by Ben Hale
“Indeed,” Thorilian said. “Our guard is ready.”
Willow folded her arms. “We should wait for Light.”
“Your concern is admirable,” Shadow said. “But he is a fragment of Draeken. He is more than capable of watching his own back. Literally. You should see him cast magic to watch his own back.” He tapped his chin in consideration. “Actually you might not want to witness such a thing. It’s rather disturbing.”
Jeric grinned and turned to Willow. “I know you are concerned, but if we wait, we risk losing our best chance. Wylyn moves often, and with her network of Gates provided by the Order, we have no way of knowing where she will go.”
Willow looked away, her eyes dark. “Light would not miss this.”
“You think him in danger?” Thorilian asked.
“That is my fear,” the dark elf said.
Jeric and Thorilian exchanged a look, and then Jeric shook his head. “If he is in trouble, killing Wylyn will only help. Doing nothing merely serves our foe.”
Willow regarded her surface cousins, and then finally dipped her head. “There is truth to your words.”
“Then gather yourselves,” Jeric said, turning to Thorilian. “We have everyone we need so the assault may begin—”
“One more,” Shadow said, and stepped to the window.
“We cannot wait,” Thorilian said. “No doubt Wylyn has a Gate up there. If she even hears us coming she’ll—”
“Husband,” Venia said, placing a hand on his arm. “Patience, my love.”
He scowled, and Jeric turned to Shadow. “Who are we waiting for? Fire and Mind are occupied, as are Lira and Water. We cannot wait, especially after what happened to Elenyr . . .”
Jeric’s jaw tightened and he looked away. Shadow too, scowled, hatred welling within him for what had occurred at Cloudy Vale. Serak had destroyed his home and set an execution for Elenyr. The least he could do was take Serak’s pet krey.
“One more,” Shadow repeated.
“The assassin?” Jeric asked. “What makes you think she will come?”
“Because I extended an invitation,” he replied.
“And that is enough?” Willow asked.
Shadow caught a glimpse of dark wings flashing through a column of moonlight. The direction was unmistakable, and it was clear she was following the note he’d hidden in the base of the crate.
“She’s already here.” Shadow said.
He opened the window and cast a giant hand of darkness that pointed to the balcony. Jeric snorted as the hand lead Lorica to the top floor of the House of Runya. She alighted, her wings folding into the cloak on her back, her eyes sweeping the room.
“Shadow,” she drawled. “Did you have to point the way?”
“I wouldn’t want you to miss this,” Shadow said, motioning her into the room.
“What if I decided not to be an assassin anymore?” she asked.
He pointed to the wings and winked. “If you were no longer an assassin, you wouldn’t be wearing those.”
Jeric looked her up and down, nodding his approval. “Then let—”
“Wait,” Shadow said. “Can I say it?”
Jeric sighed. “As you will.”
Shadow pulled a cowl of darkness to cover his features, unable to keep the delight from his voice. “Then let it begin.”
The Chronicles of Lumineia
By Ben Hale
—The Shattered Soul—
The Fragment of Water
The Fragment of Shadow
The Fragment of Light
The Fragment of Fire
The Fragment of Mind
The Fragment of Power
—The Master Thief—
Jack of Thieves
Thief in the Myst
The God Thief
—The Second Draeken War—
Elseerian
The Gathering
Seven Days
The List Unseen
—The Warsworn—
The Flesh of War
The Age of War
The Heart of War
—The Age of Oracles—
The Rogue Mage
The Lost Mage
The Battle Mage
—The White Mage Saga—
Assassin's Blade (Short story prequel)
The Last Oracle
The Sword of Elseerian
Descent Unto Dark
Impact of the Fallen
The Forge of Light
Author Bio
Originally from Utah, Ben has grown up with a passion for learning almost everything. Driven particularly to reading caused him to be caught reading by flashlight under the covers at an early age. While still young, he practiced various sports, became an Eagle Scout, and taught himself to play the piano. This thirst for knowledge gained him excellent grades and helped him graduate college with honors, as well as become fluent in three languages after doing volunteer work in Brazil. After school, he started and ran several successful businesses that gave him time to work on his numerous writing projects. His greatest support and inspiration comes from his wonderful wife and six beautiful children. Currently he resides in Missouri while working on his Masters in Professional Writing.
To contact the author, discover more about Lumineia, or find out about the upcoming sequels, check out his website at Lumineia.com. You can also follow the author on twitter @ BenHale8 or Facebook.
Table of Contents
The Chronicles of Lumineia
Table of Contents
Map of Lumineia
Prologue: Shadow’s Intrigue
Chapter 1: Target
Chapter 2: Ilumidora
Chapter 3: Thieves Guild
Chapter 4: The Bloodsworn
Chapter 5: The Angel of Death
Chapter 6: Sister
Chapter 7: The Unspoken
Chapter 8: A Fallen Guild
Chapter 9: Trapped
Chapter 10: Shadow’s Request
Chapter 11: Requiem
Chapter 12: Shadow’s Truth
Chapter 13: The Raven Guildhall
Chapter 14: The Strange Master
Chapter 15: Brother
Chapter 16: The Raven Archives
Chapter 17: Lady Dentis
Chapter 18: The Darkened Cellar
Chapter 19: The Missing Target
Chapter 20: The Dark Dwarf
Chapter 21: A Game of Truth
Chapter 22: Office of Taxation
Chapter 23: The Burning Tavern
Chapter 24: Demons at Dinner
Chapter 25: Axehead Mine
Chapter 26: The Purple Dwarf
Chapter 27: Friend
Chapter 28: Lorica’s Gambit
Chapter 29: Mistkeep
Chapter 30: A Dangerous Ambition
Chapter 31: Shadow’s Cage
Chapter 32: Unbound
Chapter 33: Imposter
Chapter 34: The Unguarded
Chapter 35: Wings of an Assassin
Chapter 36: Fear of the Hunted
Chapter 37: Lorica’s Vengeance
Chapter 38: Shadow’s Brothers
Chapter 39: Farmer
Chapter 40: Finding Serak
Chapter 41: Execution
Chapter 42: A Brother’s Home
Chapter 43: Shadow’s Gift
Chapter 44: Leashed
Chapter 45: Unleashed
The Chronicles of Lumineia
Author Bio
