Fate Defied: The Silent Tempest, Book 3

by E. J. Godwin

  In all the vast refrain it was the one remaining voice of dissent. He halted awhile, staying in the saddle. Nothing stirred in his heart, no homesickness, no longing for his former world. The giant beast lying before him was an alien thing, a mar in the land, a desecration. And when at last he dropped to the ground he saw it as Telai once did, with a certain revulsion.

  The hatch slid open, and he entered. Old clothes and discarded Raéni gear littered the hallway to the bridge. He ignored all of it. He stopped at the console, paused a moment to recall knowledge he would never use again, then typed it out on the dusty keyboard beneath his leathered hands.

  A buzzer sounded, and he jumped. After a frown he proceeded. When he finished a display at his fingertips flashed brightly, and he nodded in grim satisfaction.

  Next, he rummaged through his pack. First his flashlight, then his compass, now a plastic comb—all the synthetic stuff of Earth fell clattering to the floor.

  At the exit he paused and looked back, first at the pulsing red lights along the wall, then at the floor in silent thought. Memories—all those memories were counting down to destruction. In a few hours there would be nothing left.

  He walked briskly out into the Adan sunshine, leaving the hatch open to the elements. His horse waited patiently, but he did not return to the saddle. He headed toward a low rise, where the verdant growth of spring had already encroached upon the collapsing remains of an unlit pyre.

  Not for long did he stand at this shrine of bravery. He had learned much from that old man, not the least of which was to guard against the burdens of past griefs and mistakes. And Soren had already been honored. Caleb would never forget the tall flames rising from the crest of Sonién, a host of defiant Adaiani standing in silence while their captors waited in mounting frustration to escort them from their beloved city. But he could not leave this place without paying his own final respects, not as a soldier or a citizen, but as a friend.

  He returned to his horse and mounted. The ship sat silent, patient, ignorant. He felt no sorrow, no remorse. There was nothing left he cared about in that alien machine, and he wheeled around and headed to the southeast without ever a glance behind him.

  Miles passed. Hours passed. The vessel of Earth shrank to a flicker on the green horizon. Then it swelled to a blinding flash.

  It was no apocalyptic explosion. Only a small cloud rose into the atmosphere. When the blast eventually reached him it barely ruffled his hair, and a distant rumble faded to silence like an old storm in the last of its throes. But as he witnessed the largest display of Terran destruction this world would ever know, he knew his anger had finally spent itself. Like the roiling cloud on the horizon it slowly drifted away, leaving nothing but a black scar that would eventually heal with the patient workings of time.

  He resumed his journey, setting a leisurely pace, traveling the same path as before. Wind swept the grass into green waves spangled with buttercups. He camped, slept long and soundly, and rose again, the next day as unhurried as the last.

  Telai had felt it her duty to spend many days with Acallor and Ressolc to oversee the construction of a new library in Spierel. But her long absence brought no loneliness to Caleb’s heart. He knew her duties would lighten someday, and he was no longer the same man who let fear blind him to the love they shared.

  Yet he could not live in those high stone towers, no matter how much more he revered them. Many in Ada would for years look upon the Falling Man and his son with bitterness and resentment. Though he might be able to endure their hate and suspicion, he wished no such thing for Warren, and for a time would seek the shelter of village life like many others, gaining friendship and trust one neighbor at a time. Yet of all the villages in Ada, some might have questioned Warren’s choice.

  At last Caleb halted in sight of the glittering expanse of Tnesen. The wind was from the east, and he could already hear the faint sounds of the village. He turned, not bothering to take the cart-road by the shore, his contemplative journey forgotten. He was eager now to resume a life with his son, to witness day by day the long, slow healing and acceptance he knew he could not hasten but only reinforce by his quiet presence and unassuming trust.

  The shore angled closer, and the village neared. The random staccato of hammers echoed down the street. Beyond a few squat homes to his left a half-dozen men were nailing planks over the freshly installed rafters atop the mercantile store, the sweat on their faces shining in the warm spring sun. Alongside them, plying his new-found trade with a zeal that had soon won their respect, knelt Warren.

  Caleb sat nearby in the saddle, saying no word. None sufficed. Not one of his son’s intellectual achievements or even the mysterious power Rennor discovered would ever compare to the triumphant sight before him now. He shed no tears. This was no fulfillment of a promise sworn in secret over the fading words of a Prophet’s long-dead hand. This was the vindication of a child’s simple proclamation: My mind and my body are my own.

  The boy halted mid-swing. He lowered his hammer and turned. The little bowhead whale dangled from his neck, its new silver chain glinting beneath his sudden smile.

  “Hello yourself!” he shouted.

  Caleb had given no indication of his arrival. Slow realization dawned, and the man who fell from the sky shut his eyes, trembling.

  One memory of Earth survived.

  The End

  Map of Ada

  Map of Ekendoré

  What Has Gone Before

  In part one, Rite of Exile, Caleb Stenger flees with his son Warren to begin a new life far from Earth. But when his ship crashes on an unknown world, Warren is injured, condemning the boy to a slow death before his twentieth birthday.

  Telai, Grand Loremaster of Ada, is the first of her sword-wielding race to meet these strangers from the sky. Her loyalty to her people demands caution, yet she cannot ignore the plea in Caleb’s voice, or the desperate longing in Warren’s eyes. A connection takes hold, a bond even her clairvoyant powers cannot explain.

  Caleb embraces their noble cities and unhurried lifestyle, and swears an oath of loyalty. Finding no help for his son in their primitive medicine, he discovers a passage in their archives about an ancient talisman called the Lor’yentré that could cure any disease—but was so powerful it sent an entire race to the brink of destruction. This Lor’yentré was once used by the evil sorceress Heradnora to enslave Ada’s ancestors, and her rule ended when the ancient hero Grondolos seized the device during battle and snapped it in two. Afterward he buried the broken Lor’yentré at Graxmoar, a hidden island in a lake far to the west near the ocean; yet an older device of unspeakable power named Kseleksten was lost, and has never been found in all the years since Heradnora’s defeat.

  Now Caleb faces a terrible choice: Seek this power in defiance of his sworn duty and growing love for Telai ... or watch his son wither away until he dies.

  He vows to reach Graxmoar, hoping to discover clues to Kseleksten’s whereabouts and heal his son. The island is guarded by many perils, and his only hope to reach it is with the help of the Raéni, whose highest duty is to find and destroy Kseleksten to rid their world of its last evil. Knowing he would be banished or perhaps even killed if his true motives were ever discovered, Caleb takes their sacred Oath and begins his military training.

  Afterward he travels with Soren, Master Raén of Ada, to the fortress of Udan. There he unwittingly reveals that he has been carrying the Medallion of Yrsten, which Warren found near his ship. The Medallion is the long-dreaded symbol of the Yrsten Prophecy, which foretells the return of evil through Kseleksten and the Bringer of Evil who wields it. Soren’s elderly father performs the Rite of Exile, banishing Caleb from from Ada. Soren, believing Caleb to be innocent of any malicious intent, defies the ancient rite and flees with Caleb and Warren into the wilderness.

  Now the only duty left to them is to find Kseleksten, and they begin the long ride to distant Graxmoar. But Soren discovers it was Warren, not Caleb, who first spied the Medallion in t
he grass, and he begins to doubt who the foretold Bringer of Evil truly is, fearing a child might be easy prey to the whims of fate. He also learns of Caleb’s advanced weaponry, for Caleb uses his hidden laser pistol to escape capture by the Hodyn, Ada’s enemy. Meanwhile Telai, determined to follow her heart in defiance of her position as Grand Loremaster, leaves Ekendoré in search of Caleb.

  Soren and Caleb meet Rennor, a man claiming to be Telai’s assistant. Rennor tries to gain their trust by helping them face many challenges, such as the barrier of madness surrounding the vast forest Tnestiri, as well as a monstrous stone giant that destroys Caleb’s laser.

  At last they reach Graxmoar, where Warren finds the Lor’yentré as if by chance, and though it is broken he is unexpectedly and miraculously healed.

  In part two, Hope Betrayed, we learn of Caleb and Soren’s struggle to return the broken Lor’yentré to Ada as dictated by the Oath. Rennor, who used hidden powers to breach the wall of madness surrounding Tnestiri, is killed in a repeat attempt. The survivors’ only choice now is to turn south to find another way back to Ada before the swift approach of winter blocks the mountain passes.

  They encounter the Prophets, a secretive folk who left Ada centuries ago. The Master Prophet confirms the foretold Bringer of Evil, but refuses to reveal his identity. Holding to their belief in the inevitability of fate, and to their strict creed of noninterference, the Prophets direct Soren and the others to a hidden passage beneath the mountains.

  Forced to leave their horses behind, they escape through the passage into to the land of Trethrealm along the coast. They turn east, hoping to reach the protection of Ada’s fortresses. But their supplies run out, and Warren falls sick. Telai, using a mysterious device a stranger gave to her that enhances her clairvoyant abilities, finds them in the wilderness. After providing food she steals horses in a nearby town to help speed their return to Ada.

  Caleb insists upon diverting to his ship to replace his laser pistol, for he begins to fear Warren’s role in the Prophecy. Soren reluctantly agrees, and they reach the ship after struggling through a winter storm. Yet the Hodyn are waiting in ambush, for they have long tracked their movements, desiring the Falling Man’s advanced weaponry for their own. Caleb is captured, and Soren is killed trying to rescue him. While Telai and Warren escape, Caleb outsmarts the Hodyn and slaughters them with a laser seized from the ship’s cargo hold. Severely injured, he collapses from loss of blood, until Telai and Warren return and nurse him back to health.

  Grieved by Soren’s death, Warren discovers that the Lor’yentré is not broken but only divided. He activates the device by bringing the two halves together, heals Soren’s body, and restores his spirit. Caleb, fearing his son’s newfound power, tries to convince Warren to surrender it. But the device clings to the boy, and no one can wrest it from him.

  Desperate for help, Soren and the others head south for the village of Gebi. Warren slowly descends into madness, until he is overcome by Heradnora, whose malevolent spirit has occupied the deactivated Lor’yentré since Grondolos defeated her centuries ago. Gaining total control over Warren’s body and mind, and promising to use the Hodyn as her minions to enact revenge on the descendants of those who conquered her, she vanishes, leaving Caleb in agony over the loss of his only child.

  GLOSSARY OF NAMES

  All dates are given in Adan years, which are slightly longer than Earth’s. The year of Caleb Stenger’s arrival is 997. For a full appendix visit:

  HTTP://WWW.THESILENTTEMPEST.COM

  Acallor: Loremaster of Spierel, male, age 84. He was Telai’s mentor when she was a teenager.

  Ada: The land where the Adaiani live. The forest of Tratirené forms its western border, while its eastern runs along the Outlands. Dernetondé and Lrana form the northern border, while the southern border lies south of Telené.

  Adaiani: The people of Ada. Most are very light blond or white-haired, though some whose ancestry can be traced to the Treth have darker hair.

  Agrin: A wide, flat region of central Ada between lakes Éarden and Tnesen.

  Allera: Second Underseer of Spierel, female, age 91.

  Anidrin: Older brother to Acallor, age 86. Lives in Onayonlé.

  Bannlef: Master Raén of Enilií, male, age 60.

  Berrensal: Third tower of the fortress of Spierel, where the offices and council rooms of the Underseers are located.

  Besa: Southernmost major city in Ada, and the youngest, founded in 884.

  Besir Orand’iteé: A collection of written works by the most famous Prophet in Ada, Orand. It contains passages of wisdom, reflections, and most notably the Yrsten Prophecy. The original scrolls are not available to the public.

  Blood Valley: See Tedrel.

  Boroné: Master Raén of Léiff, male, 41 years old.

  Broken Lor’yentré, First Lor’yentré: See Lor’yentré.

  Caleb Stenger: Also known as the Falling Man. Male, 33 years old, father to Warren Stenger.

  Corinn: Chief Raéni scout of Ekendoré, male, 29 years old.

  Council of Nine: A group of nine men and women of Ekendoré who serve not only as local Underseers but as judges and lawmakers to Ada as a whole. They live in Wsaytchen, the seat of Ada’s government, where the Overseer resides as well.

  Crooked Pass: A narrow pass high in the mountains south of Enilií, dangerous during the winter months.

  Cresus: The outer sea, west of Trethrealm.

  Dernetondé: A vast, arid wasteland north of the Iéndrai between Grimoa and the Irenseni. Its northern end has never been mapped.

  Derré: The official door warden of Wsaytchen, female, 55 years old.

  Dorgonan: The name the Hodyn gave to their main city before it was captured by the Adaiani and renamed Ekendoré.

  Éarden: Lake bordering the north of Agrin, south of Crooked Pass.

  Eastgate: A wide gap in the mountains between the Iéndrai and the Norgdir, allowing passage between the central and eastern regions of Ada.

  Edai: Weaponmaster of Ekendoré, female, 43 years old.

  Eiveya: Telai’s horse, a large black mare.

  Eké: Telai’s house servant, female, 66 years old.

  Ekendoré: Main city of Ada, where the Overseer and the Council of Nine reside. It was captured from the Hodyn in the year 370.

  Enilií: Northernmost of Adan cities, near lake Lrana. Established in 321.

  Enilií Pass: A long pass east of Enilií leading to Dernetondé.

  Enntesk: A school for physicians in Telené.

  Erthair: River flowing west from the southern end of lake Lrana. It is said to feed lake Oné’en, where the island Graxmoar is located.

  Etrenga: Most hallowed Supreme Raén and Overseer in Adan history, the first and only time anyone held both positions. She is the author of the Oath of the Raéni, and was the first to swear it, thus becoming the first official Raén.

  Etre Obald’aseli: Minor work written by the last Adan Prophet, Obald, circa 250-260.

  Eya: Physician of Spierel, female, age 51, Garda’s older sister.

  Féitseg: Fifth Underseer of Ekendoré. His many duties include consultation for both new citizens and those who wish to join the Raéni.

  Ferguen: Lord of the Hodyn people.

  Fet’anidaré: Meaning “presentation of the blade”, it is part of the ceremony surrounding the taking of the Oath of the Raéni.

  Fetra: The most common type of sword used in Ada, and a ceremonial weapon for their military, the Raéni. Its chief characteristics are a long hilt with no pommel, a short cross guard, and a narrow, slightly curved blade with a single honed edge. Higher members of the Raéni usually have their swords engraved.

  Fouvé: Raéni guard stationed at the armory in Ekendoré.

  Frehaiani: Network of caretakers dedicated to the education and safekeeping of Raéni children.

  Garda: The 18th Overseer of Ada from 983 to present day, female, 47 years old.

  Gargáed: The 9th Overseer of Ada from 594-649, female. She was the first
to occupy Wsaytchen upon its completion. Because she founded Gerentesk she was also given the honorary title of 1st Grand Loremaster of Ada.

  Gebi: Small village on the northern shore of Tnesen.

  Gendor: Ferguen’s second in command, in charge of the Hodyn army and their network of spies.

  Gerentesk: The main library and archives of Ekendoré and all of Ada, founded in 633. The office of the Grand Loremaster is located there.

  Gortgal: A series of caverns high in the mountain valley of Ekendoré.

  Grand Loremaster: The highest scholarly position in Ada. See Loremaster.

  Graxmoar: Mysterious island to the west of Tnestiri, where the Broken Lor’yentré is said to be located.

  Grimoa: Land of the Hodyn, to the northeast of Ada.

  Grondolos: Ancient hero and king of Urmanaya who defeated the sorceress Heradnora by breaking the Lor’yentré in two.

  Gur’alyreiv: An invisible barrier of fear surrounding the forest Tnestiri and the mountains of the Iéndrai to the south.

  Hall of Memories: A chamber of large sculptures behind the main tower of Wsaytchen.

  Hendra: Refers not only to the tallest mountain in Ada that stands just north of Ekendoré, but also the spirit of truth which the Adaiani believe inhabits it.

  Heradnora: Heradnora was a female sorceress who used the power of the Lor’yentré to hold sway over Urmanaya, home to Ada’s ancestors.

  Hodyn: Currently Ada’s only enemy, living to the northeast in Grimoa. They are somewhat shorter and broader than a typical Adaian, and tend to have thick black or dark brown hair.

  Homim: First Underseer of Spierel, male, 54 years old.

  Idi: A very rare gold coin considered to bring good luck.

  Iéndrai: The longest mountain chain in Ada, beginning in the west near Tnestiri and the ocean Cresus, and ending just to the east of Udan, with a southern spur terminating at Eastgate.