Beyond the Edge of Dawn Read Online Free PDF

voraciously defended. Home and hearth were not in his future and truly only faded tatters of imagination from his past.
    He often longed for the day when he could finally lay down his sword and take up a family, a home, a stable environment to call his life. Kavan smiled warmly at the thought despite knowing it was far off, if ever. Gaimosians the world over, no one had ever bothered figuring out how few remained, continued on with their existence as if machines. If there was an endpoint, Kavan certainly wasn’t privilege to it. All he knew was the inexorable pull of some faceless hand continued to drag him forward through one horrendous situation after the next.
    When the time finally did arrive where he had earned the right to set down his sword, Kavan vowed to never look back. But first purpose must be filled.
    He reined in his horse and pulled the round leather canteen from a saddlebag. The cool feeling pouring down his throat was refreshing, almost enough to help him forget the hardships of traveling alone across practically inhospitable terrain. Any simple pleasure taken from witnessing the vast expanse never fully translated to the reality of crossing it. And, even though he bore special fondness for winter, he didn’t relish the idea of marching across an entire kingdom swathed in snow and ice.
    Right now he wished for a warm fire and a mug of ale. The rest would sort itself out quickly. Melted snow dampened his boots to the point where he found it difficult to feel his toes no matter how much he wiggled and flexed them. Frowning, he couldn’t help but shiver as the chill crept up through his muscled frame. Kavan made up his mind then and there. It was time for a change.
    As much as he relished the thought of sticking around this part of Malweir and continuing his hunt for the werebeasts, he knew that the only true way to defeat them was by going to the source. Kill the host and the plague died. Thoughts swirled like freshly blown snow. Centering on his problem, Kavan recalled his conversation with Therdin.
    Aradain. King Eglios. Those two names overpowered his rationale. Was there some hidden connection between the werebeasts and the king of Aradain? Possibly. Anything was possible in this world. But what would Eglios stand to gain from such a...hostile relationship? Kavan failed to figure out any plausible answer aside from the collection of more power. Power, after all, was what made the world spin. He’d long figured that the sun would eat the moon if only it could catch up to it.
    Saying, for the moment, that he believed King Eglios had some nefarious purpose in mind, Kavan tried to think of how anyone could come to control such monsters. Malweir had more than it’s fair share of bloodthirsty dragons, demons with a penchant for stealing children, and just plain bad people, but very few had ever been able to control a werebeast population. At least as far as Kavan recalled. That Eglios could do so now suggested he would be in league with a darkness far greater than any the Gaimosian had fought in a very long time.
    Such conclusions led him down dark roads he was loath to travel. He was going to need help if there was any chance of succeeding. But who? Where to begin? Halting his horse again, the Vengeance Knight closed his eyes and drew his breath to bare minimums. Liquid fire sparked deep within his blood. Surging. Pulling. Leading him towards the southeast.
    His eyes opened with the shock comparable to being struck by a crossbow bolt. Pain intensified through his entire body. He began to sweat. Suddenly exhausted, Kavan slumped in the saddle to the despondent snicker from his horse.
    The bond. The blood tie that all Gaimosians shared. He had summoned it in the hopes of finding others to aid in his self-appointed quest. Normally anathema, working together with other Knights was his best and, most likely, only chance for success if the problem was as systemic as Therdin seemed to believe.
    Not that Kavan took