The Holtur Curse (The Holtur Trilogy Book 2)

by Cameron Wayne Smith

  Sonja rolled over. Out of energy. Unsure if she would see another sun. Volk raced back to the flaming slayers, and Sonja sensed a couple of shadows materialise into physical beings that knelt beside her.

  Savra gazed through the armoured slit and into Sonja’s still eyes. “Will she be alright?” she asked.

  Another vampire took in a deep breath. “I can smell plenty of blood still in her veins,” a familiar voice said. “Rest, hydration, and a good intake of nutritious food should see her fully recover.”

  Sonja tried to cheer up on hearing the words, but all she could do was murmur a grunt.

  “Should we take her somewhere safe?” Savra asked. “Or leave her with the humans?”

  “Look,” the other vampire said. “The fire on those two is almost extinguished, they’ll recover her once they’re done. The girl’s father is more than capable of caring for her to a full recovery.”

  Sonja’s eyes were flickering, she was about to pass out. Through blurry eyes she watched Savra stand up and say, “If that is your command, Eltra.” Both vampires dissolved into the shadows, and Sonja’s mind began its own descent into darkness.

  Chapter 24: Misled Sibling

  The gleeful sound of songbirds twittering pulled Sonja from a gloomy darkness. She shot up, heart racing, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Exhaling deeply, she calmed herself upon realising she had awoken in her father’s residence. Her head pounded, confirming she was still recovering from her battle against Crispin.

  She started to worry about her fellow slayers. How were Rak and Ivan holding up from their burns? Did Ansgren survive his bite? Sonja rubbed at her neck, her bite had healed up well enough. Why was she alive and fine, despite the fact every other leech victim died, completely dehydrated? Was Crispin different, incomplete? She had so many questions drifting through her aching mind.

  In the corner of her room she saw the sorbguamis armour. It was beaten, bent, and thin. Paper thin in some parts. She grabbed the gem Rigst had given her. An anyshine he called it. It came loose without much effort, now with a thin crack running halfway through it. “I wonder if it will still shine?” she said to herself.

  Sonja was lucky her confrontation with Crispin didn’t go on any longer. If it had, the armour may not have held out. It was good though, the feeling of fire energy surging through her muscles. Hopefully Kallum could repair it, or possibly make more of the armour. Regardless of how good it made her feel, it would be an exceptionally useful tool for the slayers to continue employing.

  The aroma of coffee drifted into her room and gave her the strength to stand. Sonja staggered towards the door, then made her way downstairs. Her father promptly poured her a cup and sat her down at the table.

  “Ah, Sonja. It’s good to see you awake,” Kaine said, a proud grin on his face. “I almost died with worry from your condition.”

  “Yeah…” Sonja took a sip of her coffee. The strong, warm brew was just the thing she needed. “It’s good to be awake. How long was I out?”

  “Nine suns.”

  “Nine!” Sonja exclaimed, her voice dry and croaky. “Shit!”

  “I’m just glad you’re back with us,” Kaine said. He brought over a bowl of stew. “Get some food into you, you’ll need to build your strength.”

  Sonja tried to stand up, shaking as her muscles argued with her mind. “I need to check on the slayers of the north gate,” she said, then collapsed on her arse.

  “Everything is fine,” Kaine said. “Commander Zeilgen has commanded you rest until your strength is back. If you can’t defeat the table, there’s no chance you’ll be able to defend Holtur!”

  Sonja managed a laugh. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  She knew her father had always enjoyed doting over her. Given her weakened state, she was more than happy to enlighten him with the task. Sonja ate a lot of stew, a far greater quantity than she’d normally eat for breakfast, and told her father about the events that unfolded during the moon of Crispin’s demise. She omitted any information about the vampires, House Aepherius, and the Moonwatch. Crispin was enough of a villain without being a horror, and she wasn’t sure how her father would take the concept of an alliance between man and leech. Sonja still wasn’t sure how she felt about it herself. All she knew, is that without their assistance, she wouldn’t have been able to stop Crispin.

  Kaine knew all about the sorbguamis armour already. Being Kallum’s most recent project—and how excited he had been about it—he had updated his father on the armour’s progress and ability. Especially the fact that the moment it was completed, Sonja needed it. Apparently there were some ‘white energy cells’ that absorbed heat and infused the carapace with power. These cells were hard to recover from the sorbguamis corpses and many were damaged during testing. The gem from Modryklo Mountain only strengthened the absolution into those cells. Kallum being Kallum—always worrying about his sister—he made sure that Sonja’s set was perfect before building another.

  “Kallum’s going to be pissed,” Sonja said, smirking. “He’s not going to like the condition the armour is in now!”

  “He already had a look at it,” Kaine said. “He was quite frustrated, but glad you were safe.”

  “Reckon he’ll be able to fix it?”

  “I doubt it. Not without another sorbguamis corpse or two.” Kaine sighed. “And not for a while either.”

  “Not for a while?” Sonja asked, realising that she hadn’t seen or heard her brother this sun. He was usually the first person to smother her after she had taken a beating. “Is he alright?”

  “Your brother is fine!” Kaine said smiling. “He’s just gone on a little vacation.”

  “A vacation?” Sonja raised a brow. “Now? So close to the frozen suns? After I’ve been injured? That doesn’t sound like him.”

  “You know how infatuated he’s become with Eltra? Well, her family requested for him to visit them.”

  Sonja coughed, spraying coffee over the bench. Her heart began to race, she couldn’t lose Kallum, not to them.

  Kaine frowned. “Sonja, are you alright?”

  “He can’t go with Eltra…” Sonja hauled herself to her feet, more steady this time. Either all the food she had eaten was giving her energy, or the coffee had kicked in. Possibly both, fused together with an overwhelming urge to save her brother from those monsters.

  “Now, now,” Kaine said, placing a hand on Sonja’s shoulder. “Kallum’s a grown man. This is a good thing, we should be happy to see him moving on.”

  “Not with Eltra…” Sonja said slowly, grimly.

  “Nonsense, she is a lovely woman,” Kaine said. “Apparently, her family may have a way of curing him of his affliction.”

  Sonja swallowed hard. “Father…”

  “Yes?”

  “Eltra…” Fuck keeping secrets, this was about her brother. “She’s a leech.”

  Kaine’s brows furrowed and his mouth fell agape. “What?”

  Sonja grabbed her father’s shoulders, stared into his eyes, and firmly stated, “Eltra is a blood-sucking shadow of the moons.”

  Bestiary

  Bargetier - White, ape-like creature with a rodent face and blood red eyes. They require human females to breed. The species almost destroyed Holtur twenty years prior The Holtur Curse. After being hunted to an assumed extinction, a bargetier emerged during The Holtur Enigma. They are now believed to be extinct once more.

  Grabion - Brown, scorpion-like creatures that are known to grow up to three metres long. They wield long, flat claws, and a stinger that packs a painful punch.

  Kuhvi - Bovine creatures that can grow up to three metres tall, five metres long, and can weigh over two tons. They have thick, shaggy fur, which makes them well suited to colder climates. Their long tail stores excess fat, and can gain considerably girth in preparation for the frozen suns. Marked kuhvi are used as a sacrifice to Glacious.

  Leech/Vampire - An illusive creature that drains the weak and elderly of their fluid. During The Holtur Curs
e the truth about these creatures is revealed. Sonja also refers to them as shadow-things.

  Lurkers - Frog-like amphibious creatures that ‘lurk’ beneath the forest canopy. Ambush predators that will consume anything that fits in their mouths.

  Rock Golem - A conglomerate of rock that has somehow come to life. They occasionally roam down from the mountains surrounding Holtur. Fortunately, rock golems are stupid and easily dispatched.

  Shroud – Horrors which move incredibly fast within a mysterious fog from Lachtod Bog. This fog appears just as any other, but approaching too close always ends with death.

  Slater Beasts - Beasts with a hard, rocky carapace along their back. Nicknamed ‘rollers’ due to the way they curl themselves into a boulder-like form, then launch themselves down mountainsides to attack. Despite being fit for consumption, their flesh smells foul to most humans.

  Sorbguamis - Large, bulbous insects from the Kuka Desert. They can travel beneath the ground and make short work of hordes of insects. Sorbguamises have two sets of mouths, one on each side of their circular body, a single tongue—which can be used in both mouths, but only one at a time—and six long spindly legs. Well adapted to hot climates, these creatures can absorb heat and turn it into a powerful energy source.

  Thulmlet - A metallic creature, allegedly from a time when gods warred across the planet. Thulmlet Eighty-Six was recovered during a mission to retrieve shock wyverns. Despite not offering any secrets of the past, the ancient creature enjoys warning the people of Holtur not to do things.

  Trail Geist - The souls of men massacred on the roads near Holtur. These horrors can’t find rest until the source of their demise has been destroyed. Because of this, they are wont to attack anything they see. They only seem to exist beneath the light of first moon.

  Triequine - An insect-horror steed ridden by select members of the Brothers of Eternity. They have three distinct horns around the head, pitch-black carapace, and can move much faster than a horse. Despite appearing vicious and bloodthirsty, it is unconfirmed whether they are a threat to humans.

  Flame Wyvern - Red wyverns that can vent fire through holes along their back. They are also able to spit fire from their jaws. Nicknamed ‘reds’ by Sonja and several slayers.

  Shock Wyvern - Tiny, yellow wyverns that don’t grow much larger than a bat and are able to generate great electrical power. Because of this, the people of Holtur collect them for use as batteries.

  Stone Wyvern - Grey wyverns with scales that are covered in a fine—but solid—rock-like substance, making them one of the toughest wyverns in the sky. A sturdy club at the end of their tail, along with their rough claws and teeth, gives them a decent armament in combat.

  BRISTRUNSTIUM MONSTER RECORDS

  This is but a small excerpt from the Bristrunstium Monster Records. More information—along with beautiful black and white artwork—is available for free to any budding scholars at www.cameronwaynesmith.com

  Review The Holtur Curse

  If you have enjoyed reading this book, it would be awesome if you were able to leave a review.

  Reviews help indie authors gain visibility, and your review will help bring Holtur to the attention of readers who may enjoy Sonja’s antics.

  Just head over to my book page by clicking the link below, select your platform, and share your thoughts with the world. Goodreads reviews also help a lot too!

  The Holtur Curse book page

  Thanks again!

  Acknowledgements

  Cheers for reading The Holtur Curse! I always appreciate you, the reader, taking a chance on my stories. I hope that what I’ve delivered has brought you joy and excitement.

  A special shout out to Alex (check out his art on DeviantArt) for his insightful feedback as a beta reader. Also my amazing partner, Jeni. 2017 would not have been so incredibly productive if it wasn’t for her support. Her ruthless critiquing and proofreading also helped forge this story into a masterpiece! This story wouldn’t be what it is without these two amazing people.

  I’m also incredibly thankful for the talented Liz Freeman (DeviantArt) for the fantastic cover art. She has also done an amazing job bringing the creatures held within these pages to life with the Bristrunstium Monster Records.

  2017 has been an intense year for my writing, and this story is the accumulation of everything I’ve learnt. It is actually the third book I’ve released this year, but if anyone in the future ever asks what 2017 meant to me, I would answer: The Holtur Curse.

  For those who have been reading my stories since Necrosanguin, I’m sure you will notice this has been the greatest leap in quality between books. I’ve been educating myself on creating better stories, while practicing like crazy, and working incredibly hard. All the characters in this story mean a lot to me. I’ve been developing them throughout the year in short stories as well as the book you have just read. It was a little hard though, as every time a character died, I felt I lost a friend! If you’re interested in the short stories, I will be releasing them as a collection around Christmas.

  You’ve probably also figured that there is more to the Holtur story. The next episode will follow Kallum as he learns more about House Aepherius alongside Eltra. Don’t worry, it won’t be a sloppy romance, and will stay true to Holtur’s themes. Join the Scholars of the Bristrunstium here to be kept up to date on all future releases.

  Thanks again for reading!