My First Novel - Khes'yc

[Xardan Ta'Caran]

Hey everyone, 

Long time reader, first time contributor. Just kidding. I've always wanted to say those words.

Anyway, my cousin and I have written a novel and decided to post something here for everyone to look at and let us know what you think. As a side note, this novel is ready for publishing and we're currently awaiting cover art to self publish on Amazon (so if you know a good artist who's willing to work on commission or just for prestige, please let us know as our last attempt fell through).

Please enjoy the below copy of our prologue to our book.

If you like what you see, please let me know and I can give you the information for our website (since my account is so new that it won't let me post links).

 

 

Prologue

It had been thirteen years since the wizard's order had left their library in Illyria. Those were brighter, more peaceful days for magicians; with the high wizard and his counsel living at the library, no outside force dared to attack them. No force but Xardan Ta’Caran, Faelhart's Knight of the Black Era.

A pleasant summer breeze blew past a lone man as he made his way back to the once great city of the magi. The last time he had been in Illyria was the fateful day of Xardan's attack. The nightmares of that day haunted him waking and sleeping, but the need for rare knowledge had become too great for him to put off the inevitable any longer. As the man approached the city, he accelerated his horse as though running from the memories that would soon overtake him. He was at a full gallop when the images of that horrific day invaded his thoughts.

Dark bolts of Shadow Lightning announced the Knight's arrival as they extracted the heavy gate from its hinges. Dozens of soldiers passed through the gate on Xardan's heels, cutting down any mages that came within arm's reach.

The wizards at the library at the top of the city sent great flaming spheres screaming toward the intruders at the gate, but the Knight reacted faster. Walls of shadow surrounded and extinguished each and every one of them as his soldiers formed into columns and pressed into the city.

Rows of mighty oak trees rose to either side of the road to greet any visitors. Suspicious of a potential ambush from the many pillagers and looters seeking magical artifacts, the man slowed his tall warhorse to a walk before he cautiously approached the rubble that was once the proud gate. The city beyond was a mere shadow of its former glory. Large blocks of white granite had been used to construct the walls and buildings, with magical bonds causing the blocks to fuse together giving each building the appearance that it had been carved of a single slab of the stone. Never the less, the tall buildings and towers rose up to shattered walls and rooftops wherever the magi had made futile attempts to defend their city from the Knight of the Black Era.

The man followed the destruction to the library in the center of the city; while Xardan was ruthless in his massacre of the mages, he hadn't needed to go out seeking them as they fought to defend their home. The main street from the gate to the center square was ruined, but the rest of the city was surprisingly intact. A wide staircase led from the center square to the library's front door. He dismounted and tied his horse to a fallen beam before he ascended the stairs with the practiced calm his nightmares had forced him to master.

Xardan had wasted no time in the city. His Shadow Lightning carved a path through the ranks of mages and his soldiers jumped into them before the Illyrians could close their lines.

He rallied his men in the center square and led them up the stairs in perfect, practiced formation. Lightning and fire lashed out at the column, only to clash uselessly against Xardan's shadowy defenses. Xardan moved mercilessly as his shadow magic both protected his men and leveled the entrance.

The library had never been set right after Xardan's attack, and the man had to resist the urge to straighten the various toppled tables and bookshelves. With the door blasted from its hinges and one of the far glass walls shattered, the valuable contents of the library had become victim to the unpredictable weather that the ocean threw onto the mainland.

A thin layer of dirt and dust that the wind had allowed to settle revealed a dozen pairs of footprints that would have led the man to what the other visitors had come here for, but he only paid them enough mind to determine that none were fresh enough to be less than a week old and went straight toward the central courtyard.

In the brighter days, the wizards had used the stone floored courtyard to facilitate their cauldron fires as they experimented with various potions and brews. The open roof allowed the smoke to drift harmlessly upward, while the glass doors and walls surrounding the courtyard protected the books inside from the weather while still brightening the interior of the building with natural sunshine.

Xardan arched his blade around to slay another wizard before he finally turned toward the courtyard. Several wizards smirked through the glass they had reinforced with their magic. The Knight of the Black Era tapped the enchanted glass walls with the tip of his blade before turning to walk deeper into the library.

Cheers and shouts rose up from the wizards at the Knight's apparent defeat. One by one the cheers silenced as the nearby shadows thickened, darkened and twisted obediently onto Xardan's blade; the gleaming steel turned to a dark, forbidding black. The Knight of the Black Era shifted his foot back, turned, and threw the black blade.

Shattered glass lay strewn around the courtyard among the various skeletal remains of dead wizards that scavenging animals had left alone for whatever reason, proving undeniably that Xardan's attack had scattered the wizards too quickly for them to clean their former shrine. Preparing for long hours he was planning to spend in the library, the man dropped his saddlebags, pulled various supplies from them and lit a small fire. Various ingredients and spices made their way into a pot followed by several strips of dried meat and within minutes the man had a stew simmering nicely over the flames.

Pulling a torch from its wall sconce, the man lit it from his fire and turned into the deeper reaches of the library. He knew the tome he wanted was rare and powerful and could only be found in the high wizard's collection; if it was here at all.

The high wizard's fire landed harmlessly against Xardan's Shadow Shield as he stormed into the office. Xardan passed the wizard a wicked grin as he spun his blade mockingly. The high wizard started casting a spell that Xardan knew he would never finish as the wizard’s shadow started rising up his legs.

The Knight of the Black Era had placed dark wards of deep shadows across the door leading into the high wizard's quarters. After careful examination, the man saw that none of the wizards had even attempted dispelling them, and used his own magic to lift them.

The high wizard's skeleton still lay slumped against the glass wall where Xardan had left him all those years ago. Out of the corner of his vision, the man saw a shadow run through his camp in the courtyard below. The man's blade flashed from its scabbard and the shadows bent to block his torchlight from passing beyond the windows, though he knew it was likely too late already.

Cautiously, the man continued back into the high wizard's personal collection of books and shelves. Before he could react, a firm hand pressed against his back and a small blade rested against his neck. Binding spells restricted his knees, ankles, and wrists and forced him to drop down to the floor.

"No gag?" the man asked.

"I can't get answers from you if you can't talk," a female voice replied.

"You got up here fast. You Traveled, I assume?"

"Why would you assume that?"

"I saw you running through the light of my camp only seconds ago."

"And how do you know it was me? It could have easily been a companion of mine while I was up here all along."

"A companion!? You? I would sooner believe the Trelain had left Talar!"

The blade lifted from the man's throat and the Binds released his hands and legs.

"You know me too well, Xardan Ta'Caran; but times are changing. Faelhart’s war is escalating uncontrollably! I have to travel with companions and you are going to have to let others help you."

“So you do have a companion then?”

The woman scoffed as she replied, “Not yet.”

A brief moment of silence passed over the room as Xardan stood and brushed the dust from his pants.

"Why are you here, Ilays?" Xardan asked.

"The same reason you are, though I only stayed this long to save you time." Ilays replied, "The tome you seek isn't here, but the high wizard had notes on some of its last known locations."

"And where are those?"

“One is an old Lythrain city, buried in an earthquake ages ago; it is my intent to search there.”

“And the others?” Xardan pressed.

"There is only one other location listed: Ealthen’s Monastery." Ilays answered.

"I see…” Xardan muttered, “So that’s their secret…”

Edited June 28, 2019 by Xardan Ta'Caran