The Final Storm
THE FINAL STORM
Copyright © 2006 Wayne Thomas Batson
Third in a series of three novels.
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ISBN-10: 1-4003-0783-X (hardback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4003-0783-8
Printed in the United States of America
06 07 08 09 10 QW 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the one true King, the battle rages on,
but victory will be yours.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 6 THE SKILL OF THRIVENBARD
CHAPTER 8 THE DEPARTURE OF SIR AELIC
CHAPTER 10 LEGEND OF THE THREE
CHAPTER 11 A VISITOR FROM THE THREAD
CHAPTER 12 THE KEEPER OF POWER
CHAPTER 13 WHEN LIGHT AND DARK COLLIDE
CHAPTER 15 THE BATTLE OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
CHAPTER 16 TO SEEK WHAT IS LOST
CHAPTER 17 IN KING BROWER’S PALACE
CHAPTER 18 BEYOND THE GATE OF DESPAIR
CHAPTER 21 A FATHER TO THE FATHERLESS
CHAPTER 26 THE GOOD CONFESSION
CHAPTER 31 THE SCROLL OF PROPHECY
CHAPTER 34 A TIME FOR ALL THINGS
CHAPTER 35 AN OLD FRIEND WELL-MET
CHAPTER 36 THE COMING OF DARKNESS
CHAPTER 37 ENEMY WITHIN THE WALLS
CHAPTER 39 THE FINAL STORM UNLEASHED
CHAPTER 40 THE THREE WITNESSES
CHAPTER 41 BATTLE AT THE SEVEN FOUNTAINS
AIDAN (AY-DEN) THOMAS
When Aidan’s parents move the family to Colorado to take care of his wheelchair-bound grandfather (Grampin), the teenager discovers the Scrolls, which start him on an adventure of a lifetime.
ANTOINETTE (AN-TWA-NET) LYNN REED
A believer in King Eliam and friend of Aidan’s in the Mirror Realm.
BALDERGRIM
A warrior from Yewland.
BOLDOAK
A warrior from Yewland.
FALON
The elder of all mortiwraiths, who are enormous, venomous underground serpentine creatures.
FARIX (FAIR-IX)
Glimpse warrior, who does not wear armor.
HALBERAD
Apprentice tracker to Sir Thrivenbard.
KALIAM (KAL-EE-UM)
Glimpse warrior, who is also known as Pathfinder, and is the fourth Sentinel of Alleble.
KING BROWER
Blustery King of the Blue Mountain Provinces.
KING ELIAM (EE-LEE-UM)
The noble and wise monarch of Alleble, who invited Aidan to his Kingdom.
KING RAVELLE
ruler of mithegard.
LADY MEREWEN
Once a follower of Paragor, a capable silver-haired swordmaiden in the service of Alleble.
LORD RUCIFEL (ROO-SI-FELL)
Paragor’s Lieutenant, who wields two swords.
MALLIK (MAL-ICK)
Glimpse warrior, who wields a massive warhammer.
NAYSMITHE
Second Sentinel of Alleble; master swordsmith.
NOCK
A highly skilled Glimpse archer and warrior from Yewland. Twin of Bolt, who died in The Door Within #1.
PARAGOR (PAIR-AH-GORE)
The first Sentinel of Alleble, who now rules over Paragory. He intends to defeat Alleble, and make himself king of The Realm.
ROBBY PIERSON (PEER-SON)
Aidan’s best friend in Maryland.
THE SEVEN SLEEPERS
Seven powerful ancient enemies of King Eliam, buried in the Blackwood forest.
SIR OSWYN
Herb-meister, skilled with potions, cures, salves, and unusual battle-potions.
SIR ROGAN
Tall blond warrior from Mithegard. He carries a broad-bladed battleaxe.
THRIVENBARD
Alleble’s finest woodsman and tracker.
TRENNA SWIFTFOOT
Yewland Glimpse held in bondage by criminals in Baen-Edge until rescued by Antoinette.
WARRIANT
First vanguard and ruler of forest village of Balesparr.
THE WYRM LORD
The firstborn dragon in all The Realm, the lord of all wyrms.
ZABEDIEL
The scribe for King Eliam when this world was new. Sometimes called Zabed.
ALLEBLE (AL-EH-BULL)
The first Kingdom of The Realm. After The Schism, Alleble remained the center of The Realm.
BALESPARR
A hidden village, nestled at the roots of the great trees in King’s Forest.
THE BLUE MOUNTAIN PROVINCES
Mountainous region inhabited by the stoneworking Glimpses of Mallik’s kin.
CANDLEFORGE, FROSTLAND, INFERNESS
Cities across the Cauldron Sea in the far west of The Realm, and Paragory’s three secret allies.
THE GATE OF DESPAIR
A huge pair of black iron doors built into the side of the Dead Mountains. The entrance to Paragor’s castle.
THE GRIMWALK
A sprawling wasteland at the foot of the Dead Mountains.
PARAGORY (PAIR-AH-GOR-EE)
A kingdom built by Paragor and his army.
THE SACRED REALM BEYOND THE SUN
The eternal dwelling place of all servants of King Eliam.
A
dventures are
funny things.
Many are merely happy
accidents—
a single spark that ignites
an unexpected chain of events.
But some adventures are meant
for you and you alone.
And whether you want them or not,
they seek you out of a great crowd and
take you somewhere
you never thought you’d go.
Often, these unlooked-for adventures
require a sacrifice too great
to imagine.
A
idan searched for Gwenne’s image in the thunderclouds. But the aircraft banked hard to the right and threw him back into the seat.
No, not into the storm!
Aidan thought urgently. He grabbed the armrest and tried to pull himself back up to the window.