Sons of Nouva

By Levi Steadman

After having gone missing over twenty years ago, general Ethysley Nouva resurfaces in a letter sent to Vendaynian scholar Fait Atoshi. Perplexed by the message sent to him, Fait convinces his two best friends to join him in a quest for answers, venturing to find the letters author. As they investigate the ruins of Nouvas fortress near Vendaynias southern border, the three young men are faced with Nouvas trickery, as well as the start of his grand plot.
With a gauntlet of emotionally destructive trials ahead of him, Fait must rely on bonds of brotherhood and friendshipalong with his own magic. As Nouva works to take over Vendaynias capital, Karonae, seeds of betrayal sown by Fait himself tear apart the trust of his companions, further aiding the usurpers plot. Can Fait counteract the generals plans, or will Vendaynia be in the shadow of a mad man once again?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483644790

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Copyright © 2013 by Levi Steadman.

[martin] / photo on flickr

ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4836-4478-3

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4836-4479-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 05/29/2013

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Contents

Brothers

[Fait]

One Horn

[Kiba]

Welcome to the Family

[Fait]

The Weaker Affection

[Cera]

Progenitor of the Plague

[Kishu]

The Truth of Wroth

[Fait]

Self-Loathing

[Reece]

Concerns

[Fait]

Special Studies

[Kishu]

The Flame of Life

[Cera]

The Betrayer

[Reece]

Lover’s Wrath

[Cera]

Born of Guilt

[Reece]

Preventing a War

[Fait]

Fears Confirmed

[Cera]

Ending the Pain

[Reece]

Fall of the King

[Fait]

Three to One

[Reece]

Sir Nymunammas

[Cera]

Long Way Home

[Fait]

Confrontation

[Cera]

The God of Light and Lightning

[Kiba]

Farewell, My Son

[Kishu]

Runaway

[Cera]

The Scholar’s Past

[Fait]

Silent Darkness

[Kiba]

The Prodigal Son

[Fait]

The Shroud

[Kiba]

Love Everlasting

[Fait]

The Boy

[Cera]

Radiance

[Kiba]

Back to Karonae

[Cera]

Plotting Patricide

[Fait]

The First Floor

[Cera]

Responsibilities

[Kiba]

The Deed

[Fait]

Torrent of Evil

[Kishu]

Homecoming

[Kiba]

Two Brothers

[Cera]

Facing a Demon

[Fait]

Reunion

[Fait]

Toward the Summit

[Cera]

Voices

[Kishu]

Last Stand

[Kiba]

Ending the Plague

[Cera]

Fate

[Fait]

Brothers

[Fait]

Travelling along unpaved roads was not something that I had thought I would be doing when I decided to aid the Vendaynian Tribunal. I was a scholar, one whom some had even labelled a genius, not some outdoorsman or soldier who had the experience of living in the wilderness for long periods of time. But nonetheless, my quest was important. I was traveling with my two best friends at the time: Kiba Sano and Reece Aldeeri. We were only about one-hundred kilometres from the capital city of Karonae, but it felt as if I was worlds away from my grand and comfortable home in the city’s centre.

How much further until we reach the ruins? I asked, most likely sounding like a child. At that moment in time their opinion of me was irrelevant. I hated sleeping out on the open plains like we had for the few nights previous.

Kiba turned his green eyes to me, and he spoke softly as he always did, It will only be twenty or so kilometres more. He looked up at the evening sky and a frown started to form. I suppose we should not go for much longer. We’ll go for another hour, and then set up camp.

I smiled, feeling satisfied. Any trips that I had made in the past were usually by carriage, and so my beloved steed was not really accustomed to doing very much work. I suppose it was not all just concern for Saldeny that made me wish to stop, either. Hunger was setting in, and I, a now active young man, did not appreciate going hungry.

After what I assumed was an hour more, Kiba stopped his horse and put up his right hand, motioning for us to stop as well. This looks to be a good place to rest, he said, dismounting and admiring the flat ground around us. A few trees were scattered about, but for the most part we were in an open plain. Kiba’s military-cut brown hair was glistening with sweat after the day riding in the heat, making me realise how disgusting I must be with my own long, unruly hair.

Reece let out a sigh, and he pulled on the reins to signal his horse to stop. I’ll start setting the tent. He got off his mount and put a hand to his stomach. Would you please prepare supper, Fait?

I nodded my head and began to dismount. I had hoped that our group would reach the ruins on that day, but that was now a fleeting dream. I unpacked my cooking supplies from Saldeny’s saddlebags, and began to prepare some salted meat over a campfire made by our outdoorsman, Kiba. The other two set up the tent swiftly, and were of course grateful for the meal.

Kiba, finishing his meal in record time, started to polish his blade. It was a fine weapon, made by a longtime friend of his, Sato Getsuki. Remind me, Fait: why exactly are we doing this?

I hadn’t told them the whole truth, yet, so I had to remember what exactly I had told them a few days prior. Well, I told the Tribunal about a letter I found on my desk one morning, saying something about an old fortress not too far from Karonae. They gave me the funds to investigate, and I didn’t want to go alone. The letter was from a man who claimed to understand your powers, so I figured that I should bring you along.

Kiba smirked, and stopped polishing for a moment. You know that I don’t personally care about where my abilities originate, he said.

As long as I had known him, Kiba had an odd affinity for electricity. It surged through his body on command, and due to my knowledge of physics as well as a few experiments, I determined that it did not at all follow the laws of either the physical realm or arcana. Kiba, as a soldier more concerned with the call of duty, did not really care about the origins of his strange powers.

I feel like there’s something more to this, Kiba said, looking concerned in an almost fatherly fashion. What are you afraid of?

Kiba had always been able to see through my lies, and I found that that occasion was no different. In truth, I did bring him along with me because I was terrified of what we were going to find. I guess it’s about time I showed the two of you this letter, I said, pulling the envelope out of the pocket of my leather riding jacket. I read it aloud:

To Fait Atoshi,

I doubt that you’ll remember me, but I am an old ‘friend’ of yours. I know that you’ve been deemed one of the greatest mathematical scholars in Vendaynia, and for that I am very proud. Yet, I know that you yearn for more. I hold the secrets you seek: the answer to the mysterious powers of your two companions. Come to me in the ruins of my fortress near the southernmost portion of the border of Vendaynia and Wroth. Bring your ‘brothers’, for I know they too seek answers.

Best Wishes,

Ethysley Nouva

This time, Reece took the initiative. Why didn’t you bring your brother, Fait? This man, Ethysley, requested that you do.

As the two of you know, I’m adopted, I said, thinking about the scholarly Atoshi family back home in Mantglen, a small town on the border of Vendaynia and Wroth. Anyone would know that I’m not really an Atoshi, though. I’m the only member of the family that has brown hair and blue eyes. Aside from that, the Atoshi family only had one son, Rowan, so that hardly constitutes brothers.

Kiba looked a bit surprised, How would the author of the letter know that, though? He paused for a moment, something about the letter bothering him, I’m concerned because this man, Ethysley Nouva, has been missing for more than twenty years.

I wasn’t surprised, but Reece evidently was. He spoke before I had the opportunity, Dead men don’t send letters, Kiba. I’m not opposed to entertaining the thought of his spirit sending the letter, but I know our scientist here would love an explanation of the matter.

Reece was correct, of course. I was a learned man, and I needed an explanation for everything. Though I understood that there was magic in the world, as I was known to have some magical prowess, no one in history had ever been able to transcend death. How could I possibly believe that a spirit sent me this letter? That’s why I took this journey, friend. I seek the answer to this matter.

Kiba let out a chuckle, and looked at me with a smirk, Then find the answer we shall! He always had such enthusiasm, even when he was potentially putting himself into danger.

The next morning was very dull—taking down the tent, making breakfast, and making sure to repack everything on our horses—and our conversation was very ‘focused’. The only one among us that favoured the morning was Reece, who talked the whole time about some of the odd patients he has had at his clinic. Reece was a doctor of sorts, but he used no conventional methods. Though I’ve never read about anyone able to do so, Reece is able to use some form of magic to heal people, and with it he has saved many lives.

Not long after Reece’s chattering stopped, Kiba spoke, That appears to be the fortress in question, right over there. He pointed his finger to what looked like the outline of a single tower. It was entirely likely that this was it, as it was the only structure that we had seen around the area.

I guess we should go investigate, then, I said, excited for the first leg of the journey to be over. I urged Saldeny forward, riding faster than I ever had in my life. I didn’t get out of my study much, and being in the open air for so long had become exhilarating—my lungs filling with a lifetime of possibilities previously unconsidered.

As we rode closer to the tower, my hopes were muffled. In front of us stood that one tower, the top half crumbling, among the wreckage of what must have once been a great fortress. The stone that was entirely visible didn’t look more than one-hundred years old, so I was curious as to how it had gone into such disarray. Fog about the structure obscured vision past the last standing tower, but it was obvious that the place had been ravaged years ago.

Kiba had gone to Karonae’s war college, so he was very knowledgeable in Vendaynian history. This looks like the sort of fortress that King Matias built, he said, preparing to dismount. The Mad King didn’t leave behind anything that still stands, save for the capital of Karonae, of course. The Mad King, Matias Nouva, was the last monarch Vendaynia had. After that, the nation instated a system of having a tribunal make decisions—a scholar, a knight, and a merchant—instead of the old monarchy.

Matias was a good king, but was corrupted by power. He ordered that all wizards and sorcerers be killed, as well as any magical creatures found and slain. Many speculated that he did such horrible things due to fear, having been the first king of Vendaynia who didn’t have magical talents. This led to a rebellion in the southern half of the country about sixty years ago, in what is now the country of Wroth. Henk Willowshire, a great hero with unknown origins, as well as his lover Eliza and best friend Arrannai, took Matias down and started the first tribunal. Upon the mysterious disappearance of the three, the Tribunal as I knew it began.

Ethysley Nouva was Matias’ son, you see, Kiba began, now making sure that his blade was ready for anything that would come our way. Aptly named as the Mad General, he was infuriated with how his ascension to the throne was halted, and though he was organising a new rebellion, his threats to the Tribunal stopped after he was presumably killed in a raid by an incredibly powerful black dragon.

I was even more curious now. Not only was I getting a better understanding of the man we came here to meet, but it also made sense that if he were alive, he would want to see the two men closest to the Tribunal: Kiba and myself. Kiba was known by all in Vendaynia for his prowess on the battlefield, and I had helped with quite a few discoveries to replace the use of magic in everyday life with clockwork and other machinations.

This is starting to look more and more like a trap, I said, dismounting Saldeny. We should be ready for whatever is in store for us. He is the son of the Mad King, after all. The thought of meeting with a man titled the Mad General made my skin crawl, and I was hoping that Kiba’s abilities would be enough to save me if things were to go awry.

We approached the door to the last standing tower, and Kiba opened it. The base of it was circular, with a collapsed spiral staircase upwards and a broken door to another staircase that led down into the unknown. I’d assume we should go downstairs, Reece said, most likely noticing that the room we were in was barren—its stone floor littered with rubble and debris from what was most likely the dragon raid that destroyed the rest of the fortress—and the owner along with it.

Kiba kicked the broken door to the downward staircase to the side, and he pulled out his blade, the katana he had been polishing the night before. Can you give me some light, Fait? I nodded my head, and gestured arcane symbols with my right hand. His blade radiated light, giving it off greater than any flame that I had ever seen. That was my talent: I could cast arcane magic without saying a word. If I was especially focused, I could even do so without motion.

We descended the stairs slowly, making sure not to slip down the steps that were crumbling. We finally reached the bottom, and ahead of us was a long hallway. At the end was what looked like a black metallic door—rivets all about it making it stick out like a terrible omen. As we moved toward the door, a crashing noise came from behind.The ceiling above the staircase behind us came down, trapping us in the hallway.

Kiba gave out a pained chuckle, and leaned against the wall. I guess the door here is our only option, friends.

I approached the door, interested by the odd black metal. It was cool to the touch, and very slick. There was no lock on the door, just a handle, adding to the suspense of the already grand omen. I put my left hand on it and gesticulated with my right, attempting to use my magic to see what was on the other side. This didn’t work, so I put my ear up to the metal. Nothing. Whatever is in here is meant to be a surprise, it seems.

Kiba nodded, and I stepped aside. He sheathed his blade, its light transferring to the scabbard at his side. I guess it’s about time we found out what the hell we came here for.

He turned the knob and forced the door open, which appeared to take strength that a man of my stature really didn’t have. The room ahead was dimly lit by torches equidistant along the circumference of the circular room. It was quite large, easily twenty-five metres in diameter. The room itself, however, was not the thing that was of interest to me. It was the creature in the centre.

The beast before us was a far more cliché harbinger than the midnight gateway, its body a serpentine warship with four cannon legs and two battered sails for wings. Its head, long and sleek, lay atop its two front paws. It had claws the size of daggers, and a single horn. The horn was on the right side of its head, wickedly curved toward its backside. Its maw opened, revealing incredibly sharp teeth—the white of them contrasting with its smooth black scales—and it spoke.

"Hello, humans, it said, its voice resembling a serpentine hiss. I have been awaiting your arrival."

One Horn

[Kiba]

I really didn’t know what to think. The beast in front of me was obviously a dragon, but the Mad King had given the order for an unjustified genocide of such creatures. The Vendaynian heroes before me were known for killing dragons, hydras, minotaurs, and other such magical beasts. I, a modern hero in Vendaynia, was known for killing countless Wrothian rebel battle magi. I was no real hero, but the Tribunal and the people of Vendaynia saw me as one.

Who are you, beast? I asked, sounding minorly astonished.

"My name is Whedab Ir Osear," it replied, its despair-filled sibilance resonating in my head.

That is ‘dark one-horn’ in the Wrothian tongue, I said, and then pointed at the asymmetric horn on his head. A fitting name, I suppose.

It bellowed a raspy chuckle. "Wrothian? You mean draconic. What other language would be suitable for a bunch of rejected sorcerers and magical beasts?"

That made enough sense, but it was unsettling. Fait, silent up until now, spoke to the beast, Please, noble creature, let us pass. We’ve only come to this place to see a man named Ethysley Nouva, you see.

Its head raised, and it shook side to side quite rapidly, resembling a wet dog. "I cannot let you pass, sirs. The Vutha clan, family from which all black dragons branched, has been enlisted by Ethysley Nouva for aid. It paused, as if it were carefully choosing its words. I am here as a test. Sir Nouva would like to know if the three of you are worth his time."

I didn’t take any offense to that, even though I probably should have, but the other two evidently did. Reece was the first to interject, A test? The old bastard thinks he’s funny, does he?

Fait shifted uneasily, shaken by the idea of being tested by a dragon. Though he was a good magician, there was no way he could take down a dragon, as their skin was impervious to all but the greatest magi. I decided that there was only one way to settle this, as there usually was.

We shall duel, then, I said, stepping forward from the other two. I was accustomed to fighting magical beasts, so I figured that facing a dragon would not be too much different. You and I, foul beast.

It laughed, and stood up on all fours—blossoming like a deadly black lotus. "Fine, it said. A duel it is." Its face pushed back against its head, making it look humanoid. Its front legs shrunk down to arms, and its wings receded into its back. After the transformation was complete, it effectively looked like a tall, bulky human man with black scales on its body. It raised a taloned hand, and a massive sword made of black-green metal, dripping viridian viscous fluid, materialised into it.

I waved my hand to Fait and Reece to step back. Reece shook his head, but in a moment or two, both complied. When they did, I turned forward to face the humanoid dragon before me and placed my right hand on the hilt of my blade and my left around the sheath.

Feeling confident in my defensive stance, though minorly afraid of what kind of power a dragon could possibly have, I taunted him: Come at me, you scaly knave.

The dragon charged me, swinging the huge blade at my head as it came into range. I deftly drew my blade, mine meeting his mid-swing. The blade’s acid was obviously intended to burn my own, but it came out of the clash unscathed.He pushed back, and opened his mouth. He spat a thin line of acid in my direction, and I raised my left hand, blocking the font with a wall of wind. The dragon was surprised by this, and was even more surprised when I shot a bolt of lightning in his direction, missing intentionally.

"What the hell is this magic!" he yelped, his derisive voice cracking.

I’m a war hero, I said, a smile wide across my face. My power helps me do what I do best: kill.

He was not amused by this, and he rushed me again. At the last second, he feinted, catching me off guard and slicing my leg—the acid on his blade burning the surrounding skin. In the rage that was building, I grasped my blade with both hands, bringing it around and hitting his back. Though it barely phased him due to his thick hide and scales, the shock I delivered into my blade surged through his entire body. As he came down, he intentionally dropped his blade. Jumping away from him, I waited for