Katrina looked over the horizon with a satisfied smile on her face. After days of travel, she had finally made it back to Vul De Rah. She gently stroked the neck of her Cro’kan, the lizard-like creature seeming to purr with affection. “We’re finally back, bud. Thanks for the ride.” She said to the creature, admiring the spires that peaked into the sky above the city, a welcoming beacon to her.

  The sound of taloned feet impacting the ground brought her attention behind her, where she saw Alektor and his guards making their way toward her.

  “I see now what you mean, Katrina.” Alektor said as he brought his mount to a halt beside hers. “The city really is quite beautiful from afar.”

  “You never noticed?” She quipped “You’ve come and gone from here plenty of times by now.”

  “Sometimes, a person needs to be reminded of the small things in life.” He took in a long breath, scanning the horizon. “There is beauty in even the most mundane things.”

  Katrina chuckled, glad that her time spent with him seemed to be having a positive effect. “Well, let’s get down there.” She called as she tightened her grip on her reigns and urged her mount forward.

  They entered the city to the sound of blaring horns and cheers from the city’s inhabitants. Citizens who only a short time ago would have plunged a knife in Alektor’s back if they had the chance, she knew; she was among them. But for reasons beyond her comprehension or control, he had been chosen to lead them. And for reasons beyond the realm of possibility, she found herself now very fond of the man. Despite their violent start, and his aggression toward them. Alektor had managed to win them all over.

  They made their way to the palace, where dozens of nobles and dignitaries were eagerly awaiting their arrival. Within the assembled Dae were some welcome faces. Avria, Telmos, and Delmos, chief among them.

  “Highness!” Katrina bounced toward her former master with a giddiness she hadn’t felt in ages. She wrapped her arms around the stern woman, feeling her defenses crumble under the onslaught of affection Katrina poured over her. “I missed you guys so much.”

  Avria grumbled but had a smirk on her face as she pulled herself away. “It’s good to see you as well, Katrina.” Avria’s eyes glanced past her shoulder, and Katrina turned to follow her gaze toward Alektor, who was dismounted and greeting Telmos along with a myriad of nobles. “I trust your trip was comfortable?”

  “It was alright.” Katrina chuckled, moving past several others who greeted her. “Where are Daniel and Robert?”

  Avria’s eyes flashed with a hint of irritation as she replied. “They were supposed to be here by now. They were meeting with Lauren earlier.”

  “Lauren…” Katrina recalled the other human girl, who had saved Robert’s child, and possibly everyone in the palace. “How has she been holding up, after everything?”

  “She has barely been seen by anyone.” Avria shook her head as they made their way into the palace. “After the battle she seemed off; rarely leaving her quarters except to check on Reku’s child. And only then, when no one was around.”

  “Odd.”

  “Indeed,” Avria agreed. “There is something off about her; that much is clear.”

  Katrina and Avria made their way through the winding halls of the palace until they arrived at Alektor’s favorite study. Within, she found Daniel and Robert conversing with Lauren in the seated area. They stood as she entered and came to greet them with open arms.

  “Kat.” Robert smiled, pulling her into an embrace. “Took you long enough. You guys get lost on the way or something?”

  Katrina grinned, turning then toward Daniel who nodded at her. “Good to see you again, Kat.”

  “Likewise.” She said, leaning past Daniel’s shoulder to see a timid looking Lauren, halfheartedly waving at her. “And it’s good to see you too, Lauren.”

  Before the girl could respond, Alektor entered, followed by Telmos, Delmos, and Turak.

  “Wonderful to see everyone again.” He announced, making his way through the room, greeting them one at a time.

  New jugs of wine were brought in by servants, along with food and other refreshments. And within the span of several minutes, the reunited group was conversing and telling stories of their time away from each other.

  “I haven’t even seen them yet.” Katrina drank deeply from her bowl of wine.

  “They’re adorable.” Lauren chuckled, being rewarded with a bashful smile from Robert. “Both of them; James and Diana. You’ve got to come with me to visit them.”

  “After you’ve had time to relax, Kat.” Robert interjected. “After a long trip like that, you need to take some time to freshen up. Maybe take a bath or something.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Katrina dismissed him with a playful wave of her hand. “It’s not like we were moving at break-neck speed or anything.”

  Robert was about to respond but was interrupted by Alektor standing and clearing his throat. “My friends, it pleases me greatly to see you all again. But now that we’ve had a moment to gather ourselves. I’m afraid that there are pressing matters that must be addressed.” He lifted his bowl of wine toward Daniel and Avria, who were sitting with one another across from him. “To Hego Daniel of house Pierce, and Princess Avria of house Regios. I offer my most sincere congratulations on the eve of your joining. It is my honor to have the privilege of acting as your minister for this royal wedding, and I am sure I speak for everyone present when I say it has been a long time coming.”

  Delmos let out a laugh, but was quickly shushed by Telmos who followed it up with a glare.

  “Now then,” Alektor continued, his expression turning more serious. “I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the rumors from the East. Visoth is on the move, mobilizing their forces against us, and bringing their raiding parties across our borders in an attempt to provoke us.” He gestured toward Avria with his bowl of wine. “Our esteemed Princess Avria took the time to investigate these skirmishes in person, and from her report, the situation is much worse than we first believed. The Emperor of Visoth has always been amicable toward us, despite tussles here and there. But now his attitude has turned hostile, without warning or reason.”

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  Katrina let out a deep breath, already fully aware of the situation and knowing full well who was the most likely culprit.

  “We have theorized that this is most likely due to the influence of a particular entity who wishes us harm.”

  “Dio’Mar.” Daniel said, his voice tense.

  “Precisely.” Alektor took a small sip of wine before continuing. “The threat of this alone being true is cause for great alarm; and why I have called you all here. Along with pushing up the schedule of several important events; like your weddings.” He pointed toward Daniel and Delmos. “It is imperative that we assemble the council of each clan of Eleutheros, to address this as one. The message has been sent out, and all the council members of each clan should be arriving today or tomorrow.”

  “Do you think this will truly lead to war?” Telmos asked, his expression, one of determination.

  “There isn’t any other outcome if Dio’Mar is behind it.” Robert answered, barely restrained anger in his voice. “She wants to open the gates of hell and bring down the damn apocalypse. She knows we need to work with Visoth to keep that big ass gate shut, right in the middle of their territory. What better way to keep that from happening then turning them on us?”

  “The real question is, can we beat them?” Daniel grunted, shaking his head. “We’ve just come out of a full-blown civil war, and a demon invasion. “Do we have the resources or strength to fight a war on this scale? I don’t know much about Visoth to begin with. But from what I’ve heard, they’re the largest territory on this continent.”

  “If it does come to war,” Alektor answered. “It will be a hard-fought victory. The Visoth are powerful, and have techniques and weapons that are alien to us. Also, considering the diminished state of our forces… I can’t say for sure if victory is possible.”

  There were several pregnant seconds of silence as Katrina and everyone processed Alektor’s words. She thought of all the violence she had experienced in the last war. The death and destruction that nearly destroyed them. And the nightmares she now suffered from because of it. “Fuck…” she whispered under her breath.

  “Nevertheless.” Alektor let out a sharp breath before downing the remaining contents of his bowl of wine. “We will face this new threat with everything we have. And we will find a way to not only win but save our world… from annihilation.”

  ~

  Greyson held a shaking hand out to steady himself. His breath was ragged as it tore at his raw throat like glass. Blinking through the sweat and blood that stung his eyes, he saw Ashley’s prone form in the sand; and several feet behind her, Dorian slumped against a broken boulder that he had summoned during the battle. He saw Ashley stir after several moments, then felt relief wash over him as she began to sit up.

  “Is that everyone?” Dorian gasped, letting his bloody incisor blade fall from his grasp. “There can’t be any more… I can’t take this shit.”

  “Bastards…” Ashley croaked, “They led us out here to kill us…”

  Greyson fumed at her words; the Visoth emperor had offered to host them at the behest of Dio’Mar. Only to lead them into an ambush, and their royal escorts turn on them. Without the help of the familiars at their command, they would have been overrun and killed. “Fucking Dae traitors.” He spat, scanning over the broken bodies of the battlefield. Where would they go now? If even their supposed allies were willing to turn on them like this. What’s the point anymore? He thought, desperation and fear starting to claw at him. He had failed in Eleutheros; catastrophically, in the eyes of his benefactor.

  “I can’t do this anymore, Greyson…” Ashley’s voice was broken as emotion began to pour from her battered body. “I can’t…”

  “Stop it.” Dorian spat, sitting up straight and looking alert. “Someone else is coming.”

  Greyson tensed as he began scanning their surroundings, seeing nothing besides the barren wastes of Visoth’s desert around them.

  “So, the stories are true.” A voice called from seemingly nowhere.

  Dorian grunted as he stood from his rested position, picking up his blade and getting in a fighting stance.

  “You truly do possess powers that defy reason.” The voice continued.

  “Show yourself.” Greyson seethed, preparing himself for another fight.

  There was a shimmer in the air before him, and three warriors appeared out of thin air; Each were clad in the full-bodied bone-plate armor of the Visoth elite, but the one in the middle had a deep purple half cape that hung around his shoulders. And a plume of purple feathers rose from the top of his helmet.

  “I didn’t expect you to survive this.” The caped warrior gestured his arms around them. “Consider me impressed.”

  “I can’t.” Ashley began shaking her head erratically. “Just kill me already. I don’t care anymore. Come over here and get it over with, you pieces of shit!”

  “Ash!” Greyson shouted, attempting to silence his companion. “Don’t give these bastards the satisfaction of even thinking they’ve broken you.”

  “Oh, but you ‘are’ broken, demon.” The warrior in the center said, raising his right hand above his shoulder and grasping a long incisor blade that was fastened to his back. “Broken and spilt upon the sand like the vile filth you are. You just haven’t realized it yet.”

  Greyson took another look at Ashley who was staring at the ground, having seemingly accepted her fate to die at the hands of these Dae. She hadn’t been the same after her near-death experience at the hands of Daniel. None of them had, if he were being honest with himself. The scraping of bone brought his focus back to the warrior, as he pulled his massive sword from his back.

  “Prepare yourself, demon.”

  “Shut the fuck up and fight, asshole.” Greyson spat as he raised his hand and let out a highly pressurized blast of water aimed directly at the warrior.

  The warrior slashed his blade up, conjuring a stream of air that was so powerful, Greyson’s water attack sprayed around them, pattering down as harmless as rain. In a blink, the two other warriors leapt into action coming toward him from both sides as the caped warrior in the center dashed forward, lifting his massive blade over his head.

  Greyson cursed, surging his power within his body to strengthen and speed it up. Dorian blinked in, encased in stone armor, ramming his shoulder into one of the warriors mid stride. Greyson used his left hand to create a shield of water and his blade in his right hand to block the strike of the flanking warrior. Both blades came down simultaneously; the caped warrior’s massive incisor splashing into the roiling shield of water, and the other cracking against Greyson’s own blade.

  The world blurred around Greyson, as the two warriors began attacking him in earnest. He used his power in coalition with his blade techniques, deflecting and blocking strikes as best he could. Even with his superior human strength and speed, he was being pressed back. These warriors were more powerful than the others he had faced. A flash of a memory crossed his mind of the Dae warriors in Eleutheros that nearly killed Dorian and captured Lauren. That memory fueled a nearly uncontrollable rage that burned through his veins like boiling water.

  With a roar of fury, Greyson slammed his open palm into the ground, causing a violent wave of mud to blast all around him. As if on cue, Dorian lifted his hands, imbuing his own power into the wave, turning it into a lethal torrent of spikes.

  The caped warrior used his power to float above it, letting the deadly surge of mud spikes flow harmlessly below him. The same could not be said for the other warrior; whose muffled screams could be heard as he was torn to pieces underneath the flow.

  Greyson launched himself into the air at blinding speed, swinging his blade at the warrior with all his strength. He roared as his blade connected with his foe’s and sent him spinning back toward the ground. With a painful thud, the caped warrior slammed into the ground, only to be immediately encased in stone by Dorian.

  Greyson breathed heavily as he approached the squirming Dae warrior, his blood pumping through his exhausted limbs.

  “You bloody demons!” The Dae cursed, using his power to try and break free from his stone prison.

  Greyson tilted his head toward Dorian, who had removed his stone helmet and chuckled at the futile attempts of their captive. “Good luck getting out of that, asshole.”

  “Why does the emperor want us dead?” Greyson asked, kneeling to look the Dae in the eyeholes of his helmet. “We were offered safe passage from him, in the name of Dio’Mar, the spirit who we serve.”

  The warrior chuckled mockingly. “You are fools to believe that you would be spared in Visoth. Not a single one of your kind will survive; demons!”

  “So, you’re just going to defy Dio’Mar?” Dorian asked, a look of confusion on his face.

  “I have nothing else to say to you.” The warrior spat, turning away from him.

  Greyson sneered at him in irritation but began to look over his exposed pieces of armor, admiring the craftsmanship. “That’s some nice gear you got there.” Greyson said darkly. “You won’t be needing it anymore, so I guess I’ll just help myself.”