Bram crossed his arms and thought.
“It isn’t as simple a question as it seems. With King Antonil marching east to retake Neldar, defenses must have been few. Whatever troops he has might be needed to quell rebellion and ensure the rest of Mordan’s nobles swear their loyalty to him.”
“They say he has an army of the dead,” Loreina said. She shivered. “I don’t like it. I hear the priests’ whispers. This Melorak will come after us. Karak’s pets are far too convinced of their ascension.”
Gill’s threat as the pyre burned echoed in Bram’s ears. He told his wife everything, and she nodded as if not at all surprised.
“While you were gone, one of them came to me with another request for confession,” she told the two men. “He said the same thing: that a new law is coming over this world, and that it would be dangerous for me to have sin in my heart.”
Bram stood and flung his chair to the wall.
“Dangerous? Dangerous! I’ll cut his heart out and show him just how bloody it is with sin. What was his name?”
“I don’t remember,” Loreina said.
“You lie. Who was it?”
“I said I don’t remember.”
Ian coughed from the opposite side of the table.
“An execution would only reveal our true feelings toward them,” he said. “I don’t think it’d be wise to give away our hand just yet.”
The redness slowly faded from Bram’s face, and he grabbed another chair so he could sit.
“Enough of them,” he said, feeling childish beneath his wife’s constant stare. “What of the east?”
“We’ve received hardly a word through any official means,” said Ian. “The latest I’ve heard is that Theo White has assumed the throne in Kinamn, not that there was much to assume. The whole nation of Omn is said to be a wasteland. Those…demons…pillaged everything on their trek west. From what I’ve heard, at least half the nation is struggling to hold off starvation. Only those south along the coast have escaped relatively unscathed.”
“Theo is a bitter man,” Loreina said. “I’ve taken one of his former servant girls into my custody. She fled here when the demons first attacked, before Theo became king. He talks as if the sun will set tomorrow and never rise. With such thinking, he is unpredictable and dangerous.”
“Where do his allegiances lie?” asked Bram. “They would normally be to Neldar, but with it in ruins, it seems he’s free of any old ties.”
“I’d say his allegiances will be only to Omn and himself,” said Ian. Loreina nodded in agreement.
“There is one last strange rumor,” said Loreina. She pointed to Kinamn on the map. “Refugees pour into our city every day, and I do my best to have the guards question them all. Those who might seem useful are sent to me. The hours have been long and tedious, but every now and then…”
She paused. Bram put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek.
“What is it?” he asked.
“The angels,” she said. “I hear men with white wings fly circles above Kinamn, and that Antonil is supposedly with them. If that is true, then his attempt to retake Neldar failed. He’ll be coming back, hoping for safety in Mordan.”
“And with an enemy to soon give chase,” Bram said, following the logical path. “Even worse, he won’t know that Mordan has fallen. He’s trapped between two foes. Omn is his only ally.”
“For now,” Loreina said. Bram raised an eyebrow.
“For now?” he asked.
Loreina stood and gestured to the map.
“Enemies on both sides,” she said. “Would you not say the same for us? Karak’s law will depose us. The priest-king hopes to rule a unified Dezrel. We’ll be lucky to have our heads on pikes instead of marching alongside his army of the dead.”
“What do you suggest?” asked Ian.
“Theo is a dangerous man. That means he’d be a powerful ally. If he thinks his country is doomed, he will shed streams of blood without batting an eye.” She pointed to the two rivers on either side of Ker, the Corinth to the north and the Rigon to the east, and then outlined her plan.
“Simple,” said Ian. “But it could work. I doubt there’s anywhere else we’d have such strategic defenses.”
“But the angels are with Theo,” Bram said, frowning at the map. “These religious zealots will overtake our nation, and I will not enslave myself to Ashhur just to free myself from Karak. I will not trade one set of chains for another.”
“But those of Ashhur are desperate,” Loreina insisted. “Defeat chases them, and they have no home, no hope. Whatever we wish, we can negotiate before we cast in our lot. As for Melorak…”
She crossed her arms and leaned against her husband. Her eyes lingered on the painted figurine of Mordeina.
“There will be no negotiating with that priest-king,” she said.
“I’ll send someone to speak with King Theo” Bram said, holding his wife tight.
“Let me be the one,” Ian said. “You cannot trust this matter to anyone else. The fate of our nation hangs in the balance.”
“Leave tonight, then. I’ll begin mustering our forces.”
Ian saluted and then left.
“What of the priests?” Loreina asked when he was gone. “They will question a sudden surge of recruitment.”
Bram grinned at her, a bearish grin, one she had fallen in love with the moment she’d first seen it on their wedding day.
“Why, my dear, we have enemies of Karak right here on our doorstep. Is it not our duty to help defeat the angels in Kinamn?”
She kissed the scar on his face.
“That’s my king,” she said, smiling.
“The only king this nation shall ever have,” he said. “I promise you this.”
They kissed again, hungrier, wilder, the desperation hidden from their words escaping in their touch.
10
“K ick his ass!” Tarlak cheered, letting out a drunken whoop as the two combatants clashed their swords together.
“Trying!” Harruq shouted as he dove aside. Judarius’s enormous mace smashed an indent into the packed dirt. Chunks of earth flew as the angel tore the mace free, swinging for the half-orc’s side. Salvation and Condemnation blocked together, showering the ground with sparks.
“You’re getting bolder,” Judarius said through gritted teeth as he pressed the hit, pushing Harruq back. He flapped his wings, blowing dust into Harruq’s eyes. Grumbling, the half-orc ducked, swinging wildly in hopes for a block. The swords missed. The mace smacked his skull, and he went down in a sudden delirious wave. All around, soldiers cheered or booed, depending on who they had wagered on.
Harruq rubbed his eyes as he stood and glared.
“That was cheap and you know it. First time you’ve won, the first time, and that’s how you want it to be?”
Judarius gave him a curious look.
“A win is a win,” he said. “Should I pretend my wings don’t exist? Should you pretend your muscles are half their size when you train the other soldiers?”
“Quit whining,” Tarlak said, pressing through the crowd and smacking Harruq on the shoulder. “You just earned me a nice bounty of coin.”
