“Then why did you send two stowaways with me?” MacAngus countered, his voice rising to match Fandar's pitch.
“They were insurance,” Fandar said. “A backup plan.”
MacAngus was quiet for a moment. “Fandar, did you ever stop to think that maybe if you hadn't chased him he might have just left you alone? Just taken a boat to the East and then vanished? Now he knows you want him dead, who knows what he's going to do next?”
“He makes a good point,” Eckert muttered.
“I sent you to bring him back to me to be executed!” Fandar said. “You agreed to it!”
“I lost good men in this pursuit,” MacAngus said. “And if I myself had gone missing, what would that accomplish? Just a power vacuum at the head of my domain. That does nobody any good.”
“I thought I could trust you to not fail me,” Fandar seethed.
Eckert made a hissing noise. “Oh dear, that's not going to sit we-”
“Do not speak to me as if I am one of your underlings!” MacAngus roared. Yilon flinched at the sound of a meaty northern fist cracking down on his father's antique desk. “I am a Lord. I am not some mongrel that you can command to sit, heel and obey. You will not disrespect me!”
“Yikes,” Eckert muttered, sighing heavily. “Well, it's going to be a long, awkward trip home for sure now.”
“If you are such a Lord, you would fight to destroy a menace such as that boy!” Fandar yelled.
“He's the same age as me,” Yilon muttered through gritted teeth.
“And if you are such a Lord, you would learn when to leave well enough alone,” MacAngus snapped. “The next time you call on me, I swear on all the mana crystals in the north I won't answer.”
Yilon and Eckert scrambled backwards to make it seem as though they weren't listening in as MacAngus's boots clomped towards the door. He opened it by barging through shoulder first before turning and slamming it shut so hard Yilon was certain he heard wood splinter. The big Lord took a deep breath to steady himself. “Eckert, we're leaving,” he said.
“Yes, milord,” Eckert said, noticeably less flippant and foppish. As MacAngus turned in a swirl of cape to walk down the hall, the Avatarian held out a hand to Yilon, a bit of his usual good humor returning. “Well then, I must be off. Until we meet again, Lord Yilon.”
Yilon shook the lanky hand, then paused. “Wait, what did you call me?”
Eckert put a finger to his lips, waggling his eyebrows at Yilon. Then he turned and strode after his Lord, twirling his cane in a jaunty circle by his side. They rounded the corner together and were lost to sight, leaving Yilon standing in the hall.
Had that slip of the honorific been an accident, or intentional? Yilon wasn't sure. He suddenly felt very heavy, a weight settling around his shoulders. He looked towards the study, and debated going inside to speak to his father.
His father who was acting as though his best friend was some kind of monster.
Yilon squared his shoulders, turned, and walked away from the study.
His friend seemed the same, yet so different, standing there with that guitar hanging off his shoulder with several powerful women at his side. The orc in particular had been something, tall, broad, and strong with big tits that even he'd spent a couple seconds more than he should have staring at. You sure know how to pick 'em, Vann, he laughed inwardly.
Whatever was coming next, Yilon knew that his world was very likely about to change completely. He would try his best to mediate his father's ire, perhaps steer him onto a less aggressive path forward. It might not hurt to try to get in contact with Vann somehow, to dissuade him from doing anything rash as well.
Barring that, however, it wouldn't hurt to have a few plans of his own.
***
Fandar Branna sat at his desk, his head in his hands and his heart beating fast. It was all going wrong. His trustworthy Guard Captain had failed him. MacAngus had failed him. Vann was still out there, and from all accounts, growing in strength. With Rorzan's spirit guiding him, it would only be a matter of time until a horde of Voiceless, Eastern races, and all manner of undesirables were storming the gates of Papreon.
The time had come for desperate measures.
He would have to endure personal humiliation, yes, admitting to his failure of responsibility. The alliance would already be lacking MacAngus. But there were other houses who remembered the first Rebellion better than MacAngus's. They would see things his way. And they would join with him, as they had with his ancestor, to crush the menace to their way of life.
Fandar took pen and paper in hand, and began to write.
Some time later, in four of the royal houses across the human lands, letters arrived by messenger birds to the Lords and Ladies of the realm, carrying Fandar's seal. The message they contained read thusly:
My fellow Lords and Ladies,
I must admit to a grave failing on my part. I have failed in my charge to safeguard the instrument of the Great Enemy entrusted to my house. It is now in the possession of a Voiceless who has journeyed to the East, and no doubt at this very moment is raising an army to threaten our lands just as his progenitor did all those centuries ago.
The blame is mine, this I will admit. But I ask that we focus on the threat, this rebirth of the Metal Rebellion. We must do as our forebearers did to ensure the continued peace and prosperity of our Houses, and the safety of our people.
I invoke the Call of the Canto, with all the responsibilities that entails. Should you wish to join me, send acknowledgment back with this bird. I trust you will do what is right.
Fandar, Lord of House Branna
Afterword
Thank you, dear reader, for purchasing this book! Bonecarver is a passion project of mine born from my undying love of the heavy metal genre and my want to share it with the world in the form of erotic fantasy fiction. This book wouldn’t exist without the music to inspire me, and below you’ll find a selection of personal favorites themed around the events of the book that I hope will inspire you to at least give this rich, varied genre a cursory glance. Thank you so much, and see you in Bonecarver Book Three!
Nathan Ravenwood
Selected Listening:
“Lightning Strike” - Judas Priest
“The Matriarch” - Unleash the Archers
“Over The Hills And Far Away” - Nightwish
“King of Cups” - Aether Realm
“Can I Play With Madness?” - Iron Maiden
“The Bard’s Song” - Blind Guardian
“Songs of Thunder” - High on Fire
“Overkill” - Motorhead
“Fight Fire With Fire” - Metallica
“Screaming For Vengeance” - Judas Priest
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