Severed Destinies by David Kimberley Page B

finally moved away from the bar and sat down at their table. "We have rooms and food is on its way. The people from Ashgar are asleep already it seems, so we will talk with them tomorrow."
    Gorric noticed the young gambler, Varayan, glancing at his father and, for a moment, he thought he saw a strange glint in the man’s eyes.
     
    Saroth did not glance back as he rode away from the camp, which had been moved to the east of Barentin. He did not like spending time amongst so many others. The soldiers in the camp numbered five hundred. This was allegedly the precise amount of men it would take to attack Barentin and produce the desired results. This number had been determined by Sephonis, whose insight into these matters was rarely wrong. Saroth was sure that Draliak would see to it that Barentin fell as it should. He was still curious though as to why the commander himself had opted to lead the attack. He was the highest ranking officer Shada-Kaviel had and he answered only to Sephonis and the Dar'ota. Draliak was a man who led his army on the battlefield. No doubt being in command of such a small number of soldiers would seem strange to the commander, but Saroth was sure that things would rapidly change once the others arrived in Boraila. Such a large percentage of the Shada-Kavielian army were on their way to these shores.
    However, whilst Sephonis was in Boraila, the Dar'ota remained in Shada-Kaviel. The two had formed a link using their dark arts, so that events in the Rotian Kingdom could be known back in Shada-Kaviel as soon as they happened.
    Saroth wondered about the Rotian military as he kicked his horse into a gallop. How quickly would they react to the sudden appearance of the Shada-Kavielians? Barentin, Tamriel and Boraila would all be lost before any significant reaction could occur. Barentin and Tamriel would burn, whilst Boraila was such an advantageous city that it would stay standing for as long as it was useful. The protection of Boraila was much stronger than that of Barentin or Tamriel, but it would still crumble against the sudden invasion.
    It was after those initial battles that Saroth thought about now. The king, Afaron, would rally his soldiers and most likely try to take back Boraila. However, if there was the opportunity, then the Shada-Kavielian army would crush the Rotians in one brief battle and the land would be theirs. He was anxious to see what response the Rotians had.
    He cursed beneath his breath as rain began to drop from the darkness above him. His ride to Tamriel would take approximately three days, although if he pushed his steed hard the journey might be shortened. He had been using Rotian horses, but longed to ride a Shada-Kavielian steed again. They were so much stronger than the Rotian breed and they certainly had more stamina. He should have taken one of the Shada-Kavielian mounts from the camp stables.
    As the rain became heavier, Saroth drew his cloak as tight to his body as possible but continued to ride hard for Tamriel.
     
    “ Commander?”
    Draliak glanced up at the soldier who had just entered his tent. “Can’t you see I’m eating?”
    The soldier bowed his head. “My apologies, commander, but the invoker wishes to speak with you.”
    Draliak groaned. “Tell him to come back later, when I’m not so busy.”
    “ He was quite insistent,” said the soldier.
    “ Was he?” Draliak shook his head, then pushed his plate of food to one side. “Very well, let him in.”
    The soldier, eager to escape the commander’s glare, left the tent. A moment later, Balthus entered. He gave Draliak a crooked smile as he approached.
    “ Commander, I wondered what exactly you would have me do during the attack tomorrow.”
    Draliak frowned. “I thought Sephonis had told you your reasons for being here.”
    “ In a way, he did. I was talking more of where you would have me go. As your force will be splitting upon entering Barentin, I thought it might be best if I remained by your