Stories on Scrolls

By Ronel Janse van Vuuren

Conspiracies. Magic. Danger.

 

In a time where myth and magic are outlawed, a Hunter of Magic uncovers a chest of scrolls that reveal a whole new way of thinking about magic and fae.

 

But with every word she reads, contradicting her entire worldview, can the Hunter stay the same? Or will the knowledge held in the scrolls destroy her?

 

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*This book ties in with the folklore and worldbuilding of all the author's other books and is a good primer on the folklore creatures found in her work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ronel Janse van Vuuren
• Release date: Feb 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393282372

Book preview

Preface

Magic had been outlawed centuries ago. Yet it is part of the very fabric of the world. Only a select few know how to access it. Everyone else fears it. And so magic and its users have been hunted. Hunters have become the new protectors of the people. All mention of magic's existence had been scrubbed from the history books.

But magic refuses to be silenced. Every now and then something surfaces to shed light on its existence.

And Hunters are sent to destroy it.

I’m a Hunter. People fear and respect me in equal measure. And that’s a good thing: I’m their protector, not their friend. But that can be troublesome, too. Especially when they fear execution when stumbling upon something illegal, instead of immediately reporting it.

A chest was found in the darkest corner of the subbasement, beneath the dungeons, of the oldest castle in existence. A castle that was rumoured to have been built by witches... The chest was sealed by magic.

We searched and found volunteers to help open it. Curiosity turned out to be an effective antidote to fear.

After many magicians and others that wield magic had tried to open the chest and failed, a Remarkably Ungifted One had opened the chest without effort. Inside the chest were pristine scrolls bound together with leather bands. They had to have been centuries old, yet they were as perfect as the day they had been placed in the chest.

Each scroll held parts of history that had been forgotten. The parts of history that had been erased from the history books. Parts of history that proves that one shouldn't ignore something just because you don't like it.

I'm hiding out in a castle ruin, reading through these scrolls and wondering whether I should be as proud as I am to be a Hunter. Especially after the chest had released a curse that killed everyone else present. Except for the Remarkably Ungifted One and myself. She fled, probably going underground never to return.

I'm not sure what to do but ponder my situation. Do I return to the life of a Hunter after having read these scrolls? Can I forget what I've read? Or do I use my new knowledge to save those I've hunted before? Is magic neither good nor bad – only the person using it? And why was I unaffected by the curse?

Perhaps the answer lies in the scrolls...

Scroll 1: Day of Black Sun

Chills ran down my back as I woke. I knew that this day would be the end. If the sun was covered by the moon, the necromancer would be successful in bringing back his master. And everyone would suffer before dying horrific deaths.

A sigh escaped before I could stop it. It wasn't too long ago that my brothers and I had stopped the necromancer's master from destroying the world. To think that an astral event like the solar eclipse could undo all our work...

My armour jangled as my manservant set it all on the table to dress me in it. It irked me, the way that I couldn't dress myself. My breakfast became tasteless and I left it to get ready for the day ahead.

––––––––

'The solar eclipse will be complete for about eight minutes at noon. If we haven't found and stopped the necromancer by then...'

Our commander looked from one paladin to the next, his eyes saying what he couldn't. But I understood. And so did my brothers-in-arms. The carnelian stone pendant felt warm against my skin. I prayed that its protective properties would prove true this day.

'Well, off with you. Whoever finds and stops the necromancer will get a promotion,' our commander said before turning away.

I felt the jolt go through the group. Promotions were scarce. Being a paladin meant fighting for honour and glory. Still, a man's got to eat.

The group dispersed, all heading off on their own. I closed my eyes. The meeting room was now the only place in the entire castle and surrounds that was completely empty and silent. I knew that there was a way to find the necromancer. I opened my senses and felt the emotions of the inhabitants of the castle.

Dark light filled the emotions of a few of the castle's occupants. It made my throat close up. I had never encountered anything like it before. Still, they couldn't all be the necromancer. This was something else. I felt a chill and knew that the eclipse was close. The only thing that mattered was finding the necromancer before he could bring back his master using the solar eclipse.

A cloying darkness came from the oldest part of the castle. It clung to me like tar. My whole being shuddered. I opened my eyes and looked at the sun, breathing in the clean air and allowing the light to purify me.

Sometimes the power that I possess as a paladin was more dangerous to use than a double edged sword.

I left the meeting room. Light refracted everywhere; it was a consequence of what I'd done. I moved carefully and swiftly to the oldest, and thus mostly abandoned, part of the castle. A dark shape in the sky made me look out of a window. The moon had started its ascension to the sun.

Light nearly blinded me. It came from inside the castle. Blinking rapidly, I saw that it was a strange dark light coming from a noble-merchant. I still didn't understand the king's obsession with including the wealthiest merchants in the nobility – I knew it irked everyone born to the position.

My vision cleared and I saw that this noble-merchant was also the king's confidante. Chills filled me as the dark light flickered even stronger for a moment.

No-one knew what the necromancer looked like.

This was a mostly abandoned part of the castle. Why would a merchant or a member of the nobility be there? Something was wrong.

I decided to follow him.

––––––––

We came to the outside of the old castle. He made his way up crumbling stairs that had no railing, only the plummeting drop to the turbulent ocean below. The imposing staircase, the sun already darkened, made me wary of the ruins lest I fall.

The carnelian glowed, making my armour shine. I was glad for it. The black sun was draining me of power. Every step I took was an effort. It was almost as if I was being pushed away from where I was heading.

I couldn't see the noble-merchant anymore. The full eclipse was almost upon us.

The carnelian pendant around my neck was leading me. Something was pulling it towards the top of the staircase. I didn't like it. Yet, I followed.

Suddenly the noble-merchant's dark light flooded the platform I had just stepped onto. The light was snatched from his body and thrown into an orange skull. He fell to the ground; eyes blank and lifeless.

I knew then that the king's confidante wasn't the necromancer. Yet I couldn't see his brutal murderer.

A skull made of carnelian glowed in the darkness. I could hear chanting, but the skull enraptured me. It must have taken a lot of magic to create such a large skull, not to mention the effort taken to quarry the stone intact. Dark light glowed from the eye sockets.

I snapped out of it and searched the platform for the necromancer.

Darkness became complete. The