The Curse of the Star Wraiths

By The Lord Otter

In a world where gods walk alongside mortals, and humanity is cowed into submission by the empire of Alcaron, two brothers find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Taken from their homes and subjected to terrors that would drive any man insane, Serithas and Zolan will have to learn just what it takes to be men, in a world that

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alcaron Publishing
• Release date: Oct 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798989214815

The Lord Otter

The Lord Otter was born and raised in the mountains of Tennessee. Since then, he has become an avid fan of pulp literature, role-playing games, and all things fantastical. When he isn't writing fiction, he is usually writing reviews, essays, and collaborating with other indie creators.

Book preview

Origin

Darkness came in full as the storm clouds rolled overhead. The landscape reeled with its plains of golden grass, acacia trees, and cool rhododendrons dimming as if under a spell. All the magic and hope of that land vanished with it. In its place there came a feeling of ominous uncertainty, coupled with the odd streak of lightning.

The brothers frowned as they rode atop their mares. Their cowls spanned over their heads while rain soaked them to the bone. Normally Zolan and Serithas wouldn’t have been surprised by weather like this. Yet it dawned on them that this was no ordinary storm; it arrived in a matter of minutes, and what started as a mild drizzle had become a downpour.

It looks like we’ve chosen a bad time to visit mother’s grave, said Zolan, his voice barely recognizable over the howling winds.

Well it’s too late to change that now, his brother replied. This storm is getting worse by the minute. We should find some cover.

Perhaps you’re right. He looked about them, spotting a lone acacia tree standing nearby. Its branches swayed violently with the wind, yet it looked safer than the path they were riding along.

Lightning struck overhead.

Zolan’s horse whinnied in response. The youth tried calming the beast, as he could feel her panicked movements coming from underneath him. He kept her calm enough so that she followed his brother. They departed from the path, and soon they were both underneath the boughs of the large acacia. The wind howled in their ears, though it seemed that the storm was steadily abating in intensity.

Serithas had dismounted when there came another flash of lightning, this time causing the tree over them to erupt in a plume of flames. The two horses reeled in panic as they sped off in opposite directions. Serithas cried out in shock, seeing that his brother was carried away by his mare. It was only a short moment before they were separated, the downpour drowning out their shouts for one another.

The rain pounded against his face. Following several attempts to rein in his mount, Zolan pulled back with all his strength. At first it seemed that the beast might stop then and there before she turned. He felt himself leave the saddle; his hands groped along for any kind of hold, yet it was too late as he landed in the mud with a crash!

He lay there for some time before his senses returned—how long he wasn’t sure. Eventually, his eyes opened as he struggled to his feet. Despite all his efforts to move both arms he could only do so with his left. The other felt as if it had been thrust over a fire, each movement coming with a horrific jolt of pain.

It was obvious that his shoulder had been dislocated…

He was also alone.

Serithas! Serithas! he cried. There was no response.

His eyes welled up with tears as he stumbled along the nearest hillside. In truth, being a boy of thirteen years, Zolan was largely scorned by his peers for acting too much like a child. He had relied on his older brother for so much. This fact was made all the more evident when he had been forced to hunt a prized elk on his own, returning several hours later with nothing to show for it. He was too weak—his elders said as much.

He continued to weep in frustration. Though only a couple years spanned between them, Serithas had always appeared so fearless and confident. Now the thought of being left alone was an utterly terrifying one.

Somehow he would have to fend for himself. He would have to survive.

The lad stifled his emotions, coming face-to-face with a large boulder. Unfortunately its surface was too smooth to serve as any real cover. Zolan had thought of another use for it.

He steadied his breathing and tried remaining calm, though in reality his heart was racing. Thankfully he had seen Harskul’s shaman treating injuries like this before. At least enough to know how to deal with it. The winds were shy of being a fully-fledged cyclone, and there was no guarantee that Serithas was even alive.

He would have to find his brother, and that likely meant having full use of both arms.

Thus he twisted his shoulder and slammed it against the stone. He felt the joint being popped into place, though that didn’t stop him from roaring out in pain.

Zolan dropped to his knees, retching as his mind wavered along the edge of consciousness. His heartbeat steadied as both the agony and adrenaline subsided. He was so tired… but he would have to move on if he hoped to survive.

That was when he heard his name being called out among that storm.

At first he thought it was Serithas who found him. Zolan smiled in relief, moving to the hill’s summit to try and survey his surroundings…

No one was there.

"Zolan," the voice spoke out again. Only this time it appeared to come from the heavens themselves.

The youth became frightened. How could he hear his own name being spoken if it wasn’t his brother? It couldn’t have been the other men of Harskul. They were too far away for anyone to find them. The weather was too violent. So who was this other person who called out to him?

That was when he saw it. Out from the rain and wind there emerged a figure who towered high over everything else. Though it was human-like in appearance, its eyes glowed with a thunderous, supernatural fury. Each stride resounded like a thunderclap, a long mane waving independent of its surroundings.

Zolan trembled where he stood, realizing that this figure must have been some sort of deity. Of course, he had heard tales of men speaking with gods from before; but he never thought that he would be the one to have such an encounter.

Calamtu, he thought. Yes… it had been their shaman who told him stories of this deity. Like most of the other gods who dwelled in this world, the master of storms was said to be unpredictable in His behavior. One could be reduced to cinders just as they might be given His blessing. Calamtu was known as a god of might, one who wrought terrible destruction for all who stood in His path.

"That was when he saw it."

Zolan couldn’t believe himself. This storm was His doing!

The figure halted in stride—standing over the boy as if it were a massive statue. He wasn’t sure what this being could have wanted with him, yet he was almost certain it was outside his understanding. Every fiber of his being quaked in fear—but there was also some part of him that waited with anticipation.

That was when a hand twice his size moved over him. From those massive fingers there danced blue streams of lightning. Deep within his soul, Zolan felt something similar stir and awaken—something which responded to that stimulus.

He realized that the lightning was coming from himself. His eyes began glowing as well, and his voice didn’t waver as he spoke, almost as if in declaration.

"Stormbright."

The giant smiled as He lifted His hand. Another flash of lightning came forth as it blinded the youth. By the time his sight had returned, all signs of the deity were gone.

It wasn’t long after that Zolan lost consciousness, the energy dispersing as his body fell to the scorched earth. It would be several hours later before he was found by Serithas. Even in the days following their return, he would recall little from their time being separated. There would be no memory of what transpired after falling from his horse, nor of the god he had encountered within that storm.

In the wake of destruction, the Fields of Man were largely spared. Only the odd scorch mark and fallen branch indicated that the land had been changed at all. There remained an unnatural silence, a sense of unrest which hushed the sighs between blades of grass—even the rustling of leaves among the trees and bushes.

Following some time, the disquiet broke as the cavalcade of soldiers made their march. The light of the sun reflected off their helms and cuirasses, forged of brass and shimmering moonsteel. Their arrayment of skewers bobbed up and down in unison. Their symmetrically perfect faces looked on without wavering, being toned a light shade of bronze.

To the common passerby, their presence might have appeared divine or even angelic, as their knotted arms and thews bent under the weight of their armor. Not a single person faltered in stride; not one made a step out of line.

At the front of this Ilgrathian squadron were two figures. The first settled upon her gelding, swaying imperceptibly whilst staring forward. She wore no helm—her mane of golden hair tied back in a single braid which curled along her shoulders.

Meanwhile, the human beside her was a solid cubit shorter. He was hooded and wiry of figure, and everything down to his ebony hair and melancholic mannerism showed that he was nothing like his superior. His robes were a dismal black, and his face was gaunt and worn out by untold years of obedience.

This sorcerer, whose name was Aedas, moved his eyes over to his companion; the Falconer cast him a passing glance.

Keep your eyes to yourself, she commanded. I don’t enjoy it when one of your kind looks at me that way.

The man obeyed without question.

We still have a job to do, and you know your role in it. Her eyes returned to their surroundings. I believe we should be close enough now.

They stopped by the trail. Here it seemed that the storm’s destruction had been at its worst. Whole sections of the land were overturned, and nearby was an acacia that had been burned to cinders. A series of scorch marks littered the area, which was undoubtedly caused by several lightning strikes in one place.

Strange, she said. This seems like a good place to start, if any. They rode a short distance before she turned to her companion, her voice hardening as if she were commanding a slave. Astromancer, begin your scrying. This area seems most suspicious.

Aedas was quick to respond, his eyes clouding a milky white as he dismounted. For a second his hands moved as if they were gripped by a palsy; his mind traveled along past, present, and future. He could see everything that had transpired there, everything which might also happen. But it was always difficult to discern the finer details. Faces, in particular, were a haze to his mind—even for one so experienced as he—yet he could at least divine the broader strokes of what had happened.

Yes, I can see it, he spoke absently. A sorcerer was here not long ago. It seems as if his powers were awakened by some being or god. I do not know what it was exactly, but I can tell that it has caused this destruction. He gestured around them as his concentration lapsed, his senses briefly overwhelmed. His eyes cleared of that mysterious magic.

How long ago was this? General Caerst inquired.

A little over three weeks, he said. The magician couldn’t have gone far. He was weak, and anyone whose sorceries are awakened will require time to adjust.

And did you see his face?

The astromancer shook his head.

She sighed. No wonder the others speak your name with such high praise. For a human, at least, your magic is quick and you get straight to the point.

Truly, I am honored. He bowed before remounting his horse. He was not sure why exactly, but he had omitted the fact that their target was joined by another—likely they were friends or brothers by his own conjecture?

He waved away the thought. They rode onward for a time as Aedas mustered the courage to speak.

If I may ask, how did you learn of this anomaly?

General Caerst frowned at him. It was found out by Ilgrathié, she said with a hint of reluctance. Apparently, this magic was so powerful that even She took notice. There was no other reason given, only that we should find any sorcerers responsible and deal with them.

It sounds like She is afraid, he said.

"Watch your words. A moment passed before she continued, her tone becoming a tinge more even-measured. This sorcerer could complicate things for us. Right now it is vital that we expand our borders, and we can’t afford to have any rogue magicians working against us. She looked at him again, this time with more menace. Is that understood, Aedas?"

He nodded while going silent, wordlessly cursing his fate. Why had the goddess chosen him for a task like this? Surely, She must have realized his connection to the area. Most humans came from the Fields of Man, after all, and what was more, he had recognized these parts as home.

That had been decades ago. Only then it was Aedas and his brother, along with Maelith, the woman he had loved so dearly.

He could still recall the day when the Ilgrathians invaded, conquering the Fields of Man under one fell swoop. His fellow men had fought valiantly, though there was little defense against the Almari—those Ilgrathian soldiers who rode on the backs of giant birds. Several cities were razed in a matter of hours, and somehow he and his brother were separated. Maelith was also taken from his arms that day, where he was forced to witness her rape and murder.

Thinking about it now, his only means of survival had come through his predisposition for magic. It was required that his mind be broken to prevent any thoughts of rebellion. The Ilgrathians had beaten him so many times, tortured his mind and body to where they were but fragments of a greater whole. He hated them for it—despised them, in fact. But there was a part of him that kept in line, staying loyal to his sadistic masters.

They were nearing their destination. Already the landscape was becoming more familiar by the second. Aedas could see a faint trail leading up ahead, snaking by a close escarpment before arriving at a collection of animal-shaped huts.

Bloodshed was soon to follow.

When the Ilgrathians arrived, the villagers of Harskul were struck with immediate fear. There was no place for them to go—nowhere to flee from those terrifying soldiers. Their adversaries had come without warning, and despite the village being almost hidden to the naked eye, there was little they could do with the enemy at their doorstep.

The soldiers gleamed fiercely as they stood in formation, appearing like figures out of legend. To Serithas, he knew what these people were capable of, and his fear held him firmly in place while standing amongst the crowd.

It had been several weeks since he had returned with his brother, and though Zolan was fast on the road to recovery, he was still somewhat weak from their excursion.

The two mounted figures stopped at the edge of the village. One was slim and beautiful, her plated armor making little noise as she dismounted. Beside her the man in robes did the same.

The woman’s eyes swept from side-to-side, her aquiline features giving her a likeness to a bird of prey.

I’m pleased that our entrance has not gone unnoticed, she said sardonically. My name is General Caerst. I am a Falconer of Ilgrathié, and I come here on urgent business. There are reports that a rogue magician is hiding in the area, and we have reason to believe he is here among you.

A sharp whisper spread throughout the crowd. Even in their small corner of the world, they had heard tell of how these Falconers—these first-born Ilgrathian women—were chosen at a young age, taken and given a drop of their goddess’ blood. It was well-known that this enhanced their abilities, increasing both their strength and cunning, while doing little to change their bodily appearance. It was the greatest gift a warrior goddess could give her pupils, as their tales of bloodletting and conquest