Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,106
conquered half of the known world by now instead of wallowing in caverns in those places no one else wanted to go. Sadly, the Goblins served a singular purpose: kill as many of the allies as possible to make his mission easier. Nothing else really mattered.
“I think your proposal should be executed,” Amar said without warning. “I suggest presenting a flag of truce to meet with our enemy leaders. It will be good to demoralize them moments before they order the assault.”
“And you don’t fear the same of me?” she asked.
“Should I?”
Maleela hesitated for the briefest moment, enough to cause quiet concern in the Dae’shan. “No. I will do my job as long as you fulfill your promise. I want my father’s head.”
Amar stared back at her hard. She would get her wish sooner than she could ever expect, for only he knew that Badron, the former king of Delranan, was cowering amongst the Wolfsreik just scant meters away. Oh yes, they would meet again. Remaining silent, Amar Kit’han decided to let Maleela learn the truth of this the hard way. Some secrets were too delicious to waste before their proper time.
The first tendrils of dawn crawled across the face of the world with lazy intent. Bright pinks and reds replaced the dark clouds, threatening an ominous future. Maleela viewed it as no better sign. Blood skies were proper for the amount of blood about to be shed. She watched from her tower as the small envoy of Goblins trudged beyond their trenches and partially erected palisades. The dingy white banner waving over their heads in the predawn breeze reminded her of a soiled nightgown. There was nothing dignified to it at all.
Frowning, Maleela stormed down the steps. Her mind raced through several possibilities. The growing desire to confront and murder her father filled her with rage, with purpose. She had never felt closer to her goals. Soon all of the wrongs that had been thrust upon her during her short life would be avenged and the world would be open for her to ascend to her rightful place. Those desires proved almost too powerful, threatening to render her mind to fragments. Sanity and reality waivered back and forth as she slowly felt her core slipping away.
She didn’t care. The dilemma within was paltry compared to the full force of her wrath. Nothing could deter her from claiming vengeance against a lifetime of mistreatment. Maleela was dressed in resplendent onyx armor. Intricately carved skulls poked out from beneath her full-length cape. Polished leather boots stretched up over her knees. Her sword belt was sprinkled with emeralds and sapphires. Hair tied back in a tail, the princess of Delranan wore a severe look. She had become the harbinger of doom for the northern kingdoms.
A pair of Goblins met her at the base of the tower. Maleela ignored their drooling glares as she marched past. They had become tedious to her. Foul beyond measure, the Goblin horde was merely a means to an end. Secretly she wished them all to die in the coming battle. There was no room in Malweir for such filth. Not in her visions. A handful of Humans were secured among the ruins. Most, she guessed, were prisoners intended for sacrifice in Amar Kit’han’s dark ritual to bring forth the dark gods.
The notion of Human sacrifice was sickening but concerned her little. Maleela tried to stay focused on her goals. Everything else was an unpleasant distraction from the truth. Mud sucked at her boots with each light step. She took the reins from a Goblin and climbed aboard her horse. Thrask was already waiting.
His tusks gleamed in the morning light, as if he’d purposefully polished them. “This will be a day long remembered.”
Maleela grunted in reply. Her tolerance for the Goblin Lord was weakening the longer they shared company. “I want no quarter given. Their army is a nuisance at best. Can your forces handle them?”
Insulted, Thrask thumped a meaty fist to his chest. “We will kill every…last…one.”
I certainly hope so, though not without suffering great losses on your part, my dear Thrask. It would be divine if you managed to get yourself killed as well. That would solve matters nicely for me. She nodded. “Good. Now, let us go meet with our enemies. I am most eager to hear what they have to say.”
The lines parted enough for her column of twenty warriors to march through. Only she and Thrask were mounted. The others marched with grim