The Black Robe (The Sword and the Spell)

THE BLACK ROBE

The Sword and the Spell Trilogy

 

Book 3

 

 

 

 

 

By Clare Smith

 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

 

 

The Black Robe is the intellectual property of the author

and may only be reproduced, copied or transmitted, in

part or whole, with the written permission of the author.

 

 

All characters are fictitious and any resemblance to real

persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental

 

 

Cover design and map by Graphicz X Designs

http;//graphiczxdesigns.zenfolio.com

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

CHARACTERS

A MAP of the SIX KINGDOMS

PART ONE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

PART TWO

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

PART THREE

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

PART FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

FINALE

 

 

CHARACTERS

 

LEERSLAND.

 

King Sarrat
- King of Leersland killed by Maladran

Maladran
- King Sarrat’s black magician killed by Jonderill

King Malute
- Previous King of Leersland murdered by Sarrat

Tarraquin
– Deposed Queen of Leersland

Callista-
Tarraquin’s baby daughter

Jarrul
- Huntsman and friend of Tarraquin

Jonderill
– Magician, son of Coberin

Tissian –
Jonderill’s dead protector

Garrin –
Maladran’s dead servant

Sheevar –
A maid

Birrit –
Servant to Tarraquin

Livry –
A whore

 

VINMORE.

 

King Steppen
– Abdicated King of Vinmor

Queen Daun
– Steppen’s daughter and Queen of Vinmore

Prince Pellum –
Daun’s consort and Vorgret’s brother

Plantagenet
– A retired magician

Animus
- Another retired magician

Swordmaster Dilor
- Commander of Daun’s royal guards

Lias
- Dilor’s nephew

Barrin
– Squad leader and Jonderill’s friend

Redruth
- Guardsman

Tuckin
– Guardsman and friend of Redruth

Tavlon
– A minstrel

Rosera –
Daun under enchantment

 

ESSENLAND.

 

King Porteous
– Abdicated King of Essenland

King Vorgret
- Porteous’s eldest son and King of Essenland

Sadrin –
Vorgret’s black magician

Quim –
Tax collector

Dorba –
King Vorgret’s enforcer

Captain Bladent –
Commander of Essenland’s army

Dozo –
Armsman and servant to Callabris

Stanner –
Dozo’s wife

Ennett –
Stanner’s daughter

Trad –
Stanner’s son

Banyon –
Villager

Pedron –
Villsger

Pillin –
Newly promoted Guardcaptain

 

NORTHSHIELD.

 

King Borman
- King of Northshield

Lord Rothers
- Borman’s cousin and heir

Rastor
- Borman’s Guardcaptain

Callabris
- Borman’s white magician

Allowyn
- Callabris’s protector

Callistares –
Father of Callibis and Coberin

Lord Sallins
- Lord of the northern coast

Lord Mallingar
– Lord of Northshield

Sharman –
Malingar’s steward and friend

Tordray –
Malingar’s second in command

Troop Captain Janus –
Soldier

Troop Leader Dowin –
Soldier

Gabbin –
Squad leader.

 

TARBIS.

 

King Hormund
– Previous King of Tarbis.

King Newn
– Uncrowned King of Tarbis

Commander Gadrin –
Commander of the army

Jeswin –
Gadrin’s wife

Captain Cowen –
Second in command

Jacks –
Bath House Attendant

 

SANDSTRONE.

 

King Duro
- King of Sandstrone murdered by his brother

Tallison
- Duro’s brother and Rale of Sandstrone

Coberin
- King Duro’s magician murdered by Tallison

Jonderill
- Coberin’s protector. Executed

Tozaman –
Youngest of the Brotherlords

Dravim –
Tozaman’s Brotherhand

Bradge -
Armsbrother

Oraman –
Eldest of the Brotherlords 

Nyte/Malia
– Tallison’s lover

 

THE ENCLAVE

 

High Master Razarin –
The leader of the Enclave

Master Tressing –
Senior Grey Robe

 

THE DEITIES

 

Federa
- Goddess of magic

Talis
- God of pain and suffering

 

 

A MAP of the SIX KINGDOMS

 

 

PART ONE

 

Captivity

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

Brotherlord

  

The wooden beams at his side creaked ominously and a fine cloud of sand sifted through the poorly fitting planks above his head, falling in his hair and finding its way between his shirt and his skin. With a texture more like ground stone than desert sand, the rough grains abraded at his skin and made him itch. He would have liked to rub his back on the shoring posts or on the low ceiling above, the same way that his stallion rubbed his back on the ground when he rolled, but that would have brought disaster down on them all. So instead he ignored his irritated back and the sharp stones which scraped at his hands and knees and continued crawling forward.

Behind him he could hear Dravin breathing hard and muttering under his breath although he couldn’t make out the words. It could have been a curse on the brotherlord who had led them into this decaying hole but on the other hand it could have been a prayer to Talis to be gentle with his spirit if the roof caved in and killed them all. Dravin, his brother in arms and the closest thing that he had to a friend, was young enough to be a believer in the wrathful god. Fortunately Dravin’s faith wasn’t blind and his friend only shook his head and laughed when he suggested that there might be more worthy gods he should worship instead of the fearful Talis.

Beyond Dravin there were his other armsbrothers, crawling on their hands and knees, dragging shovels and picks and cursing or praying depending on who they feared most, their god or their brotherlord. Like him they had all volunteered for this rescue mission but unlike him they didn’t really have a choice. It had been his suggestion that they should attempt to rescue the fifty or so miners who were trapped underground when a section of the mine had collapsed and as he had volunteered to lead the rescue the others had little option but to volunteer too. Well, that wasn’t quite true; any one of them could have stayed behind but they were armsbrothers and where their brotherlord went they all went.

The wooden beams and the shoring creaked again and more sand and rough, powdered rock cascaded down making the air in the tunnel thick with its dust. Behind him he could hear someone whimper in fear and another curse, which he suspected was aimed at him as much as the black hole they had been crawling through for what must have been at least two candle lengths. Not all of his armsbrothers would remember what it was like to have solid walls around them and a stone ceiling above. Most would have been just babies when their people lived in proper dwellings and some, the very youngest, had spent all their lives under the sky and stars. He remembered though what it was like to live in a city and whilst this tunnel was more enclosed than the house he had played in as a boy, the confined space did not worry him as it did some of the others.

In the feeble light of the lantern he pushed in front of him he could see the nature of the darkness change. Before there had been just blackness and the light had been sucked into nothingness but now the light hung there, reflecting off the dust that filled the air. The noise had changed too. The creaking of strained beams had changed to a groan, as if they were in pain and there was a constant hiss as sand shifted into spaces which shouldn’t have been there. His father had told him that the Goddess made the ground move when she was angry, and that the rumble that was heard when a mine collapsed, was her laughter as men died. He no more believed in the Goddess than he did in Talis and he was absolutely certain that when this mine collapsed there would be no rumbling, just a sibilant hiss as the stone hills above poured in and buried them alive.

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