The Reckoning Prologue:
The Birth of a Leader
By Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Coastal Dunes Branch
Author Jenna Elizabeth Johnson has announced the long-awaited conclusion to her epic Oescienne series. Here’s a sneak preview of the prologue.
A cold breeze whispered across the vast tundra, ruffling the short, tough grass that grew there. With the frigid sea and even colder mountains to the north and west, the gusts that danced across the Great Red Tundra of Ghorium made even the summer months almost unbearable. And it was that relentless wind that now battered at the minds and nerves of the company of warriors who tried so desperately to capture what few precious moments of rest they could. At some point in the night, however, exhaustion had finally won out. Only a few hours stretched before dawn and the war encampment was silent, not a single living thing stirring. All, that is, except for the young soldier.
He lay there, listening to the low wailing of the wind as the stench of burning bodies and the freshly spilled blood of the battlefield stung his nose. Not even the persistent cold had dampened the horrible smell and it clung to him as assuredly as the red lichens clung to the broken rocks scattered across the plain. Something else, however, had woken him from his fitful sleep, but he could not tell what. A stray gust howling down the shallow river bed? The sudden snort from one of his comrades fighting against dark dreams? Or maybe a tundra predator, slinking through the night searching for an easy meal. That last thought had him shivering. The animals that dwelled in this part of the world were dangerous, no matter their size. Yet, with plenty of fallen allies and enemies nearby, it made no sense for a predator to be hunting for live food.
The young man shifted, knowing these weren’t the reasons for his restlessness. He had realized early on that his motive for traveling to Ghorium to fight the evil brewing there went beyond the typical duty any normal soldier was called to perform. True enough he had ventured east with his friends and allies to do his part in wiping the Tyrant and his accursed soldiers from the face of Ethoes. But now that he had endured the horror of the battlefield, watched those same friends die beneath the enemy’s power and wrath, there was only one thing left he could do, if he wanted a chance for even the slightest glimmer of hope.
His was an important mission, one he had made in his heart mere hours ago. One he could share with only a scant few he had sworn to secrecy. A call to duty that required him to rise early and sneak away before his remaining friends realized he was gone. With swift efficiency, the warrior climbed to his feet and made ready for his task. The sun was still hours from rising, but he used his instincts to guide the way as he tread quietly over the soggy, semi-frozen landscape of the northern wastes of Ghorium, trying desperately to block out the soft moans of the dying men, dragons, and beasts scattered for miles around him. The haunting images lingering from the previous days rose up to torment him as he made his way ever northward. With a shudder that rattled his teeth, he shook off the worst of them, playing his plan over and over again in his mind. He had to succeed. He must. If not, then all would most definitely be lost. After all, his plan wasn’t a complex one. He just needed to buy them time. Just a little more time
Read more about multi-award winning author
of fantasy and paranormal romance
Jenna Elizabeth Johnson at jennaelizabethjohnson.com.