The villagers fled into the homes on the other side of the road while Bryndine and her twenty or so women held back the attackers. The women were badly outnumbered, but none of them had fallen, while the Burners had taken heavy losses already—to my untrained eye, it seemed the rebels fought clumsily and without coordination.
I saw a slender redheaded woman of Bryndine’s company darting between foes, distracting one for a companion then lunging at another; a squat, stocky blond woman barrelling into a group of three men like a barbarian warrior and cleaving them down with her axe; Tenille’s sword flashing in the firelight as she expertly disarmed her foe. Bryndine and Sylla fought side by side, and I was unsurprised to see that Sylla wielded her longsword with a terrifying ferocity, striking with blinding speed as she guarded her Captain’s flank. I know little enough about combat, but it was clear to see that these women were extremely skilled.
Bryndine Errynson put the rest of them to shame. She wielded in one hand a sword that most could only have held with two, swinging it in heavy arcs that cleaved through armor and flesh and bone as easily as if she were chopping rotted wood. Her shield was a wonder to watch too, despite her wounded arm—the big steel disc moved with incredible precision and speed, deflecting blows that I scarcely even saw coming. She wasted no effort on useless motion, simply broke an opponent’s attack on her shield, waited for an opening, and then cut her foe down with a single stroke. I had thought Sylla the more dangerous of the two, but where she often needed to land three or four decisive blows to fell her target, Bryndine rarely needed more than one.
Several men of Waymark waded into the fray, refusing to keep to their houses despite Bryndine shouting for them to find safety. Unarmored and armed only with makeshift weapons, they soon paid the price for their mistake. Iayn Gerynson chopped into a man’s side with a heavy shovel, but as he was pulling it free, another of the rebels rammed a sword into his back. Iayn fell to his knees. He tried to stand, but the man he had struck—seemingly unhindered by the deep gouge in his side—caved in the big tanner’s head with a spiked mace. Other men fell as well, but I recognized few of them through the smoke, and then the rest were retreating in terror while Bryndine and her women guarded their retreat.
I sat frozen in place, watching men I had known for years cut down, a terror more pure than anything I had ever known growing in my chest. The voices in my head grew louder, wilder. They were angry and in pain, and so I was too, and it only added to my fear. But at least I could claim one small grace: I was not the focus of their attention.
And then I felt that change.
It was like the slow turning of a great invisible eye; an unseen force gradually becoming aware of my presence. I had been caught eavesdropping, hearing something I was not meant to hear. The macabre chant focused on me, every word resounding as clearly as ringing crystal. “Pain,” the voices chanted. “Fire. Death.” I realized with dread what was coming.
“BURN,” the voices ordered. And I did.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Map of the Nine Peaks
1. Sunlit Sky
Zerill
2. Festival Night
Rudol
3. Masks
Zerill
4. Consequences
Josen
5. Broken Walls
Shona
6. Exodus
Zerill
7. The Darkroom
Rudol
8. Memory and Faith
Josen
9. Old Friends
Shona
10. The Purge
Josen
Rudol
Zerill
11. Carrion Beasts
Zerill
Josen
Zerill
12. Golden Eyes
Josen
13. Left in the Dark
Zerill
Lenoden
Rudol
Zerill
14. The Windsmouth
Shona
Rudol
15. Forward or Nothing
Lenoden
16. Fever Dreams
Josen
Zerill
17. Allies of Necessity
Lenoden
18. Kinmeet
Zerill
19. Playing the Game
Shona
20. Aryllia’s Heir
Rudol
21. Retreat
Zerill
22. Sacrifice
Josen
23. Revelations
Shona
Lenoden
Shona
24. Through the Swamp
Josen
Zerill
Josen
25. Unwanted
Rudol
26. No Way Out
Shona
Lenoden
Rudol
Shona
27. A Chance Meeting
Zerill
Shona
28. Whatever It Takes
Zerill
Shona
Josen
29. The Conquering Hero
Lenoden
Zerill
Shona
30. Judgement
Rudol
31. Moving Pieces
Shona
Zerill
32. Sword of the Storm
Josen
Shona
Lenoden
33. Airborne
Josen
34. Bargaining
Lenoden
35. A Hard Landing
Zerill
Josen
Shona
36. A Revolution Planned
Shona
37. Amends
Zerill
38. Coming Home
Josen
Rudol
Shona
39. Reunion
Rudol
Josen
40. Confession
Rudol
Josen
Rudol
41. Who We Are
Zerill
42. Standing the Cliff
Shona
Josen
Rudol
Josen
43. Diplomacy
Shona
Josen
Lenoden
44. Out of the Mist
Josen
45. The Wings of Eagles
Shona
Rudol
46. Balancing the Scales
Josen
Rudol
Josen
47. Promises Kept
Lenoden
Josen
Zerill
48. Answering the Call
Lenoden
Shona
Zerill
Rudol
49. New Roads
Lenoden
Zerill
Josen
50. Under the Sun
Shona
Josen
Zerill
Epilogue
Appendix: Time in the Peaks
Appendix: The Nine Duchies
Inner Duchies
Outer Duchies
About the Author
Sample of Scriber
The Swampling King (The Windwalker Legacy Book 1) Page 96