Altira: The Marlfox's Revenge
From the haunts of the island one will rise,
Furious warrior with the stars in her eyes.
Find the one who waits beside the sable path of old,
Waiting for the one who will avenge the past untold.
Look upon the treasure with eyes anew,
Find the dark one and her promise to you.
Story by story, day by day,
Only time will tell whose tale to portray.
An enemy you thought vanquished arises from the dark.
Black as night, starry light, the vixen makes her mark.
The sun set on the island of the Marlfoxes. The castle, once so proud and stately, lay in ruins, a pile of stones and timber. The guards and soldiers lay somewhere under the rubble, slain. The High King Mokkan, also, was dead. The only living creatures left were the shoals of pike in the water.
Or were…
Keeping Silent
Karalea strained and tugged at the rope. She looked to her right, where her brother, Landis, and several other slaves hauled at the huge stone. Landis glanced at her and smiled. She shook her brown head at him. "No," she tried to mouth. "Stay silent. Don't draw attention to yourself."
A groan arrested her attention. She jerked her head around and saw that an old squirrel had fallen. Karalea had talked to him once or twice, but she was far better acquainted with his son Felldoh. Now, the squirrel lay on the ground with a young mouse bending over him.
Karalea instinctively glanced at Hisk, who didn't look happy. He raised his whip. "Here, keep movin', you lot!" he ordered. Then he turned on the squirrel.
"Get up, you!" he yelled. When the squir…