not care about these petty low-lives. Kings of mudbrick palaces! Small fish in small ponds! I don't even know where the hell Hadash is."

"It is about forty miles from the desert," Adelfo explained. "From the border, it will take about ten days—"

"Quiet." Antonio glared at him. "Go tell this pathetic 'bel' I do not care if I am welcome. Tell him I require guides across the desert, and if he does not provide them, I will raze Hadash to the ground."

Adelfo nodded. "I will do so, commander."

Antonio sneered as he walked into the distance. Kheroe was what the Empire called a "client kingdom," meaning "a province in all but name." Magon of the Rabah clan—supposed king of Kheroe—was nothing more than a pawn in the Empire's hands. Thereof Gor Ilán. The Asa were eager for war. Chieftain Nued grumbled at the lack of bloodshed, at the slow pace of the footmen compared to his horses. But slowly, in his scouts' reports, it became clear that the Lords of Fharas were preparing to strike.

The capture of Archamenes no doubt sent waves of anger through the land; anger, yes, and perhaps a bit of fear. Their god and king—whom the magi declared invincible—had been proved mortal.

Still, the scouts' reports showed that lords throughout Fharas were calling upon their vassals, gathering armies of cataphracts, and that the magi of the Fire Temple were joining the effort. Apparently, the satrap of some city called "Taifun" also summoned a force.

They were only fifteen miles from the land of the Rock