by Jake Adler
He shook his head and slowly rose to his feet and glanced upwards towards the sky as his heart sank. There were three suns in the sky. Two of them were golden in colour and the third was more reddish. It was then that he knew that they were lost.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Skydda sighed softly as she snuggled her head deeper into her pillow. Jetzan stared at her, admiring the beauty of her female form that was clearly visible underneath the blankets. He suspected that she had deliberately requested him to visit her chambers very early in the morning just so that he would feel tempted and he had to admit that her plan had almost worked. When he first met her, he felt in awe of her beauty and afraid of her incredible powers of magic, but now he was beginning to learn about the woman beneath. As each day passed, he knew with increased certainty that they were meant to be together. Unfortunately for her, his upbringing was very old fashioned and this impacted upon his courtship rituals. However, he had to admit that there were times when he was severely tempted not to follow them.
Skydda turned her head towards him as he stood near the doorway and smiled, “Thank you for coming to see me,” she said as her eyes sparkled with mischief.
Jetzan shifted his gait and spoke, “Why did you need to see me so urgently? I haven’t even had time for breakfast yet.”
Her smile widened and the entire room seemed to brighten with its brilliance, “I will tell you after you have kissed me,” she breathed.
“I can kiss you but that is all,” he grinned as he moved towards her. Before he realised that she was doing it, she had embraced him tightly, “now hold on a minute,” he said as he realised that his resolve was beginning to crumble.
After several long minutes of a passionate embrace the now red faced Jetzan reluctantly pulled himself away, “What was it that you wanted by the way?” he asked.
“I wanted you to spend the morning with me,” Skydda said as her expression fell when she saw him backing away towards the door. Jetzan halted momentarily smiling apologetically at her. She was the Queen of the Fae. One day soon, she would be much more and quite possibly the mother of his children, but he wanted to honour the memory of his parents by following the correct protocols of courtship.
“We shall get to that part soon enough,” he said with a frustrated smile, “please try to understand.”
“Oh all right,” Skydda sighed in irritation, “I’m sorry, I lured you here under false pretences,” she chewed her lip thoughtfully, “can you forgive me?”
“Always,” Jetzan said as he felt his heartbeat drum inside his chest.
As the Human left the bedchamber of the Queen, the eyes of another watched him leave.
The Dragon’s eyes narrowed as it considered its options. The Queen of the Fae was now awake and her magical powers were unsurpassed. It would not be an easy task to kill her and the timing and method of doing so required meticulous planning. The Dragon scowled at the door of the Queen’s bedchamber in frustration.
“What are you doing here?” demanded a guard as he suddenly spied the Dragon lurking behind a pillar of the hallway.
“I got lost,” the Dragon replied calmly, “don’t worry, I’m leaving,” he added as he slowly backed away as his tail flicked to and fro in the air in irritation.
The Guard watched the Dragon leave at he slowly ambled down the corridor. He had only taken a few minutes for a bathroom break and he knew that he should not have done so. Informing his Commander that he had momentarily abandoned his post for a call of nature would have profound consequences for him as he had left the Queen unguarded. He frowned at the receding figure of the Dragon, then shook his head. The Dragons were allies to the Queen and therefore posed no threat. It would not do any harm if he did not mention to his Commander his strange encounter with one of the Akrullin.
The Dragon did not turn around to glance back. He knew that it had been a close call and that he had almost been exposed. Killing the guard would have achieved nothing other than alerting the Queen and her supporters that an enemy was in their midst.
He would wait. He needed more time to garner the support of others. There was already another Dragon who supported his desire to be rid of the Queen, but he needed a sorcerer or magician to incapacitate her first, as her powers of magic were legendary. He also wanted to kill the new High Dragon, Givarax.
It was then that he remembered the human man with the unnaturally dark eyes. His name was Captain Vanimar and they had met briefly when he had taken a walk one morning upon the shores of Lake Diabhal. Although he could not recall the exact details of their conversation, there was something about the man that alarmed him, yet he also sensed that he possessed abilities that would be of great use to him.
EPILOGUE
The Devil’s Mirror has been sanctified, paving the way for the enactment of the ‘second seal’ on Earth. But the blessing was placed while Ethan and the others were travelling through it, changing the original pathway to another unknown world. They are now lost and they must find a way back if they are to ever stand a chance of saving both their worlds. But the Grand Mage is no longer with them and the only source of magic that could help them is Alexon. However, Ethan has growing doubts about the nature of his spirit ring’s intentions.
The long lost Queen of the Fae has returned. But enemies lurk in the shadows, plotting her demise and that of the new High Dragon. Among them are Yariq, the underling of GraJin who has possessed the human body of what once was Captain Vanimar of the 2nd Light Infantry of the city of Ellington and an old friend of Master Bedwyr. Yariq hopes to use the body of the Captain to lure the Grand Mage into his presence so that he can kill him. But in the meantime, his walk upon the shores of Lake Diabhal has been fruitful. He has searched the mind of an impetuous young Dragon and planted the seed of an idea that would serve as a useful distraction while he waited that would also serve the needs of his High King. The murder of the Queen of the Fae would weaken her people by causing confusion and disarray. It is now just a matter of time before a dastardly plan is hatched to carry out the deed.
GraJin still hunts for Ethan. He has tasted the young Human’s blood, enabling him to track him and his search for him has now become personal. Outraged at the death of the human body at their last battle against one another, his hatred for Ethan knows no bounds, but this time only one of them will walk away to live another day.
The fates of both worlds hang in the balance. It is not yet known if the races will unite together against the Demon hordes of the High King. The Molgarth offer a solution but GraJin has already located their sanctuary. In particular, his has caught the scent of the one who is currently unaware that she is the best ally that he could ever have.
GLOSSARY
Akrullin: Elven word for Dragons in Nemedia. They arrived together with the Elves from the lands to the North of Eire. They share in their worship of the Goddess Danu and are considered to be a part of Fae as well as the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Baldr: Norse God who is the son of Odin and the Goddess Frigg. He is the God of peace and purity and radiates light wherever he goes.
College of Mages: The College was established originally to trains humans who exhibited signs of magic just under two thousand years ago. As time passed, the College began to accept recruits from the other races, although this practice remains rare as the other races prefer to school their own people in the ways of magic.
Council of Elders: Elected Councillors that represent the human populace of the city of Ellington. Usually there are no more than twelve Councillors at any one time. Some of their policies and practices have been influenced by the Elves, due to their promise over a millennia ago to undertake a greater responsibility for the environment.
Demons: Mysterious and blood-thirsty creatures from the Thirteenth Tier that possess strange magical abilities. They were first seen shortly after the creation of the Kingdom of Nemedia by the Wizard Manannán.
Draugr: Creatures of Norse legend. Some say that they roam the depths as pale and soulle
ss monsters. Others, that they are the immortally damned rotting corpses of murderers. Yet others believe that they are the mindless beasts of the broken-hearted that now hold inside them no emotion other than rage.
Dragon’s Cup: Mistakenly thought by many to be nothing other than a geographical oddity. It is in fact one of the four great Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Fae: General classification for Elves, Fairies, Dragons and more recently the Hesparin.
First Saviour of Nemedia: Brid Clodagh, is thought by many to be a High Sorceress. She was in fact the daughter of a local Chieftain from Eire whose father knew the location of the two great treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann on Earth. She was the first saviour of Nemedia who enacted the ‘first seal’ that closed the original tear in ‘the veil’ that returned the Demons back from whence they came.
Grand Council: The ancient seat of the Fae that sits upon the Eastern Shores of Lake Diabhal for elected Councillors and leaders. The Hesparin were denied a seat until recently following a call for a vote by King Belenus.
Guild of Shadows: A deadly network of master thieves and assassins that have infiltrated many cities and towns in Nemedia. Their headquarters were originally in Ellington. For a fee, a client can contract them to do virtually anything.
Hesparin: A race formed many generations ago by a group of Elves who joined a human separatist sect. They live and trade in the Ghemand forests and are spurned by many of their Elven cousins. Attitudes towards them by the Elves have softened somewhat following their recent recognition as being part of the Tuatha Dé Danann, although some deep seated prejudices and attitudes remain.
Huginn: His name in old Norse means ‘thought’. This is the first of Odin’s ravens that he sends out to search for and retrieve information on his behalf. Huginn is a semi-autonomous being that is almost twice the size of an average raven.
Kazzaks: Slow-moving and equally slow witted animals that are slightly larger in size than an elephant. Their fur is light grey and they have broad, flat faces that are ideal for grazing upon the grasslands of Nemedia. Their origin remains unknown as no animal of this type exists on Earth.
Lake Diabhal: Derived from the ancient word for ‘Devil’, the Lake is of an unfathomable depth and holds many dark secrets. Creatures of frightening size have been seen inside its waters and the Fairies are thought to worship them.
Muninn: His name in old Norse refers to both the ‘memory’ and ‘the mind’. This is the second of Odin’s ravens that he sends out to search for and retrieve information on his behalf. Like his brother Huginn, he is also a semi-autonomous being that is almost twice the size of an average raven.
Spirit Rings: Objects taken from Earth that can be imbued with spirits of varying power and complexity intensity. Spirit rings are the most fully imbued objects that have the greatest ability to interact with the user and hence, possess the most power. Used in the right hands, they can have a devastating magical effect. Used in the wrong hands, they often kill their owner. The spirit inside each ring can choose to return to ‘the Creator’ at any time.
Tarns: These creatures are roughly half the size of a fully grown Dragon and resemble a chimera of the body of a vulture, claws of a lion, with powerful flat faces that house an enormous set of fangs perfectly designed for ripping apart huge chunks of flesh.
The Veil: Magical barrier that hides the Tuatha Dé Danann from Earth as well as acts to block the entry of the Demons from the Thirteenth Tier to the magical kingdom.
The Creator: Nemedian term for God. It does not refer to the Wizard Manannán but to the overall creator of the universe.
Thor: Dwarven God of war and thunder. He is a hammer-wielding God that is associated with lightning, storms, oak trees and strength.
Tuatha Dé Danann: Fae peoples of the blessed Goddess Danu. The races include, Elves, Fairies, the Akrullin and the more recently, the Hesparin.
Wizard Manannán: Following the impending annihilation of the Fae from the Firbolgs, Manannán was a wizard who originated from Connacht, the home of the ancient seat of Druidic learning and magic to the West of Eire. He took pity upon the Fae and used the Cauldron of Dagda to create the Dragon’s cup, a magical sanctuary that is fed by the cauldron to sustain the Kingdom of Nemedia.
SPELL CASTER APPENDIX
Fulgoris: To call for lightening, most often from the spell caster’s hands although advanced users can call forth lightening from active storms overhead more deadly effect on a grander scale by added the combination command ‘Tractus’
Glacialis: Calls forth shards of ice from the hands of the spell caster but can also be used to turn objects into ice.
Lapis Scutum: Creates a ‘Stone Shield’ that protects the spell caster. It is particularly effective against physical attacks.
Luxus: Activates moonstones to emit light. It can also be used to create light orbs above the head of the spell caster.
(Me) Mutatio: The first part of a powerful spell of transformation consisting of four separate commands. It is rarely used as mistakes have deadly consequences.
Nox Visio: Enables the spell caster to have night vision. It is an extremely powerful spell that few mages have ever been able to master.
Pulsus: To push or throw an object or person away from the spell caster.
Reperio: To find or seek out a person or object. The spell usually only works if the spell caster has an object or possession linked to what it is that they are searching for.
Semper Ignis: To call forth fire, usually from the spell caster’s hands.
Spiritus Aqua: Enables the spell caster to breath underwater for short periods of time.
Tractus: To pull an object or person toward the spell caster.
Vita Constupro: A dark and despised magic that is rarely used. It corrupts living things into grotesque shapes, be it man, plant or animal.
Volo: To levitate. Only the most powerful of mages are able to fly short distances.
The following title is already available by Jake Adler:
The Wizard’s Magic Kingdom: Book One of the Nemedian Trilogy
The following title by Jake Adler is due for release soon:
The Devil’s Mirror: Book Three of the Nemedian Trilogy
About the author:
Jake Adler is a lifelong fan of epic fantasy. The Nemedia Trilogy stands as a tribute to fans of epic fantasy and those who love Celtic, Norse and Greek mythology.
Connect with Jake Adler Online:
Blog: http://magickingdoms.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jake.adler.712
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JakeAdlerWriter
Thank you for reading The Dragon’s Cup. I hope that you enjoyed reading this book and if you did, please leave a review.
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COPYRIGHT
MAP
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
EPILOGUE
GLOSSARY
SPELL CASTER APPENDIX
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