conversation with the Thargw warrior beside him. “Do you know, Sawdon, in all the years I have known you, I was never truly disappointed by you, until today.” he said, speaking almost as a father would to his son.
Sawdon, the mightiest warrior in the Northern Army, with the hardest of well-earned reputations, was visibly shocked and upset by the unexpected statement from his King, and he hung his head in shame. It was an insult and a call to arms for the proud warrior that demanded satisfaction. But King Vantrax had taken him in when he was at his lowest ebb, he’d personally raised him from nothing to become a commander of armies. The evil King was the closest thing he had to family and his harsh word’s hurt. They hurt Sawdon as the warrior had never been hurt before! He looked back at his master with eyes brimming with ferocious determination.
“My King! I make these solemn promises to you here and now; I will kill this Keeper. I will recover those stones for you. You shall have the victory you seek over your brother, I swear it! I will not stop until the whole Ruddite Rebellion is crushed. Until I see Artrex’ corpse lying before my very eyes. All of this I swear to you now, my King. May I be refused entry to Kalvanaar if I do not make so!” roared Sawdon loudly, his deep, growling voice rising in pitch as he became more and more emotional.
King Vantrax nodded arrogantly at the Thargw. He was impressed by the sincerity in Sawdon’s voice, though he did not show it. To be banished from Kalvanaar for a Thargw warrior was to suffer eternal hell. Their soul would never rest, it would be left to wander through the afterlife alone in search of the gates, separated for all time from his comrades in arms. Only by gaining entry to the sacred place could a Thargw truly be at peace, his journey through life and death, finally at an end.
Vantrax looked the warrior straight in the eye. He’d already forgiven Sawdon several times for failures he would never have tolerated in others. The evil King had no friends or family, he had alienated all those he once loved long ago, he didn’t like this compassionate side to his character and it embarrassed him. Still, he responded kindly to the warrior’s vow.
“Very well, Sawdon. We will say no more on the subject.” he stated in a hushed voice.
They continued to stare at the forest in silence for some time. Until, just before sunset, the first of the Dzorag hunters suddenly appeared out of the darkness, two riders ahead of the main force, who galloped swiftly up to the ridge to report. The first rider dismounted quickly, whilst the second took his horse’s reigns and then galloped away to their part of the camp. It was the Dzorag leader himself who reported to the King. He was a huge warrior with thick, matted, black hair which was strewn awkwardly across his head and face, and a tangled mess of a beard which hid his features, except for his huge nose and his two piercing dark black eyes. He was clad in a variety of foul-smelling animal skins and he carried a giant battleaxe in his right hand which he wielded effortlessly, despite its immense weight, as if it were a child’s toy. He wore no helmet, unlike the rest of his men, and he walked with an air of complete arrogance. His name was Zaknar.
“King Vantrax,” he began, purposely ignoring Sawdon who was standing beside the King, “the enemy has escaped into the T’Nesc Moorlands. They were too far ahead of my riders. We rode hard, but we could not close the distance in time to catch them. They have destroyed the bridge at Eartal. We rode up and down the river for some distance, but we could not find a safe place to cross, the river is too fast and too deep. I thought it best to report back to you immediately. I would not lead my men into such a place without knowing the safe pathway through the swamp.” Zaknar stated, in his deep, lazy-sounding voice.
“No, Zaknar, you were right not to follow them into the Moorlands. I have already lost too many soldiers in that place and it would have been futile. And you were right to report back to me.” answered a disappointed Vantrax.
“They destroyed the bridge?” asked Sawdon, surprised