{"id":255151,"date":"2026-07-13T04:04:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T01:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/burden-of-fate-steve-harthun\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T04:04:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T01:04:43","slug":"burden-of-fate-steve-harthun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/burden-of-fate-steve-harthun\/","title":{"rendered":"Burden Of Fate – Steve Harthun"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cAnd if they\u2019re deadweight?\u201d \u201cThen you carry them,\u201d Bran said flatly. \u201cThat\u2019s fine. Better they lean on you than you lean on them. You\u2019ll get the kills, you\u2019ll get the practice, and they\u2019ll think you\u2019re just unusually lucky. Everyone wins.\u201d Trace snorted. \u201cLucky isn\u2019t the word I\u2019d use.\u201d \u201cThen don\u2019t use words. Use the spear. And keep your secrets, Veeran. Predator\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trace muttered, \u201cEncouraging as ever.\u201d \u201cEncouragement\u2019s for bards,\u201d Bran said. \u201cI deal in survival.\u201d By midnight, they\u2019d stopped in the woods. Moonlight poured silver across the clearing. Bran drew a circle in the dirt and handed Trace a weighted pole. \u201cThe First Circle taught you flow,\u201d Bran said, voice low.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow to move with the world instead of against it. But flow only carries you so far. The Iron Circle? It\u2019s about endurance. About breaking the one enemy every fighter must face\u2014yourself.\u201d Trace raised a brow. \u201cYou mean not falling on my ass?\u201d Bran smirked. \u201cThat too. But it\u2019s more than that. Fatigue, pain, fear. They are the real opponents.<\/p>\n

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\u2019ll live long enough to find victory.\u201d He paced around Trace as he circled clumsily. Each time Trace\u2019s steps faltered, Bran cuffed him with the weighted mug. Each time his spear sagged, Bran barked, \u201cAgain!<\/p>\n

Again!\u201d 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\u2019s hands blistered, thighs locked, sweat stung his eyes. He puked once and Bran nodded and said, \u201cGood. That\u2019s your body making room for better habits. Strength wins the first minute,\u201d Bran growled. \u201cEndurance wins in the last minute. And the last is all that counts.\u201d At last, Trace stumbled to his knees. Bran gave the smallest nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter. You\u2019ll break a hundred times learning this. Break enough, and the circle becomes your spine.\u201d 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\u2014tall, luminous, her eyes green fire. \u201cYou\u2019ve stepped onto the Second circle,\u201d she said, voice like a bell struck in water. \u201cEndurance. Persistence. A path few finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trace swallowed. \u201cSo, you\u2019re watching me again.\u201d \u201cI see what the spear sees.\u201d Her gaze lingered on Criterion. \u201cAnd it remembers.\u201d \u201cThen answer me something,\u201d Trace said, voice low. \u201cWhy do you fight? Why teach me through a dream?<\/p>\n

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Book One of the Ashes of Vaeltharion series \u00a9 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\u2019s imagination or are used fictitiously.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Warden\u2019s Chains 19. The Abbot of Ash 20. The Revenant\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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