For thousands of years, the Dragons ruled the continent of Calibran. Wielding magic and an intelligence few could match, their whim was law, and the lesser beings were merely playthings and game pieces.
But not everyone was content to be ruled by the dragons.
The minotaurs of Kehlaktur are strong, fierce and independent. They boast that their city needs no walls to keep them safe, only the strong arms and brave hearts of their warriors. And up till now, they have been right.
They have something the Blue Dragon wants.
Glaurax the Deep comes to the minotaurs with an offer: accept his rule and he will transform them into a mighty army and make them masters of all, subject only to the dragon.
But, the minotaurs value their freedom too highly to be ruled by a dragon tyrant. Now, the dragon is coming to take by force what the minotaurs would not give willingly. With the aid of madmen and blood magic, swords and axes, the minotaurs will fight to stay free.
When you’re fighting a dragon, though, is all that enough?
Told by an elder minotaur as a history of their people to younger minotaurs, this tale covers an important event from their past, one relevant to their present. In it, Grom is depicted as a hot-headed young warrior still in need of training, and follows him as he learns the lessons of wiser warriors and experience to come into his own.
This minotaur culture is interesting and detailed without being shoved down your throat. The device of depicting a storyteller who breaks into the story every so often to help his listeners understand some of the more subtle messages works beautifully. I found the storyteller to be the most interesting, compelling character, in fact, and am looking forward to finding out who he really was in his youth, as I suspect much of his knowledge of Grom’s heroism may be firsthand, or possibly from his father or grandfather.
I enjoyed this fast-paced bardic-style tale a great deal and look forward to reading more from this series. The novella is currently in pre-order on Amazon