Alexander The Great

by Emerald Viper

This is the story of a Dawn Caste Solar.

5. Chapter 4 - Alexander the Great

Chapter 4 - Alexander The Great

I'd first met Talonlord Calil many years ago. At the time, he'd been working with the Immaculate Order to put down a dangerous Murqai rebellion in the far south. Mnemon Rai had offered his assistance to Calil, expecting that an Anathema worthy of slaying might make an appearance. No demons showed themselves, but the fighting was hard and the weather was miserable. For a time, even I wanted nothing more than to quit the army and go home. Fortunately, after tracking down most of the Murqai leaders and capturing their stronghold, we began marching back towards civilization.

Scouting the road north from Chiarascuro, I discovered Roach unconscious in a ditch. Though Talonlord Calil was immediately suspicious of the boy, he couldn't find it in his heart to kill an innocent child whose only fault was having the misfortune to have been born into a tribe of heretics. Because I had learned to speak some Murqai myself, Roach immediately became "my problem".

I shared my rations with Roach for two weeks and by the time we reached civilization, he was determined to stay in my service. Since I'd taken an arrow for him in our first engagement, Talonlord Calil grudgingly agreed to my request. And since no one could pronounce the filthy child's proper name, everyone began calling him "The Little Cockroach" which was later shorted to "Little Roach" and then simply "Roach".

"You're not bad for a Dragonblood." Roach confessed to me as we shared a rabbit I'd shot while out on patrol.

I had to laugh when he said that."I'm not a Dragonblood. My father is a Fire Aspect, but my mother was a servant. I grew up as part of House Cathak, but I never Exalted." I replied.

Roach seemed confused."Why not?" He asked innocently.

"I don't know." I told him. He must have realized that he'd touched on a sore issue, because after that night, he never asked me again.

After our Scale was destroyed, it was decided that I should continue on to find Sesus Calil. Most of my soldiers had never met the Talonlord and the newest ones were almost as afraid of him as they were of the fae. Too many rumors had spread around Mnemon Rai's camp, making Calil sound like much more of a villain than he really was. Even Roach adamantly refused to let me go on alone. A very young Dragonblood who'd dislocated his shoulder volunteered to stay behind with our wounded.

We'd taken only a few horses when we left Mnemon Rai, and during the attack, the fae had killed most of them. Since I'd sacrificed my own mount to the messenger I'd sent to Mnemon Rai, Roach and I had to continue on foot. The two of us ran almost until dawn. Roach was bruised and a his right arm was torn up from fae claws. I was completely unscathed myself, although I had taken a blow from a fae warhammer which had shattered the back of my armor. Nervous as I was, I suspected if we ran into any real trouble, the sword I'd borrowed would not last long.

"Wait up, Boss!" Roach shouted. I stopped so that he could catch his breath. "Damn, how do you still run like you're twenty when you're twenty years older than me?" He demanded.

"I drink less than you do!" I teased.

Roach laughed. "So, if I was to become a monk like you, I'd be immortal and immune to everything? For that I may just repent my sins!"

"I'm not immune to everything!" I protested, trying to laugh. The fact that he'd called me immortal made me twitch. I was well aware of the suspicious glances that were cast in my direction. Claiming to live a healthy lifestyle had worked years ago, but it had been a long time since Jaret's death and everyone I'd enlisted with was beginning to look old.

Though my memories were still fuzzy when it came to such things, I'd heard plenty of stories about Anathema who'd lived for thousands of years, far longer than even the best-bred Dynasts of the Realm. What would I do when I could no longer be Cathak Loren? I didn't want to know.

"Heh. Right. I'll believe that when I witness something you're not immune to." He teased. "How's your back?"

"Fine." I replied. "It was just a glancing blow."

"How'd a glancing blow shattered your lamellar like that?" He demanded.

"Fae sorcery." I replied, as if that explained everything. It usually did.

Roach sighed heavily.

I surveyed the road ahead of us. "We must be very nearly there." I decided.

"Um… Boss?" Roach grimaced.

That was when we saw Talonlord Calil. Or... what was left of him. His head was lying in the middle of the road, a few feet away from his legs. Only one of his arms was still attached to his torso and his eyes had been gouged out of his skull. Though Calil had never been one of my favorite commanders, the end that he had met caused me to grit my teeth and tighten my grasp on the hilt of my sword.

I knew we were being watched.

"Come out!" I ordered the fae. "I know you're watching us! Come out, cowards!"

At first there was no response, and then out of the trees on the sides of the road a huge goblin emerged. The monster was over twelve feet tall and gray-skinned with enormous tusks jutting out from its lower jaw. I stared up at it and instinctively slipped into fighting stance.

I heard a muffled shout from behind me and drew my blade. In my moment of distraction, I saw that another fae had emerged from the forest behind me, a familiar white spider woman. She'd seized Roach and wrapped a layer of thick silk around his neck, reeling him towards her as if he were a fly she intended to eat. Though the fae change their shapes arbitrarily, I felt certain that she was the same faerie queen I'd faced ten years ago. Hordes of piglike goblins suddenly began appearing in the trees all around us. From the looks of things, we'd walked right into their nest.

"Let him go!" I ordered. The spider woman laughed. It was a very unsettling sound.

The enormous goblin grabbed my shoulder. "No." It said, in a voice that sounded like cart wheels rolling over gravel.

"I am not asking! I am giving you an order!" I gritted my teeth, brushing the goblin's claws from me and focusing on the faerie queen who still held Roach. There are few things I hate more than negotiating with fae, and seeing my friends in danger is one of them.

"You have no business giving us orders, mortal!" The goblin replied arrogantly.

"And you have no business being in Creation, monster!" I snapped.

The spider woman paused, rolling silk between her long fingers. "Have we met before?" She asked me in a soft voice, sounding like a highly trained courtesan.

"How should I know?" I replied curtly. "You fae changed your faces so often it's impossible to tell!"

"Ah, but these eyes of mine have seen you!" She hissed, fixing two of her eyes on me. They were a familiar golden-brown color and seemed to have been recently stitched into place. The connection I drew at that moment made me feel even sicker. "What is your name, little soldier?" She demanded.

"You never asked for it when we first met." I replied. "But I believe you called me… Tiger."

"No! Impossible!" The spider woman gasped. She jumped as if she'd been struck by lightning and wrapped four of her eight limbs around her huge goblin, suddenly abandoning Roach. Roach struggled in his silken bonds, looking up towards me fearfully, as if he hoped that I would somehow save us both.

The goblin grunted and attempted to brush the spider off of his back, watching me with a toothy grin. "Mortal, I will grind your bones!" He sneered.

"Stop, Tusk!" The spider woman ordered. "This one is more than a match for you!" She leaned in to whisper something in his pointed ear. I knew what it was at once and felt all the strength drain out of me.

"Hohohoho!" The goblin laughed. "The Faeslayer? Surely you are mistaken, Duchess! This one is no Sword of Heaven! A paper tiger at best, not one forged of bronze! The Children of the Dawn are big like Yurgen the Bull or that Demetheus fellow! I could crush both men with one fist."

Roach stared, still gagged with spider's silk. He knew what those sobriquets meant. How could he not? I made no attempt to deny what the fae had said, though I did not wish to hear such words repeated. Sword of Heaven. Bronze Tiger. It was what the Forsaken called themselves when they did not wish to be known as what they were.

Demons. Anathema.

But I was a soldier, a good soldier! I'd always followed my orders! I'd protected people who could not protect themselves, done everything asked of me, and tried to be honorable and fair! I had not chosen to become one of the damned. Being changed in such a way was nothing I had asked for, nothing that I even understood! Not that it mattered. All of that was so far in the past, there was no use dwelling on it. I hadn't actually come to terms with my situation so much as I'd realized that regardless of how the world saw me, I was still the same man I had always been.

The fae obviously intended to kill us both, and if I hesitated, they would start with Roach. I could feel how near I was to my limit and I was well-aware that anything I did would be obvious and unmistakable. When the mark on my brow started to flicker, Roach would not be able to miss it.

And yet, how could I choose between my own safety and the life of my dearest friend?

There was no choice. I took a deep breath.

"It's been so long!" The spider woman hissed, a tremble in her voice. She had little interest in me until I began to act like a foe to be reckoned with, and then her desire was insatiable. It was an old, old hate that drove us. "Ah, but it pleases me that your kind have returned! I have grown tired of petty Dragonbloods… the way they breed, there are ever more of them to kill! But eyes such as yours, and dreams so fine and rare?" The spider woman inhaled deeply, as if savoring the bouquet of a fine wine. "It has been a very long time since I have eaten the heart of a Solar!"

Solar.

The fae spoke that word as a Dragonblood might say "Anathema", with loathing and reverence, as if she could think of no greater enemy to face. And if something so indisputably foul hated what I was so much, I had no choice but to believe in my own righteousness.

I stepped forward decisively. "You will release my friend. And you will go far, far away from this place, all the way back to the Wyld where you belong." I replied coldly. "Or I swear I'll cleave off every last one of your arms and claim your head for a trophy!"

"What makes you think you can kill us?" The goblin sneered.

"Oh, I can kill you." I replied. In the past, I knew that I had slain Primordials. By comparison, taking out a faerie queen was not a very impressive feat... and killing a goblin was somewhat akin to swatting a fly.

Snorting like a boar, the goblin charged. I braced myself but did not move a single step. Though the fae must have expected to plow right over me, considering that he stood almost twice as tall as I did, I effortlessly swept underneath him and ran my blade through his gut. It immediately snapped in half but I still clenched the hilt. Using his momentum to my advantage, I heaved the goblin up over my head and hurled him ten feet down the road. My iron sword would have been enough to wound the fae, but laced with Essence as white-hot as the heart of the sun, it did far worse. His body exploded into flames like a torch dipped in pitch.

The spider woman shrieked and leapt into the trees. As brave-sounding as she had been only moments before, I was somewhat surprised to see her flee so quickly. Still, I didn't pursue her. I wouldn't leave Roach tied up in spider silk and I wasn't entirely certain that the goblin was actually dead. I kicked the beast onto its back. The corpse coughed up black smoke and little sparks, like a hot coal rolled out of a fire. Without a moment's hesitation, I drew what was left of my weapon out of him, wiped the blade clean on my cloak and sheathed it.

"Are you with me, Roach?" I asked, not turning to face him.

"Roach?" I repeated.

Roach cursed incoherently as our eyes met. He wasn't bleeding more than he already had been… but the way that he stared at me filled me with fear.

"You're all right. Good. Now get out of here! Go!" I snapped.

He seemed to want to say something, but I didn't wait for him to find the words. "Go!" I ordered him again.

Roach bolted, and as soon as I was sure he was gone, I started running in the opposite direction. I ran for about an hour and never saw any more of Calil's soldiers or any place that might have been the site of a battle. Quite possibly, the fae had laid an ambush and drug everyone they killed off into the trees to be eaten. Even still, Calil should have had at least four hundred men! The fae that had decimated my couldn't possibly have taken out such a force! Unless...

Were there more of them nearby? Were the fae amassing a great army as they had centuries ago in the Balorian Crusade? If that was so, they had to be stopped!

I finally made it to the edge of the forest and stopped to rest for a moment at the foot of an old willow tree. The view from where I stood was awe-inspiring. From the top of the ridge where I stood I could see the river snaking through the valley below. A hawk danced on the wind and the air was thick with the scent of pines and melting snow. And then the sun began to rise, painting everything in gold.

I was no longer burning brightly. The bonfire surrounding me had dwindled down to little more than a flicker, a faint haze of light that blended into the rays of the dawning sun perfectly. For a moment I felt as if I were standing on the top of the world.

When I was seven years old, my father tookme to meet afriend of his, the famous Abbot Tepet Manu. I'd been full of questions at that age and after listening attentively to the old Immaculate monk, I had asked him as only a child could… how did he know that the Dragons were watching over him?

Abbot Manu laughed. "How do you know that your father is watching you, Loren?" He asked.

"I see him." I replied, for I knew that he was standing right over my shoulder.

"And I see the Dragons." Abbot Manu replied.

"Where?" I demanded. I saw nothing, of course.

"In everything." Abbot Manu smiled. And that was all he would say.

I collapsed to my knees. It was all I could do. It had been so long. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to believe.

Suddenly I heard a creaking sound behind me and turned to see what it was. It was a wizened little old man with skin like willow bark, obviously one of the local Gods. "You look most distressed, noble Sword of Heaven. Is there trouble afoot?" The little God whispered. He seemed very concerned.

"I don't know." I admitted truthfully. "For a moment, I was afraid." It seemed strange, confessing to such a weakness. "But I'm not now, and maybe I don't have reason to be." I paused. "May I rest here for a little while? I'll make sure no one bothers your tree."

"A very gracious offer! Who would have thought that one such as yourself would deign to protect my humble abode!" The little God smiled. "Would you like some tea? Yes? Well now, you might as well come inside!"

I had to crawl on my hands and knees to get into the little God's home. The ceiling was only a few inches above my head and the porcelain cup he gave me was so small I held it between two fingers for fear of breaking it.

The little God rambled on at some length about the recent depredations of the fae and the tribe of Wyld barbarians who were stealing winter supplies from his villagers. He spoke of two very old Anathema who'd begun assembling an army in the area. I remembered listening in on a briefing about the movements of their forces before I'd left Mnemon Rai's command tent. Still, hearing the little God speak of the barbaric Frenzied Silvermane and the terrible Trickster Heartsblood as if they were great heroes left me feeling even more uneasy. I sat in silence, nodding every so often. My thoughts were elsewhere. Was it truly a moment of clarity that I'd experienced earlier?

I drank a dozen cups of tea, thanked the little God and then excused myself as I noticed that the sun was high in the sky. I walked all day and for a few hours after the sun went down until I couldn't tolerate the chafing of my shattered armor any longer.

I stopped in a little grove of trees, undressed myself and examined the damaged lamellar plates. It was a small wonder that Roach had been suspicious… the Fae warhammer I'd been struck with should have broken every bone in my body. It would have, if I'd been mortal. But what was I, truly? With my sword broken, my armor irreparable and the one person I trusted in the world miles away… I was as lost as I had ever been in my life. I sighed heavily and buried my head in my hands.

"Oh what a sigh!" A familiar voice snickered. "You haven't changed at all! Still blaming yourself for not being able to save all of Creation, eh?"

I was not entirely surprised to see Amira standing over me. She was dressed exactly as she had been on our first meeting and she leaned on something as tall as she was. It was wrapped in a thick layer of coarse linen cloth.

"Heh. So the Wyld Hunt hasn't gotten you yet?" I was feeling more than a little cynical and could think of nothing else to say.

"They never will. You can't hunt a hunter." She smirked. "So, did you miss me?"

"I barely know you." I protested, though I was secretly very glad to see her. "And it's been ages since I saw you last!"

"It's been no more than ten years, which may seem like an age to you… but that's no time at all from my perspective. Loren, don't make me get my stupid stick!" She warned, jangling her silver bracelets in my face.

"You called me Loren?" I observed, surprised by her sudden change of tone.

"That's your name, isn't it?" She demanded. "Would you prefer "Little Monk"? She teased. The surprise I felt must have registered on my face. "Or… what does that Roach of yours call you? Boss?"

"You've been stalking me?" I glared at her.

"Guilty as charged!" Amira replied, completely unapologetic. "Luna's blood, you look like hell! I see you broke another sword." She rolled her eyes. "I saw that one coming."

"They don't make these things like they used to." I shrugged, examining the broken blade.

"They don't make anything like they used to." Amira sighed heavily. "And oh boy, is that ever an understatement!"

She paused for a moment and then gestured to the thing that she carried. "I brought a present for you. Looks like just in time too. I'm sorry it took me so long to find it, but you know I've always been a terrible packrat." She unraveled the cloth.

"Ta-da!" Amira bowed dramatically.

I stared at the lustrous orichalcum blade and the blood red hearthstone.

It was my daiklave.

The part of me that was Alexander had wielded that weapon in more battles than I could count. And when I had trained alone at my father's lakeside retreat, perfecting my skills… there were times when I could have sworn that I felt it in my hands.

I knew that my daiklave had been a gift to me from a very dear friend and seeing it so close reminded me of him. Without thinking, I found myself reaching for it and then recoiled as if I'd been struck by a snake.

"What's the matter with you?" Amira demanded. "Go on, take it! We've got a lot of walking to do. That sword of yours is damned heavy and I'm not carrying it anymore."

I couldn't find words to speak.

"Listen to me, Loren!" Amira sighed. "I'm only going to say this once and then I'm going to start whacking you with my stick! I know that you like to follow the rules, but the rules of this world need to be broken! Things are not meant to be the way they are! You're not a demon! You're Chosen… Exalted by the Unconquered Sun himself! You are destined to be greater than you can imagine, bloody goddamned glorious! And you'd better get used to the idea of standing on your own two feet because if you spend the next thousand years like you've spent the last ten, I swear I will kill you myself!"

"Are you crazy? Even if I did take that blade from you, what could I possibly do with it? Walk up to Mnemon Rai and ask him to ignore the demon sword strapped to my back?" I protested.

"Old Thunderstormer may be a wily one, but he's still a Dragonblood. They were bred to take orders!" Amira argued. "If you don't want to cut him down, then command him to get out of your way! Luna-as-my-witness, you are done hiding! Creation needs you!" Amira sighed heavily. "Silvermane and I are moving against the fae tomorrow."

"Silvermane? Then you're…"

"Heartsblood. Yes. I thought you knew." She replied.

"Are you really a thousand years old?" I paused. It seemed like an idiotic question to pose to one of the most infamous Anathema in the Scavenger Lands, but it was all I could think of.

"Oh, I'm older than that!" She laughed.

"You don't look it." I observed.

"You didn't either, when I first came back to you!" She laughed slightly. "I was little more than a child then and you were positively terrifying! The last surviving general of the Primordial War, the unstoppable Sword of the Deliberative! Everyone was certain you'd manipulate me if you even bothered to notice me at all! They all thought it would be centuries before we could even speak to each other, let alone see eye to eye." Amira sighed heavily. "But two weeks after we met in Meru, you kissed me when you thought I was sleeping and I knew that I'd never love anyone else the way I loved you. Not if I lived ten-thousand years!"

I stared at my daiklave, slowly absorbing everything that Amira had said.

"What is this, some kind of knightly vigil?" She demanded. "Are you coming or not?"

"No." I mumbled. "I can't."

"Oooh, I hate it when you say that! Fine! You're on your own then!" She snorted, turning to walk away, leaving the sword lying in front of me where I could not ignore it.

"You forgot something!" I shouted after her.

"Oh no, I'm not taking that back with me!" Amira snapped. "Loren, these woods are swarming with fae! If you won't come with me, you will need a weapon." She paused momentarily and eyed me with a little grin. "Besides, you want it. You know you do."

I grimaced. She was right. The longer I stared at that daiklave, the more I desired it. And yet I knew somehow that if I found the courage to pick it up, I would never put it down again.

"It was a gift. An… important gift." I paused. "Amira, who gave me that blade?"

"Who do you think?" Amira smiled slightly. "Loren, you once took this sword and drew a line across the edge of Creation. You said to the Wyld, 'This is the line you shall not cross!' And when those bastards ignored your warning, you sent them crawling back into the formless void that spawned them! Can't you think of anyone who would appreciate something like that?" She paused for a moment and then grinned wickedly. "Aw, c'mon… it missed you!" She nudged me with her elbow.

I still said nothing. I had the sneaking suspicion that if I refused to take my daiklave again, Amira would hit me with her stupid stick.

"Fine, I'll give you a choice!" Either you take your daiklave like a man or you can…" She leaned in close to me and whispered something in my ear that no gentleman would dare repeat. I was certain that my face had turned the same color as the hearthstone I was still staring at.

"That's not very ladylike." It was a stupid response, but I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Who says I'm a lady?" Amira retorted in a very deep, masculine voice.

I blinked in shock and Amira collapsed against my shoulder in a fit of uncontrollable giggling. "Oh, you should've seen yourself! You jumped right out of your skin!"

"Why do you insist on tormenting me?" I demanded, utterly humiliated.

"Complain, complain! You should be grateful! I'm a very busy woman and there are lots of people who'd love to have as much of my time as you've been getting!" She sighed heavily.

"But why me? Why don't you find yourself another…" The word I'd been about to speak stuck suddenly in my throat. I realized that I'd never actually said it out loud before. Of course, I'd thought it many times, but to actually say it? From the grin on Amira's face, it was obvious that she knew why I was stammering.

"Find myself another what?" She taunted.

I sighed heavily. "Some other…" I began, but I couldn't finish what I had started to say, not with Amira grinning. I felt like an absolute fool. "If I say it, will you leave me alone?" I asked.

"Oh, I'll do anything you want!" Amira vowed in a tone that sent my mind reeling. "But start at the beginning! I want to hear the whole thing! I'm so excited! This is a big step for you!"

It was useless to argue with her. "Why don't you find yourself another Solar?" I mumbled, burying my head in my hands.

Amira gasped theatrically. She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me until I was forced to look up at her. "Oh, Loren! Speak to me, you great useless git! Are you implying that you are a Solar? A Bronze Tiger, Sword of Heaven, Lawgiver? Chosen of the Unconquered Sun and Lord of all Creation?"

The sobriquet "Lawgiver" stuck in my head. It was one I had not heard in a very long time. In a world nearly consumed by chaos, I could think of nothing more necessary. I remembered what Amira had said about drawing a line across the edge of Creation and forbidding the fae to cross it. The thought of such a mad feat sent a chill racing down my spine. It could be done. I could do it.

"Yes." I nodded, swallowing the lump that rose in my throat.

It was a tremendous thing to acknowledge, even if I didn't dare speak louder than a whisper. Amira was hardly satisfied. "I didn't hear that!" She cupped a hand to her ear.

"I said yes,you lunatic! I am a Solar!" I shouted so loud that most of the forest must have heard me. And then I started to cry, which was something I could not ever remember doing, not since I was a child. My whole body was actually shaking.

That was when Amira kissed me. I'd been kissed before, of course, but I'd never had a kiss that encompassed so much. Soldiers don't have much time for relationships, and affection of any kind is most often feigned in a Dynast's household. I had sensed the connection between Amira and myself before we'd ever met. I'd told myself that she was a monster because the truth was even more terrifying. Over the centuries we'd been comrades-in-arms, confidants, lovers… but it was more than any of those things that drew us together. Our souls had been bound together since the beginning of time. I needed her to be everything that I could be. All of my life, I had only ever been half of myself.

When we both at last surrendered to sleep, still holding one another, I felt healed. For certain, I was now charging headlong down a path that I'd never even imagined walking, but if Amira was by my side, I believed that everything was going to be all right.

In the morning when I woke, Amira was gone. There was no sign of my daiklave either. At first I suspected that I'd dreamt of our entire meeting… but then I saw that my shattered lamellar armor and my broken sword had been repaired by someone of unparalleled skill. And over a thousand years of practice, no doubt.

I dressed myself and was about to start heading west when I heard the sound of horses approaching.

"Cathak?" It was Mnemon Rai's voice that I heard, and I knew it was useless to hide from him. "Old Thunderstormer" was a very strong Air Aspect and could track a man for miles merely by listening for the sound of his breath disturbing the natural currents of the air. Riding beside him were several of his officers and Roach.

"Winglord." I saluted instinctively and then clenched my fists, vowing that I would not draw my blade. I already carried the weight of my brother's death. I was not about to fight the honorable commander I'd served under for so many years.

"Where have you been?" Mnemon demanded.

I blinked in surprise. He didn't know?

"Your Roach told me he last saw you chasing off a pack of fae. Damn fool thing to do on your own. I should reprimand you for being so reckless." Mnemon Rai informed me, though his tone said that he wouldn't. "But right now I'm rather glad you're alive."

I stared in disbelief at Roach. He'd lied? Why?

"Someone get this man a horse!" Mnemon Rai ordered.

When we made it back to camp, our scouts reported that they had found the fae. There were thousands of them gathering, enough to take out a whole Legion... and they were moving slowly in the direction of Nexus, the only city in Creation that did not have its own standing army. Old Thunderstormer confessed that he could not remember a time when the fae had been so bold.

Roach and I rode along the crest of a small hill, taking a good long look at our enemy. So far, there was no sign of their leaders, but I had a sneaking suspicion that my old enemy "The Duchess" would soon make an appearance. Our soldiers were already in the field below us, prepared but vastly outnumbered. My brand-new Talon was already forty men short, and Mnemon Rai was missing nearly the same number. Out of Sesus Calil's soldiers, more than half were still unaccounted for, although some had escaped the massacre that had cost their commander his eyes and his life.

We only had four implosion bows still functioning and no other artillery. Worse still, all of our wounded were camped less than a mile away. There was no way we could retreat without abandoning them. Though I normally didn't put much stock in prayers, I ordered every would-be monk and petty thamaturge I could find to start giving out blessings.

"That's a lot of fae!" Roach whistled. "I don't suppose you could chase off a few hundred of em', eh Boss?" He gave me a conspiratorial wink.

"I've meant to ask you, Roach. Why didn't you…" For the life of me, I couldn't form the question that I wanted to ask.

"Turn you in?" He laughed slightly. "Look, I know you really believe that Perfected Hierarchy stuff, but don't you remember where you found me?"

I nodded, still uncomfortable with the memory. I'd never liked hunting down peasants, regardless of whether they were refusing to pay taxes, worshipping demons, or harboring fugitives.

"My mother wasn't a whore, Loren. She was a priestess." Roach paused. "Not Illuminated, but... a believer. And maybe I've been with the Winds sixteen years, but you know I'm stubborn. No one ever beat all the heresy out of me!"

I considered what he had said and slowly began to understand. There were heretics throughout the Realm, but the tribe that Roach had been born into, the Murqai, were zealous and very often violent. They claimed that their God was greater than all of the Dragons combined, wise, compassionate, and absolutely invincible in battle.

The name that they gave him was Shamas Majeed.

The Unconquered Sun.

"Look, it's not what you think!" I argued. Though I was glad that Roach was still my friend, I didn't want him believing that I was some kind of deity.

"Oh, it is exactly what I think!" Roach replied. He put his hands together, and cracked his knuckles.

"Roach!" I protested. "Please, don't say anything! Someone will here you!"

"So? Everyone's already suspicious! You turned a lot of heads back in the Imperial City when you were just kicking Kes Lidaal's ass at Gateway and wiping the floor with those boys at Paisap's Stair! But out here, in the field…" He whistled. "You're going to have to quit the army."

"I can't!" I protested.

"Damnit, Boss!" Roach rolled his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be saving the world?"

I smiled slightly despite myself. Of course, my reaction told Roach what he already knew... that he was right.

The two of us stared out over the hordes of fae.

"You know, Old Thunderstormer's been praying to the Dragons since you went missing." Roach continued. "And I do hope they're watching over us right now." He elbowed me with a mischievous wink. "But personally, I feel better knowing that we've got a Sword of Heaven on our side!"

That sobriquet was very difficult to ignore. Of course, what Roach did next was worse. "Shamas Majeed nasr al din!" He put his fist in the air, giving a very authentic, unbelievably shrill Murqai war cry. Some of our men heard him and immediately came running to see what the commotion was.

I was absolutely mortified. "Roach!" I hissed. "What was that for? In one breath you're praising the Dragons and in the next you're spouting… all kinds of heresy! Which side are you on?"

"The same side we're all on." Roach replied smugly. "The side of Creation."

"The side of Creation." I echoed. I'd never thought of it that way before.

Roach gave me another critical look. "Did you just call me a heretic? I'll own that, but you're not a believer? How are you not a believer?"

"Just stop it! You're going to cause a panic!" I scolded him. It would have taken far too long to explain that I knew almost nothing about the God of the Sun, apart from the fact that he'd made me what I was. When I'd tried to speak to him in the past, the words had never sounded right.

"Trouble, Talonlord?" The first soldier to reach us asked.

"Not yet." I replied.

"Uhoh." Roach squinted at the horizon line. "Looks like you spoke too soon, Boss."

My gaze drifted in the direction that he was pointing, and Roach produced his spyglass.

"We've got company." He observed.

Another army had come within sight, about a thousand strong. Marching near the front were a number of Lunars, at least six that I could identify. Two seemed to be the leaders. The first was a huge lion covered in scars and the second was an equally large and intimidating wolf. I knew that the wolf was Amira. Her "stupid stick" had extended to the length of a pike and had a piece of white cloth attached to it.

That was when Mnemon Rai arrived.

"What's the trouble?" He demanded. "Yarati tells me we're being attacked by Murqai."

"I haven't seen any Murqai, Winglord. But you should probably take a look at this." I passed him Roach's spyglass. He scanned the horizon very quickly and then caught what I was pointing at.

"Anathema?" Mnemon Rai cursed. "Dragons, this day can't get any worse!"

"That's a white flag, sir." I pointed to Amira. "They don't want to fight us."

"Cathak, are you actually suggesting we negotiate with the demons?" Mnemon Rai scoffed. "I'd rather deal with the fae!"

"Should we signal the fae then, sir? See how they respond?" My response was a little colder than it should have been and Old Thunderstormer seemed surprised to hear me mocking him. I couldn't help myself. I didn't want anything to do with the fae, and while my feelings on other "Anathema" were still somewhat mixed, I knew that Amira would never harm me or anyone I cared about. "There are enough monsters down there to take out a legion!" I reminded him.

"With all due respect, Winglord… the Boss has got a point." Roach interrupted. "The demons want to talk. Maybe you ought to hear them out."

"Very well. Signal them." He ordered Roach. "Cathak, you're with me."

In a surprisingly short time, a meeting was arranged. Mnemon Rai and I rode down into the eastern portion of the valley, as far as possible from the fae. Amira and her companion came to meet us. The Lunars towered over our horses.

It took every ounce of willpower I possessed for me not to stare at Amira as she resumed her human form. She looked exactly as she had more than a thousand years ago, wearing a circlet set with moonstones and a suit of exceptionally fine silver armor… or at least I suspected it was armor, even though it didn't cover enough of her body to be considered such. With the mark on her brow flickering, she was both beautiful and terrifying.

"Well now. You Anathema are certainly bold, expecting mercy from the Ravenous Winds." Mnemon Rai paused.

"Your name and reputation is known to us, Dragonblood." Amira smiled slightly. It was not a nice smile. "I am Amira Heartsblood, and this is Kahn Silvermane. We represent the Sun-King Seneschals."

"Hm. I've heard of you as well, Heartsblood… not much good, I'm afraid. I must confess that have my doubts as to your sincerity of purpose. Now why did you signal?" Mnemon Rai demanded.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, it is said." Silvermane replied. As I expected, his voice was very deep and he spoke with an accent that made me suspect he was more comfortable conversing in Old Realm. "We know that you intend to fight the fae. Furthermore, our spies tell us that you cannot retreat without leaving behind your wounded. And so we have decided to stand with you in exchange for one of your men."

"You want me." I interrupted.

Amira and Silvermane both nodded gravely.

"What?" Mnemon Rai stared at me in disbelief. "Why?"

"We are at war." Silvermane replied. "And this man is the greatest warrior ever to have lived."

Mnemon Rai stared at Silvermane, an incredulous expression on his face. The old Lunar did not even blink. Apparently he believed exactly what he had said.

"Well, he's got talent, I won't deny that!" Mnemon Rai sighed. "But you monsters probably intend to eat him!" He sneered. "And I for one would rather fight and die with honor than sacrifice a good man to a pack of demons!"

"We're not demons!" Amira snarled. "We are the Stewards of Creation and those fae are a threat to everything we've sworn to defend! Now do you want us to help you kill them all, or should we wait until most of your men are dead to finish them off?"

I could tell that Mnemon Rai was hesitating.

"Sir?" I whispered. "If all they want is me, you shouldn't refuse."

"Very well, demons. You have yourself a deal." Mnemon Rai replied. "But mark my words… if I discover you've murdered the best first officer I've ever had, I will hunt you down to the ends of Creation!"

Hesitantly, the Winglord reached out for Silvermane's enormous paw. They shook, and then Mnemon Rai turned to Amira, who only bowed slightly in his direction. It was clearly meant to be patronizing. She didn't take her eyes off of him as she should have if she intended to be polite. Then again, with what I remembered of the First Age, I wasn't entirely surprised to discover that the two old Lunars did not think any Dragonblood could be worthy of their respect.

I still believed that there were good Dragonbloods. Neither my father nor Mnemon Rai had been alive in the last days of the Deliberative, and if they had been, I believed that they would not have acted as the others had.

Silvermane approached me. He cupped both of his paws around my hand. It was clear from the way that he stood that he would have preferred to be on one knee. "It is an honor to fight with you again." He whispered, bowing his head slightly.

"Morning, lover." Amira winked. I tried not to react badly and glanced over my shoulder to see if the Winglord was watching me. He seemed preoccupied with his horse. The animal clearly didn't like being so close to Silvermane and was pulling very hard on its bit. I sighed in relief. Amira was doing her damnedest to break me, and I was not going to give her the satisfaction.

"Amira, last night how did you..." I began. What I meant to ask was how she had repaired my sword and my armor, but I didn't get the chance.

"What's the matter? Afraid you were dreaming?" Amira teased, putting one finger to my lips.

It was very difficult to resist kissing her, but I knew I was being watched.

"Cathak?" Mnemon Rai interrupted. "Are you ready?"

I immediately composed myself.

"Oh, and one more thing, "Thunderstormer"!" Silvermane warned. "My warriors will aid you, but they will not obey you, Dragonblood! So leave your notions of 'superiority' up there on your little hill!"

Mnemon Rai twitched slightly and seemed ready to defend himself, probably by calling Silvermane a demon or something equally offensive. Before I considered what I was doing, I positioned myself between the two of them.

"No! Don't respond to that!" I ordered Mnemon Rai. "And you, do not goad him!" I ordered Silvermane. He blinked in surprise and then bowed, mumbling an apology. Mnemon Rai eyed me suspiciously.

I took a deep breath. "Even together, we are outnumbered! If we want to be rid of those fae, we must not fight amongst ourselves! We either act as one or not at all!"

"I agree!" Amira chimed in. She seemed very pleased that I was taking charge. And as I watched Silvermane and Mnemon Rai both still glaring at each other… I began to suspect that I was in the middle of a very elaborate set-up.

The Winglord paused for a moment. He was a smart man, and while his pride would not allow him to bow his head before an Anathema, he knew he would have to make some sort of concession. He turned to me. "Cathak, I will confess, I would like to know what business you have with these demons. But you're right, this isn't the time or the place for bickering. If we fail here, those fae army will continue marching towards Nexus and very many innocent people will die. We cannot allow that to happen."

Silvermane nodded in agreement.

"And while I don't trust you Anathema, and you don't trust me… we do seem to have one thing in common." Mnemon Rai continued, his eyes drifting towards me again. "Would you follow Loren?" He asked Silvermane.

"Yes." The old Lunar replied without hesitation.

"So would I." Mnemon Rai smiled slightly. "Cathak… take good care of my Winds, will you? They're yours."

Silvermane and Amira both bowed dramatically, a clear gesture of concession. Their army began to cheer as if the battle were already won. Mnemon Rai gave the signal and a flag immediately went up on our side to show that we had an accord. I stared at the Winglord in disbelief and caught his blue cloak as he let it drop into my hands.

I was in command.

Riding back to our lines, I was shocked by how many eyes were upon me.

There were men and women, Dragonbloods, beastmen, and even phenomenally powerful Lunars all awaiting my orders. Such an army had not been seen in over a thousand years!

I considered the field. We were still outnumbered, and I would not underestimate the fae, but... there had to be a way!

That was when the perfect plan occurred to me. I smiled slightly.

"You seem confident, Cathak." Mnemon Rai observed. "You don't have a problem fighting alongside demons?"

"I'll fight with anyone who wants to kill fair folk. Those beasts are worse than any Anathema. I believe you said that yourself, Winglord." I replied. "It's obvious that Silvermane and Heartsblood have as much invested in this as we do. Today, we're all on the side of Creation."

"Heh." Mnemon Rai observed with a wry smile. "You've changed quite a bit these past ten years."

"I suppose I have gotten soft." I replied, trying to underplay everything as much as I could. "But that's because I've been doing your paperwork, remember?"

"No, no!" Mnemon Rai shook his head. "I didn't mean to insult! It's just that I can't believe you've been away from the front lines for more than a month, let alone a decade! You have a very beautiful gift." He paused. "People want to follow you. I'm not even going to ask how you got those Anathema on your side." He paused. "Generally speaking, I don't believe that The Dragons make mistakes. But you remind me so much of your father."

"I think that's the very best complement anyone has ever given me." I smiled slightly. "Whatever may happen out there… it's been a privilege to serve with you, sir." I felt compelled to say some parting words, since I knew that very soon Old Thunderstormer would no longer have to guess what sort of relationship I had with our new allies. Maybe I'd cracked the legendary demon hunter's armor? I didn't expect that we would remain friends, but it seemed possible that I'd planted a seed of doubt somewhere in his heart… and that over time, perhaps he would begin to see Creation as Roach did, as a place not meant to be so harshly divided. Mnemon Rai already believed that some mortals could be as good or better than the Dragonblooded. Would it be such a stretch for him to admit not all "Anathema" were evil?

"Ah." Mnemon Rai observed. "You have a plan?"

I did. The strategy I proposed was simple and elegant. I positioned the Lunars and myself in the center and divided the rest of our forces in two parts. They would drive up the flanks as the fae would be compelled to direct the bulk of their strength against the portion of our line which appeared strongest. And once they came down the center, we would collapse and let them pass through us… just as our soldiers crushed them from behind.

"Like a crab's claw." I explained. "A pincher."

"But how can you be certain the fae will come after you?" Mnemon Rai asked.

I pointed to a single white figure inspecting a large number of goblin footsoldiers. "That one is called "The Duchess". I've taken out a few of her fiends." I laughed.

"I see. You're turning into quite the Faeslayer, aren't you?" Mnemon Rai observed.

Both Amira and Silvermane grinned very broadly at the sound of that name. Of course, they both knew that "Faeslayer" had been Alexander's nickname. Mnemon Rai gave me an odd look.

"Are we ready?" I asked.

"We are indeed!" Silvermane nodded.

"Time for revenge, Winds!" Mnemon Rai shouted, drawing his sword.

"Should we do it the way we used to?" Amira smirked, nudging me.

"Of course." I nodded, knowing precisely what she intended. Together, we walked to the very best vantage point where no one could possibly miss us.

"You crossed the line!" Amira shouted. The fae could not have missed her words. Her voice was as loud as an artillery blast. That was when I realized that her white flag of truce was not actually white. Though it was extremely faded, it bore the unmistakable heraldry of the Deliberative, a radiant golden sun made from the symbols of the five Solar Castes.

"What's this business?" Mnemon Rai demanded.

"Crossed the line! Crossed the line!" Silvermane, the other Lunars, and their beastman allies picked up the chante. The fae reacted spectacularly. Those who realized what was happening literally froze in their tracks.

"Whatever it is, the fae sure don't like it." A soldier remarked, watching the army on the horizon.

"Good." Mnemon Rai smiled slightly. "Carry on, Cathak."

I wasn't actually waiting for his permission, but I still nodded cordially in his direction.

"Send them back!" Amira shouted, raising her stick.

"Send them back! Send them back!" The Winds picked up the chant.

A burst of fire shot over our heads. The fae had come in range of Mnemon Rai's implosion bows. The battle had begun. I felt the thundering charge rolling down the hillside in my bones. Amira shifted into the form of a wolf, as tall at the shoulder as my horse. Our eyes met.

"And if they don't go back?" I smiled slightly.

"Kill the faeries!" Amira roared. The Lunars threw their fists and weapons into the air.

As I'd anticipated, the Duchess brought the bulk of her forces charging after me. The fighting was especially fierce, but Amira kept the fae off of my back. As the two of us tore through the heart of their army, I struck with every technique that I had mastered in all my years of training.

When I lost my horse, I leapt into the air. I wasn't flying, I was jumping, but that didn't change what it looked like I'd just done. I saw more than a few familiar faces staring up at me in awe. The faint flicker of light that had been steadily growing around me burst into a roaring golden bonfire. I flew as if I had phoenix wings and landed with a force that shook the earth directly in front of the Duchess.

I was revealed. There was no more going back, no more hiding! And the more I considered that, the more I realized that I had no desire to undo what I had just done. It was time for me to leave my old life behind. As Roach had guessed… I had plans.

Disorder overcame the fae. The center of our forces collapsed perfectly as the flanking legions routed them from behind. The fae would come to learn that there was a price to be paid for despoiling Creation! The Duchess heard me approaching and whirled around, snaring the blade of my sword with a whip of her silk and snapping it cleanly in half.

"Loren!" Amira shouted.

Something whizzed through the air. I jumped into the air again and caught my daiklave as Amira hurled at me. And the instant I touched upon that weapon, I remembered!

I knew who had given it to me… and why.

The war against the Primordials had finally ended and the Incarnae were firmly established as the rulers of Heaven. There were not many of us Solar Exalted still remaining after the last battle, only seven out of the three-hundred that had been forged in the beginning of time. And as the greatest of the Gods prepared to depart the world and begin his new work… he gave each of us a gift.

"Creation is yours now." The Unconquered Sun said as he placed the daiklave in my hands."Take good care of it."

As I drew more Essence for my next attack, the light flaring around me before exploded outwards in all directions. I'd never felt anything so profoundly liberating!

I brought my daiklave down with all the strength I possessed, a sea of white-gold phantasmal soldiers formed of Essence charging all around me, burning through the fae as if they were nothing more than feeble scraps of paper blown on the wind. The Duchess collapsed with a sickening crunch, all of her spidery limbs rolling around her seared corpse until there was nothing left of her but a dark smear on the ground and the stench of decay.

That was when the fae began to flee. "The Faeslayer! The Faeslayer has returned!" They cried. Whatever sense of solidarity had united them against us… it was gone at that instant. Shrieking in terror, the goblins clawed and scrambled over one another in an attempt to reach the trees.

A single figure dressed in scarlet robes caught my eye, and as she vanished into nothingness, leaving the rest to be cut down… I knew that I had finally seen the real mastermind behind the attacks. Though I was too late to stop her from escaping, I committed her appearance to memory, anticipating that we would crossed paths again.

Surrounded by a pillar of light that reached up to the very heavens, I followed Amira to where Silvermane and Mnemon Rai were waiting on a bluff overlooking the valley. I already knew that there were sure to be many dead and wounded, but this time I could not blame myself for not trying to save them all. I was glad to see that Roach had made it through the fight as well, even if he would have a new scar on his face to add to his collection. Silvermane nodded politely in my direction, the gesture of one old soldier to another. Lunars have a great appreciation for martial skill and it was clear that my performance had lived up to his expectations.

Mnemon Rai could not look at me. He shielded his eyes but he said nothing at all. It was just as well. I'd served with the man long enough that I could tell what he was thinking. He knew that he should hate me, but he could not find the strength to do so. And since he was an honorable man… he would give me the moment I needed to run before ordering his soldiers to hunt me down.

I said nothing, effortlessly slung my daiklave over my shoulder, and began to walk away. After a few moments, Amira bounded after me.

"Where are you going?" She demanded, resuming her usual form. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"No. I'm going to try following the sun for awhile. You could come with me?" I suggested.

"I'd follow you even if you forbade me to! But maybe we ought to head West from here. Word of this is bound to spread. Pretty soon you'll be dodging every two-bit Immaculate who wants to bag himself Cathak Loren "The Great Faeslayer"."

"I probably should stop using my name or we'll have House Cathak after us too." I admitted. "Besides, Loren "The Great" doesn't really have a ring to it."

The sound of a horse galloping up behind me caused me to turn. It was Roach, pursued by no less than half of the Winglord's remaining men.

"Boss, wait!" He shouted. "Wait for me!"

"Roach? What did he do?" Amira stared in disbelief.

"Well, if I know Roach, he probably just told Mnemon Rai that he knew what was going on all along!" I laughed slightly. "Looks like we'd better start running now. We're going to be doing a lot of that sort of thing, aren't we?"

"Honestly, Alexander… would you have it any other way?" Amira winked.

"You just called me Alexander." I informed her.

"You said you needed a new name!" She reminded me.

"But Alexander?" I protested.

"Alexander The Great." She clarified. "Now that has ring to it, don't you think?"