The Torment, The Shadow, The Heart (The Hero of Talbadas Vol. 1)

Dresden got to his feet, stretched his arms and legs, and cracked neck and knuckles both. He looked to his family with eyes filled with dreadful finality, devoid of all compassion, peace already made with the possibility he might not see them again.
“Dresden?” Kethis asked in uncertainty, Bindie and Gorden peering at him with confused faces.
“This will not be,” he said bluntly, his voice calmly level, different. “I will not have my family, nor the people of my town, fear for their lives.” He had nothing else to say, striding emphatically for the hallway.
“Mum, where is he going?” Gorden asked excitedly. “Where are you going, Dresden?!”
He moved for the study, his eyes set in cold, calculating slits. “Out for a walk,” he growled.