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Authors: Catherine Beery, Andrew Beery
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reverse. Still she was determined that he would beget her son so that she and the child could fulfill a millennium old prophesy. The potion she had been using had initially been effective but she had recently noticed that it was no longer binding him to her desires. She found this odd because she had specifically charmed it against tampering until consumed. Still, it mattered not. She could feel the new life taking hold in her belly. Once she knew the pregnancy would carry to term she would decide what to do with this newly minted king. She gave orders to double the drug dose in his food.
***
General Stanton looked every bit his nickname, the Reed, as he swayed while standing in a blustery wind that was tearing through the decimated corn field his soldiers had camped in the night before. The morning sun was already a han d’ s breadth high but it brought little promise for warmth this day. His gaze turned westward, towards the capital city of Pershara. The word had come by runner the night before that the city was stirring and the king was raiding private storehouses and granarie s… impounding every foodstuff available in the city. It seemed Raymond Holden the pretender to the throne since murdering his nephew, King Randolph Holden, nearing twenty years ago was aware that an army loyal to the newly declared King Thomas Holden was marching on the city.
The general grimaced as he thought of how the people of that city were suffering because of the seizures. Anyone who wanted to eat had to be seen as loyal to Raymond's throne. Further, by housing all the food within the palace gates, the palace could survive a multi-year siege. The city itself would fall to pieces but Stanton seriously doubted this troubled the despot Raymond Holden one iota.
The sound of crunching cornstalks caused the tall man to turn. Duncan and Perela were walking up. Stanton knew they shared a tent for company but he also knew tha t’ s as far as it went. Duncan was a monastic knight and a fully honorable man. Duncan would not be sharing Perel a’ s bed until they were marrie d… a fate the general knew to be inevitable even if the younger knight had not yet fully realized it.
“ Ther e’ s a cold bite to that wind .” Duncan said as he approached.
“ I t’ s not just the wind that is bitter this morning .” The Reed mumbled half under his breath.
Perela placed a delicate hand on his shoulder .“ Wha t’ s happening in Pershara is not your fault . ”
“ Is n’ t it ?” He spat back a little more harshly than he intended .“ We saw the signs for years; Whole families disappearing; strange arcane runes painted in blood on the doors of houses not fully behind Raymond Holde n’ s claim on the throne; the whispers of dark magics and forbidden ritual s… we saw it all and chose to look the other way . ”
“ And what could you have don e… that you are not doing now ?” Perela insisted.
“ Somethin g… anything . ”
“ We can lament and anguish over the past or we can build the futur e …”
Duncan placed a friendly hand on the other ma n’ s shoulde r … “ Le t’ s go build that future . ”
Chapter Seven- Finally Time
Thomas GrimHolden woke to the noise of keys clinking. The time for his move was finally at hand. He had eaten a meal of four cooked rats just a few hours before. As he suspected the potion being used to subdue him had been increased. The rats had all died of an overdose within minutes of consuming his gruel. He had purged the toxins from their little bodies with the lightest of magical touches and at the same time cooked them. They and their brothers had been his only companions for many weeks and a part of him knew an irrational sense of regret at their demise. Still, he was a man of faith and he would use what God provided.
As Grim heard the key being fitted into the lock he thought that perhaps the guard was a little early today. Still, it was hard to
***
General Stanton looked every bit his nickname, the Reed, as he swayed while standing in a blustery wind that was tearing through the decimated corn field his soldiers had camped in the night before. The morning sun was already a han d’ s breadth high but it brought little promise for warmth this day. His gaze turned westward, towards the capital city of Pershara. The word had come by runner the night before that the city was stirring and the king was raiding private storehouses and granarie s… impounding every foodstuff available in the city. It seemed Raymond Holden the pretender to the throne since murdering his nephew, King Randolph Holden, nearing twenty years ago was aware that an army loyal to the newly declared King Thomas Holden was marching on the city.
The general grimaced as he thought of how the people of that city were suffering because of the seizures. Anyone who wanted to eat had to be seen as loyal to Raymond's throne. Further, by housing all the food within the palace gates, the palace could survive a multi-year siege. The city itself would fall to pieces but Stanton seriously doubted this troubled the despot Raymond Holden one iota.
The sound of crunching cornstalks caused the tall man to turn. Duncan and Perela were walking up. Stanton knew they shared a tent for company but he also knew tha t’ s as far as it went. Duncan was a monastic knight and a fully honorable man. Duncan would not be sharing Perel a’ s bed until they were marrie d… a fate the general knew to be inevitable even if the younger knight had not yet fully realized it.
“ Ther e’ s a cold bite to that wind .” Duncan said as he approached.
“ I t’ s not just the wind that is bitter this morning .” The Reed mumbled half under his breath.
Perela placed a delicate hand on his shoulder .“ Wha t’ s happening in Pershara is not your fault . ”
“ Is n’ t it ?” He spat back a little more harshly than he intended .“ We saw the signs for years; Whole families disappearing; strange arcane runes painted in blood on the doors of houses not fully behind Raymond Holde n’ s claim on the throne; the whispers of dark magics and forbidden ritual s… we saw it all and chose to look the other way . ”
“ And what could you have don e… that you are not doing now ?” Perela insisted.
“ Somethin g… anything . ”
“ We can lament and anguish over the past or we can build the futur e …”
Duncan placed a friendly hand on the other ma n’ s shoulde r … “ Le t’ s go build that future . ”
Chapter Seven- Finally Time
Thomas GrimHolden woke to the noise of keys clinking. The time for his move was finally at hand. He had eaten a meal of four cooked rats just a few hours before. As he suspected the potion being used to subdue him had been increased. The rats had all died of an overdose within minutes of consuming his gruel. He had purged the toxins from their little bodies with the lightest of magical touches and at the same time cooked them. They and their brothers had been his only companions for many weeks and a part of him knew an irrational sense of regret at their demise. Still, he was a man of faith and he would use what God provided.
As Grim heard the key being fitted into the lock he thought that perhaps the guard was a little early today. Still, it was hard to
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