They agreed to hand-to-hand combat, as Amat and the Blacksmith felt it demonstrated raw power. When they clashed, the impact was like headbutting bulls.

No one was stronger than Amat. Akisane had seen the Giant of Aadril challenge Amat to a wagon-flipping contest. No one sanctioned the contest, so it garnered a lot of ire, but Amat flipped one with one hand. Amazingly, now that famous strength was being overpowered by the blacksmith’s oversized arm. Amat slowly gave in to the press.

Akisane sipped wine from his bejeweled goblet, which he held at the rim to keep the dust the two stirred from contaminating it. Hurry up, Amat. I want to return to the castle and relax in my bed chambers.

Shank leaned against the cart. “You’ve heard of the game amwrestling. I should take these two to the North and make a killing.”

The two barrel-rolled and struck a lean-to. A beam cracked, and the structure sagged—by the time they finished, they might destroy the city.

“Perhaps I’ll join you. If I keep this blade,” Akisane said, “Then, I might have to leave the castle forever. Or at least until I find a way to stop Thailoc.”

Shank gave him a you-are-insane look. “Get rid of the damn thing.”

“I’ve thought about it. I’d have to leave anyway. Duke Akitomo would kill me. As he’s fond of saying, he can always have another son.”

“I’m not putting my neck on the chopping block for you. I think we should go now. We have horses and means.”

The smartest thing to do would be to follow the advice. However, though Akisane spent his life trying to please his father, the title Shinlemune still rattled in his head. Perhaps he was destined for something greater than being an unremarkable nobleman. No, Darksun’s power is not my power.

I offer it to you.

The blacksmith pointed. “Bowman!”

Amat turned and looked behind him and started to say, “Where?” But the massive balled-first detonated against his mouth. A tooth flew and landed in a pile of dung.

“He’s an idiot,” Shank said.

The blunder led them to meet with the rebels in a tavern used as a meeting hall. Akisane insisted that everyone had to drink if he was going to go through with this.

The blacksmith gave his name, though it was probably a nickname, “Lopside.” He then introduced the leaders and insisted that the movement was far more significant than was present. “There are cities and towns all coordinating against the Duke. Even highwaymen joined our cause when a knight defeated their glank.”

Stolen story; please report.

Akinsane nodded the man along, hoping to get to the meat and bones. “So I supposed I’m to meet your leader.”

Lopside chucked. “No, that’s an honor you haven’t been given.”

One of the leaders leaned forward. “He’d never meet with you.”

“The Duke took his hand and his eye.” Lopside glanced, making the other lean back and fold his arms. “So it’s unlikely he will meet with you.”

Akisane downed his fifth glass of wine. “I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t share my father’s aims here, and I don’t care. I’m here because you exploited my man’s shortcomings. Can we get on with it?”

The man at the blacksmith’s elbow said, “We should just take him as ransom.”

Shank looked around. “You have what, thirty? You haven’t seen Amat when he’s ordered to kill—his weakness becomes his strength as he fixates on annihilation. Bahram is a powerful wizard. And I just watched Akisane defeat a high-level knight. So shut your fucking mouth.”

“And what about you?” the man said.

Akisane felt the pang of a headache at his temple. How long would this go on? “Shank grew up on the streets of the capital city. By the time he could grow facial hair, he killed the biggest smuggler in the city.”

“And I would have replaced him, but it seemed his followers were fairly loyal, and I barely escaped with my life. I had to kill six of them with a chair leg on my way out.”

Lopside finally took a drink. “I honestly don’t know how involved you are, Akisane, but you must have some responsibility for your family's doings. The taxes started going up years ago, and when they got so high we couldn’t pay them, they started sending scribes to keep track of our goods, who could pay, who couldn’t pay. When they didn’t like the list, it gave the enforcers license to hurt families and do unspeakable things. The time of being the victim is over; we have demands.”

The chair under Akisane creaked as he shifted. This has nothing to do with me. “What are your demands?”

“The taxes go back to what they were a decade ago. And there are no more serfs in the dukedom. We are all freemen. Afterward, we take it to the entire realm.”

The demands were preposterous. “How am I supposed to bring that before my father? You’re all crazy.”

“Why not pack up and leave,” Shank said.

The blacksmith’s sausage-sized finger plucked at a chip in the table. “We aren’t like you, who has nothing. We have families who have been here since time out of mind. The spirits gave the land to all of us, not just a few.”

Hawk sat scribbling on a piece of parchment. “This is enough to bring before your father. He may say no, but that is part of negotiation.”

Akisane felt his hand coil around Darksun. Screw his father. “No. Who’s the man conducting the inquiries here?”

Lopside’s eyes opened in surprise, and he looked at a few of his men, who shared his reaction. “You don’t know? It’s the Butcher.”

Duke Akitomo used the Butcher to collect taxes… The man had been the Duke's grand captain in the wars and now unofficially ran the Black Order as its grandmaster. His face was a disgusting patchwork of scars, and that was his most redeeming characteristic.

Akisane’s heart raced as an idea bloomed in his mind. “I have nothing to do with your rebellion, but what if I helped you with this one man?”

Henry (Akisane)

Level: 13

Focus: Telekinesis

Secondary focus: Shadow walker, fire walker

Weapons: Darksun Sword - 85% corrupt, decay+12