Lost City

by Jeffrey Poole

  A New Fantasy Series by the Author of

  The Bakkian Chronicles!

  Lost City

  By

  Jeffrey M. Poole

  www.Lentari.com

  Copyright 2013 © Jeffrey M. Poole This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Kindle’s Ebook Store and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters and locations appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or real locations (even if you find it on a map!), is purely coincidental.

  Published by: Hungry Griffin Publishing

  www.HungryGriffin.com

  Published in the United States of America

  THE UNDENIABLE, UNARGUABLE, IRREFUTABLE RULER OF SSX TRICKY!

  HOW’S THAT SNOW TASTE, CHICKLET?

  Hammers are never adorned with jewels. Repeated blows will loosen any adornments… You saw something that shows otherwise?

  A famous keymaker. For a dwarf.

  Other Books by Jeffrey M. Poole:

  Tales of Lentari

  Lost City (Tales of Lentari #1)

  Something Wyverian This Way Comes (Tales of Lentari #2)

  Bakkian Chronicles

  The Prophecy (Bakkian Chronicles #1)

  Insurrection (Bakkian Chronicles #2)

  Amulet of Aria (Bakkian Chronicles #3)

  Disneyland Debacle

  Winter Wonderland

  (Bakkian Chronicles short stories)

  Five Stars! “Such a great read. I have been thirsty to get lost within a luring summertime novel; I can gladly place a check mark on that list! Very excited to begin the second series.” – Christy, Amazon.com reviewer.

  Five Stars! “Amulet of Aria is the long awaited conclusion of the Bakkian Chronicles. If you enjoyed the rest of the series then this book will not disappoint. Jeff keeps the mood fairly lighthearted throughout while still managing to keep up an impressive level of action. This particular book has a bit more of the happenings taking place in our world as opposed to being pretty much exclusively on Lentari. There is also another person who gets let in on the secret life of Steve, Sarah, and Mikal. The additional character (named Lia) works very well with the group dynamic that already exists and adds quite a bit of humor..” – Scott P., IndieBookBlogger.

  Five Stars! “I just finished the trilogy and must say I am glad to have spent the few dollars I did. HOURS of enjoyment for a few bucks? Heck who can complain? I never write reviews and I know I should ,but I had to for this. Great characters plenty of adventure and humor. I recommend this for my grandchildren as well as my friends. Happy reading and thanks to the author for his efforts :) – spottiest, Amazon..com reviewer.

  Five Stars! “I loved these books and wish there was more I could quite happily live in Lentari I would love to see some books in the future about when Mikal becomes king..” – Michael., Amazon.co.uk reviewer.

  Five Stars! “Brilliant book. It's sometimes hard to recreate the success of a first novel in a sequel, but this managed it and more. We met the same characters again, and were introduced to lots of new ones as well. The story was fast paced, and had many twists and turns to keep you guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed it, thank you. I'm off to start book 3 now..” – mandie, Amazon.co.uk reviewer.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 – A Burn Or Not A Burn

  Chapter 2 – More Than Meets The Eye

  Chapter 3 – Adventurers Assemble

  Chapter 4 – Dwarves Hate Water!

  Chapter 5 – Twice Is Not As Nice

  Chapter 6 – What In The Whorl?

  Chapter 7 – Not Fond Of Heights, Either

  Chapter 8 – Needle In A Haystack

  Chapter 9 – Two Trees Or Not Two Trees

  Chapter 10 – Armin’ The Hammer

  Chapter 11 – Lost City No More

  Chapter 12 – Once Upon A Nar

  Chapter 13 – Just Say No To Bullying

  Chapter 14 – Joyful Homecomings

  Tales of Lentari #2 sneak peek!

  Author’s Note

  Fan Submissions

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I have a long list of people to thank for helping me with this book. First and foremost, I have to thank my wife. Not only does she suggest ideas for stories, she also proofreads my work, points out problems, and then helps me fix the problems! Nothing makes me smile more when she asks me if I have my notebook handy as she has a couple of ideas.

  Second, I’d like to thank all my beta readers. You guys rock! Taking the time out of your busy schedules just to help an indie author with his book says volumes to me. Giliane, Jamie (Lia), my mom, Scott Poe, Raymond & Kristen Baker, Caroline Roberts, Caroline Craven, and Derek Pritchard. Thank you all so much!

  I’d also like to thank my illustrators. Yep, you read that right. Plural. There were three people this time. The multi-talented Rachel Marks for her awesome cover, her husband Richard for the fantastic title graphics, and Mr. Brett Gable, a fan of the series who volunteered when I asked for help. He’s responsible for the illustrations of the hammer and the QM. Don’t know what the QM is yet? You will! You can find more of their work by checking out their websites, listed below.

  Once more I also have to thank the loyal fans of the series. Without you guys this book would never have seen the light of day. Your kind words of encouragement, also known as a friendly nudge to get off my keester and write more, means everything to me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

  J.

  Rachel Marks: falynevarger.deviantart.com

  Richard Marks: ubervestigum.deviantart.com

  Brett Gable Illustrations: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brett-David-Gable-Illustrations/151382885064996

  For Giliane –

  This story wouldn’t be here without you. I absolutely LOVE it when you say, “I’ve got a great idea for a book!”

  What else you got lined up in there??

  Prologue

  Sticking close to his father’s side, the young dwarf peered with undisguised wonder at the workshop before them. Row after row of sledge hammers, swages, fullers, chisels, punches, drifts, and tongs hung from hundreds of pegs. Work tables, shelves of tools, and stacks of molds were everywhere. Lined up against the far wall were four gigantic anvils.

  The boy swallowed nervously. This was nothing like his father’s foundry. Whoever heard of a workshop having more than one anvil, let alone four? His father’s anvil was tiny compared to these. Then again, his father made axe handles. His area of expertise didn’t require that large of an anvil. In fact, it didn’t really require an anvil at all, and that was the reason why they were here.

  Intent on inspecting the huge anvils up close, the dwarf child broke away from the group and moved towards the back wall. A heavy callused hand suddenly dropped on his shoulder and spun him about until he was facing the rest of the group. Two black eyes peered suspiciously at him from behind a worn leather helmet.

  “Master Maelnar will be teaching us the nuances of working with silver, gold, and other precious metals,” his father quietly told him. “If I can see for myself what techniques he uses when working with silver, and what tools he uses, then I might one day be able to sell something besides axe handles. Do not even think about wandering off. If you cause me to miss the part on smithing silver you won't be able to sit for a month. Do you catch my meaning?”

  “But you told me you know his son,”
the boy accused. “You and Uncle fought side by side together with Breslin. Does that not mean they owe you a favor?”

  His father sighed heavily. “I want no special recognition. This is a skill I will learn on my own.”

  “If you say so, father.”

  “Roll your eyes at me again and I’ll smack them right out of your head.”

  The boy cringed. His defiant expression quickly vanished.

  After what felt like hours, the boy watched as the famous keymaker finally reached under one of his tables and plunked down two metal bars; one was gold, the other silver. Maelnar then retrieved several sets of tongs, both large and small, from one of the shelves nearest to him and then unfurled a long strip of dark blue fabric across the table. Lined up in a row of pockets was a set of small hammers with heads of various shapes and sizes. He slowly walked the length of the table and pointed at various hammers, explaining that the plethora of sizes was for shaping the malleable and ductile metals into different contortions.

  Disinterested, the boy again decided to inspect the far recesses of the workshop. As he slowly edged away from his father, he once again headed toward the row of anvils when a commotion drew everyone’s attention. Two of the smaller underlings, evidently brothers from the way they were laying into one another, had started brawling. Over and over they rolled around the floor, arms wrapped around the other, as each tried to pin his opponent to the ground.

  The boy watched as his father and several adults tried to separate the two brothers. The distraction was all he needed to slip quietly away to admire the workshop’s many features at his own leisure. While everyone focused on separating the two fighters, the child walked around the closest anvil and silently noted its dimensions.

  He was aware of the quarrel behind him but he continued to ignore it. The workshop and all its fascinating treasures were what demanded his attention. Someday he hoped to have a workshop as impressive as the one he was now in. As such, he decided to try and mentally tabulate everything he could see. Lukas tried to catalog the various tools on the walls, but there were just too many tongs and hammers. Wouldn’t it be great if someday his own workshop had so many tools that even he didn’t know how many...

  Something slammed into him and threw him off balance. It was one of the brawlers, having been shoved across the room by his brother. Off balance, eyes open wide with fright, the young dwarf flailed his arms in an attempt to avoid tipping over backwards. Directly behind him was the red hot furnace and there was nothing to arrest his fall.

  Chapter 1 – A Burn or Not a Burn

  Metallic clangs echoed noisily off the stone walls as an adult dwarf hammered mercilessly on a long thin strip of metal. Rotating the metal rod so that the flattened side was now facing up, the hammering began anew. On and on the dwarf pounded away on the anvil. Hefting the heavy black hammer easily, the dwarf paused to wipe his forearm along his sweaty brow. Giving the strip of metal an angry scowl, and a rather fierce shake, the hammering began again.

  A young dwarf child appeared in the shopkeeper’s doorway, arms laden with scrolls and books. Depositing the load on a table already covered with metal shavings, small hammers, and several tiny files, the child quietly watched as his father continued to pound the same piece of metal over and over. After waiting a few moments, the child cleared his throat. The relentless clanging finally ceased.

  “Is it finished?”

  Silence.

  “How does it look?”

  “Terrible.”

  “May I see it?”

  “No. There’s nothing worth looking at. I’ve already melted it back down.”

  “Didn’t you say you’d get a second opinion before any drastic action was taken?”

  “Trust me, it was terrible.”

  “Still having trouble with the hammers?”

  “Really? What gave you that idea?”

  The child stooped to pick up several small hammers that were on the floor.

  “I doubt these fell off the table of their own accord,” the boy thoughtfully observed, ignoring his father’s sarcasm. “Only the hammers found their way to the floor. No tongs, no files, and no scraps. Therefore I would deduce that you might be having difficulty with the –”

  “I already know what I’m having difficulty with,” Venk snapped. Twisting around to grab one of the diminutive hammers, he gestured angrily at his son. “Look at this thing! My hand is too big to wield this properly.”

  “What type of hammer is that?”

  “Lukas, I know you know what type it is,” Venk said in exasperation. “I do not need you to test me to see whether or not I know their nature.”

  “Father, is this hammer for planishing, embossing, raising, or riveting?”

  Sighing, Venk took the tool and felt the hammer’s head. The hammer was two-sided; one head was flat and the other was domed.

  “Raising.”

  Lukas looked down at the hammers he was holding and selected one with two flat surfaces, one smaller than the other. He held it out to his father.

  “This one is a raising hammer. That one is an embossing hammer.”

  Venk studied the two hammers. “The one with the rounded end is for embossing?”

  “Aye. The raising hammer should be used first, to get the silver into the shape you want it to be. The embossing hammer is used to smooth the surface.”

  “That explains all the blemishes. Wizards be damned. When did you become an expert on silversmithing?”

  “When I read the books that Master Maelnar recommended. All of them.”

  “Books are for scholars. You learn by getting your hands dirty.”

  Lukas smiled. “After six months one would think your hands would be dirty enough.”

  “Do not start sounding like Athos,” his father ordered.

  Changing the subject, Lukas gestured towards the table.

  “I have the information you requested from the Archives. Master Argon agreed to loan us everything you wanted provided you show him how the axe turns out.”

  Venk turned towards the table and started rifling through the documents. “I cannot fathom who in their right mind would want a troll skull on an axe. Wait, what is all this? Lukas, what have you brought? I asked for pictures! There’s nothing but writing here! How am I supposed to fashion a troll skull unless I have a picture?”

  “Read the descriptions, father. Everything you need to know is there.”

  “What I need to know is what a troll skull looks like.”

  Lukas raised his eyes up off the document he was reading and settled them on his father.

  “You said you fought dozens of trolls. With Uncle. How is it you do not know what their skulls look like?”

  “A troll is not a creature that had to be cleaned like a fish,” Venk argued, tucking a stray wisp of his beard back into his belt. “Those cursed fiends ambushed us while we were looking for the human prince. I had no time to inspect them up close when another troll was preparing to bite my face off.”

  “So you must have noticed how many teeth they had, how big their fangs were, how wide their mouths could –”

  “Lukas.” Venk sighed heavily. “I was too preoccupied to notice and even if I did, I certainly would not remember. Help me. Find a suitable description in that mess which tells me how to make this accursed skull.”

  “Yes, father.”

  Five hours later Venk was painstakingly smoothing out the blemishes on an elongated object the size of his son’s clenched fist. It was a silver troll skull, ready to be attached to the axe handle he had completed last month. Venk beamed. This was one of his better attempts. His customer should be pleased. The original order called for a dragon skull to be on the other side of the axe, but Venk had flatly refused. Due to recent events, his attitude towards dragons had completely changed. He had told the customer that he wouldn’t dare dishonor a dragon by putting it and a troll on the same weapon. The client had finally relented, agreeing the axe would be just fine with only the troll sk
ull on one side.

  The dome of the skull shone with a mirrored finish. Two eye sockets gleamed evilly back at him. Four fangs, two upper and two lower, protruded from the closed jaws.

  Grabbing the cloth he had been using to buff the silver, he applied another coat of rubbing compound to the skull and admired how the many blows from the tiny embossing hammer had practically disappeared. Perhaps Lukas was right and he should reconsider his decision to not read the books that Master Maelnar had suggested to him.

  “What’s that?”

  His son’s voice snapped him out of his reverie.

  “Hmm?”

  His son pointed at the silver object he was holding.

  “What is that?” Lukas repeated, frowning at the object.

  Venk proudly offered the silver skull to his son for his approval.

  “That, m’boy, is a silver troll skull just like the customer wanted.”

  Confused, Lukas looked up at his father.

  “What were you reading?”

  “Eh? What do you mean?”

  “Father, what were you reading?”

  “What’s the problem?” Venk gruffly asked, annoyed that his son wasn’t beaming with pride.

  “The troll skull is inaccurate, father.”

  “Next you’ll tell me dragons don’t spit fire!”

  Lukas ran his finger along the top of the troll’s cranium.

  “An adult troll has a bony ridge running the length of the skull, starting at the base of the neck and ending half-way down the forehead. This skull doesn’t have that ridge. Unless the customer wants an infant troll skull, I would fix this.”