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his eyes.
    “We apologize for any slight a misguided attempt by one of the lesser tribes may have caused, but the Overlords resolved that issue when they delivered the heads of the chieftains responsible,” Kulabi said.
    “True enough. So enlighten me as to your presence. Is it because Jemare is dead? Or concern for your neighbors?”
    “No to both.”
    Surprisingly, the words resonated with truth. He thought for sure they’d come to grovel at his feet as a result of his Thelusian campaign. His Farlanders and Blades had routed the first army they faced. When they were done, Helegan would be next.
    “We are here with a request,” Kulabi said.
    “Go ahead.”
    “First, a few questions if you will, Your Highness.”
    Ainslen nodded.
    “What significance does the Crystal Skies hold for your people?”
    The question was a strange one. Not at all what King Cardiff expected. The Crystal Skies had appeared several days ago, but he hadn’t given the occurrence much thought beyond marveling that it happened in his lifetime. He pondered the question a moment before he answered. “Besides their beauty, they signified the Blight and the Thousand Year War, the rise of Cortens Kasandar, and the fall of Hemene the Savage.
    Kulabi nodded. “All great catastrophes. Even the Skies’ origins are a cause for concern.”
    “And another has occurred again when I have come into to power?” Ainslen made a steeple of his fingers and regarded the man with dead eyes. “If there’s something you’re alluding to, I would tread carefully.”
    “That was not my intention, sire. I apologize.” The Voice bowed deeply.
    The king smirked. “Cortens’ rise to power is why we rule, why we still exist. There is no catastrophe in that. Hemene deserved to die. He was a monster, partaking of his own people like some western savage. As for their origins, that would only be a concern if you believe the tales that the Crystal Skies are caused by the opening of the Pillars of Dissolution. If you do, then where are the Gods? Or better yet, Hell’s Angels, since the Pillars are said to lead to the Ten Purgatories. No one has returned with proof as to the cause of the Crystal Skies. Except for Etien, no one has been to the Pillars, and his accounts might be called the musings of a madman.”
    During his studies of melding and Dracodar secrets he had seen a drawing of the Pillars in one of the partial copies of Etien’s Compendium in the Grand Library. They were depicted as metal and stone structures a hundred feet tall from which light shot into a sky filled with swirling clouds. Supposedly the Dominion had entered the world through them. When they built the Ten Heavens, they changed the worlds beyond the Pillars into the Ten Hells and set Angels to guard them as punishment for betrayal.
    The tale first intrigued him because most renditions of those Angels were eerily similar to scaled Dracodar, albeit with wings. The Order claimed the Angels were, in fact, banished Dracodar. Some claimed the stories were supported by the Dracodar practice of sacrificing children born without soul magic by throwing them through the Pillars. He wished he could get his hand on a complete or original version of the book to delve deeper into these tales.
    “My belief matters not,” Kulabi said. “What matters is the belief of the Berendali and the other western kingdoms.”
    “Perhaps it’s of concern to you, but not to us. Those lands are filled with nothing but savages and blasphemers.”
    “Blasphemers preparing for war on your empire.”
    “What?” Ainslen sat up straight. Murmurs rose around the room as word spread. He raised his hand. The susurrus drifted into silence.
    Kulabi continued, his scar tugging at the corner of his mouth. “For thousands of years the western kingdoms have followed the Dracodarian ritual of sending children through the pillars as part of their worship. Their holy books tell them that one of their descendants will trigger the