Excerpt: Fire

Prologue: Shadow and Flame

The creature stood rigid among the rocky hills, motionless in the black of night. All around, it was quiet. No sign of life was present, but the creature was not to be lured into a false sense of security. Its tongue flicked and its eyes narrowed. The scent of sulfur was strong in the stagnant air, signaling the approach of Gorns. Sure enough, the earth began to shake beneath the creature’s feet. The earth crumbled, and large boulders rose from within the newly formed craters. These boulders were assembled in the shape of a large bear that stood seven feet tall. It had glowing red eyes, like coals.
“What news do you bring me?” hissed the creature in an impatient tone.
The Gorn stepped forward. “Lord Aberon retreated to Minérith this morning,” he rumbled. “The fish folk stand guard around its borders.”
The creature snarled. “Then seize the city. We cannot afford to let Aberon reassemble his army.”
At this, the Gorn’s eyes glowed brighter. “You underestimate our strength, hisser,” he said. “The same weaknesses that keep you from marching to Minérith yourself also hinder my people.It would serve you well to remember it was us who protected you from their onslaught.”
“My gratefulness for your hospitality is overwhelming, I assure you,” sneered the creature. “But understand that this is a war neither of us can afford to lose.”
“What do you propose?”
“Send a message to our friends in the desert, if any are left alive. They are the only ones who can reach Aberon now.”
“As you wished,” grumbled the Gorn. “Before I leave, there is one other thing.”
“What?”
The Gorn shifted uneasily. “It’s the humans. The ones in the village on our northern border. Rumors are beginning to circulate about the war.”
“Do they know anything for sure?”
“Some claim to, but they aren’t taken very seriously.” The Gorn paused. “I’m sorry to have troubled you with such a trivial matter. I’ll go now.”
“No,” said the creature. “I’m glad you did. We can’t have humans poking their noses where they don’t belong.”
“What do you wish to do?”
The lizard turned his back to the Gorn, staring northward across the jagged mountain tops. Crant, the village the Gorn had spoken of lay hundreds of legues beyond, in the Blancal Valley. It was a quaint town the creature has visited as a hatchling. Unimportant.
“What are your orders? What do you wish to do about the humans?”
“Dispose of them,” said the creature simply.