The Eighth Power: Book II: The Book of the Earth

by Paul Lytle

  The body of the Priest collapsed, and Ayrim placed a hand against Nigh’s chest. The man was dead. He had Invoked Flarow to expand the water inside himself until he had drowned.

  Like Drel Tyal, Reman Nigh had Invoked his own death.

  Chapter 25

  The Thanes were there but a few minutes later, and then came townsmen from all of the dens. News of a traitor Priest spread quickly through the large city, and everyone wanted to see. But the Thanes would not bring out the bodies yet. They arrested the other Priests, simply to keep them from Ayrim until the truth was revealed to everyone, but Priests from the other temples were allowed inside.

  “You should have come for me first,” Gerill Hyte said as he embraced Ayrim.

  “Nigh knew I was coming,” the boy explained. “He would have escaped unless we caught them there.”

  “Better he escapes than you be in danger,” the Thane said as a father will of his son. “I am glad you are unhurt. I am also glad you found out Nigh, but it is no excuse.”

  “I know,” Ayrim said, still looking at the body of the man he had killed. A human, a Priest. His Priest. “I am sorry. It was foolish.”

  “Ayrim, are you here?” came a voice from the door. It was Father Josite from the Temple of Serren, being led by one of Tianon’s Priests.

  “I am here, Father,” the swordsman said, coming to the door.

  “Thank the gods,” Rignslin said, embracing Iylin. “The news, it was so shocking to all of us. A Priest of Flarow turning from the Six as he did.”

  “Did he?” wondered Ayrim aloud.

  “What do you mean?”

  Ayrim bit his lip, but said, “He said that Flarow had ordered my death.”

  “That is ridiculous.”

  “But he Invoked. How could he have Invoked without the blessing of the goddess?”

  Josite furrowed his brow. He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. At last the words came He took Iylin by the arm and said, “I cannot give you those answers, Ayrim. I do not understand yet myself. But it is nonsense that the gods wish you dead. For what purpose would they wish this? For what purpose might Flarow align herself with Vid? Flarow would not send ern against one of her faithful. It makes no sense.”

  “I know.”

  “My son, you know the stories of the Battle of the Osilar Young, no?”

  “I do.”

  “Do they not tell of the Priests of this town Invoking in defense of the humans? I was there, remember. I Invoked Serren’s Healing power to save several lives that day.”

  “I remember.”

  “They Invoked in defense of you, Ayrim. Do you not see that? The war was fought in defense of you and the others born on the eighth of Osilar, the year 8704. Against the ern we fought, against the Absence.”

  “Yes.”

  “Those Invocations needed the blessing of the gods as well, but that time they were used in your defense. They do not wish you dead, Ayrim. The war clearly shows that they will fight for your life, just as we did.”

  The swordsman said nothing.

  The Priest was frowning hard, and it seemed as though he was feeling real pain. “Ayrim, don’t turn from them. Too great is your faith to have it stomped out by this one man who forsook the Six. Flarow would never aid the ern. Never! Neither would she help Reman Nigh to bring the ern into this city. He followed Vid, not Flarow, on this day. As for Nigh’s Invocation, I cannot yet say. There is a higher purpose in this, you must know that. We cannot yet see it, but the gods know, Ayrim. The gods know, and they are with you.”

  Iylin closed his eyes, truly torn in the matter. Everything he had learned was that only by the greatest of Faith can Priests Invoke, and yet Flarow had come to an ally of Vid. It made no sense. But he said, “I understand, Father.”

  “Is it over?” asked Dariel Sterwet, sitting in the corner as far from the dead ern as he could be. “Have the ern been defeated in Saparen?”

  “As long as the Prophets of the Flame and of the Wind are undiscovered,” Gerill Hyte said, “it will never end. But if we are to believe Drel Tyar, then Vid already knows where those Prophets are, and he is moving now to destroy them.”

  “And yet,” Ayrim said, “Nigh still brought ern into the city. If he had truly turned to the Absence, if he had orders from Vid, then surely he would know where the two Prophets were.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Dariel.

  “So if the locations of the Prophets were revealed to Reman Nigh, and he still needed to bring ern into the city, then it is probable that he did so because at least one of the new Wizards lives inside the walls of Saparen. Our troubles with the ern will not stop until someone finds him.”

  The End

  Book II of

  THE EIGHTH POWER

  Coming in June 2013 . . .

  Book III

  The Book of the Flame

  The war against Fahlin has gone badly, and the castles that once protected the kingdom of Aeresan against the ern now stand unmanned. The wicked ern are flowing into the land unhindered, and they are anxious to renew their search for the new Prophets. It is only a matter of time before they can mount another attack against the city of Saparen, and this time Saparen will have no reinforcements to protect them.

  Ayrim Iylin, now a Thane of Saparen, must seek one of only two people in the world who can possibly save them – one of the two Prophets that have now been hidden over twenty years. And if one of those men cannot be found, the city will surely fall.

  The Eighth Power continues as the Void’s dark power begins to reassert itself in Aeresan, and the search for the missing Prophets becomes desperate if anything is to be saved.

  Keep checking for new books,

  as a new volume will appear every month throughout 2013!

  About the Author

  Paul Lytle lives and works in Houston, where he lives with his wife, Josie, and his (at the time of the writing of this bio) two week old son. He can be found online at https://www.paullytle.com or on Twitter as @Calvinistnerd. He also writes for and edits the online magazine Primum Mobile at https://www.primum-mobile.net.

  Appendix A – The Dynasties of Aeresan

  Before the Death Wars, there was a kingdom whose name is long forgotten, but that the Castle of Aeresan housed its king is well-documented. After the Death Wars, Aeresan became the central city to a new Kingdom, and that Kingdom was, in turn named after the castle. The Kingdom of Aeresan has existed since the Wars, though to varying degrees of strength and size. During those four thousand years, many different families or groups ruled the kingdom.

  4700?-4725?: Death Wars

  4725?-4835?: Arinsore Dynasty. Aeresan remained a small kingdom, but one relatively at peace, for they were far from the rising ern threat to the east. The reason for their fall is unknown. A notable ruler from this family was Sarn, the second in the line of Arinsore Kings.

  4835?-4860?: Tryl Dynasty. A great famine swept over Aeresan (and the entire continent), but the Tryl family kept control by blaming the Prophets for their problems. The Prophets actually did become the cause for the family when they invaded Aeresan and took control of the castle.

  4860?-4871: Rule of the Wizards. A very oppressive rule, especially in the ways of religion. Overthrown by revolution, and the people never really trusted the Prophets again. Construction on the Last Stand was begun.

  4871-6117: Jonat Dynasty. Though long-lived and well-respected, the Jonat family ruled with force, and their wars in the wake of the disaster of the Prophets’ rule caused more than half of the continent to fall under Aeresan control. The Tower was built in these years, and the Last Stand was finished. A Prophet was born into the royal family, and the King used that Mage in his wars, only to pretend to have been oblivious to the boy’s talents once the people found out. Taxes grew increasingly higher until many of the lords ceased their support of the throne. The family fell soon after.

  6117
-6357: Elected Kings. The lords decided to run the kingdom by an elected council, but that council began voting on kings to rule until death, when another king would be chosen. In 6357, Rylan Kamuna was chosen, and though the pretense of an elected monarch lasted until his death, it was then that the next Dynasty began.

  6357-6858: Kamuna Dynasty. At his death, Rylan illegally declared his son king, but most people had liked the first Kamuna, and so no one protested very loudly. The latter kings were not as successful as Rylan, however, and much land was lost in these years. The dynasty ended in war with a neighboring kingdom, when the king, still without heir, died in battle.

  6858-6915: Various. War between the Barons for the throne gave Aeresan too many kings to list, and few who lived long enough to be worth the effort. The people found their taxes changing monthly, or sometimes weekly, and laws changed almost as quickly. Order was restored by Baron Trosalan, whose army gathered much support simply for stability’s sake.

  6915-present: Trosalan Dynasty. The longest lived of the ruling families, the Trosalans are also considered the best, though several of the kings within have been failures. Still, for almost two thousand years Aeresan has grown and found some degree of prosperity.

  Appendix B – The Post-Wars Calendar

  Before the Death Wars, the world used a twelve-month calendar, each month consisting of thirty days, save only a couple of months late in the year, one taking thirty-one days, and the other twenty-nine. The calendar held eight days, six named after the Gods, and then two generic days, the first being Sun Day, a Holy Day recognized by nearly all religions, springing from the tradition on the Six, where Sun Day is a day of worship for all gods as one, and Last Day, which is a day of rest.

  The Death Wars did not destroy the calendar, for evidence of its months and days linger still, but in the wake of such destruction was it not important any longer. Only scholars really kept track of the years anyway, for the people cared more about the seasons, whether it be time to reap or so, than the years. The days of the week remained, for even those who did not follow the Six generally observed Last Day as a time to rest, and Sun Day as a day to worship.

  For over a century there was no set calendar to unite the kingdoms. Each country had its own way of counting the years, for a King was likely to declare his ascension to the throne as Year 1, or some great battle as the start of the calendar, but even these year numbers were not strictly adhered to, and even the King’s court in various lands would get confused on the year.

  The months were worse, for they changed in name almost every year. A new ruler would declare new month names, normally after himself and other respectable Kings, but he would, sometimes on a yearly basis, add days to his own month. Sometimes he would take those days from the months of others, and sometimes he would just invent them. There was the case of one King in the Arinsore family whose own month consisted of one-hundred and seventy or more days. Unfortunately, none of those days were subtracted from the other months, and so the year, that time, began in Spring, went through the next Spring and into a second Summer.

  All of which just confused the issue further.

  Near the beginning of the Jonat Dynasty, Tianist monks began an intensive study of the calender, and discovered that, by the reckoning of the pre-Wars world, they were in the middle of the year 4896. To simplify matters all over the world, they planned to return the people to that calendar, but the Kings were hesitant. They had their own months, with their own names upon them, and had no interest in changing everything just for monks.

  And so the Tianist decided that it was more important to establish a unified calendar than revive the old one completely, and so they went to the powerful Kings, which were six in number, and declared that they would name a month after each of them. And since this calendar would be permanent, a new King would not simply take the names of these men off at a later date.

  This appealed greatly to the Kings, who unanimously agreed to use the calendar. The other six months would be named for a great Prophet from each of the six Gods.

  The year began with Morilyr, and though Morilyr was known to be a King, it is forgotten what kingdom he ruled, only that it was north of what became Norser. Trel was named for Trel Jonat of Aeresan, and Farselar was a King in Fahl, which eventually became Fahlin. Of the Summer months, Mar ruled, according to legend, Ilespin, which is noted for its heat and humidity, but there is no historical record of what he ruled, and more than likely the rumor was begun because of the month Mar’s tendency to be humid. Apir lead a kingdom called Laringar, which would be conquered only three years later by Fahl. Jenta was a tribal leader who had united the mountain people, and though it was no kingdom, but rather a loose alliance between families, his power was enough that he was added to the calendar.

  The three months of Autumn and those of Winter were named for Prophets. Sepilar was the Tianist who supervised the construction of the Tower, while Osilar created the fountains inside the walls with his Flaran powers. They were the latest Prophets on the list, for Eith and Tunar, the next two, held their positions very soon after the Death Wars, and what they had done to make them worthy of such an honor is long forgotten. One was a Prophet of Serren, and the other or Ignar, though even that is only known because the other four Gods are represented by other names, and so these two must represent the others. Caras was a Prophet of the Whesler who began construction of an academy in Teddyn, a Castle in Fahl. Both the castle and the school were razed in 5705. Lastly, the Tarist Falinar was a Prophet who sacrificed himself to hold an army of ern away from a settlement on the west bank of Fahl. He lasted so long against them that the women and children had enough time to get away, but the men were slain when they went to reinforce the Mage.

  Since the year ran 360 days, and the week was eight days, the calendar fit evenly within the weeks, and therefore would the first day of Morilyr, which was the first day of Spring and the first day of the year, always fall on a Sun Day. Mar first, which began the hot Summer months, fell upon Ignar’s Day, for the flame was the symbol of the season; Sepilar first, the start of a cooler Autumn, was represented by the sea, and was always on Flarow’s Day. Finally Tarite’s Day, Death’s Day, began Winter on the first day of Tunar.

  The calendar is maintained for no other reason than that the Tianist monks like it. Since they are the primary record-keepers of the world, nearly all histories use the months and years described here. But still only scholars really have need of such a calendar, for the peasants still mark passing time by the seasons rather than numbered days.

  Appendix C – A Glossary of Names and Places

  Aeresan (AIR-ih-sahn): The easternmost kingdom in the known world, also the castle that controls the kingdom.

  Asylin (AS-ih-lihn): One of the three castles of the Last Stand.

  Ayrim Iylin: see Iylin, Ayrim.

  Branford, Cynus (BRAN-ford, SIE-nus): A great swordsman during the time of the Elected Kings. Wrote the text book The Branford Method, a series of one hundred complex Exercises, which is still used to teach swordplay.

  Cerinal Sea (SEHR-ih-nahl): The western sea that divides the human lands and the ern lands.

  Dariel Sterwet: see Sterwet, Dariel.

  Draffor (DRAHF-for): Current Lord of Lanshire, Aeresan.

  Drins (drihns): A family in Lanshire, Ignists.

  Drynor, Santon (DRY-nor, SAN-ton): Current Prophet of the Earth.

  Ern: Evil creatures thought to have been created by the Absence. They seem human except for their pale skin, lack of hair, and sharp claws and teeth.

  Eysentgath, Larras (EYES-ihn-gahth, LARE-rehs): Current Prophet of the Wind.

  Fahlin (FAH-lihn): A nation on the southern side of the continent, west of Aeresan. Its citizens are Fahlians (FAH-lee-ihns).

  Finea (fih-NAY-ah): A city in the Saparen Barony of Aeresan.

  Flarow (FLAH-row): The Goddess of the Sea, created by Tarite before the world began. She is depicted as a blue woman with
flowing hair carrying a mirror. Her Virtue is her strong Moral Sense, her Vice Vanity. Ignar is her opposite. Her followers are known as Flarans (FLARE-ihns), and are recognized for their constant self-examination.

  Garrenmore (GAIR-ihn-more): A castle in Aeresan.

  Gerill Hyte: see Hyte, Gerill.

  Haden (HAY-dihn): Owns The Crimson Veil in Saparen, Aeresan.

  Halin (HALE-ihn): A figure in mythology who went into the Otherworld to plead from Serren the life of his lover, a wish that was granted.

  Hesril (HEZ-rihl): A Priest of Tarite in Saparen, Aeresan.

  Hyte, Gerill (HITE, JARE-ihl): A Thane of Saparen, Aeresan, teaches swordplay. Adoptive father of Ayrim Iylin. A Flaran.

  Ignar (IHG-NAHR): The God of the Flame, created by Serren before the world began. He is depicted as a large and red man carrying the Sword of Justice. His Virtue is Justice, his Vice Extremism. Flarow is his opposite. His followers are known as Ignists (IHG-NIHSTS), and are recognized for their sense of Righteous anger.

  Iylin, Ayrim (eye-IHL-ihn, EYE-rihm): Born of Barrin and Josette Iylin in Lanshire, Aeresan, on 8 Osilar 8704, raised by Gerill Hyte. His name means “Someone who sacrifices.”

  Iylin, Barrin (eye-IHL-ihn, BARE-ihn): A farmer from Lanshire, Aeresan. Husband of Josette Iylin, father of Ayrim Iylin. A Serrenite. Died in the Battle of the Osilar Young.

  Iylin, Josette (eye-IHL-ihn, JOE-SEHT): Wife of Barrin Iylin, mother of Ayrim Iylin. Died in childbirth.

  Jeslin (JES-lihn): A servant of Gerill Hyte.

  Josite, Rignslin (JOE-SITE, RINES-lihn): A Priest of Serren at the Temple in Saparen, Aeresan.

  Kert (kurt): A city in the Saparen Barony of Aeresan.

  Lanshire (LAN-shur): A village in the Saparen Barony of Aeresan.

  Last Stand, The: A series of three castles on the Teriam River, built so close together as to control all traffic over the river.