The Blade Heir (Book 1) Read online

  The Blade Heir

  Daniel Adorno

  Lost Coin Press, LLC

  The Blade Heir

  Daniel Adorno

  Cover design by Sevenlives Designs

  Copyright © 2014 by Daniel A. Adorno

  Lost Coin Press, LLC

  534 Tamarack Trail

  Farmington, MN 55024

  http://lostcoinpress.com

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Into the Deep

  A Test of Skill

  Revelations of Lineage

  The Path of the Ellyllei

  A Grand Escape

  Dragon Slayers

  A New Dawn in Sylvania

  The Healer and the Assassin

  Lumiath

  The Shores of the Dulan

  The Blacksmith’s Cottage

  Nearing Death’s Door

  Machinations

  Friends and Allies

  Dark Alliance

  In the Realm of Faeries

  Siegfried’s Trial

  The Southern Passage

  Golem

  Hidden Royalty

  A Dark Errand

  As the Crow Flies

  The Magpie’s Roost

  Bitter Wine

  Aldron’s Bane

  The Approaching Army

  The Wretched One

  Trial by Fire

  Epilogue

  Note from the Author

  About the Author

  To my wife, Ariel. Your unfailing love and support have been invaluable in realizing a lifelong dream.

  ONE

  Into the Deep

  The blue mist permeated the air once more and enveloped Lucius in the darkness of the land of Azuleah. Before him stood a great fortress, once prominent and awe-inspiring but now an empty shell of its former glory. Its towers stood ominously above him, dark sentinels beside the massive gate of the fortress known as Arkadeus. It was a sight to behold, both awe-inspiring and fearsome to Lucius.

  From the outside, Lucius saw mist emanating from the open gate and he walked closer, entering the place where darkness dwelled and awaited him. He passed slowly through the mold-ridden doors. Once inside, he found himself at the outer edge of a massive courtyard with a fountain at its center. The blue haze surrounded him and radiated a surreal light within the courtyard. On each side of the front gate there were stairs rising up to the ramparts of the stronghold where tattered flags hung lifelessly from the sentry posts along the inner wall. Broken spears and arrow shafts lay strewn on the courtyard floor, evidence of a grand battle fought long ago. Beyond the aged fountain, there was an arched doorway leading deeper inside the halls of the old fortress. Every few seconds, the fog would billow out from the doorway like smoke from the mouth of a pipe. Lucius made his way to the entrance, fearing what lay within the bowels of Arkadeus.

  He peered inside and saw a long corridor with oak doors on each side. The mist floated above the floor and cast an eerie light on the cracked and moldy walls. A stench hung in the air, and as Lucius continued inside, it grew fouler, causing his stomach to wrench. He tried to open the doors within the corridor, but they were locked. And after the third door, he gave up and followed the mist toward the end of the hall.

  Lucius stepped through another arched doorway and found himself inside a room full of overturned tables, shattered pots, and broken chairs. The mist was thicker inside this room and the stench stronger. A doorway to the right led to a descending staircase, while the one to his left ascended to some upper level of the dark fortress. Another doorway straight ahead was blocked with rubble and refuse. He glanced to his right and saw the fog billowing from that doorway, so he crept closer toward it. The putrid stench filled his nostrils and nauseated him. His uneasiness intensified as he descended the spiral staircase, but he could not retreat—some force beckoned him further down. The blue, hazy light seemed to brighten more with each step he took. Deepening dread began to overtake him, and he feared what evil lay at the end of his descent.

  The staircase ended in a narrow hallway where the blue light shone steadily. Lucius heard a faint whisper calling to him from a glowing chamber at the end of the hall. He reluctantly drew closer to the light. Its gleam enticed him, pervading his every thought. The walls of the hallway bore arcane inscriptions and runes unknown to Lucius. He stopped just outside of the room and peered inside.

  The stench was now burning his nostrils, and he fought to keep himself from retching. Within the round room, a blanket of fog covered the entire floor. He examined the walls of the chamber in the blue glow and noticed dark stains along the porous stone surface. Rusty hooks and chains hung from many places in the room. In the center of the room, Lucius noticed a small bump protruding from the mist. He squinted his eyes to examine the object in the dim light and soon realized it was glaring at him. The bump had two unblinking, dark eyes peering above the mist, keeping a steady gaze on Lucius. He wanted to run and hide from the bump's relentless stare, but his legs were frozen in place. The bump did not move, and Lucius did not look away, fearing any movement might bring about his end.

  His fear kept him motionless. But after a few minutes, Lucius broke his stare and quickly looked around for any kind of weapon. He saw nothing except the swirling fog around him. His eyes darted back to the shadowy eyes at the center of the room. They had not stirred in the slightest. Lucius crouched down, keeping his eyes fixed on the creature before him. He ran his fingers along the cold, damp floor hastily searching for a weapon. His hand felt something hard. He quickly snatched it up and gripped it with his right hand, eyes still trained ahead. The object was light, but felt hard enough to inflict some damage to the creature with a powerful thrust.

  He hesitated a moment before attacking the unblinking bump challenging him within the dancing blue cloud. With a yell, he dashed forward, raising his right arm over his head, ready to strike. But before he could smite his enemy, Lucius stopped abruptly and, to his horror, finally realized what lay at his feet.

  A human skull upon a pile of bones stared blankly at him as he lowered his weapon. His heart thumped rapidly in his chest. He had never seen the remains of a man before, and it soon became apparent the chamber he had wandered into served a dark purpose. The round room was a dungeon of some sort, and the stains upon the walls were the blood of those unfortunate souls who had ventured inside. Panic swelled within him. He raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow and gasped when he saw his weapon was a thigh bone. He dropped it and frantically wiped his hand on his vest. The sound of hoarse laughter from above startled him.

  Lucius looked overhead, but only saw a dark expanse. The laughter subsided, and a faint whisper called out his name. A chill ran down his spine as he searched the piercing darkness.

  "Who goes there?" Lucius cried. There was no response. He trembled while he searched for movement of any kind. Nothing stirred.

  Lucius stepped away from the center of the room, heading toward the staircase slowly. A metal squeak overhead followed by a thundering flap of mighty wings alarmed him. Strong gusts of air from above rushed all around his body. The fog was blown off the floor momentarily, revealing scattered bones and bloodstains throughout the dungeon. Lucius' knees buckled, and he hit the floor hard.

  A guttural bellow resonated in the darkness. The foul stench finally caused Lucius to vomit. And as he did so, a huge beast descended upon him. Its large talons crushed the pile of bones underfoot with a thunderous crack. Lucius looked up to meet the behemoth's glare. Its eyes were intense sapphires shining through the dimly lit room. The monster stood upright on its back legs, spreading its wings at a span that nearly touched the opposite walls of the room. Its breath reeked of death and decay. Large fangs ins
ide a jaw the size of a man's body formed a wicked smile on the creature's face. Black scales adorned its body, save for the monster's belly, which was a pinkish hue. The scales shimmered in the dark. And as the creature craned its long neck, they lifted to reveal gills like those of a fish. With a sudden jerk, the creature folded its wings and inhaled deeply. It opened its jaw and released the blue mist from its gaping gills. The mist floated down above the floor and once again filled the halls of Arkadeus.

  "Lucius, you have come to me," the creature said, lowering its head and staring at him.

  "What do you want with me, demon?" Lucius said, cowering before the monster, which let out another laugh.

  "I am no demon. I am a dragon, fool! Kraegyn is my name, Lord of Arkadeus and of all the aeries of Ghadarya. Fear my wrath, Ellyllei."

  A dragon? Tales of such great beasts had been told to Lucius as a child, but he thought the dragons had vanished long ago. "Please, Lord Kraegyn, have mercy. What does a dragon desire from me?"

  "Mercy?" Kraegyn grunted. "Mercy shall do you no good, Ellyllei. Your flesh shall burn from the sapphire flame I spew, and none will remember Lucius again!"

  Kraegyn reared up and spread his wings. The dragon's nostrils opened wide as he breathed in the fog in the air. He let out a fierce growl, and blue fire erupted from his jaw into the cavern above. The chamber's immense height was revealed in the crackling flame. The walls climbed nearly fifty feet, ending in an iron grate where the night sky peered through. Between the grate and the room below, dozens of steel perches protruded from the walls. Then they disappeared into darkness when the dragon exhaled the last of its fire and quickly crawled on all fours before Lucius.

  Lucius ran toward the staircase, but Kraegyn anticipated his plan and slashed at the foot of the steps with the long claws of his wing arm. Lucius jumped back to avoid the swipe and stumbled, falling backwards on the bones of Kraegyn's victims.

  "Foolish boy! You will not escape this chamber, save through dust and ash!" Kraegyn thrust his claw upon Lucius and pinned him with all his weight. Lucius yelled in pain at the monstrous weight. He struggled to free himself, but to no avail. He quickly realized he would die in the dark chamber and endure the same fate as those he now lay upon.

  "Be still now, Ellyllei. You will be one with your fathers and share their doom!" Kraegyn said. The black dragon inhaled the remaining mist in the room and snarled as his jaws gaped open.

  Lucius felt the blood drain from his face as flames ignited inside the dragon's mouth. Kraegyn lifted his talons from Lucius' chest and propelled the flame at his body. The fire singed his face and chest, delivering torrents of agony throughout his body. Lucius screamed, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of Kraegyn's laughter. Seconds later, darkness overtook him.

  Siegfried Silverhart woke up abruptly when he heard his brother's scream. With elven swiftness, he jumped from his bed and snatched the elf dagger, Riome, from the wall. He ran outside his bedroom into an elegantly decorated hallway, well lit by the moonlight cascading from open slits in the ceiling. His brother's yells persisted as he dashed to the last door at the end of the hall. Siegfried quickly opened the door, dagger at the ready, and lunged inside. He saw his human brother struggling on the bed, tossing his head wildly from side to side. A violent nightmare was upon him. Siegfried set the dagger down and lit a candle on his brother's wall. He stood beside the bed and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder trying to shake his brother awake, but he continued to suffer in his sleep.

  "Brother, please wake!" Siegfried cried. "Lucius! Wake up!"

  Lucius gasped loudly and finally opened his eyes. He looked up at the elf standing over him, not recognizing him at first. He examined Siegfried’s silver locks of hair, his fair face, and the pointed ears characteristic of his race.

  "Siegfried?" Lucius whispered.

  "Yes, Lucius. It is I," he said smiling.

  "Did I have another nightmare?"

  "Yes. This one more terrible than the last," Siegfried said. The elf grabbed a glass pitcher from a nightstand and poured water into a small cup then handed it to Lucius.

  Lucius sat up and drank the water. "It was worse than any of the previous dreams."

  "We should talk about it in the morning. For now, you should rest for tomorrow. It shall be a busy day for both of us."

  Lucius sighed. "Yes, I know. Please don't tell Father about this. I know how worried he can get over a foolish dream."

  "I won't say a word." Siegfried took the cup from Lucius and set it back on the stand. "Rest now, Lucius. The light of D'arya shall be upon you."

  Lucius nodded and lay down, pulling the velvet covers to his shoulders as his mind sank to rest. Siegfried walked out of the room and quietly sang an elven song of protection before closing the door. He returned to his bedroom where he lay on his bed pondering the nature of his brother's dream before drifting to sleep.

  TWO

  A Test of Skill

  Lucius awoke to a knock on his door. Despite his long sleep, he felt tired and uneasy. The ghastly images of his dream were still clear in his mind. The knocking continued as he quickly put on his tunic. He opened the door and saw Siegfried, fully dressed in an emerald tunic and a brown jerkin. He wore a quiver made of tanned hide; in his left hand he held a long bow with a crescent moon embossed on its handle. He greeted him in the elven language and smiled.

  "I see you are not yet prepared for our contest today."

  Lucius' face flushed. "No, I just woke up. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to oversleep."

  "No apology is needed. I will go to the archery grounds and shoot a few targets while you prepare yourself."

  "I'll meet you there, Siegfried."

  Siegfried bowed slightly then exited the hallway. Lucius dressed himself hurriedly and grabbed his bow and quiver from the hooks on the wall. He walked into the hallway and turned left through an arched door that led into a grand atrium where sunlight poured out from a circular hole in the ceiling onto ornate pillars and marble benches. At the center of the atrium stood a stone monolith with a crescent moon and tree carved on its surface—the crest of the Silverhart family. Lucius walked up to the monolith, admiring the fine craftsmanship of the elves. On the carved tree's trunk, there was a symbol: three dashes in a column with a single vertical line running through them. It was the rune of D'arya, the elf spirit of Azuleah.

  Lucius walked to the southern entrance of the atrium and stepped into a large courtyard. The sun shone brightly outside, giving warmth to the plants and saplings around the stone path he walked on. The path curved around the house and ended at a stone arch, beyond which stood the city of Evingrad. The city rested upon Breninmaur, the Great Tree of Verdania—a centuries-old elvish oak rising seven hundred feet from the ground. Many of the Great Tree's topmost branches were burned in the Ancient War, allowing the D'aryan elves to erect a circular stone foundation in their place. During the construction of Evingrad, the elder elf sages used all their powers of healing to restore the tree and its lower branches. The branches grew in a distinct way, curling around the foundation like a giant, spindly hand tightly grasping the newly constructed city. These supporting branches grew hundreds of feet high, and the myriad of leaves provided substantial shade to the elves living within Breninmaur. The city became a living monument built to honor the last of the ancient elvish oaks.

  Lucius ran through the stone arch and onto the western road of Evingrad, hastily making his way to the archery grounds near the city square. He passed many lichen-covered houses formed by the elvish wood that sprouted from the trunk of Breninmaur. The elves would coax the sprouts to form their dwellings by singing their ancient songs to them. The elf houses, known as egini, were the common dwelling, but a few houses were also constructed of marble. As Lucius passed several egini, he remembered as a child witnessing the coaxing ritual, where many elves sang day and night to form a house from a sprout no larger than a flower. The result of such patient labor was a beautiful home complete with lattice windows
and elegant buttresses rivaling those of great lords and kings. The greater houses built of marble and glass belonged to elves who held great honor and esteem among the elf clans. Siegfried's clan, Silverhart, was held in such regard.

  Lucius saw his brother at a distance, shooting arrows with impeccable accuracy at sacks filled with straw. Lucius approached the archery grounds through a gap in the wooden fence surrounding the area. Siegfried continued to shoot the sacks as his brother walked up beside him. Lucius chose not to disturb his practice, but even if he had, the elf's concentration would not waiver—each shot was as precise as the last.

  Lucius strung his yew bow and pulled an arrow from the leather quiver over his shoulder. He nocked the arrow, taking steady aim at one of the five sacks dangling from a branch overhead. Marked circles painted on the surface of the sacks corresponded to critical targets on an enemy's torso. Lucius aimed at a circle marked where an enemy's heart would be. He took a deep breath and listened to the twang of Siegfried's bow before releasing the arrow. It whizzed through the air and landed on its mark.

  "Very good, Lucius. Your skills are improving," Siegfried said, aiming and shooting at his target while he spoke.

  "Indeed they are, Siegfried," he said, nocking another arrow. "Though I doubt I can ever be as good as an elf."

  "I dare not question the abilities of a young man like you, but I am confident your potential will surprise many elves."

  Lucius laughed. He took aim and shot another arrow, hitting a critical mark. "Let's hope this potential you speak of will help me in today's contest."

  "You need not trouble yourself with worry, brother," Siegfried said. He shot his last arrow and hit the target's heart without looking.

  "That isn't what troubles me the most," Lucius said, missing his target. "Last night's dream still troubles me."