Prologue
Arkennlayonarug by the fire, staring in rapt attention at his mother. Outside, the winds howled, and snow piled high by the door. Inside, a fire roared in the hearth, and the scent of drying herbs pervaded the air where they hung from the rafters. The perfect backdrop for his mother’s tale.
“No matter how hard they fought, the two heroes couldn’t defeat the evil Thomoth.” Mum flipped a lock of straw-blonde hair over her shoulder, bared her teeth, and made claws with her fingers from her place on a low stool by the rug. “It was too cunning.”
“What happened?” Arkenn removed his thumb from his mouth to ask. A lifted-brow glare from his grandmother kept him from returning the digit.
“The people fled.”
“And came here?”
Mum nodded. “And came here.” Her voice grew scary again. “But the monster followed them.”
Arkenn gasped. “He’s here?”
“Itis in this realm. Rumors say Thomoth is neither man nor woman,” Mum whispered, as though telling a secret.
Matching his mother’s low voice, Arkenn asked, “Where is it?” He glanced around their cottage. Were glowing red eyes hiding in the coals?
“Don’t worry.” Mum mussed his hair, giving him a fond smile. “It’s far away from the Quarshi mountains. You’ve nothing to fear here. Besides, your da, gran, and I will keep you safe.”
“What about the heroes. Did they come too?”
“Of that, I’m not certain, but they vowed to fight the monster again one day—and win.”
“I want to fight To-moff!” Arkenn declared, brandishing the wooden sword carved for him by his father.
“Ah, I believe you would.” Mum swept him into her embrace, nuzzling noses. “Now, off to bed with you.”
“Do the trick!”
“Arkenn, bed.”
“The trick! I want the trick.”
“Okay, just once.” Mum opened her hand. A tiny pink flame danced upon her palm.
Arkenn giggled. “You make fire.”
She fixed him with a stern expression. “It’s to be our secret.”
“Yes, Mum.” Arkenn toddled over to his cot in the far corner of the room. His mother tucked him in, kissed his cheek, then joined Da and Gran in sipping tea by the fire.
The house consisted of two rooms: a common living area, where the family sat together, prepared and took meals, and Arkenn slept. His gran slept in a tiny room off the kitchen area.
Rocks and dried clay made the walls of the thatched house, its pointed roof allowing his parents a private loft for sleeping. His father being the village healer and hunter meant they didn’t have to share their home with livestock at night when cold winds blew down from the mountains. The wolves’ mournful cries echoed on still nights.
“You shouldn’t be filling his head with such stories,” Gran said, in tones Arkenn struggled to hear. “They’ll keep the child up at night from bad dreams.”
“Arkenn’s made of stern stuff.” That was Da. Always jumping to Arkenn and Mum’s defense against his own mother.
“He has a right to know his heritage.” Mum’s soft voice lulled. As Arkenn slipped off to sleep, she added, “Because someday the battle might be his.
“But if so, he won’t be alone. There are always two.”
Chapter One
CornstalkswhippedatArkenn’s face. Faster! He must run faster! Surely the braying grew closer each moment. Damnation for the villagers releasing the dogs.
