Chapter 17: The Bringer of War

Thoen Stronghold, Farn Dukedom

         Leif from Agnar family was pacing outside the throne room in the Duke’s palace. The young man was nervous, the troubled look reflecting all over his face. It seemed like during the past lunar cycle he aged years. His round boyish face was slimmer, longer and the cheekbones more defined. A fair thin beard was gracing his chin now, making him look more like a man than a boy. Over the last period, his body grew firmer, his shoulders wider.

         The young soldier winced, hearing the commotion behind the closed doors to the throne room. The voices were difficult to make out, but he fished out one word – Maewyn. Leif stiffened at the mention of the Lady. He clenched his fist, holding the emotions in. It was the Duke’s daughter who had triggered the change in him. It was scandalously inappropriate, but the cheerful obstinate girl stole Leif’s heart. And now she was gone, abducted by some ruthless demon. The Duke searched for his child ever since, spreading his military forces thin all over the territory of the Callesmere Empire.

         Leif himself took part in many of those missions, only heading back home to report to the Duke. So far the search was in vain. The hope in the Duke’s heart began faltering, but the young warrior from the Agnar family believed that Maewyn was still out there, suffering and waiting for him to rescue her from the clutches of the demon.

         The young man was so buried in his thoughts that he didn’t notice another person, who showed up waiting for the audience with Duke Thoen.

         “How long they plan to sit in there?” Leif’s head snapped up, when he heard a female voice, firm and confident. The young soldier stared at its owner.

         The woman standing before him flipped her long blonde hair, gaining the looks of the guards and all men waiting for the audience. However, she set her piercing blue eyes on Leif and slowly made her way toward him, seductively swaying her hips. The young warrior blushed instantly; he wanted to avert his gaze, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the woman.

         She was exceptionally tall, her height matching this of men, but she was very feminine at the same time. Slim and possessing a voluptuous body, she made men stare at her. However, she didn’t look bothered by the stares at all, more, she seemed to take pleasure in what effect she had on the males.

         “You are waiting for the audience with the Duke as well, young…” the blonde woman said, coming closer to Leif and casually touching her finger to his chest.

         “Leif, Leif from Agnar family,” the young man coughed out, feeling unbearable hotness overtake his whole body.

         The woman smiled. But Leif noticed that her smile didn’t reach her eyes, that remained like solid-frozen blocks of ice. Suddenly, all the heat escaped the soldier’s body, leaving the alarming sensation of chill in his bones. The young man instinctively took a step back, away from the beautiful stranger’s grasp. He could have sworn that a spark of anger flickered in her blue eyes, but the seductive smile remained unchanged.

         “I will certainly remember that,” she whispered, the smile disappearing from her lips as she stared at Leif with unsettling interest.

         The young man shifted uncomfortably, wishing to get away from the woman as fast as possible. Fortunately, the thick iron door creaked, and the guards opened them. The attention of the beautiful yet the eerie stranger shifted from Leif to the commotion.

         A group of envoys from Karhadon pushed their way through the crowd and hurriedly left the throne room, hostile grimaces on their faces. Leif craned his neck to see what was happening inside the chamber. The people were shouting to each other, absolute chaos reigning in there. Everyone was discussing something with looks of distress on their faces. The Duke himself was sitting still on his stone chair, his back straight and his demeanor troubled.

         “SILENCE!” The resonant voice of general Valgard out shouted the commotion across the throne room. Instantly, all discussions ended.

         The audience proceeded in a stiff atmosphere, the nobles were stating their problems, and the Duke solved them one way or another. However, it didn’t escape Leif’s attention that the Duke’s mind seemed to be elsewhere, far from petty disputes and family feuds.

         Finally came the turn of the woman, who was sending the young soldier shivers down his spine. The announcer cleared his throat and looked at the piece of parchment he was holding.

         “Lady… Nesrin, step forward and face the Duke!” the man called.

         Leif furrowed his brows. Nesrin? He had never heard such a name before.

         The said woman dropped her air of seductiveness and approached the throne while walking with dignity, as though she was at least a Lady if not an Empress. She performed a perfect bow, lowering her head in a gesture of respect.

         “State your matter,” Duke Thoen said, weariness showing in his voice.

         Nesrin nodded.

         “My lord,” she greeted the Duke. “I have come here to inform you of the whereabouts of your daughter, Lady Maewyn.”

         The Duke stiffened, staring at the tall woman, as though she was a ghost. The members of the court gasped in a unison before they began whispering. Nesrin smiled lightly, seeing the commotion she caused.

         “This information originates from a reliable source. She is with a demon named Aedain, who is apparently heading for the sea. I believe if you order your soldiers to move out now, they could easily intercept the demon and your precious daughter at Mam Naois pass,” the woman said, her tone calm. She bowed and took a step back, preparing to leave.

         “Wait, how do you know that?” the Duke demanded harshly.

         Nesrin smiled.

         “It is my trade to know.” The quizzical smile never left her lips when she turned around and simply walked away.

         Neither the Duke nor any of his soldiers stopped her. Even Leif felt reluctant to do so; it was as though something invisible was making his limbs heavy, some paralyzing force spreading through his body. The young man let out a relieved breath once the woman was out of sight something about her was disturbing him.

         “Leif of Agnar family, step forward and face the Duke!” Leif heard the high-pitched voice of the royal announcer call his name.

         The young soldier bowed his head before the ruler of Farn and boldly looked at the Duke. After hearing the news from the woman called Nesrin, Leif decided to change his request.

         “My lord,” Leif’s confident voice rang in the throne room. “I, Leif of the Agnar family, humbly ask for your permission to gather men and ride to the Mam Naois pass.”

         The Duke leaned on the armrest of his stone throne, his face sullen.

         “I decline,” he announced after a while, not being bothered by the young man’s disappointment. Duke Thoen’s gaze lingered a while on Leif; according to general Valgard, this boy was one of the brightest and skilled warriors Farn had despite his young age. Recently promoted to the rank of captain, he already proved his leadership abilities. The ruler of Farn dukedom shifted in his stone chair. “I need you elsewhere, Leif. You will be securing the border with Karhadon. Prepare yourself for departure for you will be heading off right after this audience ends.”

         Leif was staring at the Duke in disbelief. The youth was baffled by the sudden command, after all what could be more important than the heiress? The young man observed with growing confusion that general Valgard began ushering the nobles out of the throne room, leaving only the high-ranking military personnel inside. Leif’s gaze shifted to the Duke once again.

         “My lord, what is happening?” the young man asked.

         The Duke furrowed his brows as he clenched his fingers on the armrests.

         “Farn is at war,” the ruler said, his voice firm, but Leif could discern a hint of anxiety in it. “Karhadon just broke the diplomatic relations and declared war upon us.”

         Leif gasped, his gray eyes wide-opened.

         “War?” He exclaimed, too startled by the sudden news to pay attention that he was talking to the ruler of his country. “Why would Karhadon declare war upon Farn? Our dukedoms are the closest allies! That doesn’t make any sense.”

         Leif felt general’s Valgard’s heavy arm on his shoulder, gesturing him to calm down.

         “Duke Royse thinks that Lady Maewyn betrayed Lord Abrran and had her demon lover kill Karhadon’s heir,” the general explained quietly.

         Leifopened his mouth, not believing that someone could come up with such filthy lies.

         “That’s slander,” he whispered, agitated.

         “That enough for Duke Royse to attack Farn,” Duke Thoen interrupted, standing up. The man, who was broken by the loss of his daughter, seemed to be revived as duty called him to protect his people. “Let the war council begin.”

         Outside the mighty Thoen Stronghold, Nesrin was observing the troops of Farn move out toward the Karhadon border, to fight in the war Zhawn started. Her smile grew; she was happy that the plan was getting together so smoothly. Thoen’s love for his daughter would surely prevail, and yet another player would join the game – Dulheim. Once the war spread like a wildfire to the furthest corners of the Callesmere Empire, the humans would stand no chance, their fate would be sealed.

         “The master would be pleased,” she said to herself with an expression of ultimate satisfaction on her face.

         She knitted her blonde eyebrows, focusing and began changing. Her fair locks turned white, the eyes blue like sky became even brighter, the rosy skin lost all its color. Nesrin whirled around, feeling free without her disguise. The frost covered the grass at her feet.


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