NO ACT FROM THE TIME OF LEGENDS IS SO PROFOUND, SO DESPICABLE, AS THE FALL OF MALEKITH. HIS IS A STORY OF GREAT BATTLES, FELL MAGIC AND A WORLD CONQUERED BY SWORD AND SPELL.

THERE WAS ONCE A TIME WHEN ALL WAS ORDER, NOW SO DISTANT THAT NO MORTAL CREATURE CAN REMEMBER IT. SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL THE ELVES HAVE DWELT UPON THE ISLE OF ULTHUAN. HERE THEY LEARNT THE SECRETS OF MAGIC FROM THEIR CREATORS, THE MYSTERIOUS OLD ONES. UNDER THE RULE OF THE EVERQUEEN THEY DWELT UPON THEIR IDYLLIC ISLAND UNBLEMISHED BY WOE.

WHEN THE COMING OF CHAOS DESTROYED THE CIVILISATION OF THE OLD ONES, THE ELVES WERE LEFT WITHOUT DEFENCE. DAEMONS OF THE CHAOS GODS RAVAGED ULTHUAN AND TERRORISED THE ELVES. FROM THE DARKNESS OF THIS TORMENT ROSE AENARION, THE DEFENDER, THE FIRST OF THE PHOENIX KINGS.

AENARION’S LIFE WAS ONE OF WAR AND STRIFE, YET THROUGH THE SACRIFICE OF AENARION AND HIS ALLIES, THE DAEMONS WERE DEFEATED AND THE ELVES WERE SAVED. IN HIS WAKE THE ELVES PROSPERED FOR AN AGE, BUT ALL THEIR GRAND ENDEAVOURS WERE TO BE FOR NAUGHT. ALL THAT THE ELVES STRIVED FOR WOULD BE LAID TO RUIN BY ANOTHER OF AENARION’S LEGACIES - HIS SON, PRINCE MALEKITH.

WHERE ONCE THERE WAS HARMONY, THERE CAME DISCORD. WHERE ONCE PEACE HAD PREVAILED, NOW CAME BITTER WAR.

HEED NOW THIS TALE OF THE SUNDERING.

PART ONE

The Dragontamer’s Legacy; Ancient Rivalries: Strife in Nagarythe; Imrik’s Self-Exile

ONE

PRIDE OF CALEDOR

During the darkest years of Ulthuan, the two greatest elves to have lived were at the forefront of the war against the daemons of Chaos. The first Phoenix King, Aenarion the Defender, was aided by Caledor Dragon-tamer, and the two lords of Ulthuan held the daemon hordes at bay for more than a century.

Caledor it was that saw the attacks of the daemons would never cease while the wild winds of magic blew across the world. The Dragontamer studied long and hard the mystical secrets of Chaos, gaining an insight into the immaterial realm beyond any other mortal. Seeing that the magic flowing into the world from the Realm of Chaos in the north sustained the daemons, Caledor set about preparing a mighty spell that would create a vortex of energy on Ulthuan to siphon away the winds of magic. Many were the arguments he had with Aenarion over this course of action; Aenarion feared rightly that the weapons and armour of the elven lords were forged by the same magic that sustained the daemons and without it the isle he ruled would be defenceless.

The two never came to agreement on the matter, and when Aenarion’s wife, the Everqueen, was slain, he ignored Caledor’s counsel and sought out the Sword of Khaine to strike down the daemon hosts. The Phoenix King became a dark, vengeful warrior, and founded the kingdom of Nagarythe in the north of Ulthuan, and ruled from the citadel of Anlec. The Dragontamer quit his alliance with Aenarion and his own kingdom, named after Caledor, turned its efforts to the creation of the magical vortex.

Though once friends, the two great elves never again wholly trusted each other, but at the moment of greatest peril, Caledor and Aenarion both played their part in the defeat of the daemons. Caledor began his ultimate spell upon an isle in the waters of Ulthuan’s Inner Sea. Seeing what the Dragontamer intended, the daemons threw their armies at Caledor and his mages. Aenarion came to Caledor’s aid and held back the legions of Chaos to give the mages time to complete their incantations.

Both were to sacrifice themselves. Though victorious, Aenarion and his dragon, Indraugnir, were grievously wounded in the battle. True to the oaths he had made, Aenarion flew north to the Blighted Isle to return the Sword of Khaine to its black altar; neither king nor dragon were seen again. Caledor and his followers became trapped within the eye of the vortex, frozen in time by the spell, doomed to an endless existence as conduits for the magical energy.

Thus the lands of Caledor and Aenarion were left without their rulers; Caledor in the mountains of the south, Nagarythe in the bleak north. The distrust that existed between the two kingdoms did not end with the deaths of their founders, but grew greater. The successors of the elven lords would not surrender power to each other and each claimed credit for the victory over the daemons.

When Aenarion’s son, Malekith, desired to inherit his father’s position as Phoenix King, the princes of Caledor resisted. They reminded the elves of the other realms that Malekith had been raised in a place of darkness and despair, and that the Dragontamer had prophesied that the descendants of Aenarion would be forever tainted by the curse of Bloody-Handed Khaine.

The First Council of princes chose Bel Shanaar of Tiranoc to be Phoenix King, thus ensuring neither Caledor nor Nagarythe would hold the greatest power in Ulthuan. Malekith accepted this decision with dignity and the Caledorians likewise endorsed the choice of Bel Shanaar.

Under the reign of this new Phoenix King the elves rebuilt their cities and explored the world. Colonies were founded across the oceans, and the influence of the elven kingdoms spread far and wide. Always wary of each other’s status and power, Nagarythe and Caledor continued their rivalry for centuries and though peace existed between the two kingdoms, their distrust of each other deepened, the princes of each accusing the other of being jealous, arrogant and self-serving.

So it was with some annoyance, and a little trepidation, that Prince Imrik of Caledor heard the news that Naggarothi banners had been seen approaching his camp. The general of Caledor’s armies in Elthin Arvan, the lands east of the Great Ocean, Imrik was grandson to the Dragontamer, younger brother of the kingdom’s ruling prince, Caledrian.

The arrival of the Naggarothi was untimely. Imrik and his warriors had spent twelve days pursuing a horde of savage orcs and goblins through the wild lands in the south of Elthin Arvan, and that day would bring their foes to battle.

‘The Naggarothi seek to steal our glory,’ Imrik said to his companions, his youngest brother Dorien and cousin Thyrinor.

The three sat in Imrik’s pavilion, already in their armour of golden plates and silver scale. The herald who had brought the news of the Naggarothi arrival waited nervously for his general’s command.

‘They believe they can take a victory here and claim these lands for themselves,’ said Dorien. ‘Send them away with a warning that they trespass on Caledorian soil.’

Thyrinor shifted uncomfortably in his seat and raised a hand to Dorien to ask for his peace.

‘It would not be wise to provoke them,’ said Thyrinor. He turned to the messenger. ‘How many do you say they are?’

‘Twelve thousand, my prince,’ replied the herald. ‘Of which four thousand are knights. We counted them as they forded the Laithenn River.’

‘They’ll be here well before noon,’ said Imrik. ‘They marched all night.’

‘We should ready our army and attack the orcs before the Naggarothi get here,’ said Dorien, standing up. ‘They cannot claim credit for a battle that was finished before they arrived.’

‘Not yet,’ said Imrik. ‘I will not be forced into hasty battle.’

‘So what would you have us do?’ said Dorien. ‘Share the glory with those cold-blooded killers?’

‘We’ll prove ourselves greater,’ said Imrik. He signalled for the herald to approach. ‘Ride out to the Naggarothi and tell their prince to come to me.’

The messenger bowed and departed swiftly, leaving the three lords of Caledor in silence. Imrik waited patiently, arms crossed, while Dorien paced to and fro. Thyrinor moved to a table and poured himself wine mixed with water, which he sipped with an agitated expression. After some time, he turned on Dorien with a frown.

‘Sit down, cousin, please,’ Thyrinor said sharply. He swallowed a mouthful of wine. ‘You prowl like a Chracian lion in a pen.’

‘I don’t like it,’ said Dorien. ‘How did the Naggarothi learn of our pursuit, and how did they catch us so swiftly? And if my pacing vexes you so much, feel free to step outside, cousin. Or would that be too far away from the wine ewers for you?’

‘Stop bickering.’ Imrik’s quiet instruction stilled the pair. ‘Dorien, sit down. Thyrinor, drink no more. Our army readies for battle while you squabble like children. Wait.’

Dorien acquiesced and sat down, sweeping his long scarlet cloak over one arm of his chair. Thyrinor emptied his goblet and placed it on the table before returning to his seat.

‘How can you be so calm, cousin?’ said Thyrinor. ‘Do you expect the Naggarothi to be our allies?’

‘No,’ said Imrik, unmoving.

‘You give them opportunity to snub us,’ Thyrinor said. He threw up his hands. ‘Why attempt an embassy you know will not succeed, cousin?’

‘Because they would not,’ said Imrik. ‘We behave with dignity.’

‘As if the Naggarothi care about our dignity,’ Dorien said with a snort of derision. ‘They will see it as weakness.’

‘Do you see it as weakness, brother?’ asked Imrik. His eyes fixed Dorien with an intent stare.

‘No,’ Dorien replied, a little hesitant. ‘I know we are not weak.’

‘That is all that matters,’ said Imrik. ‘I care not for the opinions of the Naggarothi.’

Again the elves fell quiet. Outside, the clamour and bustle of the mustering army could be heard. Captains called out for their companies to assemble and piercing clarions signalled the call to battle.

Imrik passed the time in contemplation of the battle to come. The Naggarothi were an unwelcome distraction. He had not become Caledor’s most lauded general by allowing himself to be distracted. The prince knew his companions thought him brusque, cold-hearted even; he considered them boisterous and hot-headed. The prince was content with his life. The chance to prove himself in battle, to show his worth as an heir of the Dragontamer, was enough. Even the small exchanges with his brother and cousin left him agitated, and glad to be far from the court of Caledrian. Here in the colonies an elf could make a name for himself with honest endeavour, away from the personalities and politics of Ulthuan.

It had been such constant wrangling that had driven him to Elthin Arvan. Though descended from the line of Caledor, Imrik had little aptitude or desire for magical ability and so had dedicated himself to mastery of the sword and the lance, and the command of armies. He shared his people’s distrust of the Naggarothi, but also held them in some grudging respect; their accomplishments in war were unmatched by any other kingdom, including his own.

In particular, he admired their ruler, Prince Malekith. Imrik would never say as much to another elf, but the achievements of Malekith were an example to be followed. Such admiration was shadowed by irritation too; had Imrik not shared his lifetime with Malekith he would have been renowned as the greatest general of Ulthuan. As it was, he was famed in Caledor and amongst a few of the colonial cities that knew of his exploits, but his victories and conquests were otherwise drowned out by the accolades heaped upon the prince of Nagarythe.

Imrik curled his lip in a silent snarl, annoyed that despite his efforts, he had allowed the Naggarothi to interrupt his pre-battle preparations. Dorien and Thyrinor looked at their commander, alerted to his annoyance.

‘Call the army to order,’ Imrik said, standing up.

He lifted his sword from where it leaned against the side of his chair, and buckled its golden sheath to his belt; his ornate helm he tucked under his arm. The hem of his cloak brushing the intricately embroidered rugs on the floor, Imrik led the other two elves from the tent.

The air was damp and the sky overcast, a thin mist obscuring the heathlands on which the elves had made camp. The pennants atop the pavilions hung limply in the still air, wet from rainfall in the night. The small town of gaily coloured tents was alive with activity as retainers bustled to attend to the needs of the captains and knights. Spear companies marched briskly to the mustering south-east of the encampment, their silver armour and dark green shields dappled with water droplets.

Imrik turned to the west and strode along a temporary causeway laid across the grass and heather. Gilded harnesses studded with rubies and emeralds jingled as a squadron of knights rode across the pathway ahead, dipping their lances in salute as they passed in front of their general, white steeds stepping briskly. Imrik raised his hand in acknowledgement.

Passing between an open-sided armoury and a store tent, the three princes reached the dragon field. Three of the mighty beasts lazed on the stretch of rocky grassland, expelling clouds of vapour from their nostrils. Two were the colour of embers, with deep red scales and orange underbellies; the third had an upper body of dark blue like twilight, its legs and lower parts the colour of slate. All three raised massive heads on their long necks at Imrik’s call.

‘Time for battle!’ shouted the general.

The dragons heaved themselves up with growls and snorts, yellow eyes blinking slowly. The largest, one of the red-scaled pair, stretched out its wings and yawned wide, fumes smoking from its gullet.

‘So soon?’ the monster said, its voice a deep rumble.

‘Are you tired, Maedrethnir?’ said Thyrinor. ‘Perhaps you wish you were slumbering beneath the mountains of Caledor with your kin?’

‘Impudent elf,’ said the dragon. ‘Some of us must remain awake to keep you out of trouble.’

‘Perhaps you would prefer to walk?’ suggested Thyrinor’s mount, the blue dragon called Anaegnir. She flapped her wings twice, buffeting the elves.

Young elves in the livery of Imrik’s household emerged from the camp, bearing the ornate saddle-thrones and weapons of the dragon princes. When the harnesses were fitted – an involved operation that required much cooperation from the dragons – the three princes pulled themselves up by ropes to the backs of their mounts. They buckled belts across their waists, leaving their armoured legs to hang free across the necks of the beasts. Each was handed a lance by his retainer; weapons forged of silvery ithilmar, three times as long as an elf is tall, garlanded with green and red pennants. The princes took up high shields and hung them from their saddles.

When the retainers had retreated a safe distance, Imrik leaned forwards along Maedrethnir’s neck and rubbed a hand along his scales.

‘South-east, to the army,’ said the general.

Maedrethnir launched into the air, the grass flattened beneath the thunderous flapping of his wings. The other two dragons followed swiftly, and all three princes circled higher and higher above the camp.

The altitude granted Imrik an impressive view of his army assembling. Two thousand knights drew up in squadrons a hundred strong, their banners and pennants rippling as they trotted across the wild heath. To their left, the spear companies formed; blocks of five hundred warriors, nine in all, ranked ten deep behind their standards. Twenty wagons formed a column behind the spearmen, each drawn by four horses and bearing two bolt throwers and their crews. Archers, some three thousand more elves, waited in companies beside the spearmen.

In green and red and silver, the elven host stretched across the dark moorlands. Turning his gaze to the south-east, Imrik could make out the distant curve of a river, rushing down from the high mountains jutting above the horizon. From above it was easy to see the route taken by the orcs; a swathe of trampled grass and bushes that meandered towards the river. The smoke of hundreds of fires obscured the wide waters much farther to the south where the greenskins had made their camp.

As Maedrethnir tilted a wing and dipped towards the army, Imrik heard a distant shout. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Dorien waving his lance to attract attention. When he saw that Imrik was watching, he pointed the lance tip to the west. Imrik told Maedrethnir to turn to the right so he could see what had attracted Dorien’s attention.

A column of black and purple wound alongside a narrow stream: the Naggarothi. Their armour glittered with gold, their knights in the vanguard setting a swift pace while the infantry followed as quickly as possible. Imrik spied something else, a shape above the army of Nagarythe.

‘What is that flying above the Naggarothi?’ he asked.

Maedrethnir turned his head to look, gliding effortlessly in a slow arc towards the other elven host.

‘A griffon and rider,’ said the dragon, with some distaste. ‘Shall we teach them not to intrude upon our skies?’

‘Take me to them,’ said Imrik.

Beating his wings, Maedrethnir soared higher and turned towards the Naggarothi. Looking back, Imrik saw Dorien and Thyrinor following. With his lance, the general signalled for the other two princes to join the army. Thyrinor took the instruction immediately and turned away; Dorien did so only reluctantly.

As they flew towards the Naggarothi, Maedrethnir dipped his long head towards the ground.

‘A rider,’ he said.

Imrik looked and saw a lone elf on a white steed, galloping back towards the Caledorian camp.

‘Take us down to him,’ said Imrik. ‘Let’s hear the Naggarothi reply.’

The rider reined in his steed as the dragon and prince descended steeply. The horse stamped skittishly as Maedrethnir landed a short distance away, the messenger’s steed letting out a whinny of unease. The herald patted the beast on the shoulder and urged his mount closer, so that he could be heard without shouting.

‘General, the Naggarothi prince declined your invitation,’ said the messenger.

‘Does this prince have a name?’ Imrik asked.

‘He is Maldiar, my prince,’ replied the herald. ‘A lord of Athel Toralien.’

‘Never heard of him,’ said Imrik. ‘Must be one of the upstarts Malekith made prince before he disappeared into the northern wastelands.’

‘Indeed, my prince,’ said the other elf. ‘He bade me to tell you that the Naggarothi do not accept demands from Caledorians. I am sorry, my prince, but Maldiar also instructed me to tell you to abandon your attack on the orcs and claims he alone has right of conquest in these lands.’

‘We shall see,’ said Imrik. ‘Return to the army and tell my captains to be ready to advance.’

‘As you command, my prince.’ The herald turned his horse away; it leapt gratefully into a gallop to race away from Imrik and his monstrous steed.

‘Let us meet Maldiar,’ Imrik told Maedrethnir.

A rumble shook the dragon’s chest, which might have been a laugh, and he powered into the sky. Dragon and rider headed towards the Naggarothi, skimming over the heath just above the height of the few scattered trees that broke the rough hillscape.

The griffon rider – Maldiar, Imrik assumed – had noted the approach of the Caledorian prince and directed his own winged mount head-on towards Imrik. As the other prince came closer, Imrik could make out more of Maldiar and his beast. The prince wore silver and gold armour inlaid with rubies; the eagle-like head of his griffon was feathered with blue, black and red, and its hindquarters were striped white and black, its claws the colour of blood.

The griffon let out a high-pitched shriek as the two princes closed in each other. Maedrethnir shook with a deep growl in reply, smoke leaking from his nostrils.

‘Force them down,’ said Imrik.

Maedrethnir surged higher, climbing above the griffon, and then stooped with wings furled, heading straight for the Naggarothi prince. Neck straight, jaw open, the dragon looked like he would crash into the griffon and rider. At the last moment, he opened his wings and stopped in mid-air, sending a rush of wind over Maldiar. The griffon swayed and dipped in the draught, tumbling a short distance before righting itself. Maldiar’s shouted curses drifted up to Imrik but the Caledorian ignored them and pointed to the ground.

With Maedrethnir hovering just above and behind, Maldiar descended, guiding his griffon to land upon an outcrop of rock rising up through the sea of gorse and grass. Imrik and his dragon spiralled around them three times before landing within lance-reach. The griffon was a large beast, three times the size of a horse, but it was dwarfed by Maedrethnir, who loomed over creature and rider with wings outspread, blocking the morning sun.

‘How dare you!’ rasped Maldiar. ‘This is an insult! By what right do you interfere with my rightful progress?’

‘I am Imrik of Caledor. You have no rights here. These will be my lands.’

‘Imrik? I have heard of you. I have heard of your jealousy of Prince Malekith, and this is a brazen attempt to steal lands that are his by rightful conquest.’

‘Those orcs say otherwise,’ said Imrik. ‘Turn your army back. You are not welcome here.’

‘I do not waste my time with Caledorian thieves,’ said Maldiar. ‘By Khaine’s bloodied fist, I should strike you down for this.’

‘Please try,’ said Imrik. Maedrethnir reared up onto his back legs and let out a deafening bellow. The purple-feathered crest on Maldiar’s helm flapped madly and the griffon darted closer, hissing and cawing. Maldiar wrestled with the reins of his mount and pulled it back.

‘Your threats are empty, Imrik,’ said Maldiar. ‘I shall clear these lands of the orcs and claim this region for Nagarythe. Your Phoenix King would think badly of Caledor if you were to dispute such a victory in his court.’

Imrik offered no comment and watched impassively as Maldiar struggled with the griffon’s reins for a moment and then directed it into the air. The Naggarothi prince sped back to his army.

Imrik sighed. Maldiar was right, he was not about to attack another army of elves. The only solution would be to destroy the orcs before the Naggarothi could get involved. As Maedrethnir headed cloudwards again, the prince saw that the matter would not be easily settled. The knights of Athel Toralien were some way ahead of the rest of the Naggarothi army, and bearing down fast on the orc camp.

As swiftly as he could fly, Maedrethnir headed back to the Caledorian army. Already the columns were marching out, no doubt ordered forth by Dorien in anticipation of Imrik’s return. The knights split into two wings either side of the infantry, holding the line unlike the reckless advance of the Naggarothi. In three columns the archers and spearmen marched south, two heading directly for the orc and goblin camp, the third angling eastwards, cutting off the greenskins’ retreat from the river. With the Naggarothi coming up fast, there would be nowhere for the orcs to run.

Imrik soared over the army, the shadow of Maedrethnir passing over the lines of warriors. The morning mist had melted away in the strengthening sun and the clouds above had thinned, leaving patches of bright sunlight on the heathland. Dorien and Thyrinor steered their dragons towards Imrik and took up station on either side of their general, all three dragons easily keeping pace with the marching columns with steady beats of their wings.

‘I said they would not listen,’ called Dorien. ‘We have wasted time treating with the Naggarothi.’

Imrik said nothing in reply. For all the speed of their advance, the knights of Athel Toralien were now dangerously separated from the support of the Naggarothi infantry and war machines. Maldiar had caught up with the swift vanguard and swooped to and fro above the cavalry.

The Caledorian general turned his attention to the real enemy. Bands of wolf-riding goblins criss-crossed the moorlands as pickets. The dragons were easy to notice and the distant sound of brash horns sounded the warning of attack. Through the smog of the fires, Imrik could better see the orc encampment; it was larger than he had anticipated, stretching for some distance along the river bank. He could see the waters fouled downstream of the greenskins, a slick of filth washing away to the south.

The orcs needed no tents for shelter, though there were a few crude stockades holding packs of giant wolves and droves of large boars. Imrik could see orcs and goblins clambering into these enclosures with whips and goads.

Something larger caught his eye. Close to the centre of the camp burned the largest fire, surrounded by ragged banners and crude totems. To one side a scaled, winged beast strained at chains run through rings hammered into its flesh, binding it to the ground. It was almost as large as a dragon, though it had no forelegs, its scales deep green in colour, its head surrounded by horns and a yellow crest.

‘Wyvern,’ growled Maedrethnir, also seeing the monster. The dragon quivered with anger. ‘Twisted spawn of the mountains. We shall slay it.’

‘And its master,’ added Imrik as a huge orc emerged from the throng of greenskins and approached the wyvern.

The orcs were mustering quickly, gathering in tribal groups around barbaric standards of skulls and bones topped with ugly, fanged faces fashioned from wood. The smaller goblins seemed more reluctant to leave the camp, and clustered together in several crowds behind their larger cousins.

A shrieking cry split the air and the wyvern climbed awkwardly into the air, the orc warlord upon its back. The sound of cheering and roars of approval drifted across the moorlands, joined by a vigorous banging of drums and discordant horns.

Imrik directed Maedrethnir downwards, the pair swooping across the Caledorian army less than a bowshot above. The general signalled to his captains to make ready the battle-line and then soared high again, watching the enemy. Beneath him the two columns of infantry spread out, alternating archer and spear companies, while the bolt throwers were unloaded from their wagons and assembled at the flanks of the long rows of elven warriors. One wing of cavalry rode on to reach the river; the other held back in reserve, ready to press home a breakthrough or counter any reverse inflicted by the orcs.

To the west, on Imrik’s right, the Naggarothi cavalry had divided into squadrons, each several hundred strong and riding in an arrowhead formation, their fluttering banners at the apex of each wedge. It looked as if they planned to charge into the heart of the greenskin camp; a reckless strategy. Imrik could see the orcs forming up to face the charge of the knights; masses of fanged, muscled warriors carrying wooden shields and all manner of cleavers, swords, axes and mauls.

For a moment, Imrik had lost sight of the wyvern. He found it again, on the ground at the heart of the gathering orc and goblin horde. The warlord was gesturing madly, trying to convey some rough battle-plan to its subordinates. The wolf-riding packs of goblins were coming together, riding between the Naggarothi knights and the infantry following some distance behind. The goblins harried the elven cavalry with short bows, sending ragged volleys from the backs of their wolves. The shooting had little effect against the heavily armoured knights, but here and there an elven rider fell or a mount was killed, leaving a thin trail of dead and wounded in the wake of their rapid advance.

The orcs had also mustered their cavalry; two masses of boar riders had gathered at the far end of the strengthening orc line, further to the west. Bullied by the orcs, a swathe of goblins was driven east and north, towards the Caledorians. The plan was simple and immediately obvious to Imrik’s experienced eye. The goblins would keep the Caledorians busy while the tougher, stronger elements of the army would see off the Naggarothi attack.

The orc warlord’s plan could well work, Imrik decided. Maldiar’s desire to embarrass Imrik had outweighed his judgement. No matter the prowess of the Naggarothi knights, there were too many greenskins to sweep away with an unsupported charge.

The situation put Imrik in a dilemma. He could rapidly change his own plans and support the Naggarothi attack or he could hold to his position and allow the knights of Athel Toralien to be destroyed.

He raised his lance high, the signal for Dorien and Thyrinor to fly within earshot. They did so, just a little behind Imrik, the tips of the dragons’ wings almost touching.

‘Thyrinor, tell the army to make general advance,’ said Imrik. ‘Kill the goblins and attack the orc flank.’

‘The Naggarothi won’t thank you for rescuing them, brother,’ shouted Dorien. ‘If they want to dash their lives upon the rocks of pride, let them.’

‘Every elf slain by an orc hand is a stain upon the honour of all of Ulthuan,’ said Imrik. ‘I cannot allow it. Follow me!’

Ignoring his brother’s further protests, Imrik called to Maedrethnir to bank to the right and head for the Naggarothi. He did not check to see if Dorien came after him, knowing that despite his brother’s ill wishes towards the Naggarothi, he would obey the command of his general.

Dragon and prince climbed towards the clouds, the air growing colder the higher they flew. Imrik’s breath came as wisps of mist and his skin was chill by the time they had reached the Naggarothi. He looked eastwards and saw Thyrinor leading the Caledorian attack. Archers and bolt throwers reaped a heavy toll of the massed goblins as the spearmen closed from the front and the left wing of the cavalry swung along the river. Looking down, he saw that the third infantry column was not far behind the knights of Athel Toralien, a short way ahead of the Naggarothi army.

The boar riders could hold their enthusiasm no longer and they raced from the orc lines, spears lowered for the charge. The Naggarothi cavalry had been expecting such a move and the lead squadrons parted before the greenskin assault, leaving them to the following companies. Confused by the manoeuvre the orcs tried to rein in their madly running mounts and anarchy engulfed the riders while they tried to redirect their charge. They were too late, as hundred of lances were lowered and the gold-clad elven knights smashed into their flank.

From his vantage point high in the air, Imrik could appreciate the precision of the charge, three spearpoints of riders hitting the boar riders in echelon; the first charge split the front of the orcs from the rest and the next two hammered into the side of those at the back, cleaving into the dark mass like a golden shaft of light piercing shadow.

The riders that had avoided the boars galloped on, veering to the left to attack the point of the orc line where the orc mobs were fewest in number. Imrik saw what Maldiar intended; to break through between the orcs and goblins and then attack the line from the rear. The Caledorian revised his earlier judgement of Maldiar’s generalship. It was a bold tactic, but if it worked the greenskin army would be thrown into turmoil, confronted with marauding knights at their rear and several thousand infantry approaching from the front.

The problem was that once they were behind the orcs, the knights would be trapped against the river, as the orcs had been, and hindered by the boggy ground. They were too far ahead of their support and the greenskins would have time to turn and face them before the infantry arrived.

‘What is you plan, brother?’ called Dorien.

‘To kill orcs!’ Imrik shouted back, directing Maedrethnir into a steep dive.

Dorien followed, the two dragons racing to the ground at incredible speed, the wind whipping at the princes’ cloaks, threatening to tug the lance from Imrik’s grip as he levelled it for the attack. Behind him, the banner poles of the throne-saddle bent madly, pennants snapping.

Maldiar had his own idea for supporting the knightly charge. As his cavalry smashed into the greenskins, his griffon swept over the rear ranks, claws slashing, the Naggarothi prince’s sword a blaze of blue fire that sliced through the greenskins by the handful.

As the ground rushed closer, Maedrethnir let out a terrifying roar. Orcs scattered across the moorlands in all directions, forgetting the rampaging knights in their dread. Many were hacked down as they ran, others turned in desperation to fight the elven cavalry but were ill-prepared; the knights of Athel Toralien cut through their ranks as easily as a ship’s prow parting water, leaving a mangle of bodies as they continued their charge into the camp.

Dorien and Imrik hit the orcs simultaneously, their dragons bellowing dark fire from their maws, claws raking huge gaps into the orc mobs like ragged welts on green flesh. Imrik’s lance gleamed white from the runes etched into it, a trail of dancing motes left in the air as its tip slashed throats and punched through bodies without pause.

As Maedrethnir landed, crushing more orcs beneath his scaled body, Imrik reached back and unhooked his shield. The dragon swept a dozen orcs into the air with a sweep of his tail while more blackish-red flames engulfed twice that number.

Less than a spear’s throw away, Dorien and his mount inflicted similar damage, the orcs boiling around him flailing futilely at his dragon with axes and cleavers, their blows bouncing harmless from massive scales. Imrik could hear his brother’s clear voice, ringing out with a battle-poem of his homeland.

As Maedrethnir snapped his jaws around two orcs, biting them in half, Imrik looked around, wondering what had become of the warlord and his wyvern. He found the answer as a dark blur rushing at Dorien from above and behind the prince.

The general shouted a warning, but it was not needed. Dorien had been playing ignorant and as the wyvern dived in for the attack, the Caledorian prince’s dragon lunged from the ground, wings unfurling. The wyvern’s jaws and claws missed by less than the length of a sword, though the orc warlord slashed a black-headed axe across the dragon’s tail, sending blood and scales showering to the ground.

The two monstrous creatures raced upwards, spiralling and snarling, each seeking to gain height on the other. Dorien’s dragon was stronger than the wyvern, rising more swiftly with each beat of his wings. As the wyvern strained to keep pace, the dragon twisted with surprising agility, dipping a wing to plunge down, claws ripping at the wyvern’s neck.

Dorien’s lance plunged through the wyvern’s right wing as the orc warlord swung its axe at the dragon’s shoulder, the strangely burning blade slamming deep into flesh. Wyvern and dragon locked together, ripping and biting; Dorien stowed his lance and drew a longsword that glittered like moonlight. Prince and warlord rained blows upon each other as the beasts plummeted, the orc lashing its weapon wildly while Dorien’s sword was a shimmering gleam of movement.

Imrik was distracted from the duel by the clatter of arrows against scale and armour. He saw that the orcs around him had fled and in their place a knot of goblins loosed crooked-shafted arrows ineffectually from a bush-filled dell to his left.

‘Burn them,’ Imrik told his mount.

Maedrethnir swung his head and opened his cavernous mouth. The goblins let out shrill screams a moment before the hollow was awash with smoke and fire. Imrik turned his attention back to his brother in time to see Dorien’s dragon heave itself away from the wyvern moments before hitting the ground. With a damaged wing and blood streaming from scores of wounds, the wyvern could not right itself in time and plunged sideways into the moor, shedding scales in a flail of legs and tail. The warlord was tossed clear by the impact, landing head-first in a small stream some distance away.

While Dorien swapped his sword for his lance once more, his dragon circled around the fallen wyvern, bathing it with fire. The grounded beast hissed and roared, ungainly on its two legs, tail thrashing awkwardly in the flames.

‘Up,’ said Imrik. Maedrethnir bounded into the air and took the general above the battle.

All semblance of two coherent battle lines had been lost. The goblins had broken before the advance of the Caledorians, fleeing back towards their camp in their hundreds while Imrik’s knights bore down on them from the direction of the river. Several companies of archers had split from the main host and were pouring volleys of arrows into the orc camp, each shaft tipped by magical white flame.

Beyond the dying wyvern, Maldiar and his griffon were mauling the remnants of the boar riders; the hybrid monster tossed squealing hogs into the air with beak and claws while the Naggarothi prince chopped heads and limbs from the riders. The Naggarothi infantry had now reached the battle, driving the goblin wolf riders before them with spear and arrow. Along the river bank, the Naggarothi knights were reforming, ready to charge again into the fray.

Imrik caught sight of the orc warlord surging up from a thicket of reeds, axe still in hand.

‘Let Maldiar argue when I have the warlord’s head,’ Imrik told Maedrethnir. The dragon gave a deep-throated rumble of approval and turned towards the orc leader. Maldiar had spied the enemy as well and his griffon soared over the Naggarothi advance, speeding towards the warlord.

‘A fool races a dragon,’ said Maedrethnir, cutting across the moorlands with swift wing beats, the ground rushing past so close that the dragon’s wingtips brushed the stands of grass and bushes.

Yet the dragon’s dismissive remark was premature; the warlord broke into a run towards Maldiar, shouting madly and waving its axe. Imrik saw a gleam of magical fire as Maldiar raised his sword high and called his griffon into a steep dive.

The warlord slowed to a halt and stood with stocky legs apart, axe in both hands, fixed on the approaching Naggarothi prince. Imrik heard his dragon snarl and could feel the beast’s whole body shuddering with effort as Maedrethnir strained every sinew to close the distance before Maldiar struck.

Imrik could tell he would be too late. Maldiar was already leaning to one side in his saddle, sword held horizontal for the killing blow, the shadow of the griffon racing over the undulating ground, about to engulf the orc.

Both princes were utterly intent upon their prey. If Maldiar missed, Imrik’s lance would find the orc’s back before the Naggarothi could turn for a second attack. The Caledorian tightened his grip on the lance, glittering point spearing towards the warlord, even as Maldiar’s griffon plunged for the kill.

As a snarling blur of red, Dorien’s dragon slammed into Maldiar’s mount, sending both tumbling into the ground.

Startled, Imrik almost missed his mark, but swung the lance point back on target at the last moment. The ithilmar tip slid effortlessly through the orc’s armour, punching out of its chest as Maedrethnir swept past. The shock of the blow almost wrenched the weapon from Imrik’s grasp and lifted him against his saddle harness, the orc carried bodily through the air for some distance as Imrik’s dragon banked and rose towards the blue skies.

The warlord’s dangling body slid from the ithilmar shaft, ripping free the pennant so that it fluttered like a cape as the corpse cartwheeled down onto the rocks and grass. Maedrethnir bellowed in triumph, his roar shaking Imrik’s whole body.

Imrik was more concerned with what was going on on the ground below him. Maldiar and Dorien faced each other, swords in hand, their respective mounts looming behind each prince. The general trusted neither to stay their hand, and shouted to Maedrethnir to land close by. Imrik watch the two elves staring at each other and exchanging insults as his dragon circled tightly to reduce speed. Maedrethnir landed on all fours, beside Dorien’s dragon; Imrik had already stowed his lance and was pulling at the harness buckles before the dragon’s claws had touched the ground.

‘Put away your weapons!’ Imrik shouted as he swung from the saddle-throne and dropped lightly to the dirt.

‘He calls us thieves,’ protested Dorien, eyes locked on the Naggarothi.

‘I do not take commands from Caledorian cowards,’ said Maldiar, his gaze not moving from Dorien.

‘Cowards?’ snarled Dorien, taking a step. Maldiar raised his sword a little higher in response. ‘I will cut off your head for such an insult!’

‘You will not,’ snapped Imrik, stepping in front of his brother. He grabbed Dorien’s sword arm. ‘Sheathe your blade, brother.’

‘Listen to your master, yapping dog,’ said Maldiar. ‘Do not test your blade against mine.’

Imrik whirled on the Naggarothi, his hand at his sword hilt in an instant.

‘I might yet,’ said Imrik.

Maldiar hesitated, his sword tip wavering for a moment before he stood firm again, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched.

‘I thought not,’ said Imrik. ‘The battle is not yet won.’

‘I am all but victorious,’ said Maldiar. ‘The rabble have been scattered, it is only a matter of time before my warriors hunt them down.’

‘This is not your victory,’ said Dorien, pulling his arm from Imrik’s grip and pushing past. ‘Your knights would be dead, as would you, if we had not come to your aid.’

‘My aid?’ Maldiar’s face was a mask of sneering hatred. ‘Your interference almost lost me this battle.’

‘Go away,’ said Imrik, pulling back Dorien by the shoulder. ‘Destroy the rest of the enemy, brother.’

Dorien looked Imrik in the eye, cheeks twitching. Imrik met the look with a cold stare that his brother knew well. With a parting dismissive gesture, Dorien slid his sword into its scabbard and stalked back to his dragon.

Imrik returned his attention to Maldiar, who had lowered his blade but not sheathed it.

‘We shall split the spoils,’ said Imrik.

‘How so?’ replied the Naggarothi prince. He laughed sourly. ‘You are welcome to keep the bodies. I shall take the land.’

‘No,’ said Imrik. ‘You shall have the land west of the river, and Caledor the region to the east.’

‘Why would I agree to such a thing?’ Maldiar put away his sword and crossed his arms defiantly. ‘Why would I give half my new lands to you?’

‘Some is better than none,’ said Imrik. ‘If Malekith has complaint, let him bring it to me.’

‘You know well that our fair prince campaigns in the north,’ said Maldiar. ‘He has not set foot in the colonies for nearly fifty years.’

‘Do you lack the authority to agree such a bargain?’ asked Imrik. Maldiar stiffened, stung by the implication of the question.

‘I am a prince of Nagarythe; I speak with the full authority of Prince Malekith and Queen Morathi.’

‘Queen Morathi?’ Imrik frowned at the mention of Malekith’s mother, widow of Aenarion. ‘Morathi is queen no more.’

‘In Nagarythe she is,’ said Maldiar with a sly smile. ‘I agree to your terms. It matters not. When Malekith returns, we shall stake our full claim and will not be refused. Enjoy your prosperity while it lasts, Caledorian. Nagarythe grows tired of shedding blood for the benefit of others. You will not make such demands in the future.’

Maldiar spun away and strode back to his griffon. The beast lowered to the ground as the prince grabbed the gem-studded reins. Before he pulled himself up to the saddle, the Naggarothi looked back at Imrik.

‘You should be wiser in your words and actions, prince,’ Maldiar said. ‘Khaine has turned his red gaze upon you, Imrik of Caledor. You should hope that he is not displeased.’

Imrik was taken aback by this mention of the Bloody-Handed God. It was widely known that the Naggarothi were blatant in their worship of the Lord of Murder, and many of the other dark gods of the cytharai, but to hear Khaine’s name spoken so openly was a shock even for Imrik. He watched as Maldiar flew away, wondering what was meant by the threat.

‘Let us finish this,’ Imrik said to Maedrethnir, dismissing the Naggarothi from his thoughts. Such vague insults and threats were typical of his folk.

The march back to the colony of Caledor was a long one, but the Caledorian host was in high spirits following their victory over the orc horde. Imrik did not share the jubilation of his troops, unsettled by the words of Maldiar and the events he had witnessed following the battle. Many of the Naggarothi had gathered up the wounded orcs and, instead of slaying them out of hand as Imrik had ordered his warriors, they were taken back to the camp of the Naggarothi. Imrik did not know for sure what fate had awaited these prisoners, but having heard Maldiar speak of Khaine and seen variations of the Bloody-Handed God’s rune upon some of the Naggarothi banners and shields, he had his suspicions.

Word of the orcs’ defeat had reached ahead of the army and the walls of the Grey City, Tor Arlieth, and the streets within were lined with celebrating elves. The city was built in the mountain foothills, rising above the huge canopy of forest that stretched from the sea north-west of where the orcs had been slain. Seventeen pale grey towers rose up from the wooded slopes, roofed with blue slate and flying the flags of Caledor. A wall ten times the height of an elf girded the city, with another half as tall around that. Between the two walls were the camps and garrisons of the army, and it was here that the knights and militia paraded to the applause of their people. Garlands of flowers looped from roof to roof, and leaves had been strewn on the pavements. Harps and horns and pipes played from roof terraces and balconies, while below the citizens cheered their warriors’ return.

Having flown thrice over the city with his brother and cousin, so that the grateful people could raise up their voices in song and praise of their heroic princes, Imrik descended to the hill upon which the keep and palaces were fashioned from the rock of the mountain. The citadel was built as a representation of a huge dragon, its walls spreading like wings until they merged with the mountainside, the main tower rearing high above topped with a roof of gold. A hundred flags flew from the battlements, each belonging to a noble house of Caledor, and above them all, the banner of the city snapped in the mountain air. Trumpets sounded through the clear air to signal the arrival of the princes, and a guard of honour formed by the huge gates; the dark red wood of the portal carved with a relief of the mountains of Caledor, the shapes of dragons flying above.

The three dragon riders landed on an immaculate lawn that split the wide plaza that surrounded the citadel. Divested of their harnesses and saddle-thrones, the dragons bade their riders farewell and flew up to caves in the mountain overlooking the city. Accompanied by Dorien and Thyrinor, Imrik strode through the opening gates as the guard company lifted their spears in salute.

Imrik wanted to head to his chambers, but was waylaid in the long entrance hall by Hethlian, the chancellor of the city. Dressed in a long robe of jade green and golden yellow, the aging elf emerged from a crowd of servants and called Imrik’s name. The chancellor was dressed in full ceremonial regalia; a belt of gold and rubies hung about Hethlian’s waist, the symbol of his position, and he carried an ornamental sceptre in his left hand, topped with a sapphire the size of a fist, intricately shaped like the petals of a rose.

‘Your safe return heartens us all, princes,’ said Hethlian, performing a short bow to each of them. ‘It is with immense pleasure and pride that I offer my personal congratulations on your victory, as well as the gratitude of the city.’

Imrik thought of more than six hundred elves whose bodies had been carried back to the colony on biers, but said nothing. They would receive their honours in time, he was sure.

‘A three-day festival has been declared by the council of elders,’ continued Hethlian. ‘You will, of course, be our guests of honour.’

‘Will we?’ said Imrik, startling the chancellor.

‘My cousins and I would be honoured to accept your gracious invitation,’ said Thyrinor, stepping next to Imrik. ‘Yet we are weary from the march home and would appreciate a little time to recover before we discuss the arrangements.’

Imrik looked at Thyrinor, one eyebrow raised, and suppressed a sigh. His cousin’s face was impassive, save for his eyes, which held a slight look of pleading. Thyrinor glanced towards Hethlian and nodded with an encouraging smile.

‘Yes, we will attend,’ said Imrik. Hethlian smiled and bowed again. He opened his mouth to speak, about to launch into a fresh monologue, but Imrik cut him off. ‘Has there been news from Ulthuan?’

‘Um, yes, several caravans have arrived via Tor Alessi bearing missives and goods,’ said Hethlian, quickly regaining his composure. ‘Nothing of note, I would say. Trade goes well. The colonies west of Ulthuan continue to grow, though not as strongly as here in Elthin Arvan. Prince Laetan of Cothique became a father to a beautiful daughter in the spring. Bel Shanaar attended the marriage of...’ Hethlian’s voice trailed away in the face of Imrik’s unblinking stare. The chancellor rallied with a brief smile. ‘As I said, nothing of note.’

‘What of Nagarythe?’ said Imrik. ‘Or Malekith?’

‘No news of Malekith has reached us here,’ said Hethlian. ‘The borders of Nagarythe are still closed to trade and visitors as far as I am aware. We have, however, received several delegations from Athel Toralien. It seems they are more amenable to contact than their kin back in Ulthuan.’

‘There are Naggarothi in the city?’ said Dorien.

‘A few, yes,’ said the chancellor. ‘Simple traders, I assure you. You know they have far better connections to the dwarfs than we, and the demands of the city for dwarf goods have never been higher. They come and go infrequently. Is that a problem?’

‘There will be if I meet one of them,’ snapped Dorien. ‘Just keep them away from the citadel, we don’t want them prying and poking around here.’

Hethlian had no reply to this and the four elves stood in silence for a moment. Imrik glanced at Dorien with an impatient look.

‘I trust that our apartments are in order and food and wine available,’ said Thyrinor.

‘Yes, you will find everything to your satisfaction, princes,’ said Hethlian with a look of gratitude. ‘Your servants await you in your chambers. Let me keep you from their attendance no longer.’

The chancellor bowed again and swiftly retreated along the hallway, darting a glance over his shoulder at the princes before disappearing through a curtained archway. Imrik turned towards the corridor leading to the royal apartments, but was stopped after just two steps by a liveried servant.

‘What is it?’ Imrik snarled at the retainer.

‘The chancellor did not mention that a letter from your brother arrived this morning, prince,’ said the elf. ‘It was sealed with Prince Caledrian’s mark, so I left it with your household.’

‘Thank you,’ said Imrik. ‘Anything else?’

‘No, prince,’ said the servant, backing out of Imrik’s path.

Imrik marched along the corridor, boots ringing on the marble floors, Dorien and Thyrinor trailing behind.

‘You seem even more irritable than usual, cousin,’ said Thyrinor, hurrying to keep pace. ‘What is it that so perturbs you?’

‘The Naggarothi,’ replied Imrik.

‘Finally,’ said Dorien. ‘Have I not long warned you about Nagarythe? We should ban them from the city.’

‘It is not the city I am worried about,’ said Imrik, taking a turn to the right through a pointed archway, his footfalls muffled by a thick red carpet embroidered with white and yellow rose designs.

‘Is it this letter from Caledrian?’ said Thyrinor. ‘Do you have an inkling of what it contains?’

‘No,’ said Imrik, ‘but when I receive a personal letter from the ruler of Caledor, and not one marked by his court, I fear it bears bad tidings.’

They came upon the double doors to Imrik’s apartment. Two servants opened the pale wooden doors and bowed as Imrik paced inside without breaking stride

‘I am going to my rooms to get out of this armour,’ said Dorien, continuing along the portrait-lined passageway.

Imrik simply nodded, sparing his brother not a glance. The members of the prince’s household lined the walls of the foyer. As Imrik walked past his chatelaine, Elirithrin, she stepped forwards with a small silver tray, a white envelope on the platter.

‘You wish to see this?’ she said.

‘Thank you,’ said Imrik, plucking the letter from its place as he walked past. ‘Bring wine and a cold platter to my study.’

‘How did you know?’ said Thyrinor, stopping next to Elirithrin. ‘That he would want to see the letter, I mean.’

‘Experience,’ the chatelaine replied with an expression of surprise. ‘I have served the prince for two hundred and thirty-eight years. I know his priorities.’

‘Of course you do,’ said Thyrinor. He hurried after Imrik and entered the shelf-lined study just as his cousin was sitting down behind an ornate desk.

While the offices of other elven nobles housed libraries of prose and poetry, philosophical tracts and genealogical tomes, Imrik’s was empty by comparison. One set of shelves was brimming with rolled parchment maps of Ulthuan and Elthin Arvan, another with bound treatises on military matters. The remaining two sets of shelves were sparsely populated with a variety of strange ornaments; amongst them a gilded orc skull with diamonds for eyes, a selection of daggers of both elvish and dwarfish make, several ornate ceremonial helmets, and a silver dragon scale the size of a spread hand mounted on a plaque – supposedly from Aenarion’s mount Indraugnir.

Imrik stood again, unfastened his cloak and laid it carefully over the back of his chair before sitting down. From a drawer in the desk, he brought out a gilded letter opener in the shape of a miniature dragonspear, with a broad, leaf-shaped head. He inspected the seal, satisfied himself that it was intact and cut open the envelope with a single stroke.

He ignored Thyrinor hovering at the end of the desk as he read, quickly scanning his older brother’s flowing script. The letter was brief and to the point. Caledrian had heard increasing rumours of unrest within the borders of Nagarythe. He feared that the turmoil might spread to neighbouring Tiranoc, Ellyrion and Chrace but Bel Shanaar refused to act. He requested that Imrik return to Ulthuan, with Dorien and Thyrinor if they desired, to represent Caledor in the council of the Phoenix King.

Imrik handed the letter to Thyrinor without comment and leaned back in the chair, arms folded. He watched a frown deepen on his cousin’s brow as Thyrinor read.

‘Will you come?’ said Imrik when he saw that Thyrinor had finished.

‘What?’ said Thyrinor, who was reading parts of the letter again. ‘I don’t know. Is it wise that we all go back?’

‘I am summoned by Caledor’s prince and I must answer,’ said Imrik. He leaned towards Thyrinor, one hand on the top of the desk. ‘I would like your company.’

‘My company?’ said Thyrinor with a short laugh. ‘I thought you always preferred your own company, cousin, though I thank you for the invitation.’

‘I cannot go to Tor Anroc alone,’ Imrik admitted with a grimace. ‘Court life will madden me beyond belief.’

‘Why do you think Caledrian chooses you?’ Thyrinor said, moving to a low couch in front of the map store. ‘You’re not the most diplomatic person to send.’

‘Maybe that is why,’ Imrik said with a shrug. ‘I do not know why Caledrian does not attend himself. I will ask him.’

‘It will take some time to make preparations for the journey,’ said Thyrinor, placing the letter on the arm of the couch. ‘I’ll have the staff attend to it.’

‘What are you talking about?’ said Imrik. ‘Preparations?’

‘The journey from here to Tor Alessi; booking passage on a ship to Ulthuan; arranging transport from Lothern. That doesn’t happen by itself.’

‘None of that will be needed,’ said Imrik, smiling slightly.

‘It won’t?’ said Thyrinor. He looked closely at his cousin, eyes widening with realisation as he saw his happy expression. ‘You want to ride the dragons all of the way back to Caledor?’

‘It’s quickest,’ said Imrik. ‘No point wasting time.’

‘What about our belongings? The servants? Shall they dangle underneath?’

‘They can follow after,’ said Imrik. He tapped gauntleted fingers on the desktop. ‘Bel Shanaar is known for the luxury of his palace, you will have comforts.’

‘But riding all the way?’ Thyrinor opened his hands imploringly to Imrik. ‘Why?’

Imrik stood up and folded his cloak over his arm.

‘We’re dragon princes,’ he said, tapping a finger against his breastplate. ‘Why sail when you can fly?’

TWO

THE PRINCE RETURNS

Like the dragons that made the kingdom their home, Caledor was wreathed in smoke and fire. Sulphurous ash clouds obscured the dark peaks of the Caledorian mountains, lit from below by the ruddy glow of volcanoes. Mingled with the billowing fumes were glowering storm clouds that flickered with lightning, the rumble of thunder merging with the crack of eruptions. Streams of hot lava flowed down the slopes; where they met the lakes and rivers, great columns of steam rose into the air. Pocked and cracked, the volcanic rock vented its subterranean fury through hundreds of geysers and fumaroles, while in dormant calderas thick forests grew, lush from the fertile minerals spewed forth in ages past.

It was a place of stark contrasts and harsh beauty, and even Imrik’s hard heart stirred at the sight. He was tired from the long journey; twenty days of near-constant flight, the last eleven over the ocean made without break. His fatigue slipped away as he caught sight of Tor Caled, his home city. Nestled in the eastern flank of the mountains, the city was a massive edifice of walls and towers, shaped from the raw element of the volcanoes by the magic of Caledor Dragontamer and his followers. Towers like stalagmites, slender and graceful, rose up from steep hills on the coast; the city’s wall flowed down to the water’s edge in undulating curves, black stone glistening with veins of red. A moat of lava protected the other side of the city, crossed by a hundred arcing bridges of granite, each protected by two towers at each end. Huge monoliths banded with silver and gold speared from the river of fire, glowing with ember runes that kept the flames at bay.

Not in Imrik’s lifetime had any foe tested the capital of Caledor, but in the time of the Dragontamer it had been an unyielding bulwark against the daemons. In those terrible days the flames that had girdled the city had risen as high as the towers, and the bridges had been cast down. Many were the paintings and murals that decorated the palaces and houses of the nobility depicting the epic battles that had been waged over the mountains.

Outside the city were the dragon grounds; a wide expanse of scattered bushes and hard earth populated by underground chambers housing attendants from Tor Caled’s noble families. Divested of their harnesses here, the dragons bade farewell to the princes and flew away to their roosting caves deep within the mountains.

Within the wall, the city was no less fortified and imposing. Though centuries of peace had laid a gentler touch upon the battlements and turrets of the grand houses, with many murals and mosaics brightening the hard stone, Tor Caled’s founding in war was plain to see. The layout of the streets, unchanged for millennia, wound back and forth up the slope, looked down on by each level above so that defenders could pour arrows and magic into an attacking force. The cliffs that separated the level of the city above each row of buildings were protected by redoubts and embrasures, surrounded by nests of spear-like outthrusts to protect against attack from the air. At each turn, huge gatehouses could be closed to bar the road, twenty in all between the wall and the summit. Even now bolt throwers and sentries stood guard at these watchtowers.

The streets were busy as Imrik, Dorien and Thyrinor took horse and rode up the winding street. The lower parts of Tor Caled were given over to commerce, three turns of the road filled with traders’ stalls and the shop fronts of craftsmen. The next four levels were the residences of the normal folk of the city, though even these were magnificent villas with their own gardens; Caledor was not a populous realm and barely a tenth of its people dwelt within the city, the others living in fortified towns throughout the mountains and along the coast of the Inner Sea. Before the pinnacle of the city came the artificers’ quarter, where many wonderful and ornamental things were created, and dwarfish wares were on display.

Thyrinor made his excuses here, leaving his cousins to look for a homecoming present for his wife. Dorien and Imrik rode on, occasionally remarking on some shop or stall that had opened or closed in the five years they had been absent. Aside from the details, nothing had changed from the city Imrik remembered, and he was reassured by the sense of unchanging stability.

When they arrived at the palaces, a soaring spectacle of towers, turrets and balconies that delved into the slope of the mountain, they were informed that Caledrian was out of the city attending to business matters. Dorien and Imrik parted and went to be reunited with their families.

Word of Imrik’s arrival had preceded him, as he had expected, and his wife Anatheria greeted him at the grand entrance to the palaces. At her side, a young boy stood clutching her long dress, an unruly shock of blond hair obscuring his face. Imrik embraced his wife without comment, and crouched down in front of his son.

‘Standing up now,’ said the prince, clasping a hand to Tythanir’s shoulder. The boy shrank back, blue eyes wide and fearful. Imrik laughed.

‘What did I teach you, Tythanir?’ Anatheria said sternly.

The boy stepped to one side and stood with feet together, hands gripped tightly against his stomach. He looked at Imrik with studied solemnity.

‘Welcome home, father,’ said Tythanir, bobbing his head.

‘That’s good,’ said Anatheria, ruffling her son’s hair with slender fingers. She looked at Imrik. ‘And what do you say, husband?’

‘It is good to be home,’ said Imrik, pulling his son closer, arm around his shoulders. He planted a kiss on the boy’s forehead. ‘You grow up fast, son.’

Tythanir grinned and wrapped his arms around Imrik’s armoured leg, looking up at his father.

‘Did you ride a dragon?’ said the boy.

‘Yes, son, I did,’ Imrik replied. ‘One day, so will you.’

Though Imrik had not thought it possible, Tythanir’s grin grew even wider and his eyes looked up to the mountains.

‘I’ll be the most famous dragon prince ever!’ the boy declared. ‘And I’ll lead armies like you and everyone will know who I am.’

‘I have no doubt,’ said Imrik, with a glance to Anatheria. ‘You will become the pride of Caledor.’

Taking the boy’s hand, he walked into the palaces, his wife beside him. Tythanir broke from his grasp and ran ahead, chattering to himself as he pointed at the tapestries lining the hallway, each depicting the lords of Caledor on their dragons.

‘I will not be staying long,’ Imrik told his wife.

‘I know,’ she replied. ‘Caledrian spoke with me before he sent his letter. I think this will be good for us. Your brother is too dismissive of Bel Shanaar, and the other kingdoms find greater favour with the Phoenix King. Your brother’s ambassadors have been in Tor Anroc too long and are beguiled and rendered mute by its charms. Our status must be reasserted.’

‘I am more concerned with Nagarythe,’ said Imrik as the two of them followed Tythanir along the carpet running the length of the long hall. ‘Their isolation these last decades cannot bode well. Malekith’s absence has left Morathi free to aggrandise herself. The Naggarothi are not only arrogant, they are becoming dangerous. Their grip of the colonies is still strengthening.’

‘Then you must persuade Bel Shanaar and the other princes to weaken that grip,’ said Anatheria. ‘Make them see the danger.’

‘You and the boy will stay here,’ said Imrik.

‘Why?’ replied his wife, directing a scowl at him. ‘Tythanir has already spent more than half his life away from his father.’

‘I do not wish our son to be raised in Tor Anroc,’ said Imrik. ‘These are important years in his life, and he must learn the traditions of Caledor.’

Anatheria was not placated by this reasoning and quickened her pace to catch up with her son. Imrik ran a few steps and gently grabbed her arm. She snatched it from his grasp but stopped.

‘I know that you find your family burdensome, but you are a husband and a father and have responsibilities,’ she snapped, keeping her voice low, darting a look at Tythanir. He was engrossed with a suit of dragon armour, running his hands over the inlaid gems. ‘You have an heir, as you desired; now you must do your duty by him.’

‘I have returned,’ Imrik said, raising his voice in annoyance.

‘Not by your choice,’ said his wife, turning away. ‘Always you place duty to Caledor above your family.’

‘I will do right by you and my son,’ said Imrik, softening his tone. ‘That is why you must remain here. Tor Anroc is not an ocean away. I will see Tythanir often enough, both here and there.’

He did not know if his wife heard him. She took her son by the hand and walked away, leaving the prince in the hallway. Imrik shook his head, frustrated. Though Anatheria might never comprehend the demands on a prince of the Dragontamer’s line, Tythanir would understand as he grew older. To be a leader of elves was in his blood, a legacy of his great lineage.

Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, Imrik wondered if it was his armour or the weight of something else.

Eight days after arriving home, Imrik was told that his brother was returning to Tor Caled within the next two days and was to be met by the court of Caledor. Imrik passed word to the other princes and nobles, sending riders to those who lived outside the city. It was an occasion of some remark as the lords of Caledor assembled; not for centuries had they all been gathered at the capital.

The city was abuzz with rumour, and more than once Imrik rebuked members of his household for indulging in speculation. Tor Caled swarmed with the entourages of the arriving nobles, and gala feasts were held each night to celebrate every arrival. By the light of red lanterns the elves danced and sang in the plazas and streets, needing only small excuse for festivity.

On the morning before Caledrian was due to arrive, another important elf appeared in the city: Hotek, the high priest of Vaul. On hearing this news, Imrik travelled to the main gate to meet Hotek in person and conduct him to the palaces with due ceremony. Though often bored by state functions and the interminable mingling that they entailed, Imrik held dear the oldest customs of Caledor and formally welcomed Hotek.

His deference was not so much to the elf, but to his position, for it was the high priest of Vaul, Hotek’s predecessor, who had aided Caledor Dragontamer in the forging of many weapons and artefacts during the war against the daemons. Such help had not been without risk, and several times the shrine at the mount of Vaul’s Anvil had been assailed by the minions of Chaos. Though incurred in millennia past, Imrik stayed true to the debt his bloodline owed to the priests, and said as much on greeting Hotek.

‘I repay the homage, Imrik,’ said Hotek as the two stepped aboard a golden carriage with an awning of green and grey dragon scales. The priest cut a severe figure: his face thin even for an elf, his high cheekbones and brow sharp, his white hair swept back by a band of black leather studded with ruddy bronze. Most remarkable were his eyes, of pure white. Like those that he led in his order, Horek had ritually blinded himself, to share in the suffering of Vaul. He showed no sign of discomfort or disability for the loss, his other senses, including his innate mystical awareness, heightened to compensate for his lack of sight. All the same, Imrik was always slightly disconcerted when talking to a priest of Vaul and kept his gaze away from Hotek’s face.

‘In you and your family, the honour and strength of the Dragontamer remains strong,’ Hotek continued. ‘So few there are these days whose call the dragons heed. It is a testament to you that they count you as an ally when so many of their kind have taken the long slumber of aeons.’

As the four horses set off up the steep road, Hotek arranged his heavy blue robes more comfortably and leaned back in his seat. He knitted his fingers across his chest, each digit weighed down by a jewelled ring, and about his wrists and neck were many fine chains of silver, gold and other gleaming metals.

‘To what do I owe the pleasure of this invitation?’ the priest asked, head turned towards the prince as though he could see him. ‘Caledrian’s missive simply stated that he was bringing together the full court of Caledor, and that as high priest of Vaul I have by tradition a seat in that esteemed gathering.’

‘I do not know for sure,’ Imrik replied. ‘He called me back from Elthin Arvan to represent Caledor at Tor Anroc, but I have heard no more since my return. The continuing strange behaviour of the Naggarothi concerns him.’

‘The Naggarothi?’ Hotek attempted to appear casual, but Imrik noticed a sudden tension in the priest’s body and voice. ‘What concern of the Caledorians are the affairs of Nagarythe?’

‘Perhaps none,’ said Imrik. ‘Even at Vaul’s Anvil you must have heard that they have closed their borders. Don’t you think that strange?’

‘The shrines are beyond the politics and boundaries of individual kingdoms,’ Hotek replied, waving a hand airily, relaxed again. ‘If the Naggarothi want to keep to themselves, I welcome it. The better for the rest of us to be free of their stern expressions and snide remarks.’

‘It is said that they openly worship the cytharai,’ said Imrik. ‘Khaine for certain, and the other undergods likely. In the colonies, they are quite brazen about it.’

‘We do not dictate to others how they choose to appease the gods,’ said Hotek with a shrug. ‘I know that they endeavour to spread the worship of the cytharai to other kingdoms and cities, but their proselytising falls on ears unwilling to listen for the most part. Better to ignore them and let the metal cool than temper it to hardness with accusations and persecution.’

‘Your shrine, it fares well?’ asked Imrik.

‘Our days as armourers to the princes have thankfully long passed,’ Hotek said. ‘Today we fashion amulets not swords, rings not shields. And much time is spent in the study of such dwarfen artefacts that come into our possession. They are most remarkable pieces, unlike anything fashioned in Ulthuan. Sometimes crude to look at, I admit, but containing simple yet powerful enchantments.’

The conversation continued in similar vein until they reached the palaces. Imrik passed the care of Hotek to the servants of his older brother and with his duties discharged, spent the rest of the morning playing with Tythanir. At noon, the time of his brother’s expected arrival, he made his way to the great hall, which had been set with a ring of high-backed chairs for the council, nearly a hundred in all. Caledrian’s throne faced the huge doors, his advisors already waiting beside it and most of the nobles already present.

Imrik took his place to the right hand of the throne, Dorien on the other side, with Thyrinor next to him. The hall soon filled, leaving only a handful of places of nobles that had been unable or unwilling to attend. The muffled call of clarions rang from the citadel walls announcing Caledrian’s arrival. The assembled elves stood and awaited his entrance, a quiet whispering rebounding from the painted walls of the hall.

A stamp of feet preceded the opening of the doors. All eyes turned on Caledrian as he entered. The ruler of Caledor was dressed in a long robe of white, patterned with golden thread in curling flames, a wide belt about his waist and a narrow circlet on his head. He strode into the hall without much ceremony, waving a hand in greeting to some of his councillors, stopping to have quick conversations with others. He had an easy smile, and clasped hands and shoulders without unease, but Imrik thought he saw a certain stiffness in his brother’s movements that betrayed some burden he carried.

Imrik stepped up to meet his brother as he reached the throne. He embraced Caledrian, as did Dorien, and the three stood together for a moment.

‘It is good to see both of you here,’ said Caledrian. He glanced past Dorien and smiled at Thyrinor. ‘And you, cousin. I wish that our reunion took place in happier times, but I have grim tidings. After the council, we will feast together and become properly reacquainted.’

With that, Caledrian signalled for the council to be seated, though he remained standing. Imrik noticed that another elf had joined the short line of Caledorian dignitaries behind the throne. He was a little stockier than the others, with grey hair and almost white skin; certainly not of Caledor. He wore a purple robe of light material, so that it flowed from his arms and legs in the slightest draught. He was relaxed yet alert, eyes never still as they took in the details of the hall and its occupants.

‘My gratitude to you all for coming here at such short notice,’ declared Caledrian, drawing Imrik’s attention away from the newcomer. ‘There has been much speculation as to my activities of late, so let me put rumour to rest. Not long ago, I received representation from Bel Shanaar.’ He waved a hand towards the elf that Imrik had been watching. ‘This is Tirathanil, a herald of the Phoenix King. He bore to me alarming news, and we have spent days in debating its import and the wishes of Bel Shanaar. The matters are of such import that, according to custom, I will lay them before this council and conduct a vote to know the wishes of Caledor.’

The prince sat on his throne and paused; the councillors leaned forwards in their seats, anxious to hear what he had to say next, their eyes fixed upon Caledrian.

‘For years we have heard of an unsettling rise in the open worship of the cytharai,’ he continued. ‘Each of us knows tales from the other kingdoms of some of the depravities involved in these rituals, and I am thankful to acknowledge that such practices have not encroached upon Caledor. It is Bel Shanaar’s suspicion, and I share it, that these cults are under the sway of Nagarythe. More specifically, that they owe allegiance to Morathi. We are not content to allow this state of affairs to remain unchanged.

‘If it is the intent of this council, we shall answer the summons of Bel Shanaar to attend to his court at Tor Anroc, there to discuss what action will be taken. As many of you know, I had already made plans for noble Imrik to act on my behalf, and the greater urgency that now faces us only strengthens my belief in that decision.’

Caledrian looked to Imrik for a moment and then returned his gaze to the council members.

‘It is not his will nor mine that Imrik will carry with him, but the will of this council,’ said Caledrian. ‘No proposal for action has been put forward by Bel Shanaar and I have heard nothing of the desires of the other princes. Thus Caledor will, as in times past, take the lead in this matter. With due respect to the wisdom of the council, it is my belief that the kingdoms must unite in purpose and in arms and destroy these cults wherever they are found. There are those that see no need for action and there are some that even support these cults in secret. We must root out those in thrall to Morathi and bring them before the judgement of the Phoenix King.’

‘Why stop there?’ said Dorien. There were mutters of annoyance and scowls from the rest of the council; it was not proper form to speak before being invited by the ruling prince. Dorien paid no heed to the whispers of irritation. ‘You say it yourself that Nagarythe is the source of this menace. Malekith has abandoned his kingdom and allowed it to fall into barbarism and hedonism. We all know that Morathi is not to be trusted. I say that we subject Nagarythe to the rule of the Phoenix King until Malekith returns; if he ever does. Too long have we allowed our cousins in the north their wayward practices. It is time they were brought to account for it, and stability restored.’

There were nods of agreement from many in the council, and a few members clapped softly or slapped a hand to thigh in appreciation. Imrik agreed with the sentiment, but knew that any direct action against Nagarythe would be tantamount to invasion. He was inclined to believe Caledrian did not desire to go so far, and was certain that Bel Shanaar would never endorse such a thing unless given extreme provocation. Imrik saw no reason to comment, knowing that the council would decide regardless of his opinion on the matter.

Several council members indicated their willingness to speak, Hotek amongst them. The priest received a word from Caledrian and stood up, hands behind his back. He took a few paces towards the throne, and as dictated by convention addressed his thoughts to the ruling prince, though his words were for the whole council.

‘I am wary of any persecution of these cults,’ said Hotek, his voice soft and melodious. ‘Not because I support them, but because we risk escalating isolated violence into a greater strife. I deplore these base rites as much as any of you, and know that for each disturbing story there is possibly another fouler act committed unseen. Unless proof can be presented that these cults are acting in concert, that the hand of Morathi controls them, it would be unwise to raise up arms against our own people. My sect once provided Aenarion and your forefathers with weapons to free this isle from death; we will not provide them to be used against those we are sworn to protect. For the most part these are simple people, not corrupt of heart but misguided or simply indolent and bored. Bel Shanaar has allowed this circumstance to arise by his inaction, it is true, but it would be foolish to over react. It is not too late to allow peace to prevail.’

‘A sentiment we all share,’ said Caledrian. ‘Yet we cannot allow this depravity of spirit to fester any longer. Only by stern efforts have we kept Caledor free of the cults’ taint; others have not been so successful. The other kingdoms are uncertain in their power, unwilling to do what is necessary to bring Ulthuan back from the brink of disorder. We must take a lead where others have shirked their duties.’

‘Perhaps if we could speak with Tirathanil?’ suggested Eltaranir, one of the oldest members of the council, whom Imrik considered as an uncle. He had been a close friend of Imrik’s father, Menieth; they had attended the First Council together when Bel Shanaar had been chosen to succeed Aenarion, and it had been Eltaranir that had borne Menieth’s body back from the colonies when he had been slain in the wars of conquest.

Caledrian waved to the Phoenix King’s herald to come forwards. Tirathanil did so with a slight swagger, pleased with the sudden attention. His pomposity deflated under Eltaranir’s scrutiny.

‘There is little I can add that your prince has not already told you,’ said the herald. ‘Yet I will endeavour to answer any questions you have.’

‘Has Bel Shanaar received any news of Malekith?’ asked Hotek. ‘It is dubious to discuss the kingdom of another prince when he cannot represent himself.’

‘The Phoenix King knows nothing more of Malekith than any of you,’ said Tirathanil. ‘That he still lives is likely, and continues his exploration of the northern wastes. As for representation, Nagarythe it was that severed ties to Tor Anroc, despite several attempts by myself and others to make embassy to them. If Morathi still rules, she does not answer the Phoenix King’s invitations to court.’

‘If she still rules?’ Thyrinor pounced on the turn of phrase. ‘Why should she not?’

‘There is rumour of infighting amongst the Naggarothi,’ admitted Tirathanil. ‘How extensive or violent it is, we do not know. It is the Phoenix King’s assessment that in Malekith’s long absence, the princes of Nagarythe struggle for power.’

‘Perhaps we should aid whoever seeks to overthrow Morathi,’ suggested a voice from the council.

‘An outrageous suggestion!’ said Eltaranir. ‘To meddle so in the rulership of one kingdom is to invite dissent in every kingdom. It is only through our pacts of non-interference that we are able to govern as befits each realm. We must be wary of every accusation levelled at Nagarythe. Many princes are jealous of the Naggarothi power and would take opportunity to undermine it. We are not free of such envy; would you have every scurrilous rumour and accusation made against Caledor used as an excuse to pry into our lives?’

The council member who had spoken sat down with a chagrined expression. More than a dozen other elves raised their hands to be acknowledged and a background of whispering began. Caledrian called each in turn to speak, though they added little that was meaningful to the discussion, which went on through the afternoon. Imrik listened to each speech intently, seeking to solidify his own feelings on the matter. His instinct was to act quickly and decisively, but as he heard proposal and objection, his certainty wavered.

By the time the sky was darkening beyond the high windows, Imrik felt ready to speak. He shifted in his chair and caught Caledrian’s eye. When the next opportunity presented itself, Caledrian nodded to Imrik.

The prince stood, thumbs hooked into his broad belt. He looked first at Dorien, and then at the rest of the council. The hall was quiet, the private discussions fading away as Imrik turned to Caledrian. Not once had any objection been raised to his appointment as ambassador, and every elf was keen to hear his personal view on the issues.

‘We must fight,’ said Imrik. He raised a hand for silence as protests echoed around the chamber. ‘We cannot attack Nagarythe. No prince can send his warriors into the lands of another without permission. Bel Shanaar must broker an agreement between the kingdoms. Each shall provide forces to the Phoenix King, which will operate under his authority alone. Every kingdom will be purged in turn. Those cultists that repent their associations with the cytharai and desire clemency will receive it. Those that oppose the will of the princes will be imprisoned, or slain if they resist with violence.’

Imrik sat down again.

Silence followed as each elf digested this plan. Caledrian was deep in thought on his throne, his advisors whispering to him.

‘Do you think Bel Shanaar will agree?’ Imrik asked Tirathanil. All eyes turned on the herald, awaiting his reply.

‘In principle, yes,’ said Tirathanil. He took a deep breath before continuing. ‘I think you will find some support amongst the other princes. With Caledor’s support, they will be able to sway the opinion of those that are less committed.’

Caledrian stood up, signalling to Tirathanil to withdraw behind the throne. The prince crossed his arms and swept his gaze slowly around the circle of elves.

‘We have a proposal to vote upon, as composed by Imrik,’ said Caledrian. ‘Make your decision known. I suspend my right of view in this matter. If the council endorses this course of action, it will be final.’

A few elves stood immediately, supporting Imrik’s plan. There was some conversation and shuffling, and then the others rose to their feet until only Hotek was left seated. The priest of Vaul smiled and nodded at Imrik, and stood up.

‘The vote is unanimous,’ declared Caledrian. A self-congratulatory murmur rippled around the ring of council members. The ruling prince looked at Imrik. ‘Tirathanil returns to Tor Anroc tomorrow, brother. Can you leave that soon?’

Imrik considered his options. He had no desire for the negotiations his plan would require, and in the short time he had been in Tor Caled he had made efforts to reconcile with Anatheria and make himself better known to Tythanir. It would take some time for other princes to answer Bel Shanaar’s call and the wait would be arduous. He could imagine himself kicking his heels in the Phoenix King’s palace, forced to pass the time with the Tiranocii nobility in endless banquets and galas.

Yet it would be improper to remain idle in Tor Caled when he had important duties to attend.

‘No point waiting,’ he said. ‘I’ll leave tomorrow.’

The number of princes, nobles and envoys tested the capacity of the Phoenix King’s palace, which was one of the largest buildings in Ulthuan. Imrik and Thyrinor, having taken ship along the coast of the Inner Sea to Ellyrion and then ridden westwards to Tor Anroc through the Annulii Mountains, found the city bustling; claustrophobic compared to the colonies and Tor Caled.

Imrik was silently grateful for the fact that the Caledorian entourage, which included a handful of scribes and servants in addition to the princes, was accommodated in one of the houses in the centre of the city rather than within the palace itself. This gave Imrik some of the solitude he required, and the events of the first few days of the visit sent the prince into isolated retreat several times.

There were so many people to meet, so many introductions, ceremonies and feasts, Imrik was wholly reliant upon Thyrinor to remember who everybody was and where he was supposed to be. More delegations arrived each day, adding to Imrik’s sense of bewilderment. It appeared that many of the attendants did not understand the gravity of the occasion, and saw the convening of the Phoenix King’s court as an opportunity to extend their usual festivities and politics. On uncertain ground, Imrik had held his tongue on a number of occasions, advised by Thyrinor to hold his patience and not unduly antagonise anybody; a feat Imrik found difficult, since most elves found his taciturn nature bordering on insult in itself.

There were fewer princes present than Imrik had hoped. Many of the eastern kingdoms had sent ambassadors instead; though they professed to speak and act with the authority of the princes, Imrik could not treat with them as equals as any assurances they made would have to be ratified later by their masters. It meant that the whole business of discussing the growing problems of the cultists and the situation in Nagarythe descended into petty wrangles and interminable discussions about the exact phrasing of a proposal or the true meaning of another delegate’s words.

A few princes had made the journey, and Imrik found them to be of a generally more tolerable nature than the other attendants. In particular, he found Thyriol of Saphery to be calm and wise amongst the tumult, and had considerable respect for the mage who had learnt his mystical arts under the tutelage of Imrik’s grandfather. Finudel and Athielle, joint rulers of Ellyrion, were also pleasant company. Though both displayed disarming humour and quick wit, they were ever conscious of the importance of the council.

Imrik had spent some time with these three elves listening to their opinions on Nagarythe and voicing the proposal of Caledor to form a united army under the banner of the Phoenix King. Other than a perfunctory greeting when he had arrived, Imrik had spent no time discussing his views with Bel Shanaar, but on the sixth day of the council, he was due to speak before the Phoenix King.

He met with Thyrinor and Thyriol beforehand, and brought up his uncertainty at expressing his plans in a way that would meet favour with the Phoenix King.

‘I am not eloquent,’ Imrik admitted as the three princes drank fruit juices in the gardens of Imrik’s adopted house. Autumn cloud and sun mingled overhead, bathing the immaculate lawn in periods of warmth and shade, while birds and bees flitted about the carefully maintained hedges and trees. ‘I am too abrupt. Bel Shanaar will think I am telling him what to do.’

‘Perhaps you should phrase your proposals as questions, cousin,’ said Thyrinor, reclining on a white stone bench beside a shallow pool of clear water. Bubbles broke the pond as jade-scaled fish swam lazily just under the surface, their bodies glinting. ‘Lead Bel Shanaar to come to the answers you wish him to.’

‘That is not a gift I have,’ said Imrik. ‘I was never a good student of rhetoric.’

‘Do not be overly concerned by your mannerisms,’ Thyriol assured him. Dressed in a rich yellow and gold robe, the Sapherian mage sat in the shade beneath a tree, eyes closed. ‘You do not know Bel Shanaar well, but he is well versed in statecraft and will listen not to your words but to your message. It was with some personal difficulty that he has gathered the council. He has critics, and there are those willing to say the Phoenix King is too weak to act on his own.’

‘No doubt those whispers were first formed on the lips of Morathi and her lackeys,’ said Thyrinor. ‘Even in the colonies, there has been quiet but constant campaign against Bel Shanaar; ever with the assumption that Malekith should have been chosen instead.’

‘Let them grumble,’ said Imrik. ‘My father had as much claim as the Dragontamer’s successor. Caledor has no love for the Phoenix King, but I will give Bel Shanaar the respect he earns.’

‘Grumbles may seem unimportant to you, but every rumour and snippet is valuable here,’ warned Thyriol, opening his eyes. ‘Even you must be aware that as unpopular as the Naggarothi are, the Caledorians are not high in the affections of the other kingdoms. Your dragons scare them.’

‘So they should,’ said Imrik. ‘It is not Caledor’s fault if they have strength when other kingdoms allow themselves to be weak.’

‘They are not as weak as they once were,’ said Thyrinor. ‘The port of Lothern in Eataine is becoming one of the largest cities in Ulthuan, and her fleet dwarfs ours. Cothique and Yvresse have outposts all over the world. Even gentle Saphery, our companion’s kingdom, is renowned for the skill and power of her mages. We cannot rely upon the dragons for eternity. Only a handful remain that do not sleep beneath the mountains, and it will not be long before they too choose to slumber.’

‘Which is why we’re here,’ said Imrik. ‘The Phoenix King alone can harness that strength.’

‘But will he be willing?’ Thyrinor directed the question to the mage.

‘Bel Shanaar is concerned, but not desperate,’ replied Thyriol. ‘Your proposal has merit that he will see, but if it is not the desire of the other kingdoms, he will not give your plan his backing.’

‘Your voice would lend weight to our argument,’ said Thyrinor. ‘Not only as the prince of Saphery, but as one who elevated Bel Shanaar to Phoenix King.’

‘There is some truth to that,’ said Thyriol, smiling faintly. ‘Bel Shanaar and I fought against the daemons under Aenarion, and there are few left who can claim such an achievement.’

‘We should go now,’ said Imrik, glancing up at the sun. Noon was approaching, the appointed hour for his audience with the Phoenix King. ‘I would not keep Bel Shanaar waiting.’

The corridors of the outer palace were comparatively quiet; it had been made known that the Phoenix King had set aside the whole day for representations of the princes present, with no lesser agents permitted. There were bows and words of deference to Thyriol from the few other elves they met, and platitudes offered to Imrik, as the princes made their way to the main hall of the palace.

Though they were early, Bel Shanaar’s chamberlain, Palthrain, was waiting for them at the hall doors. Palthrain bowed in greeting and offered a few pleasantries.

‘Is Bel Shanaar receiving audience yet?’ asked Imrik.

‘Enter when you wish,’ said Palthrain. ‘The Phoenix King lends his ear to Athielle and Finudel presently, but they have made it known you are welcome to join the discussion.’

Imrik took a breath and nodded to Palthrain, who signalled for the attendants to open the doors. The hall beyond was vast, its roof held up by slender pillars inscribed with golden runes, the ceiling cunningly painted to represent a spring sky, lit from dozens of arched windows.

At the far end, Bel Shanaar sat upon a throne wrought in the shape of a phoenix, wings outspread. A long cloak of white feathers draped over the throne from his shoulders, hemmed with a band of golden thread and hung with sapphires. The Phoenix King wore formal robes layered in white and gold, delicately embroidered with silver swirls of flame and glittering runes. Elves showed little sign of age, no matter how ancient, and Bel Shanaar’s face was only faintly lined despite his centuries of existence. He did not wear the elaborate Phoenix Crown; instead his pale blond hair was swept back with a golden band decorated with a single emerald at his forehead. His eyes were bright blue, alert as Athielle spoke, her voice quiet but carrying along to Imrik by the perfect acoustics of the hall.

‘They are raiders, pure and simple,’ the princess said. ‘They come across the mountains and take unattended herds. It is the worst kind of theft, to steal the horses of Ellyrion.’

‘Yet you offer no proof of this larceny,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘Your herds go missing and you spring to blame the Naggarothi, when a more likely explanation is some monstrous hunter from the Annulii. A feral hippogryph perhaps, or a hydra?’

‘And Nagarythe is not a poor kingdom,’ added another prince. Imrik knew him to be Elodhir, the son of Bel Shanaar. ‘If the Naggarothi desired horses, they would buy them.’

‘Not from us,’ said Finudel. ‘We have concern that they do not treat their herds well. Their arrogance has become overbearing, their attitude to their beasts verging on cruelty.’

Palthrain made known the arrival of the princes as Imrik, Thyrinor and Thyriol entered the hall. The others ceased their conversation and waited for the arrivals to join them. Palthrain made formal introductions, though all the elves were known to each other.

‘It is an honour to welcome the representatives of Caledor to this chamber,’ said Bel Shanaar, dismissing Palthrain with a casual wave. ‘I hope that your kingdom fares well, and Caledrian also.’

‘Our fortunes are as usual,’ said Imrik. ‘My brother is worried by the rise in the cults that taints much of Ulthuan. Caledor remains free of these sects, but it is not an easy task.’

‘And there are those who have laboured in vain to halt the progress of the cults,’ said Athielle. ‘It is not from lack of watchfulness that these cults prosper. Caledor perhaps owes as much to the patrol of our common border as it does the vigilance of its leaders.’

‘No accusation was meant,’ said Imrik. ‘What has happened cannot be changed. What we do next, that is what must be decided.’

‘Imrik has a proposal I believe worth hearing,’ said Thyriol, his robes glinting in the sunshine streaming through the high windows. The mage turned to Imrik and nodded.

‘Each kingdom alone has attempted to halt the spread of the cults, and failed,’ said Imrik. He offered a shrug of apology to Finudel and Athielle. ‘It seems to me that this is a problem for all of Ulthuan. Only you, the Phoenix King, can claim authority over the whole isle. Use your position to assemble an army drawn from every kingdom. Appoint a general, or lead the army yourself, and purge the cults from each kingdom in turn.’

The Phoenix King and princes said nothing, perhaps waiting for Imrik to elaborate on his plan. He had nothing else to offer at the moment and stayed silent. Eventually Bel Shanaar stirred, leaning forwards in his throne.

‘An army?’ he said, quiet but firm. ‘That is your solution?’

Imrik glanced at Thyrinor, but received no assurance from his cousin’s blank expression.

‘The cults are a threat,’ said Imrik. ‘They need to be dealt with. An army may be uncivilised, but it will be effective.’

‘Violence has never been the cure for any ill,’ said Bel Shanaar.

‘The orcs and beasts of Elthin Arvan disagree,’ said Imrik. ‘To avoid violence is laudable; to shirk your duty as the defender of Ulthuan is not.’

‘Be careful with your remarks,’ snapped Elodhir. ‘You address the Phoenix King! Do not forget the oaths you swore before the sacred flame of Asuryan. Caledor is yet part of Ulthuan and one of the Phoenix King’s domains.’

‘I remember my oaths,’ Imrik said in return, turning his fierce gaze from Elodhir to Bel Shanaar. ‘Does the Phoenix King? He remembers the darkest days of our people. Harsh times that needed harsh answers. The cults have festered too long.’

‘Such disrespect will not be tolerated,’ Elodhir replied, but Imrik ignored him, his attention focussed on the Phoenix King.

‘Silence, my son,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘Imrik has some cause for complaint, though he chooses not to sweeten his bitter message with softer words. He is right; I swore oaths to defend Ulthuan against all enemies and perils. That this peril is of our own creation does not make it any better than those that assail us from beyond our borders; in many ways, it is far worse.’

‘A show of determination will be enough for many in the cults,’ said Athielle. ‘Their leaders, those that ensnare the desperate and unwary, they need to be dealt with by the full force of justice. Those who follow, those who simply seek some other meaning to their existence or to lose themselves in senselessness, can be shown the error of their ways without punishment.’

‘An army invites resistance,’ said Elodhir. ‘The threat of violence will prompt the cultists to defend themselves.’

‘They have already committed violence,’ said Thyriol. The mage’s slender fingers tugged at the sleeves of his robe as he spoke. ‘Sacrifices have been made, lives taken. There are stories from every kingdom of cults choosing to fight and die rather than subject themselves to the mercy of their prince and his warriors.’

‘And that violence will escalate,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘The cults are scattered, disorganised and of more spiritual than physical threat.’

‘I disagree,’ said Finudel. ‘They are aided by Nagarythe, of that I am sure.’

‘Sure, but without evidence,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘You would have me outlaw an entire kingdom based on rumour.’

‘Not rumour,’ said Athielle, her temper flaring. ‘Bodies we have found, of herdmasters slain. Others have disappeared without trace, and the elders of remote towns have been intimidated and murdered.’

‘And the Naggarothi dead from these raids?’ said Elodhir. ‘You have found them?’

The silence of Athielle and Finudel was the only answer they could offer. Elodhir shook his head and looked at his father.

‘It seems that we have been offered no greater insight into the problem,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘We are no closer to a solution than at this time yesterday.’

‘Action is required,’ said Imrik. ‘It is inaction that has allowed the cults to flourish.’

‘I will make no hasty decision,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘The situation grows more volatile and I would not risk provoking it without good cause. I will consider your position, Imrik. Please take refreshments and rejoin me this evening.’

Imrik was about to offer further argument but saw that the others were already bowing and turning away, accepting the Phoenix King’s dismissal. He did the same, choosing not to risk Bel Shanaar’s anger, keeping his sharp words to himself for the moment.

When they had left the hall, Thyrinor beckoned for Imrik to leave the others and the pair found an unoccupied chamber not far from the audience hall. Murals depicting the Tiranoc coast decorated the walls, moving from placid summer shores to winter storms as the scene subtly changed as one looked around the circular room.

There were cushioned benches, and side tables laden with fruit, wine and water. Thyrinor picked up a jug and poured golden wine into a crystal goblet, and then remembered to offer the same to Imrik, who declined.

‘I need a clear head,’ said Imrik, slumping onto one of the benches. He took an apple from a platter near at hand and bit deeply, savouring the freshness of the fruit. ‘Bel Shanaar is too cautious. Yet the more I push him, the less I will achieve.’

‘It is for your forcefulness that you were chosen, cousin,’ said Thyrinor. He took a mouthful of wine, eyes closed. He opened them after a moment. ‘This is really rather good wine. Anyway, it is not Bel Shanaar that you need to worry about for the moment. His concern is the reception he will receive from the other delegations. Finudel and Athielle will back you, of that I am sure. Thyriol too, I would think, as he has offered no counter to our plan. You must persuade the others.’

‘How do I do that?’ asked Imrik, finishing off the apple. ‘It seems to me that no kingdom wishes to take responsibility.’

‘Then show them the leadership lacking in Bel Shanaar,’ said Thyrinor. ‘Why not offer to lead the army?’

‘No,’ Imrik said immediately. ‘I have no desire to do that.’

‘Why not? You are a natural general, and you have the respect of many other princes, if not their friendship.’

‘I cannot lead the warriors of other kingdoms,’ replied Imrik. ‘I cannot trust them.’

‘But you would trust another to lead them?’

Imrik left the question unanswered. His only concern was the safety of Caledor. That meant ridding the rest of Ulthuan of the pernicious cytharai cults, just as it had meant destroying the greenskins and the forest beasts that threatened the colonies of his kingdom. It was not a role he relished, though it was one he filled with pride. The thought of being answerable directly to Bel Shanaar troubled him; the prospect of working closely with the princes of other kingdoms unsettled him.

‘Will you at least speak with the representatives of the other kingdoms?’ said Thyrinor, pouring himself a second glass of wine. ‘If you gain their backing, Bel Shanaar will have no choice but to support our proposal.’

‘And how do I do that?’ said Imrik. ‘They will see it as Caledor trying to gain more power. They see everything through eyes tinted with envy.’

With a heavy sigh, Thyrinor put his goblet to one side and crossed his arms.

‘Are you regretting your decision to accept this duty?’ he said. ‘I find your negativity arduous to endure, cousin, and others will feel likewise. You bring them doom instead of offering hope. Give them something to put their trust in. If you are to succeed you must support Bel Shanaar and make the others believe in his ability to lead our people.’

‘A belief I do not have,’ said Imrik. ‘Would you have me lie?’

‘You can be intolerable!’ Thyrinor threw up his hands. ‘Why are you here at all, if you have no belief that we can succeed?’

‘It is my duty,’ replied Imrik.

‘Is that all? Do you not fear for the Ulthuan in which your son will grow up?’

‘While Caledor remains strong, he will be untouched by this malaise,’ said Imrik. ‘That is my only concern.’

‘Caledor cannot resist the rest of Ulthuan forever,’ said Thyrinor, taking up his wine and drinking swiftly. ‘The dragons cannot fight against the whispers that scratch at the spirit of our people. The mountains are no bulwark against the insidious nature of melancholy and boredom. If Caledor is to remain free, the rest of Ulthuan must be freed first.’

‘I understand,’ said Imrik, confused by his cousin’s misplaced frustration. ‘I see your point. With the backing of Caledor, the Phoenix King will command the authority he deserves.’

‘So, will you speak with the others?’

‘Yes,’ said Imrik, standing. ‘But not at the same time. I must speak with each delegation in turn. I cannot stand to be dragged into their bickering.’

‘Then I will organise things,’ said Thyrinor, finishing his drink. He took a few steps towards the door and stopped. ‘Please try to be civil to them.’

For the whole afternoon, Imrik tried as hard as possible to be civil, ignoring the veiled slights directed at Caledor and the innuendo cast upon the delegations of the other kingdoms. He spoke with each group of representatives, outlining the Caledorian plan for a campaign against the cults. Thyrinor did much of the speaking, taking care to emphasise the importance of each kingdom in the grand scheme, ensuring that it was the listeners that believed they would have the most control. By the time Palthrain found the pair in the late afternoon, at least five other kingdoms had indicated their support and promised to make representation to Bel Shanaar; none had yet been willing to declare their support openly.

As before, Imrik found Bel Shanaar, Elodhir, Thyriol, Finudel and Athielle in the king’s audience chamber. There were a few other elves around, sitting on the great amphitheatre of benches that surrounded the Phoenix Throne. Imrik ignored them and strode up to Bel Shanaar.

‘Have you decided?’ said Imrik.

‘You have been busy,’ replied Bel Shanaar. ‘Since our last conversation, I have had constant visitors proposing the idea of an army drawn from all of the kingdoms.’

‘I intend no trickery,’ Imrik said quickly, sensing he was being accused of some subterfuge.

Bel Shanaar smiled, though he did not deign to share the reason for his amusement. He gave Thyriol a nod and the mage held up a rolled parchment.

‘This is the first draft of a declaration,’ said Thyriol, handing the scroll to Thyrinor. ‘It declares the open worship of the cytharai to be illegal and calls upon all elves to renounce the undergods.’

‘That is all?’ said Imrik. ‘What of the army?’

‘One thing at a time,’ said Elodhir. ‘First we must get agreement that action needs to be taken. When that has been secured, we can discuss what form that action will take.’

‘Winter will come swiftly,’ said Imrik. ‘If we do not strike now, it will be next spring before we can move. It will take many days to gather warriors from the whole of Ulthuan. The call must be sent out immediately.’

‘Your presumption is incredible,’ said Elodhir. ‘We will not let you bully the other kingdoms into agreeing with you.’

‘We?’ Imrik looked hard at Bel Shanaar. ‘Only one elf is Phoenix King.’

‘And I speak as prince of Tiranoc also,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘Mine is a double burden of rulership. Would you have me declare war on my subjects?’

Imrik heard the noise of others entering, but paid no heed to the newcomers. Anger warred with disappointment in his heart. Before returning to this hall, he had thought progress had been made; in reality very little would be agreed any time soon.

‘Captain Carathril of Lothern, your majesty.’ Palthrain’s voice rang down the hall.

‘Thank you, Palthrain,’ Bel Shanaar said, still not looking at the arrivals.

Imrik glanced over his shoulder and saw Palthrain bowing and departing, leaving two elves in armour, wearing the colours of Lothern. Both appeared to be officers, but he did not recognise them from the Eataine delegation. He dismissed them from his thoughts as irrelevant.

‘We cannot show mercy,’ said Imrik with a shake of his head. ‘The people need our strength.’

‘But many of them are victims as much as they are perpetrators,’ cautioned Bel Shanaar. ‘They are brought low by their own terrors, and the priests and priestesses play on their fears and manipulate their woes. I have spoken with some who claim that they did not realise how debased they had become. There is dark magic in this, some more evil purpose that we have not yet seen.’

‘Then we must find their ringleaders and question them,’ suggested Elodhir. The prince took a pace towards his father. ‘We cannot simply allow the cults to spread unchecked. If we should allow that to happen, our armies will be eaten away by this menace, our people consumed by their own desires. No! Though it is perhaps a harsh judgement on some, we must prosecute your rule with firm determination and relentless purpose.’

Imrik was taken aback by Elodhir’s sudden change of heart. He was not sure what game was being played by Elodhir, and was certain he did not like it. For a moment, he preferred the other prince’s opposition to his support, but then realised this was immature.

‘That is all well and good, Elodhir, but against whom must we prosecute it?’ asked Thyriol. As always, Thyriol’s words were quiet and meaningful. As he carefully considered his next words, the mage ran thin fingers through his copper-coloured hair. His deep green eyes fixed on each of his fellows in turn. ‘We all know its root, yet there is not one of us speaks its name. Nagarythe. There, I have said it and yet the world turns.’

‘Tales and rumour are no basis for policy,’ replied Bel Shanaar. ‘Perhaps our guests bring tidings that will aid our discussions.’

The Phoenix King and princes looked at the new arrivals, who stood for a moment with their mouths open, surprised to be so quickly drawn into such a discussion. The guard captain, who had been named Carathril by the announcement, cleared his throat and paused for a moment before speaking.

‘I bear ill tidings, your majesty,’ Carathril said quietly. ‘I and my companion have ridden hither with all haste to bring you the news that Prince Aeltherin of Lothern is dead.’

The news did not bode well and Imrik scowled. A death amongst the ruling princes was bound to cause even more delays.

‘It is our misfortune that the great prince fell from grace, your majesty,’ continued Carathril. ‘I know not how, but Prince Aeltherin became a member of the pleasure cults. For how long, we do not know. It appears that for some time the prince was in league with the dark priestesses of Atharti, and from his position misdirected our efforts to uncover the plots of the cult. Only a chance happening, a name whispered by a prisoner in her sleep, started us on a sinister path that led to the doors of the prince’s manse itself.’

‘And how is it that Prince Aeltherin does not stand here to defend himself against these accusations?’ asked Elodhir. ‘Why is he not in your custody?’

‘He took his own life, highness,’ explained Carathril. ‘I endeavoured to reason with him, implored the prince to put his case before this court, but he was gripped with a madness and would not consent. I know not what caused him to act in this way, and I would not dare to speculate.’

‘A ruling prince party to these covens of evil?’ muttered Thyriol, turning to the Phoenix King. Imrik growled at the thought. Caledrian had hinted at such treachery, but to hear it confirmed was grievous news to the Caledorian. Immediately his thoughts went to the other members of the court and which, if any, could be trusted.

‘Matters are even graver than we would have dared admit,’ said Thyriol. ‘When news of Aeltherin’s fall spreads, fear and suspicion will follow.’

‘As is the intent of the architects of this darkness, I have no doubt,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘With the rulers of the realms no longer to be trusted, to whom will our citizens turn? When they cannot trust those with authority, the greater the dread upon the minds of our people, and the more they will flock to the cults.’

‘And who shall we trust, if not our own?’ asked Imrik, giving voice to the doubt in his mind, his eyes seeking signs of duplicity in the faces of the others.

‘The defection of Prince Aeltherin casts a cloud over every prince,’ said Bel Shanaar with a sorrowful shake of his head. ‘If we are to lead the people from the temptations of the cults, we must be united. Yet how can we act together when the doubt remains that those in whom we confide may well be working against our interests?’

‘To allow ourselves to be divided would bring about a terrible age of anarchy,’ warned Thyriol, who had begun to pace back and forth beside the king’s throne. ‘The rule of the realms is fragile still, and the greatest of our leaders are beyond these shores in the colonies across the ocean.’

‘The greatest of our leaders sits upon this throne,’ said Elodhir, his eyes narrowing.

‘I spoke not of one individual,’ said Thyriol, raising a placating hand. ‘Yet I would wish it that Prince Malekith were here, if only to settle the matter of his people in Nagarythe. In his absence we are reluctant to prosecute investigations within his realm.’

‘Well, Malekith is not here, while we are,’ said Bel Shanaar sharply. He paused for a moment, passing a trembling hand across his forehead. ‘It matters not. Thyriol, what is the counsel of the mages of Saphery?’

The mage-prince ceased his pacing and turned on his heel to face the Phoenix King. He folded his arms, which disappeared within the sleeves of his voluminous robe, and pursed his lips in thought.

‘You were correct to speak of dark magic, your majesty,’ Thyriol said quietly. ‘Our divinations sense a growing weight of evil energy gathering in the vortex. It pools within the Annulii Mountains, drawn here by the practices of the cults. Sacrifice of an unnatural kind is feeding the ill winds. Whether it is the purpose of the cults or simply an unintended result of their ceremonies, we cannot say. This magic is powerful but dangerous, and no mage will wield it.’

‘There is no means by which this dark magic cannot be spent safely?’ asked Imrik. He thought of the sacrifice of his grandfather, trapped forever in the eye of the vortex so that such dark magic would not pollute the world.

‘The vortex dissipates some of its power, and would cleanse the winds in due course were the dark magic not fuelled further,’ explained Thyriol. ‘Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to hasten this, other than to stop the cults practising their sorcery.’

‘And so we return again to our main question,’ sighed Bel Shanaar. ‘How might we rid ourselves of these cults?’

‘Firm action,’ growled Imrik. ‘Muster the princes; send out the call to arms. Sweep away this infestation with blade and bow.’

‘What you suggest threatens civil war,’ Thyriol cautioned.

‘To stand idle threatens equal destruction,’ said Elodhir.

‘And would you lead this army, Imrik?’ Bel Shanaar asked, turning in his throne to stare intently at the Caledorian prince.

‘I would not,’ Imrik replied sharply. ‘Caledor yet remains free of this taint, and I seek to maintain the peace that we have.’

‘Saphery has no generals of renown,’ said Thyriol with a shrug. ‘I think that you will find the other realms reluctant to risk open war.’

‘Then who shall lead the hunt?’ pleaded Elodhir, his exasperation clear in his voice.

‘Captain Carathril,’ said Bel Shanaar. Carathril jolted in surprise.

‘How might I be of service, your majesty?’ Carathril asked.

‘I dispense with your duties to the Guard of Lothern,’ said Bel Shanaar, standing up. ‘You are loyal and trustworthy, devoted to our people and the continuance of peace and just rule. From this moment, I appoint you as my herald, the mouth of the Phoenix King. You will take word to the princes of the fourteen realms. I will ask if there is one amongst them who is willing to prosecute the destruction of these intolerable cults. This peril that besets us is no less than the division of our people and the destruction of our civilisation. We must stand strong, and proud, and drive out these faithless practitioners of deceit. The gratitude of our lands and this office will be heaped upon the prince that delivers us from this darkness.’

Imrik saw Thyrinor’s brow raised at this unprecedented declaration.

‘Your change of heart is welcome,’ said Finudel. ‘What has caused it to be altered?’

‘A prince is dead,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘There can be no path that is not shadowed with darkness from this time on. The path will grow longer if we wait, and Imrik is correct. Matters are reaching a head, and who can say what fresh turmoil in Nagarythe might spread into the other kingdoms. We must act swiftly lest more become lost in the darkness. We cannot give our enemies the winter to move against us.’

‘Yet you do not have a general,’ said Thyriol.

All eyes turned to Imrik.

‘No,’ said the Caledorian. ‘There are others who have waged war in the colonies, and even a few princes who fought beside Aenarion. They will be capable of leading your army.’

Not wishing to discuss the matter further, Imrik strode from the hall, content that he had achieved his goal. Thyrinor hurried after him and caught up just as the doors were closed behind them.

‘This is a great opportunity for Caledor,’ said his cousin. ‘Be sensible, Imrik. You know that the princes will choose a general from amongst their number, and there will be great prestige attached to the position. Other ranks of importance will be filled, and the esteem of that kingdom will grow further. Bel Shanaar is nearing the end of his natural span, and there are princes that already position themselves to claim the Phoenix Throne.’

‘What has that to do with me?’ said Imrik.

‘Imagine what Caledor could achieve if Caledrian was to become the next Phoenix King?’

Imrik stopped in his stride and turned on Thyrinor.

‘And that is your only thought?’ he snapped. ‘Or perhaps it is your own prestige that occupies your plans? Caledor does not need the Phoenix Crown to be the greatest of the kingdoms.’

‘Your accusations are harsh, cousin,’ declared Thyrinor, though his embarrassed countenance betrayed his guilt. ‘The empowerment of Caledor is to the benefit of all our princes, you included.’

‘I want nothing more than I have,’ said Imrik, resuming his long stride along the corridor. ‘Had I desired more glory, I would put myself forward as Bel Shanaar’s general.’

‘You are being selfish, to rob your brothers of this opportunity,’ said Thyrinor.

‘Yes, I am,’ replied Imrik. ‘Since my coming of age I have done all that has been asked of me without complaint. I have spent most of my life earning riches and glory for Caledor. Now I wish to have the time to see my son grow and learn, and perhaps even give him a brother or sister.’

Exasperated, Thyrinor turned away, leaving Imrik to depart the palaces alone. Imrik crossed the plaza outside the palaces to the house that had been set aside for the Caledorians. The chief of the servants, Lathinorian, met him as he stepped over the threshold.

‘A messenger from Prince Caledrian arrived,’ said Lathinorian. ‘He awaits you in the second chamber.’

‘I have no need to send a message,’ said Imrik. ‘Send him back to Caledrian with the news that we have been successful. I shall convey the rest myself when I return.’

‘We are leaving soon, prince?’ said Lathinorian. ‘Shall we begin preparations for our departure?’

‘We leave tomorrow,’ said Imrik. ‘I am tired of Tor Anroc.’

With that, Imrik headed upstairs to his bedchambers, and left instruction that he was not to be disturbed.

Nothing broke Imrik’s thoughts; he heard no sound save the wind whistling across the mountains. He looked out of the window and watched Anatheria with Tythanir; the boy was holding a wooden sword and shield and under the instruction of Celebrith making strikes at a small straw dummy set up in the middle of the lawn. The boy had insisted he be allowed to train with a sword. Anatheria had worried her son had been caught up in the dark talk of cults and war that had filled the palace corridors of late, but Imrik had been in no mood to deny his son what he wanted.

The prince knew the peace of the scene was an oddity. Tor Caled had hosted heralds from one kingdom or another for a considerable time; many of them coming to entreat Caledrian or one of his princes to take up the office of the Phoenix King’s general. All had been declined. Caledrian had no more desire than Imrik to leave his kingdom during these troubled times, and had forbidden any other prince of the realm from answering the call. He was insistent, with Imrik’s support, that Caledor was not entangled in the politics of this new army. When a suitable candidate was appointed, the kingdom would send such warriors as they could spare to fight under another elf.

Thyrinor and Dorien had argued differently, and with some cause. They had claimed it was foolish to allow the other kingdoms to choose a general without Caledor having a say in the matter. If Caledorian warriors were to fight, their princes should know who they would follow. Caledrian had asked if Imrik would return to Tor Anroc to take part in the selection debates, but Imrik had flatly refused.

Having returned once and been sent away again, Imrik was determined that nothing would disrupt his time with his family. His relationship with Anatheria had improved significantly, and Tythanir was growing fond of his father. Imrik was not about to risk these developments by abandoning them again, even if only for a little while.

Entertained by his son’s antics, Imrik barely heard the door opening behind him, guessing it to be a servant. It was with surprise that he turned at the sound of his older brother’s voice.

‘Imrik, I must speak with you,’ said Caledrian.

Caledor’s ruler was grim of mood, and Imrik could tell from his brother’s expression that he was not anxious to have this conversation.

‘What is it?’ said Imrik. ‘You could have sent for me.’

‘This is not a discussion between ruler and prince, but between brothers,’ said Caledrian, sitting on a couch and looking past Imrik, out of the window. ‘I have received Carathril, the Phoenix King’s herald. The princes are finally gathering at Tor Anroc to choose a general. Not only that, rumour spreads, that there is outright war in Nagarythe, between Morathi and others who would see her reign ended.’

‘Grave news, but to be expected,’ said Imrik, turning his back to the window to rest against the sill. ‘What of it?’

‘I want you to go to Tor Anroc.’ Caledrian looked away as he said it, casting his eyes downwards.

‘No,’ said Imrik. ‘Go yourself, or send Dorien or Thyrinor.’

‘I cannot,’ said Caledrian. ‘Dorien will undo all progress made with his rashness and Thyrinor is too willing to accommodate Bel Shanaar. It must be you.’

‘Why can you not go? The other ruling princes will expect it.’

‘And they will seek to settle past disagreements,’ said Caledrian. ‘I have not protected Caledor’s prosperity by endearing myself to my fellow rulers. My presence would be as disruptive as Dorien’s.’

‘You said you come as brother, not lord,’ said Imrik. ‘This sounds like a command.’

‘It is not,’ said Caledrian. ‘I will not force you to go.’

‘Nor could you,’ said Imrik.

‘This will not be like last time,’ promised Caledrian. ‘Bel Shanaar is on the brink of brokering an agreement between the kingdoms to deal with Nagarythe. This is far more than just a campaign against the cults. The Phoenix King wants to persuade the others to unite and force Nagarythe into negotiation. If Caledor is not present, Bel Shanaar believes the others will baulk at the prospect.’

‘What happened to your vow not to interfere in the other kingdoms?’ said Imrik. ‘Now you speak of invasion.’

‘Not a prospect I desire, but one that is forced upon us,’ said Caledrian. He crossed the room and laid a hand on Imrik’s arm. ‘With the revelation of Aeltherin’s treachery, it has the other princes distrusting each other more than ever. However, none doubt the integrity of Caledor and her princes. They know that we would never fall under the influence of Nagarythe. More than that, it is you that commands their respect, even if few are willing to admit it. Brother, we are on the brink of war and I need your help. Your presence will reassure our allies and cow those who would seek to oppose action.’

Imrik pulled away his arm and stared out of the window, watching as Tythanir made a clumsy hack at the dummy, Celebrith helping to guide his blow.

‘What manner of world will your son see?’ Caledrian said behind him. ‘Our grandfather gave his life to protect us from the daemons. Our father put his trust in Bel Shanaar, and sacrificed himself for the prosperity of this kingdom. What I ask is not so great a price; just a little of your time.’

The mention of Imrik’s forefathers rankled him, but he could not deny what Caledrian said. What reason could he give to refuse? All sounded as vain excuses; in truth they were and Imrik despised himself for clinging to them. Yet the simple fact remained that he did not wish to be Caledor’s ambassador, and had even less inclination to get involved with a war against the Naggarothi.

Confrontation was inevitable. Even if Bel Shanaar lacked the courage to act directly against Nagarythe, the purge of the cults would be a blow to Naggarothi esteem. Even if only half of the rumours concerning the strife in Nagarythe were true, it was still far from a stable kingdom.

As he watched Tythanir pretending to be a warrior, Imrik felt a moment of disgust. Of course he wanted his son to grow up skilled with sword and lance and bow; but what right did Imrik have to make that choice for him? There was a good chance that Bel Shanaar would pull back from his utter commitment to eradicate the cults and bring the Naggarothi to heel. Fifty years had passed since Malekith had abandoned his own people; anything could happen in the next fifty if nothing changed.

‘I’ll go,’ said Imrik, his knuckles white as he gripped the window sill. ‘Tonight. No delay will make the parting any easier.’

‘I love you, brother, and would not ask of this of any other,’ said Caledrian, placing his hand on Imrik’s shoulder. ‘Ensure that Bel Shanaar will see through this campaign to the end, and help the other princes choose a good general. When that is done, I will ask no more of you.’

There was no doubting Caledrian’s honest intent, but Imrik knew that such a promise would never be kept. A war was about to be waged on Ulthuan and until it was concluded, there would be no peace for Imrik or any other prince.

The atmosphere of Tor Anroc was even more fevered than during Imrik’s last visit. He had left behind Dorien and Thyrinor, wanting no distractions. They had complained bitterly, as Imrik had expected, until he had made it clear he would consider their presence an irritation and a hindrance. Dorien was slightly mollified by Imrik’s request that he stay as guardian to Anatheria and Tythanir; as yet he had no family to care for. Thyrinor had been even more stubborn, and only when Caledrian had commanded his cousin to stay in Tor Caled had the matter been settled.

Much had already been decided before Imrik’s arrival, for which he was grateful. Having determined to prosecute a campaign against the cultists, it appeared that Bel Shanaar was fully committed, despite Imrik and Caledrian’s misgivings on this point.

Several princes had already announced which of their noble houses would bring their warriors to the effort, though Imrik had no such promises from his brother. If all went well, the princes of Caledor would not be required; it had been long years since the dragons of Caledor had fought upon Ulthuan’s soil and all in the kingdom desired that such a thing remained a memory. The deployment of such force was not only impractical in a campaign against scattered, small cults, it would incense the Naggarothi without question and force their hand.

So Imrik spent his time in the hall of Bel Shanaar and listened as noble after noble and prince after prince staked their warriors to the cause and their claim to the generalship. Most were given short shrift by the Phoenix King and princes; untested leaders who had not seen battle. It was a problem for all of the kingdoms; their most warlike folk and most accomplished commanders had long quit these shores for a more adventurous life building and guarding the colonies.

On the second day after his arrival, Finudel and Athielle came to the court and pledged the support of Ellyrion. Thyriol made oaths on behalf of Saphery, and volunteered his own magical prowess to the cause. From Yvresse and Chrace and Cothique princes offered themselves in response to Bel Shanaar’s call.

Yet for all the martial talk and posturing, two questions remained: who would lead the army, and where would it be sent? There seemed to be an ongoing struggle between the princes, unspoken but no less tenacious than any battle with armies. Even within the camps of the different kingdoms there was division: some who committed troops wanted to be the first to benefit, while others saw gain in the upheaval falling elsewhere first.

Again and again Imrik turned away those that would see him raised up as the Phoenix King’s general. The idea was proposed again by Finudel, two days after he had arrived.

‘There is none of us so well equipped for this honour as you,’ said the Ellyrian prince, when the council had gathered in Bel Shanaar’s hall. ‘Save perhaps for the efforts of Malekith, none has achieved greater deeds of arms in recent history.’

‘That makes it somebody else’s turn,’ replied Imrik.

There was some laughter at this, but Imrik’s scowl showed he had intended no joke and silenced them.

‘We could bring back Aerenthis, perhaps?’ suggested Thyriol. ‘As warden of Athel Maraya he is experienced in war.’

‘He has already declined,’ said Bel Shanaar with a long sigh. ‘As have Litheriun, Menathuis, Orlandril and Cathellion.’

‘Then if no other will take this burden, I shall do it,’ said Elodhir.

‘A noble offer, but one I cannot accept,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘I have told you before that the general cannot be of Tiranoc. If this army is to fight under my authority, it must be led by a prince of another kingdom, so that no accusation can be levelled that I favour my own kingdom above any other.’

‘There must be some way to resolve this,’ said Finudel. ‘In Ellyrion, twenty thousand cavalry and ten thousand spears await the command of a general. Who is to lead them?’

‘It matters not if the horsemasters of Ellyrion stand ready to ride forth,’ said Prince Bathinair of Yvresse. ‘Who are they to ride forth against, my dear Finudel? You can hardly lead a cavalry charge through every village and town in Ulthuan.’

‘Perhaps you seek to upset the harmony between the realms for your own ends,’ added Caladryan, another of Yvresse’s nobility. ‘It is not secret that of late the fortunes of Ellyrion have waned. War suits those with little to lose, and it costs those who have the means. Our endeavours across the oceans bring us wealth and goods from the colonies; perhaps Ellyrion is jealous of that.’

Finudel opened his mouth to speak, his anger etched in creases across his brow, but Athielle quickly laid a hand on her brother’s arm to still him.

‘It is true that we have perhaps not prospered as much as some,’ the Ellyrian princess said quietly. ‘In part that is because we of the Inner Kingdoms must pay the taxes of Lothern to pass our fleets into the Great Ocean. If not for those taxes, I suspect that the Outer Kingdoms would perhaps have less of a monopoly of trade.’

‘We cannot be held to account for the quirks of geography,’ sneered Prince Langarel, one of Haradrin’s kin from Lothern. ‘The sea gates must be maintained, and our war fleet stands ever ready for the benefit of all. It is fitting, then, that all should contribute to the cost of maintaining these defences.’

‘And against whom do you defend us?’ growled Finudel. ‘Men? Hut-dwelling savages who can barely cross a river, and an ocean divides us from them. The dwarfs? They are content to dig in the mountains and sit in their caves. The slaves of the Old Ones? Their cities lie in ruins, their civilisation swallowed by the hot jungles. Your fleet is not required, a token of the hubris of Lothern kept gilded by the labours of the other realms.’

‘Must every old slight and rankle be dredged up before me every day?’ demanded Bel Shanaar, his calm voice cutting sharply through the raised voices of the princes. ‘There is nothing to be gained from this bickering, and everything to be lost. While we argue over the spoils of our growing colonies, our cities here at hand are being devoured by decadence and forbidden pursuits. Would you have us abandon our roots and settle in the newly grown branches of our realm? The world has riches enough for us all, if we could set aside these incessant arguments.’

‘The power of the cults grows, that much is clear,’ said Thyriol, from where he sat upon one of the ring of innermost benches surrounding the hall. All turned to the mage in expectation.

‘The vortex holds the winds of magic in check for the moment, but dark magic is gathering in the mountains. Strange creatures have been seen in the highest peaks, unnatural things spawned from the power of Chaos. Not all things of darkness were purged by the blade of Aenarion and the vortex of Caledor. Hybrid monsters of flesh, mutant and depraved, dwell still in the wilderness. The dark magic feeds them, emboldens them, makes them stronger and cannier. Even now, the passes become ever more dangerous to travel. In the winter when the hunters and soldiers cannot keep these growing numbers of beasts at bay, what then? Will we have manticores and hydras descend into the lowlands to attack farms and destroy villages? If we allow the cults to grow unchecked, perhaps even the vortex itself will fail and once more plunge the world into an age of darkness and daemons. Is there one here with the will to prevent that?’

The assembled princes stood in silence, eyeing each other, avoiding the gaze of the Phoenix King. Imrik felt the weight of expectation upon his shoulders. He had known this moment would come and done everything he could to avoid it.

He closed his eyes, picturing his son at play, hardening himself to another duty thrust upon him. He opened his mouth to answer.

‘There is one perhaps that has the will,’ a voice called out, echoing along the audience chamber from the doorway. Its timbre was firm and deep, filled with authority.

A ripple of gasps and whispers spread through the court as Imrik opened his eyes to see a newcomer striding purposefully across the lacquered floor, the fall of his boots sounding like the thunder of war drums. He was dressed in a long skirt of golden mail and his chest was covered with a gold breastplate etched with the design of a dragon, coiled and ready to attack. He wore a cloak of shadow black across his shoulders, held with a clasp adorned with a black gem set into a golden rose. Under one arm he carried a tall war helm, fixed with a strange circlet of dark grey metal that had jutting, thorn-like spines. A complex headband of golden threads swept back raven hair that fell about his shoulders in twisted plaits tied with rings of rune-etched bone. His eyes were piercing, dark, as he stared at the nervous princes and courtiers. He radiated power, his energy and vigour surrounding him as surely as light glows from a lantern.

The princes parted before the newcomer like waves before a ship’s prow, treading and stumbling upon robes and cloaks in their eagerness to back away. A few bowed stiffly or nodded heads in unthinking deference as he swept past to stand in front of the Phoenix King, his left hand, gloved in supple black leather, resting on the silver pommel of a sword hanging in an ebon scabbard at his waist.

Imrik felt relief and anger war within him at the sight of the newly arrived prince; relief that another was willing to take up the mantle of leadership, anger that he had not done so before.

‘Prince Malekith,’ said Bel Shanaar evenly, stroking his bottom lip with a slender finger. ‘Had I known of your coming I would have arranged suitable welcome.’

‘Such ceremony is unnecessary, your majesty,’ replied Malekith, his tone of voice warm, his manner as smooth as velvet. ‘I thought it prudent to arrive unannounced, lest our enemies be warned of my return.’

‘Our enemies?’ said Bel Shanaar, turning a hawkish look upon the prince.

‘Even across the oceans, as I fought against vile beasts and brutal orcs, I heard of the woes that beset our home,’ Malekith explained. He paused and turned to face the princes and their counsellors. ‘Alongside the dwarfs, beside their kings, I and my companions fought to keep our new lands safe. Friends I had that gave their lives protecting the colonies, and I would not have their deaths be in vain; that our cities and our island here would fall to ruin even as we raise sparkling towers and mighty fortresses across the length and breadth of the world.’

‘And so you have returned to us in our hour of need, Malekith?’ said Imrik, stepping in front of Malekith with his arms crossed. The Naggarothi prince’s overly dramatic entrance summed up everything Imrik believed about Aenarion’s son.

‘You must also have heard that which vexes us most,’ said Thyriol softly, standing up and pacing towards the prince of Nagarythe, stepping between Malekith and Imrik. ‘We would wish to prosecute our war against these insidious evils across all of Ulthuan. All of Ulthuan.’

‘That is why I have returned,’ replied Malekith, meeting the mage’s keen gaze with his own piercing stare. ‘Nagarythe is gripped by this torment no less than other lands; more I have heard on occasion. We are one island, one realm under the rule of the Phoenix King, and Nagarythe will not be party to insurrection, nor shall we tolerate black magics and forbidden rituals.’

‘You are our greatest general, our most sound strategist, Prince Malekith,’ said Finudel, his voice hesitant with hope. Imrik bit back a retort at this sudden change of allegiance. ‘If it pleases all present, would you take up the banner of the Phoenix King and lead the fight against these miserable wretches?’

‘In you runs the noblest blood of all princes,’ gushed Bathinair, his tone sickly in the extreme. Imrik shook his head in disgust, unseen by the others, for all eyes were on Malekith. ‘As you fought the darkness alongside your father, you could again bring the light back to Ulthuan!’

‘Eataine would stand by you,’ promised Haradrin with a clenched fist held to his chest.

Imrik stepped away, distancing himself from the others as a chorus of pleading and thanks bubbled up from the assembled nobles. They fell silent the moment Malekith raised a hand to still them. The Naggarothi prince turned his head and looked at Bel Shanaar, saying nothing. The Phoenix King sat in thought, his lips pursed, steepling his slender fingers beneath his chin. Bel Shanaar then looked at Imrik’s stern expression, an eyebrow raised in question upon the Phoenix King’s face.

‘If it is the will of the Phoenix King and this court, then Caledor will not oppose Malekith,’ Imrik said slowly, before turning away and stalking from the room.

It was with a bitter heart that Imrik arrived in Tor Caled with news of Malekith’s return. So fortunate was the timing, he suspected the Naggarothi prince to be involved in the rise of the cults. For Imrik, events now seemed too neat to be coincidence. The affair had the stench of artifice about it; created and managed for the further aggrandisement of Malekith.

He said as much to Caledrian, though his brother confessed some measure of relief that Malekith would restore order to Nagarythe. The ruler of Caledor called together the most powerful nobles of the kingdom to discuss his response to the development.

‘We have no need to get involved,’ Imrik told the council. ‘Malekith has taken the duty upon himself. Let him stamp his rule again upon his rebellious people.’

‘There is a course of reason that suggests we should not let Malekith operate without counter,’ said Thyrinor. ‘With the mandate of Bel Shanaar and the blessings of the other kingdoms, he might turn such power to mischief. If Caledor had representation in the army, a force to match Malekith’s veterans, balance will be maintained.’

‘A wise course, but one that will founder,’ said Caledrian.

‘How so?’ replied Thyrinor.

‘Who here will fight for Malekith?’ Caledrian addressed the assembled princes and nobles.

‘I will not,’ said Imrik; a sentiment echoed by the others.

‘I will raise no blade beneath a Naggarothi banner,’ said Dorien. ‘It is an insult to the memory of the

Dragontamer to fight with the outcasts of the north.’

Caledrian smiled grimly at Thyrinor, his point made.

‘Will you, cousin?’ said the ruling prince. Thyrinor glanced at the rest of the council and shook his head. ‘Then the matter is settled. No house of Caledor will join Bel Shanaar’s army, and the dragons will not fly the skies of Ulthuan.’

‘A choice that is yours alone to make,’ said Hotek, who had remained silent since the discussion had begun. ‘Yet Caledor should show some support to the venture, lest our kingdom be accused of forgetting our duties to the Phoenix King.’

‘You have a suggestion, Hotek?’ said Caledrian.

‘Make a gift of weapons to the cause,’ said the priest of Vaul. ‘As your grandfather did for Aenarion, let the artifice of Vaul’s Anvil be your offering to Bel Shanaar.’

Caledrian looked to the others and received nods of assent.

‘It shall be as you say,’ he said. ‘What must I do?’

‘You need do nothing,’ replied Hotek. ‘I shall see to the forging and delivery on your behalf. It would be fitting if you would travel to the shrine with me to make offering to the priests.’

‘Of course,’ said Caledrian. ‘Whatever you desire shall be yours.’

‘For Vaul,’ Hotek said pointedly.

‘Yes, for Vaul,’ Caledrian swiftly corrected himself.

Though the times that followed were anxious, the path chosen by the princes of Caledor seemed to be wisest. At first troubling news reached them from the north. Malekith’s first attempt to restore his rule in Nagarythe ended in failure. This Caledrian and Imrik and the other princes heard from Carathril the herald, who had ridden alongside Malekith on the ill-fated venture.

Though this setback caused some consternation in Caledor, the noble and the wise of that kingdom again decided not to intercede in the war. The first weapons from Vaul’s Anvil were finished, six rune-enchanted swords, and were delivered with due ceremony to Bel Shanaar. The gift was accepted graciously, though the Phoenix King was saddened that the dragon princes would not lend their might to the battle.

Though Malekith’s first foray into Nagarythe had nearly ended in disaster, much had been learnt of the enemy. Morathi was indeed the chief architect of the cults, and had usurped her son to take control of Nagarythe. Strengthened by the confirmation of this belief, the other princes doubled their efforts to rouse the cults from their cities and towns, declaring them outlaw. They sent more troops to Malekith as he prepared for a fresh offensive in the spring.

During the bleak winter days, Imrik was able to forget the troubles of the north and spend much time with Tythanir. Unlike his brothers and the other princes, he cared nothing for news of Malekith’s affairs, believing his part in the unfolding war to have been settled.

One day he took his son into the mountains, onto the peaks above Tor Caled. He showed him the view of the city and told tales of the city’s founding by Tythanir’s great-grandfather.

‘Our blood is in these rocks,’ said Imrik, stamping a foot on the frosted ground. ‘Beneath it is the fire of the mountains and the caves of the dragons. From the mines in these peaks was brought forth the first ithilmar. Caledor Dragontamer took this wondrous metal to the smiths of Vaul and bade them to forge a blade and a shield and armour for Aenarion.’

‘And the other weapons too?’ said the boy.

‘Later, yes,’ said Imrik. ‘The first were for Aenarion, who had passed through the flame of Asuryan and been reborn. Next, Caledor gave instruction for the making of his staff, wrought of gold and silver and iron. For his son Menieth, my father, a sword was forged upon the smith god’s anvil.’

Imrik drew his sword from its sheath. The blade glittered with inlaid ithilmar, wrought into runes of sharpness and death. In Imrik’s hand it weighed no more than a feather, and so keen was its edge, the lightly falling snow could not settle upon it.

‘This is the wrathbringer, Lathrain,’ said Imrik. He crouched and took Tythanir’s hand and wrapped it about the worn hilt, so that the two of them held the sword together. ‘To your uncle, Caledrian, your grandfather gave the kingdom. To your other uncle, Dorien, he gifted the standard of Caledor. To me he gave this blade. He died with this weapon in his hands. To wield it is the greatest honour in Caledor, but to bear it is to carry the honour of the kingdom also.’

‘How many daemons did grandfather slay?’ asked Tythanir, eyes wide with excitement.

‘Countless,’ replied Imrik.

‘What about orcs, and beastmen?’

‘Beyond number,’ said Imrik.

The child looked at the sword with amazement. He reached a finger towards the blade but Imrik stopped him.

‘The edge need never be sharpened,’ said the prince. ‘Watch.’

Imrik took the sword in his fist and stood up. He pointed to an outcrop of rock, dusted with snow. With an effortless swing, Lathrain sheared off the top, sending it tumbling down the slope. Tythanir laughed at the demonstration.

‘Cut something else!’ the boy cried out.

‘No,’ replied Imrik, sheathing the blade. ‘It is not a toy.’

Tythanir’s lip trembled and his eyes filled with tears.

‘I want to see you cut something else,’ he said, his voice breaking with sadness.

‘One day it will be yours, and you will understand why it is no plaything,’ Imrik said, pulling the boy close to embrace him.

‘But...’ the child started, but Imrik’s unflinching stare ended the protestation as it began.

‘It is not right to argue,’ said Imrik. ‘Your mother is too indulgent.’

The boy scuffed his feet and pouted as they walked hand in hand back down the path. It pulled at Imrik’s heart to see his son so crestfallen, but he could think of nothing that would ease Tythanir’s childish disappointment.

It reminded Imrik of the long days of his own youth, when his father had been away. He had studied diligently, eager to show his father how much he had learnt when Menieth infrequently returned. Great was his father’s praise on those occasions, but always paired with a reminder to Imrik of his duties as a prince of Caledor. Imrik remembered how his father would tell him that though Caledrian was the heir, Imrik was the strongest of the three brothers. When Caledrian ruled, Imrik would have to be the protector of the family.

Such thoughts brought Imrik to his happiest memory and he smiled at the recollection. He tugged at Tythanir’s hand to get the boy’s attention. Tythanir looked up with a scowl, so deep it could have been Imrik’s own, and the prince could not help but laugh. This only served to annoy Tythanir further, but as he pulled to get away, Imrik gently dragged him back.

‘Would you like to see the dragons?’ he asked, and received a wordless shout of excitement in reply, all thoughts of magical swords gone from the boy’s mind.

THREE

THE FLAMES ARE FANNED

To visit the dragon lairs was no simple expedition, and Imrik was forced to wait until the spring on the vehement instructions of his wife. Tythanir was excited for the whole winter, asking his father every day if they were going to see the dragons. Such was his anticipation, the boy handled every disappointing reply with forced dignity, fearful that the offer would be withdrawn altogether if he made too much of a fuss.

Though Imrik tried to avoid all news of wider Ulthuan, he could not help but hear of the travails from the other kingdoms from his family and other nobles. The cults had risen up against the princes, burning and murdering and bringing anarchy to many towns and cities. Even in Tor Anroc, cults were found, but still the kingdom of Caledor was free from the presence of the cytharai-worshippers.

When the first sun of spring finally touched Anul Caled above the city, Imrik announced that the weather was fair enough to set out for the dragon caves. Though he did not know it, another expedition was setting forth at the same time; Prince Malekith’s army marched across the Annulii, destined for the Naggarothi capital of Anlec and a confrontation with his mother.

Dorien and Thyrinor joined Imrik’s family on the journey, along with several other nobles whose sons had yet to see the dragons of their homeland. To witness the creatures in their lairs was a birthright and a privilege known only to the Caledorian nobility, and so it was unsurprising that there was much ceremony and celebration surrounding the trip.

It took five days for the caravan to wind its way up to the higher passes of the mountains; a journey a dragon could fly in a day, Imrik thought wistfully as his carriage bumped and rolled over the uneven road. Dozens of wagons carried the families and their servants, each flying the green and red flag of Caledor.

Each morning the children woke with the dawn, gazing hopefully into the cloudy skies for their first sight of a dragon, yet nothing larger than a bird of prey was to be seen. The clouds grew heavier, joined by the fumes and vapours of the volcanoes. The rocks were dark grey and the caravan traversed ancient lava flows, heading higher still.

By late afternoon on the fifth day, they came to the Vale of the Drake, a bleak gorge nestling within the Dragon Spine Mountains. Hundreds of cave entrances broke the slopes like gaping mouths; from many, wisps of steam and smoke curled lazily into the valley.

They left the horses and wagons and went on foot, Dorien carrying a long instrument made from a dragon’s horn tipped and rimmed with gold. The princes and their young charges stopped upon a lifeless mound of shining rock in the middle of the vale.

Dorien lifted the dragon horn to his lips and blew a single bass note that echoed for a long time.

‘Will the dragons come?’ asked Tythanir.

‘Hush,’ said Thyrinor. ‘Listen.’

All stood in silent expectation, the children straining to hear so hard that some of them stood on tiptoe.

‘Blow it again, uncle,’ said Tythanir.

‘Quiet,’ snapped Imrik. ‘Patience.’

It seemed as if the horn blast continued to reverberate from the cave mouths, long after any natural echoes would have died away. Yet rather than diminishing, the sound grew in strength. All turned left and right, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. It seemed to issue from every cavern at once.

‘There!’ hissed Dorien, pointing behind them and to the left.

There was the faintest flicker of light in the smog that crept from the cave, as of distant fire. To the keen ears of the elves came the sound of scratching, as of monstrous talons scraping rock and scales sliding against stone. The answering call to the horn continued, dipping and rising. Imrik’s skin prickled at the sound, even though he knew its cause; the breath of a dragon rebounding strangely along the maze of tunnels that riddled the mountains.

Closer and closer came the sound, and brighter and brighter glowed the light. It was a trick of the featureless gorge that the caves seemed small, for Imrik had walked them and knew some to be large enough for a ship to pass into.

With a billowing of fumes, something immense launched itself from the cave entrance; broad wings unfurling to catch the thermals of its own fire, a red dragon soared into the sky. A few of the children shrieked at the sight, but most stood dumbfounded; Imrik remembered his own silent awe and terror when he had stood on this same spot with his father.

As the dragon circled above, Imrik knew it immediately to be his own mount.

‘You are fortunate,’ he told Tythanir and the others. ‘This is Maedrethnir, the oldest of the dragons to remain awake. It is a great honour to meet him. Be sure to show proper respect.’

Necks craning to watch the dragon above, children and adults followed Maedrethnir’s progress as his shadow flitted across the mountainsides and disappeared as he rose into the clouds. There were some sighs of disappointment, but Imrik smiled, knowing what to expect. The old dragon was showing off, just as he had done the first time Imrik had seen him.

The whispers from the children turned to gasps as the clouds above the valley began to roil across the sky, lit from within by patches of orange. As the fumes and vapours swirled, a dark shape blurred through the air at their heart. The glow deepened, becoming a blood red that grew more intense with each heartbeat.

Maedrethnir burst from the clouds like a meteor, wreathed in flame and smoke, plunging straight at the elves. At first the children laughed with delight. A piercing cry split the air, building in volume as the dragon continued to dive. The giggles died away and Imrik felt Tythanir slip his hand into his father’s, grip tightening as the dragon roared closer and closer.

There were some wails of panic from the youngest children, and anxious murmuring from the others. Down plunged Maedrethnir, flames licking along his body and wings, trailing spirals of black smog. Imrik felt his son tug at his hand and heard him urge his father to move. The prince held Tythanir to the spot. The pulling grew more insistent with every moment, Maedrethnir a comet of flame and scale and claw hurtling towards the barren mound.

Just as the children’s screams cut the cold air, the dragon snapped open his wings, soaring over the group so low his wings almost brushed the ground.

The blast of wind knocked the smallest to the ground, Tythanir left dangling in his father’s grasp as Imrik’s hair and cloak swirled and the air raged around him, reverberating with a crack as the dragon flapped his wings once and climbed away.

Imrik could feel his son trembling and turned, helping him back to his feet. For a moment, tears glistened in Tythanir’s eyes, his whole body shaking, his lips bloodied from being bitten.

Recovering from the shock the children’s laughter came again, tinged with a mania of relief and joined with the deeper chuckles of their fathers. Above, Maedrethnir tipped a wing and turned sharply, descending to land a short distance away, rock shards sent flying as his claws scraped across the mound.

‘A fine display!’ Dorien called out. He looked at the young elves, who stood with wide-eyed awe, staring at the dragon just a stone’s throw away. ‘We thought it time you met the future lords of Caledor.’

Introductions were made, each child brought forwards to bow before Maedrethnir. As he greeted each, the dragon’s breath ruffled hair, causing some to laugh while others retreated quickly, still struck dumb by the experience.

Lastly, Tythanir was presented.

‘The line of Caledor himself,’ said Imrik. ‘My son, Tythanir.’

The boy stepped towards the dragon and placed his hands on his hips defiantly. He stared up into the monstrous face of Maedrethnir, his scowling countenance reflected in the dragon’s large eyes.

‘That was a very bad thing to do,’ scolded Tythanir. ‘You frightened everybody. You should say sorry!’

Maedrethnir drew back and looked at Imrik, head cocked to one side in surprise.

‘That is no way to pay respect,’ snapped Imrik.

‘This old creature should bow to us,’ said Tythanir. ‘Caledor was the Dragontamer. We are their masters.’

‘You are wrong, boy,’ said Dorien. ‘Though Caledor first tamed the wild dragons, they are now our trusted allies. They are the source of our kingdom’s power and you will show them respect.’

‘Bow and say you are sorry,’ said Imrik.

‘What if I don’t?’ replied Tythanir.

‘I will crush you,’ said Maedrethnir, lunging at the boy, one clawed foot held above Tythanir’s head. The boy flinched only a little, and despite his annoyance at Tythanir’s ill manners, Imrik felt some respect for the young elf standing his ground against the dragon.

‘That would be silly,’ said Tythanir. ‘You are not going to crush me.’

Maedrethnir hesitated and looked at Imrik again, unsure what to do.

‘If you do not bow, you will be punished,’ said Imrik.

‘But it’s not fair,’ said Tythanir, crossing his arms as he turned to his father. ‘I am a dragon prince!’

‘You have had good warning,’ said Imrik. He nodded to Maedrethnir.

The dragon swung its tail, the tip cracking against Tythanir’s backside with just enough force to propel him to the ground. A wail erupted from the boy as he clutched his hands to the offended area.

‘His mother will hear of this,’ Dorien whispered in Imrik’s ear. ‘She will not take it kindly.’

‘She can take it whichever way she wants,’ Imrik replied. ‘The boy was rude and he was punished. She spoils him sometimes.’

‘Have you learnt the lesson, young elf?’ said Maedrethnir, raising the tip of his tail threateningly.

‘Yes,’ sobbed Tythanir as his father helped the boy to his feet and turned him towards the dragon. He bobbed a quick bow. ‘I am sorry.’

‘Apology accepted,’ said the dragon, lowering his tail.

The boy stepped back and sheltered behind his father, eyeing the dragon carefully.

‘Are any of your kin willing to join us?’ asked Thyrinor. ‘We are honoured by your presence but would like to introduce the young ones to some of the others.’

‘They do not wish to be disturbed,’ replied Maedrethnir. ‘They sleep and will not rouse for infants, even the sons of Caledor’s greatest.’

‘A shame,’ said Imrik. ‘It has been a long while since you have graced us in number.’

‘And perhaps we will never again,’ said the dragon. It was impossible to tell Maedrethnir’s thoughts from his reptilian expression but Imrik thought he detected a note of resignation in his words. ‘For a long time we have concerned ourselves with the lives of elves, but our interest is dwindling. The peace of slumber beckons strongly.’

‘We will not disturb you longer,’ said Dorien, bowing to Maedrethnir. ‘Pass our regards to your kin.’

Maedrethnir lowered his head on his long neck and looked at each of the children in turn, baring fangs as long as each was tall.

‘Learn your lessons well, and pay due respect,’ said the dragon. ‘If you do, one day you may be worthy of riding upon the back of one of my brothers or sisters.’

There were nods and solemn promises from the boys. With a growl of contentment, Maedrethnir backed away across the mound and launched into the air. He flew a few loops, gouting fire, before gliding back into the cave from which he had emerged.

Imrik sent Tythanir to the others and gestured for Dorien to join him.

‘You look concerned, brother,’ said Dorien.

‘I think Maedrethnir lied,’ said Imrik. ‘I fear he is the last of the dragons awake.’

‘Let us hope not,’ replied Dorien. ‘It is the dread of the dragons that keeps Caledor safe. If it was known that the power of the mountains is spent, it would go ill for our kingdom.’

‘Yes it would,’ said Imrik, heart heavy. ‘Say nothing of this, not even to Caledrian. He does not need any other worries at the moment.’

‘As you say, brother,’ said Dorien. ‘The day when the dragon princes cannot fly forth will be the day the kingdom falls.’

‘Not while I live,’ growled Imrik. He patted the sword at his waist. ‘The dragons are not our only weapons.’

A few days after he had returned to Tor Caled, Imrik was called to the great hall of the palace by Caledrian. He arrived to find his brothers and cousin already waiting for him, along with several others of the city’s princes.

Imrik’s eye was drawn to a falcon perched on the back of his brother’s throne, as placid as a songbird. Caledrian held something in his hand and there was a small velvet bag cast upon the seat of the throne.

‘Your message seemed urgent,’ said Imrik as he strode along the hall. ‘What do you have there?’

‘I thought it best if we saw this together,’ said Caledrian. ‘It was sent by Thyriol of Saphery.’

Caledrian opened his palm to reveal a shining yellow crystal, a small rune etched into each of its many faces. The prince held out his hand, the crystal resting upon it, and read a short incantation from the note that had accompanied it. Imrik felt the flutter of magic in the air, emanating from the stone.

The light of the crystal brightened, growing to a golden shimmer that dappled the floor, walls and ceiling of the hall. Like sunlight streaming through a window, the gleam rippled and moved, darker shapes forming within it. Imrik could sense the magic on his flesh even as the light touched upon his eyes. He noticed the light cast no shadow in the chamber.

A figure resolved from the shifting light, a wavering image of Thyriol standing with arms folded, hands tucked into the sleeves of his robe. Details of the scene behind him could be just about discerned; marching troops and a high tower that disappeared into vagueness. The ghostly figure stared straight ahead, looking at a nondescript stretch of wall behind Caledrian.

‘Felicitations, princes,’ said the image, the voice seeming to originate in the air itself, leaving no echo. ‘I have sped these tidings to you for I have important news from the north. Prince Malekith has assaulted Anlec and been victorious. He has taken Morathi prisoner and reclaimed the rule of Nagarythe.’

The apparition paused and looked away for a moment. He seemed to mutter something and then returned his attention ahead.

‘We are keeping the capture of Morathi secret, lest her followers attempt some attack to rescue her,’ the mage continued. ‘With a small guard, Malekith escorts his mother to Tor Anroc to face the justice of the Phoenix King. Given the grievances of many against her, Malekith has extended invitation to each kingdom to send a single representative to Bel Shanaar’s court to learn of the Phoenix King’s judgement. Ride swiftly.’

The image wavered and vanished, leaving a faintest glow for a moment within the crystal before that also disappeared. Caledrian closed his fist around it.

‘Malekith invites us to Tor Anroc?’ Thyrinor was the first to speak, incredulity raising the pitch of his voice. ‘He acts if he were Phoenix King, not Bel Shanaar.’

‘Malekith has equal accusations to answer,’ said Dorien. ‘His neglect of his kingdom for fifty years has brought misery to many.’

‘I will go,’ said Imrik.

‘You offer?’ said Caledrian, unable to hide his surprise. ‘You assume I will ask.’

‘You would,’ said Imrik, sighing at the inevitability. ‘Deny it.’

Caledrian looked embarrassed for a moment and then nodded.

‘I cannot,’ he said. ‘Malekith will ask for clemency for his mother. You must ensure Morathi does not receive it.’

‘I will,’ said Imrik. ‘There is blood on her hands.’

The palace of Tor Anroc had continued to expand even in the short time since Imrik had last visited. No doubt helped by the gifts of grateful princes, Bel Shanaar had lavishly furnished his chambers. White gold was inlaid on the flags of the floor and no fewer than six hundred tapestries covered the walls of the hall above the benches, each picturing a scene from Ulthuan and lands across the world. It irked Imrik to recognise many from his own conquests, hanging in the palace of an elf that had not lifted a sword to claim the places depicted. From silver chains hanging from the ceiling the chamber was illuminated by dozens of lanterns of dwarfish design, each a subtly different hue of pale yellow.

Bel Shanaar sat on his throne, with Bathinair, Elodhir, Finudel and Charill of Chrace in attendance. Unseen but close at hand, Thyriol stood ready to counter any enchantments Morathi might cast. The princes of the other realms had refused to come, fearing that despite Bel Shanaar’s precautions the Queen of Nagarythe would still unleash some last spiteful act rather than face her judgement. Imrik stood with the other princes, waiting for Malekith to make his appearance. There was no conversation, and no audience had been allowed onto the benches.

The Caledorian could feel the trepidation of the others, but even his grave misgivings did not extend so far as to believe this was some trap to ensnare them. Over the past decades, Morathi had been given plenty of opportunity to see the Phoenix King if she planned any physical malice towards him.

The doors opened and all turned their gaze down the hall. Malekith entered with long strides, still clad in his golden armour, a hooded figure cloaked in black following a step behind.

‘My king and princes,’ said the Naggarothi ruler. ‘Today is a portentous occasion, for as I vowed, I bring before you the witch-queen of Nagarythe, my mother, Morathi.’

Morathi cast off her cloak and stood before her judges. She was dressed in a flowing blue gown, her hair bound up with shining sapphires, her eyelids painted with azure powder. She appeared every inch the defeated queen, dejected but unrepentant.

‘You stand before us accused of raising war against the office of the Phoenix King and the realms of the princes of Ulthuan,’ Bel Shanaar said.

‘It was not I that launched attacks against the border of Nagarythe,’ Morathi replied calmly. Her gaze met the eyes of the princes in turn. Imrik studied the others: Bathinair met her stare coolly, Elodhir flinched, while Finudel and Charill looked away in discomfort. Imrik stared back, making no attempt to hide his distaste. ‘It was not the Naggarothi who sought battle with the other kingdoms.’

‘You would portray yourself as the victim?’ laughed Finudel. ‘To us?’

‘No ruler of Nagarythe is a victim,’ replied Morathi.

‘Do you deny that the cults of excess and luxury that blight our realm owe their loyalty to you?’ said Bel Shanaar.

‘They owe their loyalty to the cytharai,’ said Morathi. ‘You can no more prosecute me for the existence of the cults than you can impeach yourself for assuming the mantle of Asuryan’s chosen.’

‘Will you at least admit to thoughts of treason?’ said Elodhir. ‘Did you not plot against my father and seek to undermine him?’

‘I hold no position in higher regard than that of the Phoenix King,’ Morathi said, her eyes fixed upon Bel Shanaar. ‘I spoke my mind at the First Council and others chose to ignore my wisdom. My loyalty is to Ulthuan and the prosperity and strength of her people. I do not change my opinions on a whim and my reservations have not been allayed.’

‘She is a viper,’ snarled Imrik, revolted by her professed innocence. ‘She cannot be allowed to live.’

Morathi laughed, a scornful sound that reverberated menacingly around the hall.

‘Who wishes to be known as the elf who slew Aenarion’s queen?’ the seeress said. ‘Which of the mighty princes gathered here would claim that accolade?’

‘I will,’ said Imrik, his hand straying to the silver hilt of Lathrain at his waist.

‘I cannot condone this,’ said Malekith, stepping protectively in front of his mother.

Imrik tensed, but stayed his hand. He watched Malekith intently, alert for any violence.

‘You swore to me in this very chamber that you would be ready for such an end,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘Now you renege on your oath?’

‘No more than I renege on the oath that I would show mercy to all those who asked for it,’ said Malekith. ‘My mother need not die. Her blood would serve no purpose but to sate the Caledorian’s vengeful thirst.’

‘It is justice, not revenge,’ said Imrik. He was reminded of Carathril’s tale of the mass suicide of Aeltherin’s cult. ‘Blood for blood.’

‘If she lives, she is a threat,’ said Finudel. ‘She cannot be trusted.’

‘I cannot decide this,’ said Malekith, addressing the princes. He then turned his eyes upon the Phoenix King. ‘I will not decide this. Let Bel Shanaar decide. The will of the Phoenix King is stronger than the oath of a prince. Is the word of the son of Aenarion to be as nothing, or is there yet nobility enough in the princes of Ulthuan to show compassion and forgiveness?’

Bel Shanaar gave Malekith a sour look, knowing that all that had passed here would be reported by means both open and secret to the people of Ulthuan. Imrik thought that to let Morathi live would be weakness, but he remained silent. He had voiced his opinion on the matter, but the decision rested with the Phoenix King.

‘Morathi cannot go unpunished for her crimes,’ Bel Shanaar said slowly. ‘There is no place to which I can exile her, for she would return more bitter and ambitious than before. As she enslaved others, so shall she forfeit her freedom. She shall stay in rooms within this palace, under guard night and day. None shall see her save with my permission.’

The Phoenix King stood and glared at the sorceress.

‘Know this, Morathi,’ said Bel Shanaar. ‘The sentence of death is not wholly commuted. You live by my will. If ever you cross me or seek to harm my rule, you will be slain, without trial or representation. Your word is of no value and so I hold your life hostage to your good behaviour. Accept these terms or accept your death.’

Morathi looked at the gathered princes and saw nothing but hatred in their faces, save for Malekith’s which was expressionless. Imrik sneered at her glance, wishing to be away from her presence. Even now the stench of sorcery hung about the former queen,

‘Your demands are not unreasonable, Bel Shanaar of Tiranoc,’ she said eventually. ‘I consent to be your prisoner.’

Following the imprisonment of Morathi, a measure of peace was restored. With Malekith again in control of Nagarythe and the support of the pleasure cults curtailed the unrest and violence that had marred Ulthuan subsided. As he had wished, Imrik spent the years in Tor Caled with his wife and son, watching Tythanir grow to become a proud and able youth. The time did not heal the growing estrangement between Imrik and Anatheria; it appeared that as much as she had chastised her husband for his long absences, his continued presence was just as demanding for her.

Despite this, Imrik was content, if not altogether happy. After a life of war and duty, he could not relax wholly and would often visit Maedrethnir to speak of old battles and conquests. The ancient dragon confirmed what Imrik had suspected; the others of his kind were unwilling to leave their lairs and soon he too would join them in the long sleep.

Imrik also found time to travel, to see parts of Ulthuan he had not visited since his childhood. Thyriol hosted Imrik and his family for a season in the floating city of Saphethion. Over a summer, Imrik was the guest of Prince Charill in mountainous Chrace, where he hunted the wild monsters of the Annulii with his distant cousin, Koradrel. The two became friends, Koradrel happy with Imrik’s quiet nature and of a taciturn disposition himself.

Throughout, Imrik set about to distract himself from the long pass of days, and came to understand, if not sympathise with, the malaise of boredom that had drawn so many to the cults of the undergods. He even considered returning to the colonies, but on sending letters to his allies in Elthin Arvan learned that there was little challenge remaining for one of his skills.

After more than two decades, the harmony of Ulthuan was shattered again.

FOUR

THE COUNCIL OF PRINCES

‘Malekith has been ousted from power.’

Imrik could scarcely believe the messenger sent by Bel Shanaar. The Tiranocii stood patiently in the great hall of Tor Caled, addressing Caledrian and his brothers.

‘Bel Shanaar knows this as a fact?’ said Dorien.

‘Even now, Malekith has fled Nagarythe with a body of loyal warriors and takes sanctuary in Tor Anroc,’ said the herald. ‘Some believe the architect of this rebellion to be Eoloran Anar, a dissident who lives in the mountains in the east of Nagarythe.’

‘Impossible,’ said Imrik. ‘All should know Eoloran Anar, standard bearer of Aenarion. His loyalty to Ulthuan is beyond question. Bel Shanaar knows him as an ally.’

‘Which is why the Phoenix King does not pay heed to these rumours,’ the messenger replied smoothly.

‘Though this is distressing, I cannot see how this involves my kingdom,’ said Caledrian. ‘Have we not been here before, and did not Malekith resolve the situation for himself?’

‘With this coup there has been resurgence in the activity of the cults,’ said the herald. ‘There are riots and burning in cities across Ulthuan. Several princes and lesser nobles have been murdered or taken hostage.’

‘They have bided their time,’ said Imrik. ‘They waited for the others to become lax.’

‘It seems so,’ said the herald. ‘The Phoenix King wishes this renewed unrest to be dealt with swiftly. The proposal to form a united army under his banner will be revisited. However, this time there will be no delays. All princes are instructed to gather at the Shrine of Asuryan on the Isle of the Flame, to appoint the commander of this army. You are to set out at once.’

‘Not I,’ said Imrik, looking at Caledrian. His brother opened his mouth to speak but Imrik talked across him. ‘I have been invited to Chrace by Koradrel and I will go. You have avoided the other princes for too long.’

Caledrian looked as if he would argue, but Imrik glared at his brother to forestall any complaint. The ruler of Caledor reluctantly nodded and turned to Thyrinor.

‘I will go to the Isle of the Flame to attend this council, and you will attend me,’ he said.

‘I have no objection,’ said Thyrinor. ‘I have never seen inside the Shrine of Asuryan. It will be a privilege to gaze upon the sacred flame that blessed Aenarion.’

‘I leave tomorrow,’ said Imrik. ‘We can ride together to the coast. I will take ship to the north and you to the east.’

‘We will send word of the proceedings,’ said Caledrian.

‘Please do not,’ replied Imrik. ‘I am not interested. History simply repeats itself. I will be in the mountains.’

Caledrian frowned at this news.

‘But should I need your aid, what will I do?’ he said. ‘No messenger will find you.’

‘That is my intent,’ said Imrik. ‘You will have to deal with this, brother. I cannot help you.’

Arrangements were made with Bel Shanaar’s herald, who departed that evening with Caledrian’s acceptance of his position at the council. Imrik spent the night with his family, promising Tythanir the head of a hydra as a gift on his return. In the morning, he left the city with Caledrian and Thyrinor, pleased to have avoided embroilment in further intrigue that did not concern him.

The chatter around the horseshoe of tables and chairs in the shrine was of the delay in the arrival of Bel Shanaar and Malekith. Elodhir had arrived from Tor Anroc with the news that his father and the prince of Nagarythe would follow shortly, but even the heir to Tiranoc’s throne was now perturbed by their failure to arrive.

‘What if the cultists know something of what they plan?’ Elodhir said to Thyrinor.

The two of them stood by a table near to the entrance to the pyramidal shrine, the multicoloured pillar of fire known as the flame of Asuryan burning at the centre of the temple. Other princes and their aides had seated themselves in preparation for the council, as they had done several times over the last few days. Seated directly in front of the sacred flames was the high priest Mianderin, his staff of office held across his lap. Other priests moved around the tables filling goblets with wine or water, and offering fruits and confectioneries.

‘I would not fear,’ Thyrinor said as soothingly as possible. ‘Your father is the Phoenix King, and Prince Malekith the most accomplished warrior in Ulthuan. It is most likely fresh information from Nagarythe that delays them.’

‘You are right,’ said Elodhir. He was about to return to his seat when a young priest entered the shrine.

‘A ship bearing the flag of Tiranoc draws in to the wharf,’ the elf announced before taking position with his fellows along the white stone walls.

There was a hubbub of discussion and Thyrinor joined Caledrian at the seats and table set aside for the Caledorian representatives.

‘About time,’ said Caledrian. ‘It is probably for the best that Imrik did not come. These delays would have frustrated him to the verge of violence, I suspect.’

‘And I expect much wrangling to be the business of the next few days,’ replied Thyrinor. ‘My cousin’s absence has been remarked upon several times. There are those who think he should be here to receive the nomination as general.’

‘He made his opinion clear on that before,’ said Caledrian. ‘If he wishes to have no association with this campaign, I cannot blame him and will respect his wishes. Caledor has taken much from him already.’

‘Dorien and I spent almost as much time fighting in the colonies,’ said Thyrinor.

Caledrian smiled and patted his cousin reassuringly on the arm.

‘And it is remembered,’ said the prince. ‘Yet it was Imrik my father named as the sword bearer of Caledor, and that is a weighty burden to bear.’

The two of them fell silent as new figures appeared at the shrine door.

Malekith entered and walked behind the table reserved for Bel Shanaar, earning himself frowns from Mianderin and a few of the princes. Thyrinor felt Caledrian’s grip on his arm tighten. Something was amiss; Thyrinor had felt it from the moment Malekith had appeared. The Naggarothi prince was flanked by two knights who carried wrapped bundles in their hands. Malekith stood leaning on the table with gauntleted fists, and stared balefully at the assembled council.

‘Weakness prevails,’ spat the prince of Nagarythe. Thyrinor shuddered at the venom in Malekith’s voice. ‘Weakness grips this island like a child squeezing the juices from an over-ripened fruit. Selfishness has driven us to inaction, and now the time to act may have passed. Complacency rules where princes should lead. You have allowed the cults of depravity to flourish, and done nothing. You have looked to foreign shores and counted your gold, and allowed thieves to sneak into your towns and cities to steal away your children. And you have been content to allow a traitor to wear the Phoenix Crown!’

With this last declaration there were gasps and shouts of horror from the princes. Malekith’s knights opened their bundles and tossed the contents upon the table: the crown and feathered cloak of Bel Shanaar.

Elodhir leapt to his feet, fist raised.

‘Where is my father?’ he demanded.

‘What has happened to the Phoenix King?’ cried Finudel.

‘He is dead!’ snarled Malekith. ‘Killed by his weakness of spirit.’

Panic choked Thyrinor, his throat tightening against the shout of dismay that rose from him. He looked to Caledrian, whose face had paled, jaw and fists clenched tightly.

‘That cannot be so!’ exclaimed Elodhir, his voice strangled and fraught with anger.

‘It is,’ said Malekith with a sigh, his demeanour suddenly one of sorrow. ‘I promised to root out this vileness, and was shocked to find that my mother was one of its chief architects. From that moment on, I decided none would be above suspicion. If Nagarythe had become so polluted, so too perhaps had Tiranoc. My arrival here was delayed by investigations, when it was brought to my attention that those close to the Phoenix King might be under the sway of the hedonists. My inquiries were circumspect but thorough, and imagine my disappointment, nay disbelief, when I uncovered evidence that implicated the Phoenix King himself.’

‘What evidence?’ demanded Elodhir.

‘Certain talismans and fetishes found in the Phoenix King’s chambers,’ said Malekith calmly. ‘Believe me when I say that I felt as you did. I could not bring myself to think that Bel Shanaar, our wisest prince chosen to rule by members of this council, would be brought so low. Not one to act rashly, I decided to confront Bel Shanaar with this evidence, in the hope that there was some misunderstanding or trickery involved.’

‘And he denied it of course?’ asked Bathinair.

Thyrinor could not comprehend what he was hearing. He moved to rise to his feet, but Caledrian pushed him back to his chair.

‘Watch the knights,’ Caledrian hissed in his ear.

Thyrinor turned his attention to the black-clad knights of Anlec, who had stepped back and now filled the doorway with their armoured forms, dark eyes glaring from the visors of their high helms, arms crossed over their carved breastplates.

‘He admitted guilt by his deeds,’ explained Malekith. ‘It seems that a few of my company were tainted by this affliction and in league with the usurpers of Nagarythe. Even as I confided in them, they warned Bel Shanaar of my discoveries. That night, no more than seven nights ago, I went to his chambers to make my accusations face-to-face. I found him dead, his lips stained with poison. He had taken the coward’s way and ended his own life rather than suffer the shame of inquiry. By his own hand he denied us insight into the plans of the cults. Fearing that he would not keep their secrets to himself, he took them to his grave.’

‘My father would do no such thing, he is loyal to Ulthuan and its people!’ shouted Elodhir.

Thyrinor was in agreement, but a glance at his cousin showed that Caledrian was not paying attention to Malekith, his eyes instead roving across the other princes, gauging their reactions.

‘Bathinair is with Malekith,’ Caledrian whispered, quietly pushing his chair away from the table.

‘What do you mean?’ Thyrinor whispered back, but received no reply.

‘I confess to having deep sympathy with you, Elodhir,’ Malekith was saying. ‘Have I not been deceived by my own mother? Do I not feel the same betrayal and heartache that now wrenches at your spirit?’

‘I must admit I also find this somewhat perturbing,’ said Thyriol. ‘It seems… convenient.’

‘And so, in death, Bel Shanaar continues to divide us, as was his intent,’ countered Malekith. ‘Discord and anarchy will reign as we argue back and forth the rights and wrongs of what has occurred. While we debate endlessly, the cults will grow in power and seize your lands from under your noses, and we will have lost everything. They are united, while we are divided. There is no time for contemplation, or reflection, there is only time for action.’

‘What would you have us do?’ asked Chyllion, one of the princes of Cothique.

‘We must choose a new Phoenix King!’ declared Bathinair before Malekith could answer.

Voices erupted across the shrine and princes stood up, gesturing madly at one another. Malekith watched the tumult without emotion. Thyrinor followed his gaze, which was fixed upon the sacred flame.

‘I really wish Imrik was here,’ Thyrinor admitted.

‘Cease this noise!’ roared Caledrian, getting to his feet. ‘Be calm!’

His shout stilled the shrine.

‘We will not find the truth with this anarchy,’ Caledrian continued in quieter tones.

‘Does Caledrian put himself forward for the Phoenix Throne?’ said Bathinair.

The prince of Caledor was stunned by the suggestion.

‘I have no such ambition,’ he said, looking pointedly at Malekith. ‘Yet if there are others here who would stake such a claim, it should be made plain and we should consider it.’

‘Is that your intent?’ asked Thyriol with a glance at the other princes.

‘If the council wishes it,’ Malekith said with a shrug.

‘We cannot choose a new Phoenix King now,’ said Elodhir. ‘Such a matter cannot be resolved quickly, and even if such a thing were possible, we are not our full number.’

‘Nagarythe will not wait,’ said Malekith, slamming his fist onto the table. ‘The cults are too strong and come spring they will control the army of Anlec. My lands will be lost and they will march upon yours!’

‘You would have us choose you to lead us?’ said Thyriol quietly.

‘Yes,’ Malekith replied without hesitation or embarrassment. ‘There are none here who were willing to act until my return. I am the son of Aenarion, his chosen heir, and if the revelation of Bel Shanaar’s treachery is not enough to convince you of the foolishness of choosing from another line, then look to my other achievements. Bel Shanaar chose me to act as his ambassador to the dwarfs, for I was a close friend with their High King.

‘Our future lies not solely upon these shores, but in the wider world. I have been to the colonies across the oceans, and fought to build and protect them. Though they come from the bloodstock of Lothern or Tor Elyr or Tor Anroc, they are a new people, and it is to me they first look now, not to you. None here are as experienced in war as am I. Bel Shanaar was a ruler steeped in wisdom and peace, for all that he has failed us at the last, but peace and wisdom will not prevail against darkness and zealotry.’

‘What of Imrik?’ suggested Finudel. ‘He is every bit the general and fought out in the new world also.’

‘Imrik?’ said Malekith, his voice dripping with scorn. ‘Where is Imrik now, in this time of our greatest need? He skulks in Chrace with his cousin, hunting monsters! Would you have Ulthuan ruled by an elf who hides in the mountains like a petulant, spoilt child? When Imrik called for an army to be gathered against Nagarythe, did you pay him heed? No! Only when I raised the banner did you fall over each other in your enthusiasm.’

Thyrinor was so incensed by the accusation, words failed him. Before he could speak, another prince was making his voice heard.

‘Be careful of what you say, your arrogance does you a disservice,’ warned Haradrin.

‘I say these things not as barbs to your pride,’ explained Malekith, unclenching his fists and sitting down. ‘I say them to show you what you already know; in your hearts you would gratefully follow where I lead.’

‘I still say that this council cannot make such an important decision on a whim,’ said Elodhir. ‘My father lies dead, in circumstances yet to be fully explained, and you would have us hand over the Phoenix Crown to you?’

‘He has a point, Malekith,’ said Haradrin.

‘A point?’ screamed Malekith as he surged to his feet, knocking over the table and sending the cloak and crown upon it flying through the air. ‘A point? Your dithering will see you all cast out, your families enslaved and your people burning upon ten thousand pyres! It has been more than a thousand years since I bent my knee to this council’s first, wayward decision and saw Bel Shanaar take what Aenarion had promised to me. For a thousand years, I have been content to watch your families grow and prosper, and squabble amongst yourselves like children, while I and my kin bled on battlefields on the other side of the world. I trusted you all to remember the legacy of my father, and ignored the cries of anguish that rang in my blood; for it was in the interest of all that we were united. Now it is time to unite behind me! I do not lie to you, I shall be a harsh ruler at times, but I will reward those who serve me well, and when peace reigns again we shall all enjoy the spoils of our battles. Who here has more right to the throne than I do? Who here–’

‘Malekith!’ barked Mianderin, pointing towards the prince’s waist. In his tirade, Malekith’s waving arms had thrown his cloak back over his shoulder. ‘Why do you wear your sword in this holy place? It is forbidden in the most ancient laws of this temple. Remove it at once.’

Thyrinor felt Caledrian tense next to him. Remembering his cousin’s words, the dragon prince moved his gaze to the Anlec knights. They too had weapons at their hips, their gauntleted hands upon the hilts.

Malekith stood frozen in place, almost comic with his arms outstretched. He looked down at his belt and the sheathed sword that hung there. He gripped his sword’s hilt and drew it free. The Naggarothi prince looked up at the others with eyes narrowed, his face illuminated by magical blue fire from the blade.

‘Enough words!’ he spat.

Thyrinor sat rigid, transfixed by the glow of fabled Avanuir in Malekith’s fist. Caledrian moved behind his chair, grabbing hold of the back in both hands. Thyrinor felt the waves of magic flowing from Malekith’s blade, mixing with the mystical draught that poured from the sacred flame, tinged with an aura that now spread from Thyriol.

‘You were overlooked before,’ said the mage, holding out his hands in a placating gesture. ‘I bear in part the responsibility for that choice. Let us do nothing hasty, and consider again our positions.’

‘It is my right to be Phoenix King,’ growled Malekith. ‘It is not yours to give, so I will gladly take it.’

‘Traitor!’ screamed Elodhir, leaping across the table in front of him, scattering goblets and plates. There was uproar as princes and priests shouted and shrieked.

The knights started forwards and Caledrian leapt to meet the closest, crashing his chair into the Naggarothi’s helmed head to send the knight slamming against the wall. Out of instinct, Thyrinor rose to his feet and reached to his belt, but there was no sword there, for all the princes save Malekith had obeyed the strictures of Asuryan.

Elodhir dashed across the shrine, and was halfway upon Malekith when Bathinair intercepted him, sending both of them tumbling down in a welter of robes and rugs. Elodhir punched the Yvressian prince, who reeled back. With a snarl, Bathinair reached into his robes and pulled out a curved blade, no longer than a finger, and slashed at Elodhir. Its blade caught the prince’s throat and his lifeblood fountained across the exposed flagstones.

The knight Caledrian had attacked recovered quickly, deflecting the prince’s next blow with a raised arm before shoving the Caledorian against a table. In a moment, the knight’s sword was in his hand.

Confusion reigned. As Bathinair crouched panting over the body of Elodhir, figures appeared at the archway behind Malekith; more black-armoured knights of Anlec. The priests and princes who had been running for the arch slipped and collided with each other in their haste to stop their flight. The knights had blood-slicked blades in the hands and advanced with sinister purpose.

Thyrinor launched himself at the warrior confronting his cousin, tackling him to the ground. The knight swung an armoured fist, stunning Thyrinor with the blow. He staggered back, vision spinning as the knight surged to his feet and loomed over Caledrian. Past his cousin, he saw the mage, Thyriol, smashed to the ground by an armoured fist while the other princes tried to wrest weapons from the Naggarothi knights.

Malekith walked slowly through the melee as his knights cut and hacked at the princes around him, his eyes never leaving the sacred flame in the centre of the chamber. Screams and howls echoed from the walls. Thyrinor threw himself groggily at the closest knight, grasping hold of his sword arm as it descended, trying to twist the weapon free.

The knight’s elbow struck Thyrinor on the chin, sending him sprawling. The distraction gave Caledrian time to recover himself, holding the chair in front of him as a shield. The knight’s sword hacked through the chair in a shower of splinters, Caledrian reeling back from the blow.

Out of the melee, Haradrin ran towards Malekith, a captured sword raised above his head. With a contemptuous sneer, the prince of Nagarythe stepped aside from Haradrin’s wild swing and thrust his own sword into Haradrin’s gut. He stood there a moment, the princes staring deep into each other’s eyes, until a trickle of blood spilled from Haradrin’s lips and he collapsed to the floor.

Malekith let the sword fall from his fingers with the body rather than wrench it free, and continued his pacing towards the sacred fires.

‘Asuryan will not accept you!’ cried Mianderin, falling to his knees in front of Malekith, his hands clasped in pleading. ‘You have spilt blood in his sacred temple! We have not cast the proper enchantments to protect you from the flames. You cannot do this!’

‘So?’ spat the prince. ‘I am Aenarion’s heir. I do not need your witchery to protect me.’

Mianderin snatched at Malekith’s hand but the prince tore his fingers from the haruspex’s grasp.

‘I no longer listen to the protestations of priests,’ said Malekith, and kicked Mianderin aside.

As Thyrinor lunged again, the knight turned, sword swinging. The blade’s tip scored across Thyrinor’s chest and arm, spraying blood. With a wounded cry, Thyrinor fell to the ground, clasping his good hand to the injured limb. Through the haze of pain, he saw Caledrian seize the knight from behind, wrapping an arm around his throat.

The knight flailed but could not dislodge the Caledorian prince. Thyrinor tried to stand, but his legs gave way and he slumped back to the flagstones. With his other hand, Caledrian wrested the sword from the knight’s grip, the weapon clattering to the floor.

A shadow loomed up behind Thyrinor’s cousin. He tried to shout a warning, but was too late.

Blood fountained as another knight hacked Caledrian’s head from his body with one sweep of his sword. The first knight recovered his weapon and turned on Thyrinor.

Unable to defend himself, he rolled away from the blow, trailing blood, a cry of pain wrenched from his lips. He dived under a table, which shuddered a moment later from an impact. Between armoured legs, Thyrinor glimpsed bloodied bodies on the ground. Entranced by the slaughter, he turned his gaze up and saw Malekith.

His hands held out, palms upwards in supplication, the Naggarothi prince walked forwards and stepped into the flames.

A moment of silence and stillness engulfed the shrine and every pair of eyes turned to the sacred fire. The flame of Asuryan burned paler and paler, moving from a deep blue to a brilliant white. At its heart could be seen the silhouette of Malekith, his arms still outstretched.

Thyrinor heard a dull rumble, as of thunder, which returned with greater ferocity. The floor trembled beneath him and motes of mortar dust sprinkled down from the ceiling. Pieces of tile pattered onto the table above him and shattered on the flagstones.

With a lurch that flung Thyrinor into a table leg, the ground heaved. Stones erupted across the paved floor, hurling broken fragments. Prince, priest and knight alike were tossed around by the great tumult. Chairs were flung across the floor and tables toppled. Plaster cracked upon the walls and fell in large slabs from the ceiling. Wide cracks tore through the tiles underfoot and a rift three paces wide opened up along the eastern wall, sending up a cloud of dust and rock that choked Thyrinor.

With a thunderous clap, the holy flame blazed, filling the room with white light. Within, Malekith collapsed to his knees and grabbed at his face. He flung back his head and screamed as the flames consumed him; his howl of anguish reverberated around the shrine, echoing and growing in volume with every passing moment.

The pain of that cry pierced Thyrinor’s heart, a shrill wail of agony so sickening, so filled with rage and frustration, it twisted his gut and gnawed a path into his mind, where it would dwell forever. The withering figure silhouetted within the flames pushed himself slowly to his feet and hurled himself from their depths.

Malekith’s smoking and charred body crashed to the ground, igniting a rug and sending ashen dust billowing. Blackened flesh fell away in lumps amidst cooling droplets of molten armour. He reached outwards with a hand, and then collapsed. His clothes had been burnt away and his flesh eaten down to the bone in places. His face was a mask of black and red, his dark eyes lidless and staring. Steam rose from burst veins as the prince of Nagarythe shuddered and then fell still, laid to ruin by the judgement of Asuryan.

The knights rushed to their prince’s aid, while the bloodied and battered princes took what shelter they could as debris continued to fall around them. Lifting up the body of their master, the knights pushed towards the entrance. Several princes tried to bar their escape and were swiftly cut down, their blood spilling onto the dusty flagstones.

Thyrinor staggered out from under the table, and witnessed a scene of stomach-wrenching carnage. Bodies and limbs, of princes and priests, littered the floor. Pools of blood and piles of gore were slick underfoot as he numbly paced around the shrine room looking for survivors.

‘So many killed,’ he muttered, staring into dead face after dead face.

The princes of Ulthuan were slain. The elite of elven nobility lay dismembered and torn all about Thyrinor and he wept; for what had happened, for what he saw and what he feared would next come to pass.

PART TWO

The Treachery of Malekith; Race to Chrace; Imrik Becomes King; The Siege of Lothern; Avelorn Burns; The War Takes its Toll

FIVE

A KING IS CHOSEN

The interior of the shrine was awash with the blood of princes; the walls cracked and broken by the earthquake; the floor littered with debris and bodies. Carathril picked his way through the ruin, a hand over his mouth in horror. The ghastly scene was bathed in a deep red glow from the flame of Asuryan, lending it an even more disturbing sheen.

With a groan, Finudel sat up, pushing aside the armoured body of a Naggarothi knight. His robe was slashed across his right shoulder and blood leaked from a long wound as he staggered to his feet. Carathril dashed to his side and helped him to stand. Finudel looked at Carathril, his eyes glazed and distant, incomprehension written across his features.

‘He was the best of us,’ murmured Finudel. ‘How could he betray us?’

‘Who?’ asked Carathril, righting a chair with his free hand and lowering the prince onto it. ‘Who has betrayed us?’

‘Malekith…’ Finudel whispered.

A groan attracted Carathril’s attention and he left Finudel to search through the morbid pile of corpses, blood slicking his hands and sleeves as he pushed aside the bodies. A hand grabbed at the hem of his robe and Carathril turned to see Thyriol, his face even paler than usual. There was a cut across his forehead and dried blood caked the mage’s eyes.

‘It is Carathril,’ the captain said softly. ‘You are safe now.’

‘No,’ said Thyriol, his voice a hoarse rasp. ‘None of us are safe. Malekith will unleash the darkness of Nagarythe upon us all.’

‘Malekith is dead,’ a voice rang from the far end of the shrine. Carathril glanced up to see Thyrinor, prince of Caledor, where he knelt upon the floor cradling the headless body of his cousin, Caledrian.

‘How so?’ asked Thyriol, his voice regaining some of its former strength and timbre.

‘I saw him step into the sacred flame,’ Thyrinor told them. ‘Asuryan judged him to be tainted and burnt him alive before casting his body back to us. His knights fled with the remains.’

‘I saw them,’ said Carathril. ‘And Bathinair also.’

‘Yes, Bathinair killed Elodhir, with a concealed blade,’ said Thyrinor. ‘Who can say how long he has been a puppet of Nagarythe?’

They digested this news in silence, until Finudel stirred himself and stood shakily to his feet. He walked hesitantly towards the shrine entrance, one hand gripped to his injured shoulder.

‘I thank Asuryan and all gods that Athielle was not here for this butchery,’ the Ellyrian said quietly.

‘There are too few who were absent,’ said Thyriol. ‘More than half the ruling princes of Ulthuan lie dead in this chamber. Of those that remain, most are lords of Nagarythe. Malekith’s treachery has bitten deep, inflicting a wound from which we might never recover.’

‘Malekith may be dead, but Nagarythe remains,’ said Thyrinor. ‘I fear that Morathi knows full well what her son intended, and even now Nagarythe readies for invasion of the other realms.’

‘She will take the death of her son gravely, and will vent her grief and anger upon the rest of us,’ said Carathril. ‘I see now that the divisions between mother and child were feigned, and that these past months we have been led upon a deadly dance of deception.’

‘But there is no one left to lead,’ growled Finudel. ‘Who will muster the militia? Who will call the spears and bows to war against Nagarythe when the best of our commanders lie dead within this chamber?’

‘Perhaps,’ said Thyriol. ‘Many died here, but there are those alive still that might stand against Nagarythe.’

‘You speak of Imrik,’ said Thyrinor.

At the mention of the Caledorian prince’s name, Carathril remembered a letter entrusted to him by Bel Shanaar. He ran from the temple, leaping nimbly and without second thought over bodies and rubble. He noticed that Malekith’s ship had departed, along with the knights and cultists, having hurriedly left their unloaded stores upon the quay. Compelled by nameless worries, Carathril sped between the pavilions of the camp, which were in tumultuous uproar as servants and soldiers dashed about, panicked by the earthquake. He ducked beneath streaming banners and leapt over tent ropes in his haste, dodging effortlessly through the milling throng.

Reaching his tent, Carathril tore aside the door and delved into his pack, seeking the scroll. Pulling it free from its hiding place, he turned back towards the shrine. A warrior in the garb of Eataine recognised him and snatched his arm as Carathril ran past.

‘Where is the prince?’ the soldier demanded.

Carathril hesitated before replying.

‘Prince Haradrin is dead,’ he said quietly, lifting the elf’s grip from his bloodied sleeve. ‘Gather as many soldiers as you can and await my return.’

Carathril ignored the elf’s desperate questions and ran back to the shrine, vaulting over the fallen columns in his haste. Entering once more, he saw that several priests had escaped the slaughter, and they were even now tending to the bodies and the devastation, shock and grief scored upon their faces. Thyriol and Finudel were having their wounds bathed and dressed, and Thyrinor picked his way through the fallen princes and their counsellors seeking any still alive. His grim face betrayed his lack of hope in this task.

‘What do you have there?’ asked Thyriol, as Carathril held up the scroll.

‘Perhaps the last wishes of the rightful Phoenix King,’ panted Carathril. ‘Bel Shanaar entrusted me with this message for Prince Imrik before I left Tor Anroc.’

‘Open it,’ said Finudel, but Carathril was reluctant.

‘Bel Shanaar was adamant that Imrik alone read whatever is contained within,’ said Carathril. ‘I was to keep it secret from you all.’

‘Bel Shanaar has been murdered and Imrik is not here,’ said Thyrinor sternly. ‘I think it is safe to say that those who have sided with Nagarythe are not here, either, and that we who have survived remain loyal to Ulthuan.’

Though he was not wholly convinced, Carathril relented and broke the wax seal upon the scroll. He read aloud the Phoenix King’s letter:

To the Esteemed Prince Imrik of Caledor,

You must forgive me the subterfuge that surrounds the delivery of this letter, for as you are aware, we live in distrustful times. Events in Nagarythe lead me to believe that the cults and sects that have so plagued our people these many years are but one thread of a dark tapestry woven by those who rule in Nagarythe. Morathi’s turn to darkness is absolute, and I cannot bring myself to trust Malekith, though he seems most earnest in his endeavours to bring peace to Ulthuan. I cannot say that there are any in the Northern Realm who remain loyal to the Phoenix Throne.

While my heart hopes that war can yet be averted, my head tells me otherwise. Malekith is determined to prosecute a military campaign against the Naggarothi, and in this I am in accord with him. Where our opinions differ is in who is best chosen to lead this action. I cannot wholly trust Malekith, for even if he is not complicit in these events in some way, he is the prince of Nagarythe and son of Morathi and I fear that his resolve may not endure the calamity of fighting those whom we must face; friends and trusted peers of his, and folk of his own realm.

It is for this reason that I turn to you, Imrik, and you alone. You have counselled me to decisive action in the past, and so I must entrust to you the leadership of the assembled armies of Ulthuan. There is none braver, nor accomplished upon the field of battle as you, and in Caledor resides the greatest strength of our isle. While Caledor stands firm and holds true to the ideals of our people, Ulthuan will endure.

I shall confront Malekith with my decision before we arrive at the Isle of the Flame. I do not think he will be pleased, to say the least. He will argue in the council for control, and there is much loyalty to him amongst the other princes. Only Caledor’s ruler has equal measure of power in this debate, and I hope that I can look to you and your brothers for support in this.

If we cannot speak on this matter, any message you have for me can be entrusted to my herald, Carathril, who bears this missive; either by written or spoken word. He is of staunch loyalty and most noble character, and I vouch for him in the highest manner.

May the gods bless us all and protect the peace of our lands.

Bel Shanaar, Prince of Tiranoc, Phoenix King of Ulthuan

Thyriol took the scroll to read it again for himself, and the princes pondered long and hard over the meaning and import of Bel Shanaar’s words.

‘We are left with a difficult choice,’ said Thyriol. ‘The Phoenix Throne stands empty, and a dire threat rises to challenge us. Bel Shanaar may have been gifted rare prophecy in his choice of words, and his entrusting of this letter to his herald. I think it is plain that the Phoenix King would have seen Imrik succeed him if he could have known what was to occur.’

‘I agree,’ said Finudel. ‘Yet, we three here cannot make this decision alone. Just as it was wrong for Malekith to try to take the crown, it is not for less than a handful of princes to place it upon the head of another. Heirs there are, in those realms whose rulers now lie dead upon this floor, who have equal right to make this choice.’

‘Though conceived in deceit, Malekith’s lies were, like all great illusions, grounded in some truth,’ said Thyriol. ‘It is unlikely that the army of Nagarythe will march before the spring, and that, at least, gives us some time to prepare.’

‘I fear that Malekith was also right that we cannot afford to hesitate,’ said Thyrinor. ‘If Imrik had come, then perhaps we could have moved more swiftly, but he is still in the mountains and utterly unaware of the drastic course events have now taken.’

‘We must send word to him at once, and go to those other realms that now must mourn the loss of so much noble blood,’ said Finudel. ‘Though we must gather a new council, I do not think there will be any opposition to Imrik taking up the mantle of the Phoenix King.’

‘Except perhaps from Imrik himself,’ said Thyrinor with a resigned expression. ‘He was reluctant to lead the war against the cults when we last spoke, who is to say that he will not feel it his duty to keep Caledor safe first and foremost now that Caledrian is dead?’

‘Caledor is strong, that is true,’ said Finudel. ‘Yet even the strength of Caledor would not be enough to resist all of Ulthuan if the other realms should fall to Nagarythe’s power. Imrik will fight, of that I have no doubt.’

‘And how might we bring Imrik to the Isle of the Flame?’ asked Thyrinor. ‘Messengers could search for many days and not find him. He made it clear he does not want to be found.’

‘No one escapes the gaze of the raven heralds,’ said Finudel, speaking of the ancient order founded by Aenarion. The suggestion troubled Thyrinor, for the raven heralds were elves of Nagarythe. He was thankful when Carathril objected.

‘No!’ said Carathril. ‘I do not trust them, for they played their part in the deception at Ealith. As you say, they see all, and I cannot believe that they were so misled. Even if some are not in thrall to Anlec, we have no way of telling friend from foe, or of contacting those who would side with our cause.’

‘Then you must go, Carathril,’ said Thyrinor.

‘Me?’ gasped Carathril. ‘I have no talent for this sort of endeavour.’

‘Bel Shanaar had every confidence in you,’ said Thyriol. ‘I share his confidence. You will not be unaided, there are enchantments known to the mages of Saphery that will help you locate Imrik.’

‘I would not know where to begin,’ protested Carathril. His first thought was of returning to Lothern, to inter the body of Haradrin in the mausoleum and share in the grief of his people.

‘In Chrace, of course,’ said Finudel, stepping forwards to lay a hand on Carathril’s shoulder. ‘You shall have the pick of Ellyrion’s steeds to carry you.’

‘And a ship travels even swifter,’ said Thyrinor. ‘Many there are by the wharf, and you are welcome to whichever you choose and a crew for it.’

Thyriol rolled up the scroll and held it in his outstretched hand towards the captain. Carathril looked at the other princes and saw that they were in agreement. A protest stirred in his breast but he quelled it for the moment.

‘Most assuredly you have the blessing of Asuryan,’ said the mage. ‘Who else of those here has been through so much turmoil of late and emerged unscathed?’

Carathril sought for an argument, a reason why he should not go. He longed to return to Lothern, which would reel again at the news that another of its rulers was dead by violence. He was scared, though he could not admit that in such noble company; the wilds of Chrace were dangerous enough in normal circumstances and on the very borders of Nagarythe. He would have to sail past the Isle of the Dead and search in the monster-infested mountains.

Then he remembered the words in Bel Shanaar’s letter. Pride and duty stirred within Carathril, burning through the fear in his stomach. He recalled the tattooed and scarred cultists and their depraved rites, his loathing for what would become of Ulthuan if they should be victorious outweighing his dread at the task ahead. He took the letter from Thyriol.

‘I shall go,’ said Carathril. ‘There is no time to waste.’

‘We are not so sorely pressed that you cannot spare time to prepare,’ said Thyriol. ‘You shall not go alone, so we must choose a company of soldiers to guard you, and tomorrow will serve us as well as today. There is much we must make ready, for you and for other messengers.’

SIX

THE HUNTERS SET FORTH

As Carathril began his voyage across the Inner Sea, the Isle of the Flame was alive with activity. Ships were sent to gather more soldiers to protect the surviving princes and other heralds despatched to warn the kingdoms of what had happened and the proposed election of Imrik. Unknown to those at the Shrine of Asuryan, Bathinair and the Anlec knights bore the body of Malekith westwards. By sorcerous means they arranged for a caravan to meet them on an isolated stretch of the Ellyrian coast and in secrecy they passed over the plains and across the mountains.

They travelled to Tor Anroc, and cloaking the events at the shrine in lies, spread the news of the massacre. In the dismay and confusion, Morathi was allowed to leave with the body of her son and they travelled north to Anlec.

As they passed through one of the massive gatetowers of the city, Morathi sat upon a carriage next to Malekith. She had said nothing since leaving Tor Anroc, and simmered with a rage that surpassed even the anger she had felt when Bel Shanaar had been chosen over her son to be Phoenix King.

‘This is no slight on your character,’ she whispered. ‘This is no mere insult. This is an attack upon Nagarythe, and assault upon the memory of your father. I have been too lenient with these fools. Your death will be avenged.’

She laid a hand upon the shrouded body as tears of fire rolled down her cheeks. She pictured Ulthuan ablaze with war, the usurpers and their petty princes screaming their apologies as her warriors put them to the sword. She would raise monuments to her son as grand as those dedicated to her late husband, and every elf would pay homage to his greatness.

So wrapped up in these thoughts was Morathi that she almost did not notice the quiver of movement beneath her fingertips.

Unsure if she had imagined it, she sat immobile for a dozen heartbeats, her hand resting on the covered chest of Malekith. She decided it had been the carriage jostling over the pavement and was about to take away her hand.

It came again, the slightest tremble.

With a gasp of joy and relief, Morathi pulled back the shroud to reveal Malekith’s ravaged face. Where once he had been so dashing, so handsome, a ruin remained. Bone and charred flesh were fused, sinew exposed.

‘You are as strong as your father,’ she whispered, lowering her mouth to the ragged remnants of her son’s ear. She cradled his head against her cheek, and kissed Malekith’s burnt flesh. ‘You are Aenarion’s heir, true king of the elves.’

There was a rattling hiss of breath from the lipless mouth.

As charred skin cracked and flaked, an eye opened, a pale orb in the dark ruin. It stared ahead, sparks of mystical energy dancing in the pupil. The sparks became an ember, became a tiny flame of magic. The flame grew and darkened, the whole eye becoming a flickering hole of dark fire. At its depth, a pinprick of redness appeared.

The skinless jaw opened. A rasp escaped, wordless. Fingers twitched beneath the shroud.

‘Lie still, my brave son,’ said Morathi, her tears now of relief, dropping like liquid pearls onto Malekith’s face. ‘Save your strength. I will look after you. You will be restored. I swear it by my own life.’

A ravaged arm pushed up past the edge of the shroud, shedding blackened skin, thin rivulets of blood streaming from the hand. Fingers little more than charred bone curled around the back of Morathi’s head, pulling her closer, stroking her hair.

The world was a blur of light and dark, noise and silence, pain and numbness. Voiceless screams echoed in Malekith’s ears, shrieking to the slow beat of his heart. Everything burned. Every part of his body was a fire of agony. Even his mind, his spirit, was consumed over and over by the flames, searing into the core of his being.

He welcomed the blackness.

Yet oblivion did not last. There was no respite from the torment heaped upon his body; no pause in the frustration and anger that ate at his thoughts. Every breath he took was like taking the fire of the sun into his lungs. Every slight draught was a gale of razors on his flesh. And the whispers would not stop; the voices on the edge of hearing, goading and laughing, cackling at his folly. Wisps of dust swirled about him, each tiny mote a leering face with pointed teeth. The walls sang to him; sonorous dirges that spoke of bottomless blackness. The light through the window, painfully bright, danced upon his withered form, leaving tiny footprints of ash across his chest.

And so much pain. Unbearable pain. In every pore and muscle, every shredded nerve and scorched artery. To live was to experience unending agony.

The blackness came for him again. He greeted it with open arms.

He revived again. He stood upon the edge of an abyss and stared down into the dark of eternal death. It was so inviting, to take a single step, to fall into the peace of ending. One step. One small step and the agony would cease.

‘No,’ he snarled, the single word sending shivers of fresh pain through his body.

On a bronze mirror, a scene played out in ruddy monochrome. Ships plied the waters of the Inner Sea, coming and going to the Isle of the Flame. The island itself was shrouded in a fog, obscured from Morathi’s viewing by the enchantments of the priests. What went on within the walls of the Shrine of Asuryan was unknown to her, but such frenetic activity on the sea nearby told her everything she needed to know; the rest could be assumed.

Morathi waved a hand to dismiss the image; it was replaced in the full length mirror by her reflection. She took a moment to admire what she saw, running a hand over the curve of her waist and hip, tracing a finger along the delicate line of cheek and jaw. She raked slender fingers through her lustrous hair, shuddering at her own touch.

The moment was interrupted. In the reflection a figure appeared in the doorway behind Morathi. She turned to see Bathinair.

‘Thyriol rallies the princes,’ he said. He held up a bloodstained, torn parchment. ‘Our agents took this message from a Sapherian herald. They seek to elevate Imrik to the Phoenix Throne, your majesty.’

Morathi plucked the tattered letter from Bathinair’s hand and glanced at it. She could smell the blood, the ink, and fragrant oil from Bathinair’s skin.

‘An obvious choice,’ she said. ‘Why was he not slain with the others?’

‘He did not attend the council,’ Bathinair explained. ‘He ignored Bel Shanaar’s invitation to go hunting in Chrace with his cousin.’

‘Then we still have opportunity to sow harm upon our enemies,’ said Morathi, the letter bursting into black flame between her fingers. ‘Go to the high priest of Khaine, and bring me the deadliest killers in Anlec.’

‘Assassinate Imrik before he can be made king?’ said Bathinair. ‘I like it.’

Morathi stalked across the chamber and seized the prince by the throat, her long black-painted nails drawing blood from skin.

‘I do not care for your likes and dislikes,’ she snarled, letting a little of the dark magic within her seep into the scratches. Bathinair hissed and spat like a serpent that had itself been bitten, writhing in Morathi’s unnaturally strong grip. ‘Bring me the assassins and offer no opinion.’

She let go of Bathinair and he stumbled back, hands rubbing at the wounds on his neck.

‘At once, your majesty,’ he said, eyes fearful.

When the prince had gone, Morathi went to the adjoining chamber. Upon a bier covered in many sheets Malekith lay immobile. He whispered and murmured words too faint to hear. His fists clenched and opened, his head jerking slightly from side to side. She laid a hand on his brow, pained by his delirium. There was no sorcery she possessed that could heal these wounds, inflicted by divine flame.

She smiled. For all Malekith’s feverish madness, he was recovering. Day by day she watched him, seeing the tiniest extra life creeping back into ruined flesh. It would take years for him to be restored, if there were no setbacks; time enough to bring all of Ulthuan under the rule of Nagarythe and keep the Phoenix Throne secure for Malekith’s triumphant return.

There was a stool beside the bed and she sat down, hand still on his brow. She talked constantly and softly to him, telling the same tales she had told him when he was a child: tales of Aenarion and gods and daemons.

The afternoon passed and Morathi comforted her wounded son. She stopped and went back to the main chamber when she detected the presence of eight elves in the passageway outside, drawing a curtain across the doorway to conceal Malekith from prying eyes.

Bathinair entered, seven others following him through the archway. The assassins had the look of lean, hungry wolves, with pinched faces and tight muscles. Morathi could feel the touch of dark magic like a cloying fog, dripping from their swords and blades, pulsing from vials of poison and rune-crafted jewellery. Blood stained their skin red and slicked their hair. Tiny skulls and runes of Khaine pierced their flesh on rings and studs.

She looked each in the eye, seeing no compassion, no mercy, no kindness, only cold death.

‘Good,’ she said to Bathinair, stroking his cheek. The prince shuddered for a moment, ecstatic at her touch. ‘You may return to the Athartists and cavort with them until I summon you again.’

‘Thank you, your majesty,’ said Bathinair, leering at the prospect of attention from the hedonistic priestesses and cultists.

When he had gone, Morathi commanded the assassins to kneel. They did so, in a semicircle around her.

‘Imrik must be slain,’ she told them. ‘You will find him and kill him.’

‘Where will he be found?’ asked one of the killers, revealing teeth filed to points.

‘In Chrace,’ replied Morathi.

‘An elf could get lost for a lifetime in those peaks,’ said another. ‘How are we to find Imrik?’

‘Will your scrying guide us to him?’ asked a third.

‘The vortex is too strong in the Annulii,’ Morathi said. ‘No spell can pierce the magical winds.’

‘Then you have some trail for us to follow?’ said a fourth.

‘Close your eyes and I will show you,’ Morathi said with a smile.

She chanted, calling on the patrons of the dark winds to bless her spells. She named them in turn, and with each title the magic in the chamber thickened and swirled. Morathi felt it coiling about her, sliding across her flesh, warm and chill, dry and slick. She spat the words of the incantation she had prepared, each syllable like a fizzing on her tongue, each sound a clear note in her ears.

Morathi flexed her fingers and arched her back as the dark magic flowed into and through her. It pulsed along her nerves, setting every sense alight. With centuries of practice, she calmed herself, forcing the magic to her bidding, shaping it with her words and thoughts.

The assassins had their faces turned up to her, eyes closed. She thrust out her hands, bolts of black energy leaping from her fingertips into the eyes of the Khainites. Each thrashed and screamed, falling to the floor with flailing limbs as the sorcery poured into them, fusing with their bodies.

When the spell was cast, Morathi slumped back into a chair, panting and spent. With a fingertip, she wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, eyes closed, breath coming in ragged gasps. She touched the fingertip to her tongue, and tasted the sweet residue of magic on her skin.

Groaning, the assassins recovered, each holding his head, cursing and swearing at the pain. Morathi opened her eyes and stood up. She walked along the line of supine elves, towering over them imperiously.

‘You shall know such pain as I feel at Imrik’s continued life,’ she told them. Stepping over the last, she turned back down the line. ‘The pain will lessen with every step closer to your prey, and will grow with every step further from him. I have laid my mark upon you and you shall not know sleep or thirst or hunger until Imrik is dead. Look at me!’

The assassins raised their heads and looked at Morathi with eyes like red glass. A black rune smouldered upon the brow of each, burnt into flesh by sorcery. They winced and writhed, unable to escape the throbbing pain within their heads.

‘Kill him and you will know pain no longer,’ said Morathi. She pointed a finger to the door. ‘The more swiftly you complete your task, the sooner you shall know peace again. Go now to Chrace! Find Imrik! Slay him!’

SEVEN

THE ROAD TO CHRACE

The wind was fresh from the east, bringing scatters of rain onto the pale wooden decking, casting droplets from mast and sail onto Carathril as he stood at the rail. He had crossed the Inner Sea many times during his duties to Bel Shanaar but he had not yet come to terms with the Phoenix King’s death, and in all of those previous voyages he had never felt such urgency and such responsibility.

The sky was heavy with autumnal cloud, matching the herald’s dismal mood. Around him, the sailors adjusted the triangular sails at the orders of their captain, squeezing every last measure of speed from their ship. To the bow and stern, and at the mastheads, lookouts kept watch for ships, fearful that another vessel might be under the sway of the Naggarothi or the cultists. On the deck were two hundred seasoned marines; the famed Sea Guard of Carathril’s home city of Lothern.

Ahead and to starboard appeared an isle with shallow shores. Grey haze hung about its coast, and coloured lights danced in the sky above. Carathril moved to the port side, not wishing to look upon the Isle of the Dead. It was on that slip of land that Caledor Dragontamer had cast the spell of the great vortex, forever trapping himself and his fellow mages at its heart.

Growing up in Lothern, Carathril had heard all of the sailors’ tales. Some claimed the mages could be seen as ethereal figures with arms reaching to the heavens, frozen in time at the moment of their triumph. It was said that the last syllables of that mighty enchantment were still carried on the breeze; that Caledor’s final words would come to an elf while he slept if his ship strayed too close to the shore.

Carathril had no desire to test the truth of the tales and he heard sailors and Sea Guard whispering prayers to Mannanin, god of the waters, asking for safe passage and a route clear of the Isle of the Dead.

Due north they sailed after, cutting between the chain of islands that curved across the Inner Sea. For three more days they carried on without pause, and saw no more than the occasional sail on the horizon.

They came into view of the Inner Sea’s northern reaches. A forest-swathed shore marked that boundary, broken by the mouths of many rivers. Of all the realms of Ulthuan, it was this one that Carathril had never seen. Avelorn, home of the Everqueen. The thought of it sent a tremor through Carathril, of excitement and quiet fear. A land of boundless forest, Avelorn had always been the heart of elven society. Tor Anroc had been the political capital of Ulthuan, but it was Avelorn that was the elves’ spiritual centre. There were some philosophers who claimed the forefathers of every elf had been raised beneath that endless bower of leaves and branches.

In his years of service to the Phoenix Throne, Carathril had never been despatched to the court of the Everqueen, and he had never received a visitor from Avelorn. The Everqueen, Yvraine, daughter of Aenarion and Astarielle, did not concern herself with temporal affairs. Hers was a timeless guardianship, of the isle and its people as a whole. Yet Carathril knew that the Everqueen would be aware of the tumult engulfing her island; other messengers were on board to visit her court and inform Yvraine of the decision to elect Imrik.

To one of the broad rivers sailed the ship, entering the waters of Avelorn as dusk fell. The trees crowded close to the bank on each side, willows that dipped long fronds into the water. Clouds of bats set out from their roosts, dark swathes against the setting sun. Things screeched and howled and roared in the twilight, and Carathril was glad he was on the ship and not the shore.

The river was broad and easily navigable, so they sailed on through the night. As the moons rose, the character of the forest changed again. In the silvery light of Sariour, the trees seemed to dance and whisper in the wind, their secret messages echoing across the waters as a susurrant background noise. The river was teeming with life: fish and frogs and lizards could be seen skimming the placid waters in the patches of moonlight that broke through the cloud. The call of nighthawks and the howls of wolves sounded from every direction and Carathril found sleep impossible.

By dawn, they came to a great bend in the river, turning westwards towards the peaks of the Annulii that could be just about seen rearing in the distance over the canopy of trees. In the light of the dawn, animals came to the waterside to drink. Here and there, the trees opened up into broad glades where herds of deer grazed and foxes stalked through the long grass.

Carathril was convinced he saw other movement too, in the gloom beneath the forest canopy. Not birds or beasts, but the trees themselves seemed to shift. He knew that Avelorn was alive, and from the oldest tales had heard of the treemen that protected the forest; it was a different matter to see such creatures in the shadows, spirits of bark and leaf that creaked and groaned like trees in a strong wind.

A little after noon, they came to a jetty. It was not made of timber, but of the massive roots of a tree extending into the river. A company of armoured warrior-women waited on the shore nearby: the Maiden Guard of Avelorn. Seeing them, the captain steered the ship towards the natural wharf and put the ship alongside the twisting roots.

The captain of the Maiden Guard came to the ship, spear in hand and shield on the other arm, her golden hair falling in waves from beneath her green-gold helm, her eyes a bright green that pierced Carathril’s soul. When she spoke, her voice was distant, her eyes unfocussed as if she looked upon something else. Carathril imagined the sighing of leaves and the gentle tumble of water over rocks.

‘The whole forest speaks of your coming,’ she said. ‘I am Althinelle, glade protector and captain of the Maiden Guard. Who is your leader?’

The ship captain waved to Carathril, who hesitantly moved along the rail to address Althinelle.

‘I am Carathril, of Lothern, lately of Tor Anroc,’ he called down to her. ‘I have heralds aboard for the Everqueen and am destined upriver for the mountains of Chrace.’

‘We have hoped that you would come,’ Althinelle replied. ‘Our queen is most distressed. She feels a darkness swallowing Ulthuan and would know its cause.’

‘The Phoenix King Bel Shanaar is dead,’ Carathril told her. ‘Prince Malekith dared the wrath of Asuryan to replace him and was found wanting. The flames consumed him and the shrine all but toppled.’

‘Grave news,’ said Althinelle. She nodded. ‘Send down your heralds and I will take them to Queen Yvraine. You may pass on up the river. For what purpose do you travel to Chrace?’

As the sailors threw rope ladders down to the wharf and the heralds climbed over the ship’s side, Carathril hesitated to reply; out of practice rather than suspicion. There could be no hint of the cultists or Naggarothi in Avelorn; the Maiden Guard would ensure the forests were kept free of any cytharai taint.

‘Prince Imrik of Caledor is to be found there,’ said Carathril. ‘Many princes were massacred by Naggarothi at Asuryan’s shrine, and Imrik is to be named Bel Shanaar’s successor. We must find him and escort him safely to the Isle of the Flame.’

‘Very well,’ said the Maiden Captain. There was a hint of amusement in her tone. ‘We shall send word to the companies at the borders of Chrace to keep watch for your return. The Everqueen will grant safe passage to her future husband. Isha’s blessings be upon your life.’

‘Please convey my gratitude and regard to the Everqueen,’ said Carathril.

Althinelle laughed, the sound touching joy into Carathril’s heart.

‘Be assured that Yvraine knows of your gratitude and regard, Carathril of Lothern, lately of Tor Anroc.’

The Maiden Captain stepped back. Just as he turned away, Carathril saw something strange; Althinelle’s eyes looked blue not green. He shook his head and dismissed the idea as an illusion of the strange forest light. The whole experience left him feeling light-headed and he retired to his cabin to lie down.

He did not intend to sleep, but since he had rested little since the massacre at the shrine, his eyelids felt heavy and he passed into a deep slumber. When he woke, he saw through the cabin window that it was late evening.

He felt refreshed and strong, and for some reason the cabin was filled with the smell of wild flowers.

The wind came in howling gusts down the valley, bringing an early touch of winter from the peaks. Flurries of snow dusted from the ridges and shoulders of the mountains above and the moons were hidden by a thick bank of cloud.

Despite the gloom, Elthanir could see perfectly well. He followed the winding trail with the sure-footedness of a mountain goat, springing from rock to rock, weaving between the branches of the overhanging bushes and steering easily past outcrops, his feet upon the edge of the shelf, a precipice dropping steeply down to his right.

He did not feel the cold, not the ache of limbs from many days travel, or the hunger that would have gnawed the stomach of an ordinary elf, or the parched dryness of his throat. Only the burning occupied him; the fire behind his eyes that pushed him onwards.

The others followed in silence. None of them had spoken since they had left the palace of Anlec, each consumed by his curse, his inner pain.

As another flurry of wind dusted his cloak and hood, Elthanir stopped at a turn in the path, where it dropped down sharply towards the valley floor. He looked north and recognised Anil Arianni and Anul Sethis, twin peaks that soared above the others, joined by a sharp ridge.

He knew the mountains well, for they marked the edge of Nagarythe. He stared up at the pass known as the Chracian Gate and knew that in a few days the burning pain would end.

The party emerged from the edge of the pine forests onto the highest slopes of Anul Sarian. The snow was light, Imrik’s boots barely leaving a mark as he forged up the mountainside, his broad-headed hunting spear over his shoulder. Ahead the trackers had stopped in the shelter of a cluster of snow-crusted boulders, bows in hand.

‘Looks like we might get lucky today,’ Koradrel said, following behind Imrik. ‘Perhaps something a bit more challenging than a stag or bear.’

‘With luck,’ replied Imrik, glancing over his shoulder.

Both princes were clad in hunting leathers and fur-lined cloaks, the hoods pulled up against the cold breeze. Their woollen leggings were bound with thongs, and knee-high boots protected their feet. Each wore heavy gloves riveted with rings of iron, and breastplates over their padded clothing.

‘If nothing comes of this, we shall have to make camp,’ said Koradrel, pointing to the sun disappearing to the west, his breath steaming the air.

‘No lodges nearby?’ said Imrik.

‘Half a day’s walk to the south,’ replied Koradrel. ‘There are caves on the north-eastern slopes, with room for all of us.’

The group consisted of twenty elves in all; the two princes, four guides and fourteen retainers leading the packhorses carrying the tents and supplies. All were armed with bows and spears and the huntsmen carried long axes and wore armour. On one of the sleds was mounted a small bolt thrower, a smaller cousin to the repeater machines used in battle. The others were heaped with food, nets, blankets, firewood, spare clothes, lamps and torches, axes for felling trees and shovels for digging pits, wire and chains for snares and traps, and bundles of fresh spears and arrows. In any other kingdom, such a party might look as if they were ready for battle, but in Chrace they were simply essential supplies for a hunting trip.

Imrik considered battle safer, and every elf in the group was alert, watching the cloudy skies, peering into the shadows beneath the pine trees, eyeing every rock and bush.

Like Caledor, Chrace was a kingdom of mountains. In the Dragon Spine Mountains, the dragons hunted down any large beast that wandered into their territory. In the Chracian peaks, it was the elves that had to keep watch for marauding monsters. The vortex of Ulthuan raged through these rocky spires, tinging the air with magic, colouring the clouds and the snow with a glistening half-seen rainbow. The powerful winds of magic had drawn all manner of strange creatures to these lands. Some could be reared as mounts if caught young, such as the pegasi, griffons and hippogryphs. Others were beasts of pure Chaos; the manticores and hydras, basilisks and chimeras.

For centuries they had made their nests and for centuries the highlight of the Chracian calendar had been the monster hunts. The Chracians had honed their beast-slaying skills, mountaincraft and woodmanship to a high art. Several times during his campaigns in Elthin Arvan, Imrik had called upon the expertise of his Chracian allies to rid an area of a troublesome beast.

The prince liked the Chracians as a people, and though they lived at opposite sides of Ulthuan, there was much in common. Though Chrace lacked the raw grandeur of Caledor, and had no claim to a great founder like the Dragontamer, it had its own natural majesty. The people were sturdy in body and spirit, used to the isolation of winter.

That they were fierce warriors was beyond doubt. Many of the retainers, like Koradrel, wore the pelts of the famed Chracian white lions. It was considered a testament to adulthood and prowess for a warrior to hunt one of the massive cats, and no elf was allowed to wear the fur of a white lion unless he had slain it with his own hand. Imrik had killed two such beasts on his hunts, but had refused to wear their cloak of honour; he had jokingly confessed to Koradrel on one hunt that he feared such a thing would confuse the dragons and he would get eaten as prey on returning to Caledor. In truth, he did not feel the right to bear such a badge of strength upon his shoulders. He was just a visitor in these lands; a genuine Chracian hunter lived and breathed these mountains every day.

They reached the position of the scouts and took shelter amongst the rocks. Glad to be out of the wind, Imrik pulled down his hood, took off the band holding back his hair and ran his fingers over his head.

‘You see something?’ he asked the closest guide, an elf called Anachius.

The guide nodded and pointed along the slope. Imrik saw the darkness of a cave mouth, and the ground in front was trampled and free of snow.

‘A lair,’ said Imrik with a smile. He tied back his hair and turned to Koradrel. ‘What is in there?’

‘Let us go and find out,’ replied the Chracian, taking his spear from where he had leant it against a rock.

The group cautiously moved out from the boulders, making barely a sound and leaving only the faintest marks in the snow. Imrik took his spear in both hands, breathing shallowly, eyes intent on the cave ahead. Anachius moved in front of the group with another guide, racing swiftly over the rough ground, their lion-pelt cloaks tied tight around their bodies.

The hunters stopped about a bow’s shot from the cave entrance while the guides continued ahead. The two elves circled away from the cave, moving through a scattering of rocks. They spent some time examining the ground, pointing at tracks. There followed a brief conversation and then the other guide headed back towards the group while Anachius edged cautiously towards the cave.

‘There is definitely a creature inside, or nearby,’ said the guide when he had returned. ‘There are no feathers that we can see, and the claw marks show that it is a large beast. We found tufts of coarse fur on the rocks, not shed scales, and no sign of burning. The smell of carrion comes from the cave.’

‘So not a griffon or hydra,’ said Koradrel.

‘Not a chimera, either,’ added Imrik. ‘Such would not leave meat uneaten.’

‘True enough,’ agreed the guide.

‘So what have we here?’ asked Koradrel.

The question was answered by a shout from Anachius.

‘Manticore!’ the guide cried out, sprinting from the cave mouth.

The beast exploded from the cave behind him, the mountainside reverberating with a feral roar. The monster was in rough shape the same as a massive lion, its pelt dark brown and marked with deep orange patches. Two wings like those of an immense bat were curled upon its back and claws like white scimitars scraped across rock as it skidded out onto the slope. Its tail was segmented like a scorpion’s, arching over its wings, tipped with a barb as long as a spear. Most frightening was its face; feline but with disturbingly elf-like features, dark against a huge mane of bright red hair.

The manticore bellowed again as the elves readied their weapons. Some raced towards Anachius, shouting encouragement. The monster pounced, wings opening, easily catching up with the forlorn guide.

Anachius turned at the last moment, warned by a cry from Koradrel. He raised his spear as the manticore landed, its rune-carved tip scoring a wound across the creature’s cheek. A massive paw swiped away the weapon and sent Anachius crashing to the ground, his arm flopping uselessly.

In a heartbeat the manticore was upon the guide, jaws closing about his torso, almost shearing the unfortunate elf in half.

‘Fight or run?’ said Imrik.

‘Fight!’ replied Koradrel. ‘A manticore will chase us all of the way back to Tor Achare. Take cover in the rocks!’

Imrik tore his gaze from the vision of the manticore tearing Anachius limb from limb, showering the white ground with blood, organs and splinters of bone, a bass growling echoing after the hunters as they retreated back to the boulders.

Glancing over his shoulder as he ran, Imrik saw that the monster did not feed, but simply ripped apart the guide with wild rage, shaking body parts in its mouth before tossing them away. It continued to stamp and slash with its claws, turning flesh to red ribbons.

Reaching the rocks, Imrik came to a halt beside Koradrel. Looking down the slope, he saw all but two of the other hunters racing towards them with weapons ready. The other two had stopped the horse train and were readying the bolt thrower on its sled.

‘They are fearsome but mindlessly aggressive,’ said Koradrel. ‘We must lure it into view of the bolt thrower. Once we have grounded the beast, we attack as a group. Spears and axes, arrows will do little harm.’

Imrik nodded and adjusted his grip on the spear, one shoulder against a boulder. The manticore had finished its frenzy of destruction and lifted its head, sniffing, head turning left and right, pointed ears swivelling to detect any noise. It let loose another roar and bounded into the air. The manticore’s flapping had none of the grace of a dragon’s flight, but it powered skywards at speed, scanning the ground for more prey.

Torches had been lit by some of the guides and they ventured from the rocks with the flaming brands in hand, waving to attract the beast’s attention and lure it away from the caravan.

The manticore dropped from the skies, forelegs outstretched. The torchbearers flung away their brands and sprinted back to the rocks, the manticore bearing down upon them like a bolt of pure fury.

The elves reached the boulders as the manticore crashed into the ground, snarling and swiping. Imrik could feel the heat of its breath, tainted with the stench of rotted flesh and fresh blood.

The manticore saw him and lunged. Imrik hurled himself behind a boulder a heartbeat before the monster’s claws slashed across the rock, sending chips of stone into the air. It growled constantly, and padded to the right, snorting and sniffing. Koradrel appeared to the creature’s right and hurled his spear, the weapon punching into the creature’s ribs just behind its shoulder. It gave a howl of anger and spun, tail lashing but too slow to catch the swiftly retreating Chracian.

Bunching powerful muscles, the beast looked as though it was about to take to the sky again. One of the hunters emerged from the shadow of the rocks with an axe in hand, bellowing a challenge. The manticore twisted and leapt for the kill, but the hunter rolled beneath its outstretched claws and raked the edge of his axe across its gut. Blood streamed onto the snow.

The hunter surged to his feet and dashed for the rocks, but unlike Koradrel he was too close. The manticore’s sting flashed down, punching into the elf’s back, the tip of the barb erupting from the hunter’s shoulder. He flopped to the ground, convulsing madly as the sting was ripped free, blood and froth erupting from his mouth.

Moving more sluggishly from its wounds, the manticore circled around the boulders, moving up the slope, tail lashing, wings flexing. Imrik looked into its eyes and saw yellow orbs of hatred. The prince wondered what could spawn a beast of such rage.

Bounding forwards two steps, the manticore leapt, landing with surprising agility atop the largest boulder. It peered down into the rocks as the elves scattered, one claw catching Koradrel on the arm as he raced past, pitching him face-first to the ground.

Imrik acted out of instinct, bounding over a rock with spear in hand. The movement diverted the manticore away from the fallen prince and Imrik ducked as the sting whipped towards him, clattering against a rock to leave a trail of thick venom. Imrik stood over Koradrel and thrust upwards with his spear. The blow was hasty and only scored a ragged mark across the manticore’s shoulder. In reply, a paw smashed into Imrik’s chest, throwing him backwards. His breastplate was buckled, two marks raked across it, but it had saved him from instant evisceration.

Other hunters poured into the fight, swinging long axes and jabbing with spears. The manticore leapt over their heads to another perch, smashing an elf from his feet with its tail as it landed. The Chracians were relentless as Imrik recovered his breath, their weapons forcing the monster to rear up with a roar.

Imrik heard a distant snap and a moment later the manticore’s throat erupted in a shower of blood, a bolt jutting from the side of its neck. Flopping sideways, it tumbled down the rock, limbs flailing, tail slashing left and right. A well-placed axe blow severed the sting, blood and poison gushing from the wound.

Still the beast would not be slain. It rolled to its feet, wings unfurling, howling madly. Not wanting the manticore to escape, Koradrel rejoined his warriors, leaping atop the monster’s back to drive his spear into its spine. The beast fell again, Koradrel jumping lightly to the ground as the manticore slammed into the rocks. An incautious elf lost a leg to a vicious sweep as the creature lashed out in its death throes.

Contented that it would die without further action, Koradrel called his hunters away a safe distance. Imrik joined his cousin and the two leaned on each other, breathing heavily. The rush of battle filled the Caledorian prince as he looked at the dying monster. Glancing down, he realised how close he had been to sharing its fate; relief combined with battle-lust to send a surge of energy through him. Imrik caught Koradrel’s eye and saw the glint there. They both laughed and embraced.

Imrik mastered himself after a while and looked at the dead beast with raised eyebrows.

‘So that’s a manticore,’ he said.

Since he had been made a herald by Bel Shanaar, Carathril had crossed the Annulii Mountains many times, yet it never ceased to have an effect on him. Crossing from Avelorn into Chrace, over some of the highest passes in the circle of peaks, he felt the vortex more powerfully than ever before. The magic felt like it tugged at his hair, seeped through the pores of his skin, set his teeth on edge. The clouds that covered the mountains were tinged with purple and red and green, and through rare breaks strange rainbows shimmered against the sunlight, the colours of their curved arcs distorted by the magical field.

The reputation of Chrace as a home for many monstrous dangers was well known and Carathril’s company of Sea Guard were constantly alert for attack. Winter was fast approaching these northern climes, and on the third day after leaving the river, the group awoke to find the ground and their tents covered with a light dusting of snow. Carathril had been to Chrace before and was well prepared with a fur-lined cloak and hood, and gloves of soft leather. The Sea Guard had also brought winter clothing, and swathed against the cold wind and flurries of icy sleet, the elves forged on into Chrace.

It was not for monsters alone that the Sea Guard were watchful. The route of the company took them along Phoenix Pass, which crossed the Annulii into Nagarythe. Even keeping to the highlands as much as possible, there was every chance they would run into Naggarothi warriors patrolling the border.

Though the increasingly bitter weather made it more uncomfortable, Carathril decided that they should march by night and seek shelter by day, the better to avoid the Naggarothi. Even then he was constantly nagged by the feeling of being watched; these lands were the traditional haunt of the raven heralds. Carathril had met some of their order, and knew that if they wished to remain unseen, not even the keen eyes of the Sea Guard would spot them.

He was eager to press on and cross back into Chrace as quickly as possible, fearful that the raven heralds would have spied the company as soon as they left Phoenix Pass. Even now, riders could be speeding to Anlec, bearing the news. Such was the situation following the massacre at the shrine, Carathril would expect the Naggarothi to react violently to any trespass on their lands.

For three nights they marched, often following no track at all through the bleak hills of eastern Nagarythe, keeping their bearing by snatched glimpses of moon and stars. For three days they made camp in hollows and caves, eating cold food to avoid lighting fires, wrapped in blankets to keep the wintry air at bay.

On the fourth morning, Carathril did not call the company to a halt, but instead insisted that they pushed on through the day as well. They crossed an icy river that cascaded down from the Annulii and so passed into Chrace. Out in the wilderness they had no hope for relief or reinforcement, and turned eastwards away from Nagarythe as soon as the terrain allowed.

Every now and then Carathril glanced over his shoulder as he marched, expecting to see a feather-cloaked rider on a distant hill or an army of Naggarothi in pursuit. Each time the horizon was bare of foe, just the grey cold skies of northern Ulthuan.

They made camp that night in the lee of a great shoulder of rock and dared to light fires again to melt snow and cook a more wholesome meal. Neaderin, the captain of the Sea Guard, joined Carathril inside his tent as the wind plucked at canvas and howled across the rocks.

‘We have reached Chrace, but where now do we search for Imrik?’ asked the captain.

Carathril was at a loss for an answer for the moment. The Caledorian prince had deliberately left no word of where he could be found, and all of Thyriol’s magic had been unable to locate Imrik within the mystical whorl of the vortex.

‘His cousin Koradrel lives in the capital, Tor Achare,’ Carathril said after some thought. ‘Morai Heg might favour us and we find Imrik there, returned from his hunt. If not, Koradrel’s household will surely know where their master has gone.’

‘So we head directly east, to Tor Achare?’ said Neaderin. ‘Or do we journey around the mountains and come at the city from the north?’

It was a difficult decision. Carathril felt the need for urgency, but the shortest path would be the wrong one if they went astray in the mountains or some ill fate befell them. Against this, he measured the extra time it would take to march around the mountains and negotiate the deep forests north of Tor Achare. It was a more certain route but, even allowing for a few days’ delay crossing the mountains, would take nearly twice as long.

‘We shall take the longer route,’ said the herald. ‘Though the worst of winter is not yet here, the mountains are not for the inexperienced. And if Imrik hunts in the mountains, we will need directions to locate him.’

‘We are Sea Guard, not mountaineers,’ said Neaderin. ‘This could have been avoided. We should have sailed through the Lothern Gate and around Ulthuan to the northern coast of Chrace.’

‘With Prince Haradrin dead, Lothern will be awash with anarchy and suspicion,’ said Carathril. ‘I was not certain that the sea gates would be opened to us, and even if they were, travel through the port risked many other distractions and delays. I am sorry, but it had to be this way.’

Neaderin sighed and departed, leaving Carathril feeling cold and gloomy. The chill drove his pessimistic mood as much as the task ahead. Even in winter, Eataine was as warm as a Chracian summer and he missed the sun upon the white houses of Lothern and the glittering waters of the port. There would be no easy way to find Imrik, but Carathril contented himself with the thought that although the need to find the prince was pressing, the Naggarothi would not be able to make any move before the spring. Even if they had some malicious intent for the next Phoenix King, the task of finding him would be just as difficult for them; in fact it would be harder for they would have no allies in Chrace to help them.

Slightly eased by this, Carathril tried to sleep, ignoring the numb of cold in his fingers and toes.

The crackle of burning logs almost drowned out the whimpers of the woodcutter and his family. His tear-streaked face was lit by the flames of the burning lodge, mingling with the blood seeping from the fine cut upon his brow. Blinking to clear his eyes, the Chracian looked up at Elthanir, his lips bloodied, teeth broken.

‘I shall tell you nothing,’ the woodcutter managed to say, a string of blood-flecked saliva drooling from the corner of his ravaged mouth.

Elthanir shook his head. He knew he was close. The pain was now just soreness at the back of his head, an ember of the fire that had previously raged behind his eyes. The woodcutter gasped as Elthanir ripped his dagger out of the elf’s ribs.

‘Imrik,’ Elthanir snarled, just about able to concentrate on the word through the fog of pain. ‘Where?’

He used the blade on the hunter’s arms, cutting where the flesh was most sensitive. It reminded Elthanir of the rituals in the temple of Khaine, though in that gore-soaked shrine there was no point in confession.

The woodcutter grimaced and said nothing, trembling violently. Elthanir stopped his torture, fearing that his victim would pass out or perhaps even die. He looked over his shoulder at the others and nodded. One of them stepped forwards, dragging a young male elf, no more than fifteen years old. In his other hand, he held a knife with a blade heated in the flames of the cabin, oblivious to the burning of his own flesh. The air wavered with heat as he forced open the boy’s mouth and held the blade close.

Behind him, the hunter’s wife wailed and lurched for her child, but was driven back by a knee to the gut. Her daughter, even younger than the son, struggled in the arms of another assassin, awash with tears.

Elthanir grabbed the woodcutter by his long hair and twisted his head to look at his son. The Chracian sobbed.

‘Imrik. Where?’ the assassin asked again.

Something woke Carathril. He lay with his eyes closed, feeling a presence close at hand. He could hear nothing except for the wind and the slap of canvas and twang of rope. It was the quiet that disturbed him, as if there was an absence of a sound he expected to hear.

He opened his eyes and saw something darker in the tent with him. Before he could open his mouth to shout, a black-gloved hand clamped over his mouth. A hooded face leaned over him and whispered in his ear, the words a barely heard sigh.

‘Do not struggle and do not shout.’

The voice sounded familiar but Carathril could not place it. He felt something lightly brushing his face and realised it was the touch of feathers from the elf’s hood. A raven herald!

‘You are in no danger, I am here to warn you,’ said the shadowy elf. A shuttered lantern revealed a glimmer of red light. The intruder pulled back his hood and revealed emerald-like eyes and jet-black hair. Carathril placed the voice immediately on seeing the herald’s face. It was Elthyrior, who had ridden with Malekith and Carathril in the assault on the fortress of Ealith twenty years before.

‘Will you remain silent?’ said the raven herald. Carathril nodded, realising that had Elthyrior wished to kill him, he would have done so already. The raven herald lifted his hand away and straightened. ‘Good. I am pleased that you trust me.’

‘I would not say that,’ said Carathril.

Elthyrior smiled and sat cross-legged beside Carathril’s bed roll. His eyes were sparks of green in the dim light.

‘That is probably the wisest position to take,’ he said. ‘The raven heralds are divided; some for Morathi, some against. I have news for you, but first you must tell me what brings the herald of the Phoenix King into the mountains of Chrace.’

‘I might ask the same of a Naggarothi herald,’ replied Carathril, sitting up, pulling his blanket to his chest to keep warm. He was disturbed to notice that while his own breath came in little wisps of vapour, there was nothing from the raven herald when he spoke.

‘Morai Heg has guided me here, as she guides me to all places of importance,’ said Elthyrior. ‘Know that I have heard rumour of what happened in the Shrine of Asuryan and Tor Anroc. I believe that you know Alith Anar?’

‘We have met,’ said Carathril. The exiled Naggarothi prince had come to him for help in asking sanctuary of the Phoenix King.

‘Alith still lives and has returned to his family, and so starts upon a path that will lead him into the darkest places,’ said Elthyrior. ‘I know of the death of Bel Shanaar, and of a great many princes slain at the Isle of the Flame, but I do not know the cause. Morathi has left Tor Anroc and returned to Anlec with the body of Malekith. I see and know many things, but still I do not know what brings the herald of the dead Phoenix King to Chrace with a bodyguard of Lothern soldiers.’

‘Why should I tell you?’ said Carathril. That Elthyrior knew so much was disturbing and Carathril wondered if he was being kept alive just to divulge the purpose of his mission.

Elthyrior must have read something of Carathril’s thoughts in his expression. He took a knife from his belt, wrapped Carathril’s fingers around the hilt and pulled the blade to his throat.

‘Even a raven herald can be killed,’ said Elthyrior. ‘The moment you suspect me of falsehood or violence, you can end my life with a simple slash. I shall relieve you of further worry by telling you what I guess to be the situation, and you can simply answer me if what I believe is true or false.’

Carathril thought about this and could see nothing but sincerity in the raven herald’s eyes.

‘Go on,’ said Carathril.

‘You seek Prince Imrik of Caledor,’ said Elthyrior. He smiled. ‘I see from your face that this is true. The prince passed this way in the autumn to go hunting with his cousin, Koradrel. Now a herald of the Phoenix King marches north in haste with a body of soldiers. It is not difficult to link the two facts.’

‘Why have you sneaked into my tent?’ said Carathril. ‘I would trust you more had you approached openly and in daylight.’

‘I cannot risk discovery,’ said Elthyrior. ‘Treachery is the greatest weapon the Naggarothi have in their arsenal at the moment. Can you vouch for all of your soldiers? Are you certain that none of them are connected to the cytharai cults?’

Carathril admitted to himself that he did not have such confidence, but would not say as such to the raven herald. The Sea Guard were loyal to Eataine, and he had come to the conclusion that even if one or two had been corrupted, there was little they could do whilst surrounded by enemies.

‘I can tell that you understand me,’ said Elthyrior. ‘It is with betrayal and suspicion that Morathi and her followers strike their deadliest blows, and we would be foolish to trust anyone but ourselves in these times.’

‘You are right,’ Carathril said with a nod. ‘I am seeking Imrik of Caledor. A few princes survived the massacre and seek to choose a new Phoenix King to succeed Bel Shanaar.’

‘Imrik is a good choice,’ said Elthyrior.

‘I have not said that Imrik has been chosen,’ said Carathril.

‘No, but that would explain why seven assassins seek him not more than a day from here,’ replied the raven herald.

‘What?’ Carathril almost cut Elthyrior in his moment of shock. He pulled the dagger back from the other elf’s throat. ‘What assassins?’

‘Khainite, the deadliest kind,’ said Elthyrior. ‘I have followed them for the last five days, since I came across their trail. If you turn east, you will be following in their footsteps. Move swiftly, I fear they already know where to find Imrik.’

‘We have to leave at once!’ Carathril threw aside his blanket and got to his feet.

‘Please wait until dawn,’ said Elthyrior. ‘It is not far off. And keep my appearance here a secret.’

‘I will,’ said Carathril. ‘Before you leave, can you tell me what happens in Nagarythe? What does Morathi plan? Any news you have would be invaluable.’

‘Not all of Nagarythe is under Morathi’s control,’ said the raven herald. ‘The House of Anar resists her. You travelled through their lands on leaving Phoenix Pass, though you did not know it. They will hold back Morathi as long as they can, but they cannot hold forever. Already I fear the cults control Tor Anroc, from what Alith learnt before he fled. It would not be safe for you to travel there, nor any herald of the other princes. The first blows come spring are likely to fall upon Ellyrion and Chrace.’

‘And would you have kept this information to yourself had our paths not crossed?’ said Carathril, wondering just how much Elthyrior knew about the events that were unfolding.

‘It is because I bear this news that our paths have crossed,’ the raven herald replied, which did not allay Carathril’s suspicions but he decided not to press the matter.

‘Which way must we head to catch the assassins?’ he asked instead.

‘Due east at dawn for half a day,’ replied Elthyrior, standing up. He dipped his head in a nod of respect. ‘I fear from there the assassins’ path will be all too clear.’

‘You will follow them also?’

‘No,’ replied the raven herald with a shake of his head. ‘I am already out of Nagarythe and the situation changes quickly. Now that Morai Heg has sent you to me, I will return and watch Anlec for the next move of Morathi.’

‘Thank you for coming to me,’ said Carathril.

The gloom of the lamp disappeared, leaving the tent in darkness. Carathril heard not a rustle of feather nor the flap of the door, but knew within a heartbeat that the raven herald had gone. He waited for a while, collecting his thoughts, which had been sent into a whirl by Elthyrior. When he was certain the raven herald was away from the camp, he lit a lamp, pulled on his breastplate, vambraces and sword belt.

Leaving the tent, he saw that the sentries around the camp had not moved, and the glow of the fires illuminated the mountainside for some distance. Carathril walked over to the closest picket.

‘Anything strange?’ asked the herald.

‘Nothing,’ the sentry replied. ‘Not even the birds have disturbed us.’

Shaking his head at the mysterious ways of the raven heralds, Carathril moved to one of the fires where he sat until the first glow of dawn appeared in the east. He sent one of the Sea Guard to fetch Neaderin.

‘It’s too cold for such an early start,’ said the captain as he warmed himself by the fire. ‘What could be so urgent?’

Carathril had wondered how he would explain his change of mind without mentioning Elthyrior. He did not want to lie to Neaderin, but nor could he reveal the raven herald’s visit.

‘I think that we shall take too long if we go around the mountains,’ said Carathril. ‘Imrik must be crowned Phoenix King as soon as possible, before the Naggarothi respond to events at the Isle of the Flame. With winter coming, it would be better if Imrik left Chrace sooner rather than later. We will head directly east.’

Neaderin gave Carathril a hard look, displeased with this news. The herald had expected some resistance and decided that he was in no mood for a debate.

‘I am the appointed commander of the expedition, and I have made my decision,’ he said, standing up. ‘I want the company breakfasted and camp broken now. If there is anything you need me for, I shall be making my preparations to leave.’

With that, Carathril turned and left the astonished Sea Guard captain and walked back to his tent, trying not to hurry.

EIGHT

A NEW LEGEND

The wind had died down and the snow abated, but the late afternoon air was chill as Koradrel led the hunting party back towards the road to Tor Achare. Space had been made on one of the sleds for the bodies of the elves that had been killed by the manticore; another was laden with the hide, head and claws of the beast, for artificers to make suitable trophies.

‘It seems we are not alone,’ said Imrik, pointing to the west.

A thin column of smoke could be seen against the setting sun, drifting up from the forested slopes of Anul Anrian. Koradrel looked to the west, brow knotted in a frown.

‘That’s a large fire for a camp,’ he said, signalling to one of the guides to join him. The elf jogged to join his prince. ‘It could be nothing, but go and take a look. It may be that some monster has caused the blaze.’

The scout trotted off from the path, disappearing quickly beneath the pines that lined the mountainside on either side of the trail.

‘What manner of beast could set such a fire?’ said Imrik as the two continued on, the caravan of sleds not far behind.

‘Who can say?’ replied Koradrel with a shrug that set his lion cloak swinging. ‘There are all kinds of creatures in these mountains that defy definition; things warped by Chaos and sustained by the vortex.’

‘How far to the camp?’ asked Imrik. He was feeling tired and his chest was bruised from the manticore’s attack.

‘Not far,’ Koradrel said. He pulled a small clay bottle from a pouch at his belt and unstoppered it. The Chracian passed the bottle to Imrik with a smile. ‘This will keep you warm for a while longer.’

‘Charinai?’ Imrik said, sniffing the bottle’s contents. He took a swig of the spiced spirit, which warmed his mouth and throat to leave a pleasant taste of autumn fruits. ‘I hope you have more.’

‘There is a bottle in my pack somewhere,’ Koradrel replied with a grin. ‘We can celebrate our kill properly once we reach the campsite.’

Imrik passed the liquor back to his cousin, feeling invigorated by the brew. He glanced again to the west and hoped the smoke was something mundane; he did not feel in the mood for another encounter with Chrace’s bestial denizens.

The Sea Guard spread around the clearing, spears and shields held at the ready, forming a cordon around the smoking ruins of a cabin. Carathril approached with sword unsheathed, eyes scanning the surrounding treeline for any sign of the perpetrators.

‘Here!’ Neaderin called out from beside a smaller pile of charred wood, most likely an outhouse of some kind. Two crows flapped away from something at Neaderin’s feet, startled by his shout. The captain’s voice was tense, and he stepped away from whatever he had found, shoulders hunched.

Carathril crossed the clearing quickly. He stopped dead as his eyes fell upon Neaderin’s discovery, his stomach twisting in revulsion.

He was not sure how many bodies there were in the ash, but the size of some of the bones meant that children had been slain. What remained of the burned flesh was hacked and gouged, scattered into the flames. There was blood in the snow. A lot of blood. A short distance away, where the crows had been, entrails had been laid out. The interference of the carrion birds had not dislodged the gory pattern so much that it could not be recognised: a rune of Khaine.

Carathril shuddered as he remembered the places he had seen such depravity before; in the cult lairs of Lothern and the fortress of Ealith in Nagarythe.

‘Naggarothi,’ said Carathril. ‘Assassins sent after Imrik.’

‘How can you be sure?’ replied Neaderin, not looking back towards the grisly scene. ‘This could be the work of Chracian cultists.’

‘Unlikely,’ said Carathril. ‘Had we found such a thing in Tor Achare, I would be tempted to believe you. Here, in the wilderness, it seems too much of a coincidence. These unfortunates were tortured before they were slain. This is a tree-feller’s lodge. The only other thing this poor family would know is where to find the best pine groves.’

‘So what do we do?’ asked Neaderin. ‘There is no sign of any trail leaving the clearing. Whoever did this covered their tracks.’

‘Or left none,’ said Carathril, remembering the strange ways of the raven heralds. If such secrets were known to the assassins, Imrik was in grave peril.

At that moment, there was a call from one of the Sea Guard, who had fanned out to search the treeline. Neaderin and Carathril ran over to see what had been discovered.

‘Your assassins made a mistake,’ said Neaderin, bending to one knee as the Sea Guard pointed at a patch of snow sheltered between the roots of a tree. Carathril saw a few drops of red on the white.

‘They headed north-east,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing else, call your company back. We must hurry if we are to warn Imrik.’

The soldiers rallied to the clearing at the call of their captain and headed out after the assassins, armour jingling as they ran into the woods.

The sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains and the sky to the east was a deep blue, the first stars visible, the crescent of Sariour appearing over the horizon. Elthanir knew his prey was close. The pain in his head had almost abated, leaving just a dull ache to nag at his thoughts. He could smell wood smoke on the light breeze, coming from a fire to the north. That concurred with the woodcutter’s confession.

Sensing this too, the other assassins spread out as they moved through the close trunks of the pine trees. Elthanir began a whispered mantra, the incantation of a spell that drew in the magic of the vortex. Sorcery swirled around him, bending and shifting, seeping into his body.

Glancing at the others, he saw them doing the same. One moment seven black-clad figures stalked into the shadow; the next they were gone.

Stepping so lightly his feet left no mark upon the fallen needles and mulch, Elthanir stalked northwards. Owls hooted and small mammals scurried past, paying no heed to his presence as he slipped between the trees, pulling a recurved short bow from the quiver across his back and quickly stringing it as he walked. Ahead, he saw the distant twinkle of orange that was the campfire. He slid an arrow into place, its tip glistening with poison made from the black lotus. The assassin moved so he could see the fire a little better. There were half a dozen large tents, and hunters clad in lion-pelt cloaks moved about the camp. He settled down against a tree to wait for his victim to show himself.

There was laughter, and scattered verses of song. The Chracians were in high spirits. Elthanir could not remember what it was like to know such joy; the only pleasure he felt came from the act of killing and the infliction of pain.

The last rays of the sun streamed through the branches ahead, mingling with the smoke of the fire. A tent flap cracked and a tall elf emerged, clad in armour, a sword at his hip. He wore no lion cloak and Elthanir recognised him immediately: the Caledorian! Hatred welled up inside the assassin, remembering the agony he had felt, the image of his victim burned into his mind.

Imrik wandered away from the fire, heading to Elthanir’s right. He moved from his position, flitting from shadow to shadow, disturbing nothing, the roosting birds overhead oblivious to his presence. He caught sight of his quarry again, standing in a small clearing, looking up into the clear skies.

Elthanir sighted on the prince, raising his bow. He gently pulled back the string, enjoying the tautness in his hand, revelling in the moment of death. With a satisfied smile, he loosed the arrow.

Imrik enjoyed the touch of the fresh air on his cheek after the heat of the camp. The clouds had cleared and he looked up at the stars, remembering the constellations as they had been taught to him by his mother. As he turned his gaze downwards, his eyes caught something close to the edge of the clearing. It was a line of paw marks in the shallow snow, each several times as large as his hand. It was unmistakeably the trail of a white lion.

Just as he looked up, he saw a glint in the air. Reacting without thought, Imrik threw himself to one side, hand pulling his sword free in one fluid gesture, the blade flashing up to slice the arrow in half as it passed within a hand’s breath of his shoulder.

Movement to his left caught his eye and he turned and shifted again, this time a dagger spinning end-over-end out of the shadows. Imrik deflected it with the flat of his blade.

‘Attack!’ he yelled, spinning on his heel, searching for some sign of his assailants. He saw nothing but darkness. ‘Assassins!’

He heard the thud of feet and spun around, sword ready.

A lion whose shoulder was as high as the prince’s rushed from the woods, fangs bared, its pale fur shining in the starlight. The Caledorian prince met its gaze, looking into deep yellow eyes filled with feral hunger. Imrik leapt aside as the lion raced towards him, just as he expected it to pounce.

The lion ignored him and ran straight across the clearing. On reaching the trees it leapt, paws outstretched. Blood splashed onto a nearby tree trunk, though from what Imrik could not see. Roaring and biting, the lion struggled with something that seemed to be made of shadow. Cuts opened up in its white hide, adding the lion’s blood to the mess, but a moment later a hand fell into view, ragged bone jutting from it. There was a piercing wail and an elf clad in black staggered into the clearing.

Alerted by a shout, Koradrel snatched up his axe and ran from the tent he shared with his cousin. He heard the roar of a lion and set off at a sprint towards it, fearing Imrik was being attacked by one of the fabled white-furred beasts. The other hunters surged from the camp behind him.

He found his cousin in a small clearing a short distance from the camp, sword in hand, circling constantly, his blade sweeping and chopping in what seemed to be a mad slashing at thin air. Something fluttered on the edge of Koradrel’s vision, a hazy mist that parted and reformed at the blade’s passing.

As he neared the edge of the trees, Koradrel thought he saw something else, a greater darkness in the shadows behind Imrik. There was definitely movement. Not knowing what manner of spirits attacked his cousin, Koradrel slid to a stop and hurled his axe at the apparition closing in behind Imrik. It whirled across the clearing and struck the deeper shadow, stopping in the air. A heartbeat later, the body of an elf collapsed to the snow, almost cleaved in twain from shoulder to waist by the axe blade.

There were shouts from the other hunters as they encountered more shadowy foes in the woods, and the ring of metal on metal. There were cries of pain as well, and the whicker of darts and arrows cut the air.

The stupefying effect of the charinai continued to flush from Imrik’s body as he raised his sword to fend off another blurred attack towards his throat. As he staggered back the light of the moons broke through the cloud, bathing the clearing in silvery-green light. At that moment, he caught sight of his assailant, a flicker of a figure in the glow of the Chaos moon, swirling with the power of the vortex.

Imrik lunged without thought to drive the point of his blade towards the assassin’s face. The shadowy attacker leaned away from the attack, a dagger glinting in the moonlight ringing against Imrik’s blade. Even as the moonlight faded behind the clouds again Imrik pressed his attack, slashing his sword left and right, feeling its tip connect with flesh. There was a cry of pain and Imrik thrust high. Blood spattered along the etched blade and the magic of Lathrain flared, white licks of fire erupting along the blade.

Still swathed in shadow, the assassin flailed across the clearing, his clothing burning with pale flame so that he appeared a hazy silhouette of dark cloud engulfed by white fire, darkness and light swirling and battling.

Hearing fresh steps behind him, Imrik turned, sword at the ready. Koradrel raced into the clearing and snatched up his axe from the body of another assassin as more lion-cloaked hunters ran from the woods. One of the Chracians fell, a barbed dart in his arm, blood pouring from eyes and nose as the poison quickly took effect. There was a lighter blur in the dark and a savage growl rebounded from the trees; the white lion still prowled the woods.

‘How many?’ panted Imrik.

‘Four are dead,’ said Koradrel. ‘I do not know how many still live.’

‘There!’ bellowed one of the huntsmen, pointing to the south as a dark shape sped from the treeline, the faint light catching a glint on a raised blade.

Three of the hunters leapt to meet the assassin; the first toppled to the ground in the next heartbeat, head falling separately. The other two swung their axes high and low and the crunch of breaking bones broke the stillness. A mangled body appeared, slumped on the ground, a curved, serrated blade falling from the assassin’s dead grasp.

Silence reclaimed the woods.

Koradrel and the hunters closed around Imrik, axes held at the ready. They stood in the centre of the clearing, as far from the trees as possible, all eyes turned outwards.

‘Above!’ shouted Imrik, seeing a haze pass across the moonlit clouds.

His warning came too late as the gloom-cloaked attacker landed in the midst of the group, blood spraying as twin knives flashed. The hunters could not use their axes, afraid their wide swings would hit each other. The band scattered, trying to create space, two more of them falling with pained screams as their throats were cut.

Imrik’s sword needed no such room and the prince sprang towards the shadow of the assassin, arm outstretched. The point lanced into something hard and deflected away.

‘Duck!’ shouted Koradrel and Imrik immediately dropped to the ground.

A moment later the axe head of Koradrel swung over the Caledorian, connecting heavily with the assassin. A severed arm flew from the shadow-shape and the air was split by a piercing howl of pain. Imrik surged to his feet, swinging up his sword, the blade burning as it cleaved through the wounded assassin’s breast, slicing through ribs and heart.

After the flurry of violence, peace descended again.

Still Imrik was not sure if all of his attackers had been slain. Nobody spoke as the group reformed around the princes. Every flutter of a leaf or creak of a branch drew the attention of the elves, who peered into the darkness with wide eyes, searching for the slightest sign of a foe.

After some time, Imrik relaxed and sheathed his sword.

‘That is the last,’ he said.

‘Are you sure?’ said Koradrel.

‘Yes,’ replied Imrik, though his eyes said otherwise as they flickered towards a particular tree on the edge of the clearing, between the elves and their tents. Koradrel caught his meaning and gave the slightest of nods.

‘Let us return to the camp,’ said the Chracian. ‘Gather the dead and attend to the wounded.’

The two princes set off towards the trees, weapons in hand. When they were only a few paces from the shadows, the last assassin struck, leaping from the gloom with sword outstretched. Koradrel had been expecting the attack and caught the blade with his axe, turning it aside as Imrik chopped with his sword, slashing down where he thought the assassin’s neck to be.

His aim was not far off; the black-clad body that tumbled to the ground had its skull nearly sheared through. Imrik pulled free his blade with a grimace.

‘Nobody sleeps tonight,’ he said.

‘I don’t think anybody could after this,’ Koradrel replied.

In all, eight hunters had been slain in the fight, three more wounded, one of those in a fever from a poisoned cut and not expected to survive until dawn. All of the elves sat in vigil for the rest of the night, the fires banked high with wood, whispering prayers to Ereth Khial to watch over the spirits of the slain.

Dawn was not far off when the sound of a large body of soldiers could be heard coming up the valley. The Chracians were alert, two of the guides heading down the track to investigate while the rest stood guard at the camp and manned the bolt thrower.

It was a testing wait for Imrik. The fight with the manticore and the attempt on his life had left him feeling drained, his body weak from the exertions of the day. He pulled his sword free and stood with the others, waiting anxiously.

There was no sound of fighting and after a while, the scouts returned with the third of their number who had been sent to investigate the fire. With them came another elf, clad in silver armour.

‘Who is this?’ demanded Koradrel.

‘I know him,’ said Imrik, sheathing his sword. ‘He is Carathril, herald of the Phoenix King. He can be trusted.’

The Chracians relaxed only slightly as the herald approached the camp. Behind him came a company of warriors bearing shields with the emblem of the Sea Guard.

‘In a night of surprises, this is the last thing I expected,’ said Koradrel. ‘What brings a herald of the Phoenix King to the wilds of Chrace?’

‘Grave events have engulfed Ulthuan,’ said Carathril. ‘Bel Shanaar is dead and a great many of our princes have been slain at the Isle of the Flame. Malekith tried to become Phoenix King and was killed by the flames.’

‘Caledrian?’ said Imrik, his heart heavy with foreboding,

Carathril shook his head.

‘Your brother is amongst the dead,’ said the herald. ‘Yet Thyrinor survived.’

Imrik swallowed hard at the news. His thoughts flashed back to when he had been told of his father’s death and been presented with Lathrain. Emptiness swallowed his heart at the realisation that Caledrian was slain, and the gulf widened as he realised that he was now ruling prince of Caledor.

Carathril beckoned to one of the Sea Guard, who entered the camp bearing a bundle wrapped in waxed leather. The herald took this and walked up to Koradrel.

‘These are for you,’ he said, eyes downcast.

Koradrel took the bundle and opened it. Inside were a folded banner of red with a white lion’s face embroidered upon it and an axe, its double-bladed head like the wings of a silver butterfly etched with forks of lightning.

‘Achillar, and the banner of Chrace,’ said Koradrel, choking on the words. He looked at Carathril. ‘Where are my brother and nephew?’

‘Also slain,’ Carathril said. He gave a solemn bow. ‘You are now the ruling prince of Chrace.’

There were moans and mutters from the other Chracians, and some swore oaths to the gods to find the perpetrators of such a crime.

‘The Naggarothi have revealed their true colours,’ said Carathril in answer. ‘It was knights of Anlec that killed so many at the Shrine of Asuryan, and I have good information that Morathi has been freed and returned to Anlec.’

Carathril reached into his robe and drew out a folded piece of parchment. He handed it to Imrik, who looked numbly at the letter, not understanding its importance. He pushed back the grief that welled up inside him and directed an inquiring look at Carathril.

‘Bel Shanaar wrote this to you before he died,’ explained the herald.

‘The seal is broken,’ said Imrik, unfolding the letter.

‘Thyriol instructed me to open it,’ said Carathril. ‘Read it first and then hear my message from him.’

Imrik scanned the letter quickly, saying nothing. Its content came as no surprise, although it seemed now more prophetic than perhaps had been intended.

‘What else?’ said Imrik.

‘Those princes that have survived, Thyriol, Finudel and a few others, have chosen you to become Phoenix King,’ said Carathril. He looked at Koradrel. ‘They do not expect any objection to the nomination.’

‘And they will get none from me,’ said the Chracian.

‘These are desperate times,’ said Carathril. ‘The situation has changed. Ulthuan does not need you as a general, it needs you as a king.’

‘Why?’ said Imrik.

Carathril was taken aback by the question and took a moment to reply.

‘You are the best of the princes, and you have the support of your fellows,’ said the herald. ‘Caledor remains strong, and you will need that strength. You have the dragon princes to come to your call.’

Imrik nodded, accepting each point.

‘No other prince who survives can match you, Imrik. They are slain, all but a few of the greatest of Ulthuan. The Phoenix Throne is empty, the crown unworn, and the kingdoms are in disarray.’

‘Bad,’ said Imrik. ‘Very bad.’

‘What does this mean?’ said Koradrel. ‘Malekith dead, Morathi reigns again in Nagarythe, princes slain and assassins in the shadows?’

Imrik looked at the other elves, seeing fear and hope in their expressions. Fear of what had happened; hope that he would protect them. There was no higher calling, no greater duty that he could be asked to fulfil.

‘What will become of us?’ said one of the Chracians. ‘What happens now?’

Imrik took a deep breath and nodded his assent to Carathril and Koradrel. His hard stare met the gazes of those around him and he answered the question that loitered in all of their minds.

‘War.’

NINE

FROM THE FLAMES

There was none of the ceremony that had accompanied the crowning of Bel Shanaar. The Shrine of Asuryan was almost empty; the high priest Mianderin and his acolytes prepared their incantations while Imrik waited with the ruling princes that had survived the massacre or been chosen to succeed those who had not. There was one notable absence; no representative stood for Tiranoc. Messages had been sent, but no word had returned of who had succeeded Bel Shanaar; Elodhir had been heir before his death at the hands of Bathinair.

Koradrel had come south with Imrik and Carathril, accompanied by several hundred Chracians summoned from the mountain towns around Tor Achare. Not trusting any other with the task, Imrik had appointed the lion-pelted warriors to be his bodyguard in recognition of their fight against the assassins. He called them the White Lions of Chrace and news of their bravery had quickly spread through the several thousand elves stood guard on the Isle of the Flame. Alongside them were the silent warriors of the Phoenix Guard. Their numbers were diminished, many having fallen to knights of Nagarythe and cultists in fighting outside the shrine while the massacre had taken place within.

Imrik spied the crest of the Phoenix Guard’s captain amidst a troop standing at the doorway, and left the other princes.

‘Your order has read the secrets held within the Chamber of Days,’ said Imrik. ‘Written in fire upon the stone are the lives of every Phoenix King.’

The captain nodded once, his expression unmoving.

‘And you read Bel Shanaar’s doom?’

The captain did not respond, but met Imrik’s glare with a steady gaze.

‘Is my death written there in flame?’ the Caledorian asked.

Again the captain made no gesture of denial or agreement. Snarling, Imrik grabbed the Phoenix Guard captain by the golden clasp of his cloak.

‘What use is the wisdom of Asuryan if you keep your tongue?’ snapped Imrik. ‘You stand silent while our people destroy themselves.’

‘He will not answer you,’ Mianderin called from within the shrine. ‘He will die before he utters any word. Unhand him, Imrik, and behave like a king. It is not for us to know the will of Asuryan, nor to second-guess it. Fate will always prevail.’

Imrik released his grip and stalked back into the shrine, wondering if there was any means by which he might elude the destiny scribed upon the walls of the Chamber of Days. He was greeted by a row of expectant faces. Thyriol was smiling slightly, evidently amused at Imrik’s outburst.

‘Imrik dies this day,’ declared Mianderin, waving the group to gather around the eternal flame of Asuryan. ‘As Aenarion and Bel Shanaar before him, he shall pass into the flames and be destroyed by Asuryan’s judgement, to be reborn again as the Phoenix King.’

‘If I am to die, then my name will die with me,’ said Imrik, earning himself a frown from the high priest for the interruption. He ignored Mianderin’s sigh of annoyance and continued. ‘Imrik will not lead our people to salvation. I will be Caledor, in honour of my grand-father and the kingdom that raised me. Imrik will walk into the flames but Caledor will emerge.’

‘May we continue?’ said Mianderin. Imrik nodded his assent. ‘Today we crown a new Phoenix King, chosen by the princes of Ulthuan to be the first amongst equals.’

‘Are we done?’ said Imrik.

He started walking towards the flame. Mianderin hurried after him, signalling to his acolytes to light incense burners and begin their chanting. The high priest grabbed Imrik’s arm two steps from the flame.

‘Not yet,’ said Mianderin.

The high priest stepped back and began his own whispering incantation. Imrik stood looking at the flame of Asuryan. There was no heat. His skin prickled with magic and he felt the enchantments of the priests weaving around him. His limbs chilled and his heart slowed.

Two acolytes approached and fastened the long cloak of feathers upon his shoulder guards. Taking a deep breath, Imrik looked to Mianderin, who nodded.

Imrik stepped into the fire.

The flames burned through him, touching every part of his body and spirit. There was no pain, no sensation at all. Imrik felt like a ghost, apart from the mortal world. He could still hear the singing of the priests, but the melody had changed, the pitch moved higher. Imrik swore that a thousand voices were now singing.

He could see nothing but multicoloured fire. He was made of it. He lifted a hand in front of his face and saw nothing save the dancing flames.

Imrik wondered if he was dead.

The cloak felt like wings, lifting him up, borne aloft by the flames. He closed his eyes but nothing changed; still the flames filled his vision. A gentle breeze seemed to wash over him, its touch smoothing away skin and flesh and bone, reducing him to delicate ash; all without the slightest hint of discomfort. Imrik thought that he imagined it.

Sensation returned, the fire coalescing again into his form, creating body and limbs and head and fingers and every part of him from its essence. Opening his eyes, he turned and stepped out of the flames.

The princes gave a cheer, raising their fists in salute to their new king.

‘Hail Caledor, Phoenix King of Ulthuan!’

Caledor nodded in gratitude and rejoined his companions. He did not even glance back at the flames.

‘What now?’ he asked.

‘It is tradition that you travel to Avelorn, and be married to the Everqueen,’ said Mianderin. ‘She is Ulthuan’s true ruler, and you must seek her blessing as well as Asuryan’s.’

The priest leaned in closer and whispered his next words.

‘It is also necessary that you father an heiress to take up the mantle of Everqueen,’ said Mianderin.

‘No time,’ said Caledor. He looked at the princes. ‘We need an army. Nagarythe will march soon, if it does not already. There is not a host of a single kingdom that can match them.’

‘And what would you do with this army?’ asked Aerethenis. The elf was young, barely an adult, and had just inherited Eataine from his slain uncle Haradrin. ‘Which lands will you protect with this host?’

‘Protect?’ said Caledor. ‘Ulthuan is too large for one army to guard. We will invade Nagarythe first.’

This caused consternation, particularly among the newly elevated princes. There were words of disagreement and Tithrain of Cothique stepped forwards to voice the complaint.

‘We have few warriors to speak of,’ said the freshly crowned prince. ‘What armies we have defend our lands in the colonies. Not just Cothique, but also Eataine and Saphery. Yvresse still reels from the treachery of Bathinair.’

‘You can offer your households,’ Finudel said sharply. ‘And yourselves. Saphery has mages, Eataine the Sea Guard. All of you have city militia, raised to combat the cults.’

‘And they still fight that battle,’ said Tithrain. ‘If we march on Nagarythe we abandon our homes to unknown peril at the hands of Morathi’s agents and assassins.’

‘Sooner that than allow the legions of Nagarythe to march into your homes,’ said Athielle. She looked at Caledor with fierce eyes and then to Koradrel. ‘Chrace and Ellyrion border Nagarythe and will feel the first blow. Tiranoc also, though I fear the absence of their new prince tells me we should expect no aid from that quarter, whatever the reason.’

‘Chrace will fight, you already know that,’ said Koradrel. ‘But the others are right, cousin. I must return and see to the defence of my kingdom first before I can accompany you into Nagarythe. When the border is secure, I will bring such warriors as I have remaining to you.’

Caledor sighed with frustration and looked to Thyriol for support.

‘I will send word for those mages skilled in counter-magic to come here, so that we might thwart any sorcery of Morathi and her coven,’ said the Sapherian prince. ‘Like the others, I have few spears and swords for the cause and many of them must be employed guarding against the enemy that already lurks within.’

Biting back his disappointment, Caledor remembered that he was chosen as king to lead, not be a tyrant. The princes were right to be fearful for the security of their kingdoms. It was not cowardice; it was their first and greatest duty to protect their people.

‘Very well,’ he said. ‘Let us each return to our kingdoms and make what preparations we can. We will return here at the first winter moon, in forty-three days.’

‘Be vigilant for all danger,’ said Thyriol. ‘While we cast our gaze towards Nagarythe, do not let the enemy near at hand slip from your sight. The cytharai worshippers will come in force now that all is revealed. Make no mistake, this is a war now, and we must prevail.’

‘Show no mercy,’ said Caledor. ‘A moment’s weakness will doom us all.’

A long peal shook the bleak mountainside from Dorien’s dragon horn, rebounding from the bare rocks, echoes muffled by the low mist. Thyrinor glanced at Imrik – Caledor, he reminded himself – and saw the new Phoenix King’s eyes intent upon the cave mouths barely visible though the haze. The new ruler of Ulthuan had passed on the momentous news of his elevation with barely a glimmer of emotion; no more feeling than if he had been reporting the weather over the Inner Sea. Caledor had refused all suggestion of celebration and was even more close-lipped than he had been before.

They had ridden with haste to the lair of the dragons, Caledor almost silent for the whole journey. Thyrinor had tried to prise forth some word concerning the Phoenix King’s thoughts, but had failed. Caledor was worried, that much Thyrinor could see, and the way he waited for the dragons to answer the call did nothing to allay Thyrinor’s fears. Caledor was tense, hands clenched in fists, arms crossed over his breastplate, jaw clamped shut.

There was none of the show of the last visit. Maedrethnir emerged from a cave to the elves’ right and swooped down to the bare hill.

‘There is something different about you,’ said the old dragon. His nostrils flared wide as he sniffed the air, head weaving back and forth around Caledor. ‘Magic touches you. Old magic.’

‘I am Phoenix King,’ replied Caledor. ‘You sense the flame of Asuryan.’

‘Phoenix King?’ The dragon arched back its neck in surprise. ‘Bel Shanaar is dead?’

‘War is coming,’ said Caledor, ignoring the question. ‘Will the dragons ride with the princes of Caledor?’

‘You have become even more abrupt, Imrik,’ said Maedrethnir.

‘I have taken the name Caledor,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘To honour these lands and the elf that first sought the alliance of the dragons.’

Maedrethnir snorted, though Thyrinor could not tell whether from amusement or derision. Regardless, the dragon bowed its head and launched into the air, circling back to the cave from which he had emerged.

They waited a long time. Thyrinor tried to engage with Dorien, but he seemed to have been infected by his brother’s mood and would say no more than a few words in reply. Eventually Thyrinor gave up and sat down on a rock, left to his own dark thoughts.

Dusk was approaching when finally Maedrethnir appeared again. Two more dragons followed him out of the cave: Anaegnir and Nemaerinir. The three dragons landed around the elves, wings cutting swirls though the thickening mist.

‘No more?’ said Caledor.

‘We three are all that will come,’ said Maedrethnir. ‘No others will answer the call.’

‘Three dragons is enough to destroy Nagarythe,’ said Dorien. He turned to Nemaerinir, his own mount. ‘Thank you for heeding the call.’

‘I slept only lightly,’ the red-scaled dragon replied. ‘Another year and perhaps I would not have answered.’

‘Maedrethnir spoke of war and you mention Nagarythe,’ said Anaegnir, her voice mellower than the males. ‘What evil stirs in the north?’

‘Treachery,’ replied Thyrinor. ‘The Naggarothi try to usurp power and the other kingdoms have little might to respond. The dragons of Caledor will go a long way to restoring the balance of power.’

‘To fight elves?’ said Nemaerinir. The dragon rumbled deep in his throat. ‘An unpleasant business.’

‘Yes,’ said Caledor. ‘Yet one we must attend to.’

‘The Naggarothi promote the worship of the undergods,’ said Thyrinor. ‘They would have all of Ulthuan under thrall of Khaine and Ereth Khial and others should they be victorious.’

‘There are worse gods to be in thrall to,’ said Maedrethnir.

‘Our division makes us weak,’ said Dorien. ‘A weakness the Chaos Gods will sense and act upon. If the elves fall, who will keep the vortex from failing? The dwarfs? The humans? The orcs?’

‘Dorien is right,’ said Thyrinor. ‘We must fight not just for the fate of ourselves, but for the future of the world. If Morathi and her followers rule, they will bring dark magic and sorcery and the daemons will come again.’

‘It shall not be so,’ growled Anaegnir. ‘We will help you.’

‘Good,’ said Caledor. ‘We ride back to Tor Caled. Meet us at the palaces when you are ready.’

‘And then where?’ said Dorien. ‘The Naggarothi can march straight through Tiranoc and be upon our borders before we know it.’

‘They would be foolish to march before spring,’ replied Thyrinor. ‘We have time to muster the army.’

‘The army will wait, but the cultists will not,’ said Dorien. ‘They will rise up and pave the way for the Naggarothi advance. There will be death this winter, mark my words.’

‘A dragon cannot hunt cultists,’ said Anaegnir. ‘Not unless you wish your cities ruined and your fields burned.’

‘You are right,’ said Caledor. ‘We shall wait for the army of Nagarythe. Then we kill them.’

TEN

LOTHERN ATTACKED

As Carathril opened the door to the winehouse, swirls of fragrance-laden smoke drifted out into the street. He waved for Aerenis to precede him inside and then entered, closing the door behind him. It was quiet, as was to be expected in the middle of the day, with only a few patrons gathered at a table close to the fire. Carathril recognised them as members of the Palace Watch, again without surprise as this particular wine room was used almost exclusively by members of the princes’ guard. One of them, Myrthreir, raised a hand in welcome and beckoned the pair over to the padded bench on which he sat.

‘The new Fierean deep red has just finished settling,’ said another of the soldiers, Khalinir, as they joined the group. He proffered his glass towards Carathril. ‘Try some, it is very fruity.’

Carathril accepted the crystal goblet and took a sip of the wine. It was delicately scented with rose, and was of a fuller flavour than he usually liked but not unpleasant.

‘Palatable,’ said Carathril with an equivocal look,

He offered the glass to Aerenis.

‘I think I will stay loyal to my Sapherian Gold until the winter grape season comes around,’ he said, waving away the goblet.

An attendant with long fair hair bound in a single plait down her back made her way over to the table and Carathril ordered a bottle of his favourite wine. Aerenis asked for water.

‘I heard Hythreir’s Dissertation on Cynics last night,’ said Khalinir. ‘He was performing in the Sapphire Plaza. It was a touch sentimental, if you ask me, but it seemed to get the crowd going, what with all that talk about Aenarion and such. Then again, that is Hythreir, always one for popularity over pedigree.’

‘I thoroughly enjoyed his Musings of a Lothern Trader,’ said Fithuren from the far end of the table. ‘Of course, that was before Malekith returned. His humour has changed dramatically, and I do not appreciate some of the darker elements he now uses in his compositions. It seems that he has been getting more and more caught up with his own woes for these last years. One would think that he was the only elf in Lothern with worries and cares, the way he stands there and laments in Opal Square sometimes.’

‘It is enough that we must deal with these accursed cults when we are on duty, I do not want to hear about them endlessly when I set down my spear,’ said Myrthreir. ‘The prince issues proclamation after proclamation, and yet still there are those blind enough to flock to these demagogues and rabble-rousers. Only five days ago, we found a nest of Athartists posing as an embroidery guild in Callhan. I tell you, when we found what they had been picturing with their needles, it sent a shiver down my spine. One of them almost took my eye out with his fingernails, if you believe that.’

‘You sent them away?’ asked Aerenis.

‘Of course we did,’ replied Fithuren. ‘Until the prince orders otherwise, we send them under escort to Amil Annanian. I hear that another ship left this morning, with nearly two hundred of the depraved souls on board. More than fifty are being tended to by the priests of Ereth Khial.’

‘If it means that we do not spill as much blood as we might, then I see no harm in it,’ said Aerenis.

‘They seem tame enough, once captured,’ said Mythreir.

‘Most are normal folk,’ said Aerenis. ‘Some simply want answers or escape, or sympathy. For my part, I do not see the harm in much of what they do. In Nagarythe, I hear, there are blood sacrifices and all manner of bestial behaviour, but here in Lothern most of those we arrest are nothing more than lost souls seeking a path.’

‘Their acts are forbidden, even if they do not directly harm others,’ said Myrthreir.

‘But why are they forbidden?’ asked Aerenis quietly. The serving maid returned with their drinks and Aerenis took a sip of his water before continuing. ‘The prince and his council decide that Hythreir’s poems and performances are sound, whilst issuing decrees against writers such as Elrondhir and Hythryst for being seditious and dangerous. Five years ago, Elrondhir was court poet to Prince Haradrin, now he is a fugitive.’

Carathril had become accustomed to Aerenis’s morose moods since he had returned to Lothern. It was a city he had found to be irrevocably changed by the betrayal of Prince Aeltherin and the death of Prince Haradrin, yet even now there were some in the guard and nobility who refused to accept the danger posed by the dark cults.

Rumours and whispers persisted that Haradrin had entrapped Aeltherin in some way, and it was to these conspiratorial allegations that Aerenis now referred. Carathril had spoken many times with his friend concerning the manner of Aeltherin’s demise and he knew it haunted Aerenis still, as did the death of his sister’s friend, Glaronielle. The prince had burned himself alive, along with his unconscious followers, and the hideous scene still haunted all of those that had witnessed it. Though Aerenis had never admitted as such, it was plain to Carathril that his companion had harboured feelings for the girl he had mentioned; feelings that perhaps he had never expressed to her while she lived.

Now Aerenis had become cold-hearted, turning ever more inwards in his grief as the years had passed. He no longer joked with good humour, and laughed only from bitterness. His company was rare, for he spent most of his off-duty time with his own counsel; Carathril had never insulted his friend by inquiring too deeply concerning where he hid himself away for days at a time.

Lost in his musing, Carathril did not realise that he was being addressed by Myrthreir.

‘Carathril?’ the royal guard said.

‘I am sorry, my thoughts were soaring elsewhere, like the eagles of the mountains,’ Carathril said with a glance at Aerenis. If his friend recollected that old conversation, he did not show it, but stared silently into his glass.

‘I asked if the Sapphire Company was taking part in this expedition to the mountains tomorrow,’ said Myrthreir.

‘Yes, I am leading the company to Hal Mentheon to meet with Captain Fyrthril of the Ruby Company,’ said Carathril.

‘Hal Mentheon?’ Aerenis asked sharply. ‘You did not mention that before.’

‘Why the concern?’ said Carathril.

‘It is the town where my sister lives,’ Aerenis explained. ‘I hope that she is safe.’

‘We are mustering at Hal Mentheon, but our mission takes us inland to the mountains, somewhere close to the Enullii Caith on the border of Caledor,’ Carathril assured his friend. ‘I am sure that nothing is amiss in the town, we would have heard otherwise from Fyrthril.’

‘Yes, you are probably right,’ muttered Aerenis, returning his gaze to his water.

Carathril finished his goblet of wine and poured another, letting the conversation of the others sweep over him, occasionally nodding in agreement at some point or smiling at a witty comment. Aerenis excused himself shortly before dusk, and though Carathril worried about his friend, he was glad of the lightening of the mood that came with the departure of his dour companion. As often happened these days, the talk eventually meandered its way around to the subject of Nagarythe.

‘I heard from a Chracian merchant that the army of the Anars is besieged in the citadel of Cauthis, just west of Griffon Pass,’ said Khalinir.

‘That is old news,’ scoffed Myrthreir. ‘Naggarothi fighting Naggarothi can be no bad thing for us. I don’t know why the prince is so worried. Nagarythe is furthest from Eataine. It’s not as if they could sneak through Tiranoc and Ellyrion to attack us without warning, is it?’

Carathril remained silent. He had met Alith Anar and felt some sympathy for those Naggarothi still loyal to the Phoenix Throne. Whatever the fortunes of the coming war, Carathril knew in his heart that the Anars would be forevermore caught between their loyalties. He was thankful that they opposed Morathi. Myrthreir was right about one thing: Lothern was about as far from the fighting as Carathril was likely to get without heading for the colonies.

New recruits were being mustered and one day Carathril knew he would have to march out again beneath the banner of Eataine. For the moment he was content to leave the action and worries to others. Like many of his fellows, his first concern was the safety of his prince and his people. He would fight when ordered, but was trying to enjoy the relative peace while it lasted.

Knowing that he was to march out with his company the following day, Carathril made his excuses and left the winehouse while his willpower and sobriety still allowed.

As he walked back to his quarters along the stone streets of Lothern, he pondered that area of greyness between convivial leisure and the slide into the depravities of the cults. To lose oneself utterly to sensation, to cast aside the fears, doubts and anguishes of rational life was forever a temptation to the elves. The joys of friendship and love were unsurpassed, but so too did Carathril and his people suffer greatly from the blackest depths of anger and woe.

Each walked a perilous path between agony and ecstasy, forever fighting the restless spirit awakened within his heart by the coming of Aenarion; the desire to fight and conquer, to ascend to pinnacles of sensation of which only the elven mind and body were capable.

Carathril felt no such desire himself. His life had been eventful enough and he craved the mundane and predictable as much as the cultists sought stimulation and risk. Comfortable that he could still resist the lures of his elven spirit, and lulled by the wine, Carathril fell asleep relaxed and at peace.

Aerenis woke Carathril not long after daybreak, bringing him a tumbler of fresh water from the barracks well and a small loaf of bread with a pat of butter and a pot of glistening honey. Carathril’s lieutenant seemed more at ease than he had the night before and the captain remarked upon this.

‘I shall see my sister when we reach Hal Mentheon,’ Aerenis explained. ‘I have not seen her since summer last year, nor my cousins and nephews. Remember, I am country-born, not a child of Lothern like you.’

‘Of course,’ said Carathril. ‘I have no family to miss, but I suppose the city and its people are the closest I have to kin.’

The company was assembled for the march to Hal Mentheon and was soon heading westwards from Lothern to meet up with soldiers from other parts of Eataine. Situated between the Inner Sea and the outer coast of Ulthuan, the kingdom was a beautiful spread of rolling hills and farmlands, gradually rising to the west until it reached the foothills of the Dragon Spine Mountains that marked the border with Caledor.

The one hundred elves made their way along a coastal road at a steady pace, meadows and pastures to their right, shallow cliffs on their left broken by winding paths and roadways leading down to many inlets and beaches. The wind came off the sea, bringing with it salty air and flurries of drizzle from the cloudy sky, but the march was not unpleasant during the frequent breaks in which the sun shone down.

Past midday the company halted for a rest, above a small fishing village nestled in the lee of a white chalk cliff that curved like a waning moon around a green-watered bay. Most of the vessels were out, their white sails and hulls seen against the dark of the sea. Food was unloaded from the company’s supply wagons.

Carathril left the company and walked a short distance away to lean against a white-painted stone wall marking the boundary of a farm. Arms resting on the wall, spear and shield next to him, he looked out to the sea and watched the birds flying around the cliff tops, their harsh cries cutting the air above the crash of surf at the foot of the cliff below him.

He moved his gaze further out to sea and looked at the horizon to the south, enjoying the tranquillity of the flat blue expanse of the ocean. Aerenis joined him, handing Carathril a wrapped parcel of bread and cured meat before leaning his back against the wall.

‘It’s hard to believe there is anything amiss in Eataine on days like this,’ said Carathril.

‘Perhaps there is nothing amiss,’ replied Aerenis. ‘Enjoy the peace for what it is.’

‘If only it was so simple,’ said Carathril. He sighed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of sea air and soaking in the warmth of the sun. ‘There are enemies closer at hand than we realise. I cannot believe Lothern is totally free of the cults, and the rest of Eataine surely provides shelter for more.’

‘Do you wonder if perhaps enemies have been made of the cults when it need not be so?’ said Aerenis.

‘What do you mean?’ said Carathril, turning to his friend.

‘There have been a few, like the Khainites, who have preyed on the innocent, but most of them are harmless enough, surely?’ answered Aerenis. ‘What if some of our people wish to lose themselves occasionally in a pleasant fugue, or wish to converse with the spirits of the dead? Is it worth the suffering it has brought to persecute these people?’

‘It is a trap of the spirit,’ said Carathril. ‘It is the harm it does to our culture, our society, which makes the worship of the cytharai a malaise. You saw what had become of Prince Aeltherin. The cults impair the judgement and erode the moral being of our people.’

‘And so you would have every cultist slain?’ said Aerenis. ‘Is that the solution?’

‘I do not know,’ replied Carathril. ‘It seems inevitable that bloodshed will settle this. The Naggarothi have stirred up their sycophants and their agents, and the cults will respond by moving against the rule of the princes and the Phoenix King. If they surrender peacefully, it could be avoided.’

‘I detect the hint of arrogance with that approach,’ said Aerenis. ‘Why are all the demands heaped upon the cultists? What attempts have ever been made to help them, to incorporate their needs and desires into our society? They have been branded outsiders, now criminals, and you wonder why they disregard the authority of their princes?’

Not having any answer to that, Carathril turned back to the sea. Aerenis was kind-hearted and forgiving, and he made a good point. Yet for all the wrongs that the cultists might reasonably claim had been done to them, Carathril could not forget the grisly scenes he had witnessed at Ealith many years before, nor could he forget the beguiling power that had tried to turn him to the service of the cytharai.

His eye roamed the waves without purpose as he considered Aerenis’s words. Looking to the west, he spied a sail coming around the headland, larger than that of a fishing boat. Concentrating, he saw a two-hulled hawkship sailing into view, both its sails full in the wind, a light-blue pennant streaming from its masthead.

Another followed, and another.

Surprised, Carathril watched the flotilla tacking into the bay. In all there were eleven vessels, two of them mighty three-hulled dragonships, their decks lined with elves.

‘What business has a Tiranocii fleet in Eataine?’ he said, glancing towards Aerenis. His companion was staring at the fleet, his expression one of shock and disbelief.

‘Your eyes are sharper than mine,’ said Aerenis, shielding his gaze from the sun almost directly overhead. ‘I think I see soldiers aboard.’

Carathril returned his attention to the approaching ships. Looking more closely, he realised that Aerenis was right. The sides of each ship were lined with elves in armour, carrying shields and spears. As the flotilla came into the sunlight, Carathril saw that the warriors were dressed in black and purple, with banners of the same flying above them.

‘Naggarothi!’ he snapped. ‘They must have taken the fleet of Tiranoc.’

‘The Naggarothi are here in Eataine?’ Aerenis’s reaction was one of confusion more than shock.

‘We have to return to Lothern,’ said Carathril, pushing himself from the wall.

‘I must warn my family.’ Aerenis looked as if he had not heard what Carathril had said.

The lieutenant broke into a run, shouting to the others by the road. Carathril headed after him, calling for the company to fall in. There was anarchy and dissent. Some of the warriors, like Aerenis, had family outside the city and wished to return to their homes to warn of the Naggarothi attack.

‘They will fall upon Eataine like a cloud of wrath,’ Aerenis implored, grabbing Carathril by the sleeve of his robe. ‘We cannot leave our people ignorant of the threat.’

Carathril could see that order would not be easy to restore. He darted a look to seaward and saw the first of the hawkships was gliding up to the harbour. The boarding gantries were already being swung over the side.

‘Those who will return to Lothern, come with me,’ he said quickly, his gaze roving over the company. ‘Those that wish to see families safe, go to them as swiftly as possible and bring them to the city. If you cannot do that, I suggest that you head for the sanctuary of Caledor. I do not think the Naggarothi will dare the ire of the dragon princes.’

As nearly a third of the company split away, heading north and westwards, Carathril delayed Aerenis with a hand on his shoulder.

‘Fetch your family and bring them to Lothern,’ said the former herald. ‘Bring as many people from Hal Mentheon as you can.’

Aerenis nodded.

‘Make sure you keep the gates open for us,’ he said. ‘It will take two days and more to reach them and return.’

‘I will make sure the prince sends out the army to provide escort for you,’ promised Carathril. ‘I have to go now. Take care of yourself, my friend.’

‘And you, my captain,’ said Aerenis.

Carathril stood for a moment and watched as Aerenis hurried along the road, chasing after the dwindling group of silver and green moving quickly to the west. The captain turned back to the east and signalled for the remaining members of the company to form up. He looked down at the harbour and felt a twinge of guilt as lines of black-and-silver snaked from the docked ships into the fishing town. There was nothing his small company could do against the several thousand Naggarothi landing on the shore. His duty was to warn the people of Lothern and ensure the sea gates were closed.

He set off at a brisk march, the company falling in behind, and blocked out the first shouts and screams that were carried to him on the sea breeze.

Banks of cloud had swept over the countryside, swathing Eataine in darkness, the light of the moons a dim glimmer to the east. In the gloom, dozens of fires burned, stretching along the coast as towns and villages were consumed by flames set by the Naggarothi. From the wall of Lothern, Carathril could see other lights too; the brands carried by the soldiers of the prince stretching in long lines towards the city, guiding the refugees to sanctuary.

There had been pitifully few over the last day and a half; no more than a few thousand had been able to flee the Naggarothi attack. Aerenis had not yet reported back to the barracks and Carathril feared the worst for his friend, though he harboured a small hope that he had reached the city unseen by the captain and was busy attending to his family.

A gong rang loudly over the city and Carathril turned. Bathed in the pale glow of the Glittering Tower, Lothern was quiet, subdued by the Naggarothi offensive. More lights clustered between the two great sea gates, shining from lamps upon the ships of the Eataine fleet; dozens of vessels that had sought safe harbour from the captured Tiranoc ships prowling along the coast.

There had been many who had argued for the prince to open the sea gates and let loose the wrath of the fleet against the raiders, but such counsel had been refused. Aerethenis, nephew to slain Haradrin, had little support in his new position and was loath to risk Lothern’s ships; the kingdom’s greatest weapon. It was a hard-hearted decision to abandon the folk of Eataine to the merciless Naggarothi, but Carathril agreed with his ruler. There was no sense in risking an invasion of the harbour.

The gates below Carathril swung open again as a crowd of elves surged along the road, escorted by companies of knights with pale-green pennants. The refugees looked haggard, having been harried across the pastures and meadows, and many of the knights were wounded, their armour dented and injuries bandaged. Carathril scanned the faces of the elves passing into the gate and gave a cry of relief when he spied Aerenis.

Carathril dashed down the steps to the square behind the gatehouse. He found Aerenis amongst the crowd, three female elves and two young boys with him.

‘Praise Asuryan that you are safe,’ said Carathril.

Aerenis looked at him with a bleak expression.

‘Asuryan deserves no praise for what has befallen us,’ said the lieutenant. ‘It was the flame of Asuryan that scorched Malekith and unleashed this war upon us.’

Carathril was shocked by his friend’s words and could think of no reply. Aerenis said nothing more as he guided his family across the square, to where residents of Lothern were waiting with food, blankets and healing tinctures.

The thunder of hooves on cobbles caused Carathril to draw back as the knights rode back through the gate. Their captain, his green plume sparkling in the light of the Glittering Tower, pulled his mount to a stop beside the gatehouse.

‘Close the gate!’ he bellowed. ‘The enemy have reached the Anir Morien!’

‘What of the rest of the army?’ Carathril called out. ‘We cannot abandon them.’

The captain looked down at Carathril, his expression one of surprise.

‘What army?’ the captain said with a bitter laugh. ‘Those torches you see are carried by the Naggarothi! A few companies hold Tir Athenor, others have fled to the Inner Sea. The Naggarothi will be at the city by dawn.’

Carathril’s chest tightened and his legs weakened at the news. The captain’s words had carried across to others in the square. Shouts of dismay and cries of panic echoed from surrounding buildings. Anir Morien was the closest of the watch towers beyond the walls, and if it had fallen the Naggarothi would control an important harbour on the Inner Sea.

The crowd surged further into the city, spreading the dreadful news.

‘Man the walls, I shall ride to the prince,’ said the knight captain.

Without waiting for a reply, he wheeled his horse away and clattered across the square, leaving Carathril aghast. Having heard the dire tidings, many soldiers were leaving the wall, eager to see their families.

‘Back to your posts!’ Carathril roared, unsheathing his sword. ‘You best serve your loved ones behind your spears and shields!’

A few disobeyed the order and headed into the city, but most were cowed by Carathril’s words and filed back into the towers, grim-faced. The former herald sprang back up the steps to the gatehouse and fixed his gaze to the west. The flickers of the Naggarothi torches crept closer as he looked, moving through fields and woods like serpents of flame.

‘Sound the alarm,’ said Carathril, turning to a hornblower beside him.

The musician wetted his lips and lifted the long white horn to his mouth. He let loose a pealing blast that reverberated across the city. Within moments it was taken up by those in the other towers, the warning echoing across Lothern, bells and gongs ringing out in answer.

In the distance, a greater light broke the night; flames from a burning manse upon a distant hilltop. Carathril could see nothing of the Naggarothi save for the sea of brands coming ever closer.

‘Archers!’ called Carathril.

He dashed into one of the guard towers and took up a bow and quiver for himself. Returning to the wall, he found several hundred elves assembling to either side of the gate, arrows nocked, eyes straining against the night.

‘Mark the fires,’ said Carathril, stringing a shaft.

The Naggarothi were still some distance away, well out of bowshot. Something whined in the darkness and a hail of barb-tipped bolts crashed against the stone of the gatehouse a short distance away. Hidden by the darkness, the crews of the Naggarothi war engines could easily see the defenders on the wall and towers.

‘Douse the lanterns,’ Carathril ordered. ‘Pass the word to douse the lanterns.’

Like a blanket draped across the fortifications, the lamps were extinguished, darkness spreading to the north and south, leaving only the faint glimmer of moonlight and the reflected glow of the sea to the south.

The city’s bolt throwers returned the volleys of the enemy, launching salvoes of spear-sized shafts towards the approaching glow of the Naggarothi army. The night was silent save for the slap of rope on wood and the swish of bolts cutting the air. Not even a cry could yet be heard, though Carathril was sure the bolt thrower crews would have found some target.

In response, the Naggarothi put out their brands, the guttering of the flames sending a chill through Carathril, the countryside around the city become as dark as the sky. Robbed of their marks, the war engines of both sides were stilled and a queer calm descended. There were mutters and whispers from the elves around Carathril until he silenced them with a sharp word.

All eyes and ears were strained for any sign of the Naggarothi. The stone of the road was like a pale ribbon that wound through the hills until it could no longer be seen in the distance. The wind sighed against the stone and fluttered the banners at their poles atop the tower roofs.

Time passed, the moons sinking lower in the sky, increasing the darkness.

Then came the first noise of the Naggarothi; a distant jingling of mail shirts, the clop of hooves on the road and the padding of thousands of booted feet. Here and there, Carathril spied a brief glimmer of light as the dim glow of the moons reflected off a helm or spear tip.

The air was growing colder still. Unnaturally so, thought Carathril. He could feel the churn of magic in the air and so could the other defenders. Whispers of sorcery spread along the wall and there were muttered incantations to ward away the dark magic.

Still the air grew colder, until the breaths of the soldiers were a mist in the pale moonlight. Carathril flexed his fingers on his bow to ease their stiffness, but would not dip his aim for a moment. He stared intently along the shaft, seeking some target upon which he could loose the arrow, but he saw nothing but vague shadows and glimmers.

The chilling air set his joints to aching and a rime of frost was creeping across the stones of the wall, the flags hanging limply as ice crackled on the embroidered banners. The bow began to tremble in Carathril’s grasp and his shoulders ached with the strain of holding it up. Around him, archers were uttering hushed curses, blowing on their fingers, stamping their feet.

Harsh words split the air a moment before a dark cloud of shafts lifted out from the darkness, hundreds of serrated tips shining as they arced up towards the wall. The defenders threw themselves to the rampart as the rain of missiles clattered against the stone. Here and there an elf cried out, pierced by a shaft, as another volley and another swiftly followed.

The barbed cloud seemed unending, the repeater crossbows of the Naggarothi sending a hail of missiles effortlessly through the night. Carathril clenched his jaw, not daring to lift his head above the rampart as chips of stone sprayed around him.

Amongst the rattle of impacts and snap of breaking shafts, the captain could hear the tramp of booted feet getting closer and closer. The Naggarothi were advancing under the cover of their repeater crossbows. They would be at the walls soon if the defenders allowed themselves to be cowed by the flurries of bolts cutting the air.

‘Ready your bows!’ shouted Carathril, rising up to a narrow embrasure. The archers around him followed his lead, using the wall to cover themselves against the shafts still descending upon them. Bringing up his bow, he saw a swathe of darkness no more than two hundred paces from the wall. Advancing in close formation, shields and spears held high, the Naggarothi presented an easy target. ‘Loose!’

A storm of white shafts leapt into the gloom, to be met with cries of pain and surprise. The repetitive snap of the engines in the towers added to the noise, hurling their bolts into the advancing enemy. The sound of mail being punctured and flesh being pierced came from all sides, and within moments the Naggarothi machines were returning fire, sending up showers of stone shards from the parapets protecting the bolt throwers.

Exposed, the archers suffered at the next Naggarothi volley, a score and more reeling back across the wall with vicious shafts in arms and bodies. Some slumped where they had been standing, helms and breastplates pierced.

In the dim light, Carathril spied a knot of several dozen Naggarothi advancing quickly on horseback. They dragged between them a ram fashioned of dark metal, its head that of a griffon wrought from shining ithilmar, borne upon a frame made of thick timbers and bound with iron. More Naggarothi ran behind, ready to man the ram once it was at the gate.

No order needed to be given. Every elf on the walls knew that the Naggarothi could not be allowed to attack the gate. Shafts rained down on the riders, the cries of the cavalry mingling with the whinnying of wounded steeds.

A great clamour filled the square behind Carathril and he glanced over his shoulder to see the knights of Eataine gathering, streaming down the roads of the city to form up in squadrons several hundred strong.

Carathril heard a command to open the gate. Looking down, he saw that the Naggarothi were less than fifty paces from the gatehouse. If the sortie failed, they would be inside the city within moments.

‘Do as they say!’ he snapped at the elves in the gate tower, knowing that the risk had to be taken. The gate was not yet shored up properly, and once destroyed could not be replaced.

Weights and gears rumbled in the towers as the gate mechanism was freed. Even as the huge oak doors were swinging inwards, the knights were breaking into a charge. Rank after rank, ten knights wide, galloped out of the city with shields ready and lances at full tilt.

The crash of their impact rang against the walls. Carathril could make out little of the fight in the dark, just a swirl of silver-armoured figures and pale horses against the gold-and-black knights of Anlec. War cries and hoarse challenges greeted the charge. Metal rang on metal.

Carathril was forced to duck back behind the parapet as another volley of repeater crossbow shafts sailed through the air. Peering through the embrasure, he could see Naggarothi advancing in long lines, carrying tall ladders between their files, protected by the raised shields of more warriors to each side. He emptied his quiver, loosing arrow after arrow into the oncoming assault, but to little effect.

Several squadrons of knights peeled away from the attack along the road, wheeling into the flank of the spearmen with the ladders. They crashed through the Naggarothi soldiers who fell in their dozens to lance and sword and flailing hooves. Yet not a quarter of the spearmen had been routed when a horn sounded the recall. Fearing to be caught too far from the gate, the wedge of knights turned their horses and rode back to the road, where the lead squadrons were already riding through the gate back to the safety of the city.

At another command, the gates were swung shut just behind the last of the knights. Bars were slide into place and locked as bolts from the Naggarothi slammed into the ancient wood of the doors. Carathril judged that the knights had lost almost a quarter of their number, but the dark-clad bodies littering the road and the space just before the walls were testament to the casualties they had inflicted during the brief sortie.

Further south along the wall there were sounds of fighting, as several companies of Naggarothi had reached the defences with their ladders. For the moment it appeared the attention of the Naggarothi had been driven from the gatehouse and Carathril returned to the guard room to fetch more arrows. Inside were dozens of wounded elves, sitting against the walls or lying on mattresses soaked with their blood. Many bore the marks of the repeater quarrels, and wounded knights were being carried up the wide stairs to have their injuries tended by the priests and priestesses within.

Snatching up a fresh quiver from the rapidly diminishing stock, Carathril returned to his place and looked south. The Naggarothi had given up their direct assault quickly and were falling back towards the hills, the shafts of the defenders following them. To the east, across Lothern, the first ruddy gleam of dawn touched the rooftops and towers.

And so passed the first night of the siege of Lothern, one of many that would beset the city in the coming seasons.

‘When will Caledor come?’ Mythreir gave voice to the question that had been asked many times; so many times Carathril had tired of hearing it asked.

‘Perhaps never,’ snapped the guard captain. ‘You think Lothern is alone in the Phoenix King’s thoughts?’

‘It should be highest,’ replied the other elf as the two walked along the northern ramparts of the city, looking down at the Inner Sea. To the east, a flotilla of ten ships waited behind the Sapphire Gate, sails trimmed, decks packed with Sea Guard. ‘With Lothern besieged, the Naggarothi raid across the Inner Sea without hindrance.’

‘And until Ellyrion is secure again, Caledor cannot send relief to the city,’ said Carathril, sighing heavily. ‘How many times must I explain?’

‘Until you make sense,’ said Myrthreir. ‘Caledor’s strategy is wrong and the prince should make better representation. With Lothern delivered, we can control the shore of Ellyrion and supply his army.’

Carathril offered no further reply, annoyed by his companion’s obstinacy. Caledor would no more relieve Lothern with the enemy free in Ellyrion than a swordsman would turn his back on an armed opponent. The city held, and held strong, and that was all that mattered.

They reached their destination, a stretch of wall overlooking the Inner Sea that curved away from the Sapphire Gate. Further along the shore the ships of the Naggarothi were beached, having been captured in northern Ellyrion and sailed south in support of the siege. To the north and south, the Lothern Straits were bracketed by enemy fleets. The one saving grace was that the Naggarothi had made no inroads upon the eastern reaches of Eataine, and many of the populace had been evacuated towards Saphery.

It was the sea gates the Naggarothi desired though, and for two long years they had battered the walls with war engines, vile monsters and evil sorcery. This last had become less of a threat since the arrival of Eltreneth last autumn, one of the chief mages of Saphery. Soaring above the city upon his white-winged pegasus, the Sapherian had countered the spells of the enemy, staff wreathed in mystical power, sword blazing.

Now the enemy prepared for a fresh assault. They had built towers and rams concealed from the war engines of Lothern by huge ramparts of earth and timber. They planned to launch this latest attack along the Inner Sea road, that much was clear, and Prince Aerethenis had finally bowed to those who would have the fleet of Lothern let free.

Without ceremony, the Sapphire Gate opened, the roar of water building as the huge portal swung open between the Straits of Lothern and the Inner Sea. Where the two bodies of water met, the sea thrashed and foamed as wave crashed against wave, before slowly swirling and dying away to leave the path clear for the flotilla. The early morning light shimmered from the gleaming decks of the ships as they passed through the open gate, their sails bright triangles of white and blue.

‘I heard a new name for them,’ said Mythreir.

‘What’s that?’ said Carathril, his attention on the hills through which the Inner Sea road cut towards the city, alert for foes that might attack the emerging flotilla from the coastal cliffs. There was no movement, yet the two hundred archers who stood with bows ready at the rampart did not relax their guard, having experienced much Naggarothi trickery in the past.

‘The Naggarothi,’ said Mythreir. ‘They are being called the druchii now.’

‘Druchii?’ Carathril could not stop a grim smile. The word meant the Dark Ones. It was fitting. Since he had first ridden with Prince Malekith, Carathril had seen the Naggarothi prove themselves capable of the direst acts. ‘Druchii it is. Let us keep watch for their wiles all the same.’

The Lothern flotilla sped along the coast at full sail, the pilots knowing every reef and rock around the harbour entrance. Horns blared in the distance as the druchii caught sight of the oncoming ships and Carathril could just make out a burst of activity along the shore as they streamed towards their own beached vessels.

There came a rush of air and a flap of feathers above and Carathril looked up to see Eltreneth soaring overhead mounted on his pegasus. The mage’s staff trailed sparks of red and blue fire as the winged horse pitched down towards the cliff tops where the druchii had made camp.

A bolt of black lightning leapt up from the sea of dark pavilions, to be turned away by a shimmering sphere of gold that enveloped Eltreneth. Hails of repeater arrows streamed towards him, yet these too were turned away by his magical shield. Even from a distance, Carathril could feel the ebb and surge of magical energy as the mage and the sorcerers below him battled for control of the winds of magic. Multicoloured fire leapt from Eltreneth’s staff, scorching through tent and corral, setting a swathe of the camp ablaze as dark clouds sprang into existence in the air around him, crackling with unnatural energy.

The ships had now come into range of the druchii fleet moving off the beaches. Only a handful of enemy vessels had made the sea when blossoms of white-burning bolts and arrows seared across the waters, catching in sails and rigging, setting fire to decking and masts. Not to be outdone, the druchii fired back with clouds of black shafts, repeater crossbows and bolt throwers raking the decks of the Eataine ships as they closed in.

‘Rather them than me,’ said Myrthreir as the two flotillas moved amongst each other, turning and tacking, their war machines scything the air between with black- and silver-headed missiles. ‘Let me face my death toe-to-toe.’

Carathril was inclined to agree but said nothing. The fighting would get all too personal soon enough as the lightly armed hawkships of both sides manoeuvred around each other, looking for an opening to board. From this distance the naval battle looked more like a stately dance than a desperate contest of bloodshed. The squadrons arced about each other like partners hand in hand, linked by the clouds of arrows instead of arms. Here and there they came together, the war cries and crash of timbers lost in distance so that everything seemed as serene as a masque.

Two druchii ships were already sinking, aflame from bow to stern, tiny figures leaping to the water to save themselves. Another listed heavily, sails tattered, masthead burnt, the rigging a smouldering pile upon its deck. The Eataine fleet had not suffered too greatly from the exchange, but a hawkship had already turned and was limping back towards the Sapphire Gate, a yardarm trailing by ropes over the port side, dragging like a sea anchor. Carathril could see the white of the crewmen’s robes as they swarmed around the debris, cutting and hacking to free themselves from the broken mast’s dead weight.

Having speared through the first line of the enemy, the rest of the flotilla swooped upon the vessels still landed at the sandy beach. Eltreneth circled above, driving back the Naggarothi who sought to board the ships with blasts of flame and glistening silver clouds of magical blades. Undefended, the beached ships were an easy target for the Sea Guard, who poured flaming arrows into them with volley after volley.

In their attack, the Lothern ships had approached within range of the bolt thrower batteries mounted on the cliff top. They added their shafts to the arrows being fired from the camp, iron-headed spears punching through canvas and timber and flesh as they fired down upon the decks of the ships.

Sited even more advantageously, the engines of Lothern now let loose their fury. From the highest towers on the wall, the bolt thrower captains now spied the druchii’s positions and unleashed a devastating storm of shafts onto the cliff tops. Here and there an archer near Carathril loosed a shaft as the war machine crews scurried from cover to cover, the high wall of the city providing ample extra range for their Eatainii longbows.

Carathril did not set an arrow to his bow, knowing that his aim was not so good at such extreme range. Always he had been better with sword and spear. Such skills had been put to the test more than a dozen times since that first night attack, repelling assault after assault on the city walls. Sometimes he had faced the sinister Naggarothi legions, other times cultists fuelled by bestial hatred and frenzy-inducing drugs. On more than one occasion the Naggarothi had gained the wall and threatened to overcome the defenders, but on each occasion the defenders had held firm, rallied by their leaders to drive the enemy back from Lothern.

It was spirit-sapping, the endless tension, the constant waiting for the next attack. The garrison of the city and the few citizens who had remained behind to provide for them were not without supply, from the sea and the east, but such was the ever-present danger of the city becoming surrounded that such food as was brought in was carefully rationed. Water too was always stringently measured, ever since some of the wells in the southern quarter had been found to be poisoned.

That was perhaps the worst part of all; the enemy that hid within. Long had the cytharai worshippers made their lairs and temples unseen in Lothern, and even the discovery of Prince Aeltherin’s cabal two decades earlier had not ended them. Now they acted as assassins and saboteurs, a shadowy threat that could strike at any time. Some had been discovered, but so many elves had fled into the city two years earlier it was impossible to guard against attack and patrol the streets at the same time. Lone soldiers heading back to barracks from duty had been waylaid, families threatened and kidnapped and slain, captains and nobles blackmailed, the cultists ever seeking to weaken the strength and the resolve of the city’s defenders.

That was one concern that Carathril did not have. He had few friends and no family. He fought for his city alone, and was responsible solely for himself. He did not count the number of his fellow elves he had slain, nor the times he had come so close to death. Two years had numbed him to the fighting, deadening the pain in his spirit that threatened with each attack.

The naval raid was almost finished. Half a dozen druchii ships had been destroyed at the cost of three vessels, the rest of the enemy flotilla fleeing northwards along the coast. Companies of Sea Guard had landed, nearly two thousand in all, and were fighting through the druchii camp to bring down the siege engines and set oil and flame upon the rams. Smoke billowed across the waters of the Inner Sea and the crackle of flames spread along the shore.

A great cheer rippled along the wall as another tower was brought crashing down in an explosion of wood and rope and tarred canvas. It was quickly silenced as horns pealed from further west along the wall. All eyes turned in that direction.

The main druchii army was on the move; not for the city but to the relief of its shore camp. At its fore, the Naggarothi knights galloped ahead, thousands of heavily armoured warriors riding in columns across the fields and hills, intent upon the Sea Guard. Warned from the city, the green-and-blue clad warriors of the navy broke off their attack and covered by archers and bolt throwers upon the ships returned to their vessels, quickly streaming up the gangplanks.

The knights had barely reached the outskirts of the ravaged camp by the time the ships were putting off from shore, their sails hauled up, tacking across the wind to head back towards Lothern. It was impossible to tell how much damage had been wrought by the raid, but the pall of smoke was testament to considerable success.

The elves upon the walls raised their spears and bows and sang songs of rejoicing as the flotilla passed back through the Sapphire Gate. Carathril did not feel like celebrating. He looked along the shore of the Inner Sea to where the druchii were amassing. It was only a matter of time before they came again. He stowed his bow and leaned on the rampart, eyes fixed on the host of the Naggarothi slowly moving back westwards.

How long could Lothern hold, alone against such determined hate?

‘When will Caledor come?’ Carathril whispered.

ELEVEN

THE BLACK DRAGONS

The army of the Phoenix King stretched along the valley in a winding line of silver, red and green against the pale rock. Here and there companies bearing the colours of other kingdoms broke the scheme; the pale-green banners of spearmen from Cothique, the purple standards flying above archers from Saphery.

There were not many, barely four thousand including the five hundred knights of Caledor that rode in the vanguard. If the scouts were correct, at least twice that number of druchii was marching east along the pass, directly towards Caledor’s host. For all that, the odds were not all in the enemy’s favour.

Maedrethnir soared easily upon the upward draughts coming from the mountains that flanked the pass. The chill air was soothing against his scales, cooling his blood and the fire within. Steam trailed from the dragon’s mouth and nostrils as he banked over the army, climbing high on a fresh rush of wind, eyes narrowed as he scanned the mountainsides for any sign of a Naggarothi ambush.

He barely felt the weight of the throne and the Phoenix King upon his back and for a time enjoyed the sensation of flying, allowing the currents of the skies to move him left and right, wingtips leaving thin streamers of vapour in their wake as he glided down through the low cloud.

The dragon felt something else beside the wind; the pulse of magic from the elves’ vortex. It was like a thin sheen of oil upon his body, an acrid taste in his mouth, a distant echo in his ears. He remembered a time when he had crossed these mountains without that sickly sensation, when the Everqueen had ruled and the dragons had played in the skies.

Even then Maedrethnir had been old, and his memories stretched back further still, way beyond the fall of the Old Ones and the coming of Chaos that polluted the land. He remembered when this isle had been nothing more than a chain of volcanoes jutting from the ocean. Newly hatched, Maedrethnir had played with the others, hopping from fuming peak to fuming peak on growing wings.

The air had been lighter then, and all the world colder so that the fire inside was but a flicker, not the raging inferno he was now forced to hold back. He rumbled unconsciously with annoyance as he remembered that strange day, many millennia before, when the skies had been split by multicoloured rifts and the silver starboats of the Old Ones had appeared. The dragons had scattered, terrified by these new arrivals. Many fled to the deepest caves and oceans, but some remained to see what the strangers intended.

The sun had grown larger and the skies had warmed, and the Old Ones built their temples and cities in the jungles that had thrived in the new heat. Many of the dragons had voiced concern, calling to their kin to fight and cast out the invaders. The oldest and wisest knew better, and like those before them they slunk away into the dark corners of the world and waited to see what would pass.

Amongst them had been Indraugnir, Maedrethnir’s father. With many of his kin and friends, the ancient dragon lord had sought shelter in the caves of the volcanoes, but even there they had not found peace. Maedrethnir smiled and turned his head to cast a glance at the rider upon his back. What could Caledor know of the disruption his people had caused? He knew nothing of those worrying days and nights when the earth had rumbled and the seas had roared. The Old Ones’ servants, the bloated slann, had lifted the isle from the sea bed, the mountains belching forth smoke and flame. The dragons trembled as the caverns they had made their home fell around them, but Indraugnir cautioned them to stay hidden lest the Old Ones destroy them altogether.

In time the lands settled again and the first elves came. Maedrethnir had spied upon them from the mountain fastness with his father and mother, protective of the new clutch of eggs hatching in the darkness beneath the volcanoes. With the Old Ones had come that first taint of magic, and the isle was soon steeped in its presence, lingering in every cloud and upon every blade of grass.

For all of the intrusion, the elves had seemed peaceful enough and the dragons had returned to their lairs and dreamed long dreams of the day when they would be free to roam the skies as they had done before. Indraugnir entertained his children and his allies with ancient stories of the war with the shaggoths and the dragon ogres, and had warned about the dark touch of the Powers Beyond the Skies that had corrupted the dragon’s twisted cousins.

‘Look there!’ Caledor’s shout and pointing lance broke Maedrethnir’s reverie.

The dragon shook himself from the half-dream, alarmed that the long sleep still beckoned him even though he flew upon the winds. A shiver of expectation ran through Maedrethnir’s body as he spied a swathe of dark-armoured figures in the valley below; the vanguard of the druchii army.

‘Shall we greet them?’ said the dragon.

He needed no reply and tucked his wings tight to dive down towards the valley floor. The wind keened in his ears and rushed across his scales, sweeping away the last somnolent after-effects of his daydream. Heart beating fast, Maedrethnir flexed his claws in anticipation. The elves below were scurrying to and fro in their fright as the dragon and rider descended, their panic stirring Maedrethnir’s old hunting instincts.

He was filled with the urge to stoop and rend, to bite and rake claws through the miniscule prey that scattered before his approach. Caught up in predatory excitement, the dragon plunged down, wings opening to slow his descent as he felt the fire building up in his gut, nagging at him to unleash its fury. A roar burst forth, powered by primal desire, the valley echoing to the blast of noise.

Black spears sped up from the scattered rocks and bushes. Maedrethnir dipped a wing and veered as the missiles streaked past. Another volley followed from a second repeater bolt thrower stationed guarding the flank of the druchii, catching the dragon with two of the long shafts. Metal screeched and wood splintered against the dragon’s hard scales as two of the bolts bounced harmlessly from Maedrethnir’s shoulders. A cloud of arrows from dozens of repeater crossbows engulfed the dragon, pattering from his hide as harmlessly as rain as he crashed through the dark storm of shafts.

More of the larger bolts flew upwards from the druchii war engines. Twisting, Maedrethnir batted two aside with a sweep of his foreleg, the rest missing or bouncing away from the thick scales protecting the dragon’s shoulder.

With metal shrieking and bones snapping, Maedrethnir landed in the midst of the archers, smashing half a dozen druchii to a pulp with the bulk of his body. Flame erupted from the dragon’s throat, scorching everything within reach as Maedrethnir’s neck snaked left and right, the pain from the fire burning at his mouth and gut.

The internal fires exhausted for the moment, he heaved in a great breath, smoke and steam coiling around his face. Caledor shouted something from the dragon’s back but he heard not a word of it, consumed by the need to kill. Claws swept out, slicing through armour and flesh like swords, eviscerating, decapitating and dismembering. Turning, Maedrethnir lunged and snapped his jaws around the body of a fleeing elf. Metal links buckled between sword-like teeth. Sheared in twain, the elf’s corpse dropped to the ground while rivulets of blood ran down the dragon’s throat.

The blood incensed him more, stirring a hunger that had not been sated for several years. Arching back his neck, Maedrethnir bellowed again, venting flames from his nostril in the hunt-frenzy. He was dimly aware of flashing silver around him; Caledor’s lance thrusting and slashing through the few archers that escaped the dragon’s wrath.

He felt sharpness in his flank, the sudden pain cutting through the red mist of desire that had swamped the dragon’s thoughts.

‘The bolt throwers!’ called Caledor. He lifted his lance to the north, its shaft slick with bright blood. ‘Destroy the bolt throwers!’

Smelling terror and death, the scent intoxicating and addictive, Maedrethnir fought back another surge of feral anger. He looked at his right side, where the pain came from, and saw a barbed bolt jutting between his ribs, just below the wing. Snarling, he pulled the shaft free with his jaws, the spear-sized missile disintegrating into wooden shards.

With a last slash of his tail that crushed the bodies of more druchii, Maedrethnir launched himself from the ground, panting as he unfurled his wings and pulled himself higher with every long stroke. The archers quickly disappeared from view as the dragon powered towards the mountainside where three war engines had been positioned amongst the craggy rocks. Another hail of large darts slapped against his hide, shedding scales but doing little serious harm. One of the crews laboured quickly to replace the bolt magazine atop their engine, and towards this pair the dragon angled his flight.

The druchii warriors let the heavy box tumble from their grasp as they turned to flee, Maedrethnir smashing into the bolt thrower moments later in a shower of jagged splinters, snapping rope and twisted metal. The bushes and rocks provided no protection against the sheet of flame that erupted from the dragon’s maw, razing leaf and branch, cracking stone and charring the elven warriors within their molten armour. Another cry from Caledor drew the dragon’s attention to the left, but too late. A second bolt thrower loosed its salvo of half a dozen shafts, the six spears thudding into Maedrethnir’s hindquarters and tail. Most broke upon his scales but two punched home, their barbed points digging into flesh. Lips rippling with anger, the dragon turned and pounced, jaws snapping off the head from one crew member, foreclaw gouging a furrow through mail and muscle, from groin to neck of the other.

Pausing for a moment, Maedrethnir’s nostrils widened, drawing in the scents of battle: dread and blood, leather and crushed grass. There was something else, something familiar yet unknown, the slightest touch on the wind. Though he could not identify the smell, it stirred something within the dragon, stabbing into the most primitive parts of his brain as the bolts had pierced his hide.

A flicker of movement caught the dragon’s attention; a shadow passing quickly across the rocks of the mountainside. Maedrethnir’s head snapped up out of instinct and he spied a winged shape against the clouds. Caledor had seen it also.

‘What is it?’ asked the Phoenix King.

It was too large to be a manticore or griffon, black against the pale sky. Maedrethnir caught the scent again, shocked by realisation.

‘Drake,’ snarled Maedrethnir. ‘Corrupted and vile.’

Ignoring Caledor’s call to wait, Maedrethnir hurled himself into the skies to confront this new threat. The other dragon sensed his approach and turned on a dipped wing, revealing scales as black as pitch and eyes that burned like flame. A fume of green vapours bubbled from between the creature’s teeth, embroiling itself and its gold-clad rider in a sickly mist.

‘A dragon?’ Caledor was awash with confusion and fear. ‘How can it be?’

‘It has been touched by the Powers Beyond the Skies,’ growled Maedrethnir. ‘Can you not sense it?’

The black dragon was surrounded by an aura of darkness, and as the two monsters closed on each other Maedrethnir saw that its head was encased in an iron harness studded with black gems, reins of golden chain in the fist of the rider. Its dark flesh bore many scars from old wounds, testament to a cruel upbringing.

It was an abomination. Maedrethnir had known that not all the eggs that had been laid over the centuries had been accounted for. The dragons had believed them to have been stolen by the other predators that dared to share their caves; bulbous-eyed, pale things that scavenged on the remains of the dragons’ kills. Now it seemed the mystery was solved; the eggs had been taken by the Naggarothi to hatch and raise and twist to their cause.

‘It must be destroyed,’ snarled Maedrethnir, beating his wings faster and faster, blood racing through his body.

He felt the butt of Caledor’s lance set against his flank as the Phoenix King readied for the first exchange. The other dragon raced down, its rider wielding a barbed trident. Not for an age had Maedrethnir fought another dragon, for mate or territory, but his old instincts were still with him. The other had the advantage of height, but was coming in too steeply in his inexperience.

A flick of the tail and a shifting of his left wing caused Maedrethnir to almost stop in mid-flight. The black dragon plummeted past, claws flailing wildly at Maedrethnir’s neck and face, the rider’s trident passing harmlessly overhead. Caledor’s lance caught the black dragon along the back, its enchanted tip raking a bloody furrow through ebon scales.

Maedrethnir turned and dropped after his descending foe, wings tilting and turning as the black dragon heaved left and right to avoid the pursuit. Smaller than Maedrethnir, the black dragon was swifter in the turn and as Maedrethnir’s jaws snapped at his tail, the drake reversed its course and with a rapid beat of wings shot upwards again, heading towards the clouds once more.

More laboriously, Maedrethnir swept out of his dive and into a climb. Each sweep of his more powerful wings brought him closer to his prey, who vanished into the thickening cloud. Growling with irritation, Maedrethnir soared into the white haze, eyes wide for any sign of the other dragon.

‘Keep watch behind,’ he told Caledor.

Glancing back, Maedrethnir saw the Phoenix King peering left and right through the cloud set swirling by each stroke of the dragon’s wings. A screech sounded from the right, muffled by the cloud, and a moment later the black dragon was darting from the gloom, claws outstretched.

Maedrethnir turned towards the attack, but not so swiftly that he could avoid the swooping drake. Diamond-hard claws sank into the flesh of his shoulder as Caledor swung his shield across and deflected the jabbing trident of the rider, the weapon’s three tines crackling with magical power.

The black dragon latched on, claws digging deep and deeper; a mistake.

Maedrethnir arched his neck and sank his jaws into the other beast’s right wing, teeth sawing through skin and tendon, cracking bone. With a scream that let forth a billowing pall of noxious vapour, the black dragon released its grip and pushed away, damaged wing spurting blood.

The gaseous breath of the drake filled Maedrethnir’s nostrils, acrid and burning, searing the dragon’s throat and scratching at his eyes. Choking on the fume and momentarily blinded, the old dragon circled cautiously. Caledor was having similar difficulty, coughing and retching, doubled over in the throne-saddle.

The drake appeared briefly to the left, diving down through the cloud before being swallowed by the pale mass. Maedrethnir dropped as well, falling steeply through the sky until he burst from the bottom of the cloud layer into open air. Rolling to his left, he arched his neck and glared at the haze, looking for the shadow of the black dragon.

‘There!’ shouted Caledor, pointing up and to the right. A flicker of darkness passed to and fro as the Naggarothi and his mount searched the clouds for their foe, unaware that they were far below. ‘After them.’

Maedrethnir snorted at the implication that he needed to be told and powered upwards with rapid sweeps of his wings. His wounds were starting to ache, but he pushed aside the pain and flew on, arcing upwards to come at the black dragon from directly below.

Like an erupting volcano, Maedrethnir exploded into the cloud, fire roaring from his gullet to engulf the drake and its rider. Rolling quickly, the black dragon avoided the worst of the blast, but the manoeuvre brought it onto Caledor’s lance tip. The ithilmar shaft plunged into the creature’s underbelly with a flicker of magical flame. The black dragon gave a howl and lurched sideways, favouring its damaged wing.

Maedrethnir flew above the enemy and then quickly plunged down, rear claws seizing upon the creature’s scarred tail. The rider tried to swing his trident around for a thrust but the back of the saddle-throne prevented him. Helpless, the black dragon toppled towards the ground, Maedrethnir upon his back, claws rending great wounds, leaving bloodied welts all over the black dragon’s hindquarters and back.

Far below, the two armies clashed. A dark spear of Naggarothi knights plunged through the white mass of Caledor’s spearmen while the silver-helmed knights of the Phoenix King outflanked the Naggarothi, curving around the enemy host in long columns. The druchii had brought Khainite cultists with them, a splash of red and naked flesh that hurled itself again and again towards the elves loyal to Caledor, driven back each time by clouds of arrows and war machine bolts.

The chaotic melee became distinct lines and companies as the two dragons plunged ever closer. Bodies littered the rocky ground of the pass, clad both in black and white, the heaped dead testament to the bitter fury of the two armies.

The black dragon snarled and beat its wings ferociously, trying to slow its descent, filthy gas pouring from its wide open mouth. Maedrethnir held firm despite the writhing and struggling of the other monster, claws scraping against the black dragon’s spine.

Individual figures could be picked out in the battle; a captain with a red-crested helm waving his sword towards the druchii crossbows; a Naggarothi officer slitting the throat of a fallen spearman; wild cultists hacking at the bodies of the fallen from both sides, ripping free organs; a wall of lances crashing into the flank of the Naggarothi knights as the Silver Helms charged.

No more than a bow’s shot from the ground, Maedrethnir released his grip and opened his wings, muscles straining to stop, tendons taut almost to parting. The black dragon twisted, blood splashing onto the rocks, wings beating furiously, but to no avail.

With a thunderous impact, the drake and rider smashed into the rocks, splintering stone and bone in equal measure. The harness holding the saddle snapped with a loud crack and the throne was cast from the dragon’s back, splintering against the sharp boulders.

Maedrethnir dived again, leaving nothing to chance. As the black dragon struggled to right itself on twisted legs, wings broken and flopping uselessly, Maedrethnir slammed into the drake. His jaws seized the other dragon’s neck just behind the head, spines and fangs snapping from the titanic pressure. His claws raked at the black dragon’s underbelly, slashing through scale and muscle, exposing ribs and organs.

With a flap of his wings and a heave of his body, Maedrethnir leapt over the black dragon, twisting the foe’s neck in his jaw with a loud cracking of bone. Shaking left and right, Maedrethnir slammed the black dragon’s head repeatedly into the rocks, dashing open its skull. Releasing his hold, the red dragon turned and plunged his fangs into the drake’s exposed innards, crunching through bone, tearing at its gizzards.

Maedrethnir feasted, gorging himself on the meat of his slain rival. It had been millennia since he had last tasted dragon flesh and he wolfed down huge gulps, cracking open the bones to lap at the marrow. The dragon’s blood sang through his body, drowning out the pain of his wounds, blotting out the calls of Caledor upon his back.

Something hard cracked across the top of Maedrethnir’s skull, stunning him for a moment. Dazed, he stumbled back from the corpse of the black dragon, seeking the source of the attack.

‘The rider is getting away,’ said Caledor, hitting the dragon again with the haft of his lance.

Maedrethnir growled at the impudence of the elf, to berate him so. The dragon took a step back towards the corpse of his dead foe but was stopped by more sharp words from the Phoenix King. Maedrethnir wanted to shrug off the rider, to rip free of the harness that bound them together.

Caledor snarled words that bit into Maedrethnir’s mind; words of power discovered by the Dragontamer. Cowed, the dragon slumped to his belly and shook his head, trying to dismiss the numbing sensation seeping through his brain. Through the fog of insensibility, he heard Caledor’s calm voice.

‘Your enemy flees,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘Chase him down.’

Maedrethnir looked around and spied the Naggarothi scrambling over the rocks some distance away, one leg dragging with a limp. With a snarl the dragon bounded quickly over the boulders, wings half-furled. He loomed over the druchii, who turned and pulled a sword from his belt. The blade glittered with a frozen light that hurt Maedrethnir’s eyes and he shied back, almost blinded.

Caledor was not to be denied, his lance taking the Naggarothi high in the chest, punching through breastplate and heart. The druchii slashed wildly with his sword, ringing its blade from the ithilmar lance, leaving a stream of frosty particles in the air. Caledor moved his arm, pushing his weakened opponent to his back, pinning him to the ground.

‘Finish him,’ said the Phoenix King.

Maedrethnir raised a foreleg and stamped down, crushing helm and head beneath his weight. Blinking away the after-image of the ice-tinged blade, Maedrethnir regained some clarity. The hunting rage subsided, the fire inside cooling in his belly. The dragon shuddered, feeling the sudden pain of his injuries.

He remembered the black dragon, realising with disgust the twisted nature of the beast.

‘I must return to my kin,’ said Maedrethnir.

‘When the battle is won,’ said Caledor.

‘No!’ the dragon replied fiercely. ‘They must be told about the black dragons. I must pass the word, raise my kind from their slumber.’

‘When the battle is won,’ repeated Caledor.

Quick as a serpent, Maedrethnir whipped his head around, fangs slicing easily through the bindings of the saddle-throne. Shrugging his shoulders, he let the construction slip gently from his back, depositing the saddle and Phoenix King unkindly upon the rocks.

‘Win your battle, little elf,’ said Maedrethnir. ‘I shall win your war.’

Before Caledor could recover and speak the taming words, Maedrethnir launched into the air, skimming up the mountainside with swift beats, heading south.

The smog and the night were no barrier to Maedrethnir’s keen sight. The dragon steered between the volcanic peaks as easily as if it were noon and not the darkest night. By the glow of lava and patches of starlight, the dragon soared over the peaks of Caledor, mind and body alive with disgust verging on hatred.

He descended swiftly to the valley of the caves, folding his wings as he plunged into the largest opening. Feet scraping on rock furrowed by millennia of dragon claws, he advanced into the darkness, laboured breaths echoing along the wide tunnel. His right flank was sore and his muscles ached from the two days of constant flight, but the news he bore was too urgent to allow him rest.

He headed directly for the deepest chamber, ignoring the many other passages that twisted away from the main tunnel. The air cooled as he moved further and further beneath the earth, his hot breath coming in great clouds of vapour that condensed upon rock walls worn smooth by the scales of dragons passing in and out.

The chamber was vast, a massive hole in the world ringed with stalactites and stalagmites larger than the towers of the elves, jutting like the fangs of the beasts that slumbered within. Patches of luminous moss and clouds of fireflies gave the appearance of a globe of starry night, the dim green and orange and yellow reflected from crystal veins in the walls and the edges of angular geodes.

The immense cavern dropped down sharply from the tunnel mouth and the dragon opened his wings and leapt into the air, gliding effortlessly between the upthrusts of rock. As he neared the centre of the chamber, the dragons could be seen. A few, those that had begun the long sleep in the last few centuries, still moved subtly, chests expanding slowly or contracting with enormous exhalations and inhalations, the ground around them glistening with ice from frozen vapour.

The others were immobile, only distinguished from their surroundings by the subtle hue of their scales. Many were part of the rock, stalagmites covering their unmoving bodies, melding the dragons with the floor. Spines had become roots for immense pillars that stretched towards the ceiling, limbs were like rivulets of hardened lava, covered with dully glowing patches of lichen.

Maedrethnir settled close to the chamber’s heart, surrounded by the eerie gloom. Save for the flutter of large insects that nested with the dragons, nothing moved. The dragon’s claws scraped on the rock, sending up showers of stone shards as he turned about, tail lifting to avoid the jagged points of the smallest stalagmites.

The dragon raised himself up, gripping a pillar of rock with a foreclaw and arching his neck. He let out a bellow, the noise filling the chamber, echoing back and forth, rebounding from every angle. Long and hard Maedrethnir roared, until pieces of stalactite broke from the ceiling of the cavern, their crashes adding to the reverberating din.

Closing his mouth, wisps of fire dancing from his nostrils, the dragon waited as the after-echoes of the noise slowly died away.

Something stirred in the darkness, a scrape of scale and scratch of claw. Rock splinters and ice crystals tinkled to the ground as a dragon to his left shifted its bulk, shaking off the layer of centuries. A yellow eye half-opened in the gloom.

There was more movement and noise from all around, as slumbering dragons shook free the drag of the long sleep, coughing dust and flame. A mighty column of rock trembled and then shattered, spilling to the hard floor as a green dragon almost as large as Maedrethnir arched its back, slowly pushing itself up on four trunk-like legs.

‘Awake, my kin!’ bellowed Maedrethnir. ‘Dread times are upon us!’

Carathril stood upon the northern tower of the gatehouse, overlooking the road into Lothern. Around him all was a wasteland. Over five years of siege, the druchii had felled every tree and lain waste to every field, razed every village and farm. Blackened ruins jutted from the bare earth. The stench of death lingered in the air. In the ruins of an outbuilding not far away Carathril could see bodies draped over the rubble, splashes of red on their pale robes, limbs twisted unnaturally. He had seen many such sights these past years, yet each innocent slain raised his anger again and reminded him why the druchii had to be stopped.

Into the square behind him marched a column of elves. They walked wearily, toiling over the uneven white slabs, worn down in their spirits by the battles they had fought. With bleak eyes they gazed at the desolation, some of them weeping, others unmoved and utterly despondent, all the more frightening for that, their gazes dead to the suffering that had been inflicted.

‘We are too few,’ said Eamarilliel, another captain of the guard. ‘We cannot hope to defeat the Naggarothi.’

‘They muster again,’ Carathril replied dully.

Around the city, columns of black-armoured warriors marched into position. For weeks more ships had come, disgorging reinforcements for the besieging army. Time and again the vessels of Lothern had sailed forth to impede their landings, but they had succeeded only in delaying the next assault, not halting it.

Carathril could see monstrous beasts being goaded forwards by teams of handlers; multi-headed hydras wreathed in the fume of their fiery breath. Drums sounded the call to war, reverberating from the city walls.

‘We must hold,’ said the former herald, but his voice lacked conviction.

‘We are too few,’ Eamarilliel said again.

‘We were too few last time,’ said Carathril. ‘Yet the city is still ours.’

Sullen and exhausted, the defenders of Lothern mounted the steps to the wall and took their places at the rampart with bow and spear. From his vantage point, Carathril could see companies of druchii embarking upon vessels at the shore, to sail around the city and attack from the east as well as the west.

‘I think this will be the last battle for Lothern,’ said Eamarilliel. ‘They gather every force they have to throw at us.’

The attack was heralded by a flurry of burning bolts from the Naggarothi war machines. They targeted the great gate, the flaming shafts thudding into the thick wood with the sound of monstrous hail. Sparks flared from the tower and walls as more bolts crashed against the city’s defences, spraying the defenders with ripping pieces of metal and wood and stone.

Carathril did not flinch as a bolt careened from an embrasure and speared through three elves just to his right, impaling them against each other. There were shouts for the wounded to be taken away as the druchii drums rolled and the advance began.

Carathril looked down at the vast army, spreading from shore to gate, a slowly encroaching swathe of black and purple. He was forced to agree with Eamarilliel’s assessment. The enemy came in three great waves under the storm unleashed by their war engines, leaving no reserves; should the defenders somehow repel the attack there was nothing to stop them sallying forth in pursuit of their defeated foes.

The former herald wondered what had brought about this change of strategy. Was it confidence that the druchii would be victorious? Had some other development forced the enemy to such decisive action? Carathril entertained the thought for a moment, heartened by the idea that the druchii had suffered reverses elsewhere and were stung by desperation.

A forest of ladders rose up from the druchii host, while high towers ground forwards amongst the spear companies, bolt throwers raining missiles from the siege engines while iron-headed rams fashioned in the likeness of many terrifying creatures swung on chains between their spiked wheels. Carathril waited with spear in hand; there were not enough arrows in the city for every warrior and so inexpert marksmen like himself no longer had bows to use. All he could do was wait for the foe to reach the wall.

A tower covered in wetted leathers and furs to protect against fire arrows came straight for the gatehouse, flanked by two immense war hydras to protect against counter-assault. It ground the dead of both sides under its metal-rimmed wheels, barely swaying as horses and other creatures strained at traces to bring it ever closer, whipped on by druchii beastmasters. A ramp like the jaw of some immense monster with metal fangs loomed over the wall, ready to be lowered to disgorge howling Khainites within the tower.

Amongst the cacophony of battle, Carathril was distracted by another noise; shouting from the city behind. He looked over his shoulder and saw with horror smoke rising from the buildings around the Strait of Lothern. Warehouses burned and he could see figures running in the streets carrying flaming brands; the cultists had emerged in force in response to the attack of their Naggarothi masters, perhaps brought forth by secret communication of the besiegers’ intent.

Others on the wall had noticed the treachery unfolding within the city behind them and they were torn between guarding their positions and returning to the city to confront this new threat. Squadrons of knights raced through the streets, scattering the saboteurs, but as quickly as they were dispersed the cultists gathered again, ambushing their would-be pursuers with stones, blades and fire.

Carathril did not know what to do. The siege tower was less than a bowshot away, rumbling forwards steadily. Cultists were entering the square behind the gate, no doubt intent on opening the doors to allow the druchii within. Spearmen streamed down from the towers to protect the mighty portal, which had withstood everything the druchii had thrown against it for the last five years but had no defence against traitors within.

‘Archers, hold the wall!’ Carathril called out. ‘Spearmen with me!’

As he turned towards the steps leading down towards the plaza, Carathril came face-to-face with Aerenis; his friend led a company of his own, promoted to captain during the long siege.

‘We must see the gate secured and then return to the wall,’ Carathril told the other captain. ‘Follow me.’

Aerenis shook his head and stayed where he was. A feeling of dread crept up Carathril’s spine as he noticed the strange expressions on the faces of the soldiers in Aerenis’s company.

‘I cannot allow that, friend,’ said Aerenis.

‘What madness is this?’ demanded Carathril, pushing aside a spearman to confront Aerenis.

‘I am sorry, Carathril,’ said the other elf, with a look of genuine hurt. ‘You should have listened to me.’

Already unnerved, Carathril reacted out of pure instinct as Aerenis’s sword slashed towards his throat. He caught the blade on the haft of his spear, the weapon almost knocked from his grasp. Stunned, the former herald barely had time to bring up his shield to ward away the following blow.

‘Have you gone mad?’ Carathril said, batting away another swipe. ‘The enemy will be upon us in moments!’

‘The enemy is already here,’ said Aerenis. ‘Do you not see?’

Horrified, Carathril saw that the rest of Aerenis’s company had set upon the spearmen on the wall. Fighting broke out between the two towers of the gatehouse, company against company, while the siege tower lumbered ever closer.

‘Why?’ said Carathril, jabbing the point of his spear at the traitorous captain.

‘You would keep me from beautiful Glaronielle,’ said Aerenis, sweeping his blade towards Carathril’s legs, forcing him back into the press of the warriors fighting behind him. ‘Ereth Khial has granted me the love I always desired.’

‘The Queen of the Underworld?’ Carathril was shocked. He had never suspected such a thing of his friend, even in his most melancholy of moods. ‘That is why you betray your city?’

‘With the priests of Nagarythe to aid us, we will bring back the departed and I shall be with Glaronielle as I could not in life.’

Carathril laughed harshly and drove his spear at Aerenis’s chest, the attack warded away by the edge of the other elf’s shield.

‘You will be sent to Mirai to meet Glaronielle, that is sure enough,’ said Carathril. ‘The priests of Nagarythe will offer you up to Ereth Khial for their own bargains with the Dark Queen.’

The suggestion incensed Aerenis; his expression of morose resignation twisted into a feral snarl, eyes wild. Carathril raised his shield and weathered a frenzy of blows, each numbing his arm with their ferocity.

‘I will see Glaronielle again!’ raged Aerenis as he rained down blow after blow. ‘We will be together and we will wed and have children!’

‘You will certainly be together,’ snarled Carathril, despising what he saw had become of his friend.

He turned aside the next sword blow with a twist of his shield, spinning Aerenis to one side. In one fluid movement, Carathril lunged, his spear piercing his friend’s side below the arm. Aerenis gave a cry of pain and spun to the ground, sword falling from his grasp. Carathril did not hesitate. He dragged free his spear and plunged it into the neck of Aerenis, driving with all his strength, fuelled by anger at the treachery of his friend. The spearpoint crashed off the stone of the rampart, almost severing Aerenis’s head from his body.

Wrenching free his weapon, Carathril glanced over his shoulder and saw the looming shadow of the siege tower. The traitorous spearmen had been vastly outnumbered and were all but slain, but their turning had spread anarchy across the gatehouse. The siege engine was less than twenty paces away. Carathril could see the chains holding the ramp quivering, ready to be let free.

‘On me!’ he cried, standing directly opposite where the assault would come, lifting his spear above his head to rally his warriors ‘Fight to the last!’

Carathril glared at the cruel face painted onto the timbers of the tower, staring it down as if it were some real beast to be cowed. He set his shield and spear, legs braced, and waited for the ramp to crash down.

He heard a thunderous crack and a blast of wind threw him to the stones. Suspecting sorcery, Carathril glanced around for a sign of Eltreneth, though he had felt no surge of magic.

A moment later the siege tower exploded into thousands of splinters, bloodied bodies cascading from its ruin as it toppled to the ground. A green-scaled dragon burst from the cloud of debris, corpses and tangles of wreckage hanging from its mouth and claws as it swept up over the gatehouse shedding debris.

Carathril stared wide-eyed as the monstrous creature turned sharply and dived down upon the remains of the siege tower spewing fire, incinerating all that had survived its devastating charge.

‘There must be a dozen of them,’ muttered a spearman lying beside Carathril.

Laughing from shock, Carathril staggered to his feet to see more dragons sweeping back and forth across the druchii ranks. War hydras snarled and spat flame as beasts with scales of red and green and blue and silver and gold rampaged through the Naggarothi army, smashing war engines, ripping swathes through the archers and spearmen, grappling with the enslaved monsters of the druchii.

The former herald recognised the standard flying from the throne-saddle of the largest, a massive red beast; the pennant of King Caledor. The Phoenix King’s lance cut through armoured knights by the dozen as his dragon slashed and snapped a bloody trail through the mounted Naggarothi.

Carathril dropped his spear and shield and grabbed the spearman’s breastplate, dragging him to his feet. He swept his arms around the other elf’s shoulders and brought him into a tight embrace as tears rolled down his cheeks.

‘Caledor is here,’ Carathril wept. ‘Caledor has come...’

There was no greater thrill than leading a flight of dragons into battle. Dorien laughed from the joy of the experience as his mount swept low over the army of the Phoenix King, Thyrinor, Earethien and Findeir following behind. His dragon, Nemaerinir, rumbled in echo of his laughter, sharing the prince’s excitement.

The army marched north, having wintered in Caledor. A brief foray into Eataine had revealed the dire situation at Lothern, but the Phoenix King had also been brought word of a fresh druchii offensive against Ellyrion. The dragon riders had flown to the besieged city as swiftly as possible, smashing the Naggarothi forces in a single afternoon while the infantry and cavalry moved towards Tor Elyr.

Prisoners captured at Lothern had revealed a much greater threat than Dorien could have imagined. All of Nagarythe seemed to be on the march, striking simultaneously for Lothern, Ellyrion and Chrace. The other kingdoms could barely muster the troops to quell the murderous cultists within their borders and Caledor had been forced to split the dragon princes. The Phoenix King himself had flown to the Isle of the Flame to call a new council of the princes of the eastern kingdoms, leaving Dorien in charge of the army.

Dorien had felt the urgency of his brother’s words as the Phoenix King had despatched him to the north; the victory at Lothern would be for nothing if Ellyrion was allowed to fall. Dorien had argued hard for all of the dragon princes to fly forth to Ellyrion, but Caledor had refused, claiming that they would be sent to fight across Ulthuan to show that they did not fight for one kingdom alone. It seemed a nonsensical gesture to Dorien but he had not pressed his disagreement, fearing that too much resistance would see him replaced as general by Thyrinor or one of the other princes.

Below the dragons the army followed a straight road that led to the Eagle Pass, where the next druchii attack was expected. The warning had come from Finudel and Athielle, along with a promise to march with the army of Ellyrion. The letter had ended with an impassioned plea for aid that had added to Dorien’s sense of haste.

Ellyrion was a land of low hills and rolling pastures, curving between the Inner Sea to the east and the Annulii to the west. The fields the army marched past were deserted, the famous herds of Ellyrion having been gathered at the capital for the kingdom’s army. The scars of past battles could be seen from the air; burned settlements and scoured fields where the druchii had been held at bay by the Ellyrians and Caledor’s army.

The elves marched throughout the days and for most of each night, resting only for a short while before every dawn. Dorien fretted at the delays, knowing that his dragon riders could have arrived at Eagle Pass several days earlier if they had not been forced to keep pace with the infantry and knights. Every morning he dreaded to receive a messenger from the Ellyrians bringing word that the reinforcements had arrived too late; every morning Dorien dreaded to look to the north-east, towards Tor Elyr, half-expecting to see columns of smoke from a razed city.

Yet no smoke had been seen and no messenger had arrived, and the army was less than a day’s march from the eastern end of Eagle Pass. Dorien had commanded that the dragons fly ahead to locate the druchii army if possible and ascertain the whereabouts of the Ellyrians. If the two forces combined, they would be more than a match for any army of Naggarothi – in Dorien’s opinion at least, though Thyrinor continued to voice Caledor’s warnings against overconfidence.

It was nearing midday when Dorien first noticed darkness on the northern horizon; a glowering storm cloud that stretched far from west to east, lightning dancing against the black thunderhead.

‘That is no ordinary storm,’ said Nemaerinir. ‘It stinks of sorcery.’

‘That it does,’ replied Dorien, feeling dark magic blowing down on the winds from the Annulii. ‘A conjuration of the druchii, no doubt.’

The prince signalled for the other dragon princes to fly closer. He darted a look back and saw his army below, marching as swiftly as possible along the road. Thyrinor drew up alongside him atop Anaegnir.

‘It seems that we arrive too late,’ said Thyrinor.

‘Perhaps not,’ Dorien called back. ‘We must fly with all haste to see what happens.’

Rising higher, the dragons flew abreast of each other, heading directly for the storm. As morning became afternoon, they approached the dark cloud. The gloom had thinned somewhat and two armies could be seen spread out on the meadows below. The dark army of the Naggarothi was like a spear thrust between two parts of the bright Ellyrian host.

Heavily armoured knights closed in for a charge against the Ellyrian infantry, who had their backs to a winding river on the other side of which spread a thick forest. The Ellyrian reaver knights were further east, an ebbing and flowing line of white horses and silver-clad riders that charged the druchii and retreated again and again, like surf crashing against rocks; like a receding tide, with each withdrawal they were forced further east.

‘What’s that?’ cried Thyrinor, pointing almost directly below.

Dorien could not quite believe what he saw. It seemed as if another army was advancing into the southern flank of the druchii; another army also clad in black and silver and bearing banners of Naggarothi design.

‘The traitors fight amongst themselves!’ he laughed. ‘Perhaps we should leave them to it?’

Thyrinor’s reply was drowned out by a bass growl from Nemaerinir that shook the whole of the dragon’s body, reverberating up Dorien’s spine.

‘A black dragon,’ Nemaerinir snarled, and banked to the east.

Sure enough, an ebon-scaled drake menaced the Ellyrian cavalry, sweeping low through their ranks.

‘Thyrinor, with me,’ called Dorien. ‘The black dragon is ours! Earethien, Findeir, destroy the Naggarothi knights!’

The other riders lifted their lances in acknowledgement and the dragons divided into two pairs, heading north and east.

The enemy seemed oblivious to the arrival of the dragons, undetected against the storm clouds. The black dragon and its rider were slaughtering the Ellyrians, each scything dive ripping a swathe of dead and wounded through the ranks of the cavalry. As Nemaerinir dived down, Dorien could see the target of the enemy general’s cruel attentions; a shining figure of white and silver that rallied the elves against the dragon’s attack. As he approached, the prince saw long locks of flowing golden hair and knew immediately that he looked upon Athielle, ruling princess of Ellyrion.

The black dragon crashed into her bodyguard, biting and slashing its way towards the defiant princess. The reaver knights threw themselves into the dragon’s path to protect their beloved ruler, only to be ripped apart and crushed.

‘He’s mine!’ roared Dorien, lowering his lance as Nemaerinir tipped towards the black dragon.

‘Dorien, wait!’ Thyrinor cried in return, his own mount following behind.

The black dragon’s jaws snapped shut around the head of a horse, decapitating it in one bite. A lash of its barbed tail speared three more riders, buckling breastplates, smashing ribs and pulverising vital organs.

The way was almost clear to Athielle; barely a dozen more reavers stood in the path of the druchii commander. Dorien aimed his lance at the dragon, judging it to be a greater threat than the Naggarothi general.

Suddenly the black dragon stopped mid-attack. The monstrous creature arched his neck, nostrils flaring, and then turned towards Dorien as he raced closer. The black dragon hurled himself into the air, wings creating a downdraught that sent riders tumbling, toppling horses to their flanks. Clouds of oily vapour formed a fog around rider and beast as the dragon strove to gain more height.

At Dorien’s command, Nemaerinir rolled right and then turned sharply left, the prince adjusting to aim his long lance over his mount’s neck. The black dragon twisted away and the lance bit through the membrane of his right wing, ripping a large and ragged hole in the scaled skin. In a flash Nemaerinir was behind the foe, crashing his tail against the black dragon’s flanks as it passed.

Thyrinor steered his mount higher and Anaegnir folded her wings into a stoop, coming at the enemy from above. The druchii rider twisted in his saddle and set the butt of his magical lance against his mount to absorb the impact, directing the point towards the approaching dragon prince. The black dragon lurched unexpectedly to the right, wounded wing faltering spasmodically, pulling the druchii’s lance tip away from Thyrinor.

Dorien gave a shout of annoyance as Thyrinor’s lance point hit home. Its tip sheared through the Naggarothi’s breastplate in an explosion of magical fire, lifting him from his saddle-throne with a tearing of straps and snapping of wood. The dragon’s reins of chain fell from the dead druchii’s grip as Thyrinor twisted his lance with a flick of his wrist, sending the body spiralling to the ground far below.

Nemaerinir circled around and raked his claws across the other dragon’s snout, shredding skin in a spray of thick scales. The black dragon gave a roar and spewed forth an immense cloud of poisonous gas. Pumping his wings, blood streaming from the injury, the black dragon turned and raced away, heading for the Inner Sea while Dorien and his steed gagged on the noxious fumes left in its wake.

As the filthy cloud dispersed, Dorien turned Nemaerinir after the escaping drake, but Thyrinor flew in front of him, raising his shield to attract his cousin’s attention.

‘The battle is far from won,’ Thyrinor called out. ‘We have more urgent matters to attend than pursuing a wounded foe.’

Dorien glanced down and saw the truth of this. Aided by the dragon princes, the Ellyrians were pushing forwards from the river, but the cavalry of Athielle and Finudel were sorely pressed by massed companies of spearmen.

‘You are right, cousin,’ said Dorien, and he felt Nemaerinir growl with disappointment. ‘Let us earn even more gratitude from the Ellyrians by saving their rulers!’

The two dragons descended quickly, but the Naggarothi had time to prepare. Bolts and arrows flew up to meet them as they dived down on the enemy infantry. Dorien gave a yell as a black-shafted missile ricocheted from Nemaerinir’s scales and crashed against his right thigh. The enchantments cast within his armour by the priests of Vaul protected him from losing his leg, but pain surged from knee to hip.

‘Are you wounded?’ asked Nemaerinir, slowing in his descent.

‘It is nothing,’ Dorien snapped in reply. ‘Let us slay these wretched Naggarothi and be done!’

It took only a few passes from the dragons to rout the Naggarothi. The black-clad knights and soldiers streamed back towards Eagle Pass in their thousands, harried by the dragons. Dorien noticed that the Ellyrians did not join the pursuit and remembered the second Naggarothi army to the south. With Thyrinor close behind, he flew towards the large standard of Ellyrion, spying Finudel by its side.

He winced as pain shot up his leg when Nemaerinir landed not far from the prince of Ellyrion, the jolt sending spasms up his back. Biting back a snarl, Dorien called out to Finudel.

‘The enemy are on the run, why do you not chase them? I shall deal with the remaining enemy.’

‘We must tend to our wounded,’ the Ellyrian shouted back. ‘And the Naggarothi to the south are no enemies, they are our allies.’

‘How strange,’ muttered Dorien. He raised his voice. ‘I am Dorien, brother of Caledor. You are welcome at my camp this evening.’

‘An invitation I will gladly accept,’ Finudel replied. ‘Is not the Phoenix King with you?’

‘He has others matters that demand his attention.’

‘I understand. You have the gratitude of all Ellyrion, Dorien. Be sure that we shall shower you with wine and gifts for what you have done for us today. We would be destroyed without you.’

‘Yes, you would,’ replied Dorien. He realised he was being undiplomatic and added, ‘but your bravery and skill are without question.’

‘I shall come to your camp at dusk,’ said Finudel, choosing to ignore any slight he might have taken. ‘My thanks again.’

Dorien nodded and with a word from the prince Nemaerinir flew off. Dorien looked eagerly west, but the Naggarothi were already at Eagle Pass. It would be too much of a risk to follow them into the mountains without support, and the rest of the army would never catch them.

‘Come back for some more fun, Naggarothi scum!’ he shouted at the retreating army. ‘My friends and I will be waiting for you!’

Thyrinor was a little drunk, but he did not care. He had slain a druchii commander that day and had been repeatedly toasted by their Ellyrian guests. For what seemed to be the twentieth time, he described the duel with the black dragon’s rider to an eager audience, ensuring he gave Dorien equal credit for the Naggarothi’s death. From outside the great pavilion of the princes came laughter and Caledorian victory songs.

When the tale was done, he begged leave of his companions and sought another ewer of wine. He found himself at a table laden with food and realised how hungry he was.

‘You must be very proud,’ said a voice behind him.

He turned to find Carathril of Lothern. Despite his protestations, Caledor had reinstated him as herald of the Phoenix King, in reward for his part in Caledor’s ascension and heroic acts recounted to Caledor by the prince of Eataine. The herald’s expression was impassive, morose even.

‘You make slaying the enemy sound like a bad thing,’ replied Thyrinor, locating a crystal jug of pale wine. ‘You have killed more than your fair share, I have heard.’

‘And one amongst them I had counted a friend,’ replied Carathril. ‘We should not ever become enamoured of slaying other elves.’

‘No, you are right, my friend,’ said Thyrinor, shamed by the herald’s words. ‘It is love of war that sets the Naggarothi apart from us.’

‘I hope that the king understands that also,’ said Carathril. He looked up as another group of elves entered the tent and his brow furrowed. ‘There are some that embrace hatred as much as the druchii.’

Thyrinor followed Carathril’s troubled gaze and saw that Finudel and Athielle had been joined by another elf; a strange individual clad in dark hunting clothes. His pale skin and dark hair marked him out as a Naggarothi. A quiet settled across the gathered Caledorians and the newcomer was quickly the centre of attention. Thyrinor saw Dorien limping towards the newcomer and sensed confrontation.

‘Excuse me, friend,’ said Thyrinor, hurrying to intercept his cousin.

‘What do we have here?’ said Dorien, his deep blue eyes regarding the stranger with barely concealed hostility.

‘I am Alith Anar, prince of Nagarythe.’

‘A Naggarothi?’ replied Dorien with a dubious eyebrow raised, recoiling slightly.

‘He is our ally, Dorien,’ said Finudel. ‘Were it not for Alith’s actions I fear your arrival would have found us already dead.’

The Caledorian prince regarded Alith with contempt, head cocked to one side. Alith returned the look with equal disgust.

‘Alith, this is Prince Dorien,’ said Finudel, breaking the awkward silence that had rippled out through the nearby elves. ‘He is the younger brother of King Caledor.’

The Naggarothi prince did not react to this, meeting Dorien’s stare.

‘What of Elthyrior?’ Athielle asked, as Thyrinor reached the group. He had never heard of the elf of whom she spoke. ‘Where is he?’

‘I do not know,’ Alith replied with a shake of the head. ‘He is where Morai Heg leads him. The raven heralds took their dead and vanished into Athelian Toryr. You may never see him again.’

‘Anar?’ said Thyrinor, remembering the name the Naggarothi had used. He was from the house of Eoloran Anar, one of the noblest bloodlines in Ulthuan, yet looked as if he had spent his whole life in a backwater village. ‘I have heard this name, from prisoners we took at Lothern.’

‘And what did they say?’ asked Alith.

‘That the Anars marched beside Malekith and resisted Morathi.’ He extended a hand. ‘I am Thyrinor, and I welcome you to our camp, even if my intemperate cousin will not.’

Alith shook the proffered hand quickly. Dorien snorted and turned away, calling for more wine. As he marched off through the crowd, Thyrinor saw the Naggarothi’s eyes following him, narrowing as he noticed Dorien’s limp.

‘He is in a grumpy mood,’ said Thyrinor. ‘I think he has broken his leg, but he refuses to allow the healers to look at it. He’s still full of fire and blood after the battle. Tomorrow he will be calmer.’

‘We are grateful for your aid,’ said Athielle. ‘Your arrival is more than we could have hoped for.’

‘We were brought word of the druchii marching along the pass four days ago and set out immediately,’ said Thyrinor. ‘I regret that we cannot stay here, for we are needed in Chrace. The enemy have all but overrun the mountains and the king sails with his army to thwart them at the border with Cothique. Tomorrow we continue north and then through Avelorn to strike at the druchii from the south. Today is an important victory, and Caledor recognises the sacrifices made by the people of Ellyrion.’

Alith turned away and Thyrinor saw the Naggarothi’s fists clench and his shoulders hunch.

‘Alith?’ said Athielle, stepping towards the Naggarothi. Thyrinor noticed the pain in her expression and shared a concerned look with Finudel. The Ellyrian prince subtly shook his head as a warning against any remark. Alith turned back to the princess.

‘I am sorry,’ said Alith. ‘I cannot share your enthusiasm for today’s victory.’

‘I would think you happy that Kheranion is dead,’ said Finudel, joining his sister. ‘Is that not some measure of payment for your father?’

Thyrinor had paid little attention to the ongoing saga of the Anars. In that, he shared Dorien’s view that Naggarothi killing Naggarothi was no bad thing. He spied a servant passing with a golden tray filled with wine goblets and swiped a fresh glass.

‘No,’ Alith said quietly. ‘Kheranion died swiftly.’

Athielle and Finudel fell silent, shocked by Alith’s words. Thyrinor stepped up beside Finudel, proffering a goblet towards Alith. The Naggarothi prince took it reluctantly.

‘Victories have been few for us,’ said the Caledorian. He raised his own glass in toast to Alith. ‘I give you my thanks for your efforts and those of your warriors. Were the king here, I am sure he would offer you the same.’

‘I do not fight for your praise,’ said Alith.

Thyrinor bit back a retort at the Naggarothi’s rudeness and took a sip of wine.

‘Then what do you fight for?’ asked Thyrinor.

Alith did not reply immediately. He looked towards Athielle and his expression lightened a little.

‘Forgive me,’ Alith said with a slight smile. ‘I am weary. Wearier than you can possibly imagine. Ellyrion and Caledor battle for their freedom and I should not judge you for matters that are not your responsibility.’

Alith took a mouthful of wine and gave a weak nod of appreciation. He raised the goblet beside Thyrinor’s and fixed his gaze upon the Caledorian.

‘May you win all of your battles and end this war!’ Alith declared. His eyes flickered away for a moment before returning to meet Thyrinor’s bemused stare. The Caledorian saw emptiness of spirit in that gaze and was forced to look away, suppressing a shudder.

‘We should not impose upon you any longer,’ said Finudel, guiding Athielle away with a touch on her arm. Alith gazed longingly after her for a moment before he returned his stare to Thyrinor.

‘Will you fight to the last, against all hope?’ Alith asked. ‘Will your king give his life to free Ulthuan?’

‘He will,’ replied Thyrinor. ‘You think that you alone have reason enough to fight the druchii? You are wrong, so very wrong.’

Alith’s presence was deeply unsettling. Thyrinor turned away and called for Dorien, feigning concern for his cousin so that he could leave the Naggarothi alone. He joined Dorien with the other Caledorian princes at the centre of the pavilion, downing the contents of his goblet.

‘I don’t know about you, but I think I prefer it when the Naggarothi are not on our side,’ he said in a hushed voice, fearful that the Anar prince would hear him.

‘I don’t trust him,’ said Dorien, staring over Thyrinor’s shoulder to where Alith was in deep conversation with Carathril. ‘Finudel is a fool for allying with his sort. Believe me, that Anar will turn out to be a traitor and I would have my throat slit before I agree to fight alongside him. Better that than a knife in the back.’

Thyrinor eyed Alith Anar with suspicion, knowing the truth of his cousin’s words. It was not just the Naggarothi’s words and demeanour that bothered him. There was a darkness of the spirit that permeated the core of Alith, and Thyrinor wanted no part of it. Turning away, he pushed the Naggarothi from his thoughts and spied a group of Athielle’s handmaidens looking appreciatively at him across the pavilion.

Securing himself a fresh goblet of wine, he headed towards them with a smile.

TWELVE

AVELORN WITHERS

The flower was wilting. Its leaves hung lank and yellowing, stem twisted, pale blue petals ragged-edged as they dropped to the ground. Yvraine knelt beside the plant, sensing the source of its malaise. All of Ulthuan was sickening. Dark magic flowed, corrupting everything it touched. Unspeakable rites were performed in the name of the undergods. The Everqueen’s people slew each other across the isle. The harmony of Ulthuan was disrupted and all was falling to disorder.

Yvraine touched an extended finger to a drooping leaf and let free a fragment of her power. Life flowed into the flower and it straightened and coloured, infused with the Everqueen’s magic. It was a gesture and nothing more. She could not heal every hurt being wrought upon Ulthuan.

The Everqueen knelt beside the flower and pushed her fingers into the earth, feeling every particle of soil on her skin. Long hair flowing about her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent and moisture of the bare ground, breathing in the life force of Isha.

She let her mind wander from the mortal shell that others knew as Yvraine, and seeped into the soil, slowly spreading through the Gaen Vale, out into Avelorn and onwards, through every blade of grass and bloom in Ulthuan.

Her spirit wept as her mind felt the crushing tread of the Naggarothi armies over pasture and meadow. She recoiled at the taste of blood in the rivers and streams. Armies camped beneath the bowers of ancient trees and cut them down to feed their fires.

The Everqueen retreated back to Avelorn, dismayed by what she had felt. Hatred, greed, zealotry, and not just from the Naggarothi. Always it was so, evil rising from evil to feed itself. The filth of Chaos lingered in the air and the water and the ground. Her people would never be free of its touch.

For all her dark thoughts, she knew that there was always hope. From the memories she shared with her many mothers she knew that Ulthuan had seen an age far worse than the present. Life could not be so easily extinguished. The pain of Avelorn still lingered in her heart from when it had been razed by the daemons. The forest had grown again from that perilous time, yet the greater damage had been done. Her father, Aenarion, had taken the Godslayer, and in that single act had welcomed violence into the hearts of the elves forever. The Naggarothi could not be blamed for what they had become, the seed of their evil had been sown generations earlier.

Yet that seed of darkness had been nurtured by evil purpose. The Everqueen’s thoughts turned to the architect of this new time of woe: Morathi. It was her spite, her jealousy, her greed that had fuelled this war. All of the blood spilt ran as a flood from Morathi’s hands.

That flood had come to Avelorn now. Armoured warriors roamed into the western woods from the mountains of Chrace, killing and burning. They were a scourge upon everything, seeking to tame and conquer nature itself. Yvraine’s consciousness moved along branch and root, spying upon the Naggarothi camps. She felt the patter of blood on the grass beneath the sacrificial altars, tasted the charnel smoke of the pyres through her leaves, while animal terror coursed through her roots from the fleeing creatures of the forest.

The sun fell and rose and fell again many times as Yvraine watched the Naggarothi, seeking to divine their purpose. They drove everything before them, wolf beside the deer, fox beside the rabbit, hawk beside the dove. All were united in their dread of the dark slaughter that had come to Avelorn.

Drawn by her anger, the Maiden Guard gathered in the clearing around Yvraine’s still form. In the

silver-and-gold glow of the Aein Yshain, Isha’s favoured tree, the warriors of Avelorn sharpened their spears and strung their bows, waiting for their queen to resurface. They too felt the discord rampaging through Avelorn, and had come to this sacred glade to hear what would be done about it.

There was too much death, and violence would always defeat itself. Yet the forest had to be protected and its people and creatures defended against the malice of Morathi and her soldiers.

Yvraine returned to her mortal form, its skin shining with a faint light as her spirit took its place. She stood and looked upon her army in their golden scale and green cloaks.

‘My husband-to-be does not come to our aid,’ she said with disappointment. ‘He proves as fallible as the others, short-sighted and selfish. He has not yet even come to seek my blessing in person, nor join with me so that the reign of the Everqueen will be sustained. Yet I sense that we will not stand alone. From across Ellyrion comes the army of his brother. Go to them and show them the paths through the forest that will take them to our enemies. Drive them from the glades and the deep woods with spear and arrow, and then return to me.’

Her will made known, Yvraine retreated to the caves beneath the arching roots of the Aein Yshain. She sat upon her throne of curled roots while attendants busied themselves with gourds of water taken from the sacred springs, filling the pools that surrounded the Everqueen’s seat. Images shimmered in each pond, showing Avelorn from west to east, south to north. While time passed in the world outside, Yvraine shared the life of the great tree of Isha, each day like a single heartbeat of existence.

After a few moments, she was disturbed from her contemplation by a presence within the sacred glade. Rising from her throne, green and yellow gown flowing like a gossamer waterfall behind her, Yvraine left the chamber and found one of the treemen of Avelorn waiting for her in the glade above.

‘Oakheart,’ she said. ‘Long it has been since you first brought my brother and me to the Gaen Vale and long since you spoke to the First Council. What disturbs you to bring you to my court?’

The treeman moved slowly, limb-branches unfolding, trunk curving gently as if in a wind, to bow before the Everqueen.

‘One is coming that should not come,’ said Oakheart as he straightened with a quivering of browning leaves. He too felt the waning of Avelorn’s power, the autumn blighting what should have been an existence of eternal summer. His voice was quiet, like the sighing of wind through branches. ‘He has made pact with the wolves and they lead him to Gaen Vale.’

Yvraine nodded and allowed herself to drift for a short while, seeking this person. She found him, an elf clad in nothing but a sword belt, running with a great pack of wolves.

‘You are right, he cannot come to the Gaen Vale,’ she said, reclaiming her body with a shudder. ‘Yet he cannot be turned away unaided. I sense the spirit of the hunter in him. The time has come for Isha’s gift to be passed on. Let the wolves take him to the Lake of the Moon, and see if he has the will to claim Kurnous’s prize for himself.’

‘And if he still seeks sanctuary in Gaen Vale?’ sighed Oakheart.

‘He is touched by darkness and cannot come here,’ replied the Everqueen. ‘Guard the sanctity of our home and turn him away, but do not harm him.’

‘As the forest wills it,’ said Oakheart.

As the treeman left the glade, Yvraine returned to study the elf from her vision. He was young, barely an adult, and she watched him fight ferociously with a Naggarothi knight. He was brave, but savage at heart. As Isha had chosen Yvraine, so the hunter Kurnous had chosen this elf. The Moonbow of Isha would be enough of a reward for the young elf’s brave deeds defending Avelorn; but he would have to put it to use elsewhere. The evil he fought was within him as well as outside, and Yvraine could not risk having such a person in the Gaen Vale at this precarious time.

Leaving the feral hunter to his fate, she dismissed him from her thoughts and returned to her throne chamber to witness the battle against the Naggarothi.

The forests of Avelorn were no place for a dragon and Dorien had regrettably been given no choice but to lead his army from horseback; Thyrinor and the other dragon riders had flown further north, to seek out the Naggarothi where the mountains of Chrace shouldered down into the ancient woods.

The Caledorian prince was nervous. It was not the prospect of battle with the Naggarothi that disturbed him – he relished the coming fight – but the strange nature of his environs and his quiet allies. The Maiden Guard had met his army on the border of Ellyrion and Avelorn. In a quiet but determined way, their captain had told Dorien he was to follow her warriors through the forests. No elf was to leave the trail that was set, and though no warning had been given as to what might befall such a wanderer, such were the tales of Avelorn that every elf under Dorien’s command knew to obey the edict.

By twisting paths that seemed to spring from the woods at the army’s approach, the Maiden Guard had led Dorien through the deep forests, heading ever north and west. When asked about the enemy, the Avelorn warrior-maidens would say only that there were several thousand of them and that they were currently being waylaid. The march took several days, and at night Dorien lay awake in his tent, listening to the murmuring of the trees, the screech of owls and the howling of wolves. Each morning when he left his pavilion, he was convinced the forest had changed. Pathways had opened up from the clearings that had not existed the evening before, and even rivers seemed to have diverted their courses so that the army could pass without hindrance.

Dorien was a native of the mountains and whole days would pass without sight of the sky beyond the thick canopy, fuelling his fears. He considered himself at home in the wilds, like many elves, but it was only on coming to Avelorn that he realised just how tame the wildernesses of Ulthuan had become under the moulding of the elves’ desires. Beyond Avelorn every wood and dale had a sculpted quality; carefully managed to appear untamed, yet in comparison to the forest of the Everqueen they were as ordered and safe as a manse’s gardens.

The sentries on night watch whispered about the constant creaking and groaning of the woods; of flickers of faerie lights and strange eyes in the moonlight. The Maiden Guard assured Dorien that there was nothing to fear, and hinted that for all the unease the elves of the other kingdoms felt at Avelorn’s strange ways, it was nothing compared to the terror being heaped upon the Naggarothi invaders. Dorien was pleased to hear this but could get no answers when he pressed for more information.

After seven nerve-wracking days and nights traversing the wild woods, Dorien was told that the Naggarothi were close at hand. The smoke of fires carried on the breeze, and it seemed that the trees were even more active than before.

‘While the Maiden Guard are at home in such a place, my army is not meant for warfare in such close confines,’ Dorien complained to Althinelle, the captain of the Maiden Guard.

‘There is no need to lament,’ she replied. ‘Your knights shall have even ground on which to charge and your archers shall have clear fields over which to loose their arrows.’

‘While I am thankful for the assurance, I cannot see how we shall lure the Naggarothi onto this open ground you have prepared,’ said the prince. ‘I fear we will be outmanoeuvred.’

‘Our enemies do not yet know the field of battle, but they will have no choice but to come there,’ said Althinelle. ‘Avelorn will bring them to you. Make ready your army and head due west. Battle will be upon you before noon.’

Offering no other explanation, Althinelle left Dorien to his confused thoughts. The Maiden Guard departed the camp, heading westwards, while the army prepared to march. Dorien mounted his horse and joined the knights of Caledor in the middle of the army, while archers and spearmen were sent forwards in the vanguard to seek the open space of which Althinelle had spoken.

Without the Maiden Guard to lead the way, progress was slower. Dorien gazed constantly up through the leaves to track the rising of the sun, fearful he would miss some appointment whose time and place he did not exactly know.

He had no cause for such fears. Shortly before midday, scouts returned with news that fighting could be heard to the west, though they had not been able to locate the Naggarothi army itself. Following the scouts, the army headed towards the shouts and cries that echoed through the trees.

As if pushed aside by some vast hand, the woods abruptly stopped not far to the west. The trees lined a vast sunlit glade, the floor of which was carpeted in thick grass and meadow flowers. Dorien was amazed by the sight of it, but his wonder was short-lived; on the other side of the clearing, black-robed figures marched into view. Some were helping wounded companions and the sounds of fighting came closer.

More and more Naggarothi emerged, staggering into the daylight, arrows falling on them from the darkness of the wooded eaves of the glade. Several thousand in all hastily gathered their ranks as Dorien’s army spread out to north and south, the knights on the right end of the line, ready to sweep around the enemy.

Beyond the Naggarothi the prince could see shapes moving through the woods; he assumed it was the Maiden Guard from the continued sounds of conflict and death that rang across the clearing.

Dorien ordered the musicians to signal the advance and his army paced towards the Naggarothi, spears and bows at the ready. The druchii formed a short, solid line of spears and repeater crossbows, at the heart of which sat a few hundred knights in reserve. There was not a patch of high ground to defend, and the Naggarothi were sorely outnumbered.

‘They are fools to stand and fight,’ said Laudneril, riding to Dorien’s right bearing the prince’s household standard.

‘I think they would rather take their chances with us than the woods,’ said Dorien.

‘I do not think they have any choice in that!’ Laudneril replied with shock, pointing towards the far edge of the glade.

The trees were moving. It was hard to see exactly how, but the wall of trunks and branches marking the border of the clearing was creeping closer to the Naggarothi. The ground rumbled gently, causing the knights’ horses to whinny and stamp.

Arrows sliced the air as Dorien’s archers came within range. The druchii crossbowmen ventured closer, casting suspicious eyes at the advancing woods, and returned the volleys with missiles of their own. Though they had marched at least five hundred paces into the vast clearing, the Naggarothi now found the trees no more than two hundred paces from their backs. Keening cries and shrill calls came from all around. To the north and south, the woods closed in as well, girding the clearing with an almost solid ring of trees.

Unable to retreat, the Naggarothi held their ground as Dorien’s army pressed in for the attack. The druchii knights cut to the north, seeking to head off Dorien’s cavalry, while spear blocks manoeuvred for advantage and the bolts and arrows of both sides passed overhead.

As the two armies converged, Dorien remembered the warnings of his brother. Though the druchii were outnumbered, they were veterans of war, raised in bloody Nagarythe, tested in the colonies. For the most part his own army, save for a core of Caledorians who had seen battle in Elthin Arvan, were largely untested. It was the dragons that had broken the siege at Lothern and routed the Naggarothi at Ellyrion Plains; he wished he had known Avelorn would provide an open field of battle and not sent the dragons north.

He pushed such thoughts from his mind as the two columns of cavalry charged each other. The druchii knights were armoured from toe to scalp in mail and plate, faces hidden behind narrow-visored helmets, their horses protected by chamfrons and scale barding. Black and purple pennants fluttered from lowering lance tips and the ground thundered beneath the iron-studded hooves of their black horses.

Dorien drew Alantair, an heirloom of the war against the daemons. The slightly curved blade glimmered with runes, orange fire playing along its edge from hilt to tip. The Caledorian prince lifted his shield and singled out a foe to attack, guiding his steed with gentle nudges with his knees. He chose a druchii clad in golden armour, a black cloak swirling from his shoulders. His helm was masked with a daemonic face and curling silver horns topped it as a crest. He rode beside a banner of red cloth embroidered with the rune of Anlec in black; a captain, Dorien thought, or perhaps even a Naggarothi prince.

‘For Caledor!’ the prince bellowed, the war cry answered by the Silver Helms around him.

The Naggarothi were chanting as they charged, a dirge-like chorus in time to the beating hooves of their mounts. Barbed and jagged lance tips gleamed in the sunlight.

At the last moment, Dorien’s horse swayed to the left, the Naggarothi’s lance smashing into the prince’s shield with a crackle of energy. The impact almost threw Dorien from the saddle but he gripped tight with his legs and swung his sword over the horse’s head as the two riders passed, the flaming blade shearing through the shield of his foe, sending the druchii’s arm into the air.

Dorien had no time to finish off the Naggarothi; another enemy knight crashed into him, lance missing the Caledorian’s shoulder by a hair’s breadth. Dorien chopped into the back of the druchii as he galloped past.

The impetus of both sides dissipated by the mutual charge, the two forces of knights swirled about each other in a spreading melee. The druchii discarded their lances and drew axes and swords, while Dorien slashed left and right, Alantair’s burning blade slicing through flesh and armour. The noise was deafening, metal ringing on metal, the shouts of the warriors, the stamp and whinnying of their steeds.

Bodies of horses and elves piled on the blood-slicked grass as both sides fought mercilessly. Dorien’s steed stumbled and righted itself in the gore, leaving the prince open to an attack from his right. An axe blade crashed against the side of his helm, protective runes flaring with magical power. Still, he was dazed, and could only clumsily fend away the next blow with the blade of Alantair. Dorien could feel blood trickling down the side of his neck and his head throbbed. As if in response, the ache in his leg returned. The healers had done everything they could, but there had been no time to properly rest and recuperate.

Another knight surged between Dorien and the attacking druchii, his sword thrusting into the other elf’s visor with a spray of blood. The Naggarothi toppled sideways, crashing to the ground. Dorien gave the Caledorian knight a salute of thanks and kicked his steed into the press of cavalry, seeking a fresh foe.

By mutual desire, the two sides slowly parted, seeking clearer ground for another charge. As Dorien had feared, the druchii had matched his knights despite their fewer numbers; there were more bodies of friends than foes littering the clearing. As the squadrons reformed a couple of hundred paces apart, Dorien turned his attention to the infantry. There also the momentum of the attack had been halted and a sprawling fight now raged.

Arcs of black energy revealed the presence of a sorcerer. White-robed spearmen were thrown back by the magical blast, their armour crackling, skin burning. The white glow of protective talismans enveloped Theriun, the prince leading the infantry, as another hail of dark energy flickered along the line. The knights needed to outflank the druchii, but there was no way to do so with the enemy cavalry still threatening. If they charged now, Dorien’s squadrons would in turn be attacked in the rear. He cast a hasty glance towards the druchii knights and saw that they were already advancing again.

Dorien could feel the dark magic surging through the air, like a pressure in the back of his skull. The sensation was tinged with the power emanating from Alantair. Yet it was something else that had attracted Dorien’s attention to the ebb and flow of the winds of magic. He felt power seeping through the ground, gathering quickly.

The druchii charged again, banners fluttering. Still reorganising themselves, Dorien’s Silver Helms hastily formed to face the renewed attack. Dorien fervently wished he had a dragon or two as he watched the block of black and gold bearing down on his unprepared warriors.

The magic of the earth surged. To Dorien it felt as if the ground shifted, so violent was the build-up of mystical energy. Beneath the steeds of the druchii, the grass erupted. Vines with thorns like daggers shot into the air, coiling and snaring, ripping the druchii from their steeds, strangling and tripping horses. In moments, a massive briar enveloped the Naggarothi, tightening around necks and limbs, barbs piercing mail and flesh. The scream of dying horses and the panicked shrieks of the druchii accompanied a dread-inducing creaking and slithering as more and more tendrils burst from the earth, lashing with violent life.

Beyond the clashing lines of infantry, Dorien saw that the forest was on the move again. Only this time shapes emerged from the trees. Massive, gangling creatures with flesh of wood and skin of bark strode into the clearing. Behind them came a host of smaller creatures, bounding and running on branch-like limbs. Winged spirits with small bows flitted about the branches of the treemen, shooting glimmering darts into the backs of the druchii.

With them lumbered giant bears and packs of black-furred wolves raced into the clearing, snarling and slavering. Hawks and owls swept down from the treetops, leading flocks of smaller birds that engulfed the druchii repeater crossbows, pecking at faces, talons scratching.

Looking back at the Naggarothi knights, he saw that all but a few dozen had been slain. The survivors, many unhorsed, hacked their way free of the magical briar. Dorien commanded half of his knights to finish off the enemy cavalry, and ordered the rest to follow him as he pointed his sword at the beleaguered Naggarothi infantry.

As the Silver Helms charged, the treemen reached the line of druchii soldiers. Club-like fists smashed bone and buckled armour. Fingers filled with the power of delving roots prised open helms and punched through breastplates. The spears and swords of the druchii chopped harmlessly at the treemen, who were as impervious to the blows as the mightiest oak. Crushed and trampled, trapped against the resurgent spearmen of Dorien, the druchii died in their hundreds.

The prince’s cavalry charge was the final blow. As bears crushed bodies and wolves dragged down fleeing druchii, the knights hammered into the flank of the Naggarothi, cutting them down, smashing them to the ground with the impact of their steeds. His horse flailed its hooves into the face of a spearman while Dorien’s blade decapitated another.

The druchii fought to the last, knowing that the forest offered no sanctuary for retreat. Surrounded by elves and spirits of Avelorn, they sold their lives with spat curses on their lips, vowing vengeance from the pits of Mirai. Dorien’s arm was sore with the effort of slaying, for the battle continued long into the afternoon.

When it was done, Althinelle came to Dorien. The Maiden Captain’s armour was awash with blood, her fair hair stained with gore, her speartip slick. There was something feral about her appearance, and Dorien wondered at the power that had been unleashed by the fury of Avelorn.

Dismounting, Dorien gave the captain of the Maiden Guard a brief bow and sheathed his sword.

‘I wonder if Avelorn ever needed us here,’ he said.

Althinelle said nothing for a moment. Her features seemed to shimmer with a pale green light, and when she looked at Dorien, it was with eyes that seemed as ancient as the forest around them.

‘You have our gratitude, Dorien of Caledor,’ said Althinelle. ‘We could not defeat this enemy alone.’

‘It is my honour to protect the ancestral lands of our people,’ said Dorien. He felt the same shimmer of earth magic as he had during the battle, though now it was subtler, more diffused. ‘Without Avelorn’s intervention, I fear we might not have been victorious.’

‘The Naggarothi will come again,’ said Althinelle.

‘I will leave what troops I can, but they are sorely needed elsewhere,’ replied Dorien. ‘Cothique is under threat, and my brother will need my aid when he sails there after the council of princes.’

‘Send my regards to your brother,’ said Althinelle, surprising Dorien. He looked at her more closely and realised that he was no longer addressing the captain of the Maiden Guard. ‘Tell him that I look forward to our wedding. And warn him that he should not delay too long before he visits Avelorn; there are precious few moments left to us.’

Dorien dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

‘Everqueen,’ he said. ‘Forgive my brother’s tardiness. He has many things on his mind, and I fear that your blessing is not one of them.’

Althinelle-Yvraine laid a hand on Dorien’s arm and gently pulled him to his feet. He kept his gaze averted, fearing to look into those deep green eyes again.

‘Take your dead from this place,’ said the Everqueen. ‘You will be guided into Chrace, and from there you may head east and meet Caledor in Cothique.’

‘Thank you, Everqueen,’ said Dorien. ‘And what of the druchii bodies? Shall we dispose of them also?’

Althinelle-Yvraine shook her head and turned to look over her shoulder.

‘Avelorn will deal with them,’ she said, with what seemed like sadness. ‘The forest will sate itself with their remains.’

Dorien looked to where her gaze was directed and saw that the trees of the forest were already enveloping the druchii dead. Roots coiled through the corpses, dragging them down into the shifting earth. It seemed as if blood dripped from the leaves of the trees as they drank deep of the slain.

‘Go now.’ Dorien saw that Althinelle was herself again. The wildness in her eyes had gone and she seemed as weary as he felt. ‘We shall leave a clearing for you to camp tonight. We will head north at dawn.’

Dorien nodded and turned away, shouting for his captains. The sooner he was out of fabled Avelorn, the more comfortable he would feel.

THIRTEEN

AN AGE ENDS

‘A hundred?’ snarled Caledor. The herald from Yvresse flinched as the Phoenix King thrust himself from his chair and stalked towards the messenger. ‘A hundred spears are all that Prince Carvalon can spare?’

‘We are a peaceful people,’ the herald replied with an apologetic bow. ‘Few enough volunteer for the militia and of those, most are required to garrison our towns against the attacks of the cultists.’

Caledor turned on the others in the Shrine of Asuryan, his adopted throne room. Thyriol was with him, as were Finudel and Athielle, Dorien, Thyrinor, Koradrel, Tithrain of Cothique, the high priest Mianderin, and his chief herald Carathril. Representatives of Eataine and Yvresse huddled together, apart from the princes, watching the Phoenix King warily.

‘How can I fight a war with no army?’ Caledor said. ‘For six years we have marched and battled, and the druchii have been held. Now is the time to strike back.’

‘Our losses have been heavy too,’ said Thyriol. ‘Each Naggarothi has trained for two hundred years for this war, and many have been fighting for much longer. You cannot expect our fresh recruits to face such foes with equality. Were it not for your dragons, Ulthuan would have been overrun by now. A counter-offensive is out of the question.’

‘So we must simply wait for the next druchii attack?’ said Dorien. ‘We let them gather their strength again while their cultist lackeys have us chase from kingdom to kingdom? We should march to Anlec and finish this.’

Tithrain laughed nervously and all eyes turned towards the young ruler of Cothique.

‘Anlec is unassailable,’ said the prince. ‘We have all heard the tales of its defences. A river of fire girds its high walls, and twenty towers overlook the approaches. Even if we were to cross Nagarythe intact, we could not take such a fortress.’

‘We have a dozen dragons,’ said Dorien. ‘No river of fire would stop them.’

‘Eleven,’ said Koradrel, his voice hushed. ‘Prince Aelvian and Kardraghnir were slain in Chrace during battle against the Naggarothi. My captains brought me the news last night. Bolt throwers, dozens of them, brought them down from the sky.’

This news was greeted with groans from some and a stony stare from Caledor. Koradrel shrugged.

‘It matters not,’ said the Chracian. ‘To what end would the capture of Anlec serve? Malekith retook his capital and it did him no good. The world has changed. The Naggarothi will never agree to peace.’

‘What are you saying?’ said Thyriol.

‘Extermination,’ said Caledor.

The mage fixed the Phoenix King with a narrowed glare.

‘And what of the cultists?’ said Thyriol. ‘Do we kill every last one of them also?’

‘If we have to,’ said Caledor, matching the mage’s gaze. He took no pleasure in the pronouncement, but if Ulthuan was to know peace again, every threat had to be eliminated. ‘We are a divided people. Prosperity and opportunity have masked those divisions, but now they have been made clear. The druchii must be slain or driven out of Ulthuan, and any that choose to follow them.’

‘As you said, you have no army,’ said Finudel. ‘You think that you could attack Nagarythe?’

‘No,’ said Caledor. ‘We have only been able to survive because the enemy have split their strength. They occupy Tiranoc, and have attacked Eataine, Ellyrion, Chrace and Avelorn at the same time, seeking swift victory. If we force them to gather in one place, and muster our own strength against them, we risk losing the war at a stroke.’

‘Until we have an army that can match the druchii, we cannot test ourselves on an equal basis,’ said Thyrinor. ‘Our greatest hope is to draw them out and defeat each army in turn.’

‘Your dragons cannot be everywhere at once,’ said Thyriol. ‘How do you plan to halt any fresh advances?’

‘We cannot,’ said Caledor, sitting down again. He looked at each of the princes, gauging their resolve. He was not reassured by what he saw but continued regardless. ‘We must deny the druchii any great victory. We retreat before them, burning the fields, razing the storehouses. Nagarythe is not a fertile kingdom, they depend upon what they take to feed their armies.’

‘For how long?’ said Tithrain with an expression of horror. ‘Those lands feed our people too. It would be ourselves that we also starve. A season, perhaps, we could cope with...’

‘For as long as it takes,’ said Caledor. ‘We will bleed the druchii dry with hunger and battle. We must be resolved to this. Hardship will come, but with it also victory.’

‘No,’ said Athielle, earning herself a scowl from the Phoenix King. ‘The pastures of Ellyrion are too valuable to waste in this way. Our fields and herds have been nurtured for generations, we cannot throw that effort away. It would be a triumph for our enemies.’

Caledor’s stare bore down on the princess but she did not flinch. Glancing to Finudel, Caledor saw that he was in two minds, but knew he would side with his sister in any argument.

‘What about Chrace?’ he said, looking to Koradrel.

‘The druchii have continually pillaged most of the meagre crop we grow,’ replied the Chracian prince. ‘With our hunters at war, the monsters of the mountains grow bolder and attack our farms in greater numbers. What we have left, we need for ourselves.’

‘The eastern kingdoms must provide for those beset in the west,’ said Caledor. ‘If you cannot send soldiers, you must send food.’

‘I fear we can offer too little in that regard,’ said Thyriol. ‘For too long we have relied on the supplies from our colonies. Those supplies have dwindled. Elthin Arvan is in no less turmoil than Ulthuan.’

‘If your people will not farm, they will have to fight,’ said Caledor. ‘Every elf that can carry a spear must be trained. If not, they will die unarmed.’

‘And while we raise a new army for you?’ said Tithrain. ‘What will you do?’

‘Wait for the druchii to come again,’ said Caledor.

Every wheezing breath was like a rusty nail scratching across Morathi’s heart. She bent over Malekith’s inert form, seeing the handsome elf he had been, not the ravaged near-carcass that lay on the wide bed. His eyes flickered to hers for a moment and there was recognition. A withered hand reached out to her and she clasped it to her chest as she knelt down beside the bed.

‘What news?’ the prince of Nagarythe whispered from cracked lips.

‘Our underlings disappoint us, my dear,’ replied Morathi. ‘The upstart Caledor has pushed back our latest attacks. He refuses open battle, using his dragons to hit our armies on the march before withdrawing.’

‘He is a coward.’

‘No, he is clever,’ said Morathi, placing Malekith’s hand beside him. She stroked a hand across his bare scalp, skin flaking to the white sheet. ‘He knows he cannot beat us, but seeks to stall our victory for as long as possible. Our commanders have played his game too long. I will force him into action.’

‘And the other?’ said Malekith, rising a little from the bed, eyes intent on his mother.

‘It progresses well, my son,’ said the sorceress-queen. ‘You have done well to survive these years of torment, yet you must hold on longer. Such a work takes a long time to perfect, but when it is done you will be restored to your glory.’

Malekith’s ruined face creased into a smile.

‘I can wait,’ he said. ‘My return will be triumphant and none will stand before me.’

‘It will be glorious,’ said Morathi. ‘But we must keep your survival secret still. Your sacrifice in the flames is a symbol to our people, and until your resurrection to full power it is best to let them to continue in that belief. It hurts me as much as you to know that you are denied your position as ruler of Nagarythe, but it is for the best.’

Malekith said nothing and closed his eyes. Morathi stood up.

‘I must attend to some unpleasant business. Rest well.’

With a parting look at her son, Morathi left the chamber. She swept across her rooms, gathering a trail of handmaidens and servants in her wake. Walking down the sweeping steps at the centre of Aenarion’s palace, she heard wails of torment echoing from the dungeons beneath the citadel.

‘I thought I said all prisoners were to have their mouths stitched shut,’ she said to one of her attendants.

‘I will see the torturers learn the error of their oversight,’ the handmaiden replied, eyes glinting with cruel anticipation.

The entourage followed her across the great hall and down the steps of the palace into the plaza outside. Five thousand Naggarothi stood in silent ranks behind their captains and banners. They had been assembled at dawn for her inspection and now the sun dipped towards the horizon.

Dismissing her cabal with a wave of a ringed hand, Morathi crossed the square with long strides, heading directly towards Bathinair, who stood at the front of the small army. The queen stopped in front of him, eyes narrowed.

‘Give me your sword,’ she said.

Bathinair looked confused but did as he was told, pulling the gleaming magical blade from its sheath. Morathi took it from him and held it up, examining the fine workmanship. The prince’s eyes followed Morathi as she stalked past him and beckoned to one of the company captains.

‘What is your name?’ she demanded.

‘Ekheriath, my queen,’ the captain replied with a deep bow.

‘Would you like to be Prince Ekheriath?’ she said.

‘Anything to serve you, my queen,’ the elf replied with a shorter bow. ‘It would be an honour to attend your court.’

Morathi struck more swiftly than a serpent, Bathinair’s sword lancing through the captain’s gut. He fell with a stifled cry, eyes full of hurt and betrayal. Morathi twisted the sword to the left and right, Ekheriath writhing and moaning with each movement.

‘Princes do not fail me,’ she said, pulling free the blade.

She delivered a kick to the sprawling elf’s face and moved on, beckoning to the next captain with the bloodied sword.

‘And your name?’ she snarled.

‘Nemienath, your majesty,’ the soldier said hesitantly, eyes straying to the still-groaning Ekheriath who had slithered to his knees in a spreading pool of his blood, one hand clasped to his wounded gut.

‘Would you like to be a prince?’

Nemienath did not reply, eyes darting left and right like a trapped animal.

‘Well?’ Morathi’s snapped question made the captain flinch.

‘All who serve you wish to be included in your favours,’ he said, not meeting her gaze.

‘Kill Bathinair,’ Morathi said, thrusting the sword into Nemienath’s hand. ‘You can replace him.’

Bathinair spun around on hearing this, eyes wild with fear. Morathi smiled approvingly as Nemienath showed no reluctance, dashing across the square with the sword raised for the attack. Bathinair tried to catch the blow on his armoured arm, but the mystical blade sliced through without stopping, shearing just below the shoulder. With a cry, Bathinair fell to the ground, blood spraying. Nemienath glanced back at Morathi before delivering the killing blow, plunging the sword into Bathinair’s exposed neck.

Morathi waved Nemienath to approach and kneel before her. He did so, bending to one knee, head bowed. The queen stooped to cup his chin in her hand, lifting his head to look at her, a smile on her ruby red lips.

‘What does it feel like to be a prince?’ she purred.

‘It is an honour, my queen,’ replied Nemienath. ‘I will bring glory to Nagarythe in your name.’

‘You will?’ Morathi said sweetly. Nemienath nodded, locked to her gaze. Morathi’s smile twisted to a snarl. ‘I had to give you a blade to bring me honour! Why have you failed me so many times before?’

Magical energy crackled from her fingertips, engulfing Nemienath’s head. Black lightning coursed through his shuddering body, burning and splitting flesh, bursting blood vessels. Morathi let the smoking corpse drop to the marble slabs, Bathinair’s sword clattering from the dead grasp.

The queen rounded on the assembled Naggarothi warriors.

‘None of you are worthy to serve me!’ she cried. ‘You are incompetent or you are traitors, I cannot tell which. I give you the might of Nagarythe and you throw it away. I ask you for a simple thing, such a simple thing, but you cannot do this for me. All I wanted was Yvraine’s head.’

‘The Everqueen, her powers are too great,’ one of the warriors called back. ‘How do we fight Ulthuan itself?’

Morathi was about to spit back an angry reply, but stopped herself. The anonymous warrior did have a point, though it was no excuse for the defeats suffered. Yvraine possessed the power of the Everqueen, and that was a fine prize. To control Avelorn, to seize the strength of Yvraine would be a better victory than her simple death. There was another reason to see Yvraine humbled before she died. Daughter of Aenarion by his first wife, she had colluded with the princes at the First Council to deny Malekith his right to be Phoenix King. She would beg for mercy at the feet of the true ruler of Ulthuan, and admit that she had been wrong to oppose her half-brother.

‘I can match the power of the Everqueen,’ Morathi announced, smiling again, pleased with her conclusions. ‘When I take her magic from her and see her broken before me, all will recognise the ascendancy of the Naggarothi and the true queen of the elves. Draw together what forces you can, bring forth the Khainites and the beasts of the Annulii. Gather an army worthy of my command!’

The sky was choked with the burning of Avelorn. A pall of smoke covered the land from the mountains of Chrace to the Inner Sea. Driven on by Morathi, the army of Nagarythe scoured everything in its path, leaving a swathe of ruin through the realm of the Everqueen. Pushed hard by their queen, terrified of her reprisals for any delay, the Naggarothi princes and commanders swept aside all resistance.

As before, Yvraine stirred the forest to its own defence, but this time the Everqueen contended against the magic of Morathi and her cabal of the most powerful sorcerers and sorceresses. Against the dark incantations of the Naggarothi, the enchantments of Avelorn failed and like a blight spreading across a leaf the druchii advance continued.

Fearing the worst, Yvraine sent word to Caledor, reminding him of his duties to the Everqueen. The Phoenix King did not come, but sent Thyrinor and two other dragon princes with an army of ten thousand warriors, for the most part freshly trained troops begged from the eastern kingdoms. On the ships of Eataine, Thyrinor brought this host across the Inner Sea and landed on the coast of Avelorn ahead of the druchii advance. Here he was met, like his cousin and Carathril before him, by the Maiden Guard of the Everqueen. As then, Yvraine spoke through her chosen captain, Altharielle.

‘It angers and saddens to me to see such desolation wrought upon the heart of Ulthuan,’ said Thyrinor, having dismounted Anaegnir to speak with Althinelle. ‘I wish that you had warned us sooner.’

‘The outer forests are of no consequence,’ replied the Everqueen, her vessel’s eyes alight with the green glow of magic. ‘It is the Gaen Vale that holds the power of Avelorn. The Aein Yshain must be protected at all costs. This close to the sanctuary of Isha, my powers are at their peak. Morathi believes she has the best of me, but she is wrong. We will draw her on, closer to her prize, and in doing so Morathi will bring about her own demise.’

‘A risky strategy,’ said Thyrinor. ‘To let the druchii approach so close to the Gaen Vale gives us no place to retreat.’

‘Yet it is also the perfect site for battle,’ countered Yvraine-Althinelle. ‘The narrow isthmus will allay some of the advantage of the druchii army and force them on to our bows and spears.’

‘I see,’ said Thyrinor. ‘If that is your will, I shall obey. We will move by ship along the coast and make camp at the Isthmus of the Gaen Vale.’

‘Heed the guidance of the Maiden Guard,’ warned the Everqueen. ‘None set foot upon the Gaen Vale save by the invitation of Avelorn itself. Know that should you break this ban, I will be powerless to protect any trespassers.’

Thyrinor shuddered and nodded.

‘Believe me, my queen, none will ignore such warnings,’ said the prince. ‘With your leave, we will head east and make landfall again in two days’ time.’

‘Until then, Prince Thyrinor,’ said Yvraine-Althinelle. ‘The enemy will be close on your heels, do not tarry.’

With a deep bow, Thyrinor headed back to Anaegnir and mounted the throne-saddle upon her back.

‘This place is steeped in magic,’ said the dragon, flicking her tongue with distaste. ‘The air itself is cloying with the pollution of Chaos.’

Thyrinor felt it also; waves of dark magic that eddied down from the vortex in the Annulii, drawn by the conjurations of Morathi and her followers. As smoke polluted the sky, dark magic polluted the spirit. It lay like a shroud on the prince’s thoughts and he could not help but fear what would happen if their defence failed and Morathi took possession of the Aein Yshain.

With such power in the hands of the druchii ruler, Ulthuan would be plunged into an age as dark as the time of the daemons. The cytharai cults would rule over the worship of the celestial gods and the elves would be destroyed by their own savagery and sacrifice. As clear as a landscape before him, Thyrinor could imagine the pyres burning day and night and hear the screams of the priests’ victims.

He had seen such things writ on a smaller scale throughout Ulthuan, as the cults sowed terror and discord amongst their enemies. The prince felt sick at the memory of the bloodied and charred remains that had been found in secret shrines and around bone-girdled altars.

‘I will die rather than live to see such misery,’ he told himself, belting himself into the saddle harness. With a flap of wings, Anaegnir was airborne, steering back towards the fleet that lay at anchor just off the sandy shore.

‘They are desperate.’

Morathi flicked a gaze of annoyance at the underling who had interrupted her thoughts. The sorcerer shrank bank from her gaze as motes of energy danced in Morathi’s eyes. Had she been in a less favourable mood, a dread gaze would have been the least punishment inflicted on the overly talkative minion. Fortunately for him, Morathi shared his assessment as she looked at the army stretched across the narrowest strip of land ahead. This would be the last, futile attempt to hold her back.

Beyond the lines of silver and blue, red and green, lay the Gaen Vale. Morathi could taste its power, glittering like a field of golden stars across the canopy of the forest. The ground on which she was standing throbbed with magic, sending shivers of energy through her even as she coiled strands of dark magic about herself, pushing back the pure touch of the Everqueen’s protective enchantments.

‘Make ready for the attack,’ she announced, gesturing for a beastmaster to bring forward her mount.

The elf led a gigantic winged horse to his queen. Its hide was black, its wings like those of an enormous bat, ribbed and veined. The creature’s mane was like fire, bright orange and red, and its eyes were like dark rubies. From its forehead jutted three spiralled horns that had been bound in gold, and from its ears and nostrils hung talismans wrought from black iron in the shape of Khainite runes. The dark pegasus stomped and snorted, tugging back on the reins in the beastmaster’s hands, nearly dragging him from his feet.

Morathi snatched the reins in one hand, pouring dark magic into the muscles of her arm, making them as unmoving as stone. The dark pegasus flicked its head hard and tried to rear up, but was brought up short, almost falling over as Morathi stood immobile, holding it in place. It whinnied and dropped down, bending its forelegs so that Morathi could pull herself up to its bare back, nestling between the leathery wings.

‘Why are we not yet attacking?’ Morathi demanded, seeing that her army had not moved.

‘They have three dragons, my queen,’ replied a captain, pointing to the smoke-filled skies. Huge shapes flitted against the smog, licks of fire trailing from their mouths. ‘If we advance beyond the range of our bolt throwers, they will tear us apart.’

‘Sound the attack,’ said Morathi. ‘Do not concern yourself with dragons.’

With that, she snarled a word of command at her mount and was borne into the smoke-thick skies.

Trepidation washed through Thyrinor as he saw a black shape rising from the midst of the druchii army. It seemed as if a dark cloud shrouded the rider, pinpricks of light breaking through like a distant night sky. More than the prince’s eyes, his magical sense caused his unease. The pegasus rider was like a hole in the winds of magic, a sink into which all of the magic drained, the force of its accumulation dragging at Thyrinor’s consciousness. The closest he had felt to such a sensation was the presence of Thyriol, but where the mage was like a warm glow, the sorceress was a chill void, sucking all life and energy into herself.

Only one elf could wield such power: Morathi.

‘She is just a single creature,’ said Anaegnir, sensing his fear. ‘A fragile thing, easily broken.’

‘Morathi has not survived as long as she has by being fragile,’ warned Thyrinor. ‘The daemons could not destroy her, nor Prince Malekith.’

The dragon snorted and dived, angling to intercept the rising pegasus. The other dragon riders fell after Thyrinor, to the left and right. Beneath them, the druchii army started its advance, lines of spearmen and knights converging into columns to march along the narrow stretch of land. From this height, Thyrinor could see the Inner Sea on both sides, the surf a white border to the left and right of the dark mass of infantry.

Plunging groundwards, the wind tugging at his cloak, Thyrinor felt an expansion of pressure within his spirit. Half-shadows danced in his vision, leering faces formed of thick smoke and air swirled around him. He felt himself at the bottom of a great pit, sinking fast, being swallowed up. He looked up, seeing the swathe of smoke above twisting, coiling like a sea serpent, thrashing from side to side.

‘Beware!’ he shouted to Anaegnir. ‘Go left!’

The dragon did not heed him, but pressed on towards Morathi, jaw open, forelegs extended. Glancing back, Thyrinor saw a huge tendril of whirling smoke streaming down towards him.

‘Left!’ he shrieked. ‘Left!’

The dragon slipped sideways. Too late to avoid the descending column of smoke, Thyrinor and Anaegnir were caught in a maelstrom of choking smog. Buffeted and battered, dragon and rider whirled across the sky, the wreathing smoke following them, growing thicker and tighter with every passing moment.

Thyrinor slashed with his lance, meeting no resistance, yet the fog settled on his shoulders like stone, and constricted about his throat and chest like the grip of a giant. Anaegnir was struggling also, belching flame, head thrashing from side to side as scales buckled and bones creaked.

With a noise of tearing metal, Thyrinor’s breastplate caved in, crushing his chest. Ribs splintered even as his helm gave way under the pressure, shards of bone piercing lungs and heart. Anaegnir screeched, wings buckling, bones snapping as the dragon and rider were compressed by the titanic force of dark magic. Crimson streamed from Thyrinor’s eyes and ears and nose and mouth, soaking the robe he wore beneath his armour. Drowning on his own blood, the prince flopped sideways in the harness, all air expelled from his body, organs and blood vessels collapsing.

A cheer welled up from the Naggarothi army as the mangled remnants of the Caledorian and his dragon crashed into the forest. Morathi laughed with them, filled with the intoxication of the spell and joy at her enemy’s destruction. The other two dragons parted and climbed away, wary for the moment. Morathi directed her steed after the one heading north, a dragon with scales of jade and spines and claws of black. Drawing her ensorcelled blade, Morathi raised the sword in challenge as the pegasus swept up towards the monster above.

The prince atop the dragon drew his own blade, a flash of red against the black of the smoke and cloud. The two riders closed quickly, heading directly for each other, swords lifted ready for attack.

As the two were about to meet, Morathi wrenched hard on the reins, steering her pegasus to the right, while she swept her sword in an arc towards the Caledorian. Black lightning spat from the blade, earthing itself through the dragon rider’s armour, dancing along his raised sword. Snarling, Morathi whispered fell prayers to her daemonic allies, drawing on more dark magic as she circled around the dragon, the coruscation of energy moving from the prince to his mount. Scales exploded and spines quivered as the dark magic lanced through the dragon’s enormous frame. It gave a bellow and twisted, gouting fire at the sorceress.

The cloud of darkness that surrounded Morathi solidified, turning away the flames as it encased her in a swirling sphere of power. Insulted by the attack, she directed her mount after the dragon as it pitched groundwards, seeking to escape, its movements laboured, the stench of charred flesh drifting in its wake.

The pegasus jinked and swerved to match the dragon’s panicked descent, the more agile beast closing quickly as the dragon turned slowly to the left and right. Seeing that it could not escape, the dragon banked as sharply as possible, slashing its tail towards Morathi. She ducked, the armoured spine of the tail passing less than a hand’s breadth from her head. Slashing up with her blade, Morathi carved a ragged wound across the base of the dragon’s tail, pouring dark magic into the grievous laceration so that the exposed flesh and muscle boiled and bubbled, blood steaming into the sky. With a strangely piercing wail, the dragon rolled over, lashing out with its back legs. A claw caught the pegasus across the flank, leaving a wound as wide as Morathi’s fist.

The queen of Nagarythe summoned up all of her scorn, ignoring the shrill cries of the pegasus, and plunged the tip of her blade into the dragon’s exposed underside. With a feral howl, she channelled the dark magic from her spirit into the blade, pouring every vile curse and hex she knew into the belly of the dragon. As her pegasus turned limply away, blood streaming from the cut in its side, she watched the dragon’s scaled hide erupting from within. Decay burst out from the wound in its gut, spreading rapidly, scales withering and flaking away, flesh turning to dust, bones crumbling.

The creature that had lived for millennia was engulfed by the rotting of eternity, body parts falling away, flesh dropping in mould-encrusted clumps, turning to scattering motes on the breeze.

Exhausted by the magic coursing through her, Morathi allowed the dark pegasus to fly back to the ground. Slipping from its back, she almost collapsed, gasping for air as daemonic voices whispered in her ear and the flame of Chaos fluttered in her mind. For a moment, the cloud that followed her closed tight, forming a ring of tiny whirling figures, each miniscule fanged face laughing and jeering at her.

Straightening, Morathi sheathed her blade and cut her other hand through the whirling mist, breaking the ring. She took a breath and snarled.

‘No. The time for your payment has not yet come. Leave me in peace, you filth of the other worlds.’

Exerting her will, she gathered in the tendrils of dark magic that had been leaking away, locking them up within her mind, whispering an incantation of control and calm. The cloud settled, seeming to drift into her body, sucked in through every pore, leaving Morathi’s pale flesh glowing with unearthly light.

When she had the Aein Yshain, she would have no need of such dangerous pacts. All of Ulthuan’s power, and all of the magic of the vortex, would be at her command.

A tremor of fear washed through the army defending the Gaen Vale as a second dragon tumbled from the sky. Yvraine felt the dread wash over her like a cold wind. Now was not the time for faint hearts. The Everqueen knelt in the grass, her green robe seeming to merge with the earth. Sinking her fingers into the dirt, she closed her eyes and let herself become one with Avelorn.

She gasped with pain, feeling the felled trees like cuts, the scorched glades like burns on her skin. The stain that was Morathi’s presence seared into her, her tread corrupting the ground beneath her feet. Fighting through the agony, Yvraine touched upon the lode that was the Aein Yshain. Gift of Isha, goddess-mother, the sacred tree pulsed with the energy of life and the light of love and harmony. The Everqueen tapped into that golden stream, healing the wounds upon her spirit caused by the destruction of her forest. She allowed the rays of warmth to flow from her fingertips, spreading through the fertile earth.

Around the Everqueen bushes and flowers blossomed into life. Rippling out in a circle, the life energy spread through the elven army, bringing with it the scent of spring and the warmth of summer. She felt Isha’s power touching upon the hearts and minds of her defenders, leaving an imprint on each, filling her army with renewed faith and resolve.

Trumpets rang out defiance, drowning out the drums and horns of the druchii. Clear voices rose up in song, the anthems of the assembled kingdoms ringing out in a developing harmony, silencing the curses and war cries of the Naggarothi.

Yvraine reached further, out to the shores of the isthmus, tasting the salt of the Inner Sea and the tang of the weeds beneath the water. She sailed upon the waves, bodiless and free, beyond the taint of the smoke to where the sun shone bright upon the water. Drawn up by the sunlight, Yvraine danced amongst the clouds, ethereal hands beckoning the winds to her, swirling and circling at her whim.

The breeze was light at first, just a quiet susurration in the treetops. Yvraine concentrated, pulling in the elements, coaxing the currents of the air to follow her. The wind strengthened, setting banners flapping and crests flying. Stronger and stronger it blew, bending the branches of the forest, tugging at cloaks and robes, flattening grass. Still Yvraine called on the wind for more. Keening through the canopy of the forest, it became a gale, trunks creaking with the strain, fallen branches and leaves were whipped up by the wind, turning around and around, faster and faster.

The songs of the elves fell silent, the last syllables carried away by the howling wind. Deeper and deeper Yvraine reached, kept to her body by the most slender of silver threads, almost lost within the spell she had cast.

The wind struck the Naggarothi as a solid wall, hurling elves from their feet, slamming horses into one another, tearing standards from their poles and the poles from the grasps of those holding them. Bolt throwers were picked up, scattering their missiles, sent tumbling over the sward of the isthmus. Monstrous creatures bellowed, eyes slitted against the hurricane, while the druchii tumbled into each other, spears breaking, shields flying.

Then came an explosion of dark magic from Morathi. Like a black fire, her counterspell raged through the winds, burning up their energy. Wind and fire contested and in their meeting, Yvraine’s mind touched upon that of her foe.

The Everqueen and sorceress recoiled from one another, minds flung apart by the contact. Yvraine was snapped from her immobility and collapsed to the ground; Morathi sank to her knees.

The moment had been so transient as almost to have never happened, yet Yvraine felt herself tainted by it throughout her being. The darkness of Morathi had seeped into her; Morathi felt sickened by the touch of the Everqueen, the light of her nature like a fire in her mind.

Mutually spent, the two queens sought the help of their followers; Morathi staggered to her cabal, Yvraine to the Maiden Guard. While they recovered, the two armies marched upon each other.

Ten years of bitter war left no room for mercy. The elves of the Everqueen and the Naggarothi threw themselves into the battle with pitiless fury. Repeater crossbows savaged the opposing spearmen. The air was thick with the missiles of the bolt throwers on both sides. The surviving dragon rampaged through the knights of Nagarythe, while hydras, basilisks and other Chaotic creatures brought from the pens beneath Anlec ravaged their prey with claw and bite and petrifying gaze.

When the elves of the Everqueen gained the upper hand, the druchii had only to think of the price of failure to redouble their efforts. When the Naggarothi pressed for advantage, Avelorn’s defenders looked to Yvraine for strength, knowing that perhaps they fought for the future of their whole race.

The bloody fighting continued for most of the day, with neither side gaining any significant advantage. Morathi’s sorceresses hurled dark bolts of magic while mages of Saphery cast shimmering shields over their troops to ward away the missiles of the enemy. The spirits of the forests fought alongside the elves, treemen and dryads wreaking havoc amongst the Naggarothi infantry surrounded by wisps of arboreal magic. Naggarothi princes mounted on half-tamed manticores laid about the Silver Helms of Cothique with flaming swords, their bestial mounts roaring and biting, stinged tails puncturing breastplates and barding.

Crushed together by the thin strip of the isthmus, the battlefield was clogged with the dead and the dying. The groans and shouts of the wounded were louder than the fierce battle cries of those still able to fight.

Morathi laughed at the carnage and hissed threats to her commanders, urging them to finish off Avelorn’s protectors. Yvraine wept at the slaughter, the blood of elves poisoning her lands, tainting the aura of Isha that guarded the Gaen Vale.

Dusk was approaching when the breakthrough came.

Chasing down a squadron of fleeing knights, Prince Melthiarin and his dragon strayed too close to the massed bolt throwers of the druchii. Black shafts filled the sky, engulfing dragon and rider, piercing the monster’s hide in many places. Seeing their foe grounded, the fleeing knights rallied and charged, finishing off the Caledorian and his monstrous steed with lance and sword; though a great number fell to the prince and dragon before they were slain.

The fighting lulled and the two armies briefly parted, the leaders of both sides recognising that their fates were about to be revealed.

Their strength almost spent, the druchii knew that their last chance for victory was at hand. Taking a steed from one of her commanders, Morathi joined her troops, waving them forwards with her sword, the air crystallising with mystical ice around the enchanted blade. Around her the druchii mustered for a final push, even the wounded dragging themselves to their feet lest they be deemed cowardly for not fighting to the last.

The line of elves pitted against them was thin, a sliver of silver and gold and blue against the treeline of the Gaen Vale. Clarions sounded the rally and they gathered about their standards, clearing away the piles of the dead so that they could form up behind their shield walls and thickets of spears.

As the druchii advanced, a lone figure emerged from the ranks of the defenders. Her green and yellow gown trailing on the breeze, Yvraine came before them, long locks of hair streaming, arms outstretched.

‘The Gaen Vale will never be yours!’ the Everqueen cried out, tears pouring down her cheeks.

‘You cannot stop me!’ Morathi shrieked back. ‘All I have to do is reach out and take it.’

‘That cannot be allowed,’ replied Yvraine.

The ground began to tremble and the light within Yvraine grew brighter, gleaming from her eyes, particles of energy flowing from her splayed fingertips into the ground.

Althinelle dashed forwards towards the Everqueen.

‘We can win!’ shouted the Maiden Guard’s captain. ‘Do not do this!’

Yvraine turned her head, light glimmering from her mouth as she spoke.

‘It is too late,’ said the Everqueen. ‘Ulthuan is wounded, but the Gaen Vale must survive.’

‘But your power...’ Althinelle cast down her spear and reached out an imploring hand towards her queen.

‘Better that it is gone than is stolen for evil purpose,’ replied Yvraine. ‘We can no longer be trusted with it.’

‘What are you doing?’ screamed Morathi, spurring her horse into a gallop, whipping her sword from its scabbard.

The ground heaved, throwing both armies to the ground, sending Morathi toppling from her steed. Only Yvraine remained standing, as immobile as the Aein Yshain itself, an eternal part of Avelorn. From behind her, at the heart of the Gaen Vale, a golden glow filled the sky, burning away the late afternoon clouds, stilling the wind.

‘Run,’ said Yvraine. ‘Run while you can.’

Pushing herself to her feet, Morathi heard these words and glared at Yvraine. She was about to spit a retort when the ground moved again, ravines cracking apart the isthmus from shore to shore. A wall of foaming water crashed along the welts rent in the earth of Avelorn, descending upon both armies.

The elves needed no encouragement. The remnants of the Naggarothi fled back into wasted Avelorn while the defenders headed for their boats on the very edge of the Gaen Vale. Morathi, caught in the middle of the destruction, looked left and right and behind her, and saw that the water would be upon her before she could reach the higher ground.

‘Spirits of Anaekhian, hearken to your dark mistress!’ she cried, throwing aside her sword to lift up her arms. ‘It is time to play your part in our bloody contract!’

Thousands of black moths erupted from the flesh of Morathi, their wings marked with red runes of Chaos. They engulfed the sorceress, becoming part of her, turning her body to shadow as they bore her upwards even as the two walls of the inrushing sea crashed together beneath her.

The waters swirled around Yvraine, bearing her up also, a spiralling waterspout carrying the Everqueen gently back to the Gaen Vale as the isthmus sank beneath the waves. Many from both sides had been too slow and were swept away, Althinelle amongst them; the bodies of the dead covered the swirling, frothing sea, tossed this way and that by the tumult of the waves.

Alighting on the shore of the Gaen Vale as the ships of the other elves were pushed out by the foaming currents of the new strait, Yvraine looked at the druchii army retreating from the far shore. She sighed, feeling empty and exhausted. No more were the Gaen Vale and Ulthuan linked together, the breaking of the isthmus symbolic of the magical rent the Everqueen had wrought between her sanctuary and Ulthuan.

She turned her back on the settling waters and walked into the woods, heading for her chambers beneath the Aein Yshain. She had protected the sacred glade, but at the cost of the eternal diminishing of her powers. The trees parted for her, opening up a wide avenue to the Glade of Eternity. Ahead, the shining tree of Isha dimmed, its leaves losing their shimmering gleam, its bark no longer bright with golden energy.

The Everqueen still ruled Avelorn, but the true power of Ulthuan would now reside with the Phoenix King.

PART THREE

The Bloody-Handed God; The Witch-King Rides Forth; Assault on the Eastern Kingdoms; The Battle of Maledor; The Sundering

FOURTEEN

RIVERS OF BLOOD

The carnage in Avelorn and the Everqueen’s dramatic actions brought a cessation to the open fighting. The absence of marauding Naggarothi armies lessened the pressure on Caledor, though the mustering of the force to Avelorn had depleted garrisons across the eastern kingdoms and the cultists increased their sacrifices and murders.

A relative peace descended upon Ulthuan, as both sides regrouped and considered their next strategies. In the last days of the autumn, the princes were again called to the Isle of the Flame for council, and as before they were divided over the best course of action. Caledor spoke little, and allowed the princes to argue amongst themselves.

‘The Naggarothi cannot recover from their latest defeat,’ insisted Dorien, addressing the council in full armour. ‘Now is the time to press an attack into Nagarythe.’

‘We suffered badly too,’ said Tithrain. ‘What troops I managed to raise were all but slain in Avelorn. The cytharai worshippers run amok through Cothique. To send what remains of my army now would be to abandon my people.’

‘Tithrain is right,’ said Carvalon, the ruler of Yvresse. ‘With the Naggarothi beaten back, we should make efforts to secure our homes against attack from within.’

‘The Naggarothi are not beaten,’ said Finudel, slapping a gauntleted hand on the table at which he sat. ‘There are still many of them in northern Ellyrion. We should muster our strength there and drive them back across the mountains.’

‘Do not forget Tiranoc,’ said Thyriol. The mage tapped his fingers in agitation, eyes moving constantly between the other princes. ‘It would be a mistake to think the druchii have fled back to Nagarythe. They still hold several passes across the mountains and threaten Caledor, Ellyrion, Chrace, even Eataine. We cannot defend all of these places at once.’

‘Has there been any news from the Anars?’ asked Athielle. ‘Do they still wage war within Nagarythe?’

‘Alith Anar is dead,’ replied Caledor.

Athielle gasped in horror and there were murmurs of unease from the other princes.

‘The druchii have been crowing about it for some time,’ explained the priest, Mianderin. ‘Apparently Morathi’s assassins caught him. We can expect no aid from inside Nagarythe.’

‘The last time we waited for the Naggarothi to act, Avelorn was all but destroyed,’ Dorien snapped. ‘Which kingdom will be sacrificed next?’

‘The druchii will not move again until spring,’ Caledor declared. ‘Use the winter to root out the cultists that persist in your kingdoms. The dragons will patrol the mountains, and we will set garrisons to guard the passes. We will gather what forces we can in Ellyrion, Caledor and Chrace when the season turns again.’

As the Phoenix King commanded, so it was. The warriors of Chrace and Caledor, whose kingdoms had been freed of the cultist threat, followed the Phoenix King on a purge through Eataine and Yvresse. Progress was slow, for the cultists were skilled at hiding in plain sight and when discovered fought to the death, knowing that they could no longer expect mercy. By the time the winter had passed, Lothern and Tor Yvresse had been secured, and all passage in and out of the cities was carefully watched to prevent the cultists returning.

In the spring, the securing of Yvresse occupied the Phoenix King. This task proved even more difficult than he feared; the many isles that lined the kingdom’s coast provided hundreds of hidden sanctuaries for those that sought to undermine the Phoenix King’s rule and strike out at those who followed him.

The ships and Sea Guard of Eataine were placed at Caledor’s disposal, in return for two dragons sent to guard Lothern against possible druchii naval attack. Even the most experienced ship pilots found the straits and channels of Yvresse a troublesome prospect, as small flotillas prowled the coastline seeking to intercept the cultist groups as they sailed to the mainland on their raids.

Caledor was frustrated by every delay, but was not a leader to abandon a pledge simply because it proved difficult. Day after day he consulted with the captains and cartographers, plotting the patrol routes and launching expeditions against the larger isles to eradicate any cult encampments. The Phoenix King occasionally joined these maritime forays on Maedrethnir, flying above the fog-shrouded isles seeking telltale signs of cult inhabitants. Several innocent fishing vessels and villages were terrified by the arrival of the Phoenix King and his monstrous mount, crashing out of the skies ready for battle.

Eventually, as spring became summer, Caledor prepared to move on to Cothique with a smaller army, having despatched a number of warriors and his dragon princes across the Inner Sea to help guard Ellyrion and Chrace. The druchii had launched nothing more than a few raids since the autumn and the Phoenix King suspected that Morathi planned a new offensive.

Ever wary of the occupation of Tiranoc neighbouring his home kingdom, Caledor appointed Dorien as warden, effectively giving his brother rule while he immersed himself in his duties as Phoenix King. Dorien was displeased by this development, thinking that being sent back to Tor Caled was some kind of punishment for his outspoken views on taking the fight to Nagarythe. Despite the Phoenix King’s assurances to the contrary, and emphasising the trust he was placing in him, Dorien sent frequent messages from Caledor demanding that he be allowed to lead an army to free Tiranoc.

Worried that his brother would do something rash, Caledor paused in his advance to Cothique, thinking to return to his kingdom to settle Dorien’s spirit. On the morning he was due to fly south, a messenger hawk bearing a crystal from Thyriol arrived. The bird flew directly into Caledor’s tent, startling the Phoenix King and his Chracian guards.

‘Leave it be,’ said the king as one of the White Lions stepped towards the bird of prey.

Caledor abandoned the maps he had been studying and took the pouch tied to the bird’s leg. Several times had Thyriol sent word in this way, but as Caledor took the crystal from the bag and set it upon a low table he felt the bird’s hasty arrival foreshadowed important news.

He was right.

Thyriol’s shimmering image appeared in the centre of the pavilion, pacing back and forth across the rugs. The mage was fidgeting even more than usual, wriggling his fingers and shaking his head as he spoke.

‘King Caledor, I fear my eye has been drawn away from Saphery too long,’ the mage said. ‘While I helped you spy out the cultists in other kingdoms, darkness has festered in my own realm. Though I have striven to suppress them, agents of Morathi have long attempted to sway some of my followers to the dark path. I thought I had taught them the folly of seeking the power of sorcery, but my warnings have fallen on ears deaf to them. Only this day I have discovered the practise of sorcery within my palace. My grandson Anamedion is dead and my daughter Illeanith has fled with the dark mages.’

Thyriol paused in his striding, lifting a hand to his brow for a moment, head bowed. He straightened and resumed his pacing.

‘That is of no consequence directly. The palace is secured and I have moved it to a safe place in the mountains. If you wish to return a message to me, the hawk will find me. The sorcerers are free to wreak whatever ruin they can. They have corrupted some of my students and I cannot overstate the harm they may yet do.’

The mage stopped and reached a hand towards the crystal, half imploring, half in apology.

‘I regret that until this threat had been dealt with, my mages must return to their kingdom and seek out these dark practitioners. I know that this leaves you with little defence against Morathi’s sorceries but it must be done. The towers of Saphery hold many precious secrets that cannot fall into the hands of the druchii. I also know that you can spare few troops to aid us at this time, but any that you can send to Saphery will be invaluable. Even more than Cothique or Yvresse, we are not a kingdom ready for outright war. Yet it has come to us and I know in my heart the battles to come will be terrible.’

Thyriol gave a perfunctory bow.

‘I must go and prepare for the coming battles, my king. I will send word again when I know more.’

The image shimmered and disappeared. Caledor frowned at the crystal, annoyed that he could not respond immediately. Instead, he called for a scribe to take a letter and composed a brief message to Thyriol, promising his immediate support. Another herald was summoned to travel to Dorien, telling the king’s brother that Caledor would not be returning. With this done, the Phoenix King summoned his princes and commanders to discuss their next move.

The news of Saphery’s turmoil spread through the camp. Several captains from Eataine and Yvresse, bordering Saphery, sought leave to return to their princes so that their kingdoms could be protected against any threat that spilled from the imminent war between the mages and sorcerers.

Caledor flatly refused all such requests and announced that the army would march to Saphery to assist Prince Thyriol. It was also in the Phoenix King’s mind that this would bring his forces closer to the Inner Sea, should the Naggarothi make any fresh move in the west.

The following day as the army was forming up in column to march across the mountains to Saphery, a group of riders hastily entered the camp bearing the colours of Prince Tithrain. The exhausted heralds refused all refreshment and insisted they be admitted immediately into Caledor’s presence. The Phoenix King met them on the open field as servants broke down his pavilion ready for the march.

‘What is it?’ said the Phoenix King, fearing that the inexperienced ruler of Cothique distracted him with some petty concern or imagined fear. It would not be the first time.

‘The Naggarothi have returned,’ said the chief herald, sweeping his helm from his head and bowing low. ‘Cothique is under attack!’

‘How?’ demanded Caledor. ‘How have they come through Chrace so swiftly?’

‘They have not, my king,’ said the herald. ‘They arrived in a huge fleet and landed on the coast not more than six days ago. An army at least thirty thousand strong marches inland across the Anul Annurii. Prince Tithrain cannot hold them back with the few thousand troops he has.’

For a moment Caledor was stunned. How had the druchii held back such an army until now? And where had they got so many ships to carry them? The answer came to him quickly enough.

‘Elthin Arvan,’ he said.

‘I’m sorry, my king, I don’t understand,’ said the herald.

‘The druchii have abandoned Athel Toralien,’ said the king. ‘They have brought back all of their warriors from the colony to launch a fresh attack.’

‘As you say,’ said the herald. ‘With what message shall we ride back to our prince?’

Caledor did not reply for some time. He could march north immediately, but his army and the dragons were spread across Ulthuan. To confront the enemy with the host at his disposal would be pointless. He needed to pull as many troops as possible back from the west, though he was wary of leaving Ellyrion and Chrace unguarded.

‘Tell Tithrain to hide,’ he said eventually. The declaration was met with stunned expressions from the messengers. Irritated, Caledor expanded on his instructions. ‘He must avoid battle at all costs and preserve as many warriors as he can for my arrival.’

‘What of the people of Cothique?’ asked the horrified herald. ‘What will they do while our prince hides? How can you abandon them?’

‘They must hide as well,’ said Caledor, hardening his heart to the decision. ‘Or they will die.’

The moans of the prisoners and the shrieks of those dying on the altars were a symphony in the ears of Hellebron; an orchestration of pain and suffering and death that seemed like the anthem of Khaine Himself. She raised her voice in praise to the Bloody-Handed God as she watched another Cothan dragged to Khaine’s altar, futile in her attempts to wrest free of the cultists’ grip as they threw her over the bloodied stone table.

The pyre raged some distance away, so hot Hellebron could feel its flames on her skin though it was more than a bowshot from her. The column of smoke and fire reached high into the heavens, taking the spirits of the sacrificed to the Lord of Murder. Hellebron felt a thrill of exultation as she looked at the massive pyre and thought of the hundreds that had already been slain. Thousands more would come, until all of Cothique had fallen beneath the Khainites’ blades.

The kingdom was ample reward for her slaying of the so-called Shadow King. It was recompense for the death of her sister at the hands of the Anar prince. More than that, it was recognition for her deeds in the cult of Khaine, and had come with praise from the lips of Morathi. Hellebron had savoured every plaudit, basking in the adulation of the assembled commanders and princes as Morathi had listed Hellebron’s achievements as an example to them all.

She had returned to the waiting fleet as swiftly as a ship could take her, accompanying her father Prince Alandrian. In name, the army was his, the dispossessed host of Athel Toralien, but Hellebron knew they belonged to her in spirit. Through the long years of siege endured by her home city in the colonies, she had inculcated the populace into the ways of Khaine. As the forces arrayed against them had grown, the people of Athel Toralien had embraced the Bloody-Handed One.

The other elves of the colonies had shown their weakness of spirit, and had fallen at the walls of the city time after time, their bodies recovered so that they might be offered up to the Lord of Murder in thanks for His protection of Athel Toralien. Those attackers who reached the ramparts had been taken prisoner, and their long screams had kept the besiegers awake at nights while the elves in the city celebrated in the name of their bloodthirsty deity.

At first Hellebron had been distraught when Alandrian had informed her and Lileath that they were to surrender Athel Toralien to their enemies. Only when she learnt that the city was to be razed and the entire populace return to Ulthuan was Hellebron pleased. The Athel Toraliens had proven themselves even stronger than Nagarythe, and now returned to their ancestral home to aid the princes and captains that had once looked down upon them.

Smiling from the memory, Hellebron joined her personal guard. Their captain was Liannin, once maidservant to Hellebron, now the fiercest of her followers. The three hundred warrior-women Hellebron called the Brides of Khaine had been the first off the ships, falling upon Cothique like a bloody storm.

Skilled in Khaine’s deadliest arts, Hellebron’s guard were naked save for a few scraps of cloth and metal, eschewing armour in favour of speed, trusting to kill before they were killed, demonstrating their faith in Khaine’s protection. Their hair was styled with elaborate spikes and braids, held in place with matted gore. Their pale flesh was tattooed and branded with runes of devotion to Khaine, and their lips reddened from drinking blood. Many had glazed eyes, chewing narcotic leaves that left them impervious to pain, and all proudly showed their scars of battle, their old wounds painted with elaborate designs to attract attention. In battle they took other drugs to drive themselves into a frenzy, and using the secrets taught to them by Hellebron and her late sister they coated their blades in the deadliest poisons. In Athel Toralien they had been the scourge of the attackers, fighting where the battle was fiercest. In Cothique they had yet to test themselves, a fact that rankled them.

‘When will we face an enemy of worth?’ asked Liannin. She rested her hands on the twin swords scabbarded at her waist and licked her lips, savouring the blood spattered on them. ‘Khaine is forced to feed on peasants.’

‘When the fires of Khaine can be seen from Caledor’s throne room, the Phoenix King will be forced to come,’ replied Hellebron. ‘When the screams of Khaine’s sacrifices can be heard at the Shrine of Asuryan, Caledor will have to face us.’

‘Until then?’ said Liannin.

‘Until then, Khaine will lap up such scraps as we can throw Him,’ said Hellebron. ‘Refugees have been seen hiding in caves, in the hills to the west. Several hundred of them. Take them alive if you can. If not, slay them with the name of Khaine upon your lips.’

FIFTEEN

THE HAMMER OF VAUL

From outside the tent came the muted sound of weeping; inside the pavilion the grief and anger of those who had escaped Cothique was much louder. A handful of princes and nobles had escaped the kingdom with their households, before the routes out of the kingdom had been cut off by the druchii. Tears streaked Tithrain’s face as he listened to the impassioned pleas of the dispossessed, while Caledor looked on impassively, keeping his own thoughts to himself. Tithrain had done the right thing and obeyed the Phoenix King’s command, bringing three thousand knights and infantry south into Yvresse to join Caledor’s army. More troops came from further afield, swelling the camp that occupied a stretch of land between the forested hills of the Annulii and the Great Ocean.

‘We cannot return,’ Tithrain answered those who pleaded for the prince to save those trapped in Cothique. ‘We should die also in the attempt, and our cause would be no better for it.’

‘We sent warriors to the other kingdoms,’ argued one of the nobles, his gaze on Tithrain but his words directed at Caledor. ‘Where now is the pact we made to fight together?’

‘Cothique will be liberated,’ said Tithrain. He glanced at Caledor and received a nod of agreement. ‘You have my oath on that. The Sea Guard of Lothern will join us shortly, with a large part of the fleet of Eataine. Another army gathers on the Ellyrian shore, ready for the march to Lothern.’

‘That will take too long,’ said another elf, his fine robes tattered by hasty retreat. ‘It has been almost half a year since the druchii arrived. Why can these reinforcements not sail across the Inner Sea?’

‘Saphery is no longer safe,’ said Tithrain. ‘The druchii have spies everywhere, and it would be best that they do not realise we weaken our guard in the west.’

‘Our people bleed and die, while you do nothing!’ This shrill accusation came from an aging elf lady, who pointed a finger at Caledor. ‘You just sit there and do nothing.’

The Phoenix King had heard enough complaints to last a lifetime.

‘Who was it that did nothing when first I called for aid?’ Caledor snapped, rising from his chair. ‘I told you to give me an army and was told that there was none that could fight. Do not blame me for the consequences of your own inaction.’

The lady was silenced by the outburst, but the noble who had first spoken took up her cause.

‘With what would we fight?’ he said. ‘Goblets and forks? We were promised weapons, armour. Where are they?’

Caledor frowned, surprised by the question.

‘The forges of Vaul burn day and night to equip our armies,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘Shipments leave for every kingdom with each new moon.’

This was answered by a barrage of questions and denials.

‘No shipments have arrived in more than three years,’ said Tithrain, waving for his people to quieten. ‘We thought perhaps that they went to other kingdoms.’

‘That is not right,’ said Caledor, shaking his head. ‘Hotek assured me that all who wished it would receive helm and shield, spear and scale.’

‘Perhaps they were waylaid by the enemy?’ suggested Tithrain. ‘The arms did not reach Cothique.’

‘For three years?’ said one of the nobles with a derisive snort. ‘It was an empty promise, admit it!’

‘Leave me,’ said the king, sitting down, chin in hand.

There were a few quiet protests, quickly stilled by Tithrain. The prince led his people out of the tent, casting a worried glance back at the Phoenix King at the door.

‘What does this mean?’ asked the young prince.

‘Nothing good,’ replied Caledor.

When he was alone, the Phoenix King summoned Carathril and dictated a letter to Hotek, instructing the high priest of Vaul to meet him in Tor Caled to explain the discrepancy. Another letter he sent to Dorien, informing his brother that he would return shortly and to expect Hotek’s arrival. He chose not to pass on the news of the missing shipments, fearing his brother would react for the worse.

Before he could depart, Caledor had to make sure that Yvresse was free from threat. The border with Cothique was narrow, flanked by the mountains and the sea. The terrain had allowed the druchii to seize the kingdom with relative ease, but also made the route into the neighbouring kingdom predictable and simple to guard. As long as Thyriol held sway over Saphery and the Lothern fleet protected the Shifting Isles that stretched from the Yvressian coast, the druchii could not launch a surprise attack.

Not that Caledor expected any further offence soon. From the reports of the lucky few who had crossed the border since the new invasion, the druchii were more concerned with subjugating those already within Cothique.

The Phoenix King spent a considerable time with his commanders, making detailed dispositions for the army. The dragons were his greatest weapon, though far from all-powerful as had been demonstrated, and it was the princes of Caledor that would form a hard-hitting reserve, based in Yvresse. Should the druchii attempt to cross into Yvresse, the dragon riders would respond in strength while the rest of the loyal forces gathered to meet the threat.

Confident that he could return to his kingdom to address the issue of the armaments, Caledor took flight on Maedrethnir. On his way to Caledor, the Phoenix King met with Thyriol in Saphery and Prince Aerethenis in Lothern. All was as well as could be expected. The dark mages had ravaged much of Saphery with their sorceries but had been driven into the mountains by those loyal to Thyriol. Aerethenis assured him that his fleet held the Inner Sea against any encroachment from northern Ellyrion or devastated Avelorn.

There was little news from the west, which troubled the Phoenix King, but for the moment he was convinced the focus of the druchii was on Cothique. Diverting to Tor Elyr for several days, Caledor spoke with Finudel and Athielle, who kept watch on the druchii-held fortresses in the north and the keeps guarding the mountain passes. There was little activity to report and it seemed that for the moment the war had shifted to the east in its entirety.

Worryingly, all of the princes spoke of receiving fewer weapons than had been promised, and none for some time. Caledor hoped that Hotek would offer reasonable explanation for the deficits – a shortage of ore perhaps – but he feared forces more sinister were at work, though he could not see in what way. If there were traitors in the Caledorian fleet he would have thought their treachery would have been revealed by now; the druchii sorely needed ships to contend with the vessels of Lothern.

Finally coming to Tor Caled, the Phoenix King was greeted with little ceremony. Such warriors as might present a guard of honour were more gainfully employed patrolling the border with Tiranoc. Dorien met him with a handful of household servants and the two of them made their way to the throne room.

‘I feel like a caged animal,’ said Dorien as Caledor settled into his throne. Retainers appeared with food and wine, but Caledor waved away the fare, concerned by his brother’s attitude.

‘I cannot be king unless I know Caledor is safe,’ he replied. ‘I have entrusted its guardianship to you, because I know you will protect our lands before all other things.’

‘There is no war here,’ complained Dorien. ‘There is not a whisper of battle from Tiranoc, and I sit idle. Finudel does not need my aid, and there are no cults to drive out. I am wasted here, Imrik, when I could be fighting in Cothique.’

‘When I am ready to drive the druchii from Cothique, I will call on you,’ said the king, ignoring his brother’s use of his old name. ‘You are the first I would have fighting beside me.’

‘So why are you here and not leading your army into Cothique?’ said Dorien, helping himself to some wine.

‘Has Hotek not yet arrived?’ said the Phoenix King.

‘No, I have not seen him for more than a year,’ replied Dorien. He noticed his brother’s grim expression and shared his frown. ‘Is something amiss?’

‘I do not know,’ said Caledor. ‘The supply of weapons has dwindled. I summoned Hotek to meet me. He should have arrived by now.’

‘Perhaps his labours occupy him,’ said Dorien. ‘He spoke to me of his desire to create the greatest artifices since the war against the daemons. He has forged several magical blades for the princes of Caledor.’

‘Whatever it is, it can wait for the moment,’ said Caledor. ‘We will go to the shrine tomorrow. Tonight, I will spend with my family.’

And so it was. Anatheria and Tythanir met the Phoenix King in his apartments. His wife’s welcome was genuinely affectionate, much to his surprise, though his son carried himself with polite aloofness.

After a meal, the three of them sat on a balcony overlooking Tor Caled. For the first time in more than three years, Caledor wore robes instead of armour. He savoured the wine from his crystal goblet – a vintage from before the war – and enjoyed a brief moment of simple contentment before wider affairs crowded his thoughts again.

‘When do I learn the words of dragon-taming?’ asked Tythanir.

‘When you are old enough,’ replied Caledor.

‘I will reach my maturity in two years’ time,’ said his son. ‘Dorien refuses to teach them to me. How will I be ready to join the war when I come of age if I do not know how to be a dragon prince?’

‘Dorien is right,’ said Anatheria. ‘You are too young to think about such things.’

‘When I am an adult, you will have to teach me,’ said Tythanir.

‘I am Phoenix King,’ said Caledor, smiling grimly. ‘I do not have to do anything.’

‘And I am your heir,’ replied Tythanir. ‘One day I will be Phoenix King. I learn the sword and spear and bow, and as a prince of Caledor I have the right to know the secrets of the dragons! Would you rather your successor knew nothing of war?’

‘The other princes will choose the next Phoenix King,’ said Caledor. His smiled faded. ‘I could die in the next battle and you would certainly not be chosen. If you become king, welcome it. Do not expect or desire it. Look to the folly of Malekith if you feel otherwise.’

‘Nevertheless, I will one day rule Caledor, and it would be shameful if I was not a full dragon rider.’

‘You have still to master your weapons,’ said Caledor. ‘Do not think yourself ready to fight.’

‘I shall be one of the greatest warriors in Ulthuan,’ declared the young prince. ‘A leader does so by example.’

‘And so does a father,’ said Caledor. ‘When you are old enough, I shall teach you the secrets of the dragons, but not before.’

Annoyed, Tythanir excused himself and left the king and his wife looking over the city.

‘He is proud to be the son of the Phoenix King,’ said Anatheria.

‘He should be proud to be a prince of Caledor above all other things,’ the king replied. ‘No good comes of seeking high station.’

‘Do not hold him back with your own reluctance to rule,’ replied his wife. ‘Ambition is not always the same as greed.’

‘It matters little,’ said Caledor. ‘I strive for victory, but it is not close. A year from now, who can say how the world will be? I cannot see tomorrow, and Tythanir’s future is a long way away.’

‘Do not be disheartened,’ said Anatheria. She moved from her chair to sit on the couch beside Caledor, laying a hand on his knee. ‘I spoke with Carathril and he told me of what happens in Cothique. It is not your fault that the people suffer. You did the right thing.’

‘I know that,’ said Caledor. ‘I do not regret my decision.’

‘And if Athel Toralien has fallen, you can expect reinforcements from the colonies.’

‘They have not yet arrived,’ said Caledor. ‘The only cause for delay can be reluctance. I fear that with the Naggarothi driven from Elthin Arvan, the leaders of the other cities are not so concerned with the fate of Ulthuan.’

‘As king you must make it their concern,’ said Anatheria.

Caledor nodded in half-hearted fashion.

‘We shall see,’ said the king. ‘Let us see what tomorrow brings.’

Tomorrow brought an overcast sky and a chill wind as Dorien and Caledor flew south to Vaul’s Anvil, greatest shrine to the crippled Smith God of the elves. The evening was settling fast when Caledor saw a bright fire in the distance. Situated at the very end of the Dragon Spine range, separated by a wide valley from the rest of the mountains, a solitary peak cast its shadow over the water’s edge, shrouded with cloud and fume. To the northern slope the dragons turned, where steps were carved into the black rock, winding back and forth up the steep incline leading to a carved opening flanked by two gigantic pillars. Atop the columns were statues of bent-legged Vaul; on the left the god of craftsmen laboured over an anvil, a hammer of thunderbolts in his hand; on the right he was bound in chains, weeping over the Sword of Khaine he had forged.

Before these pillars landed the dragons. Their arrival did not go unnoticed, and acolytes garbed in heavy aprons and thick gloves came out of the shrine’s opening to assist the dragon princes in dismounting.

‘Your arrival is unexpected,’ said one of the young elves, his undamaged eyes wide with surprise. ‘Is it Hotek you seek?’

‘It is,’ said Caledor. ‘Take us to him.’

‘He is busy at the moment,’ replied the acolyte. ‘He and the principal smiths have been working hard in the inner sanctum. I shall send word that you are here.’

Caledor permitted himself and Dorien to be led into the caves of the shrine. They were taken to a side chamber whose smooth rock walls were covered with thick tapestries showing the various labours of Vaul and his priests forging weapons for Aenarion. The sound of hammers rang through the bare corridors and the smell of sulphur tainted every breath.

The two princes waited for some time, each keeping his thoughts unsaid, until they were stirred by the echo of raised voices. The words could not be discerned through the distortion of the shrine’s maze of chambers and tunnels, but there was anger in the tone.

‘Hotek seems displeased to have guests,’ said Dorien with a smile.

‘This is something more,’ said Caledor, standing up.

As the king got to his feet, a scream of pain rang down through the shrine followed by panicked cries. Caledor dashed from the chamber, sword drawn from his belt, Dorien close behind.

After a short distance, they came upon another room, lined with barrels. A surprised acolyte greeted them with wide eyes.

‘Where is Hotek?’ demanded Caledor.

The acolyte dumbly pointed to one of the two doors leading from the other side of the room and the Phoenix King ran on as more screams sounded from the shrine’s depths.

They came out into a wide cavern, split by a river of fire over which a narrow bridge arched. More statues of Vaul flanked the crossing, each bearing the lightning-bolt hammer in upraised fist. On the far side of the chasm, through the fire and haze of the lava river, elves clad in the robes and accoutrements of priests struggled with each other.

Caledor dashed across the bridge with Dorien at his heels. Reaching the height of the span, he saw two huge bronze doors were open in the wall at the far side of the chamber. Beyond flickered the light of furnaces, and he could feel the trickle of magic seeping from the open portal.

Running down the other side of the bridge, Caledor was unsure what was happening. There were almost a dozen priests fighting, some with forge hammers, others with knives or swords snatched from the armouries. A few wrestled with bare hands, trying to drag their opponents towards the fire chasm. Four bodies lay between the two sides, blood pooling on the bare rock.

Caledor did not know with which group to side. There were five priests holding the path to the open doors and the others were trying to get past. He did not know if the traitors were attempting to seize the inner shrine, or if they were the ones stopping any interference.

‘Make way for the Phoenix King,’ bellowed Dorien, running past Caledor with sword in hand, answering the question for him. The priests trying to get into the sanctum forge parted; the others closed ranks against the Caledorian prince.

Dorien ducked under a swung hammer and drove the point of his sword into the wielder’s gut. Caledor reached him, charging shoulder-first into another traitor priest, sending him tumbling to the ground. His sword found the priest’s chest, opening up ribs and breastbone with a trail of fire.

Behind him the other priests rallied, charging into the elves holding the door with fierce shouts. The air crackled with magical energy as rune-etched blades and hammers clashed. Caledor hacked the leg from another foe and leapt over him as he fell. Without a glance at the others, he sprinted into the inner sanctum.

The shrine room was a large cavern overlooking the main crater of Vaul’s Anvil. A sea of fire boiled, kept at bay by magical wards, redirected into the furnaces lining one side of the temple-forge. There were several anvils and workbenches, but at the centre of the room was the main altar-anvil. Gilded and carved with runes, it glowed with mystical power, the force of it stopping Caledor in his stride. Several acolytes were hurrying out of a side entrance, carrying what appeared to be pieces of black armour.

Caledor spared them only a glance. Behind the altar-anvil stood Hotek.

He was clad in his ceremonial robes, bare arms covered with enchanted torcs and bracelets, an iron collar about his throat. In his left hand he held a sword, its blade like a sliver of midnight, a black streak in the air. In his right he hefted the Hammer of Vaul, used for the forging of the elves’ greatest artefacts, its golden head inscribed with lightning bolts.

‘Surrender!’ shouted Caledor, taking a step.

‘Stay where you are,’ warned Hotek, raising the Hammer of Vaul above his head.

‘What have you done?’ said the Phoenix King, circling slowly to his right, seeking to get between Hotek and the tunnel down which the acolytes had fled.

‘Who was it that crippled our god?’ said the priest, a manic edge to his voice. ‘Who was it that bound him to his anvil to labour on the deadliest of weapons?’

‘Khaine,’ replied Caledor, knowing the myth well.

‘And who are you to do the same to me?’ said Hotek. ‘Why labour for the servant when one can labour for the master?’

‘You are in league with the druchii,’ said Caledor, taking a few steps closer to the priest.

‘The “Dark Ones”?’ laughed Hotek. ‘How simplistic! You are blinded by your name-calling. They serve a greater purpose and will see our people restored to greatness.’

‘What purpose?’ asked Caledor, edging closer still.

‘To rule the world, of course,’ said Hotek.

‘What did Morathi offer you?’ Caledor was almost within reach of the priest, a leap and a slash of his sword away from ending this. He hesitated, wanting to hear the reply. He heard a shout from Dorien at the doorway and turned briefly to wave him back. ‘What could a servant of Vaul desire?’

‘The secrets of the dwarfs,’ replied Hotek. ‘I have tried for an age to understand the workings of their runes, but they defy me. But with the power of true magic, the strength of sorcery, I have prised those secrets from the dwarfen trinkets. The power will be mine and with it I shall surpass even the Dragontamer in my accomplishments for Vaul.’

‘You are corrupt,’ said Caledor. ‘Everything you have made is tainted.’

The Phoenix King tensed, ready for the lunge.

‘I am blind but still see your intent,’ shrieked Hotek. ‘I warned you!’

The priest brought the hammer down onto the anvil with all his strength. The cavern filled with an explosion of light and heat. The shrine reverberated with an almighty crack, as if at the centre of a storm cloud, the floor and walls shaking with the detonation. Forks of energy flared from the anvil, blinding Caledor. A bolt struck him in the shoulder, sending him spinning to the ground, sword falling from his numbed grasp.

Through streaming eyes, Caledor saw Hotek unharmed, running into the side tunnel. Dizzy from the wave of power that had smashed into him, the Phoenix King stumbled and fell as he tried to get to his feet. He raised a gauntlet to his top lip and saw blood on his finger from his nose. His ears rang with the after-echoes of the hammer’s striking and blotches of white swam across his vision.

Rolling over to see how Dorien fared, he saw his brother lying against one of the open doors, head to one side. For a moment the Phoenix King feared his brother dead, neck snapped, but Dorien moaned weakly and lifted a hand to the side of his helm.

The surviving priests and acolytes came running into the room. Their calls came as distant, tinny shrieks and Caledor could not understand a word that was said to him. He allowed himself to be hauled to his feet, head spinning. He waved the priests towards the tunnel where Hotek had fled, but they shook their heads vehemently, their arguments lost amidst the rushing in Caledor’s ears and the pounding of his heart.

A thorough search of Hotek’s chambers uncovered a series of journals and a number of strange artefacts the priests identified as crude experiments in rune-forging. The most recent manuscripts were missing, presumably removed by Hotek’s followers, but Caledor sat down with the others and spent the night reading them while Dorien went with the priests in a search of the tunnel labyrinth that criss-crossed the volcanic rock into which the shrine had been carved.

They returned shortly after dawn, reporting failure.

‘None knows the tunnels better than Hotek,’ said one of the priests. ‘He has spent centuries exploring them. I fear he had his escape long-planned and even an army would not find him, and we have only two dozen at best to search.’

‘Where do you think he will go?’ said Dorien.

‘To his masters, and mistress, in Nagarythe,’ said Caledor, lifting up a journal. ‘Morathi ensnared him with pride and curiosity long before the war began. She gave him dwarfen treasures to investigate, a riddle she knew he could not solve. When he reported failure, she sent one of her sorceresses to aid him. With dark magic they unlocked some of the rune-forging secrets and Hotek was trapped upon a traitor’s path.’

‘He has spent many years on a secret labour,’ said the priest, looking through one of the leather-bound volumes. ‘He has kept meticulous notes, but I cannot decipher many of them; they refer to practices of dark magic and sacrifice that I do not understand.’

‘He is making a suit of armour,’ said Caledor. ‘I saw his followers fleeing with it, and his journal speaks of such an endeavour beginning just as the war with the Naggarothi started. For what purpose he did not record. The other priests under his control have been using the forge to supply the druchii with enchanted weapons, and diverted the arms shipments to Nagarythe.’

‘It is a long treachery,’ said Dorien, ‘and an injurious one at that.’

‘He has taken the Hammer of Vaul,’ added the priest. ‘Without it, our forging is much diminished. Hotek was the most accomplished of us, and now the greatest enchantments are lost, no doubt to be turned against us by the druchii.’

‘It is a sour year indeed,’ said Dorien. ‘It seems the forces arrayed against us continue to grow, while we are sapped of our strength.’

‘Yes,’ said Caledor, nodding mournfully.

‘We must find a way to strike back, even the balance,’ said Dorien.

For the first time since becoming Phoenix King, Caledor felt the task ahead impossible. For every victory he had won, the enemy came again. Every advantage he thought he possessed – the dragons, the mages of Saphery, the power of the Everqueen, the artifices of Vaul – had been taken from him. Not in thirteen years of war had he considered defeat, but now he could not see how victory might be gained.

He looked at Dorien, saw faith and determination written in his brother’s expression. The priests of Vaul waited expectantly, perhaps with some desperation, for the Phoenix’s King’s reply. He had no answer for them. There was no grand strategy that would turn the current situation. He felt helpless and hopeless, and the burden of duty weighed more heavily upon him than ever before.

‘We fight on,’ he said, the words sounding hollow in his head but bringing encouragement to the others.

The burning would not stop. It raged in Malekith’s mind long after his body was dead to the pain of the flames. Had his father felt like this? Is this what drove him to the Sword of Khaine, to escape the touch of Asuryan’s blessing?

The thought calmed the prince of Nagarythe. As his father had endured, so would he. What was his torment but another chance to prove his superiority? When he next stood before the princes to declare his right to be Phoenix King none of them would argue. It would be plain for them to see the strength of his character. Who of them could deny that he had passed Asuryan’s test? He smiled at the thought, cracked flesh creasing across the remains of his face.

Their resistance was fuelled by jealousy. The usurper, Bel Shanaar, had groomed Imrik like a prize stallion, though in truth he was nothing more than a plodding mule. The other princes had been blinded to the truth by the whispers of Bel Shanaar. When the evidence of Malekith’s acceptance by Asuryan was presented, they would see through the falsehoods woven by the Caledorian and his supporters. Perhaps even Imrik would bend his knee, as Malekith had so graciously done at the foot of Bel Shanaar.

The curtain surrounding the bed stirred and Morathi bent over him. Malekith tried to rise to kiss her cheek but his body failed him. A spasm of pain along his spine trapped him beneath the covers, as though a great weight was laid upon him. His mouth twisted into a snarl of anguish.

‘Be still, my beautiful son,’ said Morathi, laying a hand on his brow. ‘I have someone you should greet.’

An emaciated elf moved up beside Malekith’s mother, face almost white, eyes pale and unseeing though they fixed upon the prince.

‘Greetings, your majesty,’ he said. ‘I am Hotek.’

The memory of the name surfaced through the fires of Malekith’s mind. The priest of Vaul. The one who would restore him. If he was here, that meant...

‘It is ready?’ said Malekith, voice cracking with joy. ‘It is time?’

‘Not yet,’ said Morathi. ‘Caledor chased Hotek from his shrine and he has come to Anlec to finish his work.’

‘The interruption, the loss of the shrine, have added perhaps only a year to my labours,’ said the priest. ‘Yes, I am confident. Four more years and the work will be done.’

Four years? The prospect made the flames rage through Malekith’s thoughts. Four more years imprisoned within this husk of a body. Four more years could see his armies destroyed, his kingdom overthrown. Why did the torment have to continue?

In the chambers below, the elves going about the palace paused as a piercing cry of agony and woe rang through the rooms and corridors. Shrugging, thinking that Morathi tormented some fresh victim for purpose or pleasure, they continued in their work without a second thought.

Looking at the tips of her fingers, Illeanith wondered if the black stain had spread since the day before. Her fingernails were utterly black and the flesh of her fingertips a darkening grey, touchless as she tapped them gently along the flat of her dagger’s thin blade. It was not just her fingers that disturbed her – something sat in the pit of her stomach, a malign presence that seemed to be feeding from her, draining her strength and spirit. Only the dark magic kept it suppressed, and only the dark magic kept back the necrotism crawling up her fingers.

The gagged sacrifice looked at her with wide tear-filled eyes, the blue of them ever so bright in the candlelight. He had stopped struggling against the iron chains that bound him to the stone altar and now watched Illeanith carefully, eyes returning again and again to the rune-carved knife in her hands.

‘Your death will have a greater purpose than your life,’ she told her captive. He was a tailor, she remembered. He had once fashioned a silk cloak for her father, Thyriol. She looked at his hands, so slender and nimble as they had wielded thread and needle. ‘Those lovely fingers, when they twitch their last, will bring life back to mine.’

He was naked, his skin already prepared with the unguents and runes she had learnt from the grimoire. She had studied its pages at length, in secret, and knew many of the incantations by rote. This one was trickier, incorporating not just elvish words, but phrases and noises from the Dark Tongue, the language of daemons and the beasts of Chaos.

Illeanith read aloud, moving the point of her knife to the prisoner’s throat. She stopped, distracted, trying to remember the unfortunate’s name. It did not matter. She pushed aside the thought and started again, this time more forcefully, concentrating on every syllable.

As she spoke, the brands and scars upon the prisoner’s flesh began to weep a thin stream of blood. He grunted in pain, teeth gritted, chest heaving. Illeanith ignored him, focussing on the enunciation of every verse, ensuring that she spoke every word precisely and correctly. She could feel the dark magic gathering in the chamber, seeping up from the lower levels of the tower like a tree drawing nourishment from its roots.

The coils of dark energy mingled with the blood, turning it to a deeper red. The prisoner was panting heavily, eyes roaming the room as tenebrous shapes gathered around the white-painted rafters and shadows coiled across the bare pale stones of the walls.

Finishing her incantation, Illeanith gently slid the dagger into the captive’s throat. He gurgled and died, slumping to the slab without any undue fuss. Blood bubbled from the wound as the sorceress placed the dagger to one side. Illeanith dipped her fingers into the crimson stream and quickly drew a rune upon each of her cheeks with the thick fluid. The bloody runes upon the body were glowing now, their gleam edged with a disturbing darkness, flowing together to form a shifting aura of power.

‘Mistress!’

Illeanith turned, scowling as one of her acolytes burst into the chamber. She snapped at him to get out and returned her attention to the ceremony.

‘Something approaches from the north, mistress,’ said the acolyte. ‘A strange cloud that does not move with the wind.’

Illeanith stopped just as she was dipping her fingers into the sheen of magical energy encasing the body. She took a breath, ignoring the concerns that suddenly crowded her thoughts, and wove a sigil with her fingertips. Where they passed, her hands left trails of glimmering darkness.

She stopped, uttered a few final words and drew the magical energy into herself.

‘It is Saphethion, mistress.’

Illeanith knew this already. Now was not the time to be distracted. She shuddered, a low mewl escaping her lips as the life force of the dead elf flowed into her body. The thing lurking in her gut subsided and she held up her hands, watching the greyness recede. Still there was a faint darkness about her skin and nails, the corruption not wholly expunged by the spell.

She turned to her acolyte, picking up her knife. She saw others crowding at the doorway.

‘I said I was not to be interrupted,’ Illeanith told him.

‘But mistress, Saphethion...’

Illeanith rammed the dagger under the acolyte’s ribs, puncturing his lungs. He collapsed to the stone floor with a gasp. The sorceress looked at the others in her cabal.

‘No interruptions,’ she snapped. ‘Do you want be torn apart by daemons, or dragged to the Realm of Chaos?’

‘We have to leave here,’ said Andurial. ‘The floating city will be here before dusk.’

‘No,’ said Illeanith. ‘We have prepared. We do not run any more.’

‘We cannot face the might of Saphethion,’ said the sorcerer. ‘It is folly. We have not heard from the others. We may be the last of our kin to remain in Saphery.’

‘And if we leave, we shall never return,’ said Illeanith. She strode out of the chamber, Andurial and the adepts falling behind her as she made her way to the staircase that spiralled up to the tower’s roof. ‘We shall show them that we are not defeated yet. Morathi has promised support and we will not fail her.’

From the flat roof of the tower, Illeanith could see the length of the valley stretching northward. The slopes were covered with snow, a uniform blanket of whiteness that lay across the frozen streams and dark boulders, swathed fir forests and hid the caverns and lodges that dotted the mountainsides.

Against the grey sky there was a lighter patch of cloud, tinged with a golden gleam that had nothing to do with the sun dipping below the peaks to the west. Illeanith watched it for a while, her followers silently standing behind her.

‘Bring up all of the prisoners we have left,’ she said, looking at her acolytes. ‘You know what to do.’

‘We can still get away,’ said Andurial. ‘The tunnels beneath the tower lead to the south. Why stay to be trapped like rats?’

‘They killed my son!’ snarled Illeanith. ‘He killed my son, his own grandson. I will make him pay for such a crime with blood. Cease your cowardly doubts and begin the preparations.’

From his own pinnacle at the heart of Saphethion, Thyriol looked south towards the citadel jutting from the forested slope of Anul Tinrainnith. He could feel the dark magic that haunted this place and knew that he had correctly divined Illeanith’s hiding place. She was the last of the sorcerers and sorceresses that had turned against him. And she had come here, to the tower where she had been born. It was so predictable, Thyriol was a little disappointed.

In the valley below, covered by the shadow of the floating city, four thousand archers and spearmen marched towards the tower. Thyriol suspected that Illeanith had followers of her own who would fight – cultists and agents of the undergods, friends who had remained loyal after her treachery, locals bewitched or threatened into service. For all that, the ruler of Saphery knew that this battle was unlikely to be decided by an arrow or spearpoint. Magic was the weapon both sides had employed, and it was magic that had laid waste to so much of his kingdom.

Even though it was his daughter he faced, Thyriol had no thought of mercy for the sorceress he was to face. She was blighted by her hunger for power, and countless were the lives that had been taken on her quest to master the darker arts. Thyriol could detect the taint of blood sacrifice in the winds of magic.

As the sun was almost set, the sky coloured deep red and purple to the west, Saphethion reached the tower. Thousands of magical lanterns gleamed from the windows of the city, creating an artificial field of multicoloured stars over the valley.

The tower also shone, with light of unnatural yellow hue and forbidding red. The ruddy glow dappled the snow-tipped trees and reflected from the icy slopes above.

In the chambers beneath the palace, the mages of Thyriol gathered to begin their work. He could picture them now, gathered in a circle around the giant crystal at the centre of Saphethion, clad in white robes, laden with charms and bracelets, crowns and rings; the chanting would be calm and quiet, slowly drawing the magic of the world into the shining diamond-like heart of the city.

In contrast the mountainside and the tower’s courtyard echoed with pained screams and shrill incantations. Thyriol felt the churning of dark magic below as his followers brought Saphethion closer to the citadel. Beasts of the mountains bayed and howled as they were let free to run amok in the valley. Hoarse shouts announced the emergence of a column of black-armoured warriors from the tower’s gate, their jagged spearpoints gleaming in the flickering light of torches.

He let his mind touch upon that of Menreir, who was leading the ceremony within the city’s depths. All was ready and he commanded his followers to unleash the power of Saphethion’s heart.

Magic crackled across the city, leaping in sparks and bolts from the tips of the towers, crackling along a latticework of crystal woven into the structure of every building upon Saphethion’s craggy foundation. The city shone like a star for a moment as the magic blazed along streets and across rooftops.

The crystal lodes within the city’s bedrock glittered into life, bathing the tower below with white light. Thyriol gave the order and the mages unleashed the fury of Saphery.

Blue lightning rained down upon the tower, forks of magical energy streaming from the underside of Saphethion. Bricks exploded and roof tiles shattered, stones crumbled and flagstones erupted into splinters under the onslaught. The magical storm raged across the walls and towers, flaring in intensity before dimming and then flaring again. Gatehouses collapsed, their thick doors turned to ash, their ramparts hurled into the air.

Yet the central spire remained untouched, surrounded by a miasma of curling black energy that leached away the power of the magical onslaught. Illeanith knew well the power of Saphethion, had learnt the enchantments that powered the city, and had devised counterspells to protect her cabal.

More than this, she knew the city’s weaknesses too.

Thyriol felt the surge of dark magic and almost retched at the sensation as dozens of sacrifices were made, their bloody, horrific deaths sending a pulse of noxious energy through the winds of magic.

Balls of fire erupted from Illeanith’s towers, hurled upwards on columns of dark energy powered by the blood of the slain. They crashed into the rock of Saphethion, smashing the crystal conduits, shattering the geodes and channels that linked the city’s magical web together.

For a long time the two sides battled, exchanging lightning and fire that melted the snow and set fires in the forest on the slope above the tower. The sounds of fighting drifted up from the valley where Thyriol’s soldiers met the followers of Illeanith.

Saphethion slid over the tower like an eclipse in reverse, obscuring the citadel from Thyriol’s view. The city shuddered with the impact of every magical bolt and hummed with the power of high magic. Around him the mages fought for control of the winds of magic, wrestling with the followers of Illeanith below, each trying to draw in more power than the other. Thyriol had his mages and the crystal heart of Saphethion; Illeanith had her cabal with their bloody knives and a seemingly endless stream of victims to sacrifice.

Slowly Thyriol won the duel, the vortex raging and swirling around the floating city as he struggled for control. The fires from the tower diminished and then died out altogether, yet still the dark shield around the central keep held firm against the renewed storm of Saphethion.

Thyriol called for the attack to cease and left his tower for the courtyard. Here servants waited with his pegasus. Mounting the winged steed, the Sapherian prince flew high above Saphethion, joined by dozens of lesser mages on the backs of giant eagles and more pegasi.

With blazing staff in hand, he signalled for them to descend on the tower.

Illeanith watched the mages cascading over the edge of the city towards her, each holding a gleaming staff and burning sword.

She had miscalculated.

‘Turn them back,’ she snapped at her followers. She waved a dagger at the remaining sacrifices, no more than a dozen left amidst the slaughter atop the tower. ‘Use them all.’

She hurried down the stairs to her chambers as the snap of magical lightning and the shriek of the sacrifices erupted from the tower roof. Wrapping a thick cloak about her shoulders, she hastily filled a bag with books and sorcerous accoutrements. The sounds of her adepts dying rang down from above and she quickened her pace, dashing down the steps towards the catacombs. The tower shuddered again, sending plaster dust showering from the ceiling. Debris filled the stairways and passages, and twice she had to use her powers to clear a route, blasting through the obstacles with raw bolts of magic.

As Illeanith descended the ebb and flow of magic increased. The stones of the tower vibrated with energy and the air was thick with dark power seeping up from the rocks below. Flames crackled and unnatural wails sounded from above.

She heard her father shouting her name, his voice echoing along galleries and down stairwells. Illeanith did not hesitate in her flight, slamming shut a portcullis behind her with a wave of her hand as she ran into a rough-hewn chamber under the citadel. With a few prepared words, she muttered an incantation as she ran. The rock walls throbbed with power and the ground rumbled for several heartbeats. With a deafening crack the ceiling behind her collapsed, sealing the vault.

Ahead the dark tunnels stretched under the mountains. She pulled a wand from her belt and its tip gleamed with power, the light bouncing from moist walls and the uneven, puddle-littered floor. The drip and trickle of water was everywhere.

It was not the end she had anticipated, but she was not yet dead. Illeanith was not so proud that she could not admit defeat. One day she would avenge herself upon her father.

As she reached a fork in the tunnels she felt the surge of magic and heard a pounding against the rockfall she had created. Her pursuers were not far behind and it was a long way to Nagarythe.

SIXTEEN

A NEW POWER

As before, the war had ground to a stalemate. Still reeling from the shock of Hotek’s betrayal, Caledor was heartened by news from Saphery. Thyriol and his mages had triumphed over the druchii and driven them from the kingdom, though much of Saphery had been devastated by the magical battles that had raged and most of the dark practitioners, including his daughter, had survived to blight the world with their evil magic. The sorcerers and sorceresses had fled, presumably to Nagarythe, and the prince was quick to invite Caledor to a fresh council in his palaces to discuss their next move.

The princes gathered at Caledor’s summons, and they marvelled at the floating citadel of Thyriol. Though its white towers bore the scars of bitter fighting, the huge gliding edifice was awe-inspiring as it lifted from the ground, the assembled princes on the palace balconies with their retinues watching the world drop away below them.

As the castle drifted over the hills of Saphery, Thyriol called the council together. Representatives from all of the kingdoms save for Nagarythe and Tiranoc were present; even Yvraine had deigned to send a delegation to speak on her behalf, though for the most part they spoke only to say that the Everqueen could do little else to help in the war and all of her attention was focussed on the rebirth of Avelorn. She had done it before, after the war of the daemons, and seemed content to let the war rage across Ulthuan without further interference.

Pledges were renewed, by Caledor and the princes. The sacrifice of Cothique had been a hard blow to the princes, who had feared that their own kingdoms would suffer a similar fate. True to his word, Caledor had not allowed the druchii to spread beyond Cothique, and with the securing of Saphery there was general consensus that the war in the eastern kingdoms had reached a plateau. This was not to the liking of Tithrain.

‘You speak as if we were at peace,’ said the prince of Cothique. ‘My people still suffer misery and torment at the hands of the Khainite horde unleashed upon them. Do not make the same mistakes we did and believe the threat has passed. One day, maybe not for many years but as sure as the sun rises, the druchii will bore of the sport they make of my people. They will come for yours, and where then should I lend my support?’

‘You make a good point,’ said Finudel. ‘I would gladly lead the army of Ellyrion across the Inner Sea and attack from Saphery. If others strike from Yvresse, we would trap the druchii between us and see to their destruction for good.’

‘A worthy plan,’ said Carvalon. ‘As neighbour to Cothique, Yvresse does not sleep soundly knowing that the druchii could be at our doors at any time. Give me a year and I will assemble as many companies as I can. I will draw such troops from the colonies as can be spared’

‘A year?’ cried Tithrain. ‘A year more of torture and sacrifice for those I swore to protect!’

‘A year,’ repeated Carvalon. He looked at the other princes and received nods of agreement, and finally turned to Caledor. ‘If the Phoenix King wishes it, of course.’

Caledor regarded the faces of those sat in Thyriol’s throne room. He saw determination, expressions grown hard from the time he had first set eyes on many of them more than a decade before. Then, at the outset of the war, the threat had seemed distant, perhaps even imagined. Now they had all seen the menace posed by the druchii. The marshalling of armies was quickening, as the common folk of every realm suffered daily the tales of woe brought about by the Naggarothi. Those who had long professed a love of peace were now resigned to bloodshed.

‘I agree,’ said Caledor. ‘A year from now, the kingdoms will join together as we should have done long ago. We will drive the enemy from Cothique. When that is done, we shall turn our eyes westwards and free Tiranoc from its overlords. Nagarythe shall be isolated.’

The year passed without great incident. Rumour abounded of fighting in Nagarythe, and Caledor heard stories that the followers of Alith Anar had renewed their war against Morathi’s troops. As the princes lent their full backing to Caledor and used all of their political might and skill, ships of elves came back across the Great Ocean, from Elthin Arvan and further afield, ready to serve the Phoenix King. Most were of second and third generation colonists, who were setting foot on Ulthuan for the first time. They brought a strange atmosphere of optimism, their visions of their homeland coloured with nostalgia, free from the taint of war’s reality.

The druchii were not entirely idle. They continued to make forays into Chrace, seeking to take the kingdom and link Cothique with Nagarythe by land; the Eataine fleet still ruled the seas and frequently intercepted ships taking supplies back to the Naggarothi kingdom from the occupied eastern lands.

From those freed in these boarding actions, the Phoenix King’s followers learned of the terrors unleashed upon Cothique. The druchii were ruled over by a savage Khainite priestess called Hellebron, herself a child of the colonies. The populace had been enslaved, set to work in the fields and mines with whips upon their backs, to provide food and ore for Nagarythe. All resistance had been broken. Any elf that so much as looked wrongly at the druchii overseers was dragged to the temples of Khaine that had sprung up across the kingdom.

Fear ruled Cothique and the slaves believed they had been abandoned. Without hope of succour, many had turned to the druchii way, embracing their dark worship of the cytharai, and so turned upon family and friends.

It was this news that most disturbed Caledor. The slightest hint that cooperation with the druchii was possible could not be allowed. The alliance between the kingdoms was fragile. A fresh setback would splinter everything that had been built, common cause divided by selfish interest.

Caledor did not sleep well for that year. He expected to hear of a new druchii attack at any moment, and since the episode at Vaul’s Anvil, he suffered occasional seizures of the mind and body brought about by after-effects from the blast of the Hammer of Vaul. He missed Thyrinor’s friendly counsel, and longed for the solitude he had once enjoyed. He returned once to Tor Caled, but could not find respite from his worries; Dorien and the rest of his family were a constant source of distraction and interruption, and after only a few short days Caledor left for the sanctuary of the Isle of the Flame.

The ministrations of Mianderin and his priests did little to improve the Phoenix King’s disposition, but at least the Shrine of Asuryan was quiet. The silent Phoenix Guard continued their vigil, but their presence, and their reluctance to speak of his fate, added to Caledor’s frustrations. He spent a long time standing on the shore, looking out across the calm waters of the Inner Sea, seeking some source of stability, some spark of hope.

Mianderin found him there one day, gazing at the sunset.

‘Not even Aenarion knew such troubles as you,’ said the high priest.

‘You knew him?’ replied Caledor, surprised.

‘No,’ said Mianderin, with a lopsided smile. ‘I was speaking figuratively.’

The Phoenix King snorted with disappointment and returned to looking at the orange-dappled waves.

‘The enemy was clear for Aenarion,’ the priest continued, ignoring Caledor’s rebuff. ‘When we fight ourselves, when do we know we have been victorious?’

Caledor said nothing, but stopped short of telling the priest to leave him alone.

‘What you fight is a taint, a malaise of the spirit,’ said Mianderin, stepping up beside the Phoenix King. ‘It is not something you can pierce with a spear or cut with a sword. Aenarion was victorious not because of the weapons he wielded, but because of the symbol he became. He could not defeat the daemons alone, but he fought and that inspired others. They invested him with their hopes, and that made them real.’

‘You have a point?’ snapped Caledor.

‘A question,’ replied the priest. ‘Why does the Phoenix King hide here, away from his subjects?’

Caledor turned and began to walk up the white beach, his back to Mianderin. He had little time for pointless philosophy.

‘Think about it,’ the high priest called after him. ‘When you know the answer to that question, you will know what to do!’

Caledor returned to Yvresse to find a host of warriors awaiting him. True to their oaths, the princes had striven to provide him with an army worthy of the Phoenix King. Nearly thirty thousand elves awaited his command; ten thousand more were with Thyriol and Finudel in Saphery, ready to march across the mountains and attack from the west.

Battle-plans were laid and messenger hawks flew back and forth between the armies as Caledor finalised his strategy. His army would strike fast along the coast, supplied by the Lothern fleet. Cut off from their ships, the druchii would be caught between Caledor’s force and the army arriving from Saphery. As a last measure, Koradrel was despatched back to Chrace to shore up the defences of his kingdom, lest the druchii launch an offensive from Nagarythe to link up with their army beset in Cothique.

The appointed day came, early in the summer. Caledor felt something of his old pride as he mounted Maedrethnir and watched the column moving along the coastal road. Years of reaction and inaction had sapped his will, but on this morning he felt in control of his destiny again. Should the campaign go well, his army would be well poised to march through Chrace and take the fight to Nagarythe.

Two dragons had been sent to Chrace and two more to Saphery. The rest of the dragon riders took to the skies alongside their king, Dorien amongst them, and for the first time in many years Caledor was greeted by cheers from the elves below.

The Phoenix King looked down at the winding river of silver and white moving between the deep blue of the sea and the lush green of Yvresse’s forested hills. From on high he remembered the beauty of an army on the march; for a moment he was happy. The feeling passed as he remembered he marched not against savage beastmen or crude orcs, but against his fellow elves. The thought did not sadden him, but roused in him a deep resentment. The ambition of the Naggarothi had turned him into a kinslayer, and for that he could never forgive them.

The army crossed into Cothique unopposed. What they found was more disheartening than any army set to fight them. Villages lay ruined, the doors of houses and farms broken in, occupants dragged from their homes. Fresh bodies littered the roads and fields. Huge flocks of crows and other carrion eaters wheeled in the skies, while the settlements the elves came across were almost overrun with swarms of rats gorged on the feast left by the druchii.

There seemed no sense to the slaughter. Fields had not been razed and the storehouses had not been looted. Some of the dead showed signs of ritual sacrifice, chest splayed open and organs removed and piles of burned bones, but most were simply slain and left to rot, throats slit and guts carved open.

As they moved further into the kingdom, the presence of Khaine’s worship became more pronounced. Caledor’s followers came across shrines bedecked with bones and entrails, the altar stones notched with many strikes of the sacrificial knives. Here the pyres had burned high, and mounds of blackened bones dotted the countryside. All cheer at the prospect of reclaiming Cothique drained away and the elves marched in stolid silence; there were some that were overcome by what they witnessed and broke down in tears, unable to continue the march.

In the larger towns, the carnage was even worse. Squares and plazas were choked with the dead, from newborn to elder. The cobbles were stained red with blood, the walls daubed with gore in the shape of Khaine’s runes. Caledor despatched Carathril and several other messengers back to Yvresse, to seek out priests and priestesses of Ereth Khial to come and make proper preparation of the dead. Caledor did not envy them the task, and knew that many years hence the survivors of Cothique would still be burying their dead.

For several days they marched, and met no resistance. Here and there they came across stunned survivors who had hidden in caves and woods. Some had buried themselves beneath the mounds of the dead to avoid the murderous attention of the druchii. They described the orgies of bloodletting that had swept across the kingdom since the turn of spring. Whole villages had been cut down as the druchii had rampaged through the woods and fields.

It was senseless, even for the atrocities of Khainites; slaying for its own sake.

As more days passed, it became clear that the druchii had not long abandoned Cothique. Further north there were more refugees, first in their dozens, then the hundreds, coming down from the high mountains. Caledor’s host joined with Finudel and Thyriol’s army, who brought with them more than three thousand more elves who had fled the massacre.

‘They have been recalled to Nagarythe,’ said Thyriol. ‘To what purpose, I do not know.’

‘Why such slaughter?’ asked Athielle, who remained stern-faced despite the horrors encountered.

‘Rage,’ replied Thyriol. ‘The Khainites struck out in blind rage, perhaps angered by the call back to Nagarythe. Knowing they were going to leave, they resolved to kill as many as possible before they went.’

The grim news did not cease. They came to Anirain, the capital, and found it a burned husk, the walls cast down, every building razed nearly to the foundations. The tangled mass of bodies in every home and shop, every tower and palace gave testament to what had happened; locked inside by the Khainites, more than ten thousand elves had been burned alive as their city was put to the torch. Such was the charnel stench that the army was forced to move away; desertions amongst the companies increased significantly as distraught elves fled back to their homes in their hundreds.

Caledor’s mood matched the devastation that surrounded him. Eight days earlier he had found a glimmer of optimism, a seed of hope that might be nurtured into victory. Such thoughts were far from his mind as he watched soldiers with scarves wrapped across their faces carrying the dead from the ruins; a labour that seemed like it would take an age.

His anger was spent. There was no ire left for those who had committed such slaughter, its scale too vast to comprehend, its evil too dark to contemplate. Caledor took himself away from the army and with Maedrethnir flew up into the mountains. Asking leave of the dragon, he found a quiet mountain lake and sat at its rim, staring at his reflection.

He wept for the whole night. From sunset to sunrise, Caledor gave vent to the grief that had built within him for thirteen years. He shed tears for the dead, for his cousin Thyrinor and the thousands of others whose lives had been claimed. He cried for his son, for a world he would grow into that allowed such things to pass. And at the last, the Phoenix King of the elves wept for himself, out of pity and weakness and raw despair.

When the sun rose, he gathered his thoughts and flew back to his army. The world had not ended and the druchii had not yet won. The withdrawal of the army from Cothique clearly signalled some new shift in the war; one for which Caledor was determined to be prepared.

The lamenting of the prisoners rebounded from the rough stone walls, moans and wails of misery amplified by the great dungeon in which they were chained. Several black-robed elves stood over the captives with curved daggers in hand, the blades shining with grim runes.

In one wall a cell housed a furnace, its coals kept hot by a bellows worked by two scar-backed slaves. Beside the forge stood Hotek in his full panoply, the Hammer of Vaul in hand, a sheaf of parchments in the other. He studied his notes as Morathi swept into the room followed by three sorceresses. Behind them came more slaves, their eyes put out so they could not see the burden they carried.

On a bier strapped to the bent backs of the elves rode Malekith. His wasted form was propped up by silk cushions, a blood-flecked sheet across him to hide his ravaged body. His eyes stared from a mask of blackened flesh, and the prisoners’ wailing increased in volume at the hideous sight. At Morathi’s command, the slaves lowered the prince’s seat in the centre of the chamber before being driven out of the dungeon by the lashes of their overseer.

‘He will need to stand,’ said Hotek, glancing with dead eyes at the reclining prince.

‘I cannot,’ whispered Malekith. ‘The flames took my strength from me.’

‘Not for much longer,’ said the priest of Vaul with a sly smile. ‘Soon you will be stronger than ever.’

‘I will give you the strength,’ said Morathi.

She strode up to one of the prisoners and grabbed her long hair, dragging the bedraggled elf to her feet. With her other hand, Morathi gestured to the acolyte beside her and received the adept’s dagger.

The sorceress-queen began an incantation, the words harsh, spat from reddened lips like curses. The prisoner writhed weakly in her grasp, eyes roaming the dungeon for escape. With a quick gesture, Morathi drew the dagger across her captive’s throat and handed it back to the acolyte. Holding up the drooping corpse by the hair, she cupped her free hand and filled it with blood gushing from the wound. This she swallowed, smearing her face with crimson.

A tenebrous presence coalesced around the dead girl, snakes of shadow coiling about her, probing the open wound in her throat. Morathi dragged the body across to Malekith, leaving a trail of blood on the bare stone floor. The shadow-creature followed, tendrils drifting as it did so, seeking the life fluid it craved.

‘Drink,’ said Morathi, using her hand again to catch some of the blood, holding it to Malekith’s lipless mouth. He lapped at the red liquid like an animal, painfully gulping it down.

The shadow slithered along Morathi’s arm, tinged with droplets of blood, sliding across her shoulders to rear up beside Malekith. The formless thing wavered for a moment, dabbing its incorporeal limbs at the blood on the prince’s fleshless chin. When these drops were gone, it contracted, sliding into his open mouth.

Malekith gasped and shuddered, rocking left and right on the bier. His lidless eyes stared at his mother as clenched fists beat at his side. With another rattling hiss, the prince slumped back, fingers twitching. He lay motionless for a moment.

Malekith’s quiet laugh silenced the plaintive noises of the prisoners, chilling their hearts. With deliberate care, the prince sat up, pushing aside the bloodstained sheet.

‘Life from life,’ he said, some of the timbre returned to his voice.

‘It is fleeting,’ warned Morathi, taking her son’s offered hand.

He swung one leg from the bier and then the other. With his mother’s support, Malekith stood, swaying uncertainly. Morathi released her grip and stepped back. The prince took a faltering step, and another, all the while his haunting chuckle echoing from the walls. As his strength returned, he straightened and turned to face Hotek.

‘I am ready.’

The priest nodded and signalled to his attendants. Each of them carried a piece of blackened metal, curved and rune-encrusted. Some were recognisable: breastplate, vambraces, gorget, gauntlets. Others seemed utterly alien, strangely shaped, trailing sheets of black mail or fixed with awkwardly angled hinges.

The first piece was put into the furnace. The slaves were whipped to increase their labours at the bellows. Muttering prayers to Vaul, Hotek fanned the flames with magic, until they burned white-hot. Reaching his bare hand into the fires, he retrieved the piece of armour. Impervious to the heat, he carried it to Malekith, who watched the proceedings with the remains of his brow knotted in concentration.

‘This will burn,’ said Hotek.

Malekith’s reply was a shrill laugh, tinged with madness.

‘I can burn no more,’ whispered the prince. ‘Do it!’

An acolyte brought forwards a smoking rivet in a pair of tongs. Hotek and his assistant crouched, the priest placing the hot piece of metal against Malekith’s flesh with a hiss of vapour. Malekith giggled.

‘Now,’ said Hotek.

The acolyte pushed the rivet into place. With a few whispered words of enchantment, Hotek struck lightly with the Hammer of Vaul, tapping the hot rivet through its prepared hole and into the bone of Malekith.

The prince snarled with pain, and swayed for a moment. He wished he could close his eyes. Instead he set his mind aside, going to the place he had created for himself in the cold depths of his thoughts.

He pictured himself on a golden throne, wearing his father’s armour. Prince after prince came forwards, kneeling to kiss his booted feet while a chorus of maidens sang Malekith’s praises. The sun shone down upon the ceremony, casting stark shadows. In a nearby cage something insubstantial writhed; the shade of Bel Shanaar brought back from Mirai to witness the coronation of the true Phoenix King.

With a start, Malekith was dragged back to reality. Two bodies lay at his feet. His body burned with fresh fire, but it was no more than he had grown used to. Acolytes moved around him, painting blood from the sacrifices into the runes carved upon the pieces of armour put in place, following each curl and line with brushes made of elven hair.

His lower legs and feet were clad in the smoking black iron. He did not remember lifting his feet, but realised he must have done so. He could feel the rivets hammered into heel and toe and laughed at the thought of being shod like a warhorse.

There was chanting. His mother looked on silently, but her adepts’ words swished around the chamber, verses overlapping, creating an arrhythmic harmony of magic. More rivets were driven into the scrawny flesh of his thighs, and links were riveted into place through the sides of his knees.

The pain was becoming too intense again as more of the hot metal was placed against his flesh. It was a physical pain, nothing like the soul-searing agony of Asuryan’s blessing, but it was pain nonetheless and he retreated from it.

A thousand white doves flew into the blue skies to mark his ascension to rulership, while a thousand clarions rang out his tribute.

When next he perceived clearly what was happening, he was clad from foot to neck in the armour. Every part of him trembled. He could feel the energy of the spirit he had consumed slipping away.

‘Too soon,’ he muttered. ‘I am falling.’

Morathi hurriedly beckoned to an adept, who sacrificed another captive and brought the blood to Malekith in a cup of ancient silver. Malekith took the cup and then stopped. He realised he had not held a thing for more than a decade. He examined the fingers of his new hand, each perfectly articulated. He recognised the dwarf-work that inspired the design and smiled to himself. Even now, his great adventures of the past were still bearing fruit.

Drinking the blood, enjoying the flex of the armoured arm as if it were his own flesh, he dropped into pleasant memory; sharing a goblet of wine with his good friend, the High King Snorri Whitebeard.

He remembered the old dwarf’s confused expression. The taste of elven wine was nothing like the brewing of the dwarfs. Snorri had gulped down the glass in one draught. Malekith poured him another and told him to savour it, to let it roll across his tongue and moisten the inside of his cheeks. Always ready to try something new, the High King did as was suggested, making great exhibition of swishing the liquid in and out of his cheeks. He tossed back his head and gargled, making Malekith laugh with surprise.

Smacking his lips, Snorri...

Snorri was dead.

The memory changed and Malekith’s heart sank. He knew that part of him had died with that noble dwarf. Not since had Malekith allowed himself to trust anyone as he had trusted Snorri; not since had he ever allowed himself to know the weakness of friendship. It was too painful, the heartache of loss, and Malekith had lost himself in his grief.

The fires flared anew and Malekith was brought back to the present. A film of red covered his vision. His own blood, he realised.

He blinked.

The simple motion caused him immeasurable joy. The thinnest slivers of black metal had been fashioned into eyelids. Malekith blinked again, and then closed his eyes. He enjoyed the darkness and more time passed.

‘It is done,’ announced Hotek.

Malekith flexed his arms and bent his legs, trying out his new body. It felt like his own flesh, though the burning had not lessened. Half a dozen dead elves lay sprawled at his feet, throats slit, their blood anointed upon his forged form. He could feel their spirits sliding around him, trapped within the runes of the armour.

‘Not finished,’ he said. ‘My crown.’

Hotek looked confused and turned to Morathi for explanation. She summoned an acolyte who brought forth a velvet cushion on which was placed a circlet of dull grey metal, spikes jutting at strange angles like a crown conceived by a lunatic.

Morathi reached a hand towards it, but Malekith grabbed her wrist. She howled in pain and tore free from his grip, backing away. There were burns on her flesh.

‘You cannot touch it,’ said Malekith. ‘It is not yours, it is mine.’

He took up the Circlet of Iron. It felt icy cold to his touch. While Morathi fussed over her burnt wrist, Malekith raised the strange crown to his head and placed it on his brow.

‘Weld it,’ said the prince. ‘Make it a piece of the helm.’

Hotek did as he was bid, striking more rivets into Malekith’s skull before securing the circlet in place with molten metal. Malekith reached up and tugged at the circlet, assuring himself that it could not be removed.

Satisfied, his closed his eyes again. He let his thoughts free from his body, tasting the dark magic seething around the dungeon chamber. He felt the inrushing of power and rode the wave of energy, spearing up through the roof of the chamber, passing through the many floors of his father’s palace like a meteor called back to the stars. Anlec dwindled below him and he shifted from the plane of mortals into a realm of pure magic.

As at the first time he had worn the circlet, he looked at the Realm of Chaos, the domain of the Chaos Gods. On this occasion he had no fear. He materialised in his armoured form, burning white hot, his presence blazing across the dominions of the Chaos Gods as a challenge.

Sentiences not of any mortal recognition stirred. Malekith felt their attention slowly drawn towards him.

‘I am Malekith!’ he declared. A flaming sword appeared in his hand. ‘Son of Aenarion, the daemons’ bane. Hear my name and know me, the rightful king of the elves!’

As a comet of power, he plunged back to his body. The runes of his armour exploded with dark flames as he re-entered his artificial form. He opened his metal eyelids, revealing orbs of black fire.

He looked down at the elves around him. They seemed small and insignificant. His voice echoed strangely from the mask of his helm, filling the room.

‘I have returned,’ he declared. ‘Pay homage to me.’

All present fell to their knees, instantly obedient to his words; save one, who fixed him with an expression of utter happiness.

‘Hail Malekith!’ cried Morathi, golden tears streaming down her face. ‘Hail the Witch King of Ulthuan!’

SEVENTEEN

MORE BLOOD ON THE PLAINS

It was too much to believe that the ambition of Morathi and the druchii had been finally thwarted, though there were some amongst the princes that believed the abandonment of Cothique signalled as much. Carvalon and Tithrain were the chief proponents of this view, arguing that the druchii army had surely been withdrawn to shore up the defence of their home kingdom. They went as far as to suggest that embassies be sent to Nagarythe to initiate discussions for an accord.

Caledor was far from convinced by this argument and warned that not until Morathi had been slain and the druchii brought to their knees would they ever consider any kind of peace. It was a difficult debate, made all the harder for the Phoenix King by his own desire to end the war.

‘It would be the easy answer to believe we are on the brink of victory,’ he confided in Thyriol one evening.

The two of them shared a jug of wine on a balcony of the mage’s floating palace, looking down across the moonlit Inner Sea. So tranquil was the scene, it was almost possible to forget the woes of the past thirteen years. Almost, but not quite. Caledor could not rid himself of the things he had seen, especially the carnage he had witnessed in Cothique.

Thyriol seemed much changed by his personal battles too. His daughter and grandson had turned against him, and he had slain the latter. Several mages Thyriol had once counted close allies, friends even, had been corrupted by the lure of dark magic, and sorrow lay heavily on the Sapherian ruler as he stood beside Caledor at the rail, his shoulders sagging, back bent as if weary with burden.

‘I must concur with your assessment,’ said Thyriol. He let out a drawn sigh and swirled the wine in his goblet, eyes gazing into the distance. ‘We face a foe every bit as irrational and determined as the daemons. They will not capitulate and they will not accept an easy peace. Part of me thinks you should allow an embassy, if only so that its failure will curb these false hopes that erode the resolve of our allies.’

‘That would be unwise,’ said Caledor. ‘Any hint of weakness will be seized upon by the druchii. And such entreaty will simply offer them an opportunity for manipulation. I would rather some of the princes harbour doubts than give our enemies a means to divide us even more.’

‘You are right, I am thinking poorly,’ said Thyriol.

The ancient mage fell silent and for a change it was Caledor that felt the need to speak, to fill the quiet to avoid the company of his own bleak thoughts.

‘We have achieved nothing,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘So many deaths, so much devastation, and for no gain by either side. Again I must wait, fearful of what the druchii will attempt next. How is it that a single kingdom can be a match for the rest of Ulthuan?’

‘Greed and dread,’ replied Thyriol. ‘The druchii fall into two groups. There are those who serve their personal greed, their desire for power and dominion. There is another part, who fear their rulers, Morathi most of all, and know that to despoil and to fight is a better fate than the one that awaits them if they disobey. Such are the benefits of tyranny.’

Caledor gulped down his wine. He was a little drunk and in a more melancholy mood than even was usual for him. He leaned over the rail and looked down, past the edge of the hovering citadel, seeing the moon-dappled waves lapping gently at the Sapherian coast.

‘I do not regret our decision,’ said Thyriol.

‘What decision?’ said Caledor, eyes fixed on the shore.

‘To make you Phoenix King,’ said the mage. ‘You are the best of us, Caledor.’

‘I was the best choice,’ agreed the Phoenix King. ‘I wonder if this could have been prevented if I had acted sooner.’

‘None of us could foresee Malekith’s madness,’ said Thyriol. ‘Of all the princes, you were the most reluctant to let the Naggarothi scheme and plot.’

‘But I did not act,’ said Caledor. ‘Had I agreed to be Bel Shanaar’s general, perhaps this war might have been avoided.’

‘I do not disagree,’ said Thyriol. ‘It was a selfish act, but no more selfish than many others that were undertaken at the time.’

The mage-prince took Caledor’s cup and moved to a low table, refilling both goblets with the last of the wine. He turned and offered the drink to the Phoenix King.

‘You are not prone to regrets,’ said Thyriol. ‘It does not suit you to start wearing them now. When the future seems so dark, it is tempting to regress to the past and relive our mistakes rather than face the present. It is not in your nature to do that, I feel.’

‘No,’ said Caledor. ‘I have had little to regret in my life, and less time for it than most. If there are lessons to be learned, I have learned them.’

Taking a deep breath, Caledor raised his glass and directed a lopsided smile towards his companion.

‘A toast,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘To deaf ears and unreasonable stubbornness.’

The mage frowned, confused by the proposal.

‘Why would you laud such things?’ said Thyriol.

‘They might prove to be my best qualities,’ laughed Caledor.

The following season brought no fresh attack, adding fuel to the fires of speculation amongst the princes loyal to Caledor. Those who sided with the Phoenix King were divided on the question of where the next assault would come: Chrace, Ellyrion or perhaps even Caledor. Those who believed the Naggarothi had spent their strength argued harder than ever for some form of engagement with the enemy. These calls were hard for Caledor to deny without seeming a warmonger, but deny them he did.

The council was summoned to the Shrine of Asuryan as summer become autumn. Tithrain was noticeable by his absence, though it was understandable given the dire circumstances in his kingdom. The rebuilding of Cothique was the first topic to be raised in the council.

‘Yvresse will provide such supplies as are needed,’ promised Carvalon. ‘A weak Cothique is a threat to my kingdom. We have been fortunate enough to avoid the worst depredations of war.’

‘Such aid as we can spare we will send to Cothique,’ said Aerethenis of Eataine. ‘I fear my kingdom has not fully recovered from the Naggarothi invasion, but the fleet is at the disposal of this council as ever.’

‘Saphery can offer little help,’ admitted Thyriol. ‘Our fields have been devastated by the sorceries of the druchii and what little we have must go to our people first.’

Caledor allowed the princes to continue, content to allow them to organise a relief fleet to be sent to Cothique. There was little he could do as Phoenix King, and no spare food to offer as prince of mountainous Caledor. When the arrangements had been agreed, the conversation turned to the matter of the cults.

‘Barely a murder or sacrifice has been perpetrated in Saphery since the routing of the sorcerers,’ said Thyriol.

‘Since the purge, there has been no trouble in Eataine,’ reported Aerethenis.

‘The same is true of Yvresse,’ said Carvalon. ‘Not a cultist has been uncovered this past year.’

‘That is not good,’ said Caledor.

‘How so?’ said Finudel. ‘Surely this is cause for celebration. Perhaps we have not yet defeated the druchii, but their agents and sympathisers have been expunged from our kingdoms.’

‘I fear otherwise,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘They have gone to ground, but that does not mean they have disappeared entirely.’

‘They bide their time?’ said Thyriol.

‘Maybe not,’ said Carvalon. ‘I am inclined to agree with Finudel. Even if we have not rooted out every last cultist, they see that the tide has turned against them. Their Naggarothi masters have abandoned them.’

‘Let us not be complacent,’ said Aerethenis. ‘At the siege of Lothern, the traitors were content to remain concealed as assault after assault failed. These creatures are cunning, knowing the time to strike when it will cause most strife and destruction.’

‘True,’ said Caledor. ‘They will not show themselves again until our attention is drawn elsewhere. They wait for a new Naggarothi offensive to move our gaze from them.’

‘There is little enough we can do to combat that,’ said Thyriol. ‘If they choose to hide, it will be all but impossible to draw them out into the open.’

‘There are more subtle weapons we have than dragons and spears,’ said Mianderin, who had seemed to be sleeping in his chair, but evidently had been listening carefully to the exchange. ‘Far be it for a priest of the light of Asuryan to suggest falsehood, but it would seem to me a wise move to give the cultists false hope. If we wish the cults to show themselves, we should appear weaker than we are.’

‘A classic manoeuvre,’ said Finudel. ‘A feint, of sorts. Perhaps these spies will even take word to Nagarythe and prompt an ill-considered move.’

‘What shall be the lure?’ said Thyriol.

‘An attack into Tiranoc,’ said Caledor, an idea quickly forming. ‘We will muster an army in Ellyrion, but in truth we will also strengthen the garrisons keeping watch for the cultists.’

‘The army will need to be dispersed for the winter, regardless,’ said Athielle. ‘There is not a single kingdom that can now keep so many troops fed during the season of ice. Spread rumour that the army has moved to Ellyrion, the fleet of Lothern can make it seem so by some crossings of the Inner Sea, whilst we send the companies back to their barracks.’

‘What if we succeed in the deception and the druchii decide to launch an attack?’ said Koradrel. ‘Chrace cannot stand alone, nor can Ellyrion.’

‘There is too little time left for the enemy to take enough ground before the snows come,’ said Caledor. ‘Nagarythe is a harsh land and the enemy will have even harder supply problems than we. If they seek to act in any way, it will be through the cults. If they are foolish enough to venture forth they will find little to sustain them.’

‘And in the spring?’ said Thyriol. ‘Whether the cults are drawn out or not, their destruction will not force the enemy’s surrender.’

‘A double bluff,’ Caledor said with a smile. ‘We let it be known that the plan to attack is a ruse. In reality, we will bring the army to Ellyrion as quickly as we can and strike at Tiranoc. I am sure there are many still in the kingdom who would be happy to swell our ranks.’

‘Attack?’ said Carvalon. ‘Are we so sure of our strength that we would risk it?’

‘I am sure that delay will make us no stronger,’ said Caledor.

The plan was set in motion. Messengers were despatched openly to the garrisons, informing them of the proposed deception in the hope that the orders would be intercepted and passed on to the druchii. Meanwhile the princes returned to their kingdoms with the real plans, under strict instruction not to entrust them to any other. In the spring, Caledor would send word for the army to be gathered to Thyriol, who would in turn inform the princes by means of his message crystals. By the time the druchii heard of the army gathering in Ellyrion it would be too late for them to react.

For the first time in many years, Caledor left the council with a little confidence. Wary of the optimism that had been dashed by the retaking of Cothique, the Phoenix King did not indulge too much hope, but was nevertheless pleased to be taking positive action again. He spent the winter in Tor Caled with his family, whose company he was better able to tolerate than on his last visit.

The Caledorian winter was especially harsh. Strong winds and driving rains lashed the mountains for the whole season, and no elf ventured out except when no other option presented itself. The dragons sought refuge in their caverns, and Caledor spent much time at the palace windows gazing to the north, wondering if the fierce weather was some conjuration of his enemies.

In the last days of winter a hailstorm engulfed Tor Caled, balls of ice the size of fists hammering into the tiled roofs and crashing upon the cobbled streets. Ice rimed the eaves of the houses and palaces, and the sentries on the walls sought the shelter of their guard rooms, warming themselves beside the fires of magical braziers.

Amongst the downpour appeared a lone figure, heavily swathed against the onslaught from the skies. He rode up to the gates of the city and demanded entry, revealing himself to be Carathril, the Phoenix King’s chief herald. Knowing that nothing but the most urgent news would bring the messenger forth in such horrific weather, the guards conveyed Carathril to the palace as swiftly as they could while messages were sent ahead to warn Caledor of his arrival.

The herald was a bedraggled sight as he came to Caledor in his throne room. He had divested himself of his heaviest furs and cloak, but his long hair hung lank across his soaked robes, a blanket thrown about his shoulders by the Phoenix King’s servants. The king ordered hot wine to be brought for his herald, waved him to one of the seats that circled the throne, and sat down next to Carathril.

‘The druchii march,’ said the herald between chattering teeth. His face was pale and drawn, exhaustion dimming his eyes, lips bloodless. ‘Word came to the Isle of the Flame from Finudel. The fortresses of northern Ellyrion have been emptied, their garrisons gone. An eagle came, warning that a dark army marched south along the Annulii, heading for Eagle Pass. Finudel and Athielle will muster what army they can but request that you summon your host to meet the attack.’

Attendants appeared with food and drink. Caledor commanded Carathril to rest and restore himself while he considered the news he had brought. The Phoenix King met Dorien in his chambers and told his brother of what was happening.

‘I will ride to the dragon caves,’ said Dorien. ‘While I rouse the drakes from their hibernation, you must take what troops you can to the aid of the Ellyrians.’

‘Send your swiftest riders to Lothern and have the Sea Guard make haste for the coast of Ellyrion,’ said Caledor. ‘I will send Carathril back to the Isle of the Flame to take the news that we march. Bring the dragons to Tor Elyr, and the princes shall ride with me.’

‘The druchii are mad to march in winter,’ said Dorien. ‘In Nagarythe the snows must have taken their toll.’

‘Something has driven them to it,’ said Caledor. ‘Unless they control the elements. Perhaps our ploy to lure them out has succeeded better than I had hoped.’

‘It will have succeeded only if we can defeat this army,’ said Dorien. ‘This pre-emptive assault has caught us off-guard.’

‘It is troubling,’ agreed the Phoenix King. ‘I fear our secrets have not been kept and the druchii know something of what I intended. What other explanation is there for such a rash campaign?’

‘Do not ponder it too long, brother,’ said Dorien, opening a chest in which his armour was stored. ‘The druchii do not think rationally, and to attempt to understand them is to share their madness.’

Caledor bid his brother a safe journey and returned to the throne room. Carathril looked a little restored from his wintry ordeal, and wore a resigned expression as Caledor explained that he would have to leave the next day to bear messages to the other kingdoms.

‘I wish you could enjoy the hospitality of my realm a while longer,’ said Caledor, laying a hand on the other elf’s shoulder. ‘None have given more energy to our cause than you.’

‘It seems that Morai Heg has chosen a life in the saddle for me,’ said the herald. ‘My ship awaits my immediate return. There is no point delaying, I will ride again tonight.’

Caledor nodded his thanks and gripped Carathril’s shoulder even tighter.

‘Bel Shanaar made many mistakes, but his choice of herald was not one,’ said the Phoenix King.’

Carathril managed a smile, hands clasped to a steaming mug of mulled wine. Caledor left the herald and went to his wife and son to explain that he would be departing soon.

The march north was unpleasant, the winter storms not abating in their violence as the army of Caledor pushed on through the wind and rain. The mountain roads were more like shallow streams, and mudslides and tumbled boulders frequently blocked their path, making progress even slower.

As they descended into the foothills between Caledor and Ellyrion, the weather eased, though was by no means conducive to a speedy march. The army travelled light of supplies and equipment, the baggage wagons left at Tor Caled due to the harsh conditions. The Ellyrian army would be similarly bereft of war machines – such engines did not suit their fast-moving columns of reaver knights – and so Caledor devised a strategy to suit the forces he would have at his disposal. To attempt to contain the druchii in Eagle Pass would be reckless, and he would have to persuade Finudel and Athielle to allow them onto the plains where the Phoenix King’s dragons and cavalry would have their greatest effect.

The weather improved steadily as they crossed into Ellyrion. The storms became showers and eventually abated when the spires of Tor Elyr appeared on the horizon. Caledor was relieved to see a great many pavilions and herds around the Ellyrian capital; the kingdom’s army had not yet set out. His confidence improved further when he saw six dragons in the skies above, keeping watch for any approach of the enemy.

His meeting with Finudel and Athielle was brief. They agreed to his plan and despatched squadrons of their lightly armoured cavalry to Eagle Pass to watch for the arrival of the druchii, two dragons sent as escort to ensure they would not be waylaid. The combined army was moved west for two days, the better to keep Tor Elyr safe from attack.

It was a tense wait. None knew the full extent of the Naggarothi host and it was always in Caledor’s mind that the attack was a diversion, created to draw his attention from some other objective. He despatched one of his dragon princes to the north, to warn Koradrel in Chrace that the druchii might attempt a fresh attack on his kingdom, assuring his cousin that he would march to his aid as soon as possible if this proved to be true.

The reavers sent to watch for the enemy returned three days later, confirming that a large body of druchii had moved out of Eagle Pass and was heading for Tor Elyr. A black dragon came with the army, along with several riders on griffons and manticores. These did not overly concern the Phoenix King; his dragons would be the match of the druchii beasts.

With the agreement of Finudel and Athielle, Caledor ordered the army to march. The sooner the druchii were confronted and destroyed, the happier the Phoenix King would be. With this latest assault driven back, he would be free to respond to another offensive or, as he hoped, be able to muster his army for an attack into Tiranoc in the early spring.

The sky was overcast as the armies of Caledor and Ellyrion headed towards Eagle Pass. Winter had not relinquished its grip entirely and flurries of cold rain swept the plains, brought down from the mountains.

The scouts reported that the enemy had made camp in the foothills of the Annulii. It appeared their intent was to guard the entrance to Eagle Pass, confirming Caledor’s suspicion that they had been despatched to head off any attempt he might make to breach Tiranoc. In light of this, the druchii’s hasty march south made more sense, and hinted at a change of strategy from earlier years.

‘Perhaps Carvalon and Tithrain were right,’ suggested Finudel as he played host to Caledor in the pavilion he shared with his sister. The army was two days from the druchii encampment, and Caledor had called the princes and captains together for a final council before the battle. ‘The druchii have spent their energy and can no longer spare the troops for their assaults on the other kingdoms.’

‘No,’ said Caledor. ‘Why not defend the western end of the pass? The only reason to come east is Tor Elyr.’

‘What difference does it make?’ said Dorien. ‘The enemy have made a mistake and we should capitalise.’

‘I agree,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘We attack as planned. The Ellyrian cavalry will form the southern wing of the army and swing around the enemy camp to the west, cutting off the route to Eagle Pass. The rest of the army will press the attack.’

More detailed plans followed, using the enemy dispositions brought back by the scouting squadrons. The druchii had occupied a line of hills that ran south-east to north-west, protected to the east by a lake. The body of water was no obstacle to dragons and Caledor would make use of the oversight, leading the dragons across the lake to attack the exposed flank of the enemy while the infantry assaulted from the south.

When the plan was settled, the princes and captains returned to their companies. Caledor remained with Finudel and Athielle.

‘If I have erred in my plans, say so now,’ the Phoenix King told them, detecting a hint of reluctance from the prince and princess.

‘The plan is good,’ said Finudel, but exchanged a glance with his sister.

‘Yet if it fails, the route to Tor Elyr will be wide open,’ said Athielle. ‘If we are not victorious, we will be pushed south and west, away from the city.’

‘Better that we do not fail,’ said Caledor. ‘No battle is certain, but we cannot allow the druchii to establish themselves in strength east of the mountains. To abandon northern Ellyrion to move to the south suggests that the druchii might intend to use your kingdom as a step towards an invasion of Caledor.’

‘Not to be harsh, but would that be so bad?’ said Finudel. ‘Caledor has suffered little and its defences are strong.’

‘They would have to destroy Tor Elyr,’ said Athielle. ‘It cannot be left to threaten their staging camp.’

Finudel was dismayed by the thought.

‘So we return to our earlier concern,’ said the prince. ‘Perhaps the druchii have another army in the pass, waiting for us to expose our flank with an attack on the encampment.’

‘If you see some other way to proceed, tell me now,’ said Caledor. ‘If not, we attack in two days.’

No better plan was forthcoming from the rulers of Ellyrion and so Caledor returned to his tent. He dismissed his servants and sat deep in thought, trying to discern the purpose of the druchii encroachment. Whichever way he looked at the situation, either a diversion or a first probe towards Caledor seemed the most likely reason.

Whatever the ploy of the druchii, Caledor was resolved to destroy their army and deal with any consequences. To lose himself in second-guessing the intent of the fanatical Naggarothi was a pointless exercise, as Dorien had warned.

The freshening wind brought a chill from the mountains, and the low clouds were a uniform grey sheet across the sky. The vanguard of Finudel’s reavers fought a brief skirmish with druchii outriders in the mid-morning, driving the pickets back to their camp. Caledor’s army arranged itself in the line of battle as warning horns sounded in the enemy encampment and rows of spearmen and crossbowmen formed up alongside the tents.

A barricade of sharpened stakes defended the approach from the south. A brief foray by a squadron of knights revealed ditches had been dug too, making a cavalry charge impossible. This was not a revelation for Caledor, who had not planned to commit his knights in a frontal attack. As several thousand druchii assembled for the battle, he was convinced his plan would work. The enemy gave little thought to an aerial attack across the lake.

Amongst the black and purple of the Naggarothi were several red banners decorated with Khainite symbols. The sight of these caused a ripple of anger through Caledor’s army as the atrocities of Cothique were remembered. The Phoenix King sent stern words to his captains that they not allow thoughts of revenge to affect their judgement. They would follow the plan as it had been outlined and not seek to enact retribution against the Khainites if it meant any deviation.

Receiving assurances that all would proceed as the Phoenix King demanded, Caledor took to the skies atop Maedrethnir. The dragon was in a surly mood.

‘A wet day for a battle,’ rumbled the beast. ‘You bring me from the comfort of my lair for this rabble?’

‘Look there, to the west of the camp,’ replied Caledor.

Atop a rocky outcrop, a black dragon flexed its wings. From this distance Caledor could make out no detail of the rider, who seemed oddly positioned to support his troops. Two manticore riders and a pair of griffons flapped into the air above the camp, but the dragon rider did not move. The creature he rode was immense, towering over the pavilions of the druchii. There was no doubt in his mind that such a mount would belong to a high-ranking druchii prince.

There were other creatures in the army, goaded into position by the druchii beastmasters. Clouds of steam and smoke wreathed the monsters as they lumbered through gaps left by the infantry.

Flying low, Caledor signalled to his captains to sound the advance. Trumpets blared along the line of silver and white and as one the Phoenix King’s army moved forwards. Finudel and his reaver knights broke to the left, heading westwards, while Athielle and her cavalry cut a more northerly route, putting herself between her brother and the enemy to ward away any counter-attack.

Not wishing to reveal his intent too soon, Caledor circled over his troops with the other dragons. When the enemy were within bow range, they would head east and come at the enemy from across the lake.

From his vantage point, he examined the layout of the druchii camp. It was like several he had seen before, arranged in orderly lines, although he noticed several clusters of tents dotted along the periphery to the south and east. It seemed quite large in comparison to the number of troops that had formed up, giving the Phoenix King a momentary pause for thought. He reasoned that this confirmed his suspicion that the encampment was intended as a staging ground, and had been prepared to receive more troops in the future as fortifications were built.

Some of the cultists could not hold their positions and sallied from the druchii line. Their wails and screams could be heard as Maedrethnir swept along the line of Caledor’s army. The spear companies did not pause in their advance, leaving the Khainites to be dealt with by the archers, who stopped in long lines, bows at the ready.

As the first arrows were loosed, the Khainites broke into a charge, heading for the centre of Caledor’s army. They were engulfed by a cloud of arrows, cut down in their dozens by the disciplined volleys, leaving a trail of semi-naked bodies in their wake. Heedless of their casualties, the cultists pressed on, heading for the archers.

Not a single cultist reached the line, but their suicidal assault had broken the coherency of Caledor’s army. The spear companies were coming into range of the enemy repeater crossbows, unsupported by their archers. If they waited for the bowmen to rejoin them, they would suffer from the enemy missile fire; if they pressed on, they risked being outflanked by a counter-attack.

‘Go with the spears!’ Caledor called out to Dorien, waving his lance towards the enemy. ‘Take Anatherion with you!’

His brother signalled his understanding and the two dragons dived down, swiftly catching up with the spear companies. The enemy had concentrated their line to meet this attack, further weakening their flank, still trusting to the protection offered by the lake. Caledor signalled to the remaining dragon princes to follow him as he headed east towards the water.

Dorien and Anatherion swept along the druchii line, their dragons breathing fire into the repeater crossbowmen as Caledor’s spearmen struggled across the defensive ditches. The manticores and griffons dashed across the camp, and soon an elaborate aerial melee was rising and falling above the two lines of infantry, the smaller beasts attempting to separate the two dragons and concentrate their numbers on one of them. Dorien and his companion were aware of the risk and climbed higher, almost wingtip to wingtip, leaving the manticores and griffons behind. After a brief discussion, they descended again, both dragons spearing towards the manticores with flame and claws.

Caledor kept an eye on the main battle as Maedrethnir arced across the lake, his wing beats sending ripples across the placid waters. The spearmen had almost reached the druchii and the archers were moving up swiftly in support; Athielle’s cavalry had reached the hills to the west of the camp and were turning north to come at the enemy from behind; in a few moments Caledor and his dragons would reach the eastern end of the camp and the druchii would be surrounded.

A flurry of movement in the encampment caught the Phoenix King’s eye. Dozens of tents were quickly cast down, revealing massed batteries of repeater bolt throwers. As soon as they were revealed, the war machines began launching their deadly shots. Spearmen were scythed down by the score by the first devastating volley as they navigated their way through the walls of stakes.

Caledor found himself flying into a cloud of iron-tipped spears, each shaft glowing with a deadly rune. Maedrethnir did his best to avoid the barrage, but bolts clattered and ripped along his flank as he turned north. A shaft tore clean through his wing, leaving a burning hole, the dragon letting lose a snarl of pain.

Behind Caledor, Imrithir and his mount were not so lucky. Caught full by a flurry of bolts, the prince slumped in his saddle, a shaft piercing his chest; his dragon flailed at two bolts transfixing its throat and plummeted into the lake with a tremendous eruption of water.

Faced with such a weight of fire, the spear companies struggled to make any headway. Those that successfully negotiated the stakes and bolts were easy targets for the repeater crossbowmen and they died in their hundreds. Caledor sped north, out of range of the bolt throwers, seeking some other route into the encampment, but saw that a ring of engines surrounded the entire hill.

The battle had turned in a moment. Athielle was forced to hold back her charge, leaving the infantry to struggle on into the teeth of the enemy without support. Hydras and chimeras charged into the fight, crushing and biting, gouts of fire and petrifying gas taking a heavy toll.

Above the camp, Dorien and Anatherion did their best to menace the druchii war engines, but were repeatedly driven back by the diving attacks of the manticores and griffons. At risk of being shot down, the two princes were driven further and further north, away from the embattled infantry.

Now that the bolt throwers had been revealed, Caledor could see the genius with which they had been placed. Any dragon landing to destroy a battery would be an easy target for at least two others. He flew high across the camp, looking for some chink in the defence to exploit, but found nothing. Faced with the massed war engines, the infantry captains had sounded the recall, retreating the line back to the ditches where at least there was some cover from the incessant war machine volleys. It was only a temporary respite though; at some point they would have to advance or retreat from their position and would be cut down as they did so.

Caledor needed to think quickly. The druchii infantry were reforming after the melee, readying to press forward their advantage. The situation was bad, but a decisive move now could swing the favour of battle back towards the Phoenix King’s forces.

He noticed that the Naggarothi dragon rider had not moved. Perhaps the prince was wary of committing himself to the fight, or was merely leaving his options open. Either way, Caledor would not be confident of victory unless he could draw out the black dragon, preferably luring it away from the protection of the bolt throwers.

As Maedrethnir circled again, too high for the druchii bolts, Caledor saw more movement in the enemy camp. From on high it was impossible to see anything clearly, but it looked to the king as if patches of shadow worked their way from tent to tent.

‘What do you see?’ he asked Maedrethnir, whose eyes were even keener than the Phoenix King’s.

The dragon turned his gaze groundwards and stopped in the air, beating his wings slowly to hold station. An odd reverberation sounded from Maedrethnir’s chest, a draconian noise of surprise.

‘It looks like shadows that walk,’ said Maedrethnir. ‘I cannot see the figures that cast them.’

As he watched, Caledor saw the puddles of darkness converging on one of the bolt thrower batteries. There seemed to be a struggle of some kind, the crew drawing their swords against some foe that Caledor could not discern. Whatever attacked, it did not take long to overwhelm the crews of the war engines. The battery fell silent and the darkness dispersed, moving through the camp before coalescing next to another line of bolt throwers.

‘Attack!’ cried Caledor, seizing the chance. ‘To the east!’

Maedrethnir did not hesitate. The dragon folded his wings and dived. He felt a tremor run through the dragon’s body as they came within range of the bolt throwers. No volley was launched and the pair plunged down further. Closing fast, Caledor saw black-cloaked elves fighting with the war engine crews. He did not know what was happening, but knew that there was no time to waste.

A glance above showed that the other dragon riders had noticed their king’s safe descent and with roars and bellows of flames, they plunged down, eager to wreak revenge on the druchii that had tormented them. Seeing the dragons attack, the infantry surged forth with trumpets blaring the assault, while Athielle and Finudel were finally able to signal the charge of the cavalry.

Caledor glanced at the black dragon and saw that its rider had made no move in response to the turn in the tide of battle. There was a more immediate threat as a manticore and its rider launched from the druchii line, heading straight for the Phoenix King.

‘Beware of the sting,’ said Caledor.

‘This is not the first manticore I have slain,’ Maedrethnir replied with a laugh. ‘Deal with the rider and I will show you how it is done.’

The druchii sat astride the roaring beast wielded a spear wreathed in crackling energy. Caledor took the hit on his shield, the magic flaring brightly from the protective enchantment bound within the ithilmar. The Phoenix King’s lance found the manticore rider’s thigh, piercing armour and bone to slide into the flank of the monster. It gave a pained howl and lashed its sting at Maedrethnir’s underside. The dragon caught the flailing appendage in one of his rear claws, and with the other seized the manticore by the throat.

With powerful sweeps of his wings, Maedrethnir headed upwards, dragging the manticore beneath him. The rider was not yet dead and swung his spear at the dragon’s throat, but its point was knocked aside by Caledor’s dipped lance. Turning, the dragon changed its grip slightly, moving the manticore’s tail from back claw to front. With a single bite, Maedrethnir severed the tail, the sting dropping away as the manticore raged, twisting and snarling in the dragon’s immovable grasp.

‘And now the finish,’ declared Maedrethnir.

His jaw snapped again, clamping around the rider and shearing through the manticore’s backbone. Vertebrae shattered as the dragon ground his jaws, blood spilling in showers to the camp far below. With a last effort, Maedrethnir flexed his body and legs, ripping the manticore in half. He let the blood-spewing remnants fall from his grip, the rider’s mangled corpse falling free as the manticore’s remains spun groundwards.

As soon as he looked back at the druchii infantry, Caledor knew the battle was won. The enemy were streaming back through the camp in their hundreds, abandoning their positions in a massed rout. There would be no escape from Finudel and Athielle sweeping in from the other side of the encampment. Many of the druchii threw down their weapons, begging for mercy. Their pleas fell on deaf ears as knights and spearmen converged, slaying every foe in their path.

Both griffons and their riders had been slain by the other dragon princes, and the surviving manticore headed west, its rider deciding that a timely withdrawal was in order. Caledor looked again to the black dragon. There was something unsettling about the way its rider was content to watch the massacre. He wondered if it was perhaps some illusion conjured by the druchii and told Maedrethnir to head towards it. As soon as the king and his dragon were heading in its direction the drake took to the air, massive wings casting a huge shadow over the camp.

Out of spite, the rider swept over a squadron of Athielle’s reaver knights, shredding dozens of riders and horses, billowing clouds of noxious vapour from his dragon poisoning even more. With a languid turn, the black-scaled monster arced westwards. Caledor saw a brief glimmer of shining blue, a flaming sword raised in mocking salute, and then the dragon rose towards the clouds. It had too much of a head start to catch and soon disappeared into the clouds over the mountains.

Unnerved by this display, unsure what it signified, Caledor directed Maedrethnir to land. Most of the camp was already overrun. The only resistance seemed to come from a group of black-swathed elves who had taken refuge in a small copse of trees on the northern slope of the hill.

‘I shall burn them out,’ said Dorien, sweeping past on his dragon.

He was out of earshot before Caledor could reply, rising higher and higher in preparation for his swooping attack. Caledor followed his brother with his eyes, raising his head as prince and dragon climbed into the clouds.

A shout from the left attracted his attention.

‘Call off the attack!’ cried Finudel, galloping hard through the trampled tents, his knights struggling to keep up.

‘They are allies!’ shouted Athielle, riding just as hard from the west.

Prince and princess reined in their steeds next to Caledor, horror written in their expressions.

‘The Naggarothi in the woods are not the enemy,’ said Finudel. ‘I recognise them.’

‘They are the Shadows of the Anars!’ gasped Athielle. ‘Do not harm them.’

Cursing, Caledor barked at Maedrethnir to launch himself. They headed for the stand of trees as Dorien began his steep descent, smoke and fire trailing from his dragon’s maw. Caledor knew there was no point in shouting; his brother would hear nothing over the roar of the wind.

‘Get in front of them,’ he told Maedrethnir. ‘Quickly!’

The dragon raced towards the trees, wing beats scattering the elves below with huge draughts of wind. Caledor ducked low and raised his shield to direct the rushing air over his head, to avoid being broken upon his saddle by its force.

Dorien did not slow, probably thinking that Caledor joined the attack. Against the buffeting wind, all the king could do was grip tight to lance and shield, peering ahead through slitted eyes.

Maedrethnir roared, his whole body shaking with the effort. The deafening bellow struck a chord in the mind of Caledor; for a moment he was overwhelmed by a primal fear and almost let go of his lance. It was a challenge, a hunting cry, a claim of territory that no other creature could match.

Dorien’s dragon responded out of instinct, veering away from the woods to charge headlong at Maedrethnir, roaring his response. Almost thrown from his saddle-throne by the change of direction, Dorien lost his shield, which tumbled into the trees as Maedrethnir and the other dragon hurtled towards each other.

Caledor realised that in uttering the challenge, Maedrethnir had reverted to his most feral state. He barked the incantations of the Dragontamer, trying to break the dragon from his instinctual behaviour; he guessed Dorien would be doing likewise.

Maedrethnir gave a strange yelp of pain, snapping from his fury. He folded his wings, dropping like a huge stone so that the other dragon passed overhead. He could only half open them again before he hit the ground, legs splayed to lessen the impact. Trunks exploded into splinters and branches scattered as the dragon ploughed into the woods. In a deluge of green and brown, dragon and rider slid down a shallow slope, Maedrethnir’s claws gouging deep furrows in the earth as he slowed himself.

They came to a stop and the dragon sagged to his belly, panting hard. Caledor’s neck flared with pain and he realised his teeth were gritted together so hard the muscles in his jaw had locked. With an effort, he opened his mouth, pain surging down the sides of his neck.

Maedrethnir shook his head, puffing smoke as he recovered his senses.

‘Are you all right?’ the dragon asked, arching back his head to look at Caledor.

The Phoenix King grunted and nodded as best he could, unable to speak. He dropped his shield and lance to the ground and wrenched off his ornate helm and gauntlets. Rubbing his neck in his hands, he stretched his back, fearful that his spine had been broken. There was no stab of pain and he relaxed, slumping forwards to pat the dragon on his shoulder.

‘We are not alone,’ said Maedrethnir.

Caledor looked around and found himself surrounded by several dozen black-swathed elves, bows bent with arrows pointing directly at him. One of them stepped closer, the bow in his hand a beautiful object of silver and white, its string no thicker than an elf maiden’s hair. Dark eyes regarded Caledor coolly from under the elf’s hood. He slowly lowered his bow and the other shadowy elves did the same.

‘You must be the Phoenix King,’ said their leader, pulling back his hood to reveal a slender silver crown. ‘The one who calls himself Caledor.’

‘You must be Alith Anar,’ Caledor replied. ‘The one who calls himself the Shadow King.’

The Ellyrians were searching the woods for Caledor. The Phoenix King heard Finudel calling his name. Another, lighter voice called for Alith: Athielle. At the sound of the princess’s voice, a change came over Alith’s demeanour. He beckoned for Caledor to dismount and dispersed his warriors with a snapped command.

Maedrethnir settled, allowing Caledor to unbuckle his harness and drop to the branch-strewn ground. Standing next to the Shadow King, Caledor found Alith to be a lot shorter than he had imagined, and a lot younger too. He was probably not even a century old, yet from his exploits Caledor had thought him a veteran of war.

‘Malekith is alive,’ said Alith.

At first the Phoenix King thought he had misheard.

‘What did you say?’ said Caledor.

‘Malekith, prince of Nagarythe, still lives,’ said Alith.

‘You are wrong,’ said Caledor, shaking his head. ‘He was burned by the flame of Asuryan. I have spoken to those that saw it.’

‘And I have spoken with him, not so long ago,’ replied Alith with a hint of a smirk. ‘Which of us is wrong?’

‘How can that be?’ The idea was beyond Caledor’s comprehension. The testimony of Thyrinor, of Carathril and Finudel, spoke of the ruin that had been carried from the Shrine of Asuryan.

‘Sorcery,’ said Alith. ‘He wears an enchanted suit of armour, the colour of midnight, though it burns still with the heat of its forging. He asked me to join him.’

‘He did what?’ Each revelation was more unbelievable than the last. Caledor looked at Alith carefully, trying to detect any hint of subterfuge. He saw nothing and could think of no reason why the last of the Anars would fabricate such a ridiculous tale.

‘Malekith lives on, sustained by his magic, and now calls himself the Witch King,’ Alith explained. ‘You saw him today.’

‘The dragon rider?’ said Caledor.

‘Yes, that was the Witch King,’ said Alith. ‘When he came to me in the ruins of Elanardris he offered me a place at his side. I said no.’

‘I have only your word that is true,’ said Caledor. ‘How is it that you survived?’

‘By running,’ Alith replied with a lopsided smile. ‘Running very fast. They pursued us into the mountains, but we know the peaks and passes better than any other and escaped. I followed Malekith south, and learned of his plans here.’

‘You have my thanks for your part, though it was not necessary,’ said Caledor.

‘Not necessary?’ Alith’s laugh was edged with scorn. ‘Your army was being destroyed.’

‘I was about to order my dragons to attack the bolt throwers at the same time,’ said Caledor, crossing his arms. ‘We would have wiped out half the war machines in a single moment. The battle was far from lost.’

‘I did not fight for your thanks,’ said Alith, taking a step back. ‘As I told your brother and your cousin, I fight for Nagarythe and that is all.’

‘Prove to me you do not owe loyalty to Malekith,’ said Caledor. ‘Swear your allegiance to the Phoenix Throne.’

‘Never,’ spat Alith, his hand moving to the pommel of the sword at his waist. ‘I will swear no oath to any king again. Nagarythe is not yours to command, it is mine.’

‘My father was there when Malekith bent his knee to Bel Shanaar and swore his loyalty,’ snarled Caledor. ‘Who are you to do any less for me?’

‘I am the Shadow King,’ said Alith, touching a hand to the circlet on his brow. ‘This is the crown of Nagarythe, worn by Aenarion himself. My grandfather was the last of the great princes, equal to your ancestor. Do not think that because I wear shadows for my cloak I have abandoned my lineage.’

‘I will not offer my protection to any that will not swear their obedience,’ said Caledor.

‘I do not need your protection, Nagarythe does not need your rule,’ said Alith.

The scion of the Anars glanced over Caledor’s shoulder and again his expression changed; his anger faded, to be replaced by a grim look. The Shadow King spoke quickly.

‘Do not think you have seen the worst of this war, Caledor. Morathi has known all along that Malekith lived and has been nurturing an army for him. They are the deadliest of Naggarothi, the knights of Anlec at their heart. They have been hidden away, even from me, upon the Blighted Isle, studying the deadliest skills of Khaine at His bloody altar. Nothing you have faced is like them. You have not seen yet half of Nagarythe’s strength. Prepare yourselves for the onslaught.’

‘There cannot be such a force left in Nagarythe,’ said Caledor. ‘The druchii have suffered many defeats these past years. What of the army destroyed today?’

Alith laughed bitterly, a sinister sound that cut at Caledor’s spirit.

‘Today you slaughtered frightened Tiranocii,’ said the Shadow King. ‘They are terrified of the Witch King, and fight as conscripts in his army. They would rather die on the swords of your warriors than face the Khainites that Malekith has at his command. News of Cothique’s fate has spread far indeed.’

The sounds of the search were approaching close; the devastation left by Maedrethnir’s fall would not be hard to find. Alith’s discomfort increased and he darted a look at Caledor. He suddenly again looked to be the young prince Caledor had first seen close at hand, worried and alone.

‘Many thought I was slain, and with good reason,’ said the Shadow King. ‘Tell Finudel that I am still alive; I leave it to his discretion whether Athielle should know. I would rather she did not see me.’

‘You would rather not see her,’ said Caledor, reading Alith’s expression.

‘I cannot, I forfeited that life when I became the Shadow King.’

‘You are a strange person, Alith Anar,’ said Caledor. ‘I do not like that you call yourself king, but if you need my aid, send word.’

‘The elf who takes his grandfather’s name and has a dragon for his best friend calls me strange?’ Alith said with a laugh. He grew serious. ‘I am no hunting dog, to be called when you choose. I am the wolf, and I hunt in my own way. I will fight the druchii, but not at your command. I tell you again, Nagarythe is not yours, it is mine. Stay away.’

Alith turned and dashed into the darkness of the woods, swiftly vanishing into the shadows. A moment later, Finudel called out from behind Caledor and the Phoenix King turned.

‘Who was that?’ asked the Ellyrian prince.

‘We will discuss it later,’ said Caledor, his thoughts full of Alith’s dire warnings.

EIGHTEEN

THE PHOENIX RESURGENT

The plains outside the walls of Anlec were still hard with frost, the air steaming with the breath of thousands of warriors. Armour dark against the white ground, they waited in rank after rank for the command of their king. Malekith looked down at his army from the eastern gate tower, overshadowed by Sulekh, the Witch King’s dragon. The black-scaled monster loomed over the gatehouse with wings half-spread, her hide pitted and scarred from many fights with her brood. None had been able to tame her until Malekith, and now that she was broken to his will the black dragon was his bodyguard as well as steed.

The ring of heels on the stone steps of the gate tower announced the arrival of Morathi. The sorceress-queen strode onto the rampart and stood beside her son to survey the host of Anlec.

‘They are a fine coronation gift,’ said Malekith, fiery eyes regarding the massed companies below. ‘You were wise to save them for me.’

‘I knew you would return to us, one day,’ replied Morathi. ‘All that remains is to use your gift to seize the throne of Ulthuan.’

‘We shall inspect the troops,’ announced the Witch King.

He held out his right arm and the flames that played about his armour died, leaving wisps of smoke in the air. Morathi laid her hand on the proffered arm and the two of them made their way down the tower and headed out of the city.

‘You have met Hellebron already,’ said Morathi, waving a hand towards the Khainite high priestess. Her hair had been bleached white and stood in spikes and a mask of dried blood covered her face.

‘Hail the Witch King, son of Khaine!’ she shrieked, lifting twin blades above her head. The Khainites let out ululations of praise, howling and screaming as they flourished their weapons.

Witch King and sorceress moved on past the wailing cultists to where a dozen princes and commanders stood waiting, their companies of spears and repeater crossbows standing in stolid lines as the cold wind keened across the open plain. The crews of a hundred bolt throwers stood ready beside their machines, flanked by five thousand heavily armoured knights on black steeds.

‘The host of Anlec,’ said Morathi.

Malekith nodded and at a shouted command, the thousands of Naggarothi crashed spears and swords against shields and stamped their feet.

‘Hail the Witch King!’ they roared, lifting their weapons in salute.

Further north were the beast pens, where the black dragons lazed, surrounded by a fog of noxious gas. Manticores paced their iron cages and roared their frustration. Griffons and hydras strained at their chains, their rasping growls and hisses dying to silence as the Witch King approached. Even the manticores seemed cowed by Malekith’s presence, settling to their haunches in deference, submissive whimpers echoing from their cages.

Other warriors there were too; lightly armoured scouts and foot knights who wore long coats of mail and high-crested helms. Morathi’s sorcerers and sorceresses, a dozen in number, lowered themselves to their knees as Malekith came near. Assassins branded and tattooed with the marks of Khaine abased themselves, presenting poison-edged daggers of black crystal as a sign of obedience.

‘What is your plan?’ asked Morathi as mother and son turned back towards the city gate.

‘Chrace must fall,’ announced the Witch King. ‘Tor Achare must be taken if we are to stage any campaign against the eastern kingdoms.’

‘That will take us into the territory of the Anars,’ said Morathi. ‘Many an army has not returned from those mountains.’

‘It is my territory!’ Malekith snarled, snatching his arm away from his mother. Flames rippled along his armour, burning dark blue, the inside of his helm glowing with the same hue. ‘I will crush the Anars, as you should have done a decade ago.’

‘It is fool’s errand to attempt a conquest of the mountains,’ Morathi snapped back. ‘Many of my incompetent minions lost their lives attempting the feat.’

‘I did not say I will conquer Elanardris,’ said Malekith, ‘I said I would crush the Anars. The march to Chrace will be too tempting a target, and when they attack I will trap them and kill the last of Eoloran’s spawn. Without Alith, their resistance will crumble.’

‘We thought him dead for many years,’ said Morathi. ‘He is sly.’

‘I know him,’ said Malekith. ‘I have seen him. He is nothing more than a boy. He will not outwit me.’

They passed under the gate as the commanders dismissed the army back to their camps. The huge iron portcullis descended and the gates closed as the pair emerged into the late winter sun that shone down on the plaza within the walls.

‘You said you will take Tor Achare,’ Morathi prompted.

‘With Tiranoc and Chrace in my possession, Ellyrion will soon fall. Avelorn is a spent force, to be finished off at my leisure. Cothique lies ruined, and so Saphery will be the next objective. Thyriol is not the match for either of us, and together we can destroy his gaggle of mages and rob Caledor of their enchantments.’

‘You seem to have everything considered,’ said Morathi, as the two of them crossed the square towards the road leading to Aenarion’s palace.

‘I have had a long time to consider my plans,’ replied the Witch King. ‘When the pain was not too great, I thought hard on what I would do. I will isolate Imrik, take from him every advantage and ally, and when he is left alone, I will offer him the chance to hand over the throne of Ulthuan.’

‘He would never accept,’ said Morathi. ‘He is far too stubborn to admit defeat.’

‘I do not wish him to accept,’ said Malekith. He held out a flame-wreathed hand. ‘When he refuses, I will seize him by the throat and he will burn. He will not know one-hundredth of the pain I knew, but it will still be an agonising death. I will slaughter his people and cast down Tor Caled. The dragons will be broken and turned to our cause and when all of this is accomplished, when Imrik knows that I am the master of the elves, I shall burn him to death.’

Malekith shuddered with delight as he pictured that glorious moment. It had overtaken the visions of coronation in his dreams. He could feel the charring of the usurper’s flesh on his fingertips and hear his strangled cries of mercy. Malekith knew well the stench of burned flesh, but the smell of Imrik’s immolation would be sweeter than the finest incense of Cothique. Skin would bubble and his eyes would melt. Flesh would rupture and bone turn to ash.

‘I have the measure of him,’ said the Witch King, freeing himself from the daydream with some effort. ‘My foray into Ellyrion has proven I am the superior general. He is guilty of extremes, veering between cautious defence and over enthusiastic attack. He was never my equal.’

‘Yet he beat you in Ellyrion,’ said Morathi, darting a glance up at her son’s masked face.

‘It was not my intent to defeat him,’ replied Malekith, holding his temper in check despite the accusation in his mother’s voice. ‘The Tiranocii conscripts would never be an army worthy of my command. And I have taught Imrik a lesson, one that will make him nervous of attacking my army again. I will use that uncertainty to my advantage when I strike for Tor Achare.’

‘What of Tiranoc?’ said Morathi.

They had reached the plaza in front of the palaces. Sulekh swept over the city, her massive shadow blotting the sun from the square as she flew to a perch atop one of the palace’s ancient towers, stones and tiles crumbling to dust as she found purchase with her claws. Malekith glanced up at the dragon, amused by her behaviour, as loyal and dependent as a hunting dog.

‘Tiranoc?’ he said, recalling the question. ‘It is safe. Imrik dares not launch an offensive while his allies are under attack. He will have to defend Chrace, or lose the loyalty of his supporters. That is his weakness. He cares what his subjects think.’

‘That is not a problem for you,’ said Morathi as they mounted the steps up to the palace doors. ‘Our people adore you.’

‘They can hate me, for all that I care of their opinion,’ replied Malekith. ‘As long as they fear me.’

As loath as he was to leave his army, Caledor was forced to convene a fresh council at the Isle of the Flame so that the matter of Malekith’s return could be discussed. To the Phoenix King the only thing that had changed was the quality of his opponent. As ruler of Nagarythe, Morathi had been prone to acts of spite and was not a natural military leader. Malekith was a far more worrying proposition. It had not been by luck that he had conquered much of Elthin Arvan.

Leaving Maedrethnir to recover from his wounds in Tor Elyr, Caledor travelled with Finudel and Athielle, while Dorien remained as the general of the combined armies of Caledor and Ellyrion. They took ship to the Shrine of Asuryan, and were met by the delegations of the other kingdoms, hastily gathered for the conference.

The first day tested the Phoenix King’s patience, as every prince offered forth his own theories on how Malekith’s survival had come to pass. Some questioned the veracity of the report, but were convinced of Alith Anar’s trustworthiness in this matter by Athielle, who had been in sombre mood since learning of the Shadow King’s own apparent resurrection. Caledor ended the day’s session early, realising that no real business would be done while the princes were still taken aback by the revelation of Malekith’s return.

He fared little better on the second day; the council seemed determined to discuss their own ongoing woes and how these affected the promises they had made in the previous council. Caledor detected no small amount of back-tracking from the plan that had been agreed upon, and a call was made to debate a new course of action.

The Phoenix King left abruptly as Finudel was making a speech, striding from the shrine in a foul temper. Mianderin caught up with him on the marble road that led to the quays where the king’s ship was berthed.

‘Your departure is hasty,’ the priest called out, holding up a hand to wave the king to a halt.

‘Empty oaths,’ snapped the Phoenix King, turning to face the high priest of Asuryan as he hurried up the white causeway, robes flapping. ‘Promises were made and now they argue the most eloquent way to renege on them.’

‘They are scared,’ said Mianderin.

‘Of what?’ replied Caledor.

‘Of Malekith,’ said the priest.

The Phoenix King did not know what to say to this. Mianderin took his frown of confusion as a sign of anger.

‘Do not be so harsh on them,’ said the priest, taking the Phoenix King’s arm to lead him to a curving bench on an immaculate lawn beside the road. ‘Some of them saw Malekith emerge from the flames, and even if not for that remarkable survival, his reputation cannot be ignored.’

‘He scares me as well,’ admitted Caledor, pulling aside his cloak of feathers to sit down. ‘That is why we must be united and strike first.’

‘Your fear drives you to action,’ said Mianderin, seating himself beside the Phoenix King, hands held neatly in his lap. ‘Their fear makes them cautious. Something they once believed true has proved false and every other doubt they have is magnified.’

Caledor rubbed his chin and considered this. It had not occurred to him that the other princes would react in this way.

‘You must allay their fears and dispel their doubts,’ said Mianderin. ‘They will follow you, they have shown that, but you cannot drag them with you.’

‘As we speak, the druchii could be on the march,’ said Caledor. ‘We do not have time for endless debate.’

‘And in this, you show your fear to them.’ Mianderin turned his head to look at the shrine. ‘You cannot bully them, as Malekith found out. No matter how weak you think them to be, they are princes of Ulthuan, rulers of their kingdoms, and they have their pride.’

‘Vanity.’

‘Perhaps, but no more than yours,’ said the high priest. ‘What else but vanity would make you believe that they will follow you without question?’

‘Necessity,’ replied Caledor.

‘They see the world differently. They look only at what they have to lose, while you see what can be gained. That is why they chose you, to provide them with the vision they lack.’

‘I am not that sort of leader,’ said Caledor. ‘I do not make speeches or waste words.’

‘And you do not have to,’ said Mianderin. ‘But your actions can be misinterpreted. What does the council think at the moment? Have you abandoned them? They do not know your thoughts.’

Caledor looked at the gleaming pyramid of the shrine like it was a fortress to besiege, his heart heavy. He took a deep breath and stood up with a glance at Mianderin.

‘Let them know my thoughts?’ said the Phoenix King.

The priest nodded with a smile of encouragement.

‘I can do that,’ said Caledor.

He strode back to the shrine, the Phoenix Guard at the door parting their halberds to allow him entry. The Phoenix King stopped and looked at the two silent warriors.

‘Summon your captain, I will speak with him shortly,’ said the king. The guards nodded their assent and Caledor passed into the shrine.

He strode back to his chair but did not sit down. The conversation of the princes died away and all watched him closely. The Phoenix King took off his winged helm and set it on the seat of the throne. He then opened the clasp of his ceremonial cloak and cast the mass of feathers over the throne’s back. Caledor turned to face the others, arms crossed.

‘I am Imrik again,’ he said. ‘Forget the cloak and the crown. Forget the Phoenix King. Listen to Imrik, dragon prince of Caledor, who you all turned to in your time of desperation.’

He strode purposefully across the shrine, armoured boots ringing loudly on the tiles, filling the silence. He stood before the table where Thyriol sat and leaned forwards, fists on its wooden surface.

‘Did you choose me to be your king?’ said Caledor.

‘I did,’ Thyriol replied with a nod.

‘Why?’

The mage looked at the others before he answered.

‘You were the best suited to it,’ said Thyriol. ‘Your skills as a warrior and a general, your determination and your principles made you the best of all the princes.’

‘Is there another that now surpasses me in that regard?’ Caledor’s eyes bored into the mage’s as he waited for the answer.

‘No,’ said Thyriol.

Caledor straightened and looked at the other princes.

‘If any of you disagree with Thyriol, who alone amongst us has chosen two kings, speak your mind now.’

None of the princes spoke. A few exchanged glances. Finudel smiled and nodded, while Koradrel raised a fist in salute. The Phoenix King walked back to his throne and put on the cloak and war helm before sitting down.

‘I am Caledor, the Phoenix King, your ruler,’ he said leaning forwards, fists on the arms of the throne. ‘While I live, we will not be defeated. That is my oath.’

Heartened by this bold declaration, the council agreed to halt the discussions until the next day, when they would hear the Phoenix King’s proposal. As the princes left the main chamber of the shrine, a tall warrior entered, his silver armour gleaming, halberd in hand, flowing white cloak trimmed with embroidered flames of red and gold: the captain of the Phoenix Guard, Elentyrion.

Caledor sat down and waved for the shrine’s chief protector to approach.

‘You are sworn to the protection of Asuryan’s flame,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘Malekith will extinguish that flame if given the chance. He will suffer no other to pass through it. Do you understand?’

The captain nodded once, his eyes not leaving Caledor’s.

‘Your defence of Asuryan’s shrine cannot start and end at the Isle of the Flame,’ the king continued. ‘Should I fail, should we all fail, Ulthuan will be overrun, including this shrine. The Phoenix Guard must fight alongside the Phoenix King if they are to do their duty.’

The commander of the Phoenix Guard considered this for some time, his face expressionless. Caledor thought the warrior’s passive response was a refusal but he eventually bowed to one knee and nodded, placing his halberd at the feet of the Phoenix King. Caledor picked up the weapon – it weighed almost nothing, forged of ithilmar – and told Elentyrion to rise. Handing the captain the halberd, Caledor allowed himself a brief smile. Malekith might have kept an army hidden, but how would they fare against the sacred warriors of Asuryan?

The council was called together early the next day. Caledor was keen to say what he wanted before the princes had time to start their own discussions. As a concession to the time of day, Mianderin had food brought into the shrine and the atmosphere was one of a convivial breakfast as Caledor spoke.

‘We must not underestimate Malekith,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘Yet we must not also overestimate him and his army. There have been times when all has seemed lost. Remember those first years, when the dragons slept and Lothern was besieged. Remember the peril we all felt as Avelorn burned. Remember the dread of Cothique left to its fate. We can remember these things because we have survived them.’

‘Malekith’s return is like nothing we have faced before,’ said Carvalon. He wiped crumbs from his lip with a silk napkin.

‘Malekith cannot be everywhere,’ replied Caledor.

There were looks of confusion from the princes.

‘Neither can you be everywhere,’ said Tithrain. ‘Nor the dragons. It seems to me that we have returned to where we began, waiting for the sword to fall so that we might turn it aside if we can.’

‘No,’ said Caledor. ‘That will not work. I do not know if I can beat Malekith.’

This announcement was met with dismay from the princes. Caledor raised his hand to quiet them but their protests continued.

‘Only yesterday you promised us victory,’ said Athielle. ‘Today you tell us we cannot win.’

‘I did not say that.’ The Phoenix King rose from his throne and began to walk around the shrine, looking at each of the princes in turn as he spoke. ‘We do not have to defeat Malekith. We have to defeat the druchii. Take away his army and he is just a lone warrior. A powerful one, yes, and gifted with sorcery too, but just one elf.’

‘Not from what I saw on the Ellyrian plains,’ said Finudel. ‘He rides the largest dragon I have ever seen, and after what he has endured I am not so sure he is mortal any longer.’

‘We will test his immortality,’ said Caledor. ‘He cannot defeat an enemy that will not face him.’

‘You said the same before, and Avelorn was almost destroyed,’ said Athielle. ‘And what of Cothique?’

‘This war will be hard, but it cannot go on forever,’ Caledor assured them, his confidence growing as he spoke. ‘Avelorn was not destroyed. Cothique is wounded but survives. Ulthuan is stronger than Nagarythe. We are stronger than Morathi and Malekith. Their greed and their hate drives them. Our duty and our loyalty must be as strong.’

‘What do you propose?’ asked Thyriol, who had been busily eating his breakfast while the others spoke, and had not spoken before. He pushed away the remains of his meal and rested his hands on the table. ‘How do we isolate Malekith?’

‘We must offer resistance where he advances, but not commit to open battle,’ said Caledor, continuing to pace. ‘While the druchii attack in one place, we attack them in another. The Anars had it right. We cannot risk this war being decided on a single battle. Malekith will give us no second chances.’

‘Chrace will bear the brunt of the fighting,’ said Koradrel. His shoulders heaped with his white lion cloak, the prince of Chrace seemed to dwarf the others in the room as he stood. He looked at Finudel and Athielle. ‘As will Ellyrion. In Chrace, we know very well how to hunt. The enemy will not breach the passes without casualty.’

‘We Ellyrians are not so well versed in mountain fighting,’ said Finudel. ‘However, we can wage war on the move as well as any Chracian hunts. Malekith will not find us easy to catch.’

‘And I will give the enemy another problem,’ said Caledor. ‘It is still my intent to retake Tiranoc. I will muster the army in Caledor and strike north for Tor Anroc.’

‘Do not expect this to be swift,’ warned Thyriol. ‘This plan of yours will take years to come to fruition.’

‘Aenarion did not destroy the daemons in a day,’ Carvalon said with a laugh.

‘Aenarion did not destroy the daemons,’ Caledor corrected the prince, sitting in his throne. ‘My grandfather did.’

‘And your name will sit easily alongside his in our histories,’ said Tithrain. He stood and raised a goblet of fruit juice. ‘It is too early for wine, but I salute you with all that I have. Cothique has suffered, but we will fight with you.’

The other princes stood also, offering their agreement. Out of the corner of his eye, Caledor glimpsed Mianderin standing at the door of side chamber. The high priest was nodding, a contented smile on his face.

The rain rattled from Sulekh’s scales and hissed into steam where it hit the Witch King’s armour. Rivers cascaded down the mountain slopes, swelled to bursting from the spring deluge. The low clouds clung to the peaks like a shroud, swathing the pass in a thick haze. Malekith’s army picked their way down a slope strewn with boulders and fallen trees, a winding column of black that disappeared into the grey mist.

Closing his eyes, the Witch King felt the bubbling winds of magic washing over the Annulii. With the circlet, he could see every slender strand, the smallest ebb and eddy of mystical energy. He searched for disturbances hidden to normal eyes, seeking the telltale swell and whirl of living things. Giant eagles nested in the heights of the peaks; mountain goats bounded up the slopes in large herds, gorging themselves on grass revealed by the recent thaw; a bear ambled from its cave seeking food; the trees were delicate slivers of life burrowing deep into the soil.

There was something else.

Further down the pass, Malekith detected the glow of fire, drawing the magic of flames to it. A camp. Several camps. Around them he spied the silvery flicker of elven spirits. He turned to the cluster of messengers who sat astride their black horses a short distance from Sulekh, their blinkered mounts trembling with fear.

‘Warn the vanguard,’ said Malekith. ‘There are Chracians on the northern slope, where a bridge crosses a river. It may be an ambush.’

One of the riders nodded and headed off down the mountainside, his steed galloping hard, grateful to be heading away from the presence of the Witch King and his dragon.

It was almost an insult, thought Malekith. Did Caledor rate him so lowly that he thought the Witch King would be caught by such a simple trap? His armour creaking as he turned, Malekith cast his unnatural gaze back towards the west, where his army was still crossing the last shoulder of the mountain. It would be noon before they were all in the valley. It did not matter, he was in no hurry. He wanted his enemies to know where he was.

Malekith looked up, rain hammering into the mask of his helm. Droplets danced and spat on the hot armour. He tried to remember when he had last drunk water. He could not. The fires that burned inside him left him with a ravening thirst but he could not quench it. It was the same with food. Not a morsel had passed his lips since he had been sealed inside the armoured suit. Sorcery alone kept him alive; the magic sustained by the sacrifices bound within the plates of his artificial skin. It was sad in some ways, liberating in others. He could taste nothing but the ash of his own near-destruction, but he could dimly recollect the sweetness of honey, the richness of wine.

Simple pleasures, taken from him by cowards and traitors. The jealous priests of Asuryan had cursed the flames so that they would not accept him. Yet their trickery had not succeeded. He had emerged from the flames with the blessing of the lord of gods. He would throw them into the fires they had tainted with their subterfuge and let them know what their god’s judgement felt like.

The ground trembled. Malekith sensed it through a shift in the magical winds, a turbulence that flowed south along the vortex. His ravaged ears could hear little over the constant crackling of the flames, but the Witch King’s magical sense was far more accurate. Boulders and logs tumbled down the slope from the camps by the bridge. He heard the screams of the warriors who had crossed over to attack the Chracians and felt their bodies crushed by the avalanche unleashed by the mountain-dwellers. The spirit of every dying elf flickered briefly, a pinprick of darkness that was swallowed up by the ever-shifting tides of magic.

There were more shouts and sounds of fighting. A column of march was no formation for battle and the vanguard had allowed itself to be surrounded, despite Malekith’s warning. With a growl, he jerked Sulekh’s iron reins and the monstrous beast launched herself from the rock, plunging down the valley in a swirl of cloud.

Nearing the bottom of the pass, Malekith saw several hundred Chracians fighting against his warriors. He saw the slew of debris blocking the bridge over which the vanguard had crossed, cutting off any reinforcement. Naggarothi warriors called for axes and bars to be brought forward so that the blockage could be cleared.

‘Stand back!’ Malekith roared as Sulekh landed on the near side of the river, clawed feet sinking into the soft mud of the bank.

He waited while the startled soldiers hurried back from the bridge. When they were clear of the crossing, the Witch King extended a hand, drawing in the threads of magic that invisibly wound down the valley, crushing them into pure energy with his force of will. He felt the icy touch of the circlet in his mind as he shaped the magic, a bolt of forking lightning leaping from his fist to smash into the boulders and hewn tree trunks. Stone and wood splinters exploded upwards, cutting arcs through the mist before drifting down onto the foaming water of the river.

‘Is it safe?’ one of the captains called out. The bridge had taken some of the blast, its stone wall collapsed for half its length on one side.

‘That is not my concern,’ said Malekith. ‘Follow me!’

Sulekh leapt across the river and with a single flap of her vast wings carried Malekith up the far slope to where his embattled soldiers were encircled by axe- and spear-wielding Chracians. Some wore the prized white lion pelts for which their kingdom was famed, the furs heavy with moisture from the rain.

As soon as they saw Malekith approaching, the Chracians scattered, breaking off their attack to sprint back into the woods. Not all reached the safety of the eaves; Malekith unsheathed his sword, Avanuir, and launched a flurry of fiery blue bolts at the retreating warriors, slaying a handful with each detonation. The Witch King drew in more magic and with a shout unleashed it in a broad wave. Where it struck, the trees exploded into black flame, the fire quickly raging up the slope, engulfing even more of the Chracian hunters. Sap exploded and leaves turned to ash as the wave of fire continued along the mountainside, engulfing the tents and wagons of the Chracian camps.

Sustaining the magical fire took all of Malekith’s concentration; as he weaved his metal-clad hand back and forth the fires spread further and further, the heat of the flames dissipating the mist as they engulfed the mountainside. The surge of dark energy flowing through him resonated with the runes of his armour, igniting dead nerve-endings, sending a shiver across the metal’s plates as if it were his skin.

With an effort, the Witch King cut the flow of dark magic, pulling himself back from the brink of intoxication. The mystical flames guttered and died, revealing blackened stumps and bones littered across the mountain. The clatter of armour attracted his attention and he turned to see a squadron of knights galloping across the bridge.

‘Captain, come to me,’ Malekith said, beckoning to the elf who had been in charge of the vanguard.

The captain came forwards, a bloodied sword in his hand, breastplate rent open from a Chracian axe. He dropped to one knee, eyes averted.

‘My apologies, king,’ said the soldier.

He knelt trembling, head bowed, as Malekith steered Sulekh to loom over him. The crest of the captain’s helmet fluttered with each of the dragon’s breaths, wisps of poisonous vapour coiling from her nostrils. The Witch King could feel the elf’s fear dripping from his shuddering body.

‘Do not fail me again,’ said the Witch King. The captain looked up, surprised and delighted. ‘Continue the march!’

The officer bowed and hurried away, anxious that his master might have a sudden change of heart. In truth, the captain was ordered into the trap by Malekith and could not be blamed. His mother might dispense summary executions in such a situation, but her acts of spite were wasteful. The Witch King suffered no illusions about his opponents and knew he would need every soldier if he was to claim Ulthuan for his own.

Uncertainty keeps soldiers alert, Malekith told himself. He would not want to become predictable.

While Malekith’s army navigated the difficult passes into Chrace, Caledor’s host was poised to descend from the Dragon Spine mountains into southern Tiranoc. The border was heavily fortified, the Phoenix King’s scouts reporting a dozen citadels had been erected since the druchii occupation had begun. Caledor would have to lay siege to each if he was to advance on Tor Anroc.

The westerly winds brought the freshness of the sea and the spring sun was bright as Caledor led his army out of the mountains. At the foot of the valley were twin castles, situated at the narrowest point, a massive iron gate between them. Flying above his army, the Phoenix King could see more ramparts had been built into the mountainsides. Batteries of bolt throwers were stationed to create a killing field in front of the gate.

He signalled to Dorien to follow and instructed Maedrethnir to land on a spur of rock just out of range of the war engines. There was frenetic activity on the walls of the keep, a mass of soldiers boiling up to the ramparts from their barracks within.

‘A tough proposition,’ said Dorien as his mount settled a little below Maedrethnir’s perch. ‘This could be bloody.’

‘Yes, it could,’ replied the Phoenix King as he analysed the defences guarding the pass.

The fortifications protecting the bolt throwers were little more than slits in the rock, allowing no room for a dragon to land. It would be possible to fill them with fire, but any dragon doing so would have to fly slowly into the teeth of the war machines’ fire. Even if the outer defences were neutralised, the keeps themselves were solidly built, and would provide plenty of cover against dragonfire and lance. It would take some time to build siege engines that could breach the gate.

‘How do we attack?’ asked Dorien, showing little of his usual enthusiasm as he looked at the forbidding fortress.

‘From Lothern,’ replied Caledor.

Though the wasted march pained the Phoenix King, he had realised that it would be far better to attack Tiranoc from the sea. As the army headed back eastwards, Dorien confronted him in his tent one night.

‘Why did we not sail to Tiranoc from the outset?’ his brother asked. ‘Spring will nearly be summer by the time we return.’

‘I had to have a look,’ answered Caledor. ‘If we attack by ship, we must retake Tor Anroc. A retreat to the fleet will be very dangerous. Should we be cut off, the passes of the Annulii stand between us and sanctuary in Ellyrion. A hard withdrawal also.’

‘And when we take Tor Anroc, what then?’ said Dorien. ‘There are druchii outposts all over Tiranoc. We will be an island in a sea of enemies.’

‘We will not be staying,’ said Caledor. ‘We need to hold the city long enough for Malekith to respond. When he does, we will leave and sail to Chrace to threaten from there.’

‘Why not dispense with all of this play-acting and simply land on the coast of Nagarythe?’ said Dorien, who had not been at the council and had confessed some doubts over his brother’s intentions when he had been informed.

‘Enough!’ snapped Caledor. ‘You do not tame a dragon by putting your head between its fangs. Malekith has always known victory. When I deny him, he will become frustrated and make mistakes. That is when we strike, and not before.’

Dorien did not seem satisfied by Caledor’s explanation, but did not raise the matter again on the march across Caledor and Eataine. By the time the host arrived in Lothern, the fleet of the city was waiting for them. It took several days to embark the army upon the eighty ships, but the winds held fair for the journey around Ulthuan’s western coast.

Since the destruction of the captured Tiranocii ships at the siege of Lothern, the greatest disadvantage of the druchii had been a lack of vessels. Though they had enjoyed a brief naval ascendancy when the colony fleet had returned, several battles along the Cothique and Yvresse coasts had restored the advantage to Caledor’s forces.

So it was with justified confidence that the Eataine captains sailed their vessels to the coast of Tiranoc, expecting little resistance. Aided by pilots who knew the waters off this stretch of shore, Caledor had selected four landing spots; isolated bays and small harbours that were unlikely to be defended. Even if the Naggarothi left their port at Galthyr the moment the fleet was spotted, it would still take them four days of hard sailing against the prevailing winds to reach the closest landing. By then, Caledor was determined to be at the walls of Tor Anroc.

As the Phoenix King had expected, the landings went unopposed. Five thousand knights and four times that number of infantry marched east along the neglected roads of Tiranoc, converging on the capital from the west and south. They encountered a few small garrisons, most of whom tried to flee upon seeing the approaching army but were chased down by the dragon riders.

The people of Tiranoc were in jubilant mood, crowding the roads and villages to welcome their liberators. Unlike Cothique, the Khainites had not been let loose and the kingdom was for the most part prosperous. That was not to say the druchii occupiers had been gentle or subtle in their domination; Caledor heard many woeful tales of their oppression as he passed through towns and hamlets thronged with cheering and singing crowds.

Eager to press on, he found little time for the celebrations that were thrown in his honour, and even less time for the local dignitaries that threw them. Every delay niggled at the Phoenix King’s patience. Grateful Tiranocii filled the roads and slowed the march and it was five days before the army sighted Tor Anroc.

Unsure of the enemy’s strength, Caledor spent a day scouting the city and surrounding countryside from the back of Maedrethnir. The other dragons he sent north and east to look for druchii armies on the march, along with Thyriol and Finreir on their pegasi and a prince of Yvresse, Namillon, who rode a white-feathered griffon. The flying patrols spied no druchii force larger than a company, while Caledor’s inspection of the city’s defences was curtailed by a hail of bolts from the towers as Maedrethnir swept over the city.

Though not one of the great fortresses of Ulthuan like Anlec, Tor Achare or Tor Caled, Tor Anroc was still an imposing city. The capital of Tiranoc, once the seat of the Phoenix King, was built atop a white-stoned hill that was bordered by steep cliffs facing west towards the approaching army. About the foothills of the mount were white buildings roofed with red tiles, some of them abandoned and half-ruined. They nestled amongst poorly kept fields that were dotted with wooden sheds that had not been built when Caledor had last visited. The stench and swarms of flies revealed the purpose of these outhouses: abattoirs where meat was still hanging on the hooks, recently deserted.

There was only one approach to the city, from the east. Caledor split his army and they circled north and south around Tor Anroc. Knowing that there were likely secret tunnels through the rock of the mound, the Phoenix King left several companies camped beside the cliffs, far enough away to be out of bolt thrower range but close enough to keep watch on the cliff sides.

From the east the city looked even more spectacular, though its white walls were marred with cracks and swathes of unpainted plaster and fresh stone. Caledor regretted his abortive attempt to enter from the mountains, judging that the defences had been shored up with the forewarning that the expedition had given the druchii. He dismissed his worries; there was nothing he could do to change the past.

Spearing straight across the landscape from the mountains to the east, a road of pitted hexagonal tiles ran up to the closed gate. Wide enough for five chariots abreast, the wood and iron of the massive portal were exposed, the plates of gold that had once gleamed in the sun stolen by the city’s invaders. A great gatehouse barred the approach to the city, a bastion upon a wall twice the height of an elf that arched backwards into the mount itself, all carved from the naked rock. Two pale towers flanked the roadway, devoid of openings except for high arrow slits that looked upon every approach. On each of the flat tower tops stood a bolt thrower, mounted upon an assembly of bars and thin ropes so that they could be swung with ease in any direction.

Beyond the gate, the road split and spiralled east and west towards the city proper. From high walls, the black and purple flags of Nagarythe flew on banner poles, the spring wind teasing out the long pennants. There were other more grisly decorations; the heads of elves hanging from chains and impaled atop spears, and skeletons and half-rotted carcasses sealed in gibbets that stirred in the breeze. Towers and citadels carved from the white rock broke above the curving crenellations of the curtain wall, but these in turn were dwarfed by a central spire that pierced the morning sky like a shining needle.

Once that tower had burned with a blue flame, signalling the occupation of the Phoenix King. Now the palace of Bel Shanaar was in disrepair. Even from outside the city Caledor could see broken windows, sagging tiled roofs and crumbling balconies. While he had held no deep affection for Bel Shanaar, to see the legacy of the city he had built so shamed brought the Phoenix King’s ire to the surface and he snapped orders at his commanders to make camp either side of the road.

The elves erected their pavilions in the ruins of walled orchards, where rows of apple and cherry trees were breaking into blossom, a strangely bright and cheerful apparition amongst the aura of gloom that seemed to emanate from the occupied city. Caledor’s household erected his tent in the grounds of a farm protected by high walls of white stone overgrown with creeping plants, the gateways empty, the silver and gold gates that had once lined the road taken like those of Tor Anroc.

Little was left of the summer manses of Tiranoc’s nobles. Many of the white towers that stood atop the surrounding hills were tumbled or blackened with soot. Caledor despatched companies to investigate each of these, in case they harboured enemies that could launch raids from behind the siege lines.

Caledor also sent a large company to the wooded hills north of the city; Chracian woodsmen and artisans from Lothern. They were to fell timber and construct the siege engines that would be needed to assault the city.

As rows of red and white and blue tents rose up in a second city around Tor Anroc, Caledor summoned his princes and captains to discuss his plans for the initial attack.

Far to the north, the druchii pressed on towards Tor Achare. Villages and towns had fallen to their advance, and another was about to. Spearheads clattered harmlessly from Malekith’s iron skin, as dozens of Chracians tried to surround the Witch King. He swept his flaming sword from left to right, parting spears, shearing through shields and slashing through armour and flesh. Stepping over the burning bodies of the dead warriors, the Witch King drove his sword through the shield and chest of another foe. Overhead, Sulekh flew back and forth, clouds of green vapour billowing from her maw as she hunted through the narrow streets of the town. The black dragon landed atop a row of houses, the roofs buckling under her weight.

Another group of Chracians dashed from a side street, axes swinging. Malekith blocked their blows with his massive shield, the rune of Khaine on its surface blazing with baleful energy. With a growl, he smashed his sword through a handful of attackers, separating limbs and heads with one blow. As the Witch King’s warriors advanced up the street, the Chracians fell back, disappearing into a warren of gardens and alleys.

Striding after them, the Witch King noticed an elf crawling into the shadow of a collapsed wall. He sheathed Avanuir and dulled the flames of his armour before reaching down and seizing the Chracian by his ankle. Dragging the unfortunate elf across the rubble, Malekith released his grip on the elf’s leg and seized hold of his breastplate, lifting him from the ground.

‘Where are they hiding?’ growled the Witch King.

The Chracian said nothing, his face a mask of defiance. The elf did not even attempt to struggle, but hung limply in Malekith’s grasp, blood spilling from a wound in his shoulder. The metal of the Chracian’s breastplate buckled and tore as the Witch King tightened his grip.

‘Where is Imrik?’

‘King Caledor will fight you when he chooses,’ replied the Chracian. ‘He has more important things to attend to.’

With a snarl, Malekith hurled the elf against the collapsed wall. The Chracian’s broken body crumpled to the ground, neck snapped.

‘Kill everyone, destroy everything,’ the Witch King bellowed.

He turned away from the fighting, seeking to calm himself and master the frustration that boiled within him. For the whole of the spring he had fought his way across the mountains. Every valley and peak had been a struggle for his army. Never gathering in one place, the Chracians had gnawed at his army like rats, emerging from their holes to nibble away at his troops before scuttling back to their lairs. It mattered not how many towns he burned, how many villages he put to the sword, his enemies refused to meet him in true battle.

Only the day before he had received word that the Anars were raiding the supply caravans to the west. Companies sent to forage in the woods came back bloodied from ambushes. They had broken the bridges across the raging rivers and blocked the roads with felled trees. None of their actions could halt his advance, and even the casualties they inflicted were tolerable, but the disruption and delays were a source of constant irritation.

As he watched Sulekh ripping down the tower of a noble’s manse, Malekith pushed back his anger and reviewed the situation. Despite the Chracians’ tactics, he was less than five days’ march from Tor Achare. The plains of northern Chrace were open before him. Caledor would have no choice but to meet him there. The alternative was to allow Tor Achare to fall, giving Malekith a stronghold from which to launch further attacks into the Inner Kingdoms and the east; even Caledor could see the folly of allowing an enemy such a fortress.

A strange whispering distracted the Witch King. He sensed an odd flow in the winds of magic: a daemonic presence. Turning to his right, he saw the flames of a burning cottage glowing red and purple. As he watched, the fires coalesced into a diminutive figure. It jumped down from the pile of burning timbers, awkward and lopsided, stubby wings trailing sparks from its back. Its face was beaked, though the daemon’s features constantly shifted, the number of eyes and mouths changing from moment to moment in the dancing flames.

It padded forwards, gangling arms swaying like branches in a wind, pink smoke bubbling from its fiery body, a line of little ash footprints left across the slabs of the street. Stopping just in front of Malekith, it squatted down and looked up at the Witch King with a scowl.

‘I have been bid to deliver you a message,’ the creature said, its annoyance obvious.

‘Then deliver it,’ said Malekith.

‘The glorious Morathi, queen of the elves, mistress of the black spheres, sends warning,’ said the daemon, the words delivered in a bored monotone. ‘The treacherous Imrik and his followers have laid siege to Tor Anroc. She of the Thousand and One Dark Blessings entreats you to make haste to lift the siege lest the southern border of Nagarythe be threatened.’

The daemon stood up and turned away.

‘Wait!’ snapped Malekith. ‘I have a reply for you to take to Anlec.’

‘I never agreed to a reply,’ said the daemon, not looking back. ‘Take it yourself.’

With a growl, Malekith extended his hand, fingers splayed. Magic twisted, forming a net of barbed darkness that surrounded the daemon. It squealed and tried to run back to the flames that had birthed it, but Malekith tugged back his hand, dragging the infernal creature across the road.

‘Even one of insubstantial form such as you can suffer a multitude of torments,’ Malekith told the creature. The daemon howled and squirmed as the dark net tightened and lifted into the air, guided by a gesture from the Witch King. Malekith closed his fingers a fraction and the daemon screamed as black thorns dug into its flaming body. ‘All I have to do is close my fist.’

‘All right!’ wailed the daemon. ‘What is the message? I shall take it to Anlec.’

‘To the sorceress Morathi, delivered to her alone, my words exactly,’ said Malekith.

‘Of course,’ replied the fire-daemon. ‘Your exact words. I swear.’

‘Tell Morathi that I have received her message,’ said the Witch King. ‘She is to send ten companies from the Anlec garrison to fortresses on the Naganar. She is to do nothing else without my command.’

‘Don’t trust her not to go charging off?’ laughed the daemon.

Malekith tightened his fingers and the daemon let out a piercing screech.

‘I did not ask for your opinion,’ said the Witch King. ‘Deliver my message and return to the realm that spawned you.’

‘I will, I promise!’

Malekith released the spell and the daemon fluttered down to the road like a burning leaf. Grumbling and muttering, it shuffled back to the burning building and climbed within the flames. It turned to Malekith and made an offensive gesture of contempt, before melting into the fires with a cackle.

The Witch King stared into the flames long after the daemon disappeared, weighing up his options. Imrik was making a gamble, believing Malekith would not be willing to give up Tor Anroc for Tor Achare. For that to work, the usurper would have to convince Malekith that he was willing to use Tiranoc to attack Nagarythe directly. The Witch King doubted Imrik had the mettle for such an assault. The sensible thing to do would be to proceed with the capture of Tor Achare to call Imrik’s bluff.

However, a shadow of doubt crossed Malekith’s mind. To capture Tor Achare was a simple matter, to keep it was another. It was vulnerable to attack from Avelorn, Ellyrion, Cothique and Saphery, not to mention a possible landing on the coast. Perhaps Imrik really was willing to sacrifice Chrace in the knowledge that occupying the kingdom would weaken the defences of Nagarythe. He had allowed Cothique to fall beneath the blades of the Khainites, and that demonstrated a ruthless nature Malekith could admire.

He wracked his brain for a third alternative, a means by which he would force Imrik into battle. The Isle of the Flame sprang to the Witch King’s mind, but was quickly dismissed; he had not nearly enough ships for an expedition across the Inner Sea. Lothern was a similarly valued prize, but was too far away from Nagarythe for an extended campaign without possession of Tiranoc.

Tor Achare or Tor Anroc? The question nagged at Malekith as he sent word for his commanders to attend him. Push on to the capital of Chrace and subjugate the east, risking an invasion of Nagarythe? Another factor entered his thoughts: Morathi. He could not wholly trust her to be obedient to his wishes. It would take some time to capture Tor Achare, leaving his mother to make her own schemes. She would take it as a personal affront that Imrik threatened Nagarythe and would respond. Such a reaction would be reckless, committing Malekith to a war both in Chrace and Tiranoc.

The runes of the Witch King’s armour glowed white hot as his anger returned, stoked by Imrik’s cowardly plans and his own uncertainty. Malekith’s subordinates converged on the central square of the town as buildings burned and the fighting continued. They kept some distance away, eyes narrowed against the fiery glare of their master.

With a deep growl of annoyance, Malekith made his decision. He could not allow Imrik to recapture Tor Anroc, but there was no reason to take the circuitous route back through Nagarythe.

‘Rally the army,’ he told his commanders. ‘We head south, to Ellyrion.’

The streets of Tor Anroc rang with the clash of battle. The smoke-choked tunnel-roads of the city were packed with spearmen of both sides, while about the palace the dragons of Caledor laid waste to the citadel’s defenders with claw, fang and flame. The great doors of the palace were barred, but Tor Anroc’s central spire had not been designed as a bastion of war. Druchii warriors on tiered balconies fired volleys from their repeater crossbows, while the Phoenix King’s mages hurled lightning bolts and balls of fire through the high windows into the halls within. Stained glass was shattered, tapestries and curtains burned.

Black-clad soldiers dashed from one of the tunnels leading into the palace square, pursued by the silent Phoenix Guard, their halberd blades slick with blood. After them came Caledor’s favoured White Lions, who broke towards the noble houses surrounding the plaza, which had been quickly fortified by druchii defenders. A swathe of spearmen and archers followed, pushing towards the palace doors.

Maedrethnir settled on the roof of a tower overlooking the west gardens, where bolt throwers unleashed hails of spears from behind ornamental hedges and beneath blossoming fruit trees. Claws scraping gouges across the stained stones, the dragon launched himself at a battery of the engines situated behind a white-painted wall. Sweeping overhead, he bathed the lawn with flame, setting fire to mountain roses and sunpetals, scorching grass that had once been carefully tended by a small army of gardeners.

Stowing his lance and unhooking his harness, Caledor dropped from the back of his mount, landing sure-footed beside a shallow pool that gently steamed, dead fish floating on the surface. A shadow swept over him as Dorien’s dragon flew past, bathing the roof of the great hall with fire.

The Phoenix King drew his sword and ran up to the glass-panelled doors that stretched along one wall of a feasting hall. He dimly remembered eating in the long chamber as his armoured boot crashed against a lock and sent the door crashing from its hinges. Plunging inside, he found broken furniture barricading the doors into the rest of the palace. Lathrain cut through the upturned tables and chairs with ease, and within moments Caledor was through the door into the corridors of the palace proper.

He headed north towards the great staircase that led to the upper levels. The gallery was deserted, the sounds of battle outside muted as his boots rang on the marble floor. Busts of Tiranocii princes sat in alcoves on either side, each broken and defaced by the druchii.

As he reached the entrance chamber, he came across a group of druchii guarding the main doors. They turned at his approach, swords and shields raised. Lathrain blazed as Caledor cut them down, even as a deafening boom sounded from the doors. Twice the massive portal shook. On the third, the oak doors exploded inwards, filling the entrance hall with splinters that rattled from the Phoenix King’s armour. In the smoke and dust, Caledor saw a slender figure approach.

It was Thyriol, his raised staff glowing with power. The mage’s eyes were alight with golden energy, his skin writhed with magic. His pale hair surrounded his head like a nimbus, streaming with its own life.

‘I thought it polite to knock,’ said the Sapherian prince, smiling.

As the mage stepped over the threshold, more of Caledor’s followers poured up the steps, their war cries echoing around the large hall. Caledor led them up the eastern staircase, heading towards the royal apartments where Bel Shanaar and his family had once lived.

Footfalls muffled by the thick carpets, the Phoenix King and his warriors moved from chamber to chamber, searching for foes. They found much evidence of the druchii’s depravity: trophies taken from victims, tomes of evil prayers, fetishes of the cytharai adorned each apartment.

Coming to the chambers of the former Phoenix King, Caledor kicked open the door, sword in hand. The apartment was empty of the living, but two bodies lay sprawled near the window. The elves, one male and one female, were dressed in the finest robes and jewellery. Flopped over a low couch, their faces were painted pale, eyes surrounded by dark kohl, lips black. A broken crystal phial lay on the floor close by and Caledor could smell the distinctive scent of black lotus.

‘Cowards,’ the Phoenix King said with a sneer.

There was a fire in the grate, books and parchments used as fuel. Crossing the chamber, Caledor saw a pool of blood leaking from the door leading to the bedchambers. Steeling himself, he opened the door.

On a blood-soaked bed lay three children, the oldest no more than fifteen years. They too were dressed in rich robes and gems. On the floor around the bed were the bodies of five more elves, garbed as servants, their throats slit. Disgusted, Caledor turned away, slamming the door closed.

Feeling sickened, he tossed Lathrain onto a table and slumped into a padded chair. The city was his, the capture of the palace a certainty. He could let others do the fighting for a while. Exhaustion tugged at his mind and body. Closing his eyes, he drifted into a light sleep.

He awoke to find Dorien standing over him, a grim smile on his brother’s lips.

‘We are victorious,’ said Dorien. ‘The druchii are all slain.’

‘Good,’ said Caledor.

He hauled himself to his feet, retrieved his sword and strode to one of the windows opening onto the royal balcony. Dorien followed him out onto the white parapet, which offered a magnificent view of the city. From here, high in the palace, the breaches in the wall looked small. The bodies littering the square below merged together, druchii and loyalist heaped alongside each other in death. Fires burned across the city and a column of elves were streaming down the roads and out of the shattered gate.

‘A sorry sight,’ said Dorien. ‘Bel Shanaar’s legacy has been humbled.’

‘Better Tor Anroc than Tor Caled,’ said Caledor, leaning on the balustrade.

‘True,’ replied his brother. ‘I am sure Bel Shanaar would understand. Let us hope that Tor Achare has not suffered a similar fate.’

The Phoenix King did not reply, his attention drawn to a shape against the clouds to the east. As it neared the city, it resolved itself into a pegasus and rider. It was Anamatheir, one of Thyriol’s adepts. The mage flew straight for the palace.

‘Such haste cannot bring good news,’ said Dorien, following his brother’s gaze.

Driven on by their relentless master, the druchii surged south through Avelorn and into Ellyrion. Day and night the army marched; a winding serpent of black and gold in the sun; a ghostly line of torch and lamp by moonlight.

The army did not burn, did not slaughter. Ellyrion was not the Witch King’s target, though he faced a difficult decision as he approached Eagle Pass. Two days east lay Tor Elyr. It was an easy target, with no wall or keep, no bastions or towers. For that reason, it was also a worthless target. The destruction of the city would take several days for no reward save the misery of Finudel and Athielle. Tor Elyr was not a capital like Anlec or Lothern; the Ellyrians spent most of the year with the herds, and even the nobility spent all but winter in camps spread across the plains. Though it would add only six days to the march, the city’s destruction would be a distraction, one that might allow Imrik to escape.

Malekith’s decision did not sit well with his commanders, who had spent a fruitless spring chasing Chracians and being ambushed. Their protests were not voiced, but the Witch King could tell by their sullen demeanours and pointed silence that they did not approve. He did not care one bit. Any that spoke against him, openly or in secret, would betray their lack of loyalty and would be dealt with accordingly.

The army turned west and marched for Eagle Pass and Tor Anroc.

That spring signalled the course of the next stage of the civil war. Malekith force-marched his army across Tiranoc, only to find the capital abandoned by Caledor and his troops, the ancient city deserted save for vermin. The Phoenix King’s army travelled north on the Lothern fleet, raiding Galthyr in the midsummer before they moved eastwards and landed in Chrace to reinforce Tor Achare.

Rather than chase his elusive enemy, the Witch King set about rebuilding the fortifications of Tor Anroc. From here he could easily move north to counter any invasion of Nagarythe, whilst threatening Caledor and Ellyrion. Morathi joined her son as summer became autumn, riding south with a caravan of cultists and other strange elves. Malekith was not of a mood to welcome her in extravagant style and refused her thousands-strong entourage entrance to the city.

Furious, Morathi made her way to the palace of Bel Shanaar where Malekith had formed his new headquarters. The citadel was half in ruin; the disrepair of the druchii occupation and the damage caused by Caledor’s forces had left whole wings as piles of rubble or burnt-out shells. Through broken windows the setting sun streamed jagged shadows across the floor of the throne room as Morathi entered.

‘Why must my people live like cattle in the fields?’ she demanded, striding across the cracked slabs.

‘There is little enough room in the city for my army,’ replied Malekith. He sat on the broken remnants of Bel Shanaar’s throne, the wood blackened by his armour. ‘If they do not find conditions to their liking, they can return to Nagarythe.’

‘It is an irritation that I must come here at all,’ said the sorceress. ‘Why do you dally here, when you could be marching south to Caledor?’

‘Do not think to advise me on strategy, mother,’ said the Witch King, the visor of his helm glowing with pale flame.

‘And yet I find I must do just that,’ said Morathi. She sought amongst the broken and burned furniture for an intact seat and eventually found a bench. Righting it, she sat down, legs crossed, her eyes fixed on her son. ‘Why do you waste your time in this hovel?’

‘I cannot invade Caledor,’ Malekith said, resting gauntleted hands on his knees. ‘We have been fortunate that more dragons have not woken. Should Sulekh and her spawn enter the mountains, I am sure the other dragons would be roused by it. There is another reason. The moment I cross into Caledor, Imrik will surely set out from Tor Achare to take Anlec. Do you desire that I swap my father’s palace for that of the Dragontamer?’

Morathi’s scowl was deep but she had no quick answer to Malekith’s taunting question. She tapped black-painted nails on the pale surface of the bench, small sparks of dark magic flickering between her fingertips to earth themselves in the wood.

‘What is it that you intend?’ she said eventually. ‘Surely you do have a plan?’

‘I have a strategy, but it will not be swift,’ said the Witch King. ‘While Imrik has his fleet, he can move much faster, along the coast or across the Inner Sea. If I march on Chrace through Ellyrion he will move back to Tiranoc. If I advance through Tiranoc and Nagarythe, he will come south via Avelorn into Ellyrion or Saphery.’

Malekith raised a finger and drew a circle of smoke and fire in the air.

‘I could spend eternity chasing Imrik around Ulthuan and never catch him.’

‘Then we are at an impasse,’ said Morathi, speaking as if the words pained her to say. ‘Imrik is willing to leave any kingdom to our mercy, and we can hold no place hostage to force him to battle. Yet he will not fight us directly, and so neither side can achieve a lasting victory.’

‘It is a duel,’ said Malekith. He laughed, a harsh metallic noise that rang coldly around the empty hall. ‘Feint and thrust, parry and counter-attack. The first to flinch, to blink, to make a mistake will lose.’

‘I hear you say a lot, but I am no wiser regarding your plans,’ said Morathi. ‘How will you break the deadlock?’

The Witch King stood and approached his mother, dimming the flames of his armour so that he could stand over her. He reached down a hand and graciously helped Morathi to her feet.

‘What is this weakness?’ she asked. ‘What have you seen? One of the princes, perhaps? One who can be turned to our cause?’

‘No, they are all loyal to Imrik,’ said Malekith. ‘Imrik is the weak link in the chain.’

‘You are mistaken,’ said Morathi. ‘He is considered by some to almost be your equal. Nonsense, of course, but he is not without intelligence and skill.’

‘I have no doubt that eventually I would prove myself superior, but the world might turn an age before that happens,’ said Malekith. He walked towards the doors, Morathi hurrying to keep up with the long strides of her son. ‘He is the finest of the princes, in battle and as a leader. That is why our enemies look to him, why they follow him. That shall be their undoing’

‘Our foes have one weakness, one chink in their armour to exploit,’ said Morathi, gaining understanding of Malekith’s intent. ‘They rely on Imrik. It is his stubbornness and his bravery that keepS them fighting.’

‘Precisely,’ said the Witch King. He stopped and picked up a lump of masonry that had fallen from the vaulted ceiling. It turned to powder as he closed his fist. ‘Without him, resistance will crumble. Imrik knows that he cannot defeat me and seeks to destroy my army piece by piece. I know that I cannot destroy his army if I cannot catch it. So, I will march to and fro, keeping his eyes on me, testing the resolve of his allies. His determination to avoid open battle will be his weakness. I am not so proud that he must die by my hand. There are many ways to slay a foe.’

Morathi smiled as Malekith thrust open the doors to the hall and stepped into the antechamber. The Witch King’s voice filled the room.

‘Kill Imrik and we will win the war!’

NINETEEN

A DEADLY DANCE

As Caledor had predicted, the druchii lacked the strength for an all-out assault across Ulthuan. Refusing the pitched battle that Malekith needed for victory, the Phoenix King and the princes allied to him were able to temper the druchii offensives whilst minimising their losses. Sometimes Caledor took the initiative, probing at the passes between Nagarythe and Ellyrion, sending expeditions to make joint raids with the Anars across the border with Chrace. Always Caledor tried to goad his foe into a rash move, but the Witch King was too canny a general to split his forces or over extend his advances.

This duel of armies continued for several years as the druchii tested the resolve of the Phoenix King and his followers. Towns were burned and populaces driven out, but as soon as the army of Nagarythe was drawn elsewhere, Caledor would visit the devastated regions, showing unity with the people he ruled.

The Phoenix King remembered the question asked of him by Mianderin and knew that he had been afraid of fully becoming the ruler of Ulthuan. He had shunned his responsibilities, choosing to focus on the weaknesses of his allies rather than his own deficiencies as king.

Though still short of temper and curt of tongue, Caledor endeavoured not only to lead by example but to encourage those around him. In battle he was implacable, striking hard from the back of Maedrethnir, always at the forefront of the fighting. In the times when retreat was necessary he was there also, his presence bolstering the resolve of those whose homes would be burned, displaying his defiance for all to see.

As Caledor was the inspiration for Ulthuan’s defenders, Malekith was the driving force of the Naggarothi. None could match him in battle, for strength or sorcery. On occasion he would ride forth with Morathi and they would sweep all before them; Malekith with his disciplined veterans, Morathi with her wild cultists. The Witch King alone was worth ten companies of spears, and when he rode Sulekh to battle there was not an army to match him.

Four years after Malekith’s return, the summer was long and dry. The army of Nagarythe was encamped on the banks of the River Ilientath that bordered Chrace and Avelorn, and looked poised to strike into Cothique once again. Tiranoc was under druchii control, its defences much improved under the regime of the Witch King. Caledor mustered his army in Saphery, hoping to lure the Witch King into the kingdom of the mages, while ready to sail across the Inner Sea to Avelorn to come at Malekith’s advance from the rear. For the whole of the summer the two armies camped, separated by no more than ten days’ marching; for the whole of the summer neither the Witch King nor the Phoenix King was willing to show his true intent.

As had been agreed in the pact between Caledor and his princes, Koradrel had left Chrace when the druchii had launched their latest attack. No prince was allowed to remain in an assaulted kingdom, lest they fall in battle or, worse, be taken prisoner and turned against their allies. Though many had never expected to become rulers, under Caledor the princes of Ulthuan had formed a close bond with each other, and the petty rivalries of the past had been forgotten, overshadowed by the common threat of the Naggarothi.

Caledor spent the hot afternoon relaxing alone in his pavilion, having invited his Chracian cousin to dine with him that evening. Riders and dragons patrolled the northern reaches of Saphery, ready to bring word of any movement from the enemy, and the Phoenix King was content that all was in order. Wary of complacency, he had spent the morning reviewing the dispositions of his forces, but could find no weakness that might be exploited by the Witch King.

The heat of the summer and a long, tense battle of wills had taken their toll on Caledor’s stamina. Having removed his armour, he dozed in his throne clad only in a loose robe of white, embroidered with the phoenix flames of Asuryan. He half-heard the shouts of the captains as they drilled their companies on the parade ground at the centre of the camp. There were clatters of plates and goblets as his servants prepared the adjoining chamber for the evening’s meal.

Still feel drowsy, the Phoenix King roused himself at the arrival of Koradrel and a few of his Chracian princes. Servants came in with trays of wine jugs and goblets, though Caledor ordered water be brought for him, fearing his thirst would make him drink too much.

The group moved to the banquet, which consisted of the finest fare Saphery had to offer. Caledor took little part in the idle conversation, content to allow the Chracians to swap well-worn hunting stories and gossip from Tor Achare. More wine flowed and a heated debate erupted as the princes argued over who had slain the most foes.

The evening had begun to cool the air and Caledor suggested that the party move outside. He had eaten little, as usual, but his guests appeared uninterested in the suggestion. Their earlier animation had dwindled and the Phoenix King noticed that Koradrel and the others were sluggish, their speech slurred. Acharion, one of Koradrel’s nephews, attempted a toast but stumbled as he stood, eventually collapsing to the ground, face red and swollen.

‘Poison!’ hissed Caledor, slapping the goblet from Koradrel’s hand as he raised it to his lips.

The Chracian ruler reacted slowly, turning his head with a confused expression.

‘You spilled my drink, cousin,’ he said, brow knotted, hand still halfway to his lips.

‘The wine, it has been tainted,’ said Caledor.

The Phoenix King turned to the three servants who stood at the far end of the table.

‘Fetch the healers,’ he demanded. ‘Who brought the wine?’

None of the servants answered. At first Caledor thought they had sneaked a sample of their master’s cask, but the notion was dispelled as all three reached into their robes and drew forth curved daggers. The Phoenix King saw the red glint of Khainite runes and the sheen of poison on the blades as the three advanced, two to his left and one to his right.

‘Assassins!’ roared Caledor, snatching up a carving knife from the carcass of a fowl.

The one to the right came first, blade flashing for Caledor’s throat. The Phoenix King ducked and lunged, his weapon passing harmlessly across the assassin’s chest as the elf stepped back. Caledor dropped and rolled to his right to avoid an attack from his left, sending a side table laden with fruit flying as he surged to his feet, the carving knife ringing against a dagger aimed at his gut.

Heart hammering, Caledor leapt onto the table, scattering dishes and plates, shards of broken crockery punching into his feet through his thin boots. The assassins broke apart, quickly surrounding him. Turning left and then right quickly, trying to keep all three in view, Caledor side-stepped to the foot of the table, towards the doorway.

Koradrel rose groggily to his feet, swinging a fist at the nearest assassin. The punch connected with the elf’s shoulder, sending him reeling into the side of the pavilion. Distracted, the attacker trying to circle behind Caledor was too slow as the Phoenix King whirled on his heel and drove a booted foot into the assassin’s face. The assassin snarled, blood dripping to his lip, and leapt up to the table.

The carving knife met the assassin’s chest, punching through ribs into lungs. The assassin’s momentum carried him into Caledor, knife blade nicking the Phoenix King’s chin as the dying elf’s weight bore him down into the serving dishes with a crash.

Pain flared along Caledor’s jaw. The wound had been minute, but the poison on the blade spread quickly, seizing the king’s tongue and throat. He gasped for breath as he pushed the assassin’s body from him and rolled off the table a moment before another dagger plunged into the wood.

There were shouts from the doorway as Caledor staggered towards it. The carving knife was still in the chest of the dead assassin and he was unarmed. He watched helplessly as the attacker floored by Koradrel jumped back to his feet and plunged his knife into the Chracian prince’s eye. Koradrel made no sound as he toppled backwards, head bouncing off the edge of a chair.

The Phoenix King felt like he was drowning. With a flailing arm he managed to seize a lamp from its chain and hurl it at the closest assassin, sending burning oil splashing across his attacker’s arm. His chest was growing tighter and tighter and his throat was raw. Dizziness made the pavilion spin and he was only dimly aware of shapes rushing past. They looked like beasts of the Annulii, white-furred with massive silver claws. Every breath rasping, Caledor managed to stagger out into the main part of the pavilion where more of the pale creatures were dashing in. He fell to his knees, choking, tasting blood.

Hands grabbed him and lifted him bodily into his throne. Another shape appeared and Caledor heard a calming whisper, though he did not comprehend the words being said. He felt hands on his face and warmth replace the chill in his limbs. There was a golden light. He reached a hand towards it and felt soft skin.

‘Rest,’ said the quiet voice.

Caledor dimly recognised it as belonging to Thyriol. He slipped into a sleep, dreaming of bright meadows, though the skies above were tainted by storm clouds.

The attempt on Caledor’s life sent the army into turmoil. While the Phoenix King was caught up in a deep fever, Thyriol took charge, organising a thorough search of the camp. The bodies of three servants were found hidden in a copse of trees close to the river where the army took its water. Worse still, when the assassins were examined, they seemed identical to those elves that had been killed. Thyriol dispelled an enchantment that had been cast upon them and their faces reverted to their own, revealing the pale, harsh features of Naggarothi, cut with runes of disguise.

Distrust and paranoia ruled, verging on panic. All in the camp were potential suspects and new watch rotas were drawn up. Soldiers were swapped between companies and all were commanded to go about their duties in groups of at least ten. Thyriol enacted a curfew between dusk and dawn, save for the guard patrols which were reinforced to thirty-strong parties drawn from the White Lions and the Phoenix Guard, who were reckoned the most loyal warriors of all.

Scouts returned the next day, reporting that the druchii had broken camp. No doubt expecting the assassination to have succeeded, Malekith was making his move. With Caledor incapacitated and the army in dread, the princes quickly agreed that a retreat was the only option. Determined that no advantage would be gained by a hasty rout, the princes organised an orderly break of camp and a withdrawal southwards to the shore of the Inner Sea. Thyriol despatched messenger hawks to the Lothern fleet, asking for immediate help.

Attended to by healers and Thyriol, Caledor’s fever broke on the sixth day, but he was still weak from the poison. He was coherent only in brief snatches, but was able to add his endorsement to the princes’ plan of retreat. The Naggarothi came east through the ruin of Avelorn, marching hard for Saphery.

The princes had no choice but to split the army; to wait for enough ships to evacuate all of the king’s warriors risked being caught by the swiftly advancing army of Malekith. Thyriol took Caledor and a quarter of the troops east, summoning the city of Saphethion to provide sanctuary. Half of the army continued south, before crossing the mountains into Yvresse. The remaining force, acting as a rearguard, awaited the arrival of a fleet from Lothern.

Too few ships arrived to take all of the troops that had been left behind. Tithrain, who had volunteered to remain as commander of the rearguard, ordered that lots be drawn to find out who could embark. To their credit, every elf in the small army refused, their commanders passing on the message that they would all live together or die together. Mindful of Caledor’s decree that no prince be slain or captured, Tithrain was in two minds whether to remain with his troops or leave with the ships.

Tithrain elected to stay, determined that he would not abandon his people again. The army spent what time it had fortifying the shoreline. Repeater bolt throwers were brought from the ships to create defensive batteries, and every spare plank, mast and spar was used to construct ramparts along the grassy dunes that lined the beaches. Trenches were dug and filled with oil from the ships’ lanterns and stores, ready to be set alight.

When the scouts reported that the druchii were only a day away, Tithrain ordered a feast dedicated to Asuryan. All of the food left with the army was cooked and prepared and the tables sagged with the weight of it, brought out under the sun for the banquet. The prince of Cothique laughed and joked, saying that he would rather such fine food was not left to the Naggarothi, whose palates could not appreciate its quality.

Beneath the jollity was a current of fear. Smiles were strained and the conversation purposefully light-hearted. Yet as the day wore into evening, there were many in the army who set down to compose their death poems, or sang mournful dirges, accompanied by sombre pipes and lyres.

As the soldiers settled down to sleep their final sleep, Tithrain walked about the camp. There was an air of calm, the army resigned to its fate. He walked to the shore and stared at the dark expanse of water, the stars in the clear skies reflected in the rippling waters.

He was about to leave and return to his pavilion when he saw a light far out from the shore. At first he took it to be a shooting star, as the light seemed to move across the sky. Then another appeared, and another, shining white and red and blue, and growing brighter as he watched.

Soon there was a swathe of bobbing stars, of every colour of the rainbow. Tithrain wondered if he was asleep and dreaming. A shout from the warships at anchor not far from the beach attracted his attention.

‘Sail to the west!’ The cry was taken up from every masthead.

In the moonlight and glow of their lamps, a flotilla of small vessels approached the shore. Fishing boats and traders, coastal barges and oar-propelled scows appeared out of the darkness. There were dozens of them, and even more lights were coming nearer.

Something blotted out the stars above and Tithrain caught the distinctive crack of a dragon’s wing beats. The monster dropped down to the beach, the draught of its landing kicking up a storm of sand. Tithrain stared in surprise at the golden-armoured figure upon its back.

‘Stop staring and rouse your troops,’ the Phoenix King shouted down to the stunned prince. ‘There is no time to waste.’

As the word spread through the camp and the small ships beached to take on as many warriors as they could, their crews explained that Caledor had been racing up and down the Sapherian coast, entreating every village and town to put any ship it could claim onto the water. The larger vessels towed small boats, some of them holding only half a dozen elves, and it was a slow process to bring them up to the beach, which was not large enough for the boats all to land at the same time.

Dawn was tinging the horizon and the blaring of the druchii horns could be heard. There were still nearly two thousand warriors to embark. Naedrein, a captain of Cothique who had survived the Khainite purges, approached Tithrain and Caledor.

‘My company will man the bolt throwers,’ he said. ‘We will hold back the druchii and give the others time to get away.’

‘You will not survive,’ replied Caledor. ‘Are you sure you wish to do this?’

‘We are sworn to it,’ said Naedrein. ‘All of us lost loved ones to the druchii scum. We consider a score requires settling.’

‘It is an honour to have such warriors fighting with me,’ said Tithrain. ‘Hold them for as long as you can, and watch for Malekith. He will make short work of the defences if you allow him to approach.’

‘If we are lucky, we might even kill that accursed dragon of his,’ said the captain.

He raised his sword in salute, the gesture returned by the prince and king, and marched away.

‘Kill as many as you can!’ Caledor called after him.

Naedrein and his warriors were as good as their word. While the sun was still rising, the sound of the bolt throwers was carried along the shore.

‘Perhaps we should help them,’ Maedrethnir said to Caledor. ‘Those elves will not hold back Malekith for long.’

‘If we fight the Witch King, we will die,’ Caledor replied. ‘That cannot happen.’

‘You consider yourself too important to risk battle?’ said the dragon, a note of disapproval in his deep voice.

‘That is one reason,’ said Caledor.

‘And the other?’ asked Maedrethnir.

‘I have no desire to die,’ the Phoenix King admitted. ‘Not without good purpose.’

The dragon rumbled with laughter and took to the air, carrying Caledor up to where he could see the advancing druchii and his own followers. The last of the small vessels were sailing away and the remaining troops were being shuttled to the warships by boat. It was clear that the last of them would be aboard before the druchii reached the shore, but the Inner Sea was no barrier to the Witch King and his mount. There was still considerable harm that could be suffered.

Looking at the enemy army, the Phoenix King realised his concerns were misplaced. Malekith held back, the dark shape of his dragon looming behind the massed ranks of infantry that advanced on the beach, wary of the bolt throwers.

‘I am not the only one that wishes to live,’ Caledor remarked.

The assassination attempt and subsequent retreat shook the confidence of the princes and Caledor had to work hard to keep them sworn to his strategy. The loss of Koradrel was also a bitter, personal blow. So far the druchii had claimed Caledor’s brother and two of his cousins, as well as a number of more distant family from Caledor and other kingdoms. A memorial was held for the dead Chracian prince, and his body interred in the mausoleum at Lothern until Chrace could again be secured.

There was no obvious successor to wield Achillar, and Caledor feared that infighting over the rulership of Chrace would bring more turmoil. It was with some surprise that he received a visit from the most powerful claimants, all three distant cousins of the Phoenix King. They presented Caledor with an agreement that they had all signed, along with many other nobles of Chrace, nominating Caledor to be bestowed the title of regent in the absence of any clear claimant. The Phoenix King duly accepted, and just as swiftly chose Thuriantis, the oldest cousin, to be his representative in Tor Achare.

‘If only we could all be so pragmatic,’ remarked Thyriol when Caledor related this meeting to the mage at the next gathering of the council.

The attack in Saphery was only the first of several such incidents over the following years. Ambushes were laid to waylay Caledor as he travelled between the kingdoms, and there were more attempts to poison him. Despite every precaution the guile of the Khainite killers, and Malekith’s determination to see the Phoenix King slain, meant that he was in constant danger. The cults, though much diminished in size and power, still had their agents and networks, and the only place Caledor felt truly safe was on the back of Maedrethnir or during his infrequent returns to Tor Caled.

Another leader might have been cowed by the incessant threat, growing paranoid. Caledor refused to let the enemy dictate his movements and actions, and though ever watchful for the next attempt on his life, the Phoenix King would not be driven into hiding nor give over his direct command of the army to another.

Not only physical attacks threatened Caledor. For a whole winter he was plagued with nightmares and headaches. Fearing sorcery, he summoned Thyriol, who confirmed that a curse had been laid upon the Phoenix King. The mage wove counter-enchantments and brought forth talismans from the vaults of Saphethion to protect Caledor against these hexes.

There were less subtle magical assaults as well. During a crossing from Ellyrion to Saphery, Caledor’s ship was engulfed by a devastating storm. The sky boiled black and lightning rent the darkness. The Inner Sea was whipped to a frenzy, waves as tall as houses crashing over the prow of the hawkship as it was flung about by the howling winds. Dozens of crew were washed away, but the steersmen bound themselves to the wheel and the captain lashed himself beside them, guiding their hands.

For what seemed like several days the storm continued, cracking the mast and ripping up the decking. The sailors worked tirelessly, cutting away debris and patching the holes in the hull, barely keeping the ship seaworthy. Eventually the storm abated, its fury spent, and the ship limped to Lothern. The crew bailed day and night to keep the vessel from sinking, and even Caledor took his turns, using the fabled war-helm of the Phoenix King as a pail.

Each brush with death served only to increase Caledor’s determination. It was noticed by others that when vexed he would rub the scar left on his chin by the assassin’s blade, and they knew to offer no further argument against their king at that time. The hottest days of summer sometimes brought the king to the brink of fever, the effects of the poison never being wholly eliminated.

Despite these frequent distractions, Caledor was always attentive to every detail of the war. Every trick and ploy, every advance, feint and counter-move by Malekith met with failure. Ten years and more since the Witch King’s first attack, victory was no closer for either side.

Those years had seen the fortunes of both Malekith and Caledor wax and wane, but as the Phoenix King had foreseen, the longer the war dragged on, the more it turned against the druchii. The enemy lacked the numbers to hold any ground they took, and in Nagarythe the continuing shadow war of Alith Anar took a slow but steady toll. Tiranoc became the favoured battleground of both sides, a contested region that acted as a barrier between Nagarythe and Caledor. Slowly, with each cautious campaign, the Phoenix King’s armies cut away at the druchii forces. Eagle Pass was retaken and the keeps built by the druchii were garrisoned by troops loyal to Caledor. Griffon Pass fell to the Phoenix King in the following year, and Unicorn Pass in the next.

Caledor almost went too far in his attempts to seize Dragon Pass; a swift and deadly counter-attack by Malekith almost caught the Phoenix King’s army, which was pursued halfway across Avelorn before the Witch King relented, fearing he was being lured from Nagarythe as part of some grander scheme.

In the twenty-fifth year of his reign, after two and half decades of war, Caledor once more called his council to the Isle of the Flame. The princes were filled with apprehension as the Phoenix King entered; it had been several years since he had brought them all to this place.

‘We are winning the war,’ the Phoenix King declared as he sat on his throne, though his expression was grim rather than jubilant. The council members exchanged confused glances, unsure what this meant. ‘Our armies are blooded and our tactics well tested. The druchii are weary, labouring out of fear of their rulers. Now we strike.’

‘For Anlec?’ asked Dorien, making no attempt to hide his joy.

‘For Anlec,’ Caledor replied.

Caledor’s plan was a simple one, which he considered the best kind. Late in the spring, he launched another attack into Tiranoc, reclaiming Tor Anroc from the druchii. On this occasion he did not stay in the city, but drove northwards, driving the druchii before him. By midsummer he came to the Naganar, the fast-flowing river that separated Tiranoc from Nagarythe. Here he made a great show of camping his army, marching east and west as if looking for a suitable crossing. On the opposite bank, the Naggarothi shadowed his movements, ready to contest any crossing he might make.

The manoeuvres were a subterfuge. While the druchii had retreated, Caledor despatched parts of his army eastwards, replacing them in camp with fresh recruits, and even elves too young or old to fight dressed in fake armour and given hastily-made spears. Dorien took command of this force – from any distance two gold-clad riders on red dragons were indistinguishable – and Caledor flew across the mountains in secret. It was a tremendous gamble, the only one Caledor had ever taken. If Malekith had any hint of the deception, he would be able to sweep across the Naganar and destroy the false army, and continue south into Caledor.

The true army mustered in northern Ellyrion, every soldier and knight from each of the allied kingdoms marching and sailing to the border with Avelorn. Beneath their banners they gathered. Spearmen and archers, Silver Helm knights alongside reavers from Ellyrion, mages and princes; the Phoenix Guard of Asuryan came from the Isle of the Flame and the White Lions led the Chracian host. The sight of the gathered army filled Caledor with trepidation. All of his strength was brought here, enough in his reckoning to take the Witch King unawares and smash his army, but if not the last of Ulthuan’s strength would be spent.

If he was victorious, the road to Anlec would be open. If he had judged wrongly, there would be no force in Ulthuan that could stop the Witch King. For the first time since walking into the sacred flames, the Phoenix King said a prayer to Asuryan. When he was finished, he gave the signal for the army to march, heading north to Phoenix Pass. He hoped the name was a good omen.

For good or bad, this would be the last battle of the war.

‘You would leave Anlec defenceless.’ Morathi’s shrill protest jarred Malekith’s nerves. ‘An army camps on our border and you would have our troops simply leave them.’

‘It is a ruse,’ said Malekith.

He waved a hand and a glimmering image of northern Ulthuan appeared in the air in front of his huge throne. It was more than a map, it was a picture of the region, every river glittering as a thin line, every road and field, farmhouse and ditch recreated in minute detail.

‘If Imrik intended to attack, he would not have paused at the Naganar, but would have pressed straight across while the defences were weakest,’ the Witch King explained.

‘Why are you so sure that he attacks from the east?’ said Morathi, poking a finger through the hovering apparition of Nagarythe. ‘Why Phoenix Pass?’

‘Your memory is short, mother,’ Malekith replied calmly. ‘Do you not recall, when I retook Anlec?’

Morathi’s only reply was a spat curse.

‘You were wrong then, and I was victorious,’ said Malekith, enjoying his mother’s indignant expression. His humour faded as he considered the impudence of Imrik. ‘The upstart thinks he can trick me with the strategy I devised? No, that will not happen. I will remind him of his folly as he begs for my forgiveness.’

‘So what do you plan to do?’ Morathi glared at the gently drifting image. ‘Call the army back to Anlec. It is the best course of action.’

‘Again, that served you so well,’ laughed Malekith.

‘The treacherous Anars were the only reason you took Anlec from me,’ Morathi snapped.

‘Who can say that they will not do the same again?’ said the Witch King. His voice turned harsh. ‘Is not my crown upon the head of Alith Anar, stolen from this palace while you looked on? Your cultists are worthless as warriors, and worth even less as guards.’

Morathi stalked away, hair and gown billowing like a storm cloud.

‘Here,’ Malekith whispered to himself, pointing a burning figure at a stretch of barren land between Anlec and Phoenix Pass. It was perfect. Marshes bounded it to the north, while any army trying to escape south would come against the cold waters of the Lianarrin River. ‘Here is where I will wait for you, Imrik. At Maledor.’

TWENTY

A FATEFUL CLASH

It was Dorien that voiced the concern in the minds of all the princes. They were gathered outside Caledor’s pavilion, dressed in full armour, cloaks swirling in the strengthening breeze.

‘Can we win?’ asked the Caledorian prince. It was Dorien who had first seen the dark blot on the horizon from the back of his dragon and reported the druchii army waiting to the west. ‘For years we have avoided this clash, by your desire and command.’

‘We must win,’ replied Caledor. ‘If not now, then never. To retreat would be to admit defeat and destroy the morale of the army.’

That army was gathering on the rugged heathland of Maledor. Every kingdom loyal to Caledor was represented. Spearmen and archers from every realm gathered beneath standards displaying the colours and runes of their princes. Amongst them were the serried companies of the Lothern Sea Guard, decked in armour that shimmered like fish scales, armed with both spear and bow, their robes and banners of sea green and turquoise picking them out amongst the expanse of white-clad soldiers.

Knights of Caledor and Eataine formed up in long squadrons, their lances decorated with bright pennants, their silver helms adorned with fabulous crests of feathers. Batteries of bolt throwers were erected, protecting the flanks of the mustering host.

Overhead flew the pegasi of Saphery, Thyriol’s mages weaving their protective enchantments over the army with flashing staves and gleaming wands. There were more of their order amongst the regiments of the kingdom, wielding swords of flame, shielding the troops with golden arcs of power.

The centre of the line was held by the Chracians. Flanked by companies of spear and bow, the White Lions, Caledor’s chosen warriors, waited with long-hafted axes. To their left stood the silent ranks of the Phoenix Guard, their cloaks shimmering in the sunlight, halberd heads gleaming.

To the south, the left end of the line where the ground heaped up over bush-covered hummocks, the massed reaver knights of Ellyrion waited for the return of Finudel and Athielle. Their horsehair plumes tossed in the wind, which carried their laughter and conversation to the rest of the army.

Last were the dragons. Eight had survived the long war. Surrounded by a smog of fumes, they rumbled and growled to each other in their own language, Maedrethnir standing proud at their centre with wings outstretched.

‘We can win,’ Caledor said again. ‘Be bold and stay strong.’

The battle-plan was agreed and the princes returned to their troops. The Caledorians mounted their dragons and took to the air while Athielle and Finudel joined their reavers. Tithrain rode to the head of Cothique’s small company of knights and Carvalon mounted a griffon that had been nurtured by the prince since it first hatched. Thyriol’s pegasus climbed towards the clouds as the mage-prince flew to his acolytes.

Trumpets were raised and their clear notes rang out over the plain. The shouts of the captains echoed the command and as one the host of Caledor advanced. To the west, a spreading darkness approached.

As the dragons of Caledor soared into the sky, Sulekh let out a deafening screech, neck arched. Her three children roared in reply, the terrifying sound rolling over the advancing army of Nagarythe.

At the forefront of the army were Hellebron and her Khainites, supported by her father Prince Alandrian with a force of knights from Athel Toralien. The two were in stark contrast; the near-naked Brides of Khaine howling and wailing, eyes wide and wild from frenzy-inducing drugs, hair spiked with the gore of sacrifices, bared flesh pale in the sunlight beneath an icon of Khaine made from bone and draped with entrails; the knights armoured from head to toe in plate and mail, their black steeds protected by heavy caparisons of golden scale, the banner of Athel Toralien proudly flying above.

To either side stretched the legions of Nagarythe, rank after rank of spears and repeater crossbows. Standards of red, black and purple fluttered in the wind, and the sun shone from twenty thousand barbed spearpoints. Runes of Ereth Khial and Atharti, Khaine and Anath Raema adorned their shields. Drums of elfskin sounded the beat of the march and gilded bone horns blared the call to war.

The air above the army writhed with dark energy. Like a black pall, daemonic forces churned, held in check by the incantations of Morathi’s acolytes. Malekith could see them more clearly with the aid of his circlet; horned and fanged monstrosities that bayed and growled as they clawed at the sky seeking entry into the mortal world.

The beastmasters had brought forth every creature of the mountains: hydras and manticores, hippogryphs and chimeras. Packs of savage hounds with spiked collars and iron-tipped fangs and claws howled and strained at their iron leashes. Whips cracked and goads were thrust into scaled hides to propel the beasts towards the enemy, flames and smoke wreathing their advance. The winged monsters took to the air in a mass of feathers and fur and leathery wings.

Just in front of the Witch King advanced the pride of Malekith, his knights of Anlec. Across Elthin Arvan they had crushed armies of orcs and goblins, slaughtered hosts of forest beasts; across Ulthuan their charges had scattered the elves of the Phoenix King and cut them down as they fled. Their lances gleamed with magical power, fashioned by Hotek and his smith-priests. The runes on their shields and armour flared with power as the winds of magic surged, the mystical energy that swept across Ulthuan whipped into the storm by the coming battle.

Malekith could feel the magic around him. Fire and blood drew it, gold and silver harnessed it, fear and hope swelled it, life and death shaped it. Through the circlet he experienced the constant flow, through the air and the ground, in every arrowhead and heart.

When the upstarts were crushed, there would be no power in the world greater than the Witch King. The conquests of the past would pale in comparison to the empire he would build. He had brought the elven people to the brink of destruction, but it was from the ashes of that war that they would arise stronger than ever. When he was Phoenix King, he would lead his people to even greater heights of glory and power.

From his throne on Sulekh’s back, Malekith turned to his mother, who was sat to his right astride a newly tamed raven-hued pegasus.

‘At last I shall have my battle,’ the Witch King said. ‘Imrik has misjudged a step and it is time to end this interminable war.’

‘You shall see him humbled,’ replied Morathi. ‘The usurper will bend his knee as you were forced to bow before Bel Shanaar. He will weep at your hands, begging forgiveness for taking your throne. The blades and acids of the Khainites will eke out every drop of agony from his wretched body. My sorcery will visit upon him every nightmare ever conceived.’

Malekith regarded his mother with burning eyes, bemused by her vehemence and melodrama. He no longer dreamed of a broken Imrik pleading for his life; his visions were filled with the pure joy of standing over the usurper’s corpse. For twelve years it had been only a dream. For twelve years he had suffered humiliation and torment, the thought of which hurt as much as the pain of his still-burning flesh.

‘I would rather he just died,’ said the Witch King. He let out a moan of pleasure at the thought. ‘The sooner, the better.’

He wrenched on Sulekh’s chains with unnatural strength, signalling her to launch into the air. The other black dragons followed as Malekith steered his mount over his army. Holding Sulekh’s reins in his shield hand, the Witch King drew Avanuir. The magical blade burst into blue flame and Malekith’s voice roared out his simple command.

‘Attack! Kill Imrik!’

Gripping shield and spear tightly, Carathril advanced at the head of a company of spearmen from Eataine. His skin felt oily and slick from dark magic and he nervously eyed the convulsing cloud of darkness gathering over the moor. There were whispers on the edge of hearing, cruel and seductive, beguiling and threatening. He drove them from his thoughts, focussing on the enemy ahead.

Arrows and bolts flew in clouds from both armies. The cries of the dying and the wounded were already loud. A hail of spear-like shafts slammed into the company of elves to Carathril’s right, ripping a hole through their ranks. Bolts clattered from shield and scale coats as the missiles of the druchii fell into the advancing elves of the Phoenix King.

There was little Carathril could do but trust in fate and believe that Morai Heg was not so cruel of humour that she had carried him through this war so far only to have him spitted on a bolt or punctured by quarrels.

A hideous beast, an unholy hybrid of lizard and dog and lion, the size of a horse, padded across the spongy ground towards the Eataine company. A thick miasma surrounded the creature, pale yellow in colour, its sulphurous stench carrying to Carathril. Behind, beastmasters goaded it forwards with long-tined tridents and lashes barbed with cruel hooks, the faces of the druchii swathed with scarves.

‘Basilisk!’ Carathril shouted in warning.

As the beast approached, Carathril hoped that one of the bolt thrower crews would sight the beast and slay it, but as the basilisk broke into a run, baring fangs like black knives, he knew the hope was empty.

The company halted to receive the monster’s charge, shields raised and spears lowered. Carathril swallowed down his fear, his mouth dry.

The basilisk barrelled full-pelt into the spear company, roaring and slashing. Shields were rent by its claws and scales of armour shredded by its teeth. Spears snapped upon its thick hide as the elves struck back, though not all were turned aside and bloody wounds were opened in the basilisk’s scaled flanks.

Where its blood spilled forth, the filthy fog spilled also. Its touch was corrosive, flaking metal and melting skin. The elves that were unfortunate enough to breathe in the toxic mist fell back with hoarse screams, dropping their spears to claw at burning throats. The merest touch of the deadly fume petrified flesh, turning eyes and hands into a rough, grey, stone-like substance.

Recovering from the initial shock of the basilisk’s attack, the spearmen closed ranks, using their shields to waft away the poisonous fog. Eyes closed, they thrust blindly at the monster, trusting to instinct and elven senses to guide their blows.

More fell to its teeth and claws, but eventually the holes and cuts upon the basilisk’s hide were too much. Ichor and blood oozed from dozens of wounds as it collapsed, sending up more of the foul vapour. The creature’s handlers fled as the spearmen parted around the rapidly rotting body of the basilisk.

Carathril gasped, drawing in a ragged breath. Through stinging eyes he saw the druchii spearmen advancing to meet the line. The bitter tang of the basilisk clung to Carathril’s robes and his face itched from the passing of its fume.

These distractions fell away as he looked upon the sneering, shouting faces of the enemy. He thought of Prince Aeltherin burning himself alive. He remembered the hard days of riding back and forth for Bel Shanaar. He recalled the bloody mess of Ealith and the seductive wiles of Drutheira. The carnage of the Shrine of Asuryan haunted him still. Twenty-six years of war crowded into his mind; the siege of Lothern and Aerenis’s death by his hand foremost amongst the many dreadful things he had witnessed and done.

It was not in his nature to hate, but for that moment he was filled with loathing for the elves that came towards him. It did not matter if they were as scared as he was. It was of no consequence that many would have families. Some he might even have fought alongside before Malekith’s treachery. All such considerations were irrelevant. They were the druchii, the dark elves, and they would kill or enslave all of elfkind if they were victorious.

‘For Caledor!’ Carathril shouted, raising his spear, the call echoed by those around him. Though no command was given, the company broke into a run, heading straight for the oncoming druchii. Carathril relaxed, knowing that if he died he would know peace. The enemy surged forwards in response and Carathril shouted again.

‘For Ulthuan!’

The first clash of the armies crashed across the moor. Flying high above the battle, Thyriol watched the lines of black and white undulating as first one side and then the other pressed forwards and fell back. The Witch King’s attack was focussed on destroying Caledor, his army driving forwards on a narrow front. The Phoenix King had predicted this and laid his plans accordingly. Using himself as bait, Caledor had placed himself in the centre of the army, a lodestone for the fury of the druchii.

The White Lions and Phoenix Guard bore the brunt of the first assault, while archers poured arrows into the advancing druchii knights. The phalanx of Caledor’s spears pushed forwards as far as possible, creating a funnel effect that further encouraged the enemy to attack towards the Phoenix King’s best warriors. Dragons and griffons and manticores whirled about the skies, forced high by the massed bolt throwers on both sides, the riders of each army duelling for dominion of the air.

While spear and sword, axe and lance contested the battle on the ground, a far more esoteric but no less deadly fight was being waged in the air. The winds of magic churned, ripped this way and that as Morathi’s sorcerers and Thyriol’s mages struggled with each other. The daemonic cloud that roiled over the battlefield filled the Sapherian prince’s mind, sitting heavy in his thoughts like a coagulated mass of darkness.

Lightning split the air from staff tips and balls of fire screamed across the clouds. Hails of glittering crystal spears sliced through the druchii while whole companies of Caledor’s soldiers were swallowed by great maws that opened in the ground beneath them.

The air was thick with spell and counterspell, forming a glittering landscape no less real than the moorland below. Inhuman things screeched as they erupted from the Realm of Chaos, plucking knights from their saddles and devouring horses. Fire-bodied eagles soared over the heads of the Phoenix King’s soldiers, their flaming wings incinerating the clouds of bolts and arrows launched at them by the enemy. Cascades of white energy fell from Thyriol’s sword as his pegasus swept low, the magical sparks setting fire to a battery of bolt throwers as the mage-prince passed over them.

A sudden pressure, a build-up of dark magic, drew his attention to the north. He felt a wave of daemonic energy tearing at the fabric of reality. The ground erupted and an immense serpent with a fanged maw and dozens of writhing tongues burst up beneath a regiment of archers. Lashing tentacles ensnared the helpless warriors, tossing their bodies into the air and dragging them into the creature’s slavering mouth.

With a word to his mount, Thyriol turned towards the daemonic apparition, words of banishment in his mind. As the creature devoured more elves, the mage dived down towards it, chanting the incantation of unbinding. A golden glow enveloped the summoned monster, turning pustule-pocked flesh to shimmering dust. The daemon thrashed, letting out an unearthly wail, appendages rippling, its clustered black eyes glaring at Thyriol. Channelling the winds of magic through his staff, the mage hurled a bolt of white into the creature’s maw, setting a white flame burning within it. Its scream still lingering on the wind, the daemon was consumed, burning away to nothing.

Occupied by his banishment of the daemon, Thyriol had not noticed a black-winged shape approaching closer, a trail of black flames left in its wake. Too late he felt the sorceress’s presence and looked up. He saw a hate-filled face wreathed with a halo of black hair, and felt the rush of dark magic from the skull-tipped staff in her hands.

He threw up a silver shield to counter the spell, but the wave of dark magic blasted it aside, turning it to falling magical splinters. Thyriol braced himself, his amulets glowing protectively, but the next spell was not directed at him.

His pegasus gave a choked cough and spasmed, blood pouring from thousands of small cuts that appeared in its flesh. Feathers fluttered from its wings as it fell. The mage could feel bones breaking in the body of the pegasus, as if a giant hand was crushing it. With a last whinny of terror, the pegasus died and Thyriol plummeted towards the ground.

Morathi laughed at the spectacle of the falling mage. His robe fluttered and his staff fell from his grasp as he frantically waved his arms, perhaps trying to imitate a bird. Her laughter died away as a pair of insubstantial silver wings shimmered from the mage’s shoulders, bearing him lightly to the ground. As the sorceress circled around for another attack, the mage brushed down his robes and held out a hand, his staff flying into his grasp from where it had fallen.

Sword in one hand, skull-headed staff in the other, Morathi plunged towards the impudent mage. As she came closer she recognised Saphery’s ruler and she remembered bitterly the mage’s role in the insults and woes that had been heaped upon her. He had spoken at the First Council, and it had been his wards that had imprisoned her within Bel Shanaar’s palace.

Thyriol turned, sensing her approach. A shaft of blue energy sprang from his eyes. Morathi countered the spell with a snarled incantation, a shadow uncoiling from the tip of her staff to meet the column of light. The two spells clashed with an explosion of energy that sent Morathi reeling against her mount and hurled the mage to his back.

Pulling herself upright as her pegasus landed, Morathi pointed her sword at the supine spellcaster. Energy flickered around her blade, coalescing into an icy spike that flew towards the mage’s chest, splitting into thousands of shards. The mage lifted his staff at the last moment, a disc of gold appearing in front of him. The ice storm deflected from the magical barrier, turning to a cloud of mist.

Pushing himself to his feet, the Sapherian lifted an open hand towards Morathi. Whispering a dispel, she watched as a dove appeared in the mage’s palm. It took off and circled around the mage’s head, cooing gently. Morathi laughed again. It was a cheap cantrip used for the entertainment of children, nothing more. She summoned more dark magic, her mind reaching up to the daemonic cloud to tap into the raw power of Chaos.

As she prepared to unleash her next assault, the dove began to circle faster, the arc of its flight growing wider and wider. Its eyes glittered like crystal, mesmerising as it dipped and rose, weaving a complex series of curves and angles around the mage.

Morathi snapped away her gaze, just in time to rein in the dark power that was building inside her. Her skin crawled for a moment with excess magic, her teeth buzzing and her nerves dancing. The dove grew in size, its feathers changing to every colour of the rainbow, wings becoming iridescent trails of flame.

The phoenix hurtled towards Morathi, its keening cry ringing in her ears, driving into the core of her mind. She clenched her jaw and tightened the grip on her staff as the dark magic thrashed inside her, trying to escape. The phoenix-spell struck her full force, setting fire to her hair and throwing her from the back of her mount.

Crashing to the ground, Morathi gasped for air, tendrils of black energy escaping her throat. She gritted her teeth and surged to her feet, sword thrusting towards the mage. Crescent blades of black iron appeared in the air, spinning towards the Sapherian. The mage again summoned his golden shield, but Morathi had expected as much. The scything blades became needle-fine darts, each a tiny sliver of pure magic. They punched into the mage’s shield. Most were stopped, but some smashed through, reducing the shield to golden shards before engulfing the mage. The Sapherian’s robes were reduced to tatters in a moment and his flesh was a mass of grazes and scratches.

Extending more power, Morathi followed the path of the spell with a spat curse, the dark magic winding along the course followed by the bolt, seeping into the open wounds in the mage’s flesh. Every tiny cut began to suppurate, blistering outwards with small explosions of pus and blood. The mage cried out in pain, falling to his knees. Morathi stalked closer, pouring more and more magic into the hex, driving the infection deeper and deeper into the Sapherian.

With a defiant shout, the mage flung out his arms. White fire erupted from within his skin, burning away the magical plague. He staggered to his feet as the flames continued to rage, his eyes blinding orbs, hair dancing wildly in the mystical fire. With visible effort, the Sapherian brought his hands together, still clutching his staff. The flames burst along his arms and out of the staff, engulfing Morathi.

Out of desperation, the sorceress hurled herself to the ground, clutching her arms to her chest, turning her skin to stone. The flames washed over her, touching but not burning. They raged for a long time, while she was cocooned within her own flesh. Morathi fought back the dark magic that flowed through her blood vessels and caused her heart to pound.

Eventually the fires dissipated. Morathi reversed her spell, but the transformation was slow. Like a waking statue, her limbs turned back to flesh and she straightened. Dust flaked away from her face as she opened her eyes.

The mage had fled, borne aloft on the magical wings that had saved him from his fall. For a moment she considered chasing after him, but a screeching cry from above drew her eye.

Out of the clouds dropped a griffon, claws extended, red and black wings held back as it stooped. On its back rode a prince clad in golden mail and blue robes, a sword of sapphire in his fist. His long shield bore the symbol of Yvresse, against a background of midnight stars.

Malekith too noticed Carvalon’s attack. He had been watching the progress of the battle with some satisfaction. His knights had broken through to Caledor’s war engines and were wreaking havoc amongst the bolt thrower crews. The line of the Phoenix King’s spears had been halted and was slowly being pushed back. Everywhere he looked, Malekith saw a constricting ring of black and silver closing in on Caledor.

Sulekh launched towards the prince of Yvresse as Carvalon dived towards Morathi. The sorceress flung an arm towards the griffon, black lightning springing from her fingertips. Fur and feathers burned and the monster pulled out of its dive, swerving to avoid the crackling energy.

The black dragon struck like a thunderbolt, claws ripping through the griffon’s smouldering wings. Malekith saw the prince’s eyes widen with shock within his visor as the Witch King crashed Avanuir down on Carvalon’s shield, splitting it in two.

The griffon was cawing and screeching in agony as Sulekh tore bloody chunks of flesh free with her massive jaws, parting muscle and sinew, snapping bone. Carvalon leapt from the dying beast’s back, landing on Sulekh’s shoulder. Surprised, Malekith reacted slowly as the Yvressian prince slashed his sapphire-bladed sword across the Witch King’s chest.

Sparks flew from the wound and molten metal trickled like blood from the gash in Malekith’s breastplate. He looked down, astounded, and then felt the pain.

Snatching hold of one of Sulekh’s spines, Carvalon raised his sword for another blow.

Enraged, the Witch King struck, thrusting Avanuir into the prince’s chest. Enchanted armour buckled and then split as the blade erupted from the prince’s back, flickering blue flame igniting Carvalon’s robes and hair. Malekith reached out and grabbed hold of the prince as he was about to topple. Burning fingers seared through gilded pauldrons and sank into flesh.

With a snarl, Malekith brought up Avanuir, shearing through spine and ribs, parting Carvalon like a roast hog. Blood splashed onto the Witch King and hissed into nothingness on his hot armour. Feeling nothing but contempt, Malekith let go of the prince’s split body and brought down Avanuir, striking off the head as the corpse fell from Sulekh.

Sheathing his sword, Malekith dabbed a hand to the wound in his chest. The metal that had bubbled free was already cooling, forming a weld across the breach in his armour. The pain subsided, but it was a salutary lesson: he was not immortal.

Looking down at the unfolding battle, the Witch King saw a swathe of pale skin and red driving through the line of Imrik’s army, like a spear aimed directly for the usurper.

Malekith smiled. Perhaps the Khainites would slay Imrik for him.

Ducking beneath an axe blade, Hellebron slashed the sword in her right hand through the white pelt cloak of the Chracian in front of her, slicing off his arm, while plunging the blade in her left into his eye. Kicking aside the falling body, she leapt over a swinging axe, burying both blades through the helmet of the elf wielding it.

Around her, the Brides of Khaine shrieked praises to the Bloody-Handed God as they battled the Chracian bodyguards. They ducked and dodged the slashing axe heads of their foes, poisoned blades licking out like serpent’s tongues, finding exposed flesh. To Hellebron’s right, a Bride was cleaved from shoulder to gut, spattering the Khainite priestess with blood. Hellebron licked her lips, savouring the taste.

The Chracian stepped over the mangled corpse and swung his axe at Hellebron’s neck. She dropped to all fours, legs split, the blade whistling over her head. In an instant she sprang up again, slashing both blades across the Chracian’s throat. He fell back, arterial blood coating Hellebron like the blessing of Khaine Himself. Heart pumping, she vaulted over the crumpling corpse, plunging a sword into the back of another warrior.

Over the melee, Hellebron could see the towering form of the usurper king’s dragon, the accursed Caledorian on its back. She swayed aside from another axe, eyes fixed on Imrik, and cut off the hands that wielded it. Without a pause, she swept a blade across the warrior’s face. The carnage thrilled her, fuelling her body, sharpening her mind. Blood racing, the sacred brew of Khaine flowing through her, Hellebron stalked on. Through the rushing of blood and the pounding of her heart, the ring of metal engulfed Hellebron, a symphony of destruction that gave voice to Khaine’s gift.

Senses heightened to a preternatural degree by the narcotic leaves she had ingested, Khaine’s Chosen One eluded every blow aimed towards her while her blades were a constant flicker of silver leaving dead and dismembered foes. She fought without thought, reacting to the slightest movement, her swords moving as if they had a life of their own.

A new sound pierced the haze of death: the clear note of a trumpet. The ground was trembling underfoot. Despatching another Chracian with a back-handed slash, Hellebron turned towards the sound. Over the heads of her Brides, she saw a wall of white horses and silver-clad riders bearing down.

In a wave of streaming horsehair plumes and green pennants, the Ellyrians crashed into the Khainites with lowered spears. In Finudel’s hand blazed the ancient spear Mirialith. Dozens fell to the charge, caught on spearpoints and crushed beneath galloping hooves. Finudel struck left and right as his horse surged through the press of foes, every thrust slaying a Khainite.

Burning with anger at memories of the atrocities he had seen in Cothique, the Ellyrian prince fell upon the Khainites with merciless ferocity. Beside him, Athielle carved a path through the enemy with her silver sword, her long hair flowing like a cloak behind her.

The prince and princess drove into the heart of the Khainites, pushing towards the grisly standard, their reavers following behind. Finudel’s eyes met those of a feral witch, her face caked in blood, hair outlandishly spiked and braided. The prince lowered Mirialith towards her in challenge and urged his horse on.

As the impetus of the Ellyrians’ charge diminished, the Khainites swarmed around them. Finudel lost sight of the Khainite leader for a moment as he was surrounded by a press of shrieking faces and poisoned blades. He slashed with his magical spear, hurling back the wild attackers.

The Khainite witch reappeared to his left, somersaulting onto the back of a horse, her blades leaving a red gash across the rider’s chest. With unbelievable dexterity and balance she sprang from the horse to another, slashing the head from another knight before jumping again, leaping from one steed to the next, leaving a trail of falling bodies behind.

In the melee, Finudel and Athielle became separated. He glanced over his shoulder, relieved to see his sister still fighting, her sword rising and falling in shining crescents as she cut her way through the Khainites. Kicking a booted foot into the face of a Khainite that leapt towards him, he directed his steed at the priestess who was slaying so many of his warriors.

She seemed possessed, paying no heed to the many marks and cuts upon her body. Standing in a circle of bodies, the Khainite leader twirled and leapt, slashing the legs from horses and cutting down their riders. She fought with a strangely wild grace, ever moving, each motion bringing a perfect moment of death.

The Khainite was oblivious to Finudel as he broke free from the press and lowered his spear. He whispered a command to his horse, which broke into a gallop, and aimed the point of Mirialith at her naked back.

A sudden chill struck the prince as a shadow swallowed him. He smelt a dreadful stench and his horse baulked, rearing up in terror. He turned just as a monstrous black claw closed around his body.

The sounds of shrieking metal and the screams of the dying Ellyrian prince were drowned out by Sulekh’s roar. Malekith swept down his sword, a blaze of fire disgorged from the blade to engulf the reaver knights. Sulekh’s tail toppled a score of riders, crushing bodies, spearing them on its bony spines. A cloud of noxious gas bubbled from her mouth, choking and corroding, blinding and suffocating.

The knights around the Witch King fled in terror, their panicked shouts sounding muffled to his ravaged ears. He threw more magical fire after them, incinerating steeds and boiling the riders in their armour.

As Sulekh lunged after the fleeing Ellyrians, Malekith noticed a group of riders several hundred strong had not turned to run. At their head was a golden-haired princess, her face a mask of hatred. She lifted her sword and signalled the charge.

Yanking on the reins, the Witch King guided Sulekh towards the approaching reavers. Spears shattered on scale as the knights charged home. Sulekh swiped with her front claws, beheading and disembowelling dozens of Ellyrians. Their princess avoided a slashing claw, her blade carving a bloody furrow along Sulekh’s foreleg as she rode under the dragon’s body.

Malekith twisted, looking for Athielle to emerge from beneath the dragon’s bulk. Sulekh hissed with pain and staggered to the right, revealing the princess with bloodied sword, gore spilling from a wound in the black dragon’s underside.

Sulekh’s tail lashed, smashing into Athielle’s horse, turning it to a pulp of blood and broken bones. The princess was flung through the air and landed heavily, left leg twisting beneath her. Malekith channelled dark magic, ready to unleash another blaze of fire to finish off the Ellyrian. A movement caught his attention, a swiftly approaching blot against the clouds. He looked up to see a massive red dragon plunging towards him, a golden-armoured figure on its back.

‘Finally,’ the Witch King said, all thoughts of Athielle forgotten. He raised his voice in challenge, his words a metallic roar that carried over the din of battle. ‘Come to me, Imrik! Come to me!’

The companies of the White Lions and Phoenix Guard surged forwards into the Naggarothi below while Malekith’s black dragon leapt up to meet the Phoenix King head-on. Maedrethnir plunged down from the clouds uttering a roaring challenge. The shock of the dragons’ impact almost threw Caledor from the saddle-throne, the two titanic beasts slamming into each other in a ferocious welter of claws and fangs. The Phoenix King thought he heard mocking laughter from the Witch King as Maedrethnir bathed the other dragon with fire.

The two beasts parted and circled, gashes pouring blood from both dragons. Caledor levelled his lance for the next pass, aiming for Malekith’s chest. The rune upon the Witch King’s shield burned into his mind, writhing and shifting. The blood-red symbol, the True Name of Khaine, bombarded Caledor with the cacophony of war and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

Shaking his head to clear away the effects of the dread rune, Caledor saw that Malekith was almost upon him. He swung his lance as Maedrethnir rolled to the right, the weapon’s shining tip scoring a wound across the flank of the black dragon as she passed by overhead.

The black dragon turned swiftly, almost catching Maedrethnir’s tail in her jaw. The dragon dipped in the air to avoid the attack, exposing Caledor to the beast’s raking claws. He turned and brought up his shield just in time, claws as hard as diamond ripping across its surface as protective energies blazed.

Gliding towards the ground, the two dragons closed again, snarling and roaring. Fire sprang from Malekith’s sword, surrounding Caledor with crackling intensity. The enchantments of his armour protected the Phoenix King from harm, the blue flames passing around him harmlessly. Maedrethnir grappled with the black dragon, their longs necks swaying as each sought to sink fangs into the other. Claws raked back and forth, sending scales and blood spilling to the ground.

Bucking and twisting, the dragons descended, locked together by jaw and claw. Caledor let his lance fall from his grasp and pulled free Lathrain, just as the Witch King lashed out with Avanuir. The two swords met with an explosion of lightning and blue fire. The shock numbed Caledor’s arm and it was with a surge of will that he parried the next attack, turning aside Malekith’s blade as it screamed towards the Phoenix King’s head.

The dragons gave no thought to their riders as they savaged each other. Caledor was tossed left and right as Maedrethnir struggled with his foe, wings flapping and tail whipping. Malekith clung to his iron reins with his shield hand, steam and smoke rising from his armour.

The gaze of the Phoenix King met the eyes of the Witch King. They were like bottomless pits filled with black fire, dragging his life from him. The Sapherian charms hanging on Caledor’s armour glowed as they warded away the Witch King’s sorcery. Again he turned aside a stroke from Avanuir as the two dragons came close enough for Malekith to strike.

The battle continued to rage around them. In their frenzy, the dragons trampled over friend and foe without distinction, Khainites and Ellyrians, White Lions and Naggarothi clawed and trampled by the two behemoths.

Caledor kept his focus on the Witch King, seeking an opening to strike. When the black dragon reeled back from an attack from Maedrethnir, the Phoenix King saw his opportunity. His sword cut down into the Witch King’s shoulder, biting deep with a scream of tearing metal. A wave of energy pulsed up Caledor’s arm, sending agony shooting through every part of his body.

Maedrethnir gave a pained howl as the black dragon’s claws found purchase around his neck. Jaw snapping, Caledor’s mount seized hold of his enemy’s wing, biting through bone and sinew until the black dragon released its grip in a spasm of pain. Blood was gushing from Maedrethnir’s neck. The red dragon stumbled back leaving a stream of crimson on the rucked earth.

As the Witch King wrenched on the chain of the black dragon’s reins, the beast lunged at Caledor. Her jaws closed around his arm, teeth cracking against the ensorcelled ithilmar. The Phoenix King’s arm was already numb with pain and Lathrain tumbled from his grasp. The straps of the Phoenix King’s harness parted as the black dragon shook her head, dragging Caledor from the saddle-throne, casting him to the ground.

Heaving in a gasping breath, Caledor pushed to his feet, seeking Lathrain. He saw the glitter of metal in a tussock not far away and set out towards it, hand outstretched.

A massive blow caught him in the back, lifting him through the air. The Phoenix King crashed down amid the bodies of the slain Ellyrians, coming face-to-face with Finudel’s dead visage.

Lying on his chest, Caledor felt the ground trembling. He rolled to his back, expecting to see the black dragon looming over him. It was not. Malekith wrestled with the beast’s reins, trying to direct her towards Caledor. The black dragon struggled, eager to pursue Maedrethnir, who had withdrawn, limping heavily, flanks scored with dozens of ragged gashes. The black dragon had fared little better, her wings tattered, face and neck marked by claws and fangs.

The will of the Witch King prevailed and the dragon’s head was steered towards the fallen Phoenix King. Flapping ragged wings, the black dragon pounded forwards, jaws wide, dripping bloodied saliva.

Caledor looked up into the dragon’s glassy eyes, seeing himself reflected in the black orbs. There was nothing to read there, just reptilian coldness. He heard Malekith’s triumphant laughter.

A rush of hooves engulfed Caledor. A squadron of knights galloped past, some of the steeds leaping over the prone Phoenix King as they charged. Lances crashed against the scales of the dragon, while fire roared from Malekith’s sword.

When the last of the knights had passed, Caledor saw that they flew the colours of Tithrain. Discarding their broken lances, they drew gleaming swords and rode around the black dragon, hacking at its flesh. The dragon struck back, stomping a clawed foot onto one of the knights, crushing rider and horse, while its jaws engulfed another.

Caledor tried to stand but pain shot up his back from his right leg. He fell to the side, hands sinking into the blood-slicked mud. Looking down, his saw his leg was twisted, the armour buckled and ruptured. Pushing back the pain, he sat up again in an attempt to see what else was happening.

The battle was still in full flow. Dragons and manticores ripped at each other above. Spells of destruction and protection flared and the whine of bolts and arrows tore the air. Still the dark roiling cloud of the daemons stretched across the sky, bubbling and burning with infernal energies. The spear companies clashed, the roars of their battle cries joining with the ring of metal, the ground trembling beneath the hooves of charging horses and the booted feet of thousands of warriors.

Caledor dragged himself across the bloody grass and propped himself up against the body of Finudel’s horse. He looked at Malekith and the black dragon and saw that more than half of Tithrain’s knights had been slain and still the beast and its master lived.

As he watched, Tithrain was lifted from his saddle in the dragon’s jaws. The prince rained blows upon her face with his sword, opening up welts in the scales. Then the jaws closed fully and Tithrain was slain, his limp body hanging from the black dragon’s fangs as it opened its mouth to let out another cloud of noxious vapour.

With the death of their prince, the nerve of the knights broke. As they fled, Malekith again struggled to direct his mount towards Caledor while it wanted to pursue the retreating riders. Under the Witch King’s urging, the dragon took three steps closer to Caledor, blood streaming from dozens of wounds. This time Caledor looked up at the Witch King, whose flaming eyes blazed red. The Witch King had his arm upraised, Avanuir pointed to the sky.

The Phoenix King felt strange warmth fill him. His vision danced, half-blinded by the sun setting behind Malekith. He thought he saw a figure in the rays of the sun, a lithe elf with hair of ivy and eyes of blossoms. The figure drifted towards him surrounded by an aura of gold and green, and the smell of grass and trees came to his nostrils.

‘Victory will be yours, Caledor,’ said the apparition. ‘You just have to reach out and take it.’

The Phoenix King glanced at Malekith, expecting the mortal blow any moment. The Witch King seemed frozen, as was the rest of the battle. There was no sound save for the sighing of wind through leaves and the creak of swaying branches.

The maiden looked down to Caledor’s right and smiled, the expression sending a wave of strength through the Phoenix King’s body, driving away the exhaustion and pain.

With a thunderous crash of returning noise, the vision passed. The foetid breath of the dragon passed over Caledor, making his skin prickle. Not knowing what he did, he reached out his right hand to where the apparition had looked, eyes still set on the Witch King.

His gauntleted fingers closed around the haft of a spear, its touch warm with magic in his grasp.

The black dragon pulled back its head, ready to lunge, drawing in a massive breath. Caledor looked at the cracked and bloodied fangs, and saw the monstrous forked tongue tasting the air.

He brought his arm forwards with all his strength, hurling Finudel’s spear.

Mirialith gleamed as it flashed towards the open maw of the dragon. The spear punched through the roof of the dragon’s mouth and into the creature’s skull.

Sulekh roared and reared, her whole body thrashing in her death throes. Iron links parted and the chains of her harness snapped. Malekith was cast backwards and to the left, falling from the black dragon’s back. He slammed into the ground with a crash of metal, flames and steam billowing from his armour.

Still jarred from the impact, Malekith raised himself to one knee, throwing aside his shield to free his hand. Beside him Sulekh continued to writhe and thrash, keening loudly. The Witch King fixed his baleful stare on Imrik, who lay slumped over the body of a horse. The usurper met his glare with a defiant stare.

A moment later, Sulekh’s body slammed into Malekith, crushing him into the ground. Pinned by her massive weight, he heaved at her mass, trying to free himself, letting out a bellow of frustration. He dropped Avanuir to the ground so that he could use both hands to push at the massive corpse that lay on top of his legs and waist.

A prickle of sensation shuddered through Malekith; the touch of magic. He turned his head to the left seeking the source.

A wave of white fire poured towards him. It was beautiful, glittering like moonlight on the sea, flecked with gold and silver. He recognised the flames. He had stood within them to receive Asuryan’s blessing. Now the lord of gods had come again to aid Malekith, as he had Aenarion.

With a surge of power, Malekith heaved free the body of Sulekh. He stood up and faced the oncoming fire, arms spread wide to receive Asuryan’s blessing. The white flames crackled closer and closer, a chill wind against his red-hot armour. He closed his eyes as the fire engulfed him, waiting for the release from the agony that had been his companion for more than two decades.

Fresh pain seared through his chest and arms. Malekith gave a cry and opened his eyes.

It was not the flame of Asuryan that surrounded him, but the halberds of the Phoenix Guard. Each blade burned with the white fires of Asuryan, every blow they landed upon the Witch King igniting the flame that had been set within his flesh by the lord of gods.

The physical pain was as nothing compared to the pain of betrayal. As his iron flesh was rent and ripped by the swinging halberds of the Phoenix Guard Malekith realised he had not received Asuryan’s blessing. His father had not endured the agony he had endured.

The Witch King’s delusion fell away and he saw his punishment for what it was. Asuryan had shunned him, cursed him with everlasting torment. The shock of it brought Malekith to his knees as more blows rained down upon him, carving furrows in his black armour.

The moment of woe passed, quickly replaced by anger; a deep-rooted rage fed by the burning that seethed inside the Witch King. His armour exploded with fire, hurling back the Phoenix Guard, their flesh withered, armour melting, hair and cloaks in flames.

Lacking any weapon, Malekith set about the servants of his tormentor with flaming fists, his iron hands punching through breastplates and ripping off limbs. Towering above the Phoenix Guard, he summoned dark magic, feeding off the escaping life force of his foes, twisting it to his own ends.

He tried to draw the magic into himself, to heal the rents in his armour. The dark magic swerved and writhed, failing to take purchase in his body. Where the blades of the Phoenix Guard had marked him, tiny golden flames burned, keeping the dark magic at bay.

Dread filled Malekith’s heart. Unable to heal his wounds, which streamed with rivulets of molten metal like blood, he realised he was about to die.

‘Never!’ he roared.

He drew himself up to his full height. The dark magic he had summoned to cure his wounds swirled around him, forming blades of blackened iron that slashed through the Phoenix Guard. With a final pulse of dark magic, he blasted the forest of magical swords into his foes, driving them back.

Leaking metal and fire and blood, Malekith turned and ran, leaving burnt prints in the bloodied grass. He would not die yet; not here on this dismal moor, with the usurper looking on, laughing. The Witch King drew on the power of his circlet, reaching out into the winds of magic, grabbing all of the power he could. An oily black cloud formed around him, flickering with lightning, obscuring him from his pursuers. It spread further and further, a churning, living mass that snatched up the Phoenix Guard who came after him, twisting their bodies and snapping their bones.

So it was that Malekith the Witch King fled the field of Maledor and returned to Anlec, broken and bitter-hearted, his ambition destroyed upon that bloodied heath.

Morathi saw the flight of her son and knew that the battle had been lost. Yet she was not yet convinced that the war could not be won. Long she and her son had spoken of their most ingenious plan, that would guarantee victory. Leaving the army to fend for itself, she sent the command to her sorceresses to withdraw and turned her pegasus westwards.

The loss of the Witch King was a blow from which the druchii army could not recover. Seeing their lord and general flee broke the spirit of his followers. Such princes and knights as could escape followed their master, fleeing westwards to Anlec. Here and there Naggarothi companies managed to break loose and retreat to the south towards the keeps guarding the Naganar, Hellebron and the remaining Khainites amongst them.

Caledor was in no state to command the army and it fell to Dorien to lead the pursuit. The army of the Phoenix King swept to the west, driving the remaining druchii into the marshes north of the battlefield. Many druchii drowned in that mire, dragged down by their armour, but the treacherous ground halted all pursuit save for the three dragons that had survived and a lone Sapherian on his pegasus.

As night fell, Dorien was forced to return to the army, his remaining foes disappearing into the darkness, fearful for the welfare of his brother. He flew back to the Phoenix King and found him being tended by the healers. The White Lions stood protectively around Caledor, the silent ranks of the Phoenix Guard close by.

There was no sense of victory, no jubilation amongst the warriors of the army. The princes of three kingdoms had fallen to the Witch King and their armies were wracked with grief. The elves wept at their losses; many thousands would never return to their homes. The strength of Nagarythe had been broken, but at tremendous cost.

As the night deepened, Caledor was numb in body and mind. He refused to leave the battlefield until all of the other wounded had been attended, sitting against Finudel’s steed where he had slain the black dragon of Malekith.

Campfires were lit, far from where the fighting had taken place for none wished to look upon the heaps of the dead; a grisly task that would wait until the next day. Finally Caledor allowed himself to be lifted onto a bier. He was about to be taken back to his pavilion when a shout of challenge cut the darkness.

By the flickering glow of the fires, indistinct figures could be seen. Hooded and cloaked, they hovered on the edge of vision. Caledor heard a whisper from one of the elves carrying him.

‘The spirits of the druchii!’ the captain hissed. ‘Even in death they hate us.’

‘Not so,’ said a voice from the darkness.

The White Lions brought up their axes as a black-clad figure emerged from the shadows. He pulled back his hood, revealing himself to be Alith Anar.

‘There are still some Naggarothi alive on Maledor this night,’ said the Shadow King.

‘You are late,’ said Caledor.

‘For your battle?’ said Alith, his voice tinged with scorn. ‘I told you that I do not fight for the Phoenix King.’

‘What do you want?’ said Caledor, too tired and sore for an argument.

‘I want you to leave Nagarythe,’ said Alith. ‘You are not welcome in my lands.’

‘Your lands?’ barked Dorien, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword.

Alith moved quickly, so fast it appeared that one moment he was standing with arms crossed, the next he had his silver bow in his hand, an arrow pointed at Dorien’s throat.

‘My lands,’ said the Shadow King. He spoke to Caledor, but his eyes did not move from Dorien. ‘Three thousand of my warriors surround your camp. If any of your soldiers raise a weapon against me, they will cut you down.’

Caledor looked into Alith’s eyes and judged that this was no empty threat. He waved Dorien to stand down.

‘Malekith has survived, so too Morathi,’ said the Phoenix King. ‘I must go to Anlec to finish this.’

‘You have done your part,’ said Alith. ‘What remains is the business of Nagarythe and no other kingdom.’

‘You need my help,’ said Caledor.

‘I have never needed your help,’ replied Alith. ‘I wish you no harm, but if you try to march on Anlec I will be forced to stop you. Do not interfere any more in the affairs of the Naggarothi. When Malekith and Morathi have been dealt with, you will hear from me.’

Looking at the young Shadow King, Caledor saw nothing but determination and sincerity. The Phoenix King knew that the shadow army could not stop him, and Alith had to know that as well. That did not make the prospect of fighting a fresh battle any more encouraging. The druchii had tried for more than twenty years to defeat the Anars, what chance did he have?

‘You have my agreement,’ said Caledor. ‘For the moment. You cannot allow Malekith to regroup. I will return to Nagarythe in the spring with my army to finish this, if you have not done so already.’

‘You would be given commands by this Naggarothi whelp?’ snarled Dorien, taking a step.

‘Shut up, Dorien!’ snapped Caledor.

‘Listen to your brother, Dorien,’ said Alith. ‘Your tongue will be your death, and the deaths of many others.’

Growling wordlessly, Dorien stalked away, flicking a dismissive hand at Alith as he departed. The Shadow King lowered his bow, though the arrow remained nocked to its string.

‘Thank you,’ said Alith. ‘I will leave now, but be assured we will be watching. When you have taken care of your dead, march east.’

Caledor said nothing. The Shadow King withdrew into the darkness, merging with the night. Caledor waited for a while, until reports came back from across the camp that the shadow army had also gone.

In his heart he knew he could not trust Alith Anar to deliver on his promise. Even with the army of Nagarythe all but destroyed, Anlec would be no easy victory. Malekith and Morathi would not submit until the last of their strength was spent.

Now was not the time to pick another fight. The Phoenix King would give Alith a chance to try and fail, and would return in the spring with his army to finish the war for good. If anything, the shadow army would wear down the last resistance, making the final task easier for Caledor.

As he drifted off to sleep, Caledor was filled with relief. The fighting was not yet done, but the war was almost over. Nagarythe’s armies would not swiftly recover from their defeat, if at all.

There was nothing the Witch King could do now, his last gambit had failed.

TWENTY-ONE

THE SUNDERING

The throne room at the heart of Aenarion’s palace was shrouded in darkness. The only light came from the glow of the Witch King’s armour, casting flickering shadows from the twelve figures that stood before him.

The humiliation hurt more than his wounds, though they were grievous; the blows of the Phoenix Guard had reignited the fire of Asuryan that had been set in his flesh. Malekith did not retreat from the pain as he had done before. He embraced it. He nurtured it. The agony in his body fuelled the rage in his spirit.

‘I will not be denied,’ Malekith growled.

‘We are defeated, master,’ said Urathion, the sorcerer-lord who ruled over the citadel of Ullar. ‘There are barely enough troops to defend the walls and the army of the accursed Anars will surely come soon.’

‘Silence!’ Malekith’s shout reverberated around the hall, echoing from the distant walls. ‘There will be no surrender.’

‘How can we resist with our armies scattered?’ asked Illeanith. The sorceress, daughter of Thyriol, asked the question in a whisper, voice full of fear. ‘It will take too long to withdraw our garrisons to the city.’

‘We will have a new army, one that Imrik and his fawning minions will never defeat,’ said Malekith.

The Witch King stood up, armoured feet ringing on the stone floor as he took several steps closer to the ring of wizards. He held out a smoking hand and cut the air with a finger. A line appeared, bulging with energy; a torrent of formless colour and noise screamed from the tear in reality. The line widened to a gap, pulled apart by clawed hands to reveal leering daemonic faces. A scaled arm reached through.

The rift into the Realm of Chaos wavered. The arm withdrew as the rent sealed itself, disappearing with the sound of tearing metal. It had lasted a few moments, but left no trace of its existence.

‘Daemons?’ said Urathion.

‘An endless army to command,’ said Morathi, stepping into the circle, her skull staff in hand. ‘Immortal and impervious. What better host to serve the lord of Nagarythe?’

‘It would take all of our power to summon a handful of daemons,’ said Drutheira, once an acolyte of Morathi, now a fully accomplished sorceress. Her dark hair was twisted with silver and her pale skin painted with runes. ‘There are yet the artifices of Vaul that can destroy a daemon’s form; enough weapons to defeat any host that we might conjure.’

‘We do not have to summon them,’ said Malekith. ‘We need only to break the bars that keep them imprisoned in the Realm of Chaos.’

There was silence as the cabal considered what this meant. It was Urathion that broke the quiet.

‘You mean Caledor’s vortex?’ said the sorcerer.

‘It cannot be done,’ said Drutheira. ‘The vortex is powered by the lodestones of Ulthuan. We would have to destroy them, and most are in the lands of our enemies.’

‘It can be done,’ said Morathi. ‘Not by destroying the lodestones, but by overloading them.’

‘A sacrifice,’ said Malekith. ‘Together we will create a surge of dark magic, enough to disrupt the harmony of the vortex. Its own power will do the rest, dragging that blast of energy into its heart.’

‘Is this wise?’ asked Urathion. ‘Without the vortex, the Realm of Chaos will be set free upon the winds of magic. Not even together can we control that power.’

‘It does not need to be controlled, simply directed,’ said Malekith. He raised a smouldering finger to the circlet set into his helm. ‘With that power turned to our ends, I have the means to focus its energies. Our enemies will be swept aside by a tide of daemons. Only those favoured by me shall survive. I will have both victory and vengeance in one stroke.’

The cabal looked at each other. Some seemed eager, others more concerned.

‘What other choice do we have?’ asked Auderion, dragging black-nailed fingers through his white hair. His gaze flickered nervously from one member of the cabal to another, never stopping. ‘We cannot hold out forever, and our lives will be forfeit.’

‘Our spirits are already forfeit,’ whispered Illeanith. ‘Bargains we have made and promises of blood have not been kept. I will not go easily to that fate.’

‘Imagine their terror,’ said Drutheira. ‘Imagine the horror unleashed upon those that scorned us, abandoned us. We will rid the world of the Dragontamer’s legacy, reverse the mistake he made and erase the insult upon Aenarion’s legend.’

Some of the cabal remained silent, not daring to speak though their unease was as palpable as the heat from Malekith’s armour. Worried eyes glittered in the gloom.

Urathion bowed his head to Malekith.

‘Forgive my objections, master,’ he said, dropping to one knee. ‘What must we do?’

‘Return to your castles and gather such acolytes and slaves as you still possess. Morathi will furnish you with the details of the ritual you must undertake. At the appointed hour, midnight ten days from now, we will begin. The blood of our sacrifices will draw the dark magic and our incantations shall send it as a storm into the vortex.’

‘What of the Sapherians?’ said Illeanith. ‘My father and his mages will try to stop us.’

‘How can they?’ said Morathi. ‘By the time they know what is happening, it will be too late for them to intervene.’

‘Even if they do, they do not have the power to stop us,’ said Malekith. ‘The vortex was wrought by Caledor Dragontamer at the height of his strength. Not even your father can contest with such a spell.’

There were no further questions or objections. The sorcerers and sorceresses bowed and departed, leaving Malekith alone with Morathi.

‘If you are wrong?’ said Morathi. ‘If we cannot harness the vortex?’

‘The daemons will rampage across the world and all will be destroyed,’ said Malekith.

‘And you are sure you wish to risk such an end?’ said Morathi.

‘Risk it?’ Malekith replied with a harsh laugh. ‘I embrace it! If Ulthuan will not be mine, then none will rule. I would rather our people perished than see them laid low by the hand of another. Better it is to see the world torn asunder than suffer this eternal torment.’

As he had sworn to Alith Anar, Caledor withdrew his army across the Annulii, back to Avelorn. Many of his warriors he sent back to their kingdoms; some to solemnly bear the bodies of the princes who had been slain. Dorien was despatched to Caledor to take the news of the Phoenix King’s victory, while Carathril was sent into the ruins of Avelorn seeking to convey the same to the Everqueen.

Thyriol remained with the army, concerned by the Phoenix King’s wounds. Though he professed publicly to be regaining his strength, Caledor confessed in private that he was weak. He did not feel ready to return to the Isle of the Flame, and so stayed in Avelorn with the army, ready to respond should things go badly for the shadow army in their attempt to overthrow the rule of Anlec.

The days were shortening and Caledor spent most of his time in his pavilion, resting and pondering what he would do next. One evening, twelve days after the battle at Maledor, he asked Thyriol to join him.

‘You must find another Phoenix King,’ said Caledor.

‘What is wrong?’ asked the shocked mage, hurrying to the Phoenix King’s side. ‘Your wounds, do they not heal?’

‘It is not my body that is weak, it is my heart,’ Caledor answered. ‘The war will be over soon. My time as king should end with it.’

Though still concerned, the panic left the mage and he sat down beside the king’s throne, tucking his hands into the voluminous sleeves of his robe.

‘You think that you will not be a good leader in peace?’ Thyriol asked.

‘I know it,’ said Caledor. ‘You know it too. I am not made for audiences and councils. You will need a better leader than I to rebuild Ulthuan and start afresh in the colonies.’

‘Princes are thin on the ground of late,’ Thyriol said with a sad smile. ‘There is no other, I think, who could wear the crown.’

‘You could,’ said Caledor. ‘You have the wisdom and the experience needed. You see the hearts of our people better than I.’

‘Please do not say anything to the others about this. At least let us ensure that the druchii are truly defeated before we turn their minds to what happens after. Morathi is like a manticore, with a spiteful sting when cornered. Talk of peace is premature.’

‘Perhaps you are right,’ said Caledor. He leaned back in his throne, his bones aching. ‘It will seem a strange world.’

‘I think you will be pleasantly surprised,’ said Thyriol. ‘Life demands a certain harmony and will tend towards that state. In a few years, in your lifetime, you will see the world returned to the way it was. Cities can be rebuilt, and children will still grow up. Like your father, you will be glad that generations from now will prosper free from the blight of war. That will be your legacy.’

The thought brought some little comfort to the Phoenix King. He rested his weary body, eyes closed, and tried to picture Ulthuan as it had been. He could not. Wherever he looked with his mind’s eye, be it at Cothique or Lothern, Avelorn or Chrace, he saw the death and destruction brought about by the war.

He lifted a hand to his chin, to the small scar where the assassin’s knife had nicked his flesh, and he wondered if the druchii had forever poisoned Ulthuan. Would the evil they had unleashed, and the violence he had committed to stop them, ever be expunged from the hearts of the elves?

He heard Thyriol stir, a murmur of unease coming from the mage’s lips. A few moments later Caledor felt that which had disturbed the mage. There was an undercurrent in the winds of magic, a dark eddy of power.

He opened his eyes and thought for a heartbeat that he was under attack. The lanterns in the pavilion seemed to dim, the shadows deepening. He realised that he did not imagine the thickening gloom; the lamps were extinguishing themselves.

Thyriol stood, the tip of his staff glowing.

‘Sorcery,’ the mage whispered. ‘Stay still.’

The pavilion was now utterly dark, save for the small circle of light that surrounded the Phoenix King and the mage. Noise came, the sound of running water and wind howling over rocks. The darkness shifted, paling in places, shapes merging to form an image.

‘The magic is not here, though,’ muttered Thyriol. ‘The spell is cast somewhere else.’

The spectre of an elf appeared in the gloom, hooded and swathed in black. He pulled back his hood to reveal a haggard face, hair hanging lankly about his shoulders. Sunken eyes looked first at Caledor and then Thyriol. It was to the mage that the apparition turned.

‘I am Urathion of Ullar,’ said the elf. ‘I do not have long and will not reach you in person. Malekith has sent the raven heralds after me. Heed my warning, Thyriol, and prepare.’

‘Prepare for what?’ said Caledor.

‘The vortex,’ said Urathion, his shade still looking at Thyriol. ‘Malekith and the other sorcerers attempt to unbind its powers, letting free the Realm of Chaos.’

‘Madness!’ exclaimed Thyriol. ‘Ulthuan will be destroyed.’

‘Yes, it is madness,’ said Urathion. ‘I have done evil things and I do not regret them. The power I have wielded and the things I have seen have been reward enough. Yet even I see that this cannot be allowed. Malekith would rather see the world destroyed than live in defeat.’

‘How will he do this?’ demanded Thyriol. ‘Tell me of the spell and I will thwart it.’

‘A huge sacrifice is planned,’ said Urathion. ‘Malekith and Morathi will infuse the vortex with dark magic and let loose the hosts of Chaos upon you. It is too late to prevent the ceremony, you must prot–’

The apparition of Urathion gave a strangled gasp and stiffened. As the shadows lightened, Caledor saw the sorcerer fall to his face, a bolt jutting from between his shoulders. Beyond was the silhouette of a cloaked rider with crossbow in hand. The light of the lamps returned to obscure the image, bringing with it a sense of unreality.

Caledor looked to Thyriol. The mage’s brow was furrowed in thought and his fingers tapped nervously along his staff.

‘Do you think this is a trick?’ said the Phoenix King. ‘Perhaps Malekith seeks to lure you into a sorcerous trap.’

‘That is a risk I must take,’ replied Thyriol. ‘If it is true, Malekith must be stopped. Urathion did not exaggerate. If the vortex is destroyed, we are doomed. Even if Ulthuan survives the loss of the vortex, the daemonic hordes will return. You and I are not Aenarion and your grandfather, we cannot stop such an invasion. Our people will be slain and enslaved by the powers of Chaos. I must go now.’

‘Where to?’ said Caledor. ‘Can this spell be stopped?’

‘The Isle of the Dead,’ said Thyriol, answering the first question and avoiding the second. ‘The centre of the vortex.’

Chanting a spell, the mage drew an arc in the air with the tip of his staff. The air parted where the staff passed, creating an arch of golden energy. Within its arc, Caledor could see ghostly apparitions; robed elves as immobile as statues, frozen within a glimmering aura.

‘Your battle is won, now I must win mine,’ said Thyriol.

The mage stepped through the magical door, which vanished with a shower of falling sparks. Caledor stayed in his throne, gripping its arms with white-knuckled hands. Shaking himself from the shock, he pushed himself up and walked outside on weak legs.

The sky was clear, the stars a bright swathe across the heavens. Caledor looked west, to the Annulii, where the vortex made the air shimmer around the peaks.

‘Asuryan, lord of the heavens,’ he whispered. ‘You did not answer the prayers of Aenarion and I do not expect you to listen to me. Yet for all that, I am your king and rule in your name, and upon me your blessing was laid. If you love my people, do not let them be destroyed.’

His short prayer finished, Caledor knew there was nothing else he could do. He remained where he was, eyes fixed on the Annulii, and drew Lathrain. If the daemons came again, he would not die without a fight.

The hall was awash with blood. It moved with its own sluggish life, hissing and sizzling at Malekith’s feet, lapping over the twisted bodies of his victims. Morathi chanted, staff held above her head, an incantation calling upon all of the daemons and powers with which she had made pacts during her long life. The air seethed with dark energy, flowing from walls to ceiling, making the symbols and runes painted in blood on the stone glow with ruddy power.

Through the circlet, the Witch King could feel the rising tide of dark magic across Nagarythe. In castles and towers across the barren kingdom his followers despatched their sacrifices and used their deaths to draw on the winds of magic, the mystical forces congealing together under the sorcerous influence of the Naggarothi.

Morathi’s incantation was reaching its crescendo. Her voice was a wail, her body shuddering, the coils of dark magic thickening and strengthening as they whirled around the throne room.

Reaching out his hands, Malekith felt the slick touch of the magic on his iron skin. The circlet gleamed on his brow and filled his mind with ice as the Witch King grasped and manipulated the formless energy with his will, shaping it, turning its convoluted waves into a rhythmically pulsing cloud.

‘Now!’ screamed Morathi, her staff blazing.

Malekith flung the dark magic up, spearing its energies through the palace of Aenarion. He could feel the other columns of power erupting across his kingdom, pillars of pure magical energy roaring up into the heavens.

The magic hissed liked a serpent, throwing coils of power around the dungeon chamber, thrashing wildly. Illeanith gritted her teeth and spat words of control, almost imploring the dark energy to obey her. She staggered back as another surge of magic rose up through her, bursting from her open mouth.

Eyes wide, the sorceress gasped every word of the incantation, speaking them over and over and over, cajoling and threatening the creatures that existed on the other side of reality’s veil. The blackness that tainted her skin was spreading. Already her hands were completely ebon, and the corruption was leeching up through her darkening veins, making them pop out of the skin of her bared arms.

Illeanith’s lips and gums were fizzing with magic and her eyes ached with the power. Her long hair writhed like rearing serpents, sparks flying from the flaring tips. The whole of the tower shook and the clean-hewn stones groaned and ground together.

The other world, the Realm of Chaos, started to intrude through the swirl of magic. Illeanith half-glimpsed maddening vistas of trees of finger bones and clouds that rained molten silver. The squeals and screeches, roars and howls of the daemons filled the chamber, echoing from the walls while simultaneously fading into distance.

Something hunched and ruddy, its bulbous head elongated, globular eyes white, burst into the room. It whirled around orientating itself with the surroundings, its wiry limbs tensed, a bronze sword in its hands dripping thick blood.

Illeanith shrieked and backed away from the creature, which fixed upon her its lifeless stare. In her fright, the sorceress stumbled and fell, one hand passing through the symbol of salt she had laid upon the floor.

With the mystical sigil broken, the dark magic was let loose. It rampaged around Illeanith, smashing the walls, ripping up the tiles of the floor, prodding and slashing at her, pulling her hair and tugging at her teeth. More of the daemons formed in the mayhem, snarling, predatory things that immediately set upon the first with fanged maws and slashing tails. Illeanith struggled to her feet, weeping blood. A thick tar-like substance leaked from her mouth, choking her as she clutched at her throat. The sorceress gurgled a cry of agony as her veins burst, magic boiling like sludge from her ruptured blood vessels.

Bones cracked and splintered, ripping forth more wet screams from Illeanith. She crumpled, falling face-first, her arm snapping beneath her as she tried to stop her head hitting the slabs. The daemons swarmed around her, their fang-ringed mouths gnawing and tearing at her spirit as well as her flesh.

Her last cry died away, but the damage had been done. The dark magic flowed from the breach in the rune, burrowing through the stones, prising apart the blocks with tenebrous tendrils of power. The daemons’ forms lost cohesion and they evaporated into the miasma, which continued to spin and roil, seeking escape.

With a thunderous detonation that hurled stone and earth high into the air, the dark magic exploded from the dungeon, toppling the tower. It spiralled and spun, bubbling across Nagarythe towards the Annulii, joining the other streamers of dark power cutting across the cold night.

Caledor felt the ground shudder. It was faint but strong enough that soon the elves of the camp were leaving their tents, fearful questions being asked. The Phoenix King ignored them and continued to stare at the glimmer over the mountains.

One by one the stars seemed to wink out of existence. The aura of the vortex strengthened, becoming something more than a hint on the edge of vision. Caledor could see the whirling energy, pick out the strands of magic cascading down the peaks, swirling in pools in the valleys.

He looked overhead and saw the darkness spreading, leaching the light from the stars. The air grew colder as the dark magic funnelled down the vortex, drawn towards the Isle of the Dead at the centre of the Inner Sea. Forks of energy played along the glowing ribbons of magic. Turning east he saw the magic plunging down like a tornado, growing thicker and brighter with each passing heartbeat.

Malekith strode to an iron balcony adjoining the chamber, Morathi hurrying after him. He turned his flaming gaze to the east and saw the ravening energies gathering across the mountaintops.

‘It is done,’ said Morathi.

She pointed high into the heavens, to the north. Lights burned in the sky, silhouetting the horizon with a rainbow of colours that were constantly shifting. The magical aurora flickered, spitting bolts of energy to the ground and up towards the disappearing stars.

Malekith could see through the anarchy of shape and colour. Towering spires of crystal and rivers of blood; cliffs with screaming skull-like faces and forests of waving tentacles; castles of bronze and a huge dilapidated mansion; plains covered with splintered bones and white beaches rippled by purple waters; clouds of flies and miniature suns that glared with cyclopean eyes.

And he heard the roaring and the howls, the screaming and the growls. Marching and slithering, swooping and leaping, a host of daemons poured forth.

‘The Realm of Chaos opens,’ he rasped, feeling triumphant. ‘My legions awake!’

Staggering against the buffeting of the magical gale, Thyriol pushed himself on towards the distant figures of Caledor Dragontamer and the other mages. His whole body was afire with magic, exhilarating and painful in equal measure.

He could feel the counterspells of his fellows, given hasty warning by their prince. Counter-currents and whirling siphons raced around the vortex as the mages of Saphery tried to claw back the power being unleashed.

Thyriol could see that their attempts would be in vain; it was like trying to empty the Inner Sea with a thimble. Overhead the vortex grew stronger and stronger, the weight of it on his shoulders making every step a near-impossible effort, every breath a ragged gasp for life.

He heard the wailing and roaring of the daemons before he saw them. At first they were nothing more than motes of energy cast around by the vortex; brief glimpses of fanged faces and sharp talons that were soon swallowed by the mass of power. As he pushed on, the daemons fed on the magic, forming bodies of pure energy, dancing and twisting along the circling currents of mystical power.

Their whispers came to his ears, threatening all manner of cruel torment.

Thyriol drove all other things from his mind, focussing on his goal, giving no thought to any other desire or need that might be perverted by the daemons. His staff cracked and then exploded into a shower of splinters, unable to hold the magic coursing through it. The charms upon his bracelets, the amulets around his neck, spat and hissed with power, whirling about as if caught in a gale.

He pressed on.

‘To arms!’ Caledor bellowed. ‘Protect yourselves!’

Faster than any mortal host, the daemons poured down from the mountains, riding upon the waves of magic. A beast with a slug-like body and fanged maw fringed with writhing tentacles materialised in front of the Phoenix King.

All thought of pain and weakness were gone. Caledor slashed Lathrain through the creature, parting it in a blaze of fire and magical sparks. Gibbering, wretched things plunged from the sky on wings of darkness, to be met with the shining blade forged for Caledor

Dragontamer.

Around the Phoenix King, the elves of his army did their best to fight. Their arrows and spears did little harm to the immaterial creatures that attacked them. A few wielded heirlooms from the last daemonic invasion, spears and swords and axes forged in Vaul’s Anvil now turned again to their original purpose.

The ground was thick with magic and the sky filled with a roiling storm cloud of pure energy. Caledor glanced up as he thought he heard a deep rumbling laugh, glimpsing for a moment a monstrous thing of no particular form but unimaginably terrifying. He fought without thought, hacking and thrusting at any daemonic thing that came within range.

For an age the elves had survived, building an empire and thinking that peace was eternal. As the daemons cackled and shrieked around him, Caledor realised how fickle that existence had been. He wept as he battled, thinking how cruel a world it was that his grandfather’s greatest legacy was undone.

Blinded and deafened, his whole body a searing torrent of ecstasy and pain, Thyriol clawed his way across the ravaged ground. He was guided only by his inner magical sense, feeling his way through the anarchy of the vortex’s heart. With every laboured heartbeat he felt the vortex weakening, the lodestones unable to cope with the magic of the druchii and the power of the daemons. Very soon it would collapse entirely and all would be lost.

The mage felt like a speck of dust in a hurricane, physically and in his spirit, but clung on with every shred of willpower to maintain his sense of self and purpose.

As if passing into a gap between realities, Thyriol felt everything disappear. The noise, the confusion, the pain all vanished, leaving him with a sense of pure peace. He had reached the eye of the vortex, the very centre of the magical storm.

He did not know if his plan would work, but he had spent his life studying the work of Caledor Dragontamer and the principles of the vortex. If he was wrong, it would only hasten the vortex’s collapse.

He had nothing to lose.

Pushing himself up to a kneeling position, Thyriol bowed his head and folded his hands in his lap. There was no ground beneath him nor sky above him. He was utterly isolated, floating in nothingness. He was not even sure if his body had survived. In this place, in the tiniest sliver between realities, the grey edge between light and dark, the cusp of life and death, such things as immortal and mortal, body and spirit, were irrelevant.

Within his clasped hands, he released the tiny mote of magic he had brought with him. It was barely anything, perhaps enough to give life to the smallest insect. He opened his hands and the tiny particle of magic floated up, a minute glimmer in nothingness.

Releasing his grip upon the magic, he allowed it to interact with the void.

The magic exploded, turning into an infinite sun, filling the gap between worlds. The barriers between the real and the immaterial fell away, breaking the last bonds that held the Realm of Chaos in check.

The vortex was complete, a solid whirl of magic whose reach stretched across the whole world. Far to the east, dwarfen runesmiths paused in their labours, wondering why the runes they worked on guttered and died. In their ancient, jungle-devoured cities to the west, the immortal servants of the Old Ones paused in their calculations and contemplations. Alien intelligences turned their attention to the sudden change in the world, coldly assessing its importance.

Opening his eyes, Thyriol found himself still on the Isle of the Dead.

‘I see,’ said a voice behind him.

Thyriol turned, coming face-to-face with an aged elf with a thin face and silver hair. The mage recognised him instantly, from a hundred statues and a thousand paintings: Caledor Dragontamer.

The influx of magic had broken the stasis as Thyriol had hoped.

The greatest mage of the elves appeared calm even as the vortex raged and bucked around him. Other mages appeared out of the anarchic storm, robes flapping in the unnatural breeze, staffs in hand.

They formed a circle around Thyriol, eyes cast upwards. The prince of Saphery joined them and saw a pinprick of night amidst the magic, the briefest glimmer of a star.

‘This will not end well,’ said the Dragontamer, ‘but it cannot be helped.’

The assembled mages lifted up their staffs and began their chants. At first nothing happened and Thyriol could not divine their purpose. Slowly, imperceptibly at first, the vortex slowed. Centred around the circle of mages another vortex began, running in the opposite direction.

Gathering power this second vortex created ripples through the magical storm. It grew larger and larger, feeding off the magic, gathering pace even as the main vortex slowed. Thyriol watched amazed as Caledor Dragontamer turned the vortex against itself. Where magic had once been drained from the mortal realm, now it was being channelled from the Realm of Chaos. Faster and faster the counter-vortex whirled, erupting with flashes of dark amidst the light, bubbling clouds of pure energy flowing against the roiling winds of magic.

The two conflicting vortices reached parity and the world froze.

His sword slashing the throat of yet another blood-skinned daemon, Caledor felt the ground lurch, almost throwing him from his feet. As one, the daemon horde fell still and silent, even more unnerving than their shouts and screams. They turned unnatural eyes towards the vortex as the ground bucked again.

Light detonated to the east, surging up through the funnel of the vortex. A moment before he was blinded by it, Caledor saw the daemonic host bursting into flames, the cinders of their bodies turning to crystalline dust.

Another convulsion of the earth toppled the Phoenix King, who fell heavily to his side. He heard and felt a deep rumble, coming from the bowels of the world. Looking up through slitted eyes he saw the mountain peaks swaying, the vortex rippling and pulsing. Avalanches crashed down from the peaks and cliffs tumbled, toppling down the slopes.

Thyriol has failed, he thought. This is how the world ends.

‘No!’ screamed Morathi.

Malekith felt it too, a presence he had not known for more than a thousand years. The Dragontamer had returned. The Witch King did not know how, but he would not be defeated so easily. He poured out all of his scorn and hatred, looking to wrench control of the vortex from the elf who had betrayed his father. Morathi sensed what he was doing and added her own sorcery, seeking to overcome the Dragontamer’s spell.

The two waves of magic clashed within the vortex, detonating with a blaze of multicoloured light that swept away the storm, converting both high and dark magic into a huge detonation. Malekith felt it as a shockwave that pulsed across Ulthuan, flattening trees and toppling towers. He sensed the mountains lurching as the vortex spun again.

He felt something else too, like the world was tipping on its axis. The magic unleashed rocked Ulthuan, ripping earth and sky with its power. A crack appeared in the city wall of Anlec as a huge fissure opened up in the ground to the north. Roofs collapsed and walls toppled as Anlec convulsed. Everywhere across Nagarythe the dark magic earthed itself, mighty spires of rock erupting from the ground while huge pits and crevasses dropped down.

‘What is that noise?’ said Morathi, looking to the north.

In one of Nagarythe’s northernmost towers, Drutheira laughed gaily at the magical battle being fought. She delighted in the clash and merging of energies, marvelling at the patterns of light and dark wrought across the stars.

Her laughter died away as she felt the first tremors of the earthquake. Around her tall candle holders fell to the flagstones and lamps of elf fat spilled from their sconces. She staggered to her left as the world lurched, the beams holding up the ceiling creaking alarmingly. A cloud of mortar showered down on to Drutheira as she struggled to remain upright.

The whole tower swayed and cracked, like a tree in a gale. Its movement sent her reeling into the wall, next to one of the narrow windows. Grasping the sill, she looked outside and saw the stars spinning overhead. In the light of the crazily dancing moons she could see the rocks of the coast.

The shore stretched away into the night, far further than any natural tide. She could see fish flopping on the dry land and splashing in small pools left between the rocks. It was if a god had come down and taken a titanic draught from the seas, leaving mud and wet sand covering a massive expanse to the north and west.

It was then that she heard the rumbling and saw the first glimmer of surf in the distance. She knew immediately what it meant and hastily returned to the pentacle drawn in blood at the centre of the chamber.

The magic was a wild, bucking stallion that refused to be broken to her will, slipping and rearing from her grasp as she chanted madly, trying to reach into the maelstrom of energy for the power needed to cast her spell.

She finally latched on to a straying aura of dark magic. Slitting her breast with her sacrificial dagger, she offered up her own blood to seal the conjuration. Dark magic rushed into her, as the sea rushed to fill the gap that had been made along the shore.

Drutheira plunged her spirit down into the foundations of the tower, carrying with her the formless cloud of dark energy. She allowed herself to seep down into the rocks and tunnels on which the tower stood, breaking them free from the strata of the earth beneath. Further and further she stretched her spell, opening up massive cracks around the outer wall of the citadel, lifting the entire structure from the bedrock.

Returning to her body, she stared out of the window and saw that she had cast the spell just in time.

Malekith turned, gripping the rail of the balcony tight as the palace swayed on its foundations, turrets and towers crashing down onto the buildings below in a flurry of broken stone and tiles.

To the north was a wall of white. It looked like fog at first, a bank of cloud swiftly approaching from the north-west. It brought an odd hissing, which deepened as the cloud came closer.

Malekith felt a moment of dread as he realised it was not a cloud that approached, but a wall of water. As though the ocean had heaved itself up in protest, a tidal wave stretched across the horizon, shining in the moonlight, as high as the tallest tower of Anlec.

The wave buried Nagarythe under its titanic assault and crashed across the Naganar into Tiranoc. Sweeping everything before it, the onrushing ocean crushed towns, flattened forests and cast down city walls.

In Elanardris Alith Anar looked on in horror as the kingdom he had claimed as his was drowned. The water surged up the mountain valleys, washing away the remains of the manse of the Anars. The foaming surge drove up the river valleys, obliterating everything in its path.

Shouting warnings to his followers, the Shadow King led them higher up the slopes, abandoning their rude huts and cave dwellings to the encroaching sea. Many on the lower slopes had no time to escape. Tents and campfires were engulfed by the frothing mass, which swallowed up hundreds of elves, young and old, dragging them to their deaths and crushing their bodies with uprooted trees and grinding boulders.

The ruins of Tor Anroc were drowned. Water coursed along the ancient tunnel-streets of the city and poured through the shattered remnants of the palace. The great white cliffs crumbled and the orchards of cherry and apple were obliterated. Bel Shanaar’s throne room filled with water, the benches and throne rising with the water, swirled and smashed together by the torrent raging through the broken windows.

The alleys and passageways became swirling rivers, the rising sea smashing through doors to fill the subterranean workshops and stores, the walls and buildings of the noble manses pulverised by the deluge. The great towers at the gate were cast down, crumbling stone by stone into the all-encompassing flood.

Finally the great pinnacle of Tor Anroc toppled. Magic flaring as the needle-like structure fell, for a brief moment the blue fire of the Phoenix King burned again, before it too was drowned by the incoming waters.

Far to the south, Dorien was awoken from a deep sleep during which he had dreamed of an army of daemons besieging Tor Caled. Roused from his slumber, he sat up in bed, haunted by the strange voices that lingered after the dream had passed.

He felt the first tremors shaking the bed and was filled with foreboding. Pushing himself to his feet, he was hurled off the ground as the whole of the palace rose and fell in a moment, followed by an ear-splitting crack.

Alarm bells and gongs were ringing all across the city. The prince fumbled his way to the great windows that led onto the balcony overlooking Tor Caled. Throwing open the doors, he moved out to the rail and turned to look back at the mountains, which shouldered up over the city.

Fire burst from the peak of Anul Caled. Flame and smoke wreathed the mountaintop and burning rocks sailed high into the skies. Cracks were opening up on the mountainside, venting flame and vapour, rivulets of lava beginning to pour from the breaches.

There were shouts and screams from the city below. Dorien looked down across the levels of Tor Caled and saw torches and lamps moving in the darkness as elves fled from their homes. The fortifications were tumbling down and buildings collapsing as Tor Caled continued to buck and heave alongside the volcanoes’ eruptions.

The moat of lava surged and raged against the magical wards holding it in check. The bridges across the fiery river swayed and fell, their stones disappearing into the red depths. Dorien looked on in horror as those trying to flee the city were plunged to their flaming deaths.

They were trapped inside the city.

A cloud of hot ash swept down from Anul Caled, a billowing miasma of darkness and death that engulfed the city in moments. Dorien fought for breath in the superheated air, choking on the fumes and heat of the cloud. Along with thousands of those over whom he had been guardian, the prince was quickly engulfed by the ash, his clothes and hair burning, his skin peeling away even as his flesh petrified.

To the east, across the great expanse of the Inner Sea, the mages of Saphery had been lending their weight to the duel for control of the vortex. In the palace of Saphethion, Menreir and a cohort of fellow mages chanted and channelled, seeking to avert the disaster befalling their isle.

They too felt the reappearance of Caledor Dragontamer and paused in their incantations, wondering at the import of the event. As they watched the counter-vortex begin to take shape, the crystalline nervous system of Saphethion started to resonate with the new wave of magic pouring into the world. The diamond-like heart of the city quivered and shook in its golden nest, vibrating in tune with the whirling storm of magic and anti-magic raging through the vortex.

With a detonation that resounded in the minds of the mages, the crystal heart shattered, rocking the city from within. Magic exploded along the crystal lodeways, splitting rock with showers of fire and lightning.

Saphethion seemed to sag in the air.

Horrified, the mages could do nothing as the floating city descended towards the foothills of the Annulii. The streets outside the palace were quickly thronged with elves, screaming and shouting, while eagles and pegasi launched from the stablehouses, taking their riders to safety.

Menreir and the others did what they could to slow the city’s descent, but it was too little. Towers and buildings were flattened as Saphethion crashed into a hillside, roofs collapsing, filling the streets with debris, crushing hundreds of elves with falling masonry and beams.

Secondary magical detonations rocked the city, causing blazes to spread through some quarters as tanneries and workshops caught fire. The palace itself was wreathed in magical energy, lightning forking from tower tops to walls, while within the building the many magical artefacts and devices of the Sapherians burned and glowed, hissed and spat with more magic than the world had seen for an age.

In Nagarythe, Malekith’s sorcerous followers watched in horror as the tidal wave engulfed their lands. They used the last of their dark powers to protect their citadels, casting enchantments that sundered the foundations of their towers, allowing them to be lifted up by the wave like immense ships.

In Anlec, Morathi wreathed the palace of Aenarion with her magic, though she could not protect the rest of the city. Water crashed against the towering pinnacle, smashing away stone and brick. Calling upon her daemonic allies, the sorceress ripped the immense palace free from the city, the water boiling and frothing below it as the massive edifice rose up above the waves and Anlec was tumbled into ruin.

EPILOGUE

Thousands had been slain by the catastrophe. Whether slain during the brief but deadly daemonic incursion, drowned by the tidal wave or crushed by the earthquakes, all of Ulthuan had suffered the wrath of the vortex’s detonation. Caledor made his way immediately to the Isle of the Flame, knowing that it was to the Shrine of Asuryan that the princes would come.

Over time they did, each bringing tales of woe and loss from their kingdoms. Thyriol did not arrive though, and Caledor sent an expedition to seek him. They returned from the Isle of the Dead with the grim news that they had found the Sapherian prince, locked in stasis surrounded by Caledor Dragontamer and the other mages of old.

Of the druchii there was no sign.

Word was sent to Alith Anar, who despatched Carathril back with a bitter message full of grief and hatred. Western Nagarythe was destroyed and the east ravaged by the vengeful wave. It was a dead land now, laid to waste by the hubris of Malekith. Tor Anroc and the surrounding countryside was now a chain of islands, surrounded by treacherous waters that still spumed and boiled. The druchii sorcerers who had managed to escape had steered their towers north, towards the ocean.

‘And of Malekith and Morathi, the Shadow King believes that they still live,’ concluded Carathril. ‘Anlec is a ruin, but there is no sign of Aenarion’s palace. What do you think that means?’

Caledor’s reply was simple

‘The war is not over. We shall never know peace.’

The storm-wracked seas crashed against a harsh shore of rock pinnacles, foaming madly. The skies were in turmoil, blackened by dark magic. Through the spume and rain dark, massive shapes surged across the seas; towering edifices of battlement and wall.

The castles of Nagarythe followed in the wake of the largest floating citadel, upon the highest tower of which stood Malekith. The lashing rain steamed from his armour as he turned at the sound of Morathi’s voice from the archway behind him.

‘This is where we flee to?’ she said, anger flashing in her eyes. ‘This cold, bleak land?’

‘They will not follow us here,’ replied the Witch King. ‘We are the Naggarothi, we were born in the north and in the north we will be born again. This land, bleak as it is, shall be ours. Naggaroth.’

‘To build a new kingdom?’ sneered Morathi. ‘To accept your defeat and start afresh as if Nagarythe had never existed?’

‘No,’ replied Malekith, flames leaping from his iron body. ‘We will never forget that which has been taken from us. Ulthuan belongs to me. If it takes a thousand years, ten thousand years, I will claim my rightful place as king. I am the son of Aenarion. It is my destiny.’

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

GAV THORPE has been rampaging across the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 for many years as both an author and games developer. He hails from the den of scurvy outlaws called Nottingham and makes regular sorties to unleash bloodshed and mayhem. He shares his hideout with Dennis, a psychotic mechanical hamster currently trying to employ Skype as a mind-control network.

Gav’s previous novels include fan-favourite Angels of Darkness and the epic Malekith, first instalment in the Sundering trilogy, amongst many others.

You can find his website at:

mechanicalhamster.wordpress.com

And last but not least, the brothers and sisters across the world.

A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION

Published in 2011 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd., Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK

Cover illustration by Jon Sullivan.

Map by Nuala Kinrade.

© Games Workshop Limited 2011. All rights reserved.

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A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-0-85787-152-7

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Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Time of Legends

Map

Part One

One: Pride of Caledor

Two: The Prince Returns

Three: The Flames are Fanned

Four: The Council of Princes

Part Two

Five: A King is Chosen

Six: The Hunters Set Forth

Seven: The Road to Chrace

Eight: A New Legend

Nine: From the Flames

Ten: Lothern Attacked

Eleven: The Black Dragons

Twelve: Avelorn Withers

Thirteen: An Age Ends

Part Three

Fourteen: Rivers of Blood

Fifteen: The Hammer of Vaul

Sixteen: A New Power

Seventeen: More Blood on the Plains

Eighteen: The Phoenix Resurgent

Nineteen: A Deadly Dance

Twenty: A Fateful Clash

Twenty-One: The Sundering

Epilogue

About The Author

Legal

eBook license