Living Legends

By Seth Giolle

The Hawk and Keiritte Alo grew up in the town of Davergen. Their father, Dusheer, had pages from The Book snuck in to study and learn from. As their movement to topple their unjust kings is reaching its climax, they pause to wonder how their father gained access to those pages from a famed book known only to few, and even those believe it to be myth or fancy. Moreover, what hand did Dri, the mage and sword master have in their father’s dealings? This is the tale of Dusheer and Dri, unlikely friends and budding adventurers. They’re lost in time before the Hawk and Keiritte Alo were ever born. They find themselves in the time of Sheava as the Darkening approaches, when the walls still stand strong. History stands before them. And The Book awaits. This is the sixth book in my Prequel Stories series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365355042

Seth Giolle

Seth Giolle was born on a small, rural farm in southeast Ontario. After Travelling throughout Canada in all its splendour, he once again makes Ontario his home.

Book preview

Living Legends

Prequel Story 6

by Seth Giolle

0001

Prologue

History tells of an age when the world knew true calm. It was ruled by a good True King Ellor, and dragons filled the skies with all their colourful wonder. But darkness blossomed and flourished.

An evil wizard known as Auk Tria Yus is recorded as having spread potions and spells that turned friend against friend. The fiend crafted three magical blades and brought on the world’s first Darkening that burned the skies and spawned legions of dark wizard armies and bands of assassins that preyed on the innocent.

And Grio.dyness rose to power with his barbarian clan known as the Wolf. His barbarians met True King Ellor’s armies on the wasteland around what would later be his castle stronghold. They waged one final bloody battle, and he slew True King Ellor and took the throne to begin his equally dark rule.

There are other legends of those times: a man who could summon gold and built a city of wealth in the desert, what was then plains. There’s the tale of the fall of Sheava, a town and castle that equalled the True King’s castle. But fell nonetheless to unknown enemies.

These are the tales of those times.

These are the truths behind those tales.

Truth few have known before now.

Chapter One

Threshold of History

There’s no way it’s true!

It’s written down in all the texts, Dri. How can it not be true.

Dusheer leafed through a small brown book while they walked, his eyes flashing over the badly stained rat-eared pages quickly before moving along each time.

Dri’s one eye twitched. You know as well as I do that not everything in those scrolls of yours is true, he countered dryly. There’s no way King Ellor sold out at the end, and that’s that. If you ask me, Dyness had an edge, hidden clan members or the like, or maybe he poisoned the King before the battle. I wouldn’t be surprised if the texts all have it wrong, and they raided Cleirre Rethen in the middle of the night and took the King from his bed unawares. It would be like barbarians to do that. The True King, simply put, with all the skills and soldiers and good defences at his back, could not have fallen on the wasteland, not in battle. Why would he leave his battlements at all? It just isn’t possible. There’s no chance of it.

Are you trying to convince me? Or yourself?

Ferlenn Dri stopped hands on his hips, and regarded his friend. Both young men wore light brown robes, tied at the waist by a thick white rope. Their hoods were down, Dri’s long brown hair tied back behind his head. Light green eyes narrowed.

I’m just saying ….

I know what you’re saying, Dusheer groaned, grinning wide, and you’re overdoing it a little.

Dusheer walked on, thoroughly enjoying the moment. His short brown hair was blown in several directions from the changing wind currents around them. The same wind pulled at their robes and hoods, ballooning them up in odd places.

Never mind, Dri muttered, hiding a grin of his own, catching up with quick, confident strides. Good arguments are wasted on the likes of you anyway.

As are manners on the likes of you.

There’s no reason to believe any of it really matters anyway, Dri added, slowing down his walk again. There’s a good chance we’ve just ended up a few leagues off beyond the Elanse, he said, motioning to the mountain range along the horizon. Two of the three suns showed behind the range’s topmost peaks.

Dusheer rolled his eyes and closed the book, slowly shaking his head. The Elanse in our time were shorter, he pointed out, the suns were older, less hot, and the small towns on either side of the mountains weren’t in complete chaos. The town of Drian that we passed back there didn’t even have its wall built yet. How do you explain that?

Dri grumbled something under his breath. I can’t. Dusheer laughed, Dri frowning. That doesn’t mean we’ve travelled back in time, Dri quickly retorted. Maybe my spell casting altered our vision of the world. Instead of doing what it was supposed to do, it … changed us. I don’t know.

Dri scratched his head and threw his arms up out of frustration. It should have worked. We should be around a small fire with my life force attached to that of this world. I should have the world’s energies flowing through me right now! We should be breaking the wards they’ve placed around Eckvian with no trouble at all, but no. We certainly shouldn’t be here dressed in someone else’s clothes. He stared at their clothes in disgust. I don’t know what I did wrong.

You’re the mage, Dusheer groaned playfully. I’m hoping you’ll figure it out before we run into someone who expects us to know who and what we are.

That’s easy, Dri replied. He turned around and scratched the back of his neck. Thick, woollen robes that itch, overheat, and smell bad - we’re clerics.

From?

Dri licked his teeth, the right side of his lip lifting in the beginning of a sneer. The style matches the old days from the time of King Ellor, he grumbled sourly. There, are you happy?

Dusheer crossed his arms. Green fields lay out around them. In the distance, far in the distance, Kanei Depths could be seen under a light grey, overcast sky. Across from that large body of water, LonThesharr Deslies would sit, and there were the Elanse Mountains on the other side.

The path they were on led to a place Dusheer had always wanted to find. Of course, in their time, the castle and its town and the entirety of its lands were gone to war, destroyed in an unexplained battle. If he was right, if Dri’s magic had actually taken them back in time, so many questions could be answered. But along with that possible revelation had come some alarming concerns.

Yes, I’m happy, Dusheer joked with relish. Then, he sighed. And no. I do think we’re back in Ellor’s time, but that means the battle when he fell could be soon, maybe past. The Wolf could show up on one of their raids. Dri nodded warily, his sneer falling into a frown. My thoughts also go the people who were wearing these robes. We weren’t dressed like this before you did whatever you did.

I know that, Dri murmured heatedly. He seemingly focused more on the beaten, dirt path they walked. Dusheer walked patiently, pensively behind him.

So where did they go? Dusheer pressed, frustrated, speaking with his hands. We just dropped in here, took their bodies, their places, but where are they? And more importantly, how do we get back?

Dri turned quickly and held up a hand. His face was solemn. Dusheer crossed his arms and waited for Dri to speak, tapping his right foot.

Clearing his throat, Dri licked his teeth once across. I’m aware I got us here. I hate to admit that you’re right, but I can’t deny it. The layout and certain other factors suggest we’re back in time. I’m betting it’s before the battle - no Wolf banners in the towns, the King’s soldiers aren’t making their rounds, and the people are more untrusting then vicious, so we haven’t dropped in after the Wolf Clan won. As your records tell, the fall of society after the King died and Dyness took the throne was quite different than this.

The Darkening, Dusheer groaned.

Dri nodded. Exactly. This looks like the beginning of it: those clouds, the hunting parties that drew near back there, and those markers, warnings from dark mages. The Darkening you were telling me about may have only just begun. They’re off killing each other somewhere, just haven’t gotten around to ending it all yet. As for who we are, I wish I knew. A bothered sigh. As for how to get the people we’ve misplaced back, I assure you, I’m working on that and getting us home. I’m not a monster. Is there anything important in that book?

Dusheer looked to the book he’d been reading, shrugging. I’m not sure. I was hoping the man who was carrying it was intelligent; hence, he’d have a book, but it’s more of a badly scrawled journal, and rain’s soaked through most of the pages. The suns have bleached the remainder. What I’ve been able to make out tells of a very boring life, nothing much at all. All that work for what?

All you had to do was break into a chest. I was the one running his horse and him halfway across the glen. He didn’t even have any coins. What was up with that?

Likely had them in his boots - worried they’d be stolen.

These people are untrusting indeed, Dri grumbled. I have another question for you, oh budding scholar and bad thief: where are we going?

Didn’t I tell you?

No, Dri replied, a polite smile joining raised eye brows. No, you didn’t. I’m actually getting used to it by now. So where are we going?

Dusheer shrugged. An old habit, he offered. My father always told me it would be my undoing. We had quite a lot of arguments about that as I recall, and he wasn’t much better than I am, so I have a hunch where I got the habit from. Dusheer’s smile received a disinterested frown. Coughing, Dusheer nodded. Sheava.

Dri thought for a moment. I’ve heard that name, but I can’t place it. Why does that name sound familiar?

Dusheer scratched around his belt. It’s supposed to hold something, he explained, starting a distracted walk forward again.

Dri followed him with his eyes for a moment before falling into step beside him. What does it hold? he asked, speaking slowly. Why are you making this so difficult?

The Book. Dri squinted for a moment; he then rubbed his eyes and shook his head. A merchant, Dusheer added, overdoing a bright smile. He slipped the journal into an inner pocket. Let’s see what information he has about what’s going on around here. Maybe he knows who we’ve replaced, he added with a light laugh.

Dri raised one brow, Dusheer walking on ahead. The Book, Dri breathed. Or should I say, ‘The Fool’?

The merchant considered them cautiously as they approached. Unlike the other people they’d come across, he didn’t slam the door or back away. He offered a toothy grin. He was missing a few teeth, and the effort was slightly overdone, but he nodded pleasantly enough.

Well met, he said, carefully lowering his cart. How can I help two such as yourselves today? What brings two young clerics to our side the world? Never mind, he mumbled, waving away his last comment. I’ve got some fresh chickens, ganee, and shlet, and my spices are fresh. Come, have a look. Please.

Dusheer took in the old man’s rickety, old cart. The right wheel had a crack creeping through, and the axle was badly warped. The wood itself had seen too many days under the suns. Nine animals, mostly ganee, hung from