The First Champion
Page 44
Abimelech had no answers. Rowen outmaneuvered him at every turn. The only thing left for Abimelech was to prepare for their inevitable battle. For one truth remained that even Rowen dare not ignore: Abimelech still possessed Rowen’s immortal body, and if the shrouded king wanted to walk the earth as a mortal man once more, he could only do so by defeating the great dragon.
A tiny figure climbed the slope up to Abimelech’s mountain, and he turned his gaze downward. He set his ruminations about Rowen aside as he considered his guest. Regent Trangeth came to make obeisance.
At the mouth of the cave, the regent passed beneath the eyeless stare of Abimelech’s twin sentinels and slowly made his way into the darkness of the mountain. Trangeth stopped next to a single burning torch set in the rock floor, and he hunched his shoulders as if he felt the weight of the mountain above him. Abimelech gave Trangeth time to contemplate his failure before bending the neck of one of his seven heads down to regard his child.
Trangeth flinched when Abimelech’s dread visage appeared from the shadows. The great dragon’s jaws could have snapped Trangeth up and swallowed him like a trifling morsel. It amused Abimelech that Trangeth hid behind his human face, as if the disguise would hide him from his master’s displeasure.
“The child defied you,” Abimelech said, the low rumble of his voice causing the torch to dance wildly. “Your plan failed.”
Trangeth swallowed hard before responding. “Saredon didn’t pass the reaver’s test, lord father,” he said. “But all is not lost. We can still—”
“Send him to me,” Abimelech said, cutting Trangeth off.
It took the regent a moment to understand this command.
“Forgive me, lord father,” Trangeth finally said. “You want me to send the boy here?”
“Do not make me repeat myself,” Abimelech said.
Trangeth bowed his head. “Of course not, lord father. But, ah, forgive me my curiosity—what will you do to him? Kaiser may still return, and with Saredon on our side, we might weaken the resolve of his father.”
“Your attempts to make him a reaver were shortsighted,” Abimelech said. “I tolerated them because I had no use for the child, but circumstances have changed. I’ll tell the boy the truth. There are other ways he can serve.”
About the Author
Sandell Wall is a computer programmer/business analyst by trade. He lives in Michigan with his wonderful wife and two rambunctious children. He has embarked on a personal quest to write and publish a million words. The First Champion is his sixth book. It is also the longest book he has ever written. He hopes his readers enjoyed the story. He is excited to keep writing and to create new worlds for his readers to explore!
You can visit his website at http://www.sandellwall.com. He would love it if you stopped by and joined his mailing list.