Minutes rolled by with the steady persistence of the waves that rocked the boat as she held him there in silence. His body began to ache as the cloth of his vestments continued to bruise the soft skin of his throat and underarms, but he schooled himself to stillness. He knew that she needed time to think, to contemplate the death of Maharuke and the decimation of his forces. If he spoke or struggled, it could cost him his life.
Finally, without warning, the mistress threw him back onto the deck. He rolled through her chamber’s opened doors, coming to a halt against the dead goblin messenger. Urine and worse began to soak into his fine clothes as he lay there attempting to regain control of his stiff limbs.
“There are still enough,” Mistress Selen whispered, mostly to herself. “Enough for the distraction I need.” She moved from the terrace past Gobblesnot and the dead messenger to the door of her cabin. Just before the door closed behind her, a peremptory command of “Clean that up” drifted back into the room.
Gobblesnot breathed a sigh of relief as the latch clicked shut. He rolled off the corpse, getting to his feet. He quickly searched the messenger for things of value and pocketed the tiny chips of sparkling stones he found in a filthy pouch tied under an armpit. After securing the treasure with a small chortle, he dragged the goblin’s lifeless body to the terrace and heaved it over the side. No words need be said. Mot understood sacrifice, regardless of what form it took.
At least I live, he thought, still shaken from the encounter with his mistress. Eventually, as he cleaned urine from the hardwood floor, his thoughts drifted to other matters beyond the reminders of his own mortality. He would have much to tell Bealoke when the god called. Much indeed.
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About the authors
Matt Howerter
Matt is one of those guys who grew up loving to draw, watching cartoons and playing RPGs (the kind where you sit at a table and the other players are generally in the same room with you). When deciding what direction to take in life, Matt was torn between illustration and storytelling, both forms of art he truly enjoyed. Illustration and design won out and became his career for nearly two decades, but storytelling always remained close to his heart. Finally, Matt has used his pencil to write as well as draw, and he hopes to continue to do so for the rest of his days.
Jon Reinke
Wandering has always been a hobby for Jon Reinke, but one thing has always been a constant. A love of fiction. Whether it’s getting lost in a fantastic world of his own imagining through RPG’s (see a theme here?) or reading dozens of books populated by wizards and warriors, heroes and villains, this genre has always been a fixture of his life.
Glossary
Artifacts
Harundin - (Ha • Roon •Den) The stone of power.
Mordekki - (Mor • Dee • Key) Symbol and weapon of the ruling family of the dwarven people.
Characters
Alexander Ventus - Prince and acting king of Basinia.
Arece Moridin - (Ah • Reese) Queen of Pelos and mother to Galen, Sloane and Sacha.
Baeloke - (Bay • Loke) Immortal awaiting the Awakening.
Bale Tigon - A captain of the Pelosian army, responsible for the safety of the royal family.
Banlor Graves - Lord and Minister of Trade for the Basinian kingdom, Blanor is a man of substantial power and influence.
Bella Louvet - Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin.
Galen Moridin - Prince of Pelos and eldest of King Hathorn’s children.
Gideon Thorel - General to House Borjornin the second house of the dwarven people.
Girty Borjornin - Daughter of Gurney and eldest of the house Borjornin.
Gurney Borjornin - Leader of the second most powerful dwarven house.
Erik Aveon - (A • Vee • On) Orphan and adopted father of Kinsey Aveon, Erik is a loyal and long-time scout for the Basinia army.
Hathorn Moridin - King of Pelos and father to Galen, Sloane and Sacha.
Horus - Dwarven soldier. One of eleven dwarves to go in search of Kinsey.
Jagger DeBoucher - Notorious, human rogue of the northern lands.
Jessip Hornsburg -Leader of the eighth most powerful dwarven house.
Jocelyn Thorel - Prominent warrior among the dwarves and sister to Gideon.
Kesh Tomelen - A chancellor of the Basinian courts, Kesh is also a prominent emissary and works closely with Lord Banlor Graves.
Kinsey Aveon - Adopted son of Erik Aveon, Kinsey is half-dwarven and a soldier of the Basinian army.
Leanne Louvet - Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin.
Maharuke - (Ma • Ha • Ruke) Overlord of Selen’s hobgoblin forces.
Marcella Moridin - Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin. Older sister to Meagan Moridin.
Meagan Moridin - Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin. Younger sister to Marcella Moridin.
Naulin Homber - Lead miner of the northern mines of Mozil.
Neal - Dwarven soldier. One of eleven dwarves to go in search of Kinsey.
Olen Bluebeard - Leader of the fourth most powerful dwarven house.
Petron Grouler - Ancient but revered dwarven warrior.
Renee Folet - Traveling minstrel and lover of Sacha Moridin.
Rhian Ventus - Queen of Basinia and mother to Alexander Ventus.
Roderick Ventus - King of Basinia and father to Alexander Ventus.
Ronil Narsbin - Leader of the fifth most powerful dwarven house.
Rouke Tarr - Loyal friend to Erik and Kinsey. Soldier of the Basinian army.
Rylan Moridin - Daughter of Sacha Moridin and Renee. A princess of Pelos.
Sacha Moridin - Daughter of King Hathorn and Queen Arece, Sacha is a Princess of Pelos with potential to become one of the most powerful users of the Shamonrae.
Selen - Immortal awaiting the Awakening.
Sargon - A dwarven high priest of Dagda and friend to King Thorn.
Sloane Moridin - Daughter of King Hathorn and Queen Arece, Sloane is to become queen of Basinia by marriage to Prince Alexander Ventus.
Tagen Axeheed - Leader of the most powerful dwarven house.
Teacher - Headmaster of the Monastery and Sacha Moridin’s mentor.
Thorn Brunahlen - (Brune • Hall • In) King of the Dwarves.
Vinnicus - (Vin • I • Kus) Immortal who seeks to manipulate events and people toward his ends.
Gods of Orundal
Anoba - (An • O • Buh) God of life. Primary deity of the elves.
Dagda - (Dag • Duh) God of the earth. Primary deity of the dwarves.
Eos - (E • Ohs) God of survival. Primary deity of the humans.
Mot - God of death. Worshiped by all of the goblinoid races and most outcasts of society.
Supernatural
Arcane energy/power - Mystical force used by mages to alter reality. Sometimes called, Shamonrae.
Dakayga - (Da • Kay • Gha) Blessing of the dwarven god Dagda. Demon or spirit warrior.
Dausos - (Da • Sos) The spirit world.
Rohdaekhann - (Row • Day • Con) Giant eagles in Basinia.
Shamonrae - (Sha • Mon • Ray) The place between reality and spirit where arcane energy is stored in its raw form.
Skinner - Demon doppelganger.
The World
Asynia - (A • Sin • Ya) Elven capital deep within the Winewood.
Basinia - (Base • I • Knee • Ya) Home of Terrandal, the tree of peace between elves and men. Also known as the ‘First Nation’, referring to the first settlement of humans on Orundal.
Dry Tower - Abandoned colony of elven and human settlers.
Pelos - (Pel • loss) Nati
on of the screaming eagle. Comprised of humans that were once nomadic tribes, the Pelosians became ‘civilized’ after the dwarven civil war 500 years prior to the present day storyline.
Mozil - (Moe • zeal) Dwarven capital in the Dale mountain range.
Orundal - (Or • Un • Doll) The only known land mass.
Savage Lands - The wilderness. Untamed lands inhabited by nomads, outcasts and wildlife.
Skelris - (Skell • Riss) Goblinoid capital of the Wetlands.
Stone Mountain/City Wall - Once kingdom to the dwarven nation (Rhazidan), Stone Mountain is now capital to the nomadic human tribes of Pelos. A massive, dwarven-made barrier stretches between the gap of the southern reaches of Mountain Wall, protecting Stone Mountain from invaders. The structure is so large that it houses all of the city’s troops and supplies, thus was given the name ‘City Wall’ by its new human tenants.
Waterfall Citadel - Human capital of Basinia. The ‘First City’ was built as a representation of everlasting peace between the elves of the Winewood and the human settlers of Basinia.
Miscellaneous
Athaneum - Grand library of Waterfall Citadel.
Carrosver - (Car • Ros • Veer) Artist that renders new summoning tunes for the Rhadoken.
Chaumbre - A place of gathering in the dwarven kingdom of Mozil.
Daelscharak - Hidden river valley in the Dales.
Hannaul - (Han • All) The dwarven throne of Mozil.
Ointa Dagdarhem - Sacred training temple of the Dakayga.
Palinhine - One of the most prominent trading cities of the Lowlands.
Rahoever - (Ra • O • Veer) Fliers in training.
Rhadoken - (Row • Dock • In) Accomplished fliers.
Rhomedeyagda - (Roam • Day • Yag • Da) Temple of Dagda.
Terrandal - (Ter • An • Doll) The ancient winewood tree that anchors the city of Waterfall Citadel to its perch on the falls of the Tanglevine.
Table of Contents
Title page
Jacket Blurb
Idea Forge Publishing
Map
Prologue
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Chapter 07
Chapter 08
Chapter 09
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
About the Authors
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Glossary
Book of Kinsey: Dark Fate (The Dark Fate Chronicles 2) Page 24