Free The Cor Chronicles: Volume 02 - Fire and Steel by Martin V. Parece II

repeated. “Whatever it is, I can feel it coming to me as we speak.”
    She continued to study his face, searching for any hint of deception before shrugging the matter away. “Very well. I will grant you land and title that you may hand down to successors as you will. However, I will garrison your holdings with a force of no less than fifty times the number of Dahken that stay there. If I agree to help you build a fortress or castle, how do you intend to finance it?”
    “Hopefully, I have a great sum of gold awaiting me in Worh,” he replied.
    “It must be a great sum indeed. I will send someone from my exchequer to Worh to retrieve your wealth. You will fill him in on the details. Where Dahken Cor should I place your castle?”
    “I see an easy solution, Majesty,” Cor said, walking over to a map that hung on the wall of the queen’s office.
    “Here,” he said, putting his finger on Fort Haldon. “You already have a large garrison there, and it is a strategic point for entry into Losz when the time comes.”
    “Or into Aquis,” she replied, closing her eyes slightly. “Unfortunately, the location makes perfect sense. I will warn you Dahken Cor. Should you betray me and the Shining West to the Loszian Empire, I will destroy you and every Dahken ever born again.”
    “Of course, Majesty.”
     
    * * *
     
    Cor decided that he would travel west alone. There was no need to bring the other Dahken, for soon they would have to travel back to Fort Haldon. When he informed Thyss of his decision, she punched him hard in the jaw, asking how dare he make that decision for her. She certainly was not going to stay cooped up in this castle, as impressive as it was, while he went forth and faced Hykan knows what. He should have known better, and rubbing his face where she struck him, he agreed.
    They left the next day, putting Keth and Geoff in charge, as they were the oldest. Before leaving, Cor explained to the Dahken that they would not be gone long, and when he returned, they would have one more journey to make. It seemed that his very presence near the younger children made them feel safer, and many of them asked him not to go. He supposed that this is what fatherhood felt like, and he assured them it would be only a matter of days.
    This time, there were no visions or subtle hints to guide Cor on his way; somehow, he just knew that he’d know when he got there. Thyss accepted his explanation; the entropy of the world was something she simply accepted as the way of things, but even so, Cor felt anxious and uneasy. There was also the fact that not only did they ride toward this thing on the horizon, but it also moved toward them. Whether it was a person or not, it was being guided to him, and Cor hated feeling manipulated by anything, even the blood in his veins.
    They traveled the western road out of Byrverus, a road that continued all the way to the Endless Sea over a thousand miles away, though they needed not go that far. They passed through settlements virtually identical to the ones they had passed through a few days ago on the other side of the city. As the villages thinned and turned to farms, the cobblestone road ended, and a dirt road began. The weather was favorable, cool and crisp, and they covered the miles quickly. Cor felt as if he might jump out of his skin, and he did not want to stop even to sleep.
    They had ridden the dirt road for three days, and Cor’s blood felt as though it may boil at any moment. Every time they rounded a bend or crested a small hill, he was sure that he would see whatever pulled at him. They passed few people now, just farmers transporting late harvests or supplies on wagons one direction or the other. It was when they passed a solitary figure on foot that Cor pulled Kelli to a sudden halt. Thyss continued a good dozen paces before she realized he had stopped, and she turned her horse to face him.
    “What is it?” she asked.
    “I don’t…”
    Cor turned his horse to face