Fate of an Empire (Talurian Empire Trilogy Book 1) Read Online Free

will
be back soon. What is it that you’re having trouble with?”
    “Umm…everything?
Give me something to work with. You have dropped us into an entirely new
environment.”
    “Right, you
have no education on any of this…” Orin tapped his chin. “Where to start…Our
vision led us to a massive island continent in the far north of the Artomas
Sea. Do you know this body of water?”
    Valen rolled
his eyes. “We live on the Artomas coast.”
    “Good! I am
glad some of my lessons have stuck.” Orin winked.
    “It is home to
many people groups and varying cultures. Over the centuries, the inhabitants
congregated into five main tribes.”
    Orin pulled a
map from his satchel and started to outline rough boundaries. “Starting from
the north and moving south, in a not-so-straight line, I might add, the tribes
were Merkadia, Chargon, Targa, Kilgar, and Taluria. A sixth principal tribe,
the Harmites, had existed along this river at one point. The Talurians
conquered them hundreds of years before the moment we are viewing now.
    “They were
forced into slavery and, due to their similar appearance with the olive-skinned,
black-haired Talurians, were given a branding on their wrists and neck at
birth. This was to keep the people groups separate.”
    Valen shook
his head. “That is horrible. We ‘war-about’ as much as the next nation, but I
haven’t come across any race that has enslaved an entire people group.”
    “That is
because we are not the same. We are incapable of understanding such atrocities
outside our set of ethics and morals.” Master Orin clasped his hands in his lap
and watched his student’s face—confusion, sadness, and anger were plainly visible.
    That is a
lesson for its own day.
    He continued
on, attempting to change the mood.
    “Now,
Tymedious, the newly ascended Emperor of the Talurian people, waged war on the
other tribes of the island. He was young and determined. Using General Saris
and his elite army of soldiers, he had started a war that would not soon be
over.”
    “How could
they expect to defeat an entire island of people?”
    “Ah!” Orin’s
eyes brightened. He pulled out a handful of drawings, displaying various
swords, shields, and mobile siege weapons. “The Talurian tribe had the
strongest army at the time. They took full advantage of their civilization’s
advanced blacksmithing and metallurgy techniques. Their swords and shields were
more reliable. Their platemail armor was thick and maneuverable, and their
engineers built armored wagons and war machines that could level cities.”
    Sliding
another rendering forward, he pointed to a primitive looking shortsword. “This
is a Merkadian blade. They were the only other tribe to use metal in their
weaponry, but nowhere near the artisanship of the Talurians. The other, smaller
tribes were even less developed, still using sharpened stone and hardened wood.
    “The battle
that we just observed through Rurik was the Talurian army moving north, to the
heart of the Kilgarian tribe. With the destruction of Kilgar’s longest-standing
border fortress, Saris achieved a pointed victory in the region. While managing
to kill a large part of the tribe’s warriors, he also crippled his enemy’s
influence in the area.”
    Orin leaned
forward and lowered his voice. “Although…considering Thandril’s news, the
tyrant Emperor’s army could soon be outnumbered. However, a mixture of
arrogance and command of the fiercest, most well-equipped army that land had
ever seen emboldened Saris to believe he could still conquer the continent.”
    Valen jumped
up. “You sound to be on their side! Do you hold value in their victory?”
    Orin’s eyes
narrowed on the young man. “You hold your tongue, boy. I am only telling you
the historical steps of the struggle that we witness here today. The evilness
that grew from that time in Ethindriil’s history will plague our world for more
generations than either of us will see.”
    The rebuke
dropped the