Beyond the Edge of Dawn Read Free

world renowned as the very best swordsmen and warriors. None could stand against them in single combat. It had taken the combined might of seven kingdoms to defeat and destroy the kingdom of Gaimos. Those few hundred knights who survived the war now roamed Malweir in vain attempts at erasing the signs of their pride. It was thankless work.
    The warmth of the fire felt good. He leaned back against the wall and let his eyes drift closed. Seeing the dance of the flames brought back those last few moments of his battle with the werebeast. Three days had gone by, and the memories continued to bother him. He hadn’t been able to come up with any answers to the mounting riddles facing him. Beasts of legend held no human characteristics, or so he’d always been told. Yet the one he’d fought and killed had been more human than not. Foul thoughts nagged at the corner of his consciousness.
    His first thoughts were of magic and wizards. But a wizard was rarer than a dragon these days. In fact, there hadn’t been a wizard in western Malweir since the fall of Gaimos, some seventy odd years ago. Not that magic was a rarity. Several species carried the gift. The Elves were said to be the most powerful. Kavan left that to rumor, for he’d never seen an Elf.
    The door opening suddenly broke his thoughts. Snow flurries hurried in before the gaunt frame of Constable Chardis. There was a surprised look on the man’s face.
    “Well, well,” Chardis said. “Welcome back, lad.”
    Any misgivings he might have had about Kavan were wisely kept to himself. Having the knight in his village was a boon to his job and those he’d sworn an oath to protect. Mun grunted disaffectedly from the opposite side of the room.
    Kavan grinned at being called a lad. Truth be told, he was already over one hundred years old. The bloodlines of fallen Gaimos were blessed with lifespans up to three times that of a normal man. No one knew why. Perhaps it was one of the things that had led to Gaimos’s eventual demise. Jealousy was a mighty weapon.
    “How did your hunt go?” Chardis asked before Mun could remark. He walked straight to the fire where he could warm his frozen hands. His face was weathered and creased with a bright pink tinge.
    Kavan rose respectfully. The pain in his ribs was still great and often unbearable. “It was bloody.”
    He brought out the werebeast’s head and told them his macabre tale. Both Mun and Chardis listened with rapt attention. Their gazes fell as Kavan briefly detailed the murdered family. Chardis wasn’t pleased by the trail of bodies ranging the fields surrounding his village.
    The Constable rubbed his chin, lost in thought. “With all the snow we’ve been getting, those bodies will already be covered up. We won’t be able to dig them out until spring. How many did you say you found?”
    “Three along my track. The last was a squire in the middle of the field by the cottage,” Kavan answered. “If I had stopped to bury them, the beast would still be loose.”
    “No fault in that,” Mun muttered.
    “Are you certain this was a werebeast?” asked Chardis.
    Kavan nodded. “Aye, though something about it doesn’t sit right with me. I’ve traveled this world for many years and have never heard of such a creature loose before. Legends say they used to be all over this part of Malweir, but none have been seen or reckoned on in generations.”
    Now it was Chardis’ turn to think. “So why now? And why here? We’re a simple people and have little to do with the modern world. There are no riches or prospects for such. It doesn’t make sense.”
    “Who can say what makes the heart of evil beat? There’s more, however. A question and a problem have been plaguing me since my battle. I think this was no ordinary werebeast.”
    Chardis raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
    “I cannot be certain, but I believe the creature I killed was once a man.”
    “Impossible!” Mun sputtered his mouthful of tea onto his