Dan Decker Books

War of the Fathers - Chapter Twenty

This week’s episode features Chapter Twenty of War of the Fathers.  Click here to download it or press play below. Here is an excerpt from the show:  
The smell of roasting meat from a nearby farmhouse tickled Jorad's hunger, reminding him that he hadn't had a decent meal in over two weeks. It was too much to hope for a night of rest in an actual bed, but getting a good meal in Zecarani should be a possibility. As much as he wanted a soft bed and a hot bath, it was foolish to take the risk with the Hunwei so close.
Adar and Karn had scouted ahead and reported that Zecarani hadn’t been harmed yet, so they had continued on to the city. They needed supplies, and Adar was still adamant about recovering the tablet, perhaps more so now that Zecarani had days left, if not hours. Jorad didn't hold on to the hope that Adar did of finding out that the tablet was a weapon, but he understood Adar's perspective. When you were already grasping at straws, why not grasp at a few more?
They were traveling on the road again because they were close enough to Zecarani now that it was their only option. The Zecarani city wall was several stories high, but from Jorad's vantage point on the hill, he could make out the town hall and governor’s palace resting in the center. The governor was supposed to be an elected official, but as far Jorad knew, there hadn’t been an election in years. That wasn't an uncommon happening here on this side of the world.
His eyes focused on the town hall where Deren's tablet was supposedly kept. It was a tall building with a large indoor assembly center that had been built before the Severing.
If he remembered correctly, the stonework of the building had been chiseled with intricate scenes of stories long since forgotten. Rarbon's Palace and Council Chambers had been built for the specific function of protecting people. In contrast, the Zecarani town hall and the governor’s palace were meant to display wealth and grandeur. It was nothing short of amazing that these buildings still stood, unscathed more than a thousand years later.
As they descended the hill, he noticed a considerable group of men on horses approaching from the other direction. As they drew closer, he was able to make out the deep red-brown uniform of the Zecarani guard. The leader wore a helmet with three metal spikes at the top. His horse was a large gray stallion that bore a lengthy scar down his neck. Men with lances followed behind.
Jorad and the others were forced to move to the side of the road as the group passed. The leader stared at them as he passed. When he saw Xarda's sword, his eyes narrowed. A Radim sword wasn't common in these parts. That, added to the fact that Rarbon was one of the few cities to recruit women into its armies, told the leader where they were from. He looked like he was thinking of stopping, but he continued on.
Jorad counted five dozen cavalry and couldn't help but wonder where they were going that required so many men. Were there troubles with brigands or had the Hunwei done something to draw their attention? He wished that they had enough blasters to arm them. That, or Ou Qui weapons. If these soldiers were chasing Hunwei, they would only find death.
Jorad moved to stretch and stopped halfway through because of the pain in his lower back. Nobody in their group had much skill with healing. It turned out that Xarda had once apprenticed with a healer but hadn't picked up very much. She'd done what she could for him, but her skills were limited. Although he was grateful for her efforts, he was having trouble sleeping. If he wasn't able to find a healer today to examine his back, it would have to wait until Rarbon. He didn't relish the idea of facing the Rarbon Council with a lower back that burned with pain every time he moved. Or worse, beginning the trials in such a condition.

War of the Fathers - Chapter Nineteen

This week’s episode features Chapter Eighteen of War of the Fathers.  Click here to download it or press play below. Here is an excerpt from the show: 
Jorad hadn’t seen Adar or the Hunwei for half an hour. He hadn’t been able to keep up, the pain in his back made it tough to run. If it weren’t for the mountain towering in front of him, he wouldn’t have had any idea which direction the road lay. He stopped, planted the tip of his sword into the ground and leaned against a nearby tree as he tried to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up at the sky, trying to guess what time it was. It had cleared up for a little while earlier, but now the clouds had returned, more ominous than before. It had been hours since they’d first come across the Hunwei, and he figured it was late in the afternoon.
Did some of the Hunwei break off to go back for the others? Was Soret even still alive?
Jorad took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the matters at hand, and was startled by the sound of a blast. Melyah, those things were loud. He gripped his sword and moved in the direction of the blast.
In moments, he faced a small clearing. Jorad crouched. Crossing it was out of the question, but maybe one of the Hunwei would. They didn’t take much care to hide. Why would they? Human weapons bounced off them with no harm. Confound it, they were in trouble.
 He listened, hoping for more sound to indicate which direction he should move. After several minutes of observation failed to reveal anything, he moved to the right and circled around the small meadow. He was almost to the other side when a Hunwei walked into the opening. Jorad froze but it was too late, he’d been seen.
The Hunwei pointed his weapon in Jorad's direction and fired. Jorad dove to the ground, rolled, turned to run and found himself face to face with the Hunwei they’d disarmed earlier. He was glad to see that the Hunwei still hadn’t retrieved the blaster as he burst into a sprint. That hopefully meant that Adar was still alive. The Hunwei grabbed for Jorad, but he twisted away, lost his footing and fell. His sword slid out of reach.
He crawled towards his sword, but there was a flash of pain in his side as the Hunwei kicked him. The air went out of his lungs, and he struggled to breathe. The Hunwei kicked him again, this time hitting the burn on his back. The scream that erupted from his throat caused the Hunwei to gurgle with laughter.
Jorad charged into the cackling Hunwei’s legs, grunting in pain when he made contact and taking them both to the ground. He could smell the creature. It was the same stink from the night they followed the shadows outside of Neberan. It was strange that he'd only now smelled it again, but perhaps that was because his mind had been so wrapped up in other things. He grabbed one of his daggers and stabbed down into the face of the Hunwei, refusing to die without a fight, no matter how futile his efforts.
To his surprise, the dagger plunged into the Hunwei’s eye, causing him to scream. Jorad pulled it out and stabbed the other eye, as the creature convulsed beneath him. Wrenching the dagger with both hands, he twisted and pushed it to the hilt. The Hunwei screamed again and wriggled beneath his legs. He pushed it in as deep as he could, pulled it out and stabbed into the neck repeatedly. Blue blood covered his hands when he stopped. He stood; shocked that he'd been able to kill a Hunwei. 

War of the Fathers - Chapter Eighteen

This week’s episode features Chapter Eighteen of War of the Fathers.  Click here to download it or press play below. Here is an excerpt from the show: 
“Run!” Adar cried. The order wasn’t needed as Jorad had already turned and was sprinting away, praying as he did that Soret and the others would be okay. They’d done what they could to distract the Hunwei, now it was in the hands of the gods.
Jorad slung his bow over his shoulder as he ran. The arrows, like his dagger and the ax, had bounced off the Hunwei as if their skin itself had been made of armor. An arrow had been turned away by a bloody eye. If they were that tough, why did they bother to wear armor at all?
As Jorad passed a tree, it burst into flames, and a hole the size of his head emerged in the trunk. Adar sprinted ahead and turned up towards the mountain. As Jorad followed, the full gravity of their situation fell upon him. They were going to die, and the certainty filled him with dread.
More trees around him burst into flames, and a blast of heat rushed over his head. He ducked without thinking and chanced a look back. The Hunwei were right behind, and his eyes were drawn to one pointing a blaster at him. The Hunwei pressed a lever, and a blast exploded from the end.
Jorad hit the ground as the blast went just over his head, singeing his hair on its way. Scrambling back to his feet, he plunged ahead and hoped that they could outrun the Hunwei. Their armor should slow them down.
Several minutes later, he came across Adar leaning up against a tree trying to catch his breath. Jorad slowed to a stop while gulping down air in great heaving gasps. The Hunwei weren’t visible, but he could hear crashing coming their way. At most, they had a few minutes. He was glad that they were able to outrun them. Whether it was because of the dense forest or the weight of their armor, he didn't know.
“We need to get to higher ground.” Adar panted.
“We’ll end up like a treed cat.”
“I want to see what happens if we can push one off a cliff. Maybe we can crush one with a rock. Besides, with all these hills, we have a better chance of hiding.”
Jorad thought Adar might be joking, but one look at Adar’s face showed he wasn’t. They were facing certain death, and he wanted to test the vulnerabilities of their armor, never mind their blasters.
“My arrow bounced off that Hunwei’s eye.”
“They’ve got to have weaknesses, this isn’t magic. Come on, we have to keep going up. If they get close, try the Ou Qui dagger.”
“Suicide.” Jorad gulped for air. “This is suicide.”
Adar grinned, if Jorad didn’t know any better Adar almost looked happy. “This isn’t the first time we’ve danced with death.”
“Hopefully, it won’t be the last.”
“Pray to the gods.”

War of the Fathers - Chapter Seventeen

This week’s episode features Chapter Sixteen of War of the Fathers.  Click below to download it or press play below. Here is an excerpt from the show:
“I’m Kinib Jemmir,” the Ou Qui said.
“I’m Adar Rahid, this is my son Jorad.”
Jorad was surprised that Adar had used their proper last name. In fact, Jorad couldn't remember a time when he'd ever been introduced as a Rahid. He supposed it didn't matter now since the people they'd been hiding from had found them. He wasn't uncomfortable, but he did realize that it was going to take some time to adjust to openly being a Rahid. Had there been a flash of recognition on Kinib’s face when he heard the name Rahid?
“When was Neberan attacked?”
Jorad was taken aback. Ruder had asked the same question, but that now seemed part of another lifetime. So much had happened since then that it felt like it was years ago.
“Nearly a week ago now,” Adar said. “When was Wasat attacked?”
The Ou Qui grimaced, or at least it looked like a grimace. The mud on his face made it hard to tell. It was either that or a smile. Jorad doubted Kinib had much to smile about.
“You are well informed. Wasat was indeed attacked several weeks ago. The ships that took your people went north too?”
“Yes, all the ones we saw.”
“In the past, my people have been at war with all and it kept us strong. While we hunt the Hunwei, we can't afford to be distracted. Please accept my gifts and promise. While we are in your lands hunting the Hunwei, we won't harm you.”
It happened fast. One moment, there was nothing. The next, two black handled daggers quivered in the ground before their feet. Without hesitation, Adar responded in kind with one of his own daggers. He looked at Jorad until Jorad contributed one as well. Jorad missed sticking the blade into the ground, but a patch of grass kept it from skidding. He felt a little embarrassed but put the thought out of his mind.
“Please accept our offering of peace.” The Ou Qui put his hands out, both palms up.

War of the Fathers – Chapter Sixteen

This week’s episode features Chapter Sixteen of War of the Fathers.  Click here to download it or press play below. Here is an excerpt from the show:
Jorad didn’t know how long he lay on the floor of the guardhouse, but when he opened his eyes, everything was quiet. Had he been knocked unconscious? His arm and ribs hurt from where he had hit the wall, and there was a bump on the back of his head. He got to his knees, checking to make sure he didn't have any broken bones. As he stood, he found that his leg hurt but was still functional. He twisted his head to either side to stretch his neck. It didn't help, and he still felt stiff afterward. It was painful to twist it too far in either direction.
The fire in the hearth had burned down and cast the room in shadows. He could smell oil from a lantern that lay broken near the stool where he had sat earlier. The last time he'd seen that lantern, it had been lit. It was a lucky thing that the guardhouse hadn't caught fire.
The two corpses were his only company. The bodies of Lel and Thon's friend filled him with sadness. Lel didn't deserve to come to this end. He was a decent guy who had volunteered to keep Neberan safe. His body lay in the middle of the floor, and his staff was in two pieces with a large chunk missing, either end was burned. The upper right half of Lel’s shoulder and neck were gone as well as his head. It was as if a large animal had taken a bite. The other body had a big hole in the middle. The smell from the dead made him nauseous.
How many more will die? Jorad asked himself as he turned away. We could have done a better job to warn Neberan. The thought bounced around his mind, and he did his best to ignore it.
The sound of smaller explosions peppered with much larger explosions came from outside the destroyed doorway. He walked to it, afraid to look out and see the terror that had engulfed Neberan but knowing that he needed to get moving because he had to find Soret and Adar.
People ran in every direction. Fireballs—that wasn’t quite the right word, but he couldn’t think of another term—burned through the air. A group of Hunwei was herding some of the townsfolk, prodding them with their weapons.

War of the Fathers – Chapter Fifteen

This week’s episode features Chapter Fifteen of War of the Fathers. Click below to download it or press play. Here is an excerpt from the show: 
A man's body fell in front of Adar, and a large armored figure loomed above him in the smoke. The Hunwei glanced down at the corpse, looked away, and brought something to his shoulder. Fire erupted from the end, illuminating the Hunwei's armor. Adar frowned, wondering what his chance of survival was if he were to attack the Hunwei. He decided to do nothing because the Hunwei didn't appear to have noticed them. The light from the blasts and the nearby burning buildings reflected off the Hunwei's helmet and the rest of the armor. It was the first real look that Adar had gotten of the Hunwei. The creature towered over him, and the helmet obscured most of the head, but Adar could see there was a faceplate that allowed the Hunwei to see. The light reflected off of it, making it seem to glow and completing the Hunwei's unearthly look.
Melyah! Adar should have dragged Jorad to Rarbon months ago, back when he started feeling uneasy. He'd been angry with Jorad for not telling him about his encounter with the Ou Qui, but Adar was actually angry with himself. He'd had a premonition that this was going to happen and he'd ignored it.
The Hunwei fired repeatedly. Each time the blast from the end of the thing he held to his shoulder lit up his armor. After several more explosions from his blaster—what else could it be?—the Hunwei moved away from them.
Similar explosions came from all around as Adar examined the dead man several feet in front of him. A hole had been burned all the way through his chest. Light from a ship passing overhead showed the ash, mixed with blood, flesh, and bone that covered the ground where the man had fallen.

War of the Fathers – Chapter Fourteen

This week’s episode features Chapter Fourteen of War of the Fathers. Click below to download it or press play below. Here is an excerpt from the show:
Jorad had just reached his sword where it hung on the wall when the door opened beside him. He put his back against the wall and turned Gorew toward the door.
“Don’t come in or I’ll kill him.”
Thon walked in. “Kill him or not, it doesn’t matter, you’re a dead man.” He was followed by three men, one of whom held a coil of rope with a noose tied at the end.
Jorad pushed the dagger tighter to Gorew’s throat who in turn cried out in terror. It reminded Jorad of the first time he’d slaughtered a chicken, and he almost vomited. This wasn’t Gorew’s fault. It wasn't even Thon's.
The look in Thon’s eyes dared Jorad to slice Gorew’s throat. Jorad pressed the dagger and strengthened his resolve; he wished that he'd acted sooner. He shouldn't have spent so much time letting his thoughts wander while the guards had settled down.
“Thon, don’t let him kill me! Please--”
“Shut up, Gorew!” Thon said.
Jorad was trying to decide what to do next when somebody kicked in the door. His first thought was that it was Adar coming to his aid, but he realized that something was wrong when the end of a black stick was shoved in through the doorway. An explosion filled the room, and a mist of blood, chunks of bone, and bits of brain matter appeared where Lel's head had been.

War of the Fathers – Interlude One

This week’s episode features Interlude One of War of the Fathers. Click below to download it or press play. Here is an excerpt from the show: 
Here was Rend’s only opportunity to right this wrong. He’d never be able to find what ship his son was on or where they’d taken him, but he could ensure that any of those Hunwei ships that returned home would find their planet gone. Much the same as what they'd left to the few human survivors.
“Besides,” Rend whispered to himself. “This war isn’t over.” There had been no declaration of truce. He had a distinct feeling that the Hunwei would one day return.
“If it isn’t, why’d they leave?” Jbyte materialized as she spoke and Rend looked up from the holographic display. Her image was that of a serving girl in a tight red dress. He recognized the face but couldn’t put a name to it. An actress from before the war? The holograph bowed low, an act of respect that had been out of fashion for years.
Rend winced and wished he hadn’t. Jbyte’s sensors picked up the smallest things. She enjoyed it when she got to him. Unfortunately, if Rend ignored her, she’d do the same, and he still needed her help. For now. She was his only way of knowing what was happening with the fleet because Joner wasn’t very forthcoming and rarely answered a call.
“We’re not done until they’re all dead or they’ll haunt us forever.”