HESWALLOT

It has been ten years of peace for the Union since the end of the great war with the eastern barbarian tribes, yet in the cold north of the Union's land, a new threat is looming. This time, an ambitious Lord is seeking to restore the yore pride of his kin, forcing the weakened Union into yet another unwanted war, as he ramps up the ranks of his army with thieves, murderers and mercenaries.

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The temperature inside the forge was nearly twice as high as the one outside. A black-haired girl hammered a steel ingot into the shape of a blade. The heat of the steam was draining her stamina away, but her focus remained sharp as her sweat streamed down her face. Hit after hit, for hours, the sound of the hammering steel followed the rhythm of her breathing. Exhausted, she placed the blade into the water and wiped the sweat off her face using a drenched rag.

Inner thoughts - ''Why are they screaming?''

Vatra dipped the rag back in the water, twisted it, and approached the window. Her mouth opened as her world shattered again into the living nightmare she had wilfully tried to forget. She bit her lips; it wasn’t a dream. The pulse of her heart rose. A cold sweat prickled her back. A mother was running, and a child was screaming. A torrent of smoke was emerging from the roof of her neighbour. Vatra’s eyes blinked. The mother lay on the ground, a spear through her back. A torch circled in the air and landed on the roof of her workshop. In the distance, a man wearing a banner well known to the world…


Fateless is a philosophical medieval dark low fantasy centered on war, militaristic campaigns and geopolitical conflicts between multiple empires. This story follows the fate of Vatra, a former slave from the eastern Nar Empire who was raised in a culture far away from her own, forced into warfare against her will, and the fate of Lanaya, an ambitious half-angel exiled from her home whose existence is seen as heresy. As they wished for peace, both chose a path opposed to one another until their fate crossed. In this story where war dictates the law, love strikes them as a poisoned balm to which they grasp for with all their might, as it is in the darkest of times that the smallest flames may burn the brightest.

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Tome 1 already completed and available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Fateless-Silver-Hugo-Emmanuel-Simard-Wallot/dp/B09LGSH1KK

Fateless: The Silver Lining

Year 163 – Summer – Quartus Mensis – 40th day


Avem, Town of House Valmai, land of the Vale


As she was sleeping on the table, a hand was placed on her shoulder, waking her up in fear. Vatra took the table knife in front of her and slashed behind her, but the strong grip of Ethen stopped her arm from reaching him. As her sight reached his, she dropped the knife and calmed herself.


Ethen – "Most of the militia in Avem will stay militia their whole life because they don't want to acquire this discipline. The main difference between them and you is that they know what they will go through if they accept it."


Vatra – "Nothing stopped you from telling me! I would have still done it, probably . . . but at least I wouldn't have thought you were going to kill me!"


Ethen – "I still wanted to make sure that you were not a spy. The fact you didn't say that you wanted to stop being part of the army meant a lot in your case."


Vatra – "So I'm still considered a potential spy?"


Ethen – "Not by me, but I can't say the same for the council. Don't worry too much about it. Even if I might not look like it, I'm on your side. Tomorrow is going to be the same as today. If you fail to do the running, the same thing will happen. I know you can do it, and the reason I want you to do it is because on a battlefield, your mentality needs to be stronger than ever if you want to adapt quickly. Anyway, your meal is cold, but there's a fire over there if you want to heat it up. I don't think you have a place to stay for the night, so I brought you a wool bedroll. I'll be going."


Vatra – "Thank you . . . Ethen . . ."


Chapter 14