The Wizard of the North

by Richard Stephens

  Grinning again, he shoved Melody in the shoulder, sending her scrambling sideways, her staff flailing about.

  “What did you go and do that for?” she asked, indignant.

  “No reason, really. Just because I can.”

  “You’re in a good mood.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m alive. You’re alive. What else could I want? My sword has been rejuvenated, and we’re on our way to pay Helleden a visit. Life is great.”

  At the mention of the sorcerer’s name, the Kraidics cast a glance backward again.

  “What are you looking at? Haven’t you ever seen anyone happy before?” Silurian snapped.

  Tygra and Keen shook their heads and turned away.

  Silurian reached out. Melody flinched, but his hand was quicker. He grabbed a fold of her black cloak and pulled her into a two-armed hug even as they walked, causing her to stumble. She forced her hands in between them and pushed herself away.

  “You’ve lost it.”

  “Nah,” he said and drew her in close again, this time with only one arm around her shoulder. “My soul is glad, is all. Thank you for finding it for me, oh wonderful and mighty Wizard of the North.”

  The End

  Chapter 1 of book 3 in the Soul Forge Saga

  Into the Madness

  Retribution

  Helleden surveyed the damage in the Chamber of the Wise. If not for the body of his beloved beast lying in a pool of its own blood, he might have been ecstatic.

  The king of Zephyr had reportedly been murdered here. That in and of itself should have been enough to make the sorcerer’s day, but it didn’t. His troops couldn’t find any trace of Malcolm’s body.

  The disappearance of his demon, Barong, also had him baffled. Barong and the Sentinel had been entrusted to deal with the Wizard of the North. They should have been more than a match for him, but so far, Helleden hadn’t found any indication that the meddling wizard had been taken out. Perhaps those answers would make themselves clear once the rest of the complex was searched.

  What troubled Helleden most was the fact that two Wizards of the North had suddenly entered the fray. He had known about the incumbent wizard holed up within his aerie atop Dragon’s Tooth. That was fine, as long as he remained up there, but he hadn’t. As disturbing as that revelation had been, the appearance of the second wizard, here in Gritian, had shaken him to the core. If the second wizard was indeed Phazarus, Helleden’s latest firestorm might not be enough to ensure he didn’t face further resistance in the weeks to come.

  He felt sick. How had he not detected Phazarus’ movements? It had been over a century since the old wizard had retreated to his cave. There had been no indication whatsoever that Phazarus had resurfaced. Until now.

  The revelation of the earth blood fount through the re-emergence of Silurian Mintaka had been bittersweet. His archnemesis had survived to destruction of Iconoclast Spire and would surely be coming for him, but the fool had unwittingly provided him with the earth blood’s location. If he were to harness its power, nothing would be able to stand in his way. Not even Silurian.

  He had almost turned his forces northward out of Carillon, but he needed to see for himself what had transpired in Gritian. Was the second wizard indeed, Phazarus? Had his pet, the Sentinel been slain? And what of Barong? There were too many variables he had to account for before traipsing into the northern Wilds in search of the earth blood. Despite the rumours of King Malcolm’s death, his troops hadn’t found any evidence to validate it. If Malcolm lived and rallied whatever remained of the Zephyr army, Helleden’s wasn’t assured of his victory.

  His bloodshot eyes took in the carnage within the great cavern. He could only imagine the chaos in the Chamber when the Sentinel had made its appearance. Judging by the splintered doorway, it had been a grand entrance.

  On the platform at the far end of the Chamber, the chambermaster’s corpse rotted—a polearm driven through his abdomen. That was unfortunate. He had been a useful tool.

  A muscular red demon trotted into the Chamber and respectfully dropped to a knee before Helleden, its trident held upright, oblivious to the wooden splinters on the ground. “M’lord, Barong has been found.”

  Helleden frowned. “Dead or alive?”

  “Dead, m’lord.”

  Helleden ignored the demon and paced through the bodies sprawled along the aisle—most of them were Gritian militia peppered with crossbow bolts.

  The Sentinel showed marks of wizard’s fire on its body, but a heavy blade had been the source of its death. Who could’ve slain his wondrous beast with a blade? He doubted even the new Kraidic emperor possessed the strength to cleave the Sentinel with one strike as the gory wound suggested. That in and of itself was concerning. The wizard had surrounded himself with a formidable bunch of companions.

  He approached the steps leading up to the platform and stopped, deep in thought. He didn’t need to go up there again. What he needed was a way to track Phazarus, or whoever the wizard was. With Barong’s demise, he only had one demon left capable of picking up the wizard’s trail, but the last he had heard from Surgat had been when the demon watched the incumbent wizard and his companion slip across an ice bridge on their way to Grimward.

  Helleden had been stunned when he realized that the northern wizard’s companion was none other than Silurian Mintaka. How Silurian had survived the cataclysm of Iconoclast Spire, Helleden had no idea, but he suspected the Wizard of the North had an important part to play in his resurrection.

  The demon who had reported on Barong still knelt in the aisle beside the Sentinel’s fly infested body. Helleden strolled back to it, nodding as he went. “Rise Dagan.”

  The horned demon jumped to its feet, its red eyes staring straight ahead.

  “I need you to take a squad of our best troops north.”

  “As you wish, m’lord,” the demon’s deep voice answered.

  “You are to travel to Serpent’s Nest Island and locate an ancient source of magic.”

  “Aye, m’lord. It shall be done.”

  “I also need you to locate Surgat and send him to me.”

  Dagan inclined his great head.

  “And then I need you to find the northern wizard and his companion.”

  Dagan nodded.

  “The wizard’s companion is Silurian Mintaka.”

  Helleden could tell that Dagan was doing its best not to react to the companion’s name, but its eyes betrayed it.

  “Hear me when I say that killing Silurian is your primary objective. If your troop survives that task, you are then to kill the wizard as well.”

  “As you wish, m’lord. It shall be done.”

  Helleden made to step past Dagan into the tunnel but the demon’s voice stopped him. “What of the Kraidic emperor, m’lord?”

  Helleden’s eyes narrowed. He looked over his shoulder. “If he still lives, feed him to your troops as retribution for his failure.”

  A little about me.

  Born in Simcoe, Ontario, in 1965, I began writing circa 1974; a bored child looking for something to while away the long, summertime days. My penchant for reading The Hardy Boys led to an inspiration one sweltering summer afternoon when my best friend and I thought, ‘We could write one of those.’ And so, I did.

  As my reading horizons broadened, so did my writing. Star Wars inspired me to write a 600-page novel about outer space that caught the attention of a special teacher who encouraged me to keep writing.

  A trip to a local bookstore saw the proprietor introduce me to Stephen R. Donaldson and Terry Brooks. My writing life was forever changed.

  At 17, I left high school to join the working world to support my first son. For the next twenty-two years I worked as a shipper at a local bakery. At the age of 36, I went back to high school to complete my education. After graduating with honours at the age of thirty-nine, I became a member of our local Police Service, and worked for 12 years in the provincial court system.

  In early 2017, I retir
ed from the Police Service to pursue my love of writing full-time. With the help and support of my lovely wife Caroline and our five children, I have now realized my boyhood dream.

  The Soul Forge Saga: an epic fantasy series about the story of a forgotten hero.

  Soul Forge (Book 1)

  Scorned by an ungrateful kingdom, unfairly blaming him for the demise of their beloved Queen, Silurian Mintaka decides he can't fight for his kingdom anymore. To re-enter the hostile fray of his peers would probably end up with him killing them all.

  An old man reaches through his darkness, convincing him the people's need outweighs his loathing of them. Befriending a few eccentric characters along the way, Silurian Mintaka faces a whirlwind of drastic choices, that once made, may lead to the deaths of those he is entrusted to protect.

  Embarking upon the greatest journey of their lives, they travel the uncharted waters of the Niad Ocean. Not across, but beneath, on a fool's errand to recover the lost enchantment of his fabled blade.

  Wizard of the North (Book 2)

  The beleaguered quest returns home to find all is not what it used to be. The land is in ruin. Overrun by Helleden's minion horde and an invading army from the north, the Royal House is in shambles, and the governing council of Zephyr has ulterior motives of their own.

  Far to the north, a familiar presence makes itself known, and two lost souls are reunited. Their re-emergence will prove vital to Zephyr’s survival, thus forcing Helleden to unleash his beast.

  A lost magic is sought, one that will either save the kingdom, or drop it into the fiery abyss of damnation.

  Into the Madness (Book 3)

  The culmination of the Soul Forge Saga.

  Scheduled for release December 21, 2018