The Duel with Alpha Korvin

The challenge hung over the canyon like a suspended executioner's axe. By the ancient laws of the Northern Concordat, a formal Trial of Blood could not be refused by a sovereign without forfeiting their legitimate claim to territorial rule. It was the brutal tradition of a warrior culture that valued combat prowess above all else. Lucian’s jaw hardened into granite. He spurred his black war-horse forward two paces, drawing his…