Chapter 1
Below the waning sun, Sana struggled to make out the corpses of countless men, women, and children blanketed beneath a sea of cackling crows. She stood on the dais that overlooked the pit at Khalati, now turned into a grave for the slaves that once served the Chotukhan. Dark memories rushed back like a menacing shadow that poisoned the light within. The scars around her wrists still burned with a new type of pain— One fueled by hate catalyzed by the people now serving as a feast for the wild. Weeks passed since Gathal fell to the Shankur army, but the dead still remained, now reduced to shriveled corpses—a monument left behind by evil.
“I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened if we didn’t stop the Destroyers.” Rajin said from behind. She detected the sadness in his voice, without needing to look back. The shallow rasp in his words was enough to convey his disgust. Four months passed since the war with Abaddon’s machines, but their metal remains can still be found in the northern valley.
She also felt the sting of the Destroyer’s might. Not just the physical pain, but the type that dug deeper than skin and flesh. The monsters of steel and fire served as a weapon to fulfill King Shunlin’s desire for power and greed. Although his attempt failed, many people paid a final price.
“If you stab a man, is it the knife that kills or its wielder.” Sana said, holding back budding tears. “The machines didn’t do this, Rajin. The Chotukhan did—all of them.” She glared down the pit through her burning green eyes. The last day’s sunlight played across her crown of gold as she held her spear with knuckles turning white. “I was down there in chains, suffering among those people at the end of a whip. And so was Shayla.”
She regretted saying the last part. Rajin’s love for her cousin was as strong as her love for Ikesh and now Victor. But she needed him to be strong willed and full of focus. However, the thought of her cousin brought about a new sparkle in her tearing eyes.
He nodded, his jaw muscles tense and rigid with fury. “Soon it will all be over, my Queen. After today, the last of our enemies will fall and we can begin rebuilding a new peaceful world.”
Sana couldn’t agree more. She lost the desire to fight after winning the war. Her army defeated King Shunlin and united the tribes. But the remaining Chotukhan, along with the lands to the south, couldn't accept their loss and continued to raid her people.
“Your right. We’ve pushed them as far as Khalati and tomorrow they’ll no longer have the will or an army to fight.” She turned and walked across the hill overlooking the city. Beyond, a hush fell over thousands of warrior men and women as they bowed in reverence of their queen. The crowd shimmered in the sun, their polished steel armor sparkling as they rendered a heartfelt salute. Their loyalty never faltered to the woman who brought them victory and a chance for peace.
Sana, followed by Rajin and his retinue of captains, strolled through the ranks of warriors. She nodded at them all. These brave warriors, willing to give their lives, earned her respect.
A group of stewards waited with their mounts. Although not a Guardian, the elks were robust creatures that served well in battle. Their hooves moved with lightning speed as they leaped away from sword and spear. A pair of long antlers made a formidable weapon.
Sana grasped the saddle to mount the tall beast, but her strength faltered. She held on to balance herself through a spinning world. Pain in her gut surged toward her throat. Something was happening inside her. Whatever it was, will have to wait.
“My queen, are you feeling alright?” Rajin asked, steadying Sana who shifted sideways against her spear.
“I’m okay. It’s been a long day.” She wiped sweat off her face, adjusted her crown and thrust herself on the elk’s back. A quick pull at the reins sent her mount upward and through the crowd of warriors. They cheered, ready for the coming battle.
The Chotukhan also rumbled the ground with both numbers and chants. The enemy ranks were deep, and the soldier looked fierce. They marched forward under black banners with white bears, leaving a cloud of dust rising toward the sky like an oncoming storm.
“Get those lines straight, Captain.” Sana commanded. Some ranks pulled back, leaving a bulge in the formation’s center. She needed them to remain in sync with the other thousands of warriors who marched the field. A battle is determined by the first few seconds. The goal is to hit hard and hit all at once. Many will succumb to the blade during those important moments that stopped time. If her brave men and women hold the line, then they can win the battle and defeat the last remnants of the Chotukhan.
“Hold the line!” Rajin shouted. He barked commands to the many generals that passed them on to their captains.
Sana scanned the moving warriors, comparing them with the enemy. Something seemed off.
“General Rajin, how many troops do we have?” She asked, not turning or veering away from the approaching troops.”
“About eleven hundred, My Queen.” He grinned, proud of that number.
“And theirs?”
Rajin paused to recollect the estimates mentioned earlier that day. “Seven to eight thousand, at best.”
The Chotukhan are fanatical as the Shankur, but only fools would march into battle with their numbers. “Don’t you find that strange?” She turned to see his reaction.
“I find it favorable.” His grin grew slightly. “Ancestor’s willing. They will see the size of our force and surrender.”
It was true she had the upper hand in both strength and weaponry, but everything appeared too easy. The flat plain between the two armies was featureless, with nowhere to hide. Sand, rocks, and small clumps of grass covered the field all the way to the southern mountains. To her, the Chotukhan were either committing mass suicide or…
“General Rajin! Tell the warriors to fall back!” She shouted, pulling her elk from its confident strut.
“My queen?”
“Were marching into a trap! Command your men to pull back and regroup.”
Rajin reared his elk and shifted toward Lord Avadas. The Atani general’s fiery eyes blazed as he stared down the enemy.
“Lord Avadas.” He called, but Queen Sana’s observation came too late.
The roar of men filled the air. Not from the Shankur or Chotukhan armies, but from the prairie itself. Sand burst into the air, as soldiers appeared from nowhere. They crawled from the ground in twos and tens, turning the Chotukhan army into a mass of troops far greater than the Shankur. They charged forward, smashing the first lines. Blades struck steel in a clash of two armies.
Sana cringed as she watched her advantage fade. She saw in her warriors’ faces— fear grew against overwhelming odds.
“Should we retreat?” Rajin asked.
She shook her head. “No. If we run, they will cut us down. Our only chance is to fight.” She brandished her spear with a tight grip. Blue light streaked along the handle, with the blade glowing white.
Rajin rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You mean ‘their’ only chance is to fight. Sana you’re a queen now, not a warrior.”
She grinned. “Your right. I am.”
With that, she kicked her elk into a forward flurry. Her spear tucked tight beneath her arm. The weapon’s long blade shimmered in the afternoon sun, with blue ribbons at her hip fluttering in the wind.
She swung and stabbed her spear at the Chotukhan warriors as they passed. The glint of her weapon and the elk’s sharp antlers was enough to make most soldiers retreat. Those who didn’t, fell from flesh parted by steel or bone. She screamed a maddening cry of anger and hate with every thrust.
Despite her efforts, the Shankur lines faltered and broke. What started as two massive groups of men and women, merged and dissolved into small individual battles. Sana’s instincts about the Chotukhan’s advantage proved correct. They fought like warriors, but even the bravest will choose to live when their only path leads to death. In small groups, the Shankur pulled away from the fight while the Chotukhan gave chase.
The battle looked grim, but not for Sana. She continued to her deadly attacks not aware some of the Shankur route. As more warriors retreated, more moved in on the queen.
“Sana! Pull back to the lines!” Rajin shouted over the remaining clang of steel and screaming men.
She glanced to see herself fighting the enemy alone. They swung their swords and spears, but failed to best her skill. If she had to, Sana would kill each and every one of them.
Another cry overtook the sounds of battle. Her elk wavered and stumbled on exhausted legs. She felt warm blood pour down her leg, but it wasn’t Sana’s. A spear plunged through her mount’s neck, sending it tumbling to the ground. The dying elk no longer protected her.
“Take the queen alive if you can!” One of the Chotukhan generals commanded. “Queen Sana is not to be harmed.”
She would never allow that. Not while her lungs still filled with air as her heart beat with rage. Sana held them back with speed and spear. Chotukhan warriors poured in around her, but so did the Shankur. The sound of Rajin’s war cry filled the air, overpowering the noise of battle and causing the enemy to falter. Sana lunged forward for another attack, yet she stopped as an arm wrapped around her and pulled her back. The strongest fighters the Shankur offered risked their lives for the queen. Some payed the price as swords and spears cut them down.
“Fall back!” Rajin shouted. “Protect the queen.”
The clash of swords echoed as the troops scrambled to retreat. The enemy charged for a final attack with overwhelming numbers. But for every man was ten arrows, wisping through the air. The archers, positioned along a ridge, turned back the Chotukhan.
Sana thrust at the Shankur warrior who still had arms wrapped around her. “Let me go!” She commanded. She was not done fighting. There were more Chotukhan that needed to die. “Rajin. Order your men to regroup and reestablish the lines for another attack.”
The generals glanced at each other, then to Lord Avadas. “My queen. Most of our warriors routed back to Khalati.” He paused with a look of anger and shame. “We’ve lost the field.”
“He’s right. Our best chance is to hold up at Khalati.” Rajin added. “The city is fortified enough to stand our ground. They would be foolish to attack us there.”
Sana stared back in disbelief. She defeated the Chotukhan at Tashimur and took Gathal against both them and the machines. After which, she lead her armies to the southern lands and conquered the elk lords. One victory after another, Sana paved the way to Khalati. But now she tasted the sting of defeat.
“Fine. We’ll hold at Khalati.” She spat the words out like bile.
Sana leaned against her spear. The world became heavy and dark.
“Sana?” Rajin said, stepping toward her.
She stood up straight, taking a deep breath to level her head. Everything felt heavier. She stumbled forward, using her spear for balance.
“Queen Sana, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Rajin. Just tired.”
“My queen, you’re pale as the snow.”
Sana fell to her knees, vomit burst from her mouth. She heaved till nothing else came out and heaved some more. The world spun.
“Sana!” Rajin knelt beside her, preventing her from slumping over into the sick puddle.
“Ancestors, damn you.” She whispered through a gut drenched in pain as the sun turned black.
