The Lightsworn Society: The Beasts of Shadow and Light, #1

By T.C. Hansing

The five houses of the earth have been ruled by Ramiel the Mage for over 1000 years, and over that millennium all have prospered and lost. The house of mankind has suffered the most, and gained little in return, but now the greyhearts have risen from among them. The Lens of Ramiel can transcend both time and space (seeing all within its range), but it cannot pierce the hearts or minds of the greyhearts. Although all others who've used the Lens have gone blind, this unique breed of human may be able to use it and put a stop to the injustice of the immortal circle of Magi. He searches for them. He turns all against them.... But he will find that the brave and fearless race of mankind will not be defeated so easily.   

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.C. Hansing
• Release date: Sep 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393418740

T.C. Hansing

T.C. Hansing is an American author of dystopian and fantasy themed novellas . His books are published worldwide and are available to download on platforms such as Apple iBooks, Rakuten Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Baker & Taylor. 

Book preview

For my family....

Chapter One

For as long as I have known the difference between right and wrong – for as long as I have been able to look at myself in the mirror and recognize who was staring back at me, I have lived under the fear of death. I am the prey of beasts. I am the meat twice burned in the fires. My enemies did not only sentence me to death, but they must also hunt me ceaselessly so that every waking moment of my existence is torture. While it is true that every life comes with a death sentence, I would say that life is the bigger burden to bear than that of death. If life is the end of all things known, it will be the end of running like a coward and of fighting for something that holds no value to me – my life.

In saying that, I will tell you: death will not meet me on this day. It couldn't find me yesterday, nor will it find me tomorrow. For if I am to be hunted by an enemy I cannot overcome, I am going to make it earn its feast upon my flesh. This beast’s name (the one who has haunted my dreams and the reason I have none for the waking world) is Ramiel. He is a mage of the Order of the Dragon, the founder of the great Lens. With it, nothing can be hidden from him - not even the hairs that fell off your backside a century ago that lay etched and forgotten in the dark recesses of the earth.

I can remember the day as if I were living it now. Though I have blotted out some of the tragedy, I have never completely forgotten the day Ramiel’s hunt for me began.

I sat beneath the tables in the great hall, playing with the cotton-green lizard my elder father (my father’s father) had given me on my third name day. While that was a year ago, and my elder father had since passed due to illness, I can remember feeling safe – perhaps for the very last time in my life.

I could hear the townsfolk outside, shuffling at speed and with great care around the castle walls. There was a frenzy of excited voices in the air: children with their mothers and fathers and guards raising the gates to begin the welcoming ceremony. Lord Ramiel, along with his army of second-degree mages and followers, would soon be arriving. The whole castle was to be present upon his coming, but none of us knew the witness of wrath that awaited us. We prepared feasts while we should have prepared more swords; we put on a smile for him while we should have put on chain-mail; and we opened our castle doors to his gaze while we should have tried to empty his gaze into the next life.

Sensing the imminence of Lord Ramiel, my mother quickly ceased straightening the napkins and silverware on the tables near mine and hastened to my side. I could only see her feet and lower dress through the wooden chairs lined up along the tables. Resting on top of the tables were all sorts of Northern delicacies – pryer and reed soup, whipped tree-potato, shadin bread and certain sweets that I could not wait to get my hands on.

Someone, help! she whispered loudly. A lire has me by the neck! I need... a hero! She said this while making false choking sounds.

Mother, you’re not being attacked by a lire, I said sternly, peeking my head out from below the table and staring into her eyes.

Oh, there you are! she laughed. "The lire must’ve sensed your valiant presence and ran off! You've saved me! Thank you! She bent down to scoop me up in her arms and kissed my brow. Carrying me forward, and out of the feast room, she spoke softly to me yet again. Today is a big day...."

Ramiel’s coming? I asked her with excitement.

Yes, she said, smiling at me.  But I wasn’t speaking of that. Someone we know has a birthday today, if can I recall. Who was it, now? I can’t remember....

Me! I giggled at her.

No! she feigned exasperation.

It’s my fourth star-cycle today! What did you get me? I asked excitedly, anticipating my gift. We were out of the feast room now and walking through the labyrinth of halls and sub-halls. Passing a gold-plated armor display, I recognized we were walking in the direction of the throne room, where my father would be now (as well as the rest of the under-guard) with our leader, the ward of Castle Dynerith - Ward Tilylus the Fourth. I always favored him. Even though he was rather intimidating (in no small part due to his power and authority) he had almost always given me money every time he saw me. Sure, it was usually only a copper or two, but he once gave me a whole piece of silver!

You’ll just have to wait and find out! I have it here in my pocket, she used her free hand to pat the side of her waist. but you know it’s bad luck to be given gifts until the star sets.

This made me slightly upset. Why did we have to wait until the star disappeared below the horizon before I got my gift? The lone star in the sky... the only star that exists, and it is bright as sin; so hot that it lights the world up in an otherworldly whitish-blue hue. There are many fables and tales surrounding its existence, but nobody really knows what it is, or even why it is, so most of us just call it a star and let it be....

We had finally reached the throne room. My mother thrust open the door and at once the air was full of loud conversations. "...what are you to do? The price of water pryer has gone up again too. Food may be