Until All Curses Are Lifted

by Tim Frankovich

“Why?” he whispered. He knew the answer she would have given, the answer she gave. But it still made no sense to him. He wasn’t worth this. No one was.

  “Did you, uh, beat that eidolon thing?” Victor asked.

  Marshal nodded. It didn’t seem like much, but at least he had accomplished something. He wondered what Aelia would have thought of that.

  “She loved more than any woman I’ve met.”

  Marshal looked up at Nian, who strolled into the grove.

  “How did you know we were here?” Victor asked.

  “I am… not very welcome at the temple lately,” Nian said. “I’ve been staying nearby and keeping a watch out for you. I knew you’d return eventually.”

  Marshal snorted and looked back at the stone. Nian placed both hands on his shoulders. Marshal tensed up instinctively, then tried to relax.

  “I’m glad to see you made it back, Marshal. Those who venture into the Otherworld do not always return.”

  Victor toyed with his flail. “What was it like over there?”

  “Dark,” Marshal said. “But beautiful.”

  “What will you do now?” Nian asked.

  Marshal shook his head. He had no idea.

  “We should walk back into Reman and demand they recognize Marshal as the true Lord!” Victor said.

  “No.” Marshal looked up. “I can’t.”

  “Sure, you can. You’re the rightful heir. Your mom told me all about it, and… It’s part of why she got your curse lifted.” Victor looked from Marshal to Nian. “Isn’t it?”

  “I don’t–” Nian began.

  “I can’t do it!” Marshal said. He put his right hand on the ground. A slight tremor radiated out from him. He looked up at the other two. “That was as strong as I can get.”

  “What happened? You tore the entire temple apart a few days ago!”

  Marshal shrugged. “I think… I did too much.”

  “You overextended yourself?” Nian asked.

  Marshal nodded.

  “Then you just wore it out. It’ll come back, right?” Victor again looked hopeful. “Right?”

  “I don’t know.” His lips felt tired. Too much talking.

  Nian moved around opposite Marshal and the stone. “This is what I can say of Aelia’s purposes,” he said. “She believed you had a great purpose in this world, Marshal.”

  This he knew. She had repeated it almost every day of his life.

  “And I’m… valuable.”

  “Yes. All of Theon’s children are valuable. But your mother showed how incredibly valuable she believed you to be.”

  “I’m not worth it.”

  “Is anyone?” Nian knelt and faced Marshal. “You now have to face the life she died to give you. You have to live in a manner to make it worth it!”

  Marshal’s face twisted in agony. “How?”

  “How can anyone? You make a difference where you can. Rumors are spreading that our new Lord Volraag murdered his father. Both Varioch and Rasna are preparing for war. The earth itself is shaking. All of Antises is waiting, looking for hope in these dark times. You…. You had a curse lifted!” Nian stood and spread his arms. “That has never happened in all our recorded history! I’ve long heard it said that once one curse is lifted, it will set Antises on the path to the lifting of all curses. You, Marshal, are a symbol of hope itself!” He paused and added more quietly, “Of grace itself.” He reached a hand down to Marshal.

  Marshal ignored it and stood on his own. In his mind, he saw the little girl with the twisted arm in Efesun. “Until all curses are lifted,” he whispered. He looked once more at Aelia’s stone, then turned to Victor.

  “Let’s get started.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  WHILE I HAVE had many stories in my head throughout my life, this one has an odd history. I’ve always wanted to write epic fantasy, but my earliest attempts were all far too derivative. It took me years to find the right combination of characters and plot.

  One day at college, a friend and I were discussing our respective interests - for me, it was writing and fantasy; for him, it was music and theater. We playfully toyed with combining the two into the first epic fantasy stage play. We got as far as one opening scene where the villain, Volraag, gloats over his plan to obtain all the lands’ magic and combine them into the Heart of Fire. We named the land Antises and the central island Zes Sivas. Then we argued over the hero’s name (the villain’s half-brother!). He suggested a combination of our two names, which I thought sounded silly. And that was as far as the collaboration went. After graduation, he and I drifted apart. I have no idea where he is now, but I hope this book finds its way to him sometime.

  After I got serious about writing a few years ago, I wrote one book that I now regard as practice (it may see the light of day, revised, at some point in the future). Then I turned to my true love, epic fantasy. But which of the epic fantasy stories that have filled my brain since childhood should I use? As I dug through old notes on my computer, I came across one named “Heart of Fire.” I read over the notes we had brainstormed, and as I did, new ideas entered my head. I sketched out a brief outline, calling the hero Marshal now (named after my friend). I realized that this had the makings of something truly epic in length and scope.

  But the story still needed much more. I conceived the secondary storyline, taking place on Zes Sivas, but it needed a second protagonist. And so Seri was born. Her story wrote itself more than any character I’ve ever created.

  I am deeply indebted to Stephen Tallman and Allen Perkins, my beta readers. Your reactions to the characters and their trials helped shape many of my revision thoughts. I also gained enormous insights from editor Mica Kole, whose developmental analysis helped me nail down some weak points in the story and revise numerous key points.

  My sister, Cindy, always wanted to read everything I wrote while we were younger, giving me needed motivation. The seeds of some of these plots and characters were planted in some of those earliest scribblings.

  The guys who have been a part of my tabletop gaming group - John, Justin, Mark x3, Lance, Jimmy, Derek, Ernie, Carson - have been a constant source of inspiration, whether they knew it or not. Some of them show up under other names in various parts of my writing.

  I can never repay my wife, Denise, for allowing me to spend far too many hours sitting in front of a computer screen. You are the best ever, oh love of my life!

  The highest praise belongs to my Creator, who made me in His image as a sub-creator, giving me the desire to do things like this.

  Obviously, there is much more to tell in the story of Antises. Keep track of the news on timfrankovich.com, my mailing list, Facebook author page, Twitter, and whatever other wacky social media gets invented between now and the next book…

  For more information on Antises, upcoming books, and more,

  visit timfrankovich.com

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Tim Frankovich has been exploring fantastic worlds since third grade, when he cut up a grocery sack and drew a Godzilla-meets-superheroes story. Since then, he’s gotten a little bit better at the writing part (not so much with the drawing).

  His goal as a writer is to transport readers to another world, make them care deeply about characters in dire situations, and guide them deeply into life itself.

  At the moment, he is probably suitably conscious somewhere in Texas with his beloved wife, awesome four kids, and a fool of a pup named Pippin. Until All Curses Are Broken is his first novel.

  Copyright © 2019 Tim Frankovich

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-7333285-0-0

  Published by Warpsteel Press, 2019

  League City, Texas

  No parts of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.

  This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.

  Cover Design by Rofiatul Adawiyah

  Map Design by Alexandra Lindgren