An Emperor's Fury: The Warlord of Pyndira by Paul Heisel

Author:Paul Heisel [Heisel, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-02-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4 - Warlord

The first dusting of snow didn’t deter any of the events or celebrations in Daiwer-dar. People still lined up for hours to view the Emperor’s body, braving the cold and the large flakes of snow. There was little accumulation, but the administrators were watchful of how heavy the roofs of the newly constructed tents became with the wet and cold weather. Already one roof had collapsed during the night and required rebuilding, forcing the contingent from Ashimo to seek space inside the main pavilion until things were fixed, cleaned, and set straight.

It was the first day of the competition and the morning temperature was cold. Steam blasted from mouths as people talked, and more fire pots were brought into the tents to heat the areas. Feln looked toward the collection of guards Pearl had assembled. He used the term guards loosely, not because they weren’t qualified, but because they were overqualified. With so much time having passed, a contingent of Pearl’s Furies had traveled to Daiwer-dar from Safun. Ryl led them from his palace, insisting she needed to be there to protect the Most Favored. With her came four others, of which Feln knew they had enough destructive power to level these pavilions in a matter of seconds. With the arrival of these guards for Caleth and Nar, Pearl and Ryl were never far from his side and served as his personal protectors. He tried to argue with them, but gave up. They were as stubborn and devoted as Suun.

They surged forward as a group, making their way to the large pavilion that faced the pillars and the golden circle. An area in front was cordoned off for the Emperor’s special guests, behind were rows of benches spread out in a fan pattern with a single aisle down the middle. Behind the benches was standing room. It was filling up quickly. They scooted into an open area where the benches were not so full, slid into the seats, and crammed against each other. Feln didn’t think anything of it until he realized Pearl was pressing against him. He looked up at the elevated platform where the Emperor was sitting, searching for Owori. He couldn’t see her.

The administrator called for quiet as the first two candidates came forward. It was Djaa and the fighter from Ashimo, chosen at random to begin the tournament. Feln tried to speak with Djaa and Gargam the previous day, but neither of them wanted to talk or even exchange simple pleasantries. Owori didn’t have any luck either. They were content to keep to themselves. Suspicious. He asked around about them and didn't found out anything useful, and not one person from the Shisaru contingent answered his questions. Feln looked up just as the administrator announced the names from a piece of paper, speaking as loudly as he could. The two combatants went inside the golden circle. They bowed. The pillars glowed hot white, but there was no heat, then there was a flash of light and both disappeared.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.