brother’s veins, and within his niece. Any of the three can be used to doom or save Malweir. Bahr needs to go to Arlevon Gale.” There he will confront his deepest fears. I only pray his strength of conviction is enough. Otherwise ….
“So I am to confront my brother after all,” Bahr concluded. He’d avoided Badron for decades, always staying beyond the scope of vision, yet ever a step ahead of his brother’s plotting and schemes. It seemed all of his careful planning was crashing to the ground.
“If he still lives,” Anienam said. “Who can say what has happened since we’ve been gone? All we know is that Harnin One Eye has usurped the throne and seeks to transform Delranan into a kingdom of pure chaos. I believe this to be a diversion intended on keeping us distracted enough so that we fail to keep sight of the true goal.”
“The ruins,” Boen added. “Anienam, that’s all well and fine but we’re not going to make it to the ruins with Skaning’s soldiers hounding us like this.”
“He’s right,” Nothol added. “We need to change the plan.”
“There’s a village not far from here,” Bahr suggested. “We might be able to blend in if we can reach it far enough ahead of Skaning.”
“With a Dwarf and Giant in tow?” Ironfoot scoffed. “I think you overestimate the simplicity of your people, Bahr.”
“The Dwarf has a point, but it’s a chance we should take,” Boen said.
Bahr scratched the stubble growing on his upper lip. He didn’t like the idea of heading back into another town, especially considering how poorly they’d fared in every village and town on their trek. One calamity after another befell them, from Chadra to Teng. He dreaded learning what new twist the Dae’shan had in store for them in the upcoming village but it was a risk he felt they needed to take. Only a few days remained before the day when the Dae’shan would attempt their ritual. Only a few days to decide the fate of the world.
“We make for the village. I want camp packed up and ready to move an hour before dawn,” he ordered. “The faster we get there the less chance of Skaning being able to counter our plans. Not even he is foolish enough to risk a battle in the middle of a village deep in rebel territory. We might just find a few allies along the way.”
FIVE
Difficult Decisions
True to his plans, Bahr had the group up and moving well before the first wave of sunlight cracked the curtain of darkness. They pushed their already weary animals harder, hoping each beast had the strength to carry them to the final destination. Bahr’s route since departing Ingrid and the rebellion was a parallel course due south of Chadra Keep. He wanted nothing to do with Delranan or the rebellion and especially had no desire to run in to the One Eye again. Their last confrontation ended with each of them being tortured mercilessly in Harnin’s dungeons. Bahr figured there’d be time enough to deal with Harnin once the quest was complete.
Groge trotted alongside the wagon. The Giant lad barely started sweating and his almost childish grin entertained the others to no end. None of them but Skuld fathomed how anyone could manage to find amusement under such dire circumstances. Groge, still foreign to the ways of lowlanders, struggled to accept his place within the group. That the Blud Hamr could only be wielded by a Giant forced him to become integral in the quest but his lack of social interaction before joining Bahr left him at odds. The Giants of Venheim were vastly unlike any of the other races. More stoic and taciturn, Giants seldom engaged in frivolous small talk. They dedicated every waking hour of their day to the perfection of steel and iron. His interaction with others was limited to the workings of a forge.
There were several Giant enclaves stretched across the mountaintops of Malweir. Only the best and brightest were ever selected to learn from the forge masters of Venheim. Groge willingly abandoned a
“So I am to confront my brother after all,” Bahr concluded. He’d avoided Badron for decades, always staying beyond the scope of vision, yet ever a step ahead of his brother’s plotting and schemes. It seemed all of his careful planning was crashing to the ground.
“If he still lives,” Anienam said. “Who can say what has happened since we’ve been gone? All we know is that Harnin One Eye has usurped the throne and seeks to transform Delranan into a kingdom of pure chaos. I believe this to be a diversion intended on keeping us distracted enough so that we fail to keep sight of the true goal.”
“The ruins,” Boen added. “Anienam, that’s all well and fine but we’re not going to make it to the ruins with Skaning’s soldiers hounding us like this.”
“He’s right,” Nothol added. “We need to change the plan.”
“There’s a village not far from here,” Bahr suggested. “We might be able to blend in if we can reach it far enough ahead of Skaning.”
“With a Dwarf and Giant in tow?” Ironfoot scoffed. “I think you overestimate the simplicity of your people, Bahr.”
“The Dwarf has a point, but it’s a chance we should take,” Boen said.
Bahr scratched the stubble growing on his upper lip. He didn’t like the idea of heading back into another town, especially considering how poorly they’d fared in every village and town on their trek. One calamity after another befell them, from Chadra to Teng. He dreaded learning what new twist the Dae’shan had in store for them in the upcoming village but it was a risk he felt they needed to take. Only a few days remained before the day when the Dae’shan would attempt their ritual. Only a few days to decide the fate of the world.
“We make for the village. I want camp packed up and ready to move an hour before dawn,” he ordered. “The faster we get there the less chance of Skaning being able to counter our plans. Not even he is foolish enough to risk a battle in the middle of a village deep in rebel territory. We might just find a few allies along the way.”
FIVE
Difficult Decisions
True to his plans, Bahr had the group up and moving well before the first wave of sunlight cracked the curtain of darkness. They pushed their already weary animals harder, hoping each beast had the strength to carry them to the final destination. Bahr’s route since departing Ingrid and the rebellion was a parallel course due south of Chadra Keep. He wanted nothing to do with Delranan or the rebellion and especially had no desire to run in to the One Eye again. Their last confrontation ended with each of them being tortured mercilessly in Harnin’s dungeons. Bahr figured there’d be time enough to deal with Harnin once the quest was complete.
Groge trotted alongside the wagon. The Giant lad barely started sweating and his almost childish grin entertained the others to no end. None of them but Skuld fathomed how anyone could manage to find amusement under such dire circumstances. Groge, still foreign to the ways of lowlanders, struggled to accept his place within the group. That the Blud Hamr could only be wielded by a Giant forced him to become integral in the quest but his lack of social interaction before joining Bahr left him at odds. The Giants of Venheim were vastly unlike any of the other races. More stoic and taciturn, Giants seldom engaged in frivolous small talk. They dedicated every waking hour of their day to the perfection of steel and iron. His interaction with others was limited to the workings of a forge.
There were several Giant enclaves stretched across the mountaintops of Malweir. Only the best and brightest were ever selected to learn from the forge masters of Venheim. Groge willingly abandoned a
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