The Missing Kin Read Free

would regain
some of it. It was a toehold, a beginning. Soon he
would be ready; soon he would be on his way to
regaining greatness and to restoring the heritage of
the saur.
    He gnashed his teeth and ignored the many pains
of his scarred and battered body. The days of blood
and glory were coming; he could feel it.

Four
    Queen Tayesha stood proud and tall on the dais
overlooking the parade ground. Armour shone
brightly, great crests and plumes bobbed, marching
feet stepped in perfect unison, a thousand young
saur officers held weapons aloft and cheered as they
passed. She raised a claw in salute and the cheering
redoubled.
    One of the generals at her side – a Plated One,
Tayesha could never remember his name – cleared
his throat. 'A brave display, Your Majesty. Eager and
ready to do your bidding, they are.'
    She stifled a sigh. Empty words from an uninspiring
leader. She glanced at the other generals, who weren't
much better. Puffed up, ambitious, unimaginative
and suspicious. Wargrach was worth ten of them,
despite his failing at Sleeto. A hundred of them.
    Tayesha took some pleasure in the parade of new
officers, who were followed by the ten new battalions
she had ordered to be commissioned. Rank on
rank of Plated Ones, Toothed Ones, Horned Ones,
Clawed Ones and more – all trained and outfitted
with the finest armour and weapons the forges of
Thraag could produce. These fine young saur were
the instruments of her destiny. Through their efforts,
all seven kingdoms of Krangor would be united.
    She ignored the grumbles of the generals as they
stood with her in the hot sun for the fourth hour
on end. She could have released them, but she chose
not to. If they couldn't endure the discomfort of a
parade, how would they survive the rigours of a long
and dangerous campaign? She straightened and let
her soldiers see their queen.
    ***
    Later that day, Tayesha was in the Needle, the tallest
tower of the Gralloch Palace, glad of the refuge her
study provided from the hurly-burly of the palace.
    Tayesha sighed and wrote in her journal. It pains
me to think that the saur in the other kingdoms do
not see the wisdom in submitting to Thraag. There
would be no need for armies at all if they willingly
joined us under my rule. A united Krangor – is that
too much to ask?
    She put down the quill and sanded her writing.
She glanced at the official reply from the King of
Callibeen. It lay where she had thrown it on the floor.
She'd offered King Hulgor the opportunity to step
down and cede his throne to Thraag. His scornful
response had sent her Clawed One blood boiling.
Raging, she'd slashed it with her claws. To think that
that overweight, pompous, pitiful excuse for a Billed
One had dared to question her state of mind! She'd
never forgive King Hulgor or his people – never!
    Closing her eyes, Tayesha tried to slow her racing
heart. After a moment or two, her hands were steady
enough to resume writing.
    A united Krangor cannot be achieved simply
through force of arms. To bring the seven kingdoms
together will require mighty magic which, in turn,
will make an immortal ruler.
    Tayesha frowned. Her plans had not been
proceeding smoothly on that front. The spells needed
to achieve her ends were complex and obscure, and
there was much she still had not discovered. She had
worked long and hard, putting together fragments
and shards of spells discovered in ancient texts, but
the full and complete ritual still eluded her. She put
down her quill and closed her journal.
    Standing, Tayesha called the power of the
land to her. It had never been far away, ever since
her coronation day long ago. The land was her
foundation.
    Immediately, a radiant globe of brilliant white
light flared on each of her claws. The globes merged,
until two tiny suns enveloped each hand.
    Tayesha stared at the twin fires without blinking.
Slowly, she brought them together, intertwining her
claws. The two globes became a single ball of light
and she felt the power of the land