The Obsidian Palace
Benjamin Medrano
Contents
Map
Character List
The Story So Far
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Epilogue
Heaven’s Fallen
1. Prologue
Author’s Note
The Obsidian Palace by Benjamin Medrano
© 2019 Benjamin Medrano. All rights reserved.
Contact the author at [email protected]
Visit the author’s website at benjaminmedrano.com
Sign up for the author’s mailing list at http://eepurl.com/cGPT-b
Cover Art by June Jenssen
Editing by Picky Cat Editing
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Jessica, thank you for everything.
To all my readers, I couldn’t do this without you.
Map
Character List
This is a list of characters from The Avatar’s Flames and Queen of Ice. While not a complete list, this is most of the major characters.
Alaran Whisperblade – Knight of Selwyn, Sir Alaran attempted to rescue the survivors of Mellesyn but failed. He is trusted by Averia Selwyn, Queen of Selwyn.
Anara Inserra – Daughter of Mellesyn’s headman, Anara is a talented dancer and singer, is pretty for an elf, and was kidnapped by Resvarygrath. Ruethwyn had a crush on her, but never confessed her feelings.
Barthel Storm – A noble and fellow student in Ruethwyn’s class, Barthel is the son of an earl and skilled in lightning magic.
Cora the Blessed – A teacher at Tyrness Academy, Cora is the teacher in charge of the sphere of water and the primary healer in the academy, as well as being a priestess of the Princess.
Dana Issan – A fellow student, Dana is somewhat distant and is Delvin’s twin sister. She’s notable for her white hair and black eyes, as well as her skill with light magic.
Delvin Issan – A fellow student, Delvin is friendly and is Dana’s twin brother. He has black hair and white eyes. He’s skilled with shadow magic.
Emrick Mara – Teacher of Ruethwyn’s class, Emrick is skilled in most spheres of magic and isn’t as friendly as many teachers, though he has warmed to the class over time. While he’s bald, whether that’s through magic or natural is unknown.
Essryl Demara – Right hand of Resvarygrath, Essryl is one of the Illisyr, also known as dark elves, and has demon blood that resulted in demonic eyes and a tail. She’s incredibly powerful, but largely is responsible for training the captives. She saved Ruethwyn’s life to see how far Ruethwyn’s determination could take her.
Hadrian Spellmason – Headmaster of Tyrness Academy, Hadrian is a powerful earth mage and an old colleague of Sinera. He doesn’t interact with the students often.
Hekara – A fire demon who was summoned into the academy, Hekara is beautiful and vengeful.
Imris – Demigoddess of ice, Imris is the hidden patron of the fair folk of Valisair and a subordinate of Nature’s Court, the primal deities of nature.
Korima Lightweaver – A rare kitsune, Korima is an enthusiastic and friendly redhead. She’s a classmate of Ruethwyn’s, and loves fire magic, though her talent is with earth magic.
Leticia – An unassuming redheaded elf, Leticia is one of the longest-serving captives of Resvarygrath, and is often the one Essryl delegates tasks to.
Lissa Nerrine – Formerly a student in Ruethwyn’s class, Lissa is a rare summoner with a spirit-bound dragon elemental. She was abducted by Essryl, and most believe that she ran away from the school since she was quite timid and shy.
Madeline Rosemeadow – A fellow student, Madeline is a duchess-to-be, and quite arrogant, in addition to being beautiful and talented. She possesses a powerful talent for air and earth magic and seems to dislike Ruethwyn for unknown reasons.
Navaan Daskar – Tadrick’s elder brother, Navaan is working on his Trials of Mastery for graduation and is skilled with air magic. He’s the heir of their earldom and has shown a distant interest in courting Sella.
Resvarygrath the Gilded – Ruler of the Golden Dominion, Resvarygrath is an immense black dragon with scales that have a gold sheen. He’s arrogant, and a powerful mage as well, making him feared by all his neighbors, even without his kingdom to back him up.
Rithara Lightweaver – Korima’s mother, Rithara is a beautiful actress in the Starlight Troupe, and the main draw of the kitsune performers. She’s kind to most, and was rescued from kidnappers by Alaran, Korima, Ruethwyn, Sella, and Tadrick.
Ruethwyn Sylaris – Daughter of two common magi, Ruethwyn became Sinera’s student early on in her life. She lost an arm and eye to Resvarygrath’s fire during his attack on Mellesyn and hopes to rescue Anara and the others who were kidnapped.
Sella Vintas – A fellow student, Sella is a brunette daughter of a common knight of Selwyn. She possesses a modest talent for all forms of magic, and has an innate mana core, something that grants her far more mana than most students. She’s friends with Korima, Ruethwyn, and Tadrick, who has been courting her.
Sinera Kor – A librarian in Mellesyn, the dark-haired Sinera was once a powerful sorceress, but was cursed by Resvarygrath and had much of her power stripped away. She was killed in the attack on Mellesyn and her body was stolen by the dragon. It was revealed that she once had a friendly relationship with Resvarygrath, but he killed her sister Minerva.
Tadrick Daskar – A fellow student, Tadrick is Navaan’s younger brother and wants nothing more than to be a mage-knight. The sandy blond is skilled with the sword and has a talent for several spheres, but focuses on metal to aid his aspirations. He’s friends with Korima, Sella, and Ruethwyn, but is courting Sella.
Vrenne Matea – A teacher at Tyrness Academy, Vrenne and Emrick both teach new students, with Vrenne being one of the academy’s noted artificers. She’s much more relaxed than Emrick and teases him a lot.
Yalline Scorva – A fellow student, the dark-haired Yalline was Madeline’s maid and has a talent for water magic. She long wished to emerge from Madeline’s shadow, though, and when she gained access to Ruethwyn’s notes on atavism, she made the mistake of attempting to use them.
Zaria – An ice nymph, Zaria is an elemental which Ruethwyn has a contract with.
The Story So Far
&n
bsp; Ruethwyn grew up in Mellesyn, an elven village across the border from the Golden Dominion. As she prepared to confess her feelings to another girl in the village, Ruethwyn’s life was ripped apart as the draconic ruler of the Golden Dominion, Resvarygrath, attacked Mellesyn. Everyone in the village was killed, save for several young maidens who were kidnapped, including Anara, the woman that Ruethwyn planned to confess to, and Ruethwyn herself. Ruethwyn was crippled in the assault, losing her right eye and arm, and only the assistance of one of Resvarygrath’s allies kept her alive, as the dark elf Essryl found Ruethwyn’s dying attempts to stop her amusing. She was told she had two years to rescue Anara and the others.
Traveling to the prestigious mage academy of Tyrness, Ruethwyn attempted to continue learning magic. Her magic was almost crippled, and many of her fellow students were dubious of her presence in their class. This was made worse as her injuries couldn’t be healed due to a curse in Resvarygrath’s flames. Slowly, she made friends with Tadrick, a noble of the realm, Sella, a fellow commoner, and the enthusiastic kitsune Korima. Most of the others grew more intrigued by Ruethwyn’s rare art of atavism, a magical art her teacher had created which allowed the user to summon elementals and learn magic more quickly.
The situation grew more complicated when Korima’s mother, a famed actress, came to the city and the four attended her troupe’s performance, for Korima’s mother was kidnapped afterward. They barely managed to help a knight find her and stop the kidnappers, which included a priestess of Larimos, an evil demon queen of corruption.
Ruethwyn learned that there was a potential way to remove the curse in the Frostglades to the north and began preparing to go there after she finished the first-year test. However, over Midwinter Night, Yalline, a fellow student who’d stolen Ruethwyn’s notes on atavism, attempted to summon a fire elemental into herself for greater power. Yalline was, instead, controlled by the demoness named Hekara, who unleashed a plot to trap the other students in the dormitory to drag them back to her home plane. Ruethwyn and the others fought back and defeated Hekara, driving her back through the demon’s portal, and Ruethwyn held the demons there by opening the rift to a realm of ice as well until the teachers could reach them and seal the portal. The act nearly killed Ruethwyn, but she survived the experience.
The remainder of Ruethwyn’s school year passed peacefully until she attended the final tests. The trials were located within a pocket dimension and tested the student’s skill and ingenuity, and Ruethwyn proceeded easily until she encountered a modification by Essryl and was forced to confront a lesser version of Resvarygrath. Ruethwyn overcame her fears and defeated the shade through a clever use of her magic and terrain and was rewarded by Essryl with the return of her missing eye.
Essryl returned to Resvarygrath’s palace and learned that Lissa successfully summoned Hekara, and that the demoness was going to help him in exchange for aiding her in revenge against Ruethwyn. After learning that Ruethwyn was heading for the Frostglades, Hekara decided to wait, but informed the cult of Larimos in the hopes she could be assassinated. Essryl continued to train Anara while keeping an eye on Ruethwyn.
Ruethwyn was injured by an assassin on the road, but with Korima, Sella, and Tadrick at her side, they managed to defeat the assassin when she mutated into a horrific monster in their second encounter. After reaching Sella’s hometown on the Frostglades border, Ruethwyn attempted to enter on her own, where she learned that her contract with Zaria would protect her from virtually all inhabitants of the Frostglades.
Unfortunately, Ruethwyn’s friends attempted to follow her without her knowledge, and Ruethwyn was forced to go underground to rescue them. Korima and Tadrick nearly died, while Sella was captured by redcaps. Tadrick wagered his sword in a fight against a redcap to gain Sella’s freedom and lost, losing the sword but still allowing Sella to leave. Ruethwyn’s identity as Sinera’s apprentice caused the redcaps to be more generous, and Tadrick gained a non-magical blade of great worth.
A fair folk guided the four to Valisair, where the four found Essryl waiting for them. The dark elf wasn’t hostile, and instead betrayed a hint of personal feelings for Ruethwyn, though her determination to serve Resvarygrath was unchanged. Ruethwyn was then granted an audience with the Tower Lord of Valisair to petition for aid.
Despite the Tower Lord taking the form of Resvarygrath and disliking her, Ruethwyn stood her ground until Zaria appeared, and the mysterious patron of Valisair offered Ruethwyn the chance to earn more than merely the removal of the curse afflicting her.
Ruethwyn agreed and was transported through the portal below the Tower Lord’s abode, appearing in a landscape of ice and snow without her enchanted clothing or her magic. There she was challenged to reach a palace in one of the coldest regions where the planes of air and water met, even as a blizzard raged around her.
She nearly died there, facing a vision of comfort, and even the failure of her body. Ruethwyn only survived by recklessly using her atavism to channel the sparks of Resvarygrath’s fire still embedded in her body to allow her to move onward, overcoming her fear of fire in the process. She reached the palace, and despite the increasing weight of power, Ruethwyn persevered in walking through the palace until she met its queen.
Imris, demigoddess of ice and snow, waited for Ruethwyn. The goddess offered Ruethwyn a boon, one which could even destroy Resvarygrath and rescue those who’d been stolen, but the price would have been Ruethwyn’s utter destruction in both body and soul.
Ruethwyn instead asked for her body and magic to be returned to her, and the goddess granted her request, causing her to be reborn as half-fey, half-elf. Only then did she return to Valisair and her friends, and Essryl made her farewells, believing that the next time they met it would be as true enemies.
Yet at the same time, in the depths of Resvarygrath’s palace, Sinera awoke. Ruethwyn’s teacher lived once more, but she was changed in mind and body.
And now Ruethwyn’s story continues.
Prologue
Sinera looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, smelling the coming rain and the tingling sensation in the air. The dark clouds above her were heavy with water, and she expected the rain to come soon. The air around her almost danced with potential, and Sinera smiled.
“Are you sure you wish to be up here, my love? Lightning could strike, and while there are a few higher peaks in the area, that doesn’t guarantee your safety,” Resvarygrath asked, and Sinera glanced over to see the dragon in his human form and smiled more warmly at him.
“I’ve taken measures against that, don’t worry,” Sinera replied, looking back to the sky. “I just want to feel the wind and rain against my skin. It’s been so long since I felt it in this way. I’ve never felt more alive.”
“Oh? That’s good to hear,” Resvarygrath replied, smiling broadly as he did so. “I was worried you wouldn’t feel quite right.”
“Mm… justifiably, really. I don’t feel like this is completely my body, but I’m adapting bit by bit. Why don’t you go inside? I’ll be down soon,” Sinera told him gently, keeping her tone light.
“Why? Do you not wish for my company?” Resvarygrath asked, a hint of displeasure flickering across his face.
“What? You’re fine, dear. I simply want to be able to focus on the weather, and you’re so distracting that I can’t,” Sinera replied calmly. It wasn’t entirely untrue, but neither was she telling the whole truth.
The dragon smiled at that and nodded firmly. “In that case, I’ll go get ready for dinner. I’m looking forward to it, my love.”
“Of course,” Sinera replied, watching him leave, then looked up at the heavens again. Once she was sure he was gone, she murmured, “I simply need a bit of time to learn who I truly am.”
As the first scattered raindrops began to fall and chill her skin, Sinera closed her eyes and reached within herself. Perhaps Resvarygrath believed that Sinera wouldn’t realize that her body wasn’t truly her own, but the dragon couldn’t be more wrong. The pu
lsing power of her body resonated with Sinera’s atavism, and she’d quickly realized what it implied.
Sinera’s body was now predominantly crafted from the body of an elemental. It was here, surrounded by the elements, that Sinera could determine the full truth. As thunder rumbled across the sky, the elements brought the shadows within Sinera into sharp relief, and she smiled as she felt the stirring whispers of an angry voice in the depths of her mind.
Resvarygrath must have attempted to erase the mind of the elemental whose body this was, Sinera reflected. Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t possible. Most elementals’ body, mind, and soul were all one, so their minds couldn’t be truly destroyed without destroying their body as well. So Sinera drew on her power and reached out to that voice to commune with it.
“So, who are we, my dear? Tell me, what has happened in truth?” Sinera asked softly. And slowly, as the rain grew stronger… the voice grew louder.
Chapter 1
Ruethwyn looked out the window in fascination, watching the blizzard above split and swirl away from Valisair. It was like there was an invisible dome protecting the city from the majority of the snow, though a small amount did slowly fall on the city, but without the incredible winds she was seeing far above them.
The Obsidian Palace (Through the Fire Book 3) Page 1
