The Fall of Shaylar

by River Fairchild

  “What was that?” Zantira asked, her face only puzzled. She didn’t understand.

  Chaog tasted bitter fear so thick he choked on a breath. “We have to find the child. Quickly!”

  “What for? I thought we were taking the magic.”

  “You don’t understand.” Chaog walked away from her, trying to focus his magic on Sanrev’s child. “You never studied with the Wall of History. I did. Chandra is no longer in balance. The magic went to the other four Kingdoms instead of staying here.”

  “What does that have to do with the child?” Zantira’s voice had an edge to it now. Chaog stopped to face her, grabbing her by the shoulders.

  “The gates. This world is tethered to the other one. We have to send the child through the gates to slow down the destruction and help balance the magic. If the tether snaps, both worlds will be lost to Chaos.”

  “Destruction? I still don’t understand.” Zantira refused to budge from her stance after he let go of her.

  “The magic has been ripped away from the land in Shaylar. The other four Kingdoms have more magic than they should. Is that clear enough for you?” Chaog stalked away, not caring if she followed or not.

  She caught up to him, laying a hand on his arm. He felt the tremor in her fingers. “You mean Chandra will tear itself apart?”

  “Yes. The balance between the two worlds will be affected as Chandra begins to experience increasing earthshakes. The land in Shaylar grows dead even now. Can’t you smell the rot in the air?” Chaog passed a hand over his face, mopping at the sweat forming along his hairline. “In time, the earth will crumble to its core and split open.”

  “How is sending the child through the gates going to prevent this? Shouldn’t we be trying to recover the magic?”

  “I was wrong,” Chaog admitted, though it pained him to do so. “Only the blood of Shaylar can hold the magic. Sending the child to the other world will hold the balance long enough for the magic to formulate a call to its own blood, bringing its rightful ruler back to the Kingdom.”

  “How long will that take?” Zantira sounded resigned now…and irritated by the delay.

  “I don’t know but it shouldn’t take long. Maybe two or three generations. I really can’t say. While we’re waiting, we can make other plans to rule Shaylar.” Chaog had been forming ideas, in case one of the brothers had survived. His plans could still work. He could be the power behind the throne, with the new generation of ruler not knowing how to use his magic.

  “What’s to keep someone else from taking this child’s descendant away from us? How will we even know when he comes back?”

  “We’ll feel him come through the gate. As for our illustrious leader, we’ll tell her we are in control of the timing—that we will call the blood back.”

  Zantira sneered at him. “Why would she even care?”

  “She’ll care,” Chaog assured her. “She’ll care because she won’t want to give up the extra magic. Believe me, I know. Now, help me find the child!”

  Temple Larat, First Year of the Kuasai, five years after the Fall of Shaylar

  Maderin sat quietly at the small writing table in his cramped room, considering his options. His head ached with each new portent. His hand shook with fear. His heart wept with what he must do, for he enjoyed being counted among the living. An entire world balanced on the edge of the abyss, its fate delivered into his hands. Chandra was his to save.

  Or to destroy.

  He set pen to paper, carefully recording the riddle he’d been sent through his Sight. No other would know its secrets. None would be able to solve the puzzle or divine its meaning. It would remain a mystery until the one arrived to unlock the portent and restore balance once more.

  The Kingdom of Shaylar must rise again to save them all. If the one chosen failed in his task, Chandra would slide into the abyss, its people destroyed.

  And what of that other orb, the world tethered to this one? Maderin hadn’t seen its fate but surely it couldn’t survive the chaos with its counter-balance gone. It, too, might suffer its own death as well, this faraway planet known to its people as Earth.

  Already the struggle began here in Shaylar. To fill the void left when the Kingdom fell five years earlier, new rulers had appeared to tame the masses. These self-styled kings—Thanes, they called themselves—marked their territories in great cities called Citadels. These petty Lords of War clashed with each other over land and ruled the people by fear. Though highborn, their magic was no match for that which left the land in ruins.

  It was not his problem to be concerned with. That which the visions had spoken of was to be his final legacy. The rest would be for someone else to handle.

  His task finished, Maderin stood and gazed outside at the majestic snow-capped mountains known as the Dragon’s Teeth. They marked the border to the Fire Kingdom, one of the Five Kingdoms of Chandra. Five fingers on one hand. Five points of light in the night sky directly overhead—marking the gates to their sister world. Five portals of energy, passageways for the exchange of life between two worlds.

  What must it be like to enter one? To discover you’ve moved from one world to the next? He would never know. It was honor enough to be entrusted with the secret. The rest would be forever beyond his reach.

  Maderin read over the words once more before he folded the page and sealed it. He called for the courier, bade him a swift journey to the edge of the southern sea. From there he knew a ship would deliver his words to Far Isle, home of the wizards.

  Now to the end. Best not to linger in sorrow. He’d done as instructed by the magic binding the Kingdoms together; the source of all Sight which he lived to serve, though not for much longer.

  To remain would destroy the portent, endangering them all. The unscrupulous could break his silence, discover what he knew.

  Maderin climbed the stairs to the tower, taking in the crisp air as he stepped outside at the very top, some three-hundred feet or more above the ground. The Dragon’s Teeth looked close enough to touch from up here, an illusion testifying to their gigantic stature. He’d often hoped to see a dragon in flight before he died but never had. No one had, though legend spoke of them as once showing themselves to the people of Shaylar.

  He spread his arms wide, imagining how dragons must soar through the air, and stepped off the ledge.

  A ruby tear,

  A sapphire lights the sky,

  Follow the floating emerald,

  Melt the jasper which clings to the tree.

  The torque entwines,

  The magic blooms,

  Behold, the Kingdom of Shaylar rises,

  For the one who endures both triumph and tragedy.

  About River Fairchild

  River Fairchild is somewhat odd, brandishes a dry sense of humor, owned by several cats. Lives in a fantasy world. A fabricator of magic. Makes stuff up and spins tales about it. Believes in Faerie crossings and never staying in one place for very long. Speculative Fiction wordsmith. The secret to her stories? Spread lies, blend in truths, add a pinch of snark and a dash of tears. Escape into her world. She left the porch light on so you can find your way down the rabbit hole.

  I enjoy getting to know my readers. You can connect with me through my website, riverfairchild.blogspot.com, or by email at RiverFairchildAuthor@gmail.com. I’m on Twitter as @RiverFairchild and on Facebook as facebook.com/RiverFairchildAuthor.

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  Other Books by River Fairchild

  The Jewels of Chandra Series

  Magic is real. So is betrayal.

  Two heirs. A Kingdom of dust on a troubled world. One might resurrect it. One might destroy it all. An epic fantasy.

  Diamonds and Dust - Book 1

  Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in
his father’s journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.

  Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches.

  David’s arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.

  Available as ebook and paperback. For more information, click here.

  A Dragon’s Lament – Book 2

  David enters the Fire Kingdom and events shift from bad to worse. He learns a shocking truth about the dragons, a truth destined to block his efforts to retrieve the lost magic of Shaylar from the ruling Council. After a cave-in and injuries force a rescue, David finds himself more isolated than before as personal concerns scatter his trusted advisors and the wizard who led him there abandons him.

  The head of the dragon Council negotiates separate deals with both David and his father, sowing further discord between them. David’s close friend, Lothan, disappears into the caves and doesn’t return. A group of dissidents kidnap Wilks, the child empath David is sworn to protect. With no options left, he accepts the Council’s demands to help them in their centuries-old conflict, risking a war which might kill them all.

  Even if David manages to win, there’s no guarantee the dragons will let him leave the region alive. They don’t want the Kingdom of Shaylar to rise again and will stop at nothing to see it remain a pile of dust.

  Available as ebook and paperback. For more information, click here.

  More in the series coming.

  Bone and Ice – Book 3

  Sea Dreams – Book 4

  Death of Honor – Book 5

  Living the Afterlife, a Death and Chronos flash fiction collection

  Thirty stories filled with laughter and mishaps as a Harley-riding Death and anachronistic Chronos create havoc in Purgatory and on Earth. A host of Immortals join in the misadventures.

  Find out what happens when Death teaches War how to bowl. Can Chronos fix his blunder when he loses a year? What is Gaia going to do when she discovers the invisible sheep? Can you win playing poker with Evil?

  Step into their world. The Afterlife will never be the same.

  Free ebook. For more information, click here.

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