by K L Reinhart
Terak’s arm ached. His grip started to slip .
“Oh, my dear Falan,” the Counsellor laughed, stalking forward to the doorway above Terak. He couldn’t see her from where he dangled, but he could see the edge of her boots through the stairs.
“You were always far too nice to be a Lord General.” Counsellor Annas laughed. “Believe me, I am probably doing you a favor!”
“I can’t see how selling your soul to the White-Faced Legion, and the Blood Gate—and the Ungol—is doing anyone a favor, Counsellor,” Falan shouted, striding forward.
Another merciless laugh from above, and Terak felt the muscles in his injured back scream with effort. The Counsellor, relishing her moment of apparent victory, had forgotten about him.
“Oh, you think the White-Faced Legion are in charge?” Annas laughed as Terak breathed out slowly and steadily, gathering himself . . .
“The Ixcht answer to me, you fool. And I answer to one who is far more threatening than an untrained boy with a sword!” She scoffed at the young Lord General.
“I demand to know who is behind this!” Falan reached the bottom of the stairs, still pointing the long sword at the Counsellor.
But Counsellor Annas was wreathed in more blue-purple hazes of light, which Terak knew she could turn into a fireball or a protective shield in moments. Lord General Falan wouldn’t have a chance to close the distance before he got roasted alive.
Terak started to slowly swing his legs forward and back, rocking in place, and gathering momentum . . .
“You demand!” The Counsellor laughed. “My lord is the Hexan, Falan,” she purred. “A male witch with the sort of power not seen for a hundred years! He has already brought the Enclave to its knees, and now Brecha, too! When the Blood Gate opens, the Hexan and all of his lieutenants will be richly rewarded.”
“You’re insane,” Falan said.
“On the contrary, my lord,” the Counsellor scolded him as she lifted a hand in the air and started to swirl the blue-purple energies into a vortex in front of her, “I rather think that I am being totally sane. The Blood Gate will open soon, and when it does, you have to make sure that you are on the right side of history.”
“I already am,” Terak heard Falan say.
Now! Terak kicked out with his legs, forcing himself into a swing at the same time as he pulled as hard as he could on the bannister.
“Huh?” He was rewarded by a brief image of the Counsellor’s startled face as he swung his legs over the bannister, releasing his grip as he spiraled, lashing out with his shortsword.
Thock.
The blade cleaved through the traitor’s neck. At the same time, the vortex of purple-and-blue burst all around Terak, flinging him down the stairs like he had been hit by a hurricane.
Epilogue: The Amulet
“Uh . . . Brother Torlake?” Terak heard an uneasy voice wake him from the dark. “If that really is your name, I suppose . . .”
Terak groaned. He felt like he had been hit by a giant.
Nope, just another spell, he thought wryly as he felt the now-familiar aches and pains throughout his body. Once again, someone with magic had tried to kill him, and once again, he had survived. He opened his eyes to see that he was still in the workshop, but it was now lit with lanterns. And full of people.
Brecha people. He recognized their fur-lined coats and bronzed breastplates. The confused face of the Lord General Falan, his head bandaged, looked down at him.
“You’re an elf,” Falan said, a look of astonishment on his face.
Oh no. Terak realized that the Acai Juice he had been wearing solidly for almost three days must have worn off. He now appeared as he was, the only Enclave elf.
“I am, my lord,” Terak admitted, moving to rise himself to a crouch, before a second voice made a warning growl behind him. Turning, he saw that it was none other than Adviser Semuel, with his long dark hair, purple robes, and black gloves, looking down at him sternly.
“You are an Enclave spy, like all the others,” Adviser Semuel said severely.
Terak’s heart went cold. So, this was it. To have discovered the traitor in Brecha, only to be imprisoned or worse, by the very people he had helped save?
How can I re-enter the Enclave-External now? he thought. His cover had been blown.
“He is what he is,” Lord General Falan said wearily. “But he is also a hero of Brecha. He saved my life. Twice, I think.”
“Still, my lord,” Adviser Semuel said, gesturing around to the strange workshop of the deceased Brother Menier, another spy sent to Brecha. “The meddling of the Enclave has brought ruin to Aldburg.”
Terak knew that his future hung in the balance, depending on what the Lord General decided.
Falan took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. He looked around the workshop, seeming to consider Adviser Semuel’s opinion.
“I rather fear, Adviser Semuel, that ruin, blood, and fire will be coming to us all very soon when the Blood Gate opens. This young elf has been working to stop that from happening.” Falan nodded at Terak, and then leaned down to offer him his hand.
Terak blinked, unsure of himself before he reached up to take it. This was something new. Friendship, freely offered, freely given.
“The Lady of the North arrived not an hour ago,” Falan told Terak as he held onto the elf’s hand in a strong grip. “We put an end to the Ixcht menace.”
“And Counsellor Annas . . .?” Terak breathed, casting an eye back to the stairs, where Brecha soldiers were moving through the room. There was a heavy blanket over a humped shape on the floor.
“You stopped her,” Falan said gravely. “And for that, I thank you. But I fear that there is now a greater threat to us all—the one known as the Hexan has been working against us, seeding the north with his agents like Counsellor Annas here. He—whoever he is—was the one to order the poisoning of my father and initiate the attack by the White-Faced Legion.”
And he has spies and agents inside of the Enclave, as well, Terak thought darkly.
“But for now, the threat is over.” Falan nodded, releasing the elf’s hand to remove something from his jacket.
It was an amulet, a heavy golden rondel, with a large, iridescent black stone in its center and small, radiating steel spikes set around it.
“This was on the Counsellor’s body. I fear it is what she was looking for. I believe that it is right that you should take it, if you mean to use it to stop the Blood Gate from opening.”
Terak looked at Falan, the human who had trusted him, and he looked at the amulet for a moment before his hand closed over the metal.
“I will, my lord,” he said. And the elf, null, and agent of the Enclave-External meant it.
THANK YOU
Thank you so much for reading Battle Born, the second book in the Dagger of the World epic fantasy series. As those seeking to release the Ungol horde push forward with their nefarious plans, Terak and the Enclave will face even more sinister foes. Will they be able to stop the demons or are the people of Midhara doomed?
The next story in the Dagger of the World series is called Baleful Signs and will be available soon, so keep an eye out for it on Amazon.
While you’re waiting for the next story, you should check out the Brindle Dragon series which follows a girl destined to fly with dragons and save the world. But before any of that can happen, she must be chosen by a dragon.
Get Chosen here:
amazon.com/dp/B07LCT7ZCN
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