in as well. A few dwarves, humans, and even a
kyrian or two were also among the dead. She couldn't help but feel a
hint of pride at the display of power her sister had shown.

“That's my little sister,” the noble said with a smirk.
She glanced around, keeping an eye out until she spied a small group
near the center of the wall. The mercenary made her way toward the
group, glancing over the wealth of dead soldiers as she passed. When
she got near, Sae-Mirra broke away from the group and ran towards
Kai.

“You came quickly! Good! Nadia needs your help!” the
kyrian said, obviously worried.

“I read the letter you sent. She just overexerted herself. Just
be glad she wasn't using fire or lightning magic when she did it,”
Kaidia said reassuringly. Sae nodded and led the way back to the
group. There were a few of the city guard members and a couple of
mages, all eyeing a place in the ice wall. Kai stepped near, and
though she knew what had happened, she still found herself
momentarily taken aback by what she saw.

There, encased in the ice, was Nadia. A look of fierce rage on her
features, her sightless eyes glaring out at the icy field of death.
Despite appearing awake, Kaidia knew that Nadia was in a deep sleep.
It's what happened if one exerted too much power in a spell and
survived the aftermath.

“We need to heat this up. Considering the magnitude of this, I
wouldn't mind some assistance from you two,” Kai said,
gesturing to the two mages, one male and one female.

The two robed mages were obviously surprised by the request, but they
beamed with pride and nodded their acknowledgment before stepping
over on either side of Kaidia, using their staves to balance
themselves on the ice. Once they took up their footing, they laid the
crystals atop their staves against the ice. Kai wasn't surprised. The
two were young, likely freshly graduated from whichever academy they
had chosen to attend. Trying to wield the power of magic without a
focusing object was dangerous for most magic users. Only those with
years of training or a natural talent could use magic without having
the need of tools to do so.

Kaidia placed her hands on the ice as well. A radiant glow emanated
from underneath her palms and soon the crystals atop the mages'
staves were glowing as well. Suffocating heat radiated off of the
three, causing Sae-Mirra and the city guards to take a few steps
back. The wall of ice began to sweat, rivulets of water trickling
down to the ice covered ground, making it slicker yet. The mages were
straining, a sheen of sweat on their faces. Kaidia was obviously
concentrating but she wasn't pouring on all she had, either. If she
did, she might accidentally harm Nadia in the process.

The ice slowly melted away, bit by bit, until Kai reached in and
pulled Nadia from the frozen wall. Nadia leaned on her sister heavily
and looked up at her with unfocused eyes.

“Sa... saved my ass again, Sis,” she muttered weakly,
then went limp in Kai's arms, passing out.

“Nadia!” Sae shouted, bolting forward, nearly falling to
the ice in her haste.

“She'll be fine, Sae. She just needs rest. Lots of it. She'll
be in a real deep sleep for awhile, I would imagine,” Kaidia
said reassuringly.

“Let's get her home then,” the kyrian insisted and
started walking toward the city.

Kaidia glanced over to the two mages, gave them an approving nod,
then scooped her sister up in her arms, and started after Sae-Mirra.

* * *

After settling Nadia into the bed she shared with Sae, the kyrian and
Kaidia found themselves sitting in the dining room downstairs,
talking.

“Do you know how long she'll be like that, Kai?”

“No. It could be a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, even a
few years. But she's young and strong, so I'd say she'll snap out of
it sooner, rather than later.”

“Well, that is a bit of good news, I suppose.”

“It is said that for every dark cloud, there is a silver
lining.”

“That is usually true. So what now?”

“Now, I need to go home and get some rest. I have a meeting
tomorrow with the King's Council to discuss the appointment of a new
King.”

“What? What happened to King Pyrus?”

“Corrana was attacked by another detachment from the same army
that Vortha was attacked by. They weren't as lucky. From what I
understand, the city was decimated and the entire royal line was
killed. I have no doubt that was the intention. Throw the humans into
chaos by killing their King, his successors, and heirs.”

“That's terrible... but at least they're reacting to it
logically.”

“Agreed. Not something I expect from politicians. They
generally run around spouting the dumbest things I ever hear. Or the
most corrupted things I ever hear. Rarely does anything good come
from a bureaucrat.”

“That's true enough. I bet you dislike some of the trappings
that come with being a noble... and a god, come to think of it.”

“Of course. It'll get worse once I take over for mother and
father... though I will have Nadia to help share the load. But it
will still be a massive pain in the ass. I'm a warrior; I have little
time for political crap.”

“I have no idea what it's like, but I suspect I will find out
shortly. With your parents gone and Nadia out of commission, I'm the
acting Lady of Vortha.”

“That's right. Good luck with that,” Kai chuckled.

“It's not funny. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing,”
Sae retorted, laying her feline ears back against her hair.

“Now now, calm down. All I can really tell you is to use your
head and you'll be fine. You're a smart woman, Sae.”

“Thanks. I sent a messenger to Boreth and Syren. I'm sure they
won't take long in returning. They like me, but I'm sure your parents
don't trust me to handle the responsibilities of nobility for
terribly long. I'm not experienced after all.”

“Nor will you be if you're the fifth ranking noble in Vortha
all the time.”

“Fifth?”

“Yes. Father is first, mother is second, I am third, Nadia is
forth, and you are fifth. If I were to get married again, it would
bump you down to sixth. Though when I'm out of the city, you're
actually ranked fourth since they'd come to you before sending a
courier to me. Though that depends on the situation, really.”

Sae-Mirra sighed. “This is all terribly complicated.”

“Once you actually understand it, it's simple.”

“That's the way everything is, woman!”

Kaidia laughed and leaned back in her chair.

“Yes, yes. Is there anything else I can do for you before I
leave? I have an injured priestess and a servant girl waiting on me
at home. Not to mention a temple in Quinolt I should probably check
in on before I head to Mehroth for that meeting with the King's
Council tomorrow.”

“Busy woman. I think I'll be fine without your divine guidance.
But thank you for coming so quickly.”

“Of course. She's my sister and you are as well, if not by
blood. I wouldn't leave you in dire straits if I could help it.”

“You're a nice god, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kaidia chuckled and stood up.

Sae-Mirra stood up too. “Nadia talked to the leader of the
group that attacked the city.”

“She did? Did you happen to catch any of it with those big ears
of yours?”

Sae gave Kai a playful glare. “No. They were too far out, but
the conversation seemed polite. Then all hell broke loose and Nadia
went all out. That's the most powerful magic I've ever seen. And what
makes it scary, is that I know you're stronger. And you're likely not
the only one in the world.”

“I know I'm not the only one in the world stronger than Nadia,
but she is stronger than most. Remember that most magic users have to
have tools to work their magic, a staff, a weapon, a piece of
jewelry. A focus object of some sort. She doesn't need that.”

“But she works her magic through her weapons.”

“By choice. She doesn't need to and often does so just to
augment her weapons, to make them more dangerous. After all, getting
cut by a sword is bad, getting cut by one that is colder than ice is
worse.”

“I suppose you're right.”

“I know I am. I use the same technique now and again.”

“Oh well, that just makes it all right as rain,” Sae
stated sarcastically.

“Of course it does,” Kai chuckled, then scratched Sae
behind the ear for a moment, eliciting a loud purr from the cat girl.
“I should be on my way. Keep in touch.”

“I will,” Sae replied, then pouted lightly as the
scratching stopped, as always. Kai smiled, and saw herself out.

* * *

By the time Kaidia stepped onto the grass in front of her home, the
sun was sinking in the sky and the shadows were growing long. She
pushed open her front doors and let them swing shut behind her before
descending into her subterranean home. Upon stepping into the main
chamber, she saw Xerith relaxing in one of several chairs, reading a
book. She appeared fully healed, but tired. Her robes were once again
flawless and bright. She looked up to Kaidia, apparently sensing the
other woman's presence.

“Welcome home. You were gone awhile,” the priestess
remarked.

“I actually returned from Quinolt around midday, but was
immediately set upon by two different couriers with urgent messages.
One from Vortha and the other from the King's Council,” Kaidia
replied.

“Vortha? The King's Council? What has happened?” Xerith
asked, showing restrained alarm as she closed the book she had been
reading and set it aside.

“Both Vortha and Corrana were attacked. Corrana was razed. The
royal family is dead. The King's Council apparently wants my opinion
on who to appoint as the new king. Nadia slaughtered the soldiers
attacking Vortha, but overexerted herself in the process. She's in a
deep sleep, when she will wake is anyone's guess,” Kaidia
explained.

“Corrana had many temples and holy sites. Vortha has a few
temples for gods of war and there are plans to erect one dedicated to
you. Corrana is a tragedy, but Vortha is a good sign. Whoever these
soldiers are, they can be beaten,” the holy woman said, mildly
upbeat.

“Yes, I found that out for myself,” Kai responded.

“Oh yes, I assume the trip to Quinolt went well,” Xerith
said.

“Yes. I got there just in time. What few town guards they had,
along with the people, were standing guard in front of the temple
they'd built to honor me. I appeared between them and the advancing
troops, killed their leader, and then killed them. Their leader was a
Smoke Elf. It was strange to see one outside of the Dread Forest. I
told the people to build a defensive wall and spoke with the priest
of my temple. Everyone seemed pretty happy,” Kai expounded.

“Well you did just keep them all from getting killed. Also, you
did something almost no other god has done,” the priestess said
with a faint smile.

“What's that?” the mercenary asked.

“You answered a prayer. You know most or all of them prayed to
you for protection or strength when they were facing down what was
surely their deaths. Since most gods are given the title
posthumously, often decades after their deaths, most gods do not
answer prayers. They cannot. They're dead. But you are one of the
rare few who were granted the title of god before your death. You
will likely have a massive following before long, simply because you
can appear to people whereas the dead gods cannot,” Xerith
explained.

After thinking about that for a moment, Kaidia blinked and met
Xerith's eyes. “Wouldn't that mean I would have some people
that would hate me with a passion? I mean, I can't hear prayers, so
I'm going to miss chances to help people and if everyone knows I
actually can answer them and then I don't, that's going to leave some
pissed off people, right?” she inquired.

“Well, yes. But such is the way of things. When people pray to
dead gods or false, invisible gods, they don't actually expect an
answer unless they're insane. So there's little hate there. Perhaps
you can set up a little system with your priest in Quinolt... and
your priests in future temples... to send you messages about prayers.
Have people write them down and drop them in a box on the altar or
something,” the blonde woman suggested.

“Good idea, Xerith,” Kai responded.

“I have my moments,” Xerith replied.

“Where is Vex?” the warrior asked.

“Making dinner. She insisted I stay for dinner and sleep here
tonight. I hope that is alright,” the priestess answered,
smiling softly.

“Of course. Stay as long as you like,” Kai returned with
a smile, then headed for the kitchen to see how Vex was getting along
with dinner.

* * *

After a warm meal and a glass or two of wine, the three women sat in
the main chamber of Kai's home, gathered in front of the fire that
crackled cheerily in the fireplace. Xerith and Kaidia were seated in
chairs while Vex lay stretched out on the soft rug in front of the
fire. Xerith had resumed her reading, Vex was dozing, and Kaidia
found herself staring into the fire, pondering deeply.

The situation facing Haelstross was worrisome at best. A rampaging
army that could wipe out the capital city or a city like Sarkos was
something that couldn't be ignored. Especially when they were content
to destroy anyone or anything that got in their way. Vortha had just
been lucky to have someone like Nadia there to defend them. Much like
Quinolt had been lucky that Kaidia had shown up to fend off the
attacking force.

The mercenary stood up and sighed, glancing toward her company and
her servant.

“Xerith, Vex will show you to your room when you're ready. I'm
going to bed. I have a long day coming tomorrow,” Kai informed
the two.

“Sleep well, Kaidia,” Xerith replied.

“Nighty night, dragon lady,” Vex teased playfully without
opening her eyes.

Kai shook her head with a faint smirk, turned, and walked out of the
room, very much looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Chapter IV: Crowning a King

After a morning that saw Xerith returning to Sarkos to help clean up
and council those in mourning, Vex being left in charge of Kai's home
for the time being, Kaidia found herself on a large hill, looking
down on Quinolt in the distance. She could see a wall partially built
, made up of large timbers. It wouldn't stop a determined attacking
force, but when completed, it would delay them a little. Kaidia was
happy to see they had followed her instructions. Satisfied with the
progress she saw, Kai turned, pulled out the scroll Xerith had given
her, opened a blindingly bright portal and stepped into it.

Back in Quinolt, Orthos smiled as he looked up to the hill, seeing a
lone figure in the distance, he knew who it was and felt a rush of
reassurance that his god was keeping a watch over his town and its
people.

* * *

Kaidia stepped out of her portal just outside of the gates leading
into the Third District of Mehroth, much to the guards'
surprise,though they visibly relaxed upon seeing exactly who it was
that stepped from the brilliant light. News of Sarkos and Corrana had
reached Mehroth and the city guard, along with the mercenary
companies of Mehroth, were all on edge. Kaidia couldn't say she
blamed them. She smiled pleasantly and inclined her head in greeting
to the guards. One of them, a scorpion emblazoned on her pauldrons
stepped toward Kaidia.

“Greetings, Lady Valengaard. We were informed you would be
arriving today and were instructed to accompany you to the King's
Council immediately. They're waiting on you. Please, come with me,”
the woman said with a warm smile. Kai nodded politely and walked with
the Scorpion mercenary through the streets of Mehroth, up the side of
the mountain that dominated the center of the city. It was strange
for Kaidia to think that on the other side of the mountain was still
the same city as was on this side.

Eventually, the two women made their way to the top tier of the city
and into the mountain itself. Kai knew that the interior of the
mountain had been carved out to a certain extent, housing more of the
city within itself but she had never been within the mountain
confines, only in the city visible outside of the mountain. The guard
led Kai to a set of double doors and gestured to them.

“The King's Council is waiting for you within, Dragon God,”
she said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Kaidia replied with a faint smile of her
own. The guard nodded, and then walked off.

Kaidia pushed open the doors and stepped into a large circular room
that was dominated by a large table of the same shape and surrounded
by chairs. Sitting in three chairs were two men and a woman, all
three in their later years. They all stood as soon as Kaidia made her
way inside. The mercenary arched a brow at that. She was nobility,
not to mention recently a god, but she wasn't used to that sort of
greeting, seeing as how she spent most of her time with mercenaries,
friends, or people who didn't give an elf's ass who she happened to
be.

Two guards shut the doors behind her as she glanced around. The room
had four sets of double doors, each with two guards stationed in
front of them. It didn't take a genius to figure out each set of
doors led to a different district of the city. The two guards at the
doors Kai had come through were Scorpion mercenaries loyal to Rykar.
The guards at the other doors were obviously soldiers of the other
Lord and two Ladies of Mehroth. Every set of guards wore armor that
bore the symbol of the noble they served. For the moment, Kai didn't
bother to inspect the guards too closely. The council members were
looking to her expectantly. The warrior stepped over to the table,
smiling pleasantly. She was a study in contrast to the members of the
council. While they looked tired, they were all three dressed in the
best gold could buy. Fine fabrics from the elves, ornamental armor
meant only for ceremony, and the finest of jewelry that appeared to
be made by dwarven hands, such was the craftsmanship.

Kaidia, on the other hand, was dressed in leather pants that bore
armored plates, heavy leather boots, and a sleeveless tunic that
showed off her toned arms, her kyrian tattoo, and an enticing bit of
cleavage. The only jewelry she wore was a ring on her left index
finger with the Valengaard family crest emblazoned on it, indicating
her noble status.

“Please sit, Lady Valengaard,” one of the men requested
with a gesture of his hand. Kaidia pulled out a chair directly across
from the three and settled into it. Once she was sitting, the three
council members seated themselves as well.

“Why am I here?” Kai asked bluntly, but with a polite
tone.

“Because your opinion is one to be respected. Especially in
this matter,” the woman answered.

“I assume that matter is the appointment of a new human king or
queen?” Kaidia inquired.

“Yes,” the councilwoman replied.

“We have narrowed it down to two choices. Lady Aileena Coriso
of the First District of Mehroth or Lord Rykar Vaikos of the Third
District of Mehroth,” the second councilman informed Kaidia.

“That explains why the meeting is in Mehroth,” Kaidia
commented.

“Exactly,” the councilwoman responded.

“Unfortunately, I know nothing of this Lady Coriso,” Kai
admitted.

“She is a beautiful young woman, roughly your age, I would
wager, Kaidia. Well-educated and formally trained in swordplay.
Regarded as one of the best at the game of politics,” the first
councilman informed the mercenary.

“Formally trained, but not combat tested?” Kaidia asked.

“Yes, that's right. She wasn't involved with the war against
Adathir and hasn't had a chance for real combat since,” he
answered.

“I see. Well, despite her training and her apparent skill with
politics, I would have to say Lord Rykar for one very simple reason,”
the warrior concluded.

“And what might that be, Lady Valengaard?” the
councilwoman questioned.

“He's a warrior. He is combat tested. He fought one-on-one with
Adathir not two months past. When I served as the Mercenary General
of the King's Army in the war with Adathir's army, Rykar was my
second in command. He was the best officer I had and I could always
trust his judgment. And right now, you need a warrior on the throne.
Not a politician. A bunch of talking and royal decrees will not win
the war with which we were just blindsided. There is no negotiating
with this army. They waylaid Sarkos in the dead of night. I'm
guessing they attacked Corrana the same way,” Kaidia explained.

“They did,” the second councilman confirmed.

“Right. Corrana is home to several mercenary companies, one of
the best magic universities in Haelstross, and the best the royal
army has to offer in terms of elite soldiers. They all got wiped out
in one night. We're going to need the best we can get and Rykar is
it,” the mercenary stated firmly.

“That's good enough for me,” the first councilman
announced.

“I agree,” the councilwoman stated.

“Lady Kaidia, if we need the best warrior, why don't we just
make you the human queen?” the second councilman asked.

“Because you need a great tactical mind. I'm good at it, no
doubt. But Rykar is better. My secret to commanding the mercenaries
that were hired into the King's Army was simple. I knew what needed
to be done and I told my officers. They formulated the vast majority
of the strategies; I only offered my input when it was relevant.
Rykar was the best strategist I had. In short, I'd be far better off
being a loose cannon for this army to tangle with than being royal.
Besides, I'm already a god. I don't think me being the human god
queen of Haelstross would be a good idea,” Kai responded,
giving a chuckle.

“A very wise General you were, Lady Valengaard,” the
second councilman complimented, seemingly satisfied. “Lord
Rykar it is.”

“We will send someone to summon him and get everything taken
care of immediately. I'm sure you have places to be Lady Valengaard.
Thank you for taking time to speak with us on this matter,” the
councilwoman said pleasantly.

“I do and you are quite welcome, but I'm going to stick around
for this. I have some things to say to Rykar once he is crowned. And
you will likely find some relevance in what I have to say as well.
Beyond that, if I know Rykar, he won't want to be a king. Whether you
want to acknowledge it or not, that is a good thing. But you might
need my help convincing him to accept the crown,” Kaidia said
with a faint smile.

“Very well,” the councilwoman said as she stood up and
gestured to one of Rykar's guards. “Find your Lord and bring
him here, guardsman.”

The man nodded, turned, and slipped out of the room.

* * *

“You want me to be what?” Rykar asked, utterly deadpan.

“We want to appoint you as the new king,” the
councilwoman replied.

“Why me?” Rykar questioned.

“You have been determined to be the best choice,” she
answered.

“Best? You have a god standing right there!” Rykar
exclaimed, pointing to Kaidia.

“I don't think I'd make a good queen, Rykar,” Kai
responded.

“What makes you think I would be a good king?” the lord
demanded.

“You're a warrior and a hell of a tactical mind. We need both
in leadership right now. Therefore, you are the best choice for
king,” Kaidia answered, a faint smile on her lips.

“And there's no one else? No one with royal ties?” Rykar
asked.

“No,” the councilwoman replied.

Rykar sighed, shook his head, took several long moments to think, and
finally looked up.

“Fine. I'll do it. But I want it on record that I'm not fond of
the idea,” the man acquiesced.

“Thank you, Lord Vaikos,” the councilwoman said, voice
dripping with relief.

“You're welcome. Let's just get this over with,” Rykar
muttered with a wave of his hand.

* * *

“So, Your Highness...” Kaidia began with a teasing grin.

“Shut up, Your Holiness,” Rykar retorted, eyeing the new
ring on his right index finger. It was the same ring every human king
of Haelstross had worn since the very first, thousands of years ago.
The royal crest, shared by all kings and queens of Haelstross.

The new royal and the god were standing off to one side of the room,
separated from the King's Council. Rykar was obviously a bit
overwhelmed. Kaidia knew he would get used to it fairly quickly.
Rykar always adjusted to major shifts in battle or his life with
ease. The man glanced up to Kaidia.

“What is it you wanted to say?” he asked.

“Well, considering what this force that took out Corrana and
Sarkos is capable of, I was going to suggest that we reach out to the
other races for help. With your new rank as the human king, you can
reach out to royalty of other races and with my own status as a god,
I can reach out to leadership of other races. They're going to be
targeted by this army as well. Sarkos and Corrana are technically
human cities but there were no shortages of elves, dwarves, orcs, and
kyrians in those cities either. They're obviously not worried about
killing anyone from any race,” Kai explained.

“So we should get their help before they get blindsided,”
Rykar concluded the thought.

“Right, though I find it hard to think that they haven't
noticed the war going on all over Haelstross,” the god chuckled
grimly.

“True. Who are you thinking we reach out to first?” the
newly crowned king asked.

“Everyone at once. At the rate this force is attacking, we
can't afford to take our time. Your council can handle most of them.
The elves, the dwarves, and the orcs all have ambassadors to the
human kingdom and vice versa. But the kyrians do not, nor does the
city state of Anklis,” Kaidia answered.

“Anklis? Really? I mean, they're not antagonistic towards
anyone, but they're not exactly amazingly friendly with anyone
either,” Rykar pointed out.

“I know that, but they're going to be targeted by this army
that's hell bent on destroying religious sites if they've not been
attacked already. They have temples, after all,” Kai defended.

“You're correct. I'm assuming that when you say my council can
handle most of them, you mean I should handle the rest?” the
man inquired.

“No, just one of them. Anklis. I will handle the kyrians,”
Kaidia returned.

“Oh, that will be fun. You get to play with the cats in the
forest while I go to a massive city filled with mercenaries and all
manner of people who aren't keen on outsiders,” Rykar muttered
with a sarcastic smirk.

“You will be fine. It is a diplomatic meeting between two
kings,” the mercenary replied.

“Yes, but Zathias Goren isn't known for his skill in
diplomacy.”

“Neither are you, Rykar. Want to know another similarity
between you and Zathias?”

“What might that be?”

“He is called the Thunder King by his people because he wears
enchanted bracers that give him the ability to wield lightning. Just
like you, except your ability is natural.”

“Oh. Wonderful. We'll see how far that gets me,” Rykar
muttered, his sarcasm having returned with a vengeance.

“Just don't be an ass and I'm sure you'll be fine,” Kai
said, then gestured to the council members who were across the room,
talking among themselves. “Better go inform them of the plan,
Your Majesty.”

“Yes, yes. If you call me that one more time, I'm going to
throw you out a window, old friend,” Rykar threatened with a
playful scowl before making his way to what was now his King's
Council.

* * *

Malcade Cullins stepped into Rykar's home with an officer of the
Scorpion Company just behind him, both having been summoned by a
courier. He and the officer made their way into the main room of the
house. Kaidia was sitting on the stairs leading to the second story,
apparently deep in thought. She glanced up and waved.

“Good to see you again, Malcade,” she greeted the man
with a faint smile.

“And you, Kaidia,” Malcade returned, inclining his head
slightly.

“K... Kaidia? As in, Dragon God?” the officer, a man
roughly the same age as Malcade, stuttered.

“Yes, that's me. No need to get excited,” Kai said,
raising her hands.

“Also one of the heroes of the war with Adathir and slayer of
Adathir just a month or so ago,” Malcade informed the officer,
smirking. Kai gave Malcade a faint glare.

“No need to overwhelm him,” she growled softly. Just then
a bang resounded from upstairs and a bag sailed down the stairs,
narrowly missing Kaidia and crashing into the floor, Rykar came
shortly after it with Farren, his house girl, in tow.

“You really didn't need to throw that, my Lord.” Farren
admonished.

“Yeah, you crazy jackass, you about hit me in the head!”
Kai stood and snarled.

“It was quicker to throw it and Kai, I've seen you get knocked
through a building. If that pack had hit you, you would have been
fine,” Rykar responded to both women at once, and then he eyed
Malcade and the officer. “Malcade, go home, pack your shit,
you're coming with me. Second Commander Telvas Felcor, you're the
acting Lord of the Third District until I return.”

Malcade and Telvas stared at Rykar for a long moment, then Malcade
shook his head, turned, and headed out to pack. Telvas, meanwhile,
stared slack-jawed for a moment longer, then closed his mouth and
nodded.

“Yes, my Lord,” he nodded and then, he too, left the
home.

“Farren, my dear, please make sure my house does not explode
while I'm away,” Rykar instructed.

“Yes, Rykar,” the blonde woman replied with a roll of her
blue eyes.

“Right then. Are you ready, Kai?” the newly crowned king
asked.

“Yes,” Kai answered shortly.

“Good! Off we go to pester Malcade until he's ready,”
Rykar said with a grin. Kai chuckled and the pair left, leaving
Farren in a suddenly quiet home.

* * *

“You're the new what?!” Malcade questioned rather loudly.

Malcade, Kaidia, and Rykar were all three on horseback, armed and
armored, Mehroth having disappeared in the distance. All three were
headed in the same general direction for the time being so they
traveled together. Eventually, Kaidia would split off to head into
the southern forests but for now, they enjoyed each others' company.

“King, you deaf bastard,” Rykar repeated.

“How the hell do they appoint someone like you as the
new king?!” Malcade asked, incredulous.

“I helped them pick him for the job,” Kaidia interjected
calmly.

“Thanks for that, by the way,” Rykar muttered dryly,
obviously not thrilled with his new position.

“How was he the most qualified candidate?” Malcade
questioned, eyes on Kaidia.

“Are you doubting the decision of a god, Malcade?” Kai
asked, managing to hide her smirk.

“N.. no! I'm just... wait a minute... you don't believe in
gods, you knob!” the fiery-haired man shouted. Kaidia and Rykar
burst into a fit of laughter while Malcade just gave the king and the
god dirty looks. “Asses.”

“Yes, I've seen you stare at Kai's,” Rykar remarked.
Kaidia looked up, a brow arched high.

“I what? No no no, um, you see, I uh...” Malcade fell
over his words. Rykar and Kaidia found themselves laughing again.

“It's fine, Malcade. Rykar is just messing with you. If I
minded people staring, I wouldn't wear pants that accentuated my
form.” Kaidia reassured the stammering man.

“Damn... and here I wanted to torment him all the way to
Anklis.” Rykar complained with a chuckle.

“Screw you. And why are we going to Anklis with only two people
again?” Rykar's second in command inquired, eyes on Rykar.

“It's a diplomatic meeting, not a declaration of war. You're
going because, now that I am king, I need a personal bodyguard, a
right hand if you will, and we both know you're damn good at that,
Malcade. So you get a bump in position and pay. The Scorpion Company
will become the new elite soldiers of the crown, Malcade, and you
will be their Commander. I will be busy being the king. Also, we'll
need to appoint someone to be the Lord of the Third District and
Commander of that detachment of our company. Probably Telvas, he's
capable,” Rykar rambled, not unimportantly.

“Telvas is Second Commander for a reason,” Malcade
replied.

“Yes, so, we shall bump him up from Second to First and you
from First to General since I'm King now, and all will be well. We'll
take the best we have with us when we move to Corrana to rebuild,”
Rykar went on, then paused. “But I get ahead of myself. We have
to win the war first and that may prove to be a problem.”

“How so?” Malcade questioned.

“Well, even though, for the most part, the races on Haelstross
get along to the point where the borders between our lands are fairly
blurred, we've never had an army that consisted of multiple races.
Who will lead such an army? How will the command structure work? And
then there are the kyrians and the people of Anklis. The kyrians tend
to keep to themselves and might take some convincing to get them into
this war, not to mention that they have no real king or queen.
They're made up of several large tribes and broken into smaller
clans. And Anklis is... well... it's Anklis. This trip will be
interesting, I imagine,” Rykar answered at length.

“The clans and tribes of the kyrian people do hold council with
one another. Fighting between them is rare, and I'm sure my tattoo
and my status as a god will help me in getting them involved,”
Kaidia said, attempting to assuage Rykar's doubts about the feline
people.

“That still leaves the giant question mark that is Anklis. We
will have to be on our toes, Malcade. Just in case.” the king
muttered.

“Right,” the larger man answered.

“You two have fun with that. I'm sure that when we meet up to
head back to Mehroth, you'll have a story or two to tell,”
Kaidia chuckled.

“Knowing this guy, I don't doubt it,” Rykar muttered,
jerking his thumb at Malcade.

“Me?! You two are both crazier than I am. We'll be lucky if we
don't end up fighting a war against this weird army that's wiping out
cities and Anklis because of you, Rykar!” Malcade
exclaimed.

“You know, he might be right,” the king said with a
smirk. Kaidia simply chuckled.

* * *

That evening, as the sun sank below the horizon, the three warriors
stopped to set up their camp some distance off the road in a stand of
trees. Sitting around a camp fire, eating a few cooked rabbits, the
trio was swapping stories and information about the almost unknown
enemy they were getting ready to face down.

“So your council is handling the orcs, dwarves, and all three
elven nations. The humans are obviously on board,” Kai
summarized, glancing to Rykar.

“Correct. The Sorku, Esmera, and Selvath all have ambassadors
to... well... my kingdom. As do the orcs and dwarves,” Rykar
confirmed.

“Sorku? Esmera? What the hell are you talking about?”
Malcade asked, a brow arched.

“Did you not pay attention in school?” Rykar answered
with another question.

“I excelled at physical classes, not the boring ones,”
Malcade replied defensively.

“I don't doubt it,” Rykar chuckled.

“Just shut up and tell me,” Malcade muttered.

“The Sorku are the Wild Elves, the Esmera are the High Elves,
and the Selvath are the Smoke Elves. While they're all elves, they
are all somewhat different and are considered three separate
nations,” Kaidia explained.

“Oh. We just called them pointy-eared people,” Malcade
grumbled.

“I'm not surprised,” Rykar said flatly.

“Kiss my ass, Rykar. All my physical training has saved your
ass more than once,” the bigger man growled.

“Fair enough, but it never hurts to know more about the other
people of the world. You know, just in case you have to get
diplomatic with them,” Rykar retorted lightly, smirking.

“Point taken,” Malcade admitted.

“All the same, you should probably let Rykar do the talking
when you get to Anklis, Malcade,” Kaidia suggested with a wink.

“Yes, yes. Wise ass,” the Commander muttered and tossed a
few sticks into the fire.

* * *

Kaidia rode with Rykar and Malcade until midday the next day. When
they came to the fork in the road she had to take, they had a quick
discussion, and decided to meet back at the fork in two or three
days. With a wave, Kaidia parted from the two men and headed off on
her own. Far off in the distance, barely visible to the naked eye,
lay the edge of the vast forest that the majority of kyrians called
home. The road Kai was on wound through open fields of grass and
crops. Gently sloping hills caused the road to disappear into shallow
gullies only to reappear upon the incline of the next little hill.

As she rode, Kaidia encountered a lonely farmstead here and another
there, even riding past the odd farmer working near the road. Every
one of them paused to greet her in a friendly manner before returning
to work. She was all too happy to return the greetings and not be
immediately recognized. Not that she particularly minded being fawned
over or held in awe, but it was nice for people to just be friendly
once in awhile.

By the time she reached the tree line, night had fallen and Kai
decided to set up camp just inside the forest. After tying her horse
off to a sturdy tree, leaving it enough room to graze, the god
started a fire and spread her bedroll out on the ground. She sat down
on the bedroll and stared into the flames, thinking about the war,
her sister, and the general mess in which the continent found itself
mired. No one knew where the marauding army was at the moment or
where they would strike next. Before they had left Mehroth, Rykar had
assembled several scouting parties and sent them out far and wide via
magical portals to, hopefully, gather some sort of information about
where the army was and where it was headed.

After a quick meal of dried meat and water, Kaidia laid back on her
bedroll and let sleep pull her down in its warm, dark embrace.

* * *

Kaidia awoke from a dreamless sleep by virtue of a wet nose sniffing
at her face. The mercenary grumbled and gently pushed it away,
assuming it to be her horse. However, after a moment, the realization
that she'd left her horse tied up across the clearing brought her to
sit upright rather abruptly. She then whirled around, on her feet,
hand on the hilt of her sword. She relaxed a moment later and let out
a sigh of relief.

“You startled me there,” she admonished lightly.

The rather large, black furred cat standing at the head of Kai's
bedroll stared at the warrior with bright amber eyes for a long
moment before padding over and proceeding to nuzzle the woman's hip.
Kaidia dropped a hand down to pet the large beast on the head.

“And how long have you been watching me?” she asked of
the large feline, not expecting any sort of verbal answer. The only
reply was a low, rumbling deep in the creature's throat. It was a
purr though it sounded more like a growl to most ears. The big cat
was a panther, though the kyrian word for them was “vaku.”
The big cats were sensitive to other creatures and could sense
malice, fear, and other such emotions. This one felt nothing malign
or sinister about Kaidia, thus it was being very friendly. Kai
crouched down as she scratched behind the beast's ears, smiling at
how the panther's eyes closed as it enjoyed the attention. When the
mercenary stopped scratching, the big cat gently head butted the
woman before padding off into the forest, as if to thank her for the
attention she had given.

“How long are we going to pretend that I'm not aware of you?”
Kai asked the empty air as she stood.

“You are as perceptive as a kyrian,” a male voice said. A
moment later a kyrian man leapt from the branches of a tree at the
edge of the clearing and landed in the grass a few feet from Kaidia.
He wore light leathers from head to toe. Such clothing was much
easier to run in than metal armor.

“Why thank you,” the noble responded lightly.

“You're quite welcome. You are, no doubt, Kaidia Valengaard,”
the man stated, his feline ears perked in Kai's direction.

“I am,” Kai replied.

“I can only assume someone of your stature, being both a noble
and a god, is here to speak to the elders of my people about the
rogue army terrorizing the land,” he went on, eyes trained on
Kai.

“You would be correct again,” Kaidia stated.

“We have noticed a few of their scouts sniffing around the
edges of our forests. Well placed arrows seem to have discouraged
them thus far,” the man said with a smirk.

“Good to know but they will become a much bigger problem,”
the god asserted.

“Well then, we should make haste, Dragon God. I am Tian-Vere. I
will be your guide,” the kyrian informed Kai, a friendly smile
on his face.

Chapter V: Negotiations in Anklis, A Strange Vision

“Remember, let me do the talking,” Rykar reminded his
companion.

“I know, damn you. You've only told me eighteen times in the
past ten minutes,” Malcade growled.

“Surely that is an exaggeration,” the smaller man
insisted with a smirk.

“It is not,” Malcade stated flatly.

The two men stood outside the gates of Anklis, the setting sun
casting blinding light and long shadows. While Malcade was in his
full armor, Rykar was just wearing his cuirass and bracers in the way
of armor. Other than that, he was clothed normally _a tunic under
the cuirass, leather pants, and boots. His sword was secured at his
left hip. The guards at the gate had sent a messenger scrambling
inside once Rykar had made his status known, as well as the fact that
he wished to speak with Zathias. Waiting was a bore, but the guards
refused to let the two men inside the city.

“Is their king on the other side of the city?” Malcade
muttered rhetorically. He was far from amused with the wait.

“The center of the city. I've seen the layout of the city; the
palace is in the center. Back before this city was its own entity,
the palace was the noble's residence. It would be very odd if Zathias
didn't take up residence there,” Rykar informed his friend.

“Where would you see a layout of Anklis?” the bigger man
inquired.

“Both the city of Mehroth and my own home contain libraries
filled with these objects that some people call books. There are also
scrolls and sheaves of papers. Among all those are maps, city plans
and charts. I like to peruse. So I see and learn a lot. You should
try reading sometime, my friend,” the royal answered with a
decidedly smart-ass grin. Malcade opened his mouth to respond, but
was interrupted by the screech of the city gates opening. Both men
eyed the gates with a caution born of several years of mercenary work
and war.

Out of the gates walked a tall, dark skinned man with long, dreaded
hair, clothing made of fine cloth, and boots of hard leather. His
expression was serious and he was accompanied by six men in various
garb. Their bearing told of experience and skill, but they weren't
uniform. Each wore different armor and no two had the same type of
weapon. It was a motley crew to be sure, but only a fool would
mistake that for lack of ability.

“Well now, this is an interesting group,” Rykar said
aloud as the tall man stopped just in front of him. “I see a
spear, a short sword, a war axe, a long sword, daggers, and a
halberd. And then you, my friend, have bastard sword. Fitting...
you're a tall bastard.”

Malcade's eyes went wide and his hand went to his sword as the six
men behind the dark skinned man brandished their weapons at the
apparent insult Rykar had given. But Rykar was grinning and didn't
seem the slightest bit on edge. In fact, when the tall man gave a
hearty laugh, Rykar was the only one who wasn't startled.

“Put your weapons away, boys. He didn't mean that as an insult
and even if he did, attacking him would only end in your deaths. This
man is the king of the human lands of Haelstross and that is by no
mistake. He's a strong one and his companion is no slouch, either,”
the tall man said with a strange accent that Rykar couldn't place.
The man's eyes were different colors, one dark brown and the other an
unreal gold that seemed to shimmer. Malcade wondered, rather
uneasily, how the big man could gauge his abilities with just a
glance.

“You know who I am, if not my name. Who might you be?”
Rykar questioned.

“I am Dosfar, General of the Anklis Army,” the man
replied. “And what is your name, royal?”

“Rykar Vaikos,” Rykar answered.

“Lord of Scorpions and now the king of the humans in
Haelstross. Your legend as a mercenary commander is known and admired
even here. Your appointment as the king is new, but there is no
mistaking the ring on your hand. I take it the rumors of Corrana's
destruction are true,” Dosfar said, his face grave.

“They are, hence, I am the new king and I'm here now,”
Rykar replied, running his fingers through his long hair.

“I assume you seek an audience with King Zathias,” the
Anklian general guessed.

“Correct,” came the response.

“Come, I will take you to him. Given the rumors we have been
hearing, you two will have much to discuss,” Dosfar said,
beckoning with his hand as he turned and headed back toward the city
gate, his men following. Rykar and Malcade followed as well, the
former catching up to Dosfar to walk alongside the tall man,
continuing to discuss the aforementioned rumors.

* * *

The kyrian people were a strange mixture of savagery and
sophistication. They had only a handful of permanent settlements, but
those settlements were grand and had everything a person could
desire. Most kyrians lived the life of nomads, never settling in one
place for long, always wandering about the forests, settling in towns
made up of tents and temporary buildings until they felt the urge to
move on. The kyrians that made their homes in permanent cities were
often looked upon differently by their brethren. Not necessarily in a
bad way, just differently. A few struggled with their tendency to
wander and maintained a home in one of the few permanent kyrian
cities while leading the nomadic life on a part-time basis.

Kaidia and Tian-Vere walked out of the thick trees and into one of
the few permanent settlements, the former leading her horse along
behind her. While there was no city wall, soldiers kept an attentive
watch on the surrounding forest. Dressing in a mixture of metal
armor, leathers, and furs, they made for a curious sight and Kai
found herself smirking at the memory of her first encounter with the
kyrian people. It had been awkward, especially with the mercenary
trying to check her urge to pet every cat person in sight. They took
great offense to that unless they really liked the person doing the
petting. Otherwise, one would get about two seconds of growled
warning before a sword, claws, or sharp teeth struck out at the
offending hand.

“The good news for you, Mistress Kaidia, is that the elders and
tribal leaders have already called for a meeting. They are still
waiting on some people to arrive. You were one of them. Your coming
was foretold. Unfortunately, the last of the elders will be arriving
tonight and the final tribal leader is not due to arrive until
tomorrow so you will have to wait for that long to take part in the
meeting,” Tian-Vere explained as he walked down the main street
of the city at Kaidia's side.

“That cannot be helped, I suppose,” Kai sighed.

“It cannot,” Tian-Vere confirmed.

“What do you mean my coming was foretold?” Kaidia asked,
suddenly curious.

“The city's seer said you would come,” the male kyrian
answered with a shrug.

“May I see this clairvoyant?” the mercenary inquired.

“Of course, Mistress Kaidia,” Tian-Vere replied and
gestured down the street where a sign hung above the doorway of a
two-story building that sat on the corner of the main street and a
smaller side street. The sign had a cat's eye painted on it, the
slitted pupil seeming to peer at Kaidia.

“Thank you, Tian-Vere. Stable my horse, if you'd please. Then
bring my pack to the seer's,” Kai responded with a faint smile
and a nod of her head. The kyrian returned the nod, took the horse's
reins and walked off, leaving the god to her own devices. Kai walked
along the street and found herself in front of the door in no time.
Kaidia had always been skeptical of clairvoyants and fortunetellers.
Most were con artists. Some had a true ability, though, and the god
was intent on testing this particular seer. She pushed the door open
and stepped inside.

The first thing Kaidia noticed was the powerful scent of incense that
nearly knocked her backward. She pushed the door shut and peered
around the room. There appeared to be just a single room with a
staircase on the far wall that led upstairs. A roaring fire in the
fireplace was the only light and the cause of sweltering heat. It was
the middle of the day, in the height of summer, and already too warm
for Kai's liking. The additional heat from the fire made the
temperature in the room downright unpleasant.

“It is not every day that my home is happened upon by a
beautiful god,” a voice purred out of the shadows caused by the
dancing flames in the fireplace. Kai looked around, her eyes
adjusting to the dim lighting. She spotted a pair of glowing eyes in
the farthest corner of the room and smiled faintly.

“Thank you,” she said flatly.

“You seek an answer, god,” the kyrian presumed in a soft
voice.

“More or less, I suppose,” Kai replied.

“You want to know if my powers are true.”

“Yes. Plenty who claim to possess the power of clairvoyance are
liars.”

“I assure you, god, that I tell no tall tales. My powers to see
beyond the here and now are as real as your powers of destruction.”

“I would like to see for myself.”

“I suppose I can give you a demonstration if you must have
one.”

“That would be greatly appreciated.”

The kyrian stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the fire,
revealing herself to be a young woman. She was dressed for the
oppressive heat of the room in a snug fitting sleeveless top that
left her midriff bare and a pair of equally snug pants that stopped
at mid-thigh. Her bare feet were silent on the floor carpeted in
heavy rugs. She sat down in the center of the room and gestured just
in front of herself.

“Please sit, Dragon God.”

Kaidia stared at the kyrian for several long moments before stepping
over and settling herself down onto the carpet. The pair sat close
enough to be within easy reach of one another.

“Now what?”

“Just relax and observe, Mistress Kaidia.”

The kyrian woman smiled, then took a deep breath, and closed her
eyes. She held her palms out in front of her, just over her lap, and
began to chant. Kaidia couldn't make out the words, but she could
feel the tingle in her spine as cat girl called upon magic. Energy
arced between the kyrian's fingers and a flickering glow formed
between the woman's palms. It hovered there for several long moments
before shooting into the cat girl's stomach, disappearing within her.
Another deep breath was taken by the clairvoyant before she exhaled
and held a hand up under her mouth. A moment later, she spit a
crystal into her palm. Kai's brows rose a bit at the sight, but she
stayed quiet. The kyrian held the crystal up so the noble could get a
clear look at it. A moment later, the cat girl held it out to Kai.

“Take it.”

Kaidia wasn't sure of the significance of the crystal, but she
reached out to take it from the kyrian's palm. The moment she touched
it, Kaidia felt the world spin, then slam her to the floor as the
clairvoyant's home dissolved around her. For several long moments,
Kai floated in an endless black. Quite suddenly, her senses were
flooded. Sights, sounds, smells, sensations, and emotions washed over
and around her. She saw moments from her past, long gone and more
recent. She saw instances of herself playing with her sister in their
parent's large home, her first meeting with Ashlin, and her days
learning to work her magic and fight using her sword. There was a
sense of warmth and joy that came with those early memories.

Memories of the bonding ceremony between herself and Ashlin brought
those blissful feelings to a high before they suddenly shifted to
white-hot rage and cold misery as dark memories drowned the bright
ones. Kaidia was abruptly reliving the moment that Ashlin had died in
her arms. Then, just as quickly, she was recalling the first fight
with Adathir. Every event in her life passed before her eyes,
reignited emotions, and reopened old wounds.

Then things started to become really strange. Kaidia began seeing
herself with lovers she had never known, fighting battles she had
never fought, and seeing strange lands to which she had never been.
Weapons, armor, sights, scents, and sounds she didn't recognize
poured over her. The warrior's heart pounded in her chest, her pulse
raced, and her breath came in rapid gasps. Her senses were overloaded
and her body tense. The assault overwhelmed the god. The images
whirled around her faster and faster. The noise of it all grew louder
and the scents grew too powerful.

Just as quick as the otherworldly trip had begun, it stopped, and
Kaidia found herself on her back on the floor, sweating profusely,
breathing raggedly, with the kyrian clairvoyant straddling her on her
knees and one hand, her other hand held fast in Kai's iron grip, the
crystal burning hot between their two palms.

Kai jerked her hand loose and the crystal fell to the floor. The seer
sat back, settling on Kai with a smile. Her tail swished lazily
behind her and the feline ears atop her head perked toward Kaidia.

“That was an interesting journey, Dragon God. You have lived
with great joy and even greater sorrow. Not to mention anger that
would burn a lesser being to ash from within.”

“You... could see it all as well?”

“Of course. I could see it, hear it, smell it, feel it, and
much more. It was as if I lived your life as well. We both
experienced what is to come. I have never seen that far into the
coming years. Much of what I saw in your future was unidentifiable.
Foreign. Advanced. It would seem that you will live far beyond even
the elves of our day, god. You are truly someone amazing, Kaidia
Valengaard.”

“Thank you, I think. Can you get off of me now?”

“What's the matter, divine one? Uncomfortable with a pretty
girl on your lap?” the kyrian asked, her tone playful, teasing.

“No. I'm just far too warm and I also have other duties to
attend to, clairvoyant.”

“Ah, well then, I will let you go. But you're welcome back here
any time,” she purred.

“Thank you.”

The cat girl nodded, then slipped off of Kaidia, and even helped the
warrior to her feet.

“I would wish you good luck... but we both know you don't need
it.”

“Well thank you anyway.”

The kyrian nodded before Kaidia turned and made her way outside,
almost tearing the door from its hinges in an effort to get into the
fresh air. Outside felt blessedly cool for the middle of summer but,
then again, Kaidia felt like she'd just walked out of a sauna. She
opened her eyes and arched a brow. The sun was setting, it was
growing dark. She wondered, bewildered, just how long she had been in
the clairvoyant's home.

A throat clearing behind her caused the warrior to whirl around, hand
on the hilt of her sword. She relaxed when she spotted Tian-Vere. The
man arched a brow, his tail flicking back and forth.

“You were in there for some time, Mistress Kaidia. You look a
mess,” he commented.

Kai looked down at herself. Her tunic clung to her body, soaked in
sweat, as did her pants. Everything felt sticky and the outside air
was quickly losing its cooling effect as her body adjusted to the
temperature.

“It seemed like only minutes passed. I apologize if I kept you
waiting,” Kai responded, refusing to comment on her appearance.

“Not to worry, Mistress Kaidia. I don't mind sitting and
letting my mind wander. Let's get you to your quarters. The tribal
leaders have all agreed to put you up in the best room we have
available in our city. That's the first time they've all agreed on
something in ages. Perhaps there's hope yet,” the man chuckled
and started walking, gesturing for Kai to follow him.

Tian-Vere led Kaidia farther along the main street of the city to a
rather grand looking inn. It was three stories tall, made of massive
timbers and stone. It was a splendid building. Kaidia followed her
guide inside and found herself immediately comfortable among the
fancy yet cozy furnishings. A room and food here would certainly
command good coin but it was no doubt worth it. The wandering hunters
and woodsmen who traded with the kyrians undoubtedly enjoyed a night
or two here before wandering back out into the forests.

Following her guide, Kaidia quickly found herself on the top floor,
which consisted of two suites that the warrior assumed were likely
all but identical. Tian-Vere produced a key and held it out to
Kaidia.

“This is your room,” the man said, nodding his head
toward the nearest door.

“Thank you,” Kaidia said as she reached out and took the
key.

“Enjoy,” the kyrian man said with a smirk before handing
Kai her pack and walking away.

Kaidia arched a brow as she slung her pack over her shoulder, pushed
the key into the keyhole, turned it, then shoved the door open. She
stepped in, closed the door, and locked it, her mind wandering to how
she might present her case to the kyrian tribal leadership and
elders. She turned around and looked around the room. She stopped in
her tracks, her eyebrows raising high.

The suite itself was large, furnished lavishly with two rooms. The
main room in the front had a fireplace, a bed large enough for five
people with plenty of pillows, lush rugs covering the floors, a
couple of chairs in front of the fireplace, and just about anything a
noble would expect in their room. The second room was smaller, a wash
room, no less extravagant that the main room. But none of this was
what gave Kaidia pause.

Standing there in the middle of the room, smiling warmly at Kaidia,
were three young kyrian women, scantily clad, and all as beautiful as
could be. Before the noble could get a word out of her mouth, the
three women were upon her. One tossed her pack aside before all three
started undoing buckles and laces, apparently intent on stripping Kai
of her clothing.

“Such a beautiful god.”

“Deserving of servants to wait on you.”

“You've had a long day. Let us wash the filth from you,
Mistress Kaidia.”

Once Kai got the gist of what their intention happened to be, she had
very little inclination to protest. It would be rude on cultural
grounds, after all.

* * *

Dosfar led Rykar and Malcade through the city with his entourage of
soldiers. People stopped, stared, pointed, and whispered among
themselves, but no one was rude. It was obvious to them that Rykar
and Malcade were outsiders. Those that caught a glimpse of the ring
on Rykar's hand whispered in hushed tones to whoever was standing by
their side. Word that the human king of Haelstross was in their city
quickly spread.

The group walked to the palace at the center of the city and were let
in without a fuss. Dosfar's soldiers broke off, leaving their general
with Rykar and Malcade. Dosfar didn't seem to mind in the slightest
as he led the two men further into the palace.

“We have heard rumors of a vast, terrible army attacking cities
and towns, wiping out the shrines and temples, then leaving,”
Dosfar related to Rykar.

“You have heard correctly. They're spreading the word of their
god by blade and blood,” the royal confirmed.

“Why aren't they building their own temples and shrines then?”
the dark-skinned man inquired, giving Rykar a sideways glance.

“They likely have a group, separate from the rest of their
army, which will consist of clerics and healers. That group will come
in, heal the wounded, help rebuild, and subtly push their god onto
the survivors while they're at the most vulnerable. It is an
effective tactic, if morally questionable,” the king replied,
obviously disdainful of such underhanded tactics.

“Their god must be weak and desperate if it must resort to
destroying everything that has to do with all other gods just to
attain followers,” Dosfar concluded.

“It is a false god, like all others. However, unlike the gods
of Haelstross, whose purpose is peace and unity among the races, the
creators of this god use it as a tool to conquer, divide, and control
people. Its purpose is chaos,” Rykar growled, growing angry as
he thought of the disregard for life the malevolent forces behind
this rampaging god's army must have.

Dosfar simply nodded his understanding as the trio came to a pair of
closed double doors. The tall man pushed open the doors to reveal a
large throne room. The room was easily three stories tall and very
open. The room was all but devoid of people. There were only three
people within as Dosfar, Rykar, and Malcade made their way inside.

Two armed and armored guards that were like the men that had
accompanied Dosfar. While they both wore complete sets of armor,
Rykar noticed one set was that of a soldier in the field while the
other looked like a knight's ceremonial armor. Both men had swords at
their hips and while they were the same standard type of sword, the
hilts varied in style. Anklis truly was a kingdom that valued freedom
of choice. Rykar found himself smirking. He liked the idea if he was
honest with himself. The third person in the room was sitting in the
throne behind the guards.

King Zathias Goren was a tall, heavily muscled man. He was bald, with
a long mustache and beard that blended into one silver mane that hung
from the man's face. He wore a sleeveless tunic, leather pants and
boots, none of which was armored in any way. The only armor the man
wore was a pair of armored bracers. Though he knew them to be
enchanted, they looked unremarkable to Rykar's eyes. What drew the
most of Rykar's attention was the rather large war hammer with a
handle the length of a halberd that was leaning against the throne,
head against the floor.

While he was twice Rykar's age, a betting man would hesitate before
putting hard-earned coin against the King of Anklis in a fight.
Zathias studied Rykar and Malcade intently as they walked toward the
throne with Dosfar.

“My King, I present King Rykar Vaikos of Haelstross and his
right hand, Sir Malcade Cullins. They seek an audience with none
other than you,” Dosfar announced, his eyes, both brown and
gold, staying on Zathias.

“I am King Zathias Goren of Anklis. What matter of such great
importance brings the human King of Haelstross to my paradise?”
Zathias inquired. Dosfar stepped off to the side to let the two
royals speak.

“The rampaging army that I know you're aware of, Zathias,”
Rykar stated firmly.

“Oh, that little issue. Don't tell me the greatest of
Haelstross cannot handle that,” Zathias replied, giving a
dismissive wave of his hand.

“It is no little issue, Zathias. They utterly destroyed Sarkos
and Corrana. They've undoubtedly attacked other cities, but I'm still
gathering information,” Rykar growled.

“So what do you want with me, Rykar?” Zathias asked, a
brow arched.

“I want you and your army to join with my army - as well as the
armies of the other races to fight these invaders. Make no mistake,
Anklis will be their target at some point,” Rykar answered.

“We will fight them when they come, young king,” Zathias
returned flippantly.

“You will lose. The army is too massive. They overran Sarkos;
they overran the capital of Haelstross as well. Corrana had mercenary
companies, mage schools, guilds of all stripes, and the biggest
detachment of the royal army around and they wiped them all out in
one night. As strong as your city is, it will fall, old man. We all
have to stand together or we will all die,” Rykar snarled
impatiently.

Zathias' eyes flared at the comment on his age and Malcade wondered
for a moment if he shouldn't have done the talking. But Zathias
didn't fly into a rage. He seemed to slip into deep thought for
several long moments, a hand stroking his beard.

“I have an offer for you, King Rykar of Haelstross,” the
older man said, his eyes locking with his fellow king's.

“Go on,” Rykar replied, unblinking.

“Show me your worth in a fight. If you meet my approval, my
army and I will march to meet this rampaging force along with
whatever forces you can bring together,” Zathias offered with a
smirk.

Rykar arched a brow and exchanged looks with Malcade, who gave a
shrug.

“Who do I fight?” he asked.

“Me,” Zathias replied, flatly.

“You do realize that this would normally be grounds for war,
correct?” Malcade asked the two kings, eyes flicking between
them.

“Yes, Sir Cullins, I do. But those are the terms I offer and
there will be no war between our kingdoms,” Zathias replied.

“Fine. When and where?” Rykar inquired.

Zathias stood up and picked up his war hammer, hefting it with ease.

“Here and now.” he said with a smirk that was all but
hidden by his mustache and beard. Before Rykar could draw his sword,
Zathias was upon him. The head of that maul slammed into Rykar's
armored chest and sent the long-haired king sailing to the side of
the room. As luck would have it, Rykar hit a window, which promptly
shattered, leaving the young king to fall out of the window and into
the courtyard below with a metallic thud.

“...shit,” Malcade muttered.

Zathias ran to the broken window and leapt out, landing on his feet
beside Rykar, who was slowly pushing himself to his feet. His cuirass
was cracked and dented in upon his chest, making it hard for him to
breathe. He pulled the straps loose and threw the armor off before
drawing his sword. Every breath hurt like hell. Dosfar and Malcade
both appeared behind Rykar, having taken a set of steps down to the
courtyard.

“You're a tough bastard. That would have, at least, knocked out
most men,” Zathias declared as he backed up a couple of steps,
giving Rykar room to gather himself for the actual fight.

Behind Rykar a throat cleared. Both kings turned and eyed Dosfar, who
had his hands in the air.

“Perhaps, without weapons. Neither of you are going to be worth
a damn in a war if one of you slips and wounds or kills the other,”
he reasoned. Zathias grunted and tossed his war hammer aside,
apparently arriving at the conclusion that his General was correct.

Rykar eyed his sword, re-sheathed it, unbuckled his sword belt, and
tossed it back toward Malcade. The red-haired man caught it deftly.
Dosfar and Malcade both looked a bit uneasy. The various guards and
servants who had been in the courtyard when Rykar had fallen from the
window looked decidedly more uneasy. The prospect of a king against
king fight was exciting, but startling. It usually wasn't something
that happened. It was even rarer that such a fight occurred to seal
an alliance. In fact, no one in attendance could recall when that had
ever happened.

The two kings locked eyes and both wore predatory grins as they began
to circle each other like wolves sizing up their opposition. Both men
were monsters in their own right. While Rykar was cunning, skilled,
and arguably psychotic, Zathias simply relied on his power and brute
force to win. While the man was certainly intelligent, he rarely
needed his intellect in a fight when he could simply toss opponents
around like rag dolls or drop them to the ground in a smoking pile
with the power his bracers granted him.

The larger man was the first to make a move, throwing a straight
punch for Rykar's face. While Zathias was fast for his size, Rykar
was faster. The smaller man side-stepped the punch and landed an
upward strike on Zathias' bearded chin, causing the big man to back
up a step. Rykar pressed his momentary advantage, landing several
body blows on the bigger man's torso in the span of a few seconds.
Zathias had to take a few more steps back as each shot of the barrage
hit its mark. When Rykar's assault halted, Zathias was quick to take
a heavy swing at his opponent's head. Rykar managed to duck the
punch, raise up, and land one of his own against the bigger man's
ribs. Zathias grunted, but reversed his swing and slammed his elbow
into the side of Rykar's head, nearly knocking the long-haired king
from his feet.

Rykar stumbled away and managed to recover his equilibrium before he
could fall. He whirled and fixed a studious glare on Zathias,
re-evaluating the bigger man. The two combatants squared off once
more before lunging and grappling one another. Zathias shoved Rykar
backward, then stepped forward and delivered a straight kick to
Rykar's head, knocking the smaller man to the ground rather savagely,
and carrying himself past Rykar in the process.

Rykar's head bounced off the stone of the courtyard, but he pushed
himself up immediately despite the pain. He lunged at Zathias as the
big man turned around. Malcade caught sight of the arcing electricity
jumping around Rykar's right fist and smirked right before that fist
abruptly crashed into Zathias' jaw, knocking the towering man to the
ground while giving him a painful jolt.

Rykar smirked to himself and watched Zathias get to his feet,
grumbling.

“Alright. I can play it that way, you pig fucker,” the
man growled through his beard. The metal bracers on the man's
forearms glowed and electricity began dancing along them and down to
his hands.

“You can't match me in terms of power, Zathias,” Rykar
warned. Whether it was truth or a bluff was unknown to Zathias but
the King of Anklis was one to call a bluff every time.

“We'll see about that,” he growled, eyes wild and eager.
It was rare that he got a chance to test the full extent of his power
against someone worthy of the effort and he could hardly contain his
anticipation.

Instead of charging, then two men strode forward purposefully, each
of them fighting to hide a grin, lightning crackling about their
fists. Though Malcade and Dosfar were both very much used to their
respective leader's unique brand of insanity, they both thought this
whole situation was a new level of crazy for both kings.

When the two royal men got within range of one another, the fight
began. Zathias threw a punch and Rykar ducked, only to throw a punch
of his own, cracking Zathias in the jaw. The bigger man took the hit
with a grunt, and then returned the favor, slamming his massive fist
into Rykar's jaw. The younger king reeled backward, only to rock
right back toward Zathias and land a hard shot on the older king's
jaw. Zathias stumbled backward. He lunged forward a moment later,
grabbing Rykar up by the front of the his tunic, then let go just as
he slammed his charged fist into Rykar's face, sending the man
sailing away and into the ground with a heavy thud.

Rykar rolled to his feet and charged right back at Zathias,
surprising the bald man. The two grappled, magical lightning
crackling around them, growing more intense with each passing second.
Bolts of lightning arced off the men, gouging the flagstones on which
they stood as they tried to force each other backward. Zathias found
himself thoroughly surprised that he wasn't handily winning the
contest.

Dosfar and Malcade had to jump away from one another as an arc of
lightning shot between them, ripping up the ground where they had
been standing. As the pair of men cast their gazes to their
respective kings, the lightning grew stronger, more intense, arcs of
electricity lashed out, scorched the palace, the ground, and set a
decorative potted plant aflame. Lightning shot off of the warring
royals and into the air, looking like a reversed lightning strike.
The power on display was making the air hum and tingle with energy,
unsettling everyone who was witnessing the struggle of titanic
powers.

Just as Dosfar, Malcade, and others were considering a retreat to
shelter, the two kings leapt backward from one another, smoke
drifting up off of their bodies and clothing. Smirks curved the
mouths of both men and there was a predatory gleam in both of their
eyes.

“Your power seems to be an even match to my own,” Zathias
growled, a begrudging admiration in his voice.

“I was just warming up, Thunder King,” Rykar returned
with an arrogant smirk.

“Ha! I like you, boy. You're a warrior worthy of being King,”
Zathias stated.

“So we have a deal then?” Rykar asked.

“Yes, we do. In fact, there shall be a feast tonight to seal
our alliance. Go get your armor mended and find yourself a woman to
bring to the feast. If you can find a woman of Anklis that'll have
ya, of course,” Zathias said with a hearty laugh. He stepped
forward and held his massive hand out to Rykar. The smaller man
didn't hesitate. He took Zathias' hand and shook it.

“See you tonight,” he said with a nod. Zathias returned
the nod, then turned and walked off.

Malcade and Dosfar strolled over to Rykar, the former handing Rykar
his sword belt and broken armor as the latter struggled to find words
to articulate his astonishment. It took a few moments, but he found
them.

“The last time he fought someone here, it took ten servants two
days to clean up what was left of his opponent! Yet you matched him!
You went toe-to-toe with him and fought to a draw!” Dosfar
exclaimed.

“He would have beaten me if we would have gone on pure
strength. He's got experience, but no formal training. The
enchantment on his bracers is powerful, but my magic is stronger.
Taking it all into account and using every avenue available to us...
and without knowing his skill with a weapon... I'd say it'd be hard
to decide who would win in an all out fight between us,” Rykar
expounded, more or less to himself.

“How can you tell all of that from one fight?” Dosfar
asked.

“A life of mercenary work,” Rykar replied, examining his
broken cuirass.

“Impressive,” the dark-skinned man said, obviously having
decided that Rykar and Malcade were alright in his book.

“Dosfar... where can I find a skilled metalsmith?” Rykar
asked, looking up to the man's differently-colored eyes.

Chapter VI: Beauty and Metal

After following directions given by Dosfar, Rykar and Malcade found
themselves walking through a bustling marketplace that reminded Rykar
of the markets back in Mehroth. People of all races and creeds could
be seen walking, bartering, and talking. No one gave the two men a
second glance as they made their way through the ground streets of
the marketplace, though a couple of people eyed the broken armor
Rykar was carrying.

“He said the place was called Iron Row, right?” Rykar
asked.

“That's what he said,” Malcade replied.

Rykar nodded and kept walking, eyes scanning the buildings, looking
for a sign that Dosfar said couldn't be missed. When Rykar spotted
the sign, he saw what the man had meant. A tall building stood on a
street corner off to Rykar's right. On the side of the building,
metal letters the size of himself were bolted, shining in the
afternoon sun. They read “Iron Row,” indicating just the
street Rykar needed. The two men turned to their right, walking onto
the street. The clanging of hammers on metal rang out. The whole
street was nothing more than metal working shops of all kinds.

“Strange. Mehroth had only four metal shops. There must be
thirty here,” Rykar remarked, impressed.

“Yes, but Mehroth's shops were all huge. They all had
metalsmiths who specialized in their chosen type of metal working.
These are all independent shops plying their own wares,”
Malcade responded.

“That's true. I didn't really see the shops in Mehroth. I
always dealt with the head of the Third District's metalsmith shop,”
Rykar replied.

“Well, now you get to be like everyone else and find what you
need yourself,” Malcade chuckled.

“You say that as if I'm out of touch with the masses,”
Rykar responded.

“Do you even know what sort of metalsmith you need?”
Malcade asked.

“An armorer, dumbass,” Rykar retorted with a snort.

“No need to be rude,” Malcade returned, chuckling.

The two men walked along, glancing into the open fronts of the shops.
Rykar was fairly certain that the temperature on this street was
twice the temperature anywhere else in the city with all of those
forge fires burning. As they walked, the pair saw smiths of all races
and specialties forging everything from nails and farm tools to sword
blades and armor. They also saw a silversmith who had a shop full of
fine silver decorations like candlesticks and plates. Rykar paused to
admire a dwarven smith's swords and axes that were forged in the
distinctive style of the dwarven people. An elven smith a few shops
down had a shop full of blades fashioned in the viciously elegant
design that was, for the most part, characteristic of all three elven
races. The two men kept walking past armor and weapons of all sorts.
Rykar was looking for something specific, a quality that he couldn't
quite put into words, but he'd know it when he saw it.

“There,” he said, pointing to a shop near the end of the
street. It, like every other shop on the street, was open-faced to
let out the excessive heat of the forge within. The sign hanging
above the open front of the shop read “Outcast Armorer.”

“Interesting name for a business,” Malcade commented.

“Let's go find out the reason behind it,” Rykar responded
and started for the shop.

Upon entering, Malcade became even more aware of how hot his armor
was and Rykar became rather glad his own was unwearable at the
moment. The smell of hot metal was both overwhelming and intoxicating
to Rykar, bringing back memories from his early years. He shook his
head to bring his mind back to the present. Malcade caught the look
on Rykar's face and frowned faintly. He knew where the man's mind had
gone. He was, in fact, one of the few in the world that knew.

On the walls hung armor of all sorts - plate, scale, chainmail, and
more. Some was fashioned in the style of dwarven armor, some had the
traits of elven and human armor. There were even pieces that looked
to be orcish in nature.

“Be with you in a moment,” a female voice called from
nearby the forge. Rykar couldn't see who had spoken; she was outside
of the light cast by the forge's fire. The only indication of just
where the woman was standing was a white hot piece of metal that
flashed briefly before disappearing into a bucket of water with a
hiss, producing a small cloud of steam as it did. The clang of tongs
and a hammer being set down on a metal surface rang out. A moment
later, a woman stepped into the light of the fire.

Malcade flinched slightly; Rykar simply gave a pleasant smile. The
woman before them was tall, maybe just an inch shy of Rykar's height,
and obviously strong. Clothed in leather pants and boots, along with
a sleeveless tunic, she was alluring to their eyes, especially
Rykar's. Strange markings were tattooed along both powerful arms. Her
skin was almost too pale, her long hair a strange, dark blue, and her
eyes a piercing silver. Those eyes were what had caused Malcade to
flinch. Rykar saw them and simply wore a pleasant expression. He was
a fan of unnatural and this woman was the epitome of it, head to toe.

“I'm Sage. What can I do for you gentlemen?” the woman
asked, silver eyes glancing over both men, studying them. She had
noticed Malcade's reaction to her appearance as well as Rykar's lack
of one.

“I need to see about having this repaired,” Rykar said,
holding up his dented and cracked cuirass with a faint smile. Sage
arched a brow.

“What happened?” she asked.

“He got into a fight with King Zathias,” Malcade
answered.

“Really?” Sage looked up, eyes a bit wide.

“Yes. The dent in the armor was a cheap shot,” Rykar
replied with a grumble.

“With a warhammer, I'd say,” Sage ventured a guess as she
took the armor from Rykar and looked it over with an experienced eye.

“Good eye,” Rykar remarked.

“How are you still walking?” Sage asked, looking Rykar up
and down.

“It's very good armor,” Rykar responded with a chuckle.

“I would say so,” Sage agreed.

“Plus, he's one tough bastard,” Malcade said with a jerk
of his thumb toward his friend. “Sailed right out a window and
landed in a courtyard.”

“My my. So who won?” the armorer asked with a crooked
smirk on her lips that Rykar found rather charming.

“It ended in a draw,” he admitted.

“That's better than anyone else has managed. King Zathias is an
experienced warrior. Those enchanted bracers of his help,” Sage
stated.

“Yes. That was interesting. My magic of choice is lightning. It
made for an entertaining fight,” Rykar said with a chuckle, his
fingers combing through his long hair. It was then that Sage's eyes
caught sight of the ring on Rykar's right hand.

“You're the human king of Haelstross?” she inquired, eyes
narrowing a bit.

“Yes,” Rykar confirmed.

“I thought the human king was an older man,” Sage
remarked.

“He was. He died in the attack on the human capital,”
Rykar responded.

“So who are you that you were named king?” Sage
questioned, without any regard for Rykar's status. The man rather
enjoyed the fact that she wasn't immediately demure and respectful
like most people seemed to be once they learned of his position.
Granted, in Anklis, most people didn't seem to care about his
position all that much. He wished it was like this outside of Anklis
too.

“I am Rykar Vaikos. My previous title was Lord of the Third
District of Mehroth,” he answered without trying to sound
self-important. Sage took note of that.

“Well then... congratulations, Scorpion Lord. I never thought
they'd appoint a warrior such as you to the throne,” she
commented.

“Oh, you know of me. Lovely. A warrior was what they needed
with the war that's bearing down on us. That is, in fact, what
brought me to Anklis and, by extension, to your shop,” Rykar
replied.

“Of course I know of you. The only person more famous in that
war was Kaidia Valengaard. Then she disappeared for a few years only
to reappear a couple of months ago to wipe out a whole city in a
rematch with that Adathir fellow from what I hear,” Sage said.

“That's exactly what happened. I was there to witness it and
fight against Adathir myself,” Rykar stated.

“Sounds like one big reunion,” Sage chuckled.

“It was a very tense one,” Rykar said with a smirk. “When
will I be able to pick up my cuirass?”

“I'll have this finished by sundown. Come back by and retrieve
it then,” she said with an air of confidence.

“Thank you, Miss Sage,” Rykar said with a pleasant smile.

“My pleasure, King Rykar,” Sage returned, giving a wink.
Before Rykar could do more than arch a brow at that, the armorer
disappeared back into the shadows of her shop.

* * *

At sundown, Rykar and Malcade found themselves back at Sage's shop.
The building was now well lit with lanterns that contained, not fire,
but bright orbs of light that had been conjured into existence by
magical means. Her shop was, by far, the brightest on Iron Row.
Malcade eyed various pieces of armor near the shop's front while
Rykar waited further inside. Further back, nearer the forge he
noticed tables against the walls with swords laying on them. Most of
them were completed while some where simply blades without hilts.

“You don't seem to need another sword,” Sage said from
behind Rykar. The man turned and smiled lightly.

“I don't. I simply thought it strange that you advertise as an
armorer yet apparently forge swords as well,” he replied.

“My specialty is armor, but I can forge swords and other
blades,” Sage stated. Rykar nodded, then reached for his sword,
drawing it slowly and holding it out to Sage.

“You might find this interesting then,” he said as Sage
took the sword from his hands.

“It's blue.”

“It is.”

“Wait, is this? Sinthite?”

“It is. I find it interesting that word of the metal has
reached this far already. We have yet to begin using sinthite to
produce weapons or armor. Mine is one of only a handful.”

“Amazing. It's so light,” Sage commented.

“Give it a swing,” Rykar suggested, taking a couple of
steps back to give Sage room to do so. The woman took the suggestion
with obvious enthusiasm, swinging the sword with a practiced motion.

“That would take some getting used to. I've heard it's stronger
than steel. More along the lines of blithsite. With enough force
behind the swing, you could cleave someone in two,” Sage said,
admiring the blade before turning the hilt towards Rykar.

“You can. I was rather surprised the first time I used it in
battle. Until these are widely available, this sword is going to make
me look obscenely strong, what with splitting people in twain,”
Rykar said with a chuckle as he took his sword back, sheathing it.

“It has been awhile since I've seen a fight, though I keep in
practice,” Sage admitted.

“I would offer to spar with you, but I have this damn feast to
go to,” Rykar jerked a thumb toward the center of the city
where Zathias' palace stood.

“Zathias throws one hell of a celebration. You won't be bored,”
Sage assured the man.

“I don't doubt that. But, as hard as it may be to believe,
spending the evening talking shop with a beautiful woman is my
preference,” Rykar said with a chuckle, simply being blunt.

“You silver-tongued devil,” Sage laughed softly. “Let
me get your armor so you can be presentable.”

“Devil?” Rykar asked with an arched brow and an amused
smile. Sage simply winked, turned and headed into the back of the
shop. She returned a few moments later with Rykar's cuirass. It
looked brand new and Rykar gaped at it as he took it in hand, looking
at it in the bright, magical light of the lanterns.

“Pleased?” Sage asked.

“Of course! How could I not be?” Rykar answered with his
own question, albeit, a rhetorical one. His fingers stroked over the
armor where the break had been.

“Good,” Sage chuckled, obviously pleased at the
admiration of her work.

“I can't even tell where it was broken. Stunning work, Sage,”
Rykar complimented.

“Thank you.”

“What do I owe you?”

“Oh, eight gold should cover it.”

“That's all? I'd charge twenty,” Rykar smirked.

“You're certainly welcome to pay that,” Sage said with a
soft laugh.

“How about I pay the eight and take you to the feast tonight?”
Rykar asked with a charming smile curving his lips.

“Oh, sly. Fine, I accept your offer,” Sage said with a
smirk.

“Malcade!” Rykar shouted toward the front of the shop.

“Aye?” Malcade responded.

“Throw me my pack.” Rykar requested.

Malcade, who had been holding both his pack and Rykar's, turned from
the armor he was looking over and threw the pack toward its owner.
Rykar caught it in one hand and set it on a nearby table. He set his
cuirass to the side before opening the pack and rummaging around
inside. He pulled out a coin pouch and dug out nine gold coins, then
dropped them onto the table.

“I count one too many,” Sage said with an arched brow.

“Call it a bonus for speedy work,” Rykar replied before
closing his coin pouch and tossing it back into his pack, which he
also closed.

“That works for me,” Sage responded, picking up the
coins.

“Good. So... want to continue our conversation at the big feast
at the palace?” Rykar asked, giving an inviting smile.

“Well, I suppose I don't have anything better to do this
evening,” Sage answered teasingly.

“I don't know if I should be insulted or elated,” Rykar
retorted with a smirk.

“A little of both seems appropriate. Just let me lock this
away,” Sage said, gesturing to the gold coins in her hand.
Rykar nodded before the woman turned and walked into the back.

“You slick bastard,” Malcade chuckled.

“Silver-tongued, I believe,” Rykar replied, feeling
rather good about himself and his evening.

* * *

“And that's how the elves and the dwarves managed to work
together to create a printing press to mass produce books,”
Rykar finished, his face faintly flushed from a little too much wine
and more than enough ale. The eating part of the feast was over, the
tables had been cleared of everything but drinks and the festivities
had moved on to conversation, contests, and general entertainment.

“Right. How did we get to book production from kyrian boar
hunting tactics?” Zathias asked, clearly curious and absolutely
drunk. Rykar gave the large man a blank stare that lasted for several
long moments.

“...I don't know,” he answered. Both men burst into
uproarious laughter. Malcade chuckled at the pair, himself somewhat
inebriated. Sage shook her head with a smile; having only had two
mugs of ale, she still had her wits about her. So far, she'd had a
wonderful evening with Rykar. She found the man to be charming,
humorous, and intelligent. The former two qualities were especially
surprising to her given the fact that the young man had just had the
title of King, and all the responsibilities that entailed, thrust
upon him in the midst of a war.

Rykar emptied the remainder of his mug of ale and set it down on the
table, then heaved a sigh. A servant was quick to refill the mug and
the man nodded his thanks. Sage nudged the man with an elbow,
garnering a questioning look from him.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Yes. Just a lot on my mind,” he answered with a
reassuring smile, his eyes locking with Sage's own. That was another
thing she liked about him. He didn't flinch at her silver eyes or the
unnatural color of her hair. In fact, he seemed to find them rather
attractive.

“I can only imagine. I would think a party like this would take
your mind off of things,” Sage said with a gesture toward the
room full of people, most of whom were clearly enjoying themselves.

“Only for moments at a time, unfortunately,” Rykar
replied with another sigh. Sage opened her mouth to reply only to be
cut off by a raucous cheer from across the large room. She, Zathias,
Rykar, and Malcade all looked up at the cheer. So did several others
in the room. At the opposite side of the room from the pair of kings,
the metalsmith, and the mercenary officer was a group of men and
women, likely Anklis soldiers, who were playing a game of darts. That
was before one of them whipped out a dagger, flung it, and sank it
into the board. That had caused the cheer. As the small group
watched, another solider hefted a one-handed axe, pulled back, and
threw it at the dartboard. It slammed into the board, stuck, and damn
near took the board off the wall. Another cheer rose from those
watching. Zathias chuckled and leaned over in his chair toward Rykar.

“Watch this,” he said with a gruff chuckle. Rykar arched
a brow as Zathias raised his massive hand, pointed a finger at the
board, and closed one eye, as if aiming. A moment before it happened,
Rykar realized just what his royal counterpart was about to do. A
lightning bolt shot from the man's finger, arced across the room, and
slammed into the board, causing it to explode. The axe and dagger
that had been lodged in the board flew across the room. The dagger
ended up stuck in one of the many dining tables while the axe had
been flung with such force up toward the ceiling that the blade had
embedded itself almost entirely in the wood. Everyone was silent for
a long moment before a roaring cheer came from the dart players and
then a new game started to see who could get the axe out of the
ceiling.

Rykar and Malcade laughed aloud. Sage rolled her eyes, but smiled.
Zathias grinned and took a long drink from his tankard. Rykar sat in
silence for a few long moments, watching the people in the large room
talking, laughing, and enjoying themselves. He gave a soft sigh and
took a drink from his mug. Despite the merry environment, his mind
kept drifting to the matter of the rogue, rampaging army that had
been storming human cities and had forced him into his current
situation. His eyes shifted to the ring on his right hand and he
frowned slightly. A light tough on his shoulder brought his eyes up
to meet Sage's. The woman wore a soft smile.

“You seem rather far away, Rykar,” she remarked.

“I am. Apologies,” he responded.

“How about we take your mind off your worries?” Sage
asked. Rykar's brow arched.

“What do you propose?” he answered with a question of his
own.

“Perhaps that sparring session we spoke of earlier,” Sage
answered.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Rykar stated with a nod.

“Then let's get out of here,” Sage suggested, standing up
as she did. Rykar nodded, leaned over to Zathias to speak in his ear,
and then shook the bigger man's hand before he stood up and walked
over to Malcade. He just thumped his friend on the shoulder and
gestured to the door. Malcade nodded, then turned his attention back
to the serving girl who was flirting with him while refilling his
mug.

Sage hooked her arm in Rykar's and the two left the celebration
together.

* * *

Sage and Rykar stepped into Sage's dark shop. With a gesture of
Sage's hand, the sorcerous lights of her shop came to life, floating
in their lantern prisons, illuminating the whole place. Both she and
Rykar blinked in the sudden brightness and let their eyes adjust for
a few moments before moving. Sage gestured with a hand.

“Follow me.”

Sage led the way into one of the back rooms of the shop, Rykar
following, quietly enjoying the view of the beautiful woman from
behind. Sage was all too aware and put a little extra sway in her
hips. Neither could see the smirk that the other wore. Sage stepped
into what appeared to be an old storage room. She picked up a pair of
swords and tossed one to Rykar. He caught it by the hilt and looked
it over.

“Wow. It's been awhile since I've seen one of these,” he
said, looking the sword over. It was a sparring sword., a purposely
dulled sword that was basically a flat, metal club. It could still do
some damage, but wouldn't be severing any limbs.

“Haven't sparred in awhile?” Sage asked.

“Not with these. I generally just use my sword with a magical
barrier on the blade,” Rykar answered, glancing up from the
sword in his hand.

“Ah,” Sage acknowledged.

“Shall we?” Rykar asked, gesturing to the sword.

“Of course,” Sage nodded, then crooked a finger as she
headed out of the room and led the way out of the back of the shop
and into a small, walled in courtyard that only had the one doorway
in and out. Orbs of light flared into existence, turning night to day
so the pair could see.

“I really like these lights,” Rykar gestured to the
floating orbs.

“They're useful. A relatively easy spell to learn too,”
Sage responded, glancing up to the spheres floating around above them
both.

“I'll look the spell up when this war is over. If I survive,
that is,” Rykar said, eyes on the spheres of light.

“You will survive and if you're lucky, you'll find some pretty
woman who already knows the spell to teach you,” Sage said with
a wink. Rykar quirked a brow as he looked to the woman, then smirked.

“Perhaps I will,” he agreed.

“That's the spirit. Now,” Sage said as she brandished her
sparring sword, “we have a bit of a duel to commence.”

“Duel? I thought we were sparring?” Rykar questioned,
grinned, and took a couple of practice swings with his sparring
sword. It was heavier than his sinthite sword and the practice swings
helped him get used to the extra weight.

“Sparring, dueling, flirting... it's all the same, yes?”
Sage asked with a smirk.

“Depends on who you ask,” Rykar answered.

“I'm asking you.”

“Then yes.”

Sage laughed softly, then lunged at Rykar attacking with a diagonal
strike toward his left shoulder. The man managed to deflect it with
his own blade as he side-stepped then spun away. Sage followed him
and pressed her attack, slashing and stabbing at Rykar with a grin on
her face. Rykar managed to dodge or block every attack, a matching
grin on his features. Each of them were having fun and while Sage
made sure she often had her fair share, Rykar hadn't enjoyed himself
this much since his outing with Kaidia and Nadia a couple of months
ago. Life had been boring since then and extremely stressful since
he'd been appointed a king.

Rykar's back slammed into one of the walls of the courtyard and he
spun away as Sage's sword swung down toward him. It clanged against
the stone of the wall loudly. He twisted and went on the offensive,
attacking with great enthusiasm. Both Sage and Rykar still wore their
grins as their swords clashed.

Sage dodged a downward stroke of Rykar's blade and slapped the flat
of her own against the shoulder of Rykar's sword arm rather sharply
as she danced away from him. The man grunted and gave Sage a playful
scowl.

“Brat.”

“Aw, is the big, bad king upset that he got tagged?”

Rykar grinned, shrugged, and then abruptly went on the attack again.
His sudden offensive caught Sage off guard and while she managed to
deflect the first two strikes of Rykar's sword, the third was too
quick and the flat of the king's blade smacked across the side of
Sage's thigh, causing the woman to gasp in surprise and jump away,
giving her stinging leg a rub.

Rykar smirked.

“Payback is a pain, isn't it?” he asked rhetorically.
Sage tossed her sword down on the paving stones of the courtyard with
a clatter, giving her sparring partner a lighthearted glare through
the deep blue bangs that had fallen in her silver eyes. Rykar arched
a brow at the display. Sage walked up to the man and gave him a firm
shove while wearing an impish grin. Rykar wasn't expecting it and
fell over backward, dropping his sword in the process. He also
grabbed for Sage and pulled her down with him as he fell. The pair
hit the ground with a thud, Sage atop Rykar. They stared at one
another for a moment, and then laughed. Rykar laid his head back and
sighed.

“Ah... that was good fun,” he said with a smile.

“Was? Are we done having fun?” Sage questioned, giving
Rykar a mischievous look. Rykar's eyebrows rose and a slow grin
curved his lips.

“Only when you're done,” he answered.

“Well then, it's a good thing I'm not done yet,” Sage
smirked and pressed her lips to Rykar's in a firm kiss, surprising
the king in a rather pleasant fashion. As Rykar's arms wrapped around
Sage's waist, the floating lights blinked out of existence, save for
one that lit the courtyard with a soft, pale light. The sparring
swords lay on the paving stones, utterly forgotten.

Chapter VII: Negotiations with Kyrians, The Tiger of Malkasha

Kaidia awoke to a persistent knocking. She forced herself to sit up
and look around. The sleep she had been dragged from had been deep
and restful, a rarity for her. The woman glanced around and then
smirked to herself as her eyes took in the three naked kyrians in bed
with her, all sprawled out, blissfully asleep. Memories of
intertwined limbs and heated pleasure from the night before flooded
Kai's mind, only to be interrupted by another set of knocks on her
door. She frowned a little, stood up, rather naked herself, and
headed toward the door after taking a moment to stretch. She opened
it up and arched a brow at the knocker, who turned out to be
Tian-Vere. Tian's eyes went wide and he averted his gaze immediately.

“M.. Miss Kaidia, I'm here to inform you that breakfast will be
brought to you shortly and then the meeting with elders and tribal
leaders will be held mid-morning. I will come find you and act as
your guard for the meeting. Purely ceremonial, but insisted upon none
the less,” Tian said, his eyes finding the floor to be
amazingly interesting at the moment.

“Thank you, Tian,” Kaidia responded, an amused look
playing across her features. Unlike most human women, she wasn't shy
about her body. One would be hard pressed to find a reason why she
should be. Her body was toned and strong, the tattoo on her arm and
scars on the rest of her seemed only to enhance her beauty. Tian was
understandably embarrassed, however. While kyrians were often
regarded as wild creatures, they weren't ones to run about in the
nude, and actually had rather strict social conventions regarding
nudity. Outside of their mates, or apparently visiting deities, it
was rare for a kyrian to be seen without clothing.

“I uh... I'll see you in a little while, Miss Kaidia,”
Tian stated before promptly walking off, his cheeks infused with a
bright pink. Kaidia chuckled to herself, then closed the door,
turned, and headed back to the bed. She gently roused each of the
kyrian women in turn with scratches behind their ears.

“Up you get, pretty kittens,” she cooed as the three
stretched and yawned, blinking in the morning light streaming in the
windows.

“Morning already? What is it you need, Mistress Kaidia?”
one of the kyrian women, a lovely blonde girl, asked.

“Nothing much. We just need to be presentable when breakfast
arrives. So... underwear, at least,” Kai answered with a wink.
She got a chorus of soft giggles in return before the three advanced
on her with articles of her clothing. She couldn't help but think of
what a wonderful place to stay this happened to be.

* * *

Kaidia found herself sitting in a comfortable chair, seated at a
large, square table, in a fairly large room that was nestled in the
back of the town meeting hall. The room was meant for private
gatherings such as this one. The table sat three people to a side and
every chair was taken. Kai found herself seated between a young woman
with dark hair and dark-furred ears to match on her left and an
elderly male kyrian with dull-red hair and ears that were black
furred on her right. The god found herself surprised when it was
noted that the man was over a century old. He didn't look a day past
thirty. She had known that kyrians didn't age the same as humans
despite looking much like them. Much like house cats, kyrians aged
subtly and even near the end of their lives, appeared young.

Kaidia felt a little odd being the only human in the room, but that
quickly went away as her mind focused on the matter at hand. She gave
a quick glance over her shoulder. Tian-Vere stood behind her and to
her right. He gave Kai a nod and a slight smile, which she returned
before turning her attention back to the table and those gathered
around it. The table was littered with maps and various documents,
some laid out flat; others still rolled up tightly. A clearing throat
brought silence to the room and turned all eyes to the tribal leader
of the particular city they were in, of which Kaidia had never caught
a name. Larger things were weighing on her mind, after all,
especially after that little visit to the clairvoyant. She had been
able to forget it all for a little while last night and again this
morning with the company of the three kyrian women in her bed, but
now it all returned, seemingly heavier than before.

“Let me save us all a lot of time and breath by stating to you,
Kaidia Valengaard, that you can count on kyrian forces supporting you
in the fight against this rogue army,” the leader said. He was
an older kyrian, dark haired, dark furred, and serious of expression.
Tian had informed Kaidia before the meeting that his name was
Kelen-Cess. Kai found herself mildly confused for a moment since she
had thought the purpose of this meeting was convincing the kyrians to
join in the fight, but she quickly regained herself.

“Thank you, Kelen-Cess. Though I find myself curious as to how
this decision has already been made. I thought this meeting was meant
to determine whether or not your people would join in the fight
against the army,” she expressed, gesturing around to the
gathered dignitaries. Kelen smiled lightly and gestured to them all
as well.

“Given the alarming amount of brushes our people have had with
the scouts of this marauding force at all edges of our lands, we all
began corresponding awhile ago about ways to prepare and combat them.
When our clairvoyant foretold your coming and the reason for your
visit, our decision was rather easy. We will, of course, keep enough
soldiers to guard our cities should these dark forces decide that
they want a war on multiple fronts but the bulk of our soldiers will
be put in the hands of you and your new king until the war is
settled,” Kelen explained, gesturing to the maps and letters on
the table.

“Thank you again, Kelen-Cess. You will be interested to know
that King Rykar has sent out scouts of his own to spy on enemy
movements. We will know if any groups split off from the main army
and if one looks like it might be headed your way, we will send word.
It's the least we can do,” Kaidia informed the gathered
kyrians.

“That would be most appreciated. Setting up an ambush would be
preferable to simply going on the defensive,” Kelen said with a
smirk.

“Always,” Kai agreed.

“A drink to seal the alliance!” Kelen declared. That
declaration was met with a cheer. Glasses were passed about the table
and subsequently filled with home-brewed kyrian ale. Even the guards
behind each dignitary were given a glass of ale. Kaidia leaned back
to Tian-Vere with a smirk.

“I think I'll just move here and live among your people. I'm
liking some of these customs,” she joked. Tian just laughed.

“The kyrians will fight side by side with the humans, and
whatever other races come to the aid of the humans, to defeat this
bastard army!” Kelen announced. Everyone else in the room,
aside from Kai, shouted their agreement and everyone raised their
glasses, then downed the ale. Empty glasses hit the table and people
started standing up to leave.

“Mistress Kaidia! A word!” Kelen requested in a raised
voice to be heard over the din of the people leaving the room. Kaidia
made her way to Kelen-Cess, giving nods and returning smiles along
the way, and gave him an inquiring look.

“Yes?” she asked.

“If you don't mind, I will be sending a general back with you
when you leave to meet up with your king. She's a powerful mage and
none too shabby with a sword if she has to be. She has a brilliant
mind for tactics and the soldiers of all tribes respect her. They
would follow her to certain death. She's my chosen to lead our
troops,” Kelen expounded, his eyes on Kaidia, gauging her
response.

“She'll be welcome. We need everyone working together and
anyone that can help keep things running smooth and lend to planning
our strategy will be ideal,” the god replied.

“Wonderful. I think you'll like her. You two are very...
similar,” Kelen said, giving a smirk.

“Oh?” Kai asked, prompting the kyrian leader to
elaborate.

“I'll let you see for yourself,” Kelen replied with a
smile.

“Alright. I intend to leave in the morning, just so you are
aware,” Kaidia informed Kelen.

“Noted. Where can I send her to meet you?” Kelen asked.

“Wherever your best tavern happens to be,” Kaidia
answered.

“Ah. That would be The Roaring Grimalkin,” Kelen said
with a hint of pride.

“Interesting name,” Kai remarked with a chuckle.

“It catches one's attention, which is the point,” Kelen
replied.

“Indeed. That's where I'll be. Send your general to meet me
there,” Kaidia said.

“Consider it done, Mistress Kaidia. And might I add, it's been
an honor to meet you,” Kelen said, extending his hand. Kaidia
grasped it firmly and smiled.

“Likewise,” she responded.

“May the next time we meet be under more pleasant
circumstances,” Kelen said with a wistful tone before letting
go of Kai's hand.

“Indeed,” Kai agreed, then nodded lightly, and turned to
leave the room, Tian-Vere falling into step behind her.

* * *

The Roaring Grimalkin, located on the city's main street, was a grand
building, one of the tallest in the city. Inside was lavishly
furnished and spectacularly decorated. Kaidia felt a bit out of place
among the luxurious rugs and ornate woodwork of the place. However,
the ale was damn good and, being a god that even the kyrians
acknowledged, she got the first mug for free. The god was sitting at
a table that was tucked away in a shadowed corner of the tavern,
drinking her second mug of ale, when a female kyrian settled into the
chair across from her.

Kai's brow rose slightly as she looked the woman over. The kyrian was
tall, nearly as tall as Kaidia, and appeared to be just as physically
strong, if her bare, tattooed arms were any indication. She had jet
black hair that matched the fur on her ears and tail. Her sleeveless
tunic, soft leather pants, leather bracers, and leather boots were
all black. Unlike most kyrians, whose eyes were gold or amber, this
kyrian's eyes were a vibrant blue that looked unnatural but alluring
at the same time. She appeared to be examining Kaidia in much the
same manner that she, herself, was being examined. The two looked
remarkably alike. It was as if the other woman were a kyrian version
of Kaidia.

“You must be Kelen's general,” Kai ventured.

“I am,” the kyrian confirmed.

“And your name is?” Kaidia asked.

“Echo-Seras,” the woman answered.

“That name is... different.”

“My parents were... interesting.”

“Apparently.”

A serving girl stopped at the table and set a mug down in front of
Echo. She smiled and dropped a silver coin on the table. The serving
girl picked it up, smiled, and walked off with a swish of her tail.

“They were eccentric, but also quite intelligent. Both were
mages. That's how my interest in magic got started. But I also
learned to wield a sword without looking a fool,” Echo
explained.

“It's advisable to know at least a little of both, though some
just don't see it that way. You know how some see pure magic users as
weaklings or straight up warriors as idiots,” Kai added.

“Ignorance of the highest degree,” Echo stated with a
nod.

“Indeed. You keep using the past tense. Are your parents gone?”
Kaidia bluntly asked.

“Yes, in the war with Adathir, before you managed to kill him.
The first time,” Echo answered with an affirmative nod.

“I know how you feel. I lost my wife in that battle. That's
what triggered my... godly awakening, I suppose,” Kaidia shared
with a shrug.

“I'm sorry to hear that,” Echo said with a gentle
sincerity that surprised Kaidia.

“Don't be. Everyone seemed to lose someone in that war. I'm not
special in that regard,” Kai said with a dismissive gesture of
her hand.

“While that's true, it doesn't make it any less devastating,”
Echo responded.

“Fair enough,” Kaidia acquiesced.

“Now, when do we leave for your human lands?” the kyrian
general asked, changing the subject.

“First thing in the morning,” Kai replied.

“I'll be ready. Shall we meet at the center of the city?”
Echo proposed before taking a swig of her ale, bright blue eyes
remaining on Kaidia.

“Sounds good to me,” the god responded.

“Good. Here's to a good journey and a successful war,”
Echo raised her mug. Kai smirked and clunked her mug against the
kyrian's with a smirk. The two downed their ale and put the mugs
down.

“I'll see you at first light, then. We'll be meeting the king
of the human lands on the way back. Since our capital city is a pile
of rubble, we'll be heading to Mehroth,” Kaidia informed Echo.

“Where is he now, if not coordinating efforts in Mehroth?”
Echo asked.

“He is in Anklis, hoping to get support from their king,”
Kai answered.

“Good luck to him,” Echo laughed softly.

“He's personable, persuasive. I have little doubt about his
ability to get the job done,” Kaidia replied, smirking.

“I do hope you're right, Kaidia,” Echo said, standing.
Kai stood up as well.

“Me too,” Kai said, dropping a silver coin on the table
at which they had been sitting.

“Tomorrow,” Echo stated simply and held her forearm up.
Kai tapped her forearm against the kyrians in an ancient warrior's
salute that was common to all the races.

“Tomorrow.”

* * *

Kaidia found herself walking toward the clairvoyant's home again.
Tian-Vere, who had reappeared at her side when she had exited The
Roaring Grimalkin, tilted his head and gave the woman a curious look.

“You have more business with the clairvoyant?” he asked.

“Possibly. You can accompany me inside if you wish,” Kai
answered.

“No, thank you. Her home is a little too warm for my tastes and
she, while beautiful, is a little too strange for me. I will wait
outside,” Tian declined with a chuckle.

“Suit yourself, friend,” Kaidia replied with a smirk. A
moment later, she opened the door and slipped inside the
clairvoyant's home. Tian settled himself onto the wooden walkway that
ran in front of every business and home in the main part of the city.
He closed his eyes and let out a breath, slipping into a calm,
meditative state.

* * *

Even though she expected the heat inside the clairvoyant's home,
Kaidia still found it difficult to breathe once she'd stepped inside.
She walked into the center of the spacious front room and eyed the
blaze in the fireplace with disdain.

“Clairvoyant?” she asked of the seemingly empty room.

“I do have a name, Dragon God,” a silky voice purred out
of a dark corner of the room. Kaidia's head turned toward the sound
just in time to watch the kyrian woman step from the shadows as if
she were materializing from them.

“You have yet to tell me what it is,” Kai responded.

“You have yet to ask,” the kyrian retorted, a crooked
smirk curving one side of her mouth.

“So what is your name?” Kaidia inquired with a
soft huff of exasperation.

“Valis-Eve,” the clairvoyant answered. “Now what do
you need of me?”

“I do not suppose, with all of your strange talents, that you
have a way to facilitate face-to-face communication with someone who
is quite far away, do you?” Kai questioned with an arched brow.

“Of course I do,” Valis-Eve responded indignantly, as if
offended that her ability was ever in question. Kaidia arched a brow
as the kyrian walked off to the corner of the room and opened the
doors of a tall cabinet. Inside was a large mirror. Kaidia stepped
over in front of the mirror and gave Valis a questioning look.

“It's a mirror,” she stated flatly.

“Not just a mirror. Look into it and think of who you want to
speak with,” Eve instructed.

“Surely it cannot be that simple,” Kai asserted,
doubtful.

“It is,” was Eve's response. The god gave the kyrian a
long look, then turned her blue eyes toward the mirror and began to
concentrate her thoughts on Rykar. The mirror darkened to a pitch
black before an image came slowly into focus. Kai had to bite back a
laugh.

* * *

“Rykar... Rykar... Rykar!”

Rykar groaned and sat up. He glanced over to where Sage lay in bed
next to him. She was asleep. He frowned. He could have sworn a woman
had said his name. Assuming it to be part of his dream, her glanced
around the room. When his eyes met those of a floating upper half of
a body, he shouted and damn near fell out of the bed.

“What the fuck!?”

Sage bolted upright in bed and looked around, heedless of the fact
that the sheet had fallen down and she was utterly nude.. Rykar
fought to bring his hammering heart under control as he stared at the
laughing upper half of Kaidia, floating in some rectangular window
that shimmered with magic. Sage simply arched a brow at it. Either
she'd seen something akin to it before, or she wasn't easily startled
by halves of bodies floating in her bed chamber.

“Morning, Rykar,” Kaidia said, her voice clear and
undistorted by the sorcery that carried it into Sage's bedroom.

“Damn you, woman! That is not how you wake someone up!”
Rykar responded with some venom. Kai only laughed again.

“It's past midday, what are you still doing in bed?” Kai
asked. Rykar glanced to Sage, then looked back to Kaidia.

“I had a lengthy evening,” he responded. Kai looked to
Sage as if seeing her for the first time.

“Hell, I would too. She's lovely,” Kai complimented with
a smirk. This made Sage suddenly rather self-conscious and she pulled
the sheets up over her breasts.

“She is,” he agreed. “Now what is it you've come
calling to tell me?”

“Ah, that. They kyrians have agreed to go to war with us.
They'll be leaving troops behind to guard their own borders and
cities, of course, but the rest will be sent to Mehroth,” Kai
explained.

“I would expect that every nation that helps us will keep
enough of their forces to themselves to guard their own interests.
Zathias has agreed as well. Though gaining his allegiance was a bit
of a task. I'll tell you of it later,” Rykar returned.

“Good. I'm leaving here in the morning with a kyrian general. I
figured we could meet at the fork in the road where we parted ways a
couple of days ago,” Kaidia suggested.

“That sounds just fine with me. I'll leave in the morning as
well. If Malcade is lucky, I'll bring him along too,” Rykar
said with a chuckle. Kaidia smiled.

“Going to bring your blue-haired beauty along too?” she
asked teasingly.

“If she wants to come, I'd have no objections. But she has a
business established here so I doubt that,” Rykar replied.

“A shame. You two are cute together,” Kai quipped and was
gone, magical window and all.

“That woman. Always finding new ways to raise my blood
pressure,” Rykar muttered.

“Who was that?” Sage asked, silver eyes turning to Rykar.

“That was Kaidia Valengaard, slayer of Adathir, hero of the
King's Army, and God of Dragons,” Rykar said tiredly, waving a
hand in a mockingly grandiose manner. “Also, my close friend.”

The last part he said with a distinctly more sincere tone or so it
sounded to Sage's ears.

“Truly? That was her? Now I really wish I could go with you in
the morning. I'd love to meet her,” Sage said, a pang of
disappointment in her voice. Rykar arched a brow.

“What? I'm not enough?” he asked in mock indignation.

“Oh, hush. Though now I am curious about what you said,”
the naked blacksmith said with a smirk.

“What was that?” the king questioned.

“You said you'd have no objections to me coming along. Sounds
like you might like me or something,” Sage teased with a wink.

“I wouldn't. You're intelligent, humorous, and beautiful. Not
to mention, I will need a new forge master in Corrana as it is
rebuilt and after,” Rykar said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Sage noticed the order in which Rykar listed her qualities and was
pleased that the man wasn't just attracted to her in a physical
manner.

“Are you offering me a job, King Rykar?” she asked,
unsuccessfully attempting not to grin.

“If you want it,” the man replied, letting his smile
curve his lips freely. Sage just pressed a kiss to the man's smiling
mouth as she moved to straddle his lap.

Chapter VIII: Regroup and Travel to Silver Lake

Kaidia awoke with the dawn and stretched. She slipped from the bed
carefully, not wanting to wake the sleeping kyrian women who had,
once more, spent the night in her chambers. The naked god padded
across the fur covered floor of her chambers to the washroom in the
back. She admired the fact that the kyrians, at least for their
permanent cities, had successfully duplicated the running water and
plumbing that the dwarves had engineered a few decades ago. It hadn't
become common in every household across Valen, but in the homes of
the rich and important, as well as major city buildings, and nice
inns, it was a must among every race. The Esmera might be the only
race to implement running water even amongst its lowest class.

Kaidia closed the cloth hanging in the doorway between the washroom
and the main chamber before turning on the shower and stepping into
the heated stream of water. The dwarves used great furnaces within
their cities to heat their water when needed but the kyrians were
using magic. Kai could sense the enchantment on the nozzle above her
head. It warmed when water ran through it, thus heating the water
itself. She took her time and enjoyed the warm water, washing herself
quietly. After awhile, she turned the water off and turned about,
only to arch a brow in surprise. Standing there, staring at her naked
form, were three, smiling, just as naked, kyrian women.

“Enjoying the show?” Kai asked with a smirk. All three of
them nodded and there was a general murmur of complimentary purrs.
“Well then, help me dress, would you?”

* * *

Kaidia was standing in the center of the room, the three kyrians, now
dressed, were fussing over the plates and straps of her armor. The
god had a rather amused look on her face as one woman batted the ear
of another, causing her to hiss a curse in the kyrian tongue in
response.

“Play nice,” Kai admonished in a playful tone. Both of
the women grumbled and went back to the armor straps they were
adjusting while the third kyrian just shook her head.

“You must think us silly, behaving like that,” she said.

“No. Just your feline side taking hold for a moment. I find it
quite endearing,” Kai replied. The woman smiled at that, a
little blush creeping across her cheeks. A knock at the door brought
all four sets of eyes to up. “Come in.”

The door opened and Echo-Seras stepped inside, her blue eyes taking
in the scene, a brow slowly rising.

“Can you not put on your own armor, Kaidia?” she asked
with a chuckle.

“I can, but they seemed rather adamant about helping so I let
them,” the god retorted lightly.

“You still put your armor on one piece at a time?” Echo
asked.

“Yes, why?” Kai answered with a question.

“Because there's an easier way,” Echo responded.

“Do tell,” Kai said with an arched brow.

Echo raised her arms to her sides. She was adorned with a dull, light
plate armor that appeared deep grey in the morning light that
streamed in through the open windows of Kai's chambers. Nothing
fancy, but more than most kyrian warriors tended to wear. She winked
at Kaidia and her armor drifted off of her like smoke in a strong
breeze. It simply dissolved into nothing. A moment later, Echo's body
was enveloped in that same grey smoke. When it drifted away moments
later, she was wearing her armor again.

“Well now... that's interesting,” Kaidia remarked. The
three kyrian women who had been tugging on the straps of her armor
were staring.

“It's an enchantment on my armor. It's complicated, but worth
it. You can invoke it with a thought, which means you can summon your
armor onto yourself at a moment's notice and engage in a battle with
a bit more peace of mind,” Echo explained.

“For all my power, I'm not one with a knack for enchantments,
Echo,” Kaidia admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Tell you what, Kai, as an acknowledgment of your importance to
this world, to your people and the people of other races; I will do
it for you. Just give me your armor tonight when we stop to make camp
and I'll work the necessary magic,” Echo offered.

“Powerful, beautiful, and silver-tongued. I accept,”
Kaidia replied with a smirk.

“I'm silver-tongued?” the kyrian general responded
with a smirk that was a twin of Kai's.

Kaidia simply winked, then gained the attention of the three kyrian
women who were listening without adjusting her armor by flicking each
of them gently on the ear in turn.

“Ahem. Ladies, if you'd please,” Kai said with a little
smile and a gesture to herself. They all seemed to blink and stare
for a moment before coming back to themselves and setting back to
work adjusting the god's armor.

* * *

Echo and Kai walked down one of the side streets, side-by-side,
saddle bags and packs slung over their shoulders.

“I took the liberty of having our mounts readied,” the
kyrian general said, giving Kai a glance.

“That's fine. The quicker we start out the faster we get to the
rendezvous point,” Kaidia responded.

The pair turned a corner and started for the main gate. Kaidia arched
a brow as she spotted a pair of kyrians standing next to and petting
a pair of massive cats that were roughly the same size as a horse,
though far more heavily muscled.

“I take it I'm not riding my horse,” Kaidia ventured.

“You would be correct. Those cats can easily outrun a horse,
both in speed and duration,” Echo explained.

“And what of my horse?” Kai asked, a brow arched.

“It will be cared for like the mount of a god that it is,”
Echo answered.

“Good,” Kai said with a nod.

The pair approached the large felines and the two kyrians holding
them in place by virtue of hands placed gently on their softly furred
necks. One of the kyrians was Tian-Vere. The other was a woman that
apparently knew Echo, judging by the friendly nuzzle the two
exchanged.

“Mistress Kaidia, how does the morning find you?” Tian
asked with a pleasant smile.

“Just fine. I've been well taken care of here. The hospitality
of your city has been wonderful,” Kaidia responded with a faint
smile of her own.

“Good. It's not often that we have such an illustrious visitor.
Now, I assume you've not ridden a panther before,” Tian said.

“You assume correctly. These are even bigger than the one that
woke me up the other morning,” Kai answered.

“These are full grown adults. The one that woke you was young,”
Tian explained.

“Right. So, I'm sure there is some special technique to riding
one of these that keeps one from meeting the ground with alarming
abruptness,” Kai said, looking for a saddle and not seeing one.

“Indeed but it is rather simple. Just keep a strong grip on the
scruff of their neck,” Tian said with a shrug.

“That's it?” Kai asked quizzically, a brow arched high.

“That's it,” Tian-Vere confirmed.

“Lovely. And to make them go and stop?” Kaidia asked.

“Same as a horse. They understand tugs on the scruff of their
neck, heels in their sides. You'll be a natural, I assure you,”
Tian answered.

“Thank you. For everything the past couple of days,” Kai
said, grasping Tian's shoulder for a moment.

“My pleasure, Mistress Kaidia,” Tian said with a nod of
his head before stepping away from the large panther. Kaidia eyed the
panther for a moment before extending her hand to it, letting it
sniff at her hand. It stepped closer and sniffed up her arm, at her
face, and finally nudged her cheek with its head. Kai smiled at that
and stroked her hand down the side of its neck.

“She likes you,” Echo said from beside her own mount.

“I have a way with animals. Most seem to like me. Except dogs.
Which is odd since wolves seem to adore me,” Kaidia replied,
giving a shrug.

“That is strange,” Echo agreed.

“Are we ready?” Kai asked.

“Yeah. Let's get out of here,” Echo said, jumping up onto
her panther. Kai followed suit, climbing up on her own, stroking the
creature's fur before taking a firm grip on the scruff of its neck.
Together, Echo and Kaidia turned their mounts and rode out of the
city before digging in their heels and bounding off into the woods.
As Kai leaned down low against the big cat's neck, a grin of pleasure
curved her lips. The speed of the feline was exhilarating, as was its
ability to bound between the trees without slowing. This was going to
be a fun ride.

* * *

Rykar and Malcade arrived at the fork in the road as the sun was
setting. It only took them a moment to spot the fire a few paces into
the forest beside the road. The pair dismounted and guided their
horses through the trees and into the clearing they had used before
they had gone their separate ways a few days ago. Rykar arched a brow
at the sight before him. In front of the fire, lying on her back,
with her head resting against a very large feline, was Kaidia. To the
other side of the fire, with another large feline wrapped around her,
was a kyrian woman, chanting softly over Kai's armor. He could only
assume she was the general of which Kai had spoken.

“Well now, this is an interesting sight,” he said. Kai
looked up to him, the kyrian didn't acknowledge him.

“I know. That's General Echo-Seras, the Tiger of Malkasha,
apparently,” Kai gestured to her.

“Oh my, more fun names. Tiger of Malkasha, Reaper of
Kulvost...” Rykar trailed off.

“Lord of Scorpions,” Malcade finished.

“Hm. You need a name,” Rykar said, giving Malcade a look.

“I am sure, if I'm to gain one, it'll come naturally,”
the bigger man said before leading his horse to a nearby tree, tying
it off, and going about making sure the animal was comfortable. Rykar
did the same before stepping back over to Kaidia.

“So what's she doing with your armor?” he asked.

“Enchanting it,” Kai replied.

“To what effect?” the king pressed.

“So I can summon and dismiss it with a thought,” Kai
answered with a smile.

“Oh, that sounds rather nifty,” Rykar commented.

“I thought so,” Kaidia responded.

“Traded in your horse, I see,” Rykar said.

“Yes, it wouldn't have kept up with Echo's panther anyway.
Besides, you know how I like cats,” Kai said, reaching to
scratch the large feline behind an ear.

“Beautiful creature. The panther isn't half bad either,”
Rykar complimented with a smirk. Kaidia simply winked at him in
response, then closed her eyes and relaxed further, if that were
possible, against her new feline friend.

* * *

After Echo finished the enchantments on Kaidia's armor, greetings
were exchanged, and meals were eaten, the group of four sat around
the fire and talked. Not just about the upcoming battle but a
plethora of topics. It was during a discussion of traditional dwarven
dances that involved a hammer that the small group was interrupted by
the arrival of a messenger that wore light leather armor, the
shoulders of which were stamped with the Scorpion Company crest. Both
Rykar and Malcade rose to meet the young man.

“King, First Commander,” the man said, nodding to Rykar
and Malcade in turn.

“Welcome to our luxurious camp, lad,” Rykar said,
gesturing around with a joking smirk.

“Looks comfortable enough to me, Sire,” the young man
said with a chuckle.

“Indeed. What news do you bring us?” Rykar asked, eyes
fixed on the messenger. Malcade was eyeing him as well. Kaidia had
shifted her gaze from where she lay with her panther and while Echo
hadn't looked his way, her ears were perked and turned toward the
man.

“We have received reports of this ransacking army heading
southeast, toward Silver Lake,” the messenger reported.

“Silver Lake? What the hell is in Silver Lake beyond a lot of
coin and fancily clothed snobs?” Malcade asked, confused.

“A temple to the Dragon God, Sir,” the messenger
answered.

“She's getting more and more of those,” Rykar muttered,
half to himself.

“If it's in Silver Lake, it's bound to be grand. That would
draw the attention of these raiders,” Malcade said, tone
thoughtful.

“That's the general consensus,” the messenger confirmed.

“Have we given them a name?” Rykar asked aloud. Malcade
and the messenger gave the king a pair of odd looks.

“Excuse me, Sire?” the messenger asked.

“This rampaging army, have we given them a name or learned of
any sort of title they have?” Rykar clarified.

“Khamora's Army, last I heard. Not sure if that's official,”
Malcade said with a shrug. The messenger nodded.

“I see. Who the hell is Khamora?” Rykar asked.

“Some little known deity, that's all I've heard,” Malcade
replied.

“For a little known deity, he's got one hell of an army. What's
your name, lad?” Rykar questioned, looking to the messenger.

“Luka, Sire,” the young man answered.

“I hate to send you back out so quickly, Luka. But we need to
redirect incoming troops to Silver Lake, as well as sending the
Scorpions there,” Rykar said, tone sympathetic. He knew Luka
was tired but there really was no time to waste.

“Of course, Sire. I'll notify other messengers and we'll get
all the proper people informed,” Luka said, giving a firm nod.

“Good man,” Rykar said and clapped Luka on the shoulder.
“We'll meet the troops there.”

“Of course, Sire. One question though,” Luka ventured.

“What's that?” Rykar asked.

“Where's the nearest stream or river?” the messenger
asked as he held up his nearly empty water flask.

“Ah, yes, that should be full. That way,” Rykar said,
pointing in the direction of a nearby stream.

“Thank you, Sire. I look forward to seeing you in Silver Lake,”
Luka said before walking off into the trees, disappearing into the
shadows of the darkened forest. Rykar turned to Kaidia.

“Did you know you have a temple in Silver Lake?” he
asked.

“No, I've never even been to Silver Lake,” she replied.

“Well, we're about to change that,” Rykar said with a
slight smile.

“Oh boy,” Kai responded with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

“That is a response that seems more fit to your sister than
yourself. Speaking of which, where is your sister?” Rykar
asked.

“In a coma in Vortha,” Kai answered flatly.

“What? What the hell happened?” Rykar's brows rose.

“She faced down a brigade from this army that seems intent on
godly genocide. She killed around five thousand soldiers, but she was
using so much power to do so that her magic overwhelmed and engulfed
her. We're waiting to see if she'll wake up,” Kaidia explained.

“Oh shit. That's simultaneously bad ass and tragic,”
Rykar commented

“Yes, it is. It's Nadia though, she'll pull through,” Kai
said, the confidence in her voice genuine.

“Agreed. Now, we should probably get some sleep, we're going to
need to leave early in the morning. Once we get to Silver Lake, we're
going to have a lot of work on our hands,” Rykar said as he sat
down on his bedroll.

“Who's taking first watch?” Malcade asked.

“No need. The panthers will hear or smell someone coming before
we can hear or see them,” Echo said while fondly stroking her
panther's back.

“I am growing fonder of cats all the time,” Rykar said
with a soft smile before flopping back onto his bedroll with a sigh.

* * *

The next morning, the group of four started out before the sun rose
above the horizon. Rykar admired the large cats that the women rode.
The creatures were sleek, powerful, and beautiful. They were almost
as dangerous as the women they carried. Rykar suddenly felt a
momentary rush of extra confidence. With allies like Kaidia and
Echo-Seras, how could he lose this war? Not to mention his company.
The Scorpions were loyal to Rykar through everything. They'd proven
themselves time and again in the war with Adathir and his army. If
the soldiers from the kyrian, elven, dwarven, and orc nations proved
to be half as reliable, Rykar felt they could take down anything this
mysterious army threw their way. However, in the next moment, the
king's logical mind took hold, reminding him that even with the
armies of other nations united under his command, they were easily
out-numbered, and there were any number of unknowns. The army they
would face had somehow managed to retain an air of enigmatic mystery.
Little was known about them and it was likely they'd not find out any
new information until the battle had begun.

The king was pulled from his thoughts when Kaidia spoke from beside
him, again making him appreciate the full size of the panther the god
rode. It was very nearly the same height as his horse and visibly the
more powerful creature.

“We are being followed,” she stated casually.

“I thought I had seen someone in the trees a little while
back,” Rykar replied, also casual as could be, even chuckling.

“The cats picked up on them ages ago. Echo says she's heard at
least five different sets of footsteps,” Kai informed him.

“Any idea when they might choose to make themselves known?”
Rykar asked, assuming the stalkers weren't just there to keep tabs on
his little group.

“If they are smart, never. However, we're assuming up the road
a bit where the forest gets thicker and is on both sides of the
road,” Kaidia said.

“They may have support waiting up there too,” Rykar
commented.

“It's a distinct possibility,” Kai agreed.

Malcade, riding alongside Rykar, heard everything. However, he was as
much a veteran of the battlefield as the rest in the small group and
just kept riding, relaxed and quiet. He paid attention to his
peripheral vision, watching for movement out of the corners of his
eyes. The group continued forward, Kaidia urging her panther forward
to ride alongside Echo once more, the pair engaging in conversation.
Behind them, Rykar and Malcade did the same. The group rode on,
talking, giving all the appearance of a group on a casual ride. The
armor that Rykar and Malcade wore damaged the illusion just a little.

“Not that I'm complaining, but why are neither of them wearing
armor?” Malcade asked Rykar.

“Echo has enchanted armor that she can summon to herself at a
thought and she recently enchanted Kai's armor to do the same. Just
last night, in fact,” the king replied.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Malcade acknowledged. The women,
without their armor, wore simple leather boots, leather pants, and
sleeveless tunics that hugged their torsos. It struck Malcade just
how similar the two women were. Both were obvious warriors, both
rough around the edges, tougher than most people, stronger than most,
and utterly aware of it. They were both easy enough on the eyes as
well. Both Rykar and Malcade were admiring the two women when Echo's
ears twitched, she turned and shouted.

“Arrows!”

Malcade jerked backward at the shout, just in time to see an arrow
fly by in front of his face. Rykar turned in his saddle and an arrow
glanced off the armor protecting his shoulder. Echo, whose reflexes
were quicker than those of a human, batted an arrow out of the air
that had been aimed for her chest. Kaidia caught the arrow aimed at
her, surprising herself as well as Echo, and likely whoever fired it.
Echo spoke a word before sliding from her mount. Kai mimicked the
motion after tossing aside the arrow she had caught. Rykar and
Malcade dismounted and stepped forward. The panthers stepped
backward, guarding the horses.

“Come forward, cowards. Meet your death with some shred of
dignity and pride!” Kai shouted into the forest surrounding
her. It took several long moments before the four could hear some
rustling in the trees and spotted several soldiers stepping onto the
road from both sides. Men and women, clad in dark leather armor and
otherwise soft clothing, all meant to aid in their stealth. Though
they carried swords, they were scouts and archers, not meant to be in
the front lines of combat. They were all humans and Sorku elves.

“There they are,” Echo purred, slitted pupils studying
the revealed enemy.

“Looks like about twenty,” Rykar said quietly.

“If they all came out of the woods,” Malcade commented.

“Doesn't matter,” Kaidia stated.

“Why do you say that?” Malcade asked, a brow raised.

“Because when we start killing their friends, they'll either
come to help or run like hell, if they're out there to begin with,”
Kai explained.

“Fair enough,” Malcade responded.

“What are they talking about?” Rykar asked, gesturing to
the soldiers.

The soldiers were talking amongst themselves, gesturing at the group,
a few wearing sinister grins, others appearing rather confident.

“We don't have our armor on. I think that's giving them a false
sense of security,” Echo said to Kaidia, chuckling softly.

“They're about to get a rude surprise, aren't they?” Kai
asked rhetorically.

Echo and Kaidia took a few steps forward.

“Come on. Going to talk all day or come get your asses kicked?”
Echo shouted at the soldiers.

Malcade leaned over to Rykar.

“What are they doing?”

“I don't know, my friend... but it's probably going to be
amusing.” Rykar replied with a smirk.

The soldiers took exception to Echo's taunt, but most seemed
reluctant to charge headlong into a fight with the four, despite all
their grinning. One seemed rather overconfident, however. This
particular soldier, a human male with close cropped hair and the
physique of a seasoned warrior took a few steps forward.

“Ha! The two girls don't even have armor on! We'll make short
work of these four!” he declared loudly, gesturing to Echo and
Kaidia first, then to Rykar and Malcade.

“Come test that theory, soldier,” Echo challenged,
crooking a finger at him.

The man drew his sword and charged straight at Echo. By the time he
saw the smoke swirl about her body, it was too late to halt his
charge. He swung his sword downward at Echo and nearly dropped it as
the blade clanged against Echo's abruptly present armor. The man was
understandably stunned and just gaped at Echo for a moment. That
moment was all she needed to bat his sword arm away with her left
hand and slam her right fist into his jaw. The man dropped his sword
then and stumbled aside, falling to the ground, out cold. Rykar burst
out laughing.

“Told you, Mal!” he managed through his laughter. Malcade
just chuckled. Echo's quick defeat of their comrade unsettled the
group of soldiers. However, Rykar's laughter simply made them angry
and they started drawing their weapons.

Kaidia was suddenly engulfed in whirling smoke. When it cleared, she
was clad, head to toe, in her black armor, sans helm. The four
companions drew their swords and started walking toward their
would-be opponents.

“Think we can take them all?” Malcade asked.

“You're our weak link and you're a few cuts above these jokers.
I think we'll be just fine,” Rykar replied, giving Malcade a
nudge with his elbow.

“Thanks, I think,” Malcade muttered in response.

“Anytime, old friend,” Rykar chuckled.

The group of four had closed about half the distance between
themselves and the soldiers who had so poorly ambushed them when said
soldiers broke into a sloppy, disorganized charge, shouting a battle
cry, and brandishing their weapons.

The companions spread out and met their attackers with a clash of
steel and more than one surprised cry of pain. Rykar cut down one
soldier, then another, sinthite sword flashing in a ray of light that
managed to find its way through the leaves of the trees above.
Kaidia's black sword cut through one soldier as lightning from her
free hand fried another alive.

Malcade struck down a soldier with his sword, then smashed his
armored fist into the face of another. Echo's short sword made quick
work of detaching one man's head from his shoulders, as the claws of
her free hand tore the throat out of a female soldier who had gotten
too close for her own good. Soldier after soldier fell, none of the
four companions taking so much as a scratch. The final soldier turned
to run, only to be engulfed by flames from both Kaidia and Echo, who
gave each other approving looks after the charred corpse crumpled to
the dirt. The skirmish had been short-lived.

Sheathing their blades, the four started going over the corpses,
mostly searching for coin or valuable trinkets. None of them really
had any need for such things, but old mercenary habits were hard to
break. Rykar and Malcade stepped up to the man who had been burned
alive and looked the corpse over.

“Barbeque,” Rykar muttered.

“I was going to say toasty,” Malcade replied.

“Toasty? He's much to cooked for that.”

“He's too dry to be barbequed. Barbeque has sauce; it's moist.
This man certainly is not.”

“Singed?”

“Seared?”

“Scorched?”

“Crispy,” Kai said as she stepped up beside the two men.
Rykar and Malcade gave the god a glance, then looked to the corpse,
then to one another, and then back to the corpse. A few sounds of
thoughtful approval followed.

“You're an odd lot, you three. I like you,” Echo said
with a grin.

“Keep hanging around. Things just get weirder from here with
these two,” Malcade said with a gesture to Kaidia and Rykar.

“I'm trying to decide if that's a compliment or an insult,”
Rykar said, giving Malcade a look.

“Both, coming from him,” Kai said, counting out coins
she'd lifted from the dead soldiers.

“She's right,” Malcade admitted.

“Well thank you and fuck off, then,” Rykar said with a
smile.

“See?” Malcade asked, giving Echo a smile.

“Yep,” the kyrian confirmed before heading back toward
her panther.

Chapter IX: Arrival

Kaidia and her companions traveled throughout the night and arrived
at Silver Lake mid-morning. They paused at the crest of a hill,
taking in the sight of a city of tents outside of the city walls.
Silver Lake was built into the foothills of a small, forested
mountain range long ago. Rivers from the mountain flowed down into
the city, forming a lake in the center. The water was clean and
clear. A massive grassy field spread out in front of the city, dotted
with trees and farms.

Silver Lake wasn't as large as Vortha, Corrana, or Mehroth and its
residents were almost all wealthy, but even those counted among the
poor of Silver Lake lived comfortably. Someone had to work metal, run
the inn, oversee the taverns, work the farms, buy and sell goods,
staff the city guard, and any number of the normally unseen jobs that
keep a city running. The rich paid well for the best of the best, so
even the humble metalsmith and the tavern workers lived well. All
told, it was a happy, ideal little city. The city of tents that was
nearly bigger than the city of Silver Lake itself was a bit jarring
for those who recognized the field of tents for what they were.

“Hm, I could live here. Though, we'll see if it's still so
pretty after the coming battle,” Rykar muttered.

“They'll have good mulch for the farms and food for the pigs,”
Kaidia said, alluding to all the corpses that would be littering the
field after the conflict was over.

“You're as cheery as ever, my dear General,” Rykar
quipped with a chuckle.

“Yeah. I'm a ray of fucking sunshine,” Kai agreed, a
faint smirk on her lips to compliment her sarcasm.

“I hate to interrupt this heartwarming display of affection
between comrades, but we should probably get down there. We've all
got work to do,” Echo interjected.

“Right. Meeting with the Lord or Lady of the city is probably
considered proper, right?” Rykar asked, glancing to his three
associates. Malcade shrugged, so did Kaidia. Echo arched a brow and
then nodded slowly.

“Right,” she confirmed.

“Right! Well then, Kaidia and I shall go do that. Malcade, you
check on the Scorpions and what's left of the Royal Army that managed
to show up,” Rykar instructed. “Echo... you do whatever
the hell you please, of course.”

Echo chuckled and the four warriors urged their mounts forward and
rode on toward the gates of Silver Lake. The city of tents was
bustling with activity. Soldiers of various races were milling about,
running between rows of tents. There was much to be done in a
military camp, after all. Gathering wood for cooking fires, running
messages back and forth between commanding officers, and working in
general to make everything in the camp run smoothly.

The dwarven section of the camp was orderly; the tents all the same
uniform squares that housed several dwarves each. The kyrian section
was wildly disorderly and boasted more banners than any other place
in the city of tents - one for each clan present. The kyrian tents
were all different sizes, shapes, and materials. The human, Selvath,
and Sorku camps were all a mixture of orderly and chaotic. The
remnants of the Royal Army, as well as the Scorpion Company camps,
were nearly as orderly as the dwarven camp. However, the human
mercenaries were nearly as seemingly disorganized as the kyrians.

“It seems the Esmera, orcs, and troops from Anklis have yet to
arrive,” Rykar observed as they paused outside of the city
gates.

“They'll be here,” Kaidia assured him. The four slid off
their mounts. Malcade took the reins of his horse and headed for the
Scorpion Company banner a short distance away. Echo tapped her
panther on the ear and gestured to it, and Kai's panther. The large
cat growled and laid her head on Kai's shoulder. The god arched a
brow and looked to Echo, seeking a translation.

“She wants to stay with you,” the kyrian explained.

“Oh. Well, that's fine by me,” Kai responded.

Echo nodded and walked off toward the kyrian section of the camp.
Kaidia looked to Rykar and gestured toward the open city gate.

“Shall we?” she asked.

“Of course,” he replied and started to walk. Kaidia fell
into step beside him, her panther following behind.. The strange
pair, king and god, hadn't walked ten paces past the gate when a city
guardsman got in their way.

“You cannot bring that beast into the city!” he stated,
quite loudly.

Kaidia stared at the man a moment, then glanced back to the massive
panther, then looked to the guard again before jerking her thumb at
the feline.

“You're welcome to try and stop her if you like. I'll even
speak at your funeral,” she replied. Rykar laughed aloud.

“Wh-what?! I ought to arrest you for threatening a city guard
like that!” the man exclaimed. Rykar laughed harder.

“You're welcome to try that, too. Your eulogy will be
distinctly less complimentary, however,” Kaidia retorted. Rykar
turned and walked away to keep from doubling over in a fit of
laughter.

“Who are you to speak to me like that?!” the guard
demanded, hand resting on the hilt of his sword, expression stern.
Rykar walked back over upon hearing the question.

“She is Kaidia Valengaard, Dragon God. I am King Rykar Vaikos
of Haelstross, if you're interested,” he said, a smirk tugging
at his mouth. Both Kai and Rykar enjoyed watching the color drain
from the man's face. A flash of Rykar's ring made the guard whiter
still.

“I... I... I... I'm terribly sorry, Mistress Kaidia, King
Rykar. I had no idea,” the guard stammered.

“Obviously,” Kaidia muttered.

“Be a fine man and fetch whoever it is you serve under... the
Lord or Lady of the city, that is,” Rykar requested, an almost
too pleasant smile on his lips.

“R-right away, Sire,” the guard stuttered before
scrambling off, all but running.

“I suppose we wait here,” Rykar said as he watched the
guardsman leave.

“Best not make it too difficult for them to find the king, the
god, and the giant kitty,” Kaidia quipped as she stroked her
hand down the panther's neck.

“Hm, indeed,” Rykar replied, fixing Kaidia with a
studious gaze. After a moment she tilted her head.

“What?”

“I'm never sure which one of us to introduce first.”

“Huh?”

“Well, I'm a king but you're a god,”

“Yes, but gods don't exist. It's just a title and not even an
official one at that. My only real title is Lady of Vortha. I'm a
noble, not royalty, so you should be introduced first.”

“A fair point, but the people care not for such semantics. They
see you as Mistress Kaidia, God of Dragons and all that. In their
eyes, you a more important and revered than even I, the King.”

“Introduce yourself first.”

“But then I seem self-important, introducing myself ahead of a
god.”

“I'm not a fucking god!”

“For all intents and purposes you are.”

“I'm going to sic my new panther on you.”

“That's not a threat.”

“How so?”

“I like cats.”

“Son of a...”

Kaidia was cut off by the clanking of armor as a group of guards
approached, marching in formation around a single man. She arched a
brow as she looked the man over. He was a bit overweight, clean
shaven, balding, and in his middle years. His clothing was the finest
cloth one could find, in dark, rich colors. Exactly what one might
expect of a noble. The guards stopped in front of Kaidia and Rykar,
parting to let the noble through. He eyed the two briefly but he
seemed preoccupied with the towering panther.

“She won't hurt you if you don't try something untoward,”
Kaidia said with a faint smile.

“I do hope you're right. That's an awful big beast,” the
man remarked.

“Who might you be?” Rykar asked.

“Hm? Oh! Me. I'm Lord Cantus Wythnold of Silver Lake. If I'm
informed correctly, you are King Rykar Vaikos and Dragon God Kaidia
Valengaard,” Cantus said, looking between Kai and Rykar.

“Correct,” Kai confirmed.

“Am I correct in assuming that you two are responsible for the
multifarious army outside my walls?” Cantus asked.

“Partially. The rampaging army that wiped out Corrana and
Sarkos had something to do with it too,” Rykar informed Lord
Wythnold.

“So I've heard. I was told they attacked Vortha as well, but
were thwarted,” Cantus said.

“They did and they were. My sister turned them back,”
Kaidia replied.

“Your sister? By herself?” Cantus asked, eyes wide.

“Yes. She's much like me, though not as powerful,” Kai
answered.

“A unique pair of siblings,” Cantus stated.

“She did more than turn them back. She killed them all,”
Rykar added.

“I am very glad that we're on the same side, Mistress Kaidia,”
Cantus said with a nervous chuckle. “So, why is my city a
target?”

“You have a temple to me, apparently,” Kaidia said.

“Yes, we do. It's on the edge of the lake in the center of the
city,” Cantus said with a gesture.

“Well, this army is rampaging for some deity known as Khamora.
They're attacking any city or town with altars, shrines, or temples
to other gods. We're not sure how many small towns and villages have
been wiped out,” Kai said with a soft sigh.

“Well, Sarkos and Corrana definitely make sense then,”
Cantus said.

“Right. And Vortha because they recently constructed a temple
to Kaidia, what with her being a native daughter and all,”
Rykar added.

“And you're probably the biggest threat to them, Mistress
Kaidia, being a real, living god,” Cantus surmised.

“A good guess, but any god's temple is a target,” Kai
responded.

“We have three temples. One to you, one to the ancient god
Zebelous, and one that has altars to all the currently popular gods,”
Cantus explained.

“Your city would be targeted, regardless of Kaidia then,”
Rykar said.

“Well then, I suppose I'm glad you're here. I don't even want
to know how you got dwarves, elves, humans, and kyrians to all work
together,” Cantus chuckled.

“We have orcs coming too,” Rykar said cheerfully.

“Orcs?!” Cantus asked, alarmed.

“Troops from Anklis too,” Kaidia added.

“That's... quite a feat,” Cantus said, appearing rather
impressed.

“You don't want to know what I had to go through to get Anklis
to assist us,” Rykar muttered.

“Getting the kyrians on board was pretty simple,” Kai
said, clearly just to irritate Rykar. The king gave her a glare that
just made her smile.

“Considering your history in battle, I feel confident in your
abilities to defend the city,” Cantus stated, clearly intending
his words as a compliment.

“We will be outside the city with the army, fighting at the
front,” Rykar said with a nod.

“I assume you will be in the city with the guard, just in case
there's a breach of the wall?” Kaidia asked.

“That was what I was going to propose,” Cantus confirmed.

“Just as well. You know the city better than we do,”
Rykar said.

“Indeed. You two should come to the palace for dinner this
evening. Bring your first officers as well,” Cantus suggested,
changing the topic of discussion.

“Of course. We'll be there,” Rykar said with a nod.

“Splendid! I will inform the cooks,” Cantus said, then
gave a slight bow, and headed off toward his massive manor in the
wealthiest neighborhood in the city.

“You wanted him in the city because he'd be all but useless in
battle, right?” Kai asked Rykar as they watched Cantus walk off
with his honor guard.

“Exactly. If that army gets through us, this place is finished
anyway,” Rykar replied.

“Oh, they won't get through us,” Kaidia said a somewhat
sinister grin curving her lips.

“I do love your confidence, General,” Rykar chuckled.

“Well, they may have the advantage in numbers, but if you think
about it, we have the advantage in raw power,” Kai reasoned.

“Well, we do have your abilities, Echo's, and mine. We also
have some mages to counter any sorcery Khamora's mages might throw at
us, leaving us to wreak havoc,” Rykar said, tone thoughtful.

“Don't forget my dragon,” Kai added.

“Indeed, but we can do planning later. After all, we're still
waiting on a lot of soldiers and their commanders and we have a
dinner for which to get ready,” Rykar said with a nod.

* * *

Kaidia followed the city guardsman over the cut, relatively flat,
brown, tan, and black stones that paved the streets in the richest
neighborhood of Silver Lake. Behind her came Echo, who was busy
taking in the sights, scents, and sounds of the area, ears twitching,
eyes glancing around, and tail flicking lazily. Rykar and Malcade
followed behind Echo, discussing strategy and troop morale. The
guardsman led the group up the stone walkway to Lord Wythnold's large
manor where they were met by a pretty young woman in simple clothes
that were, in contrast, made of rather fine material. Fine boots and
pants made of soft leather and a dark tunic made of velvet.

“Thank you, guardsman,” she said with a soft smile. The
guard nodded, then turned and nodded to the group before he walked
off, back to attend to his duties.

“And you are?” Kai asked the young woman.

“Lord Wythnold's top house servant, Lydia. Please, come
inside,” she gestured, dark green eyes that were nearly hidden
by long brown hair looking over each of the guests to her Lord's
home. Rykar and Kaidia stepped inside, followed by Malcade and Echo.
While Rykar and Kaidia tended to wear black clothing that seemed
equally suited to both a fine dinner and a bloody battlefield, Echo
and especially Malcade felt awkward. Echo wore the finest clothing
she owned, which amounted to a dark blue tunic with long sleeves,
black leather pants, and a pair of boots that were made of fine,
black leather, but had seen better days. Malcade had decided on a
deep-red tunic that bore golden trim, dark pants made of soft
material that felt all too thin against his legs, and mostly covered
the boots that adorned his feet.

“This way, please,” Lydia said with a gesture, leading
the warriors through the opulent dwelling to a large dining room with
a long table and many chairs. In front of five of those chairs were
plates and utensils made of silver. “Lord Wythnold will be with
you shortly. If you'll excuse me, I have to help finish dinner. Take
your seats, wine and bread will be brought to you in a few moments,”
the dark haired woman said before leaving the room.

“Is there some sort of proper seating arrangement?” Rykar
asked, staring at the chairs near the head of the table.

“I would think Kaidia and you would sit in the two chairs
closest to the head chair,” Echo assumed with a shrug.

“Makes sense,” Malcade agreed.

Kaidia stepped around to the side of the table that would be at
Wythnold's right whenever he happened to arrive and take his seat.
Echo followed the god and the two took their seats quietly. Rykar sat
across from Kaidia and Malcade across from Echo. A few moments later,
another beautiful woman in snug fitting leathers set a silver jug
filled with wine down on the table, followed by thin-stemmed wine
glasses at each of the place settings. The woman turned and left the
room, leaving the warriors to pour their own wine.

After a few minutes of idle conversation and a few sips of wine,
Cantus Wythnold made his entrance, sitting in his seat at the head of
the table.

“Mistress Kaidia, King Rykar, wonderful to see you again. And
these are?” he asked, gesturing to Malcade and Echo.

“Commander Malcade Collins,” Malcade stated.

“General Echo-Seras of the Clan Baicorz,” Echo introduced
herself.

“Lovely to meet you both. Mistress Kaidia, if I may, how do you
have a General as a second in command?” Cantus asked.

“I don't. I'm not commanding any troops in this war. I have no
army. Echo is the General of the united kyrian forces. Rykar and
Malcade will be commanding one half of the Scorpion Company each. I
will be running about merrily lopping off heads and cleaving people
in twain,” Kai explained with a smile that was unsettling to
someone unused to Kaidia's disposition, like Cantus.

“Oh, I see. Well, whatever you believe will be most effective,”
Cantus said, visibly uneasy for a moment before taking a sip of his
wine.

“Kaidia on her own in a battlefield, without the distraction of
commanding soldiers, is dangerous, Cantus. Trust me, I've seen it,”
Rykar assured the nobleman.

“Well, I suspect that one doesn't gain titles like “Reaper
of Kulvost” without reason,” Cantus agreed, giving a bit
of a smile.

“That they do not,” Kai affirmed with a nod.

* * *

Rykar sat back in his chair with a happy sigh.

“Ah, damn... that was good,” he said, flashing a
satisfied smile.

“I concur,” Malcade remarked.

“I am glad the meal meets with your approval gentlemen,”
Lord Cantus said with a smile, his own plate utterly empty. “And
what of you, ladies?”

“Lovely,” Kai said. Echo muttered her agreement.

“Wonderful. Now that we're all fed and have some wine in us,
what is the situation we find ourselves in with the inevitable
battle?” Cantus asked all four seated before him.

“Well, even with the troops still coming, I'm sure we're going
to be out-numbered two to one. However, we have the advantage in raw
power from what I can tell. We have Kaidia, Echo, and me, all more
than competent with offensive magics. The Scorpion Company is the
best of the best. The remnants of the Royal Army are the best at what
they do. I have no doubt in the skill of the kyrians, the dwarves,
any of the elven races, or any other soldiers that will be fighting
on our side. Not to mention Kai's dragon. But, we are still fighting
an army roughly twice the size. I'm not going to lie, this could get
really ugly,” Rykar explained before downing his glass of wine.

“I suppose the possibility of loss is always a factor in war,”
Cantus said with a sigh.

“It is, but do not tell that to your guardsmen,” Echo
instructed. “You want morale to stay as high as possible.”

“I will give a speech to boost morale before the battle but we
have, at least, a couple of days to go before that. I'll hold a
meeting or two with you, the other Generals, Commanders, Captains, or
whatever other titles the leaders see fit to take. We'll work out a
strategy and go from there,” Rykar said, looking Cantus in the
eyes.

“Right. Sounds as good as it's going to get,” Cantus
replied.

“Indeed. Unfortunately, I grow weary. Being on the road all day
for a couple of days does that to you. What's the best inn around
your fair city, Lord Cantus?” Rykar asked.

“The Golden Arrow. Just down the street. I'll send word ahead
and have the best rooms prepared and paid for. It's the least I can
do at the moment for you all,” Cantus said while calling Lydia
over. She leaned down and the Lord spoke in her ear. She nodded, then
left the room with haste.

“Where does the name for the inn come from?” Echo asked.

“It's named after the golden arrow the god Zebelous used to
kill the ravenous flying demon, Vebor, that wanted to devour the
world, or so the myth goes,” Cantus explained.

“Interesting. There are so many gods and so many stories that
go with them that I have trouble keeping track of them all,”
Echo said with chuckle.

“All the races like to create their gods and make up stories...
and then every few generations they decide the old ones aren't good
enough and make more,” Rykar said.

“Yeah, I'll be old news in a few decades,” Kaidia
quipped.

“I doubt that, Kaidia. Unlike almost every other god in
history, you actually exist. You are here for people to see... to
touch and talk to. The only ancient gods you hear of now, like
Zebelous, were actual people in their time that were exceptional, had
myths and tales spun about them after their deaths, which made them
legends, and that's why they're still talked about. Zebelous and his
golden arrow, for example, is just the story of Zebelous defending
his home against a mage with his hunting bow. He fired his arrow and
it went through the mage's eye and into his brain. It was a hell of a
shot, likely a lucky one. The arrow became golden in repeats of the
story decades later. Zebelous was a prolific warrior in his day as
well, winning many battles on behalf an ancient king whose name I
don't recall at the moment. Hence, by the time he died, he was a
hero. Decades later, he was a legend. Centuries later, he became a
god, more myth than man. You are a living legend now, Kaidia. You
will be talked about centuries after we're all dead,” Malcade
expounded, causing both Rykar and Kai to stare at him. Echo and
Cantus listened, utterly unaware of how odd it was for Malcade to
talk at such length or with such insight into a subject outside of
weapons, armor, and battle tactics, at which he was a veritable
genius.

“That was uncharacteristically scholarly of you, old friend,”
Rykar remarked with a smirk.

“Shut up,” Malcade retorted. Kaidia laughed.

“Such speech directed at a king,” Cantus said, a bit
surprised.

“I hardly take offense to it, Cantus. Malcade has known me for
a decade, at least. His words were friendly, believe it or not,”
Rykar explained.

“A decade? Hm, you must have some stories. I admit that I've
heard of your mercenary company, Sire... but I know little of its
exploits, having little need for mercenaries here,” Cantus
said.

“Don't get him started on some of those stories,” Kaidia
warned lightheartedly.

“We will save them for another day, certainly. But I would
think people would be trying to plunder a city such as this on a
regular basis,” Rykar said, gesturing out the nearest window
toward said city.

“Strangely enough, no. While we have strong walls and a
competent city guard, we could easily enough be overtaken by a force
of raiders or brigands who had the mind to do so. Few of the
residents know how to fight, we have no mercenary company in the city
like most of the large cities have to back up our guardsmen, and many
of the guardsmen, while well trained, lack any real experience on the
battlefield. I can't honestly say why we've been left alone. Though I
dare say we're about to make up for it,” Cantus said, giving a
wry chuckle.

“That you are, but you're far from alone in this fight,”
Rykar reassured the Lord.

“I am certainly glad of that,” Cantus replied.

Lydia returned, slipping into the room quietly to stand beside Cantus
before leaning down to speak in his ear. The man nodded and smiled
faintly.

“Thank you, my dear,” he said.

“Of course, my Lord,” Lydia replied before walking from
the room.

“It seems your rooms are ready at the inn. There are two master
suites at The Golden Arrow. I hope I wasn't rash in assuming that you
four don't mind sharing two to a room,” Cantus said, looking
between the four of them.

“Malcade and I don't mind. We've shared inn rooms before,”
Rykar said with a shrug.

“I don't mind sharing a room with Kaidia,” Echo said with
a shrug of her own.

“I don't mind either,” Kai affirmed.

“Wonderful. Then I will see you all when you gather your
military leaders to form strategies for defending my city,”
Cantus said as he stood, giving the four companions a warm smile as
they also got to their feet.

“Indeed, Lord Cantus. Thank you for inviting us into your home
and sharing your dinner with us,” Rykar said, though in such a
casual manner that it hardly seemed like a required pleasantry.

“Ah, it was my pleasure,” Cantus said.

“We can see ourselves to the inn. Enjoy your evening,”
Rykar said with a nod of his head before turning and leading the way
out. Malcade, Kaidia, and Echo each gave Cantus a nod before
following.

* * *

The Golden Arrow was a stone's throw from the manor of Lord Cantus
and the four warriors had no problems finding it. The building was
large, four stories tall, and easily housed thirty rooms or more. The
inn was built of stone and had intricate designs carved into the
stonework, making the entire outside of the building look like one
giant stone sculpture. Once inside, they were immediately met by a
pretty young woman in a short skirt and snug fitting, sleeveless top.
Her feet were, strangely, bare. She was meant to attract attention
and she certainly did that. She led the four up to the fourth floor
where the two suites resided. The stairs led straight up into a
hallway that divided the two rooms. Two sets of double doors stood
opposite each other midway down the hall. The woman pointed to said
doors and smiled charmingly.

“Gentlemen, you are in the room on the left. Ladies, yours is
the room on the right. Enjoy your evening,” she said, then
turned and padded back down the stairs. The four split off into pairs
and after a brief good night, went into their separate rooms.

Kaidia and Echo stepped into their suite and closed the doors. Inside
were two large beds, a dark fireplace, and a few plush chairs with a
low table between them. One corner of the room was partially shrouded
by heavy curtains. Behind them the floor sunk about three finger
widths and changed from carpet to tile. A large, highly polished
nozzle sprouted from the corner where the walls met.

“Nice. They have running water like the place I stayed in when
I was meeting your tribal leaders,” Kai observed.

“Dwarves and Esmera with their fancy showers,” Echo
commented with a chuckle.

“Prefer bathing in ponds?” Kaidia asked.

“No, but I do prefer hot springs,” Echo replied.

“Who wouldn't?” Kai asked rhetorically.

“You might be surprised,” Echo said as she tossed her
pack down on one of the beds. Kaidia threw her own pack down on the
other before heading for the doors opposite of the ones through which
they had entered. She pushed them open and stepped out onto a
balcony. The city sprawled out before her, the moonlight glinting off
the lake the city was built around. The place truly was beautiful,
and Kai decided that she wanted to visit at some point when war
wasn't hanging over her head. Echo stepped up beside Kaidia and
looked around.

“Not a bad view,” the kyrian said, her blue-eyed gaze
sweeping over the city.

“It's too bad that it’s overshadowed by the battle that's
a day or two away,” Kaidia muttered.

“True, but now is not the time to think on that, Kaidia,”
Echo said.

“It isn't?” the god asked with a quirked brow.

“No. Now is the time to relax, breathe, and be calm before the
storm arrives,” Echo answered.

“I am not so certain that I know how to do that,” Kai
admitted with a faint sigh.

“Nonsense. Why don't you tell me about that kyrian tattoo.”
Echo suggested, nodding to the intricate tattoo that covered the
entirety of Kai's right shoulder, arm, and back of her hand.

“You already know the basics about it just by looking at it,”
Kaidia said.

“I know it is a Clan Riix marking, but that is all,” Echo
replied.

“There was a slaver raid on one of their camps. I happened to
be there, traveling through, just wandering. I made fast friends with
the group and was camping with them for the evening when the raid
happened. Biggest raiding party I've ever seen. The kyrians took up
arms, of course... and I couldn't just watch. So I drew my sword and
went into the fight without any armor, which was a bad idea, but I
didn't really have time to put it on. Thank you for changing that, by
the way. Anyway, I helped fight off the slavers and in the process,
saved one of the female warriors who was being overwhelmed. I kept
her from getting dragged off. In fact, they didn't lose anyone, which
is astounding. As an honor, I was made a member of the clan,”
Kaidia explained.

“You're welcome... and that sounds like it was a rough night.
Seems you earned your tattoo,” Echo said with a smile.

“So I was told and subsequently shown,” Kaidia said.

“It looks good on you and you honor it. You make a hell of an
unofficial ambassador between the humans and the kyrians,” Echo
complimented. Kaidia smiled.

“Thank you,” she said.

“So, before a major battle, what do you do to relax?”
Echo asked, scooting closer, her shoulder touching Kaidia's.

“It depends on where I am. In a place like this, I'd take a
long, hot shower... then probably read a book or something. I'd just
have to see where the night took me,” Kai answered, her tone
implying that she thought there might be more to Echo's question than
was presented.

“I assume that's if you're alone?” Echo asked.

“Yes,” Kai answered.

“What if you have company?”

“Well then, that opens up more options, depending on the
company I'm keeping at the time,”

“Options like...?”

“Sparring, discussion, or whatever else I might find
entertaining...” Kaidia trailed off, her eyes meeting Echo's
own.

Echo simply grinned in response.

Chapter X: Final Arrivals, A Visit to the Dragon's Temple

Kaidia awoke to bright sun filtering in through the suite's
windows... and a loud banging on the doors of her room. She grumbled
and shut her eyes, wishing the noise away. It became apparent that
her wish was not granted when the banging repeated itself. She slowly
sat up, picked up her tunic from the night before and slid it on over
her head. The fabric dropped down to her upper thighs and covered
everything that most people would think needed to be covered. She
stepped to the doors and pulled one of them open, revealing a fully
dressed and awake Rykar, who looked down over Kai's toned, bare legs
and then looked back up with a smirk.

“There are times I'm extremely disappointed that you prefer the
company of other women,” he said, his tone half serious.

“I know,” Kai replied with a chuckle.

Rykar looked past Kaidia and quirked a brow, then returned his gaze
to Kai.

“Really?” he asked.

Kaidia glanced back into the room and smiled at the sight that
elicited the question. On the bed, tangled up in the sheets, was
Echo, purring in her sleep. The other bed in the room had Echo's pack
on it, but had otherwise been undisturbed. Kai looked back to Rykar
with a shrug.

“What?” she asked with a false innocence that lost any
credibility it might have had when Rykar looked her in the eye.

“One night. You're alone with her for one night and you get the
legendary kyrian general into bed. One of these days you're going to
have to tell me how you do that,” Rykar replied, his tone a
mixture of admiration and jealousy.

“You do well enough,” Kaidia reasoned.

“With bar wenches and the like, not high ranking dignitaries,”
Rykar objected.

“Fair enough. Maybe I'll let you in on my secret sometime. Now
what brings you to my door?” Kai asked.

“Ah, well, a messenger arrived to tell us that Zathias and his
army are a couple of hours out. The Esmera and the orcs aren't far
behind. I was going to go eat something, then go meet with Zathias as
he arrives. There's to be a meeting with all the high ranking
officers and such tonight. That would include you,” Rykar
answered.

“I see. Well, let me wake Echo while you get Malcade and we'll
all go find breakfast together,” Kaidia suggested.

“A wonderful notion. Meet you downstairs in ten minutes?”
Rykar asked.

“Sounds good to me,” Kai answered with a nod. Rykar
nodded as well, took a last look at Kai's bare legs, to which Kaidia
just rolled her eyes, then walked back across the hall to his room.
Kai shut her door and headed for the bed, intent on waking Echo.

* * *

Kaidia and Echo made their way downstairs, Echo still yawning and
stretching, her tail and ears twitching. Rykar and Malcade were
waiting on them by the front desk. Rykar waved the two women over and
smiled.

“Apparently, they serve breakfast here,” Rykar informed
them.

“So we're eating here?” Echo asked.

“Figured so. The food in a place like this can't be too bad,”
Rykar reasoned.

“Lead on, oh King of Haelstross,” Kai said with a yawn.

“Human king... there are three eleven kings of Haelstross, a
dwarven king, and an orc king, oddly enough. We're all supposed to
work together for the good of Haelstross from what I gather. Why we
can't each rule our own separate countries inside the continent, I
don't know,” Rykar said.

“Because that causes wars. I mean, you do rule the human lands
of Haelstross, but keeping everyone working together tends to head
off armed conflicts before they can really start,” Kaidia
explained.

“It's why we aren't always at war with the elves, or the orcs,
or the kyrians. We keep in contact. After all, we haven't had actual
borders in ages so if a war were to break out now, it'd be damned
confusing,” Malcade added.

“We are at war,” Rykar replied, a brow raising.

“Yes, but not with any particular race on Haelstross. It's a
rogue army made up of all races,” Echo chimed in with a slight
smile.

“I know. I just think Haelstross is... vague, in some areas. I
mean, I'm the king of the human lands... but so many places now are
populated by every race... aren't I more just... king of the humans?”
Rykar asked.

“Yes, pretty much... but the term “king of the human
lands” is just tradition. Besides, the human lands are viewed
as the cities that were built by humans. Elven lands are elven
cities, dwarven lands are dwarven cities, and so on. There are still
the traditional home lands of each race. The dwarves love the
mountains, foothills, and rocky areas. The elves love the coasts and
the forests. The kyrians love the forests. The orcs tend to stay in
the plains. Humans tend to populate the center of Haelstross,
regardless of the landscape,” Kaidia answered with a shrug.

“See? It's all a giant, convoluted pain in the ass. I can't
believe you thought I was the best choice for the job,” Rykar
grumbled, fixing Kaidia with a mild glare.

“You still are. Now, can we eat?” Kaidia retorted.

“Yeah, sure,” Rykar muttered, obviously pondering as he
walked off toward the back of the inn to a large dining room that was
populated by only a few people. The four warriors chose a table in an
isolated corner and sat down.

* * *

A little over an hour later, the group of four emerged from the inn's
front door and started to make their way to the city's main gate.
Most people gave them a wide berth. They had all left their armor
back in their rooms, though they all carried their swords. Despite
the lack of armor, it was obvious to the citizens of the city that
they were someone important. Most knew who Kaidia was and more were
learning who Rykar was, the news of his predecessor's death having
started to reach even the far corners of the land.

As they walked through the streets, admiring the sights, and
conversing sporadically, they were given a moment of pause as a young
woman walked up and stopped just in front of Kaidia, forcing the god
to stop or knock the woman over. Kaidia arched a brow, more wary than
anything. The woman was from the poorer neighborhood, which, in
Silver Lake, meant her clothes weren't made of silk and velvet. She
was dressed in fine linens and boots. A belt around her waist held a
dagger. She looked up to Kaidia, then leaned up and put her mouth to
the god's ear, whispering. Rykar raised a brow as he looked on.
Malcade and Echo watched with curiosity.

The girl had to be up on her tip toes to whisper in Kai's ear, given
the warrior's height. After several moments, the girl settled back on
her feet and held her hand out to Kaidia, who put her hand under the
girl's. A silver ring dropped into Kai's palm. Kaidia eyed the ring
and slipped it onto her right hand index finger, then leaned down and
kissed the girl's forehead. The girl blushed, grinned, then bounded
off. Kaidia eyed the ring. It was similar to Rykar's ring and her own
family crest ring on the opposite hand. Instead of the royal symbol
or coat of arms, it bore a dragon, wings spread out.

“Well, that's nice,” Echo said, peering over at it.

“A perk of being someone's god, apparently,” Kaidia
replied.

“What did she whisper?” Malcade asked.

“It was private,” Kai answered.

“That's no fun,” Rykar muttered, his tone lighthearted.

The four continued on toward the gate, Kai flexing her fingers,
getting used to her new ring. The guards at the gate waved them
through with only a glance. The moment they were through the gate,
Kaidia and Echo were set upon by their massive panthers, both beasts
apparently overjoyed to see the women to whom they'd grown attached.
Kai winced as a cold nose nuzzled at her cheek and reached up to
scratch behind the big cat's ear. Echo found herself momentarily
picked up in the teeth of her panther by the back of her tunic.

“Alright, you big beast... let me down,” she said,
chuckling.

“Makes you want a big cat of your own,” Malcade joked.

“Remember the last time you encountered a normal house cat?”
Rykar asked.

“Oh... right. Nevermind,” Malcade said, eyes looking as
if he were slipping back into some horrid memory for a few moments.
Kaidia arched a brow.

“What's his problem?” she asked.

“A story for another time... when ale is involved,” Rykar
answered.

“Ah. That bad, eh?” Kaidia asked.

“That bad,” Rykar confirmed. Kaidia grunted lightly in
response, then turned to the rather large panther that was rubbing
the top of its head on her shoulder.

“And where were you all night?” she asked as she pet the
large cat.

“I had them help patrol the kyrian camp,” Echo answered
for the feline.

“Nothing will freak you out in the dark like a giant cat, I
suppose,” Kai said with a chuckle.

“Freak someone out? They'd never see the beast coming,”
Echo corrected.

“Better yet, no screaming,” Kaidia said.

“Not usually, anyway,” Echo responded. Rykar chuckled at
that.

“I don't mean to interrupt the conversation that's probably
freaking out the guardsmen,” Malcade said, pointing to the
guards directly behind them on either side of the main gate,
definitely within earshot and giving one another strange looks, “but
here comes Zathias and his army,” the red-haired man finished,
pointing to the hill in the distance that the four warriors had
ridden over the day before. The first ranks of soldiers, led by
Zathias himself, crested the top, and marched in formation to an
empty part of the field near the human mercenary camp and immediately
started setting up their own tents.

Rykar and Kaidia walked side by side, with Malcade and Echo behind
them, toward the growing camp. Zathias was easy to spot, given his
size, and Rykar headed toward him.

“King Zathias! Did you have a good journey?” he asked.
Zathias turned and grinned through his beard.

“Aye! Aside from having to change course when one of your
messengers caught up with us,” Zathias answered.

“Yes, well, we didn't know where they were headed until after
everyone had already begun marching,” Rykar replied.

“It happens. Such is the way of war. Oh, before I forget, I
brought you a surprise,” Zathias said with a wink.

“A surprise?” Rykar asked, confused.

“Aye. Should be here about any moment,” the large man
answered, glancing around.

“Rykar!” a voice carried over the sound of tent stakes
being driven into the ground and equipment being unloaded. Rykar
arched a brow and stepped around Zathias just in time to be pounced
upon by a blue-haired, silver-eyed young woman. She wrapped her arms
around his neck and legs around his waist. His hands instinctively
slipped under her rear to support her weight.

“Well, hi there, Sage. Didn't expect to see you here,” he
said with a genuinely happy smile.

“Zathias needed some metalsmiths to repair things after the
battle, assuming you guys win. Most of the smiths were not too
inclined to come. But I wanted to. So here I am,” Sage
explained.

“Well, if we lose, everyone is likely going to die. Not coming
was probably the intelligent decision,” Rykar reasoned.

“Hmm, well, I suppose that says something about you, since
you're the reason I was stupid enough to come,” Sage said, a
smirk curving her lips.

“Aw, now that's cute,” Echo commented.

Sage glanced the kyrian's way, and then looked around to see Zathias,
Kaidia, and Malcade watching the whole situation with amused
looks.Her cheeks colored slightly. She squirmed in Rykar's hold and
the king let her down on her feet with a chuckle.

Zathias smirked then fixed his gaze on Rykar.

“So, why did you come all the way out here to meet me when I
arrived?” he asked.

“Just to tell you that there's a strategy meeting, tonight,
between the highest ranking leaders from all the races present,”
Rykar answered, gesturing around.

“Ah, so, generals, kings, commanders, and all that,”
Zathias said.

“Correct. Bring your best. I assume one will be Dosfar,”
Rykar replied.

“Indeed,” Zathias confirmed.

“How far behind you were the orcs and the Esmera?” Rykar
asked.

“Not far. I know the last of our men could see the Esmera in
the distance. Orcs shouldn't be far behind them. I know the orcs were
all going to meet at one spot so they could put on a show of force
when they all march in together,” Zathias answered with a
chuckle.

“I see. Well, I'll meet with their commanding officers when
they arrive, as well,” Rykar said, more to himself than anyone
in particular.

“I will set up in the city, then come find you,” Sage
said, giving Rykar a kiss on the cheek before walking off. Rykar
watched her go.

“Malcade,” he said.

“Yes, Rykar?” Malcade asked.

“You're sleeping in another room in the inn for the remainder
of our stay,” Rykar answered.

“I figured as much,” Malcade said with a roll of his
eyes.

Kaidia grabbed Rykar's shoulder, causing the king to turn and give
her a questioning look.

“I'm going to let you and Mal greet all the new arrivals. I'm
going to go make an appearance at my temple in town before we get
down to war talk tonight,” she said.

“Probably a good idea,” Rykar replied with a nod.

“See you at the meeting,” Kai said before turning and
starting to walk back toward the city.

“It's at Lord Wythnold's manor,” Rykar said to Kai's
back. She waved over her shoulder to show that she'd heard. Echo
walked alongside Kaidia and their two panthers followed behind them.

“Wanting to tag along, hmm?” Kai asked the kyrian.

“Yes. I'm curious to see how people act toward a living,
breathing god,” Echo answered.

“You realize gods aren't real, right?” Kaidia asked with
a raised brow.

“Of course, but you're the closest I'm going to see to one,”
Echo responded.

“Fair enough,” Kaidia agreed.

The two walked along in silence for some time, entering the city and
winding their way through it and the people populating its streets.
Kaidia turned down a smaller side street that appeared to be
deserted. Echo took the chance that the relative privacy afforded her
and asked a question that had been at the back of her mind ever since
Kaidia had become a widely known figure.

“Kai?”

“Yeah?”

“Tell me if I'm broaching a sensitive subject... but I was
wondering about the story behind one of your monikers.”

“Which one?”

“Reaper of Kulvost.”

Kaidia looked to Echo for a moment and could see that the woman
understood that she might be asking about something that could be off
limits. However, she could see the desire to know in the kyrian's
eyes.

“Why do you ask?”

“I want to know what happened. There are so many rumors,
stories, and legends about the Battle of Kulvost that I can't tell
what is what and since you are the central figure in it all, I
figured you were the best person to ask,” Echo explained, eyes
watching Kaidia carefully. She didn't want to push it if Kaidia
didn't want to talk about it.

“Well, it's a bit of a story,” Kaidia said, stopping in
the quiet street, turning to look to Echo, who stopped just beside
her.

“I figured it would be.”

“The short version is fairly simplistic. They call me that
because I killed practically everyone in Kulvost.”

“Everyone?”

“Yes. It was the last bastion of Adathir's army. It was where
they intended to make their final stand. They knew they were going to
lose and, at the behest of several of my commanders, Rykar excluded,
we made a plan to sneak into the city at night, kill their highest
ranking officer, and demoralize them to the point where they would
surrender. That officer was the only one left in their ranks with any
significant charisma or power. I wasn't thrilled with the idea but
they managed to convince me of its validity. I hand-picked the best
of my men, Rykar included, and we managed to slip in one of the
cracks in the city's wall.”

“Cracks? Did your mercenaries travel with siege engines?”

“No. Kulvost was an old city from a time long forgotten. The
breaches in the walls were ancient. It was one of the oldest cities
on Haelstross. What's left of it still is, technically. It was
abandoned long ago and then became a haven for undesirables. It
became a city where the ugliest dregs of every race were welcome and
safe. It was a natural destination for the remnants of Adathir's
legions.”

“Ah. I haven't ever seen it and what little I can find of it in
history texts is from before it was abandoned.”

“The history of a place stops being recorded when those that
live there don't care to do so. A city of criminals isn't likely to
care for telling people their history.”

“Yes, I suppose you're correct. Anyway, I didn't mean to
interrupt.”

“I don't mind questions. However, as I was saying, we got into
the city easily enough. We only wore light armor because sneaking
around in full plate is impossible as I'm sure you're aware. We made
it to where we were fairly certain the officer was living. We were
correct. What we weren't expecting was that we'd been followed and
slowly surrounded the whole way there. We were attacked the moment we
reached the front door. Adathir's faithful all fought... men and
women I'm used to... but not children. Children armed with daggers
and short swords... throwing themselves into the fight.”

“That's horrid. Dishonorable.”

“Disgusting. I lost half my men to the initial surprise of the
attack, others to the shock of fighting armed children. Many couldn't
bring themselves to kill the children, even if it meant their own
lives were threatened. Rykar and I were the only survivors of it. We
fought. Rykar, while a good man, isn't exactly... entirely sane.
Killing the children seemed to be just like killing the adults to
him. And I have to admit, it was the same with me. It didn't bother
me until days later. It might have bothered him later on, as well.
We've never talked about it.”

“Who would?”

“You would be surprised. We were going to be overwhelmed. We
resorted to magic, which is dangerous in close quarters, but we had
little choice. It worked... we wiped out several buildings and the
population of the city with fire and lightning. We just unleashed all
we could, all at once. If there were any survivors, I didn't see
them.”

“Well, the moniker is not without merit, I suppose. You rid the
land of what we thought were the last of Adathir's army and took out
a lot of criminals as well.”

“Yes. Oddly enough, most people don't even know Rykar was there
with me. The story only mentions me.”

“Funny how that works, sometimes.”

“I'm not sure if that is the word I would use... but you're
correct.”

“Shall we?” Echo asked, gesturing down the empty side
street. Kaidia only nodded in response and continued on, her mind
distracted, remembering. Echo frowned faintly. She hadn't meant to
sour Kai's mood but, well... cats and curiosity.

They kept to side streets to avoid the main thoroughfare, which was
crowded with people as it went straight through the heart of the
marketplace and its stores. Beyond that, walking with a pair of
massive panthers behind you would freak some people out and Kaidia
didn't want to cause a panic. The pair met only a few people, a
couple of whom recognized Kaidia and greeted her with the utmost
respect. Kaidia graciously returned their greetings and kept walking.

“Nice of that girl to give you that ring earlier,” Echo
spoke up, tired of the silence.

“Yes. Apparently people give gifts to gods when said gods
aren't figments of imagination,” Kaidia returned, glancing down
to the silver ring on her right forefinger.

“Makes sense. I mean, actually being able to hand a token of
your admiration or esteem directly to your god has got to mean a lot
more than just dropping it at the base of some altar,” Echo
reasoned.

“One would think,” Kaidia replied.

“Since we're going to your temple, I would say you should
prepare yourself for more,” Echo speculated.

“You're probably right. Lots of flattery and the like too,”
Kai added.

“I'll be your bodyguard,” Echo chuckled.

“And here I thought that was why you came in the first place,”
Kaidia teased.

“Hell no, I wanted to witness a god meeting her people,”
Echo retorted.

“I figured. It should be... entertaining, at least,”
Kaidia said as they exited the street into a large stone pathway that
circled the lake in the center of the city. Naturally, the people who
had originally constructed Silver Lake had left plenty of room
between the water's edge and the edge of the walkway, giving grass
plenty of room to grow. A beach of white sand ringed half the lake,
eventually giving way to grass closer to the stone walkway. The
walkway was busy with people, but Kaidia, Echo, and the two panthers
were given a wide berth. Kai assumed it was more due to the panthers
than anyone recognizing her.

“Is that it?” Echo asked, pointing to a tall, stone
building across the lake, it's shadow falling onto the white-sand
beach in the morning sun. Kaidia eyed the building and noticed a
large banner above the double doors of the entrance that bore the
same rune as the medallion she had received in Sarkos when she had
been on the hunt for Adathir's temple.

“That would be it,” Kaidia confirmed. The two women,
followed by their massive panthers walked in silence as they
approached the entrance of the temple. As they started up the front
steps, people stopped and stared. Some were gawking at the large
cats, but others were openly staring at Kaidia. Echo quirked a brow
at the people standing there, mouths gaping. Kai ignored it all as
she pushed open the double doors and walked inside. Echo and the two
panthers followed. Kaidia looked around as she stepped in.. Echo
paused at her side.

“Damn,” Echo remarked. The main room was huge. The
ceiling was tall and the details of it were obscured by shadow. The
center of the room was open. Large stone columns stretched up into
the darkness above and ran alongside both sides of the room, leaving
some space between themselves and the walls for those that desired to
spend their time in the temple in mild seclusion. Torches were
mounted on each side of each column, providing some light. Tall, wide
windows of stained glass allowed muted light inside to further
illuminate the interior of the temple. Acolytes were walking about,
tending to the needs of the worshipers and the business of the
temple. A priest and priestess, one an older man, lanky with thinning
grey hair and the other a middle-aged woman still hanging onto her
youth with remarkable success, approached Kaidia and Echo.

“You can't bring those beasts in here!” the priest
declared.

“The place is dedicated to me, I can bring what I want in
here,” Kaidia retorted. It took the two a moment before
recognition dawned on both their faces.

“Of course, Mistress Kaidia,” the priest managed.

“Wow, didn't even have to introduce yourself,” Echo
commented.

“I'm sure there are artist renderings of me in here. Probably
done by elves, no less,” Kai replied, glancing at the priest
and priestess, both of whom nodded confirmation to her assumption.

“That would make sense,” Echo admitted.

“To what do we owe the honor of your visit, Mistress Kaidia?”
the priestess asked.

“Ah, well, as you probably know, there's going to be a massive
battle outside of the city in the next couple of days and that brings
me to Silver Lake. As for what brings me to the temple... I just
wanted to see it. If you would not be troubled by it, I would like to
meet some of my worshipers, and see if I can help any of them in any
way,” Kaidia explained.

“That would be wonderful,” the priestess replied, looking
absolutely giddy with joy. Even the priest looked quite pleased with
the idea.

“If I may, what are your names?” Kaidia asked.

“Oh, silly us, no manners. I am Oria Felgast. My counterpart is
Belphor Pirst,” the priestess replied, gesturing to herself,
then to the priest.

“Well, obviously you know me. This is Echo-Seras, General of
the kyrian forces outside the city,” Kaidia said, gesturing to
herself, then to Echo. Echo smiled and nodded her head; the priest
and priestess returned the gesture. It was then that Kaidia noticed
that both of them wore a medallion on a chain around their necks,
nearly identical to the one she had been gifted with in Sarkos the
last time she had stayed there. At the time, she knew of only three
of them. The one she had and the ones she had given to Rykar and
Nadia.

“Where did you get those?” she asked, gesturing to the
medallions. The two clergy glanced down and then back up.

“Every acolyte and priest has them, at least here,”
Belphor said.

“Can you show me where you store them?” Kaidia asked.
Oria and Belphor looked mildly confused, but nodded.

“Of course, Mistress Kaidia,” Oria said before turning
and starting for the back of the room. Belphor, Kaidia, Echo, and the
two panthers followed. On the way to a closed door at the back of the
room, the group passed by a throne carved of black marble with veins
of white coursing through it. The throne sat upon a dais that was
three steps from the floor of the temple.

“Why is there a throne in here?” Kaidia asked as they
kept walking.

“It's for you, Mistress,” Belphor answered with a glance
toward Kai.

“I see. Well, in that case, I want cushions for it when I'm to
be sitting on it. Marble is hard and cold, after all,” Kaidia
replied.

“Of course. The lack of cushions is simply to discourage others
from sitting there and to show off the craftsmanship of the throne,”
Belphor responded with a faint smile.

“Here's a question. Why build a fancy marble chair on the off
chance that your chosen god will show up to sit in it?” Echo
asked.

“How bad would we look if she showed up and we had nowhere for
her to sit?” Oria responded with her own question.

“I really wouldn't have minded,” Kaidia interjected with
a chuckle.

“Well, you have it, so you might as well use it,” Oria
reasoned with a smile as she opened the door at the back of the room.
The group passed through the doorway and continued down a hallway.
They passed a pair of halls on both sides before coming to the end of
the one they were traversing. A door stood before them. Oria opened
this door as well and stepped aside. Kaidia stepped through and
glanced around. It was a storage room of sorts. Blankets, pillows,
and bedding materials took up the shelves to Kai's left. To her
right, the shelves contained scrolls, rolls of parchment, ink, quills
and various other writing materials. Straight ahead of her were more
shelves, these filled with clothes, mostly priest and acolyte robes
from what Kaidia could see. On a low shelf, in a box fashioned from
metal, rested many of the runed medallions, complete with chains,
just like the clergy wore.

“Interesting. I thought there were only three of those,”
Kai muttered, more to herself than anyone present.

“There were three original ones kept in Sarkos, but priests,
priestesses, acolytes, and warriors that follow you have been making
them since you were proclaimed a god by the Temple of the Gods,”
Belphor explained.

“Good to know,” Kaidia smiled and exited the room,
heading back the way she had come. Echo followed, as did the two
panthers who had scant room to maneuver in the hall. Oria and Belphor
followed after the panthers, eyeing the beasts warily. As the group
made their way back into the main chamber of the temple, Kaidia
strode toward the marble throne. She was happy to see cushions on the
seat and against the back of the throne when she walked up the steps
to it. The throne had enough room around it for Echo and the panthers
and as Kaidia settled into the throne, Echo stood to Kai's left.
Kai's panther laid down to the right of the throne and Echo's lay
down behind it. The group presented an interesting picture to the
onlookers in the temple.

Some people immediately started to line up in front of the steps
while others seemed rather nervous and were gently coaxed by acolytes
to step in line. One could hardly pass up the chance to meet a god,
especially if said god happened to be thee god in one's life.

Kaidia gave a warm, welcoming smile to the people at the head of the
line in an attempt to ease their jittery nerves. The people at the
head of the line were a fairly young couple; they looked to be of
Silver Lake's poorer population, which meant that they were dressed
smartly instead of lavishly. Between them, cradling something in one
arm was a young boy of maybe ten winters. Kaidia could see that his
other arm, his right one, was wounded, and blood stained his shirt
sleeve. She arched a brow faintly and gestured the boy forward.

“Come here, child,” she said, her voice gently coaxing.
She even held her hands out to him. The boy glanced to his parents
who both nodded and gave him a soft push toward the steps. The boy
climbed the three steps to stand in front of Kaidia. He was
trembling, peeking out from under light colored bangs with innocent
eyes that didn't quite comprehend the enormity of where he was, who
he was looking at, or what was happening. He looked to the large
panther lying beside Kai's throne, then to Echo, who was watching him
curiously. After a moment, he held out the wrapped bundle with his
uninjured arm.

“H-he got hurt... by... by stray dogs,” the boy said
quietly. Kaidia gave a quizzical look before she took the bundle of
cloth with a tender touch and settled it in her lap. She pulled back
folds of cloth and winced inwardly as she revealed a kitten. Blood
stained the cloth and the kitten moved weakly, looking up toward
Kaidia. The god, for all her warrior's grit and steel, felt her heart
twinge at the sight. She looked to the boy's arm.

“And you defended him,” she concluded, a hand reaching
for the boy's shoulder. The boy pulled back a bit and pointed at the
kitten.

“Him first... please,” he insisted, pointing to the
kitten, and looking uncertain about telling a god how to do her job.
Kaidia smirked at the boy's gall and nodded.

“Of course,” she said with a nod. Her left hand rested on
the kitten as her right stroked the feline's small head. A simple bit
of sorcery was all it took to heal the kitten, to knit bone and skin.
Once the warmth of the magic faded, she leaned down over the kitten,
only to have a pair of tiny paws bat at her nose. The god wrinkled
her nose and smiled.

“Is he better?” the boy asked, moving in close to see.

“Yes, he's just fine,” Kaidia replied, leaning back to
reveal the dark furred creature sitting up in her lap. It gave a mew
as if to confirm Kai's answer. The boy smiled happily and stepped in
closer to pick the kitten up in his good arm. Kaidia rested her hand
on the boy's bloodied upper arm while he was distracted by the
kitten. The boy gasped at the sudden warmth radiating from Kaidia's
hand. It wasn't enough to burn; it was just pleasant. The wound,
while ragged, was just a flesh wound, and closed quickly. Kai let her
hand slip away, only to tense in momentary surprise as the boy used
his healed arm to hug her around the neck. After getting over her
instinctive urge to jerk away, Kaidia wrapped her tattooed arm around
the boy and gently hugged him in return.

“Thank you,” the boy said quietly in her ear, then
released her, took the cloth from her lap, and bounded down the
stairs to his parents, who appeared rather delighted. Kaidia glanced
to Echo, who was smirking at her.

“Shut up, cat,” she muttered.

“Aw, but it was cute,” Echo teased.

“Yes, yes, hush about it. How competent are you with healing
magic?” Kai asked quietly.

“Very. Before I became a general, I studied under a healer that
worked in combat zones,” Echo answered, giving Kaidia a
questioning look.

“Good. I'm competent with mending flesh and bone, but sickness
and poisons are generally... beyond me,” the god replied, a
pain flashing through her eyes for just a fraction of a moment. Echo
raised a brow.

“So you'll need my help if someone is poisoned or seriously
ill?” Echo asked.

“Precisely. Care to be my disciple?” Kai asked with a
playful wink.

“Of course, Dragon God,” Echo said with a slight bow...
and a smirk that only Kai could see.

“Lovely,” Kaidia replied with a chuckle, then turned back
to the waiting line. Next in line was a handsome young man clad in
plate armor that had seen battle, his dark hair falling free to his
shoulders, his face youthful, but his eyes showing the wisdom of
someone who had seen much of the world. Kaidia gestured with her
hand, bidding the warrior to come forth. He climbed the three steps,
and then drew his sword, only to kneel down in front of Kai and offer
the sword to her with both hands. Kai's brows rose. She wasn't used
to this sort of formality, despite having been a noble all of her
life. She supposed that being a god would just make such a thing more
frequent.

“Dragon God, I am called the Wandering Knight. I'm known well
around these parts as a mercenary. However, I offer my sword to you.
I wish to cease my wandering and become a knight in your service,”
the young man explained. There were murmurs and a few gasps in the
temple. Echo's brows went up at that. Kaidia reached out and took the
man's sword in her hands, fingers tracing over the blade.

“What is your real name, friend?” Kai asked softly.

“Edgar Demor, my Lady,” he replied.

“And you are a seasoned fighter?” Kai questioned.

“Yes, my Lady. I have been living off of the gold my sword
brings me since I was but sixteen winters of age,” Edgar
asserted.

“And you are how old now?” Kai queried.

“Twenty-three,” he answered.

“Impressive. Seven years of the mercenary life. I imagine you
will serve me well,” Kaidia said.

“With all certainty, my Lady,” Edgar vowed.

“That is what I want to hear. You shall be Sir Edgar Demor
hence forth,” Kaidia declared in a firm tone. She handed the
sword back to the young man and then closed her fist. Edgar looked to
the fist, confused. Kai's fingers opened and one of the silver
medallions worn by the clergy was resting in her palm. As the young
man looked upon it, the metal darkened, the unseen force of Kai's
sorcery staining it a deep blue hue, the same color as her dragon's
scales. She draped the chain of the medallion around Edgar's neck and
smiled faintly.

“Th-thank you, my Lady,” he stammered, eyes wide as he
stared down at the medallion.

“You have the honor of being the first of my knights, Sir
Edgar,” Kaidia informed him.

“A tremendous honor, I assure you, my Lady,” Edgar said
as he stood and sheathed his sword.

“I know it is not very knightly for a first command, Edgar...
but please keep watch at the door and make sure nothing gets out of
hand with people waiting in line outside,” Kai said with a warm
smile.

“Of course, Lady Kaidia,” he nodded and started down the
steps.

“One more thing, Sir Edgar. Do not feel as though you have to
call me by a title every time you speak to me. My name will do just
fine,” Kaidia added as the man made his way down the steps to
the floor. He turned, gave a small smile, and nodded.

“Duly noted,” he said before continuing on to the door.

Belphor took the opportunity to climb the steps from Kai's right and
leaned down to speak so only she could hear. He didn't think of
Echo's sensitive ears as he spoke.

“Mistress Kaidia, those medallions are only to be worn by
clergy,” he insisted in a sharp whisper, his tone almost
reprimanding. Kaidia quirked a brow at him, dark blue eyes staring
for a long, uncomfortable moment.

“There has not been a knight in my name until now. Those
medallions will go to them as well. As I am sure you saw, his is blue
in color. Clergy medallions are silver. I see no issue,” Kaidia
responded.

“It just does not seem proper,” Belphor replied.

“I say it is,” Kai stated. She held up her hand and
another medallion appeared in her palm. Like the one before it, the
metal shifted color to a deep blue. She held the medallion out to
Echo without looking. The kyrian took it, then bit it as one might
bite a gold coin to see if it is real. Belphor visibly blanched at
that. His reaction brought a smile to Kaidia's lips.

“Very well,” the priest said with a sigh before turning
and walking back down to the floor.

“Showed him,” Echo said with a snicker, sliding the
medallion's chain over her head.

“I will not be dictated to by my own priests,” Kaidia
muttered.

“Nor should you be. Does this mean I'm one of your knights
now?” Echo asked with a playful smile, pointing to the
medallion.

“I suppose it does,” Kai replied with small smile of her
own.

“Can you just create an order of knights like that?” Echo
inquired.

“I suppose you can. I just did. I would hazard a guess that all
orders of knights were founded by someone's whim at some point,”
Kai answered with a shrug.

“Interesting. Seems like the sort of thing you would need to go
through proper channels to accomplish,” Echo theorized.

“What channels?” Kaidia asked.

“I don't know,” Echo answered, giving a shrug of her own.

Kaidia just shook her head and looked to the head of the line where a
young man and a young woman waited. She was just about to motion them
forward when Echo interrupted her.

“This is why you had them show you where the medallions were
kept,” the kyrian speculated.

“Yes, just in case. I cannot teleport something if I do not
know where to take it from,” Kai confirmed, looking to Echo.

“At first, I thought you might be creating them, but you
weren't using enough power for that, let alone enough power to be
making them without materials at the ready,” Echo continued.

“That has never really been my favorite branch of magic,”
Kai replied.

“It can be useful,especially if you're captured and disarmed.
Being able to summon a blade out of nowhere is a literal life saver
at that point,” Echo explained.

“Fair point,” Kaidia admitted.

“That is also why you carry no coins on your person,”
Echo stated.

“Correct. I know where my money is at home, I can visualize it,
and bring what I need to my hand at any given time,” Kaidia
said.

“If I teach you to create items without materials, will you
teach me your teleportation technique?” Echo asked sweetly,
ears perking forward.

“Sounds fair to me,” Kai replied.

Echo nodded and Kaidia turned back to the waiting line. She gestured
the young man and woman forward and gave them a smile as they
ascended the stairs.

“An honor to meet you, Mistress Kaidia,” the man said,
his companion giving an agreeing nod.

“Thank you. What is it you seek from me today, you two?”
Kaidia asked, glancing between them, a faint smile still on her lips.

“We wish to be joined in a union,” the woman said.

“Married?” Kai asked, more to herself than anyone
present.

“Yes,” the man confirmed.

“Can I do that?” Kaidia asked, glancing to Echo.

“You just created an order of knights. You're a god. I'm pretty
sure you can do whatever you damn well please,” the kyrian
woman answered with a soft chuckle.

“Fair enough. Well then, let's be on with it,” Kai said
with a smile, looking to the young couple.

Thus the day went on, the line seeming to go on forever with people
seeking blessings, healing, and just plain advice at times. Several
couples to be married and many more warriors pledging their swords,
shields, axes, halberds, and various other weapons to Kaidia's
service. Each warrior received a medallion to wear about his or her
neck to show allegiance, along with instructions to make camp outside
the walls with all the other warriors. Only Edgar remained when the
line finally showed its end. As Kaidia finished with the last of her
worshipers, the sun was all but gone from the sky, and the shadows of
night had begun to take hold.

“Damn,” Kaidia muttered as she slumped back into her
throne.

“You made quite the impact today, Kai,” Echo said.

“Indeed you did, my Lady,” Edgar said as he walked toward
the dais.

“So it seems,” Kaidia said, her hand dropping down beside
the throne to stroke the fur of her sleeping panther.

Belphor and Oria stood off to Kaidia's far right side, discussing the
day they had been witness to while acolytes lit torches and closed
the temple doors. At the last moment, one of the doors was stopped,
and a man stepped inside. He was obviously a warrior, dressed in
leather armor and comfortable traveling clothes. Kaidia arched a brow
and sat up.

“Seems one more warrior to pledge his allegiance, my Lady,”
Edgar said quietly.

“I suppose I can handle one more,” Kai replied as she
watched the man approach.

“You are the Dragon God, Kaidia Valengaard?” the man
asked gruffly, pausing some distance away yet, as if he didn't trust
her quite yet.

“I am,” Kaidia confirmed.

“You are beautiful, Lady Valengaard,” he said. Kaidia
just opened her mouth to thank him when the man slid an elvish blade
free from a sheathe on his thigh. The dagger was elegant, the metal a
shimmering green-silver that reflected the light of the recently lit
torches in the temple. He flung the dagger with astounding accuracy
and speed, the blade aiming straight for Kaidia's face. No one could
move quick enough to stop it, but it stopped dead in the air and hung
there all the same, Kai's eyes focused on it. Edgar and Echo stared,
marveling at the hovering blade. The assailant stared, mouth open in
stunned silence. Belphor, Oria, and the acolytes still seemed to be
processing what had just happened.

Kaidia's panther, on the other hand, only needed to know that someone
had attacked her human. The massive cat was up and bounding forward
before anyone could react and she slammed into Kaidia's attacker,
driving him to the hard floor of the temple and immediately tore out
his throat with her powerful jaws and sharp teeth, cutting off a
scream that was just starting, and turning it into a gurgling last
breath.

Kaidia let the dagger drop into her palm and looked to Echo.

“What is her name?” she asked, pointing to the panther.

“Valka,” Echo answered. Kai nodded and turned to look at
the panther who was crunching noisily on the man's neck.

“Valka!” Kai said loudly enough to get the panther's
attention. The beast looked up and to Kaidia questioningly. “Get
that out of your mouth. You don't know where he's been.”

Echo stifled a snicker. Edgar looked to be stuck somewhere between
revulsion and amusement. The acolytes looked horrified, as did Oria
and Belphor. The big cat dropped the man, whose head was nearly
separated from his body, and loped back over to Kaidia, only to put
her massive head in the woman's lap. Kaidia stroked the panther's fur
between the ears.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, as if expecting an answer.
The big cat nuzzled against her stomach. Kaidia chuckled. “Go
find something to eat, then. Outside the city walls and not people,”
she instructed. Valka looked at her for a long moment, and then went
bounding off, Echo's panther following her. Edgar looked bewildered.

“She actually understood you?” he asked.

“Apparently,” Kaidia replied.

“Those panthers are highly intelligent creatures,” Echo
explained with a smile.

“Good. I don't tolerate stupidity,” Kaidia grumbled, then
held the dagger the would-be assassin had thrown at her out to Edgar.
“Here. A gift.”

“Thank you, my Lady,” Edgar said, taking it with a mildly
confused look. One could never have too many good daggers, let alone
too many of elven make. He tucked it into his belt and looked to
Kaidia. “What now?”

“Now, we attend the meeting being held in just a little while
for the leaders of all the troops currently camped outside the city,
which now includes you, Edgar,” Kaidia replied.

“Oh?” Edgar asked, raising both brows.

“Indeed. You are, for now, the leader of my knights. We don't
have time for figuring out just who the hell is the ideal leader
right now. We'll have an army coming at us in short order and I want
you to be at the meeting to hear the battle plans. Beyond that, I may
not be in the field with you at all. I'm best off as a loose cannon
in the battlefield,” Kaidia explained.

“Makes sense to me. You can't always be there so your knights
have to have their own leaders and structure,” Edgar clarified
more for himself than anyone else.

“Exactly. We just need to name the order of knights and we'll
be all set. This is something we can discuss on the way,”
Kaidia said as she got up and walked down the steps to the floor.
Acolytes were already working to clean up the mess of the assassin's
body. Oria and Belphor both stepped over to speak with Kai.

“It was an honor to have you here, Mistress Kaidia,” Oria
said.

“Indeed. Apologies about the, well, you know... assassination
attempt,” Belphor added.

“Thank you and it wasn't a big deal. I should be apologizing
for the mess,” Kai replied.

“Oh no no, it's easily cleaned,” Belphor assured her.

“That's strange to hear coming out of a clergyman,” Edgar
muttered.

“I wasn't always a clergyman,” Belphor responded in a
smooth tone.

“Lovely,” Echo chuckled.

“Do come back, Mistress Kaidia,” Oria implored.

“If we all survive this damn battle, I will try to return
before I leave,” Kaidia assured her, smiling warmly.

With that, Kai, Echo, and Edgar made their way to the doors of the
temple, the discussion about the name of the order of Kaidia's
knights commencing the moment they stepped outside.

Chapter XI: Planning for Battle, Enjoying a Storm

Kaidia led the way into Lord Wythnold's manor, Edgar and Echo
following her closely. Stepping into the living room, she found
Rykar, Malcade, and Cantus sitting in chairs around the empty
fireplace. Lydia stepped into the room carrying three mugs. She
handed the mugs out to the King, the Lord, and the Commander, then
eyed Kaidia and the two following her.

“Ale?” she asked.

“Please,” Kai said with a nod.

Lydia nodded and left the room.

“You're early,” Rykar stated before taking a drink from
his mug.

“I was done at the temple and it wouldn't look good if I was
the last one to arrive,” Kaidia said with a shrug.

“No one would blame you after the assassination attempt,”
Malcade replied.

“How do you know about that already?” Kai asked,
narrowing her eyes for a moment.

“An assassination attempt on the only living god known to the
world in her own temple? How could we not know? There was a guardsman
here right after it happened. I like your big cat even more now,”
Rykar explained, giving a faint half smile.

“It's just another story that will add to your legend,”
Malcade said with a nod. Kaidia shook her head a little at that. She
didn't need more stories, though she knew that was something she
simply could not avoid. She was certain that if she were on the
winning side of this upcoming battle, there would be stories of it as
well. Being famous and revered wasn't something the solitary-minded
god particularly cared for, though she knew there was no avoiding it
at this point.

Lydia walked back into the room and held mugs out to Kaidia, Echo,
and Edgar, two mugs in one hand and one in the other. After each of
them took one, Lydia left the room again.

“Who might this gentleman be?” Rykar asked, gesturing to
Edgar with his mug. Edgar raised a brow as all the eyes in the room
turned to him. He shifted a bit, cleared his throat.

“Ah, me? I'm Sir Edgar Demor,” he answered.

“The head of the Dragon Guard,” Kaidia added.

“Dragon Guard?” Rykar asked.

“Kaidia created an order of knights today,” Echo said
with a nod.

“Can you do that?” Malcade asked.

“Well, I'm a god,” Kaidia reasoned with a shrug, as if
that answered it definitively.

“Good enough for me,” Rykar said with a shrug of his own.

“You've been busy today, then. Foiling an assassin, making an
order of knights, and tending to your believers,” Malcade said.

“Well, it would be a bit rude to be in town and not visit my
own temple. Especially when everyone knows I'm here. We recruited
around two hundred soldiers into my Dragon Guard and they will fight
the army headed our way,” Kaidia replied.

“Nearly two hundred and fifty, my Lady,” Edgar corrected.

“Every extra sword helps,” Rykar said.

“Who might you be, sir?” Edgar asked, eyes on Rykar.
Rykar looked up, blinked, stared at Edgar for a moment, and then
looked to Kaidia.

“Sorry, we hadn't discussed the company I keep yet. We spent
the whole walk over talking about battles and strategies,” she
said with a chuckle. The young king sighed a little and held up his
right hand in plain view. Edgar arched a brow at this response until
he saw the ring on Rykar's finger.

“You... you're the new king? I didn't know,” Edgar said,
obviously a bit nervous.

“Don't worry about it. You're not the first and likely not the
last. I've only been the king for a few days, after all,” Rykar
said with a dismissive gesture of his hand.

“When is everyone else supposed to show up?” Echo asked
after a few moments of silence.

“About any time,” Cantus said. “The largest of my
dining rooms has been set up as a war room, of sorts.”

“I would think that'd hold everyone,” Kaidia said.

“I did say we should limit it to the highest ranked officer of
each army and their right hand,” Rykar said.

“Probably wise. Too many officers would just result in
arguments. We might have enough of an issue getting everyone on the
same page as it is,” Malcade added.

“Right. Every race has different tactics and ideas on how a
battle should be fought,” Echo said.

“Well, this sounds like it's going to be entertaining,”
Edgar quipped. Rykar glanced up, raised a brow, then looked to Kaidia
as he pointed to Edgar.

“I like this guy,” he stated.

* * *

It didn't take long for the rest of the expected guests to arrive.
Lydia led them, as they arrived, to the dining room that had been
transformed into a war room. The room was large, dominated by a
square table that took up much of the room. Rykar, Kaidia, Cantus,
Echo, and Edgar had already taken the liberty of laying out maps of
the city and the surrounding area. By the time they had finished, the
table was all but entirely covered.

After the final guest arrived, everyone gathered around the table.
Rykar, Kaidia, Malcade, and Edgar represented the humans. Two
dwarves, both male, came to represent their people. Echo was the sole
kyrian delegate. A single Esmera elf, a woman, was the agent for her
people. A single Selvath and Sorku, both male, represented their
respective races. A lone orc, pale blue-skinned and unintentionally
menacing in appearance, towered above everyone as the leader of his
soldiers. King Zathias stood with Dosfar at his side to represent the
people of Anklis. A group of thirteen if one did not count Cantus.
Since he wasn't a military leader, no one really did. None of the
city guard's high ranking officers were here either. It seemed to be
understood and unspoken that the city guard would remain in the city
during the battle and would only engage if the walls were breached.

“It may seem a bit juvenile, but since I'm rather new at being
a king, I'd like to introduce myself, then go around the table and
have everyone introduce themselves as well, just so I know who I'm
dealing with and so everyone else knows who they're dealing with. So,
for my part, I am King Rykar Vaikos. I am the human king of
Haelstross,” Rykar said before gesturing to his right, where
Malcade stood.

“I am Malcade Collins, Commander of the Scorpion Mercenary
Company and right hand of King Rykar Vaikos.”

And on it went.

“I am Echo-Seras of the Clan Baicorz, General of the kyrian
forces.”

“My name is Zathias Goren, King of Anklis.”

“I am Dosfar, General of the Anklis army.”

“I am called Jurgen Athos, Prince of the dwarven nation and
General of it's army.”

“My name is Gilgard Vesh, Chief Tactical Advisor of the dwarven
army.”

Jurgen looked to be the younger of the dwarves with a long beard and
long hair to compliment it, both a rich, deep brown. He was an
obvious warrior, strong of body. His eyes revealed a sharp mind as
well. Gilgard had a lengthy beard and long hair as well, both fading
to an iron grey. He was getting on in years, but there was no doubt
that he could still hold his own on the field of battle.

“I was named Aurora Azlathia at birth and I hold the title of
General of the Esmera forces.”

Aurora was a beautiful woman with chestnut hair and fine features.
Her green eyes were sharp and gave away the decades of wisdom she
possessed despite appearing to be no older than twenty-five winters.

“I'm Wylkas Brione, leader of the elite warriors of the Sorku.”

Wylkas appeared a bit older than Aurora, likely due to a wild life in
the forests just as much as the fact that he was nearly a millennia
her elder. He had long, light brown hair that grew only out of the
top of his head. The sides and back of his head were shaven to the
skin and tattooed with intricate markings that ran down the back of
his neck. He was tall, even for an elf.

“I am Creeth Fazior, Second General of the Selvathian Army.”

Creeth was slighter and shorter than Wylkas with grey skin and dark
hair. His eyes burned a strange orange color and he would have been
considered a strange sight if not for the being standing beside him.

“I be Gelsh Bonebreaker. Orc prince.”

Gelsh, like all orcs, was rather tall with pale blue skin and bright
eyes. His eyes were a pale, bright red. He had long, dark hair that
was tied up in a ponytail that hung down his back. His clothing was
leather garb of simple design. From boots to tunic, it lacked any
sort of flair but was, without a doubt, serviceable.

“My name is Sir Edgar Demor, Lord Knight of the Dragon Guard.”

“I am Kaidia Valengaard, Dragon God.”

“Well, now that we're all done being so damn formal that I
think my tunic went stiff, let us get down to the business at hand,
and plan our battle,” Rykar said with a wry smile. Lord Cantus
simply sat in a chair to take in the meeting. He was not a warrior
and he knew it. He wasn't a dumb man, though, and he sought to learn
what he could by observing the proceedings. After all, he knew his
role and the role of his city guard in the upcoming battle, and he
was perfectly fine with it all. He perked up as the planning began.

* * *

The strategy meeting had taken hours. It was not long before dawn
when everyone had finally agreed on a strategy for the battle and had
left Lord Wythnold's home. Kaidia, being about as much of a people
person as a rabid wolf, was the first out the door. Rykar, being the
highest ranking royal in the room had been last to leave but yet, he
and Kaidia found themselves atop the city wall, looking out over the
assembled camps of their makeshift army. Kaidia was sitting on the
battlements, leaning against one of the guardhouses built at
intervals along the city wall. Rykar was standing beside her, leaning
against one of the taller sections of the battlements. Both were
watching the sky. A storm was building, seeming to foretell the
coming of the enemy. The sky would have normally started to lighten
at this point, but all the pair could see were leaden clouds at the
occasional lightning in the distance.

“There will be no sunrise this morning,” Kaidia stated.

“And if there is one tomorrow, it will only shine light on
carnage and blood,” Rykar replied.

“You say that as if we haven't made all of our money off of
blood and death,” Kai said.

“We've never spilled blood for the glory of a god. Nor have we
ever cut such a swathe of wanton destruction and violence. We have
always been as precise as possible,” Rykar said, his voice
calmly defensive.

“Fair enough. Though I recall several instances where we were
stuck in a situation that required wholesale destruction,”
Kaidia responded.

“Niercess?”

“Kulvost.”

“Why would you be thinking of that despicable business?”

“Echo asked me about it and about the name I was given for that
mess.”

“Ah, a curious cat, was she?”

“Very much so. Do you ever think about it?”

“I try not to. When I find it on my mind, I just remind myself
that we did what we had to do.”

“I suppose you're right.”

“I know I am.”

“Well aren't you the picture of confidence?”

“Why shouldn't I be?”

“Someone might perceive you as arrogant.”

“I am, to an extent. But furthermore, I don't care.”

Kaidia chuckled and kept her eyes on the sky. She breathed in deeply,
taking air in through her nose. She could smell the rain in the air,
see the lightning getting closer

“It's about to rain,” she said softly.

“I say we head to the inn and get some rest before we have to
make final preparations for tomorrow,” Rykar replied.

“Don't like getting wet?” Kai teased.

“I prefer not to,” Rykar retorted lightly.

“Want to see something interesting?” Kaidia asked.

“Always,” Rykar responded.

Kaidia nodded and slid off the battlements to in the center of the
walkway atop the wall and gestured for Rykar to sit across from her.
The king settled down in front of her, legs crossed. Kai closed her
eyes for a moment and then Rykar noticed a sheet of energy raising up
behind Kaidia and around them both, raising up to close over them,
forming a dome. Just moments later, rain began to fall, pattering
against the shield of sorcerous energy. The water slid down the sides
of the dome as if it were glass.

“Alright, that's nifty,” Rykar admitted.

“Wait for it and look at me,” Kaidia said, staring
directly at Rykar.

“If you say so,” he said as he fixed his eyes on Kaidia's
own.

They two stared at one another for several long moments before a
blinding light illuminated them both. A lightning bolt had struck the
top of the dome and was pulsing against it, likely drawn in by
Kaidia. Sorcerous forces, when manifested physically, were known to
draw lightning down from storms and even pull fire and water to them.
Rykar seemed to recall from his studies at a young age, that mages
had initially discovered how to manipulate, imitate, and eventually
emulate the elements and incorporate them into their magic, which had
taken the simpler form of pure energy beforehand. Many mages of the
First Age of Valen were credited with the study and expansion of
magic into what it had become. Many more were unknown but had no less
influence.

Rykar snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed the electricity
arcing down over the dome to the stone of the wall's walkway,
blackening it with intense heat. He felt none of the heat within
Kaidia's shield. He was enjoying the spectacle and felt at home with
his chosen element all around him. After a few moments longer, the
bolt subsided, leaving steam to rise up around them and off of
Kaidia's shield.

“Ready?” Kai asked with a grin on her face.

“Um... for what?” Rykar asked in response.

“The shield to drop and a foot race to the inn, of course,”
Kaidia answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Rykar raised a brow, then jumped up as the shield dropped. Both he
and Kaidia ran for the guardhouse nearest to them and took the stairs
down to the ground several at a time before running back out into the
rain and toward the inn, holding their swords still against their
hips as they went.

When the two got to the inn, they were soaking wet and out of breath.
They shoved into the inn side-by-side and bent over, hands on their
knees to catch said breath. Two pairs of booted feet stepped up to
them. Looking at the floor as they were, the boots were all Kaidia
and Rykar could see. Rykar nudged Kaidia and pointed to those boots.

“Hey... boots,” he said, breath coming easier now.

“I see 'em,” Kai replied, also breathing a bit easier.

“Want to guess who they belong to?” Rykar asked.

“I'm going to say one is Echo. The other might be that
blue-haired girl you have inexplicably attracted,” Kaidia
answered.

“Inexplicably? Have you seen me? I'm handsome,” Rykar
replied with mock indignation.

“I'm not a particularly good judge of male attractiveness. I
like girls, remember?” Kaidia responded, glancing over to Rykar
as she did.

“You make a valid point, my General. Shall we see if your
guesses about the identities of those attached to these pairs of feet
are correct?” Rykar asked.

“Might as well,” Kai returned. With that, the two looked
up. Kaidia had, indeed, been correct. Echo and Sage were looking down
at the soaking wet god and king with raised eyebrows, eyes
questioning. Kaidia and Rykar looked back to the floor, then to each
other.

“Together, then?” Rykar asked.

“Aye,” Kai answered. Before Echo or Sage could ponder
what the hell that meant, Rykar and Kaidia grabbed up Sage and Echo,
respectively, eliciting squeaks from the pair of women, and proceeded
to carry the two, over their shoulders, toward the stairs.

“We are not sacks of potatoes!” Sage shouted through a
fit of laughter.

“Of course not. You're not all lumpy,” Rykar reasoned.

“Exactly. You're just... plump... in all the right places,”
Kaidia said, her hand sliding up to squeeze at Echo's bottom, causing
the kyrian woman to squeak and squirm about.

“Kaidia!” she shouted, cheeks coloring a dark shade of
crimson.

“I am, indeed, surrounded by beautiful callipygian women,”
Rykar stated, a pleased smile on his face.

“Calli-what?” Sage asked.

“It means you have a lovely backside, my dear,” Rykar
explained.

“Oh. Well, thank you,” Sage replied, a light blush
creeping into her cheeks.

“Quite welcome,” Rykar said before mounting the steps,
climbing them with Sage over his shoulder. Kaidia followed, carrying
Echo in the same fashion. The kyrian's tail flicked back and forth
but she held still. Squirming on the steps might cause Kai to drop
her and that would be disagreeable. Besides, if she was honest with
herself, she enjoyed the attention.

The two pairs of companions split off into their own rooms upon
reaching the top floor. While Rykar and Kaidia unlocked their doors,
Sage and Echo looked at one another and just shook their heads.

Chapter XII: Meeting the Enemy

It was just a little after midday when Edgar and Malcade walked
hurriedly into the inn where Kaidia and Rykar were staying. The pair
looked grim, dressed in their armor, swords at their sides as they
started up the stairs together. Neither spoke. Both knew just why the
other was there. As they reached the top floor, they split apart.
Malcade headed to Rykar's door, Edgar to Kaidia's, and both slammed
their gauntlet clad fists on the doors of the respective rooms.

“Rykar!”

“Lady Kaidia!”

In her room, Kaidia stirred in her bed. The pounding at her door
intruding on the warm, soft black of her sleep. One eye opened slowly
and she congratulated herself on thinking to close the curtains to
block out the light of day. Echo slept against Kai's back, an arm
around the god's waist, bare legs tangled with Kai's own under the
sheets, tail draped lazily over Kaidia's thigh. The god smiled
softly, then winced faintly at the next bang on the door, not because
of the noise itself, but because it had penetrated Echo's sleep and
caused the kyrian to reflexively grip, claws sliding out and pricking
at the skin of Kai's stomach.

“Echo, dear... claws,” she said softly. Echo grumbled
something unintelligible but the claws retracted into her fingers.
Kaidia made sure that Echo was covered, as well as herself, then
shouted toward the door. “Come in!”

Echo started at the shout, then nestled herself all the tighter to
Kai's back as Edgar stepped into the room and closed the door behind
him. He got halfway to the bed before stopping in his tracks.

“If... if this is a bad time, my Lady...” he said,
trailing off. The pair of concealed, but obviously naked women gave
him pause. He also wondered just how inappropriate it was for him to
see Kaidia in such a state. Though he reasoned that since she had
beckoned him into the room as she was, it must be acceptable.

“Tell me what was so urgent to warrant interrupting my sleep,
Edgar,” Kaidia demanded softly, her tone not angry, simply
tired.

“The leaders of the approaching army have ridden ahead. Twin
Esmera elves. They wish to speak to you and King Rykar. Immediately,”
Edgar explained. Kaidia stared at him for a long moment, then sighed
and closed her eyes.

“Are these elves guarded now?” she asked.

“Yes, my Lady. By several of your Dragon Guard and several of
the Scorpion Company mercenaries,” Edgar answered.

“Good. Thank you. Wait for me down in the lobby. You will be at
my side as Rykar and I talk to these twins,” Kai stated.

“Of course, my Lady,” Edgar said, inclining his head
respectfully before turning on his heel and marching out of the room,
closing the door behind himself once again.

Across the hall, in Rykar's room, Malcade had just finished relaying
the same information to a half dressed Rykar and sheet-wrapped Sage.

“Thanks, Mal. I'll meet you downstairs,” Rykar said,
still trying to fully awaken. Malcade nodded and walked from the
room.

“You be careful,” Sage told Rykar with a concerned look.

“Aw, you care. And we've only known each other a few days,”
Rykar teased playfully.

“Yes, well, you made quite the impression,” Sage replied,
getting up and starting to get dressed.

“I'm told I have a knack for that,” Rykar said, getting
out of the bed as well.

* * *

Kaidia was already downstairs with Edgar, Malcade, and Echo when
Rykar and Sage arrived.

“Morning,” Kai said.

“It's afternoon,” Malcade stated.

“Not to me,” Kaidia retorted. Malcade just shook his
head.

“Morning,” Rykar belatedly replied. Malcade rolled his
eyes.

“What are you thinking, oh kingly one?” Kai asked.

“They're here to offer the chance to surrender. Unwritten rule
of war and all that. They know we're not going to do that so I would
also go so far as to say that they're scouting a little bit. See what
forces we've managed to gather to fight them,” Rykar expounded.

“I would have to agree,” Kaidia said.

“You two seem rather calm about all this,” Edgar said,
glancing between Kaidia and Rykar.

“We're used to formalized war,” Kai explained.

“I suspect much of your work was lone wolf or small group jobs,
right?” Rykar asked, eyes on Edgar.

“Yes,” the man replied.

“You'll get used to this, hanging around Kai,” Rykar said
with a chuckle.

“I don't make too big of a habit of getting mixed up in wars,”
Kai protested lightly.

“You've been involved in every war that's happened in your
lifetime,” Rykar argued, a smirk on his lips.

“That's because there's only been two wars in my life and
they've both happened in the past half decade,” Kai said,
crossing her arms.

“So I'm not wrong,” Rykar stated.

“Shut up,” Kaidia growled.

“There's... only been two wars since the end of the Second
Age,” Edgar said, having not quite gotten used to Rykar's sense
of humor.

“Hence, Rykar's asinine joke,” Kai muttered.

“I would take offense to that if you actually meant it,”
Rykar huffed.

“Who said I didn't mean it?” Kaidia asked.

“Are you two always like this?” Sage asked, a brow raised
high.

“Yes,” Malcade stated flatly.

“It just proves that they're family,” Echo said with a
shrug.

“Family?” Edgar asked.

“Kyrians act like that all the time with those close to them,
whether they are blood or not. It happens in other races to a lesser
extent but among kyrians, those you can fight against but also fight
alongside without hesitation are considered family,” Echo
explained.

“Does that mean I get a hug?” Rykar asked, grinning at
Kaidia.

“You want a black eye?” Kaidia asked in return.

“See? Family,” Echo said with a nod and a smile.

“Should we, maybe, go see what these elves want?” Malcade
asked.

“I suppose. Keeping them waiting would be rude, after all,”
Rykar said.

“They're going to be trying to kill us in a few hours. I don't
think being polite is on their minds,” Malcade muttered.

With that, the group made their way out the door, through the city,
and out past the camps outside the city walls. In between two farm
fields stood a cluster of armed men and women. As Kaidia, Rykar, and
the others approached, the group parted to let Kaidia and Rykar into
the circle. Echo, Malcade, and Edgar stayed at the edge with everyone
else. Glancing around, Kai noticed about half the soldiers were
Scorpion mercenaries, the other half, judging by the blue medallions
that had been set into their armor, were Dragon Guard. Kai stole a
glance at Edgar, noting that his medallion had been made a part of
his armor as well. She thought it wise. Having a chain about your
neck in the heat of battle wasn't a good idea.

“King Rykar,” one of the elven women spoke, pulling Kai's
attention back to the pair.

“Dragon God Kaidia,” the other said. Both elves were
nearly Kaidia's height - features delicate and beautiful. Both had
lengthy, shimmering gold hair. Both wore their hair pulled back; one
in a ponytail and the other in a braid. Their eyes were a sparkling
blue and were they not the leaders of an army hell bent on destroying
every trace of every other god on Valen, Rykar would have had a hard
time keeping his charm in check.

“And who might you two ladies be?” Rykar asked, his tone
formal but hard edged.

“Sesaria Lathaniosa,” said the elf with the braid.

“Alyssia Lathaniosa,” answered the one with the ponytail.

The pair was, indeed, twins. Both women were toned and lithe, as
elves tended to be. They each wore leather armor that was obviously
tailored to their bodies. They matched in almost every way, except
the way they wore their hair and the weapons they chose to carry.
While both had longbows slung over their shoulders for combat at a
distance, they each seemed to differ on what they chose to use in
closer quarters. Sesaria wore a short sword strapped to her left hip
while Alyssia had a quarterstaff in hand that was capped at each end
with metal tips. Judging by the way she was leaning on it now, Rykar
assumed she used it as a walking stick when she wasn't cracking
skulls with it.

“Well met. Now, what can we do for you?” Rykar asked,
tone polite but devoid of any warmth.

“You can surrender. That is what we came for,” Sesaria
answered.

“You have to know we won't do that,” Kaidia said, her
voice thick with skepticism.

“Ah, well, it's like you humans tend to say, it's the thought
that counts,” Alyssia replied without a moment's hesitation.

“If that is all, you can be on your way,” Rykar said,
gesturing for the men and women behind the elves to part, giving
Sesaria and Alyssia a path to leave.

“Oh? No capturing us? No attempts to kill us?” Alyssia
asked, seemingly surprised. Her eyes were glancing behind Rykar,
toward the city. She was being inconspicuous about it but both Rykar
and Kaidia noticed. They had both been reading people long enough to
notice that she was eyeing what sort of troops were going to be
defending Silver Lake.

“That would be dishonorable. I have no doubt that one of you
will face me in battle soon enough. I'll try to kill you then,”
Rykar answered with a smile.

“An honorable human. We will have to bury him with respect,
sister,” Sesaria said before turning and walking away, via the
path given. Alyssia followed her. Kaidia felt a twinge at the mention
of sisterhood and quietly wondered how her own sister was fairing.
The god looked to Rykar only to see that he was staring at the elven
women as they retreated.

“I don't think burning holes in their asses with your eyes is
going to win the war, old friend,” Kai whispered in his ear.

“Says you. I bet I could get them to call the whole thing off
with one night in bed with me,” Rykar retorted softly, so only
Kaidia could hear.

“They want to kill you,” Kai stated.

“They wouldn't be the first with that lofty ambition to fall
prey to my charm,” Rykar boasted, not without a humorous tone.

“Uh huh. Even if you managed, she would kill you afterward,”
Kai said, jerking a thumb at Sage. Rykar glanced the metal smith's
way and got an affectionate smile for his efforts; a smile he
returned with equal sentiment.

“Why must you always kill my dreams?” he asked, eyes
turning to Kaidia.

“Because I like you alive,” she answered.

“Sure. Now, they appear to have walked;unless they have horses
not far away, of course. I would say they'll be back with their army
by morning,” Rykar speculated.

“That's a safe assessment. I'd suggest that we move everyone
into position and set up watches just in case they decide to attack
before dawn. We don't want to be caught off guard,” Kaidia
said.

“An astute suggestion. You are as sagacious as ever. We should
gather the leaders and gain everyone's attention. A little speech to
raise morale before we send half, if not all, of these people to
their deaths,” Rykar said with a bit of a sigh.

“Some people are going to die. That's just how it works,”
Kaidia said plainly.

“I know but it's irritating when they're doing it at my order,”
Rykar responded.

“That makes you a good leader for the Scorpions and for the
people in general now that you're a king,” Kai complimented,
giving the man a warm smile.

“Hmph, thanks,” Rykar muttered, then gestured to Malcade.
The taller man stepped forward.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Send a couple of scouts out, have them follow the elves and
report back. Keep back a safe distance. No sense in them risking
capture or death until the actual fight. Have the rest of our
soldiers gather at the wall near the main gate into the city,”
Rykar instructed. Malcade nodded and walked back to the gathered
Scorpions and passed along Rykar's orders.

Kaidia watched two Scorpions sprint off, one man and one woman,
dressed in light leather armor that was stamped with the Scorpion
Company crest. The god turned her eyes back to Rykar.

“Do you want me to stand by your side for that speech?”
she asked.

“Of course. A god standing by my side is a hell of an
endorsement,” Rykar answered.

Kaidia nodded and started toward the city, pausing in front of Edgar.

“Have the Guard gather with the Scorpions near the city wall,”
she ordered.

“Yes, my Lady,” Edgar replied then went about gathering
up the members of the Dragon Guard. Rykar, Kaidia, Sage, Echo, Edgar,
Malcade, the Scorpions, and the Guard all started back toward the
city, Rykar pondering over his speech in his head.

Chapter XIII: The Eve of Battle

The sun was beginning to lower in the sky by the time all of the
troops and commanders of said troops had gathered near the wall, or
in the case of their leaders, on the wall with Rykar. There was a
general murmur of conversation among the soldiers as they waited,
expecting a speech before the battle, as was the custom for pretty
much every race when possible.

Rykar stepped up to the edge of the wall, Kaidia by his side. Malcade
and Edgar stood just one step behind the king and god. The other
leaders of the gathered forces stood several to each side of Rykar
and Kaidia, looking out over the gathered army.

The massive crowd of soldiers gathered by the wall, their number so
great that they spread out into the camps, and fell silent as Rykar
raised his hands to gain their attention. He waited until every
murmur within his earshot had fallen silent before he spoke.

“We have gathered here to face a murderous mob hell bent on
converting everyone to their god by the point of a sword and
destroying all traces of other gods. They do not seem to understand
that Haelstross is a free land and we do not tolerate those who wish
to curtail our freedoms. We stand here, not as elves, kyrians, orcs,
dwarves, and humans, but as people of Haelstross united against those
that wish to dictate what you are allowed to believe or not believe.
I won't lie; we're out-numbered. This army razed Sarkos and Corrana
without much effort, but they were thwarted at Vortha by a single
person. They can be stopped. Every report I have heard or read about
this army contends that they are fearless. But we will stand strong
against their force, and give them something to fear!” Rykar
exclaimed, his voice booming out loud over the gathered crowd who
roared in response to his words. Rykar waited for the soldiers to
quiet down before speaking again.

“It's an unpleasant truth that some of us will make our final
stand tomorrow. But if you are to die, do so with honor and pride.
Show no fear. You will be remembered for your valor this day until
the end of the ages. This crusade in the name of a myth ends tomorrow
and it will end by our hands!” Rykar bellowed out over those
gathered below him. Another roar answered him. He took a step back
and officers started ordering their soldiers into position. Kaidia
stepped up beside him.

“Good speech, Sire.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness.”

The two looked at one another and both smirked. Kaidia looked back
out over the gathered army moving around, making final preparations.

“War is senseless,” she muttered.

“It is. But remember, we didn't start this; we are simply
defending ourselves,” Rykar replied.

“You're right, but still... it seems strange that we've had
centuries of relative peace and suddenly, in the past half decade or
so, we've got not one, but two massive armies that have gone on a
rampage,” Kaidia said, a hand combing through her hair.

“Maybe all the peace was growing stale to some of them. Or they
just had an itch for battle that they had to scratch,” Rykar
replied.

“Perhaps, but neither seems all that likely,” Kai
grumbled.

“Not much use in pondering it right this moment. We have more
immediate concerns,” Rykar said, eyes shifting to Kaidia.

Kaidia gave a grunt of agreement, then walked away, obviously still
preoccupied with her thoughts. Rykar shook his head, and then tilted
his head as arms wrapped around his middle from behind. He smiled,
feeling a warm body pressing against his back.

“I have something for you, my King,” Sage whispered in
his ear, her tone soft, playful.

“What might that be?” Rykar asked nonchalantly.

“Come with me, I'll show you,” Sage said before turning
Rykar loose, only to take his hand and lead him away from the edge of
the wall.

* * *

Rykar found himself in a rather large tent held up by several poles.
The fabric of it was heavy, with several strategically placed holes
to allow for ventilation. A temporary forge needed such things. This
tent seemed to be Sage's alone for no other metal workers were
within. The tent was well lit with a combination of oil lanterns
sitting on various surfaces and a few spheres of magical light that
simply floated near the ceiling. Sage was bent over, digging into a
chest that had been locked a few moments before. Rykar smirked as he
watched and enjoyed the view, not entirely unsure that Sage wasn't
taking a little longer than she needed to retrieve whatever it was
that she was after. She stood up with something large wrapped in
soft, dark cloth. The silver-eyed woman gave Rykar a smile before
walking to the nearest table and setting the item down.

“Happy eve of battle, my king,” she said, her tone
playful, despite the title.

“This marks the first time in my life that I've gotten a gift
before heading into a battle,” Rykar said as he stepped forward
to unwrap what was hidden within the cloth. As the cloth fell away,
he caught a glimpse of blue metal. He pulled the cloth away
completely and raised his eyebrows as he took in what was revealed.

The cloth had been hiding a shield, a fairly large one. It was big
enough that he could kneel down with it and be completely out of
enemy sight. He grabbed it by each side and lifted it. The sinthite
was light, making the large shield almost too easy to heft. The
entire shield was the same color as his sword and the front of it
bore an etched scorpion that looked as if the finest artist in the
land had done the work himself.

“All you?” Rykar asked.

“Yes,” Sage replied with a nod.

“This is quite the expensive gift,” Rykar commented as he
slid his arm through the straps on the back and tested the weight and
balance of the shield, finding it to be remarkable.

“Well, I wasn't going to make it from tin,” Sage
reasoned.

“I suppose that would perform poorly on the battlefield,”
Rykar agreed with a chuckle.

“Indeed. However, since I made it of sinthite, it should be
able to withstand a hell of a lot,” Sage said, gesturing.

“I'll keep it around when you're pissed off,” Rykar
chuckled.

“Careful. I'd hate for you to have to limp into battle
tomorrow,” Sage warned with a playful half smile, hands on her
hips.

“Oh! Look who's got some steel in her spine,” Rykar
teased and stepped closer.

“It's one of the reasons you like me,” Sage stated.

“You've got me there,” Rykar admitted as he slid the
shield from his arm and set it aside.

“I know,” Sage said as she encircled Rykar's neck with
her arms.

Rykar spoke as his arms wrapped around Sage's waist. “Thank
you.”

“You're welcome,” the metalsmith replied before pressing
her lips to Rykar's. Rykar returned the kiss with enthusiasm before
breaking it and putting his forehead to Sage's and looking into the
woman's silver eyes that seemed to glimmer in the light of the tent.

“Shall we adjourn to our room?” Rykar asked. Sage simply
nodded and the two headed out of the tent. Rykar snatched up the
shield as they went. As the tent flap closed, the lights within
extinguished themselves.

* * *

Kaidia sat on the bed she and Echo had been sharing in their suite.
Thoughts were swirling in her mind, touching on almost every battle
in which she had been involved.. She thought about Kulvost and other
battles involved in routing what had remained of Adathir's army. She
also pondered over skirmishes she had been involved in so far in her
mercenary career. Under her own banner, she had fought bandits, town
guards, other mercenaries, and even elven military in one
particularly entertaining job in one of the lovely coastal cities the
Esmera called home.

She had seen more war than most. Even mercenaries like her father
hadn't seen battles the scale of what she was about to face. The
battle with Adathir outside the gates of Vortha half a decade ago had
been a taste, but even Adathir's army, which had been considered
massive, didn't have the numbers of this force marching toward Silver
Lake. Kai wasn't sure why she was worried. She and the leaders of all
the troops outside the city had formed a solid plan, after all. Some
of the finest warriors she could ask for were going to fight by her
side, not to mention the power that she, herself, brought to bear.
But this thrown together army was still only half the size of the
opposing force. Kaidia was certain she could survive this battle,
but, for the first time in a long time, she wasn't sure she could
win.

Her dark thoughts were interrupted by Echo entering the room. The
kyrian woman gave Kai a warm smile.

“You look preoccupied,” she stated.

“I am,” Kai replied.

“With?” Echo coaxed.

“Memories,” Kai answered.

“Of?” Echo pried gently.

“Battles and skirmishes in which I've taken part,” Kaidia
responded.

“I hope my earlier questions didn't prompt this trip down
memory lane,” Echo said, voice tinged with concern.

“Only in part. Mostly, it's the upcoming battle. I'm
remembering old battles. You never know what tactic you used in the
past that could help in the future,” Kai explained.

“True. Well, I'm glad it's mostly not my fault,” Echo
said with a small laugh.

“Don't feel guilty for being curious,” Kai admonished
lightly.

“Hard not to feel guilty when I put you into a blue funk,”
Echo argued.

“I'm fine,” Kai retorted.

“Sure you are,” the kyrian responded.

“As fine as I ever am,” Kaidia admitted and waved a hand
dismissively.

There was silence for a few long moments, both women retreating into
their own thoughts.

“How about we go for a walk? This inn has a wonderful little
forest out back,” Echo suggested.

“Yes, it leads up into the foothills. The city walls only go so
far up into the mountain range,” Kaidia said.

“Your point?” Echo queried.

“None. Just useless trivia,” Kai said with a faint smile.

“Ah, well then, shall we?” Echo asked, holding her hand
out to Kaidia.

“Sure,” Kai said, taking the kyrian's hand.

The pair left their suite only to meet Rykar and Sage out in the
hallway that separated their rooms. The king and the metal smith were
leaned against the wall beside the double doors to their room,
kissing quite eagerly.

“You just couldn't make it the extra two paces to your door,
could you?” Kaidia asked, a bit louder than was necessary.

Sage and Rykar stopped their enthusiastic session of lip tag and
looked toward Kai and Echo.

“Just haven't had a free hand to grab the key and use it,”
Rykar explained, wiggling his fingers which were currently halfway
down the back of Sage's pants.

“Ah, perfectly legitimate reason,” Kaidia said, amused.
She shook her head and started down the stairs, pulling Echo along
with her. The pair made their way downstairs and walked through the
ground floor of the inn and out the back door. Immediately behind the
inn, bathed in the light of the moon, were several stone paths that
disappeared off into the trees in different directions. Kaidia walked
straight for the nearest one that happened to go straight up into the
foothills. Once she was among the trees, Kai slowed her pace. She
walked slowly, Echo's hand still in her own.

“This is nice. I haven't taken a peaceful walk in the woods
like this since this whole mess began,” Echo stated, breathing
in deeply through her nose.

“I don't take such walks often enough,” Kai admitted.

“You should. They're good for clearing one's head,” Echo
said.

“I tend to do that in my den, staring into the fire or reading
a book,” Kaidia replied.

“I can see how staring into a fire helps, but reading a book
seems like it would just displace thoughts temporarily,” Echo
speculated.

“Either works. Sometimes I don't want to ponder my troubles.
I'd rather take my mind off of them. Books are wonderful for that.
Especially tales written by the great imaginations of past ages,”
Kaidia explained, watching the path in front of her.

“Ah, you like the ancient writers. Legends and mythical
stories,” Echo said, flashing Kaidia a quick smile.

“They're certainly more entertaining than stuffy histories
written by scholars and often just as useful for one's journey in
life,” Kai said with a shrug.

“Very true. Histories... fantastical tales... they all have
their time and place,” Echo agreed.

The pair fell silent and simply walked along. Eventually, the stone
path ended, but a dirt path continued off into the trees. It snaked
up into the gentle slopes of the foothills and the two women followed
it for a time. When they came to a natural clearing, Kaidia stopped,
causing Echo to stop beside her. Kaidia cast her eyes skyward,
looking at the full moon that made the grass floor of the clearing
seem to glow. Taking a deep breath, she took in the natural scent of
the forest, the perfume of flowers, grass, and dirt. Her ears picked
up the sound of crickets and the calls of the night birds. Ever since
the day of Ashlin's death, Kaidia's senses had heightened and she'd
learned to enjoy the extra input from the world. Even with the
unnatural boost to her senses, Kai couldn't match all that Echo could
see, hear, and smell but, at the moment, it hardly mattered.

“Kai?” Echo asked quietly.

Kaidia turned her head to Echo to find the kyrian's bright blue eyes
gazing at her intently. She arched a brow at Echo and started to say
something when Echo's hands cupped her face, causing her voice to die
in her throat. A moment later, Echo's lips pressed against her own
and Kai found herself pressing closer to Echo, wrapping her arms
around the kyrian as the kiss lingered. After several long moments,
the kiss broke and Kai gave Echo a curious look.

“What brought that on?” she asked with a hint of a smile.

“I... well... I've grown fond of you. I've felt something
strange about you since we met and I figured I should just go with
it,” Echo answered, shrugged.

“Fair enough. Though I fear getting involved with me isn't the
best idea,” Kai warned.

“Yes, yes. I understand the mercenary side of it. I imagine
being with a god has its own complications too,” Echo said, her
eyes looking away.

“Not only that, but my last relationship ended in a bad way,”
Kaidia said, eyes never straying from Echo's face.

“Yes, I'm aware. Everyone knows how your wife died, Kaidia.
It's part of your story. Part of the fabric of your godhood,”
Echo turned her bright blue eyes back to Kai's dark blue hues. Kaidia
smiled faintly. She wasn't about to try and explain exactly how her
wife wasn't actually quite dead. She didn't entirely understand it
herself.

“Then I have to ask what it is you're wanting,” Kaidia
inquired.

Echo took a few moments to reply, seemingly lost in her thoughts, her
eyes cast to the moonlit grass as if the green blades held her
answer.

“Let's just say that if we survive the upcoming battle, we
should try and... be together,” Echo said, her voice soft.

“Fair enough,” Kaidia said with a nod. Echo nodded in
return, and then simply leaned her head on the taller woman's
shoulder. They stood like that in the moonlight for some time. Kai
could no longer smell the forest for the scent of Echo and vice
versa. Just as Echo was about to be lulled into sleep by the strong,
steady beat of Kai's heart, something else perked her ears. The
kyrian's head snapped up and she peered into the dimly lit forest.
She could hear the sound of someone carelessly running along the path
that had brought her and Kaidia to the clearing. Heavy footfalls, the
clank of armor, and the occasional snap of a stick underfoot had both
women drawing their swords and waiting on whoever was coming. They
weren't truly expecting someone hostile, but it never paid to be
careless.

A man burst into the clearing. Upon seeing the two warriors with
swords at the ready, he raised his hands. Kaidia recognized him
first.

“Edgar,” she said by way of a greeting.

“Lady Kaidia, Lady Echo,” Edgar said, nodding to the
women in turn. He was in full armor, ready for battle. The sight gave
Kaidia an ominous feeling.

“The enemy approaches,” Kai stated.

“Yes, my Lady. King Rykar said I could find you two out here.
I'm lucky I took the correct path,” Edgar confirmed.

“With all the noise you were making, we would've hunted you
down anyway,” Echo said. The look that crossed Edgar's face
made it clear that he wasn't fond of the thought of being hunted.

“How far out?” Kaidia asked to bring the conversation
back on point.

“They'll be here in an hour, maybe a little more, or so the
scouts say,” Edgar reported.

“Alright. Go back to your knights. Get ready. We'll be along
shortly,” Kaidia ordered. Edgar nodded, then turned and rushed
off, making enough noise to wake the dead.

“Seems the time has come,” Echo said with a sigh.

“Indeed. Is it wrong that I get excited for a fight?”
Kaidia asked.

“No. It's the reason most warriors are, in fact, warriors.
Something about the job lures us,” Echo answered with a shake
of her head.

“Shall we?” Kai asked.

“Oh, certainly,” Echo answered. Together, the two started
along the path back to the city.

* * *

Kaidia had made her way to the front of the army outside of Silver
Lake's gate. Rykar, Echo, Edgar, and Malcade joined her. All five of
them stared out into the dark fields, watching the dancing lights of
torches still far enough out that the footfalls of those carrying
them could not be heard.

“Looks like we're going to have our work cut out for us,”
Malcade muttered.

“No doubt,” Rykar responded, eyes taking in what he could
see.

“We're almost ready,” Echo said, glancing back to the
army behind them.

“Almost,” Kaidia said, her eyes flaring a brilliant blue.

Chapter XIV: The Battle of Silver Lake

The army of the twin elves halted its march a respectful distance
from Kaidia's patched together force, the sky still black with night.
The two armies stared across the open ground between them for several
long moments before Silver Lake's defenders, led by Rykar, roared in
challenge to the army of the twin elves. The larger force roared
back, louder. The faces of those in the light cast by torches looked
smug, arrogant. Those looks faltered a moment later as a thunderous
roar echoed out of the dark sky, from a source unseen.

Kaidia, eyes still glowing an eerie blue, grinned at the uncertain
looks on the faces of the enemy as they looked about nervously. She
stood at Rykar's right side, sword drawn. An ominous silence fell
over the battlefield, both heavy and alive with a tense energy. It
was if all sound had ceased to exist. No crickets chirped, no breeze
rustled the leaves of trees, and every shift of a soldier, every
little clank of armor or blade sounded explosively loud.

The collective light of the torches did little to illuminate more
than just a few feet away, so no one of the offensive forces saw the
massive, dark blue dragon until it was, quite literally, on top of
them. The dragon glided out of the black sky on massive wings, over
the amassed force, and breathed a blazing jet of flame out over the
mass of soldiers with an angry roar, rendering all the torches
useless in the enormous flare of light.

Screams rang out into the air; screams of the frightened, screams of
the dying. The dragon flew the length of the army, burning a hellish
path along their ranks before flexing its wings and flying up into
the sky. The fiery attack of the dragon left the remains of Khamora's
army in a frantic scramble. Before the surviving commanders could
issue any orders, arrows started raining down on them from the farm
houses, barns, and the sparse patches of trees nearby, causing
further disarray and even more deaths.

Finally, Rykar ordered the charge. The dwarven ranks took off
running, gaining a head start on their shorter legs. After waiting a
few long moments, the rest of Silver Lake's defenders followed. Just
as the longer legged races drew even with the dwarves, they all
collided with the disoriented and dazed front ranks of Khamora's
forces. Rykar and Kaidia were among the first to cut down enemy
soldiers and before long, the defenders of Silver Lake and the
remnants of Khamora's army were mixed together, fighting among the
burning corpses from the initial attack.

Kaidia's eyes stayed aglow with that eerie blue light, making her
stand out among the crowd of combatants. In her black armor, she
walked calmly among the fighting, brawling soldiers, cutting down any
that dared to confront her. Her eyes darted about, seeking the twin
elves. Edgar and the knights of the Dragon Guard tried to stay close
to Kaidia but it was difficult in the chaos of combat.

Rykar, scorpion emblazoned shield in hand, cut down as many soldiers
as he battered with his shield. Unlike Kai, he had no specific goal
in mind. He was simply enjoying the fight. He cut down one soldier,
ran the next through, then cracked another in the face with his
shield, a maniacal grin curving his lips. In his own way, he was just
as frightening a sight as Kaidia and her glowing eyes.

Echo waded into the conflict, periodically planting her feet and
staying in one spot, lashing out with magic and using her sword when
someone managed to get close enough. Arrows had ceased to fly, being
replaced by fireballs, lightning bolts, spikes of ice, and bolts of
pure sorcerous energy thanks to mages from both sides of the battle.
Soldiers of both armies fell in droves, turning dirt to bloody mud in
fairly short order. Only the ground near the masses of burning bodies
stayed dry, mostly because no one could get near the impromptu
funeral pyres, such was the heat they radiated.

Kaidia found herself given a clear path, enemy soldiers being less
than eager to face off against the god after witnessing her
brutalizing more than one of their brethren. As far as Kaidia knew,
there were two ways to command an army; either by leading or by
directing from the rear. Since she didn't cross swords with either of
the twin elves when she'd led the charge alongside Rykar, she assumed
the twins were commanding from behind the ranks of soldiers. Hence,
her march through the battle. Kai had just grown accustomed to the
clear path when she found her way blocked by several soldiers. With
just a glance she could determine that they weren't just foot
soldiers. They were a cut above.

Expensive armor adorned their bodies, quality weapons lay in their
hands. They were either officers or very well paid mercenaries.
Kaidia didn't really care which. She just raised her sword and smiled
in a manner that anyone would consider unsettling. Amidst the
constant chaos of the battle, Kai and the warriors stood in a
contradictory calm. In the constantly shifting light of the fires,
Kaidia couldn't quite see just how many there were but she hardly
cared. They were in her way.

The nearest of the warriors charged. A woman, brandishing a war
hammer, raised it high to bring it down on Kaidia. The dragon god
grinned, a fireball flared to life in her free hand.

Echo turned at the sound of an explosion. Sure, fire was erupting all
over the place, but not in blasts that were lighting up the whole
areas of the battlefield. She took off in the direction of the blast,
striking down anyone who decided that it would be a good idea to stop
her.

Rykar glanced up at the fiery blast that lit up half the
battleground, but looked right back to the rather large warrior he
was squaring off against. He figured the explosion had been Kaidia
showing off. He readied himself to lunge at his opponent when a war
hammer came hurtling out of the slowly brightening sky and smashed
into his adversary's skull, dropping him to the ground in a great,
dead mass. Rykar blinked, trying to comprehend the utterly absurd
occurrence, then sighed, disappointed at the loss of a potentially
good fight, and turned to engage another enemy.

Kaidia chuckled as pieces of her first foe rained down on the ground
around her.

“Ready to step aside or are you still going to get in my way?”
she asked, shouting to be heard above the din of battle.

The group of seemingly elite soldiers looked to one another, then,
all at once, charged at Kai. The god kicked a stray sword up from the
ground and caught it with her left hand before meeting the warriors
head on. She ducked an axe blow and slashed at its wielder, then
clashed swords with another warrior. A moment later, Echo came
crashing into the group with a jolt of lightning to one of the
officers and a thrust of her short sword that impaled another.

Across the battlefield the other leaders of the gathered forces
fought their way through the dwindling mass of bodies. Sword, axe,
hammer, staff, and arrow all claimed lives as the sun rose over the
horizon, lighting the macabre scene.

Kaidia registered the dawn for a fraction of a moment as she
continued to fight against the officers that had interrupted her
search for the twin commanders, Sesaria and Alyssia. Echo fought at
Kai's side, lashing out with sword and magic, keeping her back to
Kaidia's as much as was possible. These officers had certainly earned
their ranks. While Kai and Echo were definitely taking the upper
hand, it had been slow going the whole fight, like an uphill walk
through knee deep mud. More than once, the sharp blade of an axe or
sword slashed the air only an inch or two from Kai's face or even
glanced off of her armor. The officers that remained alive were
wounded and bleeding but Kaidia admired their will to keep fighting.
More of their number lay dead on the ground in pools of blood than
those that remained standing, however and those still on their feet
could see the writing on the wall.

At a pause in the fight, Echo's keen ears picked up on a distinct
lack of combat in the background. The battle was still going on but
the amount of soldiers in the fray had greatly decreased. The battle
would soon be over. She wasn't sure who would be the victor; her
attention had been on her own fight for too long to be able to
predict or even speculate at a winner.

Abruptly, the officers retreated. Echo and Kai exchanged cautious
glances, and looked around for some reason as to why they were
suddenly left on their own. The battlefield looked like something
straight out of a nightmare. Corpses lay everywhere. Elven, kyrian,
human, dwarven, orcish... all races were represented by the dead.
Many corpses were burned and charred beyond recognition, others
mutilated and hacked apart, some were bristling with arrows, and yet
more lay dead with grievous wounds inflicted by sword and axe.

The air was heavy and thick with smoke that smothered much of the
sun's brilliance. It burned Kai's throat and lungs as she breathed
it. The scent of scorched corpses and blood filled her nostrils. It
was a smell she had grown to both love and loathe. The smoky haze
that covered the field stung her eyes and obscured her vision, as
well.

“Kai,” Echo said softly, but urgently. Kai looked to
Echo, whose eyes were locked on something in the murk of smoke. Kai
tried to follow Echo's line of sight. She could see the outline of a
house a hundred or so paces away. A breeze picked up, carrying the
smoke away for the moment, revealing the twins Kaidia sought.

Sesaria and Alyssia stood atop the small farmhouse Kaidia had been
able to barely glimpse through the gloom. Both elves had bows held
aloft, arrows drawn, one aimed at Echo, and the other at Kaidia.
Despite being the lesser threat, Echo was someone to ignore at one's
own peril. For several long moments, the four women stood silent and
motionless, eyes locked, waiting for that first twitch. Echo's keen
eyes spotted one of the twins, the one with the braid, pulling her
arrow back just a bit more, as if preparing to turn it loose. In the
span of half a moment, Echo had formed and launched a fireball of
considerable size at the woman's torso. In reaction to Echo's sudden
attack, Kaidia hauled off with the sword she'd picked up earlier,
throwing it at the other twin, a whirling fan of imminent pain and
probable death.

Both elves' eyes went wide and they dove from the roof of the house,
releasing their arrows in the process. Sesaria's arrow went wide,
missed Echo by a considerable distance, and disappeared into the fog
of smoke surrounding them, likely striking some poor bastard who
never saw it coming.

Alyssia's arrow flew off its mark... but not far enough. Originally
aimed at Kaidia's chest, the arrow found its way into the lower left
side of Kaidia's stomach, piercing deep. Thanks to the fight with the
officers before, some of Kai's armor had been damaged and a few
pieces were missing. That arrow had found a place where armor no
longer guarded the body underneath. It took Kaidia a moment to
realize that she had been struck. She glanced down as she first
noticed the sharp pain and immediately grabbed at the shaft to pull
the arrow free. She growled as the head of the arrow pulled from the
wound. Blood spilled down over and under her armor, down her leg, and
toward the ground. She snapped the arrow in two with one hand, then
threw the pieces to the ground. Her eyes darted upward, seeking out
the twins once more.

Both Alyssia and Sesaria were standing again, watching Kaidia with
matching grins. It was then that Kaidia saw the world tilt and felt
it lurch under her feet. Echo glanced between Kaidia and the two
elves.

“Kai?” she asked softly.

“I'm... I'm alright,” Kaidia answered unsteadily,
blinking her eyes, trying to clear her vision. She shook her head
next, feeling groggy all of the sudden.

“She must be something special. The poison on that arrowhead
would've killed a normal person in a few seconds,” Sesaria
spoke with a smug candor as she started forward, drawing her blade.

Echo stepped between Kaidia, who was growing more unsteady on her
feet by the moment, and the advancing elf.

“Back off,” she growled, ears laid back against her hair.

“Echo-Seras, the Tiger of Malkasha. You're dangerous, I hear.
You might even be able to take me down in single combat. But you're
at a disadvantage. There's one of you and two of us,” Sesaria
spoke calmly, sword in hand. Alyssa stepping up beside her. “And
you have to stay between us and your precious Kaidia. I had no idea
you were consorting with a god.”

Echo's cheeks flared a bright red, but she stayed silent, blue eyes
flitting between the two elven siblings. Her body was tense,
coiled... ready to attack both women to defend Kaidia. Just as the
sisters were preparing to attack, a thunderous roar split the air,
and Kaidia's dragon emerged, flying, from the smoke. Each beat of its
massive wings thinned the cover of the smoke, causing the remaining
combatants on the field to stop and stare. The dragon landed in front
of Echo and Kaidia, forcing Sesaria and Alyssia to backpedal rapidly.
Silver eyes peered at the two elves with an intelligence far beyond
that of some simple beast.

It took in a deep breath and both elves took off at a run,
retreating. The gargantuan breath of fire that followed them very
nearly swallowed them alive. They managed to escape the actual flame,
but the heat of it stole their breath. Both of them collapsed,
gasping for oxygen as the air around them cooled. The dragon stalked
toward them, slowly, a predator sizing up its prey.

The elves tried to scramble up, to run again, but even in peak
condition, they wouldn't have a hope of escape. Just as the dragon
was closing in for the kill, Echo stepped in front of it. The
monstrous creature pulled up short, snarled at the kyrian woman. It
knew this woman was important to Kaidia, harming her wasn't even a
consideration. That didn't stop it from being annoyed with the woman
interrupting it's cruel game with the two elves.

“Forget them. We can hunt them down later. We need to help
Kaidia.” Echo insisted with a strained calm in her voice. The
dragon regarded Echo for a long moment, then turned back to look at
Kaidia. The warrior was down in the mud on one knee, her sword
plunged into the ground for support. Blood coated her stomach and
leg, ran in rivulets from her mouth, and down her neck. She was
ghostly pale, her stormy eyes unfocused as they looked up to the
dragon, even as they radiated a brilliant blue glare of power.

Echo sheathed her sword and ran to Kaidia's side. Her nose sniffed at
Kai's blood, the scent overpowering in the air for Echo's powerful
sense of smell.

“I smell Hell's Bane,” Echo stated, alarmed, heart
hammering in her chest.

“That explains... why... I feel like... eight kinds... of
shit,” Kaidia managed between ragged breaths, chest heaving.
Drawing breath had quickly become difficult.

“You should have been dead in seconds,” Echo explained
needlessly, a bit of a wonder replacing the alarm in her tone. Hell's
Bane was one of the most powerful poisons known to all the races on
Valen. It could kill pretty much any living being in moments. Kaidia
appeared to be the exception, but she was obviously not immune. The
dragon held its large, clawed hand down beside the two women, palm
up.

Kaidia, through great physical effort, pushed herself up, pulled her
sword free from the ground, wiped it on her leg, then sheathed it
before all but falling into the dragon's hand. Echo followed the
wounded god into the dragon's grasp and the creature held them up to
its neck, allowing them to climb on. Echo helped Kaidia onto the
dragon's back. Once she was securely in place and had Kaidia held
against her, she nodded to the dragon, who had twisted its head
around to look upon them. With that nod, the dragon kicked off of the
ground and into the morning sky, leaving the smoke below, and
allowing the dazzling light of the sun to bathe them all in its
warmth. The breathtaking beauty of the sunrise clashed horridly with
the blood-soaked Kaidia who now lay limp against Echo's chest. The
kyrian whined softly in her throat as the dragon carried them to
Silver Lake.

Chapter XV: Elf Hunting

Rykar stood at the window in his room at the Golden Arrow and stared
out at the setting sun, his mind too preoccupied with the reports on
the desk behind him to enjoy its beauty. They were reports from the
battle; numbers of the dead, the wounded, prisoners taken, and
damages caused. Lord Wythnold had figured that Rykar, being King,
would want copies of the reports. He was correct and utterly
incorrect all at once. Seeing the number of dead, even just for their
side, was staggering.

A pair of arms wrapped around Rykar's waist, pulling the man from his
dark thoughts. He glanced back over his shoulder, spying silver eyes
and blue hair. He smiled.

“Sage, my dear. I didn't hear you come in. Get bored banging
metal?” he inquired.

“I have to take a break now and then. I wanted to see how you
were doing,” Sage replied.

“Eh, I've been better,” Rykar admitted.

“Those reports can't help. And I watched the battle from the
city wall. It wasn't pretty,” Sage said, arms squeezing Rykar a
bit tighter.

“Worried about me, were you?” Rykar asked, a hand raising
to rest on her hands, which were clasped at his waist.

“No. Every time I saw a massive lightning bolt light up all the
smoke, I knew you were okay,” she replied, resting her cheek to
his shoulder.

“What did it look like from the wall?”

“Strange. Beautiful. Horrendous. The smoke was so thick it was
hard to see anything. The fire lit it all up, but that just distorted
things more. And every time a lightning bolt or fire ball or any
other form of magic went off, it changed how everything looked.
Meanwhile, you could hear all the shouts and screams. It was like
staring into some hellish landscape from a story,” Sage
elaborated.

“It looked a mess inside all that, as well,” Rykar said.

“I don't doubt it.”

“However, Kai's dragon put on a show.”

“Yes. That's the first time I've ever seen a mile long funeral
pyre.”

“You and I both.”

“Has she woken up yet?” Sage asked, a note of concern in
her voice.

“No, but we're hopeful. After all, that arrow had Hell's Bane
on it. She should have been dead before she hit the ground, yet she's
still breathing,” Rykar answered.

“I knew she was tough, but I've never heard of anyone surviving
Hell's Bane.”

“That's because no one has.”

One of the doors to Rykar's room slammed open rather abruptly,
causing both Rykar and Sage to turn about, pulling away from one
another, hands going to their swords. In the doorway stood a dwarf,
Thorgrimm Holkenhammer, to be precise.

“Thorgrimm? What the hell are doing here?” Rykar asked,
his hand falling from the hilt of his sword.

“A fine way to greet an old friend, jackass,” Thorgrimm
huffed.

“I'm just surprised, is all,” Rykar replied.

“Yes, well, I suppose I can forgive you,” the dwarf said
rather gruffly.

“You are a most gracious midget.”

“Don't test me, boy. I'll shove yer crown up yer ass sideways,”
Thorgrimm said as he shook a fist at Rykar. Sage looked fairly
alarmed as the two glared at each other. A few tense moments later,
both Thorgrimm and Rykar couldn't hold back their grins any longer.
They each strode forward and clasped hands.

“Good to see you... and I don't have a crown, by the way,”
Rykar said.

“Ah, good to see ya too, lad. And there's a crown in Corrana.
Or, you know, what's left of it,” Thorgrimm replied.

“It was probably stolen, but that's a problem for another day,”
Rykar said.

“Yes, I saw the mess out front. Sorry I missed the battle,”
the dwarf stated.

“It was... well... it was something. Biggest battle I've ever
been in. Ugliest too. And if you think there's a mess out there now,
you should have seen it right after the battle,” the king
explained.

“I can imagine, but you obviously came out on top... as best as
ya could, anyway,” Thorgrimm reasoned.

“We did. Paid a hell of a price though,” Rykar said with
a sigh.

“I saw. Now who's this lovely lady?” Thorgrimm asked,
gesturing toward Sage.

“This is Sage. A metal smith from Anklis,” Rykar said by
way of an introduction.

“I'm also his significant other,” Sage stated, giving
Rykar a playful glare as she stepped forward to greet Thorgrimm. The
dwarf grinned into his beard, then took Sage's hand and kissed the
back of it.

“You're a sight for sore eyes, Lady Sage,” Thorgrimm
stated.

“Thank you... Thorgrimm, was it?” Sage asked.

“Aye, Thorgrimm Holkenhammer! At yer service,” the dwarf
said, giving a bit of a bow.

“If you want ale, that is,” Rykar interjected. Sage gave
a confused look.

“I own a little establishment in Black Sand,” Thorgrimm
stated.

“The Drunken Dwarf,” Rykar clarified with a smirk.

“Oh! I've heard of that place. We've had soldiers and merchants
travel to Anklis that have been in Black Sand. They say The Drunken
Dwarf is the best place to eat or drink around there,” Sage
said.

“They're too kind, I promise ya that,” Thorgrimm said,
though he was beaming with pride. Granted, most of that beaming was
hidden by his beard.

“Thorgrimm is also very good with an axe,” Rykar informed
Sage with a gesture. “Helped us fight off some of Adathir's men
when they tried to arrest Kaidia.

“Bah! We don't need to be telling old war stories, Rykar,”
Thorgrimm said, giving a dismissive gesture with his hand.

“Old? That was barely two months ago!” Rykar retorted.

“Yes, yes. Now, since you mentioned Kaidia, where might I find
the woman?” Thorgrimm asked.

Rykar's expression darkened. “She took an arrow laced with
Hell's Bane near the end of the fighting. She's not dead, but she's
been out of it for the past two days.”

“She took on Hell's Bane and lived? That's our girl. Any idea
when she'll wake up?” the dwarf queried. Rykar opened his mouth
to answer when one of Kaidia's Dragon Guard nearly tore the doors off
their hinges as he came bursting into the room, blue medallion
gleaming where it was set in his breastplate.

“Sire! She's awake! She's demanding you.”

“Right now, apparently,” Rykar said with a gesture to the
man in the doorway, eyes on Thorgrimm.

* * *

After a hurried jaunt across the city, Rykar, Sage, and Thorgrimm
were passed into an acolyte's care and led through Kaidia's temple
and into the back rooms where clergy lived. In the very back of the
temple, where all halls eventually led, there was a single room
reserved, much like the throne in the main room, for Kaidia. Two
Dragon Guard knights stood outside the closed door. One was Edgar,
the other was a young woman that looked to be around Kaidia's age.

Thorgrimm led the way, stumping straight toward the door. Rykar
slowed his pace and hung back, his hands rising to stop Sage and the
acolyte from following the dwarf. Sage gave him a confused look.

“Sire? Why are we stopping?” the acolyte inquired.

“Wait for it,” was all he got in response.

Thorgrimm walked toward the door, only to have the two Dragon Guards
step in front of the doorway and block his path. The dwarf paused,
growled, looked at both armored soldiers.

“Out of my way.”

“I'm afraid I cannot do that, master dwarf,” Edgar said,
obviously oblivious to who Thorgrimm was to Kaidia.

“And just why is that, boy?” Thorgrimm asked, his tone
less than friendly.

“Only certain people are allowed to see Mistress Kaidia and you
aren't on that list,” Edgar retorted.

“The hell I'm not! I've know the lass for years!”
Thorgrimm argued.

“So you say,” Edgar accused.

“You want to keep your stones, lad?” Thorgrimm asked with
deadly intent.

“Keep my stones?” Edgar asked, incredulous.

“I'll castrate you like a mongrel,” the dwarf snarled,
hand straying to a rather large dagger on his belt.

“Come and try, dwarf!” Edgar's hand went to his sword.

Then, from inside the room, came a shout. “He's fine, let him
in unless you don't want children, Edgar!”

Rykar burst into a fit of laughter, having thoroughly enjoyed the
entire scene. The acolyte was staring at Rykar, bewildered at the
king's behavior. Sage just shook her head.

“Are you sure, my Lady?” Edgar asked as he pushed the
door open.

“He's an old friend,” Kaidia answered.

The acolyte left to attend to other duties. Rykar and Sage walked up
behind Thorgrimm.

“That was fun to watch, dwarf,” Rykar remarked. Thorgrimm
whipped around and landed a backhanded fist in Rykar's gut, doubling
the man over with a grunt.

“And why weren't you there to help, jackass?!” the dwarf
roared.

Rykar took in a deep breath to replace the one that had been driven
out of him by Thorgrimm's fist. He then, rather abruptly, grabbed the
dwarf into a headlock.

“Because I knew you could handle yourself, tiny!” he
said, merrily taunting.

“Damn you to hell!” the dwarf shouted in return, twisted,
lifted Rykar off the ground and sent both of them tumbling backward
onto the marble floor. Sage groaned and put her hand to her forehead
in amused exasperation. Edgar and the other Dragon Guard had no idea
how to react to the human King brawling on the floor of the temple
with a dwarf. After a few moments, Sage tried to separate the two.

“Rykar! Thorgrimm!”

And then she was pulled down into the tussle. A few confusing moments
later, Thorgrimm was laying on his back, all by himself and
bewildered, while Sage was pinned to the floor by Rykar who looked
mildly perplexed about how he had ended up with his lover on the
floor, but not at all upset about it.

“Why, hello there, pretty lady,” he said with a wink.

“You idiot. Get off of me,” Sage said, but she couldn't
hide the smile that curved her lips.

“Ha! Bet you hear that a lot, scorpion boy!” Thorgrimm
jested as he sat up.

Meanwhile, Edgar and the other Dragon Guard looked between themselves
and the three on the floor, utterly speechless.

Sage couldn't help but laugh at Thorgrimm's last barb. Rykar snorted
in response, got up, and then helped Sage to her feet.

“You're lucky I like you, lady,” he growled playfully.

“Yeah, I am,” Sage replied, arms going around Rykar's
neck.

“Blech. You two can make googly eyes at each other later,”
Thorgrimm said as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Don't be jealous, garden gnome,” Rykar verbally jabbed
as he turned to walk to Kaidia's door. Thorgrimm shouldered him aside
in response, vying to be first. He pushed the door open, took two
steps inside, then froze. Staring him in the eye was Valka, Kaidia's
rather large panther. As if this were not enough to send Thorgrimm's
insides into a cold panic, the dwarf noticed that said panther was
lying down and it's eyes were easily level with his own.

“H... hello there, kitty,” Thorgrimm said, voice a tad
shaky. “You're a mighty large beast.”

“Valka, he's a friend,” Kaidia spoke from where she lay.
A long moment passed and the panther laid her head down against the
floor, revealing the rest of the room to Thorgrimm, who'd been blind
to all but the gigantic feline since he'd walked through the door.

Kaidia lay in a large bed in dark red cloth pants with a matching
tunic. They were soft, the highest quality of fabric. Snuggled up to
Kai's side, half asleep, was Echo. Her tail flicked lazily as her
ears perked, hearing the dwarf in the room, but she didn't open her
eyes. Thorgrimm walked up to the side of the bed while Rykar and Sage
entered the room and closed the door behind them. Rykar quickly
busied himself with petting Valka's head and neck. Sage just watched
him, silently admiring that the man, who often proved himself to be
of questionable sanity, was so enamored with the massive animal. She
had to grin when the man and the beast bumped their foreheads
together.

“What are you doing here, Thorgrimm?” Kaidia asked from
where she lay in the bed, her voice a little gravely from its lack of
use over the past couple of days.

“I heard about you and King Jackass waging a war and I wanted
to join in. Seems I missed it, though. Also, I hear you decided to
get shot by an arrow laced with Hell's Bane. I take it you're feeling
better,” the dwarf observed.

“Mostly. I think I might have a scar left from it all,”
Kaidia replied.

“Most people would be happy with the scar, all things
considered,” Thorgrimm retorted.

“I am. I'm just irritated. I do have good news for you,
however,” Kaidia said.

“Oh you do? What's that?” the dwarf asked, a brow arched.

“The twin elves that started this whole mess are still out
there. They got away when my dragon had to help me get back here.
We've got to hunt them down,” Kaidia explained.

“Ah, well, I can help with that,” Thorgrimm stated,
seemingly delighted.

“I was hoping you'd say that,” Kaidia said, giving a
smile.

“So, for what did you summon me?” Rykar asked, standing
as he did.

“To see if you had ideas on tracking those bitches down,”
Kai answered.

“Ah, well, there is good news on that front,” Rykar
stated.

“Which is?” Kai asked, a bit sharply.

“Those two scouts we sent after the twins when they met with us
outside the city on their own? They came back with the location of
the twins' camp,” Rykar revealed.

“That's all well and good, but wouldn't they have moved it by
now?” Kaidia questioned, her tone skeptical at best.

“It's possible, but the twins themselves, along with their high
ranking officers, were staying inside an ancient but fortified
structure in the forest. From the description the scouts gave me, my
best guess is an old outpost from near the beginning of the Second
Age. Also, they had a lot of equipment. I doubt they'd leave all that
behind. Beyond that, they have to know we're going to come for them
and if either of them is of a tactical mind, they'd rather defend
that outpost than fight us in the forests or open fields, ”
Rykar contended.

“Second Age? That's... that's a thousand years old, at least,”
Thorgrimm said, more to himself than anyone else.

“Probably closer to three thousand years old, if it's actually
from the beginning of the Second Age... and if our collective
knowledge about the time period is correct,” Rykar explained.

Thorgrimm paused to ponder what he knew of the Ages of Valen. The
First Age and the Second Age were both a curiosity to historians, for
different reasons. Record keeping was almost non-existent in the
First Age, so little was known about it. What few records were kept
were largely destroyed during the Second Age's constant wars, along
with many of the records of the Second Age itself. Thus, the length
of those Ages were in constant debate among historians and scholars.
The First Age was anyone's guess while the Second Age had lasted, at
least, a thousand years with some believing that it might have been
as long as four thousand years. However, the generally accepted
length was roughly three thousand years. The Third Age had been going
strong for nearly eight hundred years.

“At least it's a place to start looking,” Kaidia said as
she sat up, her muscles complaining.

“Nngh, stay put,” Echo broke her silence as she tried to
pull Kai to lie back down.

“Honey, I have things to do. So do you, probably,” Kaidia
chided lightly.

“Nu uh,” Echo protested.

“Honey?” Rykar raised a brow.

“What's this now?” Thorgrimm asked, coming out of his
cogitation of Valen's history.

“What?” Kaidia asked, looking between the two men.

“Are you two an item or something?” Thorgrimm asked,
gesturing to Kai and Echo.

“I... guess so?” Kai said, uncertain.

“Hmph. Yes, we are,” Echo muttered from where she lay.

“Congratulations! Who is she?” Thorgrimm asked.

“Echo-Seras. The highly regarded kyrian General,” Kaidia
answered.

“Well, look who's aiming high,” Thorgrimm said with a
grin.

“I always do,” Kaidia said.

Echo sat up finally, stretched her arms above her head, then yawned
aloud, showing off sharp teeth as she did. Rykar raised a brow.

“So how's it feel when she bites you during a romp in bed,
Kai?” he asked, casual as could be.

“Rykar!” Sage admonished and smacked the man's shoulder.
Thorgrimm laughed aloud. Echo blushed a little bit, obviously not
sure how to respond.

“Same way it feels when Sage bites you, I assume. Just
sharper,” Kaidia retorted playfully.

“Kaidia!” Sage exclaimed.

Thorgrimm just laughed louder.

“Touché,” Rykar replied.

Once Thorgrimm stopped laughing, Kaidia cleared her throat.

“Rykar, get what Scorpions you have left together. When you
leave the room, send Edgar in. I'll get what's left of my Dragon
Guard together as well. We'll have a meeting tonight and set out
tomorrow morning. We don't have any time to lose, especially if
they're going to try and get out of the area,” Kaidia
instructed.

“Sure thing, Dragon God,” Rykar said with a wink, then
turned on his heel to leave. Sage followed him to the door.

“I'll stick with King Wingnut, keep him out of trouble. See you
tonight,” Thorgrimm said, jerking a thumb at Rykar.

“I heard that, shrimp,” Rykar said.

“So what if ya did, lad? What're you gonna do about it?”
the dwarf challenged.

“I'll kick your ass, but after we go elf hunting,” Rykar
promised, barely hiding his grin.

As Thorgrimm, Rykar, and Sage left the room, Echo nuzzled Kaidia's
jaw and mewed softly.

“Are you sure you're well enough for all of this?” she
asked, vibrant eyes searching Kai's face.

“I am. Don't worry about me,” Kaidia assured her lover.

“Hard not to,” Echo huffed playfully.

At that moment, Edgar slipped inside.

“You wanted to see me, my Lady?” he asked, standing at
the foot of the bed, or rather, as close as he could get without
stepping on Valka.

“Yes, gather what remains of the Dragon Guard. We're going
hunting,” Kaidia said with a grin that made Edgar just a little
uneasy.

* * *

The meeting between the Scorpion Company mercenaries and the Dragon
Guard knights ended up being brief; the plan devised turned out
simple. As the mercenaries and knights filed out, Kaidia leaned
against the table that dominated the center of the room. The meeting
had been held in a room in the back of The Golden Arrow. With all the
soldiers out, Rykar left to spend the rest of his evening with Sage.
Echo looked Kaidia over. The god looked tired; she was sweating
despite the agreeable temperature in the room.

“Kaidia, you should rest,” Echo advised.

“I'll get to it,” Kai replied, looking up.

“I mean it. I have to go see the kyrian troops before they head
out in the morning. They're carrying back the bodies of our fallen to
be entombed properly. I expect you to be in your suite when I get
back,” Echo said.

“Look at you, being all bossy,” Kaidia said with a smirk.

“I'm just worried about you. Don't push yourself. I know you
heal quickly, but you're healing from something that generally kills
people in seconds. You should give yourself more time,” Echo
cautioned.

“I hear you. Now, go before you're late,” Kaidia said,
making a shooing gesture with her hand.

Echo frowned a little, but kissed Kai's cheek before slipping out of
the room. Kaidia let out a heavy breath, then slowly walked to the
door and shut it to give herself some privacy. After taking another
breath, she pulled up the hem of her tunic to look at her stomach. A
blackish-blue scar marred her otherwise toned and smooth stomach
where the arrow had torn through her flesh days prior. One hand held
the hem of her tunic up while fingers of her other hand stroked over
the scar. She dropped the tunic a moment later and leaned against the
door, shoulders sagging, breathing heavily through her nose. There
was an ache still coursing through her body, though it wasn't as bad
as it had been when she'd first awoken. Another breath and she pushed
off the door, stood straight, and left the room.

Chapter XVI: Visiting the Dead

Kaidia found herself enveloped in an impenetrable black. The air was
sweet as she breathed in, keeping her calm even as she peered into an
endless dark. Slowly, the darkness lifted, revealing a long forgotten
city. Crumbling buildings that were ancient as could be rose all
around Kaidia, clawing at the sky with their decaying towers and
rotting rafters. Vegetation grew up through the bricks of the street
Kai stood upon as well as the walls of the buildings around her.
Flowers bloomed from the foliage; new life growing among the ancient
death that was the city.

This was all very strange for Kaidia. She was used to the blinding
dark. She peered around, suspicious.

“You chose an interesting place,” a woman's voice said
from behind Kai. The god whipped around, blue eyes wide. Standing in
the middle of the overgrown street stood Ashlin, shoulder length
brown hair hanging loose, an air of peace about her. She smiled at
Kaidia warmly, love obvious in her gaze. She wore loose pants and a
similarly loose tunic. She had been fond of such clothes when she was
alive. Kaidia rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Ashlin. The
embrace was happily returned and Kai found herself surprised that Ash
was solid, as if she were still alive. In fact, as Kaidia stood
there, holding her late wife, she noticed that she heard birds
singing, felt the warmth of the sun shining in the sky, and could
smell the scent of flowers mixed with the decay of the abandoned city
around her and the scent of Ashlin that was so intoxicating and
familiar even after years of absence. Kaidia finally pulled back a
bit, hands staying on Ashlin's shoulders, keeping contact,
subconsciously afraid that Ashlin might fade away if she let go.

“I didn't choose this place,” Kai contested.

“You did, whether you realize it or not,” Ashlin replied.

“How?”

“You're growing more at ease in this state. You slip into it
more easily, which allows you to bring form to it. It is a
manifestation of where you feel at peace. Apparently, you feel at
peace in the remnants of civilization. Sentient beings no longer live
here, obviously... but life persists. You are a fascinating woman,
love,” Ashlin explained with an adoring smile.

“If you say so,” Kaidia acquiesced, taking another look
around.

“So, what did you want?” Ash asked, looking to Kaidia
expectantly.

“Huh?”

“You were the one who voluntarily slipped into your current
state. I assume you wanted to talk with me about something.”

“Oh, right, yes. I was curious why you didn't appear while I
was out of it due to the Hell's Bane.”

“Two reasons. This communication with me doesn't allow you to
rest and you needed rest more than anything else. Secondly, I didn't
want to intrude.”

“Intrude on what?”

“You and Echo-Seras,” Ashlin elaborated, giving a knowing
little smile.

“That's another reason why I deliberately sought you out,”
Kaidia said in a rare moment uncertainty.

“You want to know if I'm alright with you two being together,”
Ashlin predicted.

“Exactly,” Kaidia responded.

“I am alright with it. People have this funny notion that you
can only be in love with one person at a time. It is, of course,
completely absurd. I realize that just because you have come to have
affection for her, does not mean that your affection for me fades.
Beyond that, I know that you have physical needs that I simply cannot
satisfy in my state of being,” Ash answered in a rather matter
of fact tone.

Kaidia let out a sigh of relief. “Wonderful to hear.”

“Indeed. I know it's been bugging you, even if you don't let it
show,” Ash said with a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, well, thanks for clearing it up for me.”

“Of course, love. Now, you need to depart from here. You need
your rest before tomorrow. Let whatever power it is inside you,
finish healing you. This is only delaying the process,” Ashlin
said.

“I really don't want to go,” Kaidia said with a sigh.

“Will you ever?” Ash asked.

“No,” Kai stated without hesitation.

“Thought not. I'll be here when you decide to visit again,”
Ashlin assured.

Kaidia only nodded, and then leaned in to Ashlin, capturing the other
woman's lips in a kiss that lingered for several long moments before
she pulled back and grinned.

“Never thought I'd get to do that again.”

Ashlin only chuckled.

* * *

Kaidia woke up, fingers gripping the arms of her chair. A cool, damp
breeze blew in the open doorway to her suite's balcony and she could
hear the spattering of heavy rain outside. She pushed herself up and
walked to the doorway, leaning against the frame. A flash of
lightning turned the night into day for a moment, illuminating all
that Kai could see. When it all sank back into darkness, it took a
moment for her eyes to adjust. Lights dotted the city, peeking out
from windows and hanging in lanterns by doorways, their fire
protected by coverings. Some of the lights were sorcerous in nature;
little spheres of light conjured and placed into glass housings.
Mageware shops sold them all the time. If the container that housed
them was kept from damage, the lights would last for two or three
years before dying.

Kaidia smiled lightly. She remembered her mother making such lights
when she was young. Conjuring light was one of the first bits of
sorcery that most magic users learned. However, Kai and Nadia had
both skipped it and went straight to combative sorcery.

“Nadia... I hope you've awoken,” Kaidia said to herself
as she watched the rain fall.

Chapter XVII: The Ancient Outpost

The morning dawned overcast and dense with fog. The obscuring haze
paid no heed to the city walls and clouded Silver Lake's streets.
Kaidia smiled as she walked toward the city gates; she rather enjoyed
days like today. The fact that she had Echo at her side made it
better. The arrow wound on her stomach had all but completely healed.

“Why not try to get help from the others?” Echo asked,
breaking the quiet of the morning.

“Others?” Kaidia asked in return.

“The armies you gathered together,” Echo clarified.

“Beyond the fact that they've all already sacrificed more than
enough, some have already left, and this is something I want to take
care of on my own,” Kaidia said, her voice edging into a growl.

“And if you fail?” Echo asked.

“You think I'm going to?” Kai asked, her mouth curved
into a half smile.

“No, but there's always a chance. Those twins aren't
weaklings,” Echo said.

“If I die in the process of trying, I suppose it's not really
my concern anymore, is it?” Kaidia asked, her mouth still
holding that charmingly lop-sided smile.

“That's not a good way to look at it,” Echo scolded with
a soft growl to her voice.

“Don't worry. I have no plans on dying any time soon, kitten,”
Kaidia said, her voice placating.

“Kitten?” Echo asked, ears laying back a little. “You're
lucky I like you.”

Kaidia only chuckled. She approached the main gate of the city where
several Dragon Guard and several Scorpion mercenaries had already
gathered. All of them gave Kaidia nods and a wide berth.

“Rykar is late?” she asked the group.

“Probably still in bed with Sage,” Malcade said from a
few paces behind Kai.

The god turned around, an amused smirk on her lips. Several of the
Scorpions chuckled. Malcade stopped in front of Kaidia, smiling with
genuine warmth.

“Good to see you back on your feet, Kaidia,” he said.

“Good to see you didn't get killed in the battle,” Kai
replied.

“Not for lack of effort. I'm not sure how many blades nearly
took my head off,” the flame-haired man said.

“Well, there were, what, three hundred thousand soldiers with
blades aimed our way?” Kaidia asked, trying to remember the
reports she'd read before the battle.

“Around that number, at first. Then your dragon evened the
odds,” Mal answered.

“More than evened the odds if you take into account the damage
to their morale,” Kaidia said.

“Yeah, that shook them up pretty good,” Malcade agreed
with a chuckle.

“Rykar informed me of just how many died,” Kaidia said,
abruptly somber.

“There were many. Nearly all of their army, over half of our
own,” Malcade replied, his own mood having sobered.

“Well then, let us not allow those sacrifices to be in vain!”
Rykar exclaimed, suddenly appearing at Malcade's side. The bigger man
jumped in surprise.

“Must you do that?!” he exclaimed. Rykar's grin implied
that, yes, he must.

Echo glanced around, looking for Sage.

“Where's your mate?” the kyrian asked, bright blue eyes
on Rykar.

“She's working in the forges. Lots of repair work to be done
after the battle,” Rykar answered, readjusting the shield
strapped to his back.

“I can imagine,” Echo replied.

“Whatever you're imagining... double it,” Rykar said with
a chuckle.

Kaidia glanced around. All the men and women gathered, be they
Rykar's mercenaries or her own knights, were armed and armored. After
considering multiple options the evening before, everyone had come to
agree that a head on assault was the best idea and it was obvious
that everyone was prepared for just that.

Rykar was in full heavy plate armor. His new shield, scraped and
scuffed from the battle days before, was strapped to his back, his
sword at his hip, and most importantly... there was a big grin on his
face. The man loved a good fight.

Nearly everyone was wearing heavy armor, aside from a handful of
archers. Even Echo was wearing something heavier than her usual
leather armor; light plate that afforded her extra protection and
limited her agility only a little. Thorgrimm, who was talking
animatedly to a group of Dragon Guards, was wearing heavy plate armor
that seemed like it'd be too heavy for the dwarf, but he seemed to be
moving in it just fine. Kaidia took a breath address everyone
gathered, but stopped short when she heard an exclamation from
behind.

“Hey! Dragon God!”

Kaidia turned, eyebrow quirked at the hail. Jogging toward her was a
Sorku elf that she vaguely recognized. It took a moment before
recognition dawned on her. Wylkas Brione, commander of the Sorku
elite soldiers.

“Commander Brione, how may I help you?” she asked.

“I was more interested in helping you, if you'll have me,”
Wylkas said with an easy, lopsided grin. His bow was in hand, the
thin blades mounted along the front appearing lackluster in the dull
light. His short sword hung on his hip and he wore lightweight
leather armor.

“I'd be happy to have you along, but don't you have soldiers to
attend?” Kaidia asked.

“My second in command is leading them back home,” Wylkas
replied.

“How many did you lose?” Kai questioned.

“Only a few... but I want to make sure their sacrifices weren't
for nothing,” the elf returned.

“Welcome aboard, then,” Kaidia said with a nod.

“My thanks, Dragon God,” he said with a nod of his own.

Kaidia thought about mentioning that he didn't have to call her that,
but knew that, in the long run, she was going to have to get used to
the title, so she just whistled to get everyone's attention. When all
eyes were on her, she motioned toward the gate.

“Let's move out!”

* * *

Kaidia, Rykar, Echo, and Wylkas led the band of warriors through the
forest as evening fell. The god, the king, the general, and the
commander were spread out among the front of the group. Malcade and
Thorgrimm brought up the rear. They had foregone horses, or in the
case of Kai and Echo, panthers. The trees of the forest were close
together and the underbrush was thick. While the panthers could have
navigated with only minor trouble, horses wouldn't have made it. Echo
and Kai could have rode their mounts anyway, but they would have just
left everyone else behind.

Echo and Wylkas had been listening for the sound of a stream, river,
or brook as the sun started to set. Both the kyrian and the elf
picked up on the strong sound of flowing water before anyone else.
They led the way to a large clearing in the forest. The ground was
covered in a soft grass, a river ran to one side of it and the
moonlight shone down onto the group of warriors through the hole in
the forest canopy.

“Someone start a fire,” Rykar ordered.

“Is that safe?” one of the Scorpions, a younger man,
asked.

“We're hunting them, they're not looking for us,” Rykar
replied.

“Even if they were, we would hear them coming,” Wylkas
said, gesturing between himself and Echo.

Several members of both the Dragon Guard and the Scorpion Company
ventured back into the forest to find wood for the fire while the
remaining members started clearing out a place in the center of the
grassy clearing for the fire. Rykar, Kaidia, Echo, Malcade,
Thorgrimm, and Wylkas gathered by the river after setting down their
packs.

“The river is good. If someone were coming for us, they
wouldn't come from there,” Wylkas commented.

“Well, like I said, I don't think we have to worry about it.
They're probably still licking their wounds,” Rykar replied.

“How far is the outpost from here?” Kai asked.

“If we leave here at the break of dawn, we should reach it by
mid-day,” Malcade answered.

“Do we even know how we're going to get in?” Echo asked.

“Straight through the front fucking door,” Rykar growled.

“Sneaking in won't be an option. They will be on alert. There's
no way they're not expecting us if they're still camped in that
outpost,” Kaidia supplied.

“I like a good brawl,” Wylkas said with a grin that Rykar
immediately decided he liked. He hadn't seen Wylkas fighting outside
of Silver Lake simply because there had been so many people. Not to
mention the fact that he was busy keeping himself from experiencing
the irritating side effects of death, like not breathing.

“Good, you'll have one tomorrow,” Kai replied.

“When we get close, we'll see the lay of the land and plan on
the fly. The scouts informed me of what it was like, but being told
about it and seeing it in person are two different things,”
Rykar said.

“And that's about all we can do for now,” Kai said with a
soft sigh.

“So, we should eat,” Malcade suggested with a grin.

“I agree,” Thorgrimm stated, breaking his unusual
silence.

* * *

Thorgrimm stood off on his own after the evening meal, away from all
the rest who had gathered around the roaring fire to share stories
and relax. He had found himself preoccupied since this morning and
now stood staring into the woods, seemingly convinced that the dark
forest held the answer to sorting out his thoughts.

Everyone had noticed he was quiet. Those that didn't know him didn't
give his silence a second thought. Those that did know him wondered
what had him so introspective. Kaidia finally let her curiosity get
the better of her and she left the fire's side to walk over near the
edge of the forest and stand next to the dwarf. After a few moments
of silence, she spoke up.

“So, what's got your beard in a twist, old man?” she
asked.

“I'm not old!” Thorgrimm snarled.

“You are compared to me,” Kaidia said with a smirk.

“Yes, well, not among my people, you whippersnapper,”
Thorgrimm retorted, the hint of a smirk on his lips hidden by his
beard, but it reached his eyes.

“Semantics. Now, what's got the loud dwarf so quiet?”
Kaidia asked.

“Just a few thoughts that have crept into my mind that are
troubling,” Thorgrimm admitted with a shrug of his shoulders,
armor clinking softly.

“And those thoughts are?” Kaidia pressed.

“Just that this seems strange,” Thorgrimm said.

“What does?”

“This war, the resurrection of Adathir before that. Why all
this disruption after so many centuries of peace?” Thorgrimm
asked, more rhetorically than anything else.

“I agree.”

“You do?”

“Yes. Just Adathir could have been nothing. But Adathir and
then this right afterward? It's either a very strange coincidence or
someone or something is pulling strings and pushing people to act on
their impulses. I mean, the last time we had war on gods was the
Second Age,” Kai expounded.

“There are some elves that were alive then. Surely some of them
have noticed this,” Thorgrimm speculated.

“One would think but I wouldn't know which elves to ask and
even if I did, it's not like they'd see me to talk about it,”
Kaidia said with a shrug.

“Yes they would. You might be young, but you are a god,
regardless of how you feel about it. They will gladly give you an
audience,” the dwarf contested.

“Maybe so. I'd still have to find out who to go to. I'm not
exactly neck deep in elven affairs. Perhaps I'll ask Xerith,”
Kaidia suggested.

“As good a place as any to start. I'd do it as soon as possible
too. If we're correct, then this isn't going to be the last of the
problems we have to deal with,” Thorgrimm advised.

“I agree, but first things first. We have to go take care of
the remains of this army,” Kaidia said.

“Aye. Ought to be fun,” Thorgrimm said, giving a grin.

“I was hoping you'd say that,” Kaidia replied, clapping
the dwarf on the shoulder.

The pair walked back toward the roaring bonfire that Rykar had called
a “good start” of a campfire.

* * *

The next morning, the group walked on through a forest choked with
mist, trees looming out of the fog in front of them, only to
disappear again behind them. Kaidia found she enjoyed it. There was
something peaceful about the mist hanging in the air, clinging to the
trees, dampening her skin and clothes.

The serene walk was not to last. By mid-morning, the morning fog that
Kai so adored had been burned away by the sun. The group had gladly
taken a shortcut through a massive clearing, tired of walking through
the dense undergrowth of the forest. The only decoration in the
clearing was an ancient statute depicting some long forgotten god.
Kaidia briefly wondered if there would be statues of her like that
some day, with people wondering who she had been.

There was little conversation, but what little there was trailed off
when everyone felt a faint tremor underfoot. Dragon Guard, Scorpion
mercenaries, god, dwarf, king, and military officers alike all
stopped and looked around at one another.

“So everyone else felt that too, right?” one of the
Scorpions asked.

There was a general murmur of agreement, a few nods. Another tremor,
stronger, shook the ground again.

“Whatever that is, it's getting closer,” Echo warned, not
that anyone needed to be told.

“There,” Wylkas said, pointing off to the group's
collective right side.

Everyone turned their attention to where he was pointing. At first,
only Wylkas and Echo could see, but in a few moments, everyone could
see trees shaking. One by one, in succession, as if something were
striking them one at a time; and each tree that shook was closer than
the last. It took only a moment for the threat to reveal itself. A
roaring monster burst from the trees. It was huge, looked only
vaguely human, and brandished a massive club that was run through
with several massive nails. What they were made to hold together was
anyone's guess. The creature's facial features were horrifically
deformed. It had eyes, a nose, a mouth... but nothing about it could
be mistaken for human. Its skin was a mottled black and grey and it
stood roughly ten feet tall. It lacked hair of any sort.

The nearest soldiers to it, a male Dragon Guard and female Scorpion
mercenary, had drawn their weapons, but looked entirely unprepared to
fight such a monster.

“That's a fucking demon!” Wylkas shouted.

“Demon?!” Kaidia demanded.

“I'm old enough to recognize them, though I haven't seen one
since the Second Age,” the elven warrior said, gazing upon the
large creature with awe. The demon gazed around at the group of
warriors, and then focused on the two closest to himself. He started
for them, thundering steps carrying him forward. His club swung
forward in an underhanded strike. The two soldiers raised their
shields to ward off the strike. At the last moment they were both
shoved aside by Rykar, who had his own shield raised. The spiked club
smashed against his shield and an electric shock crackled through the
air. Rykar was lifted from his feet and sent through the air by the
force of the blow. He crashed down with a grunt and the metallic
crash of armor.

The demon's club cracked and fell apart into chunks of charred wood
and nails deformed by the heat of Rykar's sorcerous lightning. The
demon shook his hand, trying to work the burning numbness from it
before roaring in anger.

Rykar growled and slowly stood up, shaking off the jarring effects of
the strike. Throgrimm was the first person to his side.

“Are ya alright, lad?” he asked.

“I don't think anything is broken,” Rykar muttered.

“Aside from your damned head! That could have killed you!”
Thorgrimm shouted, eyes wild.

“Better me than those soldiers!” Rykar retorted, rounding
on the dwarf.

Thorgrimm looked Rykar in the eyes for a moment before nodding,
agreeing with Rykar. It was seen as a great quality in a leader to be
willing to sacrifice.

“Fine, lad. And you did take out his weapon,” Thorgrimm
said, his voice calmer.

As if hearing the dwarf's words, the demon knelt down, then slammed
his hand into the ground, only to pull a massive sword from the dirt,
much to everyone's surprise and confusion.

“Nevermind,” Thorgrimm muttered.

“What the hell?! Was that buried there the whole fucking
time?!” Rykar shouted, gesturing to the sword in the demon's
hand. The blade's metal was made of many colors, as if fused together
from many different metals.

“No, it's an ancient magic. He created the blade from minerals
and metals in the ground,” Echo said, her voice tinged with
awe.

“I've never heard of that,” Kaidia remarked.

“Nor would you have any reason to. No one remembers how to work
that sort of magic,” Echo replied.

“Apparently he does!” Rykar said, gesturing to the demon.

“Well, we're going to have to take him down,” Thorgrimm
said, unsheathing his axe.

“Kaidia, take everyone, keep going. I'll handle the twins'
little pet here,” Rykar said, overtaken with an abrupt calm
that mingled with a growing excitement. Kaidia simply nodded.

“Dragon Guard, on me!” she ordered and started walking
on. Edgar seconded the command, and Kaidia's knights followed her.
Echo and Wylkas walked with them. Malcade rushed up beside Rykar.

“Are you nuts? You can't take that on alone!” the red
haired man growled.

“Oh ye of little faith, Malcade. You're in command of the
Scorpions until I return. Get going,” Rykar commanded, giving
his old friend a look. Malcade scowled.

“I don't like it, but fine,” Malcade said, clapped Rykar
on the shoulder. “Win.”

“I intend to,” Rykar replied.

“Scorpions, move out!” Malcade shouted and followed after
Kaidia and her knights. The Scorpion mercenaries followed Malcade,
many giving Rykar nods as they walked past. The demon seemed focused
on Rykar and didn't try to stop the departure of the soldiers. Only
Thorgrimm remained at Rykar's side, ready to fight.

“Go with them, dwarf,” Rykar said.

“Are you mad? Like I'd let you fight this monstrosity on your
own!” Thorgrimm argued.

“He'll step on you, tiny,” Rykar taunted with a grin.

“Let 'im try! I'll put my axe up through his fuckin' foot!”
the dwarf snarled.

“I've got this. Kaidia is the most important piece in play
here. Go. Protect her,” Rykar reasoned.

Thorgrimm looked uncertain for a moment, looked up at Rykar sideways.
“You sure?” he asked.

“I am. Go. You can buy me an ale when we get back to Silver
Lake,” Rykar said with a smirk.

“Count on it, lad,” Thorgrimm said. He took a moment,
reluctant to leave, but finally sheathed his axe and ran off to catch
up with the rest of the group, leaving Rykar alone to stare down the
demon.

“Alright, you magnificent bastard. Just you and me. Let's have
some fun,” Rykar said as he drew his sword. The demon's only
response was an ear-splitting roar before rushing forward.

Out in the forest, Kaidia turned to look back as she heard the roar,
then narrowed her eyes against the blinding flash of lightning that
followed. The crackling thunder that rumbled through the air
afterward nearly shook several soldiers off their feet.

Chapter XVIII: Knock Knock

Kaidia only allowed herself to think about Rykar until the outpost
was within her sight, then she forced her thoughts to the business at
hand. She and everyone else crouched low and crept to the edge of the
trees. A small field was all that separated them from their target.
The outpost was more like a large, permanent base. The building
itself was built to last, as it had for all these centuries. It was
constructed of stone and steel, stood several stories tall, and was
nearly entirely bereft of ornamentation. Those in charge of its
construction had obviously valued practicality over style. At one
time, it had a tower in the front, right hand corner but it had been
destroyed in some long forgotten battle that had taken place
centuries ago. From what Kaidia could see, there was a courtyard near
the back for training and exercising, but the rest of the building
was enclosed and who knew how many dungeon levels it might have. A
wide and likely rather deep river ran in front of the building,
necessitating the drawbridge that hung slightly ajar by ancient
chains at the front of the building. It was the only obvious way
inside.

What concerned the god more were the heavily armed and armored
soldiers that stood guard on the side of the river closest to her and
her own. Each one of them was wearing heavy plate armor and they
carried a variety of weapons from bastard swords to battle axes to
halberds. Around half of them carried heavy shields as well. They
were expecting an attack. They likely assumed there would be a
retaliation for the death of the Dragon God coming.

“They're going to be surprised to see me,” Kai remarked
with a chuckle.

“Oh?” Echo asked.

“Sure. I'm sure that even if the twins think I could possibly
have survived, they would have told their remaining forces that I
died in the battle at Silver Lake just to boost morale. Either that
or they're arrogant as hell and just assumed I died,” Kaidia
explained.

“I'm not sure I'd call it arrogance. Hell's Bane is the most
deadly toxin known to Valen,” Echo reasoned.

“Either way, I guarantee that those soldiers aren't expecting
me,” Kaidia argued gently.

“Fair enough, but is the element of surprise going to be
enough?” Echo asked.

“Maybe, but I don't see any better options, do you?” Kai
asked back.

“No,” Echo admitted, her bright blue eyes surveying the
outpost.

Kaidia glanced around for Wylkas. Upon catching his eye, she motioned
him toward her. The elven commander crept soundlessly to her side
with an expectant look.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I assume those soldiers are within range of your bow,”
Kaidia said, gesturing to the guards outside of the building.

“Easily, but I'm not sure any arrows will pierce that armor and
aiming for weak spots on moving targets is tricky at best,”
Wylkas answered.

“Well then, you can let them know we're here,” Kaidia
said with a smile.

“Oh, that I can, madame. That I can,” Wylkas grinned.

“Good. Then take all the archers we have, get them into
position along the edge of the trees. Fire at will unless the battle
makes it too risky. If that happens, join in,” Kaidia
instructed.

Wylkas nodded, then crept off quietly to gather the archers, both
Dragon Guard and Scorpion, to tell them of the plan.

“Think that'll work?” Echo asked.

“It's all we've got. Plenty of those guards are standing still
or sitting. Hell, that one there is sharpening his sword,” Kai
said with a gesture. “The first volley arrows should easily
find their marks. After that, it's just about distracting them until
the rest of us can get close enough to fight. I don't care what you
see coming your way in terms of soldiers, if you know arrows are
flying at your face, your attention is going to be divided.”

Echo nodded. Kaidia glanced around to see the archers taking their
positions. Some were on the ground; others were up in the trees.
Wylkas grabbed Kai's shoulder for a moment, letting her know he was
ready before he nimbly scaled a tree right in front of her, finding a
high branch on which to perch. He slung his bow off of his shoulder,
nocked his arrow, and drew it back. The arrowhead glowed, infused
with sorcerous energy. Wylkas had just learned to channel magical
power through his weapons and while he'd gotten a chance to use the
ability with his sword during the battle at Silver Lake, he'd yet to
have a chance to try it out with an arrow. Now, seemed as good a time
as any.

The still silence that hung in the air seemed to stretch on for ages
as everyone held their breath. Then, just as Kaidia heard the arrow
release, she heard a branch break. In the next moment, Wylkas landed
on his feet in front and off to the right of Kaidia, arrows filled
the air, Wylkas' glowing arrow in the lead. The elf's arrow flew
wide, clanged off of a shield, and shot high. In a stroke of
ridiculously ludicrous luck, the arrow hit one chain of the
drawbridge, ricocheted off of it, and hit the other chain, the
magical energy stored in the arrowhead discharging on both chains as
it struck them. Both chains, weakened by centuries in the elements,
broke. The drawbridge dropped. Several unlucky soldiers were sitting
right where the heavy bridge crashed down on the opposite bank. They
were crushed before they ever knew what had happened. Several other
soldiers fell over dead, victims of the more conventional death by
arrow.

“Rykar is going to be sorry he missed that,” Malcade
muttered to himself.

Kaidia looked at Wylkas, incredulous. The elf just shrugged slowly,
obviously struggling with the probability of what had just happened
as well.

“I missed?” he said, uncertain if that was sufficient to
explain it.

Kai didn't even have a response for that. She just shook her head,
drew her sword, and started out of the trees. Another volley of
arrows rained down on the confused soldiers who were still trying to
piece together just how a handful of their comrades had been
flattened by the drawbridge. As arrows felled a few more, they
decided that they didn't much care.

Kaidia's small force clashed with the guards of the outpost in a
violent ringing of steel that was accented with a few shouts of the
suddenly wounded. The archers soon joined in, bows thrown aside to be
retrieved later and swords unsheathed as they drew near. Wylkas
defied the norm of tossing his bow aside. He waded into the fight,
firing off arrows at point blank range, slashing and blocking with
the blades on his bow, and, in one instance, stabbing someone to
death with an arrow. He skillfully avoided his allies, moving in and
out of them with a grace that humans couldn't match. Even Kai's
movements, which were smooth and fluid, looked clumsy and clunky in
comparison. The only one on the field that could match Wylkas was
Echo. Thorgrimm's movements, though powerful, seemed even more
unwieldy next to the elf and the kyrian.

The battle was short and brutal; men and women cut down and left to
die in the grass and dirt. Even with the elements of surprise and
distraction, Kai's group lost a few members, but the guarding force
lost everyone.

“If we win all this, we'll bury these people when we come back
this way,” Kaidia said, wiping her blade on the tunic of a
fallen warrior whose armor she had rent open just moments before.

“Noble,” Wylkas remarked as he walked past, heading for
the drawbridge.

“Wylkas, Echo, Malcade, Thorgrimm, Edgar, and myself will push
on inside. The rest of you set up guard just inside the doorway and
out in front of the drawbridge, just in case. We have no idea what
other tricks like that demon these twins have up their sleeves,”
Kaidia instructed.

“Actually, I'd like to stay with my soldiers,” Malcade
said.

“Myself, as well, if that's alright, my Lady,” Edgar
added.

Kaidia looked between the two men, then nodded. She understood the
notion, wanting to stay with your troops. They were their commanders'
responsibility, after all.

“Alright. Probably a good idea to have experienced commanders
out here, just in case something does happen,” Kaidia said
before turning and heading across the drawbridge and into the
outpost.

* * *

The interior of the building seemed to be as plain and bare as the
exterior as far as Kaidia could tell. However, it was almost certain
that whatever living quarters the twins had chosen would be lavishly
furnished.

Cautiously working their way through the empty hallways, weapons
drawn, the small group passed many rooms that hadn't seen human
occupation in generations. Then came a few rooms that were sparsely
furnished, but had been lived in recently - lower ranked officers
more than likely.

“Must have run out of officers before they ran out of rooms,”
Thorgrimm commented quietly.

Wylkas gave a grunt of agreement. Kaidia glanced to Echo, a thought
occurring to her.

“Echo?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you put on armor before we left instead of summoning
it to you when you needed it?”

“Because this armor isn't enchanted to do that and I wanted
something heavier than my usual armor.”

“Ah.”

Everyone fell silent once more. The rooms they passed started to
become more richly decorated. Though most of the occupants of these
rooms would never return. It was even possible that none would. The
eerie silence of the place was broken as the group rounded a corner.
There was a loud battle cry, then the metallic thunk of an axe blade
smashing into the wall above Thorgrimm's head. The man who swung it
was a tall, heavily muscled human in heavy armor who looked somewhat
confused. Apparently, he had expected a human, kyrian, or elf... but
not a dwarf. The axe blade that was now stuck in the stone of the
wall had landed at the perfect height to decapitate a man or woman of
average height... but not a dwarf.

“Haha!” cried Thorgrimm as he thrust the spiked head of
his axe into the man's gut. Armor kept it from being a wounding blow
but it knocked the wind out of him and caused him to stumble
backward, letting go of the haft of his axe in the process. Thorgrimm
wasted little time and rammed his shoulder into the man's gut,
shoving the bigger warrior back into the wall. The man doubled over
as Thorgrimm stepped back, raised his axe, and split the man's head
like a ripe melon.

“Try to lop MY head off? Hmph!”

“Look out!” Kaidia shouted.

Thorgrimm looked up just in time for his view to get blocked by
Kaidia, who used her sword to deflect a thrown dagger. Thorgrimm's
eyebrows rose as he was treated to a rather glorious view of Kai's
leather clad backside.

“Well, this is a pleasant view,” the dwarf remarked.

“Now isn't the time!” Kaidia growled. Echo laughed and
Wylkas smirked.

Kaidia's body was briefly shrouded in black smoke. When it cleared,
her dark armor had covered her body, obscuring Thorgrimm's view.
Kaidia took off at a run. The person who had thrown the dagger was
still at the end of the hall.

“Get everyone! I've found 'em! They killed Coros!” the
man shouted down the next hallway to someone Kaidia couldn't see. The
man drew his sword just in time to collide with Kaidia. The god
shoved him backward as their swords scraped together. He used the
momentum to jump backward and give himself some space. He swung his
sword downward, only to have it blocked by Kai's blade. Her foot
slammed into his knee with a sickening crack and his leg buckled,
causing him to involuntarily kneel, stunned by the pain. Kai used
that stunned moment to bring her blade across sideways, the blade
cutting through the side of his face, cleanly slicing the top half of
his head off. The body crumpled and Kaidia looked up the way he'd
shouted. Coming from far down the hall was a whole group of armored
men and women, weapons drawn, eyes fixed on her. Kaidia raised her
arm, palm of her hand facing the oncoming warriors.

“Don't waste your energy,” Echo said as she skidded to a
stop beside the god.

“Hm?” Kai grunted.

“You still have to fight the twins,” Echo explained.

“I figured I'd have you at my back for that,” Kaidia
said, confused.

“I'm going to have to help Wylkas and Thorgrimm fight these
guys off, there's just too many of them,” Echo gestured,
talking fast. “I'll catch up when we're done. We all will.”

“Alright. Careful,” Kaidia said, taking a precious moment
to kiss Echo quickly before sprinting off, passing between Thorgrimm
and Wylkas as she did. The dwarf and elf stopped on either side of
the kyrian.

“Commander Wylkas, would you start us off?” Echo
requested.

“Gladly,” Wylkas said. He pulled an arrow from his
quiver, nocked it, drew it back, took aim, and let it fly. The arrow
whistled through the air and then buried itself in the knee of the
man leading the charge. He instantly fell, men and women in heavy
armor tripping over him, falling, leading to most of them hitting the
floor. Thorgrimm laughed and charged forward, Wylkas and Echo
following suit.

Chapter XIX: The Final Battle

Kaidia ran along the halls, searching for each new turn that would
lead her toward the back of the compound. She'd already run past the
center of the place and found out it wasn't a central-based building,
but that it was set up front to back. The twins' quarters were likely
right next to the training yard in the back.

She kept an eye out for guards, but saw no one as she hurried down
one hall, then another. She paused as she turned a corner and spied
heavy double doors at the end of the hall. She slowly crept closer,
all senses on alert. Everything was quiet, the hall devoid of life as
she stepped up to the doors. With her sword in one hand, her free
hand pushed the doors open hard, slamming them against the wall on
either side of the doorway.

The revealed room looked to run from one side of the building to the
other. The walls were lined with bookshelves, the floors covered in
rich rugs and soft furs, and the walls were a deep red. There was a
bed at each end of the room, one for each twin, but the twins were
standing opposite of Kaidia, against the back wall of the room, armed
and armored, looking as if they were expecting the god to come
bursting in on them.

“Kaidia, welcome,” Sesaria said with a false warmth in
her voice.

“I see you survived my arrow,” Alyssia observed.

“Yes, I survived your cheap attempt on my life. It'll take more
than a toxic arrow to do me in,” Kaidia growled.

“Oh, confident. I like it,” Sesaria said with a grin.

“Sure you do,” Kaidia said, raising her sword.

Sesaria and Alyssia drew their own swords and stepped apart, looking
to get on either side of Kaidia, whose dark blue hues flicked between
one elf, then the other, ignoring the beauty of the two and focusing
on just how deadly the pair were. In a sudden burst of movement, Kai
threw a blazing bolt of fire toward Sesaria and launched herself in
the opposite direction at Alyssia, wanting to attack the bitch who
shot her with an arrow, up close and personal.

Alyssia brought her short sword up in time to parry Kaidia's first
strike. But it left her open and Kai took that moment to slam her
forehead into the elf's nose, breaking it with a satisfying crunch.
Alyssia backpedaled as pain lanced through her head, blood streamed
down over her mouth and chin, and unavoidable tears blurred her
vision. Kaidia was counting on that natural reaction and pressed her
attack, taking another slash at the half-blind elf. Alyssia managed
to block the attack, but her sword was jarred from her grip and
clattered to the floor.

Kaidia closed in to finish off the wounded Alyssia, but paused as she
sensed movement behind her. The god whirled around and slammed her
elbow into Sesaria's cheekbone as the elf lunged at her from behind.

“Ankle biter,” Kaidia growled. Sesaria took a few steps
back, then launched herself at Kaidia head on. Their swords clashed
and Kai slammed her fist into the elf's rib cage. Sesaria grunted,
pushed Kai's sword aside with her own, and swung an elbow at the
other woman's face. It connected with a dull thud, causing Kaidia to
step back and gather herself. Sesaria took a moment to do the same.

Alyssia stepped up beside Sesaria, working her broken nose back into
place with a wince. Sesaria glanced at her.

“She hits hard,” one twin said to the other.

“She does. That hurt,” the other replied.

“Converse later,” Kaidia growled.

“Impatient,” Sesaria huffed.

“I have things to do later,” Kaidia said with a shrug.

“How can you have things to do if you're dead?” Sesaria
asked, tossing her braid with a jerk of her head.

“You two had your chance at killing me. You gave it your best
shot, you failed. I'm just here to kill you so you don't cause me
anymore trouble,” Kai answered.

“Best shot?” Alyssia asked.

“Not even close,” Sesaria snarled. With that, the pair
shot forward and attacked in unison. Kaidia blocked Sesaria's sword
strike and barley dodged Alyssia's sword, but she couldn't dodge the
knee that rammed into her gut. She wasn't sure which twin's knee it
was, she was just sure it hurt.

She fought back with a left fist to Alyssia's chin and a sword thrust
at Sesaria's gut. Alyssia stumbled backward with a curse as Sesaria
twirled out of the blade's way. The twins came together, presenting a
unified target for Kaidia. The god set her feet and pushed off,
launching herself at the twins.

The pair of elves raised their hands at the last moment, a bolt of
fire and a bolt of lightning mingled together, collided with Kaidia's
chest, and sent the deity flying backward. She impacted the wall and,
thanks to the force of the magical assault, went crashing straight
through the stone. She tumbled to the ground and rolled, disoriented.
She only barely took notice of both elves running out of the hole in
the wall that her body had made. They ran right at her, then leapt
over her and ran toward the center of the training yard.

As Kaidia pushed herself up and focused her eyes, she took noticed of
what the twins had so quickly converged upon. A stone altar stood in
the middle of the training yard, a twin on either side of it. It was
plain in design, flat and smooth on all sides. Every square inch of
it was inscribed with runes that Kai didn't recognize.

The twins held their swords at their sides and each put their free
hand on the top of the stone. As they did so, the runes became
suffused with an eerie, pale glow. Kaidia stood, natural curiosity
giving her a moment's pause. The altar's glow intensified, causing
Kai to narrow her eyes against the bright light. Within moments, it
grew so bright that she had to close her eyes against it. When it
began to fade, she opened her eyes and looked back toward the altar.

Towering over the alter, which was no longer aglow, was a hulking
humanoid creature much like the demon that Rykar had stayed back to
fight. This demon, as Kaidia was sure it was just that, was several
times taller, however. He was also handsome, in a way. He wasn't
deformed, just the opposite in fact. Instead of roaring, he spoke.

“Dragon God. You have been irritating me to no end these past
few days. I had hoped these two could get rid of you, but for all
their beauty and skill, they seem incapable of doing so. I think I
should just do the job myself,” he said, his voice deep,
rumbling in his chest.

“You're welcome to try, Khamora,” Kaidia growled in
return, instinctively knowing who she was looking upon.

“Feisty,” the demon said with a chuckle before starting
forward. He took no heed when Kaidia's eyes flared a telling,
brilliant blue and he paid for it in the next moment. Kai's massive
blue dragon swooped out of the sky and slammed bodily into the demon,
smashing him to the ground, and crushing his altar in the process.
The elves only just got out of the way of the two titanic bodies as
they fell toward the stone floor of the training ground.

The dragon drew its head back, fire at the back of its throat,
prepared to roast the demon's face. At the last moment, then massive
demon slammed his fist into the side of the dragon's head, the jet of
flame melting flagstones instead of the demon's head. The blue
leviathan's head snapped back around and it let out a thundering,
enraged roar. The demon pushed the dragon away and stood up, only to
get cracked across the face with the dragon's tail, sending him
sprawling into the outer wall of the training grounds. The wall,
ancient and brittle, crumbled under his weight. The demon stumbled
and the dragon rushed into him, claws digging at his flesh, pushing
him out of the grounds, leaving the Kaidia alone with the two elves
once more.

“You two had to know that would happen just as it did,”
Kaidia accused.

“We were hoping he'd get to you before you could summon your
companion,” Alyssia admitted.

“We gambled, it didn't pay off,” Sesaria said with a
shrug.

Kaidia looked around. There were several pillars in the yard, from
the looks of it, they had once held up a roof to shade part of the
grounds. At some point in the past, the roof had been destroyed,
judging by the damaged and scorched tops of the pillars. The god had
a few ideas about just how to use those heavy stone columns to her
benefit, if she could get the elves to them.

She didn't have another moment to ponder it, however, as the twins
attacked in unison. She side-stepped Alyssia's sword stroke, and
deflected Sesaria's attack. She then launched her own attack at
Alyssia, a vicious sideways slash of her blade. The elf danced
backward to avoid the strike, ponytail bouncing with her movements.
Sesaria attacked from behind and Kai managed to turn in time to
deviate the course of the elf's sword with her own blade, but she
couldn't avoid Alyssia's fist as she took advantage of the moment.
The punch cracked Kaidia in the jaw and sent her stumbling back a few
steps.

Alyssia pressed her attack and was kicked backward by an irritated
Kaidia, who couldn't whirl around in time to block or evade Sesaria's
next attack. Kai managed to jerk to the side just enough that the
sword just cut her forearm between two plates of her armor instead of
running through her stomach.

She had no more than hissed at the sting of the cut than she had to
bat away Alyssia's next attack with the flat of her black sword, only
to have Sesaria nearly land another killing stroke.

Kai jumped backward and put distance between herself and the nimble
elves. She took a moment to appraise the situation. She was starting
to feel the heat of the sun beating down on her heavy black armor.
Even she would succumb to fatigue at some point. The elven twins had
on much lighter armor, giving them an advantage in regard to the
heat, not to mention agility.

“Come then, elflings. Attack me,” Kaidia taunted.

The two elven siblings looked confident to the point of arrogance.
They knew of their advantages, but seemed to be drawing out every
moment they could, taking their time. After several long moments of
walking closer, they lunged for Kai. The dark-haired woman spun away
from Alyssia's attack, dodged Sesaria's, then grabbed the braided
twin by the head, and flung her through the air, intent on breaking
her neck. Sesaria slammed straight into one of the pillars. She hit
it with a cringe-worthy thud and fell to the ground, stunned, but
most certainly not dead.

Alyssia rushed to her sister's side and helped the dazed Sesaria to
her feet. Sesaria growled and fixed Kaidia with a glare.

“Finally you show some of your strength,” she said. In
her free hand, magical energy gathered and crackled. Kaidia took a
step backward and waited. She could dodge the attack. She was
somewhat reluctant to start throwing magic around. Like any mage,
using her power took a toll and burned up precious energy. Not to
mention that it would turn up the smothering heat if fireballs and
lightning bolts were sizzling through the air.

In the stone outpost, it had been much cooler, but out here, with the
sun at its zenith, Kaidia was seriously considering the shedding of
her armor. Sesaria raised her hand and flung the raw, sorcerous power
at Kaidia, who ducked the attack. When she straightened up, she found
both twins rushing to attack her. She evaded the blade of one, only
to take the pommel of the other elf's sword straight to the side of
her head.

Kai stumbled backward, shaking her head. The twins surged forward
again, but Kaidia was ready this time around. Alyssia attacked with a
downward stroke of her sword, only to miss. Kai's boot slammed into
the side of Alyssia's skull. The elf jerked to the side and straight
into one of the stone pillars, effectively taking a second blow to
the other side of her skull, leaving her ears ringing and her body
heavy as the entire world tilted precariously before her eyes.

Kaidia's sword clashed with Sesaria's as the other twin went on the
offensive. As the blades locked, Kai grabbed hold of the elf's armor
with her free hand and, with a surge of magical power, lifted the elf
from her feet, only to throw her into another of the columns. A
second pulse of energy coursed through Kai's hand and released, a
bolt of energy burned into Sesaria's chest with such force that the
pillar at Sesaria's back shattered and crumbled down on top of the
woman, burying her.

The god turned her attention back to Alyssia just in time to catch a
kick to the jaw that sent her sprawling onto her back. She rolled to
her feet, trying to blink the stars from her vision. Once her vision
focused, Kaidia saw Alyssia pulling her sibling from the rubble. Kai
growled in frustration. This two on one fight wasn't going to go her
way in the long run. She was powerful, but she had the sneaking
suspicion that the twins had been gifted with unnatural power by
their god.

Sesaria, aside from a little blood streaking the side of her face,
looked unharmed by the column's weight crashing down on top of her
and the sorcerous blast that had smashed her into the column in the
first place. The twins spoke quietly to one another for a moment
before turning on Kaidia with the free hands raised. Crackling energy
manifested in their palms, sparking and sizzling.

Kai couldn't rush them, so she set her feet, waiting to see if she'd
have to block the blasts or if she could dodge them. The standoff
dragged along, stretching out each moment, the god and two elves
glaring at one another. The elves coiled to launch their attack and
had to jump backward as several large spikes of ice crashed into the
ground where they had been standing a moment before, interrupting
their assault.

Kaidia's grip on her sword tightened as she looked around for the
source, expecting to find Echo standing somewhere nearby. But it
wasn't Echo standing atop one of the ancient columns nearby, it was
Nadia. The younger Valengaard jumped down to stand beside her sister,
a smirk on her lips as Kaidia gawked at her.

“I take it my dramatic entrance was a winner, then?”
Nadia asked with a jovial tone.

“Hell yes!” Kaidia said, wrapping her free arm around her
sister's neck, kissing the girl on the cheek. “Fuck, it's good
to see you awake.”

“Yeah, remind me to ask you about all that when we're done,”
Nadia said, playfully pushing her sibling away.

“Sae didn't fill you in?” Kaidia asked, brow quirked.

“Sae... may or may not know I'm awake,” Nadia admitted
slowly.

“Oh, you're going to get yelled at when we get back,” Kai
said with a grin.

“If we get back,” Nadia said, readjusting her leather
armor. Kaidia peered at her sister, taking in the details of her
face, her posture. Nadia was awake, eager for the fight, but it was
obvious that she wasn't at her best. Either way, Kai was glad for the
backup.

“Wait, how did you get here?” she asked.

“I used a portal from my bedroom to your place. Vex told me
that you were in Silver Lake, last she'd heard. So, I used another
portal from your place to Silver Lake, then another portal from there
to here once one of the acolytes at your temple showed me the place
on a map. I stepped out of the portal out back. Saw your dragon
fighting some big bastard... demon I'd guess. Made my way in the hole
those two made in the wall and waited for a moment to attack,”
Nadia explained.

“Glad you showed up, he's a demon god, apparently, and how was
that fight going, by the way?” Kai asked. Nadia gave her sister
a sideways look.

* * *

Khamora panted heavily, his body covered in sweat, blood seeping from
wounds that had been opened up by the claws of Kai's dragon.

“You're like a big, dangerous, goddamned cat,” Khamora
snarled.

The dragon growled and eyed the hulking demon, sizing him up for
another attack. Khamora, sensing the dragon's appraising gaze reached
for a nearby tree. He wrapped his hand around the massive trunk and
ripped it from the ground. He brandished it at the dragon like a big
club. The dragon responded with a roar that caused the very ground to
shudder.

Khamora surged forward, swung the tree at a Kai's dragon, aiming for
the beast's head. The dragon ducked under the swing, raised back up
on its hind legs, spread its wings out, and breathed out a jet of
flame, catching the tree ablaze in Khamora's hand. The demon god
threw the tree to the ground in a rush of sparks and smoke.

“Damn it!” he shouted, giving the dragon a cross look.

* * *

“Any tips on these two?” Nadia asked, jerked her head to
the twin elves standing behind the line of icy spikes that had buried
themselves into the ground of the training yard.

“Yeah, be careful. They're dangerous,” Kai answered.

“Oh, gee, Kai... like I couldn't figure that out for myself?”
Nadia retorted.

“Well, you did just wake up from a coma,” Kai shot back
with a playful grin.

Nadia looked at her sibling for a long moment. “Okay, I suppose
that's fair.”

The sisters looked toward the elven siblings when they heard a deep
crack. The elves had their free hands up, palms toward the sky. The
spikes of ice that Nadia had thrown were starting to splinter and
break apart, turning into a fine dust that was streaming into the
twins' open palms.

“Which one do you want?” Nadia asked.

“The one with the ponytail. You take the one with the braid,”
Kaidia answered without hesitation.

“Got a grudge against Ponytail?” Nadia asked with a
raised brow.

“She managed to shoot me with an arrow,” Kaidia
responded.

“Really?” Nadia asked, surprised.

“Yeah. It was laced with Hell's Bane,” Kai elaborated.

“What? How the hell are you alive?” Nadia demanded,
looking to her sister.

“I'm tough, apparently,” Kaidia said with a shrug.

Nadia just shook her head, her eyes refocusing on the twin elves. The
ice spikes were gone and had reformed in the palms of the elves as
large, spiked spheres akin to those found on a flail, only made of
ice. A few tense moments passed before the elves abruptly started
their attack, flinging the icy formations at Kaidia and Nadia as hard
as they could. Kaidia's hand shot up and a wall of fire roared up out
of the ground with it. The ice melted into water, which instantly
evaporated, filling the space between the two pairs of sisters with
steam.

Kaidia and Nadia launched themselves into the cloud of steam in
unison, running out the other side, weapons drawn, slamming into the
elven twins. Kaidia completely bowled Alyssia over, throwing her to
the ground. Nadia crashed into Sesaria and shoved the elf back into
one of the free standing columns. Sesaria grunted and slid down to a
knee. Nadia stomped her foot against the side of Sesaria's head,
effectively smashing the elf's skull between the sole of her boot and
the column, cracking the stone of the pillar.

Kaidia grabbed Alyssia's ponytail in her free hand and jerked the elf
to her feet, Alyssia screaming as she was jerked upward. A moment
later, the pommel of Kai's sword impacted the side of the elf's
skull, dazing her.

Sesaria, head bleeding, let off a fireball right against Nadia's
stomach. It wasn't a powerful one, but it burned and sent Nadia
stumbling backward, it's whole purpose to gain Sesaria some breathing
room. Kaidia looked up, startled by the blast of heat, and Alyssia
took the moment to mimic her sibling's ploy. Kaidia found herself
engulfed in a wave of flames and jerked backward, turning her elven
prey loose.

Nadia's breath had been burned from her chest by the blast of fire
she'd taken and Kaidia's eyes were momentarily blinded. Sesaria and
Alyssia jumped at the chance to attack, even if both of them had
slightly blurred vision from the blows to their heads.

Kai sensed the attack coming and ducked out of the way. Nadia managed
to get her sword and axe up in time to catch Sesaria's sword against
the crossed blade and haft of her axe, stopping its downward strike.
She kicked Sesaria in the stomach, putting some distance between
herself and the elf. Alyssia backed up to stand beside her sister.
The elven siblings didn't have time to gather themselves as the
Valengaard sisters immediately went on the offensive.

Kaidia struck at Alyssia with unthinkable speed. Even with her
natural agility, Alyssia struggled to keep up with Kai's attacks.
Nadia, while not quite as quick or agile as her sister, had Sesaria
in retreat, blocking and dodging the flurry of sword and axe blows
that the younger Valengaard was doling out. Sesaria didn't have a
spare moment to counterattack.

The two pairs of fighting warriors moved across the training yard,
steel ringing and scraping against steel in a symphony of sound that
would've set teeth on edge if everyone involved weren't so
preoccupied with avoiding every potentially fatal strike. The
noble-blooded sisters pushed the elven twins across the open area one
step at a time, slowly but surely.

Kai and Nadia steadily pushed the elves toward the wall of the
training yard. Sensing that they were about to have their backs,
quite literally, to the wall, Alyssia and Sesaria took a chance.
Alyssia ducked a swing of Kai's sword and used the opening to put her
hand against Kaidia's ribs and let off a burst of sorcerous energy,
throwing the god backward, sending her sprawling over the hard
ground. Before Kai stopped tumbling, Alyssia had joined her sister in
fighting Nadia. Together, the twins started to force Nadia into a
retreat.

Nadia's sword and axe deflected most of the blows, she dodged the
rest, but she was having to move as fast as she could and she
couldn't keep it up for long. Swords clanged together, ringing out in
the yard. Nadia hissed as one sword made it through her defenses and
grazed her arm, splitting the skin. She mentally cursed herself for
wearing armor that left her arms bare. The other elf's sword managed
to barely catch her face, slicing along her cheek.

She jumped backward, away from the elves, and slashed her sword
toward their feet. Ice coated the ground, spikes of it shooting up
toward the elves, making them back away. They all paused, catching
their breath. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about Kaidia and the
god made the twins pay for that with a blast of fire that engulfed
them both, vaporizing Nadia's ice, and knocking both elves to the
ground.

Alyssia started to get up and reach for her sword. She'd dropped it
when she hit the ground. She had no sooner stretched out her hand for
the hilt than Kaidia's foot stomped down on the sword's blade. Her
other foot collided with Alyssia's face a moment later, sending the
elf sprawling, bloodying her nose and mouth.

“I'm done fucking around with you elf brats,” Kai said,
her tone giving even Nadia the chills.

Nadia raised a brow. Her sister seemed a bit different. Kai's body
radiated power, the air around her wavered with it, shimmered even.
Kaidia reached down, grabbed Alyssia by the front of her armor, and
flung the elven woman across the yard with inhuman strength. Alyssia
crashed into one of the pillars, toppling it. Kaidia walked over
calmly, watching as her prey struggled to stand. Nadia glanced to the
other elf who lay, unmoving, on the ground. Whether she was dead or
just knocked out, Nadia wasn't sure. She turned her attention back to
Kaidia, not sure what was about to happen. She just knew it wasn't
going to be pleasant for the elf.

Kaidia picked Alyssia up from the rubble of the pillar, dragged her
along, and slammed her into the next. A moment later, she tore the
elf's armor from her, exposing Alyssia's tunic. Alyssia struggled as
Kai raised the blade of her sword. She pressed the tip against the
elf's stomach, on the left hand side, approximately where Kai had
been pierced with Alyssia's arrow, and she started to push the blade
forward. Alyssia screamed out as her abdomen was slowly, inexorably
impaled.

Nadia winced faintly. She knew that hurt, but she wasn't about to
tell Kai to stop.

“How does that feel, little elf?” Kai asked, pressing the
tip of the blade further into the elf's stomach, a sadistic look of
pleasure overtaking her features.

Alyssia could only scream louder in response; a shrill scream that
carried with it the helplessness that the elf felt, overpowered,
facing down a vengeful, vindictive god. Nadia watched, then arched a
brow in surprise as she felt someone pass by her.

Sesaria, woken by her twin's pained scream, moved to save her sister,
seething with anger, and shot past Nadia, ignoring her.

“Kai! Look out!” Nadia shouted, raising her hand, a spike
of ice materializing in her palm, aimed at the running elf. Kaidia
whipped around and threw her sword at the enraged, charging woman.
Sesaria saw it and tried to skid to a stop, but she couldn't manage
to do it in time. The sword went straight through her gut with a wet,
meaty thud. The only thing that stopped it from going straight out
her back was the crossguard. Sesaria nearly fell over, she managed to
keep her feet, but little else. Her sword clanged against the rocky
ground as it fell from her numb fingers. The shock of being so
violently and abruptly wounded had her unable to really move. As she
looked down at the sword sticking out of her gut, she coughed up a
gush of blood, soaking the hilt of the sword. She reached behind her
and felt the blade sticking out of her back. As her knees buckled,
she was struck in the side of the skull by Nadia's spike of ice,
which put her out of her misery. Sesaria slumped over dead, blood
pooling underneath her body.

Alyssia wailed at the sight and scrambled over to her sister's body.
She pulled the ice out of Sesaria's skull and threw it aside, then
pulled the sword out and discarded it as well. The sword clattered
across the ground and settled near Kaidia. She picked it up and
watched Alyssia, giving her a moment to grieve.

The moment was interrupted as Khamora came crashing through the outer
wall, breaching it a second time, and sending debris scattering
across the yard. He fell onto his back, shaking the whole outpost,
his body savaged with bleeding wounds. Kai's dragon slammed down on
top of him, pinning the demon god to the ground, claws digging into
Khamora's shoulders. The dragon reared back as far as it could
without letting go of the demon and then let a jet of fire out of its
mouth, straight into Khamora's face. The demonic god let out of roar
of pain and rage, the flesh of his face burning off, peeling away as
his eyes melted. The roar died off in a gurgling sigh and Khamora's
body relaxed.

Alyssia watched her god die with horrified expression, her mouth
open, eyes wide, body trembling with disbelief and despair.
Everything she had fought for, those she loved, had all just come
crashing down around her within the past three days. The army, her
sister, her god, all dead. Alyssia's sadness began to burn away,
replaced by a desperate rage. She grabbed her dead sister's sword and
whirled around with a cry of anguish. She attacked Kaidia with
powerful, reckless slashes of her sword which Kaidia deflected with
ease. Alyssia's anger fueled attacks left her open after each strike.
Kaidia ignored the opportunities to counterattack, letting Alyssia
work her anger out and slowly realize that she wasn't going to win.

The moment that she truly realized that she couldn't win showed in
Alyssia's eyes. It was that moment that Kai took to disarm the elf,
the sword hitting the rocky ground with a muted thump, kicking up a
cloud of dust. Her free, armored fist caught Alyssia on the jaw and
sent her to the ground. The elf pushed herself up on her hands and
knees, spitting out blood. Kaidia reached down and grabbed Alyssia's
ponytail and undid the tie holding it in place. Her fingers grabbed
hold of hair at the base of the elf's skull and pulled the woman up
until she was standing on her knees.

“I will bury you and your sister properly, with honor, in
marked graves. This place will be your tomb. I promise you that,”
Kaidia said, her tone gentle and reassuring. Alyssia could barely
nod. All hope had fled her mind and body. Kaidia held the elf's head
back, the blonde woman's mouth hanging open. “May you find
peace in the warm embrace of death.”

Kai raised her sword, reversed her grip on the hilt, the blade
pointing down toward Alyssia's face. Only a moment passed before
Kaidia drove the sword downward, ramming it into the elf's mouth,
down her throat, and down into her body, rupturing all of her organs
in one swift move. The width of the sword split the elf's cheeks,
spilling blood down the sides of her neck and down into her armor.

Kaidia held the sword in place for several long moments before
pulling it up and out of Alyssia's throat. She turned the elf loose
and watched the body crumple to the ground. The god wiped the blade
on Alyssia's tunic and then sheathed it. She looked up as she heard a
rather loud crunching noise to see her dragon gnawing on Khamora's
body.

“Are you really eating that?” she asked. The dragon
raised its head up and looked at her innocently. “Of course you
are.”

Kaidia sighed, and then looked toward the outpost. She raised a brow
as she spied Echo, Wylkas, and Thorgrimm standing by the hole in the
wall that Kai's body had created earlier. The three of them looked
like they'd been through the wringer, but they were all alive and
less than mortally wounded.

“How much did you see?” Kai asked the three as they
slowly approached.

“Since right after she showed up,” Wylkas said, gesturing
to Nadia.

“Ah. Enjoy the show?” Kaidia questioned.

“A bit brutal at the end there,” Echo admonished gently,
but wrapped her arms around Kaidia. “I'm glad you're alright.”

“I'm always alright,” Kaidia said with a smirk, returning
Echo's embrace. After a moment, Kai pulled away, her armor turning
into black smoke, and drifting away. She was relieved by the weight
of it being gone. Echo stepped over to Nadia, looked her over, and
sniffed at her. Nadia raised a brow.

“That's my younger sister, Nadia,” Kaidia supplied.

“Lovely to meet you. I'm Echo-Seras,” the kyrian greeted,
her hands grasping Nadia's shoulders briefly.

“Likewise,” Nadia said with a faint smile.

“Did any of you see a way down into a cellar or tomb while you
were wandering around in there?” Kaidia asked, looking between
Echo, Thorgrimm, and Wylkas.

“No, but the people who built this would have one,”
Wylkas said. “Why do you ask?”

“I want to put them in it. It isn't right to just leave their
bodies out here,” Kaidia explained, gesturing to the dead
elves.

“Honorable of you. I have an idea of where it might be,”
Wylkas said before heading back into the outpost. Kaidia rolled up
the sleeves of her tunic and bent down to gently pick Alyssia up in
her arms, treating the fallen elf as tenderly as she might treat the
body of a loved one.

“Nadia, pick up Sesaria, bring her,” Kai ordered. Nadia
arched a brow, but moved to follow her sister's instructions. She
picked up Sesaria and cradled the elf's body in a mimic of her
sister's tenderness. Together, with the honor guard of an elf, a
kyrian, and a dwarf, the twin elves that gave their lives for their
cause were carried into the outpost.

It didn't take long for Wylkas to find the stairway to the tombs down
below ground level. The five of them made their way down into the
cool darkness, Echo summoning an orb of light to float along with
them to illuminate the passageways. The air was stale and smelled
ancient. Wylkas peeked into several rooms before walking into one.
Like all the rooms they had passed by, this one was long and somewhat
wide. Running along each side of the room were stone sarcophagi; the
head of each one against the wall, the foot of each jutting out in
the room. Those sarcophagi at the far end of the room were filled,
covered with stone lids that were inscribed with the names of their
occupants and, if applicable, their rank and the battle in which they
died. Some of the sarcophagi stood open, their covers leaning against
the sides of the sarcophagi they were meant to seal closed.

“They ran out of bodies before they ran out of boxes,”
Kai remarked.

“A callous way of putting it, but yes,” Wylkas said, his
voice tinged with reverence.

Kaidia carried Alyssia's body to the next open sarcophagus and Nadia
followed with Sesaria. Kai gently lowered the elf's limp form into
the cold stone box, making sure to close Alyssia's eyes after she
did. Nadia place Sesaria into the stone coffin next to Alyssia's with
a similarly gentle touch. With both of the elven siblings laid to
rest in the sarcophagi looking, if not for all the blood, as if they
could be sleeping, the group slid the coverings onto the sarcophagi,
sealing the twins inside.

“Who knows how to etch names?” Kai asked.

“I do, with the right tools,” Thorgrimm said.

“Like these?” Echo asked from the far end of the room,
holding up a chisel and a hammer.

“Aye, like those,” Thorgrimm confirmed.

* * *

An hour later, Thorgrimm had finished. Wylkas had stood beside the
dwarf the whole while, watching him work.

“I didn't know chiseling could be done so quickly,” the
elf said.

“Lots of practice and a few dwarven techniques,”
Thorgrimm replied.

Echo, who had been watching from a few paces away, looked around for
Kaidia and Nadia. Nadia was busy at the far end of the room, reading
a floor to ceiling inscription on the wall. Well, she was trying to,
anyway. The language the inscription was written in was long dead and
dated to the early Second Age.

Kaidia was sleeping on a sarcophagus nearby, simply to be near her
sibling. Echo walked toward the end of the room, ears perked, tail
flicking back and forth with her steps. She leaned over the sleeping
Kai and tapped the god on the nose with a forefinger.

“Kaidia... I don't think napping on a coffin is considered good
manners,” Echo chided playfully.

“I don't think Corporal Edison Gharut gives two shits if I
sleep on his sarcophagus,” Kai retorted without opening her
eyes.

“Well, at least you bothered to read the inscription on his
coffin,” Echo chuckled.

“Yep. Corporal Edison Gharut, Thirty-seventh infantry regiment
of the Royal Army. Died in the Battle of Fort Woltvere on the Fifth
Day of Winter's Dawn, Year Nine Hundred and Eighty-Six of the Second
Age,” Kaidia recited. Echo arched a brow.

“Memorized it, too, I see,” she stated, somewhat
impressed.

Nadia blinked, glanced between the wall, then the sarcophagus, then
shoved her sister off of it. Kaidia managed to land on her feet, but
gave her sister a dirty look.

“What the hell, Nadia?!” she demanded.

“How can you read that?” Nadia asked, pointing to the lid
of the sarcophagus that Kai had been lounging upon. Kaidia and Echo
glanced at the lid and, for the first time, Kai noticed that the
writing wasn't in the common tongue, it was in the same dead language
that was scrawled all over the wall. Echo looked to Kaidia curiously.

“I don't know,” Kaidia said with a shrug. She
simultaneously recognized and did not recognize the language and it
made her feel strange.

“I think I know why,” Echo stated.

“Enlighten me,” Kai said, looking Echo in the eye.

“You powers as a god are expanding. So is your knowledge. You
must have all the knowledge of the dragons in your head and I'd bet
it will slowly open up to you over time,” Echo hypothesized.

“Nice theory. I suppose we'll see,” Kai said with a
shrug.

“So what does this say?” Nadia asked and gestured to the
wall.

Kaidia looked over the wall in the magically conjured light. She took
a couple of minutes to skim over the text and looked to Nadia
afterward.

“It's an account of the battle that claimed the soldiers buried
here. Apparently, the Royal Army lost the battle, but the enemy laid
them to rest with respect. Rules of engagement and all that. There
are also soldiers from the opposing army buried here as well, in
another several rooms. I get the impression that the tombs here are
much larger than the fort itself,” Kaidia said.

“Interesting. I love stuff like this,” Nadia said, then
glanced back to the wall. A moment later, she turned to Kaidia.
“Where's Rykar?”

Kai's eyes went wide, as did Echo's.

“Aw, shit. I forgot about him!” Kai exclaimed.

* * *

Rykar sat on the remains of the ancient statue of the forgotten god
that had been watching over the massive clearing. He glanced around
as he combed his finger through his hair. The clearing had been
expanded, somewhat. Some trees had been broken, others set aflame,
half the grass in the clearing was burned, and a lot of the ground
was gouged and dug up.

The King himself had lost all of the armor for the upper half of his
body, including his tunic. He was dirty, bloody, and quite worn out.
His sword was held in one hand, his shield lay at his feet, dented
and bent. The demon he had been fighting lay dead with a tree trunk
impaling his torso. Rykar let out a long breath.

“I need a drink,” he said to himself.

Chapter XX: Snow, Love, and Dark Thoughts

Kaidia stood in the lavish back room of the newly built Dragon Temple
in Corrana. It was meant to be a living quarter for a god,
specifically, Kaidia herself. The bed off in one corner of the large
room was large, soft, and covered with pillows. There was a fire
roaring in a large fireplace at the other end of the room and books
lined the walls. A private washroom and a closet were located near
the bed. Three large windows interrupted the bookshelves on the back
wall and it was out of one of these that Kaidia was staring.

Snow fell outside the window, coating the entire city of Corrana in a
cold, white powder. The city was still being rebuilt after the
rampage of Khamora's army. The temples, the King's palace, guild
halls, and colleges were all the first to be repaired or rebuilt. But
with the help of the Scorpions, mages, and regular people all
chipping in, the city was starting to regain some of its former
glory. Temporary housing had been set up outside the city limits and
several temples, including Kai's, were playing host to many of
Corrana's residents who had lost their homes. Several auxiliary
buildings for the temple were housing families while the main
building remained open for followers to worship or confer with
priests or just wander about. Kai's room was in the back of the main
building, of course. As were the living quarters for priests and
acolytes.

Tonight, however, the largest room of the temple, often reserved for
quiet reflection and worship, was filled with guests. Family and
friends of Nadia and Sae-Mirra had gathered to witness the two women
join together in bonds of love for the rest of their lives. Kaidia
had been surprised when both women had asked her to perform the
ritual. She had no reservations about it. She knew Sae well and her
sister even better. She knew the love they shared was real. Any
doubts about it had been erased when Kai and Nadia had returned to
Vortha after the fight with Alyssia and Sesaria. Sae had been so
happy to see Nadia awake and after a bone-fracturing hug, she had
launched into an hour long rant and ass-chewing session about Nadia
waking up and leaving without saying anything. The whole situation
had left Kaidia smirking with amusement and, at times, breathless
with laughter.

Kai turned away from the window when there was a knock on her door.

“Come in,” she said. The door opened and Echo stepped
inside.

“They're ready for you, dear. Though I'm not sure if the city
is ready for the party afterward,” the kyrian said with a
chuckle.

“Oh?” Kai inquired.

“Yes. Your father and Zathias have hit it off nicely and have
been talking about arm wrestling. Your mother is frazzled, but hiding
it well. Rykar's jokes are getting dirtier by the minute, and Malcade
is only encouraging him. Also, Thorgrimm has already had three ales
and I'm not even sure where he got them,” Echo reported,
looking a tad exasperated.

“We may have to rebuild Corrana again after tonight,”
Kaidia joked.

“That's what I'm afraid of,” Echo replied.

“I'm sure it'll all be fine,” Kai reassured the kyrian.

“Really? We have elven nobility in the same room with a dwarf
who's well on his way to being drunk, a king of a rogue city-state,
and, as soon as you walk in there, a damned god,” Echo said,
her tone deadpan.

“Don't forget good old King Rykar,” Kaidia added.

“Don't remind me,” Echo groaned, then sighed, and looked
Kaidia up and down. “At least you'll turn heads.”

Kaidia glanced down at herself. Her black leather boots were brand
new, as were the matching leather pants that were tailored to fit
her, and the sleeveless tunic she wore was black with her rune,
stitched in silver over the left side of her chest. It was a simple
but striking ensemble.

“Saying I look good?” Kai asked as she looked back up.

“Yeah, I am,” Echo said with a saucy smile as she stepped
closer. She was dressed similarly, though her clothing wasn't brand
new and her tunic was bright red with long sleeves. Kaidia met the
woman halfway across the room and hugged her close, a hand slipping
down to stroke the kyrian's tail. Echo returned the embrace and
huffed softly as she felt Kai's hand on her tail, but she couldn't
keep the smile off her lips. Generally speaking, it annoyed her when
someone touched her tail, but Kaidia had a free pass on that.

Pulling away with a bit of reluctance, Echo sighed.

“Time to do your thing,” she said.

* * *

Silence fell over the main chamber of the Dragon Temple when Kaidia
made her appearance from a doorway at the right rear corner of the
room. Generally, the tall, broad chamber with a vaulted ceiling was
left devoid of furniture, but tonight, several long tables had been
brought in, complete with a great many chairs for all of the guests.
At the back of the room, centered for the best view of the chamber
was an elevated dais. Kaidia ascended the stairs and stood in the
middle of the raised platform. She felt mildly strange about the
reverence shown toward her presence, but she brushed it off and
beckoned to Nadia and Sae-Mirra.

The pair separated from the crowd, holding hands as they walked up
the steps of the dais to Kaidia. The god smiled at them.

“You sure you're both ready for this? I mean, Sae, this is your
last chance to save yourself,” Kaidia jested.

“I think that ship sailed awhile ago,” Sae retorted with
a light tone.

“I think I should be insulted,” Nadia grumbled.

Kaidia laughed, then beckoned to one of her acolytes who stepped
forward with a folded, long black ribbon in his hands. He held it out
to Kaidia who took it with a nod. The acolyte stepped away. Kai
unfolded the ribbon, revealing that its ends were capped with
polished silver. The very center of the ribbon bore a silver
medallion that was etched with Kaidia's rune.

“Alright, you two, left hands at your sides, clasp each others'
right arms,” Kai instructed, her strong voice easily carrying
to every corner of the chamber. Nadia and Sae clasped arms, each
gripping the other's forearm near the elbow. Kaidia placed the center
of the ribbon on their joined arms and slowly wrapped the ribbon
around their forearms, symbolically binding them together.

“With this ribbon, I, Kaidia Valengaard, God of Dragons, join
you, Nadia Valengaard and you, Sae-Mirra of the Clan Riix, in a union
of mutual love and respect. I wish you long life filled with
affection, happiness, and prosperity for all your days,” Kaidia
said. She had no set of words memorized, she simply spoke from the
heart. “You are officially recognized as wife and wife.”

Nadia and Sae both had silly grins born of happiness on their faces.
Kaidia leaned in and whispered to them softly.

“This is the part where you kiss with such passion that you
make everyone in the room borderline uncomfortable.”

The two women didn't need to be told twice, they leaned into one
another, their free arms wrapped around one another, eyes closing as
their lips met in a deep kiss that was long and sweet. It was met
with a roar of approval and applause from the gathered crowd.

Echo and several others with sorcerous skill were capturing the
moment from several different angles to lay down on parchment for the
happy couple. Kaidia stepped backward from them for a moment,
emotions warring briefly within her. She was ecstatic for her sister
and her friend, but she was feeling a pang of sadness as she thought
back to the day she had been joined in a union ritual with Ashlin.
She brushed it away, intent to not cast any sort of shadow on her
sister's happiness.

* * *

Kaidia stood by herself near the doorway to the living quarters in
the back of the temple. As her eyes scanned the room, she couldn't
help but smile a little. Zathias and her father, Boreth, were arm
wrestling at one of the tables that had been brought in for the feast
that followed the union. The food was all but gone, however, plenty
of drinks remained.

Even the elven nobles had loosened up and were cheering with the rest
of the crowd that was watching the contest. Both Zathias and Boreth
were red in the face and seemed to be evenly matched. Kai's gaze
moved on to Rykar and Thorgrimm sitting by themselves, drinking
bottles of mead, and apparently deep in some very heavy conversation.
On the same side of the room as Kaidia, but at the other end, Echo,
Nadia, Sae-Mirra, Sage, and Kai's mother, Syren, stood in a circle,
deep in discussion. About what, Kai didn't have the foggiest idea,
but she was glad to see that Echo and Sage were getting along with
her mother.

Echo broke away from the group, walked over to Kaidia, and pecked her
on the cheek.

“What are you doing over here, all on your lonesome?” the
kyrian asked.

“Thinking,” Kai replied with a faint smile.

“About?” Echo pried.

“The war, the fight with the twins, and all that entails,”
Kaidia answered.

“Ah. And have you come to any grand conclusions?” Echo
asked.

“Yes, but that's a long conversation,” Kai responded.

“We have ti-” Echo started, but was interrupted by a
great crash. She and Kaidia both turned to seek out the cause of the
noise. When they spotted it, Kai groaned and put her hand to her
forehead.

“Of course,” she muttered.

The table on which Boreth and Zathias had been arm wrestling had
given out under the strength of the two outrageously muscled men. It
lay in splinters on the floor and both the Lord of Vortha and the
King of Anklis looked rather surprised. Rykar, upon seeing the result
of the arm wrestling match burst into a fit of laughter. Syren looked
less than pleased and Sage was holding back a fit of her own
laughter, silver eyes alight with amusement.

“I don't think either of them knows their own strength,”
Echo remarked.

“Sure they do. They just don't know who's stronger and I don't
think we have a surface in the whole city that would stand up to that
test,” Kaidia retorted, a hint of a laugh in her voice.

* * *

Long after the guests had cleared out, Sae and Nadia had gone to make
their bonding official, and everyone else had gone to sleep off the
night's party, four people remained in the chamber. Rykar, Kaidia,
Sage, and Echo sat at the end of one of the long tables, drinking and
talking, enjoying the moment of not having to be a king, a god, a
metalsmith, or a general.

“I see rebuilding the city is going well,” Kaidia
commented.

“Aye. With help from a lot of mages, a lot of soldiers, and a
lot of the people who live here. We should have it all back together
this spring,” Rykar reported, obviously pleased.

“Good. The people deserve it,” Kai said.

“They do. And after the city is built, I'll be focusing on some
building of my own,” Rykar said with a meaningful look to Sage,
who returned with with a smile.

“Going to make your relationship official?” Kaidia asked
with a raised brow.

“We might. But, we're having a child first, more than likely,”
Sage said. Kaidia blinked, surprised.

“You don't look pregnant,” she stated.

“My kind never do,” Sage replied.

“Your kind?” Echo asked, curious.

“Yes. While I look human, I'm not. Not exactly, anyway. I'm one
of the “deep people”, the Hrazengar,” Sage said.

“That would explain your hair and your eyes,” Echo
remarked. Kaidia sighed softly.

“Okay. Someone fill me in. I've had way too much on my mind
lately to keep up with everything,” Kaidia said.

“The Hrazengar are people who live deep in the mountains and
mostly underground. They're human, but different than your average
human. They live longer, their eyes are metallic colors, their hair
is always metallic, as well. It's said to be from all the minerals
and metals deep in the mountains. They've lived down there for so
long that they've adapted to such elements of their environment.
They're skilled miners and metalsmiths, like the dwarves. You don't
see many out in the world but they're not unheard of. They have to
trade, after all. And some find they like it here and stay,”
Echo explained.

“And when we have children, it's difficult to tell when our
women are pregnant, and the pregnancy only lasts a few weeks. We're a
very industrious people and over time, things like pregnancy have
evolved to be expedited in us,” Sage elaborated.

“We'll have a little prince running about,” Rykar said,
proud.

“Congratulations, you two,” Kaidia said, then took a
drink of her ale.

“Thank you. So, when are you two going to be bonded?”
Sage asked, looking between Echo and Kaidia.

“I don't think we're there yet. Taking it slow,” Echo
said.

“Good idea. Get her too excited and everything starts
exploding,” Rykar said with a chuckle. Kaidia fixed the man
with a glare, which only made his grin broaden. Echo and Sage
laughed.

Silence settled on the group for a little while with each person
drifting into their own thoughts before Rykar spoke up.

“Kai, you seem more preoccupied than the rest of us. What's
troubling you?” he asked, eyeing the woman.

“I keep thinking over the events with Adathir, with Khamora and
that army. It all seems a little strange to me,” Kaidia
answered.

“Strange, how?” Rykar asked.

“Well, we've had how many centuries of peace, and then
suddenly, out of the blue, two major events that threatened to turn
the whole of Valen on its head. Something is off there. It's almost
as if someone or something were prodding and pushing these events,
molding them,” Kaidia explained.

“I'll grant you, it's all been rather curious, but who or what
could possibly shape such massive events?” Rykar inquired,
looking around the table.

“I don't know,” Echo stated.

“Nor do I,” Sage agreed.

“I can only think of one person with that kind of power,
Kaidia. You. And we all know you weren't doing all that. So, we're
back at square one,” Rykar said.

“I suppose you're right, but I'm going to look into it,”
Kaidia said. “Call it a gut feeling.”

“Do what you have to. If you find something credible, you have
the full backing of the crown, old friend,” Rykar said with a
half smile.

“Thank you,” Kaidia said before finishing her ale.

“When and where will you start looking?” Sage questioned.

“I don't know, but something will come to mind,” Kaidia
said.

“And I'll be there to help you,” Echo said, lifting Kai's
hand and pressing a kiss to the god's palm.

“Don't you have an army to be a general in?” Rykar asked.

“My rank isn't the same to my people as it is to your own,”
Echo replied. “If I am needed, they know how to get ahold of
me.”

“Ah,” Rykar acknowledged with a nod.

Another short period of silence fell over the four, only to be broken
by Sage.

“It's late... or rather... very early. I think I'm going to
head to the palace and turn in,” she said.

“A wonderful idea,” Rykar said and stood after finishing
his drink.

“You two have a good night's sleep. We'll see you in the
morning,” Sage said with a nod to both Kaidia and Echo. Kai
raised her empty mug in return, Echo gave a nod. Together, they
watched Rykar and Sage walk from the temple.

* * *

In Kaidia's quarters in the back of the temple, the god stood at the
center window at the back wall of her room, staring out over the
snowy city. Lights glimmered all over the place, the snow reflecting
their brilliance and never quite letting night settle over the
capitol of Haelstross. Her mind was busy, pondering over just where
to start her search, what could possibly be the cause of all the
calamity lately.

Her brooding was halted by Echo's arms wrapping around her shoulders
from behind, the warm embrace soothing to both Kai's mind and body.

“Leave your dark thoughts, dragon. Come to bed with me,”
the kyrian purred in Kai's ear. “I promise to keep your mind
busy with much more pleasant contemplation.”

Echo's fingers lifted the hem of Kai's shirt, exposing the god's
flat, taut stomach to the air. Her fingernails shifted into sharp,
long claws that she gently dragged along Kai's exposed skin in an
attempt to seduce the woman away from the thinking that had soured
her thoughts and mood.

Kaidia smiled, appreciating the attempt with all her being, but
shaking her head.

“One thought keeps recurring more than any other, dear,”
she said.

“And what thought is that?” Echo asked, nibbling at her
lover's shoulder.

“That all this fighting and war that I've been through in the
past few months is just the beginning. That I'm just getting
started.”

“After everything you've done in the past few months, who would
be crazy enough to raise your ire?” Echo asked, taking Kaidia's
wrist and pulling the god to the bed. Kai didn't have an answer until
hours later, long after Echo had drifted off to sleep and left Kaidia
staring into the shadows.

“I don't know.”