Dorma Spear-Lord's 'council chambers' were Lord Darwoden's previous rooms. Heavily-raided apart from a grotesquely stained painting of the late Lady Darwoden, the room had a desolate atmosphere. Gilded doors and ceilings didn't mask the slashed curtains or the bloodstained wood floor. The chamber consisted of only a filthy straw mattress in the corner, several half empty kegs scattered on the floor, a scarred wooden table crackly with splinters and a small gold side table laden with chalices. The side table's presence felt obscure, out of place, a fragment of the room's previous beauty carelessly left behind.

Four chairs surrounded the scarred table, all of them occupied by Cranaks. Dorma lounged at the head of the table, his tattered boots resting on the top. He was holding a sapphire-studded goblet fill to the brim with Darwoden's finest cider, it was his seventh cup but it took a lot to get an Cranak drunk and Dorma was swilling it for the taste. Dasken sat, relaxed and calm next to him.

"So, vere next?" Asked the Cranak opposite Dasken. Heavily built and commonly feared Zaduh was a foreigner to Rawthawn and a Rakon not a Raiset. He had heard of Dorma from his home in Lacrazniah and promptly gathered his tribe, stole a dozen ships and sailed there, bringing five hundred muscled Rakon with him. Dorma waved his hand nonchalantly at Dasken, Dasken brought out a creased map which had been tied to his belt, undoing the grubby drawstring he spread it out across the table. Zaduh and the other Cranak, Maknir leaned over to view it. Dasken whistled at a guard at the door. The Raiset approached and handed Dasken a rough, leather bag. Dasken dug his hand in and brought out a Curved dagger, he stuck it in Darwood before grabbing more and sticking them in the places where Dorma had conquered. "Garion bloody Duncaster has called his vermin back to the nest, we can take advantage of it." Dorma said before gulping down a mouthful of cider.

"See, Baronport has been one of the first to answer the call." Dasken intervened "Thus, their defences will bridge on a thousand or so, providing the locals from the town help. We'll be able to squash them easily but there's a better target." Dasken pointed his finger at the map "Haorstun. But that's what they're expecting, so most likely they have Lord Waven's army and Lord Sondor's army waiting ready to pincer us. So, we'll take Baronport. And I had an idea that would really turn a few heads." Dasken smiled evilly "We recently robbed a cart train bringing supplies to Crawntun, namely armour and sigils. We're gonna dress our army up in Crawntun armour so to any runaways that might escape can tell the Warden one of his own little Graudekhs has gone bad."

"A rumour like that wouldn't last long." Maknir snorted in a thick, guttural tone

"We don't believe for a second that it will, but small seeds become large fields and a flicker of doubt could start a fire." Dasken said.

"Some stupid words aren't going to conquer anything, when do we leave?" Maknir asked. An expression of polite surprise appeared on Dasken's face "You don't leave." he answered

"What do you mean? What other karkapri is going to do it? Show him to me and I'll rip off his head and eat his honungkiraaplohn!" Maknir steamed, his ruddy orange face growing red. "Oh, you mean to Baronport?" Dasken laughed.

"Well what did you bloody mean?" Maknir demanded through clenched teeth, his fist tightening under the table. Dasken chose to ignore the danger signs and laughed again,

"Well, I meant that you won't be leaving this room." Dasken explained as if to a child. A vein throbbed in Maknir's scarred temple as he tried to process Dasken's words. His fist suddenly swung out from under the table aiming for Dasken's face. Dasken reacted with surprising agility, grabbing the fist in mid-air he slammed it on the table with a crunch before whipping out one of the daggers on the map and stabbing it in Maknir's forehead. Dorma barely looked up from his wine as Maknir's body was heaved away by a muscled guard, Zaduh just sat quietly, ever the observer.

Dasken sat back down wiping his gore covered hands across his leather armour, he was smiling. "There is blood on the map." Dorma stated out of the blue, his voice had a dangerous edge. But Dasken just smiled winningly "It is merely an indication of the blood we will spill on Rawthawn." He said while accepting a chalice from Rukh who had been waiting quietly behind him. "Why?" Zaduh asked, his expression blank. Dorma put down his goblet. "He was a hot head, an idiot and a liability. We need his army not his opinions. Now, Dasken will lead this invasion with three and a half thousand. You will take seven hundred and pillage the villages that surround Baronport. I plan on leaving two hundred here to hold the garrison, I will take the other three hundred and move our equipment on a slower pace to Baronport where I will meet you two in a moon's turn. You are dismissed."

Dasken and Zaduh both rose and bowed respectfully at Dorma before leaving. Dasken walked to his tower, flanked by two of his personal guards and followed by Rukh. The guards situated themselves beside Dasken's door as he walked in, Rukh came with him and motioned for the doors to be closed. Dasken ripped a leg off the roasted goat left out on his table before walking to the window. "Did you enjoy that little demonstration Rukh?" Dasken asked suddenly before savagely ripping out a chunk of his goat.

"You had..." Rukh struggled for a word "Great agility, milord." Dasken smiled, amused.

"Do you know why my name is Dasken Tawlek?" Dasken asked, this was a strange question but Rukh knew better than query his master. "Your predecessor named you Dasken and Tawlek is the name that you inherited along with Tawtower." Dasken inspected the leg absentmindedly, "And why is it called Tawtower?"

"The first Cranaks who ruled that land tamed Tawleks and built a tower named after them." Rukh answered, with a questionable tone of voice. "Did they?" Dasken smiled, but made no further conversation. Dasken finished the leg and went to grab himself another, "Killing makes you hungry." He said winking at Rukh. "My ancestors were liars."

"Sir?" Rukh was confused.

"The hill that the tower was built on was indeed teeming with Tawleks but my ancestors killed them, they didn't tame them, though they might have tried. Do you know why my name isn't Dasken Tawkiller and why we weren't renowned for killing them all?"

"No sir."

"Fear." Was his only reply "Would you be afraid of the Raiset that had killed some Tawleks like so many others had before? Or would you tremble at the family that tamed the wildest beasts alive and used them to their own means."

"Those that tamed them, milord."

"Exactly." Dasken finished his second leg, he waved at Rukh to pour him some wine before lowering himself on his chair. "My predecessors were clever, they knew that they could adopt the Tawlek name, the Tawlek as a sigil and birth a belief that would terrify their enemies for generations." He glugged greedily at his wine.

"How do you know?" Rukh found himself asking, Dasken looked up "I mean, how do you know it was a myth?" Rukh stammered presuming he had gone too far.

"I saw the chains in the dungeons, great gigantic things. Sadly, they were extremely brittle, not fireproof and had no room for the ring of spikes around a Tawleks neck. Amateurs." He snorted before gesturing for more wine. "You understand why I'm telling you this?"

"Milord?"

"Fear is a useful tool that if used correctly can cause more damage than any Krakhr, Fawg or army. You think that I could have stopped Maknir's fist?"

"Well, I wouldn't have though it possible but you did."

"Yes, after I had doubled the dosage of wine he received. Do you think Zaduh or any of the ten guards in the room knew that?"

"No, sir."

"Which means they'll spread the tale in the barracks, the camp and anywhere anybody will listen."

"Creating yourself a reputation." Rukh said catching on. Dasken lifted his glass slightly.

"I could have said how I drugged his wine, that would have earnt me a certain respect for being a tactician. But I didn't because that wouldn't benefit me later. Fear is everywhere but you have to master it or it becomes a danger."

"How so? Milord."

"Dorma wouldn't have wanted a filthy schemer working with him, I might have had him poisoned and taken over. I would have to go." Dasken stopped talking, swirling his chalice thoughtfully. A sound of clashing swords made him put it down and stand up. A dreadful clamour was occurring outside the door, there were shots and screams then silence. Dasken nodded at Rukh and slowly drew his Krakhr, a barrage of crashing thuds broke the quiet and the door slammed open.

Five Raisets trooped into the room, spears and krakhrs levelled at Dasken and Rukh. The lead one had blood all over him and in his left hand the head of one of Dasken's guards. He threw it on the floor, it rolled slowly over the marble tiles leaving a crimson smear. "For Maknir." He grunted before running at Dasken swinging his krakhr wildly. Dasken calmly sidestepped and with one fluid moment twisted round and slashed his own krakhr decapitating the bold creature mid-run. The other four looked slightly more nervous as Rukh drew a short sword and stood next to Dasken.

"Oh, for Fraunx sake!" another Cranak who had been waiting behind the door stamped in. "There's only two of them, well one and a half." He guffawed at his joke then went back to screaming "Bloody charge them!" Three of them lowered spears and determinedly advanced on the pair. 'There must be reinforcements coming soon, Dorma didn't authorise this clumsy revenge attack and wouldn't have wanted it either. His Cranaks should be coming to help at some point.' Dasken thought furiously. He kicked over his table and one unwitting assassin imbedded their spear in it. Dasken vaulted over it, stabbing one of the Raisets and slicing the top off the other's spear. Rukh drove his short sword through the third Cranak's shabby armour as he tried to extract his spear from the table. Dasken slashed at the last assassin who was armed with half a spear, rewarding himself with a gruesome diagonal cut through the chest.

One of the two raisets waiting at the doorway charged Dasken's unprotected back but was not relying on Rukh who threw his sword with deadly accuracy. The short, dwarven-forged blade lodged itself in the creature's neck causing him to roll on the ground gurgling. Dasken dug his krakhr in the burbling Cranak's chest, putting him out of his misery. The remaining assassin fled from the door. Rukh made to follow but Dasken threw out his arm to stop him "No point." He said before wiping his bloodied sword on one of the fallen creature's tunics. "Good throw." He remarked as Rukh dug out his short sword from the Raiset's neck. "Thank you, milord." Rukh answered. With a clatter, ten guards charged into the doorway led by Dorma himself. Dorma cracked a smile when he saw the five bodies strewn on the floor. "Thought I came too late." He said

"You almost did." Dasken replied. "Did you catch the one who ran?". Dorma grinned and motioned at one of the guards. They walked over supporting a thoroughly unconscious murderer. He dumped the assassin on the chair. Dasken walked over and with a single swipe cut off the Raiset's ear. The creature let out a shriek, regaining consciousness in a rather unorthodox way. "Why did you attack me?" Dasken spat before slamming the Cranak's bloodied head on the table. "You killed Maknir. Fugruhn." He pointed at the body of the assassin Dasken had beheaded. "He said we should kill you, that we'd git respect and we cu'd own Maknir's army and your army too."

"I see," Dasken nodded sagely before banging his head against the table twice more.

"Did you kill him?" Rukh asked wide-eyed

"No, he's only knocked out for a second time." Dasken answered.

"You think he was lying?" Dorma said

"I know he was lying, someone wants me dead." Dasken replied. Dorma smiled again

"Hundreds of people have been wanting me dead too, what a coincidence." He looked at the unconscious Raiset then back at Dasken "This was just your first assassination attempt, before this is done it won't be your last. I'll send some Cranaks down to get the bodies. This doesn't hinder our plan, you leave at dawn to Baronport." And with that he left, but not before calling out "Get better guards!". Dasken slid his krakhr in its sheaf and looked back out the window.

He quickly drew back in as an arrow whizzed past hitting his wall. "Bastard..." he muttered as he heard Dorma laughing below. "Keeping you on your toes!" He called up. Dasken walked over to the arrow and cracked it under his foot. "Get out." He hissed at Rukh who hurriedly left. Dasken collapsed on his mattress seething, he couldn't wait to get out of Darwood.

Author's note:

Thanks for reading this chapter! Bit more gory than usual. Please vote if you enjoyed it though!