Prologue

"It is something in the air Fendrel, I am sure it is," the Commander told Fendrel. "You know, the monotony of plain waves that precede a huge hit." He stood in the way of the torch that lighted the frontier bastion of the castle that Fendrel had been stationed at.
      The roof of the portcullis was really cold, Fendrel shivered twice, hugged him self and lowered himself to a barrel. Nights in the North Deserts were supposed to be as cold as the ones in damnation.

     "It must be so sir." Fendrel squeaked. The Commander was from the Broken Lands, a towering man of six and a half stones, his face covered in a perfectly trimmed beard that looked to good to be artificial. Fendrel was a wandered and had been enlisted in the North Deserts Guard Corps against his wish. 

     Still he had risen to captain, but that was no good. When promoted to the much envied position of captain, one would often rejoice for nothing would lie ahead except for fat files on expensive desks.That was not the case for the Guard Corps, they would be stationed on the ridges and rises of the kingdom, on the shores and coves, anywhere within the territory of King Cyneburg.

     There was a sharp screech, the Commander had taken out his sword, examining it in the low light. 

"It is just amazing how they have advanced Fendrel. A hundred years ago, we were almost primitive, we fought with nothing but un-capacited swords made of Copper. Do you know why we add streak capacitors to swords Fendrel?"

      "No Sir. I do not." Fendrel did not bother to speak more than ten words per answer.

      "Carbo-Copper in reality does not have Carbon or Copper. It is actually named so for it exhibits the desirable properties of both the elements. An adept once told me that Carbo-Copper in its true form is a substance so sinister that if it is not controlled, it will consume everything within its reach. Streak Capacitors are needed to control the extent to which we let the Carbo-Copper disintegrate the environment that it surrounds."

      "I was told something similar, but how is it that when the capacitor breaks the sword becomes useless instead of becoming more powerful?"

      The Commander laughed, that mad Fendrel shrink a bit. "Carbo-Copper is more expensive than the rarest of red rubies. What we use, rather what most soldiers use is one part carbo-copper with other metallic blends,"
       "You use the pure form don't you sir?"
        The Commander had just opened his mouth when the familiar Ivory Horn trumpeted loudly. A Pink lizard Horn countered it, twice.
       "Told you, something in the air." The Commander smiled, donning his heavy armor. "If I see you once more Fendrel - I hope we meet on this side." The Commander's round eyes shined with blood lust as he covered them with his helmet before riding out.

The hour that followed was nothing but a living nightmare. The enemy, whoever they were, had ringed into them from the front and the west. The east and he back portion were protected just because they were surrounded by cliffs that were as high as nine hundred feet.
         Their sheer number was enough to make anyone flee, the only reason everyone stayed was there was nowhere to flee to. Fendrel saw men die everywhere, at every station.
        Fendrel knew the end had come when the enemy had managed to set alight the West wing. Now all that remained of the Corps was ten men except for Fendrel, who were in no position to fight. That was the reason, as acting commander of forces, Fendrel had locked them behind a hidden trapdoor in the keep of the castle.
       Gripping a new sword in his hand, Fendrel braved himself enough to a room on the ground floor where he thought he had heard footsteps when he was moving the last of the injured soldiers. When he pushed the door, he found the man he needed the most and expected the least - the Commander.
     "Fendrel," the captain exclaimed. He was looking out of the window as if there was nothing special about that night, that hour,
         "Who are they sir?"
       "Bloody Plain folk. The Pink Lizard horn is their peculiarity. Is there any survivor? Any fighter?"
        "No fighters, but there are some survivors. I hid them behind  the trapdoor in the keep. What do we do now?" There was a long sullen silence.
       "Do you trust me?" The Commander smiled, as a examiner would smile in front of a student who was as enlightened as a cow.
        It a while for Fendrel to answer that. "Yes Sir."
        "Then I need you to go out that window."
       Without even asking the reason, Fendrel went out of the window. The Commander followed him. "You must obey me now Fendrel." The commander breathed on the back of Fendrel's neck. "I need you to run the first chance you get, and talk to no one about you. The actions that I will now take will be as Commander and you will help in making my plan a by running as fast as you can."
        "What will you do now, sir?"
        "I surrender." The Commander shouted. Within minutes all the enemy forces had surrounded them. The Commander demanded to talk to their leader, only to find that there was none. It was in the next moment that Fendrel heard from the Commander what he had never heard before, although he had known it.
         "I am a Secondary. One of you, follow me and I shall take you to our true leader."
     Everything was happening beyond the speed of Fendrel's comprehension. They asked the Commander some questions that only a Secondary would know the answers to. Then, like sheep they assembled and headed towards the West Wing. The Commander had told them not to bind Fendrel, but simply tie his hand to a tree.
         Now the Commander was leaving with the procession. Just when they were near the armory, nine hundred feet away from Fendre lthe Commander shouted, "Remember Fendrel, there is nothing as deadly as pure Carbo-Copper."
           It was a long distance, but the Commander's words carried. It was  with those words, that blast that Fendrel experienced the true meaning of the word Power.