Demons, Dragons & Demigods: Knights of Airygon, #2

By April Nia Rain and Trevor Jones

Brocktar is Alive!

The realization that the powerful sorcerer is still alive was a boot in the stomach for the Knights of Airygon. They had taken over his estate and many valuable possessions. Both of which he would want back.

Now, strange things have been happening around the estate. Assaination attempts, a caravan of unwanted visitors, and a suspicious artificer sets them on a course to solve the mystery of who is behind it all.

Are the orcs trying to kill Ellwyn or is it Brocktar? The Knights' quest takes them to foreign lands, where they encounter demons, dragons and demigods. The more they discover, the more questions arise. The answers they seek may lie in the hands of the gods themselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: April Nia Rain & Trevor Jones
• Release date: Sep 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215195567

Book preview

Book 2 of The Knights of Airygon

A Kinthur Chronicles Novel

1st edition Printing Copyright 2022 by April Nia Raine and Trevor Jones

Edited by: Scott Searle

Cover Graphic Design by Michael Hyde at [e-mail]

Additional interior art by Vincent Burgess

Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing creativity to continue to flourish.

Kinthur and characters are protected under copyright laws of the United States of America. All characters, events, dates, places, deities, supernatural forces and the like are fictitious and any resemblance to actual people, places, etc. are purely, I assure you, coincidental.

No Demons or Devils were summoned, no actual Dragons were harmed or copulated with and no actual Demigods were consulted in the making of this work. Any higher Deities that are offended by this blasphemous work are hereby beseeched for their forgiveness. Amen.

Kinthur Chronicles Stories

The Penta Ka Wa Series

The Dark Gift

Rise of a Master

Lord of the Undead - Coming Soon

The Adventurers Series

That Damn Dragon!

The Knights of Airygon Series

By April Nia Rain and Trevor Jones

The Blood of Orcs

Demons, Dragons & Demigods

Quest of a Goddess – Coming in 2023

Short Stories

The Siblings Five

Another's Journey

Nightstalker Comes to Meadowbrook

Dedications

Iwould like to dedicate this book to all my pet sitting clients who gave me a quiet place to write, while watching their furbabies. To Trevor Jones my co-author, partner, and best friend.

To all the players that have played in the world of Kinthur. These characters wouldn’t have come alive without you. Most of all, I dedicate this book to the readers. This is why I write these stories, to entertain YOU. Are you not entertained? ~April Nia Raine

I DEDICATE THIS WORK to everyone who has succeeded in working with their partner on a stressful and arduous task. There is nothing so difficult or satisfying than to overcome a challenge, or complete a creative endeavor together. These are the real-life obstacles that our in-game characters face. It shows one their strengths and weaknesses, and if done well, everyone comes out stronger and better for it. ~ Trevor Jones

Airygon

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Chapter 1

Julian Hailstrom

Ashadowy figure darted past my window. I caught the motion out of the corner of my eye as I was settling down for reverie in my quarters. My lover, Maurix, was off helping the wizard with a project, so I knew it couldn’t be him. I rose and pulled my dagger from the belt sheath hanging on the back of the chair. Stepping out in my bare feet to the warm evening, I looked around. The estate was quiet and all I heard was the sound of our few insects and a faint bird call. It never gets fully dark in the plane of air, so the birds never really quiet down. Despite the odd cycle of light and weather, we kept the estate on the same time and routine as if we were back on Kinthur. It made the transition to and from the plane of air that much easier. The insects and birds had been brought over as well so that it would feel more like home. 

When I glanced around, I noticed there were soft boot prints right outside my window. I tied my white bed gown in a knot at my knee to keep it from impeding my movements and began quietly tracking. The prints were faint, so whoever was making them didn’t weigh much or was treading very lightly. I followed them through the grove to a small pond, where the tracks disappeared. I quickly looked up into the trees.

Nothing, I thought to myself. I walked all around the pond trying to pick up the trail, but still nothing. The pond was only ten feet deep and about fifty feet across. 

They must have gone into the pond to evade me. Well, it is a nice evening for a swim, I thought. Without hesitation, I put the dagger between my teeth and dove into the pond. The water was warm and clear enough to see several feet ahead. I swam downward and began crossing the bottom, searching back and forth, keeping my head moving and my eyes open. I still found nothing. 

Where could they have gone? I thought.

Then I felt a sudden chill creep over my skin. The water began forming ice crystals right before my eyes. I turned quickly and swam for the surface, but was stopped short. Already, the top of the pond was completely covered by a translucent sheet of ice. A shadowy figure looked down at me but then was gone. Panic set into my body and I pounded the ice-covered surface with my fists. I knew I only had a few minutes of breath left in me and began chipping away at the ice with my dagger. My lungs were burning and my sight went fuzzy. At first, it seemed a futile effort, but then a crack began to form and ice started falling away. Hope sprang anew in my mind. I managed to open a small hole just as my vision started to go black. I pushed my mouth up to the hole and took in short, gasping breaths. The air eased the pain in my lungs and my eyesight cleared. A renewed determination flooded over me as I plunged the dagger into the ice over and over again. The hole grew larger and I was able to get my face out of the water and take a full, deep breath. My strength returned and I continued to chip away at the hole until I freed myself. 

I climbed from the pond, my long, coppery locks draining rivulets of water from them, with my bed gown plastered to my body. I ran for the nearest alarm bell and began ringing it vigorously. The estate came alive and other bells began to match my alarm. A crowd began to gather. Shavalia was the first to find me. Her sapphire blue eyes scanned me with worry, searching for injury.

What happen, Ellwyn?

I was almost killed, I blurted out. I looked out into the growing crowd and spotted Maurix. I waved him to me, but he turned and began walking away. Then I realized...it was the assassin. Their frame and demeanor were so much alike, I had mistaken the assassin for my own lover.   

Stop that person! I yelled, pointing in the direction of the assassin. The crowd turned just as the shadowy figure disappeared into thin air. "Gods be damned!" I yelled. Strange things had been happening since we found out Brocktar was alive.

When Julian had arrived a week ago, we had no idea of his importance, either as to who he was or what he would share with us. All we initially had known of Brocktar when we took this estate, floating in the plane of air, was that he was a sorcerer of some renown. Julian and our own research had now shown us so much more. Thoughts of all the evil Brocktar had committed by procuring individuals and siphoning off their knowledge, skills and life force rushed to the forefront of my mind. 

Our group had gathered to discuss the sorcerer and what we could do. Maurix was visibly shaken, having been one of Brocktar’s victims, trapped in that horrid stasis pod, and kept alive with no idea what was happening to him. His eyes kept darting back and forth, constantly checking his surroundings for a threat. I reached out to him and put my hand on his arm to calm him. 

Julian, the artificer, continued tinkering with Robert, the estate’s automaton steward. 

Yes, Brocktar is still alive, he said, without looking at us. If he weren’t, then A5123 would not have been functioning when you arrived. The blood binds the automaton to the master. It helps give it personality and the semblance of life, he explained. Robert indeed had the semblance of life. Despite his appearance of a human skeleton, he was held together with bits of metal, cogs and magical machinery that I didn’t understand. His habit of wearing formal attire as he went about the daily chores of the estate made him more personable than one would think. 

Who told you that Brocktar was dead? Julian asked.

A fluttering began in the pit of my stomach and my throat went dry.

Umm...it isn’t important, I said, my voice shaking. He pulled something out from Robert's chest and handed it to Shavalia. 

Dump this somewhere, rinse the container clean, and bring it back when you are done, he ordered. Shavalia gave a small snarl, but did as he told her. He abruptly turned to me. Now, whose blood will be replacing Brocktar’s in A5123? he asked, looking down at me intently. 

I suppose that would be mine, I said, with unease.

Very well, I will need you to push up your sleeve, he said. Julian had poor manners, being abrupt and not at all courteous. He turned to his walking trunk, began rummaging around in it and pulled out a bag. The artificer apparently created automatons out of just about anything, including his luggage. Inside the bag was tubing and what looked like a large sewing needle. 

What are you going to do with that? inquired Maurix warily.

I am going to use it to fill the blood reservoir for the automaton, Julian answered curtly. Maurix visibly grimaced. Shavalia returned with the container and handed it to Julian. He took it and placed it back into Robert.

Give me your arm, he demanded, and took my arm before I had moved. His hands were cold and my arm erupted in goose flesh. He tapped the crook of my elbow three times and shoved the needle into it. There was a sharp pinch of pain and then blood began to flow into the tube and finally into the reservoir.

Several awkward minutes of silence passed as my blood drained into Robert. Finally, the artificer gave a satisfied grunt and pulled the needle from my arm. Maurix handed me a piece of cloth and I pressed it to the bleeding hole the needle left behind.

Julian turned a few dials and closed the case that held the blood. He touched a peculiar-looking tool to the base of the skeleton's skull. A whirring sound filled the air. Flickering amber lights appeared in Robert’s eye sockets, growing brighter as the whirring sound climbed to a pitch higher than even an elf could hear. The skeleton looked around for a moment and then fixed his gaze on me. 

Mistress Ellwyn. He made a jerky bow, but stood up more smoothly. I am at your service, he declared.

Welcome back, Robert. I smiled as relief washed over me. Robert bowed to me again, this time gracefully and effortlessly. 

No need for all that, I said. We are just glad to have you back. I am afraid I haven’t kept up with the daily tasks of the estate as well as you would have, I continued, patting him on the back.

Then I will get to my duties right away, Mistress, the skeleton said, politely. Robert turned and left without another word. Julian began packing up his supplies in his animated trunk. 

Why are his eye lights amber, when they were red before? I asked him. 

It depends on the donor of the blood. It changes based on a number of factors, he said, continuing to pack.

How long have you been servicing Robert? I prodded. I was feeling anxious, not sure I wanted to know the answer. The artificer looked off as if calculating in his mind. 

The artificer guild created him, on special order. I have been servicing him for the last fifteen years. However, his designation, A5123, would indicate that he is over three centuries old.

Three hundred years? That is a long time for a machine to run, I noted.

Oh, speaking of that, the clockwork guard dog needs a maintenance check while I am here. Where is it? he asked.

Shavalia and I looked at each other, knowingly. I could picture Corbin pouring the vial of acid on it and then falling off the estate into nothingness. 

That won’t be necessary, I said, nervously. Julian raised an eyebrow at me suspiciously. 

Did you destroy it? he asked.

I slowly nodded my head. It attacked us, I said, defensively. 

That’s what it was programmed to do, Julian chided.

The large man then scoffed, My advice would be to leave this island before Brocktar returns. He’s one of the First Order of Sorcerers. He’s not a man you want to mess with and he’s not going to be merciful when he sees what you have done.

We can’t leave, this is our home now. Brocktar has been gone for a long time. Perhaps he has abandoned the estate and moved on to other interests, I said, with desperate hope in my voice.

Julian laughed and his eyes flashed red. And perhaps purple monkeys will fly out of my ass. 

He continued to pack his things. He paused and then looked at me. You know, I could help you move the island, he offered.

Move the island? asked Maurix.

Yes. If you move the island and ward it well enough, perhaps it will give you a better chance of Brocktar not finding you. Of course, I am sure he has arcane marks all over this island. You would need a wizard to find them and remove them, he mused, contemplating his plan.

We have pointy hat, said Shavalia. The artificer looked confused. 

What she is saying is, we have a wizard here on the estate, I interceded.

Ah, that would be very useful, then, he said.

You’ve worked for Brocktar, so how do we know you won’t just tell him where the estate has been moved to? Maurix looked suspicious.

Good point! I have no idea where Brocktar is. He has always sent for me when things needed repairing. So, unless he finds me, I wouldn’t be able to tell him a thing, he disclosed.

I no like this, said Shavalia.

Neither do I, I said. The artificer held up his hands in surrender. 

Okay, okay... I won’t help you. He shrugged, turned and buckled his suitcase closed. Should I put this repair on Brocktar’s account or will one of you be compensating me for my time?

I will give you the coin, artificer, I said.

Perfect, that will be fifty gold. He held out his cadaverous hand. I dropped the coins into his palm and he slipped them into a pouch. I will be on my way then. Good luck with Brocktar.

He walked to the field where he had first arrived and began to move upward again with his luggage walking behind him. How is he just walking into nothingness and not falling? I thought.

Wait! I yelled. He paused and turned to look down at me. Perhaps we can come to some arrangement. Look, obviously you know more of what is going on than I do.

Julian Hailstrom smiled wide, and began to descend.

Chapter 2

Unwanted Visitors

Julian began working on whatever magical mechanism it would take to move the island in the plane of air. He explained that to move in this plane, all you had to do was will yourself to move in that direction. The plane responded to the mental exertion of the mind. But moving a whole island would take a little more than just will. We spent a few hours tumbling nose over knees before we got the hang of being able to move ourselves in the plane of air. The artificer found it to be a great source of entertainment. 

He set up shop in an outbuilding that Corbin had constructed. All hours of the day there would be the ringing of hammers and the clanking of machinery. Julian was always surrounded by a swarm of little creatures that he had made, none of which looked natural. All of them seemed creepy to me, and set my ranger’s senses on edge. Actually, Julian himself seemed eerie – his hands were always cold to the touch, his skin had a deathly pallor and his eyes flashed red when the light hit them in certain ways. I didn’t trust him, but he had knowledge I needed if we were to keep the sorcerer, Brocktar, from finding us. 

I went to find Ohlmeer. The wizard had not left his tower since he found out the sorcerer was alive. Brocktar had taken much from him and Maurix. When I found them, they had been in the machines I came to call stasis pods for thousands of years. Brocktar was siphoning off their knowledge, skills and magic for his own use. With so much time having passed, everything they had known was gone. Ohlmeer had been trying this past year to regain some of his spells and lost knowledge. I had a feeling he once was a very powerful wizard. I saw Robert carrying a tray of food to the wizard’s tower and called to him.

Oh, Mistress Ellwyn, how may I be of service?

Is this for Ohlmeer? I asked.

Yes, Mistress. Sir Ohlmeer has been taking his meals in his tower, said the skeleton.

I see. I will take his meal to him, Robert. You may continue with your other duties, I said, smiling.

As you wish, Mistress. He handed me the tray. 

Is that roast duck I smell? 

Yes, Mistress. Maggie has been a talented asset to the kitchen. 

Indeed she has, I said, thinking back to when I first tasted her cooking. My thoughts then turned to Corbin and a pang of sadness pulsed in my heart. I miss that little shit, I thought. I shook the memories from my mind and went to look for Ohlmeer.

I found the wizard frantically pacing in his study. Achmed, his apprentice, was sitting on a stool watching intently. His head turned back and forth with Ohlmeer’s movements.

I brought your lunch, roast duck and potatoes, I said in a chipper tone. The wizard didn’t slow his stride. 

Just put it right there, Ellwyn. He pointed to a side table without looking at me.

Aren’t you going to eat? I asked.

I don’t have time to satisfy the whims of the body. I must figure out a solution to hiding this estate from Brocktar, he said, panic edging his voice. I stepped in his path and he ran into me, he was so focused on his problem. I put my hand on his arm. He looked up from the floor and met my eyes. There was fear in them and worry on his brow. He looked as if it took everything he had not to bolt. 

Ohlmeer, you are safe for now, and we are working on a solution. I will die before I let that wicked sorcerer touch you again. He looked at me for a long moment, searching my face to see if I could really keep him safe. His breath was coming in short, rapid bursts, no doubt in time with his heart. He must not have found what he was looking for.

"You can’t promise that, Ellwyn. Brocktar is a very old sorcerer. He has centuries of study and magic. By the gods, he took much of that from me. His voice quivered and his body shook. And do you know what the worst part is? I don’t even know what was taken. I simply have this...loss. I have a hole where part of me should be."

Then let’s work on a plan together, I said reassuringly. He let out a sigh and pulled himself together. He patted my hand, and took a long, deep breath.

You’re right. Being flustered isn’t helping anything.

Not eating doesn’t help either, I gently chided. So sit down and have a bite while we work on figuring something out. Have you found all the arcane marks? Ohlmeer took a roll from the tray and bit into it.

Yes, all the arcane marks have been removed, he mumbled.

Good. Julian is working on a device that he will install into the island. It will allow us to move it at any time with a lever in the observatory, I said encouragingly.

That won’t be enough, Ellwyn! he growled, throwing down the half-eaten roll onto the tray. "I’ve been working on a Forbiddance Spell. Nobody will be able to teleport or shift onto the estate. It will create a magical field that you will need to utter a phrase to breach. Failure to do so will trap a trespasser in one of those infernal contraptions. Let’s see how he likes it," he said.

That sounds like just what we need! I felt excited for the first time since the assassin tried to kill me.

Ohlmeer frowned. Just...one problem. I don’t have sufficient magic or skills to cast it on an entire island. Defeat flooded over him and he slumped his shoulders. 

Can we employ the help of another wizard? I asked. The wizard’s frown deepened.

I don’t want another wizard to know what we are doing or where we are. My lot can’t be trusted with such information. He spat out the words. I felt my eyes widen at his reaction. 

"I had no idea you felt that way about other wizards. Do all wizards distrust