The Glass Empires: Adventures of Brouder the Crow King: The Glass Empires, #3

By S. C. Coleman

It is the eve of the ceremonial signing of the Treaty of Molina, a pact signed by all the nations of the Greater Continent. The Treaty has maintained a shaky peace among the nations, but storm clouds gather on the horizon. While the Age of a Hundred kings has all but past into myth, the scars of the Great Period of Shadow stand as a monolith to a forgotten age. The greed of men shall never be sated. The dark forces, that once ravaged the continent, now threaten to engulf its inhabitants once more. Four champions stake their claims upon this world, but which will choose between selfish greed and a greater good for all. This epic story follows our third hero, who is an old warrior that fights for a long-lost cause. Traveling through a desolate forest, this hero will be brought to his breaking point. Will he succumb to a daunting fatigue, or will he prevail, and become stronger for it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: S. C. Coleman
• Release date: Apr 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201679422

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© Copyright S. C. Coleman 2021, All Rights Reserved

Summary:

It is the eve of the ceremonial signing of the Treaty of Molina, a pact signed by all the nations of the Greater Continent. The Treaty has maintained a shaky peace among the nations, but storm clouds gather on the horizon. While the Age of a Hundred kings has all but past into myth, the scars of the Great Period of Shadow stand as a monolith to a forgotten age. The greed of men shall never be sated. The dark forces, that once ravaged the continent, now threaten to engulf its inhabitants once more. Four champions stake their claims upon this world, but which will choose between selfish greed and a greater good for all. This epic story follows our third hero, who is an old warrior that fights for a long-lost cause. Traveling through a desolate forest, this hero will be brought to his breaking point. Will he succumb to a daunting fatigue, or will he prevail, and become stronger for it?

To my fellow kingdoms, we gather in my halls of this great city of Molina to bring an end to this discourse that has torn our beloved land apart. Let this treaty, our signatures affixed, stand in protection of our realms; that our subjects might live in peace, that we may replace dread with hope, and our dead with children. Thus, I decree, Nicolo of the Rose Flower, King on the Mountain, Champion of the Waste, and Red Skeleton of the Shadow, that every autumn this treaty shall be renewed, with an accompanying feast.

-The Treaty of Molina, Signed beneath the last moon of the Age of a Hundred Kings and the Great Period of Shadow

Chapter One

The Lone Wolves

Asmall party of warriors gathered around a small fire, just outside the Castle of Klorn. The prestigious castle was an old family fortress, housing one of the oldest ruling families in the Klausvein lands. Surrounding the castle for miles, the Dead Forest possessed nothing but a field of leafless trees. Not a living creature, apart from adventurous humans, ventured into the Dead Forest. Within the barren wasteland and among the vast maze of crags and hills, a small party could hide in a cave, or ravine. The whole area had a spooky atmosphere to it, and the small castle patrols rarely ventured off the main roads. Many that did were never heard from again, while those that returned were changed forever. Although many legends circulated about the castle, and the Dead Forest, none had been proven true. The castle had remained in the hands of House Klorn, for as long as its inhabitants could remember. The legendary castle had defeated every foe that sought to breach its walls. However, it was a dreary monolith to the past, and only worth sieging for the glory of conquest. There were no valuables inside, only a retched and lonely garrison. These inhabitants would mindlessly stroll through its cold stone halls, going about the same business they had for hundreds of years.

Kendrich the Young Wolf, as he was called by his fellow scouts, was a relatively new addition to the group of hard-bitten rebels. This was their fourth lunar period in the Dead Forest, and they were to join up with Tanggar’s band, south of the castle. Tanggar was a Krugar sympathizer, who had joined the Wolves, against the Hohen occupiers. However, Brouder, leader of this band that was camped to the north of Klorn, correctly perceived Tanggar as a simple mercenary. In fact, Tanggar had betrayed the Wolves on more than one occasion, even leading to the deaths of some. So, Brouder was cautious of meeting with the Krugar warlord, delaying his band for nearly thirty nights now, as it would be more prudent to arrive late.

The group camped around a small fire, with coats of deer skin pulled tightly around their shoulders. Their heads were covered by rodent fur hats, consisting of an assortment of different vermin, that had all sorts of decorations attached. Brouder had a crown of raven feathers attached around the bill of his raccoon fur hat, which he had sown into the brim himself. These feathers had been taken from his pet bird, Fremet. Brouder’s loyal bird would often assist his companion in battle, by following Brouder’s arrows into an enemy’s flesh, or initiating a fight on occasion. Fremet could be easily distinguished from the carrier crows, used by the Wolves for correspondence. Fremet stood twice times the size of the other ravens, a true king among his fellow birds. Fremet’s wingspan reached over ten feet and his body mass was nearly the size of Brouder’s chest, a truly unmatched champion among beasts. The proud raven normally perched itself atop a tree overhead, or rested in Brouder’s shoulder pad. To allow the birds vicious claws to take ahold, Brouder had to wear three thick leather pauldrons on his right shoulder. Brouder was a husky and stout man with dark curly hair and a long curly beard. His bushy eyebrows cast long shadows over his icy blue eyes, set back in his head like two crystal pools. His long mouth was permanently withdrawn, behind his huge bushy beard. Brouder stood at a shorter height than others of the Klausvein blood, around five feet and five inches. With his defined characteristics, the others tended to believe that he had ancestry with the shorter Krugar peoples. In all, there were five wolves left in Brouder’s band, they were; Kendrich the Young, Breiven of Eukar, Drakven of Krestau, and Grevord the Wise. Grevord was the oldest of the wolves, with a long white beard and wrinkled skin. On the other hand, Krendrich the Young had seen the least number of moon cycles. At his two hundred and sixteenth moon cycle, Kendrich stood nearly seven feet tall, with shoulder length golden hair. The boy possessed not even the fuzz that foretold of a beard. His blue eyes were darker than the others, but his skin was just as pale. Meanwhile, Brieven and Drakven could have been twins, standing just slightly shorter than Kendrich, they both had dark hair and icy blue eyes. They wore short and wild black beards, with the curly hair tied into knots. However, if the two similar men were to shave their beards, their facial features might set them apart. Their skinny bodies had been toned down over years of living off the land. The band often referred to these two as the twins, a nickname which neither cared for. In addition to beards, the men wore two quivers of arrows on each hip. The arrows were accompanied by a small recurve bow, attached in a sheath to their lower backs. Across their shoulders was a large bow for distance, with the string across their chests.

When are we meeting up with Tanggar? Drakven, after taking a bit from his roasted squirrel, spoke to the band leader.

It won’t be long now, Drakven, Brouder answered, while poking the burning coals with a stick. "We have to get moving here