http://slow.writerscafe.org/agminateman The original writings of author Michael Laird en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1776062729 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 As expected, the Ardent defending Okforgeln folded and scattered without the direction and discipline of their commanders.  Ehrna's company had spearheaded the attack that crumpled the Ardent in a matter of hours.  There were fewer than a thousand among the dead, and captives claimed that .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1730465/ It was dusk. Hevreol lay on his belly in the thin, dry grass at the top of a hill overlooking Faelon from the south. On their way back to Starholm, a courier had brought word from the king that war had begun. While Hevreol and his emissaries had been away securing allies in Sumahr, the Ardent had.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1729800/ Faelon was free. And Hevreol might breathe a sigh of relief were it not for the stench of the burning dead around him. A fog had made its way inland and was holding every blackened plume of smoke low against the damp earth. He and Evrand stood together as the last mass pyre was set aflame. Evran.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1729793/ Hevreol's men and the Mozdahr's guard were putting their swords through those few surviving brutes when the palace doors swung wide. Dussah Udammah appeared and began to descend the stairway, his mouth agape at the slaughter about his courtyard. He stopped at a grey corpse sprawled upon the .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1728846/ Ehrna and Hevreol hid with four horses beneath the dangling branches of a hoary willow growing beside a small stream. From that cover, they watched the brothers Orulidan and Harren disappear into the rows of a long-neglected vineyard. "Would that we had found Tiliseus," Hevreol said as he wo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1728781/ An errand boy. That's what Ehrna felt he'd become. "Go fetch those men out west! No, we don't know if they'll come back with you..." Hyvald and the King had told him. Then, after he had returned with the brothers Andalorn and they'd been named his own Strifant General and Battle Commander,.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1728780/ The Nigh Ward was little more than a brief open space between the wall and the keep from which Pentacle Tower sprouted, and in moments, Mahlnus and the Sovereign had ascended a broad staircase of pearlescent limestone and entered the lower halls.Inside, another stairway led up to the Ast.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1728769/ As he hurried across the bridge spanning the roaring Leeldaith River, Mahlnus Avron struggled to keep up with the longer, more powerful strides of his much younger companion. The streets of Bracemaw had become more treacherous as of late, its people restless, agitated by a nameless uneasines.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1728765/ Hevreol sat with Evrand in the lord's chamber well into the night, folding and unfolding the matter over and again in his mind. He was none too eager to retire to an empty bed. Evrand was mostly silent, sitting in his chair near the hearth, staring gravely into the fire blazing there. Shad.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1727646/ On a granite boulder hanging above the violent waters of the river, Hevreol stood, one hand pressed to his groin. Moving was painful, but stopping was worse. Through grey eyes, he looked south and upriver where the torrent tumbled over countless cascades and carved through troughs. The gor.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1727641/ Outside, the trio found themselves pacing through the streets of Starholm, the city that served as the King's mainland seat in Gracehold, Ehrna limping heavily at first, moving more easily once his hip was warm. Hyvald's strong legs set a pace that was unforgiving despite the ale coursing t.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1727634/ Smiles often masked truer feelings. At best, they were fleeting things to be crushed by the fated pains of life. So, despite his present satisfaction with things, Ehrna Morgan chose to stroke his dark beard and frown. Waves pounded urgently against the cliffs below. Gusts billowing throug.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/agminateman/1727629/ Having spent his life digging through dusty tomes and debating philosophy with dusty men, Mahlnus would never have imagined himself trying to kill someone. 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