Mythborn

Bane of the Warforged 1 | Page

MYTHBORN
BANE OF THE WARFORGED

Sneak Peek 1
Mythborn
Bane of the Warforged 2 | Page

THE WORLD OF EDYN


Mythborn
Bane of the Warforged 3 | Page

SKYFALL
In facing superior forces, harry them at all points.
Be the swallow against the falcon.
Wheel, dive, spin. Movement is life.
- Galadine House of Arms
Move! Tempest screamed in Ashs mind.
He dove, fighting razor claws, punching a mistfright then stabbing with the ensorcelled
blade at another. The creature fell but more took its place. Each would grab onto him and then
start turning into mist, flowing up his body like a snake. Having faced these before with Alyx, he
knew they would possess him if he let them stay in contact too long.
The good news was merely touching these mist snakes with Tempest dissipated them, but
the actual mistfrights required more work. Ash spun the blade, scattering two and cleaving
through the neck of a mistfright. It fell headless, then disappeared into the ground as whatever
magic holding it together died. For some reason here, Tempest did not exhibit the raw power she
had at Baracor, and Ash could feel the blades fear.
He managed to get to a knee and caught a glimpse of Yetteje. The girl had drawn Valor and
was firing arrow after arrow, each a glowing shaft of fire that streaked into the throng of these
feral shapes. Where her arrows touched, mistfrights died. As his combat sense took over and
Mythborn
Bane of the Warforged 4 | Page

time slowed, thoughts raced through his mind. How could a girl of such slight build draw Valor,
a bow the king had spent years training with to do the same? And arrows made of fire?
Then his attention was taken by the sheer mass of opponents, all trying to possess him. He
ducked under a clawed swipe, then spun and cut, feeling his blade meet resistance twice. He did
not stop to look, but rolled and then stood for the first time. A small clearing had formed around
him but the horde swarmed in, overwhelming his blade work and pushing him to the ground
again under their combined weight. An unnatural cackle burst from his throat at the sudden
absurd thought that mists could weigh something, until Tempest screamed, Focus or youll be
taken!
He grabbed the blade with both hands and rolled on the ground. The move destroyed four
mist snakes and left him free to rise again. This time he did so slashing, cutting, Tempest a blur
in his hands. Hed lost sight of Yetteje, but kept catching glimpses of the rest of the party.
The white angelic form of Silbane locked in combat with the giant, Anhur, his bladed wings
shielding him as if alive. Kisan, a counterpoint to Silbane, an angel of death slicing through
another giant, then using his body to smash mistfrights around her. She leapt into the air and
spread her black wings, then dove down using their blades to slice through her enemies. She
looked as if shed always been meant to fly.
Something grabbed his face and he could feel it turn to mist, flooding his nostrils and mouth.
He saw a bright green flash and the area around him was cleared of mistfrights as Tempest
exploded with green fire. He could feel her getting weaker. It must be something about this
place, this world, he reasoned. It seemed to suck the vitality from her, the way the ground had
impeded his footsteps.
Mythborn
Bane of the Warforged 5 | Page

Another group of mistfrights began to charge but the armored form of Silbane tumbled
through them as the master fell on his back. Whatever hit him had been hard, for he lay there
stunned. Kisan had fallen back to protect him but the tide was unyielding. Where one fell, four
took its place, and she was driven to a knee as black shapes clawed at her armor and wings. The
Aeris seemed infinite, and worse aided by these giants, were slowly overwhelming their small
band.
A fire arrow streaked past his face, imbedding itself in a mistfright right behind him. Ash
twisted and then cut two others down, and fell back towards Silbane. The master in angel form
was still on his back, smashing Aeris using gauntleted fists. Even here his skill shone through to
Ash, whose trained eye could see the puissance of these adepts, armored or not. They moved as
if born to fight, but even they could not stem this tide of demons.
Beloved, you must stab me into the ground.
What? The action made no sense, and his doubt was plain in his thoughts.
You must! It is our only chance.
Ash saw Kisan fall, her back now braced against Silbane, who had risen and knelt in the
opposite direction. She fought with double blades, and her wings shielded her from flanking
attacks, as did the other master. But the sheer press of creatures around them nullified their
ability to move, and moving was the key to survival in these situations.
He cut through more, smashing a mist snake flowing up his leg, then stabbing another
through the mouth and watching it drop and dissipate like the rest. How many had he killed? A
dozen? Two dozen? And still they came.
You must! Her voice was edged with hysteria, a far cry from her normal devotion or disdain.
Then something smashed into his head, hard
Mythborn
Bane of the Warforged 6 | Page

his vision cleared and he was kneeling near the masters, somehow still clutching Tempest
point down. He looked up and could see Kisans mouth moving but couldnt hear what she said.
She was screaming and pointing at something. He turned his head woodenly, only to see one of
the giant warriors bearing down on him with a spear, like some kind of god of war. The man
threw and the spear turned into a bolt of lightning.
Time slowed for him again, feeling like lifes idea of a joke, to let him see in minute detail
how he would die. He knew hed never get his blade up in time. In what he was sure would be
his last act, he leaned his weight on Tempest, pushing her into the ground as shed demanded.
He did not see Kisans wing come overhead and take the brunt of the lightning bolt,
destroying her feather blades in a blast of vaporized metal before smashing into the master
herself and knocking her back into Silbane. His vision was consumed by the green white
explosion as Tempest channeled the last of her power downward into the ground, into the very
firmament they lay dying upon. The horde covered him as what seemed like hundreds upon
hundreds of Aeris overran their position, piling up in their thirst to possess the living.
Then there was a seismic detonation and he was falling. Blackness above, blackness below,
he could feel himself tumbling into the inky dark that seemed to have no end. He fell, bouncing
off rock and debris, pummeled by stone until
He burst into sunlight! Ash looked frantically about, only to see above him an island of land,
floating in a sea of clouds, and he had fallen through the bottom! His tumbling slowed and he
could see hundreds of black shapes, mistfrights, falling out of the same hole. Tempest had used
her power to destroy the ground below them, but somehow that ground had led to this open
sky? It was salvation of sorts, but it quickly became clear shed traded his possession for a
different kind of death. His plummet became faster and set his heart racing as he gasped for air.
Mythborn
Bane of the Warforged 7 | Page

At least you are not lost, beloved.
Before he could respond, a white man-like shape arrowed in below him and spread its
wings. Ash collided with the man, not hard, and clutched desperately. Tempest still did not allow
him to release her, so he found himself short a hand.
An arm reached back and plucked him forward, and he came face to face with Silbane! The
master had what Ash hoped was an unconscious Kisan clutched in the other, and looked at the
firstmark with the dull fatigue that battle brings.
What? he knew he sounded addled, but this was too much.
Tempest left us little choice, Silbane said. To Ashs look at Kisan he answered, Shell
live.
Ash looked about then, still on the edge of panic. Flying amongst the clouds was not
something he felt comfortable doing, and he gasped out, Land! Anywhere!
Silbane nodded, looking about, then wheeled and tucked his wings, diving for an island
floating below them. The aerial maneuver made Ashs stomach lurch and he squeezed his eyes
shut. They were falling again and the firstmark thought for certain to their deaths. He braced for
impact, but then felt Silbanes wings snap open, catching air and slowing them to a soft landing,
no harder than taking a stair step down.
When Silbane let go, Ash collapsed, Oh, gods! What just happened?
Careful to what you pray for here, firstmark.
Ash opened his eyes and caught Silbanes transformation back into his normal form. How
did you do that?
Before he could answer the firstmarks question, Silbane collapsed to his knees, as if hed
just run a long distance. His breath came out in heaves, gulping air.
Mythborn
Bane of the Warforged 8 | Page

Are you alright?
The master braced a hand on the ground, then looked at Ash, It seems holding our other
form exacts its own price. It took a few moments before the master seemed to have recovered
enough to move and check Kisan. Evidently satisfied with what he saw, he raised his faded blue
eyes, a look of sorrow on his face.
What? Ash asked, but then he noticed. Wheres the princess?
Silbane looked down, then fell back onto his haunches, I dont know.
Ash looked up at the sky, seeing now hundreds, perhaps thousands of floating islands.
Where were they? Where was she? What do you mean? he asked softly.
Silbane shook his head, The horde was upon us. I tried to find her but there were too many.
When Tempest broke the ground below and we fell through, I saw only the two of you.
The look in his eyes told Ash that the master blamed himself. Still, he demanded, How
could you lose her? She deserved our protection, more than her, he said, pointing at Kisan.
Silbane nodded, then replied, I didnt choose, firstmark. The ground opened, and we fell
through.
Ash got up, cursing. He looked at Tempest and then threw the blade down in disgust.
Suddenly, the fact that he could and that the blade had not said a word since their fall took him
by surprise. He looked at Silbane in shock, who in turn stared at the blade, and Ash assumed he
was using that Sight hed mentioned. What do you see?
Sheath her. Its not wise to throw away a weapon we can use against the Aeris.
Ash shook his head, I can be rid of her.
Mythborn
Bane of the Warforged 9 | Page

Silbanes pale eyes moved from the blade to meet Ashs own, boring into him, And she
may be the only one who can tell us which of these islands is Lilyths. If Yetteje survives, its
reasonable to believe she is her captive.
Ash stopped, just staring at Silbane. Then he took two steps forward and stabbed his finger
at the blade and said, She killed Sevel. She may have killed Chandra. Friends who trusted me,
and she took their lives to keep me alive. Tears blurred his vision. When hed regained his
composure, he said, Ill not let her use me again.
Silbane was quiet, as if he could feel the distraught firstmarks guilt threatening to spill
over. Then he asked in a soft voice, And what if Im wrong? Which of us knows this realm at
all? Would you sacrifice Yetteje and Niall to ease your own burden?
Ash held his hand to his head, closing his eyes. He could see himself just kicking Tempest
off the edge to fall to oblivion, but the plight of Tej sapped his will and he knew he couldnt
refuse any chance to save either heir, even if it meant hed risk Tempests actions again.
He dropped his eyes, then with reluctance picked up the quiescent blade and rammed her
into her sheath. He didnt want to chance giving her to either of the others for fear of their safety.
Frustrated, he unfastened his sword belt and readjusted it so the blade lay on his back with the
hilt over his shoulder. From there, he reasoned, no chance of Tempest accidentally being
grasped by anyone, most of all himself. As soon as Yetteje was found, he vowed hed see this
blade destroyed.
Then the vista spread before him pulled at his eyes and demanded his attention. The sight
took his breath away. In the distance was an orange yellow sun, darker and bigger than the one
he was used to on Edyn. It lit the sky in its setting light, painting the tops of clouds pink and
gold. Floating serenely in the blue skies about them were islands of land, thousands upon
Mythborn
Bane of the Warforged 10 | Page

thousands, each drifting peacefully above the blanket of clouds that extended like a landscape
from horizon to horizon.
This is Lilyths realm? Its just islands floating
Certainly not what I expected.
Ash didnt look back to acknowledge Silbane. The man sounded like hed recovered from
whatever had overcome him by holding that other angelic form he and Kisan had gained since
coming here, and right now he didnt trust himself to speak to the master with any civility.
The absurdity of it all, of living through the attack of the Aeris by falling into a sea of
floating islands a small laugh erupted, the only way he could think of to alleviate the stress. He
looked down at his hands, clean though hed just been through the thick of battle no less brutal
than any other hed fought, then looked back out over the expanse of clouds that seemed to make
up what this world called land.
He breathed in a deep lungful of air and exhaled, then simply said, If were going to find
anyone in all this, were going to need a miracle.