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CHAPTER ONE

DRAGAN

Mercenary Stronghold

She’s alive!

Seeing Eilish fills me with immense relief followed by gratitude, the likes of which I’ve never felt before.

She sighs into my shoulder and I can feel how overwhelmed she is. Noni climbs off my shoulder and hops onto Eilish and immediately begins tending to her wounds, which aren’t as deep as my own.

“Noni must focus on healing Mr. Dragan,” she says as she hops back onto my shoulder.

Eilish eyes me with worry. “Dragan... will you be all right?”

“I’m fine,” I insist, although I don’t know the extent of my own wounds.

“Should I go to Earlann and find you a healer?” she continues.

“We were lucky to make it out of that battle without attracting Variant’s attention. Let’s get back to the stronghold and tend to our wounded there.”

Myerdoth offers to assist me onto a horse and I accept his help.

The gateway to the mortal realm is only a few miles away, but the journey through the scorching sands nearly bleeds the remaining strength from my body. Sweat mixes with blood and marsh water, soaking through the lining of my armor until I feel chapped and sore. I can barely keep my eyes open.

I can see the canyon valley in the distance and Eilish reaches for my hand. “We’re almost there,” she says encouragingly.

Sentries blow the horns and the south gate to the stronghold opens. The camp is set just inside the walls and healers tendto the wounded. Eilish and Myerdoth help me to our tent and Myerdoth lowers me onto the floor.

“Can you get a Mage or a healer?” Eilish asks him. He nods and disappears as she leans over me and helps me remove my armor. When she sees the gash in my stomach, she recoils and then swallows hard.

“How bad is it?” I ask.

She nods. “Pretty bad.” She looks at my face and holds the top of her hand against my forehead, in the age-old way of judging my temperature. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, Dragan.”

A few minutes later, Myerdoth returns with a member of the Mages Guild with him. The older woman immediately enters the tent and sidles up alongside me. She focuses her hands above the wound and uses her power to knit the injury closed.

“How long until I heal internally?” I ask between breaths. The pain is terrible.

“Your body is exhausted,” the old woman answers, her long gray hair falling in front of her face as she lifts her head from her handiwork to look at me. “I would suggest a week or so until you are fully healed, maybe less if you have regular healing treatments.” The mage hands Eilish a small black pouch. “Make sure he drinks at least one cup of this each morning, or else he will prolong the healing process.”

As the mage leaves the tent, Kolvar steps inside. “King Galmer wishes to see you both.”

“Dragan’s in no shape,” Eilish starts but I wave her concern away.

“I’m fine. Just… help me up.”

Kolvar comes to my side and assists me in standing. I’m unbalanced on my feet and I have to lean against him. He looks at me with concern in his eyes.

“I could tell the king,” he starts.

“You’ll fucking tell him nothing,” I interrupt as I glare at Kolvar, followed by Myerdoth, followed by Eilish. “And will the three of you stop fucking babying me?”

Eilish smirks as she looks at Myerdoth and Kolvar, who just shakes his head.

The entrance to the stronghold opens to see us inside. The market is filled with people draped in black cloth as they cry for the lives lost in the liberation.

An enchantment causes petals of white lilies to fall from the sky like snow. A choir of female elves sings a low lament in honor of the dead, their voices rising in a beautiful, somber melody.