Free The Blade Heir (Book 1) by Daniel Adorno

head.
    Memnon lifted his chin in victory. "Good. Now, tell me your tidings."
    "Three nights past, a scout from our encampment near the bank of the Feilon spotted a battalion of Aldronians marching through Ithileo Forest. There were fifteen men, all on horseback and carrying the flag of the Drachengarde." Genghis bared his teeth as he spoke the name.
    "Dragon slayers?" Memnon asked, gritting his sharp teeth. "Have they camped in Ithileo?"
    "We believe so, my lord. There is no doubt that they are headed to Ghadarya by following the Dulan River northward," Genghis said confidently.
    It seemed foolish for the Slayers to be traveling from the eastern side of the Dulan. Something was amiss.
    "How many men did you say were in this battalion?"
    "Fifteen, sir."
    "That is not nearly enough men to cross into Ghadarya Vale and overtake the mighty aeries of the dragons." Memnon clasped his hands behind his back and paced the dark chamber, trying to make sense of the humans' tactics.
    "The Drachengarde were formidable adversaries, my lord. One of those dragon slayers is as formidable as five Aldronian soldiers, or so it is said," Genghis suggested.
    The suggestion fell on deaf ears. Memnon glared at his subordinate as if he had spoken blasphemy.
    "The Drachengarde may be formidable, but they are not so foolish to believe that they will be victorious over a flight of dragons with so few in their ranks. No, Genghis. There is more to this than we are seeing."
    "What does my lord suggest?"
    "Monitor the dragon slayers. Have your scouts track their every move along Ithileo. If they are indeed headed to Ghadarya, attack them before they reach the Dulan. Leave none alive, if that is their plan."
    "And if their intentions are not set for Ghadarya?" Genghis' eyes shone like fiery gems, the hunger for blood and war was saturated in them. It pleased Memnon.
    "Report their movements to me, General. That is your order for now, if they stray from the Dulan." He turned his back on him. "Shut the doors on your way out."
    "My lord," Genghis bowed his head and walked out of the sacred place, a resounding boom accompanying his exit.
    What are you plotting Dermont? He sought the answer from his god, Nergoth. Memnon stood at the foot of the brazier, raising his arms before the idol of Nergoth. He dispelled all thought from his mind and began speaking in shak’teph again. Nergoth stood above him, carved from the black, stone wall behind the altar. His eyes were rubies, and his face was contorted in a snarl with long fangs resembling stalactites. Lord Memnon knelt before the ghastly effigy, entranced in the darkness. Images began to appear within his mind.
    He saw the edge of the forest of Ithileo shaded in gray, lifeless colors. The members of the Drachengarde lay in the underbrush, resting from their long journey through the woods. Some slept, while a few tended the dying embers of the fire they encircled. His sight shifted from the encampment. Within the forest, there was a separate encampment. Nearly two hundred Aldronian soldiers hid in the forest beneath a blanket of grass and leaves. They held their swords and bows at the ready, watching the Slayers with sleepless eyes.
    An ambush! How clever, Dermont. The moment I send the Draknoir scourge, you would make quick work of them.
    Memnon opened his eyes, pleased by the revelation from Nergoth. He looked down and saw the bloodstained brazier upon the altar. A gift was in order for this generous foresight. He pulled out a hooked dagger tucked under the sash of his garb. And after rolling up his sleeve, he made a deep gash in his reptilian skin. Violet blood oozed from the cut as he positioned it above the brazier. The sharp pain from squeezing his arm so the blood could pour onto the brazier gave him an unnatural pleasure.
    When the brazier was half-filled with the dark blood, Memnon sucked his wound until the blood stopped flowing out. He uttered a few words in shak’teph and suddenly the brazier lit with a