Pawn's Gambit

In the bloody aftermath of an unsuccessful rebellion against Rattan, mad king of Sandakar, Jubal Khan is pursued by King Rattan's Special Directorate thugs.

As he escapes across the Bleak Hills, Khan begins to realize that he may have no choice but to begin organizing another revolt. Leaving the island of Cappabar might be possible, but the SD has a long reach. There is no safety in flight.

Across Cappabar, men struggle to survive the onslaught of SD goons. Fighting erupts in waterfront dives, at road crossings, around desert waterholes. Bloody-handed assassins stalk the night.

Khan's army comes together from dire necessity. In order to survive, he and his men must crush the evil oozing out of Sandakar -- or die trying.

Rattan begins styling himself as Emperor of all Cappabar. Once Khan is eliminated, he plans to bring the rest of the island to heel. The remnants of his army are enough, he believes, to finish Khan's army and overrun the island. After that, his Special Directorate will begin a reign of terror sufficient to maintain the new Empire.

Failure, for Khan and his men, means lingering death under the clawed hands of Vulch, Rattan's chief warlock.

Jubal Khan marches his army toward a blood-red dawn.