The sky was screaming. Above us, the colossal iron bellies of the imperial air barges groaned as they opened their bay doors, releasing a torrent of incendiary canisters that streaked through the black clouds like falling stars. Each impact shook the wet earth beneath my boots, sending columns of blinding white flame roaring into the wooden tenements of the lower slums."Collins, we cannot go this way," Thomas screamed, his voice cracked with a terrifying panic. He was shielding his face from the intense, baking heat of a nearby tavern that was collapsing into a heap of blazing timber. "The harbor road is completely blocked. It is a wall of fire.""We are not taking the road," I yelled back, my lungs burning as I inhaled a thick mouthful of hot, chemical ash. I pointed toward a narrow alleyway where the wooden walls were already smoldering. "The old municipal drainage exhaust is just past that burning warehouse. We have to run, Thomas. Now.""But the children," the woman behind us sob

The smell of damp canvas and crushed river reeds hit my senses long before I could force my eyes open. My chest felt tight, bound tightly in thick linen bandages that throbbed with every shallow breath. The suffocating heat of the slums was gone, replaced by a cool, damp breeze that whistled softly through the open flap of a tent."Drink this," a familiar, rough voice commanded.A hand braced the back of my neck, lifting my head just enough to press a wooden cup against my cracked lips. The bitter, herbal liquid burned my throat, forcing a harsh cough from my chest that made my ribs ache in protest."Take it easy," Miller muttered, setting the cup down as I finally managed to focus on his rugged, worried face. "You breathed in half the lower district's ash supply before Thomas dragged you through the marshes. We thought we lost you, Collins.""The refugees," I choked out, my voice sounding like broken glass. "Did they... did everyone make it?""Mos

The biting mountain wind whipped a spray of heavy snow across my face, stinging my eyes as I stood in the center of the stone courtyard. My breath rose in ragged, white plumes. Before me stood the champion, a towering wall of muscle enveloped in overlapping plates of dark northern steel, a massive, double headed battleaxe resting easily on his shoulder."Is this a joke, Regent?" the giant boomed, his voice rattling the frost on the stone walls. He looked over at the observation balcony where Alistair sat wrapped in heavy furs. "You want me to slaughter a half starved child?""He claims to carry the spirit of the Warlord, Gideon," the Regent shouted down, his voice dripping with amused malice. "Prove him wrong.""Collins, don't do this," Valerie cried out from the edge of the pit, her hands gripping the wooden railing so hard her knuckles were white. "Marcus, stop him.""He made his choice, Valerie," Marcus growled, though his eyes were darting anxiously around the courtyard, his jaw t

The black wax crumbled under my fingernails like dried blood. I sat alone in the dim, freezing isolation of the citadel watchtower, the silver cylinder heavy across my knees as I unrolled the thick parchment. The handwriting was terrifyingly perfect, a precise, flawless script that lacked the erratic energy of a ten year old child. It read like a tactical autopsy.To the entity currently inhabiting the vessel Collins, the letter began. I have reviewed the logs of your campaigns at the Iron Crag and your recent defense of the northern pass. Your reliance on localized environmental manipulation remains consistent with your previous psychological profile. You are predictable, Harrison. You fight with the desperation of a man who believes he has something left to protect. This is an inefficient use of your remaining cognitive function. If you wish to mitigate further territorial liquidation, you will meet me at the Spires of Valerius in forty eight hours. Let us negotiate the terms of you

The ancient stone platform buckled beneath us with a sickening, deafening roar. Another violent explosion ripped through the air, spraying molten rock and burning ash over the mountain peak. I didn't think, I didn't calculate. I threw my body completely over Valis, pressing her small, shivering frame into the dirt as a massive pillar shattered directly above us.A jagged piece of hot iron shrapnel sliced deep into my left shoulder.A white hot, agonizing pain exploded through my collarbone, tearing a raw scream from my throat. Blood soaked my tunic instantly, hot and thick against my freezing skin, but I squeezed my eyes shut and kept my arms wrapped tightly around my daughter's head."Harrison!" Valis gasped, her small hands digging into my bloody tunic, her voice trembling with a sudden, terrified panic. "Harrison, get off me!""Hold on," I wheezed, my chest burning as the smoke choked out my remaining air. "I've got you. I've got you, Valis."Through the blinding haze of ash, two t