Izaryle's Will

by Levi Samuel

  About the Author

  Levi Samuel was born in 1986 in Elk City Oklahoma, though he was raised in Springfield Missouri. While in Highschool, he discovered the game, Dungeons and Dragons, as well as a Live Action Role Playing group, where he truly discovered who he was. Graduating Highschool, he joined the Army, but quickly realized that wasn’t the life for him. He returned home and went to work in manual labor jobs. Being a quick study, he became a skilled tradesman in a number of fields, but the quest for happiness and purpose evaded him. In 2008 he became a father and has raised his daughter by himself ever since. In 2009, he decided to write a book, which was the start to a lifelong and rewarding career. His first book was published in 2013 under a penname, and he’s since established a laundry list of qualifications and achievements. Levi lives in southwest Missouri with his daughter and their cat, Alona.

  Please subscribe to his newsletter for a free book, as well as first access all new content. http://eepurl.com/dxRUvL

  What you hold here is the product of several years of growth. This was his first completed book, though it’s since been revised many times and is far from the original concept. Whether you enjoy this book or not, leave us a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or any other online retailer. Reviews help open the door for other readers, as well as teach the author new ways to entertain.

  Heroes of Order Trilogy

  Volume One

  IZARYLE’S WILL

  Levi Samuel

  ELDARLANDS©

  Heroes of Order Trilogy – Volume One

  IZARYLE’S WILL

  Eldarlands Publishing

  Copyright © 2015-2018

  All rights reserved. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without express permission. You are supporting writers and allowing us to continue to publish books for every reader.

  The story, cover art, and illustrations by Levi Samuel.

  Edited by Edward Gehlert

  Foreword by Ben S. Reeder

  Genre: Fantasy / Series

  Publisher's Note

  Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used with expressed permission. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, and locations not covered by a release is entirely coincidental.

  This work, including all characters, names, and places:

  © 2018 Eldarlands Publishing, unless otherwise noted.

  Find all the author’s projects at http://www.LeviSamuel.com

  Foreword

  Do you feel like a hero? Like a trailblazer in a new realm of storytelling? Spare me just a moment of your attention, dear reader, and you might.

  Once upon a time, there were a select few who adventured in the literary realms. Like knights of old, they often underwent years of training and went on legendary quests, enduring unending trials until they succeeded, where so many had failed before them, in getting published. And though I make it seem like a difficult process…it was really much harder than it sounds. Less than 2% of aspiring authors used to even get agents, and less than half of those authors actually got manuscripts published.

  In the past decade, though, things have begun to change. The advent of e-readers and the subsequent rise of print-on-demand companies have made e-books more accessible, so that in 2009, more e-books were sold than actual print copies. And with that has come the rise of the self-published author. Unlike the mythical traditional author in days of old, the self-published author faced far fewer challenges to getting their work out in front of readers. In other words, the bar was set low and it showed. Self-published authors had a reputation for…well, it wasn’t a good one. The word “stigma” got revived to describe them.

  That reputation has slowly, painfully changed. Make no mistake, the bar is still low, but enough good writers have self-published that people no longer dismiss them out of hand. Then along comes a guy like Levi. The first time I met Levi was during a Live-Action Role-Playing game, or LARP. He was one of those rare players who stayed in character the whole time they were “in game.” He was serious about what he was doing, because he was one of the players who wasn’t there just to pretend he was a bad ass with a sword. He was there to play through his character’s story. A story that he worked at diligently, and never took the easy way out with. He knew that story so far, and he always knew how he wanted that story to go. I remember hearing him tell his character’s story to one of the other folks who helped run the game, and seeing a few other players come over and listen as he wove the details.

  We went in separate directions after that, until a convention a few years ago, when I learned that he’d taken his penchant for telling stories and earned a couple of contracts for a small press whose owner I knew and would eventually work for myself. They have exacting standards and reject most submissions. Levi had already worked with them on three books, and was working on another novel, a story that would end up being the very one you hold in your hands right now. Once again, he had refused to take shortcuts, and had taken the time and effort to learn the ropes in publishing before undertaking the process of self-publishing.

  The actual process of self-publishing can be incredibly easy. Doing it well? That’s hard. Anyone can tell a story. Telling it well is the harder part. Writers like Levi, who work to tell a compelling story, who work to get the process right, are the reason self-published authors have gone from being considered the pariah of the industry to being heralded as its new pioneers. He takes no shortcuts, pulls no punches and tells the story to the best of his ability. More importantly, he’s constantly honing his skills as a writer.

  Because being a writer isn’t easy. Being a good writer takes a lot of hard work, and it means you’re going to take a lot of hits to your ego. You’re going to get bloodied and bruised, after a fashion, when you enter the arena of public scrutiny. Levi has been there and back more than once. He’s earned his chops in the arena and then some, and this book is the product of that experience. What you hold is his best work…until the next one.

  You, dear reader, are part of the democratization of publishing. You are the new gatekeepers, and in supporting new voices like Levi Samuel, you are blazing new trails in publishing and making it possible for hard-working authors like him to make a difference in the industry. So, read on, and enjoy. And then, please, leave a review. Feedback from readers is how authors like Levi go from being damn fine writers to being great ones.

  Welcome to the new frontier!

  Ben Reeder

  September 2016

  To my daughter, Breanna. Thank you for your patience while I spent entirely too many hours trying to finish this book. Were it not for you, I've no doubt it would have been done in half the time. I love you and hopefully one day, very soon, I'll be writing throughout the day, so that I can spend my evenings with you.

  Contents

  Chapter I

  Eldarian

  Chapter II

  The Monsters Beneath

  Chapter III

  The First Dreuslayer

  Chapter IV

  The Last of the Dalari

  Chapter V

  Wrath of Dragons

  Chapter VI

  Born of Vengeance

  Chapter VII

  The Scholar

  Chapter VIII

  Stolen Thoughts

  Chapter IX

  Forging Bonds

  Chapter X

  The Tyrant

  Chapter XI

  Booty and the Beast

  Chapter XII

  A New Friend

  Ch
apter XIII

  Order to Chaos

  Chapter XIV

  The Fall of Maradar Keep

  Chapter XV

  An Unwelcome Shadow

  Chapter XVI

  Pain and Gain

  Chapter XVII

  Dreuslayers

  Chapter XVIII

  The Catacombs

  Chapter XIX

  The Dreu War

  Chapter I

  Eldarian

  The ancient city filled the valley. Once buried beneath a shroud of dust and debris accumulated over millennia, the streets now teemed with invaders. The ring of pickaxes chipping away at stone echoed off walls and monuments as the seething mass of dalari excavated the ruins. Jostling for space, they ignored the few stone spires that soared above them, spared no glances for the delicate carvings that adorned the facades. Faces were turned downward, focused on one thing.

  The site overflowed with arcane power, stronger than any they'd felt before. None of them knew what had opened the wellspring and none of them cared. Drawn by a sudden awareness of the energies that lay beneath the mystical city, they had grabbed whatever tools were at hand and trekked to the valley. Once there they followed each trickling flow of energy, digging eagerly, hoping to possess even the slightest amount of the ancient power known only to them.

  Desire turned to obsession, leaving them unwitting slaves to their devotion. They dug tirelessly toward the source, their actions changing them with each scoop of dirt. Their skin blackened with exposure to the corrupted energies. Their ears elongated much like those of the alfar, their first creation. Their hair leached its color, leaving stringy white locks where various shades once rested. They continued to dig without rest or sustenance, dying by the thousands. Their greed for power fueled them, removing any ability to stop. All the while a silent promise poured into their ears, leaving the passage of time and their change unnoticed.

  A young dreualfar working in an alcove felt the head of his pick penetrate the stone and disappear into the void beyond. After working so long in silent concentration, he had to clear his throat before he could speak. "Fazeen, we've broken through!" His voice rasped from dust and disuse.

  The elder beside him stopped and stared at the crack in the casket. "Well, what are you waiting for, boy? Gain entry so that we may study it."

  Rezerik heaved the pickaxe overhead and struck the surface beside the crack. Another piece chipped off.

  “Hurry up, boy. We haven’t got all day!”

  “I’ve been at it for days without—” He swung, putting every ounce of his strength into it, “food or break. If you’re—” With another swing, the fracture split open into a small hole. “in such a hurry, get me some help!”

  Fazeen glared his disappointment at his apprentice. “You’re a good lad with potential and you might realize it if you weren’t so damn lazy.” Shaking his head, he waved a team forward.

  The corrupted dalari climbed in and went to work, chiseling the stone casing away. Musty air rose from the hole and Fazeen took a step back. Within minutes, the team had enlarged the hole to expose the mold-covered black walls of a buried room. A large statue of a man clad in thick armor stood in the center, facing them. Its material comprised of the same stone as the walls.

  The purple cloak draped down its back glimmered in reflected daylight, seeming to ripple as if alive with energy. A pendant hung around its neck, set with a small, drab stone. No mold marred the jewelry. Motion behind the statue caught attention. The far wall reflected the room with a dark haze, the movement of the excavators little more than brief shadow on the polished surface.

  Rezerik shoved the workers aside and climbed into the tomb for a closer look. He stared into the statue's face. Feeling the cold eyes stare back, as if reaching into his soul.

  "Rezerik, what have you found? Is there treasure?"

  His master’s voice echoed in the room. Irritation shivered across his skin. "There’s a statue and a dark mirror, nothing more."

  "Don’t be absurd, there has to be more. I no longer feel the power! There’s no way it just disappeared into nothingness, without being detected."

  "Check for yourself if you don't believe me!" Rezerik retorted, snatching the pendant from the statue. He felt it break free of its blackened chain. Glancing at the broken sigil he stuffed it in the pocket of his brown woolen breeches, hoping no one would notice the alteration of mold and dust clinging to the stone.

  The elder dreualfar set his foot into one of the carved holes and carefully climbed into the entrance, keeping his frail body from missing the steps and tumbling into darkness. He pressed past the excavators standing just inside the fracture, trapped in the gaze of the towering figure. Wiping the stale air from his nostrils, he took in the ancient sights. A chill ran down his spine, feeling the cold lifeless eyes staring into him. Lost for an eternity in its presence, he heard the words ringing in his head.

  “Now!” The booming voice blocked out his senses.

  Fazeen spun around, looking into the darkened face of his apprentice. “You startled me, boy.” Dropping his guard, he placed his hand on the lad’s shoulder and pressed past to inspect the mirror.

  Rezerik felt the power flowing through him. Why it had chosen him, he couldn’t say. One thing was certain though, Fazeen would have to go. The elder would only stand in his way. He clenched his fists, feeling newfound strength course through his arms. In a flash, he grabbed his master’s tattered clothing and lifted him. “Your time is up. I serve a new master now.”

  The aged dreualfar struggled against the younger’s grasp. Feeling his feet leave the ground, realization set in. He was at the mercy of his apprentice. A dread overcame him, setting the whispers into motion. The fears, the voice, everything the statue had told him— it was all true. He locked eyes on the mirror, the terrifying unknown ready to greet him. “Please boy, have I done you so wrong?”

  “That’s the last time you call me ‘boy’!” With ease he launched Fazeen into the dark reflection, which swallowed him like a pool of water. The surface shimmered briefly, growing smaller with each passing moment like a pebble tossed into a pond. Smiling at the disappearance of his master, he drank in his new-found freedom. A wicked smile stretched across his lips, revealing rapidly pointing teeth. He turned to face his witnesses. Frozen in disbelief and confusion, they stared blankly at the murderous dreualfar.

  He let the power burn to the surface, controlling them with sheer force of will. “You’ve seen what I can do. Don’t give me reason to show you firsthand.”

  Unable to resist his unspoken command, one by one they fell to a knee before him. Like tendrils of an unseen force, his powers jumped from one excavator to the next, spreading its way from the pit and into the scattered populace. Across the ancient city it traveled, enslaving every last dreualfar to him, and by extension, his master.

  Looking around the musty tomb, he glanced at the mirror one last time. “Get to work. I want the rest of the structure uncovered. Take what pieces you can find and construct a grand temple over this site. Let any who wish to bask in the grace of Izaryle do so. But mark my words, any who touch the mirror will suffer a fate known only to Fazeen!” He turned toward the fractured wall and stepped through, into the cloud-blocked sunlight.

  Looking down at his tattered clothing, he let the energies residing inside him loose, altering the rags into the finest silk garments he could imagine. They erupted forth, covering his black skin with equally black cloth trimmed in gold. Content with his appearance he climbed from the hole and marched through the sea of dreualfar scrambling to obey his command.

  Thousands of dreualfar stood in block formation, dressed in makeshift armors and weapons modified from farm tools and crude hides. A great many carried weapons made for war, but their number could not supply the army built for a single purpose. They stared in silence, looking up at the balcony stretched around the blackened temple overlooking the city. Light brown weeds wrapped their way around, clinging to the repurposed st
one. Several strands of vicious barbs followed after, binding themselves into constricting bands. A single figure loomed over them, inspecting the ranks in silent judgment.

  Rezerik stood at the edge of his balcony. The banister was ornately carved with thousands of tiny depictions of skulls forming the foundation to his empire. The polished dark oak reflected the rapidly passing clouds of gray. He could feel the mist in the air, ready to fall in large droplets at any moment. It was sorely needed, but it wouldn’t help. His lands were too far gone. Running his finger across the tip of one of the jagged weeds that had wrapped itself around the railing, a light bit of green ooze burned into his skin from contact. Wiping the venom away, he stared out over his dying kingdom. Remorse filled him. How had he allowed it to come to this? Though it wasn’t entirely his fault. The desolate wasteland before him was filled with once majestic stone and wood structures, now lying in ruin, collapsed under their own weight. The ground was dry and full of large cracks. The sparse vegetation was thin and twisted, forming bands that clung to the structures they engulfed. His empire lay before him, dead and over populated.

  The armies held fast, awaiting command with eager anticipation. Men, women, and children comprised the ranks. No one was too young to wield a sword, one of the few traits remaining from their previous life. The commanders took position in front of their armies, bearing blackened armors and tarnished weaponry that was once elegant. Behind each formation stood a smaller group comprised of several hundred dreuki.