#jharad

“Jharad? Are you there?” Lithra asked, suddenly gripping the speaking charm as if it were a lifeline. “He’s here, but not for long,” came Resca’s voice. The fear in his voice had vanished instantly, replaced by pure menace. It had all been a show to draw Jharad in, for whatever trick Resca had pulled. “Curse you to the blackest pits of the void,” Lithra shouted. “Let me speak, old friend. I am…

He took a moment to regain his composure, taking a deep breath. A small voice emanated from his speaking spell. “Lithra,” came Jharad voice. “I think I found him. They did switch the signs. I can see daylight up ahead. I’m going to press on, in case he gets away.” “I’m coming,” Lithra said. He sheathed Avenger quickly, heedless of the gore on the blade. “I just killed Anakh and the dominator.”…

Lithra screamed in feral fury and charged at full speed, but he hadn’t made it ten feet before a massive stone slab slid from the ceiling and crashed into place with an ear-bursting boom. A blockade, so that defenders could hole up safely in case of attack. Lithra came to a halt just short of the stone, Jharad right behind him. “How do we get past this?” Jharad asked. Lithra didn’t know. The…

With a roar like the death of the earth, the water in the reservoir leapt to freedom, falling toward the fortress like the arm of god, an almighty fist mailed in mountain and stone. A few lucky souls saw the impending doom and managed to retreat into the caves. The rest were pulverized beneath the hammer blow of water and rubble. Lithra pulled himself to unsteady feet in time to watch the torrent…

Lithra and Jharad climbed into the chariot and raced along the mountain trails toward the upper ring of the fortress. When they had come as close as they dared, they tethered the animals and proceeded on foot. This close to the reservoir, wiry shrubs and hardy bushes managed to make a living from the poor soil, and they used this cover to make it nearly to the walls of the fortress itself. Some…

Andha Pharas was named the Weeping Mountain, and Lithra could instantly see why. A strong half-circle of wall enclosed a flat area at the base of a cliff, and high above the lower ring, an enormous dam wall sealed up a natural cleft in the stone, forming a large reservoir of water that perched over the fortress like an enormous cup of water over an equally large dinner plate. A constant flow of…

“The fool is going to kill himself,” Lithra said. He clung tightly to his handhold on the spire of rock, the irony of his statement not lost on him. His narrow footing was likely to betray him if he stayed here much longer, but he needed to get a good view of Tzala’s armies, and that meant climbing. However, this risk was nothing compared to the one Tzala would take by assaulting Andha Pharas.…

Beggar’s Warren

In mere seconds, the peaceful moonlit canyon transformed into a battlefield hellscape; full of broken bodies and nightmarish screams that echoed throughout the mazeways of the Beggar’s Warren. The dominator kept riding on, rapidly escaping down a side canyon. “Move,” Lithra demanded. “Hurry.” The charioteer caught his meaning and charged down the canyon, swerving to one side to avoid the bodies.…