From the ramparts of the fortress, Elyas Roverik watched the fires burning in the enemy's camp. There were too many of them.

Six hundred men against his three hundred were not good odds. The Kolrik were patient enough for a siege. The last two months proved that. They had waited and waited, knowing that Elyas did not have enough supplies for eternity. Soon enough, he would be forced to attack. His men had not eaten anything that day, and they would be weakened sooner than later. He had to act quickly.

Attacking the camp would do him no good. He had to draw the Kolriks from their camp and make a stand somewhere on high ground, where his army would have a chance. It would not be easy, but a plan was already forming in Elyas' head. He had to draw Devon Kolrik from his camp, and the man was known for being too proud.

Turning his back from the army, Elyas looked at his own men. He cursed himself for choosing a side so quickly. He should have left his fortress before an army would have had a chance or a reason to surround them. If only he had caught that spy faster.

They could leave by the main entrance, and that only because of the fog. In Stonewick, fog was normal at that time of the year. He could use it in his favour.

" What shall we do, Lord?" One of his warriors asked as he saw Elyas coming down.

" We won't starve. We attack as soon as the fog clears, but we leave in a couple of hours. Rest, no army shall try to attack us inside Brumstone."

The fortress was impossible to conquer. Situated on a cliff, Brumstone had two entrances, the main one and the one near the beach. It would be impossible to attack from the sea as they would notice any army coming from there. A small group could do it, but the gate was closed and guarded by two men who would sound the alarm as soon as they saw an enemy's ship approaching.

He gathered his most trusted men and told them his plan. They would only have a chance to do it. If they failed, they would lose.

In the last three years, the King had lost his mind. Two Noble Houses had been annihilated, accused of treason, although there was no evidence. The elders, women, and children whose lives had been taken were innocent of the crimes the King had imagined. Most of the nobles saw that as a good enough reason to raise against the King. Only two Houses still stood with him. The Royal House of Varrion and the Kolriks. Plus, five thousand men from Felloria, as the Emperor had to send men to his brother-in-law. Still, seven Houses had risen against the King.

Hours later, after he managed to rest for a while, Elyas led his men outside the fortress and on high ground. He had made sure they closed the gates as he had no wish to lose his fortress. A messenger had been sent to trick Devon to attack.

The first men came quickly. A hundred, more or less, if Elyas was correct. Devon would not waste his men. He was going to make the battle as easy as he could for himself. It was not surprising.

The blue sky full of dark clouds was a witness to the approaching battle. The sunless sky was a bad omen for Elyas' people, a sign things would go very bad.

As soon as the battle began, Elyas focused only on his opponents. There were no heroic acts in battle, no time for such a thing. A war was ugly. The heroes from tales had no place there. All that mattered was to survive. There was no time to look around and see who was left and who had been taken. Mourning was something to be done when the war was over.

Storms of arrows came and Elyas' men fell fast. He could only thank the gods when the silvered end of the arrows missed him. The enemies were banging and bashing at their lines, and Elyas' men were losing ground. Nonetheless, they kept fighting. It wasn't about kings and crowns anymore, but about their own lives. They were not fighting for a king, but for their own survival.

Elyas could smell the blood and the fire coming from Devon's camp. He could hear the screams from dying men and even some words that he failed to catch. The wind whipped at his face, making it hard to focus on the fight.

His sword scythed through air, and Elyas lost count of the ones he killed. Every time he thought it was over, more men came. He was starting to believe that they would never end when he saw even more coming towards the battlefield. He had no chance to look at their banners, and he did not allow himself to hope for reinforcements. He did not look back either. He would learn who had died later.

In a matter of time, maybe minutes or even hours, Elyas' remaining forces were left facing another army. They had the rose of House Veroln. They were allies.

" We thought we could come and give a helping hand," a man said from a horse. " It would seem you have no need of that."

He was Anvar Veroln. Of that, Elyas was sure. He recalled what he had heard about the Lord. His sister had been in one of the Houses that no longer existed, married to Lord Leorrn. Veroln had all the reasons to hate the king.

" We managed," Elyas told him. " But any kind of help is welcomed."

" Your men will be in need of a healer," Veroln said, looking around the battlefield. " We have taken Devon Kolrik as a prisoner. Let us rest in your fortress, and then we shall see what is to be done."

While Elyas does not trust Veroln, he knows better than to refuse him. Insulting a man with an entire army was never a good idea. He could only hope Veroln had not been persuaded by the King's gold. 

Before heading towards the fortress, Elyas checked how many of his men were still alive. A hundred and twenty, more than fifty being wounded, and twenty's wounds were grave. More than half had been killed.

Elyas himself had been wounded. A sword had cut in his shoulder, and a healer had bandaged him as much as it had been possible. His wound would not kill him. There were others who needed a healer more than he did.

As soon as they entered Elyas' office, Veroln told him his plan. The room was small with an office, a fireplace, and a small library.

" We should march as soon as possible to the capital. Darin Varrion will attack as soon as he has our support."

It was strange to hear that name. Until only a few months before, Darin Ellois was his name. The only bastard of King Sylas. His legitimate children were too young to be crown, and Elyas wondered what Darin would do to them. He would not kill his half-siblings nor his father's wife. That would only anger the Emperor, and it was no secret the Ollorians held grudges for as long as they wanted. An attack from Felloria was not something they needed.

" How many men will you take?"

" I shall wait and see who can still fight."

" A good choice. We have no need of men who would die on the road."

Elyas would also have to leave some in Brumstone. He would let his sister in charge until he returned. She would know what to do.

" How are things in the capital?" He asked Veroln. He had to have gotten messages from the others.

" Intresting. The Emperor called more than half of his troops back, claiming he needed them at his borders. If we are to believe the rumours, the rest are not to interfere during the battle and only to smuggle the Queen and the two heirs."

" How does the King feel about that?"

" Sylas is furios, and Darin is pleased by the news."

" Not surprising."

Darin didn't truly need Elyas' men. He had more than enough. But Elyas knew he had to go. He needed to show support to the new King and make sure he is seen as an ally. He had no doubt Darin was capable of killing nobles simply because he believed them to be against him.

" Soon enough, Sylas shall meet his end. He should have known better than to turn against his own nobles. Darin has no doubt the Emperor will not interfere if things go as planned."

" And what is this plan?"

Darin was no fool. The Emperor didn't marry his sister to Sylas only because he thought it was a good match. No. The Emperor wanted his blood on the throne. He wanted Felloria and Ashinora to be ruled by his descendants. If Darin was smart, he would make another alliance with Felloria.

" The children will be sent into exile while the mother will remain here. She will be our hostage. It's no secret that the Emperor loves his sister. He would not do anything that could harm her."

Elyas remembers the rumours for two years ago, when King Sylas was found with another woman. If those rumours were true, the Emperor sent him a long letter, and the King's leman was gone in less than a week. Where, no one knew. Still, some claimed the poor woman was dead. All because the Emperor sent a letter.

" Darin could marry her," Veroln added. " She is even younger than him. He could marry her and would still have an alliance. Or he could marry her to one of his advisors."

Was that what Veroln wanted? It was no secret that the man was Darin's closest advisor. Quite often, Elyas wondered if Darin's plans were not Veroln's. If he was married to the Emperor's sister, then he could gain his support and later put Sylas' son on the throne. Until the boy was old enough, Veroln could become regent. What could he have in mind?

Elyas stifled a sigh. He had no interest in getting involved in politics. Let Darin and Veroln do that. As soon as it was all over, Elyas would return home.