Duke Johan Willsy slammed his fist down on the large wooden table.
The solidly built oak table shook with the force of the Duke�s wrath. Two
other men were in the room with the enraged noble. Sir Kris Plat, the
Commander of the Duke�s Army and Grand Wizard Formilden the Duke�s most trusted
advisor.
Sir Kris placed a reassuring hand on the Duke�s
shoulder, �Sire, I will assemble our finest legion and we will ride this very
night! Our troops will crush the wretched Ogres and find your daughter!�
The Grand Wizard threw his hand in the air.
�Fools!� He stomped his staff to the ground with an echoing THUMMPP
to emphasize the point. His wild white hair and long bushy white beard
added to the Grand Wizard�s harried look. He took a step towards the
commander and pointed his staff towards him. �The Ogres are invading from
Tirge! Do you think King William and the Tirge Royal Army are going to
sit idly by while a legion of our troops gallivants through their lands?
What you propose constitutes open war with the Tirge! Is that what you
want?�
The commander pushed the tip of the staff away from
him roughly, �Don�t point that thing at me, �Mil. I�m on your side,
remember?� He pushed back his long hair and tightened the pony
tail. �We can�t just sit here and do nothing while Princess Jesyrca is in
the clutches of those Ogres! Besides, our troops may be able to slip into
the hills undetected and they�d be in and out before William and his troops
even knew we were there.�
The Duke stepped over to the wall and grabbed a
Longsword from its display. Taking a step forward and raising it over his head
in his right hand, the Duke let out a war-cry as he slammed the sword, flat
side first, against the oak table with all of his might. The steel blade broke
just a foot above the hilt and the top end of the sword flew into the air and
crashed to the floor near the table. The Duke skillfully flipped the remaining
section of the sword in his hand so it was in a reverse grip, and he buried the
remainder of the broken sword into the seat of his wooden chair. The chair
cracked as the broken sword penetrated up to the hilt.
The Duke looked at the Grand Wizard and then to the
Commander. �No. I will not risk open war. The Tirge have probably prodded the
Ogres into these raids... somehow �to draw us into their lands so they have an
excuse for open war. They have longed for it for ages. The Zirand Council will
not side with us if we move into Tirge land with our troops, regardless of our
reasons. William has us in a pinch and he loves it.� The Duke moved to sit
down, but as he grabbed his chair he saw the sword hilt still in it, and pushed
the chair away with a huff. He grabbed the oak table before him with both hands
and shifted some of his weight to the table as he looked down at the wood-grain
pattern before him. After a few moments he looked up again. �Kris, Mil, what do
you advise that we do?�
Sir Kris stood up a little straighter, �Sire, my men
could ride like the wind. We�d be in and out of Tirge before they had at chance
to react. If we stumbled on any of their units we�d deal with them and leave no
trace. We could have Princess Jesyrca home in a week or so.�
The whole time that Sir Kris spoke, the Grand Wizard
stared out into space as if his attention was a thousand miles away. Finally,
when he spoke, his voice was barely more than a whisper. �In desperate times
like these we need heroes like Dunn�s Talon. This is a new age, my liege, and
it is time that you assemble your Talon.�
Sir Kris looked as if someone had spoken foul of one
of the deities. �But it has been ten generations since one of our leaders
assembled a Talon! You can�t just throw one together! Talons of old were built
and honed over decades, fighting together for many years before they were
worthy of the honor of the title of Talon. You ��
The Duke cut him off in mid sentence. �Mil, you are
right. The people cower in their homes in our towns and villages afraid that
the Ogres are going to steal them away in the night. People are losing faith
that we can keep them safe, when we can�t even protect my own daughter, their
Princess. The people need heroes, Jesyrca needs heroes, and it is time we find
those heroes! However, these have to be people that the Tirge won�t know are
from Lyju. If we send Sir Kris or one of his lieutenants, and they are
captured, the Tirge will run to the Zirand Council and claim that we�re sending
spies as a precursor to an invasion. These heroes must be people who are
unknown to the Tirge, commoners with uncommon skills and valor.�
He pounded the table with a fist like a magistrate
with a gavel. �Gentlemen, send out the word� quietly �and find me my Talon!�
The Duke paused and the two men started to leave the
room to carry out their orders. As they left the Duke added, �And bring me a
new chair�
Duke Johan Willsy slammed his fist down on the large wooden table.
The solidly built oak table shook with the force of the Duke�s wrath. Two
other men were in the room with the enraged noble. Sir Kris Plat, the
Commander of the Duke�s Army and Grand Wizard Formilden the Duke�s most trusted
advisor.