An Offer

Kadun's defeat was sudden and complete. Where he had seemed on the verge of victory only moments earlier, his shattered corpse now lay dead on the ground. And as his blood soaked the ground of the garden, Rannoc stood over him.

There was a pensive look in the victorious Lord's eyes as he gazed upon his defeated foe. And while his expression held a trace of relief, he showed little sign of joy.

Perhaps, Arran thought, Kadun's death reminded Rannoc of his own mortality.

The two Lords had been closely matched in power, yet Kadun had died all the same. And while Rannoc had taken this battle, he must understand that the same fate could befall him as well.

Certainly, that was the thought that came to Arran's mind. He'd come to believe that he was at least passably strong, but he had no doubt that Kadun could have defeated him in an instant.

Yet even that monstrous strength had not been enough to save the Lord.