Free River of Spears (Kingdom's Forge Book 0) by Kade Derricks

committed to draw his father’s scorn, Dain refused to ask forgiveness. He wasn’t ashamed of it then. He wasn’t ashamed of it now. It was for his actions since, old offenses and new, that he pleaded for the Creator’s mercy.
    A Tyberon warrior approached and towered before him. The man’s white feathers rattled. The broad tattoo of a crane, wings spread wide, decorated his chest. The rest of his body was painted white from the waist up. Only his eyes, black and full of rage, were bare.
    Dain looked at him, forcing himself to meet those eyes. He deserved every bit of that boiling hate. He let it scourge his soul.
    The warrior lifted his spear, and Dain fell into darkness.

 
    CHAPTER FOUR
    N o Esterian was spared.
    To a man they were hunted and executed. A few unlucky mercenaries who resembled Esterians, those well-dressed or simply shorter than average, died along with them.
    The survivors, now less than a hundred, were bound into pairs by shackles and chains and marched away. There had been an odd number of mercenaries, and when the Tyberons couldn’t find anyone to match the last man to, they speared and killed him.
    Brutal but efficient , Dain thought. While unconscious, he’d dreamt of his land by the mountains and of building a home there. He’d awoken with newfound resolve to escape and return to the mountains—but first, to live.
    He ended up with Nico. Surprisingly they had let the Pyre Rider live. Jensen, the other Rider, had also survived. He was chained to Wilhem, one of Balerion’s bodyguards, the only one who hadn’t joined their leader in death. In addition to the long chains at their wrists, their captors placed a set of restricting clamps over Nico and Jensen’s hands. If the Pyre Riders used their powers the clamp would trap the heat and melt their own flesh.
    Dain they didn’t bother with. Either they hadn’t seen him fight or they knew he couldn’t project the Light. In any event, his abilities were internal; the clamps would have had little or no effect on him. He resolved to keep the Light to himself. If the Tyberons thought they couldn’t control it, he’d likely end up with a spear in the gut. And Nico besides.
    He wasn’t sure why they allowed the spellcasters to live. Ransom, he thought , that would be the only possible reason. Rumor held that Pyre Riders would ransom one of their own with their bodyweight in gold. Still, he wasn’t altogether sure the Tyberons cared for gold.
    Trying to speak with their captors was pointless. The savages traveled with little or no words, using hand signals to communicate with each other. And they had their own way of giving commands to their captives.
    The guards touched spears to a prisoner then pointed where they wanted them to go. Anyone who failed to catch on or who failed to move quick enough took a spear through the chest, as did their partner. Dain and Nico learned fast.
    At first, Dain feared that the smaller man couldn’t possibly keep up, but Nico surprised him. Despite taking almost two steps for every one of his, the Pyre Rider fell into a steady rhythm and matched his pace.
    Though chained together, he learned little of Nico. They didn’t speak. None of the mercenaries did. Attempts to talk above a low whisper were punished with a swift and firm beating.
    For days they plodded on. The grass reached high enough that only a small window of sky and a few silver-bellied clouds could be seen during the day. Only at night, when the glimmering stars came out, did the monotony lift a little.
    Dain thought he’d go mad. Did the grass go on forever? The general direction of travel was west and south, he knew that from the sun, but they turned at seemingly random times, swerving around unseen obstacles ahead. Whenever this happened the Tyberons took it in stride, showing no signs of concern.
    On the eighth day, he and Nico were marching near the front and they caught a glimpse of the army’s guide—an older man with crane feathers. The