CHAPTER 1

Everyone always says the Gods are all powerful. They protect us and our families. We sing their names and tell stories of their deeds. However, the Gods view our world as a game board. We are their pawns. The Gods kill without any regret if a pawn dares to stand against them. The defiant ones are always struck down. They're not the ones to get heroic stories. They are made to be wicked.

No one tells tales of the ones who have killed Gods.

Resza was just starting to fall asleep when a sharp pain in her leg made her open her eye. Her husband, Trentis, was glaring at her while Lebbeaus droned on and on about...well, she wasn't listening anyway. She glared right back at Trentis before trying to sleep with her cheek cradled by her hand once more. Another pain. He was kicking her. Without opening her eye, she kicked back at him. Trentis's foot pressed down on hers. She could almost hear his voice saying as she frowned: You need to actually listen. She stuck her tongue out at Trentis making him roll his eyes and shake his head. Swiftly, he took her hands and held them down so she couldn't sleep. "Hey!" She whispered. "You kept me up last night so let me catch some sleep, damn it!"

"There's a time and place to sleep, darling." The incubus whispered back. "This isn't one."

"Of course it is. Lebbeaus says nothing of worth anyway so if you will," she struggled to pull her hands away from his grasp. "I'd love to get back to my beauty rest."

He scoffed. "You don't need any more. You're completely fine the way you are."

"Says you."

"Yes because I am your husband."

"So," she smirked up at him. "You're required to say things like that?"

"Perhaps," Trentis answered with a wink. "But you know I mean every word I say to you."

He refused to let her wrists go the whole war meeting.

They watched the steady flow of commanders and others pass by, each saluting to Resza and avoiding Trentis's gaze. "I don't see why you have a problem with me sleeping in meetings when Lebbeaus is running them!" Resza complained.

"What if Cichol was there?"

"He knows you've kept me up all damn night for who knows how long." She replied. "I could poke a billion holes into Lebbeaus's plans."

"Then do so next meeting. I look forward to hearing all about the great Human General's plans!" The Fomor General was behind the couple.

"How about I do that right now? First off, we can't go right through Bangor because we would become bottled up in the…" the word escaped her. "Uhh…"

"Valley." Trentis muttered.

"What he said. It would be a slaughtering ground and we'd be the pigs."

Lebbeaus yawned. "Yes, yes. Of course you always have such a great solution. You should hear Cichol rave about you, my dear."

Resza bristled. "They're better than yours! I stormed the Paladin capital!"

"And then promptly ran off with a Royal Alchemist, letting Emain go under Paladin control again, then having the nerve to show your face around here." Trentis caught Resza's wrist as her fist came up to punch the Fomor General. "Please," Lebbeaus didn't even bat an eye. "Get your little helldemon under control, Trentis."

"Hell demon?!" Resza struggled again Trentis as he completely locked her arms behind her.

The incubus picked her up and didn't release her until they were to their room. He tossed her onto the bed. "This war has been dragging on long enough." Trentis sighed.

Resza stood up and began pacing, ranting and raving about Lebbeaus, the war against the Paladins, Morrighan, even Trentis himself. "If you didn't hold me back I would have-"

"'Totally and completely won against him'." Trentis finished her sentence. "Of course you would have." He nodded toward marks on the wall. "Please read your final tally for going against me."

Resza did so. "Twenty two to...one hundred and fifty…Well," she turned on her heel. "We know each other so well so course you'd win! I let you."

"All the time?"

"Yes."

He laughed. "I've heard that too many times."

Resza rolled her eye. "Whatever. We got to go train those recruits."

"Don't scare them off."

"Scare them off? They all have a crush on me. You're the one who they're scared of, sweetie."

The Human General of the Dark Knight army watched the ill-prepared recruits pant as they ran laps. "Come on, you can do a few more!" She called out to the stragglers. "Once more, then we rest!"

They ran on, out of a mixture of wanting to impress Resza and fear of her anger. When she finally called the end, the recruits straightened. "You did poorly. I expected better, but you're all kind of squishy. I'll crush that out of you sooner or later." Resza mused. "Do you have any questions?"

"Are you single?" A voice called out from the back.

Trentis kissed Resza quite deeply and when they pulled apart, Resza straightened as though nothing happened. "No. I don't tolerate those questions. If you ask them again I will pull off your fingernails."

Once the recruits had been introduced to the different types of weapons they would need on the battlefield, she sent them off to the training dummies to get a feel for the swords, bows, and staves. If we can't get these recruits whipped into shape in a year or two, Resza felt a chill down her spine. We might lose this war.