The Sin War Box Set: Birthright, Scales of the Serpent, and The Veiled Prophet by Richard A. Knaak Page A

farmer insisted in his mind. It would all resolve itself. Somehow, sense would be made of everything and he would be able to begin his life again, albeit probably not anywhere near Seram. The ties he had had with the other villagers had been forever cut. He could never trust them again, just as they could never trust him. The accusations and the memories would always lurk in the background.
    But Uldyssian could start over elsewhere, forgetting all that had happened in Seram. A farmer only needed a good patch of land and a strong hand. He had both. He could build a new home and, just perhaps, make it large enough for a family. Lylia had sacrificed much for him. He had to mean something to her, whatever the difference in their bloodlines. Together, they would put behind their pasts and make a new future.
    If the Cathedral and the Temple let them, that is…

S IX
    They paused that night near the edge of a hilly tract that overlooked in the distant part of the vast jungles that surrounded the more tamed central regions of Kehjan the land. It naturally fell to Achilios to hunt for game. Mendeln worked on a fire while Serenthia, Lylia, and Uldyssian ventured out a short distance in separate directions to see if they could find water and edible berries. More than happy to focus on something other than his predicament, the fugitive farmer wended his way farther than agreed, the stillness of the rolling forest calming his heart for the first time in days. Indeed, he savored the silence so much that, for a good part of the search, Uldyssian forgot what it was he was supposed to be doing.
    His peace was abruptly shattered by the sound of rustling leaves. Uldyssian instinctively reached for the knife that he had long lost.
    But as he realized his folly, a form pushed through to him. His heart raced, but out of pleasure, not fear.
    “I am sorry,” Lylia murmured, looking up at him. “I was frightened by myself! I—I wanted to be with you, Uldyssian…”
    His blood raced as she put an ivory hand on his own. Her eyes caught what light there was from the foliage-obscured moon, making them almost glow like stars themselves.
    “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he reassured her, savoring the touch. “Tomorrow, things’ll be better. You’ll see.”
    The noblewoman smiled. “How silly to hear you trying to calm me! ’Tis your life at threat, Uldyssian…”
    “We’re far from Seram now. They’ll forget about me.” It was obviously a lie, but the farmer had no idea what else to say.
    “They will not. I think…Uldyssian, there is only one way to prevent us from having to run and run forever. I said something of it before and now that I have seen the wondrous gifts you possess, I think it more than ever.”
    He did not like where she was going with this. “Lylia…”
    “Please…” Without warning, the blond noblewoman kissed him. It was long and lingering and filled Uldyssian with a yearning.
    “We must go to the great city itself,” she said once they had separated. “You must speak to the people! Not the mage clans or the nobles, but the common folk! They will understand you—”
    He laughed harshly. “My own village didn’t understand me! They saw me as some kind of horrible monster!”
    “That was due to the awful circumstances, Uldyssian! If you go to the city, you start fresh! You have been given a gift most fantastic! They must be told!”
    “And what am I supposed to preach to them? To follow me like some god or spirit or I’ll tear them apart as I did the Cathedral’s men? What could I give them except fear and loathing?”
    Her expression turned solemn. She stared deep into his eyes. “You could give them the promise of becoming as you are! Of becoming more than the Cathedral or the Triune could ever claim for them!”
    “Of becoming like me?” The farmer could scarcely believe his ears. Was she mad? “Why would they want to become like me? To suffer as I have? For that matter, I still don’t even