PreCursive

  As agreed, I let Sylvia take the lead once more. She stepped forward and bowed slightly at the waist to the gathered cil. “Greetings, venerable Elders of Thunderheart. I bring word from the cil of the Uprising as well as my honored father, Grand Marshal Grey of Hollow Hill. Known to you as Ghrian Dorcha.”

  That name caused a brief stir among the gathered greybeards. It stopped, though, when Elder Einion raised a hand without speaking.

  “We wele any word sent from He Who Horhe Sun,” The Elder said calmly.

  I nearly choked on my fug to his words. In fact, I had to pound on my chest briefly to keep a hysterical ugh from esg.

  If my uanding of that term was correct, then was this greybeard implying that Grey had, ah…stolen a paramour from a goddamn star?

  Was that what was going oween him and Elys?

  My rea didn’t go unnoticed by the gathered cil. In fact, Chief Gruffyd briefly smirked at me before fog ba Sylvia.

  As I was reeling from that revetion, my supposed ‘wife’ tinued speaking. “We bring word of a disaster that is, even now, sweeping across your nds.”

  One of the cil members spoke up then. “If you’re talking about the monster horde, girl, then we already know,” He said impatiently. “You wasted your time ing here.”

  Sylvia ined her head briefly. “That is good, but the Uprising was not certain if you were aware of the extent of the horde, nor its in.”

  That seemed to get their attention. Elder Einion leader forward in his chair, suddenly much more ied looking. “We were not. tinue, daughter of Grey.”

  Surprisingly, Sylvia shook her head and stepped back. “I yield the floor to my husband, as he has a greater uanding of this.” I didn’t let how startled I was show on my face at the prompting, instead stepping forward and bowing as she had.

  “Greetings. I am Nathaniel Hart,” I said respectfully. “I shall be blunt. At curreimates, the horde is estimated to be at nearly four huhousand strong.”

  Blood drained from the faost in room, from the oldest greybeard to even Captain Cadoc. Jaws went sck at the news as they tried to grapple with it. Even Elder Einion looked taken aback by the news. The two men in front of us, Chief Gruffyd and his brother, looked particurly dismayed.

  “How is this possible?” The brother whispered hoarsely. “Such a force shouldn’t be able to dense in suumbers.”

  “Not by itself, it ’t,” I said, ining my head. “This is the result of enemy a, on behalf of the Loyalist forces of Herztal. You see…”

  I went on to expin to the ot only the nature of Ward Breaks, but the specifically engineering Break Stohat they had created a traps.

  “…it is believed that seven or more of these ‘Break Stones’, as we’re calling them, were set off along the path of the Army of the Uprising.” I tio an increasingly furious-looking audience. “At this point in time, the Army is retreating to the safety of Helstein, while keeping as much of the horde occupied as they . There, they hope to deal with as much of it as they possibly . However, that doesn’t mean rge numbers of said horde won’t escape and run rampant through your nds. We were dispatched by my Master in order to inform you of these facts.”

  The hall plunged into a seething sile the clusion of my expnation.

  It was broken by Chief Gruffyd spitting off to the side in disgust, before turning to face his brother. “Well, Daffyd?” He said, almost mogly. “Still think we should ally with these damned Loyalists?”

  Daffyd veritably exploded at the man, rounding to face him. “Obviously not, you buffoon!” He barked, looking like he was seds away from taking a swing. “And I was never arguing for allying with them! All I said was we should nego-”

  He was cut off by Elder Einion abruptly standing from his chair and smming an open palm down oable in front of him. The sound it made was oddly louder than I expected it to be, ringing through the hall like a thundercp. “Silehe both of you!” He snarled. “Y shame to this with your stant bickering, and I shall tolerate it no more! Either keep a still tongue in this hall, one from my sight!” He shook his head in disappoi. “What would Caradog think, if he could see the way his sons fought in front of guests?”

  Both brothers quieted down at the rebuke, looking away from each other.

  Elder Einio out a frustrated breath, before turning back to face us. I straightened under his intense gaze. I swear that I saw a bolt ht yellow lightning dance across his aged features before he spoke again. “ awr thanks you for your warning, Sylvia and Nathaniel Hart,” He said heavily. “It is my assumption, then, that another purpose of your visit is to beseech us to join hands with the Uprising, and strike back at these Loyalists,” The way he shat word articurly impressive. “Who have unleashed such a pgue on our nds?”

  Sylvia took over once again. She stepped forward and the Elder. “It is, Elder Einion.” She said respectfully. “I have been empowered to iate on behalf of my father, while he is locked in bat with the horde. Additionally, we respectfully ask that Thunderheart beseech the s that live in these nds, and ask for their aid against these monstrosities.”

  Surprisingly, Elder Einion snorted. “Little iations will be needed. I find it hard to believe that any son or daughter of Mynydor would refuse such a call. Certainly not us. What say ye, awr?!” He suddenly roared out into the hall, banging another open palm down oable with a crash. “Shall we bring on these despoilers and their pet beasts?! Or shall you cower within these walls, and allow the rivers and soil of your forebears to be overrun?!”

  The entire hall exploded to their feet with resounding roars. Almost as ohey began to stomp their feet in a rhythm that was unknown to me. It felt like the entire building started to shake and shudder uheir bined force.

  Even the previously bickering brot in on it. Gruffyd raised his beefy arms above his head and actually howled. As in, like a wolf. Fade, whose ears had fttened against his head at the cacophony, gave the Thunderheart Chief an almost offended look. Meanwhile, Daffyd had joined in oomping and seemed perfectly tent with the idea of deg war on the people he had presumably been arguing fotiating with.

  Eventually, the rally of the Thunderhearts died down as Elder Einion raised hands, with the gathered greybeards and warrietting ba their seats. When they were all settled, the Elder directed his gaze back Sylvia and I. “We thank you for this warning, children of Ghrian Dorcha. You may inform your superiors that Thunderheart shall not be found wanting when the call for war es. We will rally the other s of the Mynydd hills, and crush these beasts between the might of your Order and our fists.”

  Behind me, Hook let out a nearly inaudible hum of satisfa.

  “If that is all, then I invite you to break bread with our ,” Elder Einion tinued, in a warmer tone. “Let us show you the hospitality of Thunder.”

  I exged a gh Sylvia and then cleared my throat. “Actually, that isn’t everything. I have a personal matter that I believe I should inform you of, as I’m unsure if you’re aware of it.”

  “Oh?” The Elder said, raising one incredibly bushy eyebrow. “tinue, young warrior. We shall gdly hear you out.” A low murmur of i and agreement ran through the gathered cil.

  “It has to do with a member of your that I sider a close friend,” I began, folding my hands behind my back. “Some months ago, I was captured and held hostage by a certain fa within the Dwarven Principality. There, I met a man that introduced himself as Bleddyn, of the Thunderheart .”

  All noise in the hall immediately died out. It became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Meanwhile, Elder Einion’s mouth parted in silent shock, while Daffyd reeled back as if he had been struck.

  Gruffyd, however, rushed me. The enormous man grabbed me by my shoulders tightly a my eyes. “You’ve seen my boy?” He uttered hoarsely, a wild hope in his eyes.

  I bli the intense rea of the hall but smiled anyway. “Ah, yes,” I told him. “We were, both of us, taken as sves by the then heir of House Savoy. He had been assigo work as the butcher for the toere in, as the Heir, Magnus, didn’t trust him to fun as a Barber. He, ah, actually taught me Fleshcrafting.”

  “A sve?” Gruffyd muttered, despair growing in his eyes. “Then, he is…”

  I id a hand on one of Gruffyd’s own massive paws, an idea ing to me. It’s not like I hadn’t dohis before, and it’s not like it would be a huge loss to give another away.

  I had gotten so good at making Bond Breakers that I could just make a rept in under an hour.

  “I’d like to give you and Thunderheart a gift, Chief Gruffyd,” I said to the man, knog him out of his sorrow. He gave me a listless gaze of half-hearted attention. I reached behind me and dug out the current Bond Breaker that I had oaking Gruffyd’s hand off of my shoulder, I id the inscribed bulky bident in his hand.

  The Chief looked down at the item I had given him in pure bewilderment. “A fork? Why have you given me aing tool, apprentice of Grey? Do you mock me, so soon after inf me of my son’s fate?” There was a certain level of fury starting to grow in the man.

  I didn’t let it bother me.

  Unafraid, I just smiled at the man and shook my head. “Not at all. That is something I call a Bond Breaker. I developed it with help from my mentor, while uhe yoke of the Savoy. With it, you pletely dissolve a sve bond and free their Status. Your son is uered, Chief Gruffyd.”

  Murmurs of shock ran up and down the halls, as Gruffyd gaped down at the seemingly innocuous fork in his hand. He ed a hand around it carefully as the man actually began to weep where he stood, in plete defiance of his fearsome demeanor. As he clutched it to his chest, Elder Einion actually desded from his high chair and approached us. He id a f hand on Gruffyd’s shoulder, causing the man to whirl about and grab the Elder in a hug. He began to ugh in joy, as he spun the Elder in pce. “My son! Lives!” Gruffyd bellowed in glee.

  “Put me down, you great oaf!” Einion barked, smming a fist into Gruffyd’s broad chest. The celebrating Chieftain stumbled i the apparent strength of the blow, before sheepishly setting the Elder down. Said Elder straightened his robes and shook his head, before turning bae.

  “This is wele news indeed, young man,” He said, with a small smile, before raising an eyebrow. “However, if my apprentice is indeed free, where is he? He has certainly not returned home, nor has he sent word.”

  I took note of the fact that Bleddyn was Einion’s apprentice. Guess we had more thahing in on, eh, old friend? Still, I answered the Elder. “Because he chose to stay behind, after our escape,” I said, causing both men to look at me in fusion. “He asked for the first of the Bond Breakers that I created and rallied the other freed sves around him when I agreed. He told me that he inteo roam the Principality and free as many Human sves as he possibly could, and incite a sve rebellion in the try. I’ve heard from a…semi-reliable source that’s exactly what he’s been doing. Bleddyn has apparently been raising hell all up and down the Principality.”

  Approving and admiring mutters broke out all up and down the cil table, while Gruffyd gaped at me in open mouth shock. I didn’t bme him. It’s not every day that you were told that your son had decided to bee a revolutionary in another try.

  Meanwhile, Elder Einion had gotten over his shod started stroking his beard in satisfa. “Well done, well done indeed my boy,” He muttered to himself, with a smirk on his aged features. He shook his head, before turning to face the rest of the hall. “Bleddyn has elected to follow ih of Mynydd before him! As our long-ago aor did for us, he too seeks to free others from bondage! As Elder of this cil, he has my full support! However!” He raised a hand to stop the cil when it looked like they were going to start cheering again. “We have our own war to prepare for! For now, I decre this…unusually eventful meeting to be cluded. Go, spread the nerepare for war, my warriors.”

  As people began to stand from their chairs, chatteriedly about everything that had happened, Elder Einion turned back to face our little group. “e,” He said, gesturing to a door on the side of the hall. “I would like to hear the full story of what happened with young Bleddyn. Gruffyd? Daffyd? Are you ing?”

  As Gruffyd nodded enthusiastically, Daffyd finally broke out of the shock that he’d been in since my annou. “Ah…no, Elder,” He said awkwardly. “I am…happy to hear of my nephew’s survival, but I feel as if I should go inform Rhiannon of her cousin’s fate. Good day to you.” He said to everyohered, before hurrying out of the hall.

  I tilted my head at the rea sideringly.

  Odd.

  Surprisingly, Sylvia bowed out as well. “I was not present for these events, so I will depart for now,” She said to the Elder apologetically. “Instead, Grimgar and I will go and purchase some supplies for the leg of our journey. We leave on the morrow, as I’m afraid we still have further business.”

  Business, yeah.

  I guess you could call a campaign of infiltration and sabotage business.

  As the Elder nodded in aowledgment, Sylvia turo me and gave me a surprise hug and kiss on the cheek. I returhe embrace happily, though. “I will see you ter,” She murmured in my ear, before departing with the disguised Hook in tow.

  Elder Einion id a strong hand on my shoulder and began to guide aed Gruffyd and I to the door he had indicated. Fade followed along with us. “I have to say, I’m very ied in what you have to say, young Nathaniel.”

  “You just call me Nathan,” I said to him. “Really, I don’t mind.”

  I really, really didn’t mind.