Rise of Shadows

by Vincent Trigili

  Lost Tales of Power:

  Rise of Shadows

  Written and Published by Vincent Trigili

  Copyright 2012 Vincent Trigili

  Cover Art by Lynz (Lynz_luna@yahoo.com)

  Editors:

  Kristi Trigili

  Elaine Kennedy (elaine.p.kennedy@gmail.com)

  ISBN: 978-1-4659-0203-0

  EBook Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Introduction

  The Lost Tales of Power is a collection of novels that describe an immense persistent multiverse. The books are a mixture of standalone and miniseries all set in the same universe with overlapping and intertwining storylines. While the books are a mixture of classic science fiction and pure fantasy, some effort is being made to keep the books in the realm of the possible, or at least theoretically possible given some basic assumptions.

  Lost Tales of Power Series:

  Volume I - The Enemy of an Enemy

  Volume II - The Academy

  Volume III - Rise of Shadows

  Volume IV - Resurgence of Ancient Darkness

  Volume V - The Sac’a’rith

  Volume VI - Spectra’s Gambit

  Volume VII – The Sac’a’rith: Rebirth

  Volume VIII and beyond - TBA

  To be informed when new books are released:

  Visit our website: http://losttalesofpower.com

  Follow us on Twitter @VincentTrigili

  Sign up for Email notices via: http://smarturl.it/LostEmail

  Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LostTales/

  I hope you find as much enjoyment in reading these stories as I had living them. If you enjoy the books, please post a review and spread the word about them. As an independent author, word of mouth is the only marketing I can afford. Thanks!

  Time Line So Far:

  IE = Imperial Era (similar to BC, counts backwards)

  EM = Era of Magic

  12/01/01 IE – Enemy of an Enemy starts

  01/20/02 EM – Enemy of an Enemy ends

  02/01/02 EM – The Academy starts

  08/30/42 EM – The Academy ends

  05/15/55 EM – Rise of Shadows starts

  12/30/58 EM – Rise of Shadows ends

  01/31/59 EM – Resurgence of Ancient Darkness starts

  03/15/59 EM – The Sac’a’rith starts

  08/11/62 EM – Spectra’s Gambit starts

  10/31/62 EM – The Sac’a’rith ends

  01/25/63 EM – Resurgence of Ancient Darkness ends

  02/01/64 EM – Sac’a’rith: Rebirth starts

  08/25/64 EM – Sac’a’rith: Rebirth ends

  01/01/65 EM – Spectra’s Gambit ends

  Prologue

  Master Mathorn called both Flame and me into his practice room. We were not told much about why we were being summoned, only that he had a special lesson that would benefit both of us. Master Salsartazar, Headmaster Rannor, Master Kellyn, and Grandmaster Vydor were all also in attendance for this lesson. This was the first time I could remember that all of them were in one place at the same time. They all floated high above the floor looking down to see the lesson.

  “Flame, in the battle of Terathan XV, when Master Jerran teleported into the battle, how did he deal with the enemy forces he faced?” asked Master Mathorn.

  “Master, he created a wall of fire and pushed it towards the sorcerers,” responded Flame.

  “Correct, Flame. Master Salsartazar says you have a basic grasp of that spell, so please cast it and send it at the wall the same way Master Jerran did,” responded Master Mathorn.

  I knew this to be a very advanced spell, and as I watched Flame begin to cast it, I was again struck by the difference in her two powers. When she was creating illusions, she would weave and dance with her body as her entire body sculpted the power. With her pyromancy she was much more focused. Her movements more clearly mimed grabbing and channeling of the raw fire. Where there was intimate beauty in the crafting of illusions, pyromancy was all business.

  It seemed to take excessively long for her to cast the spell. I could not help but think that if this was a battle she would have been gunned down by now. Slowly a wall of pure flame began to appear before her as sweat was beading across her brow. This was by far the most intense spell she had yet learned. Finally, just as the wall was completely formed, I saw her attempt the push.

  Suddenly a loud CRACK sound came out of nowhere, accompanied by a brilliant flash of light. Flame only momentarily lost her concentration, but that was enough. The magic that held together the wall of fire failed, and the wall exploded. It was about to fill the room with raw energy when I quickly reached out and gathered the power, unweaving it before it consumed the room.

  “Flame, what just happened?” asked Master Mathorn.

  “Master, I had almost completed the task when out of nowhere someone cast a thunderclap,” said Flame, looking downtrodden.

  Master Mathorn turned to face Grandmaster Vydor and said, “Grandmaster, as you can see, one of the school’s star pupils was defeated by a minor illusion that any beginning student can cast.” Then he turned back to Flame and said, “Flame, distraction is one of a wizard’s greatest enemies. As you just demonstrated for us, it can have deadly effects. Master Jerran cast the exact same spell you just attempted, but he did it while under fire and surrounded by wounded knights. He was not distracted; can you tell me why?”

  Flame was quiet a long while and then responded, “Master, is it because he had cast the spell so many times in practice that it had become second nature to him?”

  “No, Flame, but that is an excellent thought on it. In fact that is the first time he ever cast that spell. From his perspective he invented it on the spot,” responded Master Mathorn. “Shadow, you were able to respond quickly to the resulting danger without being distracted yourself. So do you have a thought on this puzzle?”

  I was worried he would ask that. I knew the answer, but I did not want to embarrass Flame. “Yes, Master, I do. Master Jerran was a Black Adder and had spent many months hiding from sorcerers where any slip in his concentration would have meant death and, prior to that, he would have had extensive navy training on maintaining his focus while under fire. I, also being a navy vet, have had the same training, and I have been in live combat many times. Flame has no such training or experience.”

  Master Mathorn turned to address the wizards above us again and said, “Grandmaster, you have an excellent school here, and Headmaster Rannor has done a wonderful job with it, but it has a weakness. That weakness is that it is too safe. I fear we have sheltered those we wish to turn into guardians so much so that they may be unable to complete the task. Grandmaster, I called this meeting and demonstration not to criticize this fine school, but to offer a solution for its weakness. Shadow and Flame are among the best the school has, so I suggest they be the first to try my solution. Shadow’s combat experience will mitigate the risks that early adopters have, and they have already proven to work well as a team. Grandmaster, I suggest we send them out into the real universe on a combat mission. As I underst
and it the trade routes to the nearby colonies have been plagued with pirates. In my realm, pirates would never dare to operate so close to a wizard stronghold. This would make a good first test for our star students. Grandmaster, I suggest we give them a ship and send them to help the local navy clear out the pirates. This will not only open an avenue to teach our students combat skills, but it will also bring wizards and, by implication, the danger from the sorcerers back into the minds of the fine people of this realm.”

  Grandmaster Vydor turned to me and said, “Shadow, what do you think of this plan?”

  “Grandmaster, I would like nothing more than to help the good people of this realm in such a way, but until now we have had tight restrictions with regard to leaving the planet because of the risk from sorcerers. A mission such as this could not be conducted completely in secret and is sure to draw attention. However, whatever you decide on this matter, Grandmaster, that is what we will do,” I responded.

  “Shadow, do you really think we can pull that off?” asked Flame privately via our telepathic link.

  “Yes, but not alone. We will need to work with the Aleeryon Navy at the very least. Perhaps we can get Bill to help on that front.” I sent. I was already beginning to think of plans for how this could work. I knew that we would need support out there. If we went at it alone we would risk running afoul of the navy, so at the very least we would need to keep them informed about what we were doing.

  While I was working out a plan, the gathering above us was silent. They were in all likelihood debating the matter in private telepathic channels. In fact, I guessed the entire Council of Wizards was discussing this, even the members that were not physically present. All of them were former combat veterans, so they would be likely to understand the problem that Master Mathorn presented.

  Finally, Grandmaster Vydor turned to me and said, “Shadow, Flame, if you are willing, gather three other wizards from our realm, and once they are trained head to Aleeryon’s major trading hub. Along that route it is a certainty that you will encounter pirates. I want you to use every tool at your disposal to crush them. Keep the Aleeryon Navy informed of all your actions. I will contact them before you leave and tell them we are finally in a position to assist them. They have been begging for help for a long time now, so you will be a great relief to them.

  “I do not see this as a lesson for you, Shadow, as you are already fully qualified to command. However, there are very few among our students that have seen real combat, so you will have to teach them and nurture them. You will have full authority to act as you see fit and will represent Alpha Academy as an ambassador. Once you return, Master Gafar will view your memories of the mission, and we will then determine if this is a wise course for our school. I would normally ask at this point if you were willing to take this mission, but I think Flame might truly explode if you said no.”

  I smiled and said, “Yes, Grandmaster, we are willing.” I paused here for a moment. I had to remind myself that this was Vydor I was talking to and that, while he was the Grandmaster, he still was the same Vydor I knew and could approach freely. “Grandmaster, just to be clear, for this mission will the ban on using powers off-world be lifted for all who go with us?”

  “Yes. While I think this operation will be a great training ground for your team, I see this more as a show of force. I want it to be a big showing, such that all who hear about it are amazed and cannot help but retell the tale. Master Mathorn is right; the realm is forgetting the danger we are all in. It is time to prod them back to awareness. I realize this will also draw out sorcerers and, in fact, I am counting on it. There is definitely some organized presence of sorcerers in this realm. Operation Foolish Hero proved that, but they have so far done their best to run and hide whenever we show up,” said Grandmaster Vydor. “Your primary public mission will be to address the pirate problem in our area, but your secret mission will be to act as bait so that we can draw out the real evil and deal with it in the light.”

  “Thank you, Grandmaster. In light of that we will strive to be the best bait possible,” I said, which brought a small smile from Grandmaster Vydor and a chuckle from Master Kellyn, but Master Mathorn seemed to disapprove.

  “Then may the real God of Creation smile upon your mission,” said Grandmaster Vydor. Then, after a round of good lucks and goodbyes, Flame and I headed back up to the school to begin planning. I already had a few ideas about who I wanted to ask to join us, but we decided to hold off speaking to anyone until the next round of graduations was complete. That would give us a couple of weeks to work things out before bringing anyone else into the mix.

  Chapter One

  “Hey, Dusty!” called out Phoenix as I left the graduation ceremony. “Congrats, man! I knew you could do it!”

  Phoenix was a great help back when I was a prospect. Without him, I would never have made it through those history classes. “Hey, Phoenix, thanks! I guess the party has started?” I asked.

  “Start without you? Never!” said Master Shadow as he and Flame walked up. He had been promoted to journeyman not long after he rescued Flame from the sorcerers years ago, and word had it that Flame was not far off from that promotion herself. The two of them spent a lot of time helping me with my classes. Really, this graduation was more theirs than mine.

  “Master Shadow! Flame! You know, between the three of you, there really is not much left of this promotion to apprentice that is due to me,” I said as I gestured to my newly red robe.

  “Oh, don’t be so silly, Dusty!” chided Flame. “You earned those robes, every last thread of them!”

  “Seriously, guys, I would not have made it without you all. Thanks,” I said.

  “Aw, really there was nothing to it. Now let’s go eat,” said Phoenix.

  Phoenix could always be counted on to bring up food eventually. He was the perpetually chunky kind of person. His love affair with eating would prevent him from ever being a more normal size. They say that during the prospect stage he lost a lot of weight and got into decent shape, but deep down I know that could not have been possible. The Phoenix I knew ate at least three times as much as anyone else and enjoyed every bite of it.

  I hadn’t planned to actually head into the mess hall and join the party, but I knew if I tried to back out now they would pull me in. The three of them were very socially oriented, especially Phoenix. I followed them into the mass of bodies, noises, and lights that they called a good time. In order to minimize my exposure to the chaos, I headed for the food table. I figured that if I had a plate of food and a drink, no one would try to drag me out into the crowds on the dance floor.

  Once I had some food I found a seat where I could see most of the room. That would prevent anyone from being able to sneak up on me. Great orbs of multicolored light floated around the room bobbing along to the beat of the music. Fire and smoke appeared randomly throughout the hall while mythical creatures flew around the room and through the crowds. Everywhere I looked there was something going on.

  Down on the dance floor I saw Phoenix making a fool out of himself and utterly enjoying the attention. He had somehow managed to turn his skin multiple colors and was attempting to dance. Dancing might not be the best word for it. It was more like attempting to flop around, but completely missing the beat.

  Flame and Master Shadow were also dancing, but the contrast between them and Phoenix could not have been starker. They were in perfect tune with the music and each other. They danced as if they were in their own perfect little world, weaving around each other in a complicated set of movements that demanded much more in the way of strength and flexibility than I could ever hope to achieve.

  With my only three friends distracted, I cast a cloaking spell and slipped away from the party. I felt a little guilty doing it since I was one of the guests of honor, but it was not as if they had asked me if I wanted a party or even a ceremony, for that matter. I would have been just as happy to go to bed with white robes and wake up with red ones.
I did not understand this insane need for chaos to celebrate a promotion. It seemed even crazier here where we were being trained to be guardians of order and light.

  I decided to head outside where I was sure no one would look for me. There I could practice the new spell I had found in some advanced books I borrowed from Master Shadow. It was a dangerous spell, and I knew that the school would not approve of me working on it, so I needed privacy.

  The spell was called Night Form, and it was a more advanced version of Shadow Form, which I already knew. Shadow Form allowed the caster to blend in with any shadows in the area, becoming completely undetectable, as long as he stayed in shadows. The caster remained a solid person, but light bent around him so that he was always in shadow.

  Night Form was a completely new level of concealment far beyond anything I had attempted previously. When cast, the caster’s physical form actually became shadow. He could move about freely, completely safe from physical attack and pass through solid objects. As a shadow, he would not be bound by gravity or any other physical reality. The caster, in a sense, ceased to exist in the natural world.

  I pulled out my notes and reviewed the spell one more time. It started the same as Shadow Form but about halfway through took a turn and introduced gestures and power-words that I was not previously familiar with. I had spent the previous weeks practicing the command words and gestures, preparing as much as I could for this night. Once I was sure I had properly memorized the spell, I began to cast. Slowly I felt darkness move up my body as the beginning of Shadow Form began to take place, but then the spell switched, and I had a very disconcerting feeling of my body dissolving, but I did not let that distract me.

  As I completed the spell, I felt an exhilarating wave of power pass over me, and I started to float. I looked down, and in the darkness of the night, I could not see my body at all. I had done it! I was incorporeal! I began to fly around just by willing it. It was the greatest freedom I had ever felt. I flew around at what must have been great speed, but I had almost no sense of motion.