by Alex Raizman
Nicandros would never forget that moment. That single, frozen moment, where it seemed like everything could still be salvaged.
Then someone threw a stone. It glanced off the helm of a soldier, sending him staggering. The soldier next to him, his comrade, possibly even his friend, snapped his arcwand back up.
Then he opened fire blindly into the crowd. A woman screamed.
And the crowd began to charge. More stones were thrown. Soldiers screamed orders, and Arcwands began to fire again, and again, and again. The screams of rage began to mix with screams of agony of the wounded and screams of anguish from those standing near the dead.
Nicandros felt himself being lifted into the air. Ashliel had hooked her hands under his arms and was dragging him skyward. A stone flew in their direction, but she was able to block it with her carapace.
Someone threw a torch. A building caught flame.
Edgeminster began to burn, and the riot turned into a massacre.
And, Nicandros was certain, somewhere far below in the chaos, Poz was able to slip away with his prize.
It would later be called the Edgeminster Slaughter. It would be remembered as the day that seven hundred civilians were killed, and three times that many wounded, by Alohym in their attempt to catch a single individual. It would grow with each retelling as it spread from town to town like a wildfire, Ashliel’s words being twisted further and further.
By the time it reached Tythel and Eupheme, sitting at the bedside where Tellias was hooked up to machines that were his only chance of survival, Nicandros’s name was spoken of in the same tones as the foulest creatures spawned from the Shadow. Tythel hugged her friend, and together they wondered if their battle had somehow pushed the Alohym over the edge into slaughter.
By the time it reached Duke De’Monchy, they said it was seven thousand dead, and the entire city of Edgeminster burned to the ground. He knew that now, the citizens knew the Alohym were as terrible as he’d always feared, and the only window they’d ever have to fight back with a hope of winning was now. He swore a blood oath that those that died in Edgeminster would be avenged, and that tale was spread throughout the kingdom as well.
By the time it reached Poz, emerging from the cocoon in Lizardflesh, he knew he was responsible for the deaths, and wept for nearly three straight days. He too swore that the deaths would not be in vain, although his tale would not spread until far, far later.
It would not reach Armin for longer than the rest. He had the treasure horde of Grejax to deal with, using the Sylvani transporters activated by Bix to carry it where it could be moved to the resistance. By the time he heard it, rumor had been separated from fact, and the true number of dead was established at seven hundred and thirty four, with twenty thousand and ninety three wounded and thirty-two soldiers dead.
It was the perfect time for him to receive the terrible news, because he could counter it with hope. With Synit and Bix’s help, he’d decoded Theognis’s ledger. He knew what the Vacuity engine was. He knew what they could do about it.
He did not yet know what to do with the two dozen golden eggs they’d taken from Grejax’s lair. He had questions about them, along with a great deal of other questions forming from what he’d learned in the lair of a long dead monster, questions that could only be answered by a woman who was now being called the Dragon’s Scion.
But that is all in the future.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I absolutely want to make sure to thank to all my writing advisors and friends for helping me undertake this project, and my writing mentor Laura Beamer, whose help was invaluable as always and also keeps me sane.
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And don’t forget to read on for a free sample of my newest epic fantasy, Dragonflame, book one of The Dragon’s Scion
$1: Stefan, Katie, Zoe kamen, Timothy Dana, Michael Gilmore, Tyler Verin, Mathew Hansen, Ericka Barber, Alysia, Daniel Kwan, Devin Lantagne, B , Jamie Sorgen, Justice Perhay, K X Douglas, Valenor Blacksun, 时尚达人Sam崔, KylePezz, Ezequiel Suar, Patrick , Sean Whelan, Scarovese , Laura Roy, Morpheus , Michael , Drew Macdonald, Stephan Jurca, Tommy , Vincent , Sazaraki, Ben , Joe , Richard Walker, Jason Hernandez, Dalton Kock, Warren Clements, Matthew Hinderman, Ashlyn Jacobs, Jérôme , A.J. Desrocher, Karavusk , Joe Doe, Schraubedrin , Daniel Weipert, Shahked Bleicher, Daniel Sandkvist Wong, Robbert Jan Grootjans, Marisa Katherine DiCamillo, Tyler Hardy, Derek Wider, Steve Meckman, Youri , Brad Massett, Caitlyn T Nummerdor, Blake Haulbrook, Varun Malik, Matthew nicolas, Michael Abdoo, Tyler Morgan, Bob , Edward , Kasper Laitinen, Meg Momohara, Sam Lacey, Iris Hartshorn, Brandon Shafran, Shelby Lanie, Zeta Syanthis
$3: dclatter, Nate Allen, Jin tra, Joe Alcaraz, Lord Doggo, king of all puppers, Austin T., Steven White, Craig Brugger, Robert Timpe, Konrad Piskorz, Sklenoms , Michael Glasmyer, Tanja Gehrke, Mike Minick, Logan Means, Chris Bol, Casper Elshof, Adrian Warmerdam, Alexander Thomas, Travis Ridge, Emanuel Couture, calvin p, David , Patrick Filion, Marcus Righton, Ace , Kai Ove Lyngvær, dapinkone , James Paik, Merlin , Brittany Shane, Rajin Shahriar, Adam Bolton, Ryan Deckard, Eric Spain, Billy Kwong, Lars Hoeksema , Jono Chadwell, Dallas Nelson, Mikal Waage Gismervik, John Reed, InsyderBoop , Luke Peavy, Neel Trivedi, Will Kenerson, O$I , Janis Svilans, Bart Smeets, Thanatos Lin, Maya , Suzanne McNeil, Justin Lipe, nicholas j nosek, Emtasticbombastic , Chris On, Tim Schmidt, Dodoni , Ethan Fesmire, Scott Ritchie
$5: Megan, Heroes profile, Lance Dixon, Chris O'Halloran, Logan Russell, Poldovico , Brittany , MrMakeIt , klickup , Inorai, Tanner Muro, Boop , Markus Hamann, kim roy, Micah Kroeze, Corin , David Ballantyne, Marty Klinger, Whereswalden90, Aaron Hollander, Andrew Wasson, Blas Borde, Ericka Barber
$10: Daniel Robinson, William Isom, Thomas Keenan, Jason Hirsch, Mark Fishel, Tony Dougherty, Udaeus , Anne , William Piper, Raphael Hämmerli, Kyle Bernzen, Steph
$20: Ryan Zike, Daniel Kelton, Philip Jacobsson, Brodie P, Jacob Palmer, Stefan Oshinski, Micah McFadden, Diane Tam, Dorian Snyder
More by Alex Raizman
THE COREVERSE
Factory of the Gods
The Wastes of Keldora
The Trains of Keldora
The Motors of Keldora
The Guns of Keldora (Available for Pre-Order)
Dragon’s Scion
Dragonflame
Ghostflame
Heartflame (Release TBD)
Tamer of the Beasts
Into the Tall Grass
Standalone
Tidecaller
OTHER
Small Worlds
Weird Theology
Strange Cosmology
