The journey had been long and difficult, harder than he’d imagined. It hurt to see a beloved land stripped of magic, torn and sundered. Less than what it had been and worse; it had been by his hand.
Traveling without magic to aid them. He and Kalynn were worn to the bone.
But he’d enough reserves to do this task, what they had journeyed so far to accomplish.
Whether he had the will or not was another question.
Amid the frantic movements of the protectors, he waited for the right moment to move. The air was filled with grunts of pain and fear.
Wolfe moved then, urging Kalynn forward. He guided her through the frantic men and maels struggling to load sacks onto the throwing arm of the war machine. The air was filled with grunts of pain and fear. And over all the acrid smell of pitch.
He got Kalynn close to the wall, covering her with his body. He’d wanted desperately to spare her this, to leave her with the airons, but that wasn’t possible. She trembled against him, but although there was fear in her eyes, there was also determination. He swallowed back tears at her pain. Best to be about this and done.
“Do you see him?” he whispered as the chaos raged around them.
She nodded, the hood of her cloak moving against his hair.
“Show me,” he said, and the world tilted slightly as her vision became his.
The attackers had ridden forward now, and dismounted for the final battle before the gates. One man, small in build, but powerful, led his men over the ground, savagely striking down any that stood in his path. Fierce, and unstoppable.
“Him,” Kalynn breathed.
“Light the sacks,” came the call behind them, and Wolfe pulled up his reserves, readying himself. There was but one thing—
“Kalynn. Close your eyes.”
She looked up at him, his precious love, with a frown. He pressed his fingers to her cheek. “You have seen,” he whispered. “But you need not see this.”
Behind them came the crackle of flames, and black, burning smoke. “Release!” came the command.
A man hit the pin with a mallet, and the ballista jumped, throwing its deadly load.
Kalynn closed her eyes, and pressed her face to Wolfe’s shoulder.
For long moments, the naptha arced overhead, the small burning sacks spreading out, hovering over the battlefield. Wolfe followed one with his eyes, caught it with his power, and changed the arc of its path ever so slightly.
The man, his target, turned his head at the last moment. His ear was woven with a pattern of wire and beads that sparkled in the light.
Bonded. He’d destroy two lives, then. Not just one.
The naptha hit. The man exploded into fire, pain and burning flesh. He fell, sprawled out, screaming.
‘I’d offer regrets,’ Wolfe thought. ‘But I do what must be done.’ He leaned down, pressing his head to Kalynn’s, taking in the gentle scent of her hair. “It’s done,” Wolfe whispered into her ear. “We can go.”
She nodded silently as he started to wrap his power around them.
Below, from out of nowhere, a muscular, dark-haired warrior appeared, dropping two swords as he flung himself down beside the man on fire. His face torn in anguish, the warrior screamed out a name as he started to beat out the flames with his own hands. The sound came faintly to Wolfe’s ears as the magic took them away.
“Marcus!”
About The Author
Elizabeth Vaughan is the USA Today Bestselling author of Warprize, the first volume of The Chronicles of the Warlands. She’s always loved fantasy and science fiction, and has been a fantasy role-player since 1981. By day, Beth’s secret identity is that of a lawyer, practicing in the area of bankruptcy, a role she has maintained since 1985. More information can be found at her website, WriteandRepeat.com.
Beth is owned by incredibly spoiled cats, and lives in the Northwest Territory, on the outskirts of the Black Swamp, along Mad Anthony’s Trail on the banks of the Maumee River.
Acknowledgments
Every ending is a beginning and every beginning is an end.
This book brings to a close the Chronicles of the Warlands and the Epic of Palins. What an adventure it has been, both for my characters and myself as a writer. Friendships forged, lessons learned, and challenges overcome. The list of people who I have met, befriended, loved and lost during these years would fill another book.
I’m not sure how I can thank everyone involved in my journey. So I will take this moment to acknowledge every one of you, and that includes you, dear reader. Please know that you all have my gratitude and my thanks. You bring me joy.
Please also know that while this book ends the series, have no fear.
For I have more stories to tell.
Beth
Works by Elizabeth Vaughan
Warprize
Warsworn
Warlord
Dagger-Star
White Star
Destiny’s Star
Warcry
Wardance
Warsong
Fate’s Star
Copyright ©2019 by Elizabeth Vaughan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Elizabeth Vaughan at
beth@writeandrepeat.com.
Cover art by Craig White. Used by permission.
Cover design by Shawn King. Used by permission.
Visit Elizabeth Vaughan on the World Wide Web at:
www.writeandrepeat.com
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Epilogue
About The Author
Acknowledgments
Works by Elizabeth Vaughan