Katrina did her best to concentrate on the wall of earth before her. She had been training for days with Telmos Regios, Avria’s father and lord of House Regios. She couldn’t say that she wasn’t enjoying herself. The man who was once a cold and uninvolved spectator to her presence at his estate had proven to be a very good teacher. With war on the horizon and her courtship with Oros, Avria had been spending much of her time with the Hego and his children, leaving her little time to properly train Katrina. Her father graciously accepted the responsibility, and the results were noticeable.
“Do not force it,” Lord Regios said, pacing back and forth, observing her training. “Using the Dunamis isn’t about force, Katrina, it is about persuasion, it is a mutual understanding between you and the spiritual energy that surrounds you. Didn’t my daughter teach these fundamentals?”
Katrina closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, making sure to hold the large wall in the center of the glade upright. It was harder than it looked. The element itself seemed to react to its size. The larger the expanse of energy, the harder it was to focus. It felt to her like the wall was trying to break itself apart.
“She went over it, my Lord,” Katrina said through gritted teeth. Sweat started to drip into her eyes. “But she never asked me to practice this level of Dunamis.” She strained.
“Come now, you humans are supposed to be sent here by the spirits themselves. You should impress me at every turn.”
With a grunt, Katrina began to lift the large slab with her hands. It stood a hundred feet high now and was about half as wide. Lord Regios’ smirk disappeared when the bottom of the slab lifted entirely from the ground. Sand and small bits of stone slid to the ground as it was elevated.
“By the spirits…” he said, unable to keep the amazement from his voice. “This is what I was talking about.”
Katrina’s arms began to shake, and her eyes bulged under the strain. Finally, she fell to a knee, and the slab crashed to the sand. Lord Regios poised, she figured, to assist her in making sure it didn’t fall on her, but dozens of smaller pillars shot out diagonally and supported the massive piece of stone.
She fell on her back with an exasperated sigh. Breathing heavily, she looked at the dome ceiling of the glade, again marveling at the incredible structure.
“Very impressive,” Lord Regios said, approaching her. “There are many Dae I know who would have not been able to accomplish what you just did. Your control and power are well above the average warrior.” He looked at her, rubbing his chin. “But why? That’s the question, Katrina. Why are you able to excel this quickly? I suppose we’ll know more as your powers continue to develop—”
“Because she is not of our world,” an enthusiastic voice interrupted.
Katrina shot up to look at the familiar form of her friend Boros.
“Boros!” she said, smiling.
Lord Regios looked at the young Kryo with an ounce of disdain. “Boros.” He nodded his head in greeting. “What brings you here today?”
Boros bowed respectfully to Lord Regios. “I am happy to see you well, Lord Telmos.”
The Lord’s eyes narrowed at Boros, giving him a look of enmity. “That is still Lord Regios, Kryo. You are not yet your father.”
There were a few moments of awkward silence while Boros recovered from the rebuke. “I apologize, Lord Regios. I misspoke.” Katrina could see the wounded pride of the Kryo on his face. There seemed to be a little history between the two.
“No matter,” Telmos said, waving his hand. “Katrina is in the middle of some very strenuous exercises and needs to focus, so say your business and leave us be.”
Boros clenched his teeth, clearly not used to being spoken to in this manner. “Very well,” he said stiffly. He looked at Katrina, who sat in the sand still. “Avria has asked for you. Apparently, there are representatives from Torre’ who are here. They wish to speak with all Lords of note, and the Spirit-Sent.”
“From Torre’?” Telmos asked.
“It would seem so,” Boros said.
~
Katrina ran to bathe as quickly as she could. She knew that if Avria asked for her, she would have to look the part of her squire. She would need to appear well-dressed and refined, especially before the Torre’. She donned her best cloak; it was black, still the color of the whelps, but it held gold embroidering around the edges, showing her status and position within the nobility.
Katrina entered the throne room and saw many nobles standing in assembly, the crowd still growing as more poured in through the large doors.
“Katrina!” Boros called, waving her up the steps near the throne where Agron sat, his face troubled.
Oros stood beside Avria, and Daniel was beside her. She remembered Daniel’s request to speak with her at some point after the party, but over the past few weeks, the two of them had been so busy, it was nearly impossible to get a moment in private. She ran up the stairs and placed herself next to him.
“Hey, Dan,” she said, slightly out of breath. “How’ve you been? It’s been a little while.”
Daniel looked at her with a strained expression. “Kat,” he said, inclining his head toward her. “You look pretty fancy tonight. Sorry I haven’t come to see you. It’s been… busy lately.”
“No,” she said, waving her hands at him. “I should have come to see you. But, Telmos has been pushing me pretty hard, though, so… you know.”
They stood next to one another for the next several minutes, looking around, in what Katrina felt an increasingly awkward silence. Daniel finally broke it. “I had a dream last night,” he said, looking at the clamoring crowd of nobles, still streaming into the great throne room.
Katrina looked at him, inquisitively. “And?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
“I was back home,” he said, his eyes distant as though he were a thousand miles away from where they were standing. “I saw my friends, my family. Everyone I ever cared about in my life back home. I missed them, more than I let on… but I stood there, watching them beckon me over, to join them, to be with them all again. I turned.” He looked to her now, his eyes steely in his resolve. “And I saw this world, its power, everything that I had gained in the past ten or so months, and I hesitated. I woke up after that, and I gotta say I’m pretty ashamed of it.” He shook his head, exhaling hard. “I want to go home. Robert died for it, so the least we can do is keep searching for a way.”
Katrina felt a pang of guilt and sadness at the thought of Robert. Her eyes welled again, and she did her best to keep herself composed.
“We will find it, Dan,” she said, clenching her fists. “We are going to figure it out for him. And make those bastards pay for killing him, I swear it.” A tear spilled from her eye, and Daniel nodded his head in agreement.
After the nobles had all arrived, the large doors slid open again to allow several purple-clad warriors into the hall. Katrina noticed the cloaks they wore were extremely well made and looked quite expensive, though they seemed to be dirtier than they should be. Like they had been traveling without proper rest for some time.
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“Lord Bosmun of clan Torre’, emissary of High King Phobos!” an announcer called to the silent hall. There were seven warriors all together, and an Espi-Dae that trailed behind, wearing their signature, brightly colored cloak.
Lord Bosmun himself strode intently toward the throne and bowed to Hego Agron, making his greeting.
“It is an honor to finally meet you, Hego Ignos. Your reputation for being a respected and powerful leader of Dae is not exaggerated.” Bosmun opened his cloak to reveal a fine leather satchel and drew from within it a beautiful golden scroll with what Katrina recognized from her studies with Avria, the sigil of the High king upon it, a winged creature with two long tails that spread out into a half-circle around it.
“I have come today to bring you grave news, on the order of the High King himself.”
There were murmurs from the nobles in the room, not sure what to make of the display.
“The High King does know that the King of Lokkadonia is several leagues North of here, doesn’t he? Why would a distinguished Lord like yourself waste your time visiting a mere Hego?”
Bosmun placed the golden scroll back in his satchel and shook his head. “My Lord, we both know that King Yomin is not the true ruler of Lokkadonia, and only there because he has friends in high places in Torre’. Let’s not insult each other by ignoring this fact. I have come here because the High King is in need of your expertise.”
“Meaning?” Agron asked.
“I have come from Thule. The King of the Rexunii, if you can call him one, has declared independence from Eleutheros, from the High King. and has boasted that he will wage war on Lokkon and all clans who oppose him.”
Shouts came from the crowd, curses, and insults directed toward the Rexunii king. Katrina saw that many of the nobles just laughed. She also noticed that Agron, quite pointedly, did not.
“Why would he do such a thing?” Agron asked, rubbing his chin. “The clans would converge and destroy him. My armies defeated the Rexunii on their own in the last war against them. Is he truly so arrogant?”
Bosmun shook his head in frustration.
“It’s that demon,” the Espi-Dae said, glancing at Daniel and Katrina. “He has corrupted his mind!”
Everyone looked at the Dae. His face was stricken with stress and fear like he hadn’t slept in days.
“This is Espi-Arl, the Espi-Dae who initially made contact with the Rexunii,” Bosmun said.
“And the man who killed Robert,” Avria said, her face twisted with anger. “You are not welcome here.”
Katrina flashed with hot anger. She gritted her teeth, tempted to use her newfound power to crush this Dae. “You killed Robert?” she asked, louder than she intended. The hall grew silent, and all eyes rested on her. Her stomach ached with unreadable emotion as she took several steps forward. None around her attempted to stop her.
Espi-Arl looked at her in disgust but shook his head. “He is not dead, demon. We threw him in the Pit of Mar, but he emerged again, somehow seduced the king, and was even adopted into his family. Alektor believes that Dio’Mar rescued him from his fate and has commanded him to protect him.”
It took several seconds for the words to sink in, but Katrina found herself stunned. “He’s… alive?” she said, her mouth agape.
“It would seem so,” Bosmun chimed in. “We last saw him at the right hand of King Alektor, looking quite alive and well. We are not sure how. For thousands of years, every single person who has ever entered the Pit of Mar has died a gruesome and horrible death at the hands of the creatures there, but this human, demon or no, has somehow managed to survive it.”
Katrina put her hand over her mouth as tears began to stream from her eyes. She was in disbelief at the sudden but prodigious news. Robert was alive and with the King of Rexun no less. Happiness flooded her heart. He was alive!
“High King Phobos has given me the authority to make you an offer. If you are able to defeat the armies of the Rexunii again and kill this rebel king, he will back you and your house as the new King of Lokkadonia.”
There were several gasps and murmurs heard around the large room.
Agron looked puzzled at the words. “Why?” he asked “He knows I oppose him on many issues. Why would he make such an offer?” He took several moments, looking at Avria and then at his son Oros on his left. “How much of a threat is this, King?”
“We do not know the details, but the houses of Rexun fear him. Old and powerful houses who have ruled that clan for thousands of years are afraid of a child with a crown. We do not understand it, but it is that way for a reason. We do not want to disrupt the order of Eleutheros any more than we have to.”
Bosmun looked then to Daniel and Katrina, his expression unreadable. “We also would like for you to assist us in studying the humans, as a gesture of good faith.”
“No,” Agron said sternly. “They have proven to be loyal friends of Vul De Rah and of my house. I will not subject them to the cruel torment of your Espi-Dae.” He stared daggers at Espi-Arl. “Besides, Gro’ak holds me responsible for their safety, and unlike the phantom spirit Dio’Mar, he is very real and has been witnessed by every noble in this room.”
Bosmun bowed his head and carried on. “I will give you until tomorrow to decide what you will do, Hego Agron. Then we must mobilize our forces to destroy this threat. This will obviously be much more difficult than having you deal with them, politics, and all that… it will be a complicated mess if we have to ask the other clans for assistance.”
~
Katrina found herself in the Hego’s conference room again and in disbelief at the news she had heard. Robert was alive.
“This is the opportunity we have been waiting for,” Avria said, walking around a large table where Agron, Oros, Boros, Daniel, and Katrina sat. There were several other nobles seated around in various chairs that looked on in silence. Her father, Telmos Regios, was present as well but had said nothing.
“In his inexperience and foolishness, he has made enemies with the Torre’ and put us back in the High King’s favor. We can use this, my Lord. Your house can rule Lokkadonia. High King Phobos will be in your debt!” Avria paced in deep contemplation. “We could not have hoped for a better outcome.”
Oros nodded his head in agreement. “This is an opportunity we cannot pass up. I can assemble the warriors from many other houses in Lokkadonia. We can march south and show the Rexunii how true warriors fight.”
“Weren’t you both cautious of this man not so long ago?” Boros chimed in. “Last I heard, he was a dangerous monster who we could not hope to defeat.”
Avria smiled at the comment. “Alone, it would have been a different story, but with the might of all Lokkadonia behind us, there is no threat.”
Daniel cleared his throat, causing the focus of the room to go to him. “I may be speaking out of place,” he said, looking at Avria. “But you all asked Katrina and me to join this meeting, so I can only assume that you were prepared to hear what either of us have to say about it. I am no expert on Dae politics, but I am a little experienced in terms of warfare. Alektor doesn’t strike me as someone who would lose his composure and make such a blatant mistake. This is a guy who was willing to ally himself to the Torre’ to defeat you. He knew that he could not do it alone. So why the hell would he make enemies of the Torre’ and declare that he is going to invade Lokkadonia for no good reason? He knows something, there is some advantage that he has that we aren’t seeing here. So, I don’t believe it is the best outcome because we don’t know all the variables. Now we know that Robert is alive and has allied himself with Alektor, but who the hell is Dio’Mar?”
Avria gave Daniel a dark look but did not speak against him. Katrina turned toward him. “What are you talking about? Robert hasn’t allied himself with anyone. He only wants to stay alive and safe. Of course, he’s going to do his best to do that.” Katrina adjusted herself in her chair, slightly flustered.
“He was adopted into House Roh,” Oros said, looking at Daniel with an approving nod. “Something like that does not often happen here. Robert would have had to swear allegiance to him and to the Rexunii.”
Katrina gaped at the statement. “That’s… that can’t be true.”
“We have to assume that it is true. You humans are very strange creatures,” Avria said. “Perhaps he has promised him something.” She turned to Daniel. “As far as your assessment on the situation, I will not disagree with you, we do not know all that he is capable of, but there is very little he can do in terms of numbers. We have more. Not only that, but many of the most powerful warriors in Rexun either died in the last war with Lokkadonia or were purged in the ascension of Alektor himself. If you look at his position from a political and military perspective, he is surrounded, has no means of trade, and is hopelessly outnumbered. He may have a human, but we have two.”
Oros looked at Daniel as well. “One who has proven himself in battle already against them.” Oros’ face broke into a smile and he wrapped his knuckles on the table.
“Good,” Avria said, turning to face Agron, who, to this point, had remained silent. “My Hego? What are your orders?”
Agron let out a deep breath and rose slowly to lean over the table on his fists. “The Rexunii have overextended. I don’t care what political tricks that whelp of a king has up his sleeves. We will crush him. To the last warrior, we will crush them all. As we should have done the last time we went down there. Rexun will never be the same after this.” He turned to Oros. “Oros, begin assembling the bannermen. Send riders to the villages surrounding Vul De Rah. I want every able-bodied warrior here to begin our preparations for invasion.” His gaze moved to Avria next. “Tell your father to prepare our forces here for the campaign. I want all of our whelps’ training completed and our war-groups ranks filled with them.”