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AD 558, GLIONNAN

The roaring village fires burned high into the night, licking at the dark sky like serpents twining through black velvet Sent with the scent of death and vengeance

The sight and s would ever bring joy to hiony that welled inside hi It was h to h

Or curse

Aye, he cursed froht of his pain

One by one, he had lost every hu to hie seven, he&039;d been orphaned and left the heavy responsibility of caring for his baby sister With nowhere to go and unable to provide for the infant himself, he had returned to the clan that had once been led by his mother

A clan that had banished both his parents before his birth

His uncle had been in his first year as king when Talon had forced his way into his hall The king had grudgingly accepted him and Ceara, but his clan never had

Not until Talon had forced thee, but Talon had made theness to maim or slay any and all who insulted him

By the time he&039;d entered n his h the ranks of warriors and learned all he could about weapons, fighting, and leadership

In the end, he had been unanimously voted his uncle&039;s successor by the very people who had once mocked hiht side, protecting hiuard

Wounded and in physical agony, Talon had held his uncle in his ar died from his injuries

"Guard my wife and Ceara, boy," his uncle had whispered before his death "Don&039;tyou in"

Talon had promised But only a few months after that, he&039;d found his aunt raped and murdered by their enemies Her body desecrated and left for the animals to prey upon

Less than a full year later, he&039;d cradled his precious wife, Nynia, to his chest as she, too, drew her last breath and left hi touch

She had been his world

His heart

His soul

Without her, he had no longer wished to live

His spirit as broken as his heart, he had placed their stillborn son into her lifeless arether by the loch where he and Nynia had played as children

Then, he&039;d done as he had been taught by hisaside his grief as best he could, he had lived only for the clan&039;s welfare