by Shawn Sodman
Gripping his swords tightly, Chance says, “I will not leave until this gate is destroyed, and you along with it.”
“Then let us begin,” says Lortec.
The two rush at each other across the room. The swords in Chance's hands emit flames, and as he swings them at Lortec, the orcnea general blocks them both with his blade. With his superior strength, Lortec pushes Chance away.
The two charge at each other again, but this time, just as they get close enough to strike, Chance drops and rolls under the general, causing him to fall face down onto the marble floors. Chance swiftly gets back up and swings both swords once again at his enemy, but just as before, Lortec is able to block them.
More orcneas begin to come up the steps to the atrium and watch as their revered general battles with the dreaded Slayer of Orcneas. They crowd around the gate and the edges of the atrium, leaving a large circle for them to fight between the gate and the stairs.
Though he knows the flames will not harm Lortec, Chance sheathes one of his swords and uses a jet of flame to blind the orcnea general. Chance slashes his sword across Lortec’s gut, but his armor protects him from most of the harm.
Lortec swings his bastard sword with one hand, forcing Chance to jump back. The general charges at Chance again, taking him off his feet and tackling him to the ground. Chance strikes Lortec in the face with the hilt of his sword, knocking the general off of him.
Chance jumps to his feet and swings the flaming blade at Lortec, but it is parried away. Lortec stands as he defends against a flurry of attacks. The general falls back, and Chance begins to push forward aggressively.
Attack after attack is either dodged, blocked, or parried by Lortec as the two continue to battle it out. Generals Cron and Vork make their way up the stairs to witness the combat. Vork summons a bolt of lightning. Chance's eyes shift to the other generals momentarily and Lortec instinctively seizes the opportunity to strike. He swings his sword at Chance's weapon, knocking it out of his hands. Then he tackles Chance again to the ground.
Lortec tosses his sword to the side and begins to pummel Chance with his fists. After several blows, the general looks over his shoulder at his two companions. Seeing the spell in the hands of Vork, he sighs and says, “You distracted him.”
Carr says, “Kill him and be done with it.”
Lortec stands and drags the bloodied and barely conscious Chance to his feet. “No,” he says to the others. “I want to kill the Slayer in a fair fight, with no excuses. I want to show the world that the Slayer is nothing.”
“You have already done that,” says Carr. “No one here will doubt you.”
Lortec drags Chance over to the stairs where Carr and Cron both stand. He says, “I want to make an example of him to all of Runefell what will happen to those who would oppress us.”
With his vision hazy, Chance can hear A'ranah in his head. “Chance, are you still there? Talk to me.”
While mumbling the words as he speaks with A'ranah, Chance replies, “Tell my children that I love them.”
Confused, Lortec looks at Chance. “What did you say?”
Unnoticed by the others, Chance pulls his amulet from under his breast plate. He forces a smile and says, “I guess we are both going to die after all.” Chance concentrates and channels the magic within the talisman to fill the room with fire. With no direct source to block the flames, the barrels are engulfed.
From the stronghold, A'ranah and the others watch as the atrium is destroyed by two blasts. The first is from the black powder, while the second comes from the destruction of the Lunar Gate.
“Chance, no!” A'ranah gasps.
Arioch, watching the flames come out of the marble structure as it begins to collapse, asks, “Where is he?” He looks out through the looking-glass and asks again, “Where is Chance?”
A'ranah places her hand on the looking-glass and takes it from the king. She doesn't say a word, but instead shakes her head. Down below, soldiers line the top of the hill and celebrate that the gate will not be in enemy hands. Among them are Isen, Kianna, and Ya'leigh. The three watch the horizon nervously, hoping to see a giant eagle in flight.
Ya'leigh looks up to the top of the stronghold's tower at the king and A'ranah. When she sees Arioch hang his head in despair, Ya'leigh realizes what has happened. “No,” she mutters under her breath. “I-it can't be.”
Kianna, unsure what her friend is talking about, looks up at her father and soon reaches the same conclusion as Ya'leigh. She puts her arm around her friend and does her best to console her as Ya'leigh repeatedly calls aloud for her father.
Nearby, others begin to suspect what A'ranah and the King already know, and soon the celebration becomes somber.
“By the gods,” says Va'leen to Nicari. “Tell me this isn't happening.”
The seven young Amazons make their way over to Ya'leigh just as A'ranah and Arioch arrive. No words are spoken as the Amazon queen embraces her granddaughter. While the others begin to mourn and comfort each other, Prince River and Baeldeth approach the king.
Baeldeth says, “I am sure my brother took more than a few of those orange-skinned monsters with him.”
“I am sure he did,” replies Arioch.
The young elven prince asks, “What are we going to do now?”
Arioch thinks for a bit, then answers, “I honestly have no idea what comes next.”
Chapter 66
Lights Out
In the basement of the library, Laura's reading is interrupted by Lyra entering the room and saying, “All right, you guys, the library is closed now, so it’s time for you three to go home.”
“Aw,” whines Josh. “Can't we take the book with us? Please?”
“I’m sorry,” replies Lyra. “But I can't let you take it. Perhaps tomorrow I can come over to your place and bring it with me.”
“That would be great, Aunt Nica,” says Laura.
Josh shakes Haley, who has fallen asleep on the floor. “Come on, sis, it's time to go.”
Groggy, Haley asks, “What happened?”
“I'll tell you about it on the way home,” says Josh.
Laura stands up and stretches her muscles. Lyra asks her, “Are you feeling all right?”
“Yes, thank you,” says Laura. “In fact, other than feeling a little tired, I’m great. Thanks for that herbal drink.”
“You’re welcome,” replies Lyra.
“So we'll see you tomorrow, then?” asks Laura.
“Yes,” Lyra answers. “I don't have to work tomorrow, so I'd be happy to stop by.”
“Don't forget the book,” says Josh.
Lyra laughs. “I won't.”
“Great,” says Laura. “We'll see you then.”
The three children head up the stairs as Lyra pulls out her phone and sends a text.
Far to the south, in the waters of Bermuda, Kelik is with Yentroc in the lab aboard their company research ship. He looks at his phone and reads the text Lyra sent. He says, “The kids are on their way home, so Kel'ana and I should be going.”
“All right,” says Yentroc. “But first you may want to see what is inside this book.”
“It's ready to be opened?” asks Kelik.
“Yes,” answers Yentroc, as she holds up the large tome. Though the cover is still encrusted with coral, the sides and spine of the ancient book have been cleaned. “Go get the others,” she says as she sets the book down on the table.
Kelik steps out onto the deck and calls for Rehma, Gelana, and Kel'ana. Yentroc opens the book and carefully begins to turn the pages as the others enter the room.
Kel'ana asks, “So, it was a book after all? What kind of book is it?”
Yentroc, distracted by the words on the pages, doesn't hear Kel'ana's inquiry. Rehma asks, “Yentroc, what does it say?”
Yentroc hands the book to Kelik and says, “Eric was right. It’s a captain's log.”
“You mean the man from the Department of Marine and Port Services?” asks Kel'ana.
“Yes,” answers Kelik. “I wonder how he knew.”
“I’m sure it was just a lucky guess,” says Yentroc.
“I don't know,” replies Kelik. “He seemed pretty sure of it.”
“But you said it was magical,” says Rehma. “Why bother enchanting a captain's log?”
Yentroc answers, “To protect it from water damage if the ship sank. It worked, too. These pages are perfectly preserved.”
Kelik begins to thumb through the pages when he stops and reads one of the entries. He looks up at Yentroc and asks, “Did you see who the log belonged to?”
“I did,” answers Yentroc. “I can hardly believe it.”
“Who did the log belong to?” asks Kel'ana.
Kelik looks to others and explains, “This captain's log belonged to none other than Ariella Stormrage.”
“No way!” exclaims Gelana.
“It's true,” says Yentroc.
Rehma says, “So that means the shipwreck is that of the Red Dawn.”
“How did it get here, on Earth?” asks Kel'ana.
“Apparently the Bermuda Triangle is more mysterious than we thought,” says Yentroc.
Kelik looks at the stack of gold coins and asks, “Weren’t there ten of these?”
“Yes,” answers Yentroc. “Why?”
Kelik picks up the coins and counts them again to make sure. “There are only nine here.”
“Do you think Eric took one?” asks Gelana.
“Possibly,” says Kelik. “He was the last one to look at them. I'll try to come back tomorrow, but for now Kel'ana and I should get back to the apartment.” Kelik pulls out his cell phone and begins to send a text.
Kel'ana says, “I don't know if I'll be back with him or not. I think I got too much sun today.”
“Well, if you do,” says Gelana. “I'll see you tomorrow. Rehma and I are staying.”
Kelik opens the door leading down to the cargo hold of the ship. “Then I'll probably see you tomorrow.”
Kel'ana and Kelik walk down the stairs and across the cargo hold of the ship. Kelik checks his phone as they wait before the large iron ring. Moments later, the phone chirps and Kelik reads a message. He says to Kel'ana, “Ambra says it's clear.”
Kelik places his hand on the ring and concentrates on the spell to activate the gate. Soon the middle shimmers with a silver light, and Kelik and Kel'ana enter the gate and return to the ice cream shop. Yentroc turns off the lights, and the cargo hold becomes dark as the shimmering gate closes.
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Epilog
The lights from the dance floor flash as Eric Winters, the man from the Department of Marine and Port Services, takes a seat at the bar of a lively nightclub. A dark-haired young man behind the bar turns and, with a disgruntled tone, asks, “What do you want now?”
Eric replies, “Hello, Garrett, I want to speak with your boss.”
“We already told you everything we know,” says Garrett.
“This isn't about the death of that college student,” says Eric. He pulls a gold coin from his pocket and says. “Do you recognize this coin?”
Garrett takes the stolen coin and examines it. He looks at the marking of the raven, then flips it over and looks at the marks on the other side. “No,” he replies. “Should I?”
“I don't know,” says Eric. “But my guess is that your boss will. Why don't you take it upstairs and ask?”
Garrett sighs. “All right. I'll be right back.”
Eric looks around the nightclub as Garrett takes the gold coin and walks up a set of stairs behind the mirrored wall with shelves full of bottles of alcohol. The modern dance club is adorned with nautical artifacts like the wheel of an old ship mounted on the wall, and a crow’s nest on top of a mast-like support in the center of the dance floor. The dance floor and the bar are crowded with men and women of all ages.
After a few minutes, Garrett returns and says to Eric, “Follow me.”
The two men ascend the narrow stairs. At the top there is a door, and Garrett enters the room, followed by Eric. The sounds of the music below are muffled within the walls of the lofted room. A window that stretches the length of the room overlooks the entire club to the left. The room is long and narrow, and at the far side is a desk with two chairs in front and one behind it.
A women with long red hair stands at the window, watching the crowd below. She tosses the gold coin back to Eric, and with a peculiar Irish-like accent she says, “Mr. Winters, do you mind telling me what this is all about?”
Eric replies, “I thought you might be interested to know that this gold coin was found in the waters of Bermuda. There is a research vessel there now conducting a salvage operation, though they have not turned up much at this point.”
“And just why do you think this would interest me?” she asks.
Eric says, “Other than the gold they found, they did bring up one interesting item. It was a captain's log covered with coral, and I was able to get a peek inside without them noticing before I left. I figured you might be interested because the book belongs to someone named Ariella Stormrage.” The woman looks up at Eric as he adds, “That's your name, is it not?”
“Yes,” says Ariella. “It must belong to an ancestor of mine.”
“Of course,” laughs Eric. “Unless you’re four or five hundred years old.”
“That's ridiculous,” says Ariella.
“You're right,” says Eric. “Anyway, I just thought I would stop by and let you know.” He tosses the coin back to Ariella. “You can keep it. I’m sure it belongs to your family, anyhow.”
He turns to leave when Ariella asks, “Did you happen to get the coordinates of this ship?”
Eric grins and takes out a folded piece of paper. “As a matter of fact, I did,” he says as he hands her the paper. “Good evening, Ariella,” says Eric as he exits the door.
Ariella unfolds the paper and reads the set of numbers written there. Garrett asks, “Do you think they found the Red Dawn?”
“I don't know,” says Ariella. “But we’re going to find out. Tell your sister that we’re leaving for Bermuda first thing in the morning.”
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Thank you for taking the time to read this book. I hope you found it as enjoyable to read as I did to write. If you have enjoyed it, please take a moment to give it a positive review.
Thanks!
Shawn Sodman
About the Author
As long as I can remember, I have always been a daydreamer. In fourth grade, it became more of a distraction than normal. My grades were marginal, and at the end of the year I was informed that if I were to continue on to the fifth grade I may find it too difficult. Ultimately, my parents and the school left the choice up to me. While it was a hard decision, it was not one that I regret. I repeated the fourth grade with my best friend at the time who was also struggling. One silver lining was that I was going to be able to hear my teacher, Mr. Sheathelm, read from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis for a second time. Out of all of books that he read, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was my favorite. While some may have resented having to repeat a grade, I did not, and Mr. Sheathelm became my favorite teacher.
My short attention span and daydreaming didn't end there. To this day, I often find myself thinking of places within my imagination. I have even wondered if I spend more time daydreaming than thinking about reality.
Easter eggs
If you read the dedication, you may have noticed that I gave Chance a similar story in his history with his parents. It is one of a few “Easter eggs” within the book to pay a tribute to my family. Another example of this is the character David Michael. Before I was born, my parents had a difference in opinion as to what my name would be. My mother, who eventually got her way, wanted to name me Shawn Allen, while my father wanted to name me David Micheal. I always knew that Runefell was going to be told as if it were an actual account of real events within the book. So when it came time to decide who actually wrote the book w
ithin the book, it was easy for me to decide.
The character Allen came from my own middle name. I looked at Allen as a younger, more innocent, version of myself. Perhaps a way to revisit my own youth. It was my goal to have Allen grow to a more confident person over time, much like I did. As I ponder future writings, I have included a version of Allen them as well. I am not sure if I will have a version of him in every book, but I think it would be an interesting goal to attempt.
In the first book, I had a few other tributes to my friends, including the navigators, Chris and Jim, as well as Brother Edward. While their roles were small, it was still a way for me to include my former gaming friends in this world. On a side note, I realize as I am writing this that I have a lot more friends to include.
As I discussed at the end of the first book, almost every major character has a real-life counterpart, or was role-played by me at some point. I enjoy adding new characters and finding interesting ways to weave them into the fabric of the story, like a long continuous tapestry.
Fidelma McMurphy was actually added after the rough draft of the first book was complete. Her character quickly grew in importance, and became a major part of the story. The same is true for the captain of the drake riders, Belron, and his wife, Nicari. This real-life couple was easy to add to the story, as I already knew I was going to include a group of drake riders. With plenty of Amazon women in the book, being able to base one off of a real-life person made it that much easier to make Nicari more interesting.
Va'leen
In contrast to the Nicari's almost bubbly personality, Va'leen is anything but. I borrowed from goth styles to describe the dark-haired seductress. Like Ariella, Va'leen was inspired by more than one source. The first part came from a character in the Disney movie Hercules. Meg was always one of my favorites. She was confident and knew how to charm men, even if she was in a rated 'G' cartoon. As much as I liked Meg as a character, however, she was still very much a damsel in distress. That is something I didn't want Va'leen to be. For much of her look, and skill-set, I drew inspiration from the character played by Eva Green in the 2014 movie, 300: Rise of an Empire. Artemisia was deadly in a fight, and had the look I was searching for. Still, there was a real-world tie-in missing. After all, she was supposed to be a friend to Chance in the past, as well as close friends with his sister. So, I drew my final inspiration from one of my sister’s friends. She is someone who refers to me as her big brother, so the past friendship fits perfectly. The romantic feelings are fictional (at least as far as I know).
