by Vinn Winters
Cinder Reign
The Midnight Flame
By Vinn Winters
© Vinn Winters 2021
All rights reserved
www.vinnwinters.com
Map of Ancantion
Prologue
I’d rather rot in the dungeons of Beckonthrone than be here…
Eygodon leapt gracefully across the obsidian spires protruding from the murky waters of The Whispering Isles. The calmness of the water itself sent an eerie chill down his spine. In any other place where the land met the Casteon Sea, there would be the familiar crashing of water against rock, but here the water was deathly still. The only sound was the faint echo of the hollow voices reaching his ears. The half-goblin pushed them from his mind. The whispers would only lure listeners to an early grave, that much he knew well.
“Careful, now. Don’t slip!” Brielle, his nymph companion said, almost sounding concerned. Buck naked except for the small cluster of leaves floating around her, the nymph hovered nearby, paying no mind to the chill in the air. “I don’t want to find out what lurks in the waters below.”
Eygodon reflexively opened his mouth to counter with a snide comment, but decided against it. He could tell she was nervous, and she was right to be. The Whispering Isles were the perfect place for his forces to hide, because they were infamously dangerous. There were countless tales of ships being destroyed: tales of vessels by being run against the jagged obelisks rising from the shadowy sea, of crews being driven to madness by the empty voices relentlessly reaching their ears, just by disappearing into the blackened mists entirely.
During the Forming Ages of the human empire in Ancantion, the name the humans called The Third Realm, an old king grew tired of the mysterious disappearances. He sent an entire battalion of warships to purge The Whispering Isles, and not a single one of them returned. No traces of the ships were ever found, to no one’s surprise. No wreckage of a ship remained visible within the isles for long. The myth was that a leviathan of dark depths claimed everything that chose to enter The Whispering Isles, though Eygodon shuddered to imagine what sort of creature that would be.
Eygodon’s forces had set up a permanent camp on the northern coast of The Whispering Isles. A wiser traveler would take the long route around the isles to reach the place where his goblin minions had long set up camp. But Eygodon was not just any traveler; he was a powerful sorcerer, one who was bad at being patient.
“I don’t understand… if you were just going to use your magic and teleport us here, why not just poof us to their encampment?” Brielle questioned.
“A teleportation spell is not something you can just conjure out of the blue,” Eygodon replied defensively, “it takes considerable effort to study. For example: you need to be sure that nothing is standing where your destination is, or it’s kahblewie for you both.”
“I’m actually impressed you know how to do this,” Brielle said, “it seems like pretty complicated magic for a warlock.”
“Sorcerer,” Eygodon corrected.
“That still doesn’t explain why you couldn’t have still teleported us closer though,” Brielle pressed.
“Like I said, nymph,” Eygodon growled, “it takes considerable effort, countless calculations, and extensive strategy to—”
“So you don’t know where your own army is, do you?” Brielle asked flatly.
Eygodon grumbled a string of curses under his breath.
“Impressive,” the nymph added sarcastically, as she gently shifted her brown, wavy hair around the one of antlers protruding from her head.
“I had a general idea of where they were, alright?” Eygodon said defensively.
“General idea meaning the complete opposite side of the bay,” Brielle answered. Eygodon did not look at the nymph, but he could swear he sensed her rolling her eyes.
“We’re heading to where they are at now, okay?” Eygodon said, filling his voice with confidence.
“You mean, where you think they are,” Brielle quickly countered.
“Well, they weren’t on the southern side of the coast,” Eygodon answered sharply, “so conclusively, that only leaves—
Eygodon fell silent then couched down.
“Why’d we stop?” Brielle asked. “Do you doubt that they could be on the northern coast now too?”
“Did you hear that?” Eygodon asked, as quietly as possible.
“Hear what?” Brielle replied, matching his volume. “I’m amazed I can hear you over the incoherent babble coming from the beyond.”
Eygodon strained his ears to filter out the whispers.
They waited in silence for several moments, and then Eygodon rose.
“Must have been my imagination,” he said, cracking his neck.
“As much as I normally would love to seize the moment to jab you, this place also has me on edge,” Brielle said, shivering.
“I appreciate your mercy,” he responded.
Eygodon looked out across the murky pool. The surface of the water was as smooth as glass.
My mind is playing tricks on me, Eygodon thought, trying to reassure himself. The myths cannot be true. This place is nothing more than a dead land.
For a moment, the sorcerer thought he glimpsed something moving beneath the watery depths; or at least, a part of something. He squinted, hoping the strain on his eyes would separate his imagination from reality, but he saw nothing else.
You’re worrying yourself for nothing, he thought, trying to render his mind numb. No denizen of the depths has ever existed in the Third Realm that could do what the myths say.
“We should get moving,” Brielle softly pleaded. “It is not good for the soul to linger in these lands.”
“A wise choice,” Eygodon agreed, jumping to the next pinnacle.
The only plausible scenario of reality to these rumors, his mind continued, would be if it was something that wasn’t native to these waters, something that came from very far away, something excessively horrific, something like—
The sorcerer had no sooner turned to leap towards the next spire, when he heard the sound of softly shifting waters.
Eygodon’s eyes stretched wide open.
…we shouldn’t have come here, he thought as his body tensed.
“Hey, did you hear—?” Brielle began.
“Follow me. Don’t stop, don’t look back,” Eygodon hissed. Without hesitation, he leapt to the next spire, then the next. The sound of a small gust of wind told him that Brielle was keeping up.
The two darted across the midnight bay. The hollow whispers seemed to grow louder, matching the sound of the wind against his face as he ran. Beneath that noise, he could hear the growing noise of rippling water.
“We have to go faster, Brielle!” Eygodon yelled. Harnessing his strength, he pushed off the spire he was on as he quickly leapt to the next.
“What are we running from?” she asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Eygodon replied, pushing forward. “Now, move!”
“I’m going as fast as I can!” Brielle replied, struggling to keep up.
“Well, go faster! Or you won’t make it!” Eygodon snapped, landing on the next rocky spike.
“I’m a nymph, not a falling star!” Brielle shot back.
Eygodon listened to the sound of the water below.
“It’s gaining on us, you need to speed up!”
“I can’t!” Brielle shouted.
“Kae-koon’s fortune!” Eygodon swore. As he landed on the next spire, he turned around to see Brielle racing to catch up. Eygodon’s mouth fell
open as he peered behind her. An enormous shadow shifted beneath the water, leaving a deceptively small ripple in the surface above.
How did it find me? he thought, fighting back rising panic.
“I’ve never seen that look on your face before,” Brielle said as she caught up. “What is following us, Eygodon?”
He grabbed the nymph as soon as she was within his reach and held her against his chest.
“What are you doing?” Brielle asked. He could hear the growing confusion and fear in her voice.
Eygodon responded by crossing his arms and wrapping them around her. Holding her tight, he turned and pushed off of the spire with all of his strength. The sorcerer soared through the air, clearing several spires before landing gracefully on another rocky protrusion. He repeated the motion again.
“You’re a pain in my ass, Brielle,” Eygodon hissed as he moved. “But as long as you stick by my side, the only way you’re going to die is by my hand. Definitely not by what lurks beneath these waters.”
“That was… almost comforting,” Brielle said sarcastically, but she still hugged him close.
Fear coursed through Eygodon as his goblin ears told him that, despite his acceleration and the gentleness of the water, the creature was still gaining on them. He strained his muscles to increase speed, but it was difficult enough to maintain the momentum.
“Eygodon…” Brielle whispered.
“Don’t panic, we’re going to make it,” Eygodon reassured her, even though he was not certain that his words were true. His muscles were already burning from the strain; he was not sure how long he would hold out at this speed.
“I’m sorry for the way I was… being a pain in your ass,” Brielle said softly.
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Eygodon said comfortingly as they flew towards the next spire.
“There is… you’re being tender and sentimental. I was clearly too soft on you,” Brielle said. He could practically hear her smirk.
“I can always throw you back towards our purser. I bet you’d make fantastic fishing bait,” Eygodon purred.
“There’s the Eygodon that’ll get us out of this mess,” Brielle said, smiling up at him.
Eygodon flashed a quick grin and then looked up. In the distance he could make out the hazy outline of the coast of Ancantion. The gentle roil of the water told him that the creature was almost upon them.
At this pace, we will never reach the shore, Eygodon thought, desperately trying to suppress panic. I need to make it in the next leap, as impossible as that may seem.
An earth-shaking bellow swept across the bay, Eygodon almost lost his footing as he landed on the next pillar; his blood ran cold as ice.
“What child of nightmares could make such a noise?” Brielle cried out.
“Stop asking questions! Keep your eyes on me, Brielle. Just promise me that you’ll keep your eyes on me!” Eygodon shouted.
He glanced down at Brielle; a terrified expression was etched on her face. Instinctively, she moved to look behind him.
“Don’t!” Eygodon yelled, but the sound of his voice was drowned out in another bellow from the beast.
All or nothing, I vowed I wouldn’t tap into this power again after Cinder Reign. But against this — I have no choice, Eygodon thought. He quickly positioned himself against an angled slope on the spire. Dark essence swirled around his legs and feet. He pushed forward with all his might; the force so great that it cracked the ground beneath his feet.
Eygodon propelled through the air, flashes of black protrusions merely blurs beneath him. He could see the coast clearly now. The sorcerer hoped that his last bout of strength had been enough.
To his relief, they only seemed to lose momentum as he passed over the shallow water. Eygodon shifted as they fell towards the beach, turning so they would land with his back taking the blow of the impact.
Eygodon clenched his teeth in pain as they hit the sandy beach like a cannonball. Immediately looking down, he felt relief rush over him as he saw Brielle’s head nestled against his chest. She had been unharmed by the fall, protected in his arms.
Another blood-curdling bellow brought the sorcerer’s attention back to the water. Gently setting her aside, he quickly stood up.
Taking several quick breaths, he clenched his firsts and looked out onto the blackened bay. The spire that he had pushed off of, as well as all of the obsidian pillars he had flown in that final leap over, had vanished. There were no waves from collapsing rock; the water looked completely undisturbed. The only distinction in the flat murky pool was the large shadow beneath the surface.
“Here I am, you bastard!” Eygodon yelled towards the black sea. “Are you here to toy with me, or did you finally come to finish me off?”
The monster bellowed again from beneath the water, the roar gurgled yet still shook the ground.
Eygodon breathed heavily as he watched the darkness move further from the shore and then disappear beneath the murky liquid.
“I can’t… I can’t believe we actually got away,” Eygodon rambled, falling to his knees and wiping sweat from his forehead. “I haven’t had an encounter that close since The Battle of Cinder Reign. Hey — I’m sorry about yelling at you back there. You know I wouldn’t have done that if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, right?”
The nymph remained quiet.
“Look, I apologized okay. Just trust me that it was for a good reason ,okay?” Eygodon said.
The nymph did not respond.
“Kae-koon’s wisdom, you’re a stubborn little creature,” Eygodon said with a large groan. “Fine! I’ll tell you. But prepare yourself; you’re going to be having nightmares for weeks for this.”
An eerie silence fell over the beach, without even a tide to break the quiet.
“Brielle, are you okay?” Eygodon asked with concern, reaching towards her.
Eygodon gently rolled her to face him, and then drew a quick breath.
Brielle’s face was twisted into a look of terror. Her mouth was frozen mid-scream; the irises of her eyes were a hollow white.
A ground-shaking roar echoed across the beach, followed by soft sobbing.
Hours later, Eygodon awoke, his face against the black sand, lying next to his old friend. He didn’t look at her; he couldn’t look at her, at least not yet.
“Brielle…” he whispered softly. He dug his hand into the dark sand and watched the grains trickle down his fingers.
“I don’t know if — if I can bring you back, my friend. I only know of one way, and even that — even of that I’m uncertain.”
A soft breeze blew over the darkened shore. The first sound he had heard since they reached it.
Eygodon clenched his fist on the remaining sand.
“But I’ll bring this entire realm to its knees to find out.”
CHAPTER 1
“What’s wrong with you?” Vyra asked, squinting at the paladin.
“I don’t know! I’m sorry; you’re just the first woman I’ve ever really talked to. Please don’t be angry!” Aldrean pleaded.
“I’m the first woman you’ve ever… what?” Vyra said, squinting at the Paladin. “That can’t be true. Lord Aldrean, I watched you have a conversation with Ethoria just a short while ago.”
“Ethoria?” Aldrean asked, tilting his head as his forest green eyes locked with hers.
“Ethoria, the leader of the royal scouts for the Kingdom, the Embervyne rangers. A friend of yours too, I believe,” Vyra said, crossing her arms.
“No, I’m pretty sure I would remember someone like that,” Aldrean replied, shaking his head.
“You just talked to her?” Vyra said.
“Then why don’t I remember it?” Aldrean asked, running a hand through his blond hair.
“Well, what about Lady Amberleen? She’s a cruel woman, but she’s someone I’m certain you’ve talked to before.”
“Doesn’t sound familiar,” Aldrean said.
“Well what about that pompous noble woman
from High Priestess Willow’s Gardens?” Vyra continued.
“High Priestess who?” Aldrean replied.
Vyra almost lost her balance.
This is my fault. It must have been the elixir I gave him, that’s the only explanation for a change this drastic, Vyra thought, cringing internally. This wasn’t what I wanted, Midnight Wolf. I wanted to see him humbled, but not like this.
“Witch’s Blight,” Vyra said, running her hands through her hair. “You don’t remember any woman do you?”
“You’re the first I can recall,” Aldrean said. His voice sounded genuine, and that’s what terrified Vyra.
A loud pounding on the chamber door interrupted their conversation.
“Aldrean, are you okay in there? Your strange behavior is starting to concern even Orbit,” a loud voice barked from the other side of the chamber door. The voice belonged to Orbit the Omnipotent, a gnome warlord that was not lacking in appreciation of his own self-importance.
“No! Not now!” Aldrean whispered, dashing across the room and fitting himself into the corner. “Orbit can’t see me like this! He direly wants my position as the Paladin. If he finds out what has happened… he’ll tell the whole kingdom! Please, you have to help me, Vyra. Please!”
“So you remember Orbit?” Vyra asked.
“Of course I do! Who could forget that loudmouth scrapheap?” Aldrean responded.
Guess the enchantment really is limited to women, Vyra thought, scratching her head.
“Alright, I’ll do what I can,” Vyra said quickly. But what the hell am I going to say? Think Vyra, what would convince Orbit to go away?
Vyra gently pressed her hand against the chamber door. The thuds against it from the other side sent vibrations across her body. Orbit, despite his tiny size, was indeed a powerful warrior. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“Go away, Orbit!” Vyra said, in her lowest voice possible, “I am busy, uh… bedding many women right now and — uh — looking at myself in the mirror. I am having a grand time and you are ruining it! So — uh — please leave. Yes, go away!”