after one single solitary man.
And yet, Kendril felt a desperate, burning desperation to draw the thing towards him. A sudden moment of inspiration hit him.
“I’m the Demonbane of Vorten!” he shouted on the top of his lungs.
The thing was a dumb beast. A hideous, awful beast, but a beast none-the-less. Certainly not a demon of the Void, despite what that crazed cultist priest seemed to believe.
And yet, it turned.
It swung its head around, shrieked a howling cry that sounded like the tormented wail of a lost soul, then flapped off the docks and across the water of the bay.
Straight at Kendril.
“Eru!” Marley gasped. He dove for the scant shelter of some nearby boulders.
Kendril lifted the barrel of the gun and snapped back the firelock into the ready position. “Come on,” he whispered. “Come and finish it. Take me.”
The monster swooped low over the water, growing closer to Kendril by the second. Its mouth was open, sharp teeth glistening. Talons flexed and glinted in the moonlight. Kendril could actually hear the whistle of the wind over its wings as it came nearer.
Kendril put a finger on the trigger of the whale gun. He lined the barrel up with the red glowing eyes of the beast.
At the rate it was coming at him, Kendril figured the creature would cover fifty yards in less than a second.
It was an impossible shot. One in a thousand. Maybe a million. And even if he only wounded it, the enraged beast would doubtless kill him where he stood.
Kendril breathed a prayer to Eru. A plea for a death that had eluded him for far too long. Finally, an end.
Finally, redemption .
The burning red eyes of the monster came straight at Kendril. They became his entire world. His ears were filled with the sound of the unholy creature’s howling shriek.
Marley screamed.
Kendril smiled.
He pulled the trigger.
Chapter 4
Maklavir put the teacup gingerly back on the small porcelain plate, careful not to spill any of the steaming liquid. He looked up at the three men across the table from him. “Do any of you gentlemen want sugar?”
One of the men, a finely-dressed nobleman with the hooked nose and severe bearing of the Merewithian ruling class, pushed his tea away with a snort. “This is a complete waste of our time.”
Maklavir gave his tea a small dose of sugar from the bowl in the center of the table. “If tea isn’t to your liking, Duke Mainz, I can have the maid fetch you something else. Coffee, perhaps, or something more robust?” He gave the steaming beverage a good stir. “For what it’s worth, however, I believe this to be quite excellent. Imported from the Spice Lands, you know.”
“ Talin’s Ashes ,” Mainz swore. His face was red, his bushy gray eyebrows knotted in anger. “I’m not talking about the blasted tea . I’m talking about this whole meeting. It’s a waste of our time.”
“I’m sorry you think so.” Maklavir’s voice was exceptionally cool. He took a sip of his tea.
“Mainz has a point.” One of the other men, a Merewithian lord named Erbritter, raised his own teacup. “We’ve been at this for hours, Maklavir. It’s quite apparent that you have nothing of substance to offer us.”
Maklavir set his tea back down and dabbed his mouth daintily with a napkin. “With respect, Lord Erbritter, that is hardly true. I have outlined several important ways that King Luxium has proposed to—”
“The King? He’s under siege right now along with the rest of his court up in Varnost.” The third nobleman, a scarred old warrior named Krampf, crossed his arms. “You’re being pressed, Maklavir. Kalinglanders on one side and the twice-cursed Baderans on the other. They’re chopping your whole country to pieces. And I say let them have it.”
Maklavir sighed and glanced out the window. The city of Vorten had some life back in it, but not as much as before the Despair. Some of the buildings across the street still showed obvious damage from the firestorm that had
And yet, Kendril felt a desperate, burning desperation to draw the thing towards him. A sudden moment of inspiration hit him.
“I’m the Demonbane of Vorten!” he shouted on the top of his lungs.
The thing was a dumb beast. A hideous, awful beast, but a beast none-the-less. Certainly not a demon of the Void, despite what that crazed cultist priest seemed to believe.
And yet, it turned.
It swung its head around, shrieked a howling cry that sounded like the tormented wail of a lost soul, then flapped off the docks and across the water of the bay.
Straight at Kendril.
“Eru!” Marley gasped. He dove for the scant shelter of some nearby boulders.
Kendril lifted the barrel of the gun and snapped back the firelock into the ready position. “Come on,” he whispered. “Come and finish it. Take me.”
The monster swooped low over the water, growing closer to Kendril by the second. Its mouth was open, sharp teeth glistening. Talons flexed and glinted in the moonlight. Kendril could actually hear the whistle of the wind over its wings as it came nearer.
Kendril put a finger on the trigger of the whale gun. He lined the barrel up with the red glowing eyes of the beast.
At the rate it was coming at him, Kendril figured the creature would cover fifty yards in less than a second.
It was an impossible shot. One in a thousand. Maybe a million. And even if he only wounded it, the enraged beast would doubtless kill him where he stood.
Kendril breathed a prayer to Eru. A plea for a death that had eluded him for far too long. Finally, an end.
Finally, redemption .
The burning red eyes of the monster came straight at Kendril. They became his entire world. His ears were filled with the sound of the unholy creature’s howling shriek.
Marley screamed.
Kendril smiled.
He pulled the trigger.
Chapter 4
Maklavir put the teacup gingerly back on the small porcelain plate, careful not to spill any of the steaming liquid. He looked up at the three men across the table from him. “Do any of you gentlemen want sugar?”
One of the men, a finely-dressed nobleman with the hooked nose and severe bearing of the Merewithian ruling class, pushed his tea away with a snort. “This is a complete waste of our time.”
Maklavir gave his tea a small dose of sugar from the bowl in the center of the table. “If tea isn’t to your liking, Duke Mainz, I can have the maid fetch you something else. Coffee, perhaps, or something more robust?” He gave the steaming beverage a good stir. “For what it’s worth, however, I believe this to be quite excellent. Imported from the Spice Lands, you know.”
“ Talin’s Ashes ,” Mainz swore. His face was red, his bushy gray eyebrows knotted in anger. “I’m not talking about the blasted tea . I’m talking about this whole meeting. It’s a waste of our time.”
“I’m sorry you think so.” Maklavir’s voice was exceptionally cool. He took a sip of his tea.
“Mainz has a point.” One of the other men, a Merewithian lord named Erbritter, raised his own teacup. “We’ve been at this for hours, Maklavir. It’s quite apparent that you have nothing of substance to offer us.”
Maklavir set his tea back down and dabbed his mouth daintily with a napkin. “With respect, Lord Erbritter, that is hardly true. I have outlined several important ways that King Luxium has proposed to—”
“The King? He’s under siege right now along with the rest of his court up in Varnost.” The third nobleman, a scarred old warrior named Krampf, crossed his arms. “You’re being pressed, Maklavir. Kalinglanders on one side and the twice-cursed Baderans on the other. They’re chopping your whole country to pieces. And I say let them have it.”
Maklavir sighed and glanced out the window. The city of Vorten had some life back in it, but not as much as before the Despair. Some of the buildings across the street still showed obvious damage from the firestorm that had
Similar Books
