ã€ŠThe Haverdash Warã€‹


 1. Welcome Home

    Andal peered from behind the tree at the house on the cliff. Nobody was outside, so he scurried to a window and knocked on the shutters. A boy just slightly older than Andal pushed them open. "Hello Lars! Is your dad sober?"

    "Yes he is, and my mom just went to your house to talk to your mom. Hold on, I''ll ask him."

    Lars closed the shutters and disappeared inside. Andal waited quietly, thinking Lars would be right back. A minute later though, he was still waiting. At least it was a nice day out.

    They lived on the coast, the cliff Lars''s house was on was at the edge of the water, so Andal was accompanied by the crashing of waves and the low roar of the ocean. though, normally there would be dozens of seagulls in the skies. Today they were empty, and silent. There was a mist rolling in from the sea, and the day was overcast, so he thought that perhaps the seagulls knew it was going to rain somehow.

    Lars opened the front door and ran out, hurrying back to close it, then out to Andal again. "Sorry, he made me knock the mud off his boots! He said we could play though."

    "Yay! What are we doing?"

    Lars grabbed Andal''s arm and pulled him as they started running, "Let''s climb king willow! You haven''t climbed him yet, right?"

    "No, have you?" He asked in disbelief.

    "Last week!" Lars said proudly.

    Andal was shocked, "The whole thing?"

    "Yea the whole thing! Today we''re both gonna climb it!"

    Andal was silent as they stutter-stepped down a hill. He stopped running, "What if we climbed the oak by the butcher''s instead?"

    Lars stopped too, "Why would you want to climb that one? It''s smaller."

    Andal shifted his feet, "I know."

    Lars walks back and tugs on Andal''s arm, "Don''t be scared, it''s just another tree. There''s lots of footholds." Andal was hesitant. "And I''ll be right next to you anyway, so let''s go!"

    Andal let Lars start pulling him, "Okay, King Willow then. But, isn''t there a Haverdash house right next to it?"

    Lars tried to hide a smile, "Andal! No being afraid!"

    Andal didn''t know why Lars would smile about that, but it made him uncomfortable. Andal knew very little about the Haverdash, but they were sternly warned to stay away from Haverdash buildings. The Haverdash were offered land across the sea by the king four generations ago, and he pressured them to go claim it.

    They''d lived there by the coast ,and once they left others moved into their homes. They were a passionate and religious people, who the king kept isolated from the rest of the kingdom out of concern.

    Andal and Lars climbed to the base of King Willow, which was on a tall hill. On the other side of the hill was an old Haverdash house that hadn''t been touched since the Haverdash first left.

    Lars pointed at a spot on the tree, "Put your foot there and jump up to that branch first. You see that knot? Put your foot there, pull yourself up onto the branch. Now let me catch up, I can''t see it that well from down here." They gradually climbed King Willow. Lars had to figure out how to do it again, but then he showed Andal and they both made it to the top.

    Lars sat at the point two branches split and threw his arms up, "You did it!" He leaned over as best he could to hug Andal while maintaining his balance. "Biggest tree around! Now there''s nothing you can''t do!"

    Andal tried to stand and look at their surroundings, "Look, there are the docks, and there''s your house!"

    "Really? We can see my house?" Lars stood up too, "That''s not my house, my house would be on the farther cliff. The mist is covering it now."

    "Oh yea." Something caught Andal''s eyes in the mist, "Hey, I think some ships are coming in."

    Lars climbed to the other side of the tree, "Guess they got unlucky with the weather. Hopefully they don''t hit the dock."

    Andal looked back at him. "Why are you looking at the Haverdash house?"

    "It''s just interesting, aren''t you curious about what''s inside?"

    "We''re not allowed to go inside, Lars!"

    "Why not?" He waves his arms to gesture to the whole thing, "Look at it, it looks just like your house! You live in an old Haverdash house!"

    "It''s different! Granpappy said they redid everything when they came here!"

    "So, if we want to know what it used to be like, we need to look in that one."

    Andal glared at Lars, "You''re going to get in big trouble."

    "Come on, Andal, you''re being scared again."

    "No I am not!"

    "Yes you are! You think trying new things is scary, but they always end up okay." Lars dropped down to a lower branch, "Come on, that window is busted open, let''s check it out."

    "Lars!" Andal yelled back, upset. He started climbing down after Lars, carefully. When he reached the bottom of the tree Lars had already slipped through the window, so Andal ran over to it, "Lars, we shouldn''t do this!"

    Lars came back to the window, "You don''t want to see what''s inside?"

    "We''re not supposed to!"

    "We''ll be fine. Step away from the window, I''m going to break it more. It''s so dirty that light isn¡¯t getting in."

    Andal stepped away, and Lars hit the window with a candlestick, breaking odd large pieces of it. "Climb inside, but be careful about the glass."

    Andal leaned in the window and pulled himself through. The house was dimly lit by the light from the broken window and a faint glow from two others that were too dirty to see clearly through. Metal cylinders large enough to hold a person, racks with bottles on them, and shelves of books lined the walls.

    Lars pointed to something lying on a carpet with red blotches on it, ¡°Watch your step, Andal.¡± It was a kind of whip with metal crescents hooked to it at various points, some that were pointing up.

    Andal found his way over to Lars and stayed close. ¡°Come on Lars, you¡¯re scared too, just a little, right?¡±

    ¡°Nope, not scared at all.¡± Lars went over to a table with papers strewn over it, a quil sitting on one that was barely used. A bottle sat next to it with an incompletely sealed top and a hardened jelly running down the sides of it. He picked up a paper and tried to read it, ¡°They don¡¯t use the same letters as us! Look at this!¡±

    He held the paper up for Andal to read. Andal was looking at the ground to avoid sharp objects when he walked over, bumping Lars. Lars caught himself awkwardly to avoid touching the hardened jelly on the side of the bottle. ¡°Hey, careful!¡± He held up the paper again.

    Andal looked at the letters on the page, ¡°Yea, I can¡¯t read that at all.¡± Lars shifted through the papers a bit more, and Andal added, ¡°You were scared, just a moment ago.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°What?¡± Lars asked indignantly. ¡°Was not.¡±

    ¡°When you almost touched that goo, you were scared! Just admit it, this place is scary.¡±

    Lars glared at Andal. ¡°I wasn¡¯t scared.¡±

    ¡°Yes you were, and that¡¯s okay. I sure don¡¯t want to touch that stuff!¡±

    Lars looked at the bottle. He grabbed it and popped the top off, ¡°Bet I wo-¡± Lars and Andal gagged and stumbled away from the smell of the drink as it sloshed around. ¡°Bet I won¡¯t drink it?¡±

    Andal held his nose and gaped at Lars, ¡°No, don¡¯t drink it!¡±

    ¡°So I wasn¡¯t scared?¡±

    Andal stamped his foot, ¡°You were scared though!¡±

    Lars raised the bottle and took a drink.

    He began to shake. He went limp except for the spasming of his legs which sent him falling sideways, and he started to scream. There are screams of shock, of pain, and like Lars''s, of utter terror. His head hit the metal base of a glass cylinder when he landed. The bottle hit the floor and broke, splashing the liquid onto his clothes.

    It paused his screaming only for the briefest second. His body shook rapidly as it gradually transitioned to being curled up in a fetal position on his side. His eyes shook even more rapidly, but with controlled intentionality, like he was surrounded by the sources of his terror closing in on him.

    Andal watched in horror, frozen in place. Lars never screamed, never cried, and had always been the strong one. He''d even been the strong one for adults that were scared; there was nobody Andal thought could handle more. Now, with tears streaming down Lars''s pale face, as he convulsed and hit his head repeatedly on the glass cylinder, Andal cried as well.

    He noticed blood coming from Lars''s head. He was hurting himself more by being next to the wall as he convulsed. Andal took a few quick breaths to psyche himself up, then stepped over and reached down to grab Lars''s leg and pull him away from the wall.

    He gagged from the smell, falling back as he let go of Lars. His left hand brushed Lars''s leg, touching the liquid that had splashed onto him. Andal yelled in pain, leaping back away from Lars. The liquid burned to the touch. He shook it off of his hand and wiped what remained on his clothes, then rolled over so that he could push himself up more easily, and found that he''d been inches away from landing on that spiked whip.

    Andal sat up and hugged his knees, "Please be a dream please be a dream¡­" Then the shadows of the room started to reach toward him, and he heard the hissing of a snake behind him.

    Andal jumped to his feet and backed away from the hissing, seeing a cobra curling up where the whip once was. As he backed up to the wall he heard in a whisper, "You''re mine."

    Andal spun and saw the face of a man manifesting out of shadow coming out of the wall. He yelled in shock and ran to the window they came in by, looking back at Lars. He was getting quieter as he lost his voice. As the air in the room began to smell foul to Andal, he yelled to Lars, "I''ll get help! I''ll get my dad!" Then he jumped through the window out of the house.

    He ran past King Willow as fast as he could, but whatever was happening in the house continued still. The branches of trees would lean over to try and snatch him off the road, they''d grow spines, and harsh whispers echoed among their leaves. The mist had fully rolled over the town, but he could make out the bow of one of the ships that had landed. When Andal had reached his house, his perception had almost returned to normal; shadows kept in their rightful places and he couldn''t hear any mysterious voices.

    He started yelling, "Dad! Daaad! We need help! Daaad!" He threw open the door to his house, looking about frantically, "Daaad!" He ran back outside, and saw his whole family not too far away talking to some stranger from the boats.

    His mom was looking toward him and waved him near, but then held her finger up to her mouth so that he''d be quiet. His dad was in front of her, with his hands on his older brother''s shoulders, and they stood behind his grandpa, who was face to face with the stranger. "Mom, Lars is in trouble!" She shushed him again. Looking back at the strange man.

    Andal actually looked at him then, wondering what could possibly be more important than what he was saying. His skin was gray, and slightly translucent so that you could see subdermal veins if you looked hard enough. His eyes were bloodshot, and the pupils were strongly dilated like it was dark out. When he spoke you could see his teeth, which were stained and chipped, and he had scars from cuts and stabs up his arms and around his neck in an organized pattern. Despite his disgusting qualities, he had excellent posture, a voice like silk, and a fit, athletic frame.

    His grandpa asked the man, ¡°What do you mean by saying you¡¯ve returned home? We have lived here four generations and never seen you before.¡±

    ¡°And five generations ago?¡± The man asked.

    ¡°Then it was the Haverdash.¡± His grandpa recalled. The man smiled, and Andal¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°But the Haverdash were like us!¡±

    Something like a shadow slithered around Andal¡¯s peripheral vision, and he shivered. ¡°We were never like you,¡± the man responded, ¡°We were always, Haverdash.¡±

    He reached into a satchel on his waist and pulled out a bottle, undoing the cap, and drinking. Andal gasped at the sight, and his family gagged at the smell. It was the same drink Lars had drunk. The man¡¯s eyes constricted to normal levels, and he put the bottle back in his satchel.

    Andal¡¯s grandpa asked, ¡°So what is to become of us, now that you¡¯ve returned? Will you force us out? Unsatisfied with the land the king gave you, you¡¯ll take back this land?¡±

    ¡°No, dear human. We¡¯ve taken time to reflect on ourselves, our nature, and what is glorious. We¡¯re going to conquer, overthrow the king, and subdue this continent. That starts with this village, where we will kill every one of you.¡±

    Andal''s father stepped between the man and his family, "You''d just land with your ships and attack us?"

    Andal''s grandpa asked, "If that''s your aim, why talk to us like this? You seem to be willing to discuss it, we can negotiate."

    He shook his head, "No, no negotiations." He started wandering among them. "I''m not the one who''s going to make the call to start the attack, but my ship landed first. I just wanted to see what the people were like who moved into our homes, before we began."

    He sniffed the air, then gave a hard look at Andal, "You smell like wine."

    Andal''s dad moved between them with his hand out to stop the man from stepping closer, "You''d better leave, right now!"

    The man ignored him, "And there''s a stain of wine on your clothes, where did you get it? Were you drinking it?"

    At that moment the sounds of screaming and yelling broke through the mist. The man grabbed a foot-long metal rod by his side, "Sounds like we''ve started." His eyes glided to Andal¡¯s dad, then he rammed the metal rod through his forehead before anyone could react.

    The grandpa yelled to his family as he tackled the man from the side, "Run!"

    Andal''s mom grabbed him and his brother, pulling them as she ran. The Haverdash man drove the metal rod through grandpa''s head, then pushed him off and got to his feet. Andal''s mom brought them to their horse, "Roeber, take Andal and ride as far away as you can, don''t look back!"

    The Haverdash man caught up just as both boys had got on the horse. Their mother slapped it on the butt to get it going, then dove towards their attacker.

    Roeber held Andal firmly in front of him to stop Andal from looking back, but they still heard the sound of the rod piercing her skull.

    They rode out of town, but Andal remembered why he''d come back in the first place, "Roeber, go to King Willow!"

    "No, we need to go!"

    "Lars is there! He''s in pain; we have to save him too!"

    Roeber looked back at the town, seeing the Haverdash man watching them ride away. " He took a deep breath, "Fine, but we need to be fast!" He turned the horse left, heading toward King Willow.

    They rounded the hill and saw the Haverdash house, "He''s in there!" Andal slid off the horse and ran over to the window.

    Roeber looped the reins around a branch and followed him, "That Haverdash is after us! Hurry!"

    They climbed through the window, "He''s right there! Be careful when grabbing him though!" Roeber ran ahead and grabbed Lars, who was trying to weep, but no sound would come out. "Roeber, wait!" Roeber''s hand brushed a damp area in Lars''s clothes, and he fell back with a shout.

    "What¡­ what is that?"

    "It''s some kind of poison, are you okay?"

    "Yea¡­ yea I barely touched it. What''s happening?"

    Andal glanced outside the window to see if he could see the Haverdash. He couldn¡¯t be seen around the hill King Willow was on, but he hadn¡¯t been following that far behind them. "Roeber, the Haverdash is almost here!"

    Roeber jumped to his feet and grabbed Andal, lifting him through the window. "We have to go now!" Andal protested weakly, wanting to save Lars, but dreading the Haverdash man.

    Roeber lifted him onto the horse just as the Haverdash reached King Willow. Roeber jumped on as the Haverdash sprinted down at them. He told the horse to go, but after looking back, tossed the reins to Andal and jumped off.

    Andal looked back to see Roeber intercept the Haverdash who had been jumping through the air at them and tumble to the ground.

    Andal kept riding, not having any desire to cry anymore, but in total shock. He looked back after he''d ridden a quarter mile. Roeber was on the ground, motionless, and the Haverdash was looking through the window at Lars.

    Andal kept riding, thinking out loud, "This isn''t real, this can''t be real¡­"

 2. The Templars

    Andal was laying down on his horse, head hanging off the side of its neck, as it trudged over the mountain. There was a light rain around him, just enough to keep him damp and dreary as his stomachs growled. He came to a high point on the mountain. On the other side was Hathor, the City of Grace. Andal''s heart sank. It was still several miles away, and he was so tired, and hungry, and his horse was trudging through its own tiredness.

    He adjusted his position, picking up his head, and laying it on the other side of his horse''s neck. His eyes widened, finally noticing an abbey no more than a half mile to his right. He turned his horse and urged it forward with renewed vigor at the thoughts of food and shelter. The only light he could see inside was from a small room on the third floor, but he hoped that someone would hear him and let him in. He slid off his horse, but slipped and landed on his butt. He struggled to stand, not realizing how weak he felt until now, and instead crawled to the door.

    He curled up on the threshold, finally out of the rain. He looked up at the knocker way above him, but couldn¡¯t find the motivation to stand for it. He just stayed curled up and knocked on the bottom of the door instead. He waited multiple minutes, but nobody answered. He knocked again and put his ear up against the door, hoping for footsteps.

    He let his eyes close slightly, just letting them rest a little, then all the way. He wasn¡¯t going to let himself fall asleep there, just rest his eyes.

    The next thing he knew, he fell inside the abbey as someone pulled the door out from under him. "Good lord!" The man expressed.

    "What is it?¡± Another voice asked.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a child here, he was leaning on the door! And- a horse!¡±

    ¡°He rode a horse here? Alone?¡±

    ¡°It appears so, I¡¯m going to take it to the stables, you take the boy. Looks like he needs some sleep.¡±

    While the one picked up Andal, the other stepped outside and closed the door softly behind him. ¡°Okay little guy, let¡¯s get you somewhere to sleep.¡±

    He started carrying Andal toward a stairwell, but they passed by a table that had a basket of bread on it. Andal peered over the man¡¯s shoulder at it, asking weakly, ¡°Sir, can I have some bread?¡±

    ¡°Call me Izac, little one.¡± He looked over at the table. ¡°It¡¯s not good to eat so late, are you so hungry?¡± Andal nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± Izac set Andal down at the table. He tore off a handful of bread and held it up for Andal, ¡°And what shall I call you?¡±

    ¡°Andal.¡± He took the bread and shoved it in his mouth in seconds, trying to satiate his hunger as quickly as possible. He couldn¡¯t chew properly with his mouth so stuffed, and had to sheepishly cough it back into his hands.

    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t eat any faster than you can chew. Don¡¯t rush yourself.¡± Andal ate his bread like a civilized person, and Izac ripped off another handful for him. ¡°What were you doing out there alone, Andal? What made you come here?¡±

    Andal didn¡¯t answer. ¡°That¡¯s okay, we can talk in the morning. Come on, there will be a big breakfast when you wake up.¡± Andal got off his chair, but moved too sluggish for Izac¡¯s taste. He picked up Andal again and carried him up the stairwell.

    Andal had thought this was an abbey, but lining the walls were decorative swords and banners with coats of arms on them. Izac noticed Andal¡¯s curiosity, ¡°Tools of the Templars, we protect the vulnerable, much like yourself.¡±

    Andal asked, ¡°So you¡¯ll protect me from the Haverdash, if they come?¡±

    Izac furrowed his brow, ¡®The Haverdash¡­? We need to have a long talk in the morning.¡±

    He brought Andal to an empty room and searched through a drawer for a change of clothes. He found the smallest ones he could, but it was still a baggy fit for Andal. ¡°Even the smallest templar we¡¯ve had has been notably bigger than you I¡¯m afraid, but it¡¯s a lot better than the wet clothes you have on now.¡±

    He helped Andal to change and tucked him into the bed, ¡°Now, if you¡¯re fine on your own, I¡¯ll head to my room. If you¡¯d be uncomfortable being alone tonight, I could sleep here on the floor. What do you think? Will you be good?¡± Andal nodded, thinking of little other than sleep. ¡°Alright, good night Andal.¡±

    *

    Andal awoke to the chime of an immense bell. There was a dim glow from the window; it was too early into the sunrise for a proper stream of light. He buried his face in his pillow. He was far too exhausted to get up, and the bell was too loud to let him sleep.

    After a minute, though it felt like an hour, the chiming stopped. Andal settled in again, pulling his blanket up over his face. Heavy footsteps came up to his room, and a tall man with more muscle than Andal had ever seen stepped in. ¡°Hey Andal, I¡¯m Smaru. Just want to tell you that you don¡¯t have to get up right now. That¡¯s the bell for us to get up, but I hear how late you came in last night. So, have a good rest. See you later.¡±

    Andal was able to fall asleep again, and woke up a couple hours later. He tossed his blanket to the side and hurried down the stairs, just imagining himself with a big breakfast in front of him. He reached the bottom of the stairs and ran to the table. There were only three templars still sitting, but Izac was one of them so Andal sat by him. Some of the others were cleaning, and a group was just heading out the door. Izac grabbed a plate that had been left for Andal and slid it to him. "Good morning, Andal. We''ve all finished breakfast, but we saved this for you. That''s mutton, with our go-to seasonings, apple with cinnamon, buttered bread, peas, and walnuts. If you eat all that and want more, there''s more in the kitchen."

    Andal dug into the cinnamon apples first, eating as fast as he could without embarrassing himself like he did last night. Another templar, whose voice he recognized from last night, told him, "Your horse is in our stables. He has everything he needs."

    Through a thick bite of mutton Andal squeezed out a, "Sank you."

    "You''re welcome. I''m Pyok, by the way." He turned to Izac and leaned in to whisper, "I''m going to prep my horse and suit up. Based on what the boy tells you, I''ll be prepared to ride south and scout things out. Otherwise I''ll go into town."

    "If we do need to head south, I''ll go with you."

    Pyok left the room, and Izac waited patiently for Andal to finish eating. He finished his plate and just got an apple from the kitchen. "So why don''t you tell me about last night?" Izac asked, "What brought you to us so late?

    "The City of Grace was still so far away, and I saw your abbey, I''m sorry if I woke you up."

    Izac shook his head, "That''s not a problem. Why were you riding at night in the first place?"

    *

    Andal wandered into the yard. Smaru was there, laying against a tree. Andal lied next to him. Smaru asked, "How are you feeling, Andal?"This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    "Bad. I don¡¯t know what to do; I¡¯m just wandering around feeling sad." Smaru looked at him sympathetically, but couldn¡¯t find the right words to comfort him. ¡°Are you bored Smaru? We could hang out.¡±

    "I probably look it, don''t I? I''m not though, I was actually meditating."

    "Is that any fun?"

    Smaru laughed, "No, I can''t say it is. The goal is to be at peace, to contemplate things with a clean mind."

    Andal looked over at Smaru, then said quietly, "That''d be nice."

    Smaru patted Andal on the leg, "You''ve been through a lot, more than a boy your age should. Izac and Pyok told me what you''d said before they left."

    "Yea." Andal ran his fingers in the dirt and grabbed a weed to mess with. "Did they say where they were going?"

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not supposed to tell you, but I rather think I should. Just don¡¯t be worried." Andal leaned in curiously, "They''re going to scout out your hometown and the surrounding area. They plan for it to be a week-long trip of observation."

    "They''re going to stay by the Haverdash a whole week? But, they don''t know how fast they are! And they''re really strong!"

    "Don''t be worried Andal, Izac and Pyok can take care of themselves."

    "But they''re not big and strong like you are, they''ll be overpowered!"

    Smaru smiled, "No, really, they should be just fine. It does help that I''m physically strong, but we templars don''t have to fight with our muscles. Come on, I''ll show you some major skills."

    They got up and passed by the garden to get to a little shed. Smaru went inside, then came out with two wooden swords. Andal''s eyes lit up as he reached for one, "You''re going to show me how to use a sword!"

    Smaru handed one to Andal, "It''s not going to be a real lesson, but yes. Now let''s find another templar, someone really good, so I can show you how skill beats strength."

    "Okay!" Andal was positively giddy as soon as he had the wooden sword in his hand, swinging it about and stabbing the way a boy couldn''t be expected to resist. At one point he whacked Smaru in the back of the calf, leading to him being sternly told to be careful. He was a little less extravagant with his swings after that. Smaru brought them to the kitchen where a blonde, lithe young man was just putting bread in the oven. Smaru reached over and flicked his shoulder.

    He flicked Smaru back, "Hey Smaru, hey-" he took a second to remember the name he''d been told, "Andal. What''s up?"

    "I want to show Andal some skilled sword fighting so that he doesn''t worry about Izac and Pyok, who just went on a week long trip. I''ll explain what that is later."

    "I can help with that, but only if it won''t take long. The bread and all."

    "It shouldn''t take long. Andal, this is Nombur, hand him the sword."

    Andal was reluctant to give it up, but let Nombur have it anyway. They went outside and Smaru and Nombur stood across from each other with 6 feet of space between them. Smaru had his sword low by his waist, pointing behind him. Nombur had his high end pointing back from the side of his head.

    They sized each other up for a moment, then Nombur stepped in while swinging the sword on the outside towards Smaru¡¯s left shoulder. Smaru spun his sword around his left hand to block. His sword hit Nombur''s hard, and Nombur''s bounced away. Nombur transitioned instantly from his sword bouncing away to rotating to slice at Smaru''s right shoulder with the other side, turning into it to keep his hands in natural positions.

    Smaru flicked his sword to the right and hit Nombur''s sword again, hitting it slightly down. Nombur tried to transition that into a cut at Smaru''s shin, but Smaru controlled Nombur''s sword with his and drove it into the ground. Smaru sliced up to catch Nombur while his sword was trapped. Nombur barely evaded by leaning back and stepping out and to Smaru''s side.

    He brought his sword up in time to block Smaru''s return swing with the base of his sword, lowered his sword to push Smaru''s sword down while he had leverage, and stabbed him in the belly.

    Smaru humphed frustratedly. "Nice. Again."

    Nombur extended the handle of the sword to Smaru, "And risk being 1-1 against you? I''m just going to keep my win, thank you very much!"

    Smaru gave an indignant frown, but Andal interrupted, "Wow! So it''s better to be light and fast?"

    Nombur looked at Smaru and quickly chimed in, "Yep!"

    Smaru held his hands up in a *stop* hand sign, "Sometimes, only sometimes. We aren''t even holding shields, and that makes a difference. If we were wearing mail armor that would make a difference too. Sometimes in order to stick your weapon in an unprotected spot you have to grab the other person and wrestle them a bit. When that happens you can bet the bigger, stronger man has the advantage."

    "Okay," Nombur added, "But if you''re on top of me I just create gusts of wind to push you off."

    Smaru retorted, "I''d just make a shield of aegis behind me so I don''t go anywhere."

    "Then you can''t put it in front of you so I¡¯ll make a sword of light in your face!"

    "I would be holding you way too close for that! You don''t have the space!"

    Andal raised his hand, "I''m confused. What''s going on now?"

    Nombur raised his sword and yelled to Smaru, "Make a shield!"

    He swung down. A golden, translucent shield appeared out of nothing between Smaru and the practice sword. It was like a heater shield in shape, but around four feet wide and over four feet tall. Andal exclaimed, "You can do that? Why didn''t you show me that first thing?"

    "I wanted to show you skill with the sword first so that you''d know we can handle ourselves due to our study and hard work."

    "And magic." Nombur tacked on.

    "Which takes study and hard work also!"

    Andal jumped up and down, "What else can you do?"

    Nombur pointed firmly with his pointer and middle finger, and a sword of bright, golden light shot forward from them in that direction. "The shield and the sword are the main two. They don''t take a whole lot of thought, and are extremely useful."

    Andal put his hands on his head, "Wow, so that''s how you can fight people like the Haverdash. If I learned how to do that, do you think I could fight them too?"

    Nombur laughed, "Kind of my fault, but hey, I''ve got to check on my bread. Later!" He walked back to the kitchen.

    Smaru put his hands on his hips. "I hate to disappoint you, kid. You can''t just learn how to do magic. I could teach you some of the sword fighting though."

    His shoulders sank, "Why not? How come you can do it and I can''t?"

    "We were raised in the church from birth, chosen among many devoted followers, by God, to have the gifts of a templar. At your age, well, nobody has been that old before starting."

    "My parents taught me to pray to Nishir when I was really little!"

    "Then he knows your name, and that''s good, but it''s a whole different kind of devotion. Prayer is good, prayer can''t hurt. It''s okay, very few people will learn magic in their lives. In the meantime, you want to learn how to use a sword?"

    Andal had a pouty face, but he took lessons from Smaru regardless. Though, Smaru didn''t spend as much time on techniques as telling him to be patient. Andal didn''t want to try single moves repeatedly, memorize stances, or being told "try it again" when he didn''t do something quite right.

    After one moment when Andal complained about how they weren''t doing real swordfights, Smaru, held Andal''s sword and told him, "Hey, you could just play, that''s up to you, but you wouldn''t learn how to fight. You''re an orphan now, as sorry as that is. You need to learn how to defend yourself better than most. And, I''d want you to be able to help other people, like we do. Is that something you want to do? Defend people in need?"

    Andal immediately thought of his family, who died protecting him. Then he thought of Lars, who he left in that Haverdash house. He couldn''t help either against that Haverdash, but if he could have¡­ "Yes," He told Smaru, "I really want that."

    They continued for another hour after that, until Andal was tired. He hadn''t complained again. He wanted to learn it right, rather than relying on his own gumption, which had shown to be useless in the face of real danger. Smaru had to go after that.

    The templars still in the Abbey had to attend a chapel service, which they had every night. Andal couldn''t join them, as he wasn''t part of the order. When they had all gone inside he started climbing to get to a window of the chapel. There was a shorter hall right next to it, and by rolling some barrels over he was able to get himself the height to pull himself up.

    He saw all but a couple of them sitting in rows, while the two at the front led them in music. It didn''t have words, but the melody and how they sang with one voice gave it a spiritual feeling. After the singing they began to pray. Andal went to his own room, kneeling at his bed. "Nishir, god who protects those in need, and gives light in dark times," That was the memorized bit you''re supposed to always say. After that, he had to come up with something on his own.

    "Could you, choose me to be a templar, and have magic? I''m not that tough as I am, and I can''t defend people. And, I''m really worried about the Haverdash. They said they wanted to conquer everything, so I''m afraid I''ll keep reliving moments like when they attacked my village if I can''t defend people from them." He teared up, frustratedly remembering what that Haverdash did. "So basically, can I have magic, so that I can fight, no, so I can kill Haverda-"

    Andal stopped. He almost fell backwards trying to reprocess his position. Something was different, like there was a new color in front of him he''d never seen before, and it was all over the place. He struggled to his feet and gained his bearings. He looked at his bed for a long time, trying to determine what exactly was so different. He couldn''t find anything though, the bed was the exact same it had always been, with the same colors it always had. The change wasn''t to the room, it was internal.

    Andal turned to face the most open part of the room, "Shield of Aegis!" It wasn''t much, but the outline of a shield of light appeared a couple feet ahead of him. Andal began jumping up and down, "Yes yes yes!"

 3. Moxey and Lars

    Lars was laying in the same place in the same house that he''d first drank the Haverdash wine. Only now, he was chained to the desk. The Haverdash had come through the house and replaced the cylinders of glass, cleaned up the floor, and added an assortment of tools that looked alien to him.

    By the sound of it, he was the last one in the town alive. They had "not spared anyone for offerings", because "This whole village is one offering, the first fruits of the war." The Haverdash wanted to kill him too, they still wanted to, but all but a few of them feared that Haverdash that had first found him.

    He was unlike the other Haverdash. They were an excited people, drinking their wine ceaselessly, and going about every work with hyperactive passion. They were also diligent, always working and always talking about doing things for "the sake of Haverdash", or "The glory of Haverdash." The one who had first found him, however, was calm. He wouldn''t fidget, wouldn''t shout, walked at a relaxed pace, and didn''t change his behavior the slightest however much wine he''d drank.

    He was also the only one who didn''t mind touching Lars. Before they''d chained him up, each time before they''d forcefully moved him, they would put on gloves. The phrase most often repeated doing this was "pathetic human." Their aversion to touching him seemed to come from considering him below them, just as a king wouldn''t be expected to touch a peasant even if the peasant had just showered.The one who found him hadn''t hesitated in the least to touch him when looking him over. He looked in his mouth as you would with a horse, looked closely at his eyes, and checked his reflexes by tapping his knee (his knee didn''t move).

    Lars wished someone would try to kill him, if only so that he could feel something. When the effects of the Haverdash wine were wearing off he was looking forward to feeling normal again, not being afraid or in pain, and perhaps even eating something sweet. Now, in such stark contrast to the extreme feelings he had from the wine, normal felt like nothing. It was like he had adapted to be tolerant to all feelings and emotion, and needed greater doses to appreciate them as he once had.

    Earlier he had tried to feel something by pinching himself, or picking away too much skin, and he even tried to break his fingers. As if knowing exactly how he would feel, the Haverdash who found him had ordered for thick rubber gloves to be put on him, and so any form of self harm he tried was impossible. He couldn''t even grip things. From where he was chained in the room, and because of how short the chain was, he couldn''t do anything except bash his head against the wall. Unfortunately that isn''t good for anything but a concussion, so there was nothing he could do but sit there.

    The door opened, and the Haverdash who found him stepped into the house. "Good morning. Did you know it was morning?"

    Lars wasn''t motivated to respond.

    He slid some grimy gloves off his hands and held one out for someone behind him to give him something. He walked over to Lars and crouched down. Other Haverdash came in behind him and started dumping a highly viscous liquid onto one of the glass cylinders. He grabbed Lars by the jaw and forced his mouth open, then took what was in his other hand and placed it on Lars''s tongue. Then he closed his mouth.

    Lars impassionately let it sit for a moment, but then his eyes widened. It was a pepper, a very, hot, pepper. His mouth turned to fire. He tried to spit it out, but the Haverdash slapped his hand over Lars''s mouth. "Chew it and swallow."

    His hand was weirdly hot, and sticky to the touch. A Haverdash behind him sneered in disgust at how he''d touched the human. Lars tried to turn and spit it again, but the Haverdash kept his head firmly in place. He started chewing as quickly as he could. He couldn''t open his mouth wide enough to chew well because of the Haverdash''s hand, so he had to make many tiny bites and grind down the pepper. When he had finally swallowed, the Haverdash took his hand off his mouth. Lars gasped for air, breathing heavily to cool off his mouth.

    The Haverdash took a napkin from a pocket and wiped the pepper smear and saliva off of his hand. "It''s time we got acquainted." He held his hand out, "I''m Moxey. And your name is?"

    Through hyperventilations he answered, ¡°Lars.¡±

    ¡°Lars. Isn¡¯t it nice to feel again?¡±

    Lars hiccupped, ¡°It really hurts!¡±

    Moxey pulled out a bottle of Haverdash wine, ¡°And that¡¯s bad?¡±

    Lars didn¡¯t know how to answer.

    ¡°Would you rather you felt nothing again? When the heat fades, should I leave you to that?¡±

    After long seconds of silence, Lars answered quietly, ¡°No.¡±

    Moxey took a drink of wine. ¡°And now you are beginning to understand. But only just beginning.¡± The grabbed his iron rod and punched it through the lock attaching Lars to the chain. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡±

    Lars was confused about why he was being set free, so Moxey yanked him to his feet. In a harsh voice he whispered, ¡°Lars, you realize I know what it means to feel nothing, and I hate it, and the power of strong feelings is dear and glorious to me?¡± Lars was unsure if he should answer, not knowing what would happen if he guessed wrong. ¡°Answer me!¡± Moxey growled.

    Lars whimpered, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you think I wanted to be kept waiting?¡± Moxey let go of Lars. He spoke normally, ¡°Next time do as I say right when I say it. You understand?¡±

    Lars nodded vigorously, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Moxey walked outside, ¡°Come on Lars. I have much to tell you.¡±

    The eyes of the working Haverdash loomed over Lars as he followed Moxey outside. He caught up to Moxey, ¡°You aren¡¯t concerned that I¡¯m going to run away?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Moxey leaned against King Willow. ¡°What would you gain from that? You¡¯d be resigned to feeling the small, unsatisfactory feelings that humans live their lives feeling. We are beyond that now.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°I could always eat a lot of peppers, right?¡±

    Moxey smiled coyly, ¡°It might help. Make no mistake though, our peppers aren¡¯t like human peppers. Our food isn¡¯t like human food, and our drink isn¡¯t like human food. When we can help it, our air isn¡¯t like human air. What you ate was originally bred by Haverdash centuries ago as a torture device. Over generations our tolerance as a people increased; now we find the hemotoxin within them, quite zesty.¡±

    ¡°Hemo-?¡±

    ¡°Viper venom, Lars. That¡¯s a hemotoxin.¡± Lars recoiled when he heard that. ¡°Shocking, yes. You survived viper venom, and already feel quite comfortable. You¡¯re only surprised because you don¡¯t realize what you drank. Haverdash wine is common, for the Haverdash, but a human would never survive drinking it.¡±

    He crouched down to meet Lars¡¯s eye level, ¡°A human would *never*, survive drinking it. The only answer for how you did must be unfathomable willpower. You survived the wine of the Haverdash, and gained a level of tolerance similar to ours more rapidly than I thought was possible.¡±

    Lars actually felt a little pleased with himself, "So I''m the only human to survive Haverdash wine."

    "I wouldn''t put it that way, no. You, once a human, were able to forcefully change for the sake of survival, and so were able to survive our wine."

    "So I''m not human? Are you saying I''m a Haverdash now?"

    Moxey put his hands on Lars''s shoulders, "No, Lars. You''re something new. You''re not quite human, and not yet Haverdash. But, you will be, Lars. You will be a wonderful Haverdash, and nothing is more desired among the Haverdash than willpower."

    *

    Lars and Moxey walked away from town, where all kinds of building and digging projects were being made. They were heading to a formation of hills North of the village, but on the way Lars lost his motivation to do anything. The intense feelings from the hemotoxic pepper had totally worn off, and he could only feel weak sensations that amounted to nothing. He sat on the ground with a faded look in his eyes, not particularly responsive to Moxey waving his hand in his face.

    Moxey pulled out his bottle of wine, "Worn off already, has it? Here you go. This is what you really need."

    Lars raised his arm, but stopped before grabbing the bottle. "Isn''t there anything with¡­ nice feelings?"

    Moxey nodded, "Everything, Lars. Get this idea of ''bad feelings'' out of your head. Fear, anger, pain, these are no less precious than joy, sweetness, or peace. You need to learn how to appreciate them."

    Lars took the bottle, braced himself with a deep breath, and drank.

    "Isn''t it grand, Lars? Revel in the feelings it gives you, but do not be ruled by them. Exercise your willpower, dominate-"

    Lars flung his head into the dirt and began to scream.

    Moxey sat back, "Not ready for that then. I''ll wait."

    *

    An hour later, Lars was finally responsive. Moxey picked him up to sit him upright. "There we are. That was a lot better than the first time. It took you almost a full day to stop convulsing, but this was no more than an hour. That just shows how much more willpower you have now."

    Lars''s lips were still trembling, and his eyes darted around at hallucinations, but he responded, "It¡­ gives me more willpower?"

    "It makes you improve your own willpower. If you run you''ll become faster, if you live with chronic pain you''ll learn to tolerate more pain. If you are forced to push through with your willpower, your willpower will improve. Think back to what I told you, you have a spectacular amount of willpower, admirable, enviable, but then why is it that you handle wine so much worse than I do?"

    "I haven''t built up a tolerance."

    "It''s not an immunity, like your body develops to diseases and venoms. Though, you might not understand that comparison. It''s tolerance through willpower! Your willpower is like talent! It is unrefined, you''ve never had to truly exercise it, but now you are! Your improvement will be swift. You will drink wine like water before too long, but you must learn to enjoy intense feelings, ruling over them while you do. Practice that now by getting up and operating at normal capacity while the feelings are still rushing over you."

    Moxey turned and walked away. He looked back after he''s gone several paces, "Follow, Lars."

    Lars struggled to his feet like a newborn fawn. He could barely perceive the world around him, everything was shifting and false images were appearing and disappearing as he hallucinated. Once he started walking he was able to get a streak of steps together, but it wasn''t easy. Moxey led him to the base of a hill and started inspecting the outside.

    He took a large gulp of wine and stayed motionless as he looked at the hill, then proclaimed, "Aha!" He jammed his fingers into the hill and pulled, throwing open a doorway that had been totally concealed before. "I told you we like to control the air when we can. We need a controlled environment for that, so we have a propensity for digging. Inside." Moxey plunged into the darkness, leaving Lars leaning against the doorway.

    "How, how did you find the doorway? And, how am I supposed to see in there?

    Moxey called back, "The answers are the same, trust your hallucinations, Lars."

    "Trust them?" Lars exclaimed, "I keep hallucinating monsters!"

    "Don''t trust what they say, trust that they''re there!"

    ¡°Trust the monsters are there?¡± Lars plunged into the darkness. His hallucinations were on every side of him, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to approach them. How was he supposed to trust them? He avoided them, walking wherever there was a gap. A moment later, he bumped into Moxey.

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    ¡°But, I didn¡¯t trust them!¡±

    Moxey rustled Lars¡¯s hair, ¡°Of course you did. Just as you didn¡¯t want to walk into a wall, and proceeded down the corridor, you didn¡¯t want to walk into the monsters, and proceeded down the open space. That¡¯s not to say that the monsters were in the exact positions of the walls, but look, you got to where you needed to go. So when I tell you to trust your hallucinations in the future, understand, you¡¯re supposed to treat them like they are real. In a sense, they are.¡±

    Lars nodded, only realizing afterwards that Moxey probably couldn¡¯t see him, ¡°I do understand.¡±

    Moxey stepped away. "Good." He sighed. "I had hoped, naively, that this place would be somewhat like it had been. I''ve never been here before, of course, but across the sea we continued to make them in this likeness. It''s, a temple of sorts. The air is supposed to be rich with hallucinogenic gas. There would be luminescent lights, organic and otherwise, illuminating this space. That would allow us to perceive the altars. Here, my hand is on one now, come here."

    Through following Moxey''s voice and avoiding his hallucinations he found his way to the altar, which appeared to be a rising sun to him. He put his hand on it, finding it extremely cold to the touch.

    Moxey led his arm to the corners, "Feel the hooks." Each corner had five inch hooks coming off of them, still sharp. Lars accidentally pricked himself and jerked his hand back. Moxey admonished him, "Don''t be so averse to pain. That''s what they''re there for."

    Lars asked him, "Who is it a temple to? Nishir?"

    "No one so pitiful." Moxey answered. "Our temples are to Haverdash."

    Lars was confused, "To yourselves?"

    "We don''t worship each other, if that''s what you mean. We are inexorably linked, as a people, to Haverdash, who finds glory when we find glory, and in Haverdash is found the apex of willpower."

    Moxey''s hand ran into something as it ran over the altar, "Ah, hold this." He put in Lars''s hand.

    "It''s a metal rod, like you have at your waist."

    "It''s an object of worship, often to be found at altars. It''s also a suitable weapon, at least I find it so. You should probably use something more intentionally designed for war."

    "You''re going to give me a weapon? You don''t think I''d take it and run?"

    Moxey took the metal rod back and placed it on the altar. He put his hand on Lars''s back and started leading him out from under the hill. "Absolutely not. You''re soon to be Haverdash. You understand the desire for strong feelings, so you could never go back to that human world, so far from proper wine."

    They stepped outside into the sun. Lars shielded his eyes from the sudden, bright light, but Moxey looked straight into the sun, though his eyes did not contract until he took a swig of wine. "I think a sword would fit you best, like my friend Trots."

 4. Izak and Pyok return

    Izac and Pyok arrived at the Abbey near noontime. They could smell fresh bread baking as they approached, lifting their spirits after a rough week of camping and hiding. They went around the back way to the stables and unlocked the latch by making a shield of aegis on the other side of the gate and lifting it.

    After they¡¯d handled their horses they headed towards the kitchen, eager for a hot meal. While they were still in the yard Smaru came running at them from the chapel. "Izac, Pyok! Welcome back!"

    Izac jogged forward and hugged him, "Thank you, Smaru. We should discuss what we saw, but we''re really looking forward to a good lunch right now!"

    Pyok hugged Smaru as well, and over his shoulder he saw Andal running toward them from the chapel as well. He asked Smaru, "How is the search for a home for Andal going?"

    Andal caught up with them, and Smaru proudly said, "We won''t be finding a home for Andal. He''ll be staying with us. Show them, Andal."

    Andal made a shield of aegis, though it was dim, and made a dim sword of light shoot past it. He bowed, "Thank you, thank you."

    Pyok gawked, "How? That doesn''t¡­ you''re a Templar now?"

    "That''s the power of prayer!" Smaru bellowed. "First night he prayed for the gift of magic, Nishir said yes!"

    "Amazing," Izac remarked. ¡°All you did was pray, one time? I wonder what you could have said to strike such a chord with God."

    "I know." Andal told them. They all looked straight at him curiously. "I said I wanted the magic to kill Haverdash."

    Izac''s expression drops. "I see. Speaking of which, lunch is about ready, right?"

    Smaru nodded, "Yes, we might as well head there now."

    Izac continued, "Then we''ll eat lunch, and then Pyok and I have to tell you everything we saw. Pyok will be switching horses and leaving after lunch, also."

    Smaru''s brow furrowed, "Right away, huh?"

    They went inside the kitchen and sat at the table. Nombur had baked bread again, and they had beans, salted chicken, and grapes. Eating with the Templars was always fun for Andal. They had a closely knit brotherhood, and plenty of kidding around at the table. Izac and Pyok ate particularly ferociously. After lunch was finished a couple of Templars went to clean up the kitchen, but everyone else stayed by the table to hear Izac and Pyok give their report on the Haverdash.

    Izac started them off, "The second day we made it to Andal''s hometown. I''m afraid his perception of their landing didn''t tell the full story; there were dozens of ships lining the shore. These weren''t small ships either, they were full blown galleons."

    Someone interrupted, "So how many Haverdash would you guess there were in total?"

    "Something like twelve thousand were there our second day, just at that town."

    Nombur jumped in, "They''re at other towns?"

    "Yes, I''ll get to that, but there were other ships that landed at other villages."

    Smaru held up his hand to stop more people from interjecting, "Do continue, Izac."

    "We stayed at that town the whole day. They were constantly working, mostly building, doing occasional drills. They are totally transforming that town with their construction work. On the one hand that''s good for us, as it means they have a lot of projects to finish before they attack any cities.

    "After that we scouted nearby towns to see how they were affected, and we saw the same things that were happening at Andal''s village. Galleons had landed, and there was constant construction work. We covered seventy miles of coast, and in every town the Haverdash were there. Some smaller locations didn''t have ships going to them, so the Haverdash were sending out soldiers, to take smaller villages.

    "As for the people there before the Haverdash attacked," He looked at Andal, "There were none left at your village. I''m sorry."

    Those at the table turned to see his response. Andal lowered his head to hide his face, but answered, ¡°I already knew.¡±

    Izac addressed the whole table again, ¡°There are some left alive at the other villages, but not many. Those left are doing forced labor for the Haverdash, working on their building projects. Neither of the coastal cities, Nartav and New Bulfan, have been touched by the Haverdash.

    Lastly, when we were making the return trip we passed by Andal¡¯s home town again. The ships had been moved to land at totally different locations, and we saw at least one in the middle of leaving. Our guess is that rather than shifting a ship a few acres down the coast, new ships had come in, and old ships had left. With that assumed, nine new ships had landed.¡±

    The oldest among them commented, ¡°So they¡¯re still immigrating. Their whole population might be coming over, and they¡¯re too tied up in the logistics of that to attack anywhere major yet.¡±

    Another added, ¡°So they¡¯re vulnerable now! We should strike first!¡±

    Smaru looked at Pyok, ¡°Is that why you¡¯re leaving?¡±

    Pyok nodded, ¡°I¡¯m leaving as soon as we pack new rations for me. I¡¯m going to the King¡¯s court, and I¡¯m going to tell him everything the Haverdash are doing.¡±

    The eldest added, ¡°Excellent, but we should do what we can in the meantime. Izac, can you lead us in small groups to defend the isolated homes and villages the Haverdash would raid in the meantime?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely I can.¡±

    Andal chirped up, ¡°I want to go too!¡±

    Before anyone else could respond, Izac stood up and said, ¡°Good. Pyok, let¡¯s go get you packed.¡±

    "Hold on!" Smaru protested, "Shouldn''t Andal stay behind?"

    Izac leaned on the back of his chair, "If he hadn''t suggested it, I would have. Nishir suggested it first, it would seem, this is what Andal prayed about. Isn''t that what you told me?"The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Smaru pursed his lips, "That is true."

    *

    The Haverdash were sending out small groups of soldiers to capture slaves and raid towns in the countryside. They moved quickly and were unpredictable, but after six weeks the Templars had successfully predicted the movements of the Haverdash to attack a village of just under 100 people who lived on a lone mountain peak. They¡¯d been evacuating everyone in the surrounding villages as best they could, informing them about what was happening and helping them move to the City of Grace.

    This village had refused to move. This mountain top had been their home for hundreds of years, and so they would rather die than abandon it. Six of the Eleven Templars, including Andal, stood between the village and the nine Haverdash who were ascending the mountain. Smaru, Izac, and Nombur were there, as well as the eldest among them and the one who normally led the singing at chapel. Their names were Riafel and Savador.

    Andal was third in line so that they could defend either side of him. Everyone, including him, acknowledged that he was a weak link and needed that protection. Due to the ability of Templars to not only have their own shields, but create additional shields, the common tactic when working together was to stand in a line so that they could protect each other wherever needed.

    The town''s inhabitants were hiding in their homes. Many had volunteered to help, but the Templars had insisted that it be left to them. The Haverdash weren¡¯t organized in any way; they were just running up the hill as individuals. That was actually understandable considering the fighting capacity of those who lived here, but if they¡¯d known of the Templars perhaps they would have had more tact.

    Riafel called out when one of them was close enough for strained discussion, ¡°Halt, Haverdash! We are the Templars of Hathor, the City of Grace, servants of Nishir! Your ravaging has not gone unnoticed, and now we bar your way! Turn back now if you value your lives!¡±

    The Haverdash stopped. He looked back as another one caught up to him, and they exchanged words. He looked back at the Templars as he chuckled, ¡°Have anything better than Nishir?¡±

    Izac yelled back, ¡°Insult all you want, but choose wisely! It is a mighty god we serve!¡±

    ¡°Not glorious like Haverdash!¡± He barked back. All the Haverdash had gathered together now.

    Savador asked them, ¡°If you¡¯re so glorious, why do you attack small villages and avoid our cities?¡±

    He¡¯d obviously struck a chord. They weren¡¯t offended, rather, the looks they gave each other showed they agreed with that sentiment. One answered, ¡°The words of Trots are absolute, and he says every living thing in the surrounding area should be made use of before the true conquest. We don¡¯t have to understand.¡± They opened satchels on their belts and pulled out bottles, taking large swigs. Andal shivered at the sight.

    Smaru muttered, ¡°Trots, huh?¡±

    The Templars raised their shields and shields of aegis in preparation. Andal¡¯s was notably dimmer. The Haverdash closed in far faster than anticipated. They seemed to be in a dead sprint while at the same time encircling the Templars in an organized fashion. Smaru, who was in the middle with Andal, barely reacted in time to rush forward before they were encircled.

    The Haverdash had a moment of confusion. They were going to fight nine against six, but now one was running out on his own. The five of them who were close enough to divert and surround him did so, but the other four made it around the back of the other Templars to force them to guard their backs and not help that lone Templar.

    As the five jumped on Smaru, striking with swords and axes, he let loose a burst of wind with a mighty shout. The five Haverdash were flung off of him into heaps on the ground, and the other four Haverdash suddenly felt outnumbered themselves as the other five Templars turned and charged them.

    The Haverdash backpedaled quickly, but the Templars were outspeeding them going forward. They suddenly stopped and lurch forward, each one ramming into a Templar''s shield but leaving Andal trying to stop himself mid-run going out past the line.

    Nombur exclaimed, "They''re really organized!"

    The one who''d run into him to stop his movement gave a very breathy, "Thanks." and split off to jump Andal. Nombur didn''t react quickly enough to catch him with his sword, as he was watching the Haverdash''s and trying to avoid gagging, but he did react fast enough to fire a sword of light at him. The sword just missed his belly, but cut a two inch gash through his side. The Haverdash didn''t even react as it continued to run down Andal.

    Another Haverdash tried to break off from Izac at the same time, but he made a shield of aegis pop up right behind the Haverdash and stop it in its tracks. Izac shouted to Riafel for him to help. Riafel knocked his Haverdash away with a burst of wind, then made another shield of aegis next to Izac''s that locked his Haverdash in a corner.

    The Haverdash looked on in shock as Riafel and Izac boxed it in and stabbed it with both their swords and swords of light. It muttered a curse, and collapsed. "One down!" Izac yelled!"

    Smaru answered back, "Give me a hand!"

    He''d been delaying them with bursts of wind and strategic uses of his shield, but now one of them was on top of him and it was all he could do to hold him off as the other four closed on him.

    Savador cried out holy words, and beams of light stunned the Haverdash around Smaru. Izac and Riafel closed in and supported Smaru. He was able to kill one before they regained their senses, but then Izac and Riafel gave much-needed help.

    Savador kicked away the dead Haverdash at his feet and prepared for the one Riafel had knocked away who was charging at him.

    Nombur was rushing towards Andal to protect him from the Haverdash who had chased him down, but he was still trying to catch up.

    Andal had run as fast as he could. He made shields behind him, bursts of the strongest gusts of wind that he could, and a sword of light that shot at the Haverdash, but that had only slowed it down enough to where it hadn''t caught him yet despite actually catching him on the edge. That was the same one who Nombur had hit earlier, but it seemed that Haverdash just don''t react to pain.

    He had run as much as he could, and the Haverdash was going to be on top of him any second. He made it over to a house to keep the Haverdash in front of him, then raised his sword and shield up high. He was carrying a buckler since he wasn''t strong enough to use a heater shield, but at that moment he really wished he had a pavise. He made a shield of aegis in front of him.

    The Haverdash jumped on top of it, swiped Andal''s buckler away, and swung down with his sword.

    A pitchfork shot out of the window of that house, catching the hand of the Haverdash and stopping his sword in the air.

    He knocked the pitchfork down and stabbed through the window in one quick motion. Andal could just hear the silent gasp of the person inside as his breath was driven out. Andal stabbed upward, but he only grazed the Haverdash as he ducked to the side every so slightly.

    Andal turned and curled up to try and make the Haverdash sword glance off his chain mail, but Nombur caught up at that moment and shot a sword of light through the Haverdash''s back. He fell to the ground, and Nombur jumped upon him with his sword and finished him off.

    "Come on!" Nombur told Andal, "They''re still fighting over there!"

    They were able to surround the remaining Haverdash and pick them off, but not without injury. When there were only three remaining they stopped trying to win entirely, but didn''t try to live either. They just wanted to hurt the Templars in every way they could, biting and scratching and settling for superficial cuts with their weapons whenever they had a chance. One was able to throw up on Izac''s face to blind him and almost got a real stab in, but when the Templars outnumbered the Haverdash the sheer multitude of shields among them kept each other safe.

    Smaru cut off the head of the last Haverdash and fell on his knees in exhaustion. The Templars swarmed him and praised him for the drastic difference he made in the fight. Then they started congratulating each other. Andal didn''t join in though, he slipped away and went to the house that he''d backed up against when running from the Haverdash.

    Civilians were coming out of their houses, but not that one. He knocked on the door and waited patiently. A young man a little older than him came over from another house and tapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you for protecting us!"

    Andal answered quietly, "You''re welcome."

    A middle aged woman with tears in her eyes opened the door. Andal bowed his head an asked, "Can I come in and thank the person who saved my life?"

    She stepped to the side and let him in. Over by the window a middle aged man was holding a young woman in his arms. She had a sword shaped hole in her chest, and her blood was spilling on the floor. Andal bowed to her lifeless body. "Thank you for saving me."

    *

    The Templars who had been in the fight sat around the table with a couple of others who had stayed at the Abbey.

    Izac asked Smaru, "So what made you do that? Run forward and make half of them rush you?"

    "I just felt really uneasy about the situation. Watching them run up the hill, then when they started running at us, they''re just so fast and aggressive. I thought, ''I need to throw them off their game, right now.'' So I bet on myself to be able to keep them off me and give you guys an advantage."

    Nombur looked at one of the Templars who''d stayed behind, "They were fast. And strong. We were pretty caught off guard and got messed up there. We''ll do better next time though. It''s tough because they don''t react to pain, if you don''t kill them then your hit wasn''t any good."

    Izac added, "And these ones weren''t wearing armor, and they didn''t have shields. They expected to steamroll a bunch of untrained people without equipment and without magic, but they didn¡¯t appear to be worried about fighting us in the slightest.¡±

    Nombur complained, ¡°We have to fight people who don¡¯t feel pain.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Izac. ¡°When you cut them, they notice, and they don¡¯t notice like you touched them. They notice like you just changed their life. And you did! They¡¯re bleeding all over now, but they don¡¯t shout, and they don¡¯t flinch. I think they do feel pain, they just don¡¯t mind it.¡±

    Riafel rapped his knuckles on the table, ¡°They''re cursed for sure. We did get the name of one of their leaders, Trots.¡±

    There was a knock at the door. Andal got up, ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡±

    Then Izac jumped to his feet and ran to the door first, ¡°It¡¯s Pyok!¡± He threw open the door and Pyok jumped in with a big hug. ¡°Welcome back Pyok, you¡¯re in good spirits!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got an army!¡± He shouted. ¡°The King is drafting his army as fast as he can, he¡¯s gonna chase the Haverdash back to the sea!¡±

 5. Visions

    Lars woke up, and saw nothing. The Haverdash had finished underground chambers for him on Moxey''s orders. Though he had no discernible rank, and the other Haverdash found him distasteful, they followed his every order.

    The door opened. He couldn''t see it from where he was at; it was through a wall of bars not unlike a cell''s, and then around a corner. He saw just a weak beam of light, and then the door shut.

    Moxey called to him out of the darkness, "Good morning, Lars! You probably didn''t know it was morning though.¡±

    "Good morning!" Lars answered back.

    Moxey was silent, then laughed quietly. "Look at that. You''re less unresponsive without a stimulant. You''re progressing well."

    He approached the bars and unlocked a door on them, stepping into the same chamber as Lars. "That''s an important step. Because, the only reason you''re being responsive is¡­?"

    "Because it''s a good morning."

    Moxey smiled coyly, "Not responsive enough to be clever yet, I see. No, let''s be honest. You have learned to be responsive when you have weak feelings so that you can pursue stronger feelings. Like now, you want me to give you something. And so I shall."

    He took out a bottle of wine. "This can be vaguely called ambition, and will lead to better ambition later. You will find that this," he sloshed the bottle, "Is not good enough, and what you want is glory for Haverdash."

    He handed the bottle to Lars, who took several gulps. He didn''t scream, but he did tremble and let out an initial yelp.

    "I see you''re getting familiar with the hallucinations. Remember to treat them as real. We''re going to delve deeper into that today."

    The door opened again, and many Haverdash started transporting sacks of dirt inside.

    Moxey saw Lars watching them, "They''re bringing you new air. We''ll be depending on it during your exercises. Speaking of new things, I promised you a sword, didn''t I?"

    The boy in Lars who wanted to fight battles and be a hero got excited, "I''m getting my sword today?"

    "Yes you are. I''ll be back shortly, you''re going to love it. It''s very special."

    Moxey locked the bar door behind him and went outside. The other Haverdash continued to bring in bags of dirt until the whole floor outside of his barred off section was covered.

    The Haverdash filed out until only one was left. He reached outside and was handed a torch, then he tossed it in the middle of the sacks of dirt and let the door close behind him.

    His only company was the fire, which quickly spread to the bags and started burning the flammable soil beneath it. The fire looked thick, and the smoke was as heavy as the air around it.

    The fire changed colors as it transferred to different bags, cycling between blues, greens, red, orange, purple yellow, white, black, and then new colors that he''d never seen before. The smoke had filled his chamber, but it was pleasant to breathe. No, it was sour. Wait, pleasant again.

    The fire grew until it reached as high as the ceiling, and as close as the bars. Then the fire began to merge with the room, splitting into strands that mixed with the ceiling, walls, and bars as they split into strands themselves. The entire room became a mixing and shifting mass.

    Parts of the fire now composed the walls, parts of the walls now composed the fire, and then he felt his own body splitting painlessly apart. Lars thought so strongly that he should be afraid, but he could not feel fear. Instead he felt a continuous epiphany growing in his mind.

    He held his hands up to his face to see what was happening to him, and he noticed that they weren''t strands at all. They were simply the paths that massless particles took as they flowed throughout every physical thing, and all things were composed of these same particles that flowed within and between objects.

    He felt himself being transported rapidly, being shaken every which way as he was. He threw up. He saw the particles that were in his being form paths that spewed along and then merged with the ground, and the grass, and the rays of sun that hit the grass.

    He looked up and saw the sky. He was outside. He looked down and saw his body, several feet below where he was looking from. His body was fully broken into the paths of particles, and the rest of the world quickly broke apart into those strands as well.

    Sky would merge with earth, and earth with sea, all demonstrating that it was one. Though, Lars merged with nothing, and nothing with him.

    The particles didn''t need to always create paths behind them, sometimes they would jump from one place to another with no conceivable trace to cue Lars into how he knew it was the same particle.

    Then a human form ran to him. His particles were moving quickly, excitedly, and in a familiar pattern. He stopped by Lars, and they immediately began merging with one another. Even when he left and they were separated a great distance, they continually merged with one another.

    Lars was suddenly brought back to his chamber, and finally felt fear. There was a hostile presence that he could feel approaching. He felt it pass through the doorway.

    He tried to shout, "Who''s there?" But instead of making sound his words caused the massless particles to shake briefly.

    A mass of hostility swooshed into his chamber as if carried on an underwater current. At its helm was an erratically dancing web that came to a point, clearly meant to kill.

    It soared towards Lars, so he jumped through the open paths in the wall to hide. The hostility stood in front of the wall, hovering around it to try and discern where Lars was.

    Seeing an opening, Lars jumped out of the wall and stuck his hands in the hostility¡¯s chest. Its massless particles were stopped, and bounced off Lar¡¯s hands in every direction, flying away from the hostility.

    It went limp, but he had to be sure. He waved his hands through its head and dispersed the particles there, leaving no more paths to make up a head.

    The hostility dissipated, but then many more roared in like the beating of a mighty wind. Lightning struck. Lars no longer saw particles and their paths. In the flash of lightning he saw towering beasts standing around him. They had teeth like lions, skin like rhinos, claws like eagles, and laughed like hyenas.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    When the light dissipated all he could see were their blazing eyes. A familiar voice pierced the darkness, ¡°Lars, take your sword!¡±

    Moxey must have thrown it, because a radiant greatsword careened through the air towards Lars, handle first. Lars caught it and swung upward just as a beast was leaping over him. A bright light shone forth as the sword cleaved it in half.

    Another beast came from the side. He sliced with a wide arc towards it, but it leaped back in time to dodge. The sword grew in response, cleaving it in two with a bright light once again.

    Repeatedly they attacked him, but the power of that sword delivered him every time. He grew tired as he fought, but the sword grew lighter in response to his arms feeling heavier. At long last, he¡¯d slain them all, and he slumped down on the ground.

    Moxey entered the door, and Haverdash filed in behind him. ¡°Clear the air.¡± he ordered them.

    The Haverdash propped the door open and brought in four braziers with powder in them. They put lids with holes on them in the braziers and set torches under the braziers, then left.

    When the metal on the bottom of the braziers was hot enough the powder within it combusted, a bit at a time in each brazier. When it did it released a burst that expanded the air and made the gas rush out of the doorway.

    As the powder in the brazier burned and pushed out the gas from the sacks, Lars''s vision returned to what he would call normal.

    Moxey walked over to him and offered his hand to pull Lars up. "Wasn''t that exceptional, Lars?"

    Lars accepted the offer and got to his feet, "Some of it. I have a lot of mixed feelings. Thank you for the sword."

    "Sword?" Moxey smiled.

    "Yea, this sword you-" He looked around on the ground, "I don''t know where I put it¡­"

    "It''s there, Lars. The stick, by your feet. That''s what I threw at you."

    Lars looked at the stick in confusion, "No, that¡­" he looked away at something else on the ground, "Why are there so many dead Haverdash here?"

    ¡°You did that. Just now.¡± Moxey picked up the one who Lars had killed before he was thrown the stick, ¡°This one is a particular piece of work. Big hole in his chest, nothing left of his head, very nice. Most of them are cut in half, you obviously feel comfortable with a weapon.¡±

    ¡°But if all you gave me was a stick, how did I do that? Why isn¡¯t the stick broken?¡±

    ¡°Lars, treat your hallucinations like they¡¯re real.¡±

    Lars thought about the particles leaving their paths behind that made up each thing, and how his merged with one other person over any distance. ¡°All of them?¡±

    ¡°All of them. That¡¯s what you did while they were happening, and look how it turned out! Thirty dead Haverdash,¡± He beamed with pride, ¡°And not a scratch on you.¡±

    Lars looked over the dead Haverdash. It was weird that Moxey didn''t care about them, and why did they try to kill him? "Did you send them in here?"

    "Yes I did." He answered without hesitation. "I knew you would succeed. You can hardly blame me, I was clearly right. I have an eye for these things."

    He was right. He had a great deal of understanding that fascinated Lars, and confused him. "Moxey," he paused, unsure if he wanted to ask that question.

    Moxey walked to stand in front of Lars. "Don''t hold back your thoughts from me, Lars. What is it?"

    "What about your hallucinations? Or, other people''s in general. Do I treat them as real as well?"

    Moxey smiled, "That is an excellent question. The answer is no, there is no such rule. However, you may be able to find truth, and perhaps learn from the hallucinations of others."

    Lars picked up the stick and snapped it in half, in disbelief that it was the sword he was wielding. "Can you tell me some of your hallucinations?"

    Moxey''s smile widened, "Of course! But let''s not stay here, let''s go for a walk."

    Lars held up the two pieces of the stick, "And also, am I getting an actual sword today?"

    Moxey grabbed one of the pieces and swung it like a blade, "This isn''t a sword?"

    Lars gave him an incredulous glare.

    Moxey tossed the stick away, ¡°Not satisfied with that I see. You aren¡¯t doing it then, you aren¡¯t treating the hallucinations as real. Let me ask you then, how did you cut all these men in half with your stick?

    ¡°It¡¯s not a sword! I must have done that some other way!¡±

    ¡°So it isn¡¯t, but it was. You were the deciding factor in that. It doesn¡¯t matter what I tossed in here blindly.¡±

    Lars blinked slowly with a confused expression.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I couldn¡¯t see you when I threw that in here. I wasn¡¯t close enough to hallucinate your presence. How it came to you, again, that¡¯s just what you saw. I suppose your hallucinations must have been real, weren¡¯t they?¡±

    Lars didn¡¯t realize he was supposed to answer, so Moxey shouted, ¡°Weren¡¯t they?¡±

    Startled, he answered, ¡°Yes! I guess.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now let''s go for a walk. I can barely see in here as it is, door open or not.¡± They left the underground chamber.

    Lars shielded his eyes from the bright sun instinctively, but Moxey slapped his hand away from his face. ¡°Why are you avoiding an intense feeling?¡±

    Lars was embarrassed, he¡¯d looked weak. He stood straight and opened his eyes fully, not afraid to feel blinded.

    Moxey started walking again, and Lars hurried to catch up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lars, you will get a sword. One that stays a sword when you aren¡¯t hallucinating. It¡¯s important to have a weapon that doesn¡¯t change when you hallucinate. It adds a little consistency you can always rely on.¡±

    ¡°But literally everything changes when I hallucinate, how do you make something that doesn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°There are ways.¡± Moxey smiled and glanced back at the hill that chamber was in, ¡°We might be able to get a couple from what¡¯s in there.¡±

    Lars looked back with his brows furrowed. There was nothing in there but the dead Haverdash. Wait, is that what he meant?

    ¡°It will take a while to make though. Sometime in the next year. Sorry for the wait. Patience and boredom aren¡¯t very enviable feelings. It will be good though. You¡¯ll have one just like the one my good friend Trots has.¡±

    ¡°Can I see his then?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately not. He¡¯s back at sea now, handling the immigration. He has many obligations. They came with his rank, general.¡±

    Moxey tapped the side of his head with his pointer finger, ¡°I have no rank, and so I do what I like.¡±

    That didn¡¯t sound quite right to Lars. It seemed more like if you had no rank anyone could tell you what to do.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Moxey continued, ¡°You wanted to know what I¡¯ve seen. We call hallucinations that, unlike you seeing that stick as a sword, tell you about the world as a whole, visions.

    "Some even see the future. That¡¯s what I¡¯m sure you want to know about, the visions that I¡¯ve seen. I¡¯ve seen a few, but I¡¯ll tell you the one that stuck with me most.

    ¡°I was on a tall mountain. I was overlooking a city, but it was such a clear day I could see the next city beyond it, and the next city beyond that. I began to feel myself rising, and I was concerned that I would fall off the mountain, but when I looked around to find footing I realized that my body wasn¡¯t with me any more.

    "I looked back where I¡¯d come from, and I couldn¡¯t find it. I knew it was somewhere though, because I could hear the roaring and the cold of the wind as it strengthened. A great wailing filled the air, and the sounds of tall buildings collapsing.

    "I looked back at the cities, and fire was rising from each one. Blood poured out of the city gates higher than the head of a man, and the world was given to the beasts of the earth.

    ¡°Then the ground shook violently, and the beasts were flung to and fro and devoured by the earth. Only the birds of the air and the fish of the sea remained. Then the winds grew fiercer still, and the birds were torn to pieces, shredded by the very sky they flew in.

    "The waters of the lakes and the seas erupted out of their holes, and the fish of the sea rained down and were likewise destroyed.

    "As the earth shook and the waters burst forth, the fierce wind carried smoke from every corner of heaven and blotted out the sun, moon, and stars. I could only see by the spectacular nature of the vision, for there was no trace of light on the entire earth.

    ¡°Then the ground, which could not withstand how it was shaking, broke apart and dissolved into waters beneath it. The clouds being destroyed by the fierce winds and the waters firing up out of their holes became one body, an indistinguishable ocean that filled the air and the sea. Then the waters settled.

    "For a moment, there was peace. There was only darkness, and in that darkness, quiet waters. Then the moment passed, and the waters fell away as if into a deep pit that had no bottom or edge. At last, there was nothing.¡±

    Lars was horrified, ¡°Do you think that¡¯s actually going to happen?¡±

    ¡°Lars, I live as if my hallucinations are real, especially my visions. In doing so, I learned something from that vision. If everything truly will end, then I must take every opportunity in the here and now. I cannot sit idly by and let things play out, because it is not the end I am pursuing, it is what happens on the way.¡±

    He put a hand on Lars¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Opportunities like you. You¡¯re my most important project yet, a glorious Haverdash in the making.¡±

 6. First battle

    A year had passed since the Templars first fought the Haverdash. Since then they had completely stopped helping the common folk, and only devoted themselves to resisting the Haverdash.

    They''d actively scouted the whole region and attacked small groups whenever they could. They avoided groups larger than twenty, which outnumbered the groups they traveled in more than two to one. Andal had yet to kill a Haverdash himself, but he felt that he had been helpful nonetheless. Nobody was asking more of him than that; he was still only thirteen years old.

    The king had gathered his army together as fast as he could, and they had spent last night in the City of Grace. They had sent scouts to the area they wanted the fight to occur at, and messengers to Andal''s hometown to get the Haverdash to meet them there.

    The king was confident in the army he raised. According to the Templars the Haverdash population was between one and two million, so it would stand to reason that they couldn''t raise an army larger than ten thousand. Equipping men with weapons and armor takes time and resources that the Haverdash couldn''t possibly have since they''d been ferrying their whole population over the sea.

    The King''s army, on the other hand, had a monstrous force of 80,000 men. 50,000 of those were well-equipped, 8000 of them being cavalry, and the other 30,000 were the inexperienced sort who they weren''t going to waste good equipment on.

    One of the commanders of the army met with the Templars the other day and had asked them to work as an active scouting force during the battle. In the case that the Haverdash were getting reinforcements from an unexpected direction, or were sending small groups to mess up the king¡¯s line from the back, the Templars were to try and either warn the king''s army or stop them themselves.

    Andal was with Izac and Smaru in the chapel. They were already armed and ready, they just wanted to mentally prepare themselves and pray before this important battle. Andal asked both of them, "So this is it? This is where we beat the Haverdash?"

    "It''s just one battle." Izac told him. "It''s a big one, but the Haverdash aren''t just going to drop dead if they lose this one. They still control the whole coastline."

    Smaru agreed, "And taking cities is tough. In a proper siege you''d want to fully cut someone off, but without control of the sea that''s not fully effective. If we really want to get rid of the Haverdash then the navy has to be a lot bigger than it is, which will take time. No way around it, the Haverdash will be here for a while."

    Andal looked sullen after that answer, "Then we don''t get anything for winning?"

    "We do!" Izac said. "If we win this one, the Haverdash are on the defensive. Their expansion will stop where it''s at, and they will be scrambling to protect their borders since they''d spent most of this last year just immigrating."

    Smaru looked up at a window where the sunlight had just started to stream in. "We shouldn''t tarry any more. Let''s say a prayer and head out. Izac, will you lead?"

    Izac stepped up to the altar, knelt, bowed his head, and placed his hands on his thighs. Andal and Smaru did likewise. "Glorious Nishir, god who protects those in need, and gives light in dark times, this day carries serious consequences for the lives of all in our kingdom and even neighboring kingdoms. The Haverdash want to prey upon every helpless soul, and put all they leave alive in bondage under them. We know such things are detestable to you, and you protect the weak.

    "Protect all of us now as we face a strong and violent people, zealous in their pride and in their debased rituals. Give us strength and awareness as we fight against them, and may you be pleased with all that transpires this day. Nishir, we praise you." Izac stood again. He let out a heavy sigh, "Okay, let''s go."

    They set off in three groups of three with two Templars staying behind to watch the abbey. The place they were riding to was the largest plain in the region, a lowland country called Nalye''ed which had many plains dotting the hills.

    According to the King''s commander, the Haverdash are said to be a "people of the hills", so they were trying to avoid the Haverdash having a terrain advantage as much as possible. Unfortunately, there wasn''t anywhere in this area that was a big enough plain for the full battle.

    The Templars were several miles ahead of the army, making it to the battlefield multiple hours before them. The Haverdash were already situated on the other side of the valley. Not only had they agreed to this location for the combat, which showed (as the king knew) how willing they were to fight, but they had been there so long that they were sitting and lying where they were impatiently waiting for the King''s army to arrive.

    The Templars went to various high places where they would have good vantage points, trying to be inconspicuous to not tempt the Haverdash''s impatient violence.

    Smaru was looking over at them and told Izac and Andal, "Something is making me feel uneasy over there. How many of them do you think there are?"

    Andal answered, "There''s way more than 10,000. That group is probably two, then there are six of those groups, then the lines behind them seem to be just as big."

    "So more than 20,000?" Izac muttered. "They sure put that together fast."

    "I''m pretty sure some of them are naked." Andal added.

    Smaru laughed, "Yep, that would be why I feel uneasy!"

    "That''s interesting," Izac whispered. "How many have armor?"

    "Less than a third for sure."

    "So that''s how they put so many out so quickly, they didn''t bother making equipment for them. What about their weapons? Can you see those from here?"

    "I can see that they''re mostly wooden, so like clubs, spears, I''m pretty sure I see shovels and hoes?"This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    "Farming equipment? That''s bizarre. Why not wait in a city if they were so unprepared?"

    "If they''re here," said Smaru, "They think they can win."

    They got closer to where they could easily see if a skirmisher group broke off, and waited. When the King''s army finally arrived, it sprawled out over a mile. The cavalry stood out as a clear difference maker, as the Haverdash had none.

    The Haverdash jumped to their feet and started yelping and screaming when they saw the King''s army arrive. They pulled bottles from their waists and shared them with each other, each one making sure he got a drink. The groups they were in started filling out into lines, and then they started jogging forward.

    The King''s men arrayed themselves for battle, and their archers notched their arrows. The cavalry split into two main groups. They were waiting until the Haverdash were drawn in against the infantry, then they were going to encircle and tear them apart from the sides.

    The Haverdash line was falling apart, and it was all their leaders could do to stop their forces from breaking into full sprints and leaving any semblance of a line entirely.

    Both sides loosed their arrows when the Haverdash got in range. The Haverdash released their''s mid-run, but due to the size of the king''s army it was more than good enough to land in the appropriate area. The king''s men raised their shields and bundled together, but very few of the Haverdash had shields.

    The Templars watching were actually discouraged when the arrows landed, however, because the Haverdash hardly reacted to the arrows hitting them. Arrows don''t cause that much destruction in the moment if they don''t hit a vital area, even if they will lead to death. Since the Haverdash had nothing against pain, the ones that didn''t die weren''t slowed down at all.

    When the Haverdash had closed the distance to less than 200 feet they pulled out their wine once again. Instead of drinking they hucked the liquid as far into the king''s lines as they could, shattering the bottles on shields and helmets. The liquid splashed onto the skin of many, causing them to lash out at those around them in fear. Some got splashed more than others, and died on contact.

    Those who weren''t even touched by the wine became dizzy and started vomiting from the intense stench of so much Haverdash wine. In just a moment the solid lines of the king''s army, ready to face an undisciplined wave of foes, collapsed into the far less organized of the two groups.

    The cavalry rode out to draw the Haverdash away from the crumbled front line, but they weren''t numerous enough to stop the slaughter. Pyok, Nombur, and Savador rode down from the other side of the valley. Izac yelled in frustration when he saw them, "The Haverdash are getting reinforcements now?"

    Andal tapped his shoulder, "Behind us¡­"

    Izac looked back and saw another wave of Haverdash, thousands of them, running over the hills toward the valley. Smaru jumped on his horse and started riding to warn the king''s commander. Andal jumped on his horse as well, but Izac stopped him from riding down, "Get out of here Andal, get back to the abbey."

    "But we have a job to do! We have to help them win this fight!"

    "No, Andal. I''m going to encourage the commander to retreat. Look at the losses, this is a disaster. We weren''t prepared at all to fight them." He looked back at the two sides fighting. "The left flank is already getting routed¡­" he jumped on his horse and yelled behind himself as he dashed down the hill, "Go back to the abbey!"

    Andal sat silently. He was tempted to rush down there and help the fighting, but what good could he possibly do alone? The king''s army was starting to fracture, despite the commanders doing everything they could to maintain order.

    Then the force of Haverdash that Pyok and his group had rushed down to warn about reached the valley. A minute later the group that Smaru had gone down to warn about reached the valley. Between the Haverdash reinforcements and their casualties the king''s army barely had a numerical advantage.

    Tears welled up in his eyes. "Dangit" he yelled with a choked up voice. He swung his fist down to hit the saddle and direct some frustration, but he wasn''t looking so he actually hit the horse. It turned its head and looked at him with one of its large eyes, not hurt but confused. Andal mouthed "Sorry" and looked at his fist.

    He was glad the horse didn''t react in pain, but it did illustrate that he really was that weak. He looked back at the battle. It had been under an hour since the fight started. He''d thought battles lasted longer than that. They probably did, just not this one. He turned the horse and sheepishly directed it to head back to the abbey, knowing he had nothing better to do.

    *

    Andal sat at the dinner table with Riafel across from him. Andal had just finished telling him everything that transpired. Riafel was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed. "Their next main target will be the City of Grace. We weren''t ready for this fight, we have to be ready for that one. Surrounding towns will fall, but that may be unpreventable."

    Izac and Smaru came through the door and plopped down at the table. Smaru gestured outside, "The others aren''t too far behind."

    "Welcome back. Andal told me what happened. I don''t mean to push you so soon, but how do you think the Haverdash were able to put together such a large army?"

    ¡°Send them out without armor, weapons, and don¡¯t worry about clothes. That¡¯s how. It¡¯s like someone went from town to town shouting, ¡®Everybody up! Go fight a battle!¡¯¡±

    Riafel pondered that for a moment, ¡°Well that shouldn¡¯t help them with attacking cities, should it? They can empty their towns when we approach, but they¡¯d be empty for too long if they all went on campaign. So then they can¡¯t advance quickly, meaning we have time.¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± Izac was staring into the distance, ¡°Another thing, I didn¡¯t notice it until I went down into the valley, but half of them were women.¡±

    Smaru barked, ¡°There¡¯s no fairer sex for the Haverdash, that¡¯s for sure!¡±

    Riafel asked, ¡°They sent their women out to fight? So they were desperate for soldiers?¡±

    Izac shook his head, ¡°No, half of them were women. As in, as many as you¡¯d expect if you took everyone in a town with no regard to gender. If you¡¯re a Haverdash, you fight. They¡¯re all in on the war, life is secondary.¡±

    Andal asked him, ¡°So what can we do? Just the 11 of us, how do we make a difference?¡±

    Smaru leaned in, ¡°We know the name of one of their leaders, that¡¯s Trots. We should target him. From keepers of the peace to assassins.¡±

    ¡°That I disagree with,¡± Riafel answered, ¡°as Templars we are supposed to encourage others with our presence. We can¡¯t do that hiding in the shadows hunting down specific Haverdash."

    At that moment the other Templars ran in through the door, then Nombur ran down from upstairs. Nombur spoke first, "There''s an army headed towards the City of Grace!"

    Everyone was in shock. Smaru stood up, "How big?"

    "Tens of thousands, a serious force!"

    Riafel looked at Izac, "How could they have raised another army so quickly?"

    Andal got up and headed towards the stables, "We have to go help!"

    "We can''t go!" Pyok interrupted.

    Savador explained, "There''s a band of Haverdash, maybe 100 of them, heading towards the abbey now."

    "We''re under attack too?" asked Riafel.

    He nodded,"We''ve got twenty minutes tops. You''d better put your armor on now."

    Riafel started directing people, "After you arm yourselves everyone grab the horses and bring them inside the chapel! We''ll hold them off there."

    The Templars who didn''t have their armor and weapons equipped themselves, then everyone brought the horses into the chapel and barred the doors. Andal and Izac went up to the belltower to look outside, and they saw the Haverdash no more than a mile away.

    Izac left Andal to watch them for several minutes, then he came back. "Where are they now?"

    "They''ve reached the wall, and a couple of them have climbed over it to unlatch the gate!"

    The gate opened, and Andal was stunned by the sight of the Haverdash who walked through first. It was the one who''d killed his family, metal rod in hand.

 7. Glorious

    Lars was waiting outside what had once been his house. Moxey was in there just finalizing the detail work on his sword with the smith. In the meantime, Lars had been watching something transpire just below the cliff his house was on. A Haverdash had come out of another house with an expression of urgency and excitement, then he started to address everyone who could hear him.

    He started by bringing up the battle that was going to happen today, "Brothers and sisters! We should make peace with the humans instead of taking their cities and killing them in war!"

    Those around him gave him weird looks, wondering if he was being serious or sarcastic. He continued, "We have gone too far, loving bloodlust, and forgetting who we were! Even being ashamed of it! But Haverdash, who guided us, wants to draw us back! We should cease our self-harm, which hurts Haverdash to see, and replace it with praising him!"

    It was an unusual thing to say, for a Haverdash. While they did worship what they would call "Haverdash", and sought to bring glory to "Haverdash" in all they did, they would never refer to it as "he". He also seemed to be arguing for less glory? The Haverdash often utilized self-harm in hallucinogenic states to induce even stronger feelings, and the war had a myriad of glorious purposes. One that was particularly motivating for the Haverdash was putting the world into a proper order, with Haverdash, the most glorious god, being placed above all other gods. Then also, the Haverdash people being placed above all people.

    The other Haverdash were enraged by this one who had started preaching at them. They pounced on him, many with rocks in hand, and started grinding the skin off his bones with them.

    Moxey opened the door of the smith''s, "It is done, Lars. Come inside."

    Lars pulled himself away from the curious development below the cliff and entered the smith''s. He was holding up something that Lars would not have guessed was a sword. He would have guessed it was a spine. The bumps of the spine were sharpened and blended together, creating a similarity to a serrated edge. The hollow column that would have fit the brainstem was clearly filled, as the spine had the proper weight of a sword. There was also a dream-like quality to it, which was hard to identify.

    Moxey explained, "You may add to this weapon in hallucinations, but never take away from it. In that way it is a constant, reliable tool. You are one of just a select few to have such a weapon."

    "Well I''m honored. Though I¡¯ve been prepared for combat for quite some time, now I have a real weapon. When will I actually fight?"

    Moxey put his hand on Lars''s back and led him out of the smith''s, "Today, my perfect soldier. I hurried along the production of your sword so that it could be ready this very morning."

    Lars looked off the side of the cliff when they stepped outside. A metal pole had been stuck in the side of the cliff, and a rope was looped around it and the neck of the preaching Haverdash. He was completely flayed of skin, and they were swinging him through the air so that he would slam against the side of the cliff occasionally. They had a game of trying to hit him mid-swing by throwing rocks.

    Lars asked Moxey, "Could you explain what happened down there? That Haverdash started saying funny things about ''no war'' and how people should worship, then those other Haverdash killed him."

    "Those troublemakers appear sometimes. They''ve always been, longer than I''ve been alive. If you were to ask me why they do what they do, what causes them, I would say they are the opposite of you. They are weak willed, and when they are confronted with the idea of increased glory, when they are pushed to be more glorious, they break. They become fearful in a way that does not push them towards a greater intensity of feelings, but flee from it. Because of their fear they want everyone else to behave in that weak willed way, happy the way they are and with no desire to increase in glory.

    "We are not this way, we are going to increase in glory. And the glorious among us inspire those who see them to attain the glory they have already attained. That''s why while I exterminate troublesome knights who have been fighting us in small villages, you will join with Trots and capture the City of Grace."

    Lars cocked his head and gave Moxey a funny look, "Aren''t you forgetting that there''s already a battle happening today? Everyone within the thirty mile radius is supposed to go."

    "Ah, but we won''t go, because we can do what we want." Moxey looked down at Lars''s bewildered expression and laughed. "Come on. I need to go soon if I''m going to reach my target today, and we''ll have to travel fast as it is. I''m going to leave you with Trots. You should feel honored, not many have actually met him."

    "You sure seem to treat him like a king despite that we have a council. Could he tell the council what to do?"

    "Actually, he is on the Council of Six. But yes, I wager he could tell the council what to do. He is the most glorious among them."

    "Well they might not feel that way, you''re biased, you''re his best friend."

    "Oh, they know. I''m not stating my opinion, I''m talking about a new class of Haverdash. We''ve grown rapidly since coming back, changed for the better. We call these new Haverdash, who exist on a different tier from the rest of us, Glorious Haverdash. You can tell when you see them. You''ll know what I mean momentarily."

    Moxey pushed open a door that led under a hill. "Go ahead."

    Lars stepped into the darkness. The Haverdash had a tendency to put the doorway behind a corner so that opening the door doesn''t add too much light in case they''re in the middle of something that requires darkness. While Lars couldn''t see anything yet because of this, the scent of wine was overwhelming.

    He rounded that corner and stopped, confronted with an entrancing light. Taking up most of this room was a pool of Haverdash wine. Judging by the man standing waist deep in it, it was three feet deep. He could only see that man''s bare back; he was mostly the typical Haverdash gray, but had an image of a starry sky shining off of the top half of his back and his neck. Most remarkable of all, he was glowing. That entrancing light emanated several feet out from him, reflecting off the surface of the wine to make it shine.

    Moxey stepped up to stand beside Lars, and Lars asked him, "How is he glowing?"

    "That''s the common trait of the glorious Haverdash, visible glory." He then addressed Trots, "Good morning! I''m leaving Lars in your care."

    Tots turned. His eyes were like deep, shining wells. It was possibly the light he eninanted reflecting off the back of his eyes, but it had a captivating, piercing effect. "Good morning, Moxey! So this is your prodigy then."

    Moxey walked back out, "I really must go now to be timely, have fun taking the city!"

    "And you with those knights!" Trots shouted back as Moxey exited the door. He stepped up and out of his pool and slipped on some pants, then he grabbed his sword and held it up in front of Lars. "I''m told Moxey gave you one that was identical. Hold it up to mine so I can see."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Lars held up his sword. Not only were they of the same kind, the notches in the spine and the engravings were in the exact same positions.

    "Wow," uttered Lars involuntarily.

    "Indeed. Though I noticed you don''t have a sheath. I was told that was being prepared for you too. Moxey must have felt too rushed by the day. The sheath should be the same as mine as well, so I can send someone where it would be. Perhaps you''ll receive it tomorrow.¡±

    There was a passing of darkness over the light from his eyes, like a bird flying in front of the moon. ¡°The men we¡¯ll be leading should be already assembled. Take my hands.¡±

    Lars put his hands in Trots¡¯s. Trots held them tightly, and jumped. They went up through the top of the hill, passing through the dirt as if it wasn¡¯t even there. Lars gaped in surprise. Trots saw his expression, ¡°You saw the dirt above us, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    They landed on the top of the hill and Trots let go of Lars¡¯s hands, grabbing his waist. ¡°Use those wings of yours and fly between those two hills where the gully is.¡±

    He tossed Lars off the hill. Instead of falling to the ground, Lars kept going through the air. He didn¡¯t move linearly though, he moved up in pulses as if he were flapping large wings. He looked back at Trots, who jumped off the hill and floated after him. It wasn''t as if he was beating wings though, and Lars had to wonder if Trots was hallucinating that or if he could naturally fly.

    They soared off to the gully. There was a force of soldiers waiting there, over ten thousand, with a general standing at their head. When they noticed Trots in the skies they all fell to their knees and bowed their heads to the ground. Trots landed by the general, and Lars by him.

    Trots spoke with the same volume he spoke to Lars under the hill, "All rise." To Lars''s surprise, even the Haverdash in the very back of the columns heard him and rose to their feet. ¡°In my meditation I saw a vision, we will overcome the City of Grace this very day, and take it fully! We will take its governor and cut his throat, and I will personally reduce the cathedral of Nishir to powder!¡±

    The columns were positively giddy with excitement, some jumping up and down where they were. They restrained themselves from making noise though, as it could interrupt Trots.

    He put his hand on the general''s shoulder. "Your expert leadership won''t be necessary from here, we won''t be needing a strategy for this attack."

    The general stood straight and proud when Trots put his hand on his shoulder, somehow perfectly content to not be needed.

    Trots looked out at the columns of soldiers, "Is everyone here?"

    ¡°The white river is flooded due to excessive rain in the East, none of the towns on the other side have delivered their soldiers. At minimum they¡¯ll be delayed for hours.¡±

    ¡°Then it wasn¡¯t meant to be. Any other issues I should know about?¡±

    ¡°The men are ready to go on your order!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, general. I¡¯ll see you after our victory. Lars, stay by my side as we go.¡±

    A myriad of eyes that had been distastefully avoiding looking at him targeted Lars. This past year had done nothing to diminish the disgust the Haverdash had for Lars, if anything it had increased. They often referred to him as ¡°Moxey¡¯s human¡±, which doubly showed their increasing distaste for Moxey.

    Despite that, they continued to obey Moxey dutifully. They didn¡¯t even take into consideration that Moxey had sent a couple hundred Haverdash to their deaths against Lars. That was the simple result of knowing Trots personally. How offended they must have been, seeing Trots call Lars to his side over them.

    Trots barked one last order, ¡°Run!¡± and took off. Lars bolted after him, and the columns shook the ground under them.

    Half an hour in, Lars looked back at the columns. It was a sixty mile run to the City of Grace, far too great a distance for even a Haverdash if they hadn¡¯t trained for that purpose.

    They hadn¡¯t touched their wine, which invigorated them through passion, despite normally drinking it before serious events. Even while running their eyes were fixed on Trots, who¡¯s luminescence could be seen clearly by all. The presence of a Glorious Haverdash, it seemed, was more than enough.

    *

    Andal rushed down to the ground floor, "They''ve climbed the walls and are searching for us!"

    Smaru asked, "Cautiously or uncautiously?"

    "They''re just kind of running everywhere."

    Smaru looked at Pyok, who was peeking through the door. "If you can let one or two know where we are without alerting all of them, do it. We can use the fact that they''re scattered and reckless to fight just a couple at a time."

    Izac nodded approvingly. "No point in waiting. Shields up."

    "What about the window?" Andal blurted.

    They hadn''t considered that they could get attacked through there. It was barred, but it was a definite weak point that they could break through. Savador ran over to it. He had the best control over magic, and had the range to make a shield that high up. "I can block the window. I''ll just hold it."

    Pyok asked them, "Should I call yet?"

    Smaru held his hand out, "Not yet." He looked at Savador. "I don''t think you should. If we block them out too much they''ll start digging to get to us. We should leave that as a second opening so that we can control where they come through. Block it only if they start to come through too much. They''ll definitely handle that fall, but thirty feet is still thirty feet, and we may be able to strike them hard and fast when they land."

    Izac pointed at Pyok, "Good plan, call a couple if you can, Pyok!"

    Pyok looked out and locked eyes with a Haverdash. He wasn''t sure what to say, if anything, so he just waved him over. Pyok leaned back inside, and yelling could be heard outside, "Yep, they''re coming."

    Raifel asked, "Are we getting just a couple at first?"

    "Two or three are right on top of us!"

    Izac shouted quickly, "Open the door and let them in!"

    Pyok threw open the door and stepped to the side, and three Haverdash rushed in impatiently. The Templars surrounded and finished them off, then Smaru rushed to the door to hold the rest back from getting in alongside Pyok. Riafel had all the templars bunch together behind Smaru and Pyok, "Swords or light when Smaru and Pyok step away from the door. Savador, your stunning rays. Smaru and Pyok! Step aside on three, two, one!"

    He swung his arm down. Smaru and Pyok stepped aside, and a volley of weaponized light filled the doorway. Smaru and Pyok made shields in front of the doorway for a second and the other templars took a moment to get ready again. "Three, two, one!" Another volley.

    They repeated this as often as they could. They weren''t killing many, as this time the Haverdash had actually brought shields, but it was repeatable and safe. The Haverdash weren''t just trying to get through that door though, Andal could hear them clambering around the building.

    He looked up and saw them, "They''re at the window!"

    Riafel turned to Savador, "You''ve got that?"

    He nodded and ran over, flinging ranged attacks to disrupt them as they tried to pry the bars away. Andal asked the group, "How many have we killed?"

    Nombur answered, "10 to 15, we can do this! We just need to keep them at the choke points!"

    Izac tapped his shoulder, "I think you should switch with Pyok, he''ll tire first."

    "Good thinking!" He went up and switched, allowing Pyok to come back to do ranged attacks.

    Izac asked Pyok, "How''s Smaru doing?"

    "He''s looking strong! Leave him up there another ten minutes at least! How''s Savador doing?"

    "He''s the only one with the range to shoot through that window accurately, but when they finish prying through the bars we can have him back off and take an easier role."

    "Three!" Andal yelled happily. He''d started counting each Haverdash that died after he''d asked Nombur how many.

    Pyok asked Izac, "And what if we all tire out, retreat to the cellar? Or out the back?

    "There''s a back? Andal asked.

    "Not so loud Andal, you don''t want a Haverdash to hear. It''s hidden, but where we retreat will depend on how many Haverdash are left, so keep counting."

    That he was happy to do. He saw another Haverdash fall to a volley of swords, but just before he could call it out, a metal rod flew past the other Haverdash so fast Smaru could barely react by putting up a shield of aegis in front of his face. Andal saw that it wasn''t falling, but Smaru assumed that once he''d blocked the projectile it was harmless, so he dropped the shield to be able to put it elsewhere. The metal rod regained all its speed and buried itself in his forehead.

    Smaru fell as a voice that was burned into Andal''s memory from over a year ago cheekily called out, "One."

 8. Fall of Grace

    Trots led the Haverdash up a shallow river channel. This river fed the fields of the City of Grace, which was only several miles away at this point. Moxey was probably close to the Templar abbey, so the attacks led by Trots and Moxey would start at almost the same time.

    This channel was fully obscured by a thick forest, and was the only straight path through. By virtue of being willing to run through tens of miles of river they wouldn''t be seen until they were within a few miles of the outer city.

    Trots spoke to the soldiers as they ran in that calm voice that somehow was audible to each and every person, "Savor the moment, drink your wine now to not miss what we are about to do in its entirety."

    They gulped down their wine as they ran, spilling it from the corners of their lips into the river. The moving waters became putrid, and the humid air rising from it carried that iconic stench. The trees curled back from the waters as their leaves and overhanging branches withered. One could point out that the fish died instantly, but they were already being inevitably crushed by the myriad of sloshing feet.

    Trots, Lars noticed, did not drink. He didn''t even have a bottle by his belt, which a Haverdash would feel dead without. Considering how he was bathing in wine when they first met, he was probably too tolerant of the drink for a bottle to have any effect. But he did not feel dead, nor did he seem unmotivated. It was seemingly paradoxical, that he could not drink wine and yet feel whole. Perhaps, just as the presence of a glorious Haverdash was enough for lesser Haverdash, it was enough for themself.

    The realities and perceptions of the Haverdash shifted, but they were all unified in focus on the attack. The anticipation was palpable in the air. When Trots increased the pace beyond what they would have been capable of earlier they did it eagerly and impatiently.

    Twenty minutes later, when anticipation was at a boiling point from the exhausting run that had taken them all day, they passed the tree line and got an open look at the City of Grace. They burst into a dead sprint, whooping, hollering, and laughing as they closed in on their prey.

    Trots directed them with a raised voice, "Columns 1,2, 12, 13, circle the city and cut off major roads. Kill anyone escaping. Columns 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, fan off and ravage the outer city. Kill as first instinct, keep those who submit in time as slaves. Columns 6, 7, 8, follow me to the inner city walls." Then he spoke only to Lars, "You''re with me."

    Those who had heard the rumbling feet and now saw the Haverdash army gliding across the plain towards them were in full retreat, and a church bell rang out as a warning. That set off a chain reaction where warnings went off throughout the city, and the chimes of Nishir''s great cathedral stood out among them.

    *

    Andal rushed forward and made a burst of wind then immediately raised a shield and stuck the one he was holding in the doorway to stop the Haverdash from rushing in.

    Izac and Riafel dragged Smaru''s body back and Riafel yelled for another Templar to rush in where Andal was. Andal protested a little, but wasn''t so confident in his ability to fill that role that he didn''t stay. He hurried to Smaru''s side and asked, "Will he live?"

    Izac answered quietly, "No."

    "He''s already dead," Added Riafel. He looked up at the door, where the pressure from the Haverdash was threatening to break through the small opening. He directed another Templar to help, then his eyes widened as he saw the metal rod returning. He reacted just in time, raising a shield in front of it, but this time at an angle to let it shoot inside where they could cut it off from its sender.

    At that moment, the Haverdash made it through Savador''s antagonizing and split the last bar from the window. Izac yelled fiercely, "Block all the exits with shields! Hold them back!"

    The metal rod redirected itself to target Izac, who was turned away from it. Riafel raised a shield again, tilting it to knock the rod upward. Izac raised a tilted shield above Riafel as the rod shot down at him, redirecting it into the floor. Reacting quickly, Riafel made his shield right on top of it so that it couldn''t move. Izac, Riafel, and Andal celebrated the slight victory.

    Savador shouted, "They''ve started digging through the walls! Can we drop our shields?"

    "Yes!" Izac answered, "Problem solved!"

    Riafel interjected, "Wait!"

    Andal looked at Riafel¡¯s shield in fear, telling them, "The rod just disappeared."

    The Haverdash dispersed from the doorway, and Moxey approached the Templar shields blocking the way. He held the rod in his palm, waiting for a shield to drop. The cracks formed in the walls as they became too weak to support the structure because of the Haverdash digging.

    Savador yelled to Izac and Riafel, "We should run!"

    The stress was getting to Izac, "We wouldn''t be able to outrun them, and we don''t have time to get the horses out.¡± The roof lowered as a wall bent in, and the scraping became increasingly audible.

    Andal asked, "If the building falls it will kill a bunch of Haverdash, right? Can''t we just move to the back?"

    "If there were only twenty Haverdash it would be a hard fight, with that magician I wouldn''t bet on us."

    Riafel told him, "Then we have to run. Get one horse out, put Andal and Savador on it. They''re the most naturally gifted. The rest of us try on foot. "

    Izac nodded, grabbed a horse, and ran with it to the back of the chapel. "Drop your shields, Everyone to the back! Savador and Andal first!"

    They were hesitant, but Nombur dropped his shield and bolted, so the others responded in kind. Moxey tossed his rod in the air and it sped forward, burying itself in Nombur''s skull. The Haverdash returned to the doors, rushing by Moxey and jumping through the window to flood the chapel.

    Andal stopped and started running toward Moxey with his sword raised, but Savador grabbed him and threw him on his shoulder as he ran. Andal hit his back and yelled protests, but Savador wasn''t swayed. He ran out of the once-secret exit that Izac was holding open.

    There were a few Haverdash who had climbed around the back looking for another way in, and the other Templars were in combat with them. Izac shut the door behind them, and Savador threw Andal onto the horse. He swung up, and told Izac, "I know we''ll meet again. I won''t let your faith in us be in vain."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Izac wasn''t feeling sentimental though, "Go, go!"

    He shut the door as quickly as he could, then Savador rode off with Andal on the horse, and the Other Templars ran as quickly as they could as the Haverdash flooded around and through the chapel after them.

    *

    Lars saw the paths left by massless particles, composing all things and all people as they streamed along. He glided as he ran, not merging with the ground beneath him, which traded particles and blended with all other things. The only thing, like him, that did not blend and morph with its surroundings was Trots.

    Like Lars, his particles would disappear and trade with a distant source, but it could not be seen what that was. When he stepped, the paths of the particles would become ordered, all streaming away from him and disturbing the patterns of the shifting particles in objects around them. To those without visions it appeared that the destruction of the Haverdash was effective, that stone walls were weaker than once thought, and that wood crumbled to the touch.

    Arrows rained down on them as they drew in range of the inner city walls, but none would land. Lars saw them as bats which would flutter away, and Trots saw them as so heavy they would fall immediately. To the men on the walls it looked like their arrows would wobble and spin as they fell immediately upon being loosed.

    Lars saw their bows, which were long and thin like a snake, and saw them as constrictors that wrapped around and consumed their archers. Those who were out of his sight saw the bows of their companions envelope them, and threw down their bows in fear.

    When the Haverdash had drawn within 150 feet of the wall, Trots spoke to them, "Soar my soldiers!"

    He leapt and glided above the walls. A Haverdash yelled in glee, "He sees us with wings!" And leapt also. Lars and the columns of the Haverdash flew over the walls. The human soldiers who had been waiting behind the gate saw the Haverdash above them and panicked, scattering as the Haverdash literally fell upon them.

    Trots spoke again, "Lars, take the duke''s palace; column 7, follow Lars. Columns 6 and 8, branch off and subdue the inner city. I will level the cathedral."

    Those is column 7 obviously deplored their assignment, to think that they should be led by a non-Haverdash! They wouldn''t disobey Trots though, and so they followed Lars as they broke their way to the Duke''s palace.

    The brave among the human soldiers now became evident. Instead of fleeing from the Haverdash until they were in the safety of a large team (which tended to scatter anyway), some who were so offended at the sight of the Haverdash in the City of Grace would charge in by themselves in an attempt to kill anyone who looked vaguely like a leader.

    The first ones to try to kill Lars hesitated, wrestling in their minds if they should target him since he looked like the leader, or avoid hurting him since he was just a child. They stopped hesitating after Lars killed his first attacker by wiping away the massless particles that made him up, dissolving him with a wave of his hand.

    Maybe only one or two of those brave attackers saw it, since they were so disorganized, but the energy of the Haverdash behind him changed. Though not regarding him as equal in worth to themselves, they thoroughly enjoyed seeing him annihilate his attackers. Their excitement at seeing someone draw near to him led to the attackers not thinking of Lars as a victim or a child at all, but a ringleader.

    Across the inner city a mighty *boom* was heard, and the foundation of the cathedral of Nishir shook. Tons of stone were hurled into the air by an invisible force like a fist punching through from the earth up through the roof, then the towers broke into thousands of crumbles before falling. One section after another was punched through, and another turned to rubble.

    Then a mighty *boom* occurred again, and the remnant of the cathedral burst apart as in an explosion. Instead of rubble, it was broken into a fine powder. But instead of a powder that hung in the air and was dust on buildings, it moved like water that sloshed over the roads. The glory of the City of Grace had been erased, and the city felt inexplicably darker.

    Lars leapt over a short wall onto the elevated ground where the Duke¡¯s palace was. Arrows were loosed from the parapet, and they hucked stones and bags of lime that could temporarily blind the attackers. Lars saw them as falling rain, and the last shred of courage left the defenders when they saw their projectiles absorb into his clothing.

    He came to the wall and reared back. The Haverdash behind him ran past, not knowing why he paused, to break down the great doors. Lars, seeing the paths the massless particles took, how tremors changed their courses, and how fragile the patterns they moved in ultimately were, shouted so forcefully to send them scattering.

    The wall, the soldiers on top of the wall, and the Haverdash who had run in front of him so carelessly all broke apart into various clumps, powders, and even dissolved so much in places as to become a wind.

    The Haverdash up to 200 feet behind him collapsed, dazed by the shout echoing back toward them. Lars felt a change in the air that gave him pause. The eyes he''d felt drilling contempt into the back of his neck now looked on in respect. They had reconciled the fact that he was so much mightier than them with how they saw him as of less value than a Haverdash, and now considered him equal.

    The paths that made them up shifted, moving in a different pattern and affecting the patterns of massless particles that would merge with them. Then Lars felt a second shift, a transfer of particles to that one being so far away that was the only thing his particles would merge with. And with it, he felt a sudden loss of energy.

    *

    Andal looked around Savador as they rode down the hill. The other Templars, which bolted in several different directions, all fell out of sight when they fled into a canyon. Andal asked, "Savador, where are we going to go?"

    "I honestly don''t know. Wherever Nishir wills. Right now, we just need to get away."

    Andal''s adrenaline faded, letting his eyes tear up. "Will we ever see them again?"

    "Of course we will. Things look dark now, but I promise you, we''ll all meet up again. Have hope, Andal."

    Andal leaned back into Savador. ¡°That Haverdash with the rod, he''s the one that killed my family. And now he''s killed some and broken up the rest of my second family." Through tears he tried to say, "I hate him!"

    Savador understood his pain, so he silently let Andal vent himself. After a minute or so he said, "Andal, it isn''t good to hate the Haverdash."

    Andal''s head jerked up in confused shock, "What?"

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s bad, but hatred is never good. You hate the Haverdash, I see that, and you want to kill them, I understand. But, don¡¯t let them make you forget that life is valuable. All life. That¡¯s how Nishir is. Kill the Haverdash, of course, Nishir approved of such a mission, or you never would have been added to our order by your prayer. But, don¡¯t forget that death saddens Nishir, and we kill them because we have to, not because it¡¯s the way things should be. You understand?¡±

    Andal''s confusion gave way as he recognized the wisdom in Savador''s words, and sheepishly answered, "I understand."

    "You were chosen in a special way, Andal. I have no doubt you''re going to be mighty. We''ll keep practicing and getting better, so I know you''re going to help a lot of people in your life. We just need to hold on in times like these. You know things will get better, because they can''t get worse, and in a way that''s encouraging."

    They came to the end of the canyon and onto the major road that connected the City of Grace with the cities south of them. They were on the north side of the mountains, on a downward slope that gave them the perfect view of the city as the Haverdash razed it. A heavy cloud of dust rose from the inner city, like an enormous building has collapsed. Neither one spoke, but they both knew in their hearts that the cathedral had been destroyed.

    Andal took a moment to understand the level of destruction that was in front of them, but Savador turned to look up the road where he heard voices. Just coming over the hump in the road we''re a few Haverdash holding pickaxes, shovels, and other equipment. They charged instantly, while Savador was still deciding the best response, and much to his dread a host of Haverdash equipped in the same way came running down the road behind them.

    There were over thirty in all, so Savador knew better than to try to fight them. He told the horse to run, which it was more than willing to do, but the Haverdash who were closest threw bottles of wine at them. Having seen that strategy used against the King''s army, and not wanting to risk the wine touching the horse, Savador jumped off to intercept them. He raised a shield of aegis to catch one and spread out his body with his shield to catch the other two.

    Andal fought the horse to pull it to a stop, looking back as Savador hit the ground with wide eyes, motionless. The mob of Haverdash rushed over him, but at that very moment Andal felt a surge of energy. It didn''t seem like it was of himself; somehow he senses that it came from the City of Grace.

    He raised a barrier of aegis around Savador, but as a dome instead of a shield. Then he made a burst of wind stream out of his hand that knocked the Haverdash several feet back, and with a flurry of cuts with his sword sent a maelstrom of blades of light through the air. His skin and the skin of the horse glowed with a shell of golden light, and when he spurred the horse forward it went eagerly.

    His sword cut through them like butter, and they failed to pierce the shell of light around him with their tools. They tried to evade his attacks and encircle him, but he made shields behind them that stopped their movement. When only one Haverdash remained, he dismounted, placed them both in a dome of light so he couldn''t be evaded, and cleaved it in half.

    He looked around and verified that all the Haverdash were dead, then rushed to Savador''s side. He''d never been the best at healing, and even Savador could never heal such a mental affliction as this, but Andal felt confident he could clear Savador''s mind with the energy filling him. He knelt and placed his hand on Savador''s forehead. Nothing changed though, and something felt wrong.

    Hesitantly, he put two fingers in Savador''s neck. He had no pulse. Andal shut his eyes with a ginger wipe of his hands, and leaned on his chest. A few minutes later, as waiting turned to wailing, the energy left him.

 9. Jeva

    Jeva finally reached the top of the hill. She leaned on her knees and panted, looking back down the hill to look at her handiwork. To her dismay, it didn''t look that far to the bottom. She swore though, if anyone was wondering, that was a big hill! She sat down and kicked her legs out to rest a little.

    Being a courier was a hard job, and she would gladly change if she could, but she was also just happy to have work in this foreign land. She was from Tubarai originally, which was to the west, but her family had moved to the kingdom Donfas six years ago because of a food shortage in Tubarai.

    She hadn''t seen her family for some time, not since getting the courier job, but her food and housing was all taken care of so it was a no brainer unless she could go to school or get an apprenticeship somewhere. She had enough money now to where she could buy new clothes that didn''t look like they were from Tubarai, which would be important to get another job since most places would hire someone from Donfas first.

    The town for this delivery was in sight now, only a mile away. This time she was giving a letter from a governor, a very important customer! She was supposed to deliver it to an old wizard, someone who had taught in an academy in his younger days. She knew what it was, a recruitment letter. Donfas was obviously having big problems with those invaders in the south, because a lot of these kinds of letters were going out.

    She stood up, having caught her breath, and jogged towards the town. She was looking for a three story house, which should be the only one. She couldn''t tell where it was right away, but after wandering around a bit she spotted the third floor sticking up behind a shorter building. She went to the door and knocked, taking the letter out of her pouch so that she was ready to present it.

    A little bit later, an elderly man opened the door. She asked in her best official voice, "Greetings, sir. Is your name Atrali Narium Ofestus Randrol?"

    "I am." He sounded bothered. She''d probably just interrupted him, but such is the job.

    She bowed and held the letter up, "A letter from governor Octicus!"

    "You''re a courier?" He took and opened the letter, "That can''t be right, how old are you?"

    "Thirteen, sir!"

    "They''re using thirteen year old girls for courier jobs now? What has this nation come to." He started reading, and his critical expression faded.

    "Oh¡­" when he finished he looked back up at Jeva, "Can you write?"

    "Yes, sir!"

    "Come inside. I''ll dictate a response letter to you. And I''ll give you food and water."

    "Thank you, sir!"

    He started going through cupboards and rummaging together a decent meal. "South Hrondir is six miles away. Is that how far you ran here? Six miles?"

    "Yes, sir!"

    "You don''t have to keep standing at attention. Go ahead and sit down; there''s a desk right there. So you ran six miles already today, and how are you going to get home? Are you going to run six miles back?"

    "Yes, s-. And I''ll deliver your letter while I''m at it!"

    "Ah, you caught yourself. I heard that, you almost called me sir after I''d told you to stop. Good job. And good job at your deliveries, I guess if you can run that well it doesn''t mean anything that you''re only thirteen." He put a plate of food on the desk and then brought a glass of water. She''d never drank out of a glass before, so that was pretty exciting.

    "Thank you Mr. Randrol!"

    He gave her a funny look. That wasn''t quite how his name worked, but it wouldn''t be worth the hassle to explain it. "I''ll get your pay, and then when you''re done eating you can start transcribing."

    "Excuse me, don''t I need silverware?"

    "No, that''s all finger food."

    "Oh! I just figured, there was a glass- nevermind."

    She finished her meal and washed her hands in a basin he showed her, then he placed a paper and quill in front of her on the desk. "Respectable Governor Octicus, I have received your letter requesting me to join the war effort, but it is with the utmost confidence in my decision that I must decline."

    Jeva stood up, "Decline?"

    "Yes, decline. Write it down."

    She sat back down, "I hope he doesn''t blame the messenger¡­"

    "That I must decline. I put more than my share of work into the military academy, and so I feel that I have the right. Now that I have moved on from such things towards work with more of a personal interest, I see it as reaping the benefits of past loyalty. Furthermore, the nature of any war that I might consider accepting your request to join would have to be taken into account. This, being in all technicality a civil war, which was brought about by historical choices I have always looked back on as foolish, is not something I would consider devoting my efforts towards. And, don''t be angry with the messenger. She didn''t want me to decline either."

    He smiled at Jeva after that last sentence, and she smiled back in a silent "thank you." She folded up the letter and placed it in an envelope, which she tucked away in her satchel. He brought her pay for the delivery, they said their goodbyes, and she left for her next delivery.

    Seconds after the door had closed behind her, she knocked again. The wizard answered, ¡°Did you forget something?¡±

    ¡°Uh, there¡¯s something happening out here. I think you should see.¡±

    He stepped outside. He couldn¡¯t see anything, but there was quite a lot of noise happening. ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s a lot of screaming though.¡±

    ¡°Screaming?¡± His brow furrowed, ¡°And it¡¯s coming from the South¡­ Get inside. Get inside just in case.¡±

    She hid behind him as he stood in the door. They waited as the commotion went on, but several minutes later, he spotted them. "I can''t believe it¡­ they''ve already come this far? Then Hathor has already fallen?"

    "Who?" Jeva asked.

    "The Haverdash, the people the war is against. That letter we wrote is expired now."

    The Haverdash in sight went into a house and forced the family out. He made them all bow and swear fealty to Haverdash, but killed the old man among them, who couldn''t do physical labor. He kicked the family to their feet and forced them to head toward the center of town, but the wizard yelled to him, "Hey, Haverdash! I won''t submit to your miserable race! You''ll bow to me if you know what''s good for you!"

    The Haverdash yelled at the family he was leading to go to the town center if they didn''t want to end up dead, then split off to rush the wizard.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "That got his attention." He drew his arms back, and shoved against the air with all his strength. A ball of fire combusted out of nothing and streamed through the air to engulf the Haverdash and send his body flying back.

    Jeva involuntarily whispered, "Woah."

    The wizard was breathing heavily, watching the Haverdash lying on the ground. It lifted its arm to prop itself up, and the wizard punched the door frame in frustration, "He''s not dead? That''s ridiculous!"

    It clamored to its feet, and despite currently burning alive, shouted to another with an unburdened voice, "Narshan, magic user! Leave them and help me here!"

    Narshan, in turn, called another attacker. In seconds there were four Haverdash approaching the building. Two of them approached from the front, but two diverted toward the sides of the building. The wizard raised his arms in a ready position, and the Haverdash prodded at him, ducking in and out, to goad another heavy attack they could then use as an opening. There was a shattering of glass, and the two Haverdash who had gone to the side leaped through windows to get inside. Jeva screamed and ran up the stairs to get away. One Haverdash pursued her, and the other went to backstab the wizard.

    Jeva heard the explosion of him casting a heavy spell just as she ran into a room with a thick door. She threw it shut and locked the latch, then looked around the room for something to help her. The room was fully made of metal and stone, and the inside of that thick wooden door was a sheet of metal.

    Red hot scorch marks, glowing enough to illuminate the room, strewn across the stone suggested this was a place where he used large, flaming spells. Unfortunately that meant there was no window to climb out of. The Haverdash rammed his weight against the door, and Jeva searched the room more desperately.  This time she noticed the subtle outline of a door in the stone wall on the left, so she felt all over it for some manner of handle.

    There was a ragged stone with a distinct handhold, so she grabbed it and fiddled, finding that it turned. She pulled open the door and slipped through, closing it behind her. She looked around  the thin room, slapping her thigh in frustration. This place was no more helpful than the last, it was only a row of bookshelves. The Haverdash slammed against the door again, and this time there was a metallic screeching as the latch was pulled a little.

    If it broke in here it would see just as she had that there wasn¡¯t anywhere to go, so it would eventually find this smaller room.  She had something in here to help her, but she didn''t have much optimism. This room was illuminated by a small stone, so there was the option that she could hide that stone in the bookshelves. Then maybe if she hid by the door the Haverdash wouldn''t see her in the darkness and walk past her. It was a little silly, but it was that or use a book as a doorstop.

    *Slam* she jumped at the sound, and the latch made an audible strain. She picked up the stone and started looking for a good spot to stash it in the bookshelf. As she did she inevitably read some of the titles, and one caught her eye. The First Steps of Pyromancy. She wasn''t familiar with "Pyromancy", but the picture of fire on the front gave her the hint.

    Her idea was risky, but so was hoping the Haverdash wouldn''t see her. She was a fast learner, and a fast reader, and so she bet on herself. She wasn''t much of a fighter, but she still would rather be able to at least try and defend herself. *Slam* she grabbed the book and started rifling through it as fast as she could. "For the few who are able by birth or special selection to use such magic¡­"

    *Slam* The door broke open, and the Haverdash entered the other room. "By concentration, and simultaneously utilizing the strong sensation of wildness, one may attune themselves in the proper way¡­¡± The footsteps walked around the whole room quickly, then started moving slowly as they scanned more carefully.

    ¡°By use of a word that communicates and organizes the energy inside you¡­¡± The footsteps make their way to the correct wall. ¡°Visualize, and add a physical motion to help you visualize¡­¡±

    The door swung open, and the Haverdash stared fiercely at Jeva. ¡°... and say, or simply think, Sachak¡±

    The Haverdash closed the distance, Jeva reeled her arms back, the Haverdash began an upward swing with its sword, and Jeva threw her arms forward as if to push him away. A ball of fire erupted out of her hands and slammed into the Haverdash¡¯s head with a fiery explosion. He flipped over and whacked his head against the ground with his feet in the air, dropping his sword and bringing his hands to his eyes and avoid being blinded.

    Jeva jumped over him and hurried out the door. Her legs were heavy, like she¡¯d just sprinted a great distance, but she limped away like the best of them. She ran into the hallway and looked in another room, there was a window! She ran in, opened the window, and started climbing out. She lowered herself  and hung by her fingertips to reduce the fall distance before bracing herself and letting go.

    The little breath she had was knocked out when she landed. She lay there  breathing heavily, trying to regain it. The burned face of the Haverdash looked out the window, and he looked prepared to jump. Jeva reared her arms back as if to heave another fireball. She couldn¡¯t possibly muster another one, but he might not know that.

    He turned away from her, and she heard talking. Another Haverdash must have come up the stairs, which meant the wizard was dead. She tried not to think about it, but her heart sank. She couldn¡¯t stay there, so she took her chance when they were talking and ran. She wasn¡¯t nearly fast enough though, she felt it. They would be able to run her down easily.

    She looked back and the one whose face she burned leaped out of the window in pursuit; she¡¯d only made it a hundred feet. There was no way she could make another fireball with the energy she had left. She faced forward and tried to push herself with all that she had, and then she noticed a knight in steel armor riding toward them. Though, either the horse was massive, or he was very small.

    A sword seemingly made of light appeared by him and streamed toward her. She ducked reflexively, but it was going above her anyway. She looked back at the Haverdash. A shield of light appeared just in front of him so that he crashed into it and couldn¡¯t change his direction, then it disappeared just in time for the sword to go through where it had been and pierce him.

    She looked back at the knight and saw him swing low to decapitate the struggling Haverdash. He rode back to her and dismounted, signaling for his horse to head off a ways. She gawked, first at the fact that the knight indeed was very small, he couldn¡¯t have been any older than her, and then at the horse obediently galloping over a hundred feet off but then stopping and waiting.

    ¡°Stay behind me,¡± The boy said. Two Haverdash were looking at them from beside the building, which was quickly catching fire.

    Jeva exclaimed, "You can use magic too!"

    He looked back, "You can use magic?"

    "Yes! I think I''m the one that set that house on fire!"

    "... That''s not good."

    "It sounded better before I said it. Still! I can make fire!"

    He faced the Haverdash, who were walking towards him together with malicious glares. "Nice. You did a number on that other one then." The Haverdash split up and stood on opposite sides of them, then continued to draw closer. Andal complained, "If they could stop surrounding me for ten seconds¡­"

    Jeva got back to back with Andal and raised her arms, "If we can delay them a little longer then I can make fire again. I feel like I''m almost ready."

    "I have a good tool for that. Sit down."

    "What?"

    "Sit down!"

    The Haverdash found their bickering a good time to rush in, Jeva sat quickly, and Andal made gusts of winds shoot out from him. The Haverdash were thrown back, but Jeva was only pushed against the ground.

    "Well that was exciting!" She exclaimed.

    "Just tell me when you''re ready."

    "I think I''m ready now," she barked at the Haverdash, "Let''s go, uglies!" Andal smiled at that, the first time he''d smiled in the past week.

    "Boy,¡± a Haverdash spoke, ¡°Are you a templar?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am!¡±

    ¡°Then where are you from?¡±

    ¡°Hathor, the City of Grace! We serve Nishir, and chase ba-¡±

    ¡°Hathor? So Moxey screwed up? How many of you got away?¡±

    ¡°All but two, Nishir¡¯s servants won¡¯t lose to the likes of you!¡±

    Both Haverdash chuckled at that, ¡°His city can fall but his servants can¡¯t? Right.¡±

    The other one spoke, ¡°Look at his horse. It¡¯s exhausted. He didn¡¯t come from a camp, he¡¯s been riding for a while, which means he¡¯s on his own. He has no idea if the others lived.¡± Andal stood defiantly, but was unable to refute that.

    ¡°Good point. Moxey wouldn¡¯t screw up that badly.¡± He looked at Andal, ¡°Wait until he finds out about you. He¡¯ll ravage the countryside to find you, he¡¯s obsessive when he wants something done."

    Andal shifted his feet uncomfortably, staying in a fighting stance. "Does Moxey use a metal rod to fight?"

    ¡°That''s him, Madman Moxey."

    The other Haverdash corrected him, "It''s Misfit Moxey."

    The first one chuckled, "I''ve never heard that one before, I like it."

    Andal and Jeva looked back and forth between them. Andal jeered, "Too scared to attack? I''ve never seen a Haverdash hold back before!"

    He gave an annoyed glare, but the taunting was otherwise ineffective. "I''ve got a tough decision to make."

    The other one asked him, "So what have you decided?"

    "I think our best option is to kill these two as quickly as possible."

    "We aren''t supposed to engage magic users unless we outnumber them, you know."

    "But the humans are already starting to run. I thought of holding hostages until the transport team arrived, but then all the humans would run except the two we''re holding. So our only chance at completing the job is to kill these two now."

    "Fine by me. But don''t you want to see how long they can stand like that?" They laughed. Andal and Jeva had both been ready for the Haverdash to attack at any second, and their arms were getting heavy.

    The Haverdash both attacked unannounced.

    Andal leaned forward to meet him and cut upward with his sword. The Haverdash blocked it easily, but before it could turn that block into an attack a shield of aegis appeared in front of its face. Just as the shield clotheslined the Haverdash, Andal made a sword of light behind his neck for him to fall on.

    Jeva watched the hips of the Haverdash, which can dodge the least, and shoved the air to send a fireball at them. The Haverdash was fast enough to partially dodge but its right side got hit, and it was blasted off to it''s left. Jeva jumped for joy, but stumbled back into Andal. That didn''t kill them, unfortunately, so Andal would have to finish it off. The fireballs did have a propensity to blind their targets for at least as long as they were set on fire, so Andal made a sword above him that shot down while he was still struggling in flame.

    Andal breathed a sigh of relief and fell to his knees. Jeva was equally exhausted, but propelled to jump in excitement by their victory. She stood by the Haverdash with pride plastered over a smile. She noticed a bottle of wine and picked it up, miming a man at a bar making a toast. Andal leaped to his feet, knowing that just a stray drop could cripple her.

    He yanked the bottle out of her hand and chucked it at a close apple tree in someone¡¯s garden. The bottle shattered, and the tree convulsed. A wave of blackness ran from the point of impact up through its branches, then the portion of the trunk splashed the most fell away. The tree crumpled.

    Andal looked at Jeva, who hid her hands behind her back.

 10. To Tubarai

    Andal and Jeva sat with several of the townsfolk from the village they¡¯d just saved on a makeshift arrangement of logs with a fire in front of them. They were eternally grateful that they''d killed the Haverdash, and thought Andal and Jeva would be able to stay in their homes. Jeva told them, however, about the transport team the Haverdash had mentioned that was on its way.

    Now they were fleeing North across the low hills to cities. Some were going to the closer city, Hesin-re, which was a fortress in the expansion days of Donfas. It was also where Jeva¡¯s parents were. Others were going past the low hills to the plains, which were far more lush with plenty of work opportunities in farms.

    A lady was carving up a chicken that had just been over the flames, but it was so natural for her she barely had to look, and could easily maintain conversation. She addressed Andal and Jeva, ¡°It¡¯s rather shocking for our saviors to be so young, where are your parents?¡±

    Jeva answered readily, ¡°They¡¯re in Hesin-re! I was here delivering a message, since I¡¯m a courier.¡±

    She thought that was terribly strange, ¡°A wizard like you is a courier? That seems like a waste of your talents to me!¡±

    ¡°Oh, no no no, I couldn¡¯t use magic before I came to town! I was delivering to the wizard, and when he got attacked I ran upstairs to hide. I read one of his books and bam! I can do magic!¡±

    Her voice became more solemn, ¡°By the way, he had a really hard name so I don¡¯t remember it, but the wizard killed one of them too. And he had to fight three at a time, he saved you too.¡±

    One of the men joined in, "Atrali Narium Ofestus Randrol. He was a good fellow, always wanted to learn." Then he turned to Andal, "What about you? Where are your parents?"

    It was a hard question, but he felt comfortable around these people. "I''m from the coast, where the Haverdash first landed."

    The sounds of realization rose from the group. A young lady asked, "Did anyone make it out?"

    He shook his head and tried to say, "No, just me." He was trying to keep his cool, but was suddenly having a very hard time of it. He didn''t normally think about home, he intentionally avoided it. That was easily done when with the Templars, because he had a close community with brotherly fellowship.

    Now even thinking of those close companions caused grief. He''d made it through this past week able to maintain his sense of duty as a templar, largely helped by that surge of strength that has partially stayed with him occupying his thoughts. He didn¡¯t know how Lars did it, how he had always been so invincible. He wanted to be like Lars, and for a moment believed that he could. Now there was nothing shielding him from reminiscing, so he gradually broke down into tears.

    Jeva asked, "So you wander around fighting the Haverdash all alone?"

    Andal nodded, "Mhm," and couldn''t hold back a tear from dripping.

    ¡°Aww,¡± the woman who had been carving the chicken set it down and went to embrace him. Jeva saw that and hugged him too, agreeing that it was the right thing to do. The men around the circle were silent in a sort of solidarity, though there was at least one, who the others ignored, who was definitely eying the chicken that had been seconds away from being split up.

    One man told him, ¡°You know, Andal, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being a kid. You¡¯re doing good, you know, you¡¯re helping people, but you can take some time to just play too. Take your time to grow up and process things, okay?¡±

    He answered through tears, "Okay."

    The lady hugging him said, "Do you need a home?"

    Jeva spoke first, "No, I know what you need! You need to go to academy! That''s where I''m going next. It''s perfect! You get to grow up and still have fun, but you''re also being responsible because you''re learning!"

    Andal was interested, and he tried his best to speak normally, "How would I get into an academy?"

    "There are all kinds of academies! There are some for magic, some for knight stuff, as soon as they saw what you could do they''d beg you to join! That''s how I''m getting in. Since I can do magic now, they''ll accept me!"

    A man asked, "What about your parents?"

    "This is what my parents have always wanted for me, though they didn''t know what academy I''d end up in!" Jeva explained. "We''ll go to Hesin-re and tell them before we go. Well, Andal, are you in?"

    "Yea, actually.¡± He smiled weakly, ¡°That sounds great."

    *

    Andal and Jeva knocked on the door to her parents house. They had been given backpacks with basic tools and lots of dried food in them for their journey. The academies Jeva had mentioned were back in Tubarai, and it would be a three day journey to get there if they traveled four to five hours a day. The trip could be made faster, but that couldn''t be reasonably expected from two people so young.

    Jeva''s mother opened the door. Jeva stepped forward and hugged her, "Hi mom!"

    She was shocked at first, then recognized that it was her daughter and hugged her back. "It''s so good to see you Jeva! They''ve kept you so busy that we''re hardly seen you!" She looked over at Andal, "Who''s this?"

    Jeva turned to where she had one hand around her mother''s back and one hand to gesture between them. "Mother, Andal, Andal, my mom.¡±

    ¡°Lovely to meet you Andal, come inside!¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Jeva said, ¡°Andal, could you make a shield over there? I want to show her.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Andal raised a shield.

    Jeva¡¯s mom was immediately shocked, ¡°He can do magic? That¡¯s amazing!¡±

    Jeva tried to get her attention, ¡°No, mom, me. Watch me. Mom, that wasn¡¯t it. Okay, you ready?¡± She watched Jeva, despite thinking she¡¯d probably already seen the coolest thing she would today. Jeva pushed the air as hard as she could, and a fireball shot from her hands to the shield at blinding speed. She looked at her mom, beaming.

    Her mouth was stuck in the ¡°wow¡± position. Hopefully it wasn¡¯t permanent. ¡°Jeva¡­ that was amazing! You¡¯re magical? When? How?¡±

    ¡°Like, yesterday?¡± She laughed. ¡°I read a book, or skimmed it really, and turns out I¡¯m pretty good at it!¡±

    Her mom put her hands on her hips. ¡°Well no more being a courier for you, little lady. Are you going to go to an academy now with Andal, is that it?¡±

    ¡°Yes it is! Where¡¯s dad?¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    She let her arms drop, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, he¡¯s stuck at the mine! He¡¯ll be there for a few days cleaning up an accident.¡±

    ¡°Aww¡­ Could you tell him I miss him?¡±

    ¡°Of course, sweetie! I¡¯ll tell him all about this, we¡¯re so proud of you. And Andal? I may not know you, but I¡¯m happy for you too.¡±

    He smirked, ¡°Well thanks.¡±

    ¡°Though, why don¡¯t you just tell him yourself? There¡¯s no rush, right?¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± Andal answered, ¡°You should probably get your husband and prepare to leave Hesin-re. I don¡¯t know how long it will be until the Haverdash get here.¡±

    Jeva looked from Andal to her mom sadly, ¡°He might be right.¡±

    She was stunned, ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, really! After all, look at those walls!¡±

    ¡°Hesin-re is impressive, but the City of Grace fell in a single day, and it¡¯s much larger.¡±

    She was visibly upset, placing her hands on her hips and changing the subject, ¡°Do you have enough food and clothes for the trip?¡±

    ¡°Yea, we were given a bunch by the people from the last town we were in.¡±

    ¡°Show me.¡±

    Her forwardness caught him off guard, but he called for the horse and showed her their packs.

    ¡°No no, there isn¡¯t nearly enough here. Hold on.¡± She went back inside her house and started gathering food and clothes into bags. Jeva ran in and made sure that she grabbed the stuff Jeva loved, and Andal stood awkwardly, but thankful. In little more than an hour they were all packed with food and clothes. She made sure the horse got an apple before they left too. ¡°You know what path to take?¡±

    ¡°Yes mom, we¡¯ll follow the river.¡±

    ¡°No picky eating! The most energy-packed thing is your pack is the lard, and you¡¯d better not waste it!¡±

    She avoided answering that by hugging her mom goodbye. Andal and Jeva got on the horse, and everyone waved heartfelt goodbyes. Jeva and her mom continued to wave to each other as Andal steered the horse away and they rode out of town. They followed the river as planned, and with nothing else to do they got properly acquainted.

    Since Andal had already cried in front of her he was willing to open up, telling her about what happened in his hometown and since then. He talked at length about Lars, who was the last person his age that he¡¯d been around, and who he strongly wished was here now. If Lars was there, maybe Andal wouldn¡¯t be afraid, because he¡¯d see that Lars wasn¡¯t afraid.

    He inevitably brought up climbing trees, which he felt he was pretty good at even if he wasn¡¯t as good at it as Lars. Turns out, Jeva loved climbing trees. She wasn¡¯t able to do it as often as Andal though. In Tubarai, at least the part where she was from, the winters were such that nobody would want to climb trees, and since coming to Donfas she¡¯d had a job that had kept her busy.

    That led to a discussion of Tubarai¡¯s winters. Andal¡¯s town got snow, but it fell lightly and infrequently. He was shocked to hear of snowbanks taller than a person, and frankly didn¡¯t believe her.

    After a couple hours of riding they stopped for a break. The horse could have kept going, and aside from a little peckishness Andal was okay, but Jeva hadn¡¯t ridden in a saddle much. They let the horse graze and took out some cheese and crackers. Jeva pointed at a mountain range in the distance, "On the other side of those mountains is Tubarai. It goes down a bit, then up waaay higher. We have mountains in Tubarai, you''ll love it."

    "We have mountains in Donfas," Andal objected.

    Jeva looked back at Hesin-re with an exaggerated eyebrow raise.

    "Not there, farther south!"

    "Hills."

    "We have mountains too!"

    "Okay, okay, but we have real mountains in Tubarai."

    "They are real mountains!"

    "But I mean big mountains. Have you ever seen a mountain peak sticking up above the clouds?"

    Andal had never heard of such a thing, "No." That was pretty cool though, if it really was a thing.

    "We have those. I haven''t been to the top of one, but I''m told there''s less air up there."

    "There can''t be less air, what are the clouds floating on then?"

    "The clouds are below the top, so what''s wrong with there being less air at the peak?"

    Andal thought about that for a second, "Actually, that does make sense. "

    "See?" Jeva finished her food and rinsed her hands in the river. She stood up and pointed to a tree, "We should climb that!"

    Andal looked at where the sun was. They wanted to take advantage of the sunlight if they wanted to get there within three days and avoid having to eat the lard, but they probably had time. "Yea, sure!"

    He started walking toward the tree, but Jeva started running. He tried to race her there, but she pulled even farther ahead. She touched the bottom of the tree and said, "First!"

    "Not first to the top!" Andal retorted. She grabbed a branch and started pulling herself up but Andal spotted a much better foothold and hoisted himself onto the first branch with just a little hop off the tree. Jeva finished pulling herself up, but Andal was already on the next branch.

    She tried to use her better athleticism to catch up and pass him, but there wasn''t really an opportunity to since she was mimicking his hand positions to catch up anyway. Her options were running out, Andal was almost at the top. She grabbed him and started climbing over him, it was her last chance!

    Andal made a shield just over his back to cut off her route over him. Jeva protested, ¡°Hey, if I can¡¯t use magic then you can¡¯t use magic!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t use magic because you¡¯d light the tree on fire!¡± Andal answered with a big grin. He pulled away and reached the top of the tree. It felt like he was playing with Lars again, but just for a moment, he felt like he was Lars.

    They got going again later than they should have, but still made good distance that day. They had to stop more times than they¡¯d thought to pee in the bushes, which was a little embarrassing for both of them. They had a good night¡¯s sleep though, which should have set them up for a good second day.

    Instead, the second day was long and arduous. They had to slog through a flooded area, had already eaten all their best food on the first day, and Andal had sat in an anthill at their lunch break. Day three was drastically better by comparison, not because their food wasn¡¯t getting worse as they went, but because they knew they were almost there. The mountain range Jeva had pointed out on day one was just in front of them, and around noon they¡¯d reached the top of it.

    A basin opened up in front of them, and on the other side a steep incline that rose to mountains. Sure enough, Andal could see a distant peak standing above the clouds. Finally, they saw towns. ¡°So where do we go?¡± Asked Andal.

    ¡°Closest village and ask where the magic academy is!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°...No?¡±

    ¡°So what if it¡¯s another day away? We¡¯ll have to eat the lard afterall!¡±

    That got her attention, ¡°Well maybe it isn¡¯t, let¡¯s just go down to that town and see.¡±

    And so they did, but to no avail. There was nobody in that town who knew the location of any specific academies, so Andal and Jeva were dreading another day on the road knowing what was in their bags. Then a young man got their attention  and ran to them. He was part of a caravan heading to the capital, and he could guarantee that they could travel in the caravan and have all their food, water, and shelter provided for if they would provide protection. The man¡¯s name was Yacan, and they loved his offer.

    The people in the caravan loved to see Andal and Jeva demonstrate their magic. There were a few times that they were worried about being attacked, but they never actually were. They had been concerned because they were carrying a lot of valuables in their wagons, and it was well known that caravans loaded with valuables would be making the trip to the capital around this time of year.

    It was the season of pilgrimages for all who worshiped Ratam, a god known for his mercy. He may not have been the only one worshiped in Tubarai, but he was the most prominent god around the capital just as Nishir was prominent in southern Donfas. They had other guards, but Andal and Jeva were the only ones who could use magic.

    The capital was a full two days away, so they were extremely grateful that this caravan had found them. There was also someone in the caravan who knew the location of the academy they wanted! It was twenty miles or so away from the capital, and a mile higher. It was called Tubarai''s Military Academy of Magic and Magic Affiliates. His brother had gone there, so he knew a bit about it. He said the people attending called it Mamma, since the abbreviation TMAMMA was so close.

    After they''d reached the capital they thanked the people in the caravan and said goodbye. They had the location of TMAMMA pointed out to them, and set off again. They were allowed to take some more food from the caravan, so it seemed they''d successfully avoided eating the lard. As they approached the mountain, which was called "Protector" because of how it overlooked the capital, Andal asked Jeva, "Since you''re from Tubarai, do you worship Ratam?"

    "Not really. I always thought he sounded nice, but my family lived far enough away from the capital that Mahash was a bigger deal. He is good to  immigrants, so my parents like him even more since we moved to Donfas. Nishir is kind of like Ratam, right?"

    "All I know about Ratam is that he''s known for mercy. But, I guess grace and mercy are pretty similar, so yea."

    "So what does someone in Nishir''s church have to do?"

    Andal thought about it for a minute. It was a good question. He did templar stuff, there was always church stuff. "Since the Haverdash destroyed his cathedral, maybe nothing right now?"

    "Okay! So if anyone asks, I worship Nishir too. How''s that?"

    "That works for me!"

    They shared a laugh, then Jeva pointed up to a complex of buildings not too far above them, "That must be it! Go there!" They went to the door and knocked. An older woman opened the door almost immediately, and Jeva blurted out, "Is this Mamma?"

    She smirked, "Tubarai''s Military Academy for Magic and Magical Affiliates, yes. And you are¡­?"

    "We''re a couple of youngins who know magic!" She shot a fireball behind her, and Andal made a sword and shield. "And we want in!"

    The lady laughed at their boldness, "Come inside! Let''s work this out."

 11. Father

    Three years before the fall of Hathor, Lars was with his dad and two others on a ship filled with cotton clothes. His dad¡¯s name was Jasper, and the two others were Yasmir and Nigel, who owned the ship. They were heading to an island ninety miles off the coast to trade for a highly coveted spice, cinnamon.

    The island had a drastically different climate than the coast despite being relatively close, so they couldn''t grow cotton, and the mainland couldn''t grow cinnamon. It was a situation where the town would profit immensely, because cinnamon was significantly more valuable to those in cities than cotton was.

    A problem had arisen when they were just over thirty miles out. There was a very visible storm heading in their direction. Nigel thought they should weather it, so everyone else bought in. When the storm did arrive it was far stronger than anticipated. Nigel was at the helm, trying to keep the ship facing the winds of the storm to keep the waves from breaching the sides, but the strength of the wind was proving too much for him. Yasmir yelled through the thunder, "We need to reef the sails so Nigel can control the ship! Jasper! Help me!"

    Yasmir started climbing, but Jasper looked at how the mast was swaying in the wind and wanted no part of it. "I have to tie down the cargo!" And he ran below deck.

    Lars jumped up on the rigging without hesitating, "I''ve got you, Yasmir!"

    They climbed and started adjusting the sails, but when a bolt of lightning struck less than a mile away the resulting thunder made Yasmir lose his grip. He fell to the deck of the ship, landing squarely on his back. Lars continued undaunted, finishing one side, and then traversing to the other to finish reefing the sails on his own. After they''d made it through Nigel thanked Lars profusely, saying that he potentially saved the ship.

    Four days later Jasper and Lars walked through the door to their house, and Jasper instantly began recounting what happened to his wife. He laid on how tired they were so that she wouldn''t ask them to help her with anything. He told her, "The fact is, Yasmir hasn''t learned to respect the weather enough. Could have broken his back doing that, you wouldn''t see me making that mistake."

    *

    Lars sat in a basement where they had moved many of the large cylinders filled with viscous fluid. There were 20 cylinders, filled with 19 Haverdash. Lars had just come out of the 20th, and started putting his clothes back on as a bloody Haverdash came from upstairs and climbed into it. Lars had spent next to no time at all relative to the Haverdash, as his injuries were limited to bruises from falling rubble.

    The fluid itself had no healing properties, but it caused the one submerged in it to heal themselves. It was a transdermal hallucinogen, with emphasis on extreme pain. Between it''s texture, clinging-property, and the pain it caused, it would be impossible to be unaware of it touching you. That was the point, to be a hallucinogen that forced you to think about where the liquid was touching you. Your hallucinations would then be focused on your outward body, and heal your injuries. It couldn''t be guaranteed that you''d be healed, of course. Hallucinations are unpredictable, and it was not unheard of for someone to kill themselves inadvertently as they floated in those vats.

    A vision, however, is too overwhelming a hallucination to be controlled by the slimy, pain inducing touch of that liquid. While hallucinations in general are directed towards where the liquid is touching, visions were unhindered in their wanderings. Lars had seen a fascinating vision when in that vat, a second person that his massless particles were merging with. It was indirect, but still true that a part of him was blending with this new person.

    Strictly speaking, his would only blend with those of that one other person, and that was still true, but then that person would merge with Lars and this new figure. They had moved as well. He couldn¡¯t tell the direction, but he did know that during the attack on Hathor they were very close. Now they were far away.

    Another Haverdash opened the top of his vat and climbed out. Some of them would stay there for days, some for minutes. Some could get out on their own, some needed to be woken up and pulled out. The air wasn¡¯t filled with hallucinogenic gas because the fire that is needed to spread it could affect the integrity of the viscous liquid in the vats, but the air was different by virtue of that liquid hanging in the air. That foul humidity would seep into the lungs when breathing, and would have been more than enough to kill a human on its own.

    The Haverdash who had just climbed out of his vat stood up, ¡°We should not treat human lives as so worthless." An air of hostility and suspicion filled the room. "Winning a war in pursuit of glory is one thing, and taking them as slaves to help build our wonders is all well and good!" The hostility waned. "That way they see our glory as well! That''s what we want! Sacrifices, offerings, torturing them in rituals Haverdash never taught us to do, we should stop those!" The hostility rose again, stronger, and the Haverdash within the vats started to shift and wake from their hallucinations. "These experiments by those such as Moxey, they''re wrong! Haverdash spoke to me, just now, in-"

    That was enough. Some Haverdash leaped out of their vats, but most didn''t have the time to spare, and broke through the glass to get to him faster. They grabbed any glass shards in reach and tore him apart like piranhas. He cried out despite his impending death, ¡°We¡¯re forgetting who we are! We¡¯re not meant to be this way!¡±

    That cry only fed the anger of the Haverdash as they shredded him into the tiniest pieces they could, and pulverized those pieces into the smallest mash, and when no trace of his body could be seen they scoured the ground for a trace to eliminate.

    Lars walked upstairs to avoid the insufferable din of their wailing. Though he had adopted many of their practices, he didn¡¯t understand or care for their religion. He walked out of that building into the ruins of Hathor, which were being remade into a Haverdash image.

    The foundation for the cathedral of Nishir was being used for a new cathedral, the largest place of worship the Haverdash had ever had. They were building underground and sealing off locations as much as they could, filling them with hallucinogenic gas.

    Lars spotted Moxey a few blocks away, who noticed him in turn and waved him over. ¡°Lars, good morning! I see your bruises are gone. Though you may have been able to remove them yourself, it¡¯s good that you got to experience the healing procedure. What did you think?¡±

    ¡°It was enlightening. I wouldn¡¯t say I had another vision, but a kind of add-on to a vision. So I enjoyed it.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yes, visions are my favorite thing to experience as well. It¡¯s hard though, you can¡¯t just produce them. Maybe there¡¯s some truth to using a variety of methods.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    A scream emanated from the building they were standing next to, followed by a series of screams. Lars looked at the door, then back at Moxey. ¡®What¡¯s happening in there?¡±

    Moxey opened it, ¡°I¡¯ll show you, come in.¡±

    Once they stepped inside it became obvious that it was a prison. The cells were chalk full of human prisoners There were several Haverdash outside the cells, holding wine bottles and wearing gloves. A few of them opened a cell and grabbed a middle aged man, pulling him out and forcing the cage shut on the struggling captives.

    Three of them held him still with his mouth open, and a fourth used a dropper to take a miniscule portion of wine and place it in his mouth. His body shook rapidly, and he made a low moan that increased in volume as his eyes widened. A few seconds later he went limp, and a Haverdash checked his pulse. "Dead." His body continued to tremor after they threw it on a pile in the corner.

    "He lasted pretty long. Was he the strongest?" Moxey asked.

    "The toughest one lasted almost half a minute, it almost wasn''t disgustingly pathetic."

    Lars turned toward Moxey, "What''s the goal of this?"

    "You!" He answered. "If there is the potential for one human to push through by force of will, perhaps there''s another? It''s an opportunity, and you know that''s something I dread to miss."

    Lars looked at the dropper they had been using, "I drank way more than that."

    "Yes I know, but I figured out pretty quickly that that wasn''t going to work. I''m not expecting to find someone else with your natural willpower, someone lesser will do. As you can see, the dropper is too much for them. We''ll try inhalation next, and if that doesn''t work we''ll resort to splashing them. At that point though, living through it might not be anything noteworthy."

    They lit a small sample of the dirt that produced their custom air under the nose of the next subject. He was an old man, physically weak, but the Haverdash seemed convinced that it was an entirely mental battle. When the fumes graced his nostrils his mind seemingly exploded. He spewed gibberish, his feet danced, then his head turned 180 degrees and snapped his neck.

    Lars flinched at the sight. "I guess it isn''t possible. So, put the rest of them to work?"

    Moxey looked offended, "Absolutely not, we have to try every one of them. If none of them work, well we''ll just have to get more."

    "But that old man, for example, he died for no reason. And as far as you know there''s no reason for any of them to die, it''s just a chance."

    "That is more than reason enough, Lars. Don''t sympathize so much with a people who are passing away, who you left for a higher state of glory."

    Lars protested, "You''re changing my words! My family had chickens, and we would never let a chicken die without reason! I had to kill a fox to protect them once, which was a lot harder at the time, and I had to use a shovel. But you can''t be bothered to take the same level of consideration for humans, and that doesn''t make sense."

    Moxey''s expression changed to look pleased, whenever he could discuss ideas, he liked to. "That does make sense, but I personally disagree. Perhaps it relates to the vision I told you about. A lot of people have this idea that we should try and preserve as many lives as possible, it''s a very human idea, but also a Haverdash idea. Many Haverdash will protect or rescue each other due to whatever philosophy.

    "I have no problem with letting a Haverdash die, I have sent many to their deaths just to give you practice, have I not? And naturally if Haverdash death doesn''t bother me, neither would human death. Recall that the vision I told you of was of the end of all things. I ask you then, if life is sacred, if it is important at all, why does the universe disagree? And recognize that your opinion doesn¡¯t matter at all, for the universe will have its way.¡±

    Lars turned away, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have that vision.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fair. You never told me, actually. What vision have you seen?¡±

    ¡°I saw everything united, all having the same essential makeup, and blending with each other so that each thing shared itself with what was around it. You can see how that would lead to a very different perspective.¡± Lars stared up at Moxey, almost daring him to respond. He didn¡¯t respond though. He had a disappointed look.

    A Haverdash ran in from outside, ¡°Mad- Moxey.  You know the workings of fairies?¡±

    His eyebrows raised, ¡°We have some?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re attacking us outside the city, tell us how to kill them!¡±

    He pushed the Haverdash to the side, ¡°We don¡¯t kill them, leave this to us. Lars, follow me.¡±

    Despite their disagreement, Lars instinctively followed. The Haverdash who had come to find Moxey walked next to them, ¡°We have to kill them, we have a job to do that comes from someone higher up than you!¡±

    Moxey stopped walking and grabbed the Haverdash¡¯s shoulder, ¡°All orders come from someone higher up than me.¡±

    He was confused, ¡°...Yea¡­ yea exactly!¡±

    ¡°Get out of here. I¡¯m going to solve your problem, so don¡¯t bother me. Lars! Let me fill you in on what the issue at hand is.¡± They left the other Haverdash behind, as he bitterly stayed out of the way. ¡°But first, what do you know about fairies?¡±

    ¡°I was pretty sure they didn¡¯t exist. Now I¡¯m curious.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very little, but I can tell you why you thought that. Creatures like fairies achieve a balance with the world around them. The more consistency in the world, the less likely people are to spot fairies because they¡¯ve found their niche that is otherwise uninhabited.

    "We are changing the world, and so the fairies are shaken. There will be many cases like this, where hidden things in the world are pulled from their burrows. That¡¯s just what war is like, and all we need to do is capitalize on it. I had strong suspicions that there were fairies in this region, basking in the light of Nishir. Now that we¡¯ve brought the City of Grace down to the dirt, they¡¯re furious. Can you guess what our solution will be?¡±

    ¡°I would have guessed ¡®killing them¡¯, especially after that conversation we had, but you said we aren¡¯t doing that.¡±

    ¡°No, we are not. We are giving them a new light, the glory of Haverdash.¡± He checked Lars¡¯s belt. ¡°You didn¡¯t grab a bottle after finishing the healing process. That was forgetful of you.¡±

    ¡°I never worry about grabbing one because everyone nearby is sure to have them.¡±

    ¡°True, but get in the habit. Thankfully I have more than enough to share.¡± They went to the edge of the city, and Moxey opened a bottle of wine for them. "They can be seen or unseen, be watchful, and hopeful to hallucinate their locations."

    "Will we have to defend ourselves?"

    "Possibly, and if you do hurt them in doing so, do not worry. I would simply like to avoid killing them, and hopefully they will work with us in the future, if they aren''t too shy."

    They spotted where the attack was happening. There was a basin by the city that was being turned into a quarry because of the iron found there. There were Haverdash in the basin with swords and shields raised. They had their backs to each other, waiting for the next attack which could come from any direction. A Haverdash outside the quarry holding a bow walked over to them. "Finally! Moxey, send your human down there and take them out!"

    "Order all your men to leave the quarry, captain." Moxey and Lars walked down the basin, and the captain resentfully did as requested.

    They stood in the midst of the fairies, and Lars felt their hostility encircling them even though he couldn''t see them. Moxey let go of his rod and had it encircle him, and he saw pulses like magnetic waves coming out of it that were heavy with fear.

    Lars raised his sword, and saw all the light of the basin suck into it so that it glowed.

    They saw the fairies, who were watching and waiting. They made eye contact and stared them down, and the fairies fell back and cowered. Then they drew close, and examined the metal rod and the spine sword.  Then they fell away, and disappeared.

    Lars lowered his sword, "That''s it?"

    "Fairies are not strong of will, like us. They will fall in line after us, just as they had done for humans before. It was quite easy, wasn''t it? I hope you''ve been reminded to trust me."

 12. Mamma

    Andal was shown the way to the dorm where he would be staying. Mamma was split into several distinct sections based upon the kinds of magic that were usually represented there. One of those sections was the ¡°religious section¡±. Which wasn''t meant to imply that everyone in there is still faithful to whatever source they got their power from, or that people in other sections are being less faithful for not being there. It simply means that these people have the brands of magic that have explicitly come via their religions in the past, and not through other means.

    The TMAMMA worker brought him inside the dorm where six boys were playing cards at a table. The worker addressed the boys, "Attention, everyone. This is Andal, he just joined us. He is from Donfas, so make sure he feels at home here."

    She turned to Andal, "Classes don''t start for another week, so just get yourself situated and make some friends. The girls'' dorm is just across the street. We have rules restricting flirting, but this dorm is normally pretty good about that. Here''s the key to your room. If you lose that you can get a new one, but there''s a long list of chores you have to do to pay for it. Your room number is written on it. So, I''ll just leave you to it! Have a good night Andal!"

    "Thanks." He waved as she left the building, then joined the other boys at the table. They were slightly older than him, 14-16 years old, but he was told in the front office that there were kids as young as 11, and men as old as 21 here.

    One of them pulled up a chair for him, "Sit here. I''m Frie, nice to meet you Andal."

    "Thank you, nice to meet you Frie, hi everyone."

    They all waved and said hello, then continued their game.

    Frie asked him, "What kind of magic do you do?"

    "Um, do you know what a Templar is?"

    "Yea I do! I''m a Paladin! Those are supposed to be almost the same, Templars for Nishir and Paladins for Ratam!"

    "Oh, really? Cool! So we can learn from each other! What are some techniques that you have figured out?"

    "Well, I can make light come out of something I''m holding, that''s really useful at night. You?"

    "I haven''t been able to come up with new kinds of magic, that''s pretty cool. I have found that if you make a shield in front of someone that''s moving, so that they crash into it, it''s a really good time to shoot a sword at them. And, if you shoot the sword through where the shield is then drop the shield at the last second, they really don''t know how to respond."

    Frie had a blank stare, "Hmm?"

    Andal added hand motions, since he wasn''t sure how else to be clearer, "When someone''s running at you, you can-"

    "Are you talking about¡­ actual fights?"

    Andal looked around the table; everyone was looking at him now. "Yes?"

    One of the boys set down his cards, "Have you killed anyone?"

    "Yea, I''ve had to."

    "How many?"

    He started counting in his head, "35?"

    That caused a variety of shocked responses from the group, "Wow!" "There''s no way!" "Show us!" "It''s definitely possible." "That''s more than me!" "You haven''t killed anyone Panlo." "Have too." "Shut up Panlo."

    Frie asked him, "Why have you been in so many fights?"

    Andal told them about the Haverdash, and they were so engrossed he ended up telling them the whole story from when they first landed at his town until now.

    *

    Word spread quickly of everything Andal had told them, and the student body was shocked to learn of the invasion of Southern Donfas, and how Hathor had fallen. Many of them had heard that some mass of people had immigrated to the coast, but they had assumed it was just an immigration problem. The staff already knew, they kept up with world events a lot better.

    Classes came fast enough. That week flew by because Andal and Jeva were being overwhelmed with new information during it. Just talking to the people who had been there the year before or longer was immensely profitable. Apparently the differences between the different classifications of magic users came from two things, the "language of magic" they use, and tradition.

    Jeva had understood this better, and she explained to Andal that when she cast her fireball she was actually saying a word in her head. Andal didn''t do this, but that was an apparent quality of the types with spiritual origin. In order to increase in the variety of spells they can cast they would have to learn the words and understand the language, but there are a base number of spells that they are innately taught by spiritual origin without having to know the words.

    The expectations for them were laid out by the staff during that week. This wasn¡¯t just a university, it was a military academy. In fact, Andal and Jeva had to sign something saying they could be drafted by the Tubarai army at any second to attend. They didn¡¯t mind because, as Andal reasoned, Tubarai is going to get drawn into this fight with the Haverdash anyway. If they get drafted to fight the Haverdash, they¡¯re just doing what they already were going to do.

    There were exercise and training periods almost every day, which was doubly important for magic users because it increased overall energy levels. For most types of casters, magic took a lot of energy. Some magic casters were nicknamed ¡°heavies¡±, like Templars and Paladins. That was because their magic took very little energy compared to other casters, so they could get away with carrying around bulky armor.

    On the flip side, while they were required to maintain a high level of physical fitness, they could also get in trouble if they let their body fat get too low. Anything less than 10% body fat would get you punished. They weren¡¯t scouts, which would be expected to be able to go hungry if need be. They were magic users, and they needed the reserve energy.

    Before people split towards their specific classrooms there was a general class for all first years, which included people from a variety of ages. Jeva sat by Andal, and Panlo sat on the other side. They hadn¡¯t actually talked much, but that was just Panlo.

    The class was being a little raucous, but the teacher came in and immediately commanded the room with a booming voice, ¡°Everyone be quiet and sit down, class is beginning!¡± He went to the podium and opened a folder, flipping through to the right spot. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "I am professor Tharow. Good morning." A handful of people said good morning back.

    "It''s always exciting to have a new wave of magic users being prepared for service to Tubarai. Let me start breaking down the basics for you. Improving as a magic user involves four key components: your physical health, increasing your vocabulary in your specific magical language, adopting and perfecting the use of words you know, and then how to use what you can do in an actually strategic, practical, effective manner.

    "Every kind of magic user has a language of magic, which is named after the magic user themselves. Apologies to our resident templar," he didn''t look at Andal, so he''d probably simply been told that there was a templar in the class, "but we in Tubarai refer to the language you use as the paladin language.

    "For the most common branches we will have at least one professor proficient in that language. Some of you, however, might use languages obscure enough that we don''t have someone like you on staff. Do not worry, they''re all very good about the general process of learning languages, and can still help you greatly. That is not even to mention our extensive library, which has more than enough books written for any language. Now, before I shift the conversation, does anyone need something clarified?"

    Nobody raised their hands.

    "So the spiritual types have already been told why they can use some spells without words, and we don''t have any especially obscure magic users here? Excellent."

    Andal raised his hand.

    "Yes?"

    "If Tubarai was to be attacked while we were still learning here, would we be pulled to the front? Or only in an emergency?"

    The professor leaned on his podium, ¡°Who would attack?¡±

    Andal opened his hands like it was the most obvious thing in the world, ¡°The Haverdash.¡±

    He scratched his cheek, ¡°I was afraid someone would ask that. The recent news spreading about this fighting in Donfas is worrying all of you, we are not concerned with the Haverdash, and you don¡¯t have to worry about them.¡± He flipped a page in his folder as if to say that it was time to move on.

    A different student sitting higher up blurted out, ¡°Why not?¡±

    The professor looked up in surprise, then he noticed the energy and attention of the room. They all were curious about these, ¡°Haverdash.¡± He closed his folder and folded his arms. ¡°Okay, I guess we¡¯re on this topic now. Does anybody know anything about the Haverdash except that they are attacking Southern Donfas?¡±

    One voice said, ¡°They captured the City of Grace.¡±

    ¡°Yes, one of Donfas¡¯s great cities. What else?¡±

    Panlo spoke next, ¡°They¡¯re stronger and faster than humans, and they don¡¯t feel pain, and they drink poison for pleasure!¡±

    He pointed at Panlo, ¡°And how would you know that?¡±

    Panlo gestured to Andal, ¡°Andal told us. He¡¯s killed Haverdash.¡±

    He pointed to Andal, and in the midst of his interrogation showed a kind of appreciation, ¡°Andal, so you¡¯re our resident Templar? What else do you know?"

    ¡°They lived on the southern coast over a hundred years ago, and then the king gave them land across the sea.¡±

    The professor gestured for more, but Andal didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°As I thought,¡± he said, ¡°nobody here knows about them. Andal, how long did it take the king of Donfas to raise an army to fight the Haverdash?¡±

    ¡°A year.¡±

    ¡°And it was a massive one, but doesn¡¯t he have a standing army? Why didn¡¯t he use that?¡± Andal couldn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°They were busy. The problem with Donfas is that they¡¯ve got one aggressor too many. None of the surrounding nations, including Tubarai, like them, and so they have to keep an eye on their neighbors. Then the Haverdash showed up, and they couldn¡¯t handle it. Why don¡¯t the surrounding nations like them? It¡¯s because of what happened over a hundred years ago.¡±

    He looked around the room and pointed for them to look at Andal, ¡°Everyone remember that number? He said it. It¡¯s when the Haverdash lived here.¡±

    He placed his hands on the corners of the podium, ¡°Actually, it started closer to two hundred years ago. Donfas was significantly smaller than it is now, and there were some nations that are gone now as their neighbors. Their chief rival was Haino, but they couldn¡¯t gain any quarter against them. Donfas was mainly a country of plains, and then there was a hill country between Donfas and Haino, which extended about halfway into Haino. However Donfas tried to move, Haino would out maneuver them in the hills.

    ¡°To counter this, Donfas sought the help of native tribes living in the hill country between the two nations. They sought the help of several tribes, and a couple accepted the offered price, but only one played out. That was the Haverdash. They were a religious, traditional, druidic people. They knew how to manipulate plants like no other nation, and make things even at that point that we don¡¯t understand.

    "Because of this they were very agricultural, which naturally demands a very stable environment to be totally effective. If it weren¡¯t for Donfas the Haverdash may never have left their hills, they would have stayed an isolated, traditional tribe of people. Then Donfas gave them an offer they couldn¡¯t refuse: swaths of land, hordes of workers under their service, and new temples for their god, whoever that was,  built in the likeness of great Donfas architecture that the Haverdash couldn¡¯t replicate at the time.

    ¡°The Haverdash became scouts, but that didn¡¯t last long. They were relentless, and they soon replaced the captains and lieutenants of the army. Haino fell quickly. They couldn¡¯t handle the movements or the ferocity of the Haverdash. The soldiers under them, from Donfas, would fight in trances because of the Haverdash pre-battle rituals. The king could no longer separate those soldiers from their Haverdash commanders, because they had become dependent on them.

    "Donfas didn¡¯t stop at Haino though. There is a document claiming they were going to offer the Haverdash even more to fight for them against other nations also, but they withheld that offer because they realized they couldn¡¯t have stopped the Haverdash from fighting if they tried. It had become part of their religion, which was rapidly becoming more intense, along with their lifestyle. At that point, maybe earlier, they had already started performing human sacrifices to complement the ritualistic rape of their captives.

    ¡°Soon after they had started warring against Tubarai, a young lady who had been captured wrote that she was going to be abused. At the last second, she recorded, the Haverdash threw her to the ground as if his patience had run out, and went to wash his hands. Thank goodness for that, but it does show how much the Haverdash had changed. They were so different from everyone else that they had started to find us disgusting to touch. Though, we had found them disgusting to touch for a while.¡± He coughed in an attempt to hide vulnerable emotion, ¡°That lady was my grandmother, actually.¡±

    He straightened his folder pointlessly before continuing, ¡°The Haverdash became even more relentless. They were so insatiable for victory that they would often slip into a city ahead of their soldiers and poison the rulers with their masterpieces of toxicity they¡¯d known even before the war, then lead their soldiers on a city in disarray. The way they performed sieges changed too.

    "My grandfather had just escaped a city in time that had fallen under siege by the Haverdash. He never could deal with fogs after that, not after seeing the one that floated over his home and caused so much screaming. In case anyone wants to know why there isn¡¯t any mention of a fog in the reports about the siege of Hathor, it¡¯s because it wasn¡¯t a siege at all. They conquered it in a few hours at most.

    ¡°Unsurprisingly, the people in Donfas grew to hate the Haverdash too. They were happy enough to take everything the Haverdash gave them, but their presence was objectively detestable. The king changed his original promise, and gave them the coastline. It was even more land in all, he said, and they were willing to work with him since they¡¯d fought for him for so long. That wasn¡¯t good enough though. As the population of Donfas boomed from all their wealth and the vast increase in their land, they started moving further South.

    "They got closer and closer to the Haverdash, and envied that coastline, but the stench was too great for them to get too close. The Haverdash were getting even more zealous in their religious practices, and the king¡¯s fear of them grew too great for them to be even on the same continent. With his great wealth he sent colonies across the sea and took distant lands, then told the Haverdash to go there. He made it sound as good as he possibly could, a whole new world, just for the Haverdash. He was successful, and they left.

    ¡°Now they¡¯re back, and I can tell you exactly why. They were traditional, druidic people. They don¡¯t want some distant land, they want the land they were promised first. But, you can bet they¡¯ll be taking more while they¡¯re at it. Why did I explain all of this? I hope I have driven home the point that Donfas caused this problem. They introduced the Haverdash to war, and now they¡¯re paying for it. Nobody is going to help them, because we already faced the Haverdash, and now it¡¯s their turn.¡±

    The room was silent, and then Andal spoke, ¡°They want to conquer the whole continent. One of their leaders told me that, before he killed my family.¡±

    The professor opened his folder again and found where he left off, which was thankfully a much more mundane topic. He stood there with his finger on the page, then he told Andal, ¡°If you want to fight the Haverdash, I applaud you.¡± Then he started reading from the page.

 13. Empowered

    Andal plopped his head on the book he was reading. He was in the library, which would have been a nice place if not for all the confusing books. He had a notepad to his right, a book on the linguistic structure of the Paladin language on his left, and a book by a man whose name he couldn¡¯t possibly pronounce (but it looked kind of like ¡°Pregnancy¡±?)  on his own studies in Paladin magic and the spells he was able to discover.

    It was mentally exhausting. The only bit that he really understood so far was reading the words for the spells he already knew. They were all pretty short words, but the more complicated a spell got the more syllables it was bound to have since each syllable communicated a detail about the spell.

    He heard a familiar voice, and lifted his head from the book. Jeva had just entered the library, and was saying goodbye to a couple other girls. She looked around for Andal, then spotted him hunched over his books in despair. She came over and pulled up a chair, sitting next to him and talking in a hushed tone, "How goes it?"

    "It goes¡­ difficult." He made an apologetic smile.

    "Yea, there sure is a lot! What progress have you made?"

    "None really." He sat upright and waved towards the linguistics book, "I''ve never even thought about this stuff before, and I''m pretty sure the paladin professor wants us to be working on a new spell by next class. I don''t understand how we''re supposed to fully understand the language enough to figure out the name of another spell!"

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to understand the language yet. Here,¡± She closed his linguistic book and pulled his book by the pregnancy-name guy, ¡°What¡¯s a simple spell that you want to start working on?¡±

    He leaned on his elbow and propped his head up with his hand, ¡°I don¡¯t know, let¡¯s say light. I want to be able to make light.¡±

    ¡°Good choice! I feel like I¡¯ve almost got that one too.¡±

    ¡°You can make light? But, it¡¯s a paladin spell.¡±

    ¡°I guess stuff can overlap. I¡¯m going to learn all your spells!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll learn your fireball spell!¡±

    ¡°Not if I don¡¯t help you you won¡¯t!¡± She scooted away from the book and leaned back in her chair with a smug grin.

    ¡°Hey, come on. You can be the only one who knows how to make a fireball, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± She whacked her finger on the page, ¡°There¡¯s the word! Ili, for making light. Which is kind of funny now that I read it. In the wizard language it¡¯s Ilu.¡±

    ¡°I knew the word was Ili, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can make light. I have to understand the spell and mean the word I¡¯m saying.¡±

    ¡°Right, but see? He describes the details of the spells right here!¡±

    ¡°But how can I mean the word I¡¯m saying if I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s that word?¡±

    ¡°Because you know what that word means! You mean the words you¡¯re saying now, right?¡±

    He looked a little offended, ¡°Of course?¡±

    ¡°So why does ¡®of course¡¯ mean what it means? What goes into those words?¡± He made several attempts at saying something, but couldn¡¯t think of anything. After letting him squirm for a bit, Jeva leaned back, ¡°See? You don¡¯t have to understand the language side of it for simple words like Ili. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s just for more complicated stuff.¡±

    Andal started reading the description of the spell. Jeva put the linguistics book away, and when she came back she told him, ¡°I think I realized why the language thing was throwing you off, it¡¯s because you¡¯ve been casting magic without words this whole time. I had to learn a word to make fireballs, so it made more sense to me.¡±

    Andal closed the book, ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯m ready to try the spell, want to come outside and watch?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    *

    Lars was asleep in catacombs under Hathor that had been changed to a residential area under the Haverdash. The whole system was filled with their custom air, and Lars had taken a swig of wine before falling asleep. Sleeping had been a struggle for multiple months. To not sleep was in one sense good, it caused intense feelings of pain and weariness, and made one more prone to hallucination. In another sense sleep was necessary, because you need to be able to think clearly to accomplish anything.

    He had often woken up in the middle of the night because he was feeling too empty, and had to drink wine to sedate his desire to feel something. After drinking the wine he¡¯d try to go back to sleep, but between the pain, fear, euphoria, and stress, he couldn¡¯t go back to sleep. By now he had adapted to be able to sleep through any level of intense feelings, though perhaps that did make him theoretically more vulnerable to being killed in his sleep.

    He was having what he would call a dream. He wouldn¡¯t call it a hallucination, though perhaps the only difference is that they''re hallucinations when you''re awake. Though, visions could be either, and who was to say that wasn¡¯t what he was having?

    He was on a hill with three humans and three Haverdash. They faced each other, but nobody could approach or flee, for they were firmly rooted in place. One Haverdash was blind, as was one human, and each of the three Haverdash had drunk to hallucination. Though he remembered drinking wine before going to bed, Lars was not hallucinating within the context of the dream.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Only several feet away from them was a tree, and the hill and surrounding hills were barren except for the tree, so it was all that they could see.  One of the humans said, "It is a shame that the only thing we can see is this barren, black, sickly tree. I''d rather have nothing at all." The other human nodded in agreement.

    A Haverdash laughed, "What are you talking about? Flawed, human perception! The tree is full of life, sweeping and rustling in the wind, with fruit so abundant and ripe it''s dripping from the branches!" The other Haverdash nodded in agreement.

    The blind human scoffed, "Your perceptions may be twisted by what you drink, and your eyes may see what they want to see, but I can tell without eyes that it is a barren, sickly tree. There is no rustling of leaves in the wind, there is a moaning whistle, as through a trunk riddled with many holes."

    The blind Haverdash scoffed back, "I have no eyes, but my hearing is good, and I can tell your human perceptions have failed you. I can hear the rustling of leaves strongly, and the plop of fruit on the grass."

    They all looked at Lars, who was the seventh person, and could give one side a numerical advantage. He apologetically answered, "The tree looks barren, black, and sickly." The humans jeered at the Haverdash, and the Haverdash complained. Lars went to the tree to prove it, and climbed the sickly tree, and waved his hand where branches and leaves would have to be if the tree was lively. "This proves it, doesn''t it? Look, I can even stick my hand through the trunk."

    A Haverdash said, "You are passing through the tree like it isn''t real, but this is no surprise, for we know you are a powerful man, who has killed many Haverdash and humans alike."

    The blind Haverdash spoke, "I do not see what you are doing, and nothing is proven. I still hear the rustling of leaves in the tree, and the plop of ripe fruit on the earth. Could it be that you are confused? You could be numb from lack of feeling, and so unable to perceive reality correctly. Perhaps if you were able to drink some wine?"

    "Alright," Lars agreed, "I will see if that changes things." He jumped out of the trees took a bottle from his side, and drank. He felt warm fruit squishing underneath his feet, and heard the rustling of wind through the trees. The tree had a brown, healthy trunk, and a green sea of leaves above it. "I see now, the tree is large, filled with life, and fruit drips from the branches!"

    The humans complained, and the Haverdash jeered at them. A human spoke, "Touch the tree! Your drink clouds your mind, but the tree has not changed in size!"

    Lars reached out and touched the tree, "It has a thick trunk with strong bark, and the leaves are waxy, and the fruit is warm and soft. I feel it all."

    A Haverdash told the humans, "You see? We are right! The healthy tree is what''s real!"

    The Humans and the Haverdash bickered, and Lars looked back and forth between them. Then he asked the blind human, "What color is the tree?"

    "It has no color to my eyes." The other humans glared at him.

    Then Lars asked the blind Haverdash, "What color is the tree?"

    "The tree has no color to me."

    A Haverdash said, "They are blind, they''re perception is different, why do you ask them?"

    Lars closed his eyes, "It seems they are right. The tree has no color, and now to say that it is black or brown and green does not have as much support as to say it has no color does."

    A human said, "But it is black! I see that it is black!"

    A Haverdash said, "The trunk is brown, and the leaves are green! I can see it!"

    Lars spoke, "When we started whichever side had the most support was considered right. What we called real was simply that which most people saw. But I see validity in every perception here, regardless of what the majority sees, and so I declare that what is real is what you see. There is no reality versus hallucination, there is only what you see."

    Then Lars awoke. He left the catacombs, taking his sword on the way. He grabbed a stick, and held the stick in his right hand with the sword in his left. He went to a stone and cut with both, cleaving two fissures into the stone that were equally deep. Then the sword and the stick, which he saw as two swords, grew seven fold in length. He cut again, and made two canyons where he swung. He felt a change in him, and energy was flowing far more freely. Massless particles that transferred to that distant figure transferred faster, and from that distant figure to its friend.

    *

    ¡°You can make light, and heal broken bones that need resetting?¡± The professor asked Andal in disbelief. They had been told to have a spell only in preparation for today, but Andal had learned two fully. ¡°Are you joking?¡±

    He shook his head vigorously, not wanting the professor to think he was using up class time to jest. ¡°I can!¡± He made light, filling the room and eliminating the shadows that the sunlight cast. ¡°I would show you the healing spell, but thankfully there isn¡¯t anyone in need.¡±

    The professor shook his head, but with a smile. "You probably won''t need today''s lecture then, but you have to listen to it anyway."

    The lecture was on understanding spells, and how the qualities that describe them should translate to how you think about the spell to properly manifest it. Andal actually found the lecture extremely helpful, despite not needing it for the two spells he had already learned. After the lecture he went up to the professor to ask a question. "Great lecture, professor. Can I ask you about something kind of unrelated to understanding spells to be able to cast them?"

    "Please do. I wouldn''t want to slow down any potential progress from a talented individual like yourself."

    Andal blushed slightly, "Uh, I was wondering about some spells I''ve cast before that I didn''t understand or know the words to?"

    "Well of course, as followers of gods it is normal to have spells divinely put into our arsenals."

    "But, this was a one time thing. I couldn''t do it before, then I was filled with this intense energy and started using spells that were like better versions of the ones I know, and then I haven''t been able to use them since."

    His interest was piqued, "Superior versions¡­ that actually makes a lot of sense. Believe it or not, magical languages are pretty forgiving. If you were casting one spell, but with significantly more energy than it would make sense to use for that spell, then it may automatically correct to a slightly different spell with the same root that would be expected to use that kind of energy. That''s very exciting, actually! I''ve heard about it before, but never talked to someone that had done that. Where do you think this flood of energy came from?"

    "From Nishir, I''m confident of it. It happened at the attack on the City of Grace, and it''s hard to explain, but I can tell it came from there. It''s proof to me that the Haverdash didn''t win by taking the city, Nishir is still working against them. Actually, ever since then I''ve been aware of a constant stream of energy coming from that direction. It could have been going on before that, and I just wasn''t aware of it, but I think the reason I''ve been able to learn spells faster than anyone else is because of that energy. It isn''t because of any talent in me, but Nishir."

    The professor was plainly impressed with Andal, happy with his twofold focus and humility. "That could very well be true. I''m sure Nishir is raising up many soldiers to strike back against those who have offended him. Do you think he''s strengthening your friend Jeva as well?"

    "Jeva? We haven''t discussed it at all. Why do you ask that?"

    He pointed back over his shoulder to gesture at something previous, "Yesterday morning in the cafeteria, I was sitting on the table adjacent to Jeva when her friend asked her how she was learning so many spells. I believe she has learned two as well, but I wasn''t paying so much attention until I heard them ask that question, as it tipped me off that she was a talented person that we should take notice of.

    "She gave an interesting answer though, even if I  didn''t understand it. She thought it was from being around you so much, that you made her stronger somehow. I had hypothesized that maybe you were a very encouraging person, and that could still be the case, but now I have a much better hypothesis. Perhaps she''s being blessed by the same source you are, because she''s associated with you?"

    Andal was really excited by that theory, "Yea! She said on the way here that she''ll consider herself a follower of Nishir! And she''s fought the Haverdash! I bet Nishir is raising her up to fight them too!"

    The professor was smiling, but then his smile was tainted by concern. "Andal, you seem very devoted to the idea of fighting the Haverdash. But, you do remember that you agreed to fight for Tubarai if they ever want to draft you. What will you do if those ideas conflict? What if Tubarai wants to send you away somewhere else?"

    "I''m not concerned at all about that, professor. The Haverdash will attack here as well, because that''s who they are. Sooner or later, they''re going after everyone."

 14. Deserter

    Andal''s class and a couple others were on a weeklong trip on the Tower of Tubarai, the tallest mountain in the country. The point was to give them practice in a different environment, which was going to involve simulated combat. There were several professors with them, a few of which were accomplished illusionists, and they would be providing the "enemies" to fight.

    That was going to start tomorrow, so first they had to find shelter for the night. The Tower wasn''t known for its caves, but professor Tharow already had a spot in mind that made excellent shelter. It was a wide grotto that could have potentially held twice as many people as they had, and the ground in front of it sloped down so snow couldn''t pile up on the entrance.

    Secondly, they had to gather wood. They had brought spare clothes and blankets with them, but a fire was still absolutely necessary. They were traveling with a spell of warmth over them, but they couldn''t expect a professor to wake up every hour to cast spells on them, nor were they particularly fond of the idea.

    Frie and Panlo were Andal''s closest friends in his dorm, so they were walking together as they gathered. Between a mild snowstorm and the light of day fading, they couldn''t see any more than 100 feet ahead of them. That made it pretty hard to find wood; they could make light, but they weren''t effective enough with it to brighten an area over 100 feet away through falling snow. They had picked up sticks here and there, but then they found a dried, fallen tree.  They started breaking away branches, joking about getting back to the grotto with ten times as much wood as anyone else.

    Then they heard a heavy *thwack* sound coming from just out of their sight in the direction that they had been walking. Panlo started walking further tentatively, "What do you think that was?"

    Andal and Frie continued to break off pieces of wood, glancing up at Panlo as he investigated. He had walked 30 or so feet, and he could see it then, "I think it''s a mountain goat? There''s a cliff behind it, so I guess it fell."

    He walked back to Andal and Frie, but Andal walked past him towards the goat, "Is it dead?"

    "Probably. If not it will die."

    "I want to practice healing on it."

    Frie protested, "But couldn''t that take a while? Look how much wood we have, we should start carrying it back now!"

    "You don''t have to wait for me, just leave a stack for me to take and I''ll grab it once I''m done. It might be dead anyway, in which case I''ll be right behind you."

    Frie hesitated, but Panlo picked up a bundle and started walking, so Frie followed. Andal passed where Panlo had seen the mountain goat from, but he saw something else. The goat was being carried up the cliff side, but he couldn''t quite make out the shape of what was taking it. He started running as best he could over the layer of snow, and he cast his spell of light. He got a clear look at what was taking the goat before they went over the top of the cliff, and stopped in his tracks so suddenly that he almost fell over. It was a humanoid, with gray skin, and scars in a distinct pattern.

    Andal turned around and ran as fast as he could; he had to tell the professors. He hadn''t expected them to get so far into Tubarai so quickly. He hadn''t heard of any attacks, so they must have been able to kill every messenger so far.

    He reached the grotto and ran to professor Tharow. Panlo and Frie saw him, and Panlo threw his arms up in frustration, "With your stack we would have brought the most wood!"

    Andal ignored him, "Professor!" He spoke in a strong whisper, not wanting to cause a panic, "I saw a Haverdash! The Haverdash are here!"

    Tharow looked down at Andal with a critical gaze, "No, they aren''t."

    "I saw him! They must have attacked somewhere in Tubarai already!"

    "You didn''t, and they haven''t."

    "But they-"

    "Andal!" He fiercely interrupted, "Stop! You''re obsessed. Don''t tell anyone else your crazy idea, and don''t concern yourself with what you thought you saw in the dark. You understand?"

    Andal begrudgingly answered, "I understand."

    "Good." Professor Tharow turned away.

    Andal stormed off away from the grotto. Panlo and Frie watched him go with confused expressions, but they left him alone because they could tell he was upset. He went back to the fallen tree, and went to the cliff where the mountain goat had fallen. He could see divots in the cliff face from where the Haverdash had to dig his hands in to pull up his catch, and so Andal followed them up by using them to help him climb.

    When he reached the top he immediately saw the path it had taken. The snow had partially obscured the rut of a sled, but the banks made from the snow it pushed to the side made it obvious. He ran as fast as he could down the rut, knowing that it would only get more hidden as time went on, and not knowing how long the spell of warmth would last. He didn''t have armor, or a sword, or a shield, but he wasn''t going to  attack unless there was only one Haverdash anyway. He mainly wanted to spy on them.

    It took several minutes, and he was extremely worn down, but he spotted a log cabin with the mountain goat strung up outside of it under a light. He wished he had Jeva''s endurance, but since he didn''t, he hid on the backside of the cabin where it was dark. At this point he couldn''t see more than several feet ahead of himself, but he had no idea if Haverdash could see in the dark so he hid on the backside of a barrel.

    He stayed there until he caught his breath, then walked to the front side of the cabin. There was a Haverdash cutting up the mountain goat. The Haverdash hadn''t noticed him, so he looked in the window to see if there were others. There wasn''t, it was a simple home with nowhere to hide.

    "Hey.¡± The cold voice of the Haverdash startled Andal. They locked eyes with each other, and Andal raised his fists. "Does anyone else know I''m here?"

    Andal wasn''t a good liar, so he wasn''t how he should answer. After a prolonged silence, he felt like he lost his chance to lie. "No, but everyone will learn that you''re here soon enough!"Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    The Haverdash signed in relief, then he gestured at Andal''s raised fists, "Are you trying to fight me, kid?"

    "Don''t underestimate me! I''m a Templar, and if you don''t answer my questions, I''ll kill you here and now!"

    The Haverdash glared at him, "That''s reasonable, if I''m an enemy soldier. What if I''m not?"

    "There''s no such thing as a Haverdash civilian, we learned that at Nalye''ed."

    He bitterly answered, "That''s true."

    "So what are you, a scout? Where''s your backup? Is there already an attack force in Tubarai?"

    He spoke slowly to be extra clear, "No, there isn''t any, and no. You think I built this cabin while on a scouting mission?"

    "I think you killed the person living here and are using it as a base, don''t try to trick me. I won''t fall for it."

    "I see." He sneered. "Well I have no answers to give but what I''ve already said, because that was the truth."

    "Very well!" Andal made a sword behind the Haverdash that shot at him, and made a sword that he could hold in his hand.

    The Haverdash¡¯s eyes darted to the left, seeing the illumination from the sword of light reflect off of the mountain goat. He leapt to the side to avoid it. Andal had been ready to make a shield and stop his movement, but he didn¡¯t expect a jump to the side, so he made it too late. Andal made a flash of light to blind the Haverdash, but he didn¡¯t react at all to the intense light. He ran to a tray by the mountain goat where he had set a knife to carve it, and ran at Andal, carefully, with the knife in hand.

    Andal made a sword behind him again, and made a gust of wind to blow him back into it. The Haverdash swore under his breath, but turned in the air to face the sword. He grabbed it with his fingers mid-air, his palms an inch off of the blade, and redirected his momentum to fall off to the side. He fell in the snow, and Andal lunged forward to try to catch him unprepared. He didn¡¯t struggle though, turning his fall into a roll that found his footing. He leaned back to evade a downward stroke from Andal, and flattened him with a punch to the face.

    The Haverdash grabbed Andal while his face was still buried in snow and held his knife to his neck. Andal thought of a way to reverse the situation where he stuck a sword of light through both of them and counted on his ability to heal himself, but then the Haverdash said a strange thing, "Disband your weapons, I don''t want to kill you."

    Andal wriggled his head to where his mouth wasn''t covered in snow, "You don''t?"

    "No!"

    Andal squinted and thought about that for a second, "Why not?"

    "Because I''m not an enemy!"

    Andal didn''t respond immediately, but then disbanded the sword of light in his hand. The Haverdash got off him and walked away several steps before sitting in the snow. Andal propped himself up with his arm, "So, you''re not like the other Haverdash?"

    He shook his head, "No.¡±

    ¡°Is there anyone else like you? Are Haverdash in factions, good and bad, and I¡¯ve only met the bad?¡±

    He shook his head again, ¡°No, no factions. There are others like me, but I don¡¯t know if any are alive. There are these prophets that show up, and I¡¯d say they¡¯re like me. I left because I listened to them, and they should leave too, but they never do, and they never live long.¡±

    Andal scooted forward and leaned in to listen, ¡°Who are these prophets? What did they say that affected you?¡±

    "It wasn''t necessarily what they said, but how they changed what they said." He pursed his lips thinking of how to explain, "Haverdash religion is¡­ different." Andal was clearly intrigued though, never having imagined a situation where a Haverdash would be telling him about their race''s inner turmoil, so the Haverdash continued. ¡°In a way, there is a god, but it isn¡¯t like gods how you know them. The Haverdash refer to their god as a person, but never as something like ¡®him¡¯. Their god, a person, should not be treated like an individual.

    "Only the most self-aware among them realize what they worship. I understand it because it is easier to see from outside, having once been inside. There is the idea of the Haverdash as a collective, like the word ¡®humanity¡¯. If humans worshiped ¡®humanity¡¯, as a person, that would be the equivalent. The self-aware would never put that to words though, in voice or in thought, because it would be sacrilege.

    ¡°These¡­ prophets¡­ who emerge, they have different ideas. They disagree with the rest of the Haverdash in many ways, but the consistent difference they have is that they talk about Haverdash like an individual. They¡¯ll dare to say ¡®him¡¯, even. I don¡¯t know where they come from, but they showed me something; the religion is changing, fast. When I was young, across the sea, there was a prophet who rose up in my neighborhood. He was telling us to not drink our wine to excess, but have moderation in all that we do. That was¡­ unacceptable, and so he was of course killed.

    "On the ship ride over, there was a prophet in the crows nest. He called down to the ship, telling us that we should not take what we see under the influence of our wine to be true, and not to forget what is truly real. You see, the Haverdash work primarily with hallucinogens, and our hallucinations are of great religious importance. We are told to regard them as real, and so reality becomes a confusing thing. Not least because, through willpower, our hallucinations can influence reality.¡±

    Andal asked, ¡°How does that work?¡±

    He frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps someone has seen a vision that gives some reason for it. I can give you an example of it, but not why it works. For most Haverdash their willpower is limited, and so only small hallucinations can change the world, like seeing themselves as slightly faster or stronger than they otherwise would be. When I say visions I mean a much stronger form of hallucination, which I have no experience with."

    "Sorry for making you go on a tangent," Andal said. "Why did what the prophets say make you realize the religion was changing?"

    "You''re awfully excited to talk despite wanting to kill me not two minutes ago."

    "I didn''t imagine that there''d be a Haverdash worth talking to! But, now I''m curious. You seem awfully willing to talk too."

    His gaze drifted off to the right, "Yea. Well I haven''t talked to anyone in a while. So, I thought about what that prophet on the boat had said, and I remembered the first prophet, because it''s pretty memorable when those guys show up. The thing is, the first prophet didn''t mention hallucinations at all, and the second prophet didn''t mention moderation at all. I thought that was a little strange. I thought about it, and remembered that hallucinations were common at the time of that first prophet, but they weren''t integral to the religion yet. These prophets, they never try to get people to change longstanding ways. They''re only ever against the newest thing, and that coincides with there always being a newest thing. The religion constantly progresses to be of greater and greater intensity.

    "When I realized that, and had the courage to admit it to myself, I stopped following the Haverdash faith. I began to question our whole lifestyle, and it seemed to me that if you were a heretic like me, most of it didn''t make sense. Most of our time is spent in religious practices, and so having left that, I didn''t even know what to do. I decided that I didn''t want to live like the rest of the Haverdash; I left six months ago, and have been trying to wean myself off my old ways ever since."

    Andal eyed a pouch at the Haverdash''s waist with skepticism, "If you left six months ago, why do you still have that awful drink on you?"

    The Haverdash looked down at his pouch as well, and took out the bottle of Haverdash wine that they were talking about. "This stuff?... I''m trying to stop, I take a little less each day."

    "It''s poison, actual poison, I don''t see how still drinking that stuff fits with leaving your old ways behind."

    He lifted the bottle and stared at the liquid inside. "I suppose it is poison. But, that doesn''t change the situation. You don''t understand what it''s like to be a Haverdash, not at all. Even in the womb we suffer from a lack of feelings. This stuff changes your anatomy over time, even affects your future children. We''re all a product of past generations drinking the filth. You don''t know what it''s like, you can find happiness in the warmth of the sun or the softness of snow, the exhilaration of running and jumping, or singing and dancing. We cannot, the feelings are too small.

    "Haverdash consider humans inferior because they can''t endure feelings nearly as strong, but I''ve started to question that. Humans appear to be actually content with such little things, the grateful ones among them, at least. I wish I was more like that. I would love to not need this stuff, truly, but weak feelings to someone accustomed to much greater highs are worse than the pain, fear, anxiety, and confusion that this drink causes.

    "Maybe one day I''ll be able to see a sunrise and enjoy it, but I don''t actually know. I try to drink as little of this stuff as I can each day, but someday I will run out. I don''t have a source for more, and I fear that once I run out, I might go back to the Haverdash to get more. I hope I don''t, but for all the talk Haverdash have on the greatness of our willpower, we seem awfully dependent on our poisons."

    The spell of warmth ran out, and Andal immediately began shivering. He didn''t mean to seem unfocused when the Haverdash was pouring his heart out like that, but the sudden cold had overwhelmed him.

    The Haverdash understood, and got up. "Come on, let''s go inside my cabin. I''ll warm up some water for you."

 15. The Plan

    The Haverdash brought Andal inside and gave him a blanket. He grabbed a cup and filled it with water from a barrel. He took a touch of powder from a bag and dropped it in the waters which quickly started steaming. He placed the cup in front of Andal, "Don''t worry, that''s not a drug. It''s just a chemical reaction that makes heat, if you know what that means."

    Andal clearly had no idea, so he clarified, "The powder is gone, it heated up the water and was dispersed into the air. That''s just warm water, safe to drink."

    "I don''t really understand how that works, but thank you."

    "You''re welcome." The Haverdash waits for Andal to finish taking a sip before asking another question, "My name is Makarif. What''s yours?"

    "My name''s Andal. Sorry, I forgot that we hadn''t introduced ourselves yet."

    "That''s okay, we''ve been talking for a little while."

    "Makarif, what''s across the sea? You grew up there, right? What''s it like?"

    Makarif leaned back in his chair, "If you''re asking me about the hills, trees, grass and stuff, I''m afraid I don''t remember. I remember who we were fighting though, which might interest you. From the minute we landed on those shores a message was spread throughout the inhabitants about us, ''They are evil, wipe them out.''

    "They were a fierce people, driven to fight against us out of zeal for their god. We actually had a great deal of respect for them because of that. They called their god Alleros, and themselves the Servants of Alleros. They pushed us back against the sea, and we''re threatening to push us into it."

    Andal was shocked, and thrilled, "They were beating the Haverdash?"

    "Yes they did. But, I should clarify, we really didn''t care about that war. From the moment we went across the sea we felt like we shouldn''t be there, and we wanted to come back. The Servants of Alleros told us we didn''t belong there, and quite frankly, we agreed. Actually, when we told them we had decided to return to our homeland they helped us build the boats that carried us here. That''s not to say they weren''t strong, though. Alleros isn''t that unlike Nishir, you''d like him.

    "He had two champions, one wasn''t unlike a Templar, and the other was like a wizard. I never saw them myself, but I heard things. Imagine the sun turning so bright your skin boils without shade, but anyone they wish to be untouched walks around freely. That''s the kind of power those two had, and we took it very seriously, but we didn''t care enough about winning the war to properly answer them."

    "That''s amazing!" Andal declared, "And I''m a Templar, and I have a friend that''s a wizard! We''re going to be Nishir''s champions and chase out the Haverdash!"

    "Hah, a funny coincidence indeed. You would have your work cut out for you though, the Haverdash are a lot stronger than they were just two years ago. Just as the religion changes rapidly, the Haverdash change with it."

    "Could Alleros''s champions still do it?"

    Makarif furrowed his brow in thought, "I suspect not. I never actually saw them, remember, but that''s the impression I have."

    That discouraged Andal, "Then what can I do? How do I beat them?"

    Makarif raised his hands as if to surrender, "That question is too tough for me. As far as I know, you can''t. I''m not trying to beat them, I''m trying to wipe my hands of the whole affair, and change myself for the better. When they conquer Tubarai I''ll move further west."

    There was a silent pause as Andal, with a frustrated expression, stared into his mug.

    ¡°Then again,¡± Makarif added, ¡°You might not have to.¡± That confused Andal greatly, but Makarif continued, ¡°The way the religion is changing isn¡¯t random. It¡¯s becoming more and more obsessed with rituals and drug use, experiencing stronger and stronger feelings, more and more often. There is a temptation that is common among the Haverdash, to do nothing but stay in a heavily drug induced state constantly, performing rituals when they have the presence of mind to. I wouldn¡¯t expect them to kill themselves this way, but the war might stop.¡±

    Andal looked intently at Makarif, ¡°That¡¯s something. Maybe if the Haverdash stop paying attention we can build up and take them out! But, what are you suggesting I do? Should I just wait around and hope they make themselves useless?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you should do, Andal. The Haverdash aren¡¯t vulnerable, only depraved. If I¡¯m actually giving you advice, run. Now that I think about it, the Haverdash aren¡¯t going to devolve into uselessness anyway. There¡¯s something that¡¯s new since we came back, and it¡¯s why I do not see a way for the Haverdash to lose. There are those we call ¡®Glorious Haverdash¡¯. There were only a couple when I left, now there might be another.¡±

    Andal interrupted, ¡°I think I¡¯ve met one, he was more powerful than the other Haverdash! His name is Moxey, and killing him is one of my main goals!¡±

    Makarif bore with the interruption, but answered, ¡°You have not met one. If you had you would not be unsure. Did he glow with an ominous light? Did the Haverdash flock to that light like moths? Did he have no belt for wine?¡±

    Andal¡¯s eyes wavered as he realized Makarif was talking about something much greater than Moxey, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I know about Moxey, but he¡¯s far from glorious. Glorious Haverdash are self-sufficient, they don¡¯t need wine if it''s more convenient to go without. Not only that, they are sufficient for those looking on them. They aren¡¯t fueled by wine anymore, but ambition for glory as defined by the religion. Because they exist, the Haverdash won¡¯t devolve like I hypothesized.¡±

    Andal nodded solemnly, ¡°Then I guess that¡¯s the goal now, kill the Glorious Haverdash.¡±

    That angered Makarif, ¡°Are you not listening? That¡¯s impossible! You don¡¯t have a realistic shot at beating Moxey, let alone one of the Glorious!¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I am listening, Makarif. You¡¯ve told me very much, and I appreciate it greatly. I can¡¯t take your advice though. If it¡¯s my best shot, I¡¯m not going to try figuring out how realistic it is, I¡¯m going to take it. If I thought there was life outside of this war I might take it, but the Haverdash have taken away the life I was living twice already, and I believe Moxey when he told me they want to conquer the whole continent.¡±

    Makarif was surprised, but looked strangely proud. ¡°I respect that. The Haverdash value willpower above all else, at the least you can make them remember you.¡±

    "I appreciate that," Andal said. His eyes drifted toward the window where there was total darkness. "I should go. I''m really glad we met, I''ve learned a lot. Maybe we''ll meet again someday?"

    "We might. Don''t come here at the cost of someone else finding me though, this meeting could have easily gone poorly."

    "Yea, sorry about that." Andal eyed the door nervously, dreading the cold and the wind.

    Makarif grabbed his bag with that powder in it and poured some out to fill a hollowed out goat horn. "Take this and sprinkle it on the snow in front of you as you go. The steam should warm you. I can''t help you with the dark."

    "I can make light, thank you very much!" Andal took the horn and boldly pushed through the doorway.

    The trail of depressed snow was still somewhat visible, but he needed to hurry. Makarif and Andal waved goodbye, and Andal ran off into the snow. The powder worked to keep him warm, but his clothes got soggy from the steam. As he went he had to use more to keep warm because the air was threatening to freeze the water in his clothes.

    He made it to the cliff, but he didn''t see how he could possibly climb down it. Walking along the edge for a way, he found a slight slope with a mound at the bottom. He slid down and was fully immersed in snow. Some of it got in the horn, which was almost empty, and a burst of steam cleared the snow above him.

    Since he was almost back to the grotto, and he shouldn''t be seen with the horn, he gave into the temptation to dump what little was left of the powder into that pile of snow. He fell a few inches further when the snow burst into steam, and it was just as satisfying as he hoped. It actually got too hot though, and there was a second where he thought his clothes were on fire. It woke him up a little at least, which helped him run a little faster.

    By the time he made it back to the others he was a shivering wreck, with ice forming all over him. There was a large fire built at the entrance, but not so large that he couldn''t go around into the shelter of the grotto. He laid by the fire, looking back to see if anyone noticed his arrival. A professor opened one beady eye, then rolled over to face away from Andal. No doubt he would be in big trouble in the morning, but this was an unsightly hour to have to scold someone.

    *

    Andal was mopping the hallway between the cafeteria and the library, and he spotted Jeva reading. She was kind of facing toward him, so he waved his arms to draw her attention. When she spotted him he waved for her to come over. She put down the book and ran over, hesitating and checking over her shoulder partway to see if she was going to get in trouble for running in the library.

    Nobody who might have seen was close enough to care though, so she was in the clear. "Hey Andal! Where have you been? Your field trip got back two days ago!"

    "I''ve been mopping! I got in big trouble and now this is how I have to use my free time. I have today and part of tomorrow, then I should be done."

    "Woah, are you mopping the whole academy?"

    "They said it was half, but I don''t trust them. I am bored out of my mind doing this! I''ve wanted to talk to you about the trip since we got back, but I haven''t ever seen you! So, want to know why I got in trouble?"

    ¡°Obviously? How did wake-up-at-6-go-to-bed-at-10-every-night-Andal get such a big punishment?¡±

    ¡°Again, that¡¯s when the Templars slept. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Uh, okay. The rest of us go to sleep at 12 one night then 9 the next.¡±

    ¡°Nevermind when we go to sleep, this is big! I got in trouble because I left the group late at night and came back two to three hours later. I had a good reason, though!" He lowered his voice, "I saw a Haverdash up there."

    Jeva was in shocked disbelief, "A Haverdash? On the Tower? Wouldn''t there already be an army near by if they were scouting that deep into Tubarai?"

    "If he was a scout, then yes! I''d think that too, but he''s a deserter! He fled the Haverdash six months ago!"

    Jeva was wide eyed, "Wow. How do you know that?"

    "Because I talked to him! I left the group to chase him down, and ended up in a conversation where he told me everything I could think to wonder about the Haverdash! I know what I need to do now, and I need to know if you''re still in."

    "Of course I''m still in!"

    Andal chuckled while he kept talking, "Excellent, but say it after I finish telling you about the plan to be sure. There''s something called a Glorious Haverdash, and the Haverdash society is sort of dependent on them for focus and leadership. If we kill the Glorious Haverdash then we could cripple their society, and stop their warring! The deserter didn''t think that would be possible though, they''re apparently freakishly powerful. That''s the goal now though, we want to kill the Glorious Haverdash. So are you still in?"

    "Can I clarify something?"

    "Of course."

    "Is it just us, like you and me, against these guys?"

    "Hopefully not, but it could be. That''s how we win, I''m pretty sure. If nobody kills the Glorious Haverdash it would be a lot harder, however hard it is to beat them."

    "And are you sure the Haverdash are going to attack Tubarai?"

    "Completely sure. I actually talked about this with the deserter, they do want their land back like Professor Tharow said, but conquest is just part of their religion now. They''re not going to stop. The religion changes pretty fast, but it''s not going to change away from conquest because of these Glorious Haverdash."

    "Okay. Well then I''m in. It probably seems silly to think that someone can live their lives without fighting the Haverdash, so I shouldn''t be worried about risking my life. That''s how the Haverdash do it, right? Every single one of them is in on the war?"

    "Yes it is. We saw that at Nalye''ed."

    "Then I think we have to be that way too. Match their effort."

    Andal smiled sadly, "Thank you. Let''s ask more people, the more the better. I''ll ask Panlo and Frie, and you should ask some of your wizard friends."

    "Panlo and Frie are in the library now! I''ll grab them."

    She brought them to Andal, and he told them everything he had told Jeva, which he had stayed silent on while on the trip. Frie was more than a bit overwhelmed, ¡°You want me to commit to fighting these super-Haverdash? Possibly away from an army backing me up? I can¡¯t do that, Andal! I¡¯ll fight them if I¡¯m drafted to it, but you ask to much!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Panlo exclaimed.

    Andal pulled back because of that sudden shout that was pretty close to his ear, but he smiled. ¡°Wonderful! So it¡¯s the three of us.¡±

    *

    "Lars!" Moxey shouted. "I''m all finished!" He exited the small house he was in and saw Lars, "What are you doing?"

    Lars was standing by a tree with his hand on it. It was an excellent tree for climbing, yet he had no desire to climb it. "Nothing. Now will you tell me what you were doing?"

    "I have finally got what I wanted from the fairies. This is why it was so excellent that they showed themselves so quickly. In the days before we crossed the sea we had access to another world, and I learned about it across the sea through writings. Now access has been restored by a creature in that world which lays traps across worlds, which the fairies brought here by bait. It¡¯s called a meadanim, which is a play on their word for ¡®false¡¯, medan.

    "Now if we walk in this house," he pointed back at the one he had walked out of, "We will be in a most unusual creature. It will attack you, naturally, as it''s only desire is to consume. We¡¯re all like that in our own ways. Do not kill it in self defense, or you would destroy this way in. Simply find a way out of the creature other than by the front door, and you will find your way into that other world. They call that world ''Edezar'', which is literally, ¡®Strange world.¡¯

    "There¡¯s a lot to gain there, some ingredients used in wine were not native to this world, but the most immediately practical use for it is that it is smaller. That world is less than a tenth the size of this world, so if you go through one connecting point then travel seven miles to exit from another connecting point you would have traveled over 70 miles in this world. It isn¡¯t very useful for moving an army, but individuals can make great use of it.¡±

    Lars stood at the entrance, ¡°So this is how we¡¯re going to get to the front?¡±

    ¡°Yes it is. Keep in mind, I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like in there, not really. It¡¯s supposed to be quite an experience, and it will be a new one for both of us.¡±

    Lars took a drink of wine, ¡°Can we go now?¡±

    Moxey did likewise, ¡°Let¡¯s.¡±

 16. Sudden Strike

    Two years since the Haverdash took Hathor, the City of Grace, they were yet to lose a battle. The war was not lost though. Since the Haverdash were so few in number they were having trouble with their expanding border. Each city they took needed rebuilt in a Haverdash image, meaning used-up manpower, and as a result their progress had slowed significantly from the first year of the war to the second.

    Despite this they had extended far beyond Hesin-re, and there were only two cities of significance between the advancing Haverdash line and the capital of Donfas. Their resistance had been stiff, despite not having drawn any other kingdoms into the conflict yet, since the surrounding nations had let Donfas pull all its troops down to the war without taking advantage of them. What was once the cruel satisfaction that Donfas was getting what it deserved had transformed into fear. They had lost their belief that Donfas would win the conflict in the end.

    Tubarai had heavily invested its active military into scouting and spying on the Haverdash movements, not trusting them to not attack if any opening was left. Interestingly, that was dissuading them very well. They might get too close, but then when their movements got scouted out they would pull away.

    There was a rumor among the troops in Donfas that those in Tubarai had heard. It said that the leaders of the Haverdash knew if they would win a battle before it happened, and would only send their troops once they had enough. It couldn''t possibly be verified without someone undercover in a Haverdash camp, which could be impossible because of the volume of fatal poison that would be around them. Though they couldn''t verify it, the Tubarai officers treated it as though it were true, moving their troops en masse to whatever location looked threatened by Haverdash movement.

    *

    Moxey led General Skadis and General Ghaulos deep into Tubarai territory. The Tubarai scouts were relentless and thorough, but by using a legion of troops splitting off into three directions as bait, they were able to sneak up onto a ridge line unseen. At the end of this ridge the geography was so perfect that they''d be able to see every relevant fortification and city in the area on a clear day.

    They traveled through the night to reach the correct spot, and at dawn they discussed the plan of attack. Tubarai was going to join the war soon anyway, the writing was on the wall for Donfas, so there was no point in avoiding conflict to spare manpower for a different front.

    Moxey pulled handfuls of pork out of a pack and handed them out, then took a swig of wine. "There will be three mostly simultaneous attacks. You see the city in the cleft of those mountains? We want to hem that in, so that by three attacks we are essentially taking four cities. The Council of Six did not inform me who they wanted to attack each city, but I think we can decide that relatively quickly. General Skadis, since your troops have been fighting so far east in The Rivers region so long, they might be physically worn. They shouldn''t take Mavozshidog," he pointed up at a fortress high on a snowy mountain, "Agreed?"

    "They''ll be disappointed to miss the challenge, but you''re right, they''re not fresh."

    "We''ll give them the closest target to compensate them for their disappointment, and assign Velnaris to you. General Ghaulos, the third city in the attack is Tabok, which is isolated enough to completely cut off Tubarai from heading to the Donfas coast if we take it."

    Ghaulos asked, "That all sounds very simple when you say ''just take the cities'', but we can''t prevent the Tubarai scouts from knowing we''re coming. If they disperse their forces evenly that would work out, but what if they give up one city to heavily fortify two? Or give up two to guarantee the defense of one? The Council did consider that, did they not?"

    "Yes they did, through personal action even. I''m sure you''re wondering who the third attack is led by?"

    Ghaulos commented, "I certainly was. And you seem to want him to attack Mavozshidog, which is the hardest target."

    "Trots will lead that attack personally. Your attacks will wait until Tubarai has moved their forces to Mavozshidog to defend it, guaranteeing our victory at all three targets."

    General Skadis was enraged, "Watch your tongue, you of no rank! He is General Trots, and you will call him as such! Receiving orders from the Council of Six doesn''t change your position."

    Moxey''s eyebrows raised in surprise, and Ghaulos had a look of dread on Skadis''s behalf.  "General Skadis," Moxey asked, "How long have you been away?"

    He had expected Ghaulos to share his sentiment, but instead he felt uneasy, "From before the war with Donfas started at Hathor, I was in The Rivers putting down the natives. It was an unforgiving climate, and they were a clever people."

    "I see. I applaud you for finishing that arduous mission, General Skadis, but you have much to catch up on. You''ll be forgiven this time, because your ignorance was coated in a desire to honor Haverdash. Take note, Skadis, my tongue will do what it may, take care of your own. ''General'' is not his title."

    At that moment, by chance of fate, Trots passed through a cloud above and behind them. Skadis and Ghaulos we''re immediately entranced by his glorious aura, and Ghaulos bowed with his face in the dirt. Ghaulos was behind Skadis though, and Skadis was in shock, so Moxey told him, "When you meet Glorious Trots, Skadis, it is customary for you to bow."

    Skadis bowed with his face in the dirt, and Trots landed in front of him.

    Moxey turned to Trots, "I''m surprised to see you, what''s going on?"

    Then Lars soared through the cloud on invisible wings, and landed next to Trots. Moxey looked at Trots for an explanation.

    "There''s been a change of plans. There''s no need for you to return to the front, you will instead act as an advisor to Lars, who will be acting in my place as leader."

    Ghaulos was deeply disturbed by the idea, but said nothing.

    "But Trots, what will you be doing? I thought we had optimized our movements at the council meeting."

    "I met with Glorious Manier, and he had an excellent proposal. I will go to hash out the details of his attack, and then since I am not tied up in Tubarai I will go to the strange world. It was revealed to me in a dream that I can open gates from it to this world from there, so we don''t need to restrict our movements in it to places we have already been."

    Moxey laughed, "That''s fantastic! Then we can move scouts, assassins, Lars, or the Glorious through to anywhere!"

    "Yes, it is amazing! Then again, that''s just what we should expect living for Haverdash. Unfortunately I''m the only one of the glorious able to do it this far, so progress will be slow. Speaking of which, I had better go, or risk making no progress at all." He looked down at Ghaulos and Skadis. "All rise." And with that he left.

    Ghaulos and Skadis stood, and Ghaulos complained to Moxey, "Why is your human leading an attack? He should be a soldier! Haverdash should not be led by humans!"

    "Oh no!" Lars cried, "Another random Haverdash has issued a formal complaint!" He looked at Moxey helplessly, "I guess we''re screwed."

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Moxey smirked. "Quite right. Our apologies, Ghaulos, you can go tell Trots the change in plans."

    "Me? Now wait, I don''t -"

    Moxey cut him off, "Then it''s your turn to watch your mouth." He turned back to Lars, "Honestly, these generals. You give someone a rank and they think they''re a whole new person."

    Ghaulos was fuming, but Moxey and Lars ignored him as Moxey explained to him what his role in the attack was.

    *

    At Tubarai¡¯s Military Academy of Magic and Magic Affiliates a party was being held, celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding. Andal and Jeva were sitting up on stacks of chairs by the wall. Jeva had just finished dancing, so she was breathing a little heavy and had a glint of sweat on her forehead. She''d left a glass of punch up on the chairs before she got down to dance, which risked spilling it in Andal''s opinion, so she was holding it now.

    Andal was tossing an invisible ball back and forth with Jessica, Jeva''s closest friend from her dorm. The goal was just to catch it as often as they could, holding their hands open at the same position each time and trying to throw it directly into their hands each time. Even now that they''d been consistently catching the ball it was a fun novelty to suddenly feel the ball land in their hands.

    "What''s the count?" Jeva asked.

    "19!" Jessica said.

    "32!" Corrected Andal.

    "Well, which is it?"

    Jessica held the ball so they wouldn''t drop it while arguing, "Andal lost the ball and it landed on the stack of chairs next to him. He says it doesn''t count since it didn''t hit the ground, but I say he lost the ball so we have to start the count over."

    Andal summarized, "We disagree a bit on the rules. Technically we did say at the beginning that it''s how many times we catch the ball without touching the ground."

    "But then I could just lob it onto a chair each time, then you grab it!"

    "I don''t think that would actually be a better strategy than throwing it to me."

    "But you could still do it, and that''s not the game!"

    "But maybe it could be?" Andal teased.

    Jeva intervened, "Maybe we should just keep two different counts, like you were doing." She handed Andal her glass, "Can you hold this real quick? I want to grab a plate, I''ll be right back."

    "Oh? You don''t want to set it on these slanted chairs again?"

    "I would be fine with it, but somebody,"  she scanned the room as if looking for someone, "Thought I shouldn''t do that!"

    "Sounds like a very wise person." Andal took the glass and grinned.

    Jeva rolled her eyes and jumped down. Jessica was still holding the ball, not wanting to throw it while Andal was holding the glass.

    Andal waved for her to pass it anyway. Jessica held it up to throw tentatively, and Andal told her, "Go for it, I think I could catch it with just one hand!"

    She gingerly lobbed it up to him, and somehow landed it in the cradle of his arm. It slightly bounced off his body though, and in order to not lose it he brought his other hand in to block it from falling. He moved the glass too quickly, and a big slosh of punch splashed on the floor. Andal looked down guiltily, and Jessica told him, "I''m not cleaning it up, I wasn''t going to throw it."

    Andal slid down and handed the glass and ball to Jessica, "Hold these, I''ll get a towel."

    Jessica undid the invisibility enchantment on the ball so that she could set it down and not lose it. "I''m going to refill her glass."

    Andal passed the tables of food and drinks and went to the hallway where he knew there was a janitor''s closet. Professor Tharow  was leaning up against the wall by the closet, a map of Tubarai in hand. Andal found a towel in the closet and turned to go back to the party, but Tharow spoke to him, "You were right, Andal."

    Andal looked at him curiosity. He liked being right, but he wasn''t sure what this was about. "The Haverdash," Tharow clarified, "You were right."

    Andal felt vindicated, "So you''re finally convinced by all their warmongering that they''re going to attack Tubarai as well?"

    "No, I am convinced because I can communicate long distances with several other people, and I was just informed that the Haverdash are currently attacking Mavozshidog."

    Andal dropped the towel, "Currently?"

    "Yes. There''s an army moving quickly up the mountain to it. From now on we''re part of the war. Though, the situation is actually very favorable to us. There''s a strong easterly wind that will stop them from using a gas to cover the city, and we saw them coming early enough that the border troops could centralize in Mavozshidog."

    "What''s stopping the Haverdash from turning and going to a weaker city if we''ve put most the troops in that one?"

    "Nothing''s stopping them, but they haven''t done anything like that yet against Donfas."

    "They¡¯re just using bad strategy?"

    Tharow bowed in head and grumbled, "They haven''t lost yet, I don''t see how they''re not using proper strategy."

    Andal couldn''t deny the logic of that, and with the Haverdash track record in mind, it would be unsafe to assume Mavozshidog was safe despite the favorable circumstances. "I have to go."

    "Yes, I''m sorry. I probably ruined the party for you."

    "To Mavozshidog, I have to go help them."

    Tharow was surprised at his boldness, but also not surprised. "Hah, another act of rashness by Andal the Haverdash hunter. Your feelings are commendable, but I''m not letting you take one of the horses so you might as well forget about it. You''ll probably get drafted soon anyway, so don''t fret about not getting involved."

    "I have my own horse, I can make it there tomorrow."

    Tharow was oddly disturbed by that, "We''ve been taking care of your horse for you? Have you been paying us somehow?"

    Andal was caught off guard, "I haven''t, nobody told me I had to."

    "Yes, you do. Has it been here since you first arrived?"

    "Professor, is this really that important right now?"

    He muttered, "We''ll talk about it when you get back."  As Andal crossed from the hallway back into the party Tharow yelled after him, "Don''t give your life to protect someone when you''re there! You''re an asset, act like it!"

    Andal went straight to Jeva and Jessica, who were where they had been playing catch earlier expecting Andal to return. "Jeva, Jessica! The Haverdash are attacking Mavozshidog, we need to go help! Where''s Panlo?"

    Jessica said, "That''s too far away, if they''re already attacking then we can''t help."

    "They''re not actually at the city yet, we can make it there tomorrow and they might not be passed the walls yet!" Then he spotted Panlo, and waved him over, "The Haverdash are attacking Mavozshidog, we need to go help!"

    "We- what? No- how are we supposed to get there?"

    "Two of us can ride on my horse, and Jessica, Jeva told me you have a spell for fast travel?"

    Jessica snapped a mean look at Jeva, "I do."

    Jeva was disappointed she didn''t tell them about it, so Jeva told them, "It''s so cool! She can slide on the snow like ice, and she can go really fast with it! She''ll probably beat you there to be honest! Oh, and she can cast it on two people at once, so we''re all covered."

    "Wonderful", Andal turned to head out, "Let''s go right now."

    "Wait," Panlo said, "There will be an official response soon enough, we should join that."

    Jessica agreed, "Yea, that makes a lot more sense than running off on our own."

    Andal turned back to them, and had pleading in his voice, "But this is what you said you would do, there might even be a Glorious Haverdash there."

    Panlo became more sure of himself, "Then we definitely shouldn''t go on our own! We agreed to that two years ago, Andal, come on. We know better than that now. We can''t win a war by ourselves."

    "But we can make an impact individually! We''re more than numbers in an army getting thrown at each other! This is how the Haverdash do it, every one of them goes to fight if they can."

    "And you want to be like the Haverdash?"

    "I want to match their tenacity! If we don''t care as much about the war as they do, how are we going to win?"

    "By being smart! Jeva, don''t tell me you agree with Andal!"

    "I do, I think he''s right."

    Jessica stepped back, "Well we''re not going, sorry."

    "Yea. Good luck though."

    Andal solemnly asked Jeva, "Are you ready to go now?"

 17. Mavozshidog

    Lars marched his roughly 3000 troops on the side of the White Ridge, the mountain chain that Mavozshidog was in. Their pace was slow for him, but he would leave his troops behind if he went any faster.

    The White Ridge was painfully slopped, and it had a thick layer of snow on it. To avoid this path they would have to go up a channel where the defenders could be pelting them with arrows long before they reached the city walls, so straight across the mountains it was.

    Whirling through Lars''s head were stories from his youth, stories of heroes who had power, and did mighty deeds. He saw the characters in those stories with him, performing their deeds in front of him as he walked, and hearing their voices clearly through the snow.

    His relationship was different to those stories now. At the time he''d admired both their heroism, and the power they had to achieve heroic things. Now his power far exceeded theirs, though he couldn''t say he was doing anything heroic.

    He had to wonder, which was more important? Doing what Moxey had instructed him was the source of his great power, so perhaps that was just how it had to be. With a certain amount of power, as seen with Trots, you seem to rise above any level of self-doubt or unsurety.

    He felt a tap on the shoulder, and turned to look at Moxey.

    "Lars, I''ve been calling you. There''s some discord among the troops."

    Lars looked back. Through the crisp and clear air he could see a large swath of Haverdash holding back while the others marched around them. The groups were roughly split in half, and whatever the disagreement was wasn''t causing them to be vocally bitter with one another.

    He and Moxey marched back to where they were in front of the halted group, and Lars asked, "What''s the problem? Why have you stopped?"

    There was some grumbling among them, and they pushed forward one among them who had seen a vision before to speak for them. "We want to choose another leader now, before we get to the city. Haverdash should not be governed by humans."

    "This again?" Lars exclaimed. "Sure that may have made sense two years ago, but now? I have seen more visions than all of you, my skin is gray, and wine is thinner than water to me, I am superior to you in most respects and like you in others!"

    The Haverdash who were disobeying snarled at this, but they did not lash out.

    "Your companions know better." He addressed someone in the group that had continued to march before he stopped for this dispute, "Why do you feel differently?"

    "We have all worked with you in the past. Some of us were at Hathor when you were first given charge by Glorious Trots, and we know how powerful you are. We know you feel strong feelings like a powerful Haverdash and not a human. Though, I for one don''t know what you are."

    The speaker for the opposition replied, "A bear may overpower a human, and even a Haverdash, but this does not make it anything more than an animal. The hierarchy of the world is built first on the kind of being, and within each kind power is relevant."

    "What makes a Haverdash then? If you are so confident that I am not one, define it!" Lars commanded.

    The speaker was hesitant, and the eyes of those who''d chosen him hounded him to answer with something excellent. He looked Lars firmly in the eyes and answered, "I don''t know if I can define it. It is a hard thing you ask, but this idea that someone could become a Haverdash is a strange and unique idea from your handler. If someone were to become a Haverdash, it would have to be someone who worshiped Haverdash.¡±

    A wave of consensus rose up from those who had disobeyed and those who had remained obedient, then Moxey gave his answer. ¡°That is reasonable, but don¡¯t take it too far! He may not be Haverdash, but he isn¡¯t human, and being Haverdash is within reach for him!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not good enough, Moxey. We have no qualms fighting alongside him, which itself is an amazing thing, but he should not be a leader of us.¡±

    One of those who¡¯d kept marching yelled, ¡°We don¡¯t fight beside him, we fight behind him! Hundreds of feet behind him, he¡¯s that powerful!¡±

    ¡°Again, that¡¯s not enough! He has to be Haverdash!¡±

    Lars was about to speak, but then Moxey spoke first, ¡°And is it enough that Trots chose him to lead? Or did you forget that?¡±

    The boldness of the group wavered, but the speaker declared more boldly than ever, ¡°Glorious Trots isn¡¯t necessarily always right.¡±

    A shadow fell over the soldiers, a scent of hostility was quickly hallucinated by all. ¡°What I mean to say,¡± he clarified, ¡°Is that he has opinions like all of us. Case in point, he likes you,¡± He pointed at Moxey, ¡°Mad man Moxey.¡±

    The scent of hostility faded, and it was as if the eyes of everyone had just been opened. Trots could indeed be wrong, in his opinions at least.

    Lars laughed raucously, ¡°You are a master of rhetoric, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    The speaker watched him uneasily, ¡°I am Myaltac.¡±

    ¡°Myaltac, would you have said that in front of Trots?¡±

    ¡°No, I admit I would not, but you must use his title. Moxey¡¯s irreverence is enough for us to bear.¡±

    ¡°Then there is a level of obedience you have to him that does not correlate with thinking he is right, and that is what I¡¯m going to have you do for me. We have wasted enough time for the sake of disobedience.¡±

    ¡°We will not march under you, we have decided!¡±

    Then Lars shouted in a voice too deep for human or Haverdash ears at a volume that shook the mountain and stunned the Haverdash so that they crumpled where they stood. He turned to continue walking and barked, ¡°March under me or not at all!¡±

    Then another roaring filled their ears, coming from higher up on the mountain. Moxey regained his senses quickly enough to say, ¡°That¡¯s an avalanche, Lars!¡±

    Lars was then able to notice the shifting wave of snow that had blended in at first. It picked up speed rapidly, and threatened to wipe out the whole attack force. Lars saw the falling snow as clouds, and they drifted off the mountain above them.

    Moxey got to his feet and whispered in Lars¡¯s ear, ¡°Their goals are not aligned with ours. We don¡¯t need them.¡±

    Lars agreed, and he saw the clouds condense into a sudden and instant rain. In that rain was a bolt of lightning, and tons of highly charged water struck the Haverdash that had rebelled and reduced them to sludge.

    Moxey then addressed the Haverdash who had continued to march, ¡°Because of excess pride their goal was no longer to glorify Haverdash. This pride came from a true principle, that Haverdash is above all. Watch yourself that you do not twist what is glorious because you were focused on something too small.¡±

    Moxey and Lars began walking toward Mavozshidog again, and the remaining Haverdash followed after them. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    *

    They reached the walls of the city, and Lars gave the command for them to set up the gas bombs. "Winds change frequently, just have them ready. Nobody move in yet, hold yourselves back until I give the signal. There are too few of you already, because of that rebellion on the mountain side, we can''t lose any more or we risk not being able to occupy the city."

    Waiting was antithetical to the way Haverdash lived, so it was a hard command. "What are we waiting for? What will you be doing?"

    Lars drew his sword, which shined so brightly the actual blade couldn''t be seen. "I''m going to break down the walls and scatter the defenders. It shouldn''t take more than ten minutes, give yourselves more scars or something to pass the time."

    He left them there out of bow shot from the city walls. They would be annoyed at first, of course but he had so few of them left that this was definitely the best course of action. The Glorious actually did this quite often, leaving their troops behind until they''d prepared the city to be invaded.

    They were only annoyed at Lars because he wasn''t one of the Glorious. They''d find something to do anyway, Haverdash didn''t stay idle. They''d probably end up sacrificing one of their members in some kind of pre-battle ritual, but he could spare at least one of them.

    Lars ran into range undaunted. The archers immediately loosed arrows at him, but the arrows would disappear while still in the air. When they would disappear didn''t depend on distance, all of them would be wiped from the sky at once each time. Lars was blinking, losing all awareness of the arrows, and so perceiving them to not be there. They were small and easily affected things, so he was erasing them.

    He reached the gate, and he saw duplicate doors offset from them as if they were a finger being held too closely to his eyes. The duplicate tried to take up space that the gates and wall already filled, and so the duplicate gate and what was already there exploded as both tried to shove themselves into that position.

    He had intended just to visualize the gates swinging open like smaller doors, but even Trots couldn''t fully decide how he hallucinated. Lars had learned to go with whatever worked, because anything could happen, so he was happy with the sudden explosion.

    The defenders rushed out boldly to him, but with a swing of his sword he sent a wave that passed through and disturbed the paths their massless particles took, cutting them all in half.

    He entered the city, looking around to see if he ought to do anything else before letting the troops in. A young boy ran from behind the corner of a house and grabbed the spear of a fallen defender. He rushed Lars with the spear raised, making some kind of war cry.

    Time slowed for Lars as he watched the boy approach. He was perhaps eleven years old, and was displaying intense courage. There wasn''t a sign of fear on his face, but that didn''t mean he wasn''t feeling any.

    Equally surprisingly, there wasn''t any sign of rage. He appeared to be acting purely out of knowing what needed to be done.

    He felt deeply familiar with the boy, like that was him. That''s exactly how he remembered behaving before Moxey, and he was actually really proud of how he was living at the time. He wasn¡¯t so sure of himself now, but how quickly he¡¯d increased in power at least suggested he was making the best choices, probably.

    The boy lunged forward to stab Lars in the belly, but Lars casually stuck the flat of his sword in front of the spear point to block it.

    The spear slid in the boy''s hands, and a two inch splinter slipped under his skin. The boy grimaced, but didn''t let up his hold on the spear. He pulled it back slightly to stab again¡­

    Lars was standing on the beach below the cliff his house was on. Andal was just behind him on his butt, and the teenager Brayd was facing Lars. Lars still had his sword, but Andal and Brayd didn''t seem to be able to see it.

    He remembered this, Andal had been given a lovely new fishing rod by his dad, and Brayd was jealous. Andal was on the ground¡­ because Brayd had just pushed him. That¡¯s right, Lars made Brayd go away!

    He clenched his fists and puffed his chest out, ¡°Back off Brayd! That¡¯s Andal¡¯s fishing rod, and you can¡¯t have it!¡±

    ¡°Oh, big tough Lars is going to save Andal, what¡¯s the matter Andal? Ca-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Brayd! Go home!¡±

    Brayd wasn¡¯t quite willing to put his fists up, so his arms were hanging awkwardly by his sides. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do, Lars. You¡¯re just a kid, I tell you what to do.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a slightly older kid, who''s in the wrong! Go home, Brayd!¡±

    Brayd turned red, and for a second it looked like he was going to walk away, but then he threw a right hook and punched Lars across the face!

    Lars stepped out and kept his balance. He took a deep breath, then looked Brayd in the face. He raised his fists, ¡°I¡¯m not backing down, Brayd.¡±

    Brayd was annoyed by that, but emboldened by his good hit, so he went to shove Lars.

    Lars ducked and punched him in the stomach, and as Brayd grabbed him Lars punched him two more times. Brayd tried throwing him to the side, but Lars grabbed hold of Brayd¡¯s shirt and flopped on the ground while still keeping his grip.

    Brayd grabbed Lars¡¯s hands to pull them off his clothes, then Lars used his grip to pull himself up and then jump head first into Brayd¡¯s mouth. Brayd¡¯s head went back, then a spear emerged from Brayd¡¯s stomach aimed at Lars¡¯s head.

    That wasn¡¯t quite how Lars remembered it. He remembered Brayd asking to stop and going home. But, he did remember that he was currently being attacked by someone with a spear!

    He tried to dodge but was too late. The spear went under his right collarbone and kept going until it hit his shoulder blade. He grabbed the spear and yanked it out.

    That was the first time he''d been really injured in his whole life, but the pain was less than Haverdash wine caused. He had no trouble operating normally, but he had to do something about the blood loss if he was going to live.

    He cut the head off the spear and backed away. He wanted to hallucinate his wound away, but he couldn''t stop seeing the scene at the beach.

    A ball of flame appeared out of the sky and rocketed toward him, which he barely deflected. His sword took the blow easily enough, but he was thrown back several feet.

    There was probably a wizard of some sort on the roof of a nearby building, but he couldn''t see any of the surrounding buildings. A sword came out of nowhere, which he barely parried, then another, and a spear, then another spear! The hectic attacks brought him back to the city, where he could then see that he was surrounded by soldiers of Mavozshidog.

    There was a whole army that had moved in to block the breach, and there were magic users making a variety of enchantments on the area that were unknown to Lars.

    He held his hand on his wound to stop the bleeding, but it oozed around his fingers freely. It was surprisingly hot, especially contrasted with the freezing air around him. With each beat of his heart he felt the blood slightly accelerate out of his wound. The spears and swords around him started to reach him; he couldn''t block them all.

    Then with a beat of his heart rivers of blood shot out of every wound he''d been given, soaking the soldiers and coating the streets. That blood burned hotter than most fires, dissolving the people it touched. Then it evaporated, and the wave of heat went up to kill all the archers and magic users who had been trying to safely stay above any potential combat.

    Lars looked through the breach in the walls to where the Haverdash were waiting, and intended to go there. Suddenly he was there, lying in the snow. The cold of it contrasted with the hot blood that was flowing out of him, forming a distinct boundary. The wound sealed up, and he regained full mental faculty.

    The Haverdash around him were startled, but then seeing it was Lars began to shout, "That''s the sign!"

    They rushed the city, and Moxey meant to go with them, but Lars grabbed onto his arm before he could go.

    Moxey stopped and looked at him with concern. Lars didn''t say anything at first, so Moxey asked, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

    Lars pulled himself up by Moxey''s arm. "I have a question, but let me think of how to phrase it first."

    Moxey noticed the tears in his clothes where the wounds hand been, "Looks like you got in some trouble."

    "Yea, I got caught in an unhelpful hallucination. This sword saved me." Lars''s eyes wandered as he found the phrasing he wanted, "How do you ultimately decide what''s right? Ultimately as in, I may say ''I don''t like that,'' or ''I want to pursue this'', but those are based off my feelings.

    "We can direct our feelings in different ways, and make ourselves feel different things, so that seems like a pretty nonsensical way to make major decisions. You want me to take part in Haverdash worship, well if I''m going to choose to do that or choose not to I have to be able to make sense of things, and not feel like I''m being swept along. So, how do I make sense of the world?"

    Moxey took a fresh swig of wine to help him think. "I should tell you something Trots told me while we were on the ships returning from across the sea. He told me, and I remember it word for word, ''Nothing makes sense locally, only in the light of Haverdash.''

    "Then he explained what that meant. ''At the strictest, local level, you have your family. But where did your family come from? It doesn''t make sense. Then if we expand the field to the town where you live and the history of the town that starts to make sense. Then someone visits the town, and they make sense until you ask where they came from. Then you need more towns to explain where they came from, and more histories.

    "Continually you must expand your field of view to explain what you know, to make sense of things, but you end up caught in an infinite repetition. The solution is to not look at the world through a local level at all, but to view the world through the lens of something all encompassing that could explain anything new you come across, something that makes sense of all of history and its trajectory.

    "That is Haverdash. When we start this war we will leave many confused. Many will ask themselves and others, "Why is this happening to us?" But we will know, because this is an inevitable part of Haverdash being over all things.''"

    Lars nodded thoughtfully, "Yea, that''s good. That helps."

 18. Velnaris

    Andal and Jeva made it to a small town on the base of the mountain path leading to Mavoshidog. While they wanted to head out immediately, despite being tired, the horse was exhausted. They decided to sleep five hours before leaving in the early morning. They probably wouldn''t be fighting on horseback anyway, so the horse could rest then. It was easy enough to find a home where they were welcome to stay the night- the inhabitants were very appreciative that they were going to help fight the Haverdash.

    They woke several minutes early when a thunderous crash that was like lightning and something very heavy like an avalanche resounded off the White Ridge. Andal and Jeva jumped up from their sleep and were able to immediately run outside to see what had happened.

    They saw a plume of steam rising up from the ridge, but where it was coming from was obscured. They asked around, but everyone else knew just as much as them. Returning to the house,  they  ate a quick meal of dried biscuits. Then they gathered up their stuff to get going. They apologetically woke the horse, then started their ride out of town.

    They''d only traveled a couple blocks when they got distracted with someone who had ridden into town from the east side. He was attracting a crowd by giving news, and Jeva had overheard enough words for her to have Andal stop the horse.

    ""It struck the Haverdash! That''s where they were on the White Ridge, traversing toward Mavozshidog!" The man reported.

    "What was it?" One of the townsfolk asked.

    "It was like an avalanche that was charged with lightning! Perhaps an old God of the mountains was angry with them!"

    "It''s Javael!" A young lady yelled excitedly, "My cousins in Mavozshidog give a goat to Javael every year. He reigns over high places like mountains. He''s protecting them!"

    "I''m going to give a goat to him as a thank you then!" Said an older man, "I have relatives in Mavozshidog also!"

    The crowd was elated at the news, and all appreciative of Javael, but the messenger waved his arms to bring attention back to him, "That was the good news! There''s more!" When it looked like a decent number of people were listening he said, "There''s another attack force of Haverdash heading toward Velnaris. They should reach their target within two hours."

    Andal led the horse up to the messenger, "We were going to Mavozshidog to support the defenders. Based on what you''re saying, should we go to Velnaris?"

    Others wanted to keep talking to him, but he answered Andal, "That sounds right to me. I don''t see how the Haverdash attacking Mavozshidog could have survived that, and all the backup troops are there too. Velnaris is more vulnerable, but it''s your lives."

    "Thank you." Andal pulled away from the crowd and asked Jeva, "What do you think, Vilnaris?"

    "Yea, maybe two cities will be saved today! And honestly, Vilnaris is a lot nicer than Mavozshidog anyway. It''s too cold at that elevation."

    "My thoughts exactly, and we can probably beat the Haverdash to Vilnaris since it''s so much closer."

    *

    Their first impression of Vilnaris was of a ghost town.  Everyone in the outer city had been pulled inside a large ring of barricades built during Donfas''s expansion that had since been integrated into the city''s life. When they approached the west gates to the walls they opened automatically. Some children inside who had pushed open the door waved them in, then closed the door behind them.

    Andal leaned over and asked one of them, ¡°Thanks for letting us in, do you know where the person in charge is?¡±

    The children all crowded around the person he¡¯d asked and fought over who got to answer the question, though they were all saying the same thing.

    ¡°Blue building by the pond near the east wall, got it. Thanks!¡±

    He told the horse to walk again, but Jeva turned in her seat and called back to the kids, ¡°Oh, and do you know where the stables are?¡±

    They hurriedly yelled out directions, and it turned out that the stables were next to the blue building they were going to.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Jeva yelled back.

    ¡°Good thinking.¡± Andal told her.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve got a one track mind; you probably forgot I was here. All you can think about, sniffing the air like a bloodhound for some smelly wine, is how close the Haverdash are.¡±

    Andal was amused and repulsed by the weird depiction of him, ¡°I was not! I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you volunteered to deliver messages between us and them though, just hours of attempted negotiations watching you run back and forth.¡±

    ¡®Ah, courier joke. Didn¡¯t land.¡± She made an exaggerated impression of Andal sniffing the air, then asked in an extra feminine voice, ¡°What is it Andal, what do you smell?¡± Then in an even more feminine voice, ¡°I smell Haverdash wine!¡±

    ¡°Dang. I¡¯m not even going to try to answer that one.¡±

    ¡°You can still redeem yourself! Tell me, Andal, just what were you thinking about when I asked about the stable?¡±

    Andal pulled in his lips to signify that he wouldn¡¯t speak. He thought it was perfectly reasonable that he had been thinking about the Haverdash, but he couldn¡¯t let her know that, or she would have been proven right.

    ¡°Come on, Andal, say it! What were you thinking?¡±

    Andal shook his head quickly, holding back a smile.

    ¡°So I was right, wasn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Oh look!¡± Andal said, ¡°There¡¯s the blue building, and here¡¯s the pond! Looks like we need to get to business now!¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Andaaaal!¡± Jeva yelled. ¡°Answer me!¡±

    ¡°Nope, busy now, sorry!¡±

    They left the horse in the stables, then went to the blue building. They didn¡¯t have any money, but since they were joining in the defense of the city the man at the stables said not to worry about pay. Andal knocked on the door to the blue building, and seconds later it was answered by a gray-haired man fully clad in armor. He seemed confused at the sight of them, trying to reconcile the fact that they looked so young with how Andal was fully clad in armor of his own.

    ¡°Can I help you two?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re from Tubarai''s Military Academy of Magic and Magic Affiliates,¡± Andal told him. ¡°We want to help.¡± Jeva smiled and waved.

    He held out his hand welcomingly, ¡°Good to meet you. Go ahead and place yourself under the command of a captain, who should be easy to find at the barricade."

    Andal shook his hand, "We were wondering if there was any specific way you wanted to use us? We can counter the Haverdash gas, for instance. We''ve been preparing to fight the Haverdash this whole time."

    That drew his attention instantly, "You can? That does change things, come inside. We might want to include you in our discussion."

    He opened the door fully, and stepped aside for them to enter. There were two men and a woman, also armored, standing around a table with various miniatures on it.

    "Who are these two, Natal?" One of them asked.

    "They''re from the Tubarai Magic academy, they say they can counter the Haverdash gas. Since we were so worried about it, I thought it would be important to include them in the planning."

    "That''s huge for us!" Said the one with a thick beard, "How can you do that?"

    "I can take away our need to breathe for up to half an hour, so we can approach the source of it and destroy it."

    "That''s excellent," the woman said, "we can send out flank parties as a distraction as you destroy the source of the gas. They¡¯re clay like clumps, we call them gas bombs.  Any other skills we should know about?"

    Jeva answered, "We''re both good at repelling arrows, and we both fight really well."

    Natal walked up to the table, "Both important traits. Let me show you what we have going on here," he leaned over the table. "These represent the Haverdash forces, which we estimate to be between 2-3 thousand. Our trained soldiers are about a thousand, but we''ve armed over four thousand more.  Normally I would love these numbers, since we''re the defenders, but not against the Haverdash."

    Andal asked, "So what do we think their plan to break the barricade is? How do they want to get in?"

    "Ladders and battering rams,¡± the bearded one answered, "They''ve got a couple rams with roofs set on wheels, and we can see hundreds of ladders. Their strategy should be clear: use the gas to clear us off the walls and then scale them, and they can move the battering rams in through the gas and break down the doors. If you can stop the gas then we have a good chance to catch them unprepared."

    A horn blew, and the four rushed to the door, "The Haverdash are starting the attack!" Natal told Andal and Jeva, "We''re counting on you to stop the gas, we''ll support you every way we can."

    Andal and Jeva ran out with them, and they all went to the top of the barricade walls. The strong easterly wind that had been blowing the past two days was totally gone, and the Haverdash had set up the origin points for the gas in the outer city.

    The Haverdash were mostly staying back behind them, but the two battering rams were being gradually rolled forward.

    Natal told them, "We''ll get flanking troops out there to distract them, can you go right now?"

    "Yes sir!" Jeva soluted, and promptly hopped off the wall. Andal made a circle of light below her, not unlike how he would make a shield, and then hopped down himself.

    Natal was disturbed at first by Jeva jumping off the wall, but seeing it work out, ran off to get the flanking attacks going.

    Andal made another circle several feet below them that they jumped to, then from it to the ground. The gas was approaching slowly but definitely, and they needed to destroy the source before that cloud reached the wall. They ran as best they could while staying out of the Haverdash line of sight.

    They ducked behind a house just one hundred feet from the impending cloud. Andal placed a hand on Jeva''s shoulder and took a deep breath, casting the spell to let them not have to breathe.

    A thin layer of glittering golden light formed over their faces like masks. Jeva asked, "So does this make it safe to breathe, or so that we can hold our breath?"

    "It might do a little of the former as a side effect, but it''s really the latter. Try not to breathe to be safe." Andal looked around the corner of the house at the cloud, which would wash over them in a few seconds. "Here we go¡­ once it obscures us we can run freely."

    The cloud covered them. It was dark enough that they couldn''t see more than twenty feet in front of them, but the direction the gas floated in was clear enough that they knew exactly which direction to go in.

    Jeva began testing speaking without breathing in afterward, "Hello hello? I think we''re clear."

    Andal gave her a confused look, pointing at his lips then shrugging to ask why she was speaking.

    "You can talk and your breath gets replenished,¡± she explained, ¡°you just have to be careful not to inhale."

    Andal turned to run, but Jeva grabbed his shoulder, "I should run ahead, you''re a lot slower than me."

    He looked hurt, "I''m wearing mail, you''re in wool!"

    "I know, just saying."

    Then she took off. Andal put his hands on his hips, forced to admit that there was no way he could match her pace for any amount of time when wearing armor. There had been three locations where the gas was coming from though, so if he went to the far left one he could at least do one of them.

    As Andal veered left he heard the sound of ringing metal and shouting. The flanking attacks must have started.

    Andal crossed through an alley to get to the next big street, but then stopped when he saw one of the battering rams being pushed along. He crouched down and counted the pairs of legs hidden below the penthouse. He counted eight pairs, then looked around to make sure there wasn''t anyone behind them, and there wasn''t. The strategy seemed to assume that only Haverdash could enter the gas, and the penthouse protected everyone with the battering ram from arrows, so it was safe to move in right away while those who had to rely on their shields when they rushed in were waiting for an opportune moment.

    Eight should be takable, especially if he took them by surprise. Andal crept over to the ram and waited for its rear to pass him. The Haverdash were lined up with four on each side of the structure pushing.

    Andal made a large and powerful sword of light aimed down the row of Haverdash, and it shot through their necks perfectly.

    The four on the other side were startled, and Andal couldn''t help but yell, "Whoo hoo!" In response to the perfect shot. They all looked back at him in realization and fierce anger.

    They grabbed spears off of hooks above them and scrambled at him, but Andal hit the three of them that were closest  with stunning rays like those Savador had.

    They fell down, and the one who wasn''t stunned behind them tripped over them. Andal made a circle of light above them and then made four swords pointing down above it. When they tried to get up they bumped the circle, and were caught unprepared. The circle then disappeared and the swords struck their targets in critical spots.

    Andal put his hands on his hips again, but this time to look proudly on his handiwork. He chuckled a bit, then laughed loudly. ¡°Hahaha, yes! That¡¯s how to do it! Things are different now!¡± He turned and dashed toward the source of the gas, more confident than ever.

    He reached the gas bomb. It was a roundish, purple clump on the ground with a slow burning flame on one side of it. The gas was being released from the clump where the fire was burning at high pressure.

    He wanted to remain concealed in the gas, but leaning down into the pressurized spray was physically difficult. He also wasn''t sure how to destroy it. He could cut the burning part off, but then they would just light it again.

    With nothing else to do, he picked up the gas bomb and ran. Jeva would probably be coming this way, so he went straight towards another gas bomb. Just then the two others bombs burst into flame, and an explosion of gas erupted from both of them. If the Haverdash weren''t coming already, they sure were now.

    He turned to run between two houses and smacked into Jeva. She looked at the clump, "You''re carrying it?!"

    "I didn''t know how to destroy it! Here, incinerate."

    She grabbed it and left a glowing-red imprint of her hand on it, "Timed to blow, let''s get out of here!" They turned to head back towards the barricade. They heard the Haverdash approaching, they couldn''t have been more than fifty feet away.

    Jeva threw the gas bomb at them and dropped to the ground, which Andal copied.

    The gas bomb burst into flames, and gas shot in every direction at intense pressures that knocked the running Haverdash off their feet.

    "They''ll outrun us, let''s go up!" Andal told Jeva. He made a circle of light four feet off the ground which they climbed on, then from there onto the roof of a nearby building. The Haverdash couldn''t see any better than they could in the thick gas, so they were able to get up and away without being hindered. They made another circle four feet up from the roof, then another even higher once they''d climbed on that. They walked from circle to circle thirty feet above the ground back to the barricade, unhindered by those below.

    The gas, which wasn''t being sent toward the barricade anymore, was settling. It wasn''t much heavier than the air, but it was only halfway up the barricade and wasn''t going to get any higher. Andal and Jeva high-fived, having successfully stopped the gas from running over the city.

 19. General Skadis

    The Haverdash passed underneath Andal and Jeva to rush the barricade. Since the clumps that made the gas had been destroyed their initial strategy had been totally undone, and now they had to attack a wall full of defenders. Arrows were loosed from both sides, but the humans couldn''t see the Haverdash through the gas that lingered below the wall, and the Haverdash couldn''t see clearly out of it. The arrows coming out of the gas were flying wildly in silly directions, but no doubt if Andal could see from the Haverdash perspective the arrows being loosed at them would probably be landing in bizarre places.

    An arrow struck the bottom of the circle of light Andal and Jeva were standing on. They searched in the direction it came from and saw that the Haverdash were climbing on top of the buildings to get above the gas.

    Andal asked, "You can cover us, right?"

    "Yea of course," Jeva answered. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. Small lights like stars in a night sky sprinkled into existence around them, moving with them, and when an arrow came too close it was diverted by the lights to fly off in a pointless direction.

    They crossed from circle to circle until they got back to the barricade wall where those nearby cheered. One of the defenders slapped Andal on the back, "Good work kiddos! Now it''s a fair fight!"

    An arrow split through the lights and stabbed through the defender''s hand into Andal''s back, and both let out a cry of pain.

    Jeva initially freaked out, "Andal! I am so sorry, I don''t know how that got through my spell!"

    He didn''t respond, and was solely focused on continuing to breathe.

    Jeva realized then that she knew what to do. She yanked the arrow out, prompting another cry from Andal and the defender, then held Andal''s hands against the two wounds.

    A wave of warmth flowed through the defender, centralizing around his hand. In seconds his bones, ligaments, and muscle had all grown back how it had been, and all that was left was a slight, lingering pain. Andal''s wound was also healed, though the lingering pain for him was deeper.

    Jeva apologized again, "I am so sorry, I don''t know how that arrow got through!"

    Andal leaned on his hands and knees to recover mentally from what had just happened, "It''s okay, it went through my armor too. You didn''t do anything wrong."

    "But I learned that spell precisely to deflect arrows!"

    "There are always exceptions with the Haverdash, they''re all hallucinating different things. We just have to learn to deal with those exceptions," He smiled weakly, "Which we did."

    The Haverdash placed a ladder on the barricade where they were, so Jeva turned and launched a fireball down it. The Haverdash climbing it was fatally burned, and the ladder splintered.

    Andal looked around at the defenders and shouted to them, ¡°Do not let them on the walls! Keep loosing arrows, don¡¯t save them! Hack at the ladders! Watch out for the bottles they throw, that liquid will kill you or drive you mad! If someone gets splashed, get them off the wall and get someone else in their place! Use our numbers!¡± He pointed to a group on the ground level below him, ¡°You, did you get that?¡±

    ¡°Yes we did!¡± they responded.

    ¡°Could you deliver that message down the line?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± They responded, then scattered.

    Jeva broke another ladder further down the wall with another fireball, then asked Andal, "Should we get over to a gate to stop those battering rams?"

    Andal grabbed her arm and pulled himself to his feet, mentally getting over getting shot. "Good idea. I can protect us while you burn them up. Do we know where they are? How many gates are there?"

    Jeva pointed at a penthouse sticking up from the fog, which had receded to be less than nine feet high. "We know where one is."

    His head swiveled to look at it, "Well how about that. Let''s go."

    They didn''t have much room to run across the barricade with the defenders there, but where it got too crowded Andal would make a circle of light for them to step on just off the wall-walk.

    They made it to the gate just as the battering ram reached it. Andal made a circle several feet below the barricade that they jumped to, and from there onto the penthouse. Jeva''s spell was still around them deflecting arrows, and would be for some time, but as an added precaution Andal added a shell of light to be armor around both of them.

    The Haverdash responded instantly when they landed, not only loosing arrows at them, but climbing into the penthouse with swords and spears. Andal fought them with his sword and  shield, swords of light, and shields of light, keeping them back while Jeva placed glowing-red imprints of her hand on the wood.

    She stood up after placing the tenth imprint, "Ready, Andal!"

    He placed a hand on her shoulder so that he could exclude her from his next spell, and made a strong burst of wind that flung the Haverdash off and away from the penthouse. One ran through his wind unaffected, so Andal made two shields in line with its shoulders that stopped it from blocking with its sword or shield when he ran his sword through its chin.

    He made a circle of light four feet above the penthouse, but Jeva didn¡¯t want to wait for them to jump on it. ¡°We¡¯ve got two seconds!¡± She told him. She grabbed him and made a pocket of air below them that burst and flung them up onto the circle, grunting as she pulled to keep them from flying in different directions.

    Just as they landed on the circle of light the battering ram burst into flames. As they clamored back into the wall the ram broke apart and burned away, taking the several Haverdash under it who didn''t know when to quit with it.

    "One down!" Jeva proclaimed through heavy breathing.

    Andal put his hands on his hips to help catch his breath, "We''re doing well! You ready to go after number two?"

    "No? But let''s go anyway."

    They took off a little slower than they had the first time, still somewhat at loss of breath. The defenders around them seemed to be letting up, so Andal tried to motivate them, "Keep giving everything that you''ve got! Leave no opening!"Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    As they passed by a lady with a lowered spear, she told them, "There''s nobody to fight, they''re gone."

    Jeva looked over the side and stopped, then Andal came over and looked as well. The fog had decreased to where it was only a few feet above ground level, but they couldn''t see any Haverdash. He asked the people around him, "Well where did they go?"

    Someone next to them told them, "They gradually stopped trying to get on the wall, and when the fog dissipated there was nobody there!"

    Jeva quipped "They all hallucinated themselves away I guess."

    Andal was looking around with an utterly baffled expression, "Did they circle around to the other side?"

    "Nah, we would have heard the sound of them moving. Ask me where I think they are."

    Andal looked at the defender with a raised eyebrow, but humored him. "Where do you think they are?"

    "Right there." He pointed just beyond the wall. "In our houses."

    Andal stared at a nearby house and watched its windows for movement. The city grew eerily silent as the defenders looked around in confusion. Then they heard a widespread sound of scraping, and a clod of dirt was dumped outside.

    The realization spread that the Haverdash were digging under the wall, and uncertainty grew as the defenders wondered what they should do. They could head out to fight the Haverdash in the closed in spaces they were hiding themselves in, but nobody thought they would have good chances against the Haverdash without the benefit of a wall.

    The best option would be to harass the Haverdash, but going into those houses would be suicidal. A decision was reached by those in command, and the defenders accepted it sorrowfully that they should start a fire in the outer city and burn the Haverdash out of the houses.

    They started a bonfire and dropped burning logs onto the remaining bettering ram, then organized into groups that would attempt to start the fire. The Haverdash would obviously try to prevent a fire from spreading, so archers and slingers were stationed to provide supporting barrages. They moved as quickly as they could, not knowing how long before the Haverdash undercut the wall.

    Jeva felt like she would be perfect for this job, being able to create fire so easily, and Andal wanted to go to protect the group, but Natal approached them while the groups were being organized and pulled them aside, "I''m going to tell you something that you can''t tell anyone else. The Haverdash are going to get inside the walls. I have to tell you something that I want you to keep quiet. The Haverdash are going to get through those walls.¡±

    Andal was going to interrupt to promote optimism and hope, but Natal held a hand up to him and continued talking unhesitantly, ¡°There were tunnels running throughout Vilnaris from decades past, when the citizens threw out a tyrannical governor, and they were only completely filled in a few years ago. The Haverdash can empty them easily, and then they just have to widen the existing tunnels.¡±

    Jeva asked, ¡°Why bring this up to us?¡±

    ¡°Because the Haverdash moved with great unity, secretly, into our homes and started digging. It¡¯s too much of a coincidence, and it¡¯s too organized. I know not everything about the Haverdash can be explained, so here¡¯s my theory: the commander leading this attack perceived the old tunnels under Vilnaris and somehow ordered his army into the houses to redig them. I want you to ride out of the city, right past those digging Haverdash, and kill their commander. If you¡¯re willing, of course.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Jeva held back a laugh, ¡°You¡¯re bolder than Andal is!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± Andal said.

    Jeva shrugged, ¡°Never mind.¡±

    Andal asked Natal, ¡°Do we know where their commander is though?¡±

    ¡°I think we do. There are tents set up past the city line, and the smoke of a campfire has been rising from it since the battle began. If he can command his troops remotely, I would assume he¡¯s there. You should be able to ride through the streets and get out of the city, the Haverdash don¡¯t have horses of their own. If you¡¯re being chased, veer away from the tents and do not engage.¡±

    Andal nodded, ¡°We¡¯ll go get the horse ready right now.¡±

    ¡°I told them to get your horse ready before I came to talk to you, everything should be ready.¡±

    Jeva shook her head, ¡°Unless Andal has told you that horse''s name, which he hasn¡¯t told me, that horse hasn¡¯t cooperated with whoever you told to get him ready.¡±

    Natal looked to Andal, ¡°Alright, what¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°Only Templars are allowed to know his name, it¡¯s a Templar horse. Sorry. We¡¯ll get him ready right now.¡±

    *

    The gates to the main road were opened, and Andal and Jeva rode out at full speed. The Haverdash took notice of them as they passed by the houses, but were far more interested in if that meant the gate was still open. In seeing that it wasn¡¯t they would return to their digging, not caring about two random people who looked like deserters. The goal was never to kill the inhabitants, but to conquer the city, so escapees were not a problem.

    They rode out of the city and closed in on the tents, identifying the largest one as where they should make a surprise attack. As they drew close they saw a table through the open flap, but the inside was mostly obscured by a gas that filled the tent. Andal shot two swords of light through to the back of the tent, slicing the fabric open, and he told Jeva hurriedly, "Blow the gas out!"

    Jeva made a gust of wind, which she could control the direction of and give range to much better than Andal could with his wind, and pushed all the gas in the tent out of the slit in the back. Around the table were three Haverdash, their hair pushed back by the wind, one of which was clearly distinguished by his clothing and gray hair.

    They didn''t slow the horse, choosing instead to duck and ride straight into the tent. The commander was focused on them immediately, but the others were caught off guard. Jeva loosed two fireballs at the two Haverdash who looked like accessories while they were still unprepared, and Andal shot two swords of light behind them so that if the Haverdash sidestepped the fireballs in a way that brought them closer to Andal and Jeva they would be hit by the swords.

    One was too confused by the sudden events, and was hit by the fireball. The other was able to dodge the fireball and was hit by the sword. The commander watched them intently, taking in the sudden attack quickly.

    The horse went around the left of the table, and Andal and Jeva jumped off as it passed out the slit in the back of the tent. Andal made another sword of light to shoot at the commander and ran with it, slashing horizontally with his physical blade.

    The commander grabbed the sword of light out of the air and parried Andal''s physical sword with it, causing him to leap back and yell in surprise. The commander held up a hand telling them to stop, and in spite of their better inclination they waited to see what the Haverdash was going to do.

    The sword of light morphed in his hand, lengthening and darkening, and taking the form of a whip with crescent shaped blades lining it. The Haverdash commander sneered, then spoke; "You''re awfully brave, for a pair so young. You should have taken your chance to escape when you fled the city, how unfortunate that you would come to me."

    Andal looked uneasily at the whip, "We didn''t flee, we''ve come to cut the head off the snake!"

    The end of the whip shook and rattler, "I will answer to ''snake''. May I know the names of my bold assassins?"

    "Jeva." she answered abruptly.

    "Andal, a Templar of Nishir!"

    Jeva looked at Andal enviously, then added, "Wizard of Nishir."

    The Haverdash showed his teeth in a bitter smile, "Ah, you have a title as well. How nice of Nishir. I am General Skadis. Unfortunately, I will be more than enough for estranged heroes for a long defeated god."

    Several other Haverdash ran into the tent, those who had been in the other, smaller tents. Skadis shouted at them, "Stop where you are! These two are mine. Join the attack on the city, victory is almost ours." He added with a flourish of his hand, "These assassins rode all this way to kill me, and I would hate for them to be overrun before they could try."

    The Haverdash were surprised, and perhaps hesitant at first, but they''d felt slighted by not being part of the attack in the first place. They rushed off to the city, trusting Skadis to win.

    Andal was relieved to see them go, but annoyed all the same, "Your arrogance just got you killed, Skadis!"

    "You should be honored;  I want to kill you myself. You''re not supposed to be here, you see, and I imagine I can earn favor this way." Skadis snapped the whip, and the tent went dark.

    Andal and Jeva stood back to back, and Andal cast a spell of light that filled the tent. Skadis had moved in front of Jeva, and had a dagger drawn in his off-hand. Andal raised a shell of light around them just in time to stop Skadis from stabbing Jeva, then she grabbed the arm that tried to run her through and made a fireball that completely incinerated it with its point-blank impact.

    The darkness filled the tent again, overpowering Andal''s light. He lit up the tent again, but this time shadows had lifted up and were shifting around to obscure their vision. The whip snuck between the standing shadows and rapped Andal across his chest, slicing him through the shell of light and mail armor as if they weren''t there.

    Andal gasped in pain, wanting to heal himself but not having access to his chest unless he took the time to take his armor off. Instead he tried to spot Skadis as quickly as he could, his eyes darting between each opening that emerged between the shifting shadows.

    Jeva shot a fireball off to his right, blowing a hole in the side of the tent. "I just missed him!"

    Andal scanned the direction Jeva had shot, and so he saw the whip as it was coming. He grabbed its end just before it sliced open his face, yanking it to pull the line taught. One of the crescent blades was in his palm, and when he pulled it buried itself in his hand. He winced at the pain, but he had the presence of mind to send two swords of light streaking in the direction the whip was leading.

    Skadis pulled back, yanking the crescent blades through and out of Andal''s knuckles. Andal fell to his knees with a wail of pain. Skadis rushed out of the shadows; he had a deep gash in his abdomen where one of the swords had hit.  He grabbed Andal by the head with his remaining arm, and the shadows flowed into Skadis and through his hand. Andal was filled with overwhelming stress, and started hyperventilating. Jeva struck Skadis with a fireball that blasted him backward, then Andal lost consciousness.

 20. Return to Donfas

    Andal woke up in a covered wagon bumping along a worn road. His armor was nowhere to be seen, but sitting a few feet away was Professor Tharow. His chest ached, but his hand even more so. With strained effort he raised his hand to where he could see it, finding a thick white scar running from his palm up through his knuckles.

    "You certainly put yourself in a harrowing position," Tharow said, "We healed your wounds as quickly as we could, but it had been hours already, so we couldn''t do anything about the scarring. How does your hand feel?"

    "It still hurts," Andal answered. He wiggled his finger, finding that he felt less range of motion around the middle of his hand.

    Tharow noticed, "Thankfully that''s not your sword hand. We could have prevented that if we''d arrived sooner, but you''re lucky we arrived at all."

    Andal propped himself up on the wagon wall, grunting from the pain in his chest. "What happened after I blacked out?"

    "Jeva finished off the general, then bandaged your injuries with pieces of the tent. That night after you left the academy we received a draft order for all students fourteen and above, and over half of the staff. I took as many with me as we had horses, and we made it to Vilnaris just as the Haverdash had collapsed the barricade walls. We were joined by forces fleeing Mavozshidog, and together we aided the defenders of Vilnaris and fought back the Haverdash." He looked out the back of the wagon, "The city would have fallen long before we got there if not for you and Jeva. You did great."

    Andal looked out the back and front, "Where''s Jeva now?"

    "She''s somewhere in the wagon train. We''re heading to the capital with some of the citizens from Vilnaris, which we''re evacuating. We''ll leave only soldiers there to defend it."

    "Wait, you said forces fleeing Mavozshidog?" Andal realized, "So it fell?"

    Tharow inhaled deeply, disturbed by the report he''d heard, "Yes it fell. A lone Haverdash broke through the walls and fractured the defenders before the rest of them came in. We''ve heard about some of these characters fighting in Donfas as well, Haverdash of extreme power." He lowered and shook his head at the thought of having to fight them.

    "They''re called Glorious Haverdash," Andal told him, "Killing them should be our first priority."

    Tharow was confused by that statement, "Who calls them that?"

    "The Haverdash do."

    He raised his eyebrows, "Ah, interesting. Killing them would be excellent, but that is not where we''re going next. We''ve been drafted, you know. We have orders."

    Andal noticed a bag with bars in it that were a mixture of fruits and nuts and pulled a few out to be his breakfast. "So what are our orders?"

    "You, Jeva, and myself are going to Donfas." Andal looked up in surprise, and Tharow continued, "You and Jeva have been nominated to represent Tubarai in a special team. Every kingdom on the continent is to take part, if they have someone worth nominating. This team will lead Donfas soldiers and, for the first time, capture Haverdash cities."

    Andal gawked with half-chewed food in his mouth, making Tharow frown. ¡°Everyone is going to work together? And they¡¯re going to send their best fighters to Donfas instead of letting it fall?¡±

    ¡°The situation is dire enough that we cannot let Donfas fall, old grudges must be pushed aside. Donfas is a buffer between the Haverdash and several other kingdoms, and we can¡¯t let it fall into chaos. We need to set off quickly. There¡¯s an armed guard that will be traveling with us already being put together if everything is going as it should be.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we be a lot slower like that?¡± Andal asked.

    ¡°Slower, and safer! We either take a massive detour or pass through Haverdash controlled territory. An armed guard is necessary.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d stick out more.¡±

    ¡°Are you suggesting the three of us head off on our own, into enemy territory?¡±

    Andal made an apologetic smile, ¡°Actually, we¡¯d be a lot more maneuverable with just the two of us. I was thinking Jeva and I could get there a lot faster on our own.¡±

    Tharow raised his voice, ¡°Absolutely not! You¡¯ve been given too long of a leash as it is, we¡¯re under orders now and they will not be disregarded!¡±

    Andal lowered his eyes, ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Jeva appeared at the back of the wagon and climbed in, ¡°I heard someone making reckless suggestions and figured Andal was awake!¡±

    Andal was immediately cheery, ¡°Good morning, Jeva!¡±

    ¡°Good morning! How do you feel?¡± She pointed at his hand as she asked.

    He stretched his fingers as much as he could to show the reduced range of motion, ¡°It still hurts some, but it¡¯s mostly good. Thanks for bandaging it.¡±

    ¡°Of course! So what was the totally ridiculous suggestion?¡±

    ¡°I wanted for us to go to Donfas on our own, without the armed guard slowing us down.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think I can help with that!¡± She turned to Tharow and tried sounding more formal, ¡°Professor Tharow, there is a spell I have some familiarity with that causes our image to distort over a distance, making us invisible at what¡¯s supposed to be 200 feet away or further. Should I successfully learn this spell, would that mean we could travel on our own?¡±

    He was bothered by the nature of the question, but he had to think about it. ¡°I¡¯m not the decision maker in this matter anyway, you¡¯ll have to ask someone in an actual military office once we get to the capital.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that to mean I should start working on it!¡± She high fived Andal and hopped back out of the wagon.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    *

    Moxey walked into the earl''s bedroom and yanked off his gloves, flinging them into the bath with a splat.

    Lars was sitting on the bed, looking at a large map. "What was that gunk on your gloves?"

    "Spit. I was doing some crude investigating in the strange world. What do you have there?"

    "It''s a map of Tubarai, very detailed. It was hanging on the wall when I came in."

    Moxey sat next to him and looked at the map. "This is excellent. We can definitely make use of this. You see here?"

    "Yes, that''s where we are. I figured that out right away."

    "Very good, and you see Velnaris? That''s one of the cities the coordinated attacks were against. That fool Skadis led that one."

    "I thought you liked Skadis, ''ignorant but strong'' you said."

    "Words I regret. He failed to take Vilnaris, hopefully he''s dead. I was thinking you could fix that."

    "You want me to lead the troops again so soon? A lot of them are still healing."

    "No troops, we don''t have the numbers to spare here anyway. We don''t need to take Vilnaris, it''s an embarrassment, and should be destroyed. You can handle that, right?"

    "Will do. Here," Lars handed Moxey the map and got up to go.

    *

    Jeva had learned the spell by the time they reached the capital, and the captain who was going to guide them was actually very encouraging. He was concerned first and foremost with being spotted, having slimmed down the size of the armed guard for that reason. Andal was excited to learn they were going to Rathifan, the capital of Donfas. He may have been part of bigger things now, but it was one of his desires as a kid to see Rathifan, and the king¡¯s palace.

    It was an eight day journey, but thankfully central Donfas was mostly grassy plains. That meant it was both easier on the horse to carry them, and he could be fed by grazing.

    The food they were given was a step up from what Jeva''s mother had given them. This time they worried more that they might gorge themselves the first few days than they were

    about having to eat something less desirable in them.

    They were immediately happier when they descended into Donfas. It wasn''t that they preferred it to Tubarai, but the weather up where Mamma was stayed chilly even in summer. It was early fall, so this had been perfect timing for them to avoid winter in a high elevation.

    However, over time they noticed something strange about Donfas. It was the feeling of being watched, but normally that feeling comes from behind you. This feeling could have come from anywhere, even right in front of them.

    They relied on Jeva''s spell to reassure them that nobody could see them, not unless they were close enough to be easily noticed at least, but the feeling was strong enough that they were worried. They elected to cut some sleeping hours and stagger their rest so that one person could always be awake.

    Their dreams since entering Donfas had been growing more and more foul, and when they were two days away from Rathifan that peaked for Andal.

    He was laying in a thick bed of grass, and the sun was the warmest that he could ever remember it being. He was unsure where he was, and Jeva was nowhere to be seen, but he was so comfortable that he decided to stay where he was and shut his eyes as he appreciated the warm sun.

    At first he thought he would doze off, but then a cold wind started blowing over him. He assumed it would pass, and tried to focus on the heat of the sun. Instead the wind grew colder, and the sun felt more distant.

    He opened his eyes and saw that the sun was noticeably darker. He curled up and tried to nestle into the grass, losing hope that the cold would pass away. He watched as the sun turned from yellow to an ugly gray in minutes, and emitted cold rather than warmth. The wind grew fierce enough to tear the grass from the earth around him, exposing him even more.

    He looked for shelter frantically, noticing a jungle that started suddenly less than three hundred feet away. He got up and ran for it, hiding his hands in his armpits and shivering the whole way.

    The jungle wasn''t actually that warm from his usual perspective, but it was instant relief. It wasn''t any warmer than the air outside except that it blocked that freezing, violent wind. He kept his arms folded and walked deeper into the jungle, hoping there would be more warmth trapped within.

    After several minutes of trudging through sharp bramble and thick foliage, Andal heard the distinct sound of music. Somewhere nearby a harp and drum were being played, and there was the faint sound of laughter. He followed the music and made it to where there was only a bush between him and whatever was going on, feeling the earth beneath his feet change into  mossy stone.

    He knelt down and peered through the leaves, seeing a dozen or so people dancing around a bonfire. A few people would rest at a time and periodically switch with those who grew tired. They were beautiful, not only the women, but oddly enough the men. They all wore thin, brightly colored garments of silk that flowed behind them as they danced, and flared out when they spun.

    It was warmer here, and their laughing and dancing were comfortable, so he kept watching from behind the bush. There were several statues just outside the circle they were dancing in. Some were of men, some of animals, and some were a mixture of the two. They had an ominous presence, but it was so offset by the cheerfulness of the dancers that Andal didn''t mind.

    Then the face of a young lady popped up in front of the hole he was peering through. Andal fell back, feeling surprised and guilty that he''d been caught staring. She stepped around the bush and offered him her hand to help him up, which Andal took.

    She pulled him up and then brought him into the glade, jumping into the circle with him and starting to dance. He felt uneasy, but they were so friendly and welcoming that he didn''t have the heart to say no.

    As he danced, spinning and leaping around the fire, he noticed something like water, but not quite, dripping from the eyes of the statues. The laughing and excitement increased as they danced, and so they went faster and faster. The faster they danced, the faster the liquid dripped.

    They began to sing, but if they were words being sung Andal couldn''t tell. It was repetitive and simple, so Andal joined in quickly. They sang ceaselessly, and dang quicker as they danced quicker, leaving Andal struggling to breathe.

    They began to sling mud at the statues, seemingly as part of the dance, and Andal joined in so as to not stand out as the only person not participating. Those who had been sitting out to rest ran off and gathered sticks to add to the fire. They took some of the sticks and just lit their ends, handing them out to the dancers as torches. The fire streamed behind them light shooting stars, and as the size and smoke of the fire increased Andal could only see each person as a dancing blur.

    Then a man and a woman took Andal aside and presented a goat to him, telling him to throw it in the fire. He took the goat, but before he tossed it in there was something like a flash of lightning with no successive thunder. It was only for the briefest fraction of a second, but in that time Andal thought he saw a boy his age in his arms instead of a goat.

    He was confused, but he could see clearly that it was a goat in his arms, so he threw it in. The dancers around him jumped and sang with more energy and joy then ever, then he awoke.

    *

    Lars walked through a rabble of humans being put to work tearing down old buildings which were in the way of Haverdash changes, over to where Moxey was supervising from. The humans were prone to spasms, twitching, sensitive stomachs, and attacks of anxiety, but they could still be productive if made to be. The trace particles of Haverdash hallucinogens in the air were probably the cause of their degradation, but it shouldn''t be fatal.

    When Lars drew near, Moxey asked, "All finished?"

    "All finished. That''s easily the biggest project I''ve ever undertaken in my life."

    "You did it well, the dust and smoke from Vilnaris can probably be seen to the edges of Tubarai, and if not the wind will carry it there. I think we can say the shame from our defeat has been dealt with."

    Lars grabbed a chunk of rubble and set it next to Moxey to sit on. "So what''s next?"

    Moxey took a moment before answering, "I''m not sure."

    "You''re not sure? You''ve had five days to pour over that map and plan things out, I thought you were waiting on me to get back!"

    "I have planned things out, lots of different things. The more we expand and the more kingdoms we involve in the war the more needs doing; I''m being paralyzed by choice." He looked down at Lars, "How would you like to choose for me? I''ll give you some options and you can take on whatever job you''d like."

    "Am I choosing where you go as well?"

    Moxey smiled, "No, but your decision will inform my decision. I''ll give you three choices, few enough that you don''t get paralyzed by choice as well. You recall how Skadis was uninformed about changes in the past two years since he came from the rivers region, southeast of Donfas? It seems being so separated from the rest of us has caused more problems in the Haverdash there, some of them have even started to think differently than us. This problem shouldn''t continue any further, as we''ve been able to establish quick contact to that region via the strange world, but the problems that arose before we improved communication need dealt with. There''s a governor named Halacs. He, his court, and anyone under him who shows loyalty to him needs killed."

    Lars propped his feet up on something only he could see, "That one''s interesting. I''ll probably pick it, but keep going anyway."

    "We''ve learned from some prisoners that a team is being assembled to lead an attack against some of the cities we''ve taken and capture them back. You could meet them at their first target and stop this retaliation early."

    "That one''s not bad, but I don''t think I''d get as much of a kick out of it as other people who could do it."

    "That''s probably true. And lastly you could lead the attack against Yirdah. It should be easy enough as we''ve already cut them off from the rest of Tubarai with these attacks. If you don''t do that one, Ghaulos is still nearby."

    "Then I pick the first option, where exactly am I going?"

    "Just go to Hathor and get directions through the strange world at the palace. I don''t actually have the directions memorized." He thought over how Lars''s choice impacted his, "So Ghaulos to Yirdah. We''ll have to leave that retaliatory attack unanswered for now. Not a big deal, it may fail regardless."

 21. The Witch

    Andal and Jeva were almost out of Haverdash territory. A Donfas controlled city was visible on the horizon, though they planned on bypassing it to get to Rathifan by tomorrow night. Andal had told Jeva all about his dream, and he was still disturbed by it. Jeva had a nightmare as well, but hers was more typical, one that she''d had before.

    They were passing by a town that had been burned down in a Haverdash raid, just hoping that some of the inhabitants had escaped. There was some kind of mound on the side of the road in front of them, which they looked at curiously while passing. It was a boy about their age, but he was burned terribly.

    Jeva lamented, "He must have been running from the town and collapsed here."

    Andal pulled the horse to a stop with a look of dread on his face. He jumped off and knelt by the boy, lifting his head.

    Jeva watched curiously, "Andal?"

    "I know this face¡­"

    "Oh, I''m sorry.¡± She slid off the horse, ¡° What was his name?"

    "No, I didn''t know him, I know his face! He was in my dream, Jeva! That boy I saw when the lightning flashed, the goat! This is him! I threw him in a fire!"

    She knelt and hugged him, ¡°No, Andal, you didn''t do this! It was a dream, someone else did this and affected your mind, the Haverdash did."

    Andal looked up and down the body, ¡°He died recently, you can tell. Probably last night¡­¡±

    ""Andal, someone else is behind this. Don''t blame yourself. We can ask someone about this at Rathifan, you¡¯re probably not the first person this has happened to.¡±

    That point struck home to Andal. He may have done something awful, but there could also be a recurring problem here that needed solving. "You''re right, let''s get going." He wiped some tears away from his eyes and sniffled, "Once we get to Rathifan we can talk to the authorities about this."

    They continued on their way. Andal was clearly still focused on the body they''d found, but Jeva didn''t push him on it. They passed the Donfas city they had seen on the horizon late that morning, and that night they had decent dreams. Around noon the next day it became clear that a speck on the distance was Rathifan. There was still excitement, but it was dimmed by the depressed mood.

    When they drew near enough to see the spires and palaces in the inner city, their wonder overcame their mood. Like any city there were more poor people in shod houses than anything else, but the richer areas were rich indeed. They had never seen so much color in one place before, fabrics and tapestries hung from windows and around door, clothes were brightly colored, and even the cobbled streets were effectively shining white with cleanliness. You could easily forget there was a war going on if you¡¯d stayed in Rathifan, at least the rich part where the refugees weren¡¯t sheltering.

    The palace wasn¡¯t as tall as the twisted, colorfully striped spires that lined the walls and were dotted along the inner city, but it had acres of gardens and trees built into it that could be seen plainly from outside the palace grounds.

    Andal spotted a castle a ways off, and redirected the horse to go there. He didn¡¯t know quite who he wanted to talk to, but he figured someone high up in the military would have heard about it if dreams that caused death were a common occurrence.

    They entered the gate and were stopped by a soldier; he set down a mug and got up from a seat, telling them, ¡°Hold up!¡± He looked at both their faces, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone who would know about the Haverdash affecting people¡¯s dreams?¡±

    The soldier¡¯s face completely changed in annoyance, ¡°No, I asked you a different question!¡±

    Andal was embarrassed, normally being quite compliant, ¡°Oh! Sorry, I-¡±

    Jeva answered for him, ¡°We¡¯re nominees from Tubarai for the team that has people from a bunch of kingdoms.¡±

    His face completely changed again, ¡°Ah, I can show you where to go. You¡¯ve almost come to the right place, they¡¯ll be gathering in the mess hall. They¡¯ll know if you¡¯re the right guys or not, but just so that I¡¯m not bringing anybody in there and making an idiot of myself, do some magic.¡±

    Andal made a sword and shield, and Jeva shot a fireball straight up.

    ¡°Good enough for me, come on.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Andal stopped him, ¡°I was wondering about the Haverdash affecting people¡¯s dreams?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a weird question,¡± he answered dismissively, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing, why would you be wondering that?¡±

    ¡°Because,¡± He hesitated, ¡°I had this nightmare, and it led to me killing an innocent boy.¡±

    The soldier didn¡¯t react, but Jeva jumped in, ¡°That¡¯s not right, let me explain! He¡¯s telling it wrong because he feels guilty!¡±

    He waved his hand flippantly and looked away, ¡°I don¡¯t even care. Come on, I''ll show you the mess hall.¡±

    Andal was shocked, ¡°What do you mean? I killed someone!¡±

    ¡°Whoop de doo. You¡¯re not special.¡±

    Andal almost fell off the horse.

    The guard grabbed his mug to take with him as they walked, ¡°Look, not you, not anybody else in your squad was chosen for being nice. Maybe you''re nice, maybe some of them are, I don¡¯t know, doesn¡¯t matter. You were all chosen because you are really good at killing Haverdash. You ought to see who Donfas nominated, one of them is a witch. There¡¯s a bloody witch in there right now, an actual witch! Speaking of, she might know something about dreams. Let me show you there already, then you can ask her.¡±

    Andal mumbled, ¡°But, it was wrong¡­¡± unable to reconcile what he thought of what he did with how the soldier was reacting.

    ¡°You know what¡¯s wrong? Everything the Haverdash do. As long as you kill them, people don¡¯t care. You know what you¡¯re like? You¡¯re a piece of grass in a forest, and you¡¯re apologizing because of how much sunlight you¡¯re using up. If you weren¡¯t a talking blade of grass nobody would have noticed you. So, don¡¯t waste everyone¡¯s time wallowing in guilt, and don¡¯t start judging the other people in the squad because of what they¡¯ve done. They aren¡¯t the trees, the Haverdash are the trees.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    They were unable to respond. The soldier lead them to the mess hall and opened the door for them, "We''re still waiting for most of you to arrive; I was told things should get underway tomorrow." He looked inside as Andal and Jeva entered, "I''d love to show you which food is the best too, but I''ve got to get back to the gate. Good luck to you two."

    "Thank you!" Jeva told him, then he shut the door behind them.

    There were rows of tables set up, and half of them were occupied by officers of various sorts who had to be involved in and informed about the developments of this new strategy. Two individuals were obviously distinct from the officers, and were sitting with officers nearby on one side of them and empty seats on the other. They were both well armored, decorated with foreign insignias. Several empty seats down there was a lady in a black dress.

    A man in a sharp uniform came up to them, "Excuse me, can I get your names?"

    "I''m Andal, and this is Jeva. We''re the nominees from Tubarai."

    "Excellent, you match your descriptions. Welcome to Rathifan! We are honored to have you." He bowed just low enough for his head to be below theirs, "We are waiting on three more nominees to arrive before things truly get underway, but we encourage you to get associated with those who are here so that you may work well together. Those three, "He pointed to the two in armor and the lady in black, "Are all nominees. The lady in black and one of those two are from Donfas, and the other from Tsafel."

    He turned to point at the front of the mess hall, "Dinner is being served, and will be all night as people arrive. Feel free to have as much as you''d like, you are our honored guests; the mess hall doesn''t normally see food of this quality. I haven''t been informed where your sleeping quarters will be, but I know who is in charge of your arrangements, and he assured me that he would be here within the hour."

    He clasped his hands together, "Do you have any questions for me?"

    Andal pointed at the lady in the black dress with a nod, "Is that the witch?"

    He looked over at her silently, "I don''t actually know, but I made the same assumption. I know the idea of working with a witch is difficult, as she has certainly done difficult things, but please open your mind to it. She has unique knowledge about the Haverdash, and can understand them in ways most of us can''t. You know how they were once human, but have since changed to be something else? Witches are the same."

    Andal and Jeva shared a look of surprise, then Andal told him, "I don''t think we have any more questions. Thank you."

    "Of course. I will be responding to various needs for you and anyone else who arrives, if you need anything don''t be afraid to flag me down."

    The gentleman turned and left, and Jeva started walking forward tentatively, "I guess we have to talk to that witch, huh?"

    Andal took a deep breath, "Yea, if she knows anything about my dream, and if she knows that much about the Haverdash, it''s a conversation we have to have. I''ve talked to a Haverdash before, and he wasn''t bad at all. Maybe this will be like that."

    "Exactly! She''s going to be a misunderstood, bubbly old lady!"

    "That sounds like setting ourselves up for disappointment, but okay."

    They passed through the filled rows and came to the one with the other nominees on it, but passed by the two in armor to go sit by the lady in the black dress. They felt a number of eyes shift to them when they did, but tried to ignore them as they sat across from her.

    She was surprised as well, sitting up in her chair and looking over her new company. Andal didn''t typically judge people on appearance, but she was a level of ugly he had never seen before. Jeva, instinctively gasped, "Oh geez!" She clasped a hand over her mouth, feeling bad for that reaction.

    The lady tapped a wart on her cheek with one of her green and purple nails, "Don''t be shy, I don''t think myself pretty. You two are quite bold, aren''t you? Sitting by a witch!" Her voice grew shrill at the end, watching their reaction.

    They weren''t caught off guard at all, having been far more shocked at her appearance. "I''m Andal, and this is Jeva. We''re the nominees from Tubarai, so we''ll be working together. I''m told you might know something about dreams?"

    She raised her eyebrows, the wrinkles in her forehead shifting into different combinations of folds as they went up. "All witches should, but not like the Haverdash. You want to know about the Haverdash?"

    Andal gripped the side of the table nervously, "I- I don''t know. If I told you a dream I had, could you explain it?"

    She grinned, "I have never tried such a thing, but tell me, I want to see if I can."

    "Hold on," Jeva interrupted, "I''ll tell you it. I don''t like how Andal is going to portray himself."

    Andal protested, "I should really be the one to-"

    "Ah too late I''m already starting! So he found himself in a grassy field¡­"

    Jeva explained the whole dream accurately, from the field to the jungle to the sacrfice. The witch was deeply intrigued through most of it, but near the end she leaned back with a knowing look. Jeva continued, telling her about the body they found on the road. The witch nodded, not surprised at all. Jeva finished, and they stared at the witch curiously.

    She leaned forward to lean on the table again, "Fairies, it''s obvious. Were you being watched before this?"

    "Yea," Jeva answered excitedly, "We did feel like we were being watched!"

    "They were there, right with you, but they can be unseen. Perhaps they thought they couldn''t kill you, even in sleep, so they used you instead."

    Andal shook his head in bewilderment, "I didn''t know fairies were real."

    "Oh, they''re real. They blend in to their surroundings and hide, existing along side us. Now the Haverdash are upsetting the stability of the world, and the fairies are being driven out of hiding."

    Andal suddenly sat straight in realization, "So they''re fighting the Haverdash, and I just got caught in the crossfire?"

    The witch lowered a hand to gesture for him to sit back down in his seat, "No, they aren''t fighting the Haverdash."

    Andal slouched in disappointment, matching the witch''s gesture.

    "Fairies are like children. They see one amazing thing and they want to be like it, and be around it. They''ve chosen various objects of admiration over the years. The cathedral of Nishir was probably the first one that fell, the fairies might have started to turn them. Now they see the Haverdash, who are fierce and strong willed, brash and powerful. That''s what they admire now. They took advantage of you to help the Haverdash."

    Jeva complained, "We have to fight them too? And they can be invisible?"

    She raised a hand above her shoulder and seemed to tickle the air, "You don''t have to fight them. They''re hard to catch anyway. The Haverdash are the problem, not the fairies. They''re like children, remember. No, the fairies aren''t what you should worry about." She reached into a pocket in her dress and pulled out a thick vine two feet long. ¡°This weed is something that feeds on dead things. It doesn¡¯t use dirt, water, or anything else that isn¡¯t dead. I¡¯ve been keeping it in my pocket for the past few weeks, and it¡¯s growing at a slow, but definite rate. I haven¡¯t put anything in my pocket with it. Do you know why it¡¯s growing?¡±

    Andal grimaced, ¡°Is your dress something dead?¡±

    She made a shrill, gurgly laugh. ¡°No, silly. There¡¯s enough death in the air to make it grow.¡±

    He looked at Jeva, and she seemed lost too. ¡°Like, blood and guts carried in the wind? That¡¯s disgusting.¡±

    She sneered, ¡°Not blood and guts, death.¡± She shook the vine, ¡°It doesn¡¯t need the body, it just needs the death. It¡¯s not the only thing that likes death, there are hidden things, old things, and the stench of death is going to permeate down to them and bring them out. The Haverdash are bringing out things they don¡¯t know, and those things will fight the Haverdash, but if that is a comfort to you then you don¡¯t understand the position that we are in.¡±

    Jeva rubbed her hands between her thighs, feeling strangely cold suddenly. Andal folded his arms and asked, "So about the boy, the fairies may have caused my dream, but who killed him? Was it them or me?"

    She grabbed something on her shoulder gingerly, lowering it down to the table. "Teamwork. They established a connection between you and him, and provided the means of death. They needed you to actually apply it, which they got you to do through illusion. If you''re wondering if you''re a murderer, no, but you''re responsible in some way." She made a wheezing chuckle, "Not like that matters to me or anyone else here. We''re good at killing Haverdash, we do whatever we want."

    The two nominees who had been sitting several seats away got up and walked over. The lady spoke first, "Pardon our manners, but we''ve been listening in. I''m Nalia, from Tsafel."

    "And I''m Rumberal, Donfas. Mind if we join in your conversation? We have a lot of questions too."

    "I''m Andal, this is Jeva. Nice to meet you."

    The witch held out her hand to be kissed, "Duchess Grendala."

    Nobody took her hand, but Andal asked, "You''re a duchess?"

    Rumberal told him, "No, she isn''t."

    "Not officially," she answered cheekily, "But I am the king''s cousin."

    Rumberal clarified, "She''s estranged."

    She sneered at him, "You''re starting off all wrong if you want to ask me questions, Rumberal."

    "Defender Rumberal." He corrected her.

    Before their angry glares could escalate, Jeva asked Grendala, "I have a question, it looked like you took something off your shoulder and placed it on the table? Is there something there we can''t see?"

    Grendala looked at the table and started speaking, "Tifiliti Nifu Esilet-"

    Everyone stood up and stepped back. Nalia¡¯s hand went to her sword, ¡°What¡¯s she doing?¡±

    ¡°-Hetil Fisivi, show yourself.¡±

    A little man six inches tall appeared on the table. He had cotton shorts and a shirt with nothing over the upper back where dragon-fly wings came out. He said in a high pitched voice, ¡°I¡¯m Tifiliti Nifu Esilet Hetil Fisivi, if you absolutely must, you may call me Tifiliti.¡±

 22. Hathor

    The mountain shook and shivered under Lars as the mustard plants raged against the lavender in battle. This time it was the mustard that rushed over him to attack, but he just kept walking and pushed through. They weren''t even aware of his presence, and he would like to not be aware of theirs.  A shockwave came over the mountain, and the scent of milk hit him like a pillow to the face. It passed just as quickly as it had come, leaving the mustard and lavender reeling as the scent had overpowered them.

    Lars took that opportunity to run out of their battleground unhindered. He had wandered from the markers the Haverdash had placed that made the road. He knew what direction Hathor was in, and thought he could get there faster than by following the markers. Only after he diverted did he realize they protected him from the Edezar¡¯s ever shifting-nature. It was dream-like in many respects, and hallucinating in it was dangerous. He had only taken a small amount of wine this morning, just to keep things under control from his side.

    The location he was in now was particularly strange, but didn¡¯t seem dangerous. He¡¯d figured out his general location and was heading towards his target exit from a different direction than he¡¯d meant to, which just showed how quickly this world can go from sane to insane.

    He spotted the Meadanim he was looking for and beelined towards it, but suddenly felt stretched. He dove to the right, escaping the stretching area. The expanding space shifted and converged over the Meadanim, then contracted to shrink the Meadanim down to a centimeter in diameter.

    There was nothing he could do but wait for space to contract over it. Everything was living in the Edezar, even space. It wasn''t malicious, and didn''t seem to have any awareness of its contents, but it could easily kill those who aren''t wary of it.

    The Meadanim, which was how the creatures that appeared as houses in the other world often disguised themselves here, might live long enough for him to run through before the door closes after space expands to normal levels there. Otherwise he''d have to find another one nearby. There should be multiple, as he was in the area in the Edezar that correlated to Hathor in the other.

    Space expanded again, and Lars rushed into the Meadanim. He didn''t have time to find an opening, so he burst through the wall. He''d only had a tiny portion of wine that day, as hallucinations can easily get out of control in the Edezar, but it was enough for him to see the wall crumble in front of him. The furniture in the house was splintered, and the eye that once topped a candle was smeared over a crumbing desk. The wall boards sagged and heaved as the creature breathed its last breaths. Lars made it out the door before the creature totally died, running out into a cul de sac in Hathor.

    A Haverdash saw the way he had run out and checked on the house, yelling complaints at Lars when he saw that it had reverted to a normal house after its death. Lars went off to find a main road so that he''d know exactly where he was in relation to the palace.

    Hathor had changed completely in the last two years, and this was Lars''s first time back. Covering the road and hanging several feet in the air was hallucinogenic gas, richer than what you could find outside of Hathor. It was designed with roots recently gathered from the Edezar to be weaker by default, so that work in Hathor would not be inhibited, but to behave reactively with wine so that the intense feelings wine brings and those that the air brings would be compounded upon each other, allowing for greater intensity of feeling overall, and so for higher quality worship.

    Far above him towers of stone and iron had been built, greater than that which Hathor had before. They had channels built into them where vines were being grown from above and below that the gas would cling to and ascend to coat the side of the towers. There was no desire to see the sky, or have a view from tower windows. Windows were an opening that gas could infiltrate, that overwhelming feelings may be always available to those who can endure them.

    The buildings were large and arcing, with awnings on most of them to create more shadows. They didn''t hate light, but they did dislike uniformity. Total darkness was useful in many places for many rituals, such as underground, but outside of those neither total darkness nor total light were desirable. Darkness was good, as the mind was free to suggest things, and shadows were better. They could shift and writhe and the mind could mix the freedom it has to suggest things in dark corners with what is seen in the light.

    Lars went around a trail of blood that led to a puddle in the street. There was more than typical, but blood in random places was to be expected. It correlated with the self harm they undertook to increase the intensity of sensations during a high.

    He looked over to where the cathedral of Nishir once stood, curious about what they''d replaced it with. He saw a black pyramid with five points, a central point, and four that came from slightly smaller pyramids that were part of the structure but offset to where their points were halfway between the center and the four corners. Plants grew up various channels carved into it, and there was a separate array of channels that splayed from each point that shone reflectively.

    A name change was up and coming as well. The most common suggestion for a new name was Trots, after the Glorious Haverdash who captured the city. That was inevitable, it would be the last step in changing the city into a Haverdash image.

    A Haverdash mid-high became visible in the fog. He was walking on the tips of his toes with his arms outstretched, head shaking and wide eyes performing rapid eye movement as if asleep. It was dangerous to have Haverdash freely enter into highs in any space for sure, and accidents did happen, but the atmosphere of a location did a lot to keep things under control. Hathor was a Haverdash city now, valuable to them, even holy. The likelihood that they would see its destruction vs it shining brightly in glory was next to none.

    Through the dark, blood, and insanity, he walked to the palace. He tried the door, but found it locked. It opened slightly, and a bitter looking Haverdash looked him up and down from inside. ¡°What¡¯s your business?¡±

    ¡°I need to see a map of the Edezar  to direct me to Halac¡¯s court in the Rivers region.¡±

    ¡°On whose orders?¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Nobody of rank; that¡¯s not important, it needs doing.¡±

    The Haverdash gave him an inquisitive look, then realized the answer to his question, ¡°Mad man Moxey then! Hah, no orders at all. Wait here while I see what actually needs doing, and who should do it.¡±

    Lars put his hand on the door to stop it from closing, ¡°You¡¯re not going to let me in?¡±

    The Haverdash said more forcefully, ¡°No, you think any random person can just come up to the palace, where the Council of Six is meeting, and be let inside?¡±

    ¡°Any random-?¡± Lars stopped restraining his mind from wandering, instantly seeing the world swirl around him. ¡°I¡¯m more powerful than you or anyone not glorious that you¡¯ve ever met!¡± He hit the door to make it fly open; the colors of the world multiplied and blended together. The Haverdash in front of him changed colors to match those of the wall, so Lars grabbed him and pulled on him as he stepped through the doorway. The Haverdash went through the wall and passed out the other side, then Lars forced his mind to stop wandering again.

    The Haverdash fell on his butt, dazed. Before Lars shut the door between them, he said, ¡°When you first showed up I was weak, and I understand ignoring me then, but things have changed now. You¡¯re going to have to start recognizing me.¡±

    He walked past the banisters, guessing that the war room would be on the first floor. A Haverdash in a tight uniform with an emblem of stars on it exited one door and stopped, "You''re the experimental human, Lars?"

    "I''m Lars, at least. I''m looking for a map of the Edezar so that I can get to Halac''s court. I was told there would be one in the palace."

    The Haverdash gave a knowing nod, "So Moxey wants you to eliminate him then? That works well. I''m Mienferi, second seat on the Council of Six. I''m glad we met, I''ve always wondered about you."

    Lars gave a quick bow, "I''m honored to meet a council member."

    The Haverdash Lars had left outside knocked angrily at the door, and Mienferi glanced around curiously for the doorman to answer that. She didn''t pay it any more mind though, asking Lars, "Have you not been drinking?"

    Lars picked up his bottle and shook it, showing that it was mostly empty. "Of course I have, opened this one after I got to Hathor. Why?"

    Mienferi was impressed, "You seem so comfortable. The pain, fear, anxiety, rage, and euphoria that are so abundant to most of us seem to have no discernible difference on the way you stand, as if the feelings are too weak."

    Lars stood slightly straighter just to make that extra clear, and smiled. "That it is, only rarely are the feelings exceptional to me now. Perhaps I have too much willpower for my own good. It''s not that surprising though, years ago Trots would have to bathe in wine for it to have an effect."

    Mienferi laughed, "Comparing yourself to Trots? That is bold." She seemed to take a moment to think about the comparison, "Anyway, I must meet with the others. Business can be so frustrating, because we have to limit our intake so much to be able to have these conversations." She pointed across the room to another door, "That''s where our map of the Edezar is drawn out. Enjoy your mission; they deserve what''s coming to them.  Goodbye for now."

    Lars thanked her as she went to the second floor, and then went to where she''d pointed. The room was mostly dark, but it was illuminated by glowing markers placed on the floor, walls, and ceiling like stars  that made it look like a planetarium.

    There were molds of different shapes, like mountains and forests, attached at different points between the stars. There was a table in the center of the room, but it was otherwise empty aside from the two Haverdash leaning over it with stacks of paper.  They had a pile of glowing markers and were consulting the papers to see where to place them in the room, sometimes labeling an area that needed a mold.

    Lars leaned on the table, "If I may interrupt, I need directions to Halac''s court."

    One gave the other a glance, as if to tell him to handle the visitor. With a huff, the other one complied, "I suppose you are interrupting either way. Halac has been written off though, he''s diverting from the proper faith and has to be killed."

    "I know this, I''m the one who''s going to kill him, and everyone loyal to him."

    The Haverdash put down his papers, "That changes things then, do you know the first rules of traveling from place to place in the Edezar?"

    "Keep your intake light, hallucinations can be impossible to control if you drink normally."

    "That is a good rule, but also, don''t stray from the path. Follow the markers and you''ll find your way."

    "I left Mavozshidog originally following markers to get here, but they diverted from what I knew to be the direct route. Admittedly it didn''t work out splendidly for me, but explain to me, why follow the markers?"

    The Haverdash spoke sternly, "It is important that you follow the markers! You may be powerful enough to survive, but the space around you could shift and spin and send you in senseless directions, and you may never find your way out again. The markers are like Trot''s sword if you know-" his eyes wandered to Lars''s sword, "Like your sword!" They''re like your sword, which means they can''t be manipulated by dreamish things like hallucinations or the shifting of that world. They also emit an aura, protecting the area around them from dreamish things. The side effect of the aura is that they will eventually expend themselves and need replaced, but it''s the best system for now. If you follow the markers you can even increase your intake, but not quite to normal levels.

    "The markers had to follow indirect paths because there are places that we can''t make submit without a greater focus of resources than we currently can afford. You should not have wandered in a straight path, it could have been worse for you."

    "Criticism noted. Alright, I''ll keep to the path. What path do I take, and how do I know when I''ve reached Halac''s court?"

    The Haverdash pointed to a mold of a city, "This is Hathor, take the Meadanim by the east garden on the palace grounds, and head toward a red marker. Red means the path it leads you on is overall eastward. Look at the engravings on the red markers and find one that mentions Halac, then follow it. Every marker should be placed within 200 feet of each other, roughly representing one third of a mile in our world. You can recognize Meadanims from the other side?¡±

    ¡°Yes I can. Is that it?¡±

    He looked Lars up and down, ¡°That¡¯s it. Since you came here alone from Mavoshidog, I take it you don¡¯t need a guide. Don¡¯t make it quick, the heathen should be humiliated.¡±

    Lars smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll probably make it quick, I¡¯m sure new orders are ready for me as soon as I¡¯m done. The war and all.¡±

    The Haverdash didn¡¯t smile back, ¡°Their heresy directly detracts from the glory of Haverdash. This is just as if not more important than the war, do it right.¡±

    Lars gave a courteous nod, ¡°Of course,¡± and left the room. He went first to a brewery to get more wine, then to the Meadanim by the east garden. Just before he grabbed the doorknob, he sighed. He definitely had drunk too much wine since getting to Hathor to enter the Edezar immediately. He sent his mind wandering, imagining the wine in his system being purged. He saw it spew out of his mouth as steam that bleached the walls of the Meadanim, then entered.

 23. The Rivers

    Lars exited the meadanim into a cave, looking back to see that the meadanim was camouflaged into the cave wall. There was nobody around, but there were the embers of a fire, and tools that suggested this place was and will be inhabited again. The cave entrance was just thirty feet away, and the rushing of water could be plainly heard from just past it.

    He opened his new bottle of wine, making up for not being able to drink much in the strange world. He went to the cave entrance, where the spray from a rushing river coated him. The river was several feet wide, and on the other side was a wet assortment of trees, moss, and river plants like reeds. There was another river just visible a ways away, but it was slow moving and shallow.

    There was a two foot gap between the cave wall and the river, allowing for a walking space with fresh footprints in the mud. He followed them, having no other lead. As he followed the trail, with the river on his right, the left side transitioned to thick foliage, then opened up to reveal another river that then connected with the one on his right side several yards ahead. There was a metal bridge with crippling rust spanning the left river, and from somewhere across it there was the faint sound of voices.

    They grew fainter, so Lars ran to catch up to them. He spotted the heads of a few Haverdash, then made it around the foliage to meet them. They were arguing with each other, and when they saw Lars one of them pointed to him and used him as an example in whatever argument he was making.

    Lars tried speaking over them, "Excuse me! I need to get to Halac''s court, which way is it from here?"

    They stopped arguing for one to tell him, "None of us can get to Halac''s court right now, we''re cut off."

    "Cut off by what? I have orders to go to Halac''s court."

    "Your orders have been delayed. There are some creatures in the water that are preventing us from crossing most rivers. There were sixteen Haverdash placed around the meadanim you got here by, we are the last three. I want to stay, but these two think we need to leave the rivers and get reinforcements."

    "I''m your reinforcements now, we''re going to stay, and I''m going to get to Halac."

    "You seem extremely confident in yourself, can you see visions?"

    "I have time and time again." Lars said proudly.

    They looked at each other to verify that they were in agreement, "Excellent then, we''ll back you up. They''re not in this river," he pointed at the one Lars had just come across, "but we can go to one of them that we know they are in."

    The Haverdash led Lars through muddy paths to where they''d been attacked before, occasionally scraping the mud off their shoes. It wasn''t far, they''d been largely hemmed in, but Lars had time to ask about the interesting weapons they had.

    One had a spear with a rock just behind the spearhead. The rock was apparently from Edezar, and therefore living. When he stabbed something the pressure put on the rock would make it send out a pulse that attacked the mind as a defense mechanism. It only went forward, as the rock had some kind of unseen orientation.

    Another had a two-pronged rondel that hooked at the ends, then cords attached to the hooks continued out with more hooks attached. It was a particularly brutal tool better at hurting than killing. It was simply a tool Haverdash would use on themselves in rituals, but with larger hooks. The third had a simple mace in his right hand, but over his left he wore a strange glove. If he opened his hand it revealed a kind of carnivorous plant with barbs sewed in that would automatically shut if it felt pressure where his palm was. All he had to do was touch his palm to something to trap it in the jaws of his glove.

    While the weapons seemed savage enough, the Haverdash lamented that their enemy was nigh impossible to hit. The creatures weren''t made of water, but they were able to merge and separate from the water at will.

    They came to an area with several winding streams separated by rocks, and past them there was a shallow river over 100 feet wide. The Haverdash stayed back from the water, "They''re nearly impossible to spot. Do you have a plan?"

    Lars stared out over the streams, "They''re in the water, but not made of water, right?"

    "They can become water, you have to catch them off guard to get a decent hit in. Then they can heal quickly."

    Lars took a swig of wine. "Let''s see if they''re ready for the tides to go out."

    The rivers seemed to him to be like an ocean. He saw them as one body of water, then the tide rolling out as a sudden wave. The waters from the streams flowed rapidly away and were sucked beyond the wall of foliage that had been on the far shore, leaving four watery women floundering on the dry ground.

    The Haverdash simultaneously pounced on the nearest one, striking with furious blows that they''d been dying to deliver since their numbers had first started being picked off. The woman changed into water, but after being splashed in multiple directions she had toreform into an injured form.

    The other three tried to run, though their feet were shaky. Lars locked eyes on one of them and saw her in her watery form, then saw her evaporate. The one being beaten to death shrieked before going limp, and the remaining two shrieked in response. They pulled the water back into the stream, and it started to flow again. The Haverdash hurried to get out of the water before they were caught, standing by Lars with tangible excitement.

    "That''s two! We''ve only got one since they first attacked, fantastic! What about the other two?"

    Lars walked into a stream, "Tides always come back in, but rest assured, they go back out again."

    The water flowed away again, leaving the women stranded again, and the Haverdash pounced. They finished off the other two, then looked for others. They searched the rivers on or adjacent to the path to civilization, and they found a couple more blocking their route that they quickly dealt with.

    They came to an area in the road with two wide rivers on either side, being watchful to spot a discoloration that they''d started to notice where their enemies were hiding. As Lars''s head turned from the right side to the left, a Haverdash shouted in alarm. Lars looked back quickly, but wasn''t fast enough to react to a watery form leaping out of the river on his right, grabbing his head, and carrying him into the river on his left to slam his head against the rocky bottom.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    His head was slammed repeatedly, and the watery form fumed at him with words that he could only understand because his perception of time slowed, "You poison me and my waters with your foul drink and your unsightly blood you are despicable you vermin you dirty Shatem-mon with your presence and I will cleanse it of you!"

    She slammed Lars''s head against the rocks again, but he saw the impact with a shockwave that blew the water out of the stream and spewed the woman in every direction. The hostility from her, like a scent in the air, lingered. As the water rained back into place, the hostility fell with it, and Lars perceived a curse that she''d made as a dying thought, "Death and ghosts they cause in Shatem-mon, return and deliver to them their just rewards, cleanse the rivers and streams from the poison-walkers."

    Lars pushed himself up and found his footing, but struggled to walk in the moving water. He stepped on top of it, and perceived it as a stable surface. He stumbled across the surface of the water back to the path, then sat down to rest. He found it to be extremely restful, and so his injuries were immediately healed.

    The Haverdash were amazed by this, and one asked him, "Who are you? No ordinary Haverdash, visions or not, does the things that you do."

    Lars rubbed the side of his head, where blood had filled his hair. "I''m Lars: remember that name. There''s the glorious, then there''s Lars." He stood, "Do any of you know what Shatem-mon is?"

    ¡°The Rivers is Shatem-mon, it¡¯s what the natives call it.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± he stood, ¡°It seems the water creatures are lashing out because they¡¯ve been poisoned. Wine in the water, I¡¯d guess.¡± He scanned the other banks of the rivers. ¡°We should get to an area where we¡¯re less surrounded by water.¡±

    ¡°What for? You can handle any number of them by my reckoning!¡±

    ¡°I want to be ready for what I don¡¯t understand. She mentioned ghosts. Come.¡± He waved for them to follow him with his pointer finger.

    They did follow, but at least one was skeptical, ¡°Ghosts? Nobody has ever been killed by ghosts, tales for children among those who cannot bear fear.¡±

    Lars gave him a snide look, ¡°How many people have been killed by women made of water? Just assume anything can happen.¡± A thought occurred to him, and he turned around to face them as he walked backward. ¡°Would you say there is an objective reality?¡±

    The one with the spear answered, ¡°Well of course there is!¡±

    The one with the latch claw needed clarification, ¡°What¡¯s ¡®objective reality¡¯?¡±

    He leaned his spear against his shoulder, ¡°It means that there is only one reality, and it doesn¡¯t matter what you say or think, that¡¯s the only thing that¡¯s real!¡±

    The one with the claw grew furious, ¡°Then are you saying your hallucinations are better than anyone else¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing that at all, they¡¯re hallucinations. They aren¡¯t real for me or anyone else.¡±

    The one with the torture device had been silent, but he suddenly yelled, ¡°You heathen dog!¡±

    They would have attacked the other Haverdash, but Lars took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He imagined his surroundings as peaceful, and his hallucinations changed to fit. The Haverdash were suddenly calm. Lars asked, ¡°Now is a good time to ask, do all of you know the way to Halac¡¯s court?¡±

    ¡°Just I do,¡± The one with the spear answered, ¡°I was sent from there, but these two have been here since before Halac was given control of the region.¡±

    Lars turned back around to walk forward. They couldn¡¯t kill the one with the spear until they reached Halac then, but he was one of the people Lars was supposed to kill.

    Having turned forward again, he expected it to look the same as before he''d turned around. There was a new dimness though, not like the darkness of shadows but like the thickness of a fog, though there was no fog or even a spray from the rivers hanging in the air.

    The Haverdash with the latch glove asked, "Does anyone else see that? Or is that one of my hallucinations? Everything is dimmer."

    The one with the spear said, "I think we all see it, and the sun is still high in the sky, unless that''s a hallucination of mine."

    Lars drew his sword, "No, I see it that way too. Be ready, I have a feeling we''re about to meet the ghosts."

    They watched the rivers and opposite banks, and each of them took a fresh drink of wine to make their hallucinations strong. Lars was ready for shadowy figures to appear at any moment, and whether by them revealing themselves or by him hallucinating them, he spotted them. Silhouettes of short humans were running from the opposite banks over the rivers, each holding multiple short spears or clubs.

    The Haverdash with the torture weapon exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s the natives! They¡¯re back!¡±

    Lars shook his empty bottle, ¡°That was barely any, someone give me more wine.¡±

    They all recoiled at the thought, ¡°We¡¯re all low ourselves, you just drank a good amount, make do!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more tolerant than you, I need more! Someone lend me more wine!¡± They stared defiantly back at him, so he turned to the two who didn¡¯t know the way to Halac. ¡°I don¡¯t need you anyway.¡± He swung his sword at them, seeing it slice off their heads before it was even fully raised. The Haverdash with the spear was on edge, but didn¡¯t try to stop Lars as he grabbed their bottles and drank all their remaining wine.

    ¡°Ahh, that hits the spot.¡± He spun to look at every approaching ghost as he said, ¡°And it was fog after all!¡±

    All the ghosts faded, and a fog grew out of where they¡¯d been. The rivers evaporated to become fog as well, then even the foliage, rocks beneath the rivers, the opposite banks and the path beneath them evaporated into fog as well. The rivers up to a mile evaporated, and the mixture of all that was making up the fog created a brown cloud that hung over the area like a dome. The color shifted to black suddenly, then the fog cleared. The blackness remained, but the moon and stars above became visible.

    They fell several feet down to where the new ground was, the Haverdash too in shock to catch himself. ¡°What-!¡± His head whacked against the dirt, ¡°What was that?¡±

    Lars grabbed his bottle and drank its contents as well, ¡°Ahh. I guess my aim was a bit off. It¡¯s night now.¡±

    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s the last of the wine!¡±

    Lars yanked him to his feet, ¡°Then you¡¯d better get us to civilization quickly, before our sensations fade away to emptiness.¡±

    The Haverdash ran with desperate speed. They traveled forty more minutes, with no further interruptions. They came to a town built into a rocky wall where they refilled their wine, then continued to a mountain made of one big rock.

    ¡°This is it?¡± Lars inquired.

    ¡°This is it, we¡¯re not to the main entrance yet, but Halac¡¯s court is fully contained by Halac¡¯s Rock.¡±

    ¡°What about this door then? Is this not an entrance?¡±

    The Haverdash kept walking, expecting Lars to follow, ¡°That¡¯s to Halac¡¯s private chambers, we neither have the key nor the authority to enter by there.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Lars drew his sword. ¡°That will do.¡±

    The Haverdash looked between Lars¡¯s face and sword, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to kill Halac and everyone in his court, for thinking differently than the majority. Moxey¡¯s orders. You seem to think differently yourself, so you too.¡±

    The Haverdash was enraged, ¡°You think you can just kill me and the over three thousand people in Halac¡¯s court?¡±

    ¡°Over three thousand? I¡¯d better pace myself then.¡± Lars sliced upward, through the spear and the Haverdash. The massless particles that composed him broke apart and stopped making paths, and he disappeared. They fell to the earth and merged, and a new pile of dirt formed on the ground.

    Lars sheathed his sword, ¡°One.¡±

 24. Prophet

    Lars forced the door open to enter Halac¡¯s Rock. It led to a hallway with a teardrop shape, almost entirely obscured by darkness.  The only light came in from the open door behind him. He followed where his hallucinations guided him, having become much better at understanding how the world was probably deforming. He passed by several closed doors, but didn¡¯t see any sign of life. He noticed a line of light shining from under a doorway, and threw it open.

    The room was filled with papers, potted plants, and drawings, but there was nobody inside. The light came from a glowing rock. He looked back out of the room, then back in. The door was decorated with drawings of vines, unlike all the other doors which had been blank. Lars stepped inside and shut the door behind him, looking at the unusual drawings on the wall.

    They were all of primitive and simple things: thatched roofs on mud houses, drinking from wooden bowls, and dancing around trees. Stranger still, the people in the drawings looked human. He stepped around a desk, but his eyes were drawn to a paper on the edge. He picked it up, not totally understanding what he saw on it. It looked like¡­ poetry? Not once since the Haverdash landed had he heard them recite or even mention poetry, it didn¡¯t create enough intensity of feelings for them to care. He looked between the drawings and the poetry. Perhaps this wasn¡¯t by a Haverdash at all, Halac could be integrating humans into high offices. Lars wouldn¡¯t mind that, but Moxey and Trots wouldn¡¯t stand for it; it would definitely be an offense punishable by death.

    He was going to set the paper down again when he read an interesting line with a passing glance, ¡°There Haverdash showed us new ways.¡±

    He started at the beginning, his curiosity overtaking his desire to not waste time.

    ¡°The fields were full of saffron bright,

    And moonflowers that shone at night.

    The shovel, plow, and oxen strength

    Made rows of barley proud in length

    We saw the labor of our hands

    Took utter joy in home and lands

    In woven house, in peaceful glade,

    We laughed and cried and children played.

    There Haverdash showed us new ways,

    To change a root in every phase.

    He showed us visions of things grand

    New colors, sounds, and foreign lands.

    In comas, under light of stars

    We give ourselves fresh sets of scars.

    Cries Haverdash, that''s not the way

    I showed you how to live and pray.

    His gift to us, consumed our thoughts

    We all thought we would be like Trots.¡±

    It went on, but Lars paused. The words seemed to contradict the notion that it was written by a human at first, but he had a theory. If it was written by a native of Shatem-mon, perhaps that explains the first verse. Then the Haverdash showed up and some of the natives wanted to live like them. They learned from the Haverdash, and thought they could become as great as Trots. There could even be experiments going on like those Moxey was performing in Hathor, where he wanted to find more humans that could survive Haverdash wine like Lars.

    The door opened, and Lars''s head shot up. There was a surprised Haverdash in the doorway, looking between Lars and the poem. He asked, "How far have you read?"

    Lars counted the verses, "Three sevenths of it. It''s very unusual. You''ve read it?"

    He closed the door behind him, "I wrote it, this is my room. Do keep reading, I want to hear your thoughts."

    "You wrote it?" Lars exclaimed, "I thought this was a human''s room! Why the drawings of humans on the walls? Why are the people in the poem laughing and playing?"

    He pointed at a drawing, "Them? Those are Haverdash, actually. It''s how things used to be. That''s what the poem is about as well, recalling how things used to be. Do keep reading, I will explain anything you ask."

    Lars re-read the first three verses in light of what the Haverdash said it was about, then continued.

    Within ourselves we looked thereon,

    Just for ourselves all else were pawns,

    I cannot feel what''s in your heart,

    Bring gain to mine or else depart,

    I seek a pain that drives me forth,

    A fear, and rage that give me course,

    My joy is found in deepest wine,

    For bottles drenched in blood I pine,

    Let emptiness be gone from me,

    Let hate compose a symphony.

    We never thought we''d feel like this,

    The strongest senses are such bliss.

    But pox on all emotions small,

    And patience weakest of them all.

    Know peace does not become our folk

    Let''s see a city rise in smoke.

    There Haverdash showed us new ways,

    To have unprecedented gaze,

    We saw new light, new ways to sing,

    But made sensations our new king.

    The fields were full of viney trees,

    And moss that traded pain for ease.

    Upon a stump, with cotton string

    We''d change our winters to be spring.

    We kept to mixtures that we swirled,

    We did not know a greater world.

    While once we worshiped with one voice,

    Not since that day do we rejoice.

    Lars set the paper down, "Alright, explain yourself. You call Haverdash ''he'' on multiple occasions, like one of those preachers that rise up suddenly?"

    "I do, exactly like them. I am one of them, in truth."

    Lars cocked an eyebrow, "You don''t act like them."Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    He fidgeted, "I feel drawn to, but I resist. Haverdash is real, Lars, he''s an individual, he''s our god, and that is why we are the Haverdash people. He grieves for the Haverdash as they are. They forgot him long ago, but he still reaches out to them in the form of prophets, those who suddenly begin to preach.¡±

    Leaving the topic for a second, Lars commented, ¡°I¡¯m surprised you know who I am. You must not have been in the Rivers that long, I¡¯ve never been here before.¡±

    The Haverdash came over to the desk and shuffled through some papers, then took out a stack tied together labeled "Moxey" at the top. "This is how I know you. You have your own page of notes I''ve taken relating to Moxey."

    Lars looked through it, "Why do you have all this information on Moxey? You''re investigating him?"

    "I am, but the better question is ''how?'' I don''t know what you''ve been told about the prophets, but I need to make something very clear about them for you to understand. They are contacted by Haverdash, he reaches out to them and forms a link with them, calls to them, and explains to them how the Haverdash people have gone astray. Their will is overruled by the beating will of Haverdash, who earnestly desires repentance from us, and so they immediately start preaching to others. That is why they appear so suddenly. I am different from them, for I was a powerful Haverdash who had seen what you call visions, and I resisted the will of Haverdash. I kept my own will, and I have worked slowly but surely to bring about change in the Haverdash to greater success than the other prophets. I speak directly to Haverdash, and he guides me, and he tells me what he knows. He does not see all, but he does see everyone he''s reached out to," His eyes narrowed, and he said with a hostile voice, "Like Moxey!"

    Lars chuckled, and when the Haverdash''s reacted with surprise he broke into laughter. "Really? You expect me to believe that Moxey is one of those preachers? He hates them just as much as anyone else!"

    "He is! I don''t know what''s going on in his head, if he means to deceive you or is just that convinced of what he believes, but he knows about Haverdash the same as I do! I had the strength of will to resist Haverdash''s mourning from overwhelming me, but I still recognized the truth. The objective truth, something you are being led to ignore! Moxey resisted, and also rebelled. He''s the only one that Haverdash has reached out to who didn''t repent."

    "Prove it," Lars responded, "Tell me things only Moxey should know. If you can''t then you''re nothing but a liar, and our little talk is over."

    The Haverdash looked suddenly relieved instead of stressed, "I can and I will prove it. You have thought often about climbing trees, but never have. You are given pause by examples of bravery, especially in children. This bothers Moxey, he is much more approving of your desire for greater strength. Haverdash thinks this is rooted in a desire to be a hero, which he approves of. While becoming exceedingly powerful, you have not become glorious in the slightest because you have not found the Haverdash faith clear or convincing. This shifted somewhat during the siege of Mavozshidog, where Moxey described the way to make sense of the world to you, as explained to him by Trots. Since then you have been more favorable to the Haverdash faith, not in their practices but in the ideals of it. However, your inner doubt centered in comparing yourself to the heroes in stories, and who you were before the Haverdash came along that everyone was so proud of, holds you back from fully adopting Haverdash ways."

    Lars''s smirk faded, "That wasn''t about Moxey, that was all about me."

    "I suppose it was. Haverdash has no problem reading minds, and you''re often close to Moxey, so it''s not a strange occurrence for him to read yours through that link."

    Lars pulled out the chair for the desk and sat down, "Alright, you''ve proved you''re not a liar." He picked up the poem again, "So explain more of this, how is it that the Haverdash think they worship Haverdash, but he''s been trying to reach them?"

    He started grabbing drawings off of the walls and putting them in order, "Gladly! But first, since I know your name it''s only right that you should know mine. I''m Lohant. I''m glad we met."

    Lars nodded, saying nothing.

    Lohant placed a hand on his first drawing, "These four at the beginning, and the first verse, describe the way the Haverdash lived without reference to our drug use. We were an agricultural, even druidic people, in the hills now in northern Donfas. We kept to ourselves, but we were human in every way. Then Haverdash gave us gifts, the knowledge of how to manipulate plants to a level we hadn''t known before. He showed us all manner of drug, including  hallucinogens, for the first time, with the intent that we could see more dimensions of the world and be in awe. That is where things went awry, for while the gift was good, and God was kind, we became too enthralled by it. ''We made sensations our new king'', I''m sure you''re familiar with that. The greater the sensation, be it pain or pleasure, the better to the Haverdash of this age. It began to affect us. It wouldn''t make us directly rebel against Haverdash, but it didn''t have to."

    He leaned against the wall and looked remorsefully at a drawing of a Haverdash standing behind an altar, holding an iron rod. "There is a disconnect between who people are and our perceptions of them. We make assumptions about people based upon who we are, what we have experienced, but we cannot be inside their mind or feel what they feel, so understanding people becomes a constant interpretive battle. The one way to be confident that you know who someone is, is to base your understanding of them on observation. You need to constantly correct your assumptions when you notice that something doesn''t quite line up. You can never know if you have it perfectly, but at least there is constant improvement.

    "The Haverdash began to look inward, seeking greater and greater sensations while being wholly concerned with how they feel. Observation became secondary to them, especially as they shared their visions with each other. Everyone believed their visions, as they had a sense of deep meaning and truthfulness to them, but that meaning they sensed was in actuality feelings that rose up from the same source as the visions. In order for everyone''s visions to be valid, which they were far more convinced of than what they saw with their eyes, light not causing intensity of feelings like a vision, the concept of a true reality had to break apart. They no longer cared about observation to determine who is who, but based all things on themselves. Because of this, the disconnect between who they thought Haverdash was and who he is grew instead of being kept in check.

    "Prioritizing your feelings or sensations makes you inherently selfish and prideful. You cannot feel other people''s sensations, so you increase in importance while they diminish. The Haverdash''s perspective of their god shifted to fit their wants and desires, which were so much more important to them than observation. Haverdash shifted gradually in their minds, no longer being an individual, but a representative of the Haverdash race with a semblance of personhood, that could be worshiped.

    "That is where we are now. Haverdash reaches out to them, trying to give messages that aren''t too different from what they know to make them palatable, but the faith shifts so quickly and drastically that it is only pure heresy they teach. It''s all so wrong, and it''s a lie. Everything they''ve told you or are trying to convince you of is a lie. I hope I made that clear. The Haverdash need to change, and this war needs to stop. You could help me with that, you''d be a hero if you did."

    Lars had been listening intently, and smirked at that last line. "You''re really trying to appeal to me there."

    "I am, yes, but I would also hope that the truth would be appealing."

    Lars nodded slowly, "And it does sound like the truth. It''s all very logical. You make a good case. Far be it from me though to listen to one side then turn on a dime, I''ll have to ask Moxey about everything you''ve said here, and I''ll see how he responds."

    "You can''t trust Moxey, Lars, he''s a manipulative force."

    "That remains to be seen. You backed up what you said with your knowledge about me, well he''s backed up everything he''s said. Can you explain how I''ve become so much more powerful, if Moxey was wrong? I''ve been following his instructions from the start, after all."

    "Not the start," Lohant spoke sternly, "Realize that the dissociation that we have between our perception and the reality of others applies even to our past selves. We forget details of our past, and try to understand it through the lens of the present, but you are making a crucial mistake. You were not weak, Lars. You were actually much closer to who you want to be. You''ve grown in power, yes, and I can''t explain that. I think Haverdash knows how we gain power, but he hasn''t told me. You may even say that you''ve grown in willpower, but despite that you have not grown in courage, which was above all your most wonderful trait."

    Lars leaned his elbows on his knees. Trying to accurately recall his past self in relation to who he was now. "I think you''re right. I have not grown in courage." He thought for several seconds more before asking, "Why did you say ''may''? What do you mean I ''may'' have grown in willpower?"

    "You train willpower and enslavement concurrently. That is the nature of strong feelings. You can endure things you never could before, there is no poison comparable to what you drink like water, but you have also build a dependency on that poison. Not you specifically, it is the Haverdash way. You hate the small feelings that you used to feel, they are like nothingness, but if you really want to increase in willpower without enslaving yourself you''ll have to settle for them, and go without the drink."

    Lars recoiled in distaste, "You want me to just stop drinking the wine? That''s ridiculous. You try that and get back to me."

    "Not necessarily quit it entirely, that would take a great deal of willpower indeed. I do try it, actually, as does Halac and everyone in Halac''s rock. They drink a little more moderately, not as much as I do. Look under the table for a bottle of wine, I''ll show you what I mean."

    Lars rummaged around inside the desk, looking for a proper bottle. Then he realized what Lohant was talking about. He picked up a bottle no longer than his hand from top to bottom, with only half of it drunk.

    Lohant told him, "That bottle is how much I drink in a day. No more. Less, if I can manage it."

    Lars put the bottle back, "That''s impressive actually, but it wouldn''t make sense for me to do that. I''m at the front of the war, you''re some sort of advisor to a managerial position. I need the power to win fights."

    "And you need wine to win fights?"

    "I need hallucinations somehow. Don''t I?"

    "Your subconscious mind is much better at producing experiences, like sights and smells, than your conscious mind. That is the only purpose of hallucinations as far as I can tell. The wine is not, strictly speaking, necessary. It is your willpower that somehow affects the world. You may think it is necessary because of your dependence on it, but that is something you should try to break."

    "Alright," Lars stood, "Then I will commit to not drink anything but water for two days. I will prove to myself that I am not a prisoner, or break my imprisonment."

    "Those are strong words! Commendable, but you should commit to something you know you can do first, then build on it."

    "No, I know I can do it. I will commit to two days. You''ve explained a lot to me, I''ll be thinking about it. As I said though, I will give Moxey a fair chance to respond. For now, I''d better complete the mission I was sent here for. I''ve been delayed by how long it took to get here, and we''ve been talking for quite a while, even if it was a good talk."

    "Mission?"

    "I am supposed to kill Halac, and everyone who follows him, for the crime of thinking differently than the rest of the Haverdash. That''s supposed to include you, but I won''t harm you. You''re too special to waste like that. Just keep your head low so they don''t find out and come after you."

    "No, Lars! Don''t kill all these Haverdash, I''ve seen real progress in them! Don''t take away the only home for Haverdash with any sanity at all! I''ve worked for so long, and seen slow, but real progress. Don''t wipe it away."

    Lars hesitated, "I can spare most of them, but not people in authority. Halac specifically has to go, and anyone close to him. I can say that he kept his beliefs close to the chest, that only those near him agreed with him. That''s the best I can do. That''s for your sake." He walked to the door and opened it, "It was good meeting you, Lohant."

 25. Dry

    Lars stumbled out of a meadanim in Mavozshidog. Following the trackers had become increasingly difficult on the way. They didn''t stand out much, nothing did really. The dim light of day was such a weak experience compared to anything given by Haverdash wine that without it he struggled to think about anything but how empty and numb he felt. It had been 25 hours since his conversation with Lohant, roughly 26 hours since he''d last had Haverdash wine.

    He resisted the urge to count the seconds down until the second day was over, regretting the vow he made, but determined to prove that he wasn''t enslaved by a need for wine.

    He struck his thigh, the pain granting him temporary and slight relief. He''d built up a tender bruise on the way here, unable to resist the need to feel something.

    Some arms on his shoulders spun him around, and an annoyed Haverdash looked him in the face, "Lars! Pay attention to me!"

    Lars blinked slowly, only kind of giving his words the attention needed to hear them. "Wait, what?"

    "I''ve been yelling your name for a minute, then I grabbed your shoulder and you still didn''t look at me! I''m trying to tell you something!"

    Lars breathed heavily, getting the vague idea of what this Haverdash was saying through his yearning for stronger sensations. "Oh, what is it?"

    "Moxey''s in Edezar right now, and he wants backup. I saw you and figured he''d want you there, that''s it. We''ve got a fight going on."

    "Moxey? Right¡­ I need to talk to him¡­"

    "Then quit acting so lethargic and come on! What¡¯s the matter with you? Run out of wine?"

    Lars was facing the Haverdash, but not looking at him. How long had it been since he got here? Two minutes?  21 hours 58 minutes left then. Then Lars realized the Haverdash was waiting for an answer, what did he ask again? "No," Lars answered dully.

    The Haverdash squinted at him, "Okay? Then if you don''t have anything else going on follow me! We want your strength!"

    The Haverdash ran into the meadanim, with Lars trudging along behind him. He opened the door, glanced at the lantern with an unveiled eyeball watching him, and stepped lazily out of the broken window into Edezar.

    For a moment his lethargy left him, replaced by awe. There was a shadow cast over him and the surrounding countryside, and far up in the sky a slug with six legs gracefully galloped over the air. It was larger than any palace or cathedral Lars had ever seen, stretching from mountain to mountain, and seemingly being in slow motion despite the speed that the shadow rushed over the ground. The air around and below the creature was compressed and pushed away as it moved, creating a gentle breeze on the ground level.

    In that moment he felt terribly small, and his need for greater feelings equally tiny. It seemed intuitive that how he felt wasn''t the most important thing in the world, and if such an enormous creature could appear so carefree, he didn''t see why he couldn''t either.

    His attention was drawn suddenly by a human jumping out of the meadanim. He must have dawdled in it, because he was missing a foot. He ran off on foot and nub away from any trackers, and Lars watched as he went. That couldn''t be a good idea, running off into Edezar randomly, but unless Lars went to stop him he had managed to escape. Chances are he''d take a swim at some point and be eaten by a lake that he had no idea was alive, but that was his prerogative.

    The shadow of the slug in the sky moved far enough to uncover a cave where there were Haverdash gathered, presumably where they wanted Lars to go. He had the motivation from the temporary awe he''d felt to get to the cave, but the feeling faded quickly enough that then he was back to dreading his existence.

    The Haverdash outside the cave yelled to those inside, "Hey, Lars is here! We''ve got backup!"

    A bloody Haverdash stumbled out of the darkness, "Eh? Lars! Now we''ve got it! Get in there and break its bones!" He looked excitedly between Lars and the cave. "Lars? Go on, get in there and kill it! What are you doing? Lars? Hello?" He yelled as loud as he could, "Hey Lars!"

    Lars finally noticed him, "What?"

    "What do you mean ''what?'' We''re fighting a real beast in there, take it out! You''re not in the middle of a wine trip are you? You know that''s dangerous in Edezar, right?"

    Lars perked up at the mention of wine, "I am not!  I haven''t, do you have wine? No, nevermind¡­"

    The Haverdash stared distastefully at him, ¡°Okay¡­?¡±

    Then Moxey walked out of the cave, ¡°Lars, good to see you again. Why don¡¯t you step inside and give me a hand in here?¡±

    Lars was looking at the bottle of wine on the belt of the Haverdash next to him, hands trembling. The Haverdash backed away slowly with his hand over his bottle, turning slightly to obscure it from Lars.

    Moxey draped his arm over Lars¡¯s shoulder, ¡°You should be careful how much wine you drink in Edezar, you know that. Why do you look at his? Are you out?¡±

    Moxey looked on either side of Lars for sign of a bottle, but saw none. Lars was still facing the wine on the other Haverdash''s belt, meaning to listen to Moxey but being unable to look away. He was so close, he would only have to reach out¡­

    Moxey held a handful of vibrant flakes in front of Lars¡¯s face, ¡°Take these, they¡¯re new. Everyone else here is on them.¡±

    Lars¡¯s head snapped away from the wine bottle to focus on the flakes. His promise was only about wine, but what did he mean when he made the promise? The conversation had been about wine the whole time, Lohant had never brought up another drug. This was fine, he could do this, and then he could last until tomorrow. This was the escape, the release he needed. He plucked the flakes from Moxey¡¯s hand and stuffed his fingers in his mouth.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    The flakes were waxy, with grainy chunks in them, but they melted quickly. A burning sensation rushed from his tongue up his throat into his eyes, and his heart buzzed in vibration. Somehow it kept its proper beat.  His vision shimmered like disturbed water becoming clear, and every pore on every leaf became visible to him. The shadows on each grain of sand and in each clump of dirt could be plainly seen. The burning sensation wasn''t nearly as strong as the aching pain of Haverdash wine, but the new way he was seeing the world was experience enough to satisfy.

    Lars stood straighter, "I''m good now, thank you. What was that? It''s not like wine at all."

    "Bees are a phenomenal creature. We introduced them to Edezar, and they seem to be doing just fine. That''s the wax they make here, isn''t it remarkable? It''s no replacement for wine in daily life, but in Edezar, where hallucinations can have extreme effects, this wax is perfect. You could even say it''s an anti-hallucinogen, which makes use of wine safer! I don''t have the most left in my own bottle, but we''re not far from the meadanim, so take some of mine."

    Moxey held his bottle up to Lars, but Lars put his hand on Mozey''s wrist and gently pushed the bottle away. "That''s okay, I''ll just use the wax today."

    Moxey gave him an incredulous look, "I said it was safe, here."

    "No, I¡­ I should see what the wax is like by itself at least once, no?"

    Moxey put his bottle back on his belt, "You''ll wish you''d also taken the wine once you see what it''s like, but do as you will." Moxey flipped his metal rod in his hand and stepped away from Lars toward the cave, "Let''s finish this then. Everyone back in the cave!"

    Moxey, Lars, and upward of 40 Haverdash funneled into the cave. Seeing in the dark had always been a limitation for the Haverdash, but with the use of Edezar beeswax even the tiny amount of light in the depths of the caves was more than enough to see minute details.

    There was a unique fungus coating some parts of the floor and wall. Its top was like a starry night, but its underside blazed like the sun without actually emitting light. Moxey leaned in to whisper to Lars, "That''s what we''re after. This is the only cave I''ve seen in Edezar, and there are funguses hidden away from the light of day that we can make great use of. We''re being prevented by a parasite, of sorts."

    "There''s an infestation? I thought you were fighting a beast," Lars whispered back.

    "And so we are! One massive beast of a parasite." Moxey scanned the cavern and squinted down a path that went almost straight down. "Weapons up! Round four starts now!"

    He tossed the metal rod into the air, making it shoot down the path. There was a sound of it sticking in something, then a burbulling screech from a large creature. A reptilian form over 30 feet long scurried out of the downward path onto the wall of the cavern on six legs. The Haverdash reacted quickly, chasing it as it ran, but it was fast enough to gain fifty feet of space between them, which it deemed to be enough. A needle projected out of two scales on its underbelly, injecting several feet deep into the rock floor.

    The closest Haverdash called out, ¡°Brace yourselves!¡± Then a heavy rumbling echoed around the cave. The walls bucked and spun, throwing Haverdash and grinding them against stalactites. A few of them reached the parasite, stabbing furiously with their spears and swords, but they glided off with minimal damage as the creature scurried away again.

    Lars joined in the pursuit, rushing at it and trying to cut it off when it scurried. Again it inserted a needle into the cavern to make it shake and groan. A Haverdash clamored to her feet next to Lars and chastised him, ¡°Well? Take it out! Wipe it away with a shout! Come on already!¡±

    Lars shot her a stern glare, then sprinted after the parasite again. Moxey stopped the creature for a second by sending his rod to crack the scales on its face, and Lars was able to just reach its tail with a downward swipe of his sword. A spurt of pressurized blood blasted Lars, knocking him back, and the parasite made another burbling screech.

    It escaped to the point where the ceiling was the highest, causing the cave to convulse again. Moxey, who had escaped the convulsing stone by hanging from his floating metal rod, yelled to Lars, ¡°Grab on!¡± Then, letting go of the rod, he sent it to Lars. He grabbed it firmly with his off hand, then it yanked him up through the air toward the parasite.

    It rotated its legs in their sockets, flipping on its belly and projecting the needle toward Lars as he approached. He made no motion to block or dodge, being impaled through his belly before he let go of the rod and swung his sword with both arms to cleave the parasite almost in twain.

    *

    Moxey broke the glass to the vat of sludge that Lars was suspended in, letting him fall to the ground. Moxey walked around a wooden table with a solitary bottle of Haverdash wine on it, sitting down and crossing his legs. He gestured at the bottle, ¡°It¡¯s for you, Lars, drink.¡±

    Lars felt his wound. It wasn''t completely healed, there was a slight indent on either side of him that was raw and pink, but it was good enough. He hadn''t protested when being directed into the sludge, despite it being a hallucinogen like wine. It still wasn''t quite like wine, which both meant he was technically keeping his vow, and meant he wasn''t fully satisfied in his yearning for wine. Each drug he experienced relieved his emptiness in a way, but it also increased his frustration, since the experience it provided was definitively lesser than the wine he yearned for.

    Moxey interrupted Lars''s self reflection, "Lars! This wine is yours, drink up."

    Lars looked at the bottle, then pulled his eyes away to avoid temptation. "What time is it?"

    "What time? Probably the eleventh hour. The sun is setting."

    "I''ll pass on the wine for now, but thank you."

    "Sit down, Lars." Moxey waited for Lars to sit. "Why are you depriving yourself of wine? You clearly ran out a while ago, and you refuse to take more. In the meantime, you''re not behaving sensibly. You clearly let yourself get impaled because you wanted the pain it would bring, since you weren''t getting it from wine. Explain yourself to me. This is not reasonable."

    "Alright, but please take the bottle off the table."

    Moxey complied, placing the bottle next to his chair. "Go on."

    "This is an exercise in willpower. I don''t want to be enslaved to anything, but I might be enslaved to wine. I''m proving to myself that I''m not, and becoming stronger while doing it. I vowed not to have any wine for another 19 hours."

    Moxey shook his head, "That''s a silly notion. You''re not enslaved, you''re experiencing the natural outpouring of greater feelings. Imagine a human who has never had salt, but one day it is introduced to him, and he''s given a way to access it continually. He instantly changes his diet to include salt in a variety of meals, having it rather frequently. Then imagine that his source of salt is cut off for a week. He will have to eat the meals he''s changed to have salt, without salt. Not only will he not enjoy them like he did before he found salt, he may resent them for being bland. The change in enjoyment between having salt and not having it is small in comparison to what you''ve come to know. His life was better with the salt, was it not? He isn''t enslaved to the salt, he simply learned what it was like to enjoy food more, then that was taken away from him.

    "You have learned what it is like to live a much greater life, with feelings of incomparable intensity to what you once knew, a better life. Now you are depriving yourself of that; it is not surprising that you would be in anguish. Don''t think that you''re breaking free of bondage, rather, you are missing good things. Ask yourself which is better, to live with or without wine. You''re in anguish now, without it, so your intuition agrees with me. Such a claim like, ''it''s actually enslavement'', is a strong, unintuitive claim, which you cannot properly support."

    Moxey reached down and picked up the bottle again, placing it back on the table. "You can fix your current state whenever you''d like."

    Lars looked between Moxey and the bottle. That was logical, but so was Lohant. To determine who saw the world clearer depended on another question. His gaze stopped at Moxey, "When a preaching Haverdash appears, they talk about Haverdash as a person. They believe they''ve spoken to him, and he told them everything. Have you been contacted by something like that?"

    Moxey was caught off guard, "What? Where did that question come from?"

    "Halac told me, before I killed him. He claimed that you''ve been contacted the same way those preachers have."

    Moxey stared blankly at him for a moment, then laughed, "Hah! So Halac started this. He must have been pretty talkative, but clearly confused. I''ve told you what I think of those preachers before, that they are weak-willed, filled with a fear that is not conducive to greater glory. I have seen a vision like what I suspect they''ve been influenced by. Perhaps that is why I am not at all glorious, despite otherwise seeming to be wholly devoted to Haverdash. Perhaps there is a fear in me that is paired with my curiosity, not knowing what will happen as we continue to conquer every portion of this world.

    "Or, more likely, perhaps that lowly fear I feel comes from my vision of the end of all things. I know that Haverdash will overcome the world, but also that one day it will all end. That is a dreadful thought, and perhaps I wish so strongly for it to not be true that everything will end, that I subconsciously design a scenario where visions are not even to be believed to avoid it. Each preacher could have their own reasons, but I am not weak like them. I have not given in to that weak fear, but pushed onward to greater, more glorious states of being. I will be glorious, Lars. I yearn for it more than wine. You will be as well, of that I am sure, for you are better equipped for it than anyone but Trots. You can''t hold yourself back though, listening to characters such as Halac, you''re the only one that could stop you."

    Lars picked up the bottle, and they shared a smile. "Here''s to glory then."

    Moxey lifted the bottle from his belt, "To glory."

 26. The Nominees

    Andal, Jeva, and the five other nominees that had arrived at various points yesterday or during the night had moved on from the cafeteria, and were now in a much more luxurious dining room. The eight nominees were sitting around a long table, with three officials standing at the head. One of them was Professor Tharrow, who Andal and Jeva were happy to see, but who looked exhausted from the trip.

    The official in the middle spoke, "Welcome, nominees from far and wide, and thank you for taking part in this elite team. The idea for this team came out of the fact that the Haverdash possess certain individuals who can beat a city''s defenses by themselves, and you have gathered to counter those individuals. You are not expected to demonstrate the qualities of a military officer, as all troops will be under the direct governance of their normal officers. You are, however, the ultimate leaders of any attack you are involved in. The soldiers must work around your wishes.

    "That said," he picked a scroll up off the table, "You are mostly strangers to one another, and to us, so we ought to begin introductions. It is important that you know and work with each other well."

    Tharrow exclaimed, "And for the love of common sense, actually learn how each other operate! Don''t expect everyone to react to you."

    The middle officer nodded, and the one on the other side of him laughed with a gruff voice.

    The middle officer opened the scroll, "That said, to my right is Professor Tharrow of Tubarai''s Military Academy for Magic and Magic Affiliates, from Tubarai. To my left is Elder Brunstrog, from Vilpass. I am Lieutenant Wanrod, Donfas. We are assigned to be your chief advisors during your exploits, and we can handle any management and communication between you and other groups. Professor Tharrow and I are loquentors, we can speak to people across great distances.

    "Moving on to you, the nominees. When I introduce you, please raise your hand so that the others may see who is who. From Donfas we have three representatives. Rumberal the Defender," Andal recognized him from the other day. He had a habit of wearing armor even in safe circumstances like this meeting, but it suited him. He had a custom set that was bulkier than most, but well-engraved. He was clearly a strong individual, not least because he was able to move around freely in that armor. He was also very confident of himself, but that was a quality all the nominees except Andal and Jeva seemed to have.

    "Grendala, excuse me, Duchess Grendala."

    She smiled at the use of her preferred title, a sight even harder to look at than her normal face. She had a faint scent of rot to her, and wasn''t physically imposing at all, but her knowledge of less savory things made people suspect she would be a great boon in a fight.

    "Vicid, right hand of the Queen."

    His clothing was poorly stained, but was meant to be all black. He had what looked like a blot of ink on his left cheek, and an unfriendly presence. Andal said quietly, "He''s directly under the queen? Wow."

    There wasn''t enough noise for his voice not to be audible around the table, and the representatives of Donfas all turned their heads to him. Rumberal and Grendala had curious expressions, but when he looked at Vicid''s face and met his gaze he felt suddenly compelled to look away.

    "Those are the nominees from Donfas. Those from Tubarai: Andal, Templar of Nishir. Jeva¡­Wizard of Nishir?"

    Jeva and Andal shared a smile, and Lieutenant Wanrod moved on. Perhaps it was legitimate, and if not, it wasn''t different than accepting Grendala as a duchess.

    "Nalia, the Silver Lady, from Tsafel."

    She reminded Andal more of gold, having bright blonde hair, and shining emblems on her armor. She was the most professional-seeming of the group, but not unfriendly. To the contrary, her presence made the rest of them more comfortable.

    "And last of all: Hanyr, ''Longbow'', the Giant of Burjenyor, from Burjenyor."

    He''d attracted most of the attention since he came in. He was larger than Andal had thought was possible for a human to be, easily eight feet tall and as muscular for his size as Rumberal. He''d sat at the end of the table so that he could lean on it without blocking anyone''s view, which he had to do because the chair couldn''t support his weight otherwise. Despite his imposing size, he was pleasant to be around. He always smiled and nodded or waved to passersby, and had already introduced himself to most of the nominees in the short time that he had available. He was like the personalities of a redwood and hearth merged together.

    Lieutenant Wanrod rolled up that scroll and picked up a blank one, "Excellent. Does anyone mind if we step outside? I think it''s only right if, now that you''ve been introduced, everyone shows the group what they''re capable of."

    That caused some surprised faces, and Hanyr mentioned, "I don''t have my bow, and I can''t rightly use one that you''d provide me. Most of us here don''t have our equipment, should we go get it?"

    Tharrow clarified, "No need, we''re not testing you. We''re just giving each other the idea of what skills we have. Does anyone have anything they''d like to say first, or are we good to go?"

    "I have a question," said Grendala, turning to Andal and Jeva, "Tifiliti Nifu Esilet Hetil Fisivi says that you smell like Haverdash. Why is that?"

    Wanrod asked, ¡°Who?¡±

    Andal and Jeva didn¡¯t know how to answer, so Tharrow told Grendala, ¡°They¡¯ve fought closely against the Haverdash, that¡¯s all.¡±

    She retorted, ¡°You say that like the rest of us haven¡¯t fought Haverdash? And that¡¯s not a reasonable answer, I¡¯ve eaten Haverdash, and I don¡¯t smell like them at all!¡±

    Nalia butted in, ¡°You¡¯ve eaten Haverdash?¡±

    The whole table was immediately engrossed, so Grendala tried shifting the conversation, ¡°That¡¯s not the point, the point is that we don¡¯t have a good reason for them to smell like Haverdash.¡±

    But then even Vicid showed interest, ¡°How was it?¡±

    That was the first time any of them had heard Vicid¡¯s voice, which was surprisingly nice, so she felt compelled to answer, ¡°Awful. I was bedridden for weeks, and dear Tifiliti Nifu Esilet Hetil Fisivi had to take care of me!"

    ¡°Again,¡± Wanrod asked, ¡°Who is that?¡±

    Jeva answered him, ¡°That¡¯s her fairy! He said you could call him Tifiliti.¡±

    ¡°-but he doesn¡¯t like it.¡± Added Grendala.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Rumberal and Elder Brunstrog asked in unison, ¡°Why did you eat a Haverdash?¡±

    She had the audacity to look between them with a surprised look, ¡°You boys don¡¯t know anything about witches, do you?¡± She cackled, ¡°Don¡¯t wander in strange woods alone, little ones!¡±

    Wanrod quickly changed the conversation, ¡°This fairy, Tifiliti, where is he? We should all meet everyone involved.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s here now, but he won¡¯t show himself in front of the right hand of the Queen, I¡¯m afraid. He¡¯s a scared little thing.¡± She looked at Vicid, ¡°With all due respect.¡±

    Rumberal leaned back from the table and spoke to everyone, ¡°While we¡¯re on that topic, some of the company expressed confusion about the Queen earlier. That¡¯s not the queen of Donfas, that¡¯s the Queen of Graves. Vicid is the most accomplished murderer in Donfas, maybe including Haverdash.¡±

    Vicid slammed his fist against the table, but a dagger of shadow manifested in it as he did. A low moaning like a whale call, sped up to happen in just a second, echoed around the room. Then the section of the table Vicid had hit was gone without a trace.

    Nalia and the three advisors, Brunstrog, Tharrow, and Wanrod, jumped up in unison to try to prevent anything from breaking out between Vicid and Rumberal. They all spoke over each other, imploring the group to lay aside differences for their common goal.

    But Vicid and Rumberal made no motion toward each other, so the pleading died down quickly. Grendala turned toward Andal and Jeva again, ¡°So, I was wondering, why do you two smell like Haverdash?¡±

    Andal said, ¡°I wish I¡¯d answered earlier, and we probably could have avoided some of that, but I don¡¯t have a good answer for you. I have no idea what Tifiliti is smelling.¡±

    Grendala looked skeptical, ¡°Curious.¡±

    *

    They all moved outside, and for organization''s sake Wanrod told them to demonstrate their abilities in the order that the introductions were in, so starting with Rumberal. They had dummies set up in the yard, but Tharrow made illusionary targets that they preferred the nominees attack.

    Rumberal stepped forward and faced the group, "My abilities lie in bringing out the latent intent in an object, and my focus is on tools of war. Armor for instance, is meant to defend." An invisible wave pulsed out of his armor, and as it passed over each person they had a sensation on their skin of being covered by a protective barrier.

    "Shields are similar, but rather than sticking to someone''s person they block a space separate from the body. My weapon of choice is my mace, which crushes and knocks things back." He swung at one of the illusory dummies, and Tharrow made it fly back. Rumberal turned toward him, "It would go much higher than that, and would be mangled. I know you''re guessing though." He faced the group again. "I am most effective with those three, but I am proficient to a certain extent with most existing weapons, and can at least use most things a little bit."

    Rumberal returned to stand with the others, and Wanrod thanked him, "Excellent explanation, Rumberal. I think it''s obvious how useful those skills will be. Next, Duchess Grendala."

    She stepped forward and placed her hands on her hips, "I don''t have one specific skill, but I''ll try and narrow this down. There are several death energies, several life energies, earth energies, et cetera. I can use almost twenty different energies, but I need the sufficient ingredients to keep myself properly balanced and thriving."

    Wanrod interrupted, "If I may, if you would demonstrate something rather than explaining the philosophy behind it, we could probably all understand a lot better."

    She sneered at him, making him take a step behind Brunstrog. She walked over to one of the real dummies and placed her hand on it, "Vicid already showed one kind of death energy earlier, so here''s another. Again, a painter doesn''t use one color, I don''t use one energy." She took her hand off the dummy and returned to the group.

    A second after she took her hand off, insects sprung up out of the grass and dove out of the air to swarm it. Carrion birds swooped over the walls, and their cawing filled the sky. They tore the dummy apart, then dispersed like they had been before.

    Wanrod wiped his brow, "Vicid? We did see a bit of a display earlier, but could you show us in this context?"

    Vicid disappeared, being only faintly visible like a weak shadow, then reappeared.

    Wanrod jotted that down, "Alright, that is useful! Assassin stuff! How long can you stay like that?" He looked Vicid in the eyes as he asked, then suddenly looked down at his feet instead and kept his head down.

    "There''s no limit," Vicid answered.

    "Wow, very useful. Do you have to manifest to attack, or¡­?"

    "It would be less effective, but no."

    Elder Brunstrog whispered to Wanrod, "Are we concerned about that?"

    Tharrow looked behind Wanrod''s back and answered, "Not about him, they gave him a deal he wouldn''t refuse."

    Brustrog quipped back, ¡°Are we concerned about that?¡±

    Wanrod ignored them, calling for Andal next. He showed them his shields and swords of light, illuminating light, and protective shells. Then he explained his abilities to heal and sustain people without the need to breathe. Rumberal enjoyed it very much, laughing when he was finished, ¡°Between the two of us, young templar, this unlikely band will be invincible!¡±

    Grendala had an accusatory look though, as if Andal had been holding something back.

    Jeva was next, and she demonstrated a wide array of uses for fire, which was her primary skill, but also of ice and wind. Then she demonstrated several spells that were mostly independent from other spells in her repertoire, like creating light. Grendala''s accusatory look hardened when Jeva stepped down.

    Nalia, the Silver Lady stepped up. She clasped her hands together, and a cold wind rushed throughout the yard. In seconds the ground and nearby buildings changed color to be pure silver. Everything blended together, as sources of light and shadows were replaced by that uniform silver sheen. The nominees and advisors didn''t change color, but their clothes did. Nalia changed though, and her shape could only barely be made out in the silver landscape.

    She sunk into the ground, suddenly popping up behind Jeva like a jumping dolphin breaching the sea. She stood motionless, letting color return back to the world.

    Jeva was really excited, feeling somewhat included, "That was so cool!"

    Tharrow asked, "Was that an illusion?"

    "It has elements of that. It''s more of a hallucination really, but the difference is subtle. There''s real things going on there too though."

    Andal was interested in that, "It''s a hallucination? That''s what the Haverdash use, they see things and use them! Does that mean you can cancel out their hallucinations with your own?"

    She looked apologetic, "I''m not sure, I''m maybe the only one here who has never fought a Haverdash. That''s my ace in the hole though, I can attack freely while moving throughout the terrain. Normally I use more of this:" she waved her arm, and the arc that her arm had taken stayed in the air like a silver paint stroke. "That''s not very sharp, but if I''d used my sword then anyone who made contact with that silver arc would get cut. It''s basically leaving the cut of my sword in the air after my sword has moved on."

    "Very nice," commented Wanrod, "And I''ve made note of your theory, Andal. Hanyr?"

    Hanyr broke into a dead sprint as soon as his name was said, charging an illusory dummy and doing a sweeping kick in stride. He punched at two that he drew near, clearly unsatisfied with the illusions, then rushed one of the real dummies. He jumped and raised both legs to clear its shoulders, kicking its head clean off and landing in front of it. He raised his arms as if to accept applause, which Jeva gave him.

    "You should see when I actually have weapons!" He said.

    "Wonderful regardless!" Brunstrog told him, "I could feel the earth shaking when you ran, what terrific power."

    "Thank you, elder! If I had my bow in hand you''d be far more impressed."

    ¡°Very impressive,¡± Wanrod said, ¡° We¡¯ll have to test things out working together tomorrow, and we¡¯ll make sure you have all your equipment when you do that. Tonight, if you have requests for anything we can provide you, do make it known. We are not going to spare equipment with this team.¡±

    *

    Hanyr and Grendala moved under the cover of darkness, a shadow over both of them that obscured them from anyone they passed by. They came to Andal¡¯s window, and Grendala pulled out a smelly potion she¡¯d brewed that evening.

    Hanyr questioned her, his low voice being barely audible when speaking quietly, ¡°Are you sure about this, Dutchess? What about side effects?¡±

    ¡°There won¡¯t be side effects to a simple hallucinogen. Those two from Tubarai have power they don¡¯t realize they have, but I know exactly how to help them find it. Now raise me up to that window.¡±

    "What''s the brew for? Didn''t you say the drug was a powder?"

    "These ingredients run hot, you need to ingest them before using them. Now will do." She drank it in one big gulp, "This is how I get in."

    Hanyr lifted her to the barred window, reasoning that it would be of no benefit for Grendala to harm those she would be fighting alongside. She took several deep breaths, flexed her abdominals, and shrank to be only a foot tall.

    She slipped through the bars and dropped lightly to the floor, seeing clearly in the dark room as all witches would. She moved next to Andal''s face, breathing deeply to make herself increase in size until she could reach him easily enough. From a pocket she pulled a small wooden box, which she opened and held by Andal''s nose.

    The powder within was light, and his natural breathing was enough to pull particles in with each inhale. After he''d inhaled several times she put the box back in her dress and whispered to him with words that would hang on his mind for hours, "The Haverdash are here, they''ve captured Jeva, and you alone are left to fight them."

    She went back to the window where Hanyr had inserted his bow, and grabbed the end of it.

    Once she was back outside she told him, "We have to hurry to Jeva''s room now, we have less than half an hour before it takes effect."

 27. Dark Elements

    Hanyr and Grendala watched from a safe distance, minutes away from when the hallucinogen should take effect on Andal, several away from when it would take effect on Jeva.

    Hanyr asked, "How long will it last?"

    "The dose was very small, and I gave less to Jeva since she has less mass. It won''t be more than another half hour."

    "You''re betting a lot on this working. Donfas put a lot of faith in you and Vicid; if you cause trouble, will they keep you around?"

    "I know what I''m doing. You''re the one with a lot of faith. I''m surprised I convinced you to help, though your role was small."

    "I was raised by witches, I understand your type."

    Grendala was shocked, "Raised by witches? It''s a wonder you''re alive."

    "Is it a wonder Tifili is alive?"

    She grinned, "I suppose not."

    "The world likes to say that witches are agents of chaos, preying on people in the woods, but I know better, and you shouldn''t buy that narrative about yourself. I understand that you are orderly, more than most people, with deep knowledge and reasoning for your ways. It is only that your ways differ profoundly from the normal order, so people think you are simply chaos, being ignorant. If you understand witches you can operate with them. Perhaps if people were humble enough to seek to understand you they would be more successful in removing the witches from the world, which they have so utterly failed at."

    Grendala cackled quietly, "You are not the brute I assumed you were. You should talk to Vicid, as soon as you can."

    He pulled his eyes from Andal''s wall to look curiously at Grendala, "Do you know him?"

    "I do not, nobody does. I think I understand how this group will function though. You will be the glue, an understanding, friendly giant from a foreign land, uniting myself and Vicid with the other four. Andal and Jeva will be the hearts of the team, being young and driven. Rumberal will be the leader, as much as I hate to say it. He has the most experience in leadership, and the soldiers will follow him. Nalia will be the encouragement, preventing anyone from losing heart in their roles. I will equip the team, ready to give them advantages their morality took from them. Vicid is the strongest among us, that I know, and as long as you can get him to cooperate with the rest of us, he can make all the Haverdash graves he''d like."

    "Interesting." He looked back at Andal''s wall. "Very well, I''ll talk to Vicid. You''re making big assumptions though."

    "Somebody has to talk to him, and it won''t be Rumberal. Vicid won''t communicate on his own volition, he¡¯s been cut off from normal conversation since he isolated himself in service of the Queen."

    Hanyr exhaled deeply, "You''re giving me the hard job then."

    There were several seconds of silence, then the wall to Andal''s room exploded in a burst of wind.

    "There he is," Grendala said excitedly, "Time for the real demonstration."

    Andal came running out, looking around frantically for the enemy, glowing with a bright golden light. He unleashed a constant barrage of golden swords at the top of the closest wall, perhaps thinking Haverdash we''re climbing over it.

    Tharrow came running out in his nightgown, "What''s going on? Was that Andal''s room?"

    "Yessir," Hanyr answered, "but Andal''s fine. He''s the one who blew it open."

    "Andal did? Why? What for?"

    Grendala had a demented grin, "We''re bringing out that hidden strength of his. Jeva should wake up soon and do the same."

    Rumberal came rushing out of nowhere, unsurprisingly in full armor still. He tried to run down to Andal, but Hanyr grabbed him, "Hold on, Rumberal! We don''t want anyone to get hurt!"

    "He''s destroying buildings! Look at that storehouse, we have to stop him!"

    "They''re just buildings, the drug won''t last more than half an hour."

    Rumberal and Tharrow turned sharply away from Hanyr to look at Grendala.

    Tharrow exclaimed, "You drugged him! What are you doing?"

    Brunstrog ran out, with unfortunate timing. A chunk of stone over twenty pounds was launched by a burst of wind, and would have taken his head off if Hanyr hadn''t seen it coming and swatted it away with an outstretched arm. The chunk shattered when it hit the ground.

    Hanyr stood in front of everyone and yelled, "Stay back and let this play out, please!"

    Tharrow yelled at Grendala, "An explanation! Now!"

    "Yes,yes, I know. Tifili and I concluded that they have power from a source they don''t know about, Andal and Jeva that is. The energy they have is mixed together, but not perfectly, and they may be running out of one before the other. Perhaps that Haverdash energy feels wrong, and they don''t think it''s another tool for them to make use of. By making them fight with their subconscious driving them forward they will actually make use of that energy, and then they won''t instinctively avoid using it. You see? Doesn''t he look a lot more impressive now than he did yesterday? So much destruction, and those falling stones aren''t hurting him at all."

    Tharrow watched him, and had to agree. He did look a lot better. It wasn''t necessarily that he was stronger than before, but what perhaps would have been him going all out was now being sustained.

    "We''ll see how this goes, Grendala, but in the future you must consult us before doing such things!"

    She rolled her eyes, "Like you would have agreed to give them hallucinogens in their sleep."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Wanrod and Nalia came out, just in time for a bolt of lightning to strike Jeva''s room and blast the roof apart.

    *

    Andal and Jeva sat with Tharrow and Grendala in a private room. It was still sunrise, and Grendala had just explained to Andal and Jeva what she had done, and provided the explanation that she''d given to Tharrow last night. Tharrow looked exhausted, being older, and having stayed up the whole night.

    Andal was furious with Grendala, despite the testimony that he had looked stronger than ever last night, and Jeva was no less upset. He spoke fiercely, "That was wrong, Grendala! You violated me, and you violated Jeva!

    She was annoyed at having to attend this, answering snappily, "I''ve done much worse to benefit much less. You''re more equipped than ever, you''re welcome."

    Tharrow chastised her, "Come on, Grendala, do better than that. We need to resolve this conflict so we can work together. Do you deny that you violated Andal and Jeva?"

    "First of all, it''s Duchess Grendala, second-"

    "No!" Andal shouted, "Now is not the time to try giving yourself honorifics! You need to apologize!"

    She crinkled her nose, "Secondly, aren''t we supposed to be fully aligned towards beating the Haverdash? I made us better equipped for that."

    Jeva countered, "The existence of the Haverdash doesn''t mean we treat each other like tools or animals. Cooperation starts with a level of basic decency towards each other, which you seem to be lacking."

    Grendala''s disdainful expression faded into surprise. "Well, you''ll just have to forgive me then. What I did is done."

    Tharrow stood up, "Grendala, I''d like to talk to you in the hallway for a minute."

    They stepped out of the room and closed the door, "You need to give a diplomatic answer. When we go back in there you should say that you''re sorry, you definitely went farther than you should have without their consent, and promise to not do it again. Then ask for their forgiveness." Grendala was about to respond but Tharrow cut her off, "It doesn''t matter if you''re actually sorry! Just say it anyway. You do need to mean that promise though, you can''t go this far again. Okay, Duchess Grendala?"

    She squinted, "Hmph. Okay then."

    They opened the door again, and Grendala did her best to make a genuine apology. She asked for their forgiveness, and promised to not do such a thing again unless given their consent.

    Jeva was quick to forgive her as soon as she made the promise, but Andal''s expression remained hard. Only after Jeva looked at him with a hopeful expression did he relent, "I guess I forgive you, Grendala. If you''ll treat us with basic decency, we can work together."

    "Excellent! Then might we do some testing now? We ought to see just how much energy you have that comes from this Haverdash source, also I would be very interested in hearing any theories about where it could have come from."

    "No," Andal said, "Not right now. Maybe later."

    Grendala looked disappointed and annoyed, "Later then. Tell me when you''re ready."

    She turned to walk out, and almost ran into Rumberal as she tried to step around Tharrow. She pushed between them and left, leaving Tharrow surprised to see Rumberal in the hallway.

    Before Tharrow could ask him why he was there, Rumberal said, "I think the four of us should discuss something."

    Tharrow sighed, then raised his arm to gesture for Rumberal to enter the room. He declined to sit where Grendala was, instead grabbing another chair, shifting it to where he could face the three of them well.

    "We need to talk about the unsavory characters in our group. Grendala and Vicid."

    Jeva got up, "I think I''ve had enough excitement for now, I''ll let you guys talk that out." She exited and closed the door behind her.

    Tharrow asked, "What about them, Rumberal?"

    "What are they getting for doing this? Convincing criminals to help the kingdom normally involves some kind of pardon, but these aren''t normal criminals! Don''t tell me they''re going to give a pardon to the right hand of the Queen of Graves!"

    "That was the intention, yes. Do you have a better proposal?"

    Rumberal lowered his voice, "We don''t need to be honest with murderers. What''s worse, lying to someone, or letting a murderer go free?"

    "Ah, you''re suggesting we convict them regardless?"

    Rumberal nodded.

    "Very well, I can suggest that."

    "Wait," Andal protested, "I don''t think we should just be lying to each other, that''s not a real solution."

    Tharrow put a hand on Andal''s shoulder, "It''s up to the king of Donfas regardless, I''m sure he''ll make the right decision. Who knows what''s going to happen in this war anyway? Maybe those two will become war heroes, maybe they''ll die in the process."

    Then he noticed that the door was cracked open, even though Jeva had definitely closed it. He sighed, "That''s all I will say on the matter. If you''ll excuse me."

    Tharrow left and sought out Grendala, who it took several minutes for him to find. She was standing outside under the shade of a tree, and was surprised when she saw him.

    Tharrow spoke first, "Was Tilifi listening in on us after you left?"

    "Very impressive, advisor. Yes he was. What do you have to say for yourself?"

    "The deals Donfas made with you will definitely be honored."

    "Well now all I know is that you''re lying to someone, how do I know it isn''t me?"

    "Maybe I''m lying to both of you! I''m not going to talk to the king, I''m just saying whatever to either side to try and make this team work. So take comfort in the fact that it''s not my mouth I''m talking out of, and you can ignore what I said to Rumberal."

    She laughed in her shrill voice, "Well said. You''re supposed to be a strategic advisor, aren''t you? Maybe you''ll get to actually do your job someday."

    "I can only dream."

    *

    Lunch rolled around, and the nominees and advisors sat at their own table to tell each other everything about the Haverdash and their movements. Andal had the most to say about Haverdash culture, being the only one who had spoken casually with a Haverdash. Grendala was able to explain the way Haverdash used their hallucinations better, and informed the table about the various drugs they use. While the Haverdash were able to create an incalculable number of drugs, they defaulted to their one favorite whenever possible: Haverdash wine.

    Andal and Grendala got in a disagreement there, because she said that drinking even a drop of Haverdash would be almost instantly fatal for a human, but Andal insisted that he had a friend named Lars that drank a big gulp of it and didn''t die until the Haverdash got to him. They were able to agree when they concluded that the bottle would have had to be a hundred years old, and the potency could have degraded over that amount of time.

    The advisors and Rumberal then talked about the movements of the Haverdash army, how suddenly they moved, and how their limited population seemed to be the main driver holding them back from conquering faster. The hallucinations and visions that Andal and Grendala explained were helpful to them, because it explained how the Haverdash seemed to know details they couldn''t possibly have scouted out.

    Vicid wasn''t there, unfortunately. Hanyr kept looking at the hallways in to see if he¡¯d come.

    A few hours later Grendala found Andal and Jeva, asking them if they would be willing to do tests involving their unknown source of energy. Their anger from that morning had mostly faded, and they had said that they forgave her, so they agreed. They went to a grass yard, and Tilifi jumped on Andal''s shoulder. He was essentially weightless, just being a slight tickle. "You first!" He said in his tiny voice, "Can you half-cast?"

    "I''ve never heard of that before. What is it?"

    "You come here too, Jeva! Half-casting is really easy, you just haven''t had a reason to do it before. Think of a spell, like your shield, and try to start casting it but not finish. You may have to stop really early, half-casting doesn''t necessarily mean you cast half of the spell. It just means the spell was only partially cast. Try it a few times."

    Jeva got it after a few attempts, but didn''t realize until Tilifi squealed, "That was it! Just neutral energy pouring out and being wasted!"

    Jeva tried it again and got it, which helped Andal to know what he was aiming for, and he got it soon after. Once they got it, Tilifi had them practice holding it until it felt natural for them. When it wasn''t difficult to hold, he told Andal to go first, just holding the half-cast until he is absolutely out of energy. Tilifi would be right there in his shoulder, and he would know how much energy Andal had from each source.

    Andal went, then Jeva. Both times Grendala was spurring them on, not letting them quit until they were absolutely drained.

    She had been taking notes the whole time as Tilifi signaled her. Since they were done, Tilifi jumped off Jeva''s shoulder and fluttered back to Grendala. Then Grendala announced their findings; "our determination is that, Andal uses his own energy for about a tenth of the time, then that energy is mixed with this Haverdash-smelling energy, then at about two thirds of the way through you run out of other energy and have to solely use the stuff that smells like Haverdash. Jeva, you seem to be more naturally talented even though Andal beat you by a couple seconds, as you started using mixed energy halfway through and the last fifth of it was just the Haverdash -smelling energy. I think we''re dealing with figures like, two thirds of Andal''s energy, and one third of Jeva''s comes from that Haverdash -smelling source."

    Andal asked, "Could that energy be what Nishir has given us?"

    "Well that would be strange, wouldn''t it? Not my god, I don''t know, but it doesn''t sound right. What do you think?"

    "No, it doesn''t make sense to me either, but I don''t see what else it could be."

 28. Counter Offensive

    Hanyr knocked on Vicid''s door, "Hey, Vicid, can I come in?"

    There was only silence, so he knocked again, "Hello? Are you in there?"

    Still no answer. He had no way of knowing if Vicid was ignoring him, or if he was out. Perhaps talking to him in his room wouldn''t be feasible, but the fact that he didn''t eat with the rest of the group made it hard to catch him.

    Hanyr turned to go, but then he saw Vicid coming towards him from the end of the hall.  Hanyr waited by the door, and greeted Vicid when he drew closer, "Vicid, hello! Where have you been?"

    "Keeping to myself," he answered curtly, "As we all should."

    Vicid stepped around Hanyr, who clarified, "I don''t mean to interrogate you, I just ask because I was looking for you. If there''s a homeless man dead in the street, hey, that''s not my business!"

    Hanyr rolled his eyes at himself after he said that, ¡°what a stupid comment.¡±

    Vicid opened his door, "No, it isn''t." But he didn''t walk in. He paused, and turned back; "Not dead in the street," he said with vitriol, "my queen is the Queen of Graves."

    Hanyr raised his hands in front of him in an apologetic gesture, "No offense meant. But tell me, what is the profound difference?"

    "A body in the street is a bastion of disease, it''s disgusting, disorderly, unsightly, should and will be cast away. A grave is a monument that stands against time, a reminder, and a source of order that contains the death."

    "A monument? That''s interesting, to remind people that the person buried there was killed, bringing glory to his killer?"

    "Nothing so self-aggrandizing."

    Nalia passed through a tangential hallway, seeing them talking. She didn''t react strongly, but Hanyr took advantage of her passing by, "Should we talk inside?"

    Vicid nodded, walking in to sit on the corner of his bed. Hanyr closed the door behind him, sitting on the floor so as not to put undue strain on a chair.

    Vicid continued, "A grave is a monument to mortality, a reminder that one day, either due to the fragility of life or the inevitability of time, we will all die."

    "Ah, I think I''m beginning to understand you now. Tell me if this is right, you kill to remind people of their mortality. Arrogance, peaceful times, those kinds of things, make people believe they will live forever, and you shatter the illusion by making graves."

    "Shatter arrogance, motivate the masses, keep reality in sight, enforce an appreciation for their current life? No, I would not say that is why. Though, I do think it''s a pretty idea. Strictly speaking, I do what I am told by the Queen."

    "But you chose to serve the Queen, or am I misled?"

    "I did, I reached out to her."

    "So beyond the orders of the Queen there is an underlying motivation, no? What is so wonderful about making a grave for you?"

    Vicid thought for several seconds, pursing his lips. Then he answered, "It''s a celebration of mortality. Mortality isn''t just something to remind people of, it is the driving factor for human behavior; the crown of life is that it ends. Just as a wedding is followed by a honeymoon period, the union of life and mortality is celebrated by the incorporation of mortality in a kill."

    Hanyr''s eye¡¯s gleamed. "That''s an interesting idea, though I only understand this idea that mortality is the driver in life vaguely, could you give an example?"

    "Yes I can, consider a child. Any ambition he has comes out of fascination, and predominantly his life is for playing. When he grows older and recognizes the decay he is going through, being confronted with mortality, he changes into a mature adult. If a child is to mature in his youth it is because he either saw death, or saw the fragile needs that threatened death in himself or someone he knew. Maturity, among other things, is but a byproduct of mortality."

    Hanyr nodded thoughtfully, "Fascinating indeed, and so unlike the Haverdash!"

    Vicid''s eyes narrowed.

    "You know what I mean, right? No, wait, Andal and Grendala told us at lunch, and you weren''t there. Let me tell you: to reuse your example, a Haverdash child is concerned about enjoying their present life, just as a human child is, but for them it is the pursuit of stronger feelings that drives them on. That never changed as they age, they are motivated by their gluttony for strong feelings from birth to death. Often they don''t even try to get away if they''re losing, detesting the slow emotions like patience, and having no concern for mortality at all."

    Vivid had become silent again, sitting motionless with his eyes still narrowed.

    ¡°I imagine the world will be a lot different if they win. I don¡¯t imagine they have graves, those things don¡¯t provide strong emotion, at least not in the way they care about.¡± Hanyr looked out the window, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s later than I realized. I¡¯d better get to bed, seeing as we head out tomorrow morning, right? See you at the gate at sunrise! We¡¯ve got to make sure they lose.¡±

    Hanyr left, but looking back, he knew that conversation was the one they needed.

    *

    The soldiers were gathered, all their supply wagons (which weren''t many; they weren''t going far.) with them. Each of the nominees were given their own horse, except for Grendala, Vicid, and Hanyr. Horses wanted nothing to do with Grendala and Vicid, and they couldn''t be expected to carry Hanyr the whole way. Those three rode in a supply wagon that stayed at the front, along with the other nominees and officers. Lieutenant Wanrod was the head officer for this attack, with Elder Brunstrog having direct command of a smaller team that was prepared to break off at any point and handle a task that the nominees needed doing.

    The plan was to use the nominees the same way the Haverdash used the Glorious: break down the gate and put the defenders in disarray before the attackers come in.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    This plan was more necessary for them to use than it was for the Haverdash, because they couldn''t possibly protect everyone from the gas that hung in Haverdash cities. The nominees would have to clear that to manageable levels.

    The order went down the column, and they started the march. They were targeting the closest Haverdash city, which had been captured only a month ago. They had a fast pace, knowing they could keep it up because their target was only two days away, and not wanting the Haverdash to have time to respond. Scouts reported that so far the city had not received backup, so now was an opportune time to strike. The Haverdash probably didn''t believe that they could lose a city once captured, having never done that before.

    Runberal moved his horse by Andal and Jeva, "I think you two will have to remove the gas with the wind you can create. We¡¯ll have to move systematically.¡±

    Grendala leaned over the edge of the wagon and butted in, ¡°I¡¯ve already got that planned out. We¡¯ll need the wind they can make, but that¡¯s only half the picture. I can neutralize the gas, I just need a method of dispersal. They blow my neutralizer throughout the city, and the gas will turn into a brown mist not unlike a cloud of dust.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Rumberal responded, ¡°Have you communicated that to Andal and Jeva?¡±

    ¡°Just did.¡±

    Rumberal huffed and turned back to Andal, ¡°Well now that¡¯s been communicated. Are you willing and able?¡±

    ¡°We can do that, right Jeva?¡±

    ¡°Definitely, thanks for getting that clear, Rumberal!¡±

    Rumberal instantly smiled, appreciating their tone far more than Grendala¡¯s. ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡±

    Elder Brunstrog had ridden ahead to get a report from some scouts, but he came back and went straight to Rumberal. "There''s a party of Haverdash on the other side of those trees, this is a good opportunity to get the nominees a warm up."

    "Understood, elder!" He led his horse forward then turned around, "All nominees! A band of Haverdash has been spotted beyond those trees, let''s eliminate them so they can''t warn of our coming! Onward!"

    Rumberal, Andal, Jeva, and Nalia all rode forward. Grendala grumbled, "Didn''t think of us wagon folk, did they? I''ll stay here then, I''m not going to try to catch up."

    Hanyr jumped out of the wagon, "I will! You coming Vicid?"

    Vicid remained seated, but looked in the direction the other nominees were heading, "I am."

    "You need a lift?" Hanyr pointed at his back.

    Grendala snickered at the suggestion, but Vicid answered, "I have my own way of traveling."

    "Then see you there!"

    Those who had taken off with their horses hadn''t set them to sprint, but they were still shocked when they saw Hanyr run up beside them and keep pace with them.

    Jeva yelled to him, "Hanyr, that''s amazing!"

    He smiled, responding between breaths, "Don''t be so¡­ surprised¡­ my legs¡­ are longer!"

    "That''s true! Hey, my head is as high as yours now! I''m as tall as Hanyr!"

    She lifted herself up an inch or two in her saddle to make that true, which Hanyr tried to avoid laughing at to not lose his breath.

    Andal was admiring something slightly different, "Is that your bow?"

    He glanced at where it was sticking up, hanging on his back, and smiled wider.

    They entered the tree-filled area, which was a large patch that couldn''t be called a forest. Rumberal called out, "The Haverdash are here! Dismount!"

    They all jumped off their horses and kept going, finding the Haverdash just entering the patch of trees on the other side. There were more than Andal had expected, perhaps a hundred of them, but if they couldn''t handle this there was no way they could take a city.

    Andal raised swords of light to shoot at them, and Jeva shot a fireball from her hands. Both thought they would be the first one to strike, but then an arrow over three feet long zipped past them and plowed through three Haverdash before burying itself in a fourth. When the first Haverdash fell dead there was a sound like a heavy metal object being dragged across stone.

    Andal and Jeva''s projectiles landed next, but the undaunted Haverdash responded by chucking several bottles of wine at them. Rumberal jutted his shield forward, forming an invisible barrier that blocked all of them. He let the barrier drop, and they would have sent another volley of projectiles, but they were caught off guard by the sight of Vicid standing where the first Haverdash had fallen.

    He touched the heads of the dead Haverdash, and they incorporeally lowered into the earth. The Haverdash rushed the nominees, covering Vicid quickly and coming into melee with the others. Vicid passed through them, and once in an unexpected location, materialized and stabbed black daggers into adjacent Haverdash that killed them instantly. Those he killed fell in slow motion, passing through the earth like it wasn''t there.

    Andal raised shells of light around all the nominees, "I''m protecting you, be aggressive!"

    Rumberal empowered their armor, "As am I, attack freely!"

    The Haverdash were completely incapable of breaking through both shields, so the massive offensive power of the nominees was accentuated by not needing to defend themselves.

    After cutting down a large Haverdash in front of him, Andal saw one standing still and collected several feet away. With a wipe of his hands, Andal''s defenses were gone.

    Andal quickly made a burst of wind to clear the space around him, then made a focused beam of light that incinerated the head of that Haverdash.

    His defenses returned, and he called out to the others, "If a Haverdash looks like he''s not trying to directly attack you, he''s seeing something else! Target them!"

    Then he noticed the largest tree in the area tilting, "Hanyr, avoid the tree!"

    Hanyr jumped out of the way just in time, "Thanks, Andal! Which one did that?"

    Jeva called out, "I found him!" And blasted him with a fireball.

    They finished off the party of Haverdash, one of which had tried to run. There were light mists coming up from the ground where Vicid had buried the Haverdash. They avoided those spots as they ran together to celebrate. Rumberal told them, "We looked great! No injured among us?"

    "None, I didn''t even have to heal anyone!" Andal answered.

    "Alright, let''s remember to target those we think are having different hallucinations when we attack the city, and let¡¯s use our stronger abilities wisely. If their hallucinations get out of control, Nalia can always cancel them with her own hallucinations or illusions."

    They headed back towards their horses, but Vicid went to Rumberal, "I want a team of soldiers to place stone markers here as gravestones."

    He was surprised, but fine with it, "That can be arranged."

    Hanyr commented, "It''s time the Haverdash knew graves, eh Vicid?"

    "Yes, it is."

    *

    They came to their target city, Shrodac, once called the Flower of Donfas. It was made to be very easy to travel, with roads in concentric circles from the middle to the outer defensive walls, then even to the outer city. The nominees were not to try clearing the outer city, aside from gas; they were to penetrate the walls and scatter the organized defenders so that the army could operate in a dominant position, just how the Haverdash use the Glorious. They had a map of Shrodac, which wasn¡¯t hard to come by, or to conceptualize even if you¡¯d never been there. The advisors discussed a plan with the nominees, suggesting that the nominees would penetrate first and draw attention, then the army would cautiously encircle the walls while they cleared the outer city, supporting the nominees with arrow and sling barrages by cutting off the circular roads going around the city that many Haverdash would probably try to use to get to the nominees once they breached.

    The Haverdash knew they were there, as the plains were too open for their approach to be hidden, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily to their disadvantage. If the attack is to work then the nominees would have to be successful. The Haverdash would have to focus them completely when they breach, lightening the load for the army.

    While they were discussing this and making it clear, Grendala told them, ¡°I don¡¯t intend to be that helpful in the breach. There¡¯s something else I can do that will be more effective.¡±

    Andal asked, ¡°I thought you were going to be feeding the neutralizer of the gas into our wind so that we can spread it around?¡±

    ¡°We can do that, I can go with you, but you¡¯ll have to protect me. I¡¯ll be weakened. I¡¯m going to place a curse on Shrodac. The effects may last many years, but it would greatly help this attack. Is that fine?¡± She looked at Tharrow.

    Tharrow shared a look with the other advisors, then told her, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Continue with the curse.¡±

    She walked away from the group until she had almost a hundred feet of space between her and anyone else. She began to chant. Her words were quiet, but each one had a weight on the air, a punchy feeling that was felt even if the sound wasn¡¯t audible. Then a hissing sound began, and smoke billowed out from her.

    She fell on her hands and knees, noticeably thinner than before. She yelled back to them in a hoarse, gravelly voice, ¡°It¡¯s done! Let¡¯s go.¡±

 29. Shrodac

    Jeva was looking sorrowfully at Shrodac, "It was supposed to be so beautiful, but I never got to see it before the Haverdash got to it."

    Rumberal told her, "But you can see it after we drive them out. The gas, the vines, the sickness and decay, we''ll drive it out with them. Dismount, everyone; we can''t protect the horses in there, and we want to push together."

    The nominees went forth, and the soldiers waited. A mass of Haverdash could be seen forming on the city¡¯s edge, curious as to why seven individuals were approaching alone, but ready to fight.

    ¡°There are lowly and powerful Haverdash, same as us,¡± Rumberal said, ¡°Be ready for the real fight when we breach the gates, but take this one seriously.¡±

    Hanyr lifted his bow, ¡°No point in waiting, is there?¡±

    ¡°No, no there isn¡¯t.¡± Rumberal tapped Hanyr''s bow, "Start us off."

    Hanyr loosed an arrow that streaked across the field to pierce through a Haverdash and his shield, fracturing from the impact and spraying the Haverdash behind him with enough deadly force to kill a dozen. Their intentions were made clear: these seven wanted to take on the Haverdash alone.

    Some Haverdash scattered to get weapons, others were satisfied with the tools they had in hand. Andal was reminded of when he was with Salvador, attacked by Haverdash with tools, but he knew the result here would be different.

    Andal raised armor on the nominees, then made a beam of light to stun the Haverdash. Instead of letting it strike a single target, he held it, turning to stun the whole front line as he shouted with determination. Then he dropped swords of light rapidly to kill the stunned.

    "Very nice, Andal!" Rumberal shouted, then he touched Nalia''s sword to strengthen it, "Jeva, Hanyr, let''s try that move!"

    Hanyr picked up a rope off of his belt,looping it around Nalia under her arms with one swift motion. Jeva put her hands on Nalia''s back, "Ready?"

    "Ready, Jeva!"

    A gust of wind erupted from Jeva''s hands, pushing Nalia forward. She swung her sword repeatedly in wide arcs, the cuts her sword made in the air staying where they were made, but thanks to Rumberal, duplicating and extending. Jeva continued to focus a strong wind on Nalia''s back while Hanyr swung her around, giving her a big semi-circular path.

    Then Jeva stepped forward and used a new spell, wind that originated away from her and blew toward her, pulling the surprised Haverdash into Nalia''s cuts and severing them apart.

    Jeva and Hanyr hollered in celebration, and Andal gawked, "You got like forty of them at once! That was awesome!"

    Nalia pulled the rope off, rubbing her sides where it has been especially tight, "Yea, I don''t know if we''ll do that again. It worked well though."

    Grendala tossed a handful of dust in the air in front of Andal, "Keep acting!"

    With a burst of wind, he sent the dust streaming around the outer city. The gas it passed through was neutralized in seconds, becoming brown like a cloud of dust, and gradually settling.

    The Haverdash, who had at first been frustrated at the strength of the nominees, finally and suddenly realized that this attack might take back the city.

    *

    Lars sat on a snowy cliff over the Tubarai city Nalzfarn. His soldiers behind him egged him on, "We''re ready, let''s move!"

    "Quiet!" He barked, "I''m seeing something¡­"

    In the winds cutting through the frosty air he could see a continuance of his first vision. The figure who his massless particles were shared with stood in the open sky off the cliff side, and the other figure that the first person¡¯s particles were being shared with was there beside them. Until now he couldn''t discern anything about them, except occasionally how close they felt, but now he could clearly see that the first figure was a man, and the second figure was a woman. He couldn''t make out their clothing or faces, but they were right there, if only he could see through the frosty air a little more clearly¡­

    A Haverdash complained, "What are we waiting for? They don''t know we''re here!"

    Another echoed, "Yea, let''s go down there!" They took a step forward.

    Lars shouted back at them, having seen the one advance, "Freeze!"

    The chill of the air and snow flooded into them, making them like ice sculptures. Silent, above all things.

    Lars focused again on the vision in front of him. He''d first seen this part of the vision several days ago and for some reason felt more connected to those two than ever. He''d been thinking about it ever since, and now he felt like the answer was right in front of him. "Show me your faces¡­" he whispered. Then the vision disappeared.

    Lars jumped to his feet, searching the sky for a sign of the vision, but seeing nothing. He screamed in frustration. The Haverdash were unfrozen, and instead filled with a burning anger in the likeness of how Lars felt. "Wipe them out!" Lars cried, jumping off the cliff to come crashing down on Nalzfarn.

    *

    Before the nominees reached the gate, it was thrown open from the inside. A Haverdash stood in the opening with hunched posture and closed eyes. The nominees were suddenly lifted off of the ground, and they continued to rise as if gravity had left them.

    Hanyr scoffed, "Now what''s that supposed to do?" He quickly loosed an arrow, with a lower than normal angle since he expected it to rise as well. The arrow streamed across the ground, but angled upward to hit the Haverdash through his lower jaw and lift him four feet in the air before he and the nominees came crashing down to earth.

    Rumberal exclaimed, "We''re in! Scatter the defenders!"

    Grendala threw up another handful of powder for Andal to spread, then she pointed out a Haverdash on the walls, "Get that one! He''s special!"

    Andal made a shield behind him, and Jeva released two quick fireballs. The Haverdash shifted into a hairless, beast-like form, and wailed. The first fireball knocked him back into the shield and silenced him, the second one finished him off.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Jeva gave Grendala two thumbs up, "Good call!"

    "Fairies can see when the Haverdash start changing things, I''ll keep pointing them out!"

    Rumberal strengthened his mace and knocked away all the Haverdash who had filled the gate, and the nominees rushed in.

    Until now they''d only seen arrows coming from the Haverdash, but they''d cleared enough of the gas for the army to get in range, and arrows finally flew over the walls to assault the Haverdash.

    Grendala looked about frantically, "We should back up!"

    Rumberal shouted that down, "No! Advance and drive them out!"

    A wave of cold rushed over them, making it hard to move. Darkness followed next, then the weapons of the Haverdash around them glowed with a sinister light. The nominees tried to move their feet, but found themselves caught in a bog. That bog began to boil, burning their legs as the rest of their bodies froze.

    Hanyr called into the darkness, "Grendala? Grendala! What is this?"

    "There''s too many Haverdash hallucinating, we can''t handle this!"

    Andal yelled over them, "Nalia, use your illusion!"

    Rumberal shrieked as a Haverdash drove its glowing spear into him, and a whip with crescent blades wrapped itself around Jeva.

    The world turned silver, each surface dimly reflecting all others. The hallucinations of the Haverdash were wiped away, and Nalia moved through the ground like a dolphin in a pool of water. her sword arced out of the ground like a springing trap, killing the Haverdash who were next to them first.

    Grendala started pointing out those that had been making the strong hallucinations, letting them target the proper Haverdash efficiently. The Haverdash were confused, not only because their surroundings had suddenly and utterly changed, but because of the internal change that happened in them because their hallucinated perceptions of themselves were wiped away.

    Andal rushed to Jeva first, despite Rumberal needing healing more. Jeva protested, but only once she''d been fully healed (which took seconds, since her wounds were superficial) did he move on to heal Rumberal.

    As soon as he had the strength to, Rumberal put a shield barrier up, and empowered the group''s armor. He lifted his mace by the head and handed it to Hanyr, "I can''t empower your hands, give us some space with this."

    Hanyr nodded, taking the mace and driving back the Haverdash who had been trying to keep the pressure up.

    Jeva hugged Nalia, "Thank you! Goodness, that was close."

    "You''re welcome, Jeva."

    Nalia didn''t sound that genuine, so Jeva pulled back and looked closely at her face, "What''s wrong? What happened?"

    "When I went up in that tower to kill one of the stronger Haverdash I could see the other side of Shrodac. The Haverdash are fighting on two more fronts right now."

    "Oh!" Jeva threw her hands up, "Well that''s great! Right? Why don''t you look happy?"

    Rumberal popped himself up to a sitting position, being mostly healed. "Who else is fighting them?"

    "Human slaves have grabbed tools and started fighting-"

    That''s wonderful! They still had hope!" Andal exclaimed.

    "-but they''re being slaughtered. They''re too sick and weak, they''re just a distraction."

    Rumberal got to his feet, finally strong enough to stand, "Then we won''t let it be in vain, we need to push forward, and engage the brunt of the Haverdash! Where''s Vicid?"

    Grendala said, "I was wondering the same thing. I haven''t seen him since before we passed the walls."

    Hanyr pointed toward the center of town, "He went ahead. You all saw when he fought that hundred by the trees, he can teleport to where people die. He''s been going from place to place this whole time. You notice how few Haverdash are coming to fight us? I bet he''s why."

    "But also!" Nalia interrupted, "There''s the other way the Haverdash are being attacked! There are giant corpses, big enough to climb over the walls, fighting them on the other side of Shrodac

    "What?" Rumberal looked at Grendala, "Did you do that?"

    She sneered, "I didn''t make them, if that''s what you mean. My curse probably brought them here, but they were close. I warned you of this before, old things, dead things, from the belly of the earth, drawn by the scent of death."

    Rumberal took his mace back from Hanyr, "We''ll deal with them when we get to them, hopefully they and the Haverdash kill each other. No more hesitation, let''s move!"

    *

    They pushed to the center of Shrodac, sending any human slaves they met to flee north, the way the nominees had come. The army had cleared the outer city on the northern side and was cleaning up behind the nominees, but the fight wasn''t won yet. The Haverdash had regrouped to the city center, which was once a gorgeous park with fountains and gardens.

    A wave of hallucinogenic effects wiped over the buildings opposite them, and the nominees knew that this was no small force grouped together. Jeva asked Nalia, "If it gets to be too much for us, can you make everything silver again?"

    She shook her head, "No, I won''t be able to do that for days."

    Hanyr shouted in surprise, "Vicid! There you are!"

    Vicid was standing by the cracked base of a large fountain, looking toward the Haverdash. He looked back, "You''re here?"

    Rumberal went towards him, "Yes, we made it. You''ve been doing well, but we can face them together now."

    "Get out," Vicid said, "You have ten seconds."

    Rumberal paused in confusion, but Hanyr didn''t hesitate. He grabbed Rumberal and pulled him back, pushing the other nominees and yelling for them to get back as he ushered them.

    Ten seconds passed, and the bodies of Haverdash Vicid had killed in the area in front of them suddenly rose out of the earth and levitated in the air. Black cords formed between them, showing a pattern in where each of them were killed, and the outer border was a large rectangle with the dimensions of a grave.

    Everything within that grave, Haverdash, buildings, even the air, became dark and heavy looking. Then it began to sink, falling beneath the earth without disturbing any soil.

    Grendala grabbed Tifiliti off of her shoulder and hid him in her dress while she spouted frustrated curses. She grabbed the vine in her pocket that grew off of death and threw it away from her, saving the pocket from being torn as the vine rapidly expanded and planted roots into the ground. "Keep backing off, and hold your breath! This much death energy would make a Haverdash sick!"

    When the black cords finally dissipated, there was nothing left over the ground where that massive grave had been. Air rushed in to fill the vacuum, creating a booming sound like an explosion. More than half Haverdash force that had grouped up there had been caught in the grave, but even those that hadn''t, like the buildings and plants nearby, saw the effects of decay.

    The nominees came back slowly, and Rumberal came to stand beside Vicid. He looked over the empty space in front of him, eyes wide. Then he spoke, ¡°Well done, Vicid.¡± Vicid gave Rumberal a surprised look, and Rumberal gave him a curt nod. ¡°Alright, forward everybody! Clear what¡¯s left here and the city should be ours!¡±

    *

    The nominees stood by the defunct giant corpses as the advisors caught up to them. The gas had been cleared from the air, and the Haverdash purged. Shrodac was truly free; the first of many.

    Elder Brunstrog ran in and started hugging them one by one, even Grendala and Vicid, ¡°Haha! You savage, tough, warriors! You heroes of the age! There will be music about you! Bards, sure, but more importantly, pub songs!¡±

    Wanrod and Tharrow caught up, and they began shaking hands with the nominees. Tharrow looked more proud, but Wanrod was ecstatic, ¡°You did it! This is huge. This was a big gamble, and it paid off massively! We¡¯re going to get way more backup now, oh this is great!¡± He finally looked at the enormous corpse in front of them, somehow not noticing it until then, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Rumberal answered, ¡°30 foot tall corpse, was attacking the Haverdash from the South while we attacked from the North. We counted nine of them. Judging by all the lacerations, it took a lot to bring it down.¡±

    Wanrod turned to Nalia, ¡°What about you? What is this?¡±

    She looked annoyed, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to add.¡±

    Jeva exaggerated a blink, ¡°Why does it seem like you¡¯re lying?¡±

    Wanrod told her, ¡°Nalia¡¯s one of those tree-dwellers in those big forests up north. They were here before humans, they have lots of history.¡±

    Jeva exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re not human?¡±

    ¡°And unlike Grendala, she never was.¡±

    Nalia insisted, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to add, don¡¯t ask me about it.¡±

    Seeing that Nalia was uncomfortable, Andal interrupted,¡°We have to find out where they came from. Grendala¡¯s curse may have brought them here, but they had to be nearby anyway. We haven¡¯t truly freed Shrodac if the Haverdash are gone, but they keep getting attacked by these things.¡±

    Tharrow disagreed, ¡°Not today you aren¡¯t. That can happen later. You all look awful, I don¡¯t know if you realize that. You¡¯re exhausted, dirty, and you need to take a few days of rest, which you will start now.¡±

    Wanrod clapped, ¡°Absolutely right, and thankfully, we are in Shrodac! Fire up those bathhouses!¡±

 30. Glorious Manier

    Andal and Jeva had been looking for where the undead giants had come from all morning, and they finally had a decent idea. They''d found a crevasse in a rocky landmark several miles from the city; it was big enough for the giants to crawl out of, and there was no telling how deep it went.

    Jeva was on her belly, peering over the side. Andal was standing a little farther back, freaked out by the total blackness.

    "This has got to be it," Jeva told him, "There''s no caves around, and they had to come from underground."

    Andal agreed, "We would have known about them if they were on the surface, even if they can turn invisible like fairies, they''re just too big."

    Jeva''s eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open. She didn''t say anything, so Andal had to ask, "What do you see?"

    "I see one of the giants! He''s crawling up!"

    Andal overcame his fear of the hole and leaned over the edge, seeing one of the dead giants emerging from the darkness. It barely fit through the crevasse, grinding its flaking body up the stone wall each time it found a new hand hold.

    Andal sent a sword of lights to pierce its wrists, "Destroy its hands!"

    Jeva shot at the other hand, and they quickly annihilated both. The giant turned its head to look at them with empty eye sockets, then started sliding down the crevasse into the darkness again.

    Andal backed away from the edge, "Let''s, let''s go tell them that we found it."

    "What do you think they''ll do? Should we try blocking the exit by destroying the walls?"

    "That''s not a bad idea, but we''ll see what the others say. They''re following the scent of death, right? Maybe if we just plug the hole enough they won''t try to get out."

    *

    Jeva pushed open the door to the head office in Shrodac''s capitol building. "Wanrod! We saw workers who had been slaves to the Haverdash still working in the city on our way here! Why is that?"

    Wanrod was caught off guard, but Elder Brunstrog happily stepped in, "They wanted to, lassie! Most of them, anyway. One of them said to me, ''Give us the honor of tearing down what we built up under the Haverdash.'' They''re quite a bunch!" He laughed.

    Tharrow added, "They''re good to have around too, they saw a lot in their enslavement."

    Seeing that Jeva was satisfied, Wanrod asked, "Did you and Andal find anything?"

    "Yes we did! We found a crevasse that they could fit through, and proved it''s the spot by seeing, and stopping, one from climbing out."

    "Excellent, we''ll look into closing that. Well done, get some rest. We''ve got some more planning to do, but in a few more days we want to attack again to keep up the pressure."

    "Thank you Lieutenant!" She gave a curt bow, and left the room. Andal was seated on the comfiest chair he could find in the front room, getting some much desired rest. Jeva flopped into an overly-relaxed position in the chair next to him, making him smile. "I let them know. They said they''d work on closing it. Also, we''ll be moving out of Shrodac in a few days."

    ¡°Ah,¡± Andal snuggled deeper into his chair, ¡°the road again.¡± Changing his voice to sound elderly, he said, ¡°Oh to be young and spry!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, yes. Hard to be spry when you¡¯re such a stiff-neck.¡± Jeva jumped up and hid behind her chair, peeking at Andal¡¯s reaction.

    He sat up and put his hands on his hands on his hips, ¡°Wow, out of nowhere! What did I ever do to you?¡±

    Jeva laughed, ¡°You made yourself too easy of a shot, for one!¡±

    A horn sounded throughout the city, interrupting any more kidding around. Jeva and Andal looked at each other, Andal asking first, ¡®Do you know what that means?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, I thought you would.¡±

    Andal pulled himself up, ¡°Alright, we¡¯d better find out.¡±

    Elder Brunstrog came running through, throwing the door open on his way out, so Andal and Jeva ran to catch up with him. He had a lot of burst for his age, but he slowed down fast, so they were able to catch up to where Jeva could ask, ¡°Elder Brunstrog, what¡¯s that horn mean? Is something happening?¡±

    Through short breath, he answered, ¡°An attack!¡±

    Andal stopped and looked South, ¡°An attack?¡± He looked back at Brunstrog, who had kept going North, and hurried to catch up. ¡°Why are we going North, elder?¡±

    ¡°Because, *huff*,  that¡¯s where the attack is from!¡± He came to a halt and leaned against a building to catch his breath.

    Andal asked, ¡°But how could an attack be coming from the North?¡±

    Elder Brunstrog pointed aggressively, ¡°Go find out!¡±

    *

    Andal and Jeva made it to the northern walls at around the same time that Grendala and Nalia did. Hanyr and Rumberal were already on the walls, standing solemnly. Nalia asked fervently, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s happening?¡±

    Jeva said, ¡°No! We¡¯d better take a look too!¡±

    They all ran up the stairs to get up to Hanyr and Rumberal, who gave them no notice. Far beyond the furthest of Shrodac¡¯s buildings waited a Haverdash army, not as numerous as the human army in Shrodac, but large enough that they would certainly win that fight.

    Though, the nominees only noticed that with peripheral vision. They were focused on a solitary figure, who flew toward them smoothly, with no regard for the wind. He shone with a light that diverted their gazes because of the pain and discomfort it caused them, though not because of its brightness.

    Rumberal broke their silence, ¡°Andal, would that be what you called, a ¡®Glorious Haverdash¡¯?¡±

    Andal answered sheepishly, ¡°Probably.¡±

    Hanyr grumbled, ¡°If that isn¡¯t I don¡¯t want to know what is.¡±

    Rumberal started leading them off the walls, ¡°We don¡¯t want to be caught up here, he could knock us off. Let¡¯s be on the ground floor when he arrives." Hanyr notched an arrow, but Rumberal put a hand on his bow to keep it low, "If he''s leaving his army behind like that - look, they''re sitting down - then I think he wants to talk."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "Alright, but just because we might be able to all hit him at once."

    Rumberal raised a finger, "Precisely."

    They all relocated to the ground, spreading out somewhat so that they would have to be individually targeted, but close enough that they could use protective spells on each other in an instant.

    The Glorious Haverdash glided over the walls, and lowered himself between the Nominees.

    They were tense, hands ready to fight, even though they could hardly look at the Haverdash without pain.

    He raised his left hand, displaying the decapitated head he was holding. Grendala gasped at the sight, almost falling backwards.

    Rumberal spoke with feigned confidence, "What are you showing us, Haverdash? Is this a threat? If we don''t do as you say you will do the same to us as you did to this poor man?"

    The Haverdash laughed softly, and the echo of his laugh rang like a pleasant chime off of every person and building. The birds and animals that heard it scattered, breaking down pen walls to escape.

    "I would do the same to you, yes, but that is not what I''m showing you. I am Glorious Manier, one of four in who the grandeur of Haverdash has been found mirrored, and I come with the greatest of mankind in my hand like a rat from a trap, the king of Donfas."

    Manier tossed the head at their feet, letting it roll.

    Rumberal shouted fiercely, "You lie! You came from the north to trick us!" His aggression turned into sudden shame, causing him to stumble backwards and hide his face.

    Manier shook his head, "Do you not recognize your king? Or perhaps it is his fault, being too diminished by fear to lead." He looked at Grendala, "She seems to recognize him. Tell them, witch, is this not the king of Donfas?"

    She nodded slowly.

    Manier cocked his head, "Your brother?"

    She nodded again.

    "How curious, but your testimony is sure. Understand then, I did not come to threaten you with a dead man. I have come to accept your surrender, for I tore Rathifan apart, and drove its spiral towers into the dirt by the sweat of my brow. You have no city to protect, nor king to serve. Shrodac, which you stole from us, is a gift to no one, a sign of hope gone to waste, prepared for hopeless people. Your lives may still be yours, if you surrender. At least then you may be there to see the coming of the greater glory we are indwelt by as it manifests, which would be better than passing away pointlessly, though the glory is painful to your sight."

    Rumberal would normally answer for the group, but he was on the ground cowering. Instead, Andal stepped between Rumberal and Manier defiantly, "I have a different proposal for you, Glorious Haverdash."

    Manier shook his head, "I did not come to negotiate, only to offer a chance to surrender."

    Andal gave it anyway, "I propose that Shrodac surrenders if you can kill us nominees, and your army surrenders if we kill you."

    Manier actually gave a slight smile, "I accept your terms, not because I''m negotiating, but because there is no difference between what we proposed. Of course if you kill me, my army would scatter, and if you won''t surrender I will certainly kill you then offer a chance to surrender to the rest of Shrodac. At least you have made your intentions clear."

    Without warning, a burst of wind stronger than any tornado threw all the nominees back at high speed. Rumberal overcame his shame, suddenly realizing they were in a battle and having the presence of mind through familiarity with combat to place armor over all the nominees.

    Andal put shields behind himself and Jeva that were angled to direct them upward, then shields below them for them to land safely on. The other nominees crashed into buildings, but were protected from critical injury by Rumberal''s armor.

    Manier drew his sword with a quick stroke, seeming to hit something straight in front of him by how the sword suddenly stopped. A gong rang out. Every building, tower, or wall within hundreds of feet,  wood or stone, was shaken apart to where it crumbled and fell.

    Andal looked for signs of his allies making it out of the collapsing buildings, but they were too scattered to find easily. He had to close the distance to Manier and engage him, or they¡¯d keep getting killed by the environment. He yelled to Jeva, ¡°Grab the sword, we¡¯re going in!¡±

    ¡°The sword?¡±

    A sword of light appeared by Andal, and another by Jeva, pointed at Manier. Andal grabbed the handle, and Jeva quickly copied him. The swords shot forward, carrying them and closing the distance within seconds. Jeva jumped off to the right, blowing wind beneath her to stay elevated and not lose momentum as she shot fireballs with her left hand. Andal jumped off straight at Manier, making more swords of light to hit him right as Andal reached him.

    Manier waved his empty hand at the fireballs, emitting a cloud of snow that wiped them away. He ignored the swords of light, letting them disappear when they got close. He thrusted at Andal, who barely had time to react and put up a shield of light, which Manier stabbed through cleanly.

    Andal made a sword in front of himself before Manier¡¯s reached him. It hit the armor that Rumberal had provided and pushed Andal out of reach just in time, making him sprawl on the ground. He yelled at Manier in disbelief, ¡°How?¡±

    He raised his eyebrows amusedly, letting Andal send other swords of light at him that simply disappeared. ¡°Oh child, do you not know that a fire at noon will not brighten the day? Every light that is small gets lost in the greater light.¡±

    One of Hanyr¡¯s arrows suddenly hit. Andal hadn¡¯t seen it coming, but Manier had raised his hand to let it strike his palm, which it entered without piercing. He closed his hand, and it was gone. He turned to Jeva, who had been trying a new approach. She was preparing something, which she meant to unleash as one powerful blast that Manier couldn¡¯t just block. He opened his hand toward her, and Hanyr¡¯s arrow shot out at the speed that it had hit him.

    Andal panicked, and his perception slowed. That arrow would pierce right through Jeva if he didn¡¯t stop it, but she was on the other side of Manier, and too far away to make a shield or sword in front of her. He could make wind, but it had to come from himself. He could heal, but that required contact. Wait, it didn¡¯t! He often had his hands a few inches from the person he was healing. If it could be done over distance, then distance was arbitrary, and he had a way.

    The arrow pierced Jeva and went out the other side, so Manier turned towards Andal again. Every inanimate surface in the direction he was looking changed to be like a mirror, reflecting the sky. Andal felt the air rush through the ground beneath him, and a great cold came from the mirror.

    Then a bolt of lightning struck Manier in the back, sending him tumbling, and making the mirror disappear. He looked back in surprise to see Jeva with smoke billowing from her fingertips. She had a hole in her garments just below her neck, but the ribs and skin were wholly intact.

    She took a deep breath to jeer, ¡°There¡¯s some ¡®light¡¯ for yah!¡±

    He wiped his hand on a piece of rubble, turning it into a mirror that reflected the sun. The light from it shone so brightly that it threated to blind anyone looking in the general area, and a sudden heat poured out of the mirror. Andal tried to move, but he found that he didn¡¯t have the strength, as if his body had become suddenly far heavier. Though, he wasn¡¯t being weighed down to the earth as much as to the mirror.

    A wave of something akin to fire, but like a liquid, burst out of the mirror in an explosion. It rushed over the ground and grew higher, ever expanding, to wipe away everything and everyone.

    Then the ground was silver. Manier¡¯s aura of light remained, and polluted the silver, but the mirror and the liquid fire were gone. Manier spun quickly, looking for the source of the silver that covered the landscape, but didn¡¯t see Nalia.

    Andal, Jeva, and Hanyr didn''t wait for him to be able to hallucinate again, unleashing the heaviest barrage they could.

    Manier meant to dodge, but was suddenly stopped by Nalia''s sword stabbing up out of the ground and through his foot. The barrage found its mark, burning and piercing him from head to foot. Nalia sliced the achilles of his other leg, then stabbed up at his back. He reacted in time though, not stunned by the pain like he should be, spinning and slicing through Nalia''s forearm. She didn''t make any sound, but quickly grabbed her severed hand and passed through the ground to come up by Andal. She only weakly held her severed army together, but Andal got the message and started healing her. The silver effect faded, and Manier shouted in triumph as he felt the ability to hallucinate again.

    Then a pig, which had been running into the area in a weird way, was suddenly plucked up and flung at Manier by an unseen force. He sidestepped the pig, looking curiously at where it was thrown from. "There you are, did you run out of arrows and now are resorting to pigs?"

    Hanyr suddenly became visible as Manier broke the spell. Grendala also became visible, though she was mostly covered in rubble from a fallen building. The last of her strength to stay conscious left her when the spell was broken, and she went limp.

    Before Manier could do something to Hanyr, another bolt of lightning from Jeva hit him in the side. Jeva then fell forward, meaning to catch herself with her hands, but being too exhausted and simply landing face first. Hanyr loosed an arrow, not at Manier,, but rather the pig.

    Manier jumped instantaneously from the ground to his feet, slicing the ground and sending tremors through the earth. The ground opened up beneath each of the nominees, threatening to swallow them.

    Hanyr yelled through the roar of the tremors, "There''s seven of us!"

    Vicid reached around Manier from behind, having appeared when the pig died, and stabbed two black daggers into Manier''s eyes.

    The ground stopped moving, leaving craters where each nominee was instead of completely swallowing them. Manier threw an elbow back and broke Vicid¡¯s jaw, then leaped off the ground to hover in the air out of reach. A low hum started resonating from him.

    Hanyr lamented, ¡°He didn¡¯t die?¡± and shot an arrow. Manier put his hand out to it and absorbed it, as he had done before, and released it back at Hanyr. The giant was able to move just enough for it to pierce his thigh, rather than be fatal.

    Vivid became a shadow, moving toward Andal.

    Nalia said, ¡°He¡¯s using echolocation, like a bat. We have to finish him off before he heals himself! He shouldn¡¯t be able to see Vicid, get him up there!¡±

    Andal ran forward, shooting random swords of light as a distraction, then placing one right by Vicid that hopefully would seem random to Manier. The sky seemed to weigh down on them, physically driving them to their knees. This weight was probably meant to stop projectiles from reaching Manier as he healed himself, which he started to do by removing his burns, but the swords of light and Vicid were both weightless.

    Vivid grabbed the sword that Andal provided and shot up with it at Manier. The sword disappeared when it got too close, but it never had to reach him. Vivid kept his momentum and slammed his hand into Manier¡¯s face, pouring death energy into the holes he¡¯d left with his daggers. A reverse healing effect took place, opening all of Manier¡¯s wounds more, and making his blood dump out.

    The humming stopped, replaced by a weak moan, and Manier fell to the earth. Once the cloud of dust from his impact settled, his aura of light faded.

    *

    Andal healed Grendala enough to save her from death, but didn¡¯t have the strength for anything else. All the nominees were brought away to receive medical attention except Vicid, who was given the honor of carrying Manier¡¯s lifeless body to the Haverdash army that had been waiting north of Shrodac.

    When they realized who he was carrying a great dread fell over them, and they fled in every direction without thought to where they were going. Vicid touched Manier on the forehead, and his body intangibly sank beneath the soil to be buried. Then Vicid carved a gravestone and left it there, engraving it with the words: ¡°Here lies Glorious Manier, that the Haverdash may know the grave, and remember their mortality.¡±

 31. New Life

    The nominees sat in the capitol building, mostly covered in bandages. Andal had healed the major injuries they had, but it wasn¡¯t perfect. Just as Andal still had a slight ache in his back from where the arrow had shot him, Jeva, Nalia, and especially Grendala had aches that would stay with them forever. Vicid probably did as well, in his jaw, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind.

    Wanrod came downstairs to make an announcement, ¡°We¡¯re attacking Tiermac in three days!¡±

    All the nominees looked up in surprise, and Andal protested, ¡°Three days? Look at all our bandages, Wanrod! Grendal won¡¯t be ready to go in three days!¡±

    Wanrod smiled wider, ¡°Oh, you will. Don¡¯t underestimate what you did when you killed Glorious Manier. The Haverdash have totally changed their attitude toward us. They don¡¯t even attack our scouts! The Haverdash have an unquenchable respect for everyone in Shrodac now, and when the ones who killed Manier move to Tiermac, they won¡¯t want anything to do with it. You were right, Andal! Killing the Glorious Haverdash, that¡¯s what this is about. Three days, then we march on Tiermac.¡±

    Rumbural asked, ¡°Wanrod, what are you talking about? Manier destroyed Rathifan, north of us, and you want us to head further South? The king is dead! We need to secure a new heir!¡±

    ¡°No, we do not. And no, Grendala, you don¡¯t count. Donfas is done, that¡¯s inevitable now. The unity of nations we had that formed this team is growing stronger. We''re going to keep up the pressure on the Haverdash, rather than retreating and letting them fight us on an even border. If we make it to Hesin-re we can pull them away from Tubarai as well."

    *

    Lars hung onto the branch of a tree to stop himself from flying off, and Moxey did the same a few trees over. Lars shimmied down the branch and was able to reach out to another tree, gradually moving over to Moxey. "What''s happening? Is it the hill we''re on?"

    "Yes, I think so. It doesn''t want us on it. That''s probably my fault, just before we started getting blown upward like this I stepped on a bare patch of ground. This hill seems to be more sensitive than most."

    "Well how do we get down?"

    "We could wait, but I don''t know how long this will last. Let''s keep working our way down; there should be enough trees."

    They made it far enough to where they could let go and walk away from that hill. Moxey chuckled, "I''ve probably spent more time in Edezar than anyone else, but I don''t think I''ll ever be truly used to it."

    Lars commented, "I could never. It''s like dreaming in a lot of ways, but when you''re dreaming you just automatically accept things. Here it feels like you''re in a solid, reliable world, but you''re not."

    "Quite true, but unfortunately we might have to go a ways further."

    "Can you at least tell me why we''re here now? And, why you couldn''t tell me back in Mavozshidog?"

    "Yes I can. I didn''t tell you then because I didn''t want what I''ve learned to serve as a distraction to those undeserving. See how quickly you can piece it together: everything that dwells in Edezar comes to life, a reflection of something is included in that, and a soul is an entirely unique entity. Therefore what we are doing is¡­?"

    "Hold on, I''m not with you. A reflection can come to life?"

    "Yes it can, but reflections aren''t normally there long enough for them to gain life. You see it with the reflections of plants by still water."

    "Wow. You have this place all figured out."

    Moxey made a quick exhale that couldn''t quite be called a laugh, "Hardly. There''s a lot more to this place, but I''m questioning the fairies about it constantly."

    Lars tapped his chest, "What about our clothes? Those don''t come to life."

    "No, they seem not to. I think it''s the proximity they have to something that was already living when it came into Edezar, perhaps some aura of living things effects them. It should be easy to test, we can just leave some clothes on the ground and leave someone to watch them."

    "I don''t envy whoever gets that job. I don''t think I''ll be able to guess what you want me to, but I''ll keep clarifying anyway, what do you mean souls are unique?"

    Moxey raised a finger by his face, "I mean, there can only be one. They are uncopyable, and each distinct. If something has the quality of a soul then you can logically deduce that it must be that soul!"

    Lars took a moment to think, then asked, "Those points seem pretty unrelated. Unless, can you make a reflection of a soul?"

    "Hahaa! You''re getting it! You can, Lars. By reliving your memories, and focusing those memories to a location in front of you, a reflection of your soul can be formed in the Edezar. Which means?"

    ¡°I would say it meant that you could make a lesser copy of your soul, but you said it can¡¯t be copied, so I don¡¯t know what it means.¡±

    ¡°It means that when you die, and your soul would go wherever the soul does, that location which wants to become alive becomes the new location of your soul! The soul cannot be duplicated, so it is in fact, your same soul. You are, quite literally, given new life. You don¡¯t have the body that you did, but that could be solved later. The most important step, new life, has been taken care of.¡±

    Lars stumbled away from Moxey with a face of disbelief, ¡°New life? You¡¯re saying that you know how to be immortal, and we¡¯re going to do that right now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we are. Were we to die again, we would simply have to go through this process again. There is a risk that the reflection could be removed, but that¡¯s why we¡¯re out so deep into Edezar. We are looking for a specific formation that the fairies told me about, which should be an inherently safe space. We¡¯ll go through this process, and the Glorious should as well. I don¡¯t mean to imply they are worried about their mortality. We don¡¯t even know if the Glorious are mortal. We won¡¯t know for decades if they age. I can worry about their mortality for them.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    *

    The time for the attack on Tiermac came. Grendala didn''t have the strength in her for a proper curse, so this time she went for a more offensive approach. She had control over all kinds of energies within her, acquired by her diet of unique ingredients. For a lot of the time she empowered her body to be able to fling around the Haverdash helplessly, serving as another person keeping the Haverdash from piling on them, along with Rumberal, and somewhat Hanyr and Andal.

    The team had more cohesion this time, actually having experienced leading an attack on a city before. Though, it was also easier to have more cohesion because the Haverdash were applying less pressure on them than they had in Shrodac.

    Wanrod''s words rang true: the Haverdash we''re giving the nominees too much respect. They weren''t being aggressive enough, and the nominees could act freely to counter those with strong hallucinations.

    The part of the attack on Tiermac that was significantly harder than that on Shrodac was clearing the Haverdash presence in terms of the gas, other drugs, and vines. Tiermac had been under Haverdash control for almost four months, and the Haverdash could change a lot in such a time.

    The longer occupation of Tiermac was also clear from the state of the human slaves. Portions of the city (largely in specific buildings the slaves were meant to operate in) were set aside to not be filled with gas, but they weren''t able to completely avoid exposure, and not all of the humans worked in such areas. Most of the humans in the city had degraded to barely-recognizable husks, incapable of eating anything but the lightest food and drinking only slight sips of water. Their serviceability was essentially over, so they probably would have been thrown out soon.

    The attack was a success, and the Haverdash were driven out. At the same time, Rumberal was not in a celebratory mood. He went to Wanrod to talk privately; "Wanrod, our plan cannot possibly be to continue pushing into Haverdash territory on our own, is it?"

    "It is, and if we can push as far as Hesin-re we would have broken up Haverdash supply lines on three fronts."

    Rumberal leaned in and spoke fiercely, "What about our supply line, Wanrod? We don''t have a supply line! Why does it matter what we have to gain if we are going to die on the way?"

    "We''re working on that, Rumberal. Remember that Tharrow and I can communicate over long distances. The Haverdash may be in all our adjacent cities, and Rathifan may be in ashes behind us, but as long as we can communicate we can work something out."

    "So this is a bet? Stop gambling, Wanrod! If you don''t have anything set up, we should stop pushing south! Let''s go northwest and make an attack while getting us back to where we can receive support!"

    Wanrod and Rumberal held a defiant gaze. After what felt like minutes, Wanrod partially yielded, "I''ll discuss it with Tharrow and Brunstrog. We''ll see if they think the risk reward ratio is good or not."

    Wanrod turned to go, but Rumberal made sure to add, "I don''t know for certain we have enough troops for another attack! Have you not been counting our losses? We nominees could do our job well enough, but we can''t kill a city of Haverdash ourselves!"

    *

    Moxey pushed aside the branch of a willow tree covered in shining blue crystals, pushing deeper into an area shaded by thick foliage that was lit only by reflective light. Lars could tell they were going down in elevation, but the uneven ground made that change subtle.

    Moxey told him, "This is it. This is the formation I''ve been looking for."

    Lars commented, "I feel a powerful sense of peace filling me."

    "Yes, that''s something we''ll just have to deal with. It is because of the intense peace in this area that it''s the spot we need to create the reflections. If they get destroyed by some roaming force, it''s pointless. Let''s go a little bit deeper before we start, just to be sure."

    After they''d walked for another minute, Lars said, "I''m not sure about this."

    Moxey gave him a stern, concerned look, "What do you mean?"

    Lars hesitated to share his fear, instead saying, "I can''t possibly remember my whole life, how could I make a reflection of my soul with only some memories?"

    "Ah." Moxey waved his hand flippantly, "That''s not an issue. It''s not who you were any given second, simply who you are now that you need to reflect. That means you only need the memories you remember." He looked around where they were at, "This spot is good. Let''s begin."

    Lars interrupted, "I don''t want to relive my memories."

    Moxey cocked an eyebrow, "I see. I admit I can''t empathize with you, as your life has more of a dichotomy than mine. Do not be a coward though, you''d be holding yourself back if you didn''t do this."

    Moxey approached a dry spot of ground, "Choose an area to put your reflection and start going through your memories; to be mortal or immortal is an obvious choice."

    Lars found a knothole in a tree to place his, and started going through his earliest memories. They came to him easily, and it was like he was living them again. His first memory was of fishing on the dock with the men of the town. He was small and weak at the time, but he was able to pull in his first catch all on his own. There was a boy a little younger than him there, but he hadn''t caught anything. It looked like he was going to cry, but Lars gave him his fish, and the boy cheered right up. His name was Andal, and they became quick friends after that.

    He felt so profoundly different he could barely understand it. There was no pain in that memory, no fear. He felt excited and happy to catch a fish, and happy in another way to share that fish and make a friend. What changed?

    The memories continued to flow. He recalled many stories, fantastical or supposedly real, and dreamt again of being like those heroes. He had a particular affinity for those that chose to do the brave thing in disobedience to others, which he related to because of the foolish guidance of his father.

    Then he remembered when he and Andal visited that Haverdash house. Wanting to understand the world, and seeing the warnings against it as the kind of guidance that bravery would ignore, he changed his life irreparably.

    Lars jumped back and cried out in distress, breaking the reflection he was making. When his ambitious, hopeful outlook was transformed into the pained, angry, fear-filled way he lived now, he couldn''t bear it. He looked at Moxey, who was deeply focused on making his own reflection, and said, "I don''t want to relive my life. Sorry. I''ll wait outside."

    Moxey''s face kept its meditative expression, but Lars could feel the disappointment.

    *

    Wanrod called the nominees together, with Tharrow and Brunstrog present. Rumberal remarked, "I hope you''re not telling us we''re going to be attacking another city in three days."

    Hanyr agreed, "Right, at this point we should start clearing the smaller towns of Haverdash anyway."

    Wanrod held up his hands for silence, "All your fears have been abated. Not only are you getting what you want, you are getting something we all have hoped for. Tharrow and I have been in contact with the new leadership, the Council of Nations. They have contacted the Council of Six that the Haverdash have via messenger, and we have come to an agreement."

    The nominees all shot up in their seats in surprise, and Jeva asked, "We made an agreement with the Haverdash?"

    Wanrod smiled, "I haven''t said the best part yet. Two of you will accompany a representative of the Council of Nations as bodyguards to a neutral location several miles from here. There, our representative and theirs will negotiate a peace treaty!"

    Most of the nominees jumped up and cheered, but Brunstrog interrupted them, "Hold on, let Wanrod finish his announcement!"

    They contained their excitement, and Wanrod added, "Those two that have been chosen are Andal and Jeva, because they have the best connection and teamwork out of any two of you." He clapped his hands together, "Now you can cheer."

    The advisors left the room with beaming faces, and Rumberal led the nominees in a cheer behind them.

    *

    Moxey and Lars exited the meadanim to arrive back in Mavozshidog, and a Haverdash immediately ran up to them. "Moxey! We''ve been waiting for you!"

    Moxey told him, "Well, wha-"

    The Haverdash interrupted him, "Glorious Manier is dead, killed by the nominees of the Council of Nations, which has taken up authority over all the territories of Donfas!"

    Moxey''s mouth fell open, and the Haverdash continued, "They since captured Tiermac, and have demonstrated themselves to be a powerful force against us! The Council of Six has been in contact with the Council of Nations, and has come to an agreement that peace negotiations will happen in a neutral area outside of Tiermac!"

    Moxey blurted in offense, "Peace negotiations?"

    "Yes, and you have been selected by the Council as the representative of the Haverdash! Glorious Trots gave you this message specifically, ''Let them know our terms.¡¯"

    Moxey''s outrage melted, "Oh, those kinds of negotiations. I see. Give me the exact location, and tell the council it will be done according to their will."

 32. Negotiations

    Jeva tapped Andal on the shoulder, "I think that''s him!"

    Andal looked up and saw Tharrow coming their way, talking to a man in a well fitted, shiny uniform. He looked friendly, but also serious.

    Andal walked towards him, "I think you''re right, let''s say hello."

    Tharrow noticed them and waved, and they could read the diplomat''s lips enough to know he asked Tharrow, "Is that them?"

    Tharrow nodded, and Jeva shouted, "Hi" we''re your bodyguards!" She gave Andal a little push to tell him they should hurry, and ran forward to greet the diplomat.

    Once they''d closed the distance he stuck out his hand and shook both of theirs, commenting, "You''re awfully energetic, that''s good! The last thing we want is to fall asleep in the middle of negotiations, right?"

    Andal asked, "Had that happened before?"

    He chuckled, "No, no, just a joke. Which, you should get ready right away! We want to arrive earlier than their diplomat does. We can gain a little more respect in the conversation by making it feel like they came to us. We should get to know each other, but we can do that on the road. It''s a decent trip."

    Jeva shouted, much to the surprise of the diplomat, "Right away, sir!"

    Jeva didn''t really have anything to prepare, but Andal got suited up in his armor and got the horse. They met the diplomat an hour later just outside the Tiermac on the west side.

    Tharrow explained to them that there would  be an entourage of men following a mile behind them, which would watch from a distance as the negotiations happened. He had arranged for food and water to be packed for them, then after they took those provisions they said their goodbyes and good lucks.

    On the way they got to know the diplomat. His name was Tyrene, and he was from Tsafel just like Nalia. Though, he wasn''t one of the tree-dwellers, as Wanrod had called them. Tyrene explained that they should be called sylvians, and that they have a pretty isolated community. Nalia was probably the only one they would ever meet.

    Tyrene was very excited to talk about politics, but he was also conscious of how most people were bored by such conversations. He told them simple answers to their questions, and made a strong effort to avoid rambling.

    He then asked them about themselves, expressing great admiration for how far they''ve come at such a young age. Andal told him an outline of his life since the Haverdash landed, how he''d loved with Templars, then went with Jeva to the magic academy, and was now here. His life made sense to Tyrene; it was totally reasonable that Andal would devote his life to fighting the Haverdash.

    When Jeva told him about herself, he was surprised. She didn''t seem to have a personal dog in the fight, but people fighting for the greater good itself don''t generally exist as far as he''d noticed. It was at least true in the political sphere that appealing to people''s sense of good or duty accounted for very little, and if you were to do that, you would still have to pair it with something they want.

    Jeva told him, "I probably wouldn''t be fighting the Haverdash if it weren''t for Andal. He''s so focused and determined, it inspires me!"

    Tyrene smiled, "You''re both inspirational. Hopefully you can inspire the Haverdash diplomat to work with us!"

    Andal asked, "You mentioned earlier that you always have to give the other side something they want. Are we going to do that? What the Haverdash want is guaranteed to be evil."

    "Yes, we will. What the other side wants is always opposed to what you want. Diplomacy is composed of two things, compromise and backstabbing. I do the compromising, others do the backstabbing. We''ll have to give them something evil, like control of land that is rightfully ours, but in turn we want peace, and we need peace dearly.

    Andal looked unhappy, but he admitted, "Yea, we do." Then he noticed a small village in the distance, "Is that where we''re meeting them?"

    "That''s it. The people who lived there evacuated a long time ago, so they''re just empty buildings. We''re meeting in that one that''s the farthest from the rest."

    *

    The house had been cleared to have just a single, square table, and six chairs. Andal had moved his to sit by the window as they waited. When the time came for them to meet, no earlier, and no later, Andal spotted a line Haverdash walking toward them. "It''s the diplomat from the Haverdash!"

    Tyrene sat up and put away the food that they''d snacked on, "Alright! Sit behind me, you two. This discussion is between me and the other diplomat, we don''t want to outnumber them."

    Andal''s expression suddenly darkened, and he moved his chair behind Tyrene''s in silence. Tyrene placed his hand on Andal''s leg, "Andal? What''s wrong?"

    "That''s the Haverdash that killed my family."

    Tyrene looked at the door, which the Haverdash would soon walk through, then back to Andal, "Now is not the time for revenge, please contain yourself, Andal."

    The door opened, and Moxey stepped in. "Hello. Tyrene, is it?" Then he noticed Andal, "Oh, and hello to you as well."

    Andal clenched his teeth, but Tyrene made sure to start them off cordially. He stood and offered his hand across the table, "Yes, Tyrene. It is good to meet you, though I''m afraid I wasn''t given your name?"A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    He smiled, "Moxey." Then accepted the handshake. Tyrene involuntarily shivered at the touch. Moxey''s hand was sticky, cold, and firm in all the wrong places.

    He recovered quickly, sitting at the same time as Moxey, "I hope we can be clear with each other, rather than beating around the bush as human diplomats are so prone to."

    "Yes we can, I have no intention of being patient, so let me get straight to the point. I am here to see if you are ready to agree to unconditional surrender."

    Tyrene paused, then smiled uncomfortably, "Hah hah, right."

    Moxey stared unwavering into Tyrene''s eyes, "I''m serious."

    His smile faded, "What? But you- that doesn''t reflect our situation at all!"

    Moxey leaned forward, "Doesn''t it?"

    "Absolutely not! In the past month we have recaptured Shrodac and Tiermac from you. As the first two cities the Haverdash have lost, this shows a change in the war. The nations are working together to oppose you better than ever before, which will only continue to improve. Not only this, which will add to the difficulty on every one of your fronts, which you so quickly multiplied without worry, but we have shown to be able to answer the strongest among you! With the death of Glorious Manier in Shrodac, you no longer have champions among you that we cannot answer.

    "There would be no point of this meeting if things had come to the point where we were considering unconditional surrender, but it hasn''t. We''re building additional fortifications all across the land, and drafting more soldiers in every nation I represent! But, we come to you with an olive branch, desiring peace. This war has been a travesty for both of our people. You have carved out a land for yourselves to live in, and taken revenge on Donfas. We respect that. Only return to us the lands of-"

    "Stop. We are not interested in giving anything back, nor peace, for that matter. We do not feel the way you do, that this war has been regrettable. This war is for the glory of Haverdash, and Haverdash are impassioned by it!"

    "But the losses to your people, those who died in this unnecessary conquest, you must ache for them."

    "We do not ache for those we sacrifice in worship. The loss of a Haverdash is not the same as the loss of a human, for we are individually strong, not needing each other to pursue the greater elements of the world."

    Tyrene wanted to call Moxey self-centered and heartless, but stayed his tongue. "We mourn our losses out of love for those who died! That is not, and could never be, weakness."

    Moxey smirked, actually respecting Tyrene''s answer. "There is love in Haverdash society, don''t get me wrong, but it is secondary to those sensations which are stronger and more glorious. Regardless of how we feel about our losses, let''s consider the numbers." Moxey pulled out a notepad and turned a page, "Here''s a lovely figure for you: outside of your retaking of Shrodac and Tiermac, we have lost less Haverdash than we have killed brown haired girls in mountainous villages. Isn''t that interesting? Here''s another: almost five percent of the civilians we kill are someone trying to save someone else by shielding them. That''s also more killed than we have losses."

    Moxey looked up from his notepad and grinned when he saw Tyrene''s face. "At last your collected demeanor is broken. You held strong, but humans have such little willpower in general."

    Tyrene spat back at him, "And why shouldn''t I be angry? You''re talking about the number of little girls you''ve killed, and have the audacity to have kept track! Those are our little girls! I suggest you take these peace talks a little more seriously, because humans don''t take things lying down like you seem to think!"

    "I see. To clarify, those were only the brown haired girls, the total would be much larger. In truth, your reaction just shows how inaccurately you''re perceiving your situation. Did you think when we ravaged the countryside that somehow the little girls made it out alive? How innocent of you.

    "I''ll give you a better idea of how you should perceive yourselves, based upon that second figure. If there are so many humans dying in the midst of trying to protect someone, it illustrates the fact that you can''t save each other at all. This truth isn''t isolated to Donfas, but has been found true in every nation we''ve attacked. You try to raise your leverage by talking about the armies you''ve prepared and continue to prepare to rise against us, but those are simply more humans trying to protect each other by being shields. Perhaps I should start counting them under the same figure."

    "Alright, you''ve had your say about our overall resistance. You don''t fully understand how strong we are, but you''ve had your say. You started listing these numbers, which I can''t imagine are accurate, by saying you''re not including Shrodac or Tiermac. You''ve disregarded your two greatest defeats? Not including our two victories there, and the killing of Glorious Manier for goodness sake, will skew the perception of the position we are in far more than my perception could possibly be skewed! I know that your glorious are few in number, and that the loss of Manier was a great blow to you. It seems to me that while you may have advantages in some areas, we have advantages in others. You stand to lose a lot, you wouldn''t want another one of your glorious to die, would you?"

    Moxey leaned back in his chair. The death of Manier, it seemed, could strike a chord. "I will not deny that that loss was great, but you cannot use the death of a Glorious Haverdash as an argument against us continuing the war. How did they become glorious, Tyrene?¡±

    "You''ll have to enlighten me."

    "One became glorious before the war, but the other two became glorious after the war had begun. Even the one who became glorious before the war became glorious in light of the coming war, filling his mind with it and looking forward to the world to come. By citing the death of a Glorious Haverdash you bring up the Glorious Haverdash, who themselves are an argument for continuing the war, that more Haverdash may find greater glory.¡±

    Tyrene took a deep breath, ¡°Moxey, help me understand you better. What, other than this war, do you want? What is something I can offer you?¡±

    ¡°I do not think you can offer me anything I truly desire. You, who are far beneath the Haverdash, cannot lift us up. You boldly were going to ask me to make a concession earlier. Do not make ¡®peace¡¯ your offer, peace does not impassion us! But, there is no point in making offers as it is. I give you an ultimatum, surrender unconditionally, or fight this war.¡±

    Tyrene raised his voice, ¡°Why would we do that? What could possibly be the point of surrendering to people who think so little of our lives?¡±

    ¡°Because if you surrender, at least you will last to see the world to come? We need slaves to bring it about quickly. If you don¡¯t surrender you will die all the same, but you will never see the glory we are at the very cusp of.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re mad. This has been an absolute sham. You think you¡¯re just going to walk over humanity? The spirit of man won¡¯t be quenched like that, we will fight you with everything we have!¡±

    Moxey shook his head, ¡°No, you will not. Your first instinct is to fight, which is good. That separates you from most beasts. But you have a second instinct, to flee, and that is something the Haverdash do not have except in the distant recesses of our souls.¡±

    ¡°Why even meet like this? If you had no intention of negotiating a peace treaty, why come here?¡±

    ¡°Because,¡± Moxey leaned forward, ¡°I want to break your weak, human spirits.¡±

    Tyren stood, ¡°Let¡¯s go. This was a waste of time.¡±

    As he turned, Andal stood and asked, ¡°What about now? Is it time for revenge?¡±

    ¡°No. To kill a diplomat is a foul thing, Andal.¡±

    ¡°Tyrene!¡± Moxey called, ¡°To show I mean nothing against you personally, as you seem like a fine fellow, a parting gift?¡±

    Tyrene turned back to see that Moxey had placed a little toy house on the table. ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°A doll house, taken from a noble house in Hathor. Perhaps you have a child to give it to? Check the little door, it opens.¡±

    Tyrene reached out hesitantly, opening the little door, and was gone.

    Moxey looked up at Andal, ¡°I see your anger pouring out of you, it''s so abundant I can hardly see your face. You want to kill me, and for the sake of the negotiations you have withheld yourself. That is admirable self-control, but look, I have struck the first blow, and so we can get on with this.¡±

    ¡°Where did he go?¡± Jeva demanded.

    ¡°I have sent him far away, where he won¡¯t be coming back.¡±

    Andal sneered, ¡°Do you have a deathwish? You just took away the person stopping me from killing you.¡±

    ¡°A deathwish? Perhaps, but not my own death. I have every reason to kill you as well. The last of the Templars from the City of Grace, who it was my job to kill. Should I have attacked you while Tyrene was alive you may have fled in an effort to protect him, but now nothing prevents you from fighting to the death. Come now, bodyguards, do your duty.¡±

    Andal barred his teeth, consumed in anger that he was no longer holding back, and his sword sprang from its hilt.

 33. To the Death

    Andal made a flurry of light-swords to stream at Moxey, running forward to engage him at the same time the light-swords would hit.

    Moxey stepped to where only one would hit him, and tossed the metal rod forward. It oriented itself in front of the sword, acting as an impenetrable wall. Moxey ran forward to meet Andal, plucking the metal rod out of the air as the sword of light it was blocking disappeared. Andal started a cut at Moxey''s neck, forming a shell of light around himself. Moxey let go of the rod, a grin on his face, stretching his opposite hand towards Andal''s face.

    Then they suddenly smashed together, Andal being blown forward by Jeva. Moxey''s rod shot up behind Andal, where he would have been, and Andal''s arm with his sword went over Moxey''s shoulder. Since Andal was shielded and armored, his head smashing against Moxey''s broke his nose.

    Both were caught off guard, but Moxey reacted first. The rod returned, shooting at Andal''s back, but Jeva yanked Andal to the side with another gust of wind and shot a fireball at Moxey. The rod spun, dissipating the fireball, then returned to Moxey''s hand.

    Andal expressed his frustration at her, "What was that? You made me miss!"

    She formed her starry field around Andal, making the metal rod veer off target and hit the wall. "You''re not paying attention, we beat Manier by thinking, didn''t we? This guy''s manipulative, we have to fight him the same way!"

    Moxey touched the blood that was coming out of his nose, looking at Jeva with contempt. "I see, I had the wrong impression of this fight." He took a large swig of wine, then caught the rod. It pulled him through the air toward Jeva, then he raised his feet and jumped off the wall towards her while letting the rod fly behind him and block a sword of light that Andal had flung.

    The little house lifted up and started floating towards Jeva, and something pulled her arm up towards it. The way the house was moving was strange, it had tilted forward when it lifted, and it wasn''t moving smoothly. It was as if something unseen was carrying it. Jeva gasped in realization, raising her arms and yelling the magic word out loud in exertion, "Sacheis!"

    She sent a wave of fire in every direction hitting Moxey and anything else nearby. Just as she''d thought, several dead fairies became suddenly visible as their burnt bodies dropped to the ground.

    Moxey wasn''t blown away though, he stopped his backward movement with the metal rod. When the fire ceased he dropped and caught the house, unfazed by the initial blast or how his skin continued to burn. When he dropped the rod went over his shoulder and hit Jeva in the stomach, piercing through to the other side. While she was in shock, he grabbed her hand and made her open the little door on the house. She disappeared. Moxey caught his rod and spun, blocking Andal''s sword.

    Andal cried out in grief, "Jeva! Jeva!"

    "She can''t hear you where she is now. Now go on, rage against me!"

    Andal dropped his shield and gripped his sword with both hands, continually making swords of light as he swung fiercely at Moxey.

    The metal rod moved swiftly and accurately, blocking each sword of light as it drew near. Moxey backed out of reach of Andal''s first swing, sidestepped his second swing, and caught his wrists on the third. Andal tried to yank his arms away, but couldn''t break Moxey''s grip. He was too focused on trying to get control of his arms back, and stopped making swords of light, so the metal rod wasn''t preoccupied with defense anymore.

    Andal barely raised a shield in front of his face before the rod hit him, but it changed direction to slip around his shield immediately. He raised another, and another, fixated on stopping the rod from hitting him, and not trusting the shell of light alone to defend him because of how confidently Moxey seemed to be attacking it.

    Then Moxey yanked on one of Andal''s arms, pulling him close. Moxey had his bottle of wine in his right hand, and Andal''s mouth was open from breathing hard.

    He smashed the bottle in the shell of light over Andal''s mouth, but while the glass was deflected, the wine went right through. Andal froze in terrified anticipation of what was about to happen to him. Moxey picked him up and leaped forward, ramming Andal''s neck against the table and holding his head against it while he waited for the wine to do the job. And waited.

    A full minute passed of both of them wondering when it was going to happen. Andal was afraid, yes, but it was fear of what the wine was going to do, not from the wine itself. Moxey forced Andal''s mouth open and looked inside, confirming that the wine had got in his mouth.

    Andal was the first to realize that he could be fighting at this moment. His sword was still in hand, so he cut at the nearest part of Moxey''s body, his thigh. He lifted slightly then struck with a draw cut, pulling the whole length of the blade through the muscle.

    Moxey leaped away using his other leg, grasping the wound. Looking down, he could tell it was bad. If he didn''t finish this fight quickly, he would probably bleed out.

    Andal got to his feet, finally having a gleam of confidence. Moxey''s look was just confusion. He asked Andal, "I can see that surprised you too. If you can, please tell me, why aren''t you dead?"

    Since he was just as confused, and possibly because he was caught off guard by Moxey saying "please," Andal answered. "I truly don''t know. I can only guess that Nishir saved me."

    Moxey rolled his eyes at that suggestion, and came to the only possible conclusion he thought he could, that Andal had even more willpower than Lars. "Young templar, what''s your name?"

    "Why? Want to know the name of the one who is bringing you to justice?"

    "We don''t have to fight."

    Andal''s eyes went wide, "What? You killed my family, then the templars, both as I was running away! You think I''m going to stop now, just when I''ve got a good hit in?"

    "You have a lot of potential, which shouldn''t be wasted. Willpower like I''ve never seen. I could help you make use of it, show you a world beyond your world. You, could be a Haverdash like no other, a glorious Haverdash."

    Andal couldn''t process that statement at first, but he saw that Moxey was serious. He still couldn''t process it, but at least he knew how to react. "What?! You¡­ that¡­ you''re dumb."

    Moxey cocked an eyebrow, but Andal wasn''t going to talk anymore. He ran toward Moxey, making a couple swords of light to occupy the metal rod.

    "Don''t make me fight you! I can make you stronger!"A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Andal ignored him, stabbing at his good leg.

    Moxey snarled, "Fine!" He knocked the sword away with the back of his hand, not flinching from the cut, and grabbed Andal''s chin with his other hand. He turned and slammed Andal against the wall, then grabbed the pommel of Andal''s sword with his cut hand and wrenched it away to clatter on the ground.

    Andal made a sword of light in his hand to use, but Moxey pinned both his arms against the wall, then spit in his eyes with saliva that felt like burning venom. The metal rod whistled through the air, but Andal couldn''t tell from what direction. Then it stopped.

    Andal blinked furiously and shook his head, and was able to force an eye open. The rod was suspended a foot in front of his face, and Moxey was looking at him with deep concern.

    Moxey asked again, "Last chance, work with me?"

    Andal made a burst of air that knocked Moxey back into a sword of light Andal made behind him that pierced his heart.

    Moxey fell to the ground, dead at last. Andal wiped the saliva off his face and ran to his sword, raising it above Moxey''s neck, and dropping it like an executioner to cut off Moxey''s head.

    He ran to the little house and opened the door.

    *

    Andal found himself in a one room house of sorts, which was totally on fire. Jeva was unconscious on the ground, bleeding out, and fleshy tentacles with teeth coming up from in between the floorboards were sizzling beside her. There was a melting eye on a candlestick where the fire would be, and the whole room was reverberating with an alien moan of pain.

    Andal made a burst of air to clear the fire away from Jeva, and started healing her immediately rather than wasting precious time moving her. She''d lost a lot of blood, and barely had a pulse, but Andal was able to keep it from fading.

    After a couple of minutes the fire had started to die off. The fleshly portions of the house had enough moisture to put it out, and whatever creature it was had died. Andal, however, was still struggling with healing Jeva. He hadn''t been able to strengthen her pulse, doing more to maintain her life than actually heal her wounds. It was always more difficult to heal an injury the later the response, and the severity of this injury coupled with how he had been delayed fighting Moxey meant he couldn''t just wipe it away like he had with many of their injuries before.

    He tried to put more effort into the healing, but the technique requires more finesse than willpower. When he healed over a distance while fighting Manier, then effort was a major component, but not so here. Try as he might, Jeva''s condition wasn''t improving.

    A fear crept over him that he would lose his closest friend, like he had lost his family and the templars years ago, and he began to weep. "Don''t die, Jeva. Please don''t die. Don''t die, Jeva!"

    He heard a tenor voice with a slight buzz in it, "Keep going, you''re doing great. That''ll work soon enough!" Andal looked up at a broken window and saw a shirtless man with a cow skull on his head looking through. He looked a little sickly, but also nimble. He continued, "Everything comes to life here sooner or later. If you let her die, her body will come back to life at some point, but it wouldn''t be the same person. If she stays at the brink of death, proper life will find its way to her soon enough."

    Andal focused on healing with a newfound, and weird, hope. "What is this place? Do you live here?"

    "This is the Edezar, or just Edezar, and yes we do."

    "''We''?"

    He raised his hand and spoke in a different voice, "Don''t tell me you didn''t notice me here?"

    The buzzing voice spoke to the normal voice, "No, silly, he didn''t realize I was the one talking."

    "Oh, right. Hello, I''m Noric. I''m the human. This is-" he pointed at the cow skull on his head, "-Heffer. He came alive in Edezar, just like everything else that spends much time here."

    Andal just focused on continuing to heal Jeva, finding that much easier to make sense of than a talking cow skull. Then Jeva lurched up with a big gasp, alive and well! Her wound was gone, and there was color in her skin.

    Heffer told Andal, ¡°See, what did I tell you? That didn¡¯t take long at all.¡±

    Andal wrapped his arms around Jeva, weeping again. "Jeva, I''m so glad you''re still alive! Thank goodness. I thought I was going to lose my best friend again."

    Jeva hugged him back, "Aww, it''s okay! I''m completely fine. Thank you for saving me!"

    Noric started clapping, and Heffer made a little "woo hoo!" sound.

    Jeva looked up at them, "Oh, hello. I''m Jeva.¡±

    "Noric,"

    "and Heffer."

    She looked to Andal for an explanation, since it just seemed like the cow skull had spoken.

    Andal nodded, "Heffer is the skull. Everything comes to life here it seems. You too, I couldn''t have saved you if it weren''t for that."

    "Wow, okay. Hi Heffer!"

    "Hello again."

    Andal got up, "Can you stand?"Jeva hopped up, "Yep, right as rain!"

    "Great, we should get back to Tiermac and tell everyone what happened."

    Andal went to open the door, but Jeva stopped him, "What about Moxey? Is he still on the other side?"

    Andal beamed, "His dead body is, yea."

    "You got him?" She exclaimed."

    "Sure did. That was a long time coming, and much deserved."

    Noric butted in, "Excuse me, did you say, you killed Moxey?"

    They both looked at him in surprise, and Andal asked, "You know who Moxey is?"

    "I was a soldier in Tubarai before the Haverdash invaded, Moxey spent a long time governing the city where I was a slave!"

    "We know Tubarai," Jeva told him, "What city was it?"

    "Mavozshidog. We thought we were invincible, being in that snowy fortress and having such an overabundance of defenders, but Moxey has this champion that he orders around that just ruined us. Oh boy, I can''t believe you killed him! You''ve done a good thing you know."

    Andal nodded, "I know. He''d ruined my life a couple of times, he was pure evil. Now the world is a little better for everyone.¡± He looked around the room, ¡°Noric, or Heffer, did you see someone pass through here before us? We were supposed to be protecting him.¡±

    Heffer sighed. Noric told them, ¡°Eaten for sure. That¡¯s what these houses do if you don¡¯t know how to evade them, they eat people who dawdle.¡± He held one of his legs into the window, revealing a nub where his foot would be.

    Andal would have been disappointed, but he was still just glad Jeva was alive. He nodded, understanding of the situation, ¡°We had better be going, you''re welcome to come! It''ll be Donfas on the other side of this door though."

    Andal opened the door, revealing the same grassy plain you could see through the window on the other side. He closed the door and opened it again, which didn''t make a difference. He looked at Noric and Heffer, "Why isn''t it working?"

    Heffer told him, "Jeva killed the meadanim, so there''s no connection to the other world now. You''ll have to find another meadanim if you want to get back, but of course, it won''t be tied to the same spot."

    "But we have to get back! Can you help us find another Meadanim?"

    "Sure we can, right Noric?"

    "Of course, I''d be happy to help fight the Haverdash again. We''d be able to spot one a lot better than you, due to their camouflage and all. Follow me you lovebirds! We''ll get you out of here!"

    Heffer interrupted, "Wait, you can''t just assume that, that''s rude! Are you two lovebirds or just friends?"

    Andal and Jeva looked at each other, and Andal said, "Uh, we''ve never really discussed it."

    Noric told Heffer, "Ah, so I wasn''t wrong or right, I was ''to be determined.''"

    "I guess so, you got pretty lucky there. Anyway, off we go!"

    Andal went through the doorway and around the corner to follow them, but Jeva climbed through the window. She asked, "Where are we going? Is there a spot where meadanim congregate?"

    "Meadanim don''t move at all," Heffer answered, "We''ve just got to wander until we find one, while avoiding the most dangerous places. Also, a lot of weird stuff is going to happen while we walk, so be prepared to do as I say at a moment¡¯s notice. Noric and I work so well together because I know my business, and he has legs. You all have legs, so you all can rely on me to know my business too."

    ¡°What is that?¡± Jeva pointed in the distance, ¡°Is that a flying slug?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gosh darn right that¡¯s a flying slug, the best slug in the universe. We can only look at him from this distance, but when he¡¯s above you, you know you¡¯re safe.¡±

    Andal remarked, ¡°He¡¯s so far away, but he doesn¡¯t look that small. He must be enormous.¡±

    A strange wind blew over them, and even stranger still was that they could see exactly where it was blowing. It blew from every direction, spinning when it reached the central point and congregating into a dark mass.

    Jeva looked at Noric in concern, "Hey, is that a tornado?"

    "I''m not sure, we should move though!"

    They started running away, but then a voice came out of the dark mass, "Andal, Jeva! Wait!" It was a heavy voice, with a disturbing clarity to it that came from it not echoing at all.

    They stopped, and Noric asked Heffer, "What''s this? We run from this?"

    "I''m not sure, I haven''t seen this before."

    The dark mass took the shape of a humanoid sillhouette, and the wind ceased. Bugs flew and crawled in from every direction, being fascinated with the dark form but unable to touch it.

    It spoke again, "Moxey is still alive, he''s here in the dreamscape!"

 34. The Dreamscape

    Andal glared at the dark figure, "What do you mean Moxey is still alive? I cut off his head!"

    Heffer asked more quietly, "And why did he call this ''the dreamscape?''"

    "His body is dead, but it will be reformed in time. His soul is finding its place in an imprint he left here previously. Be offended if you will, but I implore you to finish him off."

    Andal''s expression didn''t lighten, "Tell us who you are first, if you expect us to believe something like that."

    The dark figure was silent at first, then answered, "I will not tell you, for I fear you would not believe me if you knew, but I tell the truth! If you do not hunt him down now then Moxey will fully recover."

    Andal laughed bitterly, "You expect us to believe an unknown figure that we can''t even plainly see?"

    Noric stepped between them, "If I may, Andal," he turned to the dark figure, "If you can''t tell us who you are you can at least show us you know what you''re talking about, right? Tell us what makes this place the dreamscape, and we''ll believe you."

    The dark figure seemed to nod, though it was hard to tell since it''s head and torso were the exact same shade of color. "This I can do." He gestured into the sky, "In the foremost days of the world, chaos was prominent on the earth, as it is here. Gods made changes frequently, and accidentally, from the tiniest whims of their mind. Eipoios saw the chaos and sought to silence it, making the dreamscape. This is where the dreams of gods are found, so that they would not cause confusion on the earth."

    Andal asked, "If this Eipoios is so strong, and wants peace on the earth, why doesn''t he do anything about the Haverdash?"

    "Eipoios has no power on the earth, I think by choice. Regardless, I don''t think he would. He does not seek to dominate others, even when that may lead to more peace, it is against his nature."

    Heffer asked, "What does Eipoios look like?"

    The dark figure pointed in the distance, to the giant slug running across the sky that could be barely seen from where they were. "His avatar."

    Heffer exclaimed, "I knew it! I believe him, we need to finish off Moxey."

    Jeva agreed, "I think we should trust him too. If it is a trick, I don''t see what he has to gain, or what he would be trying to get out of us. He''s a very good liar if he''s a Haverdash projection of some kind." She addressed the dark figure, "Though, if this is the place where gods dream, and you understand that, who are you?"

    The dark figure didn''t respond, so Jeva asked another question, "At least tell us, are you a god?"

    After considering if it should answer, the dark figure told them, "Yes, I am."

    Andal was struggling to be critical now, and was instead wondering if he should be showing reverence. "It seems we believe you. Where can we find Moxey?"

    "There are formations of pools and hanging trees, deep in shade, and with an aura of peace. Noric or Heffer, do you know them?"

    "We do," Noric answered, "We have often used them for shelter."

    "Moxey is also using one for shelter. His is several of your miles in that direction. You see where the cloud is copulating with that mountain?"

    "I didn''t realize that was what was happening, but yes."

    "Go past that mountain, to that valley, and go to the end of the valley. Between two hills there you will find the proper place, and you must search it for him."

    "I can''t help but wonder," said Andal, "Why don''t you finish Moxey off yourself? If you are a powerful being who knows precisely where he''s at, and wants him dead just as we do."

    "It is a fair question. Unfortunately, I cannot traverse the dreamscape without cost. I found my way here, but to find my way over there would require forcing my way through the minds of others, lords of lands I have never known, and would be seen as a hostile force. I cannot do it without making enemies where there should be peace, but you can."

    "I don''t truly understand, but I will take your explanation at your word. Noric, you will guide us there?"

    "Of course, let''s be off!"

    Jeva asked the dark figure, "Will you be here when we get back?"

    Everyone else seemed surprised. It answered, "I suppose I can, if you wish."

    Andal cocked his head, "Why would we come back though? It''s a long ways, and we need to find a way out of here."

    "I want to talk to him more! You could tell us who you are when we get back, right?"

    "I could, yes."

    "And I bet you know how to find a meadanim real easily!"

    "That is also true."

    "See?" She said to Andal and Noric, "We should come back once we finish off Moxey!"

    Heffer joined in, "I think that''s a great idea!"

    Andal relented, "I guess that''s a good use of time, yea. Well, thank you godly being, we''ll be back in time."

    "Don''t be caught unawares. He is weakened, but devious."

    *

    The walk was interesting, to say the least. Heffer gave lots of instructions, "Don''t walk on that grass." "Wave to that rock before it gets the wrong idea about us." "Step on those ants. Harder." "Take a dive you''ll shrink if you stay there!"

    They had disagreements in a couple spots, like when they thought they saw a dying man, and Heffer insisted they shouldn''t help him. A chunk of ice rolling by got too close and out of his mouth popped a big black lizard to swallow it up. The body deflated, showing that it wasn''t actually a human body that a lizard was living in, but more like a human shaped bag.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    When they passed by the cloud and the mountain to get into the ravine they saw a village population of frog people impatiently staring at the mountain, holding belongings like they had been kicked out of their homes by the cloud. The frog people payed them no mind though, and they passed into the ravine.

    It was night in the ravine. The stone walls had carvings of palm trees with coconuts, and seagulls feasting on bananas.

    Heffer suddenly cried out, We''re about to flip! Everyone be careful to land safely, there''s no telling where the ground will be after this!"

    Night suddenly became sunset, the ground dropped almost twenty feet, and the walls were totally obscured by a forest of giant mushrooms. Andal made shields of light beneath each of them, preventing anyone from falling.

    Noric was confused at first, then smiled at Andal, "Nice catch!"

    "Thanks, step down to the next one and let''s get to ground level safely.

    As they descended Jeva noticed lots of little eyes peering at them from behind the mushrooms. They kept their distance for a while, but then got more curious, and dozens of little mushroom people edged closer with spears. Jeva waved to them, but they didn''t seem to understand that hand motion, or her words when she said hello. They continued to edge closer, making the group increasingly uncomfortable.

    One of them prodded Andal with his spear, so Andal yelled as a warning, ¡°Hey! Watch it!¡±

    It scurried back. They congregated and started whispering to each other. They seemed to reach an agreement, and one of them yelled high-pitched indiscernible words. Two mushroom trees parted, and a giant mushroom man with an angry look was revealed.

    Heffer alerted them, ¡°We run from those!¡±

    The giant mushroom man chased after them, but they were able to reach the end of the ravine without getting run over. They saw the formation with willow trees and went for that, knowing that it would be a safe place. As soon as the last one of them stepped into the shade of the willows, the giant mushroom man turned around and went back into the ravine.

    Noric asked the group, ¡°This is it, right? Moxey should be here?¡±

    ¡°He should,¡± Andal answered, ¡°let¡¯s stay together. We don¡¯t know what condition he is in.¡±

    The ground was soft, and the pools of water were clean. Jeva told them, ¡°I know we¡¯re looking for Moxey here, but this place is really nice.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Andal agreed, ¡°The sense of peace is palpable.¡±

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± Noric was looking down a tunnel of branches a short ways away from them, ¡°I think that¡¯s him.¡±

    Andal rushed over to look through the branches, ¡°Has he noticed us yet?¡±

    ¡°I think so, it¡¯s hard to tell actually.¡±

    Andal had to agree, he had no idea if Moxey could see them. His eyes were translucent, as were his legs, his left arm, lower jaw, and a decent percentage of his torso. Andal waved the other two to follow, and walked through. When they stood in front of Moxey, they could tell that he could see them. His translucent eyes seemed to loosely follow them. Andal looked him up and down, remarking, ¡°I had many sleepless nights because of you and what you¡¯ve done to me. When I killed you the first time I couldn¡¯t relax, because you made me worry about my friend, but this is different. I¡¯m kind of happy you lived, now that I see you, so that I can properly kill you and give closure to those nightmares.¡±

    Moxey¡¯s lower Jaw took form, but spoke in breathy, small chunks. ¡°Are you suggesting¡­ you want to kill me¡­ to be at peace?¡±

    ¡°Yes, are you so unaware of the suffering you cause?

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    Andal recoiled in offense, ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t matter if you believe me or not. Look, I¡¯m going to kill you again!¡± Andal drew his sword. ¡°You¡¯ve lost!¡±

    ¡°That¡­ I believe. I have lost¡­ and you have victory. Which¡­ is what you¡­ always wanted.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re projecting. You Haverdash can¡¯t understand anything as lovely as peace.¡±

    ¡°...True.¡± He made a slight gurgling sound, and his speech seemed clearer. ¡°We do not desire peace, it is a small and unimpressive thing. Since you are strong of will, you are more like a Haverdash than other humans, and so it is no surprise that you would pursue stronger things. Why would you rage at me, if you only want to be at peace?¡±

    Jeva looked at Andal with concern. Andal was silent, so Moxey continued. ¡°Your anger, your desire to dominate me, showed that you desired victory over me. And, you have it. I do not hold that against you, it is only natural, since you are strong of will, to not settle for peace. Though it is a great shame that you settle for a human condition, since you could be so much more.¡±

    ¡°Suggesting that I become a Haverdash again? This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. You¡¯re making me feel silly for considering you some great villain in my life.¡± Andal drew his sword back to strike.

    ¡°¡±I remember you, you¡¯re friends with Lars.¡±

    Andal hesitated. "How do you know his name? Did you torture it out of him?"

    "I would gain nothing from his name. I know him well, and so I know his name. I didn''t realize that you two knew each other until our fight, when you said that I''d killed your family. I had not made the connection that the templar boy and that boy who rode away were one and the same. It makes sense though, that the only two strong enough to survive Haverdash wine would be friends."

    "He survived¡­?"

    Moxey''s eyes and torso had formed while they were talking. "More than survived, he''s flourished. He and I have made quite a bond."

    Noric and Heffer whispered with each other, then Noric chided Andal, "How obvious does it have to be that he''s manipulating you? Your sword is drawn, kill him!"

    Andal looked between Noric and Moxey, then to Jeva. He''d hoped she would be able to tell him what to do, but she didn''t have any answer on her face. He asked Moxey, "Where is Lars now?"

    "Less than a day''s journey away by the Edezar. Would you like to meet him?"

    Noric recognized the name ¡°Lars,¡± as the Haverdash didn¡¯t hide their conversations around their slaves. That was their champion who broke Mavoshidog. It was possible this was a trap, and Andal would be destroyed, but regardless, he had no intention going anywhere near Lars even if it wasn¡¯t a trap. He spoke even more sternly, "Andal, if you have any sanity then don''t trust a word Moxey says!"

    Moxey''s legs formed down to the knees, and he tested how much he could bend at the hip a little. Noric spotted a movement of Moxey''s eyes as he bent. He looked toward a knot on the tree nearby him, as if wondering if he could reach it. Noric peered closely at the knot; he could barely see the outline of a bottle inside it, Haverdash wine.

    Noric snatched the sword from Andal''s hands. Moxey''s legs fully formed. Noric leaped forward and slashed upward between Moxey and the tree just as Moxey jumped toward it and reached into the knot, slicing Moxey''s arms off above the elbows.

    Moxey glared fiercely, but Noric was undaunted, holding the sword at Moxey''s neck. "He was lunging toward a bottle of wine he had stashed in this tree. You of all people, Andal, should recognize that nothing good could come of listening to Moxey."

    Andal rubbed his temples, "You''re right, I''m sorry." He made a sword of light in his hands, "Time to finish this."

    Moxey turned his glare to Andal, "Indulge me this last time, and tell me how you found me here."

    "A dark figure appeared and told us where to find you, thank goodness he did."

    "A dark figure¡­" Moxey muttered to himself, "He wasn''t in my mind?"

    Andal cleft Moxey in two just below the ribs, and let the sword of light disappear. He stared at Moxey''s dead body for a moment, then sighed. "Let''s go back."

    *

    They went back to where they''d first met the dark figure, and the swirling wind returned. It congregated, and the dark figure appeared again.

    Andal told him, "We killed Moxey, again. Thank you for telling us where he was. Now that the matter of trust is passed, could you tell us who you are?"

    The dark figure warned them, "Do not be alarmed, I am not your enemy. I am Haverdash, the god of the Haverdash in the days of their youth."

    Despite his warning, they were alarmed indeed. Jeva exclaimed, "You''re trying to conquer the continent!"

    "I am not! I have opposed this, and tried to draw them back. They have not known me for nearly 200 years, being caught in a web of sensations that they have replaced me with. They would not say that they have ceased to worship me, but they kill my prophets on sight.¡±

    Andal was flabbergasted, but asked, "You have prophets?"

    "I do. I send them to draw back the Haverdash people, that they would stop this warring and come back to me. All but one have answered my call to serve me, and that was Moxey. I have hope for my people, that they would repent, but I wanted you to complete his death because I lost hope in him. He and the other religious leaders, most of all those they call glorious, are a bastion against me."

    "We''ve been planning to kill the glorious, we got Manier, how many more are there?"

    "There are four in total, and one like them in strength. I applaud you, it is a good thing that you have done. Beware Glorious Trots the most, as he was the first, and is the strongest. The likes of Manier cannot rival him."

    Jeva asked, "Can''t you kill him for us?"

    Noric echoed that, "Yea! If you want them dead the same as us, and you really are a god, why not just smite them?"

    "I cannot. I can barely appear to you as I do now."

    "How can that be?" Andal blurted, "How could the Haverdash have these immensely powerful characters, while you, a god, are weak?"

    "The reason is one, why I am weak and they are strong." Haverdash seemed to mull for a minute, "And I suppose I will tell it to you. There was a covenant made before the foundations of the earth, in a hall of many gods, to prevent us from killing one another, or each other''s creations, out of jealous ambition. We agreed that our power would be limited on the earth, and limited proportional to the number of those who pledge themselves to us. It was meant to give those on the earth democratic agency, to force the gods to rule wisely, and be appealing rather than tyrannical. I, having little ambition, sought to have an intimate relationship with a small population in the hills. They became known after my name, the Haverdash.

    "I gave them gifts, that they may know the world unlike anyone else did, and see things others could not see. They followed after the gifts rather than me, but continued to worship me in name. Either by the sincerity of their worship or the slow transition that it took place in, they began to worship themselves as Haverdash in a way that tricked the covenant. Worship that would be credited to me is instead credited to the Haverdash people, my people. The strength of a Haverdash, especially the glorious, comes from the fact that they are given authority over the created world that was meant for gods. They have become, like gods."

 35. Aftermath

    Tharrow placed the little house in front of Wanrod as requested. The nominees and advisors had gathered to discuss the disappearance of Andal and Jeva. Wanrod started with the facts, "We found the Haverdash diplomat there, dead, clearly killed by one of Andal''s swords of light. There''s Haverdash blood in a couple spots, and human blood in a few. They moved around a bit, but there''s no indication anyone we sent died. The only question is where they went."

    Rumberal asked, "Could more Haverdash have shown up and taken them captive?"

    "Not likely, we were watching the town from a distance. Let me clarify, the question is a bit more specific. We had an episode earlier where we found a house a few streets down that was a living creature. If you looked inside the house from a window it seemed normal, but if you stepped inside of it you were transported to a different place, and the house tried to eat you. We burned that house down, but here we have this little house," he picked up the toy, "Which we found at the scene. It doesn''t do anything," he opened the little door, "But that doesn''t mean it didn''t before. Perhaps one of those houses was nearby, and the Haverdash left this toy there to mock us."

    "Sound very speculative," Grendala told him.

    "Perhaps, but we think the best question, more specifically, is where do these houses transport you? That''s probably where Andal and Jeva are. Any thoughts?"

    The nominees were silent. Wanrod sighed, "Very well, I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised. We will question those who were slaves to the Haverdash, perhaps they heard things."

    Hanyr raised his hand, and Wanrod called on him, "Yes, Hanyr?"

    "What do we do in the meantime? Without Andal and Jeva, we''re a lot less versatile. If one of the glorious Haverdash attacked, well, we really needed them when we fought Manier."

    Wanrod frowned, but Brunstrog answered confidently in his burlish voice, "Defense, my dear giant! You think the Haverdash are happy with us being this far up in their domain? They''ll come to us, which means, we can be ready when they do!"

    Tharrow nodded, "Excellent point. We''ll start building defensive structures. Nominees, you start thinking of weapons or traps you want, and relay them to us. We have a lot of hands that can do a lot of building."

    *

    The Council of Six was gathered in the palace of Hathor, looking at a map of their conquest. One of the old council members had been placed in charge of The Rivers, since Halac had been removed. Glorious Salva had been promoted in their place. She gestured to Tiermac, "We shouldn''t waste our time with them, there''s too much going on at the moment that involves real progress. Tubarai is on its last leg, and its inhabitants are fleeing across the desert. Vilpass is crumbling as well, and we finally have functional ports on the eastern ocean."

    A council member asked her, "What of the personal insult those in Tiermac have made to Haverdash? Taking our cities was insulting enough, but killing Glorious Manier!"

    Salva shook her head, "The personal insult is there, of course, but what would bring us greater shame? Delaying our conquest, which is ultimately what will bring upon greater glory, or responding to a personal insult, which is only for the sake of existing glory? The glory that we have is not comparable to the glory to come, is it?"

    The council member apologized, "You are quite right, your reasoning is fair."

    Trots agreed, "Glorious Salva is absolutely right, especially considering that one of us would have to personally handle that, since they were strong enough to kill Manier. Though, I don''t see any reason to delay more than a couple weeks. Tubarai should not last longer than that, should it?"

    A council member answered, "I doubt it. They''re besieging the king within the next few days, if they haven''t surrounded him already. We don''t need to chase them over the desert, so I would call that mission completed."

    Trots continued, "Then Lars will do fine. Once he is done in Tubarai we can direct him to Tiermac."

    Salva raised issue with that plan, "Moxey and Lars haven''t led a large enough force for that, they don''t garner enough respect. Why would they succeed where Manier failed?"

    "Because Lars is stronger than Manier." The council was shocked, which Trots found amusing. "I know he isn''t Glorious, but do not be deceived. He can handle it."

    There was a knock on the door, and a council member said to come in. A Haverdash opened the door for a fairy, who bowed where she flew. "Glorious Trots, Glorious Salva, and the whole Council of Six, I have news regarding Moxey!"

    "Speak," said Trots.

    "He attacked the diplomats from the Council of Nations since they wouldn''t accept his peace demands, but he lost! They killed him! I am reporting to you from a fairy who escaped the fight."

    The whole council looked at Trots warily, not sure what he would do next. He chuckled, "Do not fear, Moxey is still alive. I sense him. In a way this is good news, as it proves that one of his schemes worked." He addressed the council, "Moxey sought to cheat death using the Edezar, making a new location the soul would go if the body dies. If his body was indeed killed, and I know he is still alive, it means that it worked. He is reforming in the Edezar, and will be back to us shortly."

    He turned back to the fairy, "Dismissed."

    *

    Lars sat in the tent where he''d been told to wait. They''d been holding off from attacking Castle Bistir until Moxey returned, and instead had been attacking surrounding villages while they maintained a siege. The king of Tubarai was locked up in that castle, so they were almost done with this campaign.

    General Ghaulos pushed aside the tent flap, ¡°On your feet, Lars!¡±

    Lars stayed seated, ¡°Ghaulos? What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m now the officer in command to finish the conquest of Tubarai, and you are under my authority. No more waiting, get up!¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Lars crossed his legs, ¡°You? Well that¡¯s an oversight. Where¡¯s Moxey?¡±

    Ghaulos snarled at him, ¡°Moxey is dead. I wouldn¡¯t be here if he was alive, because things were working even with him in charge.¡±

    Now Lars stood, ¡°Dead? What do you mean he¡¯s dead? He was off on a diplomacy meeting!¡±

    "Yes, and the diplomats fought, and he died. Accept it, move on. I''m here, let''s march. Help pack up this tent."

    Lars didn''t move.

    "Disobeying me is to disobey the Council of Six, and Glorious Trots and Glorious Salvia who are on the council. Do as I say, or you have no part of our Haverdash kingdom, and no right to our wine."

    Lars moved to pack up the tent.

    *

    Andal plopped down under the shade of a willow tree, taking off his boots and letting his toes spread. Haverdash had told them the location of the nearest Meadanim, and Noric had been leading them there since. They were stopping for the night here, in another one of those inherently peaceful glades that they''d found. Night and day in the Edezar was a fickle thing, but as human beings, they had to sleep at some point.

    Jeva plopped down next to him, then waved her hand in front of her nose and looked at his feet.

    "Hey, if you had to carry armor this whole time your feet would be sweaty too."

    "My feet are pretty sweaty anyway," she admitted. She slipped off her shoes, making a relieved sigh.

    "Mine aren''t," said Noric, "I''m used to the walking."

    Jeva started rubbing her feet, "We''re more used to riding a horse. How far did we walk today? From Haverdash to Moxey and back was over ten miles for sure, then we walked almost that same distance from Haverdash here, so over fifteen miles?"

    Andal nodded, "That''s probably right. Though, we don''t know how long it''s been. It could have been over a day."

    "That''s worse! Speaking of which, I am super tired. I need to find a spot to lie down."

    Noric''s brow furrowed. "I''m not tired. At least, I don''t feel like sleeping. Even before coming here I didn''t like sleeping though. The Haverdash made the air toxic in Mavozshidog, rest was impossible." He sighed, then started walking off, "I''d better find some food. I''ll be back in a couple hours probably."

    Jeva got up to look around, and Andal asked her, "Do you believe Haverdash?"

    "Yea? He told the truth about Moxey. Why do you ask?"

    "He said that there''s a Haverdash out there that Manier can''t compare to. I don''t know how to process that. Manier almost killed the whole team."

    "Well, Heffer believes him. Heffer understands this place better than we do. Besides, Vicid was late to the fight, right? Maybe we''ll be better prepared next time."

    "I don''t think it hurt us that Vicid was late, as strong as he is. He really caught Manier off guard."

    "Maybe, but don''t think we can avoid it. We have to fight more Glorious Haverdash at some point."

    "We could die. There''s no guarantee that we beat the next one we fight; sometimes things go right or wrong from pure luck. You could die, Jeva."

    She didn''t look too worried, "Maybe."

    "What do you mean ''maybe''? You almost died against Manier, then got closer to death against Moxey! I had to watch that twice!"

    "But you saved me both times. I really think we''ll be okay."

    "I can''t always save you, I could die too. Aren''t you worried about that?"

    She smiled, "Nope!"

    "Gee, thanks¡­"

    "I''m not worried, because I think that whatever comes along you''ll be able to handle. You always have, no matter how close it got. I feel safe around you, Andal, despite all the danger."

    "Oh¡­ thank you. I''m glad you feel safe."

    "You''re welcome!"

    She turned away to look for a comfortable spot again, but Andal asked her another question, "You remember when Noric called us ''lovebirds''? I don''t think we''ve had that relationship so far, but, don''t you think we could?"

    She looked back, "Don''t you think that could be distracting, in the middle of a war? Our priorities are set for us for the time being, aren''t they?"

    "They don''t have to be."

    "That''s what I mean though, if we change our priorities now, who will fill our shoes when it comes time to fight?"

    "Yea, I see what you mean."

    "I just don''t think this is the time. Even though, I think it''s hard for a boy and girl to be as close as we are and not think about that sometimes."

    Andal nodded, "We make a good team."

    "We do. And, I think we can say this for now, I don''t ever want to break up the team. Ever."

    "Same."

    Jeva smiled, "Alright, I''d better get some sleep. Goodnight Andal."

    "Goodnight, Jeva."

    *

    Trots was in the black temple of Hathor, in the top of the center pyramid. There the vines that ran up the sides of the temple had windows that they could enter through and bloom. The pollen would hang in the air more densely than in the rest of the city, making the hallucinogenic gas thicker and more pungent. The vines also ran wine up inner tubes, and by slicing the mass that had grown at the top of the pyramid Trots had created a constant rain of wine that had flooded the room to be up to his knees. He stood under a point where the stream of wine was thick, like from a hose, letting it splash on his face with open mouth and open eyes.

    He held a Haverdash in a chokehold in front of him. That Haverdash was spasming, unable to handle the wealth of sensations that was hitting him. Trots held his sword in a reverse grip, piercing through the Haverdash and his own skin. He pulled his sword slowly along, from his left shoulder to his right hip, severing that Haverdash as he did.

    All the while he was caught in a vision , a continuation of those he had seen before, which had inspired and spurred him on to reach his glorious state.

    Then, when the sword was just past his naval, he stopped. The vision ceased, and he was distracted from the sensations. He dropped the Haverdash, looking around for what was suddenly missing.

    "Moxey?"

    He couldn''t sense him any longer. He looked rapidly around the room, thinking that maybe he''d see a glimmer in the distance.

    "Moxey¡­?"

    He started breathing heavily. So it was true after all. Moxey was dead.

    The vines latched onto the stones of the black temple and tore the top off, flinging rock hundreds of feet. They turned red, and lashed out against anyone nearby them with thorns that killed. Trots looked up at the moon, and the vines stretched up to it as far as they could go. For a moment, everyone under the light of the moon was suddenly afraid.

    Trots leaped off of the black temple, and flew North.

    *

    Noric pointed at a distant rock, "You may not realize it yet, but that''s a meadanim. Haverdash''s directions were good."

    Andal raised his arms and celebrated, "Almost out! I won''t miss this weird place."

    Noric looked back the way they came, "Based off of how far I think we''ve traveled, and the direction I think we''ve been going, we''re probably in Vilpass. That''s depressing, really. If there''s a meadanim that means the Haverdash have conquered at least this far. They''ve made a lot of progress."

    Andal asked, "So we''ll be in a Haverdash city when we get out?"

    Heffer answered, "Yes, you will. Be ready to fight your way out. Also, we have no way of knowing what time it is, so it could be nighttime. Sorry if your sleep schedule is all messed up."

    Jeva told them, "We''re ready. We''ll escape the city and head north. Thank you for guiding us this whole time, both of you. We couldn''t have navigated this without you."

    Andal clarified, "Noric and Heffer, you''re coming with us, right?"

    Noric laughed, "No way! I''m staying in here."

    Heffer added, "And this is all I know, I don''t want to face a whole new world!"

    Andal was miffed, "You don''t want to get back to the real world?"

    "Who says this isn''t real?" Retorted Noric, "It''s just different, and I''ll tell you one way it''s different: the ''real world'' has forces of evil, out to get you, to hurt you, to destroy you in order to build themselves up. Edezar doesn''t have evil forces, just forces. They''re all doing their own thing. Sure, they can sweep you up by accident, but if you watch your step and mind your business, you can be okay.

    "I fought the Haverdash. I was taken prisoner, and might as well have been dead. Now I''m free, and I''m staying. I''m not fighting them again."

    Jeva told him, "That''s okay, even if we don''t understand, we appreciate you. You fought your fight, I think it''s okay if you don''t go back."

    Noric didn''t smile, but you could see in his eyes that he really appreciated that. Perhaps he was feeling a little bit of shame.

    They came to the meadanim and said their goodbyes. Andal and Jeva broke through the point that Heffer said too, which was revealed to be a window from the inside, and rushed out the door before the meadanim could attack them.

    Andal raised his sword to lash out at the first Haverdash he saw, and Jeva raised her hands to shoot a fireball, but didn''t see anyone to attack. There were lots of Haverdash around, but they were broken and mangled, squashed into the ground.

    Then they spotted the broken corpse of an undead giant. They walked away from the meadanim and spotted two more gia

    nts lying in the dirt, then one walking around barely visible through the snowy haze that defined this region.

 36. Slaughter

    General Ghaulos had brought in siege equipment of various kinds, ladders, shovels, battering rams, and catapults. His plan for the assault, since they didn''t want to delay any longer in storming the castle, had Lars as the head of one of many teams of Haverdash. Lars raised issue with this, but Ghaulos wouldn''t discuss it. Lars thought he should break down the walls as he had many times before, but Ghaulos didn''t seem to trust him with important tasks. Lars still intended to shatter the walls when he got close, but Ghaulos''s plan was an insult.

    They would have used gas bombs, but the wind was against them. Going to the other side and using them there would take too long since mountains rose up quickly behind the castle.

    A horn blew, and the first attacking teams rushed the walls. Lars ran to the front of the pack with a ladder strapped over his left shoulder, not wanting to act as slowly as he would have to if he stuck to the plan. An elderly man on the wall suddenly leapt in surprise, pointing at Lars and exclaiming something Lars was too far away to hear. A beam of light from a high tower in the middle of the castle grounds struck Lars in the face, brighter than the sun, and almost bright enough to make him look away. Then Lars felt a change in the air around him, and the snowy dirt under his feet changed to cut stone.

    He was in the high tower, with a circle of older men and women in robes standing by the walls. Lars looked at their sullen faces, "What is this? Are you wizards who think you can blast me away now that you''ve surrounded me?"

    "Wizards we are, Haverdash, and more! This order, this bastion of Tubarai, has heard enough of your terrors, and we know you to be one of humanity''s great enemies! Know that we make this choice with a heavy heart, knowing the darkness we bring upon the world, but knowing better how much darkness is in you!"

    Lars had a hurt look, "I don''t consider myself an enemy of humanity."

    Another elder scoffed, "A friend, are you? Is that why you break our walls and subjugate our people?"

    "I''m only doing what I understand that I should do; I was human once myself!"

    "Impossible!" The first elder sneered, "Call the darkness, brethren!"

    "No!" A third elder interrupted, "Young Haverdash, do you consent to being under a charm of truth?"

    "I don''t ever recall lying, so maybe I''m already under one!"

    "I need verbal consent. Yes or no?"

    "Then yes," Lars answered, "I consent."

    The elder made a flourish with his hands, and Lars glowed for a second. "Now repeat yourself, Haverdash, were you once human?"

    "I was. When I was thirteen years old the Haverdash landed at my village and I first drank their wine."

    A shudder went throughout the elders, "And drinking this wine, and surviving, turned you into a Haverdash?"

    "I think so, it wasn''t explained to me in such a black and white way."

    "But why, if you were raised in a human family, are you so willing to slaughter us?"

    "Well, I''d have to pick a side, right? It''s a war and all. I would have to fight you or the Haverdash, and I feel like I''m better with the Haverdash, like I''m improving."

    "You don''t sound so convinced; how are you better?"

    "I''m more powerful for sure, and I have way more willpower. I could only dream of being this strong before, but a Haverdash named Moxey took me under his wing, and he told me things that I would never have believed if they weren''t producing a change in me!"

    The first elder barked at the others, "Moxey! You know that name, it is said in the streets that he performs experiments on captive humans!"

    The third elder, who had the charm of truth on Lars, demanded of him, "Denounce Moxey now! Say you see the wickedness of his ways and want nothing to do with him, or any chance of redemption will pass you by!"

    Lars furrowed his brow. "I can''t do that. He definitely does things that I am uncomfortable with, but he has always been good to me, and he''s made sense of a confusing world."

    The first elder crossed his arms, "Now that we''re done with that¡­"

    They all crossed their arms in unison, and began chanting. "Arulbaro civeshelm, arulbaro rotunis."

    The room went dark, and a glowing red figure rose out of the floor. He was over twenty feet tall, with an ambiguous shape and shifting claws.

    The mages all collapsed, worn out by the difficulty of the spell, and the creature lashed out at Lars.

    Lars saw the massless particles, as he had many times before, and the paths they took that gave all things form. Though, this shadowy creature had no particles, and none moved through the space that it took up. It was like a void in the middle of a connected world, made of something entirely different and alien.

    Lars had to wonder if the particles couldn''t go where it was at all, and flicked one towards it. The particle rammed into the creature like a rocket, knocking it backward into the wall.

    Lars grinned. However strong this creature may be, it has a distinct weakness. That is, it doesn''t belong here. He blew towards it, sending a wave of massless particles at it as only he could, which smashed it against the wall and blasted it out the other side.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Lars looked back at an elder who was looking up in shock, and winked. Then he ran to the hole he''d just made in the wall and looked down. The creature hadn''t wasted any time once it landed, and was rampaging in the streets. It went into a house and blew the roof off, tearing apart the inhabitants just by touching them.

    A boy ran out of the house to get away, and a jolt went through Lars like a deep memory reawakening. Here helpless people were being preyed upon by a literal monster, and he had to help. He jumped through the hole and slammed into the ground at an alarming speed, landing on the creature. He raised his fist, and the massless particles in the area raised with it, then brought it down on the creature, and the particles around him converged. The creature was squished into nothingness by the physical world it had tried to invade, and was no more.

    *

    Trots floated over the plain of Tiermac, less than a mile from the city. His powerful glow had certainly been noticed by now, but he was not concerned.

    Wanrod rode out of the city to meet him, "Glorious Haverdash! I am our representative. We are willing to oppose you if it must come to that, but if not, why have you come here?"

    Trots landed in front of him, making Wanrod turn his head to avoid the painful light of Trots''s glow. "Who was your diplomat, and who went with him?

    "Wha- oh. Uh, why would you be wondering that? I assure you those we sent were honorable, and they would never attack a diplomat unless provoked!"

    "I see," Trots nodded, "Tyrene, Andal, and Jeva."

    "I didn''t answer you!"

    "Where are they now?"

    "I want to know why you''re asking, so that we can have a proper discussion."

    "You don''t know?"

    "I didn''t say that, I just want to know why you''re asking."

    "But you do not know. Do you know who would?"

    Wanrod didn''t say anything, unsure of how he was giving away information.

    "You don''t know even that. Very well."

    Trots walked past him, but on his way he grabbed Wanrod''s lower jaw with his right hand, pulling it open, tapped his tongue with his pointer finger, and shoved his mouth closed again.

    Wanrod felt something sprout on his tongue, shoving its way down his throat and filling his stomach. It went up through his sinuses, and the inner pressure became too much.

    Alarms sounded throughout the city when they saw Wanrod''s body fall. Archers targeted Trots from every side, but the arrows fell short.

    Trots landed on a high tower. He didn''t raise his voice, but it could be clearly heard by all those beneath him, "I am looking for Tyrene, Andal, and Jeva. Does anyone here know where they are?"

    Hanyr''s booming voice could be just as well heard as he shouted, "We wouldn''t tell the likes of you, if you want trouble, face us like Manier did so we can cut you down!"

    Trots scanned the faces of those beneath him, "None of you know? Ridiculous, now I''m left to search blindly from place to place."

    Hanyr shot an arrow that was just short of Trots, hitting the stone beneath his feet.

    Trots looked down at him and said, "Though, you are the ones who killed Manier. I would be amiss to let you live.¡±

    As if in response, the tower shuddered. Trots leaned over the edge to see the base, and saw that the foundation to the tower was crumbling. Rumberal gave it a hefty swing with his mace, making it shudder again, and the tower fell forward. At the same time, the world turned silver.

    Trots turned to blast a hole in the back of the tower that he would fly out of, but found himself unable to. He ran to the hole in the front and leaped out past the tip of the tower, tucking and rolling when he hit the ground.

    Nalia rose from the ground and cut at Trots while he was still trapped in his momentum, but Trots extended his body and kicked the ground to soar over her. She rose higher and swung again, but Trots flipped in the air to put his arms next to the ground and caught her by the wrist. He yanked her out of the ground with one arm and punched across her jaw with the other, knocking her unconscious and ending the silver effect.

    By then others had time to react, so Rumberal put armor over Nalia, but it did nothing when something invisible sprang from the ground and impaled her. Trots looked around for the others who had been attacking him, but didn¡¯t see anyone. Though, there were an awful lot of dead chickens on the ground, evenly spaced out like it was intentional.

    An invisible arrow went through his chest and out the other side, then what felt like a mace slammed into his side and sent him flying across the yard. He halted his momentum by taking flight, and all who looked on him were surprised to see no sign of injury.

    The dead chickens rose, and black chords attached them. Just as Vicid had done when they attacked Shrodac, a huge rectangular field became filled with death energy. Trots was at the center, and it was all directed at him. His skin decayed rapidly under the torrent, but he only reacted with a slight smile, and by opening a bottle of wine.

    Rather than raising it to drink, the liquid flew out to coat him. It sucked into his lacerations, not to heal them, but to inflame them and incite puss to bubble up. The chords broke as the spell ended, slamming Trots and the dead chickens against the ground.

    As he stood, he commented, ¡°That was not unlike the conditions I worship under. You almost distracted me.¡± He looked around, ¡°But I am focused, and I will find you.¡±

    A force moved through Tiermac like a flood, breaking down weak structures and carrying away anything smaller to slam it against the closest obstacle and trap it there. The force moved through Trots as if he wasn¡¯t there, but the nominees, who had been invisible thanks to potions from Grendala, were caught up in it. Trots saw where the force moved around their invisible bodies, ending the spell.

    ¡°There you are.¡±

    The flood came to an end, and the pressure on them let up so that they could fall to the ground and catch their breath. Hanyr shouted to the group, ¡°We have to beat him like Manier!¡±

    Trots cocked his head, ¡°Do you now? Do you think I¡¯ve seen his visions, and he¡¯s seen mine? If it is Manier in front of you then you are wise, but I¡¯m afraid not.¡±

    Something drove through the back of Hanyr¡¯s head, and Rumberal cried out in grief, ¡°Hanyr!¡± He looked back at the building as if addressing someone hiding, ¡°What is happening? Nothing makes sense this time!¡±

    Something grabbed Rumberal by each arm and lifted him, pinning him against the wall. His head was yanked back to look at Trots, who told him, ¡°You are blind, but I will let you see. It is common among the Haverdash for their hallucinations to be visible to all. This is not natural, it is a development that most enjoy. It is not important to me if mine are seen or unseen, so they have remained unseen. But, here they are.¡±

    What was pinning Rumberal against the wall were two Haverdash, one on either side of him, and one was standing over Hanyr with a spear in his head. On the ground was a shallow layer of what had been the flood, which was dark like the deep ocean in the dead of night. The liquid hadn¡¯t just pushed against him either, it had absorbed into him. His skin and armor were colored by a swirling darkness that slowly moved deeper into him, and he became aware that an ache he felt inside of him wasn¡¯t from being thrown around.

    His eyes were drawn upward, but then he had to suddenly look away. Far in the distance, but somehow near, was a great tree. It was like a mountain in height, and its leaves could shade a city. It glowed with the same painful glow that surrounded the glorious Haverdash, but brighter still. One root of the tree had pierced Nalia, and another had broken the ground violently behind Trots to make a wide fissure that was leaking the floodwaters.

    Rumberal gestured up at the tree with his head, but avoided looking at it, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Haverdash,¡± Trots answered, ¡°Our collective soul. At least, as I have seen it. But, I see that you don¡¯t understand it, since you are looking away.¡±

    A fiery explosion came out of the building Rumberal was pinned against, filled with every energy Grendala was familiar with from cauldrons of potions they¡¯d saved up in preparation. The Haverdash around Rumberal and Hanyr were dissolved, and Hanyr¡¯s wound was healed. He sprung up with new energy, grabbing an arrow and hurling it at Trots like a javelin.

    Trots leaned to the side and let it pass, then noticed Vicid coming in behind him as a shadow. He simply watched in confusion as Vicid entered his aura of light and dissolved, much to the dismay of those watching. ¡°What a strange little shadow, to come into the light.¡± He turned back to Hanyr and Rumberal, ¡°No matter.¡±

    The shallow water at their feet opened up, and they fell into it as if it was deep water. Haverdash with spears formed above each of them and stabbed down as they tried to come up for air, taking great joy in pushing the spears directly down their throats.

    The waters climbed over the burning building behind them, dissolving a wall and revealing Grendala trembling. Trots made a flick with his finger, and a root of the tree came up out of the ground to impale her.

    The water dried up, becoming a host of Haverdash. Trots commanded them, ¡°This city is in disarray, keep it that way until occupiers come for it.¡± He leapt off the ground and flew away, with the host bowing behind him.

 37. Kollus and Gol

    Andal and Jeva were quickly let inside Bezpin, a small population that had been cut off by the Haverdash and retreated into a stockade they¡¯d made in the hills. The effects of undead giant attacks were obvious from the way the walls were damaged, and of course the enormous footprints outside. Andal told them, ¡°Thank you! I really want to know about these giants that are attacking, and where they¡¯re coming from, but right now we really need some food!¡±

    ¡°And warmth!¡± Jeva added.

    "Of course," an older lady told them, follow me to the mess hall. Dietrich? Grab them some blankets please."

    One that seemed like her husband told them, "The giants approach quicker in the night, but they come in night or day. Only two have attacked us since we moved there, and the slope to get to the gate has made a huge difference, but defeating them is a great challenge. If they were to break through the walls, I don''t know what we''d do."

    They entered the mess hall and felt instant comfort, as it was warmed by a fire on either end. They caught the  scents of mead and fresh bread, which they were very excited for despite not having tried mead before. Andal asked the man, "Which way are they coming from?"

    "South of us, from the Dalmatian I would say. That''s what we call a mountain with a bunch of caves in the side."

    They say down at a table, "That makes sense. We''ve seen them before, and they were coming up from underground." He turned to Jeva, "We should check out the Dalmatian tomorrow, and see if we can find where the giants are coming from."

    "Shouldn''t we try to get back to the other nominees as fast as possible? What if a Glorious Haverdash were to attack?"

    "We should, but I think we''ve been underestimating the usefulness of these giants."

    "Ooh, you have a plan?"

    "Not quite, but something like one. That city we came out of was completely ravaged by the giants, they can be a legitimate force against the Haverdash! So, I want to lead as many of them as I can to attack a Haverdash city. I don''t know quite how I''m going to do that, but that''s what I want to do."

    Jeva gave an anxious smile to the older man and his wife, "Alright, I guess we''re going to try and solve your giant problem!"

    *

    The town gave them warmer clothes out of appreciation for what they were doing. For Andal they had to  find clothes that could fit snugly in and around his armor, but it was easy enough to just bundle up Jeva. They got directions to the Dalmatian, which was easy to identify because it had ten times the number of caves in it as the surrounding mountains.  It was also easy to spot which caves the giants were coming out of, not only because they''d have to be particularly large, but because there were still the imprints of enormous footprints in the snow. They picked the closest cave with footprints coming out, figuring that they all must lead to the same place, and entered in.

    Andal cast a spell of light, revealing that the cave quickly branched into multiple paths. They chose the smoothest, friendliest-looking path, because why not? The cave continued to branch, and they saw branches behind them that lead to other caves or to dead ends. There was a point where they realized the branch they took led in a pointless loop with lots of pitfalls and sinkholes in it, which explained why the giants had such a hard time finding their way out. They backtracked a ways and had to go down a different branch.

    They sat down in a dry place to take a breather, having walked much further than they''d expected to already. Jeva joked, "They''re playing hide and seek with us, I guess. To think we''ve come all this way in and haven''t seen any."

    "True, true. But, it does smell more foul than it did before, which I take to mean we''re getting closer." He licked his finger and held it in the air, "I think it''s weird how there''s a breeze going down the tunnel. Where''s it going? Is there not any air down there?"

    "That is weird. Probably makes the smell better too, so they''re actually closer than we think."

    "Yea¡­ good point." Andal got up and went over to a tunnel that was sloped to almost be a pit. He looked over the edge, and there was an undead giant, clinging to the walls and trying to climb up. It didn''t have a chance to make it the whole way, because there was a big overhang at the top where Andal was.

    Suddenly, the giant bounded off the wall where it was to grab the ledge under Andal. The thin ground couldn''t bear the weight, and crumbled. Andal reacted quickly, putting a circle of light below him for him to land on, but the other hand of the giant swung as if out of nowhere and snatched him up.

    The giant fell, with Andal in a crushing grip. Andal immediately started cutting at its thumb, trying to get out before his ribs broke, but when the giant started bouncing off the walls in their descent Andal ducked into its hand like a shelter to avoid being dashed against the rock.

    They reached the bottom of the hole, and when the giant landed, his elbow snapped on a jagged rock. His hand opened, sending Andal flying out separately. He made a burst of wind to make a cushion of air under him, but was soaring.over a wide crevasse. He made a circle of light to land on, knocking the air out of him as he did.

    The giant groped at its surroundings, but couldn''t stop itself as it fell into the crevasse. Andal watched it fall, looking into the crevasse. At the bottom was a horde of giants, and some so decayed as to be giant walking skeletons. As the giant landed at the bottom the horde looked up at the opening in the crevasse, making Andal freeze in fear.

    He stayed there on his circle of light until Jeva reached the bottom of the hole, relieved when she saw that he was okay. "Andal? What are you looking at?"

    "I found them, where all of them are coming from! At least, this far north." He made more circles that let him walk from above the crevasse to solid ground. "They can''t get up from here, there''s nowhere to climb to get to this opening, so we have to find another way down there."

    Jeva put a hand on his shoulder, "Andal, are you serious about leading them out of here? That''s super dangerous."

    Andal looked down at the horde, but then nodded, "I am. Think how impossible it would be for the Haverdash to kill that many giants. Look at them, could Manier win that fight?"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Okay, I trust you, but we have to be really, really careful!"

    Andal spotted a tunnel that led down, and they descended cautiously. Unfortunately the tunnel didn''t lead directly to the bottom of that crevasse, but was one of many branching paths and branched into even more paths. As they found their way, Jeva asked, ¡°How are we going to find our way out before they catch us?¡±

    Andal showed her his hand, which he had been writing on with luminal numbers. ¡°A 2 means we came from the second branch, a 3 the third branch, etc.¡±

    ¡°So we reverse that going back up?¡±

    That hadn''t occurred to Andal, and he looked up to think. ¡°Uh, yea. I guess we have to recount the branches each time we see one.¡± He grinned sheepishly, ¡°Sorry, but we have ways of going faster. We just have to get a bigger head start.¡±

    They advanced more cautiously after that, since Andal wasn¡¯t as confident they could get out of there quickly. They came to a slanted opening, and not far in front of them, the horde of giants, groping at the walls and seeking a way upward. Andal looked at Jeva, ¡°You ready?¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll run out there a bit and whistle, then they should follow after us. We run and use magic, and we go all the way to Haverdash territory. If we have to take breaks we can sit way above them on a circle of light.¡±

    She shook her head, ¡°This is crazy, especially for you, but I¡¯m with you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. On three then! One¡­ two¡­ three!¡± Andal and Jeva ran out until they noticed that several giants had looked their way, then put their fingers in their mouths and whistled as loud as they  could. ¡°Follow me!¡± Andal shouted,  ¡°I know the way out!¡±

    The giants didn¡¯t move. In fact, those who had started moving toward him when they saw him suddenly stopped. They stood straight, and looked at a cliff that led even lower into the earth. Jeva tugged on Andal¡¯s arm, ¡°We should go.¡±

    ¡°Yea, I think you¡¯re right.¡±

    They turned, but a heavy weight suddenly pressed on both of them. They felt crushed against the earth, even though there was nothing touching them. Their eyes were drawn toward the cliff, where an extreme terror rose up and penetrated them from. The hands of a giant came over the edge of the cliff and gripped the earth. They lifted a giant from the depths that was unlike the others, which all the other giants watched patiently, and who looked down at Andal and Jeva as they squirmed. He had no flakes of skin, nor any skin for that matter, and no rotting flesh. His flesh was pulled tight on the bone, dry, and colorless. He had no trace of lips, and his gums were the same dry and colorless matter as the remainder of his muscle. His natural eyes were gone, but a translucent mass hovered in his sockets, which he used to look. He had clothes, and they were not worn. He wore a staff almost as long as he was tall on his back, made from the trunk of a single tree. He had a circlet of black rock around his head, and a golden crest on his chest.

    He leaned on the cliff edge and reached out as though for a hug, drawing his arms in and pulling Andal and Jeva close to his face. He spoke with a deep, breathy voice, hindered by his lack of lips, and that hissed  through holes in his teeth. He took long breaths, and spoke while breathing in and out. ¡°The light¡­¡± He looked particularly hard at Andal, who was still casting a spell of light. ¡°It has been so long¡­ since I have seen¡­ the light! It is not¡­ quite like¡­ the sun¡­ though.¡±

    He was holding them so close to his face that they could feel his cold breath, and his clamoring teeth bit at them with every word. They didn¡¯t have the courage to respond or act, but they had enough sense to pull their limbs away to avoid being nipped. The giant continued, ¡°You say¡­ you know¡­ the way! The way! I have searched¡­ long¡­ and now a scent¡­ falls to us! It smells¡­ so sweet¡­ and deathly, but it fills our caverns¡­ and I cannot find¡­ the way it came!¡±

    He pushed his hollow nose up against them and inhaled, ¡°Aaaaaaah¡­ it is on you. What are¡­ your names?¡±

    They answered quickly, not wanting to risk making him wait. ¡°Andal!¡± ¡°Jeva!¡±

    ¡°Andal¡­ Jeva¡­ You will lead me! Lead me out! The world may have¡­ thought I was dead! Heah haha¡­ and so I am¡­" It was hard to read his expression without much flesh and without proper eyes, but he seemed to be pleased, "But you remember me¡­. Or else why¡­ would you have come?"

    Andal and Jeva stayed silent, but the giant expected an answer. ¡°Do you not ¡­ remember?" He pushed his face even closer, and Andal had to put his feet on the giant''s chin and push against the bones above the giant''s teeth to avoid getting bitten. "Say my name¡­ if you know it!"

    Andal and Jeva we''re quiet. The giant roared in anger, lifting his hands away from them and bringing them crashing down to shake the cavern floor. He spoke quickly, breathing in and out fast enough to keep speaking, "You will all remember! I will make you all remember! My name is Mal Moggog, I am Kollus, and I am Gol! Have you forgotten that too?"

    Andal and Jeva curled up on the ground, hiding their hands from Mal Moggog''s gnashing teeth, "It means I am tyrant! I have my way on the earth, and I subjugate the weak! Bow before me while you shudder in fear! And shudder you will, more than you are, and the whole earth will shudder, for I am Gol! I am a terror that cannot be hidden from, that is with you day and night, and makes your bones weak in my sight!"

    He kept breathing heavily, then slapped them both with backhands. They each went tumbling a dozen feet, and Mal Maggog said, "Now lead me ¡­ to the sun."

    He started climbing fully out of the hole that he was in, so Andal and Jeva got up and hurried toward the tunnel they came out of to avoid being stepped on. As they entered the tunnel, he followed, and the horde of giants followed after him. Andal healed the scrapes he and Jeva had from when Mal Maggog knocked them back, and Jeva took the opportunity to whisper to him, "Andal, we can''t show him the way out. This is much bigger than we thought."

    Andal whispered back, "I know. We have to lose him at some point. Let''s try slipping away when we get around a corner."

    "I can feel¡­ a breeze this way! This must be right! Though my senses¡­ have been dulled."

    After rounding a few corners and not seeing an opportunity, Andal signaled to Jeva that they should try at the next one. Mal Maggog seemed to be trying not to crush them more than he was earlier, so they had a little space to use as they turned a corner and bolted.

    They had only gone thirty or so feet when exhaustion flooded through them, and their legs wobbled. They fell to the ground, feeling a primordial terror. Mal Maggog rounded the corner, "I didn''t know¡­ where you''d gone¡­ for a moment. Stay closer¡­ or I might .. lose you."

    They had to lead him further, but the ascent was long enough for Andal to come up with another plan. "We should cause a cave in behind us. There''s bound to be some weak points in the ceiling somewhere."

    "How are we going to get the space between us and him to where we could cause a cave in?"

    "We have to convince him to let us get distance. We''ll check on a possible dead end, since our memory isn''t perfect."

    "Okay, it''s worth a shot, but I want to change one thing. We cause the cave in in front of us down a route we aren''t going down, then turn and go down a different route."

    "What''s the point of the cave in if it isn''t blocking him off?"

    "Uh, what''s the point of a cave in that tries to block him off? He''ll tear right through it! But if he tears through it and we aren''t behind it, now we''ve gotten away."

    Mal Maggog''s voice cut through their conversation, "What are you ¡­ saying to each other?"

    They spun around, and Andal quickly answered, "We''re discussing the way out, jogging each other''s memory."

    "Ahhhh¡­ then talk away."

    They were nearing the point where they would be at the top of that crevasse, so Andal stopped and turned to Mal Maggog, "It''s almost a straight path from here, but we''re having difficulty remembering which of those two ways. We''ll check out that way, and if it''s a dead end we''ll come back. If it''s the way out, then just follow after us and you''ll have reached the sun."

    "Yes¡­ I feel the breeze¡­ it is stronger here. Go, check quickly!"

    Andal and Jeva ran down the tunnel, reaching a branching point, and identifying the best spot to try and cause a collapse. Jeva charged up a bolt of lightning, and Andal shielded them. She struck the roof above where a large amount of rock was hanging, and successfully caused a small cave in. The sound echoed back, and Mal Moggog''s roar echoed in response. Andal looked at the cave in in dismay, "It was too small, we could fit right through that!"

    "That''s okay, it''s not supposed to stop him, remember."

    They ran down the other branching path, but suddenly became weak. Their legs wobbled, their bones ached, and a terrible fear washed over them. They fell on the earth, and waited. The pounding of Mal Moggog''s feet could be heard clearly, but then they heard him smash through the rubble they''d caused. The rumbling of his giants behind him could still be plainly heard, but they followed him down that incorrect path.

    As Mal Moggog went farther and farther away, the fear and weakness faded from Andal and Jeva. They got back up and ran to where that giant had first made Andal fall, using wind to lift themselves up, and making circles of light for them to land on. In time, the sound of giants was completely gone, and Andal and Jeva were able to safely work their way back to the entrance in the Dalmatian.

    Andal looked in the direction of Bezpin, "We''ll have to tell them we couldn''t solve their giant problem. They should flee further into the mountains, if they can."

    Jeva added, "Andal we need to get back to the other nominees."

 38. Courage

    The young boy who Lars had seen from the tower ran over and hugged him, "You saved me! Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was absolutely terrifying, what was that thing?"

    Lars held his hands up awkwardly, then decided to gingerly hug the kid back. "Uh, you''re welcome. I don''t really know what that was, but I got it." He wanted to say, "You''re safe now", but it struck him that he was currently part of a Haverdash attack on this city.

    The kid looked up at Lars''s face while still hugging him, and Lars was shocked to see that he looked like Lars did as a boy, "Are you the Haverdash deserter I heard about? I thought you were crossing the desert with the others!"

    "Deserter? I just got here. There''s a Haverdash living in Tubarai?"

    "Yea, university students found him! He doesn''t do anything bad and doesn''t drink poison!"

    Lars''s heart skipped a beat. "Is he a bitter, empty person?"

    "No way! The king honored him for being super helpful!"

    Lars pushed the kid off of him, stepping away and falling onto his butt. "Maybe he has wine you don''t know about?"

    "Nuh uh. They kept him in prison for a week to test him."

    "A week?" Lars shook his head. "I tried to go without wine once¡­ for two days. I didn''t end up doing it."

    "Well we can''t all be heroes, I guess you''re just weak willed compared to him. But again, thank you for saving me."

    "We can''t- I want to be a hero! I don''t know who this deserter is, but there''s no way he''s as strong as me, in will or power!"

    "Uh, okay, then how come he is helping us from the awful Haverdash, and you look confused?"

    "Maybe you don''t understand the Haverdash!"

    "Uh, yea I do. They''re bullies. They feel big when they pick on people smaller than them."

    "It''s not that simple, there''s glory, and exercising willpower, and feelings bigger than what a human can feel.

    "That sounds like an adult way of complicating things. I know a thing about that, my dad is a politician. He tells me that he always makes things more complicated than they are, because it makes it harder to argue against him, and makes him seem smarter."

    Lars snorted as a cynical laugh, "How old are you?"

    "Eleven. Why?"

    "You sound older than that."

    "Honestly, I¡¯m not very smart, but since we made eye contact I just feel way more knowledgeable and sure of myself. I am strong for my age though. I used to pick on people weaker than me, but my mom explained that a good person uses their ability to lift up those weaker than them, they don''t show it off by putting others down."

    "Like the Haverdash?"

    "Yea, like the Haverdash! Except the deserter of course, he''s brave."

    "He''s brave¡­ I''m brave. That''s me, I''m a courageous person."

    "Then are you going to help us against the Haverdash? You have a bottle of poison on your belt, you can''t go without that, can you?"

    Lars glared at the kid, making him back away slowly. "Stay here, kid."

    "But the Haverdash are attacking! I need to get a weapon, I need to get to safety!"

    "No, stay here!" The particles that made up the kid and his surroundings stop merging with other things, freezing in place. Then Lars noticed that a lot of eyes were on them, people having gathered to watch this Haverdash deep inside the city. "You too, stay where you are until I get back." Everyone watching froze. He looked up at the tower and saw magicians looking down from the hole in the side.   ¡°Don''t you do anything either, I want this kid undisturbed while I''m gone!" They froze.

    Lars ran to the walls where the Haverdash were attacking from, speeding between houses faster than the humans could respond to a Haverdash-looking figure running past them. Lars reached a breach in the wall where Haverdash were pouring in, and grabbed one who had been chasing down a human, "Who is the Haverdash most knowledgeable about visions and glory and things that we have here?"

    The Haverdash looked at the escaping human and tried to pull out of Lars''s grip, but found it unbreakable. "Probably the general, now let me go!"

    "General Ghaulos?" Asked Lars bitterly.

    "Who else? Now let me go!"

    Lars let go, but when the Haverdash started running off, Lars froze him in place. ¡°No, you know what? Nobody move until I get back. All of you stop.¡±

    The Haverdash around the breach froze, then a rock being hurled by a catapult froze, and arrows that entered the area froze in their flight. Lars ran down the hill away from the castle, and then up toward the Haverdash camp. He went to Ghaulos¡¯s tent, and found the general standing outside of it and glaring. ¡°Lars, you¡¯d better have a good explanation.¡±

    ¡°You too. I have questions, and I know you¡¯re not the most helpful, but I need you to pretend you¡¯re Moxey for a minute.¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Absurd! You get back down there and do your job!¡±

    ¡°Listen for once in your life!

    ¡°No, you listen!¡±

    Lars froze Ghaulos, ¡°You listen! If you value your life you will try to be helpful!¡± He sneered at Ghaulos¡¯s scowling face. He sat Ghaulos down and grabbed his face, moving it into a friendly smile. Lars pulled up another chair and sat opposite him, ¡°Alright, so explain to me why a life where we have to drink wine to be satisfied is better than a normal human life, where you can potentially be content with what you have. Moxey explained this to me before, but I¡¯m wondering again, and I don¡¯t remember exactly what he said.¡±

    Lars unfroze Ghaulos¡¯s head so that he could speak. His expression immediately reverted to a scowl, ¡°You¡¯re pathetic.¡±

    Lars froze his head again. ¡°Not like that, be helpful. Let¡¯s try again.¡±

    Ghaulos¡¯s head unfroze, ¡°You¡¯re asking about simple things that you should have understood easily from your first taste of Haverdash wine. Human feelings are insignificant compared to what we feel; they could not even survive such intense feelings.¡±

    Lars waited for more. ¡°And? You know when a human constantly eats food and gets fat, they don¡¯t praise him for being able to eat so much more. They call him a glutton, someone who can¡¯t control themselves. So what do you think shows greater willpower, being able to endure strong feelings, or being content without them?¡±

    ¡°¡®Content¡¯, what a weak word. A Haverdash has no desire for such things. The one able to endure strong feelings clearly has the greater willpower, and is the superior being. That''s as simple as the creature that can lift more being superior because its muscles can handle more pressure."

    "Being able to lift more doesn''t mean you always should though, that would break down the muscles. Wouldn''t constantly experiencing your maximum break down the mind? It may not break down so that it fails to lift anymore, but it can fail in other ways."

    "If it doesn''t fail to lift anymore, it didn''t fail. It simply changed in a way that fit its growth. You''re repeating human weakness, next you''ll probably tell me that you don''t want to experience pain, because it''s too ''unpleasant''."

    "It is! I can handle more pain than you, but I''ll tell you, remembering what it was like to just be happy, I like that better. Why, if I can face anything bravely, should I be constantly afraid anyway?"

    "Because it''s strong feeling, the whole reason for living is to experience such things!"

    "You''re going to have to explain that extremely well, because it doesn''t seem that way to me. It seems to me that a content person can get more out of a small experience than a Haverdash can out of the most extreme high."

    "That''s utter nonsense, like saying you can get more calories out of less food. Experience is what you want, so you cannot get more of what you want from less experience."

    "I don''t want to be sad. I don''t want to be in pain. I don''t want to feel guilty, and most of all I don''t want to be ashamed because I was a coward doing the wrong thing. I want to be happy, and that because I am proud of myself."

    "As a human you couldn''t possibly understand the ways Haverdash does. The best you can do is grope at the shadows, but it''s far better than the pitiful human existence you once had. Unless you want to fall from your mighty status, you''d better get out there and grope."

    Lars sighed, "Wrong answer, Ghaulos."

    He left the tent, with Ghaulos frozen behind him. He ran back down from the camp, and up to the castle. He passed through the still-frozen assailants and defenders, coming back to the boy he''d saved from that demonic force.

    The boy unfroze, and Lars told him, "I think a lot of doubts I''ve had throughout the years are coming to a head, and while I considered the answers I was given good, I can''t answer them now. There was someone I walked with who seemed to always know what to say, but he isn''t around now. I could just assume he would have the answer, but if my doubts are real, then I can''t satisfy my soul with that. I''m thinking of throwing years of my life to the wind, and turning on the Haverdash. What do you think of that?"

    The boy smiled, "Standing up to the people in charge of you, because you know they''re wrong, and admitting you were wrong, while standing up for people in need? That sounds pretty courageous to me."

    Lars smiled back, "Yea? Well, I haven''t felt courageous for a while, just powerful. You can be courageous and powerful, but I definitely haven''t been doing that. A lot of people in need died to people who are never satisfied because of me. I''m going to stop this attack. You want to help me?"

    "Huh? Me?"

    "Yes, you! You''ve been great, come help me!" Though the particles that made up the boy had been frozen moments ago, they suddenly became vibrant and active. They flowed faster than ever, filing the boy with energy, and making him instinctively bounce several feet in the air to test how he felt. Lars then turned to all that he had frozen around them, "All of you, come help me!" They went from frozen to vibrant and alive, bouncing up and down and having the time of their lives. "Let''s drive out the Haverdash!"

    He ran to the gates with the humans behind him, unfreezing all the assailants and defenders there. The Haverdash tried to surge forward, finally able to continue their attack, but the humans ran them over instead. The humans moved so fast and with such strength that even the unarmed ones would confidently run down a Haverdash and slap its weapon out of its hand before twisting its head with a fatal blow.

    Where there wasn''t room in the gates or the breaches they didn''t wait for each other to go through first, scaling the walls in seconds instead. They ran down the confused Haverdash outside the castle walls and up to the encampment, raiding tents and killing the inhabitants.

    Lars went straight to Ghaulos''s tent to kill him, but when he paused to enjoy the moment he''d get to kill the Haverdash he personally disliked the most, a human rushed past him and knocked Ghaulos''s head off.

    Lars shrugged, stepping outside and looking around at a host of celebrating humans. They weren''t celebrating a conquest; they were celebrating being alive. Though Lars didn''t feel nearly as strong an emotion as he could get from something like Haverdash wine, he had to say, he liked this feeling better.

    He looked up and took a deep breath, as if experiencing something he¡¯d gone a long time without. Blowing in from behind the castle was a snowy mist, and in that mist a vision formed. He saw the one who he¡¯d seen many times before, who his massless particles would merge with, and he saw the woman he¡¯d seen once before. Only, they were not silhouettes this time. He saw them clearly, he saw their faces. Lars¡¯s eyes welled up, ¡°Andal¡­ you¡¯re alive?¡± He saw glimpses of Andal¡¯s life: riding long distances and fighting Haverdash, healing, joking with Jeva, fighting Manier, and fighting Moxey.

    Lars fell on his knees, ¡°Oh Andal¡­ I¡¯ve been so wrong, I¡¯ve been fighting on the other side¡­¡±

    He saw Andal in a snowy field, riding a horse to a human city. Then, he saw a gleam outside of the vision, and he knew where Andal was. ¡°I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m going to see you again, and I¡¯m going to meet your friend Jeva.¡±

    The humans around Lars lifted him up in their celebrations, cheering for him and throwing alcohol over him. Lars jumped down, ¡°Hold on, stop! I hate to tell you this, but I have to go North.¡±

    They quieted down, hurt and confused, but then one of them raised his fist, ¡°And so you should! Stop their advance, break their lines! Save humanity!¡± Others looked at that man with unsure faces, but he told them, ¡°We have family that¡¯s already fled across the desert, will we leave them to unknown lands?¡± He turned back toward Lars, ¡°You¡¯ve saved us and our king. Thank you, noble Haverdash. We will remember you forever, what is your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Lars,¡± and he bowed the way he had been shown to greet people as a child.

    The humans reacted quickly, bowing lower than Lars. ¡°Then Lars, may all nobility be yours, and every good thing! Also, Ratam be with you.¡±

    Lars stood straight and smiled, ¡°Thank you.¡± He looked back at the vision in the snowy mist, wanting to see Andal¡¯s face again before he took off, but he saw Trots. His smile faded. He saw Trots as a bird of prey, soaring among the clouds and looking down on towns below. He saw vulnerable targets wherever he went, and while they were wiped away in the wind of his passing, he had not taken notice of them. He sought a specific target, and was searching under all of heaven for it. Then the vision left Trots. He saw Andal and Jeva again, but they were glowing red hot like embers.

    Without another word, Lars ran North as fast as he could.

    *

    Trots walked into the square of another town, one of many he¡¯d been to that day. Night had fallen, but every human opened the doors to their houses and walked to the square as if compelled. Trots spoke to them, ¡°I am looking for Andal, Jeva, and Tyrene. They killed someone dear to me, and should die in turn. If any of you know where they are, or have heard any information regarding their location, tell me now.¡± He scanned their faces, but saw nothing. ¡°If you have any clue where they could have gone, any hint or hunch, tell me now.¡±

    One of them said, ¡°Tyrene was going down to Tiermac, last we-¡±

    ¡°I killed your nominees, Andal, Jeva, and Tyrene weren¡¯t there!¡± He scanned the crowd again, ¡°Oh, Tyrene wasn¡¯t a nominee? He was a diplomat, with no experience in combat. Then, I am not looking for Tyrene. The other two were nominees, Andal and Jeva, does nobody know where they could have gone?¡±

    The town had nothing to say.

    Trots sighed, ¡°At least I learned a little here. If you cannot deliver Andal and Jeva to me, I have no reason for this town to exist any more.¡±

    A pulse came from the moon, and the air grew thicker. It felt like a liquid as they breathed, and it weighed down heavily on them. Trots leaped into the air and flew away, the townsfolk drowning where they stood behind him.

 39. Glory and Gol

    Andal stepped outside of the old lady''s house to take in the sunrise. They''d found their way from Bezpin through the area the Haverdash loosely controlled and back to proper civilization. There they''d found housing in return for doing chores for a friendly old lady at the edge of town. She''d already left the house when Andal woke up, presumably to market since she had mentioned it last night.

    Andal looked back in at Jeva, who was still asleep on the cot. He wished he was still sleeping himself, but a feeling of foreboding had woken him up. The sunrise was a nice counter to that feeling. He sat down in front of the door and leaned against its frame, trying to relax.

    He closed his eyes at some point and dozed into a half-asleep state where he lost track of time. He stayed that way until someone shook his arm, and he opened his eyes to see the old lady. "Oh, good morning. Were you at market?"

    She seemed more jittery than usual, but answered, "I was, want to help me make breakfast before Jeva wakes up?"

    "Of course!"

    They prepared scrambled eggs with peppers mixed in. Jeva popped up, incited by the smell. The old lady smiled at her, but looked oddly sad. They served themselves and talked while they ate, but Andal had to comment on how distracted the old lady seemed. She dismissed his question, encouraging them to enjoy the meal.

    Once they had finished, it looked like she was ready to talk. She started, "I heard some really bad news when at market. A bunch of cities and towns have been getting destroyed in a straight line, starting at Tiermac and coming North."

    "Tiermac?" Jeva exclaimed, "Do you know what happened to the nominees of the Council of Nations?"

    "I didn''t hear anything, I didn''t even know they were in Tiermac. That''s more bad news, but I''m not done. There is only one Haverdash causing all this destruction, someone named Trots, and he''s looking for two specific people. He questions the inhabitants everywhere he goes, looking for them. He''s looking for Andal and Jeva. He says you killed someone dear to him."

    Andal buried his head in his hands, and Jeva looked solemnly at her empty plate. Andal asked, "Do you know where Trots is now? How close is he?"

    "Someone said that Saheri was destroyed, which is maybe fifty miles from here. Since news had time to get from Saheri to here then Trots must be visiting places nearby, and could come here literally at any moment. A lot of people are leaving town. They don''t want to die."

    Andal looked helplessly at Jeva, "We can''t fight Trots. We''d lose."

    She nodded. "We would lose¡­ we have to go back to the Dalmatian."

    Andal recoiled, "What are you saying?"

    "We have to show Kollus and Gol the way out. He''s the only one who can fight Trots."

    "You don''t know that, there must be more people that can help us!"

    "They wouldn''t be as strong as the other nominees, and we barely beat Manier when fighting all together. You know I''m right. Kollus and Gol can fight him."

    Andal put his head on the table and his hands on his head. After a few seconds he spoke muffled words. "Yea, I know you''re right."

    Jeva told the old lady, "I suggest you leave, but make sure to tell someone where we''re going so that they can direct Trots there. We''re laying a trap. The place is called the Dalmatian, it''s a mountain with a bunch of caves in it about twenty miles west of here."

    "I''m staying right where I''m at honey. This has been my home for more than fifty years, and I''ll die here if it comes to that. I''ll tell Trots to his face." She cupped Jeva''s face in her hands, "Good luck you two."

    They gathered their stuff and packed some food the old lady gave them, then started their truck back to the Dalmatian. They greatly missed the templar horse they had, which they hadn''t seen since the negotiations with Moxey. Hopefully he was okay, better than they were anyway.

    *

    It was the next day that Trots arrived. Unseen roots tore doors from their frames, and his voice was clearly heard in every house. "I have searched for days, and have little patience. If anyone knows of Andal and Jeva, has any hint of where they might be, tell me now. This could be the first of many villages to survive my passing."

    He stopped, seeing an old lady walking toward him on the street, and reading her mind. "You know? ¡­ You know! A trap, is it? Haha, your terms are acceptable!I have found you, Andal and Jeva!"

    *

    Andal looked down the hole where that giant had grabbed him from. "As soon as we descend this we have to be ready. We don''t want to have to fight any giants before finding Kollus and Gol."

    "We''ve got this, Andal. Let''s go down." Jeva put her hand on his shoulder.

    He smiled, "You know, you might be putting too much faith in me."

    "Hasn''t failed me yet!" She laughed.

    At the sound of her laughter, a giant''s head turned the corner at the end of the tunnel below. The sight of it stifled their smiles.

    Andal told Jeva, "I don''t want to have to fight through a wave of giants. We haven''t actually seen them fight, but we know they can kill a lot of Haverdash. Let''s see if he''s responsive first." He called to the giant, "We want to see Kollus and Gol!"

    The giant paused when they said Mal Moggog''s titles.

    "We want to show Kollus and Gol the way out."

    The giant stopped climbing, letting itself slide back down to the bottom, and seemed to wait for them.

    Jeva slapped Andal on the back, "See? You made that easy."

    "Hmm, but I''m also right. I barely did anything."

    "You made that easy by barely doing anything? Even more impressive!"

    He shook his head with a smile.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    They descended the tunnel with platforms of light, the giant waiting patiently the whole time. When they reached the bottom the giant turned and trudged toward a specific hole in the wall, seeming to know exactly where Kollus and Gol was. The giant was surprisingly easy to follow, despite its size and stride length, as it wasn''t the best walker. After taking a few turns, and going down the path they''d tricked Kollus and Gol into going down before with that fake cave-in, they began to feel his presence. They''d passed by many giants, but they acknowledged that Andal and Jeva were being led by one of their own, and let them be.

    As the presence of Kollus and Gol grew to a weakening fear, they lost their desire to walk further. Instead Andal called to him, "Kollus and Gol, we returned to show you the way out!"

    All the giants ceased their movement, and the tunnel shook. Mal Maggog¡¯s booming voice echoed, ¡°How dare you trick me! How dare you escape!¡± His decayed face emerged from the darkness, and static waves rushed out of him that made their hearts palpitate. His staff turned black, and their breath left them. Andal tried to speak, but he had grown so lightheaded that he couldn¡¯t get words out. Instead he fell to the ground and bowed, his arms extended in front of him with his face on the ground. Jeva had fallen and caught herself on her hands, but seeing what Andal did, also bowed.

    Mal Maggog held them like that, at the cusp of death. After a few minutes he lightened the pressure to where they could speak, ¡°Why did you¡­ come back?¡±

    Jeva caught her breath first, ¡°We are running from someone who wants to rule us, and if we are going to choose who would rule us, we would choose you over them.¡±

    Though Mal Maggog¡¯s face was mostly expressionless, the way he jerked back showed that he was amusedly surprised. ¡°You choose for me¡­ to rule you¡­? Ha, hahaha! Did I not¡­ tell you¡­ I am Kollus¡­ and I am Gol! And I told you¡­ what that means¡­ since you¡¯d forgotten! I am a tyrant¡­ who controls the individual¡­ like the many¡­ and I am terror¡­ that weakens bones!¡±

    Jeva responded, ¡°We made our choice, even if it was in ignorance. We did not see a better option.¡±

    Andal added, ¡°He could be on his way here now, if you¡¯ll let us hide ourselves while you face him, we will show you the way out right now!¡±

    ¡°Hah! Then show me¡­ the way out!¡±

    A tremor went through the ground and threw Andal and Jeva back. Mal Maggog¡¯s mighty step landed where they were, edging them to hurry up and go.

    They came to the vertical shaft, so Andal started making shields of light for he and Jeva to climb on. Mal Maggog grabbed them though, ¡°We will not move¡­ so slowly.¡± He tapped his staff on the ground, turning the shaft into a flight of stairs sized for him and his giants. He carried them in his hand as he ascended, commenting, ¡°I feel it¡­ the breeze! This is the way! I feel the¡­ rush of air!¡±

    Their speed accelerated, and Mal Maggog only asked which way to go a couple of times. Though, Andal smelled something odd in that breeze. ¡°Kollus and Gol, something has definitely happened at the cave entrance. If you can find your way from here, can you let us split off and hide? I think the one who we¡¯ve been running from is at the entrance.¡±

    He held them uncomfortably close to his face, ¡°The last time I¡­ let you go off¡­ you escaped from me. But¡­ this time is different¡­ for I can indeed¡­ find my own way. Hide yourselves¡­ and if you run¡­ know that my rule¡­ is all-reaching. I shall find you¡­ again¡­ today, or another.¡±

    He set them down, then marched on. The undead giants ignored Andal and Jeva, which proved dangerous nonetheless. They had to duck and weave to avoid being trampled by that horde, seeking out another tunnel that the giants weren¡¯t going down which also potentially led to one of the caves exiting the Dalmation.

    As they hid themselves, Mal Maggog reached the final tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, after ages of living in darkness, was light. There was the light of the sun, which though painful to him in his undead state, he had longed to see again. But, there was another light. This light was painful, but had no redeeming qualities. It was ominous and proud, and at the center of that light stood a man-sized creature with gray skin. Behind that creature lay an undead giant, which had been destroyed and burned. Despite the creature killing one of his giants, Mal Maggog was too excited at the sight of the sun to be angry, ¡°The sun¡­ the sun! I am back¡­ land of the living! I will rule over you¡­ as in ages long past!¡±

    Trots got his attention, ¡°Mal Maggog, or Kollus and Gol, which is it you go by?¡±

    ¡°You remember¡­ my names? I am not¡­ forgotten yet!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, I read your mind. Kollus and Gol it seems, at least to strangers like myself. Tyrant and Terror, quite a title.¡±

    Mal Maggog drew close and loomed over him, ¡°You do not¡­ know your place. You are the one¡­ who wishes to rule¡­ when that right¡­ is mine?¡±

    ¡°Andal and Jeva told you that? For the moment I have no desire to fight you, but you stand between me and them. They must die, by my hand, for they killed someone dear to me.¡±

    A wave of terror covered the area, though Trots didn¡¯t react. ¡°You shall not¡­ touch them. They are the first¡­ of many¡­ in my kingdom. They may die¡­ by my whim¡­ but only I¡­ have the authority¡­ as the tyrant. As for you¡­ rival ruler¡­ my whim says¡­ you shall die.¡±

    Trots drew his sword, but seeing what Mal Maggog was about to do, went wide eyed and flew outside of the cave.

    Mal Maggog made a rumbling roar, and his staff glowed with a black light. He shoved his staff against the roof of the cave, causing the mountain to burst open. The explosion that came from his staff sent all the earth above and in front of him hurling through the air like the eruption of a volcano, demolishing the surrounding area with falling rocks.

    With the tunnels removed, the giants behind Mal Maggog had plenty of room to flood out. Mal Maggog walked toward Trots with his staff raised, but the giants spread out in every direction. Spurned on by their master, and no longer aimlessly wandering, they broke into a sprint that shook the earth under them.

    Trots kept expecting the giants flooding out of the broken mountain to end, but they kept coming. He asked Mal Maggog, "Dead giants were seen on the other side of the continent, do not tell me those were also yours?"

    "My army knows no bounds¡­ nor will my kingdom! You''ve read my mind¡­ but you did not understand¡­ Kollus and Gol!"

    Mal Maggog''s flesh turned black, as did the clouds in the sky, and the snow on the ground. The black clouds sent bolts of lightning at Trots, and the black snow beneath mirrored the clouds to send bolts of lightning upward.

    When the bolts of lightning entered Trots''s glowing aura they faded, simply merging light with light. Trots dove to the ground, landing by Mal Maggog and slicing through his shin. Though, Mal Maggog''s leg was so big that the sword didn''t ultimately sever anything.

    Mal Maggog caused an intense rush of fear, enough to be distracting to Trots even as he enjoyed it. It didn''t distract him long, but the split second was enough for Mal Maggog to spin his staff around and slam the butt of it into Trots''s chest. He was driven into the ground, and his chest caved in.

    Something unseen grabbed Mal Maggog and hurled him against the mountain, then it picked up Trots and his chest reinflated.

    The closest giant turned to attack Trots, but Trots froze the giant with a wave of his hand. He snapped, and the sound wave of his snapping shook the frozen giant to break it apart. Other giants turned to attack Trots, but they were attacked in turn by Haverdash that Trots had envisioned.

    Mal Maggog scoffed, "I see your army¡­ I see all living¡­ like the roots that assaulted me, and the tree in the distance. Your army is small¡­ you cannot possibly¡­ mean to counter mine?

    "I can tell you now, Kollus and Gol, you are stronger than me. I could not maintain such a vast army the way you do. My forces here will simply keep those of yours that would turn to attack me from being a distraction. However, if you think you can beat me while maintaining this vast army then you are sorely mistaken. You could disband them, but I see that you will not do that. After all, what is a tyrant without his army?"

    "I will make you¡­ keep your mind¡­ in death¡­ that you may be eaten¡­ by worms¡­ eternally!" Mal Maggog pointed his staff, and a wind of bitter cold rushed out.

    Trots made a flourish of fire to counter it.

    Mal Maggog switched to sending a blazing wind, and Trots defended with freezing water.

    Before Mal Maggog could make another attempt a root burst from the ground and wrapped around his leg, flinging him toward Trots. Mal Maggog turned it into an attack, his black hand bubbling with necrotic energy. Trots took flight and dodged Mal Maggog''s hand as it slammed into the earth, landing on his shoulder and swinging his sword through it with a mighty blow that cut far beyond the length of the sword.

    Mal Maggog''s arm was completely severed, but he wasn''t dazed. He spun in the air to whack Trots with his staff.

    Trots couldn''t have reacted fast enough if he''d been watching the staff, but he was watching Mal Maggog''s mind, and knew what he was going for. He flew higher and punched upward, a root following his hand movement and piercing Mal Maggog''s chest.

    The root was instantly consumed by necrosis, and long sinews came out of Mal Moggog''s shoulder to grab his severed arm and pull it back in.

    Mal Maggog landed on his back with a heavy boom, and a flood of dark waters came out of the hole the root had left to fill the wound it had left in Mal Maggog''s chest. Trots shot down and landed on Mal Maggog, freezing the waters within him and making them expand. Mal Maggog groaned as his chest swelled. Trots tapped some exposed ice, and Mal Maggog¡¯s whole chest shattered.

    Trots walked to Mal Maggog¡¯s head, ¡°You are very strong, you got a good hit in, but I¡¯ll tell you why you lost. You are consumed with your own glory, and enlarging it. I seek a greater glory, and become glorious by reflecting it. You could have won this fight if you cared more about it than your ability to glorify yourself through conquest, but alas, your mindset was the death of you.¡±

    Trots reached Mal Maggog¡¯s forehead and raised his sword. He drove it in, and it hit like a cannon that made a hole going all the way through. Mal Maggog¡¯s magic faded, and the undead giants collapsed. Roots came from the earth and fed on their bodies, but feeding on Mal Maggog¡¯s body would kill the roots.

    Trots jumped to the ground, and looked at the destruction of the Dalmation. Last he¡¯d seen in Mal Maggog¡¯s mind said that Andal and Jeva were hiding in tunnels that were far enough back to still be intact. He¡¯d have to flush them out.

    Then something to the south caught his eye. The dead giants, fallen rocks, and snow were disappearing. It was like a circle was expanding, and everything within that circle became a pleasant springtime day. Though, the curvature of the circle remained the same. So, nothing was expanding, something was approaching. There were enough dead trees coming to life that he couldn¡¯t see to the center of the circle, but he waited.

    Then a human, young and strong, came into view. Something was off about him. Trots looked into his mind, and found it oh-so-familiar. He gasped, ¡°Lars?¡±

 40. The Earth Shakes

    Lars didn''t know the geography that well, as he''d only seen a few maps of the continent in his life, but he knew he was out of Tubarai. He had a good sense for how far away Andal and Jeva were, though he could no longer tell where Trots was. He was pushing himself to his limit as he ran, fueled by desperation to reach them before Trots did.

    The withdrawals from lack of wine had already begun. He had the desperation, at least, but there was still a strong feeling of emptiness. Running felt unnatural even, because the feeling of his feet on the ground was so weak without a hallucinogen to modify it that he could barely notice it. There was a nagging temptation to be apathetic about things other than his own experiences, to not care about Andal and Jeva, or anything that wasn''t Haverdash wine. He couldn''t help but think of all those bottles left unattended from the Haverdash he killed at the castle.

    Though, ultimately, he did care. He reminded himself that Andal is more important than intense feelings. He wouldn''t call what he felt toward Andal an intense feeling of the like that the Haverdash felt, though he felt very strongly about Andal. It was more like there was a bond, where he wanted what was best for Andal.  He didn''t want it because of the satisfaction or emotions it provided, but as an end to itself. Andal was his best friend, after all.

    Lohant had been right, and he should have realized that at the time. Haverdash wine was a prison, which he''d been trapped in for years. Imagine having thought it was a sign of strength when his skin turned gray. Before the Haverdash came along, the only thing with gray skin was a dead man. Though, that¡¯s fitting; to be a Haverdash was a lot like being dead. Not being stimulated by the world around you, not even noticing it, isn¡¯t a corpse that way? They need wine to be alive, not to live in a higher state than humanity.

    Lars focused in on the feeling of the air speeding past him, the texture of the ground beneath him, the sound of the trees and wild animals, and the smells of the wilderness. ¡°Now, I make a choice, to be alive the way all natural things in the world are, and to be totally unlike the Haverdash. If they took my awareness of the little, pleasant things in life from me, then I will have it back by way of conscious choice. Even as I run to save Andal, I will not miss the little things I pass by. I will appreciate them, and love them, the way a human can be in awe of the world. A way that a Haverdash never can be.¡±

    The scenery around him changed, and he found himself in his hometown by the sea. He was sitting with three kids: Andal, Vera, and Tia. He remembered this day, they''d just been talking with Weird Wallace the merchant. He''d told them a fantastic story about Calestine, who''d killed a dragon to save his home. Andal asked, "Let''s say a dragon attacked us, do you think anyone in town could fight it off?"

    "I would!" Lars instantly piped, getting caught up in his memory of the moment.

    ¡°Of course you would, Lars,¡± Vera mocked, ¡°Obviously nobody could fight a dragon.¡±

    ¡°What about my dad?¡± Andal asked.

    Tia told him, ¡°Your dad is cool, but it¡¯s a dragon, Andal.¡±

    ¡°What if Calestine trained someone to fight dragons,¡± Andal added, ¡°could someone then?¡±

    Lars got up on his knees, ¡°I would! I would be the best student there is!¡±

    Vera gestured at his whole body, ¡°Lars, you¡¯re a kid! I bet you would be a great student, and he¡¯d probably love the effort you give everything, but you¡¯re so short!¡±

    Tia laughed, ¡°Yea, Lars. You would take twice as long to climb the mountain as Calestine. By then the dragon wouldn¡¯t even be there!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d just have to learn how to climb too. Let me ask you a question, if a dragon attacked this town, do any of you think I wouldn¡¯t do anything I could to stop it?¡±

    Andal smirked, ¡°No, you definitely would.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. So I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯d figure it out! If I had to try harder than the adults, that¡¯s just what I¡¯d have to do. I wouldn¡¯t let anything threaten our home.¡±

    Tia gave his arm a little hug, ¡°Thanks Lars.¡±

    The vision faded, and Lars realized he¡¯d been smiling.  It was a pleasant memory, though ultimately tragic in light of what was to come. A dragon had attacked the village, the Haverdash, and Lars didn¡¯t stop them at all. If he could go back in time then he would have done things differently, though he couldn¡¯t imagine what. He dwelt on that as he ran, trying to think of what he should have done, but it came down to the fact that he couldn¡¯t have done anything else against the Haverdash wine. He liked to believe in himself, but as he recalled his first taste of Haverdash wine he knew it was a miracle that he was alive.

    Nothing could have been done at the time, that could be the simple truth of the matter. Anything done to fight the dragon would have to be done now. The best way to kill a dragon would be the way Calestine did it, to cut off its head. ¡°I¡¯m coming, Trots. You won¡¯t lay a finger on Andal, or his friend Jeva. If anyone is the head, it¡¯s you. When I kill you I¡¯ll have done what I needed to all those years ago to protect my home, and when you¡¯re gone I¡¯ll bring back my home in all of its beauty.¡±

    The vision was of a spring day, and so that version of his home manifested around him. Everything around Lars became spring, even the songs of birds suddenly filled the air. Lars noticed something was off about his arms, and stopped running. He looked over his arms, not sure what he was missing. Then it struck him, his arms were a pinkish tan. They weren¡¯t gray! He wasn¡¯t a Haverdash anymore, he was alive! He was a human, and he was alive!

    He started running again, filled with joy and excitement. He felt the pounding of his feet on the earth and the rushing of the wind through his hair, and he loved it. He ran faster still, blowing the leaves off the branches in his trail and throwing up dirt with every turn of his feet. His smile returned, and widened. He hadn¡¯t felt this way since before the Haverdash arrived, and he¡¯d only dreamed of moving with this kind of freedom. He leapt in the air and soared for almost a minute, crashing down and continuing to run without losing a stride.

    He saw Andal and Jeva¡¯s presence drawing near, but then Trots¡¯s presence finally came into view. He was almost upon him. Lars slowed down and stopped running, wanting to be cautious for the fight he was about to start. His aura of spring had been making trees around him, but then he passed that tree line. He saw Trots and rubbed his hands together, nervous but determined to wipe him away.

    Trots looked confused at first, but then gasped, ¡°Lars?¡±

    Lars spread his hands wide, ¡°I¡¯m here, Trots!¡±

    Trots was aghast, ¡°What has happened to you? You look¡­ human!¡±

    ¡°I do! I really do. And I am! I¡¯m no longer a Haverdash, Trots, and I¡¯m here to fight for humanity! I¡¯m here to kill you!¡±

    Lars¡¯s smile faded, confused at what he saw. Trots¡¯s eyes had welled up, then that water became tears. ¡°No, Lars, it cannot be.¡±

    Lars stood silently, having never imagined that Trots could cry.

    ¡°Moxey is dead, but you remain as his greatest work! You are his prodigy, Lars! Everything he stood for remains in you!¡± He pointed at the Dalmation, ¡°His killers are hiding in those caves, and instead of letting me kill them, you want to oppose me? You should help me! For Moxey, who did everything for you, execute his murderers yourself!¡±

    Now Lars¡¯s expression was grim. ¡°I have no part in Moxey anymore. If I could have, I would like to have killed him when we first met. I was confused for years because of him, and now that he¡¯s dead I can only say thank goodness. As for his murderers, well, I¡¯m glad to hear it was them who killed Moxey. Those are my friends, and you will not lay a finger on either of them.¡±

    Trots pushed his hands into his hair, ¡°Lars, you¡¯re making a terrible mistake! You¡¯re giving up such a glorious way of living, with strong experiences, and with such promise for greater things to come! You-¡±

    ¡°No, Trots! You can stop talking, you aren¡¯t going to convince me. I¡¯ve made a choice, and that choice is final. Not even Moxey could persuade me now. Rather than talking you should think of defending yourself, but if you don¡¯t then that¡¯s fine by me.¡±

    Lars drew his sword and rushed forward. He thought he would catch Trots unprepared, but Trots drew his sword unhesitantly and parried Lars¡¯s blow. Neither one of them was ever officially trained with a sword; they¡¯d never needed it before. Instead of using their skill, they each used terrific power. They drew back their swords to strike again, their blades clashing and making a shockwave behind them that tore up layers of the earth.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Lars perceived Haverdash spawning behind him by seeing the massless particles wrap around them. He turned to cut it, but Trots¡¯s sword was swinging down. Lars parried, then Trots grabbed his wrist and bound up with him. A Haverdash was going to shoot him in the back, but then a human spawned and cut off his head. Trots looked behind Lars in surprise, spawning a horde of Haverdash quickly.

    Lars shoved Trots back, spawning humans that were faster and stronger than normal to match the Haverdash, ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who knows this game, Trots!¡±

    ¡°Bold words for someone who recently stopped playing!¡±

    Roots came out of the ground and tore Lars¡¯s army apart. Lars responded quickly, shouting and making Trots¡¯s Haverdash dissolve.

    The soundwaves did not affect Trots though, stopping when they reached his aura of light. Trots bound his sword with Lars¡¯s, then struck his chest with his palm. Dark waters rushed through the point of contact, filling Lars¡¯s chest. Trots lifted off the ground and hovered out of reach. ¡°It¡¯s over, Lars. If you are indeed not Haverdash anymore, that will kill you. I suggest you weep, as humans are prone to do in the end.¡±

    Lars made his massless particles shift apart for an instant, and the dark waters fell out of him to poison the earth. ¡°Like you were weeping a minute ago?¡± He leaped at Trots, hanging in the air and swinging his sword with a cut that was much larger than the blade itself.

    A root rose up to slap Lars out of the air, so he redirected his sword to destroy it. Trots flew forward in that moment and kicked Lars in the side, sending him crashing into the ground. He gave no time for Lars to recover, sending roots to pierce and entrap him, all with fountains of dark water flying out when the roots broke the earth.

    Lars froze the massless particles around him, jumping onto the roots that were going to entrap him, then running over frozen particles in the air. A sheet of leaves was floating down from above him, which clearly was going to have some dangerous effect, but he could reach Trots first. He swung, and Trots parried, but then he let go of his sword to grab Trots¡¯s wrist. He punched with his left, which Trots caught, but then moved his sword by controlling its particles to stab Trots in the chest.

    Trots wrenched his hand away, but Lars caught the blade of his sword. Since the handle was free, he punched Lars in the face with it. That gave him space to let go of Lars¡¯s other hand and grab Lars¡¯s sword. He pulled, intending to overpower the unarmed Lars, but he couldn¡¯t remove the sword from his chest. Actually, it was all he could do to stop the blade from slicing down from Lars controlling it.

    The leaves had fallen to where they were, so Lars drew in breath to blow them away. Then, he lost control of his sword. A burst of light came out of the great tree, much like the aura of light around Trots, protecting everything in it from Lars¡¯s control. The leaves were not blown away, and even the frozen particles Lars had been standing on became gaseous again. He started to fall, but then the roots that were frozen below him struck him in the back and sent him flying upward. Trots took both swords and gashed Lars¡¯s side as he flew by, then Lars collided with the falling leaves.

    Each leaf felt like an explosion on contact, but no energy came out of them, nor was his body damaged. The explosions felt internal, destroying his spirit and his energy. He felt weak, and worthless. Each leaf that hit him vaporized his desire to win, and his desire to live. Trots came up behind him and gashed him in the back, taking chunks out of his spine.

    Lars reacted slowly, but this was not the first time he¡¯d felt this empty. The leaves were recreating the feeling of going without Haverdash wine. Forcing his mind into submission, he grabbed control of his sword again and turned it upward in Trots¡¯s hand. As he¡¯d been flying forward, the sword stuck him in the chin and buried itself several inches deep before Trots stopped his momentum. Lars then shoved his sword away, pushing Trots away with it to give himself some distance. He hit the ground, Trots¡¯s leaves still falling and swirling around him. Lars focused on the smell of the grass beneath him, and his mind returned to the idea of spring. Massless particles in the leaves turned on their heads, and rather than being weapons of trots, they became healing for Lars. The effects were reversed, energizing and motivating Lars, but also healing his physical wounds.

    Trots took Lars¡¯s sword in both hands, recognizing that he couldn¡¯t use it, and snapped it in two. Lars watched as he tossed the two halves away, then pulled them to him and fused them again. He waved the sword at Trots and smiled, ¡°Good try, at least.¡±

    Trots resheathed his sword, ¡°Keep your sword then. In the end you fight alone, but I have great glory on my side. I have tried to fight you with many tools, but I recognize now that you can counter anything I would throw at you. I will win this fight by pressing my advantage, which is not trickery or abundance of tools, but by power.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you do in power I will match with determination!¡±

    Trots wasn¡¯t looking at Lars, but at the great tree in the distance behind him, ¡°No. You will not.¡±

    Lars felt a great tremor. He felt like he should turn around and see what had happened, but he already knew. The tree was no longer in the distance, but here in their midst. It shone with an aura like that of the Glorious Haverdash, but that aura extended for miles. The tree provided shade under its leaves, but the shade and the light did not clash with each other, existing side by side. Trots had not moved, simply watching the tree. Then, the shade became darker than the darkest night, and that darkness became the dark waters that came from the tree. Lars was forced to the ground by the weight of the waters, which seeped into his mouth, nose, and ears, providing great pressure and seeping through his skin wherever it touched.

    He tried to separate his particles to let the dark waters fall through, as he had done before, but when he reformed the dark waters filled him again almost instantly. He tried to move, difficult enough from the weight of the waters, but roots wrapped around his legs and crawled up his torso. The tree, the symbol of Haverdash to Trots, had a level of power he could not possibly deal with. Though, he seemed to remember something countering the tree before.

    He remembered, in Hathor, the Haverdash had seen a tree bountiful and strong, but the humans had seen it as dead and decayed. Lars yelled with a muffled voice through the dark waters, ¡°I can counter this tree, Trots, however powerful it is! I am the counter, I am a human!¡±

    The dark waters disappeared, and the sun shown in. The great branches of the tree were gone, and the shade with them. The trunk remained, but it was thin and dry. Lars stood proudly and pointed his sword at Trots.

    Trots¡¯s eyes were wide, and he slowly looked from the tree to Lars. ¡°You truly are a human, Lars. No Haverdash could be as detestable as you!¡±

    He ripped his sword from its sheath, rushing forward. Lars tried to remotely control his sword again, but it didn¡¯t lift out of his hand. He almost dropped it, barely recovering his grip in time to parry a heavy blow from Trots.

    ¡°You think you are anything, can do anything, without the glory of Haverdash? You turn your back on it, it will turn its back on you!¡±

    Lars backed away as quickly as he could, holding his sword on both ends to defend the weight of Trots¡¯s attacks which he swung like hammer blows. He sidestepped an attack, but tripped over a dead root. When his skin touched the bark, he felt an ominous presence, and realized that he hadn¡¯t deactivated the tree. He¡¯d changed the tree to be like its opposite; instead of being this bastion of hallucinations and visions, it rendered them inert.

    He deflected another swing from Trots, then kicked him in the jaw to knock him back. Lars found his footing in time to evade another swing, then lunged forward with a jab. Trots deflected it with his own sword, then caught the dull side of the blade with his offhand in the moment Lars let his balance falter. Lars pulled on his sword, but knowing Trots wouldn¡¯t let go, used it to speed up a side kick that hit Trots in the belly.

    Trots almost fell back over the root that he¡¯d chased Lars over, but hit his sword against the root to provide a counterforce that kept him upright. As the blade of the sword bit into the bark, it too went inert. It lost all its dreamlike qualities, and the enchantments that made it work as a blade. It became nothing but a sharpened spine from a long dead creature, floppy and light.

    Lars stepped forward to try to leverage his sword into Trots¡¯s leg, but Trots hopped back over the root and let Lars push the sword down to cut the root. Lars tossed the sword at Trots, who knocked it to the side, and dove to tackle him. Trots had one leg lifted to step over the root, and didn¡¯t have the balance to avoid the tackle. They hit the ground, and Lars climbed up Trots to hold him down and get to where he could start pummeling him.

    Trots rotated under him and pushed up with his legs and arms, getting up on his elbows and knees. Lars started punching and elbowing at his side and head, but Trots didn¡¯t focus on defending himself. He grabbed Lars by the leg, slid one of his legs out from under him to get leverage, and lifted Lars while pushing with his leg to push him off. He swung his legs around and wrapped them around Lars¡¯s leg as he fell on his side, catching him in a knee bar and unhesitantly snapping the leg.

    Lars yelled in pain, but drove himself to sit up and try kicking at Trots. With his other leg dangling on the ground, he couldn¡¯t kick with any decent force. Trots jumped on him and shoved his torso back on the ground. He sat on Lars¡¯s chest and started punching him in the head repeatedly, accurately avoiding Lars¡¯s arms as he tried to shield himself.

    Lars held on as long as he could, but only grew weaker as his brain was rocked back and forth in his skull. At the brink of losing consciousness, he thought, ¡°So much for being a ¡®living human being¡¯ again, now I¡¯m really gonna die.¡±

    His effect on the tree ended. It grew to be large and strong, with branches reaching to the heavens and shading the countryside. Lars felt the change, and knew he would be able to use his full power again, but Trots¡¯s fist his head again with his full strength returned to him. Lars¡¯s skull shattered and caved. He perceived time slowly. This was his last moment, there was no way he could heal himself here. Even if he did, Trots was right on top of him and could easily cave his skull in again while he was trying to heal. If he wasted too much effort trying to save himself then Trots could finish him off and then go get Andal, so he had to hurt Trots as much as he could, even in death.

    He gave a final command to his massless particles, that they would rush into Trots and tear him apart from the inside. His body and clothes disappeared, and Lars was gone. Trots¡¯s aura of light grew dim as Lars¡¯s particles filled him, subdued by an intense feeling of pain from his body becoming a battleground. The pain was so great that Trots could only be aware of it, losing all sense of location and duty. Though, in the back of his mind there was a trace of grief for the deaths of Moxey and Lars.

 41. Glorys End

    Jeva nudged Andal, "I haven''t heard anything for a minute, I think they''re done fighting."

    Andal got up to look around a bend, "I don''t hear anything either. Hopefully they killed each other- hey! That giant is collapsed, and I can see one further on!"

    "So Kollus and Gol lost. We should check what kind of state Trots is in."

    Andal lowered his head, "We could use this as a chance to get away. If Trots can beat Kollus and Gol, that doesn''t bode well for us."

    Jeva shook her head, "You''re being protective of me, I get it. Do you really think we should do that? You''re someone who has always jumped to what needed to be done, so I''ll follow your lead. Do what you think is right, and I''ll follow."

    He looked up at her, holding back his answer. After a few seconds he slapped the wall and leaned his head against it, "We need to go out there. Trots could be injured, and this might be our only chance to kill him."

    Jeva got up and put her hand on his back, "Don''t worry about me, I think this is the right choice."

    "We''ll find out pretty quickly when we get out there. Let''s be cautious, he could be looking for us right now."

    They only had a few corners to go around before the outside was exposed by the destruction, and their view was mostly obscured by the corpses of dead giants. When they stepped into the sun and looked around a giant''s corpse they saw a large grassy area, with no bodies or snow, and Trots in the midst of it.

    He was standing, but just barely. His legs wobbled as he stepped, and his torso flopped to and fro like a drunkard. His glorious aura was gone, but random spurts like electricity would sometimes spray out of him, showing his terrible light in an even brighter way. He wasn''t looking at them, or at anything for that matter. His eyes were barely open, and his head hung low while it flopped about on his body.

    Jeva peeked over Andal''s shoulder, "Is that him?"

    "Yea, it''s gotta be; he just looks like a complete wreck."

    Jeva egged him forward, "Then let''s get him, now''s our chance!"

    Andal didn''t move yet, "It is, but let''s be careful. We don''t actually know what''s happening with him or what he''s capable of." He raised shells of light over them, "It probably would be wise to shoot him before he knows we''re here."

    "Couldn''t agree more, using my biggest spell."

    She started charging a bolt of lightning. Andal told her, "Don''t tire yourself out right away, we don''t know how long this will go."

    She winked, mouthing silently, "I''ll be okay."

    She unleashed the lightning, which stuck Trots on the left side of his chest. He was sent careening back from the impact, spinning because of where he was struck. Andal raised two swords of light that they grabbed onto to carry them in quickly, trying to push the element of surprise farther.

    Trots stopped spinning and planted his feet. He was turned south, seeing the green trees that Lars had made when he was creating spring. He still wasn''t showing an awareness of his surroundings, not even acknowledging that he''d been struck, but there was a moment of recognition where he mouthed, "Tree¡­"

    A forest sprang up suddenly. Andal and Jeva let go of the swords that were carrying them and made bursts of wind to slow their momentum before they hit the trees that had appeared in their midst. Jeva landed softly, "Is he attacking us?"

    "I don''t think so," Andal answered, "I think this was random; he''s not thinking clearly. This could be dangerous all the same."

    The shade of the trees was unnaturally dark, so Andal created the strongest light he could as they worked their way to Trots. The trees weren''t too dense, so they weaved between them quickly. They got a clear view of Trots, then a Haverdash formed suddenly in between them. Andal caught himself and blocked its attack with his shield, stabbing a sword of light in its side and following that up with a stroke from above. "He can make other Haverdash!"

    A fireball burst behind him, "I guess so!"

    Andal knocked the dead Haverdash aside, sending a sword of light to hit Trots, but another Haverdash appeared between them and got hit instead. Andal cleaved its head off before it could react, but then felt a sword hit him in the back. It didn''t penetrate the shell of light, but he had to respond to the fact of a Haverdash behind him.

    He turned around, but a fireball consumed the Haverdash, "Get Trots! I''ll surprise anyone else as soon as they pop up!"

    There was nobody between Andal and Trots, so he closed the distance before that changed. Since Trots wasn''t going to dodge, he reared back to make the hardest strike he could. He swung into and through Trots''s neck, trying to decapitate him. It had no effect though, as the cut healed instantly behind the sword while it was still moving through the neck.

    Andal cut him repeatedly, but the wound always healed before it was done being made. "I can''t hurt him! He''s healing too fast!"

    "There''s no way that he keeps that up, keep trying!"

    Andal rammed the sword through Trots''s face, shoving it all the way out the other side of his head. Trots opened his eyes and looked at Andal, both of them pausing. Rushing wind burst out of the ground, flaying the soil and leaving only a floor of roots to stand on multiple feet below where the ground had been before. Andal and Jeva, along with the broken earth, were flung into the air at high speeds. They shot up into a cloud, which was cold enough already, and then above the cloud where Lars''s aura of spring hadn''t reached. Ice coalesced on their faces and clothes, and the air was too thin to recover what had been sucked out of them on the way up.

    Andal made masks to let them breathe, as he had done to counter poison gas before, and Jeva hit them both with light bursts of fire that prevented ice buildup without breaking the shells of light. Andal made swords of light pointing downward when their ascension slowed, and they grabbed on to speed back to the fight as fast as possible. They passed through the cloud again and closed in on Trots''s forest down below, then the swords of light disappeared as they reached the end of their range.

    Andal made a shield several feet below himself, made a burst of wind that slowed him down, then made the shield disappear in quick succession. Seeing this, Jeva raised her hands to show she was ready to make wind. Andal made a shield below her, she slowed herself down, then he removed the shield. They did this a few times each, being able to land on a shield just above the forest canopy.

    Jeva pointed out Trots, "There he is! We''re in almost the same spot we went up from!"

    "He''s fully healed already," Andal lamented, "What do I do?"

    "What if you stuck your sword somewhere necessary and left it in so that he couldn''t heal? Say, his heart or his brain? He noticed you last time when your sword was in his brain, right?"

    "That''s genius! Let''s try it!"

    "Let me go in first, I''ll clear some of those Haverdash!"You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Jeva jumped through the trees and paused her fall with a cushion of air, then she made a ring of fire that expanded from her and fried the nearest Haverdash. Andal jumped in after her, cushioning his fall as well. Trots was turned mostly away, so Andal first hit his shoulder with a mean chop that spun him to face the right way, then stabbed him right between the ribs to skewer his heart. It seemed to be working, because it got Trots''s attention. Andal held the sword there firmly, placing  shields above and behind him so that he couldn''t be knocked away.

    Trots didn''t move his head, but turned his eyes to meet Andal''s. A flash of light came out of Trots like electricity, hitting Andal and his shields with brightness far greater than his previous aura''s, and the shields were destroyed. Then Andal and Jeva felt a piercing pain shoot up their legs from the roots they were standing on, and they crumpled. Dark water had entered them, a thick line of it went from their heels to their knees.

    Despite falling to his knees, Andal hadn''t failed to hold the sword in place. Trots hit Andal''s hand with the back of his, meaning to break the grip so that he could pull the sword out, but he and Andal both froze immediately when their skin touched. Every particle that had transferred from Lars to Andal over the years responded to Lars''s command to enter and destroy Trots from within, pouring out of Andal like fire.

    Blots of necrosis sprang up over Trots''s skin, and his muscles dried up beneath it. He looked at Andal with pain in his eyes, "Lars, how could you have done this?"

    Andal lost his grip on the sword, too exhausted from such a well of energy leaving him, but Trots didn''t remove the sword. He kept talking, "Even now I thought I could reach a greater state of glory, spurred on by the greatest intensity of feelings I had ever known, but this is too much, and anything else may kill me! How could you deny such good things, Lars? You were so close to glory; one of the most beautiful branches was grafted on!"

    The Haverdash around them had decayed as soon as Andal and Trots had touched, and inspiration struck Jeva as he spoke. She ran forward and grabbed his hand, making them both freeze. The particles that had originally come from Lars, which had been transferring from Andal to Jeva over the years, rushed into Trots.

    The trees disappeared.  Jeva felt weak, but not as much as Andal. She was able to stay on her feet, but Trots collapsed on his face in front of her.

    He lifted his head, and Jeva could plainly see him actively decaying away in front of her, albeit slowly. He rolled onto his back and cried out in anguish. He was silent for a moment, then started speaking as if to someone he knew, ¡°I saw a tree that grew to the heavens. The trunk of the tree was wide, such that it could never be cut down, and the branches did not sway in the breeze. Many eyes watched the tree, hostile eyes, then roots pierced the earth and flayed it. They came forth like charging bulls, and wherever they broke the ground a geyser of the darkest waters would come forth and pursue everything under the heavens. The floods overtook me, as well as the eyes, but I was not consumed, and I was not afraid. Do you know how I felt, Moxey?¡±

    The decay showed no sign of slowing, so Jeva didn¡¯t intervene.

    ¡°I felt at home, like it was where I was meant to be.  Under the darkest waters I saw clearly, that the earth had a coat of diamonds, and that the tree shaded the whole earth. The sun could not shine past the branches of the tree, but the shade of the tree was brighter than the light of the sun, and the diamonds could not reflect the fullness of the light.¡±

    Andal came up beside Jeva, ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡±

    ¡°He thinks he¡¯s talking to Moxey, he¡¯s definitely dying though.¡±

    ¡°But I look now,¡± Trots choked, ¡°And the waters are shallow. Many hostile eyes remain, and the tree doesn¡¯t reach the highest heaven! The sun can be clearly seen above it, and it cannot be said which light is brighter! What once was diamond has been reduced to silver, and the light is not bright enough to reflect off of it through the waters.¡± Trots fell silent for several seconds. His lips were gone, and his heaving lungs could be seen through his translucent ribcage. He only continued to speak by the remnant of his great power. He screamed in frustration, which echoed off of the Dalmation and other nearby mountains. ¡°Am I to find joy in what I see, the great tree, and the silver floor of a dark sea? I cannot! I saw what should have been!¡± He fell silent again, and for the last time.

    *

    The dark water hadn¡¯t faded from their legs, if anything it had crept up farther. They plodded towards civilization as best they could, hampered by a deep ache caused by the waters. They were less than half of the way back, but they¡¯d stopped three times already.

    Jeva sat on a large rock, tugging on Andal¡¯s arm to tell him to stop walking. He sat too, and they dangled their legs to rest them. Jeva looked at her calves, ¡°Andal, I know you can¡¯t cleanse it, but what if we were to amputate? Then you could heal the stubs.¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious, Andal. It feels like poison, and it¡¯s definitely creeping higher. I feel like if we don¡¯t stop it now then we¡¯re both going to die.¡±

    ¡°I know, I had the same thought. It¡¯s not that I wouldn¡¯t try amputating our legs, though I don¡¯t know how we¡¯d get back to civilization, it¡¯s that I can¡¯t heal anymore.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jeva put her hand on her knees, then pulled her hands back because they hurt to the touch. ¡°Since touching Trots?¡±

    ¡°Yea. I can¡¯t do much at all since then.¡± He made a shield of light in front of them, which was partially translucent. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened there. He called me Lars.¡±

    ¡°Yea, I don¡¯t understand it either.¡± She looked at the horizon, where the sun was threatening to set while they were still in the middle of nowhere. ¡°I¡¯m just glad it worked.¡±

    ¡°Moxey told me Lars was alive, obviously I can¡¯t trust him, but I¡¯m just so confused.¡±

    ¡°Andal!¡± Jeva interrupted, ¡°Look over here, what is that?¡±

    He looked where she was pointing, a shiver going down his spine. A mausoleum was appearing a few dozen feet from them, completely silently. There was no fog, only a light snowfall, but the mausoleum appeared as if being uncovered by a mist.

    He told Jeva, ¡°I think we should run.¡±

    She looked back, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can.¡±

    He sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can either.¡± He drew his sword and slid off the rock, facing the mausoleum.

    A stone man dove from the sky above them and stopped on the snow suddenly, not crushing a single flake. Andal yelped in surprise and cut at his belly, which glanced off without nicking him. He was easily seven feet tall, made completely of stone, and had empty pits where his eyes should have been. He had no curves on his body, only sharp edges, and fangs like a wolf. He bowed, and stone bat-wings over ten feet in span splayed out on the snow on either side of him. ¡°The Queen of Graves will see you now.¡±

    The color left their faces. Andal kept his sword pointed at the man¡¯s face as he stood back up, ¡°No, we¡¯re not dead yet!¡±

    The man pinched the sword and pulled it away from his face, ¡°The Queen does not seek to bury you at this time. If you would,¡± the mausoleum door swung open to a total blackness within, ¡°take audience with her.¡±

    Andal and Jeva shared a glance, and he lowered his sword. ¡°What does she want?¡±

    ¡°That is for her to tell you, inside the mausoleum.¡±

    Jeva slid off the rock, and they both went inside. They were in complete darkness, so they didn¡¯t separate. Jeva gasped, and Andal exclaimed, ¡°We¡¯re going to die!¡±

    A confident, feminine voice replied, ¡°As all things should.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯re dying now, and we¡¯re going to last two days. How do I know this?¡±

    ¡°You would know more, standing in my house, if you weren¡¯t so concerned with your own fate. But, if you want to keep living so badly, why haven¡¯t you bowed?¡±

    Jeva bowed to the darkness, ¡°Your majesty, we are honored to meet you. Why did you want to speak to us?¡± Andal followed suit.

    ¡°Vicid, my chosen one, was killed by Trots the Haverdash. You killed Trots, avenging Vicid, who you knew.¡±

    Andal muttered, ¡°So he did kill the nominees.¡±

    ¡°In addition, you killed Moxey the Haverdash. He sought to end mortality for the Haverdash, being a threat to the order of the world. You two have acted according to my will, unbeknownst to you. I give you the option now, seeing that you were stripped of your power, to do so wittingly. I choose you, Andal, and I choose you, Jeva, to be my champions until you die.¡±

    Andal looked towards Jeva, forgetting that he couldn¡¯t see at all. ¡°You choose us¡­? Does that mean you¡¯d remove Trots¡¯s poison from us? It wouldn¡¯t make sense for your champions to die, right?¡±

    ¡°I have no qualms with my chosen dying. Do not ask me to do something outside of my nature, like saving a life.¡±

    ¡°So all you offer us is power? I suppose¡­ I¡¯ll be able to heal again?¡±

    ¡°No, healing will not be returned to you. Far be it from me to enable you to save lives.¡±

    ¡°But then what is the point? We¡¯re just going to die!¡±

    ¡°That was true from the moment of your birth, and it is because of death that you strove forward, trying as hard as you could. Death itself is not a force of evil, but the perception of death as a force of evil is itself a force of good. You became the best you could be in trying to prevent death, and that will remain true in your final two days. At this very moment your Council of Nations is evacuating the humans from this side of the continent, moving as many as they can across the mountains through the Marble Pass. The Haverdash know of this, and the Haverdash Salva calls an army to her that will attack the pass and cut off the escape for humanity. You have a chance to save lives in the only way I accept, by killing others.¡±

    Jeva asked, ¡°Even in our last two days to live we have to fight? We killed Trots, but I¡¯ll be honest, I feel drained now.¡±

    ¡°It is in someone¡¯s last moments that they show their true selves. I, who work in death, know people better than they know themselves. Do not waste my time with hesitancy when I know you will keep fighting until your final breath.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we can¡¯t accept,¡± said Andal. ¡°The fact is, as servants of Nishir, I do not see how we could be your champions. It just doesn¡¯t work.¡±

    The stone man at the entrance guffawed, then held up a hand apologetically. The Queen of Graves told them, ¡°Nishir has hid himself from this world since his city was taken, the moment his cathedral was destroyed.¡±

    Andal retorted, ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±

    ¡°Do not accuse me of lying, even if I were you would have no right not to believe me. The power you have now is everything that came from Nishir, which is small indeed.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then where did the power come from?¡±

    ¡°I will not satisfy your ignorance at the verge of death. Far be it from me to diminish the consequences of mortality.¡±

    Andal grit his teeth, then told her, ¡°Answer me this question and I¡¯ll assume everything you say is true, and as long as Jeva agrees then I will become your champion. Is my friend Lars still alive?¡±

    ¡°I know of Lars. He was killed by a Haverdash.¡±

    Andal hung his head, then turned to Jeva. ¡°I¡¯m willing. You?¡±

    She nodded, ¡°As the Queen said, we were going to accept eventually.¡±

    Andal announced to the Queen, ¡°We will become your champions, and we will fight the Haverdash at the Marble Pass.¡±

 42. The Marble Pass

    Andal sat on the palisade walls looking East. This fortress had been built to shield the known world from the unknown world, since the other side of this mountain range was largely unknown. You couldn''t approach it by ship, since there was ice blocking the way above and another continent in the way below. Evacuating everyone though the Marble pass was a strange thing, but it meant that the council of nations didn''t think they had any other choice. They''d given up hope of beating the Haverdash, even after all Andal and Jeva had done.

    The captain of the guard climbed onto the wall. Andal would have waved, but his hands were tucked into the large fur coat they''d given him and he didn''t want to give that warmth up. He raised his head to be a little more visible through the large hood,  catching a little bit of that northern wind.

    "Morning, Andal! Boy, am I glad you''re with us. It gives all these new soldiers confidence to be alongside you and the lady."

    "Good, then I can be useful without doing anything."

    "Hah, I guess so."

    Andal shifted his gaze to the horizon, seeing the first wave of evacuees. "Captain, when did this plan start? Jeva and I were cut off from any news until recently."

    "As soon as the Council heard Tiermac fell. With the nominees dead, we assumed you and Jeva were there too, they lost confidence in a counter assault. Not everyone was on board, and not everyone is evacuating either. Lots of people will stick it out in their homes, bless them. Nobody is being forced, but the future of humanity is past these mountains. Tubarai was smart to start leaving first. They probably inspired the council to do it."

    Andal nodded, "I see."

    "Say, you told me there was a Haverdash force on their way. I don''t suppose you have any specifics about when they''ll get here?"

    "Today. My information came from a good source, but that''s as specific as I can be. There will be a Glorious Haverdash leading them, the last one."

    The captain huffed, "Not looking forward to that."

    "Jeva and I will take care of her. That''s why we came here. For years now I''ve had the goal of killing all the Glorious Haverdash, because I was told that was one way to end the war. It seems it''s a little late to end it, but the effect should still be felt. After we killed Manier, I felt it. There was a change in the Haverdash. Now that we''ve killed Trots, who was stronger than Manier, I''m sure there''s been a change again. Once we kill Salva, I don''t think the Haverdash will recover."

    "Well good." The captain looked west, at the Marble Pass. "Maybe they won''t follow us then. I was thinking this was futile, but perhaps not."

    "Perhaps not. That''s the best we can do it seems."

    Jeva climbed onto the wall. Andal gave her a hug, giving up his comfy hand position. "Did you finish the spell?"

    "I did. I think we''re ready for Salva."

    The captain asked, "If you don''t mind, how do you two intend to kill a Glorious Haverdash by yourselves? Is this ''Salva'' known to be weaker than Manier?"

    Andal put his hands back in their comfy position  and he and Jeva leaned against each other. "I doubt it, but I think we''re ready. Just trust us, we don''t have any other options anyway."

    "Hmm. When you put it like that, it isn''t very encouraging."

    "Sorry."

    A watchman called down to them from a tower, "Captain Bolten, Haverdash coming from the South!"

    "Good eyes, soldier!" He saluted Andal and Jeva, "Excuse me. I have to mobilize the men and get those evacuees behind these walls before the Haverdash are upon us."

    Jeva saluted back, "Her majesty bless you."

    "Thank you ma''am!"

    The captain climbed down the wall. Andal nudged Jeva, "''Her majesty bless you'', really? I haven''t told him we serve the Queen of Graves."

    She smirked and nudged him back, "I know. I wouldn''t have said it if he knew, it would make him uncomfortable."

    "Right, well does the queen even bless people?"

    Jeva shrugged, "Probably? Gods do that, right? I''ve never officially served a god before."

    "I guess. Nishir does, obviously."

    The gates swung open with a heavy clang, and the soldiers rushed the evacuees in as quickly as they could.

    Jeva asked, "What do you think happens when we die? We have until the end of the day, where will we go?"

    "I don''t know," Andal admitted. "Maybe it''s different for every god, or maybe some have a special place for you to go and most of them don''t care. The Templars taught that with Nishir you become part of a heavenly army that keeps enacting justice even past death, but we serve the Queen of Graves now."

    "We probably should have asked her, but there''s no way she would answer that."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    "No, the unknown is part of mortality, I''m sure she gets a kick out of it."

    Jeva''s eyebrows went up, "Here''s a thought. She loves mortality, right? So she wouldn''t want people to exist in any eternal state of any kind. I bet she reincarnates people.¡±

    Andal raised his head and smiled widely, ¡°I like that. And, if we do reincarnate, I¡¯ll find you.¡±

    ¡°Aww. Same. So, I hope we¡¯re in the same country. I¡¯d find you anyway, but gosh, that¡¯d be a lot of looking.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yea, nobody needs that in their life.¡± They chuckled, then the sound of the gate closing behind the evacuees split the air.

    Arrows were being slung in both directions, and the amount of shouting quickly increased. The Captain climbed back onto the wall, ¡°Andal, Jeva! You got her, right?¡± He pointed to the center of the gathering Haverdash, where Glorious Salva could be clearly seen. Her aura of light was smaller than that of Trots or Manier, but glowing orbs danced in the air above her. The orbs moved with the mass of Haverdash, each with its own assignment, keeping the whole attack force illuminated.

    Jeva slapped her hands to her side, "Well, we''d better get out there before she breaks this wall down."

    Andal made a shield for them to step on, not light, but pitch black. They walked over a path of shields, protected from arrows and slinging stones by the black shell Andal put over them and the deflecting stars that Jeva dangled in the air around them.

    The Haverdash jumped weightlessly into the air, as if carried by the orbs of light, scaling the walls quickly. The clash of swords and cries of fallen soldiers increased behind them, but Andal and Jeva kept their pace as they headed directly for Salva.

    An orb left its assigned Haverdash and flew at them, so Andal made dark swords that they could grab on and jump forward before the orb smashed into and shattered the shield they''d been standing on. The orb chased them, so they diverted their momentum with blasts of wind off of a shield Andal made, then grabbed another pair of swords to stream toward Salva again.

    They''d closed the distance, so they let themselves drop and cushioned their fall with wind. When they landed Salva spoke, "Don''t think I don''t know who you are. You helped kill Manier, and somehow Trots is gone as well! These are crimes that you will not-!"

    Andal hit Jeva in the back with a strong burst of wind, sending her flying into Salva. She wrapped her arms around Salva in a hug, and put her chin on her shoulder. "Goodbye, Andal."

    "Goodbye, Jeva."

    Salva''s eyes went wide, but it was too late to stop. Andal put a black dome over her and Jeva, and Jeva exploded into a blazing inferno. It filled the dome, but couldn''t expand any more, so it continued to bounce back to and incinerate anything within the dome.

    The orbs of light grew dim, and the Haverdash all paused to look back at Salva. After several seconds she fell against the side of the dome. Her skeletal frame could be seen through the blackness by virtue of the inferno behind her shining through, showing her groping at the walls as she continued to burn. She put her hand against the side a final time, then collapsed. Andal released the dome, and the pressure from the explosion rushed out.

    The Haverdash remained silent, shocked and confused. Andal knelt next to the burnt earth, there being no trace of a body for him to hold. He wiped the tears from his eyes and leaned on his knees. "My heart hasn''t been aligned with the Queen of Death, but at least somewhat, I get it now." He looked up at the Haverdash around him, "I really want all of you to die."

    A sword of darkness pierced one, and Andal suddenly appeared where the Haverdash had died. He struck another before it realized he was right next to it, continuing to teleport as he killed Haverdash, using his new position to kill more.

    The Haverdash began to scatter, and Andal chased them. The bulk of them ran south, and he was able to effortlessly keep up with them by teleporting to the position of each one that he killed with a ranged attack. He pursued them the whole day, all the way down to Donfas, until in the middle of the night the dark waters that had been creeping up through his legs finally took his life.

    *

    The words that Makarif had spoken to Andal all those years ago on the Tower of Tubarai rang true. Without the Glorious Haverdash acting as a countering force, the religion of the Haverdash evolved to a new level that prioritized intense feelings over any concept of ambition or accomplishments. They doubled down on production of a variety of drugs and ways to consume them, but they did not expand in other ways as a culture. They never fully subdued the continent; the furthest reaches never saw a Haverdash face. There was never an attempt to follow the humans over the mountains or across the desert either.

    Though the scent of blood decreased from the world as the war came to an end, it did not cease. The lives of the Haverdash would continue to be colored with blood, that of surrounding creatures or of each other. Other scents also increased as the Haverdash fell further into their lifestyle, causing other dramatic effects on the land. No enemy rose up like Mal Maggog, Kollus and Gol, who could have wiped out the Haverdash if not for Trots, but the Haverdash never knew a minute of peace because of other hostile forces that rose up.

    The lives of the humans who hadn''t fled the continent changed dramatically. Some avoided the Haverdash entirely by staying in the furthest reaches of the land, but they didn''t avoid the hostile and corrupt forces that the Haverdash caused. Many ended up living with the Haverdash, and often their lives were better than the slavery that humans had lived in under the Haverdash conquest. The Haverdash had become so dismissive of daily life, things that did not cause intense feelings, that their civilization may not have run properly if they''d run it purely by themselves. Humans inhabited every level of office, never being officially given titles, but there were even a few defacto governors who did the work that the Haverdash governor never bothered to do. Because of this dependency, the Haverdash made sure to leave habitable sections of their cities for non-Haverdash residents.

    As time went on other exceptional Haverdash did rise up, some who they even called Glorious and who shone with a unique light, but the Glorious Haverdash of those days were nothing like those who had risen up at first. Nor were they like they would have been if those first Glorious Haverdash hadn''t been snuffed off.

    The prophets ceased in those days, as Haverdash lost hope for his people. Only one remained, Lohant, though he died by the nature of mortality 38 years after the deaths of Andal and Jeva. He''d found success in turning Haverdash from their ways, but nothing on a national scale. By his teaching, multiple families of Haverdash fled that land, going into the great unknown where they could start new lives.

    Makarif did well across the desert, with the people of Tubarai. The day even came when he married a human woman, and he rejoiced to see that the Haverdash were not so changed that they couldn''t have children with humanity. One would hope that others would find something wrong with their world, as Makarif had done, but that was no easy thing in the Haverdash Empire.

    Lars became a legend to those in Tubarai, though they didn''t know his name. He was referred to as that unknown Haverdash who saved the royal family in their final moments, turning on and wiping away a Haverdash army.

    Similarly, Andal and Jeva became legends to those who had escaped over the mountains. They were the two surviving nominees who had been selected to lead the counter attack against the Haverdash, and though that idea had failed, those two had only ever succeeded. They were known as the ones who killed three Glorious Haverdash, and who put armies to flight by themselves. That was especially significant since the idea of the Haverdash changed over time. They were spiritualized, becoming hideous transformations of humans that could stalk you at night. Nobody ever did cross back over the mountains, for the east was an evil land which no human should ever walk, as it was told. Ships from other lands didn''t approach those shores either. They could tell by the beasts of the sea and the colors of the sky, that was no place to go.

    *

    Noric sat in a tree and watched a boy, probably thirteen, walking up to him. "Hello, youngin. How did you get here? Trying to find your way back?"

    "I don''t remember how I got here. The last thing I remember I was in my hometown. Though, I think I was dying. Is this the afterlife?"

    "Far from it, more like an alternative life. Why do you think you were dying?"

    "I''d just drank something that was definitely poisonous. I was being dumb. It was some Haverdash drink, and I just wanted to look brave. The way I felt¡­ I can''t imagine dying being worse."

    Noric slid down from the tree, "Yea, gotta stay away from Haverdash stuff. I''d say take it from me, but I think you learned that lesson as well as anyone. What about when you got here though? People don''t just come here randomly, where did you show up?"

    "I was surrounded by willow trees, and there were puddles everywhere. I remember there being a shadowy person next to me, just hovering there. I didn''t like it, so I left. I''ve been wandering ever since, just trying to stay alive."

    Noric''s face darkened, "You''ve been here a while?"

    "Yea, I think so. The days don''t seem to pass regularly, but it''s felt like a while."

    "What''s your name, kid?"

    "Lars, what''s yours?"

    Noric stepped back, then leaned against the tree. Lars looked at him oddly, then Noric began to laugh. "I''m Noric! Sorry, excuse me. Good to meet you, Lars. I''ve been wandering this place for a while, want me to show you how to get around?"

    "Yes! Thank you very much!"

    "And I''m Heffer!"

    Lars looked around for the new voice, but Noric explained, "The cow skull on my head, meet Heffer. He''ll help, we''ll show you the ropes. Since you''re still young, I''ll get some life lessons in there too. I think you''ll turn out alright this time."

    "This time?"

    "Misspoke. Let''s go, kiddo."