The Tempi Princess The Semean War

By Henry Martell

The Tempi Princess - The Semean War is part two of the saga of Mara Solon, the first female member of the Tempi warrior brotherhood and is part of the overall Belfortian Chronicles. The story takes place on a planet named Belfort long before the birth of Earth. Mara has achieved her goal, she is now a full member of an elite warrior society. Now a threat has emerged, a threat greater than any since the planet Belfort was born. A great war has come to the world and Mara discovers she is the chosen one and must lead her peoples into an ultimate battle with powerful forces. Will she succeed and will her new found powers be enough to defeat a god? The answer will come when the two principles meet in a final battle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Henry Martell
• Release date: Dec 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005594169

Henry Martell

Greetings, welcome to my author page. I have written just about everything you can imagine since I was the ripe old age of fourteen. Now, some forty or more years later, I retired and needed to decide what on Earth to do. Can't golf all year here in Canada so I spend my time writing for publication. I write fiction, science fiction, fantasy and even some suspense. I never considered myself a poet but I wrote some when younger. A lot of the stories I wrote may grow into longer works or even series. It depends on whether they are popular or not. That's my writing and what consumes my winters. In summer it's golf season so I don't write much. I am a member of the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County in Sherwood Park Alberta, Canada. We promote writing and reading all kinds locally. One thing that is important for everyone nowadays is that no one is reading anymore. People say they don't have time or the desire to read but I thing they are missing so much and we need to bring back the pleasure of what reading brings to the reader.

Book preview

Page | 169

The Tempi Princess

The Semean War

Part of the Belfortian Chronicles

By Henry Martell

The Tempi Princess-The Semean War

Published by Henry Martell at Smashwords

Copyright 2020 Henry Martell

Smashwords edition

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

If you would like to share this book with another person, please

purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading

this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your

use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your

own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17 The Book of Nim

Chapter 1

Mara walked through the armories on her way to the range when she noticed a pile of old swords that had fallen down in a heap, blocking her path. She cursed under her breath with frustration. Men always paid little attention to putting things away in proper places and keeping things in order. She glanced around the area that was adjacent to the stables where the horses were kept. For all Tempi warriors this was a normal morning, first to the stables to tend to their horse then to the armories to tend to their weapons then on the practice field just outside the door. Being the day was sunny and warm with no clouds and cold winds, most of the men probably rushed through their duties to get to the field. It appeared to Mara that they had been even more in a hurry this day.

She bent down and began to pick up the swords and put them away when a sharp pain shot through her hand. ‘What was that?’ she wondered. "Did I cut myself? Heaven help whoever is responsible for this if I did.’ She checked her hand for cuts or blood but found nothing, no blood or scratches or red spots. She did notice a strange numbing feeling in her hand that made her rub it. Mara bent down to examine the swords more closely. She pulled at the covering of a larger one on top of the pile and exposed a finely crafted hilt, inset with precious gems attached to a blade etched with ancient writing.

She had only ever seen a sword like this one once before in her life, the most renowned one on Belfort, the greatest of all the ancient white weapons, Daniron, forged with formidable magic and power in the forges of the elven smiths in Elren over a thousand years ago. So much history connected to such a blade, first carried into battle by the young sword bearer, Klumen, son of Tahn. He led the final stand of the elves and dwarves against the evil forces of Indol back when he invaded the East and tried to eradicate Balot’s creations.

The aforementioned Klumen died in those wars along with Tal, the Semean king. Afterwards, the leader of the king’s armies always carried Daniron until James took the throne and traditions were tossed out the window. He gave it to Bandar who carried Daniron for ten years carrying out James’ horrible, bloody task as the King’s executioner. To add to its chequered history, the sword had also been used as a pawn to betray Ikon, an act that began to turn him against his king. Mara thought it was only just that he got it back in the end.

This sword was not that one with all its history but one just as old and with every bit as much power. This one must have been there when the great battles occurred and when the gods appeared in the end. She passed her hand over the surface and felt the strange numbing sensation again. The blade pulled at her hand, like a magnet and she touched the blade again producing a sharp, numbing shock that pierced through her hand and up her arm.

Ow, she shouted in pain, pulling her hand back and rubbing her arm again. Why was this happening? Mara needed to find out so she steeled herself and grasped the sword by the hilt. The shock came again but now she was prepared and it wasn’t as painful. She pulled the sword out of its scabbard and stared at the magnificent blade shining with a mysterious blue light and causing the air around it to hum. She made the light shine but was not the source. The source came from within Belfort itself and she realized it was more powerful than anything she ever imagined but needed something else to burst through into her reality.

Holding the strange sword with the blue light gave her a feeling of invincibility that was somewhat euphoric. Mara swung and cast the sword around through the air with her normal manoeuvres. The humming from before changed into something more coherent, like an ancient symphony from the dawn of time, written and conducted by the gods.

This was too much for Mara to process all at once. Her mind was numb with trying to understand everything. She replaced the sword back in its scabbard and the light went out. She realized her heart pounded furiously and she gasped for breath. She glanced around to see if anyone witnessed these events but the armories were deserted. What was she to do now? Her mind spun as she stood in a daze hidden in the armoury. Then she remembered something from her schooling and turned and made her way back inside the palace to the library. She rummaged through a pile of old books and found what she searched for, a large old dusty volume she tried to read so many years ago but could make no sense of.

The leather covering was rotting away and she could just make out the Ancient lettering across the cover that spelled out The Book of Nim. The book was not unknown on Belfort, everyone studied this book at one time or another in school including her, once when a child back home and again when she attended the Tempi school for new recruits. This book predated the coming of men or Belebs on Belfort back in the days when Elves were rulers of this world.

As mentioned, Mara had never been able to make much sense of this book. It was generally accepted that the Elves considered Balot their one true god but the book cast all those ideas into confusion. In history, men got into serious arguments about who was the one true god, Nim, Balot or Indol. Mara, like most warriors, didn’t care about gods; they never came down from above to help her when she needed them or anyone else either. She had to rely on her own skill and courage. That is, until now. As she flipped through the old pages she came across a passage she remembered and read the ancient script: In Elren, the smiths forged weapons of magic, the lorethilian. These powerful weapons nullified any magic Indol passed on to the Semeans. The greatest of them all was Daniron, forged over many days with all the lore and power of the Elves within it.

She turned over the next few pages. Near the end she found another strange passage that she thought was nonsense in the past but now suddenly made sense to her. Her heart raced as she read:

Bands of Elves in the last years drifted to remote parts of Belfort and settled there. The elves bred with the Belebs, giving rise to a new race of people. One of these remote places was Sinan, and it is said that people who come from there have Elven blood still in their veins that contains the magic power from the beginning days. One day that power will come again to flourish on Belfort and one with the blood strong enough will take their place and awaken the power by speaking these words:

Bilaragus Groth Micras

Repeating the words will stop the power.

Mara remembered her father telling her when she was very young about where he came from. Though he was born in the foothills and prairies surrounding Crepe, his people came originally from the Sinan. These stories never seemed important to her, only telling of her father’s history. Considering her strained relationship with her father, she dismissed these stories as unimportant but now wondered. Could it be possible she was one of the Lorethilians and could she awaken the power?

Oh god, she muttered under her breath. ‘This is a power greater than anything,’ she thought, ‘what would happen should I speak those words?’

As she walked back she took another way through some empty passages and up some long stairways to a walkway around the palace walls. This new development required a lot of consideration. Part of her wanted to rush back to the sword, take it out and speak those words to see what would happen. The other half wanted nothing to do with it but she knew eventually she would do it but somewhere secret, away from any other person. Mara had to understand more of what this was before she revealed it to the world. At that point everything would change.

She put off this decision for later. The one huge question she needed to answer was why? Why was she blessed with this power that was also a curse? Why did this power even exist at all and in what situation could it possibly be needed? She was now more powerful than any being on this world, like a god. How would the people accept her as such? Peace had existed on Belfort for many years now and this could disrupt the fine balance they had achieved.

The next day, after a sleepless night, she had to put aside all thoughts about the power because this day was a special day, a day for Sain. She would present him with his personal swords, a landmark moment that all warriors went through. Soon after he would test for permanent membership and many were coming for the event, Queen Lana and Ikon along with their two boys, Alem the crown prince and Miah. Also many senior members scattered all across Belfort in postings would come because Sain represented a special time. He would be the first of the new generation to qualify after the end of the reign of King James. Following him would be many others including Alem and Miah along with she and Sekis’ only son, Owen.

She felt a sense of pride as she walked across the Tempi practice field with a bundle because she played a huge part in him achieving all that he had. All activity stopped as the men watched in respect, knowing what was about to happen. Mara walked up Sain, now mostly grown up to the man he would become who had his back to her while practicing his skills with another apprentice.

I have something for you, Sain, Mara said.

Sain turned and looked at the bundle and smiled. He too, knew its contents. Sekis came over and he and Mara proceeded to unwrap it and hand it to Sain. He looked with rapture at their gift, a battle harness containing two fighting swords, the trademark crossed swords of the Tempi Brotherhood.

We present you your personal swords, Sain. Mara said.

Thank you, captains Mara and Sekis. Sain replied.

Put on the harness, Sekis said. Let’s see you with the real thing. Sain threw the harness over his back, put his arms through the sides and pulled it around where he fastened it along the front.

Excellent, Sekis said. Now you look like real Tempi.

Yes, Mara said, a real warrior with real swords. Shall we spar?

He stood before the two people who had been his trainers and mentors since he arrived in Crepe. They were more mother and father to him in this regard than Bandar and his real mother, Kalen and thus very important to him in his getting to this place. Who shall be first? Sain asked with a smile. Sekis drew his swords and took his stance and Sain followed. They came together with clanging swords. These were not the normal wooden practice swords. Every strike came with a jolt that could be felt all up the arm and sometimes even into the chest. Sain had to focus as one mistake or slip and he could lose a part of himself.

He fought back hard but Sekis clearly had him on the defensive. Sekis continued for a moment and then stopped, gave a sign of approval and deferred to Mara for her turn. To Sain’s shock, she came at him with a flurry, swords flashing through the air with spins in all directions. She weaved her way all around him, parrying every strike he made and Sain needed all the skill he had to keep from being hurt. His muscles started to ache as he mustered up all his resolve. He loved Mara like he loved his mother but she was