Crystalline Chaos
By
Gabriela Voelske
Skies of Fyir Book 1
Crystalline Chaos
Copyright © 2015 Gabriela Voelske.
Cover image © 2015 Gabriela Voelske.
Smashwords Edition
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All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy or any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.
The moral right of Gabriela Voelske to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1998.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.
These are dangerous times indeed…
Enjoyed the first book? Want to read more? How about a hand-picked selection of sample chapters from the prequel book of the Skies of Fyir series; Dangerous Times? They can be yours now – you just need to tell me where to send them.
Nathaniel has risen to power on the Central Isles, ruling over the demon population that lives there. A few years after the start of his reign, the tensions start to reach a peak as the demon population begins to dwindle, victims of supposed angel attacks.
A young mage from the South is recruited to serve as the King’s court mage; a powerful demon known as Amnur. He is eager to take on his new responsibilities, but soon finds that the dream he was sold has a dark, cruel reality.
Get your free chapters here!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Impending Storm
Chapter 2: The Expedition
Chapter 3: Tensions in the West
Chapter 4: Trepidation
Chapter 5: Encounters in the Swamp
Chapter 6: Creeping Chaos
Chapter 7: Unusual Alliances
Chapter 8: Dancing Shadows
Chapter 9: The Council’s Truth
Chapter 10: Tidings from the East
Chapter 11: Sleepless Nights
Chapter 12: The Advancing Tide
Chapter 13: Constructed Madness
Chapter 14: The Fated Day
Chapter 15: Tempered Chaos
Chapter 16: Plans for the Future
Afterword
For a full sized map, visit this link:
Central Isles Map
Chapter 1: The Impending Storm
Light crept over the steep hills, embracing the land in sweet warmth. The sky burned red as the bitter air stole the fresh heat from the hardy shrubs, attacking at the withered stems with no remorse. Little cloud cover floated through the sky; yet another day of drought. Soil wafted up in clouds from the cracked landscape, further depriving what minimal life exists of vital nutrients. The stinging breezes sent shivers down the spines of those who tried to graze on the land, ravaging at their skin and sapping their strength. Barren, cruel, hopeless; the Commons encompasses this and so much more. A harsh landscape inhabited by even harsher life; eat or be eaten, there is no in-between.
Yet despite this, the desolate land hides unique treasures within its withered bosom which in turn lures out those foolhardy enough to think they can conquer the terrain. More commonly, however, the terrain is only a hindrance. The real threat stalks from the bushes and snatches away the unaware; silent and deadly, victims rarely even have time to scream before the light fades away from them. Many adventurers leave for the Commons, few return and even fewer return with any success.
But this morning was unusual; even on the harshest days, there was life visible on grasslands. Yet today it was empty; the shrubs untouched and the pearlescent webs that hung in the trees of the Deaths-Head Woods swung in the breeze, empty and perfect, awaiting prey. Rumbles could be heard in the distance, heralding a storm as it rolled over the hills with menace, casting lightning down onto the dry vegetation. A fire started to crackle, before bursting into life with vigour, enveloping the dying land in a ferocious blaze, destroying all remaining signs of the desperate existence. Droplets fell out of the overbearing clouds, but this was not the lifesaving rain that life was crying out for. Instead, it burnt as it landed, wreaking havoc on the beings who avoided the avid blazes as they swept across the untouched plains. Smoke billowed up from the ravaged land, blotting out the fading light and obscuring the destruction in shadow as the last hope of day slipped away. Mana ripped through the air, distorting the natural phenomena of this barren lands storm. An unnatural storm; it left the air rife with tension as it rolled forward, obliterating everything in its path.
Smouldering ground heaved putrid clouds skywards, spreading the crude smell of death across the plains, choking anything that managed to escape the unbridled wrath of the rolling storm. The sky was an abyss black, refusing the scarred land the replenishing hope of light. Faint crackling became audible in the thick air followed by a distinct hissing; moment by moment it became louder as a creature emerged from the darkness. Eerie red light crept over its form, strangely being emitted from its own body as it marched on.
Soon the hissing became a more notable rasping laugh as it progressed, pleased with the sight unfolding before it. Mana pulsed along the surface of its body, writhing as it emerged before vanishing. The suffocating atmosphere appeared not to worry the creature; if anything it revealed in pulsing mana left scattered among the wasteland. It paused on the spot and looked around, scraping the ground with its legs as it turned as if to think of its destination. The creature stayed still for a short while before suddenly perking up, its body eager with excitement. Letting out a shriek, it sprinted off towards the advancing storm front.
* * *
The silence in the grand council chamber within the Magi's Council academy hung in the air as the news was reported to the attending members; it was unwelcome to the ears of the present magi. Such an event in current times did not bode well; tensions between races were already high as usual without throwing this new turn of events into the works. The residing Head-Mage rubbed his temple, letting out a sigh, considering how to respond. How did one respond to this? He wondered; unfortunately for him, being the only present leader at the time meant that the others would look to him for guidance. Yet he was as clueless as them on this development; such events have never been recorded. Any other thoughts he had for now he wished to dismiss, if the storm had been conjured it would have required a mage of such a calibre that they would stand little chance in a direct confrontation. Another sigh followed before he spoke up, drawing the attention of the wary mages.
"This is indeed unsettling," he began tentatively, "we need to learn more of this."
Murmurs spread around the expansive, silvery chamber as mages chattered among themselves before the call for silence was issued, all eyes drawing back to the Head-Mag
e. "I will inform the Ranger's Guild and request assistance," he declared; the Council rarely outsourced missions, preferring to rely upon its own strength. Voices in the chamber became discontent with a few members shouting out in protest, a view that reverberated around the chamber. "Silence!" the leader shouted, causing the volatile mob to back down to the authority in his voice. "We do not know the danger this storm possesses; I should not need to remind you that mages are inefficient at close-range combat." No objections piped up from this remark; while it was always a sore spot for mages to admit, they couldn't deny the truth in his statement.
Glancing around the room at the now solemn faces, the Head-Mage spoke up once again. "Any further objections?" he enquired, but the room remained silent. "Very well, you are dismissed," he announced to the room, the still air being broken by harmonious footsteps as the mages darted out of the chamber.
A messenger squirmed on a spot behind the main podium, watching the discord that had occurred from the meagre bit of information he had provided. Turning to regard him, the Head-Mage beckoned to the nervous boy stood in front of him. "Speak your mind lad," the leader spoke, his voice sounding far friendlier than before. The boy relaxed at the change of tone, messengers were not always the most appreciated, but no one could deny that they were essential.
"I-I didn't expect for that to create so much worry," he paused after speaking, watching the mage's expression with care before continuing. "Is it really that bad?"
The question rang out in the mage's head; while he wished to answer the boy's question he did not intend to deliberately spread panic. "We shall see, who knows," he replied to the boy, not answering him directly. It did not satisfy the messenger but he knew it would be all he'd be told. With no further response, he decided it best to take his leave and shuffled across the chamber, leaving the mage by himself.
Contemplating his thoughts, the man opted to fetch some parchment and ink then settled himself down at his desk, laying the paper down on the solid wooden surface. Calming himself, he drew up the ink with a feathered quill and began penning documents about what had just transpired. He had multiple recipients in mind; not only the Ranger's Guild but also the respective leaders of the racial factions. Involving the angels as well as the Human King was standard, but the addition of Sebastian the Demon King came over as a bizarre choice; most would prefer to distance themselves from their kind. Past the surface opinion of the race, mages often held some respect for demons. Mages desire to learn the truth, so the true history of the past is always a choice topic.
A long time ago the ancestors of the demons and angels lived in peace together, their appearance was vastly different than the present forms. Once the humans became known to them, they mixed themselves in with the new race; one that saw the two ancestral powerful races in a light akin to gods. Eventually, the grasp of power the angels had over the lesser humans overcame their senses and they seized the chance to glorify their own race while villainizing the race they had lived in peace with for so long. They made themselves out to be saintly beings, their golden-tinged skin and bright wings a symbol of purity; humans saw them as benevolent beings and gave them the name angel, a title which has been maintained for the race since that time. Meanwhile, the other race was slandered as being malevolent, disgraceful and vile, the list went on and on; the term demon was used as an insult, ultimately it stuck to the race. In their own language, they still refer themselves with a different word, a lasting sign of resentment towards the name. Demons tried to fight the disgracing insults for a long time but the humans were too drawn to the promises of the angels to listen to their pleas; a massive war started not long after, permanently causing a rift between the races.
The mixing of blood continued within the angels, creating a tall but notably humanoid shape with shimmering feathered wings; the demons, however, progressed only as far as a humanoid body with multiple features still pertaining to the originals, which became known as new blood demons. Old blood demons with a more bestial body also still exist in number, the two now live peacefully together after a long history rife with turmoil.
The full extent of just what they've been subjected to since the war of a few thousand years past was despicable, but mages had to stop short of fully supporting them in fear of backlash from the perpetrators. The Head-Mage only thought it fair to warn the King of the potential dangers. As much as others would like to admit, Sebastian was resourceful and could provide much help to solving the problem, if it became necessary.
His arm rushed back and forth, smearing black ink over his hand as he wrote with furious determination.
As the final parchment was finished he pushed himself up from the desk, rolling up the letters and sealing them shut with a magical seal, ready for delivery by specially trained messenger birds. He would have to oversee their departure personally, to ensure all were sent correctly without any eyebrows being raised as to the recipients. Leaving the silvery stone chamber, he departed for the mailing room down the ornate shining stone corridors of the Magi Council’s headquarters.
* * *
Surrounded by the warm winds of the summer, a sizable tan coloured bird soared through the sky. Its feathers were beautifully spotted in perfect unison with each other, matched only by its keen yellow eyes that observed the land below. Sharp talons attached to pale ridged legs which hugged tightly to the bird as it flew, causing the leather scroll case tied to them to jostle in the breeze. The sparkling sea spread out to the east of the bird, the settlements dotted around it appeared minute from that height. Tell-tale trees appearing in the distance informed the bird it was nearing its destination; the immense dark spires of Shadekeep that were emerging above the canopy of the forest.
Shadekeep was aptly named; its walls were carved from a pitch black stone long ago, standing representative of those who inhabited it. The Demon King Sebastian oversaw the well-being of the unwelcome race from here, protected by its impenetrable exterior from any external force who may wish to dispose of him. It was a bustling centre of activity, demons of various shapes and sizes went about their daily lives below. The morning had not dawned for long, there was much to be done.
As the bird descended, it let out a cry to announce its approach, drawing the attention of inquisitive demons below. Within the keep, two demons heard the call and made their way over to receive the unannounced bird, heading towards an undersized room with an overly large hatch. Perches adorned the wall on the outside of the building next to the closed hatch, providing the bird with a place to wait while the powerful magical seals that kept it shut were released. Since the window possibly caused a vulnerability in the defence of the keep, it remained sealed at all times.
Upon reaching the room, the smaller demon walked ahead of the other taller demon. His dark skin caused him to blend in with the similarly dark walls of the keep; the only highlights reflecting off his skin came from the ambient flame lamps in the room. They were magical in nature, with proper maintenance they never ran out and being smoke-free, it proved efficient lighting within the sealed walls. As he moved towards the shutter his lengthy, iridescent flowing gown swept around him, only broken to reveal his wings on his back. The impressive attire was indicative of his position as Court Mage. A single pair of curved horns emerged from his head, decorated with a set of silvery magical trinkets. Pointed ears resided under the horns, shorter than the bony protrusions but just as notable. The two features lay shaded underneath his long, straight hair, again black in colour; the only part of this demon that stood out were his sharp, crimson irises surrounded by the pearly white of his eyes.
He started unravelling the intricate magical runes that made up the sealing spell on the door while the other waited, a bowl of meat in hand to reward the bird. The shutters were pulled open and the bird flew in; intently focused on the promised meal, it glided over to another perch located beside the second demon. It watched with glee as the food bowl was placed onto the perch and waited for its parcel to be removed.
&n
bsp; Slipping the leather binds off the bird's leg, the taller, more imposing demon removed the scroll case and gave it a look over, noting the magical seal that was keeping it bound. With an intrigued look, he handed the scroll over to the demon mage waiting by the window, who readily took it off him and broke the seal, revealing the content of the letter.
A few moments passed as he read the letter. The other demon watched on with amber eyes, noticing his increasingly worried expression. "Is something wrong Solomon?" he enquired, attracting Solomon's attention up from the parchment.
"We need to bring this to Sebastian immediately, Iomor," Solomon replied; Iomor was quick to pick up on the sombre tone to his voice. The content of the letter must be dire, Solomon was seldom fazed by anything minor. Iomor nodded and beckoned back towards where they entered; the shutter could wait for now, no one in their right mind would try such a brazen attack in broad daylight. They ran down the corridor, causing surprised demons to move out of the way of the advancing duo, their presence announced by Iomor's remarkably crafted iron armour shuffling against itself as he moved.
After a few minutes they arrived before an imposing and ornate set of doors with guards flanking either side of the entrance; it was merely a precaution, they more often relayed messages than protected the King from threats. Threats rarely made it past the entrance to the keep; usually, Sebastian's friend and guardian Kaiser dealt with them, or they fled with fear upon seeing him. Being an old blood demon he was vast and powerful, not an opponent anyone wanted to face head on.
The guards glanced at the approaching pair and let them in without question, heaving the heavy doors wide. Within the chamber fine silks hung from the ceiling, adorning the dark hue of the room with fierce reds and brilliant purples, displaying the standard of the demons decorated with fine gold thread. Across the end of the room sat a visibly plain throne, but on closer inspection, it was expertly decorated with carvings. The more garish fineries had long since been removed; Sebastian cared little for the vibrant tastes that had been left from the reign of his father.
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