Fate of Thorik
Page 1
Altered Creatures Epic Fantasy Adventures
Book 1 of the Thorik Dain Series
Fate of Thorik
Historical Date 4.0649.0913
(4th Age, 649th Year, 9th Month, 13th Day)
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Copyright © 2008 by Anthony G. Wedgeworth
Published by Anthony G. Wedgeworth
Artwork by Frederick L. Wedgeworth
ISBN: 978-0-9859159-2-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008902777
Altered Creatures Epic Fantasy Adventures
Historical Date 4.0649.0913
Thorik Dain Series, Book 1, Revision 2.0, Fate of Thorik
www.AlteredCreatures.com
Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by and means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of copyright owner of this book.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyright materials.
Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
No Thrashers or Chuttlebeast were harmed in the making of this book.
Dedication:
For all the years you worked with me as I struggled with severe dyslexia and feelings of inadequacy, your constant encouragement to overcome all the obstacles in my life, and the endless hours you spent editing my manuscript. I love you, mom.
Acknowledgments:
My lovely wife, Tami, for putting up with the years of working on this book and believing in me.
My brother, Rick, for pacifying my wild ideas of creating a new land by rendering it in 3D. Thanks for your support.
Everyone who took the time to read my manuscript to help me work out the details and issues. These include Kristina Walker, JoAnn Cegon, Robert Cegon, Michelle Richards, Josh Crawford, Rick Wedgeworth, Alexander Wedgeworth, Tami Wedgeworth, Bob Cegon, Zak Larter, Jonathan O’Brien, Barefoot Editing, Author Fred Waiss, and my business mentor Dennis Shurson.
www.AlteredCreatures.com
Altered Creatures Epic Adventures continues with the following books:
Nums of Shoreview Series (Pre-teen, Ages 7 to 12)
Stolen Orb
Unfair Trade
Slave Trade
Baka’s Curse
Haunted Secrets
Rodent Buttes
Thorik Dain Series (Young Adult and Adult)
Treasure of Sorat [Short Story Prequel]
Fate of Thorik [Book 1]
Sacrifice of Ericc [Book 2]
Essence of Gluic [Book 3]
Rise of Rummon [Book 4]
Prey of Ambrosius [Book 5]
Plea of Avanda [Book 6]
Prologue
Thorik’s Log: 1st day of the 9th month of the 649th year.
I am no longer a child. Against my uncle’s strict rules and warnings, I plan to wake up early tomorrow and head beyond the safety of my hunting grounds and into the forbidden lands. I can’t wait to see what adventures await me.
Chapter 1
Messenger of Doom
Grasping the weather beaten boulder with his blood covered hands; Ambrosius dragged his torso out of the freezing river water. Fluids oozed out from ruptured burn blisters across his face, neck, and one arm. Leaning against the flat side of the cold rock, he paused to rest and reflect upon his situation. “Now that the council members are dead, no one else knows of the upcoming attack.”
Pressure squeezed his head from all directions, blood tasted coppery upon his lips, and stabbing spikes of pain ran up his legs. Survival was not guaranteed. His first order of business was to get to a safe location, and then to determine the extent of his injuries. Fighting the river’s current, he swung his lower limbs out and onto the rocks that lined the rushing waters.
Pulling his body past the top of the boulder, he quickly found himself rolling over the other side onto yet another set of rocks. His spine cracked as he landed flat on his back. Losing whatever breath he had regained since leaving the river, he lay on the newly found surface for a few minutes and stared up at the stars. They were difficult to see as a haze clouded them and prevented any clarity.
Ambrosius’ tall lean body appeared frail among the resilient stones. Wet shoulder-length mahogany colored hair matted to his face, which was outlined by a properly trimmed beard and mustache. Made of the finest cloths, his clothes were burnt, ripped, torn, and soiled with mud. He was out of his element, but he was a survivor.
Once rested, he dragged himself off the rocky banks and into a grassy area to assess his health within the night’s dim light. Starting at his hips, he used his hands to inspect his lower limbs for injuries. Thick wet clothes made it difficult. Nevertheless, rips in his pants legs allowed him to make contact with his skin and he quickly recognized the problem. His right leg had a long gash with a stone shard wedged deep into one end.
The other leg was obviously broken as he felt one of the bones pushing the skin out an inch from where it should be. Instinctively reaching for his side bag, he realized it wasn’t there, nor was his metal quarterstaff. He would have to get along without them. He had healed his own wounds in the past and he doubted that this would be his last.
A sudden overwhelming feeling of sickness washed over him. He felt flushed, nauseous, and lightheaded. Fighting the sensation only increased its intensity. Immediate action was required before he passed out. His injuries could be worse than he had assumed.
Ambrosius sat quietly for a moment to regain his composure and thoughts before focusing on the stone embedded deep into his thigh. Reaching out with the unique E’rudite powers of his mind, he began to pull the granite shard out of his flesh. The stone began to vibrate. Making a slight lurch forward, it became blocked from its escape by threads of his own skin and muscles that had snapped back into place over the entry hole. Pulling harder with his powers, the shard finally ripped out of his leg, tearing the flesh which held it in place. Catching the rock in his left hand, he screamed as blood gushed from the wound.
Still tormented from this newly self-inflicted pain, he tore a piece of his tunic off and wrapped it around his leg to stop the excessive bleeding from the now larger cut. “One down, one to go.”
Reaching out again with his powers, he then focused on repairing his broken limb. Normally his abilities were second nature; such as walking is for most. Instead, he struggled to use them to do nothing more than lift his lower leg off the ground and begin pushing the bone toward its original position. He was getting weaker with every passing moment.
Excruciating pain shot up his leg causing him to yell in agony. It was becoming too great to handle. One last quick burst of power from his thoughts gave it the needed shove, popping the bone back into place.
Snap!
“Awwww!” Ambrosius screamed, dropping his leg to the ground and collapsing from the pain. His entire body hurt. How much of what he thought to be water was actually blood? How much had he lost?
His self-concern stopped once he heard the sound of an animal from behind
him, away from the shore. Silence followed. Looking through the haze was difficult and resulted in no answers. Rushing waters raced by on one side, while the sound of trees blowing in the wind could be heard on the other. He turned to face the trees, gathering his bearings and options.
Sitting ever so still, he waited to see or hear something. Anything. It finally came in the form of a deep growl from within the trees. Perhaps up in them. It was not the call of a wolf or any large cat species that he knew of. Patiently, he waited for it again. A few moments later he heard another noise. This time the sound was from his right as he faced the woods. The growl was slightly higher pitched and had various clicks within it.
“Thrashers.”
Ambrosius had seen these carnivorous apes in captivity but never in the wild. Tribal in nature, thrashers attack all creatures entering their domain in a crazed frenzy like a swarm of bees or ants. They were aggressive to anything, regardless of its size.
Changing his location, he pulled himself the short distance back to the rock formations near the river. Intense pain shot through his body with every move he made. Feeling faint, once again, he leaned back on a boulder and faced the trees. Taking a needed breath, he looked up at the ever-darkening starlight. He could taste blood dripping down from his face and his breathing was no longer a subconscious effort as he struggled to keep it under control. He tried to sit still and relax.
A series of barks came from the left, followed by a single howl straight in front of him. If it wasn’t the sound of the river drowning out the movement noise of the thrashers, then it was the ringing in his ears that had been nonstop since he woke up on the rocky shore. “Where are you?” Squinting, he tried to see any activity to focus his powers on. “Perhaps a friendly shove will scare you off and send you on your way.”
He listened to a few more clicks and howls from the trees at various elevations. By this point he couldn’t see anything. The haze had totally removed all visibility. He focused his thoughts and E’rudite energy on the blackness directly in front of him and waited for a noise to come from it.
Eventually, one of the barks and clicks came from the area of his focus and Ambrosius pushed with his mind in hopes to scare the creature away. Tree limbs snapped and crashed to the ground. A fleeting moment of silence was shattered by a screaming howl. The trees came alive with noise. Sounds of branches slapping against one another and howling filled the air from every direction along the shoreline woods.
One of Thrashers jumped out of a tree and landed with a thud. A second one hit the ground and then another. Ambrosius’ heart sank as it sounded like an apple tree that had lost its fruit all at once.
A screaming roar came from directly in front of Ambrosius and was followed with growls by a multitude of others. The first beast charged toward him and was cut short as Ambrosius lifted his hands and used his powers to shove the creature back. Quickly realizing that it did not stop the rest, he spread his arms out to his sides to push them all away. A force emanated from him in a hundred and eighty-degree arc bowling over anything in its path.
The sounds of surprised creatures resounded from every direction except one, behind him.
It was too late. A slash across his outstretched arm ripped open his forearm. A second assault from the other side caught his neck. Several thrashers on the boulder behind him mauled his upper torso.
The fallen creatures in front of Ambrosius quickly regained their footing and joined the attack. It was only moments before the hairy beasts had grabbed onto his arms and legs in an attempt to rip them off. Ambrosius was lifted off the ground in a tug-of-war for body parts.
“No!” His mind was still fuzzy and his body had failed him. His mind raced as he started giving up. “I can’t let it end this way.”
In one last-ditch effort, Ambrosius pushed away the pain for one final brief moment. Pulling all of his E’rudite energy into focus in that fraction of a second, he shoved as hard as he could in every direction.
Suddenly he was airborne and there was complete silence. Calm encapsulated his body and mind as he floated and began to recall the memories of his life. He wondered if he had died.
A wave of wind interrupted his bliss followed by a thunderous crack of tree limbs. It was the last sounds he heard as he crashed back to earth, knocking him unconscious.
Chapter 2
Farbank and Polenums