Star Mage (Book 5)

by John Forrester

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  1. Resurrection

  2. Nightmares

  3. Desert Flight

  4. The Twin Daggers

  5. The Caravan West

  6. The Village of Farin

  7. The Emperor's Revenge

  8. The Sweet Sultry Sea

  9. Lair of the Nameless

  10. Death and Deliverance

  11. Music of the Maelstrom

  12. Sowing Discord

  13. Night Fever

  14. The Historian's Truth

  15. The Vengeful Fate

  16. Twenty-Second Level

  17. Assuredness of Victory

  18. Collateral Executions

  19. Royal Colors

  20. Order of the Dragons

  21. The Candle Flame

  22. The Servant's Wisdom

  23. The Unknowable

  24. The Royal Summons

  25. Cult of the Dragons

  26. The Emperor's Court

  27. Starwalkers Summoned

  28. Chaos and Obliteration

  29. Tears and the Goddess

  30. Shelter and Storm

  31. The Baleful Hand

  32. Temporary Obedience

  33. The Skies over Ishur

  34. Between the Stars

  STAR MAGE

  BLACKLIGHT CHRONICLES

  BOOK FIVE

  JOHN FORRESTER

  AMBER MUSE

  Copyright © 2014 by John Forrester

  All right reserved. Published by Amber Muse.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.

  Visit: www.blacklightchronicles.com

  Cover Design by Anca Gabriela Marginean

  1. RESURRECTION

  The energy of the black crystal burned strong in Talis’s body as he pressed his palms against the wet ground. He could feel the crystal still alive beneath the desolate wreckage of the destroyed Temple of the Sun. Although he possessed powerful crystals from the heart of Ghaelstrom, there was something special and serene about the feeling of the crystal that the Goddess Nacrea had given him. The Temple would be renewed. The land was still sacred.

  A few paces away, the spring still bubbled cool water from deep within the earth and spilled into the stream that flowed down to the grassy field below the hill where the temple once stood. Blackened beams and broken stones were strewn across the old temple grounds. What a mess the Jiserians had made of the holy place. But Talis was determined to restore the Temple to its former glory.

  He lifted his eyes to where a ray of light beamed down onto the burned and broken City of Naru. So much work remained to rebuild their once beautiful city. And only Master Goleth to help in the casting of the spells of building and creation. He had refused to teach Talis the spells, claiming that his vow to an unrevealed god prevented him from passing on the knowledge without the blessing of the masters of his Order.

  Once in Naru, the Builder had seemed reluctant to help them beyond repairing the core structural damage to the larger buildings and temples. In the days that had passed since their return, Goleth’s distracted face told Talis it was time for them to fly south and return the Builder to his family.

  “We’ll build a new temple to the Goddess Nacrea.” Mara strode up alongside him and provided a pleasant interruption from his solitude in surveying the hillside. Her hopeful eyes studied him. Should a new temple be constructed again so soon after they’d built the last Temple of the Sun, or should they wait and let the land rest? He prayed to the Goddess that the new Temple would stand and remain strong and protect his city. Unlike the last temple… Was it cursed as Master Viridian had said it would be?

  “And build stronger walls to protect her.” Talis vowed to do whatever he could to prevent this kind of destruction against his city. Even if it meant forming an alliance with their once enemies in the Jiserian Empire. Or seeking out and killing Rikar, wherever he decided to go and hide. The Starwalkers would come for Rikar, Talis was certain of it. But would they also come and seek revenge against Nikulo for his slaying of the Starwalker known as Jeremiah? Talis doubted it.

  “Master Goleth sent me to find you. He’s insisting we leave today for Ishur,” she said, her voice bitter at the Builder’s refusal to aid them any longer in the restoration of Naru. “I sense some secret in the man, as if he’s been contacted by his superiors in the Jiserian Empire. His eyes have completely changed these last few days. They’re dull and distracted as if he’s duty bound to obey his master in Ishur.”

  “Perhaps they’ve captured his wife and family and hold them hostage until he returns.” Talis pictured the joy and appreciation on Goleth’s face when Talis had insisted that the Builder return with them to their world.

  “I’ve tried asking him if something is wrong, and each time he ignores my question and stares off to the south. I think he truly believes that his family was in a safe place when he left, and I am certain that his conviction has now been shattered.”

  “Let’s go find out,” Talis said, and changed into dragon form. Mara mounted on his back and with a quick flapping of his wings, rose high into the sky until the city sped by far below. Soon he landed at the grounds surrounding the Temple of Nestria, the Goddess of the Sky, and he changed forms after Mara had dismounted.

  She pointed at a figure far off in the distance standing and studying the southern horizon. Master Goleth had chosen this spot to rest after long days spent reconstructing the critically damaged portions of the city. The first building Talis had asked Goleth to rebuild was the Temple of the Order of the Dawn, and the massive golden dome that was shattered after the assault on Naru by the Jiserians. Since the wizards of the Order had either fled or been killed after the last Jiserian assault, Talis decided to erase the tragedy of the past and start fresh with a new Temple. He planted one of the crystals from Ghaelstrom underneath the temple, and let it grow in girth and power once it was seeded deep in the earth. Now the temple rose some fifty-feet higher than before, and it towered over that part of the city.

  Goleth ignored them as they approached, choosing instead to lock his gaze on a bank of black storm clouds off to the southeast. The man’s voice was low and thoughtful as he spoke. “Will the storm affect our flight?”

  “I’ve flown through far worse storms.” Talis thought back to the vicious storm that assaulted them on the way to Ghaelstrom. “Shall we leave now, Master Builder?” He intentionally elongated the last word, hoping to prod the man’s integrity at leaving without completely restoring Naru.

  “I will return to Naru and help in your reconstruction once I know my family is safe.” Goleth turned to fix fearful eyes on Talis. “By now you have likely guessed that something was amiss. They’ll kill my family if I don’t return within three days, starting with my eldest son first. I don’t know how they’ve found them, I worked so hard to hide them and keep them safe. I must have been betrayed by the few souls that I trusted with my secret.”

  “Who is threatening your family?” Mara said, and could see Master Goleth struggle in his thoughts, as if uncertain whether to answer the question. After ten heartbeats the man opened his mouth to speak.

  “I won’t lie to you, but the truth will expose you to great danger. Are you sure you want to hear this?” The Builder narrowed his eyes in examination of Talis’s reaction. “I was only going to ask for you to take me as far as a village northeast of Ishur, so as to guarantee your safety and keep a good distance from the danger within the walls of that great and terrible city. Those of Ishur leave Naru alone because they believe the city vanquished. If they were to discover otherw
ise, you’d once again face the wrath of their necromancers.”

  Talis scoffed, wondering why the man thought the Jiserians more of a threat, especially with Aurellia so far away from the world. Were the remnants of his followers any real threat? And hadn’t Aurellia summoned his strongest supporters when Elder Raelles was sent here before the armada had left? Was there any real force of power remaining inside the Jiserian Empire?

  “Don’t believe this world is without danger, young mage, for you would be making a grave mistake. I heard the mocking tone from King Valeron in describing our planet. As if nothing of value exists here…” Master Goleth lifted the corners of his mouth in a wry smile. “It is better to promote such a myth and keep the seekers from our land. Aurellia’s master has done much to ensure that this is the case.”

  “Aurellia has a master here on this world?” Talis thought back to all the words Aurellia had spoken, trying to remember any hints of his having a master. But he found none in his mind. “How is that possible? All of his followers spoke of him as the Dark Lord.”

  Master Goleth issued a small, mocking laugh. “The visible Dark Lord to the sorcerers and necromancers of this world. But think about it, if darkness is hidden away in the shadows, then wouldn’t the true master be invisible, concealed behind the curtains and orchestrating all the movement in one grand plan?”

  At what must have been Talis’s perplexed expression, Master Goleth leaned in and whispered in a serious tone. “The true master of Aurellia is talked about only in hushed tones by the most senior adherents. He is called the Unknowable, the Nameless, the Bane of Light. It is not even known if he exists in a corporeal state, and perhaps is he merely a being that lurks in the depths of some dark place. Where the Nameless exists in this world is not known to me. I cannot speak a word more of this, as I’ve already said too much. Though from your face I can see you will now heed my original warning. Do not underestimate the danger. You lack the power and knowledge and mental fortitude to withstand the forces of the Nameless.”

  Talis stiffened at the Builder’s condescending tone, but held back a retort and instead considered the wisdom in Master Goleth’s words. If there were a Dark Lord still in the Jiserian Empire, the Nameless, as his followers called him, then perhaps Talis should fear the threat. Too often he had underestimated his enemies, and he wasn’t about to do so again.

  “What if we can help you ensure freedom for your family?” Mara said, and Talis was surprised at her willingness to help. He knew she was trying to appeal to the man’s emotions.

  “You simply don’t stand a chance fighting against them. Take me to the village northeast of Ishur, that is all I ask of you. Any more would risk your lives and the lives of those in your city. Do you have much preparation needed for the journey?”

  “Who said anything about fighting?” Talis sent the man a mischievous grin. “Call me your apprentice and let me search around for this master. If his followers are still as dangerous as you claim, then what other choice do I have? It seems like only a matter of time before the Jiserians discover that Naru is filled with living people and they’ll return to conquer and destroy. Our only hope is to seek out this master in the purpose of either striking an alliance or somehow dissuading him from harming our city.”

  Master Goleth scoffed and shook his head dismissively. “You are so naive. Brave, but stupidly so. Are you so eager for your own death? Instead of rebuilding your beautiful city, my advice for you is to run and escape far from Jiserian lands. Go and find a nice quiet corner of the world to live and thrive and grow old in peace and die. In the south you’ll find nothing but and darkness and torture and death.”

  “But is it feasible to pretend that I am your apprentice? Could you convince them?” Talis said, his voice insistent.

  “It is possible…though unadvisable. I could claim you as a practitioner of magic from Vellia, a boy who begged to return with me and study under my tutelage. Your face is unknown in Ishur and likely the masters of my Order would believe me. And you have been craving to learn the spells of creation and elemental assembly. But I would warn you to speak nothing of what I have revealed to you…not once. And if trouble arises then escape and flee back to your city.” And not in dragon form, Talis told himself, certain that a magical portal was the safest way out of Ishur.

  “I’m coming also,” Mara said, her eyes narrowed in a way that Talis knew was useless to argue against, though he hated the idea of her coming on such a dangerous journey into the heart of their enemies. “Don’t shake your head, Master Goleth. I know girls are allowed in the Jiserian ranks. I’ve encountered more than a few sorceresses.”

  The Builder’s face crinkled in confusion. “But I had assumed that you did not possess the magical gift?”

  “Can’t your magic be taught?” She retorted, a stubborn expression fixed on her face. Talis knew from experience that magic could be taught, but it had taken him many difficult years to cast spells outside training dreams. And he had only been admitted into the Order of the Dawn since the gift of magic existed in his family lineage.

  “It is a difficult and painful thing to learn magic—at least the way we Jiserians teach the art.” Master Goleth stared at the southern Nalgoran Desert, and Talis studied a look of expanding anguish forming on his face. His lessons in magic must have been terrifying and agonizing. “I would not wish such torture inflicted on one such as yourself.”

  “You think me a simple, weak girl?” Mara scowled at the Builder, her face tensed with some fantastic rage that surprised Talis. “You have no idea of what torture I’ve been through at the hands of Elder Relech. That monster forced me to kill countless innocent people and the gods only know what else he imparted inside my mind during his lessons as he called them. I know Princess Minoweth’s dagger tainted me all the while, but I also know that through that experience something hardened inside of me and formed a deep well of strength in my heart.”

  Mara exhaled forcefully and clenched her face and a twist of harsh emotions seethed inside. “There is still magic inside of me from Elder Relech and the cursed dagger—I can feel it burning and itching and screaming to release from my fingers. I don’t trust myself around blades because I see them and my hands crave to stab and cut and maim, as if some dark magic is waiting to release from each slash. I have no choice but to learn magic and tame whatever it is in that I’m feeling inside. Can you help me? Otherwise I’m afraid I’ll lose my mind.”

  “Why didn’t you talk to me about this before?” Talis said, his voice low and fearful.

  She turned away from him to stare out at the Nalgoran Desert. “I didn’t want you to worry about me or think me an evil person. I wanted you to believe me healed after separating from Princess Minoweth’s dagger. But how can I ever truly be free of that curse? I remember everything, every feeling and dark desire. It’s like the Princess is somehow inside of me still. I truly believe I need to channel that rage into something productive, like the learning of magic.”

  With an intense stare she fixed pleading eyes on Master Goleth. “I trust you and know you won’t do anything to hurt me. Can you teach me of your magic? I’ll gladly humble myself as your apprentice if you can assure me that I’ll study under you and no one else. Will your Order allow this?”

  “Only if you both swear a blood pact to our Order, and pledge your life in the defense of the Jiserian Empire and the Nameless, who is the Lord of All, and the true Emperor of the Dark. Only then will you be admitted into the Order of Rezel.”

  2. NIGHTMARES

  Nikulo had kept his distance from Talis and Mara over the last few days, hoping to avoid the inspecting eyes of his friends. He knew he couldn’t keep the truth from them for long, especially from Mara, who had a keen sense of his moods. With the dark dreams that had plagued him since their return to Naru, he avoided family and friends, and anyone that knew him too well.

  A mug of ale raised to his mouth provided him with temporary relief from the reality of his sleeplessness. A few m
ore drinks and he’d pass out into a blissful, dreamless sleep. He glanced around the dark and dreary tavern, seeing drunk men living in a world of suffering and sadness. Likely loved ones slain in the attack on the city, Nikulo thought. He hadn’t lost anyone in his family, so why was he suffering as them?

  He wondered why the pain and the nightmares had struck him with such a torrential ferocity. Was there something different about Naru since the plague? Or a simpler explanation: there was something vastly different about himself since he’d returned? And maybe that something still haunted his mind. The voices and the eruption of many stabs of pain across his head, especially around his eyes and temples. Never in his life had he experienced such quick bursts of crippling agony.

  Even with the ale the pain was still there lodged in the background, numbed but present and speaking dark words of malice. The feeling was like a musician playing a vengeful tune inside his skull, and the musician’s instrument was a collection of sharp needles jabbing notes into his brain.

  “Another ale for ya, sweetie?” The buxom barmaid bent over his table, revealing wrinkled, leathery cleavage that caused Nikulo to look away in disgust.

  “I think I’ve had enough.” Nikulo was sick of this filthy tavern and he slapped down a few copper coins and stood to leave. Why had he decided to come here in the first place? The fog over his mind cleared for a moment, and he remembered that this was the only tavern he had yet to visit, and likely the last place Talis and Mara would look to find him.

  You can’t hide from them forever, Nikulo thought. Soon enough they’ll find you and then what will you tell them? Maybe he could just join a caravan and travel west to the Ursulan Coast. He could always claim he was going to help find Talis’s family and let them know that Naru was safe for their return. But would they ever be safe in Naru, so close to the Jiserian Empire? The voices told him that they weren’t sheltered. They droned endlessly about how exposed they were to more Jiserian attacks.