To Slay a Bear
Mikhail hears screaming every time a room is silent. He can't sleep until he collapses from exhaustion.He has never once led his soldiers into a retreat, and has worked his way into a well-respected position among his peers. He is among the best, climbing the ranks as easily as a salmon swims, and nobody ever felt the need to question the excess cuts on his hands and arms , the walks he takes in the middle of the night as everyone sleeps.As tradition, the ageing King must abdicate, and the new monarch is to be chosen from the Khanate Guard, through a series of competitions, to determine who is worthy to wear the crown. Mikhail is disinterested, but isn't power best given to those who do not seek it?And what if his greatest mistake, hadn't even happened at all?…