Death did not knock on the northern border, it simply blew the door off its hinges.The freezing wind howled across the jagged rocks, carrying the sharp scent of copper and burning flesh. Logan pressed his back against a crumbling stone wall, his breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest, but the rhythmic thud of incoming artillery fire kept his heart hammering against his ribs.Move your legs, Logan, Vance yelled, his voice cracking as he slid into the dirt beside him. If you stay there, you are a dead man.Logan looked at his friend. Vance’s face was smeared with black soot, his eyes wide and bloodshot with sheer panic. They were just apprentices, the lowest of the low, handed cheap iron swords and sent out to line the trenches. The academy called them the vanguard, but everyone knew the truth. They were nothing but human shields meant to soak up the initial wave of magic before the real mages arrived.I cannot feel my left arm, Logan said, h

The grand doors of the throne room did not open for Logan, they slammed against the marble walls like a death sentence.Four heavily armored royal guards marched him into the vast chamber, his hands bound tightly with heavy iron chains that dragged against the polished floor. High above on an elevated dais sat King Alistair, his crown glinting under the pale light filtering through the stained glass windows. Flanking the sides of the room were the high mages, their long white robes whispering against the floor as they watched Logan with pure venom in their eyes.Your Majesty, this boy is an anomaly that cannot be tolerated, High Mage Eldon shouted, his voice echoing off the high stone pillars. The destruction at the northern border was unnatural. He is a walking hazard, a curse to the kingdom. He must be executed before the sun sets.Vivienne stood a few paces behind the guard line, her face a mask of calm, though her fingers twitched near her robes. The artifact backfired, High Mage.

The line between a genius and a dead man usually depends on how fast he can swing a piece of iron.Logan twisted his torso at the very last second, his boots digging deep into the courtyard dirt. Instead of meeting the white fire head on with brute strength, he used the exact redirection technique Garrick had beaten into his muscles the previous afternoon. He angled his iron blade perfectly, catching the core of Julian’s spell on the flat of the metal and sliding it downward into the stone floor.The white flame slammed into the ground, exploding in a shower of ordinary sparks that blinded the crowd and sent a massive cloud of gray dust rolling across the ring.Logan stumbled out of the smoke, his hands shaking slightly as he tucked his fingers into his vest to hide the tiny, dark bumps that had briefly started to form on his knuckles. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, but he was entirely unhurt.Julian stared at his empty hands, his face pale with utter disbelief. That is

The dark did not hide the killers, it just gave them a head start.The shadows along the archive wall stretched longer as the armored boots came closer. Logan stood in front of Vivienne, his knuckles white around the heavy iron candle stand, ready to swing at the first throat that came through the archway.Suddenly, a massive figure crashed through the side doorway, a giant steel broadsword swinging in a lethal circle.Move, you idiots, Captain Garrick roared, his voice cutting through the damp air like a thunderclap.Garrick, Vivienne gasped, her hand flying to her chest. How did you find us?I have been tracking these robed freaks for three weeks while you two were busy playing scholar in the dust, Garrick barked, blocking a sudden crossbolt bolt with his steel gauntlet. The main force is right behind me. We are outnumbered twenty to one. Move your legs.Where do we go? The stairs are blocked, Logan said, knocking down a charging cultist with a quick kick to the knee.Up there, Garr

The sky belonged to the monsters until Logan climbed into the saddle of the world.He did not hesitate, stepping onto the massive, armored snout of the beast and hauling himself up onto the rough ridge of its neck. The iron gray scales were hot against his palms, vibrating with a deep, rhythmic hum that matched the frantic pounding of his own heart.Get up here, Logan yelled, extending his hand down toward Vivienne. We cannot close that rift from the dirt.Vivienne looked at the towering creature, her face pale but her eyes blazing with sudden determination. She grabbed his hand, and Logan pulled her up behind him with a single, effortless tug. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, her breath hot against his neck.Captain, take the children to the secondary barracks, Logan shouted down to Garrick, who was already marshaling the sobbing kids into a tight defensive formation.Go, Garrick roared back, swinging his broadsword to decapitate a stray hound that tried to breach the c