Free The Chronicles of Lumineia: Book 02 - The Gathering by Ben Hale Page A

another sketch of a large creature that resembled a
scorpion. “This is a Skorpian, and it not unlike the poisonous creature—except
it is as large as a wagon. They can launch a portion of their tail like a spear,
making them the only type of fiend with a ranged attack. Once thrown, a spear
can regrow in minutes and is hard enough to penetrate rock. Their pincers are
also fast and as sharp as a sword.”
    Braon nodded,
already working on defensive strategies. “What about this one?” He asked and
pointed at a creature that resembled a dog.
    “Ah yes, a Siper.
They are enormous hounds, larger than lions if the recording is accurate, and can
be faster than a horse. There is one story of a score of Sipers that took down
a company of human cavalry.”
    “Do weapons
not penetrate their skin?” Braon asked, peering at the picture and trying to
imagine the animal.
    “Not easily,”
Sirfalas replied. “They have sharp scales made up of small triangular spikes,
which raise and change from black to crimson when they are angry. Their eyes
are said to be the color of the moon and they could see better at night.” He
leaned back and swept his hand at the wall of records. “There are several tales
of Sipers hunting men down and ripping them apart. Their howl even became known
as 'the call of death,' but few survived to describe it.”
    Braon sighed,
wondering once again if he had the ability to do this. Drawing strength from
the Oracle's words, he focused on the last and largest drawing on the
parchment. “What is this?”
     “Those are Krakas,
the largest and most dangerous of the fiends. Standing at over ten feet tall,
they towered over the human and elf defenders. They are the captains of the
army, and for good reason. They are the most powerful. Their skin is black, but
if you look at the sketch, they have white bone armor. It is written that they
dragged a massive obsidian blade and early in the war the soldiers assumed the Krakas
couldn’t wield their weapons with any speed. They were wrong. Dragging the
blade is a deception, meant to cause their prey to think they are weaker than
they are, but their strength is unparalleled in almost any race.”
    “What race
could be stronger than a Kraka?” Braon asked, incredulous.
    Sirfalas
shrugged his thin shoulders. “A rock troll would be similar in size and
strength. The record tells of a single rock troll that fought with the elves. Aside
from him, the ancients only killed a few of the fiend captains, with legions of
men or large ballistae.”
    "What
about Draeken’s generals?”
    They were
interrupted by an elf bearing food and drink. The ancient historian thanked the
bearer and reached for the glass pitcher. Pouring himself some amber liquid, he
took a sip and sighed. The elf gave a short bow and departed as Sirfalas
returned his gaze to Braon.
    “Ah, to your
question. Draeken’s army is led by four supreme beings—one of which has already
been killed. Death, the assassin and wielder of fear, was slain by Jack and
Taryn. The other three will be just as dangerous, if not more so. War is the
leader of the army, the general that you will pit your mind against. From the
ancient descriptions he is said to be huge. Over twelve feet tall and completely
armored with sharp metal shards, he will be more vicious than anything in his
army. ”
    “The other two
are forerunners, meaning they ride in advance of the army to weaken opposition.
Plague brings disease. Not much is known about what he looks like, except that
he unleashes widespread sickness. Much of his ability is governed by distance.
The closer he is, the sicker you become.”
    “Can he be
killed?” Braon asked.
    “I am sure it
is possible, but I don’t know how. I only have two accounts of soldiers that
survived an encounter. Both were archers, and they chronicled that anyone who
got within fifty feet began retching and falling to the ground. Then they grew
diseased and died. The two archers wrote that they shot