They rode hard for five days. During the day they pushed the horses as far as they could go, and at night they set up camp anywhere they found themselves between cities.They left Arslagh six hundred priests strong under the command of two reverends, who reported to Bratvi. Once outside the capital, they quickly met up with another reverend with command over three hundred priests. Before nightfall, they came upon the city of Hovgrad, a simple city of the realm with no significant repute. Sethlzaar had come upon the city during his travels with Valerik, and like his travel, they di

Six days into their march they were going three thousand six hundred priests strong, and at most, seven one-thousand-man generals. At over ten thousand men strong—priest horses ridden by white cassocks leading war horses ridden by black armor—they were a sight to behold, and a force primed for battle.Then they began doing what Sethlzaar considered the unreasonable.

Nixarv studied Sethlzaar with the scrutiny of a confused man. It was almost as though the man refused to believe his eyes. It should’ve been strange but Sethlzaar found it mildly irksome.“How?” Nixarv asked, his eyes fixed on Sethlzaar’s torso.Sethlzaar shrugged. The how did not matter, what mattered was if the man had a solution to his problem. H

The sun’s decline from its apex found them arraigned a distance away from the ruined walls, infantry and cavalry alike.Somewhere before the front lines of their group’s arrangement Vagris addressed them. His words were majestic and designed to strike hope and the glory of battle into the hearts of the men, at least Sethlzaar thought so. The Reverend’s words were lost to him, however. Their glorious order fading away somewhere after the eight row, demanded that only the soldiers of the realm and the first line of priests on horseback heard them. It didn’t m

The carnage of Cenam’s battle against Berlak seemed to stand out over the war that raged around them as Sethlzaar fought off his two opponents. At intervals, priests and kingblades stepped in to aid him but none of the Merdendi ever interfered. It was like when he’d saved Saelin all over again. The priests and kingblades hadn’t lasted long. While he had outlived two of the three men who’d stepped up to help him, the third man had simply thought his chances better if he faced a more susceptible foe. Still, it had helped him in a way as he evaded a slash on tired feet from the first unsouled who was now one armed thanks to an opportunity he hadn’t missed. And yet, having one arm did nothing to slow it down.