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    "Look, here he is now!" Kax said.


    A man entered, ordinary looking in almost every conceivable way. Average build and height, brown-blond hair with no real style, and a wholly unremarkable face. The only distinct features about him were his intense gaze and the wide, open-mouthed smile on his face.


    "Nothing!" Goslin couldn’t help but shout. He winced from the pain lancing through his side.


    Nothing smiled down at him, just like he’d done at the academy. "Princeling."


    "Never thought I’d see you again," Goslin said, struggling to his feet.


    Nothing held up a hand. "Sit, sit."


    He lowered himself to the ground next to Goslin''s cot. "My name is Landé, actually. Good to see you’re recovering."


    "You really saved us out there," Goslin said. "I’ll be well enough to ride once we’re ready to move north."


    Landé locked eyes with Goslin, as if gauging his conviction. "We’re not going north, Goslin of House Steerian."


    "What do you mean? Of course, we are. My brother is up there fighting for his life along with hundreds of Eldians."


    Landé shook his head. "You are no longer in command." He looked up at Kax, then back to Goslin. "Kax hasn’t told you yet, I take it?"


    "Not enough time, I’m afraid," Kax said. He cleared his throat. "Some, um, concessions had to be made."


    "Concessions?" Goslin asked.


    Landé gave Goslin another searching look, then nodded to himself. "Heylien never told you."


    "Heylien? What does he have to do with this?" Goslin asked. Why would they bring up the archer now? He should be far away in Jordfaste escorting Emeryn back to her family.


    "Look, I’ll just tell you," Landé said. "I lead the resistance in Eldsprak. Before the fall of Fyrie, it was against the King and his nobles. Now, it’s against the rhinn invaders."


    Landé continued to assess Goslin. "The only reason I joined the academy where we met was to recruit for the cause. Heylien accompanied you on your journey because I allowed him to."


    "Allowed him to?"


    "Allowed him to," Landé confirmed. "It was his task to befriend you and recruit you and the others to our cause."


    Goslin felt flush with anger. "And what exactly is your cause?"


    Landé’s eyes smoldered in return. "To overthrow the nobility and rebuild Eldsprak without your boots on our necks."


    "That’s why you don’t want to go north. Because of my brother, because of what he and I represent. Is that why you assaulted him in such a cowardly way in the tournament?" His eyes widened. "Emeryn! I sent Heylien with her."


    "Heylien is a good man," Landé said. "He wouldn’t hurt anyone who does not deserve it. Your brother, on the other hand, is a monster. The worst kind of noble. He has no regard for the common man."


    The confusion Goslin felt must have been plain on his face.


    "Men and women demeaned, maimed, and killed. All to stroke your brother’s ego.”


    “You must be joking.”


    His brother was horrible, but he wouldn’t go that far.


    Landé shook his head, a look of disappointment on his face. "You’re not ready yet, that’s fine. We’re going to throw the rhinn back through their waypoints and retake Fyrie, but not yet. After, we’ll rebuild Eldsprak and make it better. For now, we’re going south. You are free to come or stay here. It’s up to you, but the troops who were under your command are now under mine."


    Landé left the tent.


    Goslin fell back into the cot.


    "How are you doing?" Kax asked, "I didn’t know how to tell you."


    Goslin considered the question. Then he smiled. It was like a heavy weight had lifted from his chest and he could finally unwind the knot in his stomach.


    "I’m no commander," Goslin admitted, partly to Kax but mostly to himself. "I’ll be glad to hand over the role to someone more competent and just do my part on the field of battle."


    "That’s the spirit," Kax said. "So that’s it. You want to keep fighting under their banner? Nothing’s banner?"


    Goslin shrugged. "As long as we’re fighting for Eldsprak. I’ll have to find my brother at some point to get to the truth of Landé’s claims, but that will have to wait. Do you know why we''re heading south?"


    "Oh yes," Kax said. "We’ve had reports of a small army of Loftians heading this way from that direction."


    "Loftians?" Goslin asked.


    "Apparently they’re led by a small boy and a foul-mouthed aeromancer who can fly."


    Goslin shot up, ignoring the pain. "Lana!"


    "That was my guess, too," Kax said, practically glowing with delight. A welcome sight. "I’ve missed that dirty, small boy."


    "When do we leave?" Goslin asked.


    "Tomorrow," Kax answered. "In the meantime, want to meet my rhinn traveler?"


    Goslin followed Kax out of the tent and marveled at how neat and organized their camp was under Landé''s short rule. Looking back at what he remembered from the battle, his tactics were far more advanced than anything he, Fredrik, or Gunnar had devised. "Where did they get all the horses?"


    "The rhinn don’t ride," Kax said. "No horses in Rhinerien, apparently. Landé''s gang spent most of the initial invasion commandeering any horse they came across. They were getting ready for all out rebellion before the invasion. That’s why they have all those bows and weapons. They’re no rabble, I’ll tell you that much."


    "I can tell," Goslin said. "It’s impressive."


    Kax pointed to one tent among many. Only this one had guards posted by the entrance. "This is it."


    "No entry," the guard said. Both guards held spears. They wore no colors to indicate their allegiance, but that looked to be a common theme among the rebels.


    "It’s my prisoner you’re guarding," Kax protested. "I caught him!"


    "We’ve been instructed not to allow anyone to enter except the commander," the guard on the right said. "No exceptions, I’m afraid."


    "Look—" Kax began, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword.


    Goslin placed a hand over his friend’s. "Kax. Perhaps we better talk to Landé about this and get it sorted out. There is no need for violence here."


    The guards visibly paled at the mention of Kax''s name and violence in the same breath.


    "It isn’t right," Kax muttered.


    "What use would we have of a rhinn traveler, anyway?" Goslin asked.


    "We could go get Emeryn and Heylien for one. Who knows what Tom is up to? I wouldn’t mind going to Fyrie and killing this Emperor everyone is talking about. Never got the chance to get into the city."


    "But we don’t know exactly where our friends are."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "That’s fair," Kax conceded. "The part about Fyrie still stands, though."


    "You think you could do it?" Goslin asked.


    "Feels like I could do anything, even destroy a god. Look at this." He held out his hand and light bent around it, turning into darkness. One of his swords, Bandit, Goslin thought, materialized in his grip.


    "How did you do that?"


    Kax sheathed the sword. "Not sure. It’s like they’re a part of me now. Each person I kill makes me stronger. Pyromancers and travelers are even better. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of."


    Goslin shuddered despite the heat from the sun. "Do you hear them?"


    "Hear who?"


    "The ones you''ve defeated. Like you used to in the swords?"


    "Not anymore," he said, pointing to his head. "It’s all quiet up in here. Just the way I like it."


    "Let me know if anything changes, won’t you?" Goslin asked. "I worry about you, even if this change means you are a better fighter now than ever before. We need your strength and abilities, but not if it means losing you to…whatever this is."


    "I’ll keep that in mind, but you''ll need me as I am, especially if this Wyndemir fellow is coming."


    Goslin completely forgot about the Rhinerien god. "Did you learn anything about Wyndemir on your excursion to the other side? And did you hear anything about purple eyes?"


    "Purple eyes?" Kax looked puzzled for a moment. "No, nothing eye color related to report. The bastards really do believe something is coming, which, at least means that Wyndemir isn’t here now."


    "Ominous."


    Kax scratched his cheek. "The priests are fanatics. I’ll tell you that much. Spent a not so pleasant night with one and he kept jabbering on and on about the bringer of chaos and how his minions will destroy us all, or something."


    "Minions?" Goslin asked.


    "We didn’t really get into it."


    Goslin recalled the kozimuz and had to force away the images of Hart’s mangled body. "What if Wyndemir’s minions are the monstrosities we’ve been fighting? They seem to be randomly appearing ever since this all started."


    "If that is true, we’ll need to become stronger," Kax said. "I’ll head over to Nothing and talk some sense into him about my rhinn traveler. The least he can do is share him.”


    "Good luck," Goslin replied.


    With the sun shining on his back and his injuries mending, he breathed in a deep breath of clean air, untainted by the stench of the dead or the moans of the dying. Without the burden of command, he felt free.


    He wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that he would have been able to make lives better for more than a handful of common born men and women. With the collapse of Eldsprak, real change would be more plausible. However, for Landé''s and Heylien''s dreams to come true, it meant that the king, Goslin''s own family, and perhaps even himself, would need to die. Goslin knew enough of coups that Landé couldn''t risk leaving anyone with royal blood alive.


    Goslin decided he would cross that bridge when he came to it. There were more important and immediate matters to address, such as the rhinn invaders, and as Kax reminded him, the imminent approach of Wyndemir. His friends could take care of themselves, and Heylien wouldn’t hurt Emeryn. He hadn’t needed Landé to tell him that, not really.


    Goslin’s stomach growled. Time to see about some food. Then, perhaps a spar, if his wounds allowed, followed by a proper bath. The day was still young, and for once, he had responsibilities to no one but himself.


    The day after, as Landé promised, the camp was packed away into carts guarded by archers on horseback. Most soldiers rode at a stately pace, but a contingent of infantry, those who survived from Goslin’s troops, marched on foot.


    "Can you believe he won’t let me see my own prisoner?" Kax said, his tone dangerously close to pouting.


    "Let’s focus on getting to Lana," Goslin said. "I’m sure you can find another traveler at some point, or Sarien will return and help you go wherever you wish."


    Kax looked thoughtful. "Yeah. When we’re done here, I might just ask him to send me somewhere new. Think of how much fun it would be to go to all these new places, new worlds. Want to come with?"


    Goslin chuckled. "Let’s just deal with the small hassle of liberating Eldsprak first."


    Kax slumped in his saddle. "Always so sensible."


    Asken walked up to Goslin and Kax. "So, you lost command, then?"


    "I did," Goslin confirmed.


    "But you’re going to fight?"


    He nodded. "I won’t stop until Fyrie is ours and the rhinn banished back to Rhinerien."


    "Mind if I tag along?" Asken asked.


    Goslin reached down and clasped the man’s hand. "I won’t lead you, but you’re welcome to keep close, if that is your wish. How are the lads from Kleotram doing?"


    Asken chuckled. "You’re a little young yourself to call someone else a lad, eh? They’re doing fine, just fine." He nodded to Kax, then fell back. "Until later, then."


    The rhinn fell back on their tried-and-true strategy. Within a few hours of their march heading south, gateways opened. Rhinn travelers stood on the other side, observing the troops movements. Landé''s archers were quick to react and fired off a volley of arrows as soon as the air shimmered opened. This resulted in a several dead travelers and a boost in mood among the men.


    "They can’t keep throwing their mages away like this," Goslin said. "Their supply can’t be endless."


    Kax stared, unfocused, off into the distance.


    "Kax, are you well?"


    No reaction.


    "Kax!" Goslin shouted.


    Kax blinked several times. "What was that?"


    "What were you thinking about?"


    Kax reached for his hilt of sword, his fingers moving across it restlessly. Tap tap tap. "Oh, nothing, really. Just wrestling with some inner demons."


    Goslin sat up in alarm. "Demons?"


    "Just kidding," Kax said, a grin plastered on his face, but it fell when he looked away. "I’m better than ever."


    Before Goslin could inquire further, a messenger hurried over. The thin woman was around the same age as Goslin’s own mother, her hair auburn with streaks of gray. The messengers were easily identified by the brown caps they wore. Under Landé’s command, those who could not fight helped in any manner they could. Women carried out jobs usually reserved for men back in their home villages, such as repairing damaged weapons. Goslin found it refreshing.


    Her eyes glittered with excitement as she spoke. "Landé Resenla requests your presence at today’s end." She wet her lips, looking from Goslin to Kax and back again. "Do you wish to send a reply?"


    "Both of us?" Kax asked.


    She nodded.


    "Thank him for the invitation, dear woman," Goslin said. "And tell him we’ll be glad to join him."


    She nodded again, more vigorously this time, and drew a breath, concentrating. "Thank him for the invitation and tell him you’ll be glad to join him."


    "That’s right," Goslin confirmed.


    The messenger looked up at him and bobbed her head. "I will!"


    "What do you think he wants?" Kax asked once she’d scurried away. "You think we did something wrong?"


    "Did you do something wrong, Kax?"


    Kax cleared his throat and blushed. "What kind of name is Resenla, anyway?"


    Goslin sighed.


    They found Landé in a cluster of his own men once the rebel army settled in after a long day of marching. To the south, the mountain range separating Eldsprak from Loft appeared through the haze. Goslin watched as the commander gave orders in a clear and calm manner and his men walked off with purpose in their steps.


    "So how did you get out of jail, anyway?" Kax asked.


    Landé ran a hand through his hair and smirked. "Most of the guards were my men."


    "Right," Kax said, nodding approvingly. "Of course."


    "You’re doing well, commanding all these people," Goslin said.


    Landé surveyed the camp. "Thank you, Goslin. Listen, I did not mean to shame you by assuming command. I’m just doing what’s best for Eldsprak."


    "It stung for the briefest moment," Goslin admitted. "But I do not mind. Don’t hesitate to call on me if the need arises, for any reason."


    Landé nodded in thanks. "That is actually why I summoned you both.”


    "You want another traveler?" Kax asked.


    "As many as I can get, but that’s not it. I have a task for you, Kax, and a proposition for you, Goslin."


    "A task, huh?" Kax asked, curiosity shining through his attempt at looking disinterested.


    "How would you like to assassinate the rhinn Emperor? We need him off the board if we’re going to make any serious progress in Eldsprak. If he’s moving the pieces, then I want him gone."


    A grin split Kax''s face. "Now we’re talking!"


    "No!" Goslin nearly shouted. "That’s not a challenge one man can manage! Kax, I know you’ve become strong, but this is too much, even for you."


    "I can do it," Kax said. Determination emanated from him, almost like an aura.


    "What if you can’t?"


    Kax shrugged. "If it happens, it happens."


    "You’ll do it?" Landé asked.


    "When do I leave?"


    "Tonight. We’ll send you to Fyrie once it gets dark. Find me then. I’ll have some more words for you."


    Goslin didn’t ask to join his friend. He would not be able to keep up, that was the truth of it. "Please, at least be careful. I don’t want to lose you too."


    "I’ll do my best," Kax promised.


    Goslin looked back to Landé once Kax had gone off to make his preparations. "What would you ask of me?"


    "Advice, for now."


    "Of what sort?"


    "We have seen a few beasts and terrors both at night and in the day, and Kax tells me you’ve bested quite a few."


    "That’s right," Goslin said.


    "Do you know their origin?"


    "I can’t be certain, but we know of at least one that entered Maydian through a gateway from Rhinerien."


    "Do you have any thoughts about these monstrosities? There are more and more of them every week, it seems."


    "I might," Goslin said. "We’ve heard of a rhinn god, Wyndemir. Their priests claim that Wyndemir will descend upon Maydian. Perhaps, he commands these creatures. Have you seen the priests with the purple eyes?"


    Landé shook his head.


    "During the last monster attack, I noticed that the priest''s eyes turned purple right before a monster appeared. I’m afraid it might mean the rhinn possess the power to call upon these monsters."


    Landé’s eyes widened, but that was his only visible reaction. "So, you’re saying the priests can control these beasts?"


    "I don’t know," Goslin admitted. "Perhaps not control, but bring forth?"


    "Thank you for sharing that with me."


    "We’re all in this together," Goslin said.


    "All in this together," Landé agreed, smiling. "How would you like to be in charge of dealing with the monstrosities? You have the experience for it."


    "What would that entail?"


    "Just select a few trusted individuals to form a group with you. During sightings and attacks, you will outrank anyone and everyone, as long as we’re not previously engaged in combat. We could use your guidance in these matters."


    Goslin pondered the question for a brief moment. Landé’s reasoning made sense. “If that means I can be of service, I’ll do it.”