Burden Of Fate – Steve Harthun

“And if they’re deadweight?” “Then you carry them,” Bran said flatly. “That’s fine. Better they lean on you than you lean on them. You’ll get the kills, you’ll get the practice, and they’ll think you’re just unusually lucky. Everyone wins.” Trace snorted. “Lucky isn’t the word I’d use.” “Then don’t use words. Use the spear. And keep your secrets, Veeran. Predator’s Mark, the growth of your weapon. Those stay between us. The bigger your shadow gets, the more the System and the world itself will try to swat you.”

Trace muttered, “Encouraging as ever.” “Encouragement’s for bards,” Bran said. “I deal in survival.” By midnight, they’d stopped in the woods. Moonlight poured silver across the clearing. Bran drew a circle in the dirt and handed Trace a weighted pole. “The First Circle taught you flow,” Bran said, voice low.

“How to move with the world instead of against it. But flow only carries you so far. The Iron Circle? It’s about endurance. About breaking the one enemy every fighter must face—yourself.” Trace raised a brow. “You mean not falling on my ass?” Bran smirked. “That too. But it’s more than that. Fatigue, pain, fear. They are the real opponents.

Men sharper than you die when their arms get heavy. Heroes faster than you fall when their legs give out. The Iron Circle teaches you to keep moving when your body screams stop. Outlast the inevitable, and you’ll live long enough to find victory.” He paced around Trace as he circled clumsily. Each time Trace’s steps faltered, Bran cuffed him with the weighted mug. Each time his spear sagged, Bran barked, “Again!

Again!” The drill changed and changed again. Stones tied to wrists and ankles. Ruts were dug in the dirt. Bran forced him to keep circling until every step was ugly. Trace’s hands blistered, thighs locked, sweat stung his eyes. He puked once and Bran nodded and said, “Good. That’s your body making room for better habits. Strength wins the first minute,” Bran growled. “Endurance wins in the last minute. And the last is all that counts.” At last, Trace stumbled to his knees. Bran gave the smallest nod.

“Better. You’ll break a hundred times learning this. Break enough, and the circle becomes your spine.” Trace crawled to his bedroll and collapsed. Sleep smothered him before he could curse. He drifted. The dream found him. Silver mist filled the forest. He stood with Criterion humming faintly in his hand. From the haze stepped the elf—tall, luminous, her eyes green fire. “You’ve stepped onto the Second circle,” she said, voice like a bell struck in water. “Endurance. Persistence. A path few finish.”

Trace swallowed. “So, you’re watching me again.” “I see what the spear sees.” Her gaze lingered on Criterion. “And it remembers.” “Then answer me something,” Trace said, voice low. “Why do you fight? Why teach me through a dream?

Book One of the Ashes of Vaeltharion series © 2025 Steve Harthun. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical reviews or articles. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. For information about this book, please visit: www.AshesOfVaeltharion.com Edited by Katelyn Matthews of JD Book Services Cover design by Krishna Interior design by Emily Snyder ISBN (paperback): 979-8-9947590-0-4 ISBN (hardcover): 979-8-9947590-2-8 Printed in the United States of America 1kitap1.com/en For my wife and family, my redemption from the ashes.

1kitap1.com/en Contents Prologue 1. Bourbon and Rain 2. The Summoned 3. Steam and Numbers 4. Feast of Crows 5. Blood and Dirt 6. The Hollow Log 7. A Silver Scam 8. Spears and Steak Belts 9. Shopping and Standards 10. Blood and Debts 11. Midnight Circles 12. Festival of Flames 13. The Tankard Champion 14. Potions and Debuffs 15. Ghosts and Goblins 16. The Corrupted Chapel 17. The Hall of Echoes 18.

The Warden’s Chains 19. The Abbot of Ash 20. The Revenant’s Gate 21. Red Alert 22. Books, Blades, and Bodyguards 23. Fire on the Road 24. The Temple City 25. Bitter-Sweet 26. Bitter Strength 27. The Beast Tide 28. Endurance Forged 29. Blooded Team 30. Calculated Risks 31. New Blood 32. Potions and Farewells 33. The Road Begins 34. Taverns and Teeth 35. Fields and Firelight 36.

The Muster Glade 37. Frozen Hollow 38. Writhing Marsh 39. The Rotting Halls 40. The Burning Thicket 41. The Heart 42. Into the Heart 43. Blood on the Glade 44. The Voice Epilogue: The Second Summons 1kitap1.com/en Prologue The storm over Vaeltharion did not break with rain, but with fire. From the towering windows of the royal citadel, lightning forked across a black horizon, jagged white veins splitting the darkness. The Shadow Dominion pressed hard beyond the walls, banners of crimson and black moving forward like a tide of night.

Inside the throne hall, the air itself seemed to quake beneath the weight of dread. King Althric Vaelborne sat upon his throne in full armor, helm resting at his side. Even seated, he towered over the court, his massive frame built by decades of warfare. Scars lined his weathered face, but his voice remained steady.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: bfc48a5bc35ca32d
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 2,271,221 bytes (2.166 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9798994759004, 9798994759028
• Pages: 367
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 598.48 minutes
• Total Words: 119,696
• Total Characters: 694,760
• Average Words per Page: 326.15
• Average Characters per Page: 1893.08

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