The Ungifted Elf

By AJ Martinez

An Elf wielding a magic sword journeys to find power

For those who enjoy magic, swords and mystical creatures

Eckxio, an exiled elf, journeys to a mountain in hopes of 
gaining an ability that all elves are born with. Since his 
childhood, Eckxio was unable to cast magic and relies 
on his magic sword and shield to survive. He hopes to 
find the legendary fairy king in the mountain and believes that the 
holy entity will grant him incredible magical powers. 
Eckxio desperately fights obstacles that cross his path 
as his faith fades away. 

Grab a copy today

Love The Hobbit? Then you will love this story. Young adults, sword and sorcery, fairy tale and epic and high fantasy readers, join Eckxio on a journey of self discovery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Summon Sphere
• Release date: Mar 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781631734113

AJ Martinez

Hello there my name is A.J. Martinez and I am a fantasy author living in the state of Connecticut USA. I walk with my head as high as the clouds and my feet on the ground. I am on a journey to become a full time writer and do nothing but write novels of warriors, mages, lore, magic, summons and unspeakable mystical powers. These stories in my head are trying to find a way to manifest and writing its the way to bring the world of Odealeous to life. My desire is to write fantasy stories that will make one soar with the wings of Icarus. To write heart pounding stories to make one wish that the pages will never end. To write stories in a world beyond Hogwarts and Middle Earth and on to the world of Odealeous. To write stories that make one think of the stars of the night during daylight. Stories that make one see rare colors and hear sweet songs only the sirens sing by a glowing river. To tell stories where the arts of the mystic and dragons seem as though they had gone extinct. I write what I dream about and dream so that I can write. I am quite a geek and I am a big time Anime fan. I enjoy going to conventions with my friends and rave parties. My favorite movie is “the matrix” I never get tire of watching it. That is a short summary of me. Sorry, I am better at describing my stories and characters than myself. Any questions don’t hesitate to contact me.

Book preview

Map of Verday

Verday Country Map.jpg

The Ungifted Elf

He gazed up at the Quariras Mountains, named after the myth of the Quariath fairies. It is said that the fairies lived in the mountains, guarding ancient relics and treasures from the world. He had read scrolls about the fairy king, a creature of light said to be able to grant unspeakable magical abilities, a wish master. He was determined to find the fairy king. He thought of his pilgrimage as a last chance to regain his place amongst the Elves of his village. The old dusty scroll said the entity of light lived with the Quariath fairy tribe. Their village was hidden somewhere in these mountains. It was not just the scroll that told the story; he had been hearing the tale since childhood, and unlike most people, he chose to believe in the fairy tale. Stories have been told about warriors and mages, who had traveled the mountains and never returned. That did not scare him. Uncertainty was never something he feared. The future is unwritten, he would say. We must write it ourselves.

Eckxio had traveled from the northern country, called Burnahdujf. He had been preparing himself for this day, the day that he would explore the mountains and find the sacred grounds of the Quariath fairies. He was stubborn and willing to die in this journey. He only had his pet fairy to accompany him.

He walked the dirt path that led to the mountains. On his map, the path coiled around the three mountains. This is it Nana. The path will take us to the mountain on the right. After we explore it, we move to the one in the middle, he told his paploo fairy. The furry creature flew around his neck and played with his ponytail. Eckxio slapped Nana with his hair playfully. You know I don’t like that.

The paploo fairy fluttered four leaf like wings. It had small, narrow eyes with a cat like nose. It swirled around Eckxio, trying to annoy him. It was the only companion Eckxio had. Paploo fairies were rare and only three inches in size. It was a fluke of the gods for Eckxio to find such an uncommon creature.

He contracted his scroll and dropped it into his bag, hanging from his waist. He adjusted his sword and shield on his back, trying to find comfort with his equipment. He did not carry much, but his weapons were heavy. Elves don’t usually wield such long, heavy weapons. They are known for their magical skills, archery, and small swords. At only five feet in height and petite frames, Elves were not made for muscle work. Eckxio was the only exception.

The Elf was restless. He had incredible energy and stamina that he had built over the years. He would walk for days tirelessly, sometimes without food. Soon, he arrived at rock bottom and was eager to start running up the path. Then he saw men in armor, patrolling the very entrance of the mountain.

The queen’s soldiers were patrolling the gate. Eckxio recognized them. They were Borothorns, low ranking puppets of the queen’s thorn army as he phrased it. Ironic that on the same day I try to go up the mountain, the queen’s puppets patrol it.

Eckxio approached them, and just as he reached the gate, they formed a phalanx in front of him.

Soldiers of Verday, I am only going to say this once. Get out of my way, the Elf demanded arrogantly. Nana hid behind his pointy ears. The Borothorns only grimaced. They were clad in green and bronze armor. Helmets shaped like beetle heads. Square shields and long double edge swords with no point, made for chopping.

The queen has forbidden anyone from going up the mountain, said the leading Borothorn. Anyone who dares to defy the queen’s rules will be seriously punished.

The mountains do not belong to the queen, Eckxio remarked. She dares call the mountains her own. She thinks of herself as a god, does she?

Listen, you scar-faced half man, the Borothorn said.

I am an Elf, Eckxio quickly replied.

I don’t care. No one is allowed to go up the mountain until further notice. Your journey must be postponed. Come back another day, Elf.

I demand to speak with your Leahthorn, the Elf stood his ground.

I am afraid she is busy. You can complain all you want, but if you want to go up the mountain, you must come back another day or taste our steel. The Borothorns stepped closer to Eckxio as if to threaten him. Eckxio was not afraid. They were bigger than he was, about one foot taller, and their armor was thicker. They could all surround him and slice him to pieces with their large swords, but Eckxio stood confidently. He was sure of himself and leered at them and took a step closer. He was ready to draw his sword and shield on his back.

Listen. I have to go up the mountain. Not tomorrow or the day after. I am not going to get in the way of your scavenger hunt, Eckxio persisted.

You are a cocky stubborn one, aren’t ya? The leading Borothorn grinned.

Tell me what the queen is looking for. It can’t be so important that you are blocking the way, Eckxio asked impatiently.

That is not for you to know, little Elf. I will give you one last warning before I...

What in terra is the trouble! yelled someone from within the phalanx.

The Borothorns broke the phalanx, and from the middle emerged a woman. Her armor was different from those of the Borothorn soldiers. It was round, firm, bedecked with golden flowers and filigree. Her armor was colored with a green base, yellow edges, and blue highlights. Her helmet was peaked and carried long white plumes on the apex. It was an elegant steel cloth. She sported her blond curls, cascading over her pauldrons. Her eyes were a cold blue, leering at Eckxio. Identify yourself, she commanded.

"My name is Eckxio of Evee Iris village in the Spirituah forest. I want to go up the mountain path. I would like to know

Reviews for The Ungifted Elf

[ninacaramelita · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fine, there’s some typos. But Martinez writes in such a detailed manner, so vividly, that it’s hard not to visualize what’s going on in the world of Odealeous and hence made me forget all about them.The sentences are short. True. Though, to me, it added that right atmosphere that one might have - being “cautious”, when you’ve been told and treated like you weren’t good enough. All your life. Cos that’s what The Ungifted Elf is about. Eckxio was unable to cast magic. But why??And yes, the journey might be rough - you might have to look for your fairy king to make you see they were wrong all this time, but it’ll be worth it! The Ungifted Elf is not just some random piece of fantasy, but one with a strong message: never stop believing in yourself and your abilities!(Thank you for the reminder! ^_^)

[chirikosan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had this book on my TBR list for quite a long time and finally got the chance to read it.The story begins with an exiled elf turned wanderer named Eckxio who has finally located a mountain where according to an old myth, is inhabited by a fairy tribe whose king might be capable of unleashing the magic that he was apparently not born with. Bullied and frustrated by his misfortune during his childhood, he was exiled only 5 years ago and carries three items that have somewhat compensated his lack of magic skills during his travels: a sword forged with a rare kind of steel that can deflect magic, a gauntlet with a strange serpent eye (a beast that he himself killed and has an unsightly scar on the face as proof) that can absorb small amounts of magic and rechannel it, and finally a fairy called Nala that doesn't have arms, a body covered with fur and 4 belly buttons that she uses to rechannel magic.His hopes of climbing the mountain are thwarted by a group of soldiers from a nearby city that are looking for something as well. Presuming their queen wants to capture the fairies for some evil purpose, he starts a killing rampage and oddly enough, instead of wanting to behead him, the female commanding officer kisses him in the mouth after meeting him for just a few minutes after he reluctantly saves her life after being attacked by a guardian golem.Now, the story has some good merits. I simply loved the creativity surrounding Nala's character and how physically bizarre she looks. The story spins some things around and elves aren't immortals per se, but they can enjoy living around 300 years, are seldom more than 5 feet tall and of very slender build. While of average height for his race, Eckxio stands out because his body is bulkier than usual granting him more leeway when using the sword.The premise is quite interesting and I liked Eckxio's determination when he reaches the cave to the hidden fairy city. However, lots of info is repeated (the book seems to enjoy stipulating Eckxio's height at least 3 times), I would have preferred a flashback chapter of the circumstances surrounding Eckxio's exile and subsequent romance with a human woman instead of a few info dump paragraphs, his decision to eventually work for the queen as a warrior whose men wanted to damage the fairy home made little sense and the writing just didn't flow with particularly artistic prose.The soldiers served the queen. The soldiers worked long nights guarding the mountain. etc etc etc...A lot of the prose sounded like an elementary school assignment. While gramatically correct, it just didn't seem to sound fluid which took away from the enjoyment factor. I think this story with some major editing, removal of redundant repetitive information and some flashback chapters would have really made it shine because the story was clearly there. A sufficiently laudable effort to merit 3 stars.