The massive war horses leading the charge fell hard onto their knees. Their legs simply gave out. The riders were thrown forward, flipping over the heads of their horses. They crashed into the hard, glass-like dirt, their heavy grey armor sparking as they slid across the ground.The perfect, golden charge was ruined in an instant. It was a chaotic mess of falling horses, screaming men, and broken lances. But many of them were moving so fast that their bodies kept sliding down the smooth hill, moving closer and closer to Lucien.Lucien did not step back. He did not blink. He planted his boots firmly on the ground. He held the jagged, light-consuming spear with both hands, pulling it back to his right side.He was not going to throw it. He was going to swing it.Lucien looked at the tangled mess of men and horses sliding toward him. He looked past them, up to the top of the crater, where Lord-Paladin Kael was staring down with wide, horrified eyes."This is not a trick," Lucien said.

The heavy silence of the graveyard hung in the air. The bright golden light spilling from Lord-Paladin Kael’s eyes pushed against the unnatural eclipse. Kael was no longer Kael. His body was just a puppet for the Clan Head, Lucien’s father, who was watching from hundreds of miles away in the capital.Lucien stood firm. He held the God-Slaying Spear tightly. He did not look scared of his father. He looked ready."You think you can threaten the throne?" the deep, booming voice of the Clan Head echoed out of Kael’s mouth. The voice was full of anger and disgust. "You are a Null-Vein. You are a mistake I should have drowned in the river the day you were born. This little show of dark magic changes nothing."Lucien smiled. It was a cold, sharp smile that did not reach his glowing eyes. "You talk too much, old man," Lucien said softly.Lucien did not wait for his father to speak again. He stepped forward and swung the God-Slaying Spear. He did not aim for Kael’s body. He aimed for the empt

The shadow wolves howled. It was a terrifying, hollow sound. They bounded up the walls of the crater, moving faster than the fastest horses.The slaughter continued in the fog.Elian was running. His lungs burned. His legs felt like they were made of lead. He was crying so hard he could barely see where he was going. He just kept moving toward the edge of the graveyard, hoping to find the safe, green lands of the Empire.He heard the screams behind him. He heard the growls of the shadow wolves. He heard men begging for mercy as they were dragged down into the dark.Elian did not look back. He ran and ran.Suddenly, his foot caught on something hard.Elian fell forward, crashing face-first into the thick, wet mud. He rolled over, groaning in pain. He looked at what he had tripped over.It was Sir Vane. The older knight’s body was twisted at a strange angle. His chest was caved in from Lucien’s kick. His grey eyes stared blankly at the sky."Sir Vane," Elian sobbed, crawling backward aw

This was Commander Valerius Vane. He was the Grand Inquisitor of the Empire. He was the older brother of Sir Vane, the knight who had died in the mud. But Valerius Vane was nothing like his brother. He was not a proud knight. He was the Emperor’s hunting dog. He was the man they sent to hunt down dark witches, rogue mages, and demons. He did not use holy light. He used fear, pain, and an aura that ate magic.The noisy, shouting priests instantly went completely silent. They stepped back, terrified of the Grand Inquisitor. Even High Priest Solas looked down at the floor.Commander Vane walked slowly across the room. His heavy boots made a slow, rhythmic thud... thud... thud on the marble floor. He stopped right behind Elian.Elian froze. He could feel the terrible, cold air coming from the man standing behind him.Vane looked down at the dirty, crying squire. "You say my brother, Sir Vane, is dead?" Vane asked. His voice was quiet, raspy, and completely empty of any emotion. He did no

The grey fog of the Eternal Ossuary was always thick, but as Lucien walked farther away from the giant crater, the fog began to change. It turned into a heavy, dark mist. It tasted like old dust and cold metal.Lucien walked alone. He had sent his new army of undead knights away. With a single thought, he had hidden them inside his own shadow. The Shadow-Lord Transformation gave him this power. His shadow was no longer just a dark shape on the ground. It was a deep, bottomless pocket where his undead servants could sleep and wait for his command.He needed to move quietly. A whole army of golden knights clanking their boots would make too much noise. And where he was going, noise meant death.He was walking toward a giant crack in the earth. It was a massive hole that split the ground open for miles. This was the entrance to the deep underground. The upper part of the graveyard, where he had fought Lord Kael, was full of neat stone tombs and carved statues. But this giant crack led