The Consequence of Respite

  The Consequence of Respite by Owen Fedchenko   Warm night air brushed Drac’s face as it drifted up through the open terrace. It was an odd and unfamiliar feeling to him, especially this late in the evening. The land he came from was cold all year round, even this month in mid-summer, despite being only across the sea. Here, the moon cast a light almost as bright as day. A gleaming shaft illuminated the empty room so he could see every detail of the mural before him. The vast painted wall was spattered with dark stains of blood from the battle that took place here the previous night. The mural stretched the entire length of the sixty foot long, twenty foot high wall behind the throne. It depicted the great city of Arrowe and was said to be an exact replica; every single structure and most minor of households represented in the landscape. Overlooking the city, in the foreground, stood a man in glinting armor and a lavish fur-trimmed cloak,  raising a gold-hilted sword . T...