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

the majority of their warriors in one swift
blow. I came here to make an alliance, not surrender my people to a new ruler.”
Chieftain Amhar turned and walked a couple feet away, pausing for a moment.
“But, by already having the other tribes, you put me in an impossible position.
I now cannot look to them for allegiance.”
    The Chieftain
started pacing back and forth and then gradually extended his hand. “Okay,
General Vyker, the Chargon tribe will accept the proposed agreement and join
this grand scheme. We will aid Merkadia.”
    “Excellent.”
Vyker clasped the man’s forearm.
    Amhar nodded
and mounted his horse. “The moment I return to my village; I will send runners
for the King’s orders.”
    “Thank you. Your
immediate focus should be to gather your army and prepare to march. We already have
plans in motion to take care of their General.”
    Amhar grinned,
“With Saris out of the picture, we may stand a chance. He is the only one among
them able to keep that monster of an army under control. His Captains are inept
without his guidance.”
    Vyker returned
Amhar’s grin, “We see it the same way.”
    “Maybe this
war won’t take too long after all.”
    Amhar turned
his small group around and led the riders back into the dense tree line.
    Vyker returned
to his horse and motioned for his company to move out. The wolf waited for the
sound of horses to fade, before venturing out from the underbrush. He took off
running across the open grass and leaped into the air. His body contorted as shimmering,
bright strands of light wrapped around him.
    The wolf lost
its form and became a pliable ball of green energy. The sphere exploded and
collected again, forming into a falcon. He lifted himself out of the clearing
and soared up into the sky.
    Thandril flew
in his bird form, high above the ground, darting in and out of the thick cloud
cover. The other tribes were joining against the Talurian Empire. It was time
to go back to Saris.
    He flew over
vast, open fields, between jagged mountains, and up sheer rock faces. The land
raced by underneath, and the changing climates made evident how far he had
flown over the last few days. The landscape changed from the forests that
surrounded the ice-capped mountains of the Merkadian tribe to the jagged
grasslands of the southern coast he called home.

Chapter
4: War Plans
     
     “We Talurians
are not cowards! Why don’t we march now and cut through the rest of Kilgar?”
said one of the men, anger accentuating the scar below his eye, “We can kill
the remaining forces and make our way to Targa’s border!”
    “Are you
serious? You want to keep going?” started another, “If we don’t do this
carefully we will lose the war. We have significant intelligence that suggests
the entire island taking up arms against us. They’ll slip behind our lines and
cut out our heart.”
    The tent was
filled with men waving their fists, shouting, and cursing at each other. The
officers had caught word of the possible diplomatic meetings amongst the other
tribes.
    “He is right.
Thandril should be back shortly and will no doubt confirm the accuracy of the
rumors. My house will not march,” said a different man, moving toward his
comrade’s side to show support.
    Five tables
were set up inside the tent, all facing inward. This mimicked the way the
central section of the capital city was structured—the trueblood houses. General
Saris sat at the back of the tent, slightly away from the circle, between his
two, regular standing Captains, Arteus and Barolas.
    Saris slammed
his fist on the heavy wooden table, silencing the men. “Commanders, you must
control yourselves! I barely consider you men, at best adolescent boys. Though
from what I’ve seen this week, you’re acting as if fresh off your mother’s
teat. How can we get anything decided with all this childish bickering?”
    Mouths
dropped, shocked at the manner in which Saris had addressed them. Some of the
men had to be pleaded