Page 1 of Magick and Lead (Dragons and Aces #2)

Let every tear we have be shed.

Let not a single cheek be dry.

Rub soot and ash upon your head

For lo, our mighty queen has died.

When traitor spawn burst from the earth

Upon her dragon, the queen, she rose

Great Irska Essaphine at her side

To battle necromancer foes.

From beyond the sea and from the void

Monster and machine like embers flew

Mother and daughter met their rage

With fire, claw, and blade most true.

But the foreign scribe sent to befriend

Removed his mask and showed his face

A foul and most deceitful fiend

No friend of ours; he was an ace.

With smoking steed and roaring gun

And help from traitorous Brothers Gray

He shot Queen Mother from the sky

Then like a coward, flew away.

Though scattered, we remember

Though beaten, we redeem

Know the princess shall not rest

Til she’s avenged her Mother Queen.

CHAOS IN MAETHALIA; WAR CABINET PUSHES FOR QUICK VICTORY

By Kitty Rowley

IRONBERG – President Ramos convened a special meeting of the War Cabinet on Thursday to discuss how best to take advantage of the continued chaos in Maethalia and win the war that has dragged on with that nation for nearly a century.

Reports continue to come in regarding the fall of Maethalia’s capital city, Issastar, two months ago.

What began with a courageous aerial assault from the URA air force ended with the famed ace, the Silver Wraith, shooting down Maethalia’s Queen Synaeda and her dragon.

During the battle, Maethalia’s two main factions, the Skrathan dragon riders and the Lacunae Knights of the Gray Brotherhood, turned on one another.

In the aftermath, the nation seems to have devolved into infighting among those loyal to the crown and those vowing allegiance to a religious leader known as Prelate Kortoi and the Maethalian nobility.

Order has broken down, and wild stories reportedly circulate among the terrified populace, with some even claiming that monsters with fiery eyes are ravaging the countryside.

President Ramos and his War Cabinet see this chaos as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to seize victory in a war that has been stalemated for as long as most can remember.

President Ramos said in a statement: “While a full-scale invasion of Maethalia is impractical for a variety of reasons, including the distance between our nations and our limited understanding of conditions on the ground there, we see this as our chance to finally win complete control of the Isle of Dorhane and to severely degrade the enemy’s forces.

At the same time, we have increased our diplomatic contact with powerbrokers inside Maethalia in hopes that with new leadership in place, we can finally progress toward peace. ”

Citizens of Admar have long expressed hope that the war would end, but the President’s statement was met with skepticism in the halls of Congress.

Senator Lucy Wilson noted in a statement: “While aspirations of peace are commendable, the fact is, we’ve lost 362 soldiers and twelve pilots at the Front last week alone, and fighting on Dorhane has only intensified.

Rumors fly. Politicians talk. Yet the war goes on… ”