The Chronicles of Lorrek Box Set

by Kelly Blanchard

  Theran glared at him. Wasn’t it obvious?

  “He gave his life for ours,” Radella answered simply. “And we can’t let that sacrifice be in vain. We must continue the work he set out to do.”

  “The statues,” Skelton guessed. “But how are we going to do that? Only Lorrek knew how to reverse the spell.”

  “No.” Radella shook her head as she approached Gremina, who held the book. She took the book from the princess and turned to the others. “I don’t think he knew. I think he guessed and assumed the steps that needed to be taken, but he didn’t know for sure. The spell used to create the statues is in this book. We just need to find it, and we’ll find a way to reverse it.” With that, Radella went to open the book but frowned.

  Anelm saw her struggle. “What is it?”

  At first Radella didn’t reply. She made a gesture over the book to read the magic thereon, and then she let out a little laugh. “It’s sealed shut by magic. Only Roskelem could open it, or those bound to him. We can’t reverse the spell.”

  “Sure we can,” Skelton argued. “We just drag that slimy little king out of the dungeon in Athorim and have him unlock it.” Then he noticed the stare all the sorcerers gave him. “What? What did I miss?”

  “Rykeldan killed him.” Gremina jutted her chin toward the tall kelliph, who observed everything in silence, and she glared at him. “And now because of his actions, all those statues are doomed.”

  “Perhaps not...” Anelm said as an idea came to her. Once it solidified in her mind, she blinked and looked at the others, specifically Radella. “You said the only one who could unlock the book was Roskelem or someone bound to him.” When Radella confirmed this with a nod, Anelm shot Lorrek’s body a glance. “Roskelem had bound Lorrek to his will when he gave his memories to free me. The magic should be the same.”

  “But Lorrek’s dead...” Dustal pointed out.

  However, Anelm ignored his comment and approached Radella. “May I?” She took the book from her when she nodded, and she turned back to where Theran held Lorrek and Therth crouched beside them. She came to them and knelt beside them. She gently took hold of Lorrek’s hand and stared into his face—empty of a soul. She reached into the magic realm but only felt a large void meet her. “I never thanked you for giving your memories for my freedom, and I’m sorry for that,” she cast her voice across the void, wishing he could hear her but knowing he couldn’t. With a sigh, she placed Lorrek’s hand on top of the book.

  Through the eyes of magic, Anelm saw the magic lift off the book, and she smiled, whispering to Lorrek, “You clever boy. Did you plan that too?” Knowing she’d never get an answer, she set her attention on the book and opened it, turning back to the others with a smile of pride. “Now we’re ready.”

  Gremina stepped up to her. “Can you find the spell?”

  “Already looking.” Anelm skimmed through the book faster than humanly possible, but magic helped her identify each spell. She didn’t mention how she had never seen spells like this. They weren’t human spells or kelliph. Dragon perhaps? She didn’t know. She had little knowledge of the actual magic of dragons, but she didn’t mention any of this the others. At last, she put her finger on one. “Here. This is the one he used.”

  “Can you reverse it?”

  “Working on it...” Anelm stared at the spell in the book, but in the magic realm she had already lifted the written spell off the pages and began translating and rearranging the different words until she had the strand that would reverse it. “There...” She stared at the words hovering in the air before her in the magic realm.

  Gremina couldn’t see what Anelm saw, but she recognized when they found a solution. She nodded, relieved. “So, now what?”

  “Now...” Anelm kept the strand of spell right in front of her as she closed the book but never took her eyes off the spell. “Now we go to Serhon, to the Field of Statues, and reverse this spell.”

  “What about all the statues Mordora created?” Kinnard inquired.

  “I have it,” Skelton spoke up, shaking his head with a smile as he realized just how carefully Lorrek had crafted everything. Had he planned it so perfectly? Lifting his gaze, he noticed everyone staring at him bewildered, so he tapped the side of his head. “Lorrek met me in Nirrorm, said he needed Mordora to give him her memories of all the statues she created, but of course she didn’t trust him, so she wouldn’t give them to him. Instead, she gave them to me. So we can reverse all the statues.”

  “Good.” Anelm gave a curt nod and set her gaze on Rykeldan. She approached him with decisive steps. Rykeldan seemed surprised by her approach while Caleth was leery, but she never took her eyes off him or faltered.

  Standing right in front of him, she lifted her chin to meet his golden eyes. “You will enact the spell. You will use your magic to reverse the spell.”

  He lifted his brows as he pulled his shoulders back. “Why should I?”

  She took another step toward him, her gaze piercing his soul. “As your soulbound, I command you.”

  Rykeldan opened his mouth to protest but then he shut it. She had just declared herself his soulbound. This meant after this situation had been resolved, she would be his—as he had always wanted. He smiled at her and bowed low. “As you command.”

  With that, Anelm placed the strand of the spell into his mind, so he could reverse it when necessary, and she turned back to Skelton. “Give him the memories, so when he enacts the spell, it will be all encompassing.” She knew Rykeldan had been in Mordora’s mind, but she had created statues before that, and they needed those memories too.

  Skelton hesitated but stepped forward. He didn’t know who this individual was, but Anelm had him under her command, and he trusted her. He offered Rykeldan his hand, and Rykeldan looked at it with disgust before grunting and seizing Skelton’s hand. In that instant, Skelton blasted Rykeldan with all the memories of the statues Mordora had created, and he sensed Rykeldan flinch. Good. He hoped it hurt. He withdrew his hand and looked at Anelm. “Now what?”

  Anelm glanced at Radella. “Take Lorrek’s body back to Cuskelom along with Theran, Therth, and Vixen.”

  Vixen crossed her arms and stood her ground. “I’m staying. I want to see this spell reversed.”

  Although no one understood why she would insist on this, no one argued, and Anelm nodded, glancing at Skelton. “Take Prince Kinnard, Dustal, and Aradin back to Talhon. Go, find your own brother, Skelton. If this works and if the statues are still alive, Adonis will be quite confused.”

  “Very well.” Skelton spread out his hands to them. “Hold hands, shall we?”

  Kinnard grabbed his hand, but Dustal muttered, “Must we?” However, Aradin already took hold of Skelton’s other hand and grabbed his brother’s, and Skelton magicked them away.

  With them gone, Anelm turned to Gremina. “Caleth will take you to Cuskelom where the statue of your mother is. You should be the first person she sees. But Caleth, I want you to come to Serhon.” Caleth nodded, offered Gremina his hand, and magicked her away once she took it. Anelm took Vixen’s hand and looked at Theran who rose to his feet with Lorrek’s limp body in his hands. Radella offered Therth her hand, and she placed her other hand on Lorrek’s arm, ready to magick away, but she waited when she saw the look princess of Athorim gave them. “Theran.” Anelm waited until she had Theran’s attention, and she hesitated then pursed her lips and nodded toward Lorrek’s body. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Theran stared at her, dull from grief. “Make sure his death wasn’t in vain.”

  “I will.” She nodded and watched Radella magick them away. With a heavy sigh, she looked at Rykeldan. “Shall we go?” She didn’t wait for a reply as she magicked away with Vixen.

  Rykeldan took in his now empty surroundings. A small smile touched the corner of his lips. He was so close to finally obtaining what had escaped him for centuries. He could wait a little longer. He could amuse them a little longer. And so he magicked away to the Field of Statues.


  39

  Arriving in the Field of Statues, Rykeldan gazed around at the rows upon rows of statues. He had to admit, he was impressed that the worm of the creature, Roskelem, had managed to curse so many people into statues. He glimpsed around and saw Anelm and Vixen speaking with a man, so he approached.

  When they noticed his approach, Anelm introduced the man. “This is Esdras, Guardian of the Statues. He will take us to the centermost part of the field, so the reach of the spell will be all-encompassing.”

  Esdras bowed his head to her then straightened and turned to lead the way. While everyone fell into step with him, he glanced at Princess Anelm beside him. “Is it true? The spell can be reversed?” A little hope sounded in his voice, but he tried to keep it to himself. He had waited for such a long time. He didn’t want to be disappointed if it didn’t work.

  Anelm gave him a firm nod. “It should.”

  In that moment, Caleth magicked in. “Gremina is in Cuskelom, waiting for the spell to be reversed.”

  “Good.” Anelm nodded then motioned for Esdras to lead the way.

  While Anelm walked and spoke with Esdras, Vixen fell into step with Caleth, and the two of them watched Rykeldan, who strolled in the middle. Vixen kept her gaze on Rykeldan but had to ask Caleth, “If kelliphs can turn anything from one material to another, why can’t you just turn these statues back into flesh?”

  Caleth lifted a brow as he glimpsed down at her while they walked. “Flesh is extremely complicated—all the different cells, different particles from the surface of the skin all the way to the core.” He shook his head and set his gaze forward once more. “To ensure it is done properly would take enormous strength and power, and that would only be good for one statue.” He gestured at their surroundings—careful not to hit a statue as he did so. “Reversing all of this using our power alone would be a very tedious task. It is so much easier to turn flesh into dust than to turn dust into flesh. We cannot do that.”

  This made sense to Vixen, so she nodded and glimpsed around as they walked. They passed a statue of a shouting man wielding his axe up behind his head ready to bring it crashing down, yet the stone silenced his shout. They passed the statue of a woman, cradling something in one arm close to her chest while her other hand was stretched out as if she tried to use a shielding spell, but that hadn’t stopped the stone spell.

  Vixen took a closer look at what she was holding and saw a baby. She frowned. If this reversal spell worked, everyone would return to flesh. Would they still be alive? She didn’t know. If they did survive, how would they explain to these people that a decade or so had passed? That child in his mother’s arms should be ten or eleven now—though it depended on how long after Roskelem gained his power in Jechorm that he had turned these people to stone.

  At last, they all came to a halt. “This is the center of the field as far as I can tell,” Esdras informed them and stepped aside.

  “Thank you.” Anelm bowed her head to him then motioned for Rykeldan to come to her as she looked for just the right place. Finding it, she turned to him. “Are you ready? The reach of your power must go beyond Serhon into Talhon, Cuskelom, and possibly even Nirrorm. All the statues must be restored.”

  Rykeldan smiled at her. “And once this is done, you will bind yourself to me?”

  She stared at him and narrowed her eyes but took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.”

  He smirked, happier than he had ever been in over a thousand years. “Then I shall get to work, but first, to get situated...” He conjured a chair and sat down. Closing his eyes, he took the strand of the spell Anelm had woven—oh, how he admired her handiwork—and he took the memories of Mordora and dove into the magic realm. He gathered all his strength. It felt good to flex that power. He smiled then began to recite the spell as he poured his magic into the statues, spreading it across the multiple lands.

  Anelm stepped back beside her brother and watched.

  Vixen watched as well, uncertain what she was watching for. “Is it working?”

  At first no one answered. Caleth and Anelm waited as they observed both with their eyes and with their magic. Finally, the statues began to glow and the stone began to crack. A large smile split across Anelm’s face. “It’s working!”

  A huge sigh of relief escaped Esdras’ lips, but he wasn’t ready to rejoice yet. Just because the statues were reverted back into flesh didn’t mean the people beneath the stone still lived.

  Throughout the field all the statues began to glow brighter and brighter.

  In Talhon, Kinnard, Dustal, and Aradin stepped back from statues that now glowed.

  Alone in the woods of Talhon, Skelton stood beside the statue of his brother, pacing, but he froze when he saw the stone begin to light up.

  In Cuskelom, on the old battlefield, Gremina stared at the statue of her mother. She remembered the moment when she had watched her own father turn her mother into stone, and that was the first time Gremina hated her father. However, Haskel’s reasoning kept her from lashing out at him because her brother was afraid their father would not hesitate to turn her into a statue too. As the statue began to glow, tears glinted in Gremina’s eyes, and she prayed, “Mother, please still be alive...”

  In Serhon, the stone cracked and chipped off, falling off from around the person trapped within, and they gasped and crumbled to their knees. Some of them were still on the defensive with their magic and immediately sent out a blast of magic, but Caleth and Anelm acted quickly, using their combined power to redirect any blasts of magic upward to the sky so as not to harm any other statues.

  The land moaned as the magic users cried out when they were turned back into flesh. “My eyes! I can’t see!” They tried to step forward only for their knees to collapse under them, sending them crashing to the ground. “Where am I? Help me.”

  With the magic dispersed, Anelm shared a look with Caleth. They had never dealt with this before and had no idea what to do or what was happening. “They must be blind because they had been unblinking for such a long time,” Caleth concluded and went to one magic user to examine them.

  Vixen frowned when she heard this. “Will they regain their sight?”

  “I don’t know. Possibly. Maybe not.” Caleth shook his head.

  “If not, I may know someone who can help.” When the two kelliphs looked back at Vixen bewildered, the assassin nodded. “A Guardian from Jechorm. His unique ability was to give or take away any of the five senses. He can give these people sight.”

  “That will be very useful indeed,” Anelm mused as she spread her magic sense as far as she could, and all she sensed was overwhelming confusion. She touched their minds, sending soothing calmness to them and a message, “Remain calm. You are no longer in danger. We are here to help you. Please sit down and wait for us to come to you. All will be well.” Her words penetrated them, and soon the wailing cry over the field ceased as everyone slowly calmed down except for several frightened and confused children.

  In Talhon, Skelton smiled in relief as Adonis stumbled out of the stone shell, and he embraced him in a huge hug, surprising Adonis. “I’m so glad you’re back!”

  Adonis pulled back and looked at Skelton, but his vision was blurry, so he blinked hard several times, trying to make the fogginess go away. When it didn’t, he rubbed his eyes. “Ugh!”

  Elsewhere in Talhon, Kinnard smiled as he embraced his father, whom Mordora had turned into a statue. His father stumbled a little, but Kinnard caught him and reassured him, “All is well, Father. Princess Mordora is no longer terrorizing Talhon.”

  King Damaen rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. As he did this, he realized his vision was clearing. Once he could see clearly again, he looked at his son. “Joktan—did she discover it?”

  “No.” Kinnard shook his head. “After we were attacked, I made sure I led her as far away as possible. She never even knew what was under her feet.”

  “Good. Good, my son. You have done well.” Damaen leaned against hi
s son for a moment, still trying to regain his balance. He looked across the way and saw Dustal and Aradin smiling as they reunited with fellow thieves who had been turned into stone in the same area. Damaen frowned and cast Kinnard a glance. “Do they know?”

  Again, Kinnard shook his head as he steered his father away from the commoners. “No. I mentioned it to no one. They don’t know what lies beneath the ground here in Talhon.”

  Damaen clasped his hand on Kinnard’s shoulder. “Good, my son. You have done well. You have done well...” He trailed off as they walked away from the others.

  Kinnard smiled, pleased that his father was proud of him.

  In Cuskelom, Gremina cried out when her mother stumbled forward, and she caught her in a strong embrace. “Mama!”

  Sidra’s legs couldn’t hold her, so she sank to the ground but still held onto whomever it was who hugged her. She touched the person’s hair, heard her voice, and identified her. “Gremina?”

  Gremina bobbed her head as she cried. “Mama, I’m so glad you’re alive!” She pulled back to look at her, but she saw the strange look her mother had, and concern crept into Gremina’s bones. “Mother? Can you...can you see me?” She swallowed hard.

  Sidra squeezed her eyes shut and then rubbed them but shook her head. “No...no, I cannot see.”

  Dread filled Gremina. This was unfair! All she wanted was her mother back, but why did her sight have to be gone? Why couldn’t anything be back to normal? Why couldn’t anything be set right? However, Gremina willed herself to calm down as she remembered there were sorcerers, and perhaps they could grant her mother sight.

  With renewed determination, Gremina rose to her feet and helped her mother up as well. “Come. Let’s go home.”

  Back in Serhon, in the center of the former Field of Statues, Rykeldan felt something happening as he channeled his magic into all the statues. He looked down at his hands and saw gray at his fingertips, and it began to spread up his hand, to his wrist, and his arms. His eyes widened, and his breath hitched in his chest. “Therina!”