The Black Keep (The Chronicles of Llars) (45 page)

Cannath did not know if that was true. He wondered, irritably where Hugh was. That man probably had fifteen sources reporting to him about the Spiders and this bandit-lord, Eriagabbyn.

Cannath said nothing. He had known as much as the elf let on about the plight of the Mountainheym Elves, which was just enough to sound plausible. Cannath wished he could wait for Hugh to give him counsel. Yet it was far more important to maintain the appearance of decisiveness and control; among men such as Eriagabbyn, anything less would be seen as a weakness to be exploited. He nodded to the leader of the Spiders.

“Very well. Bedfellows we shall remain.” Cannath handed the daggers back to Eriagabbyn and strode from the room.

The massive black wolves loped easily in the darkness of the Myrnwell countryside, finally arriving at Obyn. The informant had been very reliable but an unexpected silence and a cessation of information made the Pack Leader wary. She had been close to the promise of a cure so many times now, and each time some unseen force snatched it away from them. But not this time. This time, they were within yards of their quarry.

The foursome stood in the shadows of the barracks of the Hand of Zuhr, hungrily eyeing the pair of sentries who were watching the wolves intently. Alyksandra growled angrily. There must be hundreds of armed fighters inside that barracks. The beginnings of a plan formed in her and she shared it telepathically with her pack mates.

With a wolfish grin Alyksandra turned and loped into the wilderness, her pack eagerly, hungrily, trailing behind.

Shalthazar was furious. He stalked about his private laboratory, deep below the garrison keep where his commanders orchestrated his war. Bolts of black fire flew this way and that, blowing holes in the earthen walls or shattering jars of odd contents. The gruesome constructs he had experimented with stood or sat silently in whatever grim pose they were left as the wizard continued his tirade.

The next phase of his plan was coming along nicely. His apprentices worked laboriously, one even to his own death, to complete his special project. He was on the verge of sending his new creation out into the Cklathish wilderness on its first mission. A noise behind the wizard caused him to turn, a slick black wand extended and blasted a dark
fireball
at the door. A peeved apprentice ducked just in time and stalked away from her master’s presence.

Snarling, he turned back to his thoughts. How could a Shadow Lord of the great Umber fail at such a simple task as holding a keep? Castle Tyrannus was to be the Prophet-General’s foothold in the Cklathish lands and he lost it. Not only that, but a prisoner had been in the death-knight’s possession that held the key to finding the Everpool. Now that pathetic Flame Sigilist was loose in the countryside with the key to finding the Everpool and the Tome of Sigils. That Hessan had lost several good binder mages only reinforced the dark elf’s dismal view of the death-knight. If Carym reached the Everpool first, and escaped with the Tome of Sigils, his plans would become much harder.

But Shalthazar had a backup plan, he always had a backup plan. Another more tenacious force was hunting Carym of Hyrum too, and this one had a personal stake in the death of Carym of Hyrum; then he would send that infernal Headless heathen back to the Abyss for his ineptness.

The wizard consoled himself with the knowledge gained from the traitor among the Sigilist’s companions. Even if the Sigilist were to reach the Everpool first, the traitor would do everything possible to delay the companions and perhaps lead them into a trap. Shalthazar heaved a great sigh. The novelty of the campaign had worn off and he wished he were doing what he did best; wreaking havoc and mayhem out on his own.

Such was not to be his fate and he accepted this. The potential for power gain beyond his own already incredible growth in magic was worth the sacrifice. His new pet constructs would be unleashed tomorrow.

Sensing a calm in her master’s angry tirade, the apprentice returned.

“What?” he demanded.

“A messenger, Master.”

“Yes? Who is it then?” impatience edged his voice and flames danced across the wizard’s extended fingers; the apprentice knew she was now on dangerous ground.

“The visitor refused to give a name, but claims to be a confidant and traveling companion of Carym of Hyrum, Master.”

The dark wizard smiled, his luck was changing after all.

This concludes
The Black Keep.
The adventure continues with
Shadowblade
,
available now for your e-reader.

The Sigil Disk

The Sigils are the most potent form of magic on Llars, though not the only form of magic on Llars. There are six major Sigil disciplines: Flame, Water, Air, Earth, Shadow, Spirit. These disciplines each draw their power from something called a Tide, a tidal flow of energy that is only responsive to a particular form of Sigil magic.

Each discipline is represented by a small symbol on the Disk you see at the beginning of each chapter. This disk is derived from a prominent theme in Celtic mythology known as the Wheel of Taranis (not to be confused with Baron Tyrannus!). The Weel of Taranis is named for the Celtic god of Thunder who is often seen carrying a thunderbolt in one hand and a wheel in another.

The Sigil Disk has six rays, as in many of the early depictions of the Wheel of Taranis, which is just enough for each of the Sigil disciplines. The only discipline whose symbol is absent from the Sigil Disk is Spirit, for reasons which will become clear as the rest of the story is told.

I have included a link to the Wikipeida site on the Celtic god, Taranis and his wheel, for your own enjoyment and education.

Wikipedia contributors, "Taranis" Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taranis
(accessed April 30, 2012).

About Me

I’m a veteran of the US Marines, a career law enforcement officer, a husband, a father of two, and a CF dad. I love the outdoors. When I'm not spending time with my family I'm usually out on the lake, or knee deep in a creek, fishing.

I am also a graduate the online workshop of NY Times Best Selling Author, Tracy Hickman, known as Scribe’s Forge. As Tracy was in large part responsible for inspiring me to write, this was an amazing experience. I highly recommend Scribe’s Forge for aspiring writers, and I recommend anything written by Tracy and Laura Hickman for avid fantasy readers like me.

The names and artwork from these books are inspired mainly by Celtic and European artwork and mythology. The wheel on each chapter is a derivative of the Celtic Sun Wheel. Each space represents one of the Sigil disciplines: Flame, Air (lightning bolt), Earth, Water, Shadow (skull), and the empty space is reserved for the lost discipline of Spirit.

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