Heroes of the Sundered Crown: The Sundered Crown Saga, #5

By M.S Olney

The fight for freedom continues.

The Coalition sets sail to wage war on the Dark Lord Danon and liberate the Kingdom of Delfinnia.

Meanwhile, the wizard Luxon Edioz travels to the land of Sarpia, the homeland of Danon's most loyal servants. There he will try to free them from an ancient curse and deliver a powerful blow against the darkness.

As the war rages a new foe is revealed, one more terrible than any the Heroes of the Sundered Crown have ever faced before. One that seeks to destroy not just the light, but the darkness too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Starforge Books
• Release date: Jan 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201343996

Book preview

‘Unite the world of men against the darkness, Remake the bonds that were broken, have them stand as one, Reforge the crown that was sundered, Hope shall be born anew,’ – The Wizard Raven to Riis, the first King of Delfinnia.

Prologue

'The hour draws near,' whispered a voice from the shadows.

Danon stirred, narrowing his eyes to peer into the gloom of the throne room. His servants were elsewhere in the King's Spire, he was alone. He tapped the arms of the golden throne impatiently waiting for that voice to speak again, but he was greeted only by silence.

Is that you, Esperin? he growled irritably.

The Goddess of Darkness had no right to address him. Not anymore. For he had surpassed her petty desires for him. She sought to extinguish the light, he sought to dominate it, to cast down his brother, Niveren and take his place as the avatar of mankind. He had no love for the Gods, for it was they who had betrayed him so long ago. Esperin was a means to an end, a source of power that he had wielded against his foes. The Kingdom of Delfinnia was his, save for a handful of areas of foolish defiance. The Sundered Crown was at his feet.

'Esperin?' asked the voice with barely contained disgust. 'No, I am not Esperin.'

Danon frowned. Not Esperin? Then who?

He stood and walked slowly down the steps leading away from the throne. He could sense something. Something familiar.

'You know who I am, Danon. You remember the deal you struck.'

Danon stopped. Memories, distant and faded with time came to him. The Void. He snarled.

Vectrix.

Mocking laughter filled the room.

I played my part in your scheme. I helped you escape the Void just as we agreed. You promised that you would go elsewhere, that you would leave me to my conquests. Have you reneged on the deal? Danon snapped.

The shadows deepened and despite himself, Danon took an involuntary step back.

'If I recall it was the wizard's power that set us free from my realm. Luxon Edioz could ruin everything for you, and perhaps for me.'

Danon chuckled shaking his head. His long black hair fell over his shoulders.

The boy is troublesome indeed. He reminds me of that other wretched upstart. The boy will fail, just as Zahnia did.

'He has bested your schemes at every turn. Recovered the sacred blade. United a divided Tulin and created an alliance that could spell your doom. A united humanity is a fearsome and powerful thing. I should know.'

"I will destroy him. I will destroy his allies and this world will be mine."

'You know he is being guided by the Light and- your brother. Do you truly believe that you can stand against Niveren and his champion and win? I fear your days are numbered.'

Danon sneered at that. He had been searching for Niveren ever since his return from the Void. Much to his frustration, his agents had found no trace of him. His brother had hidden well. He knew that Niveren was aiding Luxon, just as he had aided other champions throughout the ages against him. In his blackened heart, Danon knew that if he were to ever achieve his goals his brother must die.

'How do you kill an immortal?' Vectrix's voice asked, 'do you know? I do. I did remember. My minions slaughtered your brothers at the dawn of time.'

Danon stopped. Raising an eyebrow at the words. A part of him knew he should feel rage at them.

'You must find Luxon. Kill him and take the sword he wields. For only with it can you slay Niveren and dominate both the darkness and the light. I can help you.'

'And what do you get out of this?" Danon asked, his tone full of suspicion.

'What I have always wanted. To use my powers of creation-'

Stolen powers, Danon growled.

'-freely.' Vectrix finished.

Danon paced the empty throne room. Something was amiss, a dull ache had formed in his head.

Very well,' he said finally. 'how can you help me?

'In the land of Eclin, a creation of mine lies hidden and dormant. It was to be my ultimate weapon against your kind in the Heaven's War. Go there, find it and awaken it. No one and nothing will be able to stop you.'

The dull ache now grew in intensity. Danon shut his eyes against the pain. His mind felt strange as though his thoughts were not his own, a sensation he'd experienced more and more since his escape from the Void. Slowly, as Vectrix's voice continued he opened his eyes and caught his reflection in one of the tall ornate mirrors standing in the corner of the throne room. For a split second, he did not see himself in the mirror, but instead another figure, of a being he did not recognise. As the mirage faded his own visage returned and to his horror, his lips were moving.

Vectrix words were coming from his lips.

image-placeholder

Chapter 1.

The Marble Shore

The fleet of Yundol longships powered through the water towards the shore. On the clifftop, beacons burst into life. The enemy had spotted the invasion fleet. Standing proud at the bow of the lead Yundol ship was Ricard of Champia. His greying hair and beard fluttered in the wind, and his green cape flapped wildly behind him. His eyes were fixed on the beach.

For too long he’d been exiled from the Kingdom that was rightfully his. The invasion he'd launched earlier that year had ended in failure, the N’Gist had been too strong for the men of Champia to overcome alone. After that defeat and his escape, he’d spent six months overseas seeking aid to strike back at Danon. He had travelled across the continent of Yundol, the home of Delfinnia’s former feared foes to find support for his war. Most of the Yundol chieftains had scoffed at him; some had even threatened to kill him. Many of the Yundol warlords bitterly remembered the defeats Ricard had inflicted upon them during their failed invasion of Delfinnia decades earlier. Despite that, the promise of gold had proven too appealing for some, and before long, he’d mustered a formidable force of mercenaries.

The cost made him wince; his treasury was now empty; he’d gambled everything on winning the Sundered Crown for himself. His nephew, the King was just a boy, ill prepared to rule. From the rumours he had heard the lad was probably dead, having fled Delfinnia to mythical lands far across the Boundless Sea.

Yundol horns blared across the choppy black waters, and the warriors who had once spilt blood across Delfinnia prepared to do so again.

The warriors roared, their savage cries carrying in the frigid wind. A thousand men to take the Marble Shore. A thousand of the most dangerous men alive. He adjusted his sword belt and took the helmet offered to him by his squire. He looked back down the row of burly oarsmen and nodded to his trusted lieutenant the elderly, Vizar. The fighting men of Champia were packed onto the ship’s deck and bristled as they sighted the stunning white beaches ahead and the Marble cliffs shining in the early morning sunshine. It was the first time many of them had seen the mainland in months. They were finally returning home. Vizar caught his eye and gave Ricard a reassuring smile. The older warrior walked over to him.

The men are eager for battle my lord. Let us hope these Yundols are just as good at killing as I remember.

Ricard nodded before putting on his helmet.

Today we take the Marble shore, tomorrow the Kingdom. Once they see my banner the people will flock to it. The N’Gist’s days are numbered, he said with conviction.

The horns sounded again signalling the fleet to pick up speed. The warriors hastily strapped on their armour and prepared their weapons. With every oar stroke, the Yundol warriors shouted their battle cry.

Death! Death! Death!

The serpent shaped longship surged forward; Ricard drew his sword from its scabbard. Behind him, his warriors prepared themselves. Ricard frowned. Black clad figures appeared on the clifftops. There were thousands of them!

Arrows suddenly lashed down like hail onto the vulnerable ships. Ricard swore. As they drew closer, the figures became more apparent. All wore black armour, and each was armed with the lethal Sarpi composite bow and barbed arrows. The deadly projectiles struck the ship eliciting screams from warriors and oarsmen unlucky enough to be struck.

Raise shields! he commanded.

Just as quickly as it had begun the arrow storm stopped. Then, with a sudden jolt, the ship struck the beach using the furiously rowing oarsmen's momentum to skid high up the sand. It was the favourite tactic of the Yundols and one that often took a foe by surprise. Ricard leapt over the side of the ship, raised his shield, and roared for his men to follow. The sand was deep and challenging to traverse. Warriors disgorged from the beaching ships, and the Sarpi unleashed another arrow storm. Dozens of warriors fell to the Sarpi arrows. Ricard’s eyes widened. On the cliff tops, he could see catapults being rolled into place. He watched in horror as the Sarpi quickly loaded the weapons and launched pots of burning pitch down onto the beaching ships. One Yundol longship took a direct hit, erupting in flames that engulfed the warriors on board. Burning men fell screaming over the sides only for their heavy armour to drag them down into the churning sea.

Ricard rallied his men, and they rushed to him to form a shield wall. He crouched under his shield as another volley of arrows struck. His arm shook under the impact. All around, the air was filled with the screams of the wounded and dying, but the Yundol warriors pressed on up the beach. They continued their war chant using their shields as cover from the maelstrom raining down on them. A horn blared from the cliffs causing Ricard to lower his shield. His eyes widened and a knot of dread wormed in his guts. Massing at the top of the steep incline at the top of the beach were hundreds of heavily armoured horses. Their thick black armour covered the animals from head to hoof and sat astride them were Sarpi warriors clad in thick plate armour the colour of darkest night.

Spears! Ricard bellowed.

The Yundols sheathed their swords and axes and hastily formed a phalanx of spear points. With expert skill drilled into them by Ricard, the warriors grouped until they were three lines deep. Each wielded a long spear and lapped their shield over their neighbours. The Sarpi cavalry surged forward like a black tide to sweep down the dunes. Sand sprayed in all directions, and the ground shook.

Brace!

The first of the horsemen thundered closer, lowering their long lances, and picking targets to slay.

With devastating impact, they hit, smashing aside the Yundol spears. Men were skewered on lance points by the dozen, Vizar among them. Ricard was battered to the ground, but he quickly rolled to escape the stamping iron shod hooves of a Sarpi horse. He came up from the roll, threw his shattered spear aside and drew his sword. Despair filled him. All along the beach, the cavalry swept aside the army he’d spent months and the last of his fortune gathering. The dead lay on the now blood stained sand and bodies floated on the grisly tide. Several of the longships were ablaze to send smoke drifting high into the sky. The lucky ones had managed to force their way back into the sea and were now desperately turning tail to flee back into open water.

Niveren no, Ricard despaired. More horns sounded, this time from across the water. Ricard spun to see a small fleet of Sarpi warships round the headland and move to cut off his forces. The Yundols were trapped. He watched in horror as N’Gist sorcerers launched fireballs into the dull sky. They soared high before arcing downwards to fall like burning meteors on the beleaguered Yundol vessels. The struck ships burst into flame, the screams of the doomed sailors drifting on the breeze. All around him, his men were being butchered. The cavalry charge had smashed any semblance of disciplined resistance. All of his hopes and dreams of liberating Delfinnia and taking the crown had been extinguished within moments. In his heart, he had always known it had been a fool’s dream but seeing his men cut down the realisation of all he had done dawned on him. The thunder of hooves came from behind him, he closed his eyes. A broken man. 

Forgive me, nephew, he whispered.

All hope now lay with the boy king, Alderlade. Tears sprang from Ricard’s eyes, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. A Sarpi rider’s lance punched through his armour and deep into his spine. Death was instant. Ricard of Champia’s lifeless body crashed to the sand. A fool’s dream ended.

image-placeholder

Chapter 2.

The Mage city of Caldaria

Howling came from the oppressive darkness. Kaiden shivered and pulled his cloak tighter to ward off the chill. The savage winter was waning, but snow still lay in deep drifts on the plains of Caldaria. He edged closer to the flaming brazier holding his hands to its comforting warmth. Even the thick woollen gloves made for him by Alira did little to stave off the brutal cold. The twin moons were high in the clear night’s sky and cast a soft white glow on the lands below. He glanced over the ramparts and sighed. Ice glistened in the moonlight and the air was eerily still and silent. To an observer, the snow-covered plains beyond Caldaria’s walls looked serene, but the peaceful scene was deceiving. Beneath the ice, standing still and silent, numbering in their tens of thousands, was the undead horde. Thick snow covered most, and the frigid cold had frozen all into macabre stances.

They never move. Day after day they stand there like statues, grumbled one of the knights sat opposite the fire.

I’ve seen them move, said one of the Fleetfoot archers manning the walls with Kaiden and his knights.

Liar. I’ve been manning these ramparts for months and aside from that first attack they’ve not moved an inch, replied the knight.

Kaiden narrowed his eyes. Was there a light on the horizon? Slowly he stood up walked over to the crenellations and brought the Spyglass hanging from his belt to his eye. He scanned the distant Great Wood but at first, he saw nothing but darkness. He turned his head slightly and traced the line of where the now buried road lay. An orange glow flickered amongst the trees. His eyes widened as he recognised the shapes of men and pack animals moving through the night.

Who are they? one of the knights asked nervously as they too saw the lights.

Kaiden twisted the spyglass handle, and the figures became clearer. Five men wielding swords and dressed in furs were running through the undergrowth. They were waving frantically to a group of people struggling through the deep snow.

"They look like refugees. Must have come