by Rye Sobo
Bile rose in my throat as I remembered what Reno told me. We tell our loved ones what they need to hear sometimes because we could never bear what they would think of us if they knew the truth.
The horrible truth was a punch to the gut.
Lines of scorched structures stood as a testament to where the dragons had attacked the encampments. The dragon fire burned so hot it turned the sand along the shore into glass.
Large fortifications sat higher on the shore, filled with thousands of the pale-skinned Nivaleans. Laetian soldiers carted the dead from the cages to the funeral pyres. Others tossed the bodies like cord wood onto the fires which flared with each corpse added.
Brother Oswald, the leader of the Larians, stood next to me on the larboard rail. He gripped the railing so hard the skin on his knuckles split in the frigid air. Blood ran down his fist and into the dark waters.
“I—I didn’t think it was true,” he said.
“Hey kid,” Rook said behind me. She adjusted the straps on her breastplate as she approached. “Captain Keets says we should put on armor if we want to stay top—what in the ten hells is that?”
Hot tears rolled down my cheeks.
“The pride of Drakkan ingenuity and the brainchild of my dearest friend, Dem,” I said with disgust. “This is Camp Carnum, one of the three extermination camps the Drakkans set up for the Laetians to use on the Nivalean.”
Rook stood aghast, the light from the pyres flickered in her eyes. “My gods.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
“You expect an answer to everything here, I know,” Ferrin said to the panel of justiciars.
“Ye did say we’d have one,” Lusia said.
“And you will,” the gnome said. He looked around the chamber and noticed the crowd had grown since he started. Soldiers, scribes, and scholars packed into the hall and sat in rapt silence. “It’s just that—it’s complicated. More complicated than what happened at Callum Heights. We allowed that to happen, and so much worse.”
The sky had grown dark. Flames and cinders, the remains of the Grand Arcade, licked up into the night air and illuminated the city. Ferrin turned from the stone arched window toward the panel of red-clad judges. Tears welled in his eyes.
“This might be a good place to stop for the night,” he said.
“There’s just one thing I ‘ave to know before we adjourn for the evening,” Lusia said. “If ye loved Dem as much as ye claim, why did ye kill him, Fer?”
The gnome looked down at his hands, at the dried blood that caked them.
“It’s what I found next,” Ferrin said. “I learned the truth about Dem, the Commonwealth, and who the real traitors are.”
There was a murmur from the gallery of those gathered to listen. Several of the justiciars gathered on the dais leaned together and made furious gestures to each other.
Lusia leaned back and stroked her beard with thoughtful consideration of the gnome’s admission. She raised an eyebrow and stared at the gore-covered soldier standing in the center of the chaos, both here in the Imperial Hall and in the city beyond the walls of the Black Keep.
After a moment, she gave a knowing nod. “It’s late. We’ll pick up there in the morning.”
The crimson-clad dwarf rose from the chair at the center of the dais. As she stood, the other justiciars took their place by her side.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll ‘ave two of my men escort ye to yer chambers,” Lusia nodded to the guards at either side of Rook and Ari. “Goodnight, my husband.”
“Wait. What?” Ferrin said.
“I knew it!” Ari shouted.
“What?”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, thank you to my wonderful partner, Kristi. Your patience and support helped me beyond measure. Your massive library, suggestions, and insight helped me to fully realize the many cultures and inhabitants surrounding the Azurean Sea.
Thank you to Jeremy, Kathryn, Joss, and Rick for your insights on the many incarnations of the story. I owe you so many beers. To Derek, Jeff, Meagan, and Kristi for sharing a wild idea to play Dungeons & Dragons in our 30s. The backstory of my character laid the foundation for Ferrin, Drakkas Port, and this series of books. Thanks as well to the folks at Wizards of the Coast and Critical Role for the inspiration and reminding us all it's okay to dream of dragons.
I would like to thank Chris Fox, Joanna Penn, Derek Murphy, Michael Anderle, Craig Martelle, Mark Dawson, Jenna Moreci, Vivien Reis, the wonderful, supportive Facebook group 20Booksto50k, SPF Podcast, and SFFM Podcast for sharing your insight and expertise with the world and helping independent authors succeed.
Finally, I would like to thank you, the reader, for taking a chance on an unknown author and a story about a gnome on the run. If you are reading this, it hopefully means you enjoyed the novel. You are the reason I wrote this story and I hope you will enjoy the next part of the adventure.
Onward to Nivalis!
A HUMBLE REQUEST
Once again, thank you for reading this book. I truly hope you enjoyed the time spent in this world and look forward to many more adventures. I’m already working on the next one.
I have a humble request. If you have a moment, please leave a rating and review on Amazon about this book. Share the book on the social media. Recommend it to a friend who you think would enjoy it.
Reviews help other readers sort through the millions of books to find the few they might enjoy. For independent authors, such as myself, feedback from readers means everything. We write for the love of the stories and share that passion with you.
Thank you,
Rye
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rye has been a fan of the fantasy genre for pretty much his entire life. Books, films, and video games with new and exciting worlds always captured Rye's attention. While other children listened to nursery rhymes, Rye's mother used to read Tolkien. (seriously!)
Rye was multi-award-winning broadcast and online journalist covering everything from high profile crimes to local politics. (Occasionally, in the same story.) After a decade in news, Rye went back to school and earned an MBA. Rye now lives in Mississippi, the land of storytellers, with his partner and their dog.
The Drakkan Chronicles is his first foray into fiction.
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