The Dark Realm by Adams P R

Author:Adams, P R
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Promethean Tales
Published: 2021-08-07T00:00:00+00:00

33

Sunlight couldn’t reach the interior chamber of the Badonosk leadership council. The leaders relied exclusively on the braziers and lamps for illumination. They didn’t seem concerned with the greasy smell of the fish oil or the way the yellow light added its own influence to what they saw—Riyun’s armored plate dulled and stained by strangely discolored blood. In that light, the lieutenant felt weak and sick. He flinched at the pops and hisses coming from the little fires, instinctively connecting them to the incinerating blasts of the giant dragon that had wreaked so much havoc.

He couldn’t stand upright in that chamber, not after what had happened in the hours before sunrise. The sharp, derisive sneers the leadership threw at him were justified, warranted. They’d hired him to perform the impossible, and to no one’s surprise, he’d failed.

Now the flames revealed him for who he was: just another impostor.

No one would question him withering ever so slightly in that moment. His promises had proven as misguided as his ideas. He’d relied upon folklore and the assurances of questionable information sources.

It was the work of a hack, and he knew it.

With a sharp intake of breath, the hefty woman at the rightmost table bowed her head, chubby fingers rubbing the silver sea dragon pendant. “We await the final tally of our losses.”

“I’m sorry that even one of your people died. Unexpected things happened.”

“Very unexpected, yes. No one was prepared for this. You offered the idea of a low-risk attack.”

“It was supposed to be. I had no reason to believe that the dragon would come so close to the city.” He had to bite back the reminder that everyone thought they were protected from such an aggressor. Making excuses was a bad idea, and he’d already shown he had too many of those.

A few of the leaders averted their eyes at the mention of Niyalki, as if merely mentioning the dragon would summon it here.

The big woman kissed the sea dragon pendant, then rested her thick arms on the table. “Only a few saw the retaliation, but word will spread throughout the day. We have already received panicked demands to seek dialogue with the army’s leadership.”

“Since I’m an Outworlder, you know the queens better than I do.”

“And we know they will not show mercy for any who do not bow to their beliefs.”

Among the leadership, a reverent fear spread, with most of them touching their pendants, closing their eyes, and whispering. It wasn’t merely resignation but resolve. From what Riyun had heard, they’d spent years resisting the pressures to give in and be assimilated into this group seeking to establish its own hegemony. There was no walking that back, and it couldn’t be blamed on him.

His early-hour assault going sideways could, though.

Technically, that assault had gone better than any reasonable planner could have hoped. They’d destroyed the vanguard’s officer corps, frightened the horses away, and stolen two wagons overflowing with food. Even with the dragon’s appearance, those were wins. In fact, the dragon’s

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