Shadow in Ar'Sanciond: Relics of Ar'Zac, #0.5

By Sarina Langer

In the beginning, everyone died.

Sanciond is the magic capital of the North and home of the sorcerers watching over the country of Ar'Sanciond. With a library covering every subject imaginable, only one line of research is forbidden:

The study of the Mists, cradle of all evil where no light can dwell.

Sorcerer Eldon is granted permission to lead pioneering research into the Mists, but what he finds there—and what he unleashes—threatens the very fabric of Ar'Sanciond.

Seer Mavis, Sorcerer Vail, and Head Sorcerer Felan are the only ones who notice their friend's changed energy. Only quick covert action can save Sanciond...

But not all plans are meant to succeed, and not every story has a happy ending.


Shadow in Ar'Sanciond is the prequel novella to the Relics of Ar'Zac trilogy but can also be read on its own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sarina Langer
• Release date: Dec 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393851134

Book preview

Shadow in Ar’Sanciond

A Relics of Ar’Zac Prequel Novella

__________________

Sarina Langer

Copyright © Sarina Langer 2019

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the purchaser.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Cover Design © Design for Writers

www.sarinalanger.com

Content Warning

Please be advised that Shadow in Ar’Sanciond contains content some readers may find upsetting such as, but not limited to, violence. Please proceed with caution if this might cause distress.

To my sister.

I still think of you every day.

In the beginning, everyone died.

That’s how it started—a group of sorcerers, eager to learn, determined to teach the world something new, taking one step too many.

No one teaches you what to do when the lives of millions are on the line. No one teaches you the right answer when your circumstances ask, ‘Who will you save? Everyone you know or a future which might be doomed regardless?’

I pray our actions are worth the cost. I pray we die to give you a chance.

If not…

I’m sorry.

Mavis Lis

(from Tome of Ar’Zac Dar, final page)

Prologue

Sorcerer Eldon ignored the discomfort in his gut. Nerves were normal given what they were about to do; he couldn’t let slight worries distract him. That, and he was hungry. They’d travelled all morning since before sunrise and had finally reached their destination. He stepped onto a large rock to get a better view of Hunter’s Rest, a scenic clearing as far away from civilisation as possible in case the spell had wider effects than he anticipated.

‘What’s next, sir?’

Eldon smiled at his pupil. The young man was too excited to stand still. His other five students paced too. Eldon adored their eagerness to learn, and he was doing everything he could to fuel it. He chuckled—what a treat it would be to be a young novice again. He never tired of their enthusiasm. Nowadays, he only felt this ecstatic when he happened upon a rare gem in his research, like the moment that had sparked this project.

But they hadn’t come all this way to admire the scenery or to be nostalgic. This wasn’t an ordinary excursion; he would treat it with the respect it deserved, because he needed his pupils to do the same.

‘Is everyone ready?’ Eldon asked his pupil.

‘Ready and keen, sir.’

‘Good! Everyone’—he raised his voice so his small group could hear him—‘it’s time. Take your positions as we practised.’

His six pupils rushed into their rehearsed spots—a circle large enough for their spell but not too large to be unmanageable for their small, inexperienced number. Eldon joined them and took a deep breath. He was a little giddy—this project would set him above other sorcerers and grant him incredible respect. He’d become the man who had dared the unspeakable and succeeded. The first to go ahead and do more than dream. A pioneer.

In half an hour, they’d have stolen a glance into the Mists. All his work, endless research, and preparations would have paid off.

But right now, his heart hammered so hard he hoped he could focus. He’d never attempted anything like this. They had practised the spell’s theory, had linked their gifts often enough that their magic should recognise and find each other easily today, but it was still theory. Studying the Mists in depth was forbidden. Felan hadn’t let him use the spell inside the city.

Today, Eldon would walk a fine line between theory and practise.

Today, he would make history.

His students looked just as excited, and he gave them encouraging nods. They were ready. He was ready.

‘Let’s begin.’

Eldon reached out with his gift and spread it over the clearing—a necessary precaution, to make sure the area hadn’t already been tampered with. When everything was safe—he’d checked three times since they’d arrived, just to be sure—he guided his magic to the two pupils by his sides. Their gifts joined with his and reached out to the pupils closest to them until they had one fully linked circle. They flooded the space between them with their gift, and the air crackled in response.

His pupils had closed their eyes on his orders—they weren’t skilled enough to cast such a complicated spell without getting distracted—but Eldon saw the atmosphere change. It looked heavy. Tiny sparks of silver fire and blue lightning danced through the circle, harmless until directed and hungry for more. Small white lights of pure magic danced around them, embracing the elements.

Eldon focussed their gifts and felt his pupils do the same through the link. With as much care as he could muster, he tore at the Mists. It wasn’t easy—his magic had to reach from their world into the next and grab something ethereal he couldn’t see, only sense. It required the most delicate touch. Too much pressure and his gift would move right through the Mists without achieving anything. Too little and he couldn’t hold onto the thin shadow wisps.

Too much power and the Mist’s dark residents would notice and cling to his gift so tight he’d have no choice but to pull them through.

And that’s where the real danger lay.

The Mists housed the restless souls of the departed and all kinds of demons. Worst of all were the Dark One and His Mothers—the Mists’ evil ruler and His loyal, shapeless servants. They were the reason in-depth study of the Mists was forbidden, and the reason he couldn’t fail.

Eldon’s gift grabbed the tiniest strip of shadow…

And pulled.

Quietly.

Carefully.

Nervously.

At their circle’s centre, a tear opened in mid-air.

Eldon smiled. He hadn’t actually expected them to get this far. His pupils deserved more credit than he’d given them.

‘Reach inside with your gifts,’ he said, ‘but be gentle. Remember what I told you—you may stand in the door frame, but you mustn’t enter the house.’

The first pupil reached inside. Through their link, Eldon saw what his pupil saw: Darkness. A landscape so surreal no one would ever believe him. Jagged rocks and smooth stone. Cracked ground and deep lakes. And around that, the Mists swirled like the true rulers of the realm.

‘What do you see?’ Eldon asked.

‘Darkness.’

Some of the other pupils snickered.

‘Yes, but look deeper. What can you see inside the Mists?’

His pupil hesitated. ‘Pain, sir. Loneliness.’ Eldon felt his discomfort through their link.

‘Good. Retreat. Next, please.’

His pupil’s gift withdrew as another’s stepped onto the threshold.

‘What do you see?’

His pupil sobbed. ‘It’s awful. Can anyone else feel this suffering?’

Two pupils nodded. A tear rolled down the cheek of the pupil opposite him. It affected Eldon too, but he couldn’t show it. Today more than ever, he needed to be their unshakeable teacher.

‘What do you see, sir?’ one pupil asked.

Eldon smiled and stepped onto the threshold. The darkness beyond was maddening, the pain of the lost souls suffocating. He couldn’t see far ahead; the black void swallowed everything.

Somewhere inside these depths was the Dark One. A sobering thought. Perhaps they’d risked enough for today.

‘Everyone, draw your gifts back to you.’

‘Already?’ two pupils said.

‘Yes. Don’t forget what this is. The longer we stay, the higher the chance of detection.’

A few of them moaned, but they obeyed.

‘Good. Hold on while I close the tear.’

Eldon reached out once more with his gift, enclosed the tear with his magic, and pushed it closed like a window.

Only, the tear remained. Something blocked him.

‘Is something wrong, sir?’

He glanced at the tear, prayed the disturbance was nothing major, and paled.

Out of the dark void, something looked back at him—and grinned.

Cold shivers ran down his arms and back. ‘Everyone, reach out again and push!’

His pupils hurried their gifts to the centre and shoved like one might against a stuck door, but the tear didn’t close.

‘Harder!’ The more they pushed, the more the something pushed back. ‘Now, or we’ll—’

One of his pupils screamed. Thin Mist poured out of the tear, rose to match Eldon’s height, and took on the silhouette of a person. Its shape swirled with liquid shadow. Its arms formed swords, sharp as glass. It turned to Eldon and screeched.

The blood inside his veins froze. He had let a Mother slip through. But perhaps with it here, the tear would no longer be blocked. They could defeat one Mother—if nothing else followed it.

‘Push, now.’

But the invisible wall remained. Their combined gifts weren’t enough to close the tear.

All colour drained from Eldon’s face. He was too old to be optimistic when faced with grim facts.

‘Again!’ This tear couldn’t stay open. ‘Use the full force of your magic, don’t hold back!’

The Mother turned away from him and glided towards the pupil on his right.

‘Sir—’

It grew its sword right into his skin, like a tree sprouting another