Free Fate of an Empire (Talurian Empire Trilogy Book 1) by Jonathan Pasquariello Page B

his feet. “I am on your side! Calm yourself. Where are
Captains Arteus and Barolas?”
    Before the
soldier could answer, a rider galloped over. “The men are shaken up enough as
is without you coming in here with your exploding, light show.”
    He turned to
see a bloodied Arteus sitting atop the horse.
    Thandril let
go of the soldier. “What happened? What forced you from your position?” He
studied the Captain’s condition with a mixture of curiosity and surprise.
    “I don’t know
if you’d believe me.” Arteus rubbed the back of his neck.
    “Try me.”
    Arteus jumped
from his mount. “Alright, let’s talk away from the troops.”
    The two moved
from the gathering crowd. The Captain proceeded to recount the story of their
attack and subsequent retreat, including the death of his long-time friend and
comrade, and the impossible power they witnessed from the stranger in the sky.
    “It was
something from a nightmare.”
    Thandril nodded
his head in understanding and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I am
going to see this for myself. You must continue on to Hillsford. Whoever this
man was, he was telling the truth. Any minute now, the General might lose the Keep,
and everyone inside will be slaughtered.”
    “But Thandril,
you can’t go—” Arteus was cut off as the druid jumped into the air, transformed
into a falcon, and shot off into the clouds.
    Arteus shook
his head as Thandril flew out of sight. “Well, you heard him! The General is in
trouble! Let’s move!”
     
    *
* *
     
    Thandril
crouched down behind a large rock outcrop.
    He had flown
to the former Talurian campsite and immediately sensed the evil, unnatural aura
that permeated the air. An eerie silence and the lack of life sickened his
senses. The campsite, set up along the torn down fortress, was gone. A few
ripped tents and many bodies littered the ground.
    He slowly
moved from the cover of the rock, not seeing anything to hide from. The utter
absence of life was haunting. The sounds of nature were muted. The sounds of
the night that he had grown up around were gone. He fumbled down a gravelly
hillside, almost losing his footing. The closer he moved toward the campsite,
the darker the sky became. A shadow rested in front of the moon, blocking the
light.
    He noticed the
edge of a wide crevasse in what would have been the center of the camp. He
inched closer. An ethereal voice invaded his mind, making the hair on his neck
stand up.
    “I have no
quarrel with you, Thandril.”
    He thought the
shadows were moving amongst the trees bordering the campground, but could not
be sure. The mind is darkness’ biggest trickster.
    “Who are you?”
Thandril shouted.
    “You will
know, in time.”
    Wind blew up
out of nowhere and whirled around him. He felt cold touches on his face and
arms like ghostly fingers gently pawing at him.
    “You are
important. You must protect the boy and his father.”
    Thandril sensed
emotion behind the voice.
    “I fear you
are the only one who can. The invaders of Hillsford are manipulating you. There
are merely forty of them inside the town. Two of them have powerful magic, one
which can duplicate himself.”
    “Yes, I know the
one. I chased him from the Keep a night ago.”
    “Yes…” the voice hissed, “ He is making thousands of copies of himself and putting
them all around the city to mislead you.”
    “You just want
me to go back and tell Saris it is okay to attack?”
    “No. Your
army will be there soon; they can deal with those outside the Keep. More
importantly, you must go back and look for the other magic user. He has already
infiltrated your forces. He has the power to change his appearance into any
other man, woman, or child. You must find him and stop him from killing Saris
and the baby. Be watchful and do not lose focus. Pay attention to everyone.”
    Thandril shook
his head. “Why should I trust you?”
    “Why
shouldn’t you?”
    “You killed
our people!”
    “I tried
without. They