Legends of the Lurker Box Set

by Richard H. Stephens

  Reecah crumpled to the ground, her heart breaking. She had saved all of the remaining dragons, all except the love of her dearest friend. She had let Lurker down and now he was gone.

  A musky smell woke Reecah in the middle of the night. She lay on Grammy and Poppa’s bed in the little hut above the village. Junior snored softly beside her, his body turned against the wall. She knew that smell anywhere.

  “Raver?”

  A feathered head nudged her beneath the chin. Without a sound, he fluttered to the open window, scrabbled through, and flew away.

  Reecah rolled out of bed, careful not to disturb Junior. It had been a long couple of days for everyone. Looking out the window, a lump formed in her throat, making it hard to breathe. Sitting on the ground behind the hut, the moon reflected off the green scales she feared she’d never see again. The sight of Raver perched on one of Lurker’s white horns made her smile.

  Forgetting about trying to remain quiet for Junior’s sake, and indeed Tamra and Aramyss who slept conspicuously close together in the alcove she had slept in as a child, she burst through the rickety door and charged across the dew-covered grass.

  “Lurker! You’re back!”

  “Of course I’m back. I’d never leave you, Reecah.” His voice was subdued. “I just needed to be alone for a while.”

  “Where did you go? I was so worried I’d lost you.” Tears streamed down her face as she hugged his neck and pressed her head against his, her shoulders shaking. “Please, forgive me.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive.”

  “But I didn’t save her. I saved everyone else, but I couldn’t save Swoop. Oh, Lurker, I’m so sorry.”

  “There’s nothing more you could have done. You saved the queen and so many more. You have prevented our extinction.”

  “But I feel like I failed you. Swoop was your mate.”

  “Swoop chose her own fate. She was always reckless and fancy free. She died the way she lived. In doing so, she gave her life to save yours. You meant more to her than you know. It’s not every day that someone gives their life for the betterment of others. I think I know a few more who would die for you because of who you are.”

  “A Windwalker.”

  “No Reecah. A true friend.”

  She cried for a long time. By the time she looked up, the sun limned the grey and white peaks behind the cabin. She was shocked to see Junior, Aramyss and Tamra sitting quietly on an old stone bench Poppa had made for Grammy to stand on to hang out the wash. Several dragons, including Queen Askara, laid about the yard, their concerned eyes watching her.

  Junior got up and hugged her, wiping her smeared cheeks, and kissing them in turn.

  Heaving a heavy sigh, she said to no one in particular, “What now?”

  Queen Askara rose to stand on all four feet. “Tamra has offered us refuge in South March.”

  Reecah nodded. It made sense.

  “But we’ve decided against it.”

  “We?”

  “All the dragons. I gave them the choice. We can either fight back against the king or flee to safety as was suggested to us before. If we retaliate, we risk losing more, and that we cannot tolerate if we are to continue to exist.”

  “Then South March makes sense.”

  “Our presence there will invite trouble on our elven friends. I refuse to turn the king’s wrath their way.”

  “Then where will you go?”

  “West. Across the ocean. We will return to our roots.”

  Reecah searched her mind for references of dragon history. Something she had learned recently bespoke of a land far away. She looked at Silence, Scarletclaws and Lurker. “All of you?”

  Silence and Scarletclaws nodded but Lurker shook his head. “I’ll not leave this land. My mother died here. My father died here. And now Swoop. I stay to honour of their sacrifice.”

  “Where will you go? If High King J’kaar finds out, he’ll kill you.”

  “Somewhere remote. North, I think. Up by the Snowlands where the highborn refuse to set foot.”

  “Then I’m coming with you.”

  Junior puffed out his chest. “We’re coming with you.”

  “With you! With you!” Raver squawked from his perch on Lurker’s horn.

  “There’s nothing up there for you.”

  “There will be when you arrive.” Reecah swallowed, fighting to stem a resumption of her tears. “There’s nothing here for me.” She wrapped her arms around Junior’s waist. “There’s nothing here for either of us.”

  “Och, lass.” Aramyss puffed on his pipe. “Then it’s settled. Ye’ll remain this side of the ocean with Lurker, and me and me bonnie lass will see the queen safely across the ocean.” He lifted his scraggly face to beam at Tamra.

  A hollow ring of steel rang out as Tamra cuffed him on the back of the helmet. “You’d better watch yourself, Stretch, lest I convince Scarletclaws to pitch your sorry hide into the sea.”

  Aramyss gave Tamra a hurt look, but he turned his pudgy face to smile at Reecah and winked.

  Reecah spit out a laugh. The iron-faced elf woman had a sense of humour after all.

  It had taken them the better part of four days to find the ideal location to set up a new life. One secluded from mankind, but not quite along the permanent snowline.

  Though the air was crisp, Reecah was certain she had never seen a more beautiful place in all of her recent travels. A deep blue lake lay nestled between snow-capped mountains; its clear water filtering through a narrow gap at the base of an ancient, abandoned tower—the commencement of a wide river that meandered toward the coast.

  As days turned into weeks, Lurker’s melancholy slowly lifted. He spent most of his time flying through the uncharted mountain range separating the true tundra from the Great Kingdom, but he didn’t do it alone. Raver had become his constant companion.

  Reecah and Junior were kept busy cleaning and repairing the derelict tower. Why it had been built in the middle of nowhere they could only guess by the strange artifacts they discovered. Reecah sensed magic inherent in many of the objects, but as to their use, she had no idea.

  Sitting on a hillside overlooking what Junior had started to refer to as Lurker’s Lake, Reecah held Junior’s hand and smiled. As alone and isolated as their life had become, she hadn’t felt this content since that day long ago when she had asked Poppa if she could fly.

  “Are you really happy here? Just you and me, all alone?” Junior asked her.

  She let go of his hand and turned her shoulders to face him. “Aren’t you?”

  His disarming smile eased her alarm. “As long as I’m with you, anywhere is a happy place for me.”

  “What if I told you we won’t be alone much longer?”

  He looked around. “What do you mean? Who’s coming?”

  He started to stand, but she grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to the ground. Taking his hand, she placed it on her stomach.

  He frowned as she held it there, but comprehension slowly transformed his features into wonder.

  She pulled him against her and laid back to stare at the white clouds scudding across the sky.

  It was a rare day indeed.

  The End

  I hope you enjoyed Reecah’s Legacy.

  Your opinion is important and means a lot to me.

  Please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews are vital to an author’s livelihood.

  If you prefer, you can send me your thoughts to: fantasyauthor@richardhstephens.com

  Books by Richard H. Stephens

  The Royal Tournament

  (A story from the Soul Forge Universe)

  The Royal Tournament has at long last come to the village of Millsford. For Javen Milford, a local farm boy, the news couldn’t be better. Finally, Javen can perform his chores on the homestead and partake in the biggest military games in the Kingdom, hoping beyond hope that just maybe, he might catch the eye of the king. Javen enters the kingdom’s flagship tournament only
to discover that in order to win, one must be prepared to die.

  Of Trolls and Evil Things

  The (standalone) prequel to the Soul Forge Saga series!

  Travel down an ever-darkening path where two orphans battle to survive upon a perilous mountainside, evading the predators and prowlers preying upon its slopes, and within its catacombs. When the dangers they face force them from their mountain home, they end up in the cutthroat streets of Cliff Face plying their hands as beggars to survive.

  Soul Forge - The Epic Fantasy Trilogy

  Soul Forge – Book 1

  Haunted by the murder of his family, a forgotten hero embarks upon a perilous quest fraught with demons both real and imagined.

  Silurian Mintaka only wants another drink, but when the people of Zephyr need someone to save them from an evil sorcerer, he agrees to put aside his bitterness and wreak his revenge.

  Deception, betrayal, and fantastic beasts stand in his way. With the fate of the kingdom in the hands of a homicidal lunatic, the only thing left to do is pray.

  Wizard of the North –Book 2

  What do you get when you disturb a 500-year-old spirit who is in charge of protecting an ancient magic? A death-defying flight to the heart of a serpent’s nest.

  If pulling a man through the flames wasn’t enough, the highest wizard in the land detonates a thousand years of magical lore.

  Not sure whether the king survived the firestorm, the people are left with little choice but to place their trust in a corrupt bishop.

  A beast is unleashed and the kingdom’s future lies in the hands of an eclectic band of companions who have lost their way.

  Can an upstart mage, who isn’t what they appear, stand against the evil sweeping the realm?

  Into the Madness –Book 3

  The epic conclusion of the Soul Forge Saga.

  How do you survive a confrontation with a wyrm bent on destroying the world? Walk into its gaping maw and fight it from within.

  A ragtag group of assassins set out to end the land’s suffering only to discover death awaiting them with open arms.

  A carefully hidden truth is revealed—the key to the kingdom’s salvation if the Wizard of the North and her unstable companion can live long enough to unlock its secret.

  Waylaid by an eccentric necromancer, and suffering a tragic loss that threatens to ruin their poorly laid plan, the companions stagger toward a fate no one ever envisioned.

  An obsidian nightmare is summoned and Zephyr will never be the same.

  Legends of the Lurker Series

  Reecah’s Flight –Book 1

  Everyone knows dragons are dangerous, but to hunt them is insane.

  There is something strange about the woman living on top of the hill and the people of Fishmonger Bay leave her alone. At least until the day she visits the village witch.

  One magic user is bad enough; the emergence of another—intolerable.

  Spinning out of control, Reecah must decide whether to slay the dragon or risk becoming a victim of her people.

  Can Reecah find the key to unlock her family heritage or will she fall prey to the secret so many have died to protect?

  Reecah’s Gift – Book 2

  The appalling mannerisms of those entrusted to protect the kingdom are shocking.

  Braving the perils of a cutthroat city isn’t what Reecah envisioned when she sought out a better place.

  Can a ruthless giant equip her with the skills she needs to confront the king, or will his unorthodox ways end up being the death of her dreams?

  Is an alliance with a murderous elf and a sly dwarf the best way to avert the plight of the dragons? And what is this Gift everyone seems to know about? Everyone, except Reecah. Find out how the machinations of the evil prince and a traitorous wizard turn Reecah’s quest on its head in this epic, second installment of the Legends of the Lurker.

  Reecah’s Legacy – Book 3

  The culmination of the Legends of the Lurker trilogy.

  Reecah Windwalker comes into her own as she finds peace with her past and bravely sets out to fulfill her legacy.

  Keeping a promise to a dead witch, Reecah seeks those who can help her learn the ways of her dragon magic as she embarks on a desperate journey to save the last of the dragons from the dark heir.

  The races come together, but their combined strength may not be enough to prevent the high king’s dragon slayers from eradicating the beauty from the land.

  Sadyra (Coming early 2020)

  (A story from the Soul Forge Universe)

  Living in the shadows to avoid the brutality of parents harbouring a dark secret, Sadyra must force a violent confrontation if she is to keep her younger sisters from harm’s way.

  Begrudgingly accepted to work alongside a hardened group of sailors, Sadyra learns how to survive in a ruthless world.

  To save her sisters from a fate worse than death, Sadyra goes against everything she feels is right, and life as she knows it will never be the same.

  2020 will see the release of another amazing series in the Soul Forge Universe. If you wish to connect with me to keep up with all the latest news, please visit the following:

  Website: www.richardhstephens.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichardHughStephens/

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/RHStephens1

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richard_h_stephens

  About Richard H. Stephens

  Born in Simcoe, Ontario, in 1965, Richard began writing circa 1974; a bored child looking for something to while away the long, summertime days. His penchant for reading The Hardy Boys led to an inspiration one sweltering summer afternoon when he and his best friend thought, ‘We could write one of those.’ And so, he did.

  As his reading horizons broadened, so did his writing. Star Wars inspired him to write a 600-page novel about outer space that caught the attention of a special teacher who encouraged him to keep writing.

  A trip to a local bookstore saw the proprietor introduce him to Stephen R. Donaldson and Terry Brooks. His writing life was forever changed.

  At 17, Richard left high school to join the working world to support his first son. For the next twenty-two years he worked as a shipper at a local bakery. At the age of 36, he went back to high school to complete his education. After graduating with honours at the age of thirty-nine, he became a member of the local Police Service, and worked for 12 years in the provincial court system.

  In early 2017, Richard retired from the Police Service to pursue his love of writing full-time. With the help and support of his wife Caroline and their five children, he finally realized his boyhood dream.