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not they live?  He is lord of the Kale Gen, not of your Krall Gen.”
    Mynar smiled.  “Surely you jest?  You know that I
will have the closest blood-ties to the throne of my gen once I kill Lord Krall
and his sons, as will you once you kill Lord Karthan and his whelps.  However,
your lord has claim to my gen’s throne.  Don’t forget, my lord took your lord’s
older sister as a lifemate!”
    “There is no such agreement between our gens.”  Khee-lar
shook his head.  He was at the end of his patience with Mynar and his
condescendence.  After all, Mynar had been chased here by the servants of Lord
Krall after his botched assassination attempt.  Khee-lar had no patience for
those who failed.  He had found life to be rather unforgiving to those who
couldn’t perform.  With a twitch of the eye, Khee-lar unintentionally let on
that he knew Mynar was next to the edge of the cliff.
    “Agreement or not, by the Scrolls of Heritage Lord
Karthan and his whelps have a stronger claim to the throne of my gen than I
do.  I cannot tolerate that,” Mynar said, still believing he was firmly in
control of Khee-lar.  “By killing them all, you eliminate their threat to your
claim on the throne of the Kale Gen, as well as their claim on the throne of
the Krall Gen.”
    “Since when have you cared what the Scrolls of
Heritage say?”
    Mynar’s brows rose as he looked at Khee-lar anew. 
“Have I taught you nothing?  They give you control over the masses.  Whether or
not you agree with them, you must appear legitimate in the eyes of your gen or
your rule will not last.”
    Khee-lar Shadow Hand shook his head slowly.  “Ah
Mynar, that is where you and I part ways.”  He turned and stared into Mynar’s
eyes with a cold intensity that could mean only one thing.  “I will control my
people.  Once I establish my rule, I will have no need of scrolls or any such
crutch.  They will obey me, or they will die.”
    Mynar the Sorcerer could see the danger in
Khee-lar’s eyes, in the way he stood, in the tightness of his muscles, as if he
were preparing to strike.  Struggling to not let his fear show, he took a step
away from the edge of the precipice.  He was losing control over Khee-lar, so
he used the last piece of leverage he knew he had.  “You want the Kale Stone,
and I can get it for you.  Don’t forget that, Khee-lar.”
    Khee-lar paused for a moment then growled in
frustration as he willed himself to stand down.  Turning away from Mynar, he
took a couple of deep breaths.  Having his gen’s stone of power would ensure
his rule was not challenged.  That was worth maintaining some semblance of
deference to his former mentor, if only in word.  “I will not fail,” Khee-lar
said tensely as he began to walk out of the cavern.  Turning back he snapped at
Mynar.  “See to it that you get me what I need to cement my rule.” 
    With that Khee-lar Shadow Hand ducked into the
narrow passageway and departed.
    Standing alone now in the wind that rose up from
the underdark, Mynar the Sorcerer wiped the sweat from his brow and
straightened up, breathing deeply before leaving the chamber himself.  As he
left the chamber, he passed his hand over his face again, taking on the visage
of the non-descript warrior as his look became more determined.
    “Oh the Kale Stone will return to the Kale Gen, my
dear Khee-lar Shadow Hand,” he spoke under his breath as he entered the chamber
beyond and saw Khee-lar walking down the long passage beyond.  “And with it I
will bend you and this gen to my will.”

Chapter 2
– The Lord of the Gen’s
Daughter
    T he
sounding of the third gong found the Kale Gen’s arena a hive of activity.  A
night and most of a day had passed since the yearlings had returned from the
underdark and only one more full day after this one was left to the dedicated
warriors of the Honor Guard to finish the preparations for the Trials of
Caste.  High above the floor of the arena, Kormach Manebrow,