The Shadows of Grace

1

Qurrah marched through the conquered streets of Veldaren, Velixar and Tessanna at his side. Priests and paladins of the death god Karak surrounded them. The priests sang as they traveled south, rejoicing in their victory over Ashhur, Karak’s brother and enemy. A huge throng awaited them. Rows of armored war demons lined the streets, keeping the defeated citizens in line.

“A pitiful rabble,” Qurrah said at sight of the crowd. His voice was soft and raspy. Like Velixar, he wore dark robes of Karak. The blood of orcs and elves mixed in his veins, adding a delicate curve to his pale gray body. Tessanna held his hand as they walked, a beautiful black haired girl with eyes dark as caves, and a mind fractured and broken. Qurrah gestured to those kneeling and offering their lives to Karak. They were cold, hungry and scared. “Cowards who would offer themselves to any god to spare their scraps of life.”

“We sow fire and destruction,” Velixar said. “There is no place for them.”

“You promised them safety,” Qurrah pointed out. As their orc warriors had torn through the gates, Velixar’s message to the city had been clear: Kneel and live; worship or die. Qurrah smirked at his former master and teacher. “You also insist you never lie.”

“The truth serves us, as it does Ashhur,” Velixar said. “We must find the faithful amid the cowardly.”

Krieger, young leader of the paladins of Karak, drew his sword and knelt before his god’s prophet.

“What would you have my men do?” he asked.

Velixar looked down at him, pleased by his eagerness.

“Test their faith.”

In the middle of the street the dark paladins placed ten thick stumps of wood. Around the corner, unable to see the preparations, waited the surrendered people of Veldaren. Krieger selected his ten most faithful to stand ready, their swords covered with black fire. Velixar walked before the crowd, magically heightening his voice so all would hear.

“These men’s swords possess the power of Karak,” he said. “Those with faith shall not be burned. Those without should pray, for Karak shall soon welcome your souls.”

War demons dragged the first ten around the corner to the chopping blocks. They placed their bound wrists upon the wood. As one, the dark paladins raised their blades and looked to their leader. Krieger lifted his hand, then deferred to the prophet.

“Let the tests begin,” Velixar said.

Down fell Krieger’s hand. Screams filled the air as all ten watched their hands cut from their wrists, the cruel black fire on the blades sizzling as blood spilled across them. The demons grabbed the writhing men and tossed them aside. Another ten, three of them women, knelt before the blocks with hands bound and ready.

“Have faith,” Velixar said. The swords fell. The screams increased. Ten by ten they came, their faith tested, hands severed, and maimed bodies dumped to die. The priests of Karak watched, relishing the sight. It had been ages since such a test of faith was given. Almost always it was to small towns, farming villages, never a city grand as Veldaren. The ten dark paladins reveled in their work, each stroke accompanied by heartfelt prayers.

The wounded lay in the dirt, most sobbing in pain, some unconscious from the loss of blood. A few staggered about, fighting to stay standing.

“Over a hundred,” Qurrah said as more and more came. “Not a single faithful.”

“Not true,” Velixar said. “You aren’t looking correctly.”

“Qurrah’s always been blind,” Tessanna said.

Velixar glanced at her, frowning. She had cut off her left ear and mutilated her face. Two slashes trailed along the sides of her chin, two more from her scalp, past the corners of her eyes down to her lips. One long gash ran from the center of her forehead to the bottom of her throat. Seeing such beauty tarnished panged his decayed heart.

“Perhaps,” Velixar said, gesturing to the tests. “But be silent. The first is ready to show his true faith.”

His bleeding stubs pressed against his chest, a gasping man approached the chopping blocks and knelt.

“Test me again,” he said.

“Your hands are cut. Your faith is false,” the dark paladin said to him.

“Test me again!” the man shouted. At this Velixar raised his hand, and obediently the paladin stepped back.

“What will you offer?” Velixar asked. In response, the man put his head upon the block.

“My faith is real,” he said. He was gasping for air, his lips quivering with fear. “Test me again.”

“Your head will be severed,” Velixar said.

To this the man laughed. “Then Karak can test me again and again for eternity.”

“Tell me your name,” Velixar said.

“Bertram Goodblood,” he said, his cheek still pressed against the wood.

“Stand, Bertram, and count yourself among the faithful.”

Priests rushed to his aid, bandaging his bleeding stumps and rushing him toward the temple. Velixar smiled at Qurrah, who only shook his head.

“It is those who offer their lives despite their failures that Karak seeks,” Velixar said. “No one is truly tested until they first doubt their strength.”

“Then you amass an army of failures,” Qurrah said.

Velixar laughed. “I prefer those who have tried, failed, and admitted that failure over those who pretend to have never known its sting. Ashhur’s followers have fallen into that trap, surrounding themselves with illusions of perfection and obedience while denying this single truth: all are failures. All are all made of chaos and darkness. If Ashhur will not tap that strength, then I will.”

With a wave of his hand, ten more came forward. Swords with black fire waited, ready to mutilate, sever, and bring forth the faith that Karak so desperately desired.

T he moon shone bright by the time Ulamn and his demons returned to Veldaren. While Velixar had been testing the faithful, the demon general had taken flight with much of his army in pursuit of the city’s fleeing refugees. Velixar beckoned Qurrah to follow as they met the winged soldiers.

“Amusing,” Velixar said as he watched the army descend from the sky. “How many did they lose? Two hundred? Three?”

“My brother and his friends are not to be underestimated,” Qurrah said. “If they can stand against Tessanna and I, what are a few hundred soldiers of sword and armor?”

“Yes, they have that elven girl, don’t they?” Velixar said, remembering his confrontation with Aurelia years ago in Woodhaven. Their magical battle had been wonderfully violent.

He walked through their ranks, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Where is Ulamn?” he shouted.

“I am here,” the demon said, landing with a loud crack of stone. He wore crimson armor and a golden helmet, his ponytail pulled through its back. “What is it you want, voice of the imprisoned god?”

“You attacked them,” Qurrah said, not giving Velixar a chance to answer. “You gave chase, and for what gain? You went in blind and unaware of the strength of their fighters.”

“Do not question me, half-breed,” Ulamn said, glaring at Qurrah. “I killed more than I lost. We are warriors of Thulos! We are here to fight and die, not wait and ponder. And if we had waited, they would already be long gone.”

“A mess of unprepared refugees and soldiers surely cannot outpace your winged warriors?” Velixar asked.

“They created a magical doorway,” Ulamn said. “I don’t know to where, but it is certainly far from here. Many escaped. I commend them, for they fought more valiantly than most worlds I have faced.”

“A doorway,” Velixar mused. “To Omn, or perhaps the elves?”

“It matters not,” Ulamn said. “All kingdoms will burn, until our banners decorate every hill and our sigils mar every stone.”

Ulamn eyed the two necromancers, his lips curling into a sneer. The two were withering by the hour, their strength sapped into maintaining the portal through which he and his soldiers had arrived. Much as he detested informing them of his plans, he knew they needed to survive, lest the portal collapse and his men be trapped. But if he was to be stuck with them, he could at least test their mettle.

“The battle was not a total loss, despite our casualties,” Ulamn continued. He gestured to where a final squad lagged behind the others. Tessanna slipped through the demons and joined Qurrah’s side as the demons neared. She wrapped her arms around his elbow and kissed his neck.

“Do you love me?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said.

The squadron landed, ten bound and bloodied prisoners in their arms. One immediately caught their attention. Ulamn grinned, thoroughly pleased with himself.

“Upon the battlefield we obtained a most amusing prisoner, a paladin of Ashhur. Even wounded and defeated, he had interesting words for my warriors.”

The war demons formed a semicircle around the prisoners. Ulamn stood beside the three as Qurrah eyed the paladin. He recognized his face, and more importantly, the shield a demon tossed to the ground beside him. His name was Jerico, and he had been wounded protecting the portal so the people of Veldaren could flee.

“You have plagued me ever since the Sanctuary,” Qurrah said. Jerico shrugged his shoulders.

“Just doing my job,” he said. “Ashhur would be disappointed if I left vermin like you alone.”

Qurrah laughed. “Hollow, defensive words. You are scared, paladin.”

“By our law he must be executed with the others,” Ulamn said. Again that dark sneer crossed his face. “But how shall he be executed? For that, I offer him to you. You may choose his death, and carry it out as you desire.”

Velixar crossed his arms, his ever-changing face quickening its subtle morphing. How long had it been since he had questioned a paladin of Ashhur? How long since he had been given a chance to twist and corrupt the ideals of a false god into something true and powerful? All around, demons readied their weapons. Desperate, Velixar searched for a way to keep the paladin in his care. Every plan invited rebellion by the demons. The beginnings of a spell burned on his fingertips.

“Wait,” Tessanna said, approaching Jerico with a strange look in her eye. “I know this man, and he is not yours to take prisoner.”

“What nonsense do you speak, girl?” Ulamn asked.

Tessanna knelt down and tilted Jerico’s face so all could see the long scar that ran from his head, past his ear, and down to his chin.

“I have marked him,” she said. “He was mine to kill, many days before you and your kind stepped foot upon Dezrel.”

“A simple scar, yet you claim ownership?” Ulamn asked. In answer, Tessanna pulled back her hair and revealed a similar scar, although much more faint.

“Payment for payment,” she said. “He is mine. I will kill him as I see fit, when I see fit. Isn’t that right, Jerico?”

She leaned in close, as if they were about share a kiss.

“What game are you playing?” he whispered to her.

“You aren’t saved,” she whispered back before kissing his lips. “You’ll still die, but you’ll die for me, just me…”

She stood, feeling hot jealousy rolling off Qurrah.

Good, she thought.

“Will you honor her claim?” Velixar asked.

“So be it,” Ulamn said. He drew his sword, turned, and beheaded the nearest prisoner. The other eight died just as swiftly. Blood spilled across the ground, pooling together. Ulamn hurled Jerico into it, glaring as it splashed across the paladin’s face, hair, and armor.

“Be covered in the blood of your better,” he said. “May you reek of it forever.”

The demons headed to their camps, leaving the three alone with Jerico.

“Come,” Tessanna said, waving a finger. Jerico’s bound body hovered above the ground and followed the girl into the castle. Qurrah stayed behind with Velixar.

“You scowl with jealousy,” Velixar said.

“He should be killed, not coddled,” Qurrah said, crossing his arms and looking away. “Every breath he draws is one too many.”

Velixar shook his head. “She carries your child, Qurrah. She has given you so much, and now you seethe and glare. You have no trust, no love. She is a seed, and you are the soil, and before my eyes you turn dry and hard. Do not be a fool.”

He turned and walked inside, leaving Qurrah alone beneath the stars.

O f all his armor, of all his maneuvers, the best defense Jerico knew was prayer, and so pray he did as Tessanna eyed him, her dagger drawn.

“Guide me, Lord,” he prayed. “May I trust the dawn to come, no matter how dark the night.”

“Trust all you want,” Tessanna said. They occupied what had once been the king’s bedchambers, secluded and alone. “The dawn will not come. Not for you.”

“What do you hope for?” he asked. “What can you possibly obtain? Torture me, beat me, break my bones. Ashhur will take me home, no matter how bruised or bloodied I arrive.”

“Oh, he will take you,” Tessanna said. “But will you wish to go to him?”

She clenched the dagger between her teeth and circled him. With surprising deftness she unbuckled the straps to his armor. The heavy pieces of plate mail thudded to the carpet. She shoved his head, and the sudden movement forward made him scream. The demons had removed the spear piercing his side, but they had offered no healing, not even a bandage. The bonds around his arms and hands did well to hold him still, but the open wound bled freely.

“I smell the blood on you,” she whispered into his ear. Her fingers slipped underneath his arm, pressing against the wound. Jerico held in another scream. He felt her breath on his neck as she whispered words of magic. Light sparked from her fingertips, and to his amazement, the wound closed. He thought to thank her, but that thought died as she leaned closer, her cheek brushing against his.

“When were you last with a woman?” she asked, brushing her dagger across his throat. She giggled when he refused to answer. “What, no response? No clever comment?”

She stood and waved her hand. Magical forces shoved his back against the wall. She straddled him, her hands clawing the stone. Again she brushed her face against his, scar to scar.

“A strong man,” she breathed into his ear. “So strong. It’s been a w hile for you, hasn’t it? Would you take me, if you could? What would your god say about that?”

“You’re vile,” Jerico said. “May Ashhur one day forgive you.”

“You won’t counter me with love,” she said. “It’s love I want from you.”

“What you want is far from love,” Jerico said. He tried to match her gaze, but to his shame could not. Her eyes were so lustful, so yearning. He had prepared himself for pain and torture, but this…

Jerico shook his head. No, she only offered a different type of torture, one of temptation and mockery.

“I am not some pet of yours,” Jerico said. “Now bury that dagger in my throat or leave me be.”

Tessanna laughed. Her hands trickled down his chest, tickling the sides of his abdomen before sliding into his pants.

“Stop it,” Jerico said, his jaw trembling.

“You say Ashhur will take you,” she said, her lustful gaze turning dark and hateful. “Will he always forgive you? Even if you betray, even if you soil his name and dirty your spirit?”

“Ashhur is my light, I will not fear what I cannot see,” Jerico said, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He felt his gut churning, hating the way his body responded to her touch. Her hands shifted lower.

“Ashhur is my light,” he prayed. “Ashhur is my light, I will not fear.”

“Light,” Tessanna said, her other hand tracing tip of her dagger along his neck. “Light fails, paladin. It leaves you cold and alone, telling you to be happy even though you feel nothing but hate and sadness and despair. That light? You pray to that light?”

She grabbed his scrotum and pulled, snarling as her lips curled. Jerico screamed at the tremendous pain. Her hand twisted, and he screamed more. His breaths came in shallow gasps. Her touch was ice, her grip like stone. Her face scarred with torment and pain, she jerked again, her other hand clutching his face and forcing him to look her in the eye.

“You should have been there,” she said. “Been there when he raped me, all the while with a prayer to Ashhur on his lips. I’ve seen the falseness of your kind. I’ve seen your light. It fucked me, Jerico, and whatever it takes I’ll fuck you too.”

The door opened. Tessanna let him go and stood as Qurrah entered. Shyness stole away her hatred and anger. She put her back to Jerico, her hands clasped behind her as if she were caught by a parent doing something bad.

“Hello, lover,” she said. “Come to help me play with my pet?”

“Perhaps some other time,” Qurrah said, his eyes glancing about. He saw Jerico’s pain, but the paladin doubted he could guess the reason.

“What is it, then?” Tessanna asked.

“The night is late,” he said. “I’ve found us a place to rest. Will you join me?”

“Of course.”

She put away her dagger and took Qurrah’s hand. As they left, Jerico leaned his head against the wall and did his best to ignore the pain.

“I’m sorry!” he shouted. Tessanna turned, her arm raised defensively and her eyes bewildered.

“I’m sorry,” he continued. “Whatever his name was, whatever he did to you, I’m sorry.”

She glared as if stabbed, then left the room without a word.

“W hat was that about?” Qurrah asked as he closed the door behind them.

“Just lies,” Tessanna said, apathy stealing over her. “All he knows are lies.”

“When I came in,” he said, then stopped. She turned to him, knowing his worry.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t love him like I love you.”

Qurrah led her to a luxurious room reserved for noble guests, all the while thinking how, coming from her, what she had said meant so very little.

They slept in a luxurious bed with many violet bed sheets. His dreams were bleak, haunted by his brother’s face, always covered with tears. Always, he held the drowned body of his daughter.

Qurrah awoke to the sound of stirring from the small closet. Tessanna was rummaging through it, casting clothes to the floor. She was naked. Light streamed in through the windows.

“What are you doing?” he muttered.

“You lead an army that has conquered a kingdom,” she said, her back to him. “What does that make you, Qurrah? A king? A warlord? Does that make me your queen, Qurrah?”

“You are finer than any queen,” Qurrah said, sliding out of bed. “Prettier, and far less inbred.”

“Cute,” she said. “But if I am a queen, then I should dress like one.”

She pulled out a crimson dress. She smiled, then slipped it over her head. The fabric hung from her skinny body, the sleeves long and elegant. Gold trim lined the hem around the neck, sparkling in the low light. Tessanna flicked her hair behind her shoulders and smiled at her lover.

“Like?” she asked.

Her face gorgeous, her hair long and healthy, her dress thin and sensual and red: Qurrah could only laugh at such a ridiculous question.

“Of course I do,” he said. “You’re beautiful.”

She tilted her head so that he could see the ear she had cut. Already it had grown back, albeit a little pinker. The five scars on her face had faded, now only sharp lines that added an exoticness to her face. Qurrah was stunned by the rapid rate of her healing. Tessanna was the daughter of a goddess; of that he had no doubt.

“I won’t cut myself like that again,” she said, suddenly shy and quiet. “I don’t know why I did. Mommy had left me, and breaking, becoming me again, it suddenly felt so terrible. I couldn’t bear it, and you weren’t awake, not yet…”

“I’m awake now,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “And I’ll always be here for you.”

“The demons are ready to move out,” she said. “They want to hunt. Velixar has convinced them to leave the elves for later, for when we have more forces. The humans should be far easier prey.”

“Who will guard the portal should the elves attempt to destroy it?” Qurrah asked.

The girl shrugged. “Those that continue to pass through. It appears their army is limitless, and perhaps it is. This world is doomed, Qurrah, and I can’t wait until we escape to a new one.”

He kissed her neck. “Come. Let us survey this army.”

The two exited the castle to see tents covering the castle courtyard, all waving small banners with a yellow fist. Qurrah shook his head, but was not surprised. He had slept horribly that night, each demon passing through the portal sapping a bit more of his strength. He wondered if Velixar fared any better.

“Do you know how many?” Qurrah asked.

“They have almost a thousand,” Tessanna said. “But no more come through the portal. I think Ulamn is nervous.”

“As he should be,” Velixar said, coming up behind them from the castle. “He knows both of us are sorely taxed. He will bring in no more, not for a few weeks. I think the two of us could both use the rest.”

“When do we leave for Mordan?” Qurrah asked.

“Soon,” Velixar said. “But we have a few things to take care of first.”

He pointed to a group of orcs that made their way among the tents. They were led by their masters, Trummug and Gumgog, and each looked furious.

“We was lied to!” Gumgog shouted as they neared. “Lied! Lied!”

“Shaddup, Gumgog,” Trummug said, elbowing the orc before offering a clumsy bow to Velixar. “We not happy, pet of Karak. Not happy at all.”

“What is the matter?” Velixar asked, his smile condescending.

“You promised me an army and a kingdom,” Trummug said. “Yet we have nothing.”

“You raped and burned this city to a shadow of its former self,” Qurrah said, scratching his chin. “Was that not worth your losses?”

Gumgog heard this and roared with laughter.

“No, the fighting more than good, lopped off so many heads…”

“But your new pets, the demons, they do not care,” Trummug said. “They no like Karak. They not listen to us. They claim this city, but what we get? Not going back to the Wedge! We staying here!”

“Yeah!” the other orcs shouted in unison.

Velixar turned to his disciple. “What do you suggest?” he asked.

Qurrah shrugged. “If they want land, give them land. Ulamn and his soldiers only seek to crush the established order to sow chaos. They have no interest in such claims.”

“Indeed,” Velixar said. He raised his arms to the orc masters and gestured from east to west. “All about are lands, and I give them to you. Bring your brethren in from the Vile Wedge. Swarm the northern plains with your axes! Crush the Green Castle. Burn Felwood Castle to the ground. Neldar is yours.”

“All of it?” Trummug asked.

Velixar nodded, a small smile on his face. “All of it.”

The orcs raised their weapons and cheered. Gumgog led them away, screaming for death and blood. Qurrah watched him go, strangely envious of their careless nature.

“Ulamn is prepared to move out,” Velixar said, also watching the orcs leave. “His pride is stung from his defeat. He won’t admit it, but he is pushing his troops hard. He wants surprise on his side when they invade Omn.”

“What hope do they have to stand against this army?” Qurrah asked. “Surprise will mitigate some losses, but it is no matter.”

“Forget them for now,” Velixar said. “Ulamn is not the only one with an army to raise.”

The army sworn to Karak camped opposite Thulos’s war demons. Over a thousand undead stood perfectly still, raised from the slaughtered civilians, soldiers, and unfaithful. Filling the western streets were the dark paladins’ tents, each flying a flag of the lion’s skull. In the other direction, smaller, meager tents stood for the hundreds who passed the test of faith. These new converts wandered about with bandages over their hands and gray robes given to them from the storehouses of the priests’ temple. The remaining priests of Karak bunked with them, constantly preaching Karak’s glory.

“An impressive sight, isn’t it?” Velixar said as they arrived.

“I wonder how necessary the demons’ help truly is,” Qurrah said. “How many more dead might we add as we march west?”

“Without the demons, the elves would decimate us as we traveled,” Velixar said. “I have felt the stings of their arrows often enough. We will let Ulamn’s pets deal with them in time.”

Tessanna curled her arms behind her as she walked among the handless servants, her fingers clasped tight. Velixar had called them the tested, and it made sense enough. Several watched her pass with vacant eyes, but most stared with frightening intensity. One man with messy blond hair and a broken nose accosted her, pressing the stubs of his hands against her arms.

“His glory,” the tested said, spitting as he talked. “Have you heard his glory? His wondrous glory?”

“I know of Karak’s glory,” she said. “But do you?”

“Order among chaos, perfection among the bloodshed!” The tested smiled. “All shall soon know. Pray to him, and you too shall know.”

“I have seen his order,” Tessanna said, putting her hand on the man’s shoulder. Black lightning sparked from her fingers. The man staggered away, howling like an animal.

“Tess?” Qurrah asked, hearing the howl and turning to see his lover staring with a cold, seething gaze. She slowly shook her head.

“Judge trees by their fruit,” she whispered as she neared. “And the only fruit I see is death.”

Qurrah glanced to see if Velixar heard, but it appeared not. A man dressed in the garbs of high priest had approached him and bowed low.

“Greetings, hand of Karak,” the priest said. “Welcome to our camp.”

“I have heard rumors,” Velixar said, not returning the bow. “Rumors of a new high priest to replace Pelarak.”

“I am he,” the priest said. “Once I was Preston, but now I am Melorak, the name given to me by Karak as I slumbered in the night.”

Velixar crossed his arms. His ever-changing face scowled at the many other priests who gathered about. By the way they surrounded him he could tell they believed him their leader.

“Karak whispers to me as well,” Velixar said. “As he always has. Yet I hear not your name, Preston, nor of any new high priest.”

Preston turned his palms upward. Qurrah frowned at the fake humility on the pudgy man’s face. His cheeks sagged as if he had once been very heavy but lost much of it at a rapid pace. He was bald, and he wore no jewelry or any open sigils to Karak.

“I do not claim to know Karak’s methods,” Preston said. “But I know he works in mysterious ways. Do you doubt my faith, or the vote of the other priests, hand of Karak? Do you doubt Karak himself, or are you in such a high position that our god must reveal every decision to you for permission?”

The red in Velixar’s eyes flared bright.

“You talk dangerously,” he said, his voice deepening. “I will not have Karak’s victory put at risk. Remember that, for I will be watching you.”

“Karak watches us both,” Preston said. “And I hold faith in his judgment.”

Velixar turned away, Qurrah and Tessanna trailing after. Once out of earshot, he began cursing long and loud.

“That fool,” Velixar said. “I knew I should have killed him while he was still a pup in training.”

“You still can,” Qurrah said. “He cannot match your power.”

“The priests would protect him,” Tessanna said. “Though I do not understand why.”

“Because he has them fooled with his humility and twisted words,” Velixar said. A trio of orcs marching down the street dared pass too near, and Velixar struck them dead with bolts of fire.

“He speaks half-truths and delusions,” the man in black said, staring at the burning corpses. “All he wants is power. He treats his faith to Karak as a tool. And that name! Only Karak has the authority to give such a name.”

“What does it mean?” Qurrah asked.

“Order-bringer,” Velixar said, his hands shaking with rage. “Believed to be the last name Karak will bestow before Mordan is destroyed and all of Dezrel conquered. It is a twisted prophecy. I am his prophet, and never once have I spoken it, but the priests cherish the delusion.”

“Such anger,” Tessanna said. “The world approaches ruin, and you seethe at a pathetic priest grabbing for power in the last days?”

Velixar whirled on her, his face freezing into a skull covered by the thinnest stretches of skin. Fire burned within his mouth as he talked.

“The priests have turned their backs to me time and time again,” he said. “Pelarak was one of the few who heard my wisdom and obeyed, but Ashhur’s lapdogs killed him. Many feel I am a relic from a time long broken. They whisper that I don’t hear Karak’s words, that I seek only control. Hear me; they will rally about Preston as a sign that my time has passed. The tested will follow them blindly. Soon they will turn to the dark paladins.”

They resumed their walk down the streets. Qurrah looked at the broken buildings, burned roofs and blood-soaked roads. How long ago was it he walked amid bustling streets, filled with mindless chatter and barter? The sight of such desolation stirred his gut. The entire world would soon be likewise. He knew he could not live in such a world. He and Tessanna would have to escape to another, escape from the work of his own hand.

“Will the paladins listen to him?” Qurrah asked when he felt Velixar had calmed.

“Krieger is their new commander,” Velixar said. “His faith in me is great.”

“His faith in us, though, is nil,” Qurrah said, his words squeezing a giggle out of Tessanna.

“You have already proven your worth,” Velixar said. “The portal is open, and Karak will soon be freed. But Krieger is young, as are his brethren. Preston will try to seduce them with his lies.”

“Why doesn’t Karak strike him down?” Qurrah asked.

Velixar shook his head. “I’m not sure if Karak can, but if he could, he still would not. You have seen the tested. Karak will see if his priests are true or not, whether they follow his prophet or fall for a lie.”

“And you will let that test run its course,” Tessanna said. “That’s why you don’t kill him.”

“Yes,” Velixar sighed. “That is why.”

Their walking led them to the southern gate. Stretched before them were the orc tents, all jostling with commotion. The orc army was preparing for departure. Soon they would spread out like a swarm of insects, all across the east. The few human towns left would be assaulted, burned, and destroyed.

“In a way, I long to join them,” Qurrah said. Tessanna wrapped her arms around his elbow, and Velixar nodded in understanding.

“There is a simplicity there,” Velixar said. “A joy in the slaughter. Do not succumb to it. Our path is harder, our trials greater, our achievements higher.”

“I need to rest,” Qurrah said. “No matter how hollow sleep feels lately.”

He and Tessanna turned back to the castle, leaving Velixar to stare at the preparing orc army.

Inwardly he groaned with anger. His priests were beginning another play for spiritual dominance. His paladins would soon be a battled-over trinket. Even worse, Ulamn’s warriors were scrambling for every possible way to diminish his importance in their conquest. His hold on power was tenuous at best, fleeting at worst.

“Give me strength,” he prayed aloud. “Aid me, Karak. I refuse to falter so close to the end.”

He waited for Karak’s cold voice reaffirming his role, his power, his faith. It never came, and Velixar cursed his weakness for needing it in the first place.