Daveth raised his voice to be heard over the low murmur. “All right, listen up. Here’s the deal: The mayor of Landeck approached us on the Landsbergen and asked us to deal with a tribe of wolf-beastmen that were raiding their farmers. We’ve located them, so that means we’re going to gear up. We’re going to try and ask them nicely to leave. Play nice, no violence. They agree to pack up and leave, we can go about our business. If we can’t agree to this, then I’m going to expect no quarter given. Just another job of work.”

There was a general murmur of understanding as the information was passed down the line.

*****

“Lord Commander, a question.” Lynnabel asked as they rode through the forest.

“Fire away.” Daveth replied companionably enough, and Lynnabel smiled diplomatically.

“Yes. Do you...” She stopped and pressed her lips together a little. “Does the Seventh Seal have a stance against beastmen?” She asked, and Daveth shook his head.

“No, not particularly. We fight against them a lot though, because oftentimes they will raid villages and towns and we’re called on to do the dirty work. But we don’t really have anything against them.” He stated, and then grimaced. "Except the goats. I can't stand those assholes."

Lynnabel nodded. “You said they were wolf-type beastmen?” She asked. He nodded.

“Will that be a problem for you two?” Daveth asked and Lynnabel’s eyes opened wide a moment, surprised. Then, remembering his involvement with Aurene, Lynnabel shook her head.

“Certainly not, Lord Commander.” She replied with a warm smile.

Daveth raised an eyebrow but nodded. “If you say so.” He replied cautiously.

*****

“Moving an army through a forest is no easy feat, Audra.” Daveth complimented. “You’ve picked us out a decent route.” Audra saluted smartly from the back of her deer. “Thank you, sir.”

“What is that you’re riding?” He asked. “I seem to remember you having a horse.”

She nodded. “It was convenient and helped out in my scouting, sir.” She replied, and he nodded.

“You know, I’ve heard that the Yamato ride giant cats.” He remarked. “Big things, the size of horses.”

Audra shook her head in amazement. “I can’t believe I’ve ever heard the like, sir.” She replied. He nodded.

******

As they approached the camp, the wolf-woman appeared in front of them again, striding out from the tall grass. A few of the men started a little, but Daveth merely folded his hands across the horn of his saddle.

“I am Ferris. I speak for the Kin. Who is in command here?” The woman asked fearlessly, hand on her hip. Daveth glanced at Aldric, who nodded.

“I am.” Aldric said, and dismounted, hand on his sword. “I’m Captain Aldric.”

“Your elf told me you seek passage through the woods. Assuming you don’t harm anyone in our village, then you can go as you please.” She remarked, moving towards Aldric. “If you wish to trade, we have some food, hides and leathers, and of course you can use our lake to take your fill of water.”

Aldric pressed his lips together. “That’s gracious of you. What would you expect in return? I doubt you’d find much use for coin.” He said carefully.

The woman laughed throatily. “This is true. But you have goods of your own, no? clothes, medicines, blankets... she trailed off for a moment, and then added meaningfully, “and weapons.”

Aldric rolled his eyes and chuckled, glancing at Daveth and raising his eyebrows.

“Weapons? Yes, I’d say we’ve got our share of weapons. But why would you need them? Surely you’re not planning to go to war?” He asked curiously.

“True, we would have no use for swords, but spears, bows, and knives would suit our hunters well.” she replied easily. Aldric nodded at this and glanced indifferently at the sky, a calculated gesture of indifference.

*****

Daveth glanced to the left, where Alysia glared at the wolf woman, silver eyes flashing.

“You don’t like them?” He murmured to her.

“No, Lord Commander, I do not.” She said tightly, without looking away. “She is offensive to me.”

Daveth cleared his throat and glanced back to the parley between the beastwoman and his captain.

“We can trade.” Aldric allowed. “But first, there is the matter of agreements and accords.” He remarked. “We were asked by the people of Landeck to put you to the sword.” He said casually, and the woman stiffened, eyes hot.

Aldric turned back from his contemplation of the sky and faced her. “Audra said we’d treat with you, and so here is the bargain I offer: You pack up your tribe and move. Head south, head west, head east, whatever. I don’t care. You leave. If that isn’t acceptable to you, you can die here.”

“These are our lands!” The woman yelled angrily, hands opening and closing.

Daveth noted her stance, the tension of her muscles and guessed which way she’d leap. He shifted his horse slightly in preparation. “You should have kept to them, instead of raiding Landeck, then.” Daveth remarked impassively. She didn’t even bother glancing his way.

“You have no right!” She argued, and Aldric shrugged. “I don’t care either way how this plays out. We can kill you, or you can leave. If you’re leaving, I’d recommend heading west. There’s still areas that are untouched by men.”

She struggled with herself, cast hot eyes across the ranks of soldiers, and grit her teeth. "Fine! We'll leave!" She spat hotly, turned, and stalked back into the grass back towards her village.

*****

Morning had given way to noon, and noon had waned into early evening. Trade was desultory at first, but then it picked up. Were it not for the grim atmosphere, it might’ve been like any other day at market. Audra gave them the deer she’d commandeered, and in exchange she received a plethora of jewelry made from carved boarwood and bone.

Lynnabel’s trading was purposeful. She exchanged some of her saved up coin for tradable goods from the quartermaster, and traded for furs and meat.

“You aren’t like them.” An older man observed. “We can smell the wolf in you.”

She arched her eyebrow at the old man, taking his furred arms, wolflike ears and grasping, knobby fingers with their yellowed claws in at a glance.

“This is true.” She allowed, and pointed to a hide. “The bear hide, if you please.” She asked. Alysia wanted it, but could not bring herself to speak to the beastmen at all.

“You could be happy here.” The man offered. She shook her head. “I wouldn’t, though.” She said with a smile. “Though you’re kind to offer.”

“They won’t understand you the way we do.” He insisted, passing her the bear hide and accepting blankets in turn. “They won’t accept you. Not wholly.”

She raised both of her eyebrows at this, and smiled again. “Really?” She asked, and the man nodded.

“You’re mistaken, though.” She said, and pointed. “I quite like the look of that necklace. Can I see it, please?” He took it down and passed it over to her.

She rolled the carved beads across her fingers as she considered her words. Alysia was quick and hot with her rages, Lynnabel did her best to counterbalance her tempermental sister, which meant that she was often put into the position where she had to speak for the both of them. Alysia wouldn't apologize for the pressures she put on Lynnabel, but Lynnabel at the same time wouldn't accept them, anyway, They were sisters, and they needed to look out for each other. That was enough for her.

“For myself, the only place I feel I can truly belong is in an army. The discipline, the drills, the honor of fighting alongside my comrades.” She shook her head, her silvery hair shuffling. “I can imagine no other life.” She handed the necklace back. “Your way of life is no doubt peaceful enough, but is not a life I would choose for myself.”

A chilly draft wafted across her neck and she straightened slightly. “Hello, Eirawen.” She said, turning.

The other woman nodded her head in greeting. As usual she wore her customary darkened plate, her two massive broadswords crisscrossed on her back. Strange to see a woman with the delicate and refined features of an elf, but be of a height with most men, Lynnabel mused. Still, Eirawen was a competent warrior and swordswoman, if a bit socially estranged.

“You are trading with them?” Eirawen asked coolly. Lynnabel smiled warmly. “Of course. They have an excellent selection of furs and hides.”

“I do not understand why we do this.” Eirawen stated, her brow troubled. “Would it not be easier to kill them all?”

Lynnabel raised an eyebrow. “I do not know if it would be ‘easier’, Eirawen.” she said diplomatically, with a significant glance at the old man she was trading with. “Expedient, possibly. But it seems our commanding officers may have a surfeit of kindness.”

The old man was eyeing Eirawen with a guarded, uncertain look. One of his hands was hidden; likely he had a knife or perhaps even a short spear concealed somehow.

“Allowing them to go free isn’t tactically wise.”

“You should be bringing these questions to Lord Commander Daveth or Lord Captain Aldric, Eirawen.” Lynnabel replied, irritated. “I am not one that can answer your questions.”

Eirawen glanced at the old man, then at Lynnabel. “As you wish.”

The old man ducked his head at her. “Thank you.”

Lynnabel shook her head. “Do not thank me. I-” She cut herself off abruptly, and her throat worked.

“Thank you for the trade.” She remarked, ducked her head a little, and strode to the wagons where the belongings she kept with her sister were stored.

Speaking of her sister, where was she? She sniffed the air and picked out her distinct scent and set off through the throngs of people.

*****

“I hate to say this, but It’s not that hard to move. Not really.” Ferris said softly. “But we had a decent place here. Favorable.”

Daveth nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“We had good hunting, plenty of water, and the way the trees come up over the ridge over there-” She pointed to the copse of trees to the west, “Most of the storms were lessened.”

The massive wolf moved to Ferris’ side and, fixing Daveth with a baleful eye, sat next to the wolf-woman.

“Your pet?” Daveth asked.

The woman burst out laughing, a carefree sound. “Of course not, my Lord. He’s my husband.”

Daveth jolted, arms unfolding.

“You’re surprised?” She asked. “Don’t be. Having the beast blood means that we may take our mates from either beast or human stock." She stroked the mammoth wolf’s fur affectionately. “My husband is incapable of human speech because of the amount of wolf in him, but make no mistake, there is plenty of human in him.”

She glanced up at his expression and sighed, closing her eyes. “It’s impossible for us to see eye-to-eye after all, isn’t it? You look at us with disgust in your eyes. You don’t care that we will lose our very young and very old on this forced relocation. Even if we were to find a new place, it’s hard to believe we’ll survive. You might do us the kindest favor by putting us out of our misery right now.”

“I might.” He replied stiffly. “I could.”

“Without hesitation?” She asked, and he nodded. “Just another job of work.”

She nodded at this. “And you think us the savages.” She spat bitterly.

Daveth nodded. “We, at least, don’t rut with animals.” He replied and walked away, her laughter chasing him.

*****

Daveth found Aldric at the horses.

“They’ll probably attack.” Daveth said by way of greeting, and Aldric straightened. “What makes you think that?” He asked. “I don’t doubt you; you’ve got an eye for this sort of thing, but what makes you think they won’t leave?”

Daveth touched the neck of his golem horse briefly. “The way they move. Desultory. They pick things up, move them a little, and set them back down. They haven’t taken down their tents. I haven’t seen it for myself, but I’m betting they may be trying to trade for weapons so that they might use them against us.”

“Hmm. You think the men will be prepared?” Aldric asked, with a critical eye.

“They should be, Lord Captain, Lord Commander.” A new voice spoke up. Daveth glanced over.

“Alysia. Kind of you to join us.” She dipped her head at him, and he smiled at her a little. She frowned at him in response, and then shifted her gaze to Aldric. “The men have been keeping an eye on them. It’s as you say: these beastmen are planning a strike.”

Aldric glanced up at Daveth. “What do you think? Should we strike first?”

Daveth nodded without hesitation. “I think we should.”

Aldric nodded. “Very well. Let’s do it.”

“I’ll start it. Wait for my signal.” Daveth said, and Aldric nodded. Daveth glanced at Alysia. “Your sword thirsty?” He asked, and she nodded. “My sword is thirsty, and my arm hungers, Lord Commander.”

He nodded and pulled out a small dagger. It looked puny in his hand, something used to trim fingernails, perhaps. “Luck in battle.” He said to her, and she saluted, fist to heart. “And to you, Lord Commander.”

*****

The wagon train was curved in a gentle arc, leaving a clear space between the edge of the lake and the actual line of wagons. Daveth walked towards the middle, eyes casting about for a target. He spied an older man with a bundle on his back, and decided he would do.

Jonan moved past him, and Daveth turned to him. “Blades out, Jonan.” He said in a low voice, and when he turned back, the older beastman was already gone. A young wolf-child ran past him, and Daveth picked him up by the back of his tunic and lifted him up. The boy glared at him, unafraid.

“Put me down, bastard!” He growled at Daveth, and Daveth chuckled. He looked back to the boulder where he’d had his conversation with Ferris. She was still there, leaning against it, talking to that great beast.

She glanced up and spotted him. Making surehe had her undivided attention, Daveth hefted his dagger, and stabbed the young beastman in the heart with a quick thrust. The boy convulsed once around the blade and was still. He didn’t even scream.

Daveth dropped the beastling as her eyes grew wide with horror. She screamed, then, a loud, piercing wail that shattered the murmurs of talk around the clearing.

Daveth reached down to the pouch at his waist and drew a long steel sword. “Kill them all!” He yelled, holding the sword over his head, and the giant wolf bolted for him.

*****

The wolf was huge, massive, a burly beast larger than most horses. He hurtled towards Daveth with unerring speed, powerful limbs churning, jaws gnashing.

He’s going to slam into me and bear me down to the ground like a bull. Daveth had time enough to consider this, and he stepped slightly to the side and settled his weight. Right before he was going to swing, Alysia appeared a few feet in front of him, sword blurring out of its sheath.

Daveth turned away a little, ducking as he did so, as a fire-hardened spear hurtled through the space where his head had been a scant moment before. Alysia screamed as she swung and Daveth caught a glimpse of her blade powering through one of the wolf’s arms, blade cleaving between the fingers, splitting the limb lengthwise up to the shoulder. The wolf hit the ground awkwardly, rolling. Alysia leapt over the wolf, twisting in midair. She brought her sword down in a brutal arc as she came down, taking a massive chunk of the wolf’s head clean off. The wolf, already dead, rolled and tumbled to a stop at Daveth’s feet. Everywhere, there were the screams of the dying. Aldric’s voice boomed across the battlefield. “No quarter, men! Kill them all!”

Daveth casually shoved a beastman aside, sidestepped a spearthrust, twisting to cut the end off the wooden pike. He ran the would-be spearman through with his sword, and suddenly the woman, Ferris was there, arms raised overhead, an axe coming down in a savage arc that would cleave his skull in two. Alysia was there again, swinging her sword in an ungainly arc.

She screamed as she cut Ferris’ arms off at the elbows. Alysia slammed into Ferris and knocked her to the ground, her armored boot driving down into the woman’s chest. “You will not touch him.” Alysia declared, and drove her sword home through Ferris’ chest as if to emphasise the point.

*****

The fight was short and one-sided. Two-hundred battle hardened soldiers alongside twenty mages against thirty beastmen, none of which were trained in combat.

*****

“What’s the verdict?” Aldric asked, wiping his sword.

“They’re all dead. We’ve got a few wounded, but nothing the healers can’t handle.” Daveth reported simply.

“That bigass wolf?” Aldric inquired.

“Dead. Alysia cut him down.” Daveth replied.

Aldric nodded at the woman. “Good job, soldier.”

Alysia nodded back, glanced at Daveth, and turned and nearly collided with Lynnabel.

“Sister.” Lynnabel greeted warmly. “Did you get hurt?”

Alysia shook her head. “Not even a scratch.” Lynnabel smiled. “Same with me. Strangely, they ignored me completely.”

Aldric spoke up then. “We’ll take what we can use, and move on to Landeck to collect our bounty. It’s a shame; if they’d genuinely moved on, we wouldn’t have had to do this.”

Daveth shook his head. “I think I would have killed them anyway. Some of the things Ferris said...” He shook his head. “Offensive.”

Lynnabel glanced at Alysia, and then to Daveth. “Offensive, Lord Commander?” She asked curiously.

Daveth nodded. “They were breeding with the local wolf population.”

Alysia shared identical expressions of disgust and revulsion with her sister.

“Your judgement is sound, Lord Commander.” Lynnabel stated, and finished wiping her sword. Alysia nodded vigorously.

Daveth glanced up at the sky, judging time.

“Hmm. We can put a few miles in before sunset.” Daveth mentioned, and Aldric shook his head.

“We’ll burn the bodies with magefire. Take everything we can carry. When that’s done, we’ll reassess our situation. Make sure the men are ready to move.”

Daveth nodded, and went to distribute orders.

*****

“I’d like to talk to you about earlier today.” Daveth started, and Alysia frowned at him.

“Your consideration is unwanted, Lord Commander.” Alysia immediately replied without hesitation.

“Look, Aurene told me-” Daveth started angrily, but Alysia cut him off.

“Your consideration is offensive to me, Lord Commander.” She insisted angrily. “They are offensive. We killed them. No further consideration is necessary.”

“I’m trying to say-” He tried again, and she frowned up at him angrily.

“They are not us, Lord Commander. We are different from them.” She insisted. She stepped closer and glared up at him. "Do you understand now?”

Daveth let out a sigh. “What will it take for you to listen to me?” He asked tightly.

“What will it take for you to understand?” She replied hotly. “They are not us. They will never be like us. They can never be like us. They were offensive to Lynnabel and I. If you hadn’t killed them, she and I would have.” She stated flatly. “Your concern is offensive to me because you seem to think that we are like them, that we would feel kinship to them.” She shook her head. “There is no kinship.”

Daveth took a breath, held it, and let it out. “All right, I apologize for undue consideration.” He said, and Alysia could hear his restraint. He probably wanted to assure her that she was different, and apologize for offending her. Normally she would be glad for his consideration, but in this situation, under these circumstances all it did was upset her.

A cramp passed through Alysia’s midsection and she frowned. “Apology accepted, Lord Commander.” She replied in a low voice and moved a few steps away from him before turning and walking away.

*****

The song was in his head, high and sweet and intoxicating. Daveth was taking a stand at watch; a rare thing since he’d become Commander. Daveth would know what to do. Daveth would be perfect for his dark gift.

“Jonan.” Daveth spoke without turning around. Daveth had a way of knowing who it was that happened to be near him. Of course it helped that Jonan wore his armor.

“You’ll see to it, right?” Jonan asked quietly. “At the end, right? Burn my body.”

“The fuck’re you talking about, man?” Daveth asked, and turned around. “You’ve got years of fight left in you yet, surely.”

Something squirmed in Jonan’s mouth. He turned his head and spat, shifted his posture so that his foot came down on what had been breeding in him. It went with a wet squelch and a brittle popping sound.

“No time left, Daveth.” Jonan pleaded. There wasn’t much of him left, just the squirming things and the chorus in his head, strange sensations in his fingers and toes. “I couldn’t help myself. You’ll have to find them. Don’t know who they were. Find them.”

He grabbed at Daveth’s arm and the big man, perhaps sensing something, jerked away from the older man’s touch. “What’re you-” He caught sight of Jonan’s face and the horrors that squirmed and thrashed beneath his skin.

“Fucking-” Daveth breathed, and that’s when Jonan's knees gave out and he buckled to the ground with perhaps a faint sigh of relief.

Daveth moved towards Jonan, and a black spear of some dripping, squirming mass burst through Jonan's breastplate, corroding and peeling back the metal. It wavered in the dim lighting and Daveth recoiled, taking a few stumbling steps back.

It lashed at him like a whip; Daveth rolled away, tried to catch his feet beneath him and failed. He let out a terrified shout as the thing surged towards him, dragging the withered remains of Jonan's corpse with it. Jonan's armor rattled hollowly as it scraped across the ground, as if Jonan had once been filled with that ... filth, and had deflated like a balloon when he died.

Daveth tried for his feet again as it surged towards him, tendrils lashing like whips, and this time he made it.

"Help!" Daveth yelled. "Bring torches!" He screamed. The tendrils combined into one thick tentacle and lashed out at him; Daveth kicked Jonan's shield at it, and the thing swarmed over it, swallowing it, engulfing it. Daveth backpedaled as it tore Jonan's shield in two and lunged for him again.

One of the mages they'd picked up in Tannit arrived, took one look at the creature, and shouted, "Flame Haze!"

The entire thing burst into flames as if doused with oil and set alight. It screeched and squealed, sizzled and popped and thrashed about, trying to stay alive. in the firelight it was a titanic seething mass of what looked like black earthworms.

"What is that thing, commander?!" The mage yelled.

"I don't fucking know; just kill the thing, man!" Daveth yelled back.

"Crystal barrier!" The man shouted, and then Daveth could see that the man had walled the mass of sludgy worms, whatever it was, into some sort of invisible cage.

"Crimson Purgatory!" The Mage yelled, and the flames surged higher.

As the flames boiled and churned, Daveth realized that Jonan was gone. He didn't even have the chance to die a proper warrior's death. He was old, yeah. Wise. Cynical. Helpful. Always, always took the new ones under his wing, trained them to mesh well with Aldric's team. He taught everyone how to hold a shield wall. How to fire a bow and hit what you were aiming for. He'd forgotten more about war than most people would learn in a lifetime.

"Commander, in my belt. Short wand, white tip. Hold it up in the air and yell 'starshell'." The mage urged, and Daveth moved to take it.

"I'm no mage."

"You don't have to be for this." The man replied, continuing the blaze on the thing that was too stubborn to die.

Daveth did as he was told, and a brilliant sphere of light lofted itself into the air.

The former Radiant Sons converged on the man's location, asking pointed questions. Daveth gave what answers he could. Jonan.

"You said he infected others?" Their leader, Altus asked. He reached for a pouch on his belt. Daveth nodded. "Don't know who."

"Fuck. We might-"

Aldric showed up, buckling on his sword. "What's going on?"

Daveth tried explaining, but he couldn't find the words.

"Lord Altus, how long should I keep this going?" The mage asked, and Altus shivered. "Until there's nothing but bedrock, apprentice." he replied coldly. "Only way to be safe."

"I don't have the power for that." The apprentice gasped, and armed sweat from his face.

"Fine. Allow me." Altus gestured casually, almost lazily, an indifferent gesture, and the night was pierced by a lance of pure light that connected earth and sky and burned hotter than anything Daveth had ever seen. It turned trees to ash in an instant, vaporized the dirt. Stone melted and ran like taffy.

"There."

The apprentice gave him a wide-eyed gaze. "...how? How'd you do that? I didn't sense any magic at all!"

Altus gave him a bitter look. "The curse of blood." He muttered, and then turned towards Aldric and Daveth, and withdrew an eyepatch and strapped it on. There was a stylized eye with a spiraled pupil painted on it. Just looking at it made Daveth feel ill.

"Will someone explain what's going on?" Aldric demanded testily.

"Of course, Captain." Altus replied smoothly. "Apprentice, keep up the Crystal Lattice until it cools on its own. I don't care if it kills you." He turned towards Daveth and Aldric. "I'll have that explanation of yours as well, Commander."

Daveth explained what he saw, what Jonan said.

"A parasite that takes over its host." Altus mused. "There's a variety of such things in the world, both natural and foul. This looks to be something of the latter. We’ll need to examine everyone in camp."

"What does that eyepatch do?" Daveth asked curiously as Aldric, Daveth and Altus walked through the camp.

"Do? It lets me see the things I look at." The man replied calmly, as if that nonsensical explanation explained anything. "Brother Bertrand, come here."

One of the mages trotted over, rubbing his eyes painfully. Daveth could relate. that last spell of Altus' had nearly boiled his own eyes in their sockets.

"What is it, Comman-, errr, Sir Altus?" Altus pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We're not Radiant Sons anymore. We're part of the Seventh Seal, now. Maintain battle discipline." Altus commanded stiffly.

"Of course." Bertrand replied. "Now, what can I help you with?"

"You've been infected by a parasite." Altus delivered this with the same unswervable calm he had with everything else.

Bertrand gave him a cautious look. "What are you talking about?"

“It looks to be a particularly nasty one. One wonders how Jonan managed to last as long as he did.” Altus replied wonderingly. “It looks to be...” He paused. “In your brain.”

Bertrand took a sidling step backwards. “What- what do you mean?” He asked suspiciously.

Altus grimaced. “It seems I have no choice.” He looked at his hands. “To think that you of all people- Bertrand, you were my mentor, my friend, and my sponsor, so it gives me no pleasure to do this. Go with peace, and may the Nameless Stone welcome you home.” He snapped his fingers and Bertrand crumbled away to dust.

Altus turned towards Daveth and Aldric. “We have to purge the camp before they spread any further.”

*****

They found two more that had been infected. Altus deemed them beyond cure, and so they were slain and their remains cremated with magical fire.

Altus sighed. “Not unlike the Anglish, curse them.” He commented as the other soldiers said their words over the pyres the best that they could. Until it was certain that the camp was completely purged, those that had been infected were slain, their bodies sealed behind impenetrable magical fields and cremated.

“Fuck the Anglish.” Someone called, and Altus smirked dryly. He repeated the homily, and glanced to his side. Dressed like a man was a young woman with short hair that was a mix of white and blonde. Her face was smudged with dirt and ash, but he knew her as his sister, Elayne. He had no idea when or where she’d shown up, but there she was, in leathered pants, a stitched leather coat, hatchet swinging from her wrist by a thong.

“How’s that?” Daveth asked.

“Eh, The Anglish burn their dead. They’ve always done it. Back before the Liberation, it was because their ‘goddess’ wanted their souls for herself.” He spat. “Separation from the cycle of death and rebirth. Their goddess is gone, but they still do it.” He rolled his eyes. “As if it means anything. You could just bury them, let them have their dignity in death, but you know, fuck the Anglish.”

“You really feel that strongly about how they treat their dead?” Daveth asked curiously.

Altus shrugged. “Not really. It’s not personal.” He paused, and snorted. Well, I guess it’s personal, but not personal, you know?” He asked, sounding just like every ordinary soldier, instead of the calm, cool and somewhat haughty attitude he’d displayed as a mage earlier.

“The Anglish have been fucking my family over for centuries. It’s just another excuse to-” He started, but his sister finished for him, “Fuck the Anglish.” Altus shrugged and smiled. “It’s a family thing.”

Daveth forced a subject change.

“We lost Jonan.”

“That we did.” Altus replied. From his voluminous cape he produced a small flask and nipped at it, then offered it to Daveth, who accepted it.

“He had to have had them in him a lot longer than the ones we killed here.” Altus muttered. “How in all of Aggenmor do you keep a brain parasite from taking over you for so long?” He boggled at the man’s willpower.

“We won’t see the like again.” Daveth replied bitterly.

“Bullshit.” Aldric replied, stepping into the firelight. “Men like him are a silver a dozen. Survivors too stubborn to die. They carry on and carry on until something does for them.” He elbowed Daveth. “You’ll be the same way.”

Daveth shook his head. “Nah. I’ve got a lunatic captain that’s got it in for me.” Aldric laughed nastily at that, and produced his own flask.

“To Jonan.”

“To Jonan.”

“To Jonan.”

Audra, standing next to the blasted ruin of scorched bedrock that held no trace of the grizzled warrior, bit her lip. “Rest well, old man.” She whispered, blinking back tears.