The First Compact: The Karus Saga (The Karus Saga: Book Book 3)

by Marc Alan Edelheit

  Books by

  Marc Alan Edelheit

  Chronicles of a Legionary Officer:

  Book One: Stiger’s Tigers

  Book Two: The Tiger

  Book Three: The Tiger’s Fate

  Book Four: The Tiger’s Time

  Book Five: The Tiger’s Wrath

  Book Six: The Tiger’s Imperium (Coming 2020)

  Tales of the Seventh:

  Part One: Stiger

  Part Two: Fort Covenant

  Part Three: A Dark Foretoken

  Part Four: Thresh (Coming 2021)

  The Karus Saga:

  Book One: Lost Legio IX

  Book Two: Fortress of Radiance

  Book Three: The First Compact

  Book Four: (Coming 2021)

  Nonfiction

  Every Writer’s Dream

  Way of the Legend:

  With Quincy J. Allen

  Book One: Reclaiming Honor

  Book Two: Forging Destiny(Coming)

  The First Compact

  The Karus Saga: Book 3

  By

  Marc Alan Edelheit

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The First Compact: The Karus Saga, Book Three

  First Edition

  Copyright © 2020 by Marc Edelheit. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  I wish to thank my agent, Andrea Hurst, for her invaluable support and assistance. I would also like to thank my beta readers, who suffered through several early drafts. My betas: Paul Klebaur, Melinda Vallem, William Schnippert, David Vernon Houston, David Cheever, Bruce Heaven, Erin Penny, Tim Adams, Sheldon Levy, Walker Graham, Bill Schnippert, Jonathan Parkin, Jimmy McAfee, Marshall Clowers, Phillip Broom, Joel Rainey, James H. Bjorum, Franklin Johnson, Sally Tingley-Walker, Tom Trudeau, James Doak. I would also like to take a moment to thank my loving wife, who sacrificed many an evening and weekend to allow me to work on my writing.

  Editing Assistance by Hannah Streetman, Brandon Purcell, Audrey Mackaman

  Cover Art by Piero Mng (Gianpiero Mangialardi)

  Cover Formatting by Telemachus Press

  Agented by Andrea Hurst & Associates

  http://maenovels.com/

  Author’s note:

  Writing The First Compact has been a labor of love and a joy. I am so excited to share this next action-packed and exciting chapter in Karus and Amarra’s adventures. It is my sincere hope that you love it as I do.

  I also want to take a moment to thank you for reading and keeping me employed as a full-time writer. For those of you who reach out to me on Facebook, Twitter, or by email, I simply cannot express how humbling it is, as an author, to have my work so appreciated and loved. From the bottom of my heart … thank you.

  You can reach out and connect with me on:

  Facebook: Marc Edelheit Author

  Facebook: MAE Fantasy & SciFi Lounge

  Twitter: @MarcEdelheit

  You may wish to sign up to my newsletter by visiting my website.

  http://maenovels.com/

  Or

  You can follow me on Amazon through my Author Page. Smash that follow button under my picture and you will be notified by Amazon whenever I have a new release.

  Reviews keep me motivated and also help to drive sales. I make a point to read each and every one, so please continue to post them.

  Again, I hope you enjoy The First Compact and would like to offer a sincere thank you for your purchase and support.

  Best regards,

  Marc Alan Edelheit, your author and tour guide to the worlds of Tanis and Istros.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  It was raining, a miserable downpour, and had been for the last hour. As the two dragons descended toward the ground, the wind whipped past and buffeted around Karus. The raindrops, like tiny bees, stung his face.

  Even with his cloak wrapped tightly about himself, Karus was thoroughly soaked through and chilled to the bone. The sky above was filled with dark, angry clouds. The land below seemed shrouded in an early dusk, one that Karus thought quite depressing.

  Karus leaned forward and braced himself, gripping the nearest of the dragon’s spikes tightly as the ground rushed up to greet them. His stomach did a backflip as Cyln’Phax extended her wings, flaring them outward as she slowed, then landed with a hard jolt.

  She flapped her wings mightily as she worked to arrest her momentum. The red dragon took several awkward steps forward before bringing herself to a complete halt. A moment later, she folded her wings back and settled down onto the ground so her riders could dismount.

  Cold and miserable could easily describe the last three days in the air. Shortly after leaving the Fortress of Radiance, poor weather had moved in on them. Throughout the three-day journey to find Dennig’s warband, it had routinely rained, making even the nights difficult for those riding upon Cyln’Phax and Kordem’s backs.

  Karus began hastily untying the straps that held him in place. Around him on Cyln’Phax’s back, the elves, along with Dennig, were doing the same.

  Karus found he was having trouble undoing the knots that held him securely in place, for his fingers were numb and shaking slightly from the cold. After some effort, Karus managed to untie the first knot. He began working on the next one. Soaked through, the leather had constricted and tightened, making the job harder. He had to use his nails to pry each knot free.

  For a moment, he considered cutting the remaining straps with his dagger but disregarded that idea. He would need to reuse the ties for the journey back to Carthum. So, he continued to work at it, picking each one free.

  Then, finally, the last knot gave way. Stiffly, Karus pulled himself to his feet and began climbing off the dragon’s back. He used the spaces between the massive scales as handholds and carefully worked his way down the creature’s side, jumping the last two feet.

  His sandaled feet smacked down upon bald stone. Karus took a moment to glance around. The two dragons had landed them along the crest of a wide ridge, much of which was weathered stone. A few hardy plants grew here and there, along with isolated strands of gr
ass. Beyond that, there was nothing remarkable about the ridge, other than its height, which nearly made it into a small mountain.

  Lightning slashed at the sky, illuminating the clouds in a flickering flash. Thunder followed a few heartbeats later, rumbling dully off in the distance. Karus stretched out his sore and aching back, then moved forward to a sheer drop-off of several hundred feet. He gazed outward, down the steep slope of the treeless ridge.

  Less than a mile away was a town surrounded by a tall stone wall that seemed quite hardy. Despite the downpour of rain, smoke from burning buildings drifted up into the sky. He could smell the smoke hanging heavily on the air, along with another smell … the sickly stench of death. Rain always seemed to make both worse.

  The town was situated in a small valley hemmed in by rocky ridges. A muddy river meandered down the valley and through the town. Cultivated fields, ready for harvest, spread outward, like spokes from the town.

  Once, the valley must have been a peaceful place. Now … death and destruction had found their way here. The town was besieged by a small army and, from what the dragons had told him in the rush before landing, it was an army of orcs.

  The Horde had beat them here.

  Karus surveyed the scene before him. A sour feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. The enemy certainly seemed highly organized. He knew he should not be surprised by this, but he was just the same.

  The orcs had built a fortified encampment four hundred yards back and away from the town. The tents inside the encampment had been arranged in neat, ordered rows, as if planned out in advance. There was twenty yards of space between the encampment’s defensive walls and the nearest tents. A trench surrounded the entire camp. Roman encampments used a similar practice. If the encampment came under attack, the closest tents would be out of light missile range.

  The enemy even had a wagon and animal park located safely within their encampment. The organization told him the enemy besieging the town were highly disciplined, which made them even more dangerous in Karus’s estimation. A disciplined enemy was one that would stand and fight.

  His eyes shifted from the encampment back to the town, which had been completely ringed by a siege trench and earthen wall to keep the defenders from breaking out. This told him the siege had been going on for more than a handful of days.

  The enemy was actively in the process of assaulting the town. From this distance, the figures of both the defenders and attackers looked tiny, almost toy-like. Thick with orcs, dozens of scaling ladders had been raised against the stone walls. Even more ladders were being carried forward. Then there were the reserves. Thick, block-like formations of orc warriors stood just out of missile range, clearly waiting for their turn to try at forcing the walls.

  Even at this distance, the fighting for dominance of the town’s wall looked hard, brutal, and determined. From the numbers of bodies lying in heaps near the scaling ladders, this wasn’t the first assault either. But from the looks of it, this one might be the last.

  The defenders appeared to be making a desperate effort to keep the enemy from securing a foothold over one of the walls. But there seemed precious few defenders compared to the number of orcs pushing forward or waiting in reserve.

  The town’s gate was also being assaulted. The enemy had brought up a battering ram and were hammering away. From the ridge, Karus could hear the steady, deep thump from the repeated hammer blows. All the while, the defenders above the gate shot arrows down at those doing the battering or dropped rocks on their heads.

  “We’re too late,” Dennig said, having come up next to Karus. “Oh, Great and Mighty Thulla … were it not so. I have failed.”

  Karus glanced over at the dwarf. Dennig loosely held the magnificent axe he’d found in the Fortress of Radiance in one hand. The dwarf’s shoulders slumped. He looked defeated, broken, and more wretched than when Karus had first seen him as a half-starved prisoner of the elves. Along with the rain, there were tears of frustration running down Dennig’s cheeks and into his neatly braided beard.

  Behind them, Kol’Cara snapped an order. Karus glanced back. Arrows and bows held ready, the elves of the Anagradoom spread out across the ridge and around the two dragons. They took up defensive positions, gazes fixed outward, watchful.

  What with the dragons, Karus did not know why they even bothered. Were there any enemy within easy reach, they would be foolish, perhaps even suicidal, to venture forth against them. But still, security was security and the elves knew what they were doing.

  Si’Cara and Tal’Thor had climbed down off Kordem’s back. They made their way over to the cliff face to look out at the town. They stood a few feet away, silent, staring, inscrutable.

  Karus turned his gaze back to the town that was being assaulted. Despite the downpour and the distance, he could plainly hear the clash of weapons, screams, shouts, and the general din of battle. It was an all too familiar sound, the chaos of a fight, and a hard one at that.

  A catapult, one of three set behind the enemy’s defensive berm, launched a large stone. The shot arced up into the air. It sailed easily over the wall, before crashing into the roof of a building inside the town. The building shuddered violently under the impact before collapsing a heartbeat later in a heap.

  Smoke shot up into the air, and despite the rain, flames could be seen rapidly spreading over the ruins. Several buildings in the town were already burning sullenly under the downpour.

  Amarra stepped up on his right. He tore his gaze from the town and glanced briefly at her. She wore a forest green cloak over her white dress. One of the elves had given it to her. The hood was pulled up to shield her from the rain.

  In her right hand, Amarra held the High Father’s crystal staff. It glowed faintly with an internal light that occasionally throbbed. She studied the view for a long moment, then turned her gaze to him, giving Karus a determined look he had come to know only too well.

  “Karus.” Amarra spoke in the common tongue. “We must do something. You must.”

  Rubbing his hands together for warmth, Karus felt himself scowl slightly. He turned his gaze back to the town, wondering what he could do, if there was anything that could be done.

  His hand reached down to the magic sword, Rarokan. The familiar tingle, which he had come to expect, raced from his palm up his arm and into his body. As the High Father, Jupiter, had commanded, he’d successfully retrieved the weapon from the Fortress of Radiance.

  He sucked in a breath. With the sword’s power, the day seemed to imperceptibly brighten, and the chill in his bones, particularly the numb ache in his hands, lessened.

  “What is there to do?” Dennig said, anguish making his voice tremble. “My warband is trapped, surrounded by the enemy. We’ve arrived too late. From the looks of things, my boys will soon be overrun. It is only a matter of time now. I should never have left them to seek help from the elves.”

  Karus turned his gaze back to the town. He estimated the enemy army numbered somewhere around ten to fifteen thousand. There was no telling how many dwarves were trapped, but it couldn’t be many, for the town wasn’t that large. Even if the defenders managed to throw the assault back, the enemy would only reorganize and come again. Dennig was right. They were watching the destruction of his warband.

  Amarra caught his gaze and raised an expectant eyebrow. Karus felt his scowl grow. The defenders needed a miracle and he did not have one handy. He wanted to tell her there was nothing to be done but knew she would not accept that. Instead, he turned to Dennig.

  “How many are in your warband?” Karus asked. “When you left them, what was your effective strength?”

  Dennig was silent for several heartbeats.

  “We had no more than forty-five hundred, with almost a third of that number walking wounded. Now”—the dwarf gave a shrug of his shoulders—“who knows? I have been away for weeks. There may only be a few hundred fit to fight or march.”

  Karus looked back at Cyln’Phax and Kordem, rubbing his stubbled
jaw as he considered the two dragons. He sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “On the way here, how far back would you say that enemy army we flew over was?”

  Karus well remembered the long column snaking its way along the road. The line of march had stretched out for as far as the eye could see. He had found it a sobering sight.

  At least fifty of your miles, human, Cyln’Phax responded in Karus’s head. Two or three days of marching … depending upon how fast they move.

  With luck, Kordem added, they will think we were two of their own. We really don’t need the enemy sending wyrms after us. It would complicate our return to Carthum.

  Karus could not help but agree. He’d seen enough of the enemy and their dragons. He had no desire to tangle with more, even with Cyln’Phax and Kordem present.

  “And you’re sure?” Karus asked. “They’re marching here? Do I have that right?”

  The road they are using leads here. In truth, we can’t say if they are marching to this very spot, Cyln’Phax said, but they are moving in this direction … and as we’ve told you, this same road that leads to this town also takes one to Carthum.

  If I had to guess, Kordem said, Carthum would be their ultimate objective. That and the destruction of your legion. The elimination of the dwarven warband was likely a bonus, or an opportunity too good to pass up.

  Karus gazed up. With the low-lying clouds, it was hard to tell, but he figured that they had around three hours of light left, maybe four at best. His gaze returned to the town. The entire situation was maddening.

  The enemy army they’d flown by numbered around fifty, perhaps even sixty, thousand. He knew the legion could not stand up to such a force. And though they had not seen any wyrms with them, he understood without a doubt the enemy had them.

  If the legion stood a chance of survival, he needed allies, and badly. Below, though surely weakened in number, were those potential allies. No matter what Dennig said about dwarves refusing to fight alongside humans, Karus had a feeling they would. That was, if he could extricate them from this mess, show them the value of having allies. And yet, he did not see how he could save them or, for that matter, help. The enemy besieging the town was just too numerous.