– Perhaps," the king interrupted her in a grim tone.
– But what about magic? – The queen asked quietly.
– There was no magic. He did not use it – Lamar's voice was dark and cold.
– No… No! – Only now did the queen realize the meaning of her husband's words.
– Yes!" came the queen's harsh reply.
– We must…" the queen began, but her husband immediately stopped her attempt to interfere.
– The war will begin soon. Go back to your chambers and don't you dare disturb me," the supreme demon ordered in a grim tone.
With a huff of anger, the offended Varma picked up the hem of her bright red dress and left.
An hour later, the demon king convened a council and issued an order declaring war. He was firmly convinced that humans, a weak race, would not be able to withstand the might of the Dusk Army, but he had no idea what trump cards humans were hiding and how it would turn out for Flammehav. And most importantly, what the Rossi dynasty would have to sacrifice to preserve the lands, and how in an instant the greatest race of all-powerful demons would turn to dust under the feet of the human king Derek Merkswerd.
The war between Flammehav and Kaldwind broke out three days after Varma, the demon queen, received the bloody severed head of the ambassador. This war was merciless, brutal: blood poured down in rivers, cities were wiped to dust, the bodies of the slain covered more and more devastated lands. But all this horror did not touch the kingdom of men – it was burning and turning into ruins proud and powerful Flammehav. Demons, who started this war and previously had no doubt in their success, suffered defeat after defeat, and this led them to terror, but excessive pride and hatred of people forced the king of demons Lamar to continue the desperate war, which cost hundreds of thousands of lives of his subjects.
On the first night that the demons attacked what they thought was the defenseless border town of Kaldwind Valdal, their attack was easily repulsed by an experienced heavily armed garrison. The very next day many strong reinforcements of horsemen, archers and infantry men arrived in the town, and from that day the fall of Flammehav began. In three and a half months Derek Merkswerd's army had invaded the lands of the enemy, destroyed most of the demons' defenses, left behind the ruins of many cities and the corpses of their enemies, and was now conquering the still vacant remnants of the Fire Kingdom's lands, sparing neither women nor children, taking no prisoners, and plundering houses, temples, and palaces. Since the King of Kaldwind hated demons and everything associated with them, his warriors were given permission to pillage, rape, and kill. The humans were physically weaker than their enemies, but, perfectly trained in the art of battle and with strict discipline on the battlefield, they had a great advantage over their overconfident foes and mowed them down like wheat. King Derek did not hide behind the backs of his warriors and participated in every battle, for which he had the unending respect and loyalty of his large grateful army.