Thralls of a Dread Lord (1.86T)
Welcome to my weekly serial. This is a rough draft that I am working on, for your reading pleasure. It is a fairly grim tale, so be warned.
Here is the first post from this series.
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Uyagi’s eyes found Retaak with the swiftness of a bird of prey on the hunt. If she felt any guilt about leaving him in the forest and stealing away with Albyursia, she did not show it. For Retaak’s part, he did not feel anger at her. When a spawn was under Kaasukak, their life hung in the balance. To ask Uyagi to rebel with him would have been her death. Perhaps it was better this way. His orcish friend frowned as she saw him, and Retaak unexpectedly felt his heart sink.
He stepped forward, but Uyagi pulled up her hood and brushed past. The look in her eyes and her silence spoke volumes. Retaak watched her go, words frozen in his mouth. He had thought of so many reproaches on his way to this moment, but none of them was adequate to Uyagi’s glance. He starred at her back as she vanished into the throngs.
“Are you so willing to throw your life away for a stranger?” Ushochhushi’s voice came from behind him.
“I have come to challenge you for Albyursia, Seneschal,” growled Retaak, turning to to stare at Ushochhushi, whose lean form was encased in a suit of imposing plate armour. “I invoke the sacred rites–“
“Albyursia is my tribute,” answered Ushochhushi, his lips curving slightly. “If you want her, then you will have to fight the Dread Lord for her, Wildborn.”
Retaak shook his head. He’d felt so confident after killing Waachear. Now this. “What is you game, Seneschal?”
Ushochhushi’s guards bristled, weapons pointed at Retaak now, but the Seneschal merely laughed.
“Power, Retaak, my game is power and I play it very well,” said Ushochhushi. “The question you should be asking is what are you playing at? Do you even know what the Elf is?”
“I know that she deserves freedom!”
“Not even her own kind would agree, as you have seen.”
Retaak longed to draw his weapons and spring at Ushochhushi, but the Seneschal was too well prepared. No rite of challenge could take a tribute meant for the Draed Lord either. Albyursia was close but she might as well be shut back in Greylock again for all he could do to help her.
“Think of killing Waachear as a consolation prize, Retaak,” said Ushochhushi. “I can forgive that, since you have served me well in this…”
It was a generous offer, especially since the Seneschal could simply have him killed, right here. And yet it angered Retaak.
Before he could respond though, drums began to sound from the base of the Dread Lord’s tower. The call to to tribute had begun. The Dread Lord Himself was coming. Retaak could feel it. They could all feel it.
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