The Harrowing Path

by Cleave Bourbon

  Morgoran helped Ianthill sit on one of the benches against a portion of the wall that had not crumbled as a cleric came to his aid. “We are not defeated yet, my boy, we just need a new strategy. Naneden will take The Blight for Toborne, but it does not mean we must give up. I still have a few memories of what I saw when I was cursed. We can still prevail, but it will not be easy.”

  Enowene found her way to Morgoran and embraced him. “It does my heart good to see you are back with us, Morgoran.”

  “My dear Enowene, it has been far too long.”

  Devyn saw Rennon staring at him from near the entrance and then duck out the doorway when Devyn noticed him. Bren was out in the fields beyond the keep, helping the Defenders route the last few resisters that were not taken by Devyn’s attack. Vesperin was treating Gondrial while Morgoran focused on assisting the cleric with Ianthill. Devyn went to Melias, who was busy wrapping Gondrial’s wounds in bandages while Vesperin healed. “How is he?” Devyn asked.

  Melias watched Vesperin a moment.

  “He will live,” Vesperin replied. “Don’t go anywhere. I need to look at your hands.”

  Kelle ran to Devyn, embracing him and giving him a kiss. “I have missed you.”

  Devyn kissed her back. “And I you.”

  Kelle beheld his face. “What is it?”

  Devyn met her gaze. “I am just tired, Kell.”

  Kelle pulled him to her.

  “That Morgoran fellow is kind of mean.” He muttered into her ear.

  Kelle began to laugh.

  “How is that funny? He’s a mean old bastard I tell you.”

  Chapter 31: Signs and Symptoms

  The stench of burning bodies rose up into the air as the defenders cleared away the dead. Some were to be buried in the hero’s cemetery nearby at first thaw. Gondrial was near death, but Vesperin tended to him inside the walls of Calanbrough Keep. The woman, Kimala, had escaped into the wild, and a party was dispatched to track her, but Devyn knew they would soon return without finding her. The Enforcers were to stay dissolved for the time being, and Devyn could not help but to distrust Yarbrille even though it appeared that he was now trying to help them. Devyn surveyed his surroundings; the land remained scorched as far as he could see. Brightonhold and its surroundings now looked much more devastated than the rest of The Blight, at least the parts of it he had seen. The keeps were built on untouched lands on the border of Lux Enor, but Devyn realized they had to be included within The Blight’s borders now. At least, Brightonhold did.

  As soon as he could slip away, Devyn found a small hill just outside Calanbrough to sit on and smoke his pipe.

  As the sun set, a rider came to the keep. Devyn did not bother to move from his spot. As soon as the rider dismounted, Rennon embraced him. The bow on the riders back and Rennon’s embrace told Devyn that the rider must be Trendan.

  After a few moments had passed, Trendan appeared before him. His blond hair was longer and his green tunic was dirty, but it was him.

  “Hail, Devyn. Rennon told me what happened here today. I am deeply sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. At least I put a stop to Drakkius.” Devyn said flatly.

  Trendan squinted and scratched the side of his face. “I have some news. The army of the West has disappeared and the black Scarovian army advances.”

  Devyn said nothing.

  “Did you hear me, Devyn? The army is gone, vanished without a trace. These Defenders are the only army to stop Naneden from taking over The Blight.”

  “Then he will take it.”

  “Do you know what you are saying, Devyn?”

  Devyn puffed on his pipe and looked at Trendan in the fading light. “Aye, I do. The Blight is lost.” He puffed on his pipe again. “Did you know the name Sylvalora turns out to mean Silver Drake in dragon tongue, according to Bren, and she has been captured?”

  “No, I did not know that,” Trendan answered.

  “Did you know I am to be trained as a wielder?”

  “I did not.”

  Devyn put his pipe back to his mouth and puffed out a cloud of white smoke. “Toborne has escaped, Naneden is strong, and we have no skilled wielders, no army. We failed here. But know this, if I have some affinity to wield magic and help save our homeland, I am going to do it.”

  “I suppose you have to do what you have to do. If you feel you need to be a wielder, then it’s your life and your decision.”

  “Rennon won’t like it.”

  “Then Rennon can go home.” Trendan answered. “You don’t answer to Rennon.”

  Vesperin joined his two friends on the hill. “Devyn, I believe Gondrial will live and be well. Gondrial may waken in the morning, but he will not be himself for quite some time.”

  “I am drained, and I need to rest.” Devyn whispered.

  “What was that?” Vesperin inquired.

  “I said I am exhausted.”

  “Did you want me to give you something to help with that?” Vesperin asked.

  “I don’t think so. I just need to rest.”

  Vesperin took a long look at his half-elven friend. “Trendan, it is good to see you.”

  “And you, Vesperin,” Trendan said as he embraced the cleric. Trendan released Vesperin but could not help to stare and smile at him.

  “What are you smirking at?” he asked.

  Trendan’s smile became a playful grin. “We will speak in the morning. I have met someone you might find interesting. Go and get some rest.”

  Vesperin looked at Trendan with puzzlement. “All right. I look forward to hearing about it.”

  “If you need some rest, my friend,” Trendan said to Devyn. “Come to the keep.”

  “You go ahead, Trendan. I will come down in a few moments.”

  “Perhaps everything will look different in the light of mornin after you’ve had some rest.” Trendan said consolingly.

  “Perhaps,” Devyn whispered as soon as Trendan had walked far enough away. “But don’t count on it.”

  Trendan winced; his half-elven ears heard the words as clear as if Devyn had said them to his face.

  “Devyn,” a familiar voice said behind him.

  Devyn grinned in spite himself. “Kelle.”

  Kelle strolled up to him, and a look of sympathy crossed her face.

  Devyn stared at the magnificence of her blue dragon scale armor. “I see you found a way to adapt your armor. Did you have a blacksmith do it?”

  “You didn’t notice it earlier?”

  “I was not paying attention then. I had other things on my mind.”

  Kelle blushed and Devyn became puzzled. “It’s a long story,” she said. “I did have help adapting it, but I doubt you would believe it if I told you.”

  Devyn feigned a weak smile. He was suddenly uninterested in knowing the truth. “You will have to tell me the story someday then.”

  “I will, I promise,” she said as she reached up to take Devyn’s face in her hands. Devyn flinched and moved away at first, but she tried again and he let her cup her hands under his chin. She placed her forehead against his. “Are you going to be all right?”

  A lump formed in Devyn’s throat. For the first time in a long while, he felt tears welling up. “Aye,” he whispered. Kelle lowered her head, pressing her lips to his.

  “Yes,” Kelle whispered after the kiss.

  Devyn was perplexed. “Yes?”

  “Yes, I will marry you, Devyn Adair,” she said beaming.

  Devyn managed a smile as he drew Kelle in for another kiss.

  TRENDAN AND VESPERIN stopped where Ianthill was sitting and talking to Morgoran.

  “Well?” Ianthill asked.

  “You were right, he is not himself.” Vesperin said.

  “He does seem depressed.” Trendan agreed.

  Ianthill looked to the hill at Devyn and Kelle. “We will keep watching him. Moodiness does not automatically mean he has essence sickness.”

  “You will know it without a doubt if he does come down with
it.” Morgoran said.

  “All we can do is keep an eye out.” Ianthill said. “I have never seen a novice wielder use so much power like that. He is already a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Aye, an unstable, untrained, undisciplined force.” Morgoran said. “And who was the idiot who gave him that infernal dragon sword?”

  Ianthill took a puff of his pipe. “He got it at Signal Hill.”

  “That sword is a force all by itself. I’m not certain he should have it with him. We should discuss taking it from him.”

  “He will not part with it now.” Ianthill assured him.

  “He will need to be trained to use it then, perhaps by a dragon knight. And he will need instruction on wielding immediately if he is to be of any use to us.”

  “That’s what we are here for. All that’s left for you and I to decide now is which one of us will make him our apprentice.”

  “I’ll do it.” Morgoran said.

  Ianthill coughed on a puff of smoke, “You? You have only ever had but one apprentice. You surprise me, brother.”

  “Well, get used to it. I have been dreaming for damn near a thousand years. I see a lot of things differently now. This is only the beginning.” Morgoran watched Devyn and Kelle intently, “Aye, this is only the beginning.”

  The End of Book 2 The Harrowing Path.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading The Harrowing Path. Book 2 of the Shadows of the First Trine. If you would like to be informed of my new releases, go to HTTP://www.cleavebourbon.com

  and subscribe your email to the mailing list. It’s spam free, and the form is located right on the home page! Please consider giving this book a great rating; it really helps me out!

  As always, if you would like to ask me a question or contact me, my email is cleavebourbon@gmail.com

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2019, Cleave Bourbon (1968—)

  Editing by Courtney Umphress www.courtneyumphress.com

  Book cover design by Sanja Gombar www.fantasybookcoverdesign.com

  First Shadesilver Publishing electronic publication: April 2019

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the internet or by any other means, electronic or print, without the author/publisher’s permission.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictionally and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events, locale, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published in the United States by Shadesilver Publishing 2019

  Dedication and Acknowledgements:

  This book is dedicated to my late parents Gene and Linda Tyson. I love you guys so much, and I wish I would have had more time on this Earth with you both!

  I would like to acknowledge the many people who helped me write this book along the way:

  Brandie, Eldon, Rowdy aka Jaime, Courtney, Kylie, Michael, Steve, Kenny, and the many others that have made contributions whether by making suggestions or by adding something useful to this work.

  Glossary

  (Warning: Glossary may contain spoilers at this point)

  Adracoria - Southernmost Trigothian kingdom. Ruled by the Adrac family.

  Aedreagnon – (a-dray-ag-non) One of the eight gods. First son of Fawlsbane Vex and Loracia. He never did have the creative sense and the drive of purpose like his younger siblings. Instead, he was jealous of their creative genius and often used their creations to make followers of his own (Dramyds and Drasmyd Duil out of dragons, etc.) He would also teach his disciples to do the same. His jealously tended to make people misunderstand him and label him as evil.

  Ageanna - One of the eight gods. Creator of drakes and dragonkind. Youngest female child of Fawlsbane Vex and Loracia. Fawlsbane loved her creation of dragons so much he made his own (golden and silver dragons) and even created dragons to guard the realm of the gods, Venifyre.

  Amadace - Dragon in which Bren serves as First Knight.

  Amalease Stone - Stone used to gain entry into the gates of Draegodor. It is located on Mount Urieus.

  Amar - Race of high men from Lux Amarou. First creation of Fawlsbane Vex.

  Anisport - Largest port city of Denosia, across the Great Sea.

  Arasyth/Sythia - Trigothian kingdom between Adracoria and Ardenia, host to the Great Sythian Forest. Ruled by the Arasyth family.

  Ardenia - Northernmost Trigothian kingdom. Ruled by the Arden family.

  Arillian Elves - High elves from the Isle of Arillia. They migrated to the Isle of Arillia at the end of the first age after their forests became grasslands and the area now known as Ishrak had become cursed. They are the fairest of elves and most elegant.

  Are’dune - Race of men who can trace their origins to Lux Amarou and the Amar but are not considered genuinely high men.

  Ascendic Root - A potent root made into a tea and drank. It relieves pain depending on the dose. Higher doses cause euphoria. Weak tea relieves the minor pain of headaches, etc., while strong tea relieves severe pain.

  Asheth’s Grimoire - An ancient tome containing spells of essence used to travel magically over distances. It is believed that Migarath used spells from the grimoire as a basis to build his famous Migarath Portals. (See Migarath Portals.)

  Bannon, Ezra - A powerful mindwielder and ally to Toborne. Also the reeve of Briarwick, Adracoria.

  Basillian - One of the great port cities in the kingdom of Symboria. Basillain is located in Northern Symboria, south of Seabrey. Due to disputes and treaties, Basillain is the port city in the north for trade with Adracoria. Seabrey is the northern port city for trade with both Ardenia and Sythia.

  Bittering Tea - A strong brew made from the grinding of the bittering bean. It has a distinct aroma and is usually consumed in the morning as a stimulant.

  Breannan - One of the eight gods. Oldest daughter of Fawlsbane Vex and Loracia, co-creator of the race of elves, lover of trees, nature, and things that grow.

  Bren - Dragon knight from Draegodor. First Knight of Amadace.

  Brendlewyre - See Theosus Fiderea.

  Broodlord - Common name given to a dragon knight with high ranking. (A brood is a family of something. A broodlord would be a high member of a family or lord of the brood.)

  Brynna - An Arillian, elf maiden, healer. She is the eldest daughter of Erinthill and Ianthill’s niece. She resides on the Isle of Doom (Rugania).

  By’temog - The largest city of Ishrak, it was once the kingdom’s capital city. It fell into ruins after the curse of General Sythril. The general is currently trapped as a ghost there, lurking among the ruins.

  Chamber of Ancients - An ancient room in the citadel of Rugania (the Isle of Doom) where youthful wielders take part in magical trials. It is also a place to cure essence sickness if necessary.

  Darovan - Island continent southwest of the tip of Adracoria where some of the elves of old migrated. Home to the Siladil and Noradil elves.

  Delanora/Delanorasylva - Dragon-speak name for Shadesilver.

  Dellah – Former Inn mistress of the Tiger’s Head Inn in Brookhaven, Symboria. Currently the queen of the Trigothian kingdom of Ardenia, Mother to Devyn Adair.

  Denosia - Mysterious kingdom on the continent across the Great Ocean.

  Devyn Adair - Innkeeper’s son from the village of Brookhaven in Southeastern Symboria. Son of Lourn and Dellah Adair.

  Deylia - A young Trigothian woman who befriends Rennon in the capital of city of Trigoth.

  Draegodor (Dray-go-door) - The city of red. Home of the dragons not in exile, nestled deep in the Jagged Mountains.

  Dragon Claw - Parrying sword (dagger) of a dragon knight. No
t actually a dragon claw but made of metal.

  Dragon Fang - Sword of a dragon knight. Not actually a dragon fang but made of metal.

  Dragon Knight - Men, elves, dwarves, and Scarovs who have chosen, or have been chosen by the dragons, to serve as knight protectors of the dragon realm.

  Drakkius - Symbolic leader of Abaddonia.

  Dramyd (Draw-mid) - Winged creature created from drake eggs. Designed to kill, they do the bidding of Aedreagnon, Drasmyd Duil, Naneden, and Toborne.

  Dranmalin/Draenmaulin - An ancient sword forged by dragons. Its name literally means dragon hammer in ancient dragon-speak. It magically binds to its owner. It is currently Devyn Adair’s sword after leaving Signal Hill.

  Drasmyd Duil (Draws-mid Do-ill) - Shapeshifters. They are cunning and deadly. They usually lead packs of Dramyds. They are also known as Shadow Lurkers. They answer to Toborne.

  Duil Clan - Clan of dragonkind Toborne used to create the Drasmyd Duil. Their specialty is shape-shifting into other beings.

  Endil - (Foreshome) Home city of the wood elves (Sylvan, Eridil) located deep in the Great Sythian Forest.

  Elanadil - Name of the magical sword of Ianthill. (It is a purely conjured sword.)

  Elvander - Name of the magical sword of Seancey Namear.