the Gulch, and seal it off. We can then all make a stand together.”
Kavos shook his head.
“And what makes you think Ra will send his army through that gulch?”
Duncan felt determined.
“I understand Ra,” he replied. “He craves our destruction. He craves complete and total victory. This will appeal to his hubris, and for that, he will send his entire army after us.”
Kavos shook his head.
“The men that lure them through,” he said, “will be exposed. It will be near impossible to make it back in time through the tunnels. Those men may likely be trapped and die.”
Duncan nodded gravely.
“Which is why I shall lead those men myself,” he said.
The man all looked back at him with respect. They stroked their beards, faces beset with concern and doubt, all clearly realizing how risky this was.
“Perhaps it could work,” Kavos said. “Perhaps we can lure the Pandesian forces through and perhaps even seal them out. Yet even so, Ra won’t send all his men. Stationed here are just his southern forces. He has other men, spread throughout our land. He has a mighty northern army, guarding the north. Even if we won this epic battle, we would not win the war. His men would still hold Escalon.”
Duncan nodded back, thinking the same thoughts himself.
“This is why we shall split our forces,” he replied. “Half of us will ride for the Gulch, while the other half will head north and attack Ra’s northern army. Lead by you.”
Kavos stared back at him with surprise.
“If we are to free Escalon, we must do it all at once,” Duncan added. “You will lead the battle in the north. Lead them to your homeland, to Kos. Take the fight to the mountains. No one can fight there as well as you.”
Kavos nodded, clearly liking the idea.
“And you, Duncan?” he asked in return, concern in his voice. “As poor as my odds are in the north, your odds in the Gulch are much worse.”
Duncan nodded back and smiled. He clasped Kavos’s shoulder.
“Better odds for glory, then,” he replied.
Kavos smiled back with admiration.
“And what of the Pandesian fleet?” Seavig chimed in, stepping forward. “Even now they hold the port of Ur. Escalon cannot be free while they hold the seas.”
Duncan nodded to his friend, laying a hand on his shoulder.
“Which is why you shall take your men and make for the coast,” Duncan replied. “Use our hidden fleet and sail north, at night, up the Sorrow. Sail to Ur, and with cunning enough, perhaps you can defeat them.”
Seavig stared back, rubbing his beard, his eyes alight with mischief and daring.
“You realize we will have a dozen ships against a thousand,” he replied.
Duncan nodded back, and Seavig smiled.
“I knew there was a reason I liked you,” Seavig replied.
Seavig mounted his horse, his men following, and he took off without another word, leading them all off into the desert, riding west for the sea.
Kavos stepped forward, clasped Duncan’s shoulder, and looked him in the eye.
“I always knew we would both die for Escalon,” he said. “I only did not know we would die in such a glorious way. It shall be a death worthy of our ancestors. I thank you for that, Duncan. You have given us a great gift.”
“And I you,” Duncan replied.
Kavos turned, nodded to his men, and without another word, they all mounted their horses and took off, riding north, for Kos. They all rode off with eager shouts, raising up a great cloud of dust as they went.
That left Duncan standing there alone with several hundred men, all looking to him for direction. He turned and faced them.
“Leifall approaches,” he said, watching them near on the horizon. “When they arrive, we shall all ride for the Gulch as one.”
Duncan went to mount his horse, when suddenly, a voice cut through the air:
“Commander!”
Duncan turned in the opposite direction, and he was shocked at what he saw. There, from the east, a lone figure was approaching, walking toward them through the desert. Duncan’s heart pounded as he watched her. It could not be possible.
His men parted ways on all sides as she approached. Duncan’s heart skipped a beat, and he slowly felt his eyes filling with tears of joy. He could hardly believe it. There, approaching him, like an apparition from the desert, was his daughter.
Kyra.
Kyra walked toward them, alone, a smile on her face, heading right for him. Duncan was baffled. How had she arrived here? What was she doing here? Why was she alone? Had she walked all this way? Where was Andor? Where was her dragon?
None of it made any sense.
And yet there she was, in the flesh and blood, his daughter returned to him. Seeing her made him feel as if his soul was being restored. All felt right in the world, even if just for a moment.
“Kyra,” he said, stepping forward eagerly.
The soldiers parted ways as Duncan walked forward, smiling, holding out his arms, eager to embrace her. She smiled too, throwing her arms out as she walked toward him. It made his entire life worthwhile just to know that she was alive.
Duncan took the final steps, so excited to embrace her, and as she stepped forward and embraced him, he wrapped his arms around her.
“Kyra,” he gushed, tearing. “You’re alive. You’ve returned to me.”
He could feel the tears streaming down his face, tears of joy and relief.
Yet strangely, as he held her, she was still, silent in return.
Slowly, Duncan began to realize that something was wrong. A split second before he realized, his world was suddenly filled with blinding pain.
Duncan gasped, unable to catch his breath. His tears of joy quickly morphed to tears of pain, as he found himself breathless. He couldn’t process what was happening; instead of a loving embrace, he felt a cold shaft of steel puncturing his ribs, being driven all the way inside. He felt a hot sensation gushing down his stomach, felt himself numb, unable to breathe, to think. The pain was so blinding, so searing, so unexpected. He looked down and saw a dagger in his heart, and he stood there in shock.
He looked up at Kyra, looked into her eyes, and as horrific as the pain was, the pain of her betrayal was worse. Dying did not bother him. But dying by his daughter’s hand tore him to pieces.
As he felt the world begin to spin beneath him, Duncan blinked, baffled, trying to understand why the person he loved most in the world would betray him.
Yet
