Squinting, Traver made out the form of a man leaning up against the tree’s peeling bark, appearing quite asleep. But as Traver came closer, the man’s eyes opened, glaring up at him as he reached for the narrow black hilt of a knife at his belt.
Traver almost went for his sword before he realized that he’d lost it. He had lost more than just the blade; he had lost the ability of ever wielding a hilt ever again. But that was all right; the man on the ground looked like he had changed his mind about attacking him. He was sitting up straight, head cocked to the side, a look of incredulous disbelief on his face.
At the same moment Traver recognized him, Devlin Craig said wonderingly, “Larsen?”
Traver threw back his head, laughing as he slid down from the back of his horse. “What are you doing here?”
Craig scowled, pointing to his leg. Traver grimaced as he saw the bandage wrapped tightly around the man’s thigh. It was ironic, actually. He raised his hands, wiggling the fingers he had left.
Craig cracked a grin, chuckling and shaking his head. “We’re two fine soldiers, aren’t we?”
Traver laughed and clapped him on the shoulder as he knelt down at his old captain’s side. Nodding in the direction of the departing Enemy army, he asked him, “What’s happening down there?”
“I don’t know,” Craig shrugged, picking up a fallen branch and pointing with it. “They’ve just been sitting down there for two days, then this morning they just packed up and began withdrawing.”
Traver frowned. “I wonder what happened.”
With a grimace, Craig leaned his weight on the branch, using it to help draw himself to his feet. Limping a step forward, he offered, “Let’s go down there and find out. I’m starving.”
Traver moved toward him and helped support the man’s weight, wondering how, with only eight fingers, he was ever going to get Craig’s big bulk up onto his one-eyed horse.
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Glossary
acolyte: apprentice mage who has passed the Trial of Consideration and sworn the Acolyte’s Oath.
Acolyte’s Oath: first vow taken by every acolyte of Aerysius to serve the land and its people, symbolized by a chain-like marking on the left wrist.
Aerysius: ancient city where the Masters of Aerysius dwell.
Amberlie: town in the Vale of Amberlie below Aerysius.
Anassis, Myria: ancient Querer of the Lyceum, now a Servant of Xerys.
Archer, Amelia: wife of Kyel Archer.
Archer, Gilroy: baby son of Kyel Archer.
Archer, Kyel: apprentice merchant of Coventry Township.
Arches: enchanted monument that guards the Hall of the Watchers, allowing only mages access to the Hall.
Arms Guild: institution for the study of blademastery. Also called the School of Arms.
Assembly of the Hall: the Masters of Aerysius, as a collective entity.
Athera: Goddess of Magic.
Atrament: the realm of Death, ruled by the goddess Isap.
Auberdale: capital city of Chamsbrey.
Battle of Meridan: famous battle in which the Enemy was turned back in large part due to the efforts of the Sentinels.
Battlemage: mages who accompanied armies into battle in ancient times before the Oath of Harmony.
bittern: demonic creature that has the ability to sense disturbances in the magic field.
Black Lands: what was once Caladorn, now the desecrated home of the Enemy.
Black Prince: see Faukravar, Godfrey.
Blademaster: title awarded to graduates of the School of Arms, or Arms Guild. To earn the title Blademaster, a swordsman must best three existing blademasters.
Blandford, General: general of the Emrish Army.
Bloodquest: ancient rite of vengeance condoned by the goddess Isap for righteous causes.
Bluecloaks: slang for the Rothscard City Guard.
Book of the Dead: ancient text wherein the Strictures of Death are inscribed.
Bound: describes a mage who has sworn the Oath of Harmony.
Broden: Guild blademaster employed by the Mayor of Wolden.
Bryn Calazar: ancient capital of Caladorn.
Cadmus: Voice of the High Priest of Wisdom.
Caladorn: ancient nation to the north, now known only as the Black Lands.
Catacombs: place of burial that exists partly in the Atrament.
Cerulian Plains: large grassland region in the North.
Chamsbrey: Northern kingdom ruled by Godfrey Faukravar.
Chancellors: order of mages chartered with the governance of the Assembly.
Circles of Convergence: ancient foci of magic designed to draw on the vast power of a vortex.
Connel, Byron: ancient battlemage of the Lyceum, now a Servant of Xerys.
Corlan, Finneus: First Tier Master of the Order of Sentinels.
Coventry: town in the kingdom of Lynnley.
Craghorns: mountains that border the Vale of Amberlie.
Craig, Devlin: captain of Greystone Keep.
Cromm, Cedric: author of The Mysteries of Aerysius.
Cummings, Chadwick: advisor to the King of Chamsbrey.
darkmage: a mage who has made a compact with Xerys.
Death’s Passage: see Catacombs.
destrier: various breeds of large warhorse.
Dreia: Goddess of the Vine.
Eight, the: the Eight Servants of Xerys.
Emmery: Northern kingdom.
Emmery Palace: the queen’s palace in Rothscard.
Enemy, the: collective name for inhabitants of the Black Lands.
eye: area at the heart of a vortex where the lines of the magic field run almost parallel.
Faukravar, Godfrey: King of Chamsbrey, also known as the Black Prince.
field lines: currents of the magic field.
Field of Tol-Ranier: ancient battle site near Auberdale.
Flynn, Tyrius: Forth Tier Grand Master of the Order of Sentinels.
Front, the: area bordering the Black Lands.
Gateway: portal to the Netherworld.
Glen Farquist: holy city in the Valley of the Gods.
Goddess of the Eternal Requiem: statue of an aspect of the Goddess of Death; her face of Righteous Vengeance.
Grand Master: any Master of Aerysius of the Forth Tier or higher.
Grand Resonance: theoretical acceleration of the magic field that produces a cataclysmic chain reaction.
Great Master: title of honor applied to any Master of Aerysius.
Greystone Keep: legendary fortress in the Pass of Lor-Gamorth.
Hall of the Watchers: Stronghold of the mages of Aerysius, where exists Aerysius’s Circle of Convergence.
Hannah, Arden: ancient Querer, now a Servant of Xerys.
Henley, Corban: formerly of the Vale, now a soldier of Greystone Keep.
High Priest: title of the religious leader of one of the ten Holy Temples.
Isap: Goddess of Death.
Jenn: nomadic people of the Cerulian Plains.
Kayna: woman of the Jenn, wife of Ranoch.
Krane, Cyrus: ancient Prime Warden of Aerysius, now a Servant of Xerys.
Landry, Clement: Minister of State to the King of Chamsbrey.
Larsen, Ellen: wife of Traver Larsen.
Larsen, Traver: friend of Kyel Archer.
Lauchlin, Aidan: First Tier Master of the Order of Empiricists. Firstborn son of Gerald and Emelda Lauchlin.
Lauchlin, Darien: second son of Gerald and Emelda Lauchlin.
Lauchlin, Emelda: Prime Warden of Aerysius. First Tier
Master of the Order of Chancellors.
Lauchlin, Gerald: (deceased) father of Aidan and Darien Lauchlin, Forth Tier Grand Master of the Order of Sentinels. Murdered by ritual immolation during the Battle of Meridan.
Lyceum: ancient stronghold of the Masters of Bryn Calazar.
Mage’s Oath: see Oath of Harmony.
magelight: magical illumination that can be summoned by a mage that takes on the hue of the mage’s signature color.
magic field: source of magical energy that runs in lines of power over the earth.
Maidenclaw: one of the two mountains that mark entrance to the Black Lands.
Master: any Master of Aerysius; more specifically, a Master of the first through Third Tier.
Meridan: see Battle of Meridan.
Middenmass: feastday marking the onset of winter.
Mysteries of Aerysius, The: authoritative text on the subject of the Masters of Aerysius.
Nach’tier: word for darkmage in the language of the Enemy.
Natural Law: law that governs the workings of the Universe that can be strained by the application of magic, but never broken.
necrator: demonic creature that renders a mage powerless in its presence.
Nelle, Lynnea: First Tier Master of the Order of Querers.
Netherworld: realm of Xerys, God of Chaos.
node: place where the lines of the magic field come together in parallel direction but opposite in energy and cancel out.
Nordric, Ezras: Fifth Tier Grand Master of the Order of Sentinels.
Norengail, Romana: Queen of Emmery.
North, the: the Northern kingdoms of the Rhen, including Emmery, Chamsbrey and Lynnley.
Oath of Harmony: oath taken by every Master of Aerysius to do no harm, symbolized by a chain-like marking on the right wrist.
Om: God of Wisdom.
orders: different schools of magic among the Masters of Aerysius.
Orguleth: one of the two mountains that mark the entrance to the Black Lands. Also called the Spire of Orguleth.
Orien Oathbreaker: infamous Grand Master who used the Circle of Convergence on Orien’s Finger to turn back the Third Invasion almost single-handedly.
Orien’s Finger: crag on the edge of the Cerulian Plains where Orien Oathbreaker made his stand.
Pass of Lor-Gamorth: pass through the Shadowspear Mountains that guards the border of the Black Lands.
Penthos, Luther: High Priest of the Temple of Death.
Pointer Stones: ancient standing stones in Glen Farquist that mark the location of sunrise on the morning of Winter Solstice.
Pratson, Blake: Mayor of Wolden.
Prime Warden: leader of the Assembly of the Hall. Literally, the ‘First Guardian’ of the Rhen.
Principle of Superposition: within a vortex, where several lines of the magic field combine and produce a vast well of power.
Proctor, Garret: legendary Force Commander of Greystone Keep.
Querers: order of mages chartered with applying the various theories of the magic field, its laws and principles to practical use.
Raising: Rite of Transference, during which an acolyte inherits the legacy of power from another mage.
Ranoch: man of the Jenn, husband of Kayna.
Renquist, Zavier: ancient Prime Warden of the Lyceum, now a Servant of Xerys.
Rhen: name of the collective kingdoms south of the Black Lands.
Rothscard: capital city of Emmery.
Royce, Sutton: captain of Greystone Keep and Guild blademaster.
School of Arms: see Arms Guild.
Seleni, Naia: priestess of Death.
Sentinels: order of mages chartered with the defense of the Rhen.
Shadowspears: mountains that border the Black Lands.
Silver Star: symbol of the Masters of Aerysius, indicative of the focus lines of the Circles of Convergence.
Six Hells: realm of Xerys, God of Chaos.
South, the: Southern kingdoms of the Rhen, including Creston, Gandrish, and Farley.
Spire of the Hall: tower of the Hall of the Watchers where the Masters keep their residence.
Strictures of Death: laws of Death.
Structural Resonance: acceleration of the magic field that produces a harmonic instability in the field capable of destroying large structures.
Swain, Nigel: Guild blademaster, formerly Captain of the Guard in Aerysius, currently Captain of the Guard in Rothscard.
Tarkendar: breed of destrier, or warhorse.
Tarpen, Wade: soldier of Greystone Keep.
Temples: various sects of worship. Each Temple is devoted to a particular deity of the pantheon.
thanacryst: demonic creature that feeds off a mage’s gift.
Thar’tier: word for battlemage in the language of the Enemy.
Tier: additive progression of levels of power among Masters. The higher a Master’s Tier, the greater that person’s ability to strain the limits of Natural Law.
Torrence, Edric: Third Tier Master, also known as the Bird Man to the local peasants.
Transference: process by which an acolyte inherits the legacy of power from another mage, resulting in the death of the Master who gives up his or her ability.
Treaton, Lance: Minister of the Treasury to the King of Chamsbrey.
Trial of Consideration: rite by which the potential to perceive the magic field is tested in a person.
Ulric: soldier of Greystone Keep.
Unbinding: the act of forswearing the Oath of Harmony.
Vale of Amberlie: long, narrow valley in the North.
Valley of the Gods: valley where exists the holy city of Glen Farquist.
vortex: cyclone of power where the lines of the magic field superimpose and become vastly intense.
Well of Tears: well that unlocks the Gateway to the Netherworld.
Wellingford, Malcolm: soldier of the Northern Army of Chamsbrey.
Withersby, Meiran: Sixth Tier Grand Master of the Order of Querers.
Wolden: town in the North, in the Kingdom of Emmery.
Xerys: God of Chaos and Lord of the Netherworld.
The Eight Orders of Mages
Order of Arcanists: order of mages chartered with the study and creation of artifacts and heirlooms of power.
Order of Architects: order of mages chartered with the construction of magical infrastructure.
Order of Chancellors: order of mages chartered with governance of the Assembly.
Order of Empiricists: order of mages chartered with the theoretical study of the magic field, its laws and principles.
Order of Harbingers: order of mages chartered with maintaining watch over Athera’s Crescent.
Order of Naturalists: order of mages chartered with the study of Natural Law.
Order of Querers: order of mages chartered with practical applications of the magic field.
Order of Sentinels: order of mages chartered with watching over and protecting the Rhen in a manner consistent with the Oath of Harmony.
A Preview of
DARKSTORM
Book One of the
Rhenwars Saga
Prologue
Bryn Calazar, Caladorn
1,000 Years Ago....
“BRADEN REIS.”
He did not look up at the sound of his own name being spoken from the doorway. Instead he swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut as he ran his tongue across his parched lips. The sound of his own breath was a turbulent noise in his ears. He forced himself to concentrate on that sound, focusing his mind on every sharp hiss of air he forced into his chest.
The sound of approaching footsteps made him flinch. His mind felt glazed. Try as he might, he could not stop his hands from trembling.
“On your feet.”
Braden ignored the command. He knew there was going to be a penalty for his defiance, but he was beyond the point of caring. He squeezed his hands into fists in anticipation of the pain. For seconds he waited. When nothing happened, he allowed himself to relax slightly.
Molten-silver lightings raged like a firestorm across his mind. He threw his head back, sucking in air through clenched teeth. He slumped to the floor, convulsed as liquid energies raged throughout his body. Bile rose to his throat, choking him as he writhed in scalding anguish.
The pain lessened only gradually, taking a long time to completely go away. He lay on his back on the cold floor, staring upward, spent and gasping.
A different voice, soft and repulsively familiar, addressed him from the doorway. “Think very carefully, Grand Master Reis. There are many kinds of deaths, some much worse than others.”
He shuddered at the sound of that voice. It was vilely seductive, gliding like soft velvet down the length of his nerves. Braden kept his eyes squeezed closed, so loathe was he to gaze upon that face.
He could feel her moving toward him across the cell. Her hands brushed against his skin, a silken caress as she slid her arms around his torso. With gentle pressure she compelled him to his feet. He stood, swaying, naked from the waist up, arms chained behind his back. His breath still came in gasps.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” she whispered gently in his ear as her soft fingertips stroked the skin of his back. “You can still choose to make a difference. Think of the lives you would be saving. It’s the right thing to do.”
His eyes shot open, glaring his contempt at her.
“Don’t lecture me on morals, woman,” he grated. “You have no idea what they are.”
The smile that bloomed on her lovely face was only a dim reflection of the delight that filled her eyes. His response had pleased her. It sickened him, knowing that he had given her exactly what she’d wanted.
“I want you to die knowing that they chose me to inherit your legacy,” she informed him with a grin. “One way or another, your gift will be put to the service of Xerys. With your power inside me, I will be the one destined for greatness. And you?” She looked at him sadly and scoffed with a shrug. “You’ll just be dead.”
Hearing her words, Braden Reis closed his eyes and bowed his head in acceptance of defeat. Never before in his life had he ever felt so utterly powerless.
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