Contents
Copyright
Prologue
1. A New Beginning
2. Once a Dragon Falls
3. Journey to the West
4. Madness Returns
5. Shadows over Naru
6. Return to Darkov
7. The Faded Sanctuary
8. Gardens of the Stars
9. The Cult of Yavreel
10. The Singer
11. In Search of Relics
12. The Voices Return
13. Wonders of Darkness
14. To the Origin World
15. The Temple of Yavreel
16. A Payment of Silver
17. Gray and Black
18. The War of Thorns
19. Illusion of Victory
20. The Sullen War
21. Elements of Defeat
22. Voices in the Night
23. Misdirection
24. The Arrival
25. The Catacombs
26. The Old Master
27. Overwhelming Odds
28. A Difficult Freedom
29. Under the Dark Sun
30. The Witness
31. The Twins
32. Death of a World
33. The Storehouse
34. Friends Remembered
35. A Queen is Born
36. Left of Eternity
ORIGIN MAGE
BLACKLIGHT CHRONICLES
BOOK SEVEN
JOHN FORRESTER
AMBER MUSE
Copyright © 2017 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
Prologue
Under the strange, mustard-colored skies of the Underworld, Jared wiped his brow and sighed. They’d been exploring the depths of this smoke-choked land for almost a year but still no sign of the entity who called herself the Goddess Caisa. Though there had been clues and false leads, sign posts led to dead ends. There were the wandering undead who spoke of encounters with strange visitors into this land. Visitors who sounded similar to Caisa’s followers.
As they searched the place, Jared felt a strange sensation like they were being watched. There was a foul taint to the air that eliminated all desire to spend more than a day traversing the land. They’d encountered nether hounds many times, and even once, the master of the realm, Lord Zagros himself. At the encounters, rather than fight, they had opened a portal and retreated to their sanctuary in the stars. There was no need to risk confrontation; they had experienced similar situations in their adventures to dangerous and toxic worlds—places worse than the Underworld of Yorek.
Upon their return to their sanctuary, Jared faced constant opposition from his fellow Starwalkers. They wanted to give up on the quest for revenge and leave Caisa to her eternal fate in the Underworld. It is a suitable punishment, many had said. But the law was the law and Jared, as the leader of their sanctuary, was bound by the law to fulfill its obligations. But even he was reaching a point of considering his duty fulfilled.
However, the last few days of scouring of the land of the dead had proved fruitful. They had journeyed toward the lava mountains, discovering ancient way posts marking the direction to a city called Haldrax. The way posts were written in the old runic language, symbols shared across several worlds, including the home world of Aurellia, the one the humans called the dark lord. Jared guessed the old inhabitants of this subterranean world had escaped some war or cataclysm on the surface and found refuge here within the bowels of the earth. A place now reserved, strangely enough, for the dead.
What he failed to understand was how Lord Zagros had been created in the first place, along with the insane rituals of the Grim March. Jared had seen godlings before and knew Lord Zagros was one of them. The true gods were not bound to a time or a place—they transcended all and were truly a sight to behold. Godlings were mere artifacts of a greater power, birthed through the misadventures of the gods with charismatic mortals who had caught their wandering eyes.
“We’ve found something ahead,” said Jalana, an old Starwalker aligned to the cult of Yavreel. Her thin, gray hair and sallow complexion seemed at home in the morbid colors of the Underworld. She had been one of the most devoted members of the search party, vowing to exact revenge against Caisa for the murder of Melchezze, the old former leader of their cult. Where daily their numbers dwindled, Jalana and the remaining Starwalkers of her cult were ever-vigilant in their search. This was a cause of some concern for Jared as the cultists now outnumbered the other Starwalkers in their party.
“Of interest?” he said, his voice sounding suspicious.
“Yes, of particular interest. A well-preserved city, presumably the one called Haldrax.”
“And?”
“We’ve found a statue with a peculiar likeness.” Jalana paused, an expression of grim satisfaction on her face. She was truly enjoying this. What had the woman found? She was getting on his nerves with her purposeful display of drama.
“Well, get on with it already. A likeness of whom?”
“The one who called herself the Goddess Caisa. The similitude is undeniable.”
Jared raised an eyebrow and frowned. “Really? Take me there.”
After walking the dusty way up the old stone road, the group of twelve Starwalkers assembled and stared at the statue. It was incredibly realistic, like no other statue Jared had seen. One thing was for certain: no human hands had sculpted this. Jared was convinced this was Caisa herself, trapped by some dark magic.
“Indeed, it is a perfect likeness,” he said, exhaling sharply. “I can feel the magical bonds surrounding her. And something else. I sense a consciousness stirring within… an awakening to our presence. I fear we must tread carefully.”
At his words, Jalana went still and studied the bleak, sulfuric landscape.
“What is it?” Jared asked, catching some familiar scent.
“This place disturbs me. I can never quite place what it is, but I always feel like we are being watched.” She turned and scanned the lava belching from the mountains. “Whatever we do, we must do it quickly.”
Fragment in hand, he raised his arms and stretched his fingers out toward the statue. “Before we exact our revenge and obliterate her, we must be certain this is truly Caisa and not some decoy.”
“What do you suggest? Shall we take the statue back to our sanctuary and study it further?” She glanced at him, eyes concerned.
He shook his head. “I refuse to bring the corruption to our place of refuge. Whatever we do must be done here.”
Jalana sniffed, clearly looking irritated and concerned. “I’d be far happier to simply destroy the statue and be done with it.”
“No. We must unlock the binding magic. Once we verify it is Caisa, we will slay her and mete out the punishment our laws demand.”
“Blood will be on your head if you are wrong. But if you insist, then let us proceed.” The old Starwalker raised her hands and the other ten Starwalkers of their group joined them, making a circle around the statue. They brought their magic together, fusing their power, and tested out various elemental and dark magic against the binding.
Unsuccessful after many attempts, Jared sighed and dropped his hands.
“This is a strange binding. The feel of it is familiar and alien at the same time. It possesses the stink of this place and the stink of the godling who rules this land. I suspect the magic originates from him.”
“Shall we seek him out and subdue him?” Jala
na gave a vicious grin, clearly looking forward to a fight. She flourished her fingers. “We’ve been coming here far too many times without engaging the creatures of this realm. I could use the practice. It’s been awhile since we last banished a godling to his domain.”
“For once, I agree with you. I suspect this Lord Zagros will know something about unlocking the binding spell.”
At the mention of the name of the Lord of the Dead, lightning sparkled across the dirty yellow sky, followed by a rumbling thunder. The ground shook and swayed back and forth. The familiar howling noises of the nether hounds came next and soon the eerie creatures bounded up to them, their mouths frothing, teeth bared. Jared smiled. The beasts displayed no fear against the Starwalkers, but they soon would.
The hounds began to whimper and whine. Cowed, they scampered away, their desire to attack scared away by a few Starwalker mentalist spells.
Soon Zagros appeared, breaking through the yellow mist, the massive dog-faced godling snarling and angry at the intruders.
The Starwalkers remained unmoved as the giant godling glowered at them. It towered some forty feet over the group.
“Why have you come to my domain?” Zagros snorted and pawed at the ground, his face adopting an expression of confusion. “I’ve seen you before… on the surface of this world many months ago. You’ve been sighted by my hounds countless times and yet this is the first time you’ve engaged us. Why do you keep coming here? Tell me what it is you seek.”
Jared aimed a finger at the statue of Caisa. “We’ve found it. Here, the statue of the one who called herself the Goddess Caisa.”
Zagros craned his head down and sniffed. “How strange. Why did I miss this intrusion into my realm? Hmm… But I also sense other foreign smells, those similar to this false goddess. I wonder how the smell could have been masked?” The godling paused for a long moment, confused, his big eyes staring, lost in thought. “Nothing has ever slipped my attention before.”
“Until now.” Jared gave the godling a shrug. “When Caisa was tricked into the Underworld, many of her devotees followed her here into your realm. I imagine many have perished, yet some of the elder sorcerers likely survived. We’ve spent countless hours searching for them, but they’ve hidden their tracks well. Regardless, we’ve finally succeeded in finding Caisa—if the statue truly is her.”
“So now that you’ve found her, what are you waiting for?” Zagros cocked his head and released a rumbling growl.
Jared spread out his hands. “We’ve been unable to unlock the binding. We sensed some of your magic behind whatever spell has her encased inside. Rather than destroying it, we must have absolute verification of her identity before issuing our final punishment.”
“I look forward to welcoming another soul to the Grim March. This fake goddess will make a powerful addition to the never-ending war.” Zagros once again sniffed the statue, eyes thoughtful. “This indeed is my spell. I believe it is the one I taught to the young royals on the surface. Perhaps they were the ones responsible for Caisa’s imprisonment?”
“Yes, young Talis Storm and his friends.” Jared’s thoughts returned to the many conversations he had had with the boy, and his disappointment at hearing of his escape and murder of the Starwalkers. Jared knew he had no choice but to execute the law’s demands and kill the boy and his friends who had participated in the slayings.
“Ah, this name is familiar to me,” said Zagros, his eyes tensed in anger. “And although I am unconcerned with the lives of mortals, I am inclined to aid you in this effort. As long as you promise to leave my domain and never return. I’ve had quite enough unexpected excitement over the last year or so.”
The Starwalker bowed to the godling. “You have my solemn promise, Lord Zagros. Once we complete our mission and exact the requirements of our law against this sorceress, we will leave your domain.” Jared refrained from expressing his disdain for the foul place and his disinterest in ever returning.
“Good. Then I will proceed with the casting and release the fake goddess from her binding.” Zagros aimed a paw at the statue and a stream of fine green particles of energy swirled through the air. A green aura surrounded the lifelike statue, causing it to pulse in an eerie light.
The eyes of the statue moved first, quick and desperate as they glanced around. Then the jaw and muscles of the face were next, easing free of the former paralysis.
“Behold,” Zagros said, “the spell is working. But before I fully release her, let’s allow the magic to linger a moment while we question her.”
“Indeed.” Jared twirled a hand, beckoning the godling to continue.
Caisa’s mouth opened in a snarl. She turned her gaze to Zagros. “Did I hear you call me a fake goddess?”
Lord Zagros let out a bark of amusement. “If you were a goddess, then how could you have allowed yourself to be imprisoned? Why are you unable to move your hands and legs? Please, there’s no need for you to assume an air of superiority. You’re casting a disrespectful gaze upon a god—one who looks forward to supervising your eternal torment here in the Grim March.”
“Hah. I’ve better places to be.” Caisa sniffed in an expression of disdain. “I’ve experienced far too much of the reek of this place for many lifetimes. If you are a god, why wouldn’t you transport yourself to someplace more pleasant? Oh, I forgot. You tried, but failed, and were banished back to your stinking realm.”
“More insults, please, fake goddess. Fodder for your future torture. I’ll make sure to insist that these walkers of the stars make your death slow and painful.”
As much as we can stand to be here in this festering hellhole, thought Jared.
“Enough banter,” said Caisa. “I must thank you for releasing me. And now that you have begun your spell, I pray that you continue.”
Zagros tried to speak, but was unable to utter a word.
The godling fought against some unseen force. His arms began to twitch. No matter how hard he struggled, something was paralyzing him. Tremors of terror possessed his face.
Caisa cackled in triumph. More streams of green light poured from the godling’s paw and swirled around her figure.
“No, stop!” shouted Jared. This couldn’t be happening. “You must not move.” He cast a spell on Caisa but it had no effect.
“We have learned your spells and ways of attacking us.”
“We?” Jared tried to turn around, but found his body unresponsive. Who had cast a spell on him? To his shock, his fellow Starwalkers were also frozen, their eyes consumed by fear.
Several sorcerers appeared from within a yellow mist. Were they there all along, waiting for them?
“You wake at last from your long slumber.” One of the newcomers, an old woman with a wicked grin on her face, came forward to kneel before Caisa. “Our mistress sleeps no more. Did you dream of your return to power?”
Caisa sneered, glancing at Zagros and Jared. “Yes, indeed I did.”
1. A New Beginning
The city of Naru looked lonely under the blue light of the four moon sisters. There was a chill in the air that caused Mara to snuggle closer to Talis as they sat atop the highest point of the city, enjoying the view. Had it really been a year since they’d trapped Caisa in the Underworld? It was good milestone to celebrate, a year of peace and a chance to rebuild.
Master Goleth, the Builder, had kept his promise. He had completed the final touches of his brilliant design several months ago. They’d first rebuilt the Temple of the Sun on the same location outside the city near the spring. There they prayed once again to the Goddess Nacrea for her blessings to fall upon their city. At the ceremony, Talis felt a sacred light fall around them as the words of consecration were spoken. It was as if the Goddess Nacrea was there with them.
Naru had grown grander and larger than she’d ever been. Instead of sandstone spires dotting the landscape, Mara had asked Master Goleth to craft much of the city in glass. His spells drew elements from the sands of the Nalgoran Desert, sand kissed by
the light of the sun. The walls were formed of hardened glass fused with lead.
New magical wards surrounded the city. There were even wards placed over the air to defend against flying invaders. Never again, Talis vowed, destruction would never come again to their city.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Mara said, and squeezed Talis’ hand.
She looked lovelier than ever, and at fifteen, she was almost considered a woman. Her devilish, amber eyes sparkled under the light of the moon sisters. Over the year she had grown as well, though he had grown faster and was now much taller than her. It didn’t stop her from endlessly poking fun of him, often treating him like a younger brother.
“Finally, it’s finished, though I can’t help but wonder if the peace will last.” He sighed, the image of Caisa’s frozen face coming to his mind. “It’s been strange living so long without war.”
“What’s strange is seeing Nikulo with a baby boy. I still can’t believe it.” She smiled, her eyes enchanted as she stared at the city. “But I can get used to it, seeing him happy with his wife and new child. I could get used to living like this. It’s nice, for a change. Though I can’t help but feel strange… unsettled in a way. It’s weird, I only started having this feeling today.”
“There are rumors that the Council of Elders is thinking of making you queen.”
She groaned, wrapping her cloak over her shoulders. “That’s the last thing I want. Did you have to bring that up? It was nice not thinking about our obligations. Even if they insist, I’ll ask that someone else take the burden.”
“You may not have a choice. If duty calls you, you’ll have to obey.”
She raised a hand to stop him. “Please, I’ll worry about it later. Tonight, there’s only the moon and the stars, and you at my side. Let’s pretend we’re two thieves out at night on the prowl. Your imagination extends farther than Naru, doesn’t it?”
“What are we going to steal?” He gave her a teasing grin.
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