Aeolian's Quest Book I: Stormbringer: Aeolian's Quest, #1

By Jeff Brown

Two years after the conclusion of "Aeolian's War," with the apparent deaths of her sister and her betrothed and after the birth of her twins, Aeolian has vanished, leaving the throne of Atherra vacant. Her mother takes the throne and is controlled by another to assume full control. In the distant land of Tellusia, the ruler of the land, the Sorceress named Anomar has managed to draw the two presumed dead through the impenetrable Storm Barrier that has separated the two lands for centuries. Aeolian, now traveling alone using the name Silere, does not speak. She does encounter a woman that can read her thoughts and speaks for her. Once Aeolian is given information stating that her sister and potential husband are alive and in Tellusia, she begins trying to find a way to reach them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeff Brown
• Release date: Dec 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215320013

Jeff Brown

Jeff Brown created the beloved character of Flat Stanley as a bedtime story for his sons. He has written other outrageous books about the Lambchop family, including Flat Stanley, Stanley and the Magic Lamp, Invisible Stanley, Stanley’s Christmas Adventure, Stanley in Space, and Stanley, Flat Again! You can learn more about Jeff Brown and Flat Stanley at www.flatstanleybooks.com.

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SPECIAL THANKS

Without this person , there would be no book, no story, and no completion. She is my muse, my editor, my source of inspiration, and most importantly, my friend. I cannot thank you enough for everything you do. All I can do is publicly say thank you, Karen Bates.

AEOLIAN’S QUEST

Book I: Stormbringer

PROLOGUE

Sorceress and Priestess

Two women stood atop a low, smooth mesa barely ten feet above a desolate, dusty plain darkened beneath a sky filled with thick clouds, black and roiling, holding the threat of a rather intense storm, moving rapidly across the sky with a fast-moving wind, its intensity felt to a lesser degree on the ground. Brief flashes of intense blue lighting appeared behind those clouds and resulted in frequent and varied claps of thunder. Some were sharp, snapping sounds like sticks being broken while others were sustained and seemed to roll over the landscape like the wave generated by a heavy explosion.

The women were quite different, disparate in their contrasting appearances. Though they were roughly the same height, the similarities ended there. One was thin, almost to the point of appearing emaciated, with a lean body of wiry muscle, clearly visible through the diaphanous black robe held in place by a narrow belt around her trim waist while the hem fluttered around her lower body in the sharp breeze, revealing her dusky skin and most of her body. Her dark hair, falling almost to her waist in gentle waves the color of coal, whipped around her shoulders and a few strands fell across her narrow face of sharp angles and flat, smooth planes. She held her hands at her waist, extended a few inches, long fingers splayed wide like a stage dancer, and her head was tilted back, her dark eyes closed and mouth open almost as if in the throes of ecstasy.

The other woman, standing a few feet to her left, was dressed in white from feet to neck, in smooth, tight-fitting trousers and tunic with not a single inch of skin showing. Her shoulder-length, perfectly straight dark blond hair was tousled by the wind, but still managed to remain mostly in place. Her softer features and more curvaceous body remained still as she stood with her arms folded over her chest and her boot-clad feet close together. Her eyes, a soft brown, were closed as well, but her mouth also remained closed, full lips pressed almost tightly together as she felt the power of the building storm flowing through her.

She was Minuet, the Priestess, and felt a strong connection with the woman beside her, Anomar, the Sorceress and Necromancer, as they both drew on their powers to accomplish one goal: to bring two people thought to be dead in Atherra to the land of Tellusia and prepare them for an invasion and ultimate takeover of Atherra. The idea was the product of Anomar’s wicked mind, but there was little Minuet could do about it. The Sorceress reigned supreme in Tellusia and, without the power to openly defy her, she could only comply with her demands. Still, it took the power of them both to create the spatial vortex to span the Storm Barrier separating Tellusia and Atherra, protecting the realm from their ancient enemies across the Sea of Tempests. Minuet understood the idea and had agreed to it simply because she had sensed changes in power having recently taken place in Atherra, the result of those two supposed deaths.

Of all her powers, Minuet felt the power of clairvoyance to be her most useful. It had given her insight into the situation in Atherra, including the death of King Fortis and the rise of Kavalle as well as his demise and the ascension of Aeolian to the throne. The clairvoyance had further shown her the results of Aeolian’s reign. She would unite all of Atherra, restoring the realm to the great power it had been centuries before when the two realms had been at war and Tellusia began to lose the struggle. Mithra, the creator of both Atherra and Tellusia, had created the Storm Barrier to hold the realms separate and put an end to the hostilities between them. The Barrier also kept the magic of Atherra, potentially more powerful than the magic either she or Anomar wielded individually, from stretching across the wide sea to cause harm to the people of Tellusia or either of them.

The power built within Anomar, drawing from her own reserves and siphoning the power of Minuet as well, willingly given. Her widespread fingers began to glow, an electric blue, and the light began to dance around them, a sporadic ballet that grew brighter and brighter with each deep breath she took. After several moments, as the storm overhead began to intensify in concert with the power flowing through her, Anomar slowly raised her hands, moving them in front of her with her palms facing each other. As they reached chest height, the crackling blue lights began to jump between her hands, becoming a steady flow of energy. The light from that energy cast a blue aura around her hands and cast her narrow face in sharp relief as her mouth opened a bit wider and a quick gasp exploded from her as her hands finally came together. With that gasp, sounding almost as if she was in the throes of an orgasm, the light grew brighter and the force of the energy pushed them apart and turned her palms toward the barren plain before her.

Twin bolts of almost white energy shot forward and struck the ground more than a dozen feet away. The energy continued to flow and slowly circled a few feet apart, rotating in opposite directions. Spirals of energy began to rise and soon formed a pair of cylinders. They continued to rotate slowly for a moment and two dark shapes began to coalesce inside them, growing quickly, seeming to rise from the ground. Soon, they reached a certain height and stopped growing, one more than half a foot taller than the other.

Once they stopped growing, Anomar let out a heavy sigh and closed her fingers into fists, cutting off the flow of the energy. A second later, the twin cylinders vanished as if a switch had been thrown and in their place stood two people. One was tall and male with long, light brown hair and the other was a shorter female with much longer, auburn hair and a fire in her emerald green eyes.

Both of them looked at the pair on the small mesa and frowned as Minuet lowered her arms and took a step forward.

You have been brought here, your lives saved, by the Sorceress and the Priestess of Tellusia, she said with authority. It is now your destiny to serve us.

Anomar stepped forward and looked at the woman, You, the sister, will become my protégé for now, learning a new power to become the weapon needed to save this land.

Sister? the woman frowned. I do not understand.

Anomar nodded and drew in a slow breath then said, Simply put, you were to be killed, but we have brought you here to give you a greater power than you have ever known.

She nodded slowly and replied, Then I will do as you ask.

Minuet then looked at the man and said, You were also to be killed and were taken from your fate. Here, you will be hidden from those seeking to use you and your unique powers. We will hide you and keep you from being forced to do such horrible things.

He nodded slowly, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but it doesn’t look like I have much choice.

Anomar looked at him and nodded, You have no choice at all. Neither of you do. We will see that you are taken care of and given all that you need.

CHAPTER ONE

The Travelers

The tall hooded woman walked slowly along the wide road, close to the edge though she knew there would be no traffic, no single riders or passenger carriages, so late at night. The only threat possible would come from a highwayman hidden in the dense foliage along the side of the road to waylay her as she approached, but she wasn’t afraid of such an attack. She could handle herself as well as anyone in all of Atherra.

The deep hood kept her face concealed with its own innate magic, her jade green eyes the only thing visible in the mask of shadow, almost glowing like twin points of light in the utter darkness of her hood as they drew in the pale light from the waning moon and sparkling stars in the clear sky overhead. It was the way she wanted it, especially at night. She had claimed it. The night was hers, the moon and stars her friends and mentors, her guides. She traveled with no destination, just riding the tide of her own despair.

She had chosen the name Silere, an ancient word meaning pure silence. It had been more than two years since a single word had passed her lips and she knew it would be quite some time before she allowed it to happen again. She had nothing to say, nothing of any merit. She was lost, without hope, but her sheer determination, a drive developed over years of searching, kept her moving forward, pointlessly looking for something to ease her pain and a place where she could be on her own, completely isolated.

She no longer believed there was anything in the world to alleviate the pain torturing her soul. Things had happened to her and around her followed by one rash decision that had radically altered the course of her life. There was no going back, at least not until she fully accepted those failures and allowed the wounds in her heart and soul to heal. She was far from even beginning the healing process. For the process to begin, she first had to forgive herself then find hope, but she was far from ready to forgive herself for the atrocity she’d committed in anger or her actions that followed. She saw herself as beyond redemption, but it was not in her nature to give up. She would keep going, moving along randomly, until she found something that would ease her pain.

As always, once the sun was down and she was awake and moving, her mind locked onto the situations in her past and played them over and over with each step.

Her name had been Aeolian and she had been Queen of Atherra, successor to King Fortis after his murder once Tocca, the usurper, and Kavalle, the ersatz Mage Lord, had been removed from power. The path to the throne had shown her more about herself than she could’ve ever imagined, how different the truth was from the image she’d built of herself over the years. She’d gained power beyond her belief, the strongest magic in the world, the power to alter her physical form, an almost psychic connection with the man of her dreams, and the mental strength to handle just about anything. It hadn’t been enough to handle killing her own corrupted sister, the one to challenge her for the throne and had destroyed the man of her dreams, the love of her life. She’d retaliated in anger and the brief lapse of control had begun the process of sending her life into a huge downward spiral.

The despair and pain had remained with her, but she’d held it off long enough to give birth to his twin children, a son she’d named Talon and a daughter named Belexes, before it had taken complete control of her mind and life. She wanted to love the children and did in her own way, but she couldn’t handle them. Each time she looked at them she saw the signs of their father in the faces, the eyes, the set of the jaw, and even the slightest bit of recognition brought back the oppressive despair, making her want to collapse and cry until she could no longer function at all. She couldn’t handle seeing the faces of her friends, the ones that followed her without question through all the trials she’d faced in her quest to claim the throne. The sight of them added to her despair and she felt it had been a mistake to appoint them to her court. She had to see them every day and, despite attempting to focus her mind on the plan she’d created to unify Atherra and bring prosperity back to the land, it had been too much for her and prompted her decision.

She chose to walk away, leaving everything behind, including her name. The despair had not only affected her mind, it had affected her body. Her magic had vanished almost instantly and she’d been forced to rely on the training she’d received as a young princess and the things she’d witnessed during her trials merely to survive. She had nothing to live for, but she also had no desire to end her life. The only hope she had was of a possible future, one she hadn’t yet determined, and the belief she would find hope once again.

It had been more than two years since her departure from Atherra and she’d managed to evade the brief pursuit of those trying to find her and bring her back. It surprised her that she’d been able to get away from them and remain hidden from them for so long. She didn’t believe her friends would give up so quickly and assumed something had happened to keep them from continuing, but she no longer had connections with anyone and learned nothing of what was happening in the city of Tumis, the place of her birth and where she’d grown into a powerful princess.

In leaving everything and everyone behind, she left her name behind as well. It no longer had any meaning. As Princess and Queen the name held a certain power, an authority, but none of it transferred outside the confines of Ankfel Hall. Her power was gone and her identity with it. She was woman without a past and potentially one without a future. She was a traveler looking for hope in a seemingly hopeless world and would continue traveling, resting during the day and moving at night, until she found what she was looking for, if she ever found it at all.

After traveling west with an initial plan of returning to Malistan, the place where she’d first learned of her ability to transform, to see if there was anything left there for her, she’d given up on the idea after discovering the ability, along with all the others, had vanished and turned to the north, planning to visit the remains of Stableford, the city destroyed by the release of the Great Beasts, the Servants of Mithra, before her sister arrived and became the Darkmage as she stole the power from two other Mages. She thought it possible there would be some residual energy there, at least enough to show her the possibility remained of regaining her power. She didn’t think it was likely, knowing Locrian had absorbed every bit of magic in the area while draining the two Mages, but it was something to do, a path to take that no one would expect.

The night wore on as she walked, the shadows of the trees beside the road keeping her presence almost completely hidden. She was tired and knew sunrise wasn’t far off. She would need a place to rest during the day, hopefully one with some shade where she could sleep, at least a few hours, before resuming her trek. She hadn’t slept more than four hours in a single day since she’d left Tumis. The dreams of what had happened, the nightmares, returned every time she fell asleep and forced her to wake, leaving her trembling and frightened, unable to fall sleep again. Sometimes it lasted the full four hours and sometimes she only slept for a few minutes. Even the exhaustion of constantly walking, hunting for food and water, and trying to determine her precise location was not enough to lull her into a deep and dreamless sleep. The dreams always returned and always woke her.

She was still far from the nearest town or community and would be forced once again to sleep among the trees. She’d grown accustomed to doing so and it no longer left her feeling dirty or demeaned. It was part of her existence and she would do what was necessary.

She still had a little time before she would have to find a resting place and continued forward with a steady stride, her posture maintaining a bit of the confidence and regal stature she’d exhibited her entire life. Her soft-soled boots, black to match the remainder of her attire, made almost no sound against the hard-packed dirt of the road as she continued forward and her eyes scanned both sides of the road, looking into the trees and bushes lining the wide pathway for any sign of a place where she could rest comfortably and unbothered.

After several moments of not seeing even a break in the line of greenery, she stopped suddenly as she caught motion in her peripheral vision farther down the road at the point where it curved to the left, the path turning to the west for a brief period. Her eyes flashed open wide as her left hand began quickly unfastening the front of her cloak to be prepared for a confrontation, expecting the motion to belong to a highwayman, and she knew there would be more than one.

The motion, seen in glimpses through the leaves of the trees and bushes, come into view slowly, revealing the figure of a fairly tall, lean woman dressed in dark clothing with long, perfectly straight blond hair that appeared stark white in the baleful light of the moon. The sharp features of her face were exposed by the light, her pale skin seeming to almost glow. Though the woman seemed unarmed, Silere wasn’t taking any chances. She reached beneath the folds of the cloak with her right hand and slowly drew the long, slim sword she kept concealed within the lining of the cloak and held it tightly at her side, ready to defend herself should the woman prove to be a threat.

The woman took two more steps then stopped, more than thirty yards away, and held up her hands, fingers spread to show she had nothing in either one.

I am not a threat to you, Silere, she said. I am Elara and I have come to help you.

Silere shook her head, wondering how this woman could possibly help her.

I can be your voice, she replied, unprompted. That is how I can help you. I know you have chosen not to speak, but your mind still has things to be revealed. I have the power to hear your thoughts, those you wish to reveal, and speak them for you.

Silere frowned and thought, I don’t understand. Is this some strange coincidence that we should meet?

No, Elara shook her head slowly. Allow me to approach. Put away your sword and I will explain.

Silere thought about it briefly. She wanted to know and strangely trusted this woman’s words. Letting out a slow breath, she returned the sword to its concealed scabbard and nodded slowly.

Elara smiled wanly and walked closer, stopping a couple of feet in front of her.

She looked into the still-visible green eyes, her own blue eyes, large and wide, sparkling as well, and said, Like you, I am a traveler, an outcast from my village for exhibiting the power I possess. For weeks now, I have heard your thoughts and seen your dreams. You are a tortured soul, Silere, and you need help. You need the peace of hope. I cannot give you such peace, but I can assist you in finding it, if you will accept my assistance.

Silere looked at her, unblinking for a few seconds, considering the possibility. She had been alone for so long and, if nothing