Chen couldn’t have been more surprised if it was the sky that was suddenly falling down on his head or Vale Athrimir appeared on a flying horse.

His hands jerked reflexively, and he drew the reins of the horse, coming to a sudden stop. He looked at his father, who also stopped a few paces from him. "What did you say, Father?"

"I know you heard me the first time, Chen. We are going to kill Commander Garran and put an end to his plans," Eamon patiently repeated.

The disbelief on Chen’s face was so comical that Eamon laughed. "You don’t have to look as if you’re looking at your death, Chen."

Chen shook his head, his face serious. "Father. You... what are you doing? Has the position of High Chief gotten to your head? You want to kill Commander Garran, a Master Knight with an army on his back? In his own territory?"

"Yes. He’ll least expect an attack in his own place. He probably expects our visit to be one where we negotiate our place in this new game. But Chen, do you forget we wanted to rebel and break away from the Athrimir? But that’s all in the past, and this boy, Vale Athrimir, has impressed me. At the very least, shouldn’t I shoulder the responsibility he placed on me?"

"I don’t care about all of that. Father, you are not a Knight. We have no Master Knights. How are you going to kill Commander Garran? The one known as Ice Beast?"

Eamon snorted, and his eyes gleamed. "Chen Rikon. From the beginning, our Clan isn’t always blessed with Knights; in fact, we have the longest history of Clan leaders that are ordinary humans. And our main strengths are in our enchantments. How do you think our Clan has been able to survive till now? Considering that we also guard the chasms? How is such an important thing left to our Clan?"

There was pride in Eamon’s voice now. "There’s a secret in the Rikon Clan, a secret that only the Clan leader knows about, and only during times like this would it be revealed."

Chen could only look at his father with helplessness and surprise. "I’m your heir, Father."

"So you are. You’ll learn of the secret soon enough. Now let’s stop talking about our new Overlord. We’re near his territory."

Indeed.

When people hear the name, Coastal Fortward, they usually think of a fortress. And they wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that. But Coastal Fortward itself is a city, a very gigantic city that was close to the size of the capital in size and population.

The city was walled off by gleaming blue and white stone that shone in the sun, as if one were looking at the sea. The wall was thick and enchanted, perfect to defend and to attack.

A city fortress.

The rest of the city, and what is commonly known as proper Coastal Fortward, was built at the edge of a cliff, underground towers acting like pillars as they jutted out of the ground, and sprawling platforms and buildings encroaching on the ocean it was built to guard.

There was no flow of traffic at all with the tension and war. High Chief Eamon and his party were the only ones on the road, and soon they reached the front of the iron gate.

Eamon and Chen’s mood had darkened more and more as they approached the gate.

Commander Garran has already started a power play!

There was no way the man did not know they were there at his gate. Hell, the man must have known the moment they set foot out of their own city, and yet there was no welcoming party to greet them.

To greet the High Chief.

"He’s not even hiding it again," Eamon muttered as they stared at the iron gate.

Eamon’s captain, an old Errant Knight with more grey hairs than black, walked up, his eyes on the Knights on the wall. He raised his voice. "High Chief of the Athrimir Clan, High Chief Eamon Rikon, is before you!"

The Knights were professionals, the lot of them, their faces expressionless, but the aura they tried to control betrayed them. It reeked of hostility. They were not welcome here.

One of the Knights stepped forward. "I am Captain Jorans of Coastal Fortward front gate. I see and I salute the High Chief! Please wait as I make a quick report to the Commander."

Eamon smiled a little at that. Garran, that snake under the grass, was finally showing his true colors and flexing his power. The last time that Eamon came to Coastal Fortward, the Commander had come personally to welcome him. And he wasn’t even the High Chief then.

Ah.

They waited for a whole five minutes. The silence was filled with the bloodthirsty aura of Eamon’s Knights as they witnessed their Lord’s humiliation. But Eamon wasn’t concerned that they would misbehave; they were the most seasoned and powerful of his Errant Knights, his own personal guards.

The gate finally groaned open, and Captain Jorans strolled out with some of his men. He bowed. "High Chief Eamon Rikon, the Commander has approved of your request. Please follow me."

There was nothing more to be said, and they simply followed the man as he said. They were led through the city and to the fortress, the Coastal Fortward. The overall tension around them was cold, the weather not adding any improvement to anyone’s mood at all.

Nobody said anything, no sound except for the soft clanking of metal as they walked.

Commander Garran was waiting for them in front of the fortress he ruled. The thickly built man was dressed simply in a blue vest robe with an open front. His eyes were hard and steady, and one of his hands lightly held the hilt of his sword strapped to his waist.

The sword was made of ice.

High Chief Eamon came down from his horse, and their eyes met. Eamon’s eyes were light and full of a dancing glint, while the Commander’s were hard and steady.

When they looked at each other, Eamon knew then that he was looking at the eyes of a man who had finally come into his power.

Neither of them bowed or saluted each other.

"Commander Garran," Eamon said.

"High Chief Eamon Rikon," Garran replied.

Then silence. The courtyard was filled with cold tension. Even the guards were taking great pains not to breathe too loudly or move, lest they break the tension.

It was Eamon that broke the silence. "Master Knight Pomora isn’t with you."

Commander Garran smiled. He smiled! Eamon resisted a shudder as he watched the man’s face transform with that smile, turning into something strange and cold.

"Master Knight Pomora isn’t here because... unfortunately, she was caught by the Ito Clan, and we haven’t been able to rescue her. Rest assured, though, negotiations are happening."

Eamon found something strange in the man’s voice, his tone, and it took him a minute to figure it out. Commander Garran wasn’t talking like a Commander; he was talking like a lord! The voice of politics and lies!

What a strange thing the world had become.

"Is that so? It’s good that the Ito are not attacking and that we are already in negotiations," Eamon said with a smile. Then he went for his first little strike. "Then, as the High Chief, I want to be involved in this negotiation."

Commander Garran stiffened, and his face hardened even more.

The voice that Eamon used was that of a Lord speaking to those beneath him.

"There is no need for that. As per the Clan leader’s order, the war here is fully under my command. And I’ll do all in my best ability to see it to fruition."

Is that how you want to play, Commander?

"The Clan leader’s order. The Clan leader is missing, and as per the rules and laws of the Clan, as the High Chief, all submit to me," Eamon spoke slowly, each word carrying weight on its own.

He was pushing Garran to know his snapping point. How long were they going to keep up the facade before everything crumbled and they jumped at each other? How long?

But surprisingly, Commander Garran suddenly looked at him with amusement. "As you say, High Chief, if you want to be involved with the negotiations, who am I to say no?..."

His voice turned a little mocking. "...after all, I am the servant of the Clan. A tool of its will and intent. Come, High Chief. Come and negotiate!"

Eamon was a little stunned and dazed as he followed the Commander into the fortress, passing numerous guards and turning through corridors in the maze-like rooms.

What just happened?

Just how did the Commander turn everything around on its head so fast? Negotiation... that means?

A horrible feeling began to swell in Eamon’s heart as they entered the central room that was built like a throne room.

No, it is a throne room. And the throne in the middle of the room, the throne that should have been covered by a large cloth with the crest of the serpent, was currently occupied.

Someone was sitting on the throne reserved for the Clan leader.