Chapter 399 (1/2)

Chapter 399

Chapter 397: A Path Diverged

ALDIR

The air of the Cerulean Savanna, hoht breeze always blew over the grasslands, reen blades dance like ocean waves We called this the Warrior’s Wind, a ical phenomenon conjuredout in the hot savanna would always have a breeze to cool them

I could see the savanna for many miles in each direction from my perch, over the top of the blue-tiled roofs of Battle’s End Our sprawling village grew in shades of red and blue from the very center of the Cerulean Savanna, and was the place all pantheons thought of as home, even those from other clan’s who had never lived here It was the heartland of all our race

“The way your eyes drink in the sight of the savanna, one ain, old friend”

“Sharing such tidings brings aze away from the horizon to focus on the many-eyed pantheon lord, “but I fear iteyes all focused on me, while the eyes at each side of his headeven the smallest motion around us “Are you ready to tell me why you’ve left Indrath Castle, then?”

I steadied n of ht

Aderound, carefully balanced atop towering poles no larger around than my pinky A spiral of such poles filled the central courtyard of Battle’s End The shortest and thickest were to the outside of the spiral, and they grew thinner and taller until reaching the central rod, which was delicate as a needle

We were several poles frohtly higher, thinner pole than I, and while I could have gone higher, it would have been an act of disrespect to speak down topantheon also chose the training pose Ademir had opted for the relatively si hi stuck out at a doard angle behind round My hands were held stiffly across my body, one palm-down at the level of my core, the second palm-up before my stomach

“My service to Kezess has ended,” I said at length This procla pause as I consideredwithout consideration”

Adeh to flick a venomous hunter fly from the air, then slid effortlessly back into the blade-dancer’s pose “Few asura now alive can reht and brought the clans together Epheotus was a place of endless war and death, a wild and unta mountain, Geolus It is said that the Cerulean Savanna itself was flattened by pantheons wielding the World Eater technique in battle against the dragons and ha taken credit for ending that age, forbidding the use of the World Eater technique because of its history Its use nearly destroyed our clan, our race, and all of Epheotus It breaks not only the world, but the caster as well, and so the pantheons of that age realized it would be better to live in subservience than die a the shattered remains of our world”

A sudden truth revealed itself to uts “Lord Indrath refused to allow our clan to forget the technique He demanded that at least one Thyestes pantheon always carry knowledge of the World Eater technique, so that he could use it if necessary”

Adeht back to ht of my pride as I worked for decades to assier young pantheon that I had been thought hiuardian, a protector of sacred forbidden knowledge and of his clan, his people, of all Epheotus

And yet my pride hadTaci

Because Kezess needed us to be willing to use the World Eater technique if he so commanded

“I a as tired as I suddenly felt

“I know,” Adeht purple eye stopped its rapidI followed the line of his gaze Wren was hurrying toward the base of the balance posts, waving a hand to get my attention

Ademir released the blade-dancer and settled into a rest pose “I won’t insult you by acting as though I have wisdoon of our kind”

“Thank you, Lord Thyestes” Then, seeing how agitated Wren was, I added, “Excuse ht my momentum at the last round “Wren, what is it?”

Wren was stone-jawed and spoke stiffly as he said, “My goleh the savanna, led by your old buddy Windso faces and the way their knees shake with each step tells me their mission isn’t a peaceful one, but that they also don’t seeot to do Do you think, just ons? Marching on Battle’s End?” Aderowled as he landed beside us, the threat in his words unmistakable “Now of all tie stand—”

“Peace, old friend,” I said, touchingmy hand over his heart “I ask for your vow, Ademir Do not involve the clan, whatever comes of this incursion They are not here for the Thyestes”

“They may come for one, but they’ll find us all, Aldir,” he said fir to turn away from me “No member of the Thyestes Clan will—”

“Then you uard by the interruption that it took him several seconds to comprehend my actual words He scoffed, but didn’t iven everyoutside ofently pulled him forward until our foreheads touched “Now, I aly into exile to do the same But you must let me”

His hand rested on y lines of pain marred his usually calathering his strength

“Go then You…are banished, Aldir, from this place and this clan”

As he said the words, a scorching fire ripped through the flesh of my neck The Brand of the Banished A physical symbol of my lack of a place within Battle’s End or the Cerulean Savanna The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before, and yet I did not allowof my teeth

“No pantheon in Epheotus will aid you” His voice grew rough and emotional as he said the last “But know that you still may find aid and succor, should you need it If you do seek respite in the lessers’ world, go to the place known as the Beast Glades on their continent of Dicathen The ancient dungeons there still contain many secrets, and perhaps even assistance for any ard sons and daughters of Battle’s End”

The road ofand strenuous, but before I had always known it finished here, at Battle’s End Now, that future was gone Despite having asked for it, it leftmomentarily disoriented and adrift, cut off from my own future and fate

At the very least, it freesthe World Eater technique to another, I realized as an afterthought

Then Wren shi+fted, his clever eyes reading me as plainly as if I were one of the story tapestries in Indrath Castle, and I settled intoas old as I was, neas a difficult concept to wrap my head around

But I wasn’t rudderless I knehere I was going next, even if I didn’t understand what ht come of that journey

And so, with a final bow to Adeer of the Thyestes, I turned on my heel and marched from the square and into the wide, packed-earth streets of Battle’s End Eyes followedyards, and merchant stalls, all of which were now shut to ood health and strength on my travels, as was tradition

It hurt ined it could My lack of respect for Kezess and his decisions fomented into hate in that moment When I used the World Eater technique, I sacrificed h But now he had taken ive the lord of dragons

It ith this bitter, fury-fueled fire blazing within me I stepped beyond the boundaries of Battle’s End, but it was fear that kept s frorew shoulder-high to either side of the well-trodden path, their aqua back and forth in the Warrior’s Wind The grasslands no longer felt like a softly rolling ocean, but tenat ons It was so, to think that the savanna still stood withbefore I found the a dozen dragon soldiers stop suddenly, like their legs would not carry the theed hisfor me to approach

“Aldir of the Thyestes Clan, I have been sent to—”

“Of the Thyestes no longer,” I said forhty speech “I have been banished”

Windsom’s eyes narrowed “A convenient shi+eld for your clanss for Lord Indrath”

“You are here to arrestertips

The soldiers’ hands tightened around their weapons

Windsom’s expression remained impassive “Only if you make us Lord Indrath demands your presence immediately, and we are here to cohtened yet further, his ’s Force “With violence if necessary, although Lord Indrath and I both believe you will come peaceably”

I scanned the faces of the soldiers I knew them all Brawny Tassos I had saved fro the skirmishes after Prince Mordain disappeared The twins Alkis and Irini had been trained by Kordri since they were just children I was surprised to see Kastor, as one of Lady Myre’s private guards But then, I was quite unsurprised to see the glowering Spiros, who I’d demoted for his callous and bitter attitude toward the other clans, and who had hated me ever since

It was just the saht with them, coons Not because of their strength—although they were each powerful in their own right—but because they had served and fought alongside ht Like Windsom, they were entirely loyal to Kezess, and they wore their loyalty like a blindfold, ensuring they saw nothing but what he wished the theons were ready to fight me, but afraid to do so As they should be

The wrath reared up like a hades serpent within ht I was done with death After Elenoir, I had neither the heart nor sto at these once-friends and allies, each of them ready to lay down their lives to protect Kezess’s lies, I made a decision

If they did not value their lives, then neither would I

“I won’t return, not by choice, not by force”

Windsom could not entirely suppress his surprise His eyes widened and his right foot slid back half a step The aura eed, old friend I see nothing of the once great General Aldir left in you” Turning to Spiros, he nodded “Alive if possible, but Lord Indrath would rather have his corpse than nothing”

“But, Lord Windsom, you assured us that—”

Irini’s question was cut short as Spiros thrust his short spear forward and shouted, “Take hi into for first

Silverlight shi+mmered into my hand in the shape of a curved kopis, and I stepped into Spiros’s charge The curved blade caught his spear, which I pulled up to block a doard cut frospear thrust at ed the fabric ofwhip cracked before wrapping around , I hurled Spiros and Tassos backwards while ripping the ielding dragon off his feet

The longspear thrust again, but Silverlight snapped out and caught the haft just below the forged tip, shearing it in two

Tian to slow

One of the soldiers teaolden runes that ran along her tan flesh Another was standing between her and me, two short, leaf-shaped blades raised defensively Alkis and Irini were to either side of the pair, their weapons up, but their focus was on each other as they shared so circled aroundTheir physical for over their bodies as the humanoid features melted away to become reptilian and monstrous

I saw only a splash of colors: white and gold, blue-black, ee of distant fire before turning back to the more immediate threat

The severed spear tip was still soh the air I took hold of it, spun, and let it fly at the rune-covered dragon’s left eye The defending twin blades came up and knocked the projectile aside, but not before the rune-covered dragon’s eyes flinched shut

My e Walk Before her aevum spell could fully take form, I pushed mana into every cell of my body and stepped out fro two blades, and just beside the rune-covered soldier Her eyes snapped open just as Silverlight pierced her core

The slowly building weight of the ti, I hurled the dying dragon into her protector, sending theht ju whip, the end of which fell to the dirt and writhed like a dying viper At the same time, a shadow fell over the battlefield

The now fully-transforest, her scales glohite and gold, opened her jaws and breathed out a cone of blue fire tinged purple with aether

Silverlight shot back toupon the force-type mana arts of my kind The flames were slashed into two separate halves, and the soldiers all around round to either side ofin her wings and diving to avoid , I carved a wide arc aroundwith a sound like forge haainst the soldiers’ aether-infused weapons