• • •
Malrich nearly jumped from his stool when Emethius burst into the parlor. Emethius’s anger had run away from him, and his hands were shaking beyond control. He balled his fists in a vain attempt to rein in his emotions. It didn’t help.
“What happened?” asked Malrich. He stepped aside, letting Emethius storm about the room in a blind rage. Emethius picked up a cup and sent it crashing into the wall. When that did nothing to cool his blood, he picked up a chair and smashed it against the floor. He reached for a vase, but found Malrich blocking his path.
“What are you doing?” demanded Malrich.
When Emethius did not answer him, Malrich grabbed Emethius by the shoulders and slammed him into the wall. The plaster cracked from the force. “What are you doing?” he repeated, his voice purposefully calm as he stared Emethius down with his lone eye.
“I failed, Mal.”
“Lord Parius won’t give you the cure.” Malrich nodded knowingly. “It’s what I feared all along.”
“I was so certain,” said Emethius huskily. “Perhaps the Calabanesi were right to condemn him.”
“Lillian and Parius are gods, Emethius,” said Malrich. “No matter whose side they claim to be on, there’s no avoiding the fact that they just see the world differently. They will never truly understand the mortal condition. No matter what we do, we will always be victims to their whims.”
Emethius threw off Malrich’s grasp and did a circuit around the room, tearing every tapestry from the wall. One by one, he tossed them into a pile in the center of room. He began to add pieces of furniture to the growing mound - a table, a pair of chairs, a couch. He even toppled a large cupboard onto the pile, spilling its contents of tankards and plates across the floor.
“Lord Parius is being hunted by the Calabanesi,” declared Emethius, sounding half-mad. “That is why we were pursued by the Perim Lu and attacked in the forest. He’s a fugitive. I say we send the Calabanesi a message they cannot miss. Perhaps they will deal with us more fairly.” Emethius yanked a candle from a wall sconce and held it over the pile. “Let’s see how well these illusions burn.”
A howling wind suddenly tore through the room causing the candle’s flame to gutter then extinguish. The room plunged into darkness, save for a dim luminous globe that hovered near the doorway.
“You would doom yourself and your friend because the lord of this house will not help you?” challenged Lillian coolly. She stepped into the room with a lantern in hand. “There is a wildness about the talsani I do not understand.” She set the lantern down on the fire mantel. “I think it would be wise to keep you and an open flame apart for a while.”
Emethius took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “I am not trying to seek revenge, if that is what you think. But I did not travel halfway across the world to be denied.”
“Yet you have done just that,” said Lillian. “Lord Parius abides to his own divine laws, completely and without falter. I warned you of this before you entered the court. He will not aid you — no word or rash deed will change this truth.”
“Then why did he save us?” asked Malrich.
“He didn’t. That was my choice,” replied Lillian. “Were it up to Parius, you both would have died, your bodies gutted and sacrificed to the black god of the Cul. This is not because he is cruel; it’s because he believes in the importance of the Covenant. He can advise, and he most definitely has in the past, but he will not use his powers to physically interfere with the fates of mortals. Even as an outcast, he still holds the Covenant supreme.”
“Then Meriatis will die,” said Emethius.
“Yes, that is how Lord Parius would have it,” said Lillian. “That is, unless mortal hands can find a cure.”
For a long time the room hung in silence. Emethius’s rage was replaced by a heavy sullenness. He felt his chest tighten. His tear-rimmed eyes throbbed.
Lillian placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I have my own interpretation of the Covenant that binds the acts of the divine. If in folly a god harms one of the lesser races, it is within my right to correct that error.”
She reached up to her crown, and plucked the two gemstones loose. They glowed with fervent light when they came in contact with her skin, shimmering yellow and then blue. “I sent Meriatis down this path, thus his actions are my responsibility.” She held out the stones, presenting one to Emethius and the other to Malrich.
Emethius was stunned beyond words. He carefully took the stone from her hands and held it up to the light, hoping he might discern its healing properties by peering through the opaque surface. It looked like a moonstone, but as he held it up a flicker of light began to shimmer in the heart of the stone. There is magic within.
“Sundering Stones,” explained Lillian. “They are one of the rarest gems in the world, remnants from the forging of the earth. They can absorb the power of the divine, and in the case of the Blackheart, they can leech the taint of the Shadow from an afflicted body.”
Malrich stared at his own stone, dumbfounded. “I... I can’t accept this,” he stammered. “It’s not fair. There are only two stones, yet the number of people afflicted with the Blackheart are too many to count.”
Lillian reached forward and gently closed Malrich’s hand around the stone. “Take heart, Malrich. For I intend to cure everyone before my days are through.”
“How?” pressed Malrich.
“Simple,” said Lillian, laughing. “I intend to destroy the taint at its root. I’m going to overthrow the gods and destroy the Shadow that Creeps.
“Prince Meriatis wasn’t lying,” muttered Malrich quietly, almost to himself. A grim satisfaction came over his face.
Overjoyed, Emethius clutched his own stone to his chest. He could not guarantee what future lay in store for Meriatis, but within Emethius’s grasp was the cure, and for now that was enough. “Thank you,” he managed.
“I see it as my duty,” said Lillian. She wiped the tears from Emethius’s cheeks, and as she did, her face hardened. “But do not fall into false relief. The true struggle has just begun.”
“What comes next?” asked Emethius.
“War,” answered Lillian. “The scope of which the world has never seen. The tainted will battle the pure. Gods will battle gods. And in the end, mortals may be forced to battle the divine. It is the only path forward. But first we must escape. Bi Ache is no longer safe. The Calabanesi have been delayed by my master’s awesome power. But, by finding their vision blocked, they will know for certain that we are near. Soon they will come against this sanctuary en masse.”
Lillian placed a reassuring hand on either of their shoulders. “Rest well tonight, for tomorrow at first light we depart. Together we will journey through the Cultrator, and for many nights thereafter we will find no sanctuary from the menace of the Cul.”
THE CONTINENT OF ELANDRIA
THE FOUR REALMS OF EREMEL
AFTERWORD
Thank you for reading The Promise of Dragons and The Wayward Prince. Book three, The Shadow Behind the Throne is currently available, while book four, Empire of Madness, is coming soon. For more information on my upcoming novels visit www.leehhaywood.com. There you can sign up for my newsletter to receive notifications about future sales events, send me an email, or connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. I would love to hear from you.
Also, if you enjoyed the book, please consider telling a friend or providing a review on Goodreads and your book retailer of choice. Reviews are the lifeblood of indie publishing, and your feedback can help make or break a book. Your input is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your support!
A WORD OF THANKS
I have read again and again, that for every author, there is someone in the background carrying them through the highs and lows of authorship. That has certainly been true for me. Needless to say, if it were not for my wife’s unwavering support this book would not be in your hands. She has served as a soundboard for ideas and an edito
r for my writing since this story was just a mere inkling in the back of my mind. She has been beside me for every step along this very rocky road to publication, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have such a splendid collaborator, best friend, and wife.
A special thanks is owed to my team of betareaders; their feedback has been priceless. They were the first adventurers into the world of Elandria, and the lack of typos can largely be attributed to their discerning eyes. I am endlessly grateful.
Lastly, a nod of gratitude to my parents. They raised me to have the discipline and persistence to pursue my passion, and provided me with the rich childhood (and pile of books) necessary for my imagination to blossom. Thus, I write.
-LHH
BOOKS BY LEE H. HAYWOOD
The Gods and Kings Chronicles
The Order – A standalone prequel
A Wizard’s Dark Dominion
The Guardian
The Guardian Stone
Fractured Throne
The Promise of Dragons
The Wayward Prince
The Shadow Behind the Throne
Empire of Madness (Coming Soon)
Available in ebook and softbound formats.
Visit www.leehhaywood.com for more details.
The Story Continues...
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Fractured Throne Box Set 1 Page 41