Free Harbinger: The Downfall - Book One by Travis I. Sivart

longer noticed him, instead they walked around where he stood without realizing they did so.
    Nomed watched the celebration sparkle and spin in its drunken haze as the night went on. Chill night air enveloped him as the scent of sweat and sour wine wafted from inside. He was considering reentering the fray of a festivity, when he felt another presence in the darkness, and that stole his smile from him for a moment. It returned as he thought of the fun he would have if he could manipulate the man behind him. Nomed turned and smiled, this time it was a wolfish grin.
    “Duke Malvornick, how nice to see you again. It has been, what, twenty-five years or more since we have spoken, hasn’t it?” Nomed asked.
    Duke Malvornick stepped forward, the shadows touching him, wavering. Sometimes they flowed to meet him, other times they emanated from him in waves. The Duke was a powerfully built man, decked out in the finest silks and jewels. His brown hair was meticulous, and shone in the dim light. Other men moved in the curtain of shadows around the Duke, and Nomed saw through the façade that hid their true forms. The beings behind Duke Malvornick were akin to demonic jackals in human form, and they were hungry.
    Duke Malvornick circled Nomed, forcing him to either turn to follow him, or allow him access to his back. Nomed grinned wider at the juvenile tactic and stood still. He focused on one of the entourage trailing after its master. The beast stopped and leaned against a pillar, confused but not wanting to show it. Nomed watched it, letting his smile fade into a tight-lipped glare. The beast shrunk back behind the pillar as Duke Malvornick completed his circuit of Nomed and stopped, blocking his view of the creature. Nomed stared through Malvornick, in the direction of his quarry.
    “Ah, it is good to see that you know not to look into the eyes of your betters,” Duke Malvornick said, picking a non-existent piece of lint from his gem-studded doublet.
    Nomed looked up into Duke Malvornick’s eyes, as if he had not noticed him before. In a tone of stating a simple fact, Nomed said, “I do not notice rats, curs, or whores whose services I do not plan to purchase either. When one’s ego precedes him, much as yours does, it is unnecessary to bother to see if you are preening or not. I was just thinking of you, and much like an upset stomach predicts stinking gas, here you are. How may I be of service to you, Your Worshipfulness?” Nomed imitated and mocked Duke Malvornick’s superior tone.
    “I see you are watching my pet. Do you desire it? Perhaps you miss the taste of the flesh that helped birth you?” Malvornick asked, as if Nomed had not spoken at all. “You remember what happened when you last crossed me, just a year ago, half-breed? All the people you were dealing with died. You wouldn’t want that again, would you?”
    “My dearest Duke, I do recall that. But you wound me. They died at my hand. How many city blocks did I bring to an end for the sake of destroying your fun? How much of your time and resources were lost in that endeavor in the city of Everyway?” Nomed chuckled. “Those lives meant nothing to me; they were well worth the price to watch you as you choked on it, and yes, I did watch you. Right from the little courtyard and assembly you keep, with your drug bought sycophants and power hungry lapdogs. I sat amongst them and even rubbed the belly of a few of your favorites, and now they roll over for me upon command.”
    “Yes, you did destroy it, but I rebuilt it, and thanks to your actions it is better hidden than I ever could have done myself. Once again, you were my pawn.” Malvornick smirked.
    “Until someone informed the brave city guards who discovered it. Now Grenedal Dragonblood was born and Hue Blueaxe was reborn, and I have again shut down your plans to bring more vermin into this world. Now, we can go back and forth on this for hours, days even, but I do not have the time nor interest in