The Marshes of Efjar have never been conquered. The scholars say it is the inhospitable terrain, the mazelike bogs, or insects the size of a fist. But any warrior who's ever trod these lands know the true danger: the minotaur clans that call them home. Twice the height of a human and fond of raw flesh, the Efjar minotaurs have repelled the Arka armies time and time again. It now falls to The Iron Keys – a famed regiment of the finest soldiers and mages – to put an end to the war. And for fresh recruit Farden the Written, it is his first glimpse of the terrors of Efjar. Death awaits all who enter the Marshes. ——— This new short story is set before The Emaneska Series, and tells the tale of Farden and his role in the Efjar Skirmishes. For more from the dark world of Emaneska and to follow Farden's journey, read The Emaneska Series and Scalussen Chronicles.