Chapter 1
"Oh yes, this do be trouble."
A fierce wind blew across the crest of a hilltop, where the battered remnants of a tower stood monument to an ancient nation that had died out centuries ago. In contrast to the verdant forest spreading across the land for miles around, the hilltop was grey and barren. Some said the land was haunted. Lesser men would have believed such tales. Its current occupants were anything but that.
The man who stood on top of the battlements ignored the fierce wind that threatened to push him to a grisly death. Aged and grizzled, he had the look of a man who had seen hell and lived to talk about it. He lowered his spyglass and kicked a rock at his companion, startling him awake.
"You'll want a good look of this, lad. Besides, you do be too young for napping."
The veteran's companion was not much taller, but he had fiery red hair and startling blue eyes. He appeared almost too young for the army, as evidenced by his scraggly beard.
"I have a name you know," replied the companion. "Call me Telarian. May Pluto take my soul, but I deal with enough rank in the camps." Telarian rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and took the spyglass from his elder.
"And while I may be young, old man, that doesn't mean I don't need to sleep like ordinary mortals. Besides, I don't see you scouting the…" Telarian's voice trailed off as he realized what he was seeing. "Mars save me, but that must be an army of at least thirty thousand. I did not believe they had so much strength left in them." The veteran grunted in agreement as Telarian gave the spyglass back to him. "Which one of us will ride back to warn the camp? I'd just as soon stay here myself, but perhaps an old man such as yourslef would prefer to stay here and warm your joints."
The veteran gave Telarian a flat stare in reply, and brought the spyglass back up to his eye. "We both will ride. These folk do be of the craftiest sort. Their scouts will be upon us soon enough."
Almost on cue, an enormous arrow tore through the air just a few feet above the veteran.
"Luckily for us, Barbs be terrible shots." the veteran mumbled to himself. "Youngling! Get the horses and I'll—"the veteran whirled around to see Telarian already riding down the hilltop.
"Bloody younglings!"