Chapter 10: Father and Son          Chapter 12: Ruled by Madness

Chapter 11: Scorched Sand

We rode a bare half-hour later. Syrene had dispatched Julia all the long way back to Frelia to bring news to King Hayden of Grado Keep’s capture.

Despite our haste, it was a long way from Grado to Jehanna. By the end of the first day, we were right in the middle of the high hills a short way north-east from Grado’s capital, hills large enough to cast a rain-shadow from the humid southern breezes. The ground was already dryer, and as we hurried on the next day, we saw more and more cacti and less grass. We turned north around midday, seeing few other than scattered nomads and herders.

Partway through the afternoon, we received another message, informing us that Rausten had indeed joined to Eirika’s group, but that it wouldn’t be enough to save her against both Grado generals. A Frelian army was en route, but they were even further away than we were. If we did not save Eirika, no one would.

The third day I rose early and, taking all who were not already exhausted by the march, came at last near to Jehanna Hall, an ancient stone structure set in a flaxen sea of sand, with an oasis and a few villages clustered nearby.

Jehanna Hall was burning. Continue reading →

Chapter 9: Fluorspar’s Oath          Chapter 11: Scorched Sand

Chapter 10: Father and Son

Barely a day and a night later, we stood looking down on Grado City, the capital of the Grado Empire. It had been so long since I had seen it, and it was the same as ever – proud dark stone walls rising up out of a lush green valley. The Keep stood at the head of the city, even taller. We had not encountered any resistance since Hanarka, which was suspicious to me, but I would take whatever seemed like good fortune I could get. The capital itself seemed normal, if a little quieter than usual; she seemed unaware that a hostile force was camped almost at her very gates.

The last time I was there, two years ago, it had been for my education. I’d studied martial arts with Duessel, but the intellectual side of my studies I was hopeless in. If it hadn’t been for Lyon’s patient help, I would have flunked every test and then some. Books just held no interest for me. Lyon, on the other hand, absorbed them like a sponge does water, but was defeated soundly by Eirika in combat, so he came to me for additional sparring practice. He and I had a good friendship, each helping the other. And of course he had a good friendship with Eirika; she was more sympathetic than I was, and when I was a jerk, she would comfort him while I snickered at them both or stood shamefaced.

Being a kid was pretty fun in Grado, books aside. Continue reading →