Novels by Deloonys

The morning sun didn't rise over the Waste so much as it bruised the sky, a sickly shade of plum giving way to a dusty gold. Hafiz stood at the edge of the north plateau, his boots sinking into the freshly turned earth. Behind him, five hundred demons, some with horns the size of scythes, others with skin like cracked basalt, held their shovels like holy relics."Is that them?" Hafiz asked, squinting toward the jagged horizon of the Shattered Pass.Kael stood beside him, his hand resting on the hilt of a sword that had tasted more blood than Hafiz had seen water. "That’s them. The scouts say ten thousand. Mostly heavy cavalry, two regiments of longbowmen, and the King’s personal Paladin Guard.""Ten thousand," Hafiz whistled, wiping a smudge of grease from his cheek. "That’s a lot of boots to ruin my drainage system.""You’re worried about the pipes?" Kael asked, looking at Hafiz with genuine disbelief. "Hafiz, they have enough fire-mages to turn this plateau into a glass bowl. They a

Hafiz didn’t wait for a response. He was already halfway down the spiraling stone stairs, his boots thumping rhythmically against the obsidian. His mind was racing faster than the "cat" lizard Barnaby on a sugar rush."Kael! Don't just stand there looking like a gargoyle! Move!" Hafiz shouted over his shoulder.Kael caught up in three massive strides, his cape fluttering. "Hafiz, wait. A Holy War is not a 'pest problem.' You cannot simply throw limestone at ten thousand paladins.""Watch me," Hafiz snapped, reaching the bottom of the stairs and swinging the heavy iron doors open to the main courtyard. "Actually, don’t watch me. Help me. We’ve got, what, a week before they hit the border? Maybe two?""Ten days, if they march through the Shattered Pass," Kael estimated, his brow furrowed. "But why the urgency for the garden? We should be sharpening spears, not tilling soil.""Because, General, a hungry army is a cranky army, but a hungry kingdom is a dead one," Hafiz said, pointing towa

"The Southern Crags are still hungry," Velina said, her voice barely a whisper against the cool night air, "and I think it's time we showed them how to plant a seed."Hafiz looked at the golden-brown flatbread in his hand, then back at the Demon Lord. "Wait, you want to turn the most aggressive, spike-covered warlords in your realm into... gardeners? Are you sure you don’t want to just start with something easier, like teaching a wolf to knit?"Velina took another slow, deliberate bite of the bread. "If they taste this, Hafiz, they won't want to fight for scraps of bone anymore. They will fight for the dirt itself. And you will be the one to show them how to treat it.""Great. So I went from 'prisoner' to 'royal cultivator' to 'agricultural diplomat' in three weeks," Hafiz sighed, leaning back and watching the flickering lights of the village below. "I'm just a guy who likes carrots, Velina. This is getting way out of my pay grade.""You don't have a pay grade," she reminded him with

"He said," Velina interrupted, her voice dropping to a temperature that could freeze a soul in mid-beat, "that you are trespassing in my garden. And unlike the farmer, Malphas... I have no interest in keeping you alive."Malphas Varkas let out a jagged, barking laugh, his hand resting on the pommel of a sword that looked like it had been forged from a dragon’s ribcage. "Your garden? Velina, look at this place. It’s a pit of dung and dust. You’ve brought a human here to play with dirt while the Southern Crags are feasting on the last of the marrow. You’re desperate. It’s pathetic.""Desperate?" Hafiz interjected, wiping a streak of black grime across his forehead. "I’m the only guy here who knows how to make something that isn’t gray and depressing. You want to call it pathetic? Fine. But don’t come crying to me when you’re starving and all you’ve got to eat is your own ego."Malphas’s eyes flared with a sickly orange light. "You have a loud mouth for a creature I could crush with a th

Hafiz wiped a mixture of soot and sweat from his jaw, staring at the small, twitching creature Kael had brought him. It was a shadow imp, no larger than a badger, with spindly limbs and a mouth full of needle-like teeth. It was currently tethered to a makeshift plow Hafiz had fashioned from scraps of obsidian and iron."You’re kidding me, right?" Hafiz asked, pointing a dirt-stained finger at the snarling creature. "I asked for a plow-beast. This thing looks like it would rather eat my ankles than pull a blade.""It is a creature of the Void," Kael replied, his arms crossed over his massive chest. "It possesses more strength in its essence than ten of your human oxen. Use it, or till the earth with your bare hands. It makes no difference to me.""Fine, fine. Just keep your distance, General. This might get ugly." Hafiz grabbed the handles of the plow, digging his boots into the gray, crusty soil. "Alright, you little purple gremlin. Mush! Go! Move forward!"The imp hissed, its eyes gl

Hafiz looked at the gray pile of dust, then back at the beautiful, terrifying woman standing over him. "And if I can't?"Velina smiled, but there was no warmth in it. It was the smile of a winter storm."Then I suppose I'll have to eat you," she said casually. "At least that way, a little bit of the sun stays within the palace. Now, get to work.""Right. Great. No pressure," Hafiz muttered, his heart doing a frantic tap-dance against his ribs. He looked down at the pile of ash. "Wait, you want me to do it here? On the floor? In a drafty throne room?""Is there a problem with the location?" Velina asked, arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow."It’s a palace, not a greenhouse! If you want things to grow, I need to see where you’ve actually tried to plant stuff. Show me your garden."Velina glanced at Kael. The General gave a stiff nod and gestured for the soldiers to haul Hafiz up."Take him to the Royal Grounds," Velina commanded, turning back toward her throne. "And Kael? If he tries to