The Royal Runaway
Page 8
AFTERWORD
Eladria's story has only just begun. This short story sets up a number of threads and elements that are expanded upon and resolved in the fantasy/science-fiction novel Eladria (an excerpt of which you'll find on the following pages).
Eladria is set ten years after the events of The Royal Runaway. A fearful prophecy is fulfilled when the Ha’shon attack and overthrow the royal moon. The princess finds herself a fugitive in her own land as a brutal war is waged for rulership of Tahnadra. While being pursued by the relentless Ha'shon, Eladria learns she must travel to the forbidden land of Drantak, where a dark and ravenous force seeks to smash through the dimensional barriers and unleash its fury on the mortal realm. Only by accepting this dangerous mission can Eladria hope to save her world as well as uncover the mystery of her mother's disappearance all those years ago.
An action-packed adventure packed with twists and turns, Eladria was published in 2013 by Cosmic Egg Books. Although a self-contained novel, it serves as prelude to the Alanar Ascendant series, which begins with The Key of Alanar, due to be published in Spring 2015.
Please visit https://www.dreamlight-fugitive.co.uk for more details. You will also find updates on the Alanar Ascendant Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AlanarAscendant.
I hope you enjoyed this short story! If you did, please feel free to share it with others. Don't miss another free short story prequel titled Artan's Night, also available to download for free on most ebook platforms. Thanks for reading.
EXCERPT FROM 'ELADRIA'
Eladria took a sharp inhale of breath and wiped away her tears. There was nothing she could do for her father now, but there was a chance that her mother was still alive and she vowed that she would do everything in her power to find her. If that meant travelling all the way to Drantak and fighting an as-yet unknown enemy, then she would gladly do so.
Before the torch burned out, Eladria made her way back to the camp, where everyone had already settled down for the night. Janak and Van’garat lay some distance from each other around the campfire, while Zinn was waiting for Eladria’s return. Satisfied that she had safely found her way back, Zinn settled down to keep watch over her comrades.
Eladria lay down upon a bed of leaves and endeavored to make herself as comfortable as she could. But she found it difficult to sleep, for the ground was cold, hard and uncomfortable. As she tossed and turned for what felt like hours, she was unable to slow down her frenzied mind. She found herself endlessly pondering her predicament, anticipating what might lie ahead and whether it was possible she would be reunited with her mother. The thought that she might not have lost her family altogether helped allay the terror of whatever dark forces were waiting for her in the so-called forbidden land.
She turned on her side and let out a weary sigh, frustrated by her inability to sleep. Judging by the snoring that came from his vicinity, Janak was fast asleep and had been for some time. She was unsure about Van’garat, who hadn’t made a sound the entire night.
Her restlessness was exacerbated by an ominous feeling that something was about to happen. The air was heavy and tingled with a faint electrical charge. She’d experienced this before prior to the breaches, which made her suspect it was a precursor to another impending storm.
She was right. It wasn’t long before she became aware of a bright flash of light from above. Looking up, she saw the sky tearing open as a bluish-white ribbon of light devoured the black void, crackling like electricity, sending fingers of lightning spiraling in every direction. A peal of thunder echoed around them, as the electrical storm illuminated the jungle in a pale bluish light.
Janak and Van’garat staggered to their feet, staring up in bleary-eyed bewilderment. Zinn scurried down from her perch and resumed human form, drawing close to Eladria’s side.
It was one of the more intense storms. Sparks of light shot across the sky as an aperture formed at the heart of the electrical storm. The ground beneath their feet began to shake as a wave of tremors rocked the jungle. They struggled to retain their balance as a blasting wind swept through the jungle in intermittent bursts, strong enough to snap the branches off trees and sending waves of perched birds fluttering into the sky in alarm.
Eladria became aware of shadows all around them; silhouetted figures only visible out of the corner of her eye. It was as though two realities were being superimposed, the walls between them loosening and crumbling.
Something then began to emerge from the apex of the storm—the same bat-like creatures she’d seen before. The shadow creatures soon filled the sky, circling like birds of prey and dive-bombing the jungle, leaving trails of fire in their wake.
“We must find shelter!” Van’garat called above the noise.
Eladria nodded. One of the creatures was directly above them and it swooped toward them. As it descended through the jungle canopy, it ignited the trees in blazing red flames.
With Van’garat in the lead, they made a hasty retreat, successfully evading the bat-creature as they raced through the jungle, struggling to get through the thick undergrowth. The light from above enabled them to see their way for the most part, as it bathed the jungle in an eerie blue glow.
They continued to run, often stumbling over branches, vines and undergrowth, or knocked down by the rumbling tremors. Each time they scrambled to their feet and began running again. Van’garat was decisive as he led them onward, as though he knew where he was taking them.
After a time they came to a lagoon at the base of a steep cliff. At the bottom of the cliff was a network of caves. Eladria didn’t know whether Van’garat had known about this place or if it was simply a stroke of luck, but they now had somewhere to shelter and wait out the storm. But just as Eladria was about to race toward the nearest cave, Van’garat put out his arm and restrained her.
“What’s wrong?” she cried. “We’ll be safe in there!”
“I’m not so certain,” Van’garat responded. “I sense danger.”
“It can’t be any more dangerous than remaining out here,” Eladria answered. She shook free of his grasp and began running toward the nearest cave. The others followed.
As they ran, they were pursued by several of the shadow creatures, diving down through the trees. Fortunately, as they made it into the cave, the bat-creatures broke off pursuit and soared back up to the sky. Eladria let out a sigh of relief. They were safe, for the moment at least.
She looked around the craggy cave, which cut deep into the cliff-side, dimly illuminated by a pale light filtering in through the mouth-like entrance. The walls and ceiling were dripping with water, stagnant pools of which collected on the ground, and there was clearly a nest of bats nearby, as evidenced by the occasional flapping and squeaking in the darkness.
Taking some time to catch their breath, they agreed to remain here until the storm passed. Everyone was exhausted and few words were exchanged as the travelers tried in vain to get comfortable. Eladria sat down on as dry a bit of ground as she could find, resting her back against the cavern wall. As the adrenaline pumping through her body began to subside, she surrendered to her exhaustion and after a time drifted into the sweet embrace of sleep.
Her dreams that night were intense, vivid and fragmented.
She saw images of distant islands, forests, deserts, cities and towns, all of them unfamiliar and alien-looking.
A face kept appearing before her: that same young man, little older than she was, his handsome face framed by locks of dark hair and his penetrating brown eyes gazing at her as if from across an infinite void—so far apart, and yet so intimately connected.
Although she had never met him before, she had seen his face so many times, perhaps in her dreams, or perhaps as part of a long-forgotten memory, a distant recollection obscured by the haze of time and space. She was drawn to him, compelled by a magnetism she found impossible to resist.
Yet when she tried to reach out to him, his face vanished like a reflection on water dissipated by a ripple.
She found herself alone again in a distant and inhospitable land, wondering why she’d been forsaken in this most alien of places. She searched for the enigmatic stranger who so allured her. Who was he, and where had he gone? Why did she feel that their fates were connected, even though they were separated by vast distances of space and time...?
“Princess, wake up! Wake up!” a voice startled her.
She opened her eyes to find Janak nudging her awake, a panicked expression upon his face.
“What is it?” she asked sleepily.
“We have company,” came Van’garat’s curt response.
It was now morning. She looked round and saw daylight streaming through the mouth of the cave. It was there, at the cave entrance, that she saw a figure standing silhouetted in the light, brandishing a large stick or staff of some kind.
Alarmed, Eladria reached down and grabbed her dagger. She got up and stood alongside Van’garat and Janak, while wondering where Zinn was. The figure at the entrance of the cave remained still, watching them intently.
“Who are you?” Eladria called.
The figure moved closer, stepping into the cavern. Van’garat remained calm and motionless, while Janak visibly tensed, shifting nervously on the spot. As the stranger approached, Eladria saw that it was a middle-aged man, wearing the hooded grey cowl and