As the others slumbered, and Jonathan immersed himself with a book in his room, the Blood Emperor allowed a fragment of his being to wander. It was an old technique, and there were better ones at his disposal, but it would do for now. He drifted through the city like a ghost, wandering from place to place. He was a man out of time, and he need to acclimatise as quickly as possible. It was saddening to see how much Bloodmark had changed, and not for the better. Eventually, he returned to the room. Jonathan had been supping on some blood, and a portion of the strength he gained was passed on to him.
“Can I ask you a question?” Jonathan asked.
“You just did.” The Blood Emperor was a faint apparition at the moment not simply a shadow in the back of Jonathan’s mind. It was easier here since Bloodmark had been built on a place of power. It would also be good practice in case he needed to make an appearance during battle, perhaps as a distraction. “But go ahead.”
“Historians have always wondered… but what was your actual name? They say you adopted another one as an emperor, and no one seems to have known what your original name was.”
The Blood Emperor grinned. “You’re a sharp fellow. My birth name was not the most impressive name, so I set it aside when I began my quest to become emperor. To be honest, I think my parents were having fun at my expense when they chose it. They could both be evil like that. My name – my original name – was Malvinius. They named me after my great-grandfather.”
“Malvinius?” Jonathan smiled. “I must say that’s not as… impressive as Valedor.”
“Why do you think I changed it? Introducing myself as Blood Emperor Valedor Tenebrae Bloodreign was far more impressive than calling myself Malvinius Jr. It’s sad, but I doubt people would have been as eager to follow someone named Malvinius as they were to follow someone named Valedor.”
“I think you’re right, which really is depressing. I’ve got some other questions too if you don’t mind.”
“By all means, ask away. It’s the least I can do.”
“Did you truly defeat an entire army of paladins using nothing more than a blunt spoon? I know you’re powerful, but that just sounds crazy.”
“Ah, yes. That.” The Blood Emperor chuckled. “I did defeat an army of paladins although I will admit they weren’t the strongest bunch. I fought them piecemeal, never allowing them to bring their full numbers to bear, and I used a sword, not a blunt spoon. I’m good, but not that good. Nobody is.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Although my mother might have been able to do it. Paladins wouldn’t have been able to use their magic on her, and she was so wonderfully good at killing things. It’s one of the reasons my father fell in love with her – oh, and she was beautiful too.”
“Your mother?” The Blood Emperor bit back a grin at the obvious curiosity on Jonathan’s face. “The records have spoken of your father, but they say very little about your mother.”
“Oh, they wouldn’t.” The Blood Emperor smirked. “Since she met my father when she was trying to kill him. She was a huntress.”
“A huntress?” Jonathan’s eyes widened. Huntsmen and huntresses were like adventurers, except they focused on wild beasts and monsters.
“Ah, allow me to rephrase that. She wasn’t a huntress. She was the huntress.”
Jonathan gaped. “Really?”
“Oh, yes.” The Blood Emperor’s mind drifted back to his childhood. His mother had been the leader of that enigmatic clan of huntresses, a woman who could singlehandedly slay a dragon or slaughter a whole pack of werewolves. Her only weakness – if it could be called that – was that her bloodline rendered her immune to many things, including vampirism. She’d died of old age long before the Blood Emperor had achieved his destiny. The Blood Emperor knew what he was. He was a freak of nature, and his absurd power was likely the result of his mother and father somehow managing to conceive him. In the many, many years since his birth, he’d never heard of another huntress conceiving a child with a vampire. It wasn’t due to lack of effort. His mother and father had certainly been affectionate enough to conceive a dozen children, but they’d only managed to have him. “But that is a conversation for another time. I think we can both agree you have some way to go with regards to your skills in combat and your magic.”
Jonathan grimaced. “I know.”
The Blood Emperor smiled gently. “It is nothing to be ashamed of. You have trained to be a scholar your whole life, so it is hardly surprising that you know more about being a scholar than being a warrior. However, if you wish to succeed as an adventurer, you will need to address your shortcomings. You are also my anchor, so you are not allowed to die.”
“How do I improve?” Jonathan asked. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but this isn’t going to involve some bizarre arcane ritual, is it?”
The Blood Emperor stared. “No. No, it is not. I’m more of a traditionalist when it comes to training. I can train you inside your mind, which should help, but you will also need to train your body in the real world. In terms of magic, I know plenty of Signs and generic magic, and I aim to teach you as much as I can. We don’t share the same Words, but I can give you plenty of advice. I’ve known others with Words similar to yours, and there are countless tricks I could teach you.”
“That sounds… good.”
“Yes, but it will not be easy.” The Blood Emperor smirked and then dissolved into motes of crimson light as he returned to Jonathan’s mind. It’s been a while since I’ve taken on a student. I hope you can keep up.
About the Author
I am a writer with an avid interest in psychology, physics, history, and economics. Writing has long been a passion of mine, and I hope to someday make a career of it. Apart from writing, I have worked in education as a lecturer in one of the aforementioned subjects.
I believe that writing is a wonderful thing and that good writing and the techniques required to develop it should be shared with as many people as possible. In that regard, I’m always open to hearing from anyone who was read my work. If you want to contact me (perhaps to praise or perhaps to put your proverbial stake and pitchfork to work), then by all means send me an email, or drop by my blog where I discuss issues related to books, writing, and my own work.
My email: [email protected]
My blog: http://lgestrella.wordpress.com
If you send an email or leave a comment, I’ll do my best to get back to you.
More From L. G. Estrella
If you’re interested in reading more of my stories, you can find them on Amazon.
There are also previews for each of my stories at my blog: lgestrella.wordpress.com
You can also read on to find out more about my stories.
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf
The Unconventional Heroes Series Part One
Two necromancers, a bureaucrat, and an elf – it sounds like the start of a bad joke, only the joke is on Timmy.
Timothy Walter Bolton – better known as Timmy – has spent most of his life as a necromancer. When he isn’t terrorising his enemies, he’s plotting inside his castle, which is built on top of lightless chasms filled with nameless horrors and beings of a generally malevolent and megalomaniacal nature. But after one of his latest creations, a zombie hydra-dragon-bear, tries to eat him, he decides that maybe it’s time to find a new, less dangerous, career.
But that’s easier said than done. He’s a wanted criminal with no shortage of powerful (and crazy) enemies, and he has a bone or two to pick with the Everton Council of Mages.
Hope arrives in the form of a new law. War is coming to Everton, and the Council is desperate. In exchange for providing some help, Timmy might just earn that pardon he’s been looking for. Of course, just because it’s possible to earn a pardon doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy.
To earn his pardon, Timmy is going to have to take down some of Everton’s most dangerous enemies and put together a quirky group of unconventional heroes, most of whom want nothing more
than to mangle him and/or the Council in as vicious a way as possible. It’s a good thing that he’s got some help: an obnoxious ten-year-old apprentice who thinks that pink glasses are appropriate for a budding necromancer and a bumbling bureaucrat who may or may not make it through their first real fight without puking his guts up.
Wonderful.
Still, Timmy’s never been one to back down from a challenge even if their first recruit is basically the elf version of the bogeyman.
Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord
The Unconventional Heroes Series Part Two
Two necromancers, an army of golems, and a demon lord – it sounds like a recipe for trouble, and for Timmy, it definitely is.
To earn his pardon and avoid horrible torture and/or gruesome execution, Timmy has to complete every mission the Council throws his way, most of which seem to involve extremely scary things trying to kill him. At least he’s got help – sort of. His help consists of an apprentice with designs on his castle (and her plans may or may not involve overthrowing him), a bureaucrat whose two greatest skills are fainting in the face of trouble and using people (usually Timmy) as human shields, and an elf with the world’s worst case of pyromania and enough magic to level a mountain.
Somehow, Timmy’s got to get this bunch of unconventional heroes to work together. Trouble is coming, and it’s trouble of the kind that only a necromancer like Timmy could possibly find himself in the middle of. An army of killer golems is on the loose, which may give Timmy the excuse he needs to legally unleash wave after wave of killer zombies. Zombie versus golem – it’s every necromancer’s dream. And then there’s the demon lord that’s out to usher in the apocalypse. Sure, demons aren’t exactly his specialty, but there’s nothing that a good magical shovel to the back of the head can’t fix.
One way or another, Timmy is going to get his pardon and a tax rebate too – even if it means going up against murderous golems, insane demon lords, or mischievous ninja rodents with a predilection for magical swords and the skills to back up the trash talk.
Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire
The Unconventional Heroes Series Part Three
Two necromancers, a dragon, and a vampire – it sounds like a shortcut to disaster, and for Timmy, it’s certainly looking that way.
To earn his pardon and avoid becoming yet another necromancer statistic, Timmy has to work for the Council. From bandit uprisings to giant sea serpents and ogre invasions, Timmy and the others are there to save the day – sort of.
And despite relying on overly intelligent ninja rats, an elf who believes that fire is the answer to everything, a bureaucrat who struggles to stay conscious through an entire fight, and a precocious apprentice who has designs on his castle, property damage per mission is down, they haven’t blown up another mountain, and they’ve gone several missions without ripping a hole in reality.
Naturally, it won’t last.
When the dragon egg their resident pyromaniac stole hatches to reveal the world’s cuddliest harbinger of death, Timmy and the others are dragged into a pair of diabolically dangerous missions. Breaking out of one of the world’s most secure prisons was hard enough. Now, they have to break back in to rescue a vampire.
And then there’s the Eye of the Abyss. Does your country have a problem with a divine artefact capable of singlehandedly winning a war? Don’t worry. Just send Timmy and the gang. They’ll handle it, and Timmy might even get to live every necromancer’s dream with… zombie pirates.
Timmy and the others want their pardons, and they’re not going to let anyone stop them, not armies, not fleets, not even the most powerful empire the world has ever seen that just so happens to hold a centuries-old grudge against Everton.
The world is going to learn a very important lesson: never, ever underestimate a necromancer with a shovel and time to plan.
The Hungry Dragon Cookie Company
The Unconventional Heroes Series Side Stories Part One
The Hungry Dragon Cookie Company – it sounds crazy, but it might just be Timmy’s ticket to financial security and a fully renovated castle.
To earn a pardon and avoid prison or execution, Timmy, Grand Necromancer and Lord of Black Tower Castle, has been completing missions for the Council with the help of an elite team of truly heroic individuals.
There’s Katie, his apprentice. She’s brilliant, cunning, and maniacally devious. She’s also ten years old, extremely adorable, and loves billowy robes and the colour pink.
There’s Avraniel, the pyromaniac elf who is responsible for more property damage than anyone in Everton’s history (including dragons, natural disasters, and demon gods).
There’s Gerald, the hyperventilating bureaucrat who is at the top of every monster’s menu.
There’s Old Man, a retired legendary swordsman whose hobbies include bonsai trees, fishing, and the occasional duel to the death.
There’s Amanda, ancient vampire and sophisticate who knows all about the Council’s founding because she was there when it happened.
And then there’s Spot. He’s cute, cuddly, and friendly. He loves tug-of-war and fetch. He’s also a fire-breathing dragon who can devour an entire cow in about thirty seconds.
The Hungry Dragon Cookie Company is a collection of fourteen short stories that take place before, during, and after the first three parts of The Unconventional Heroes Series. Each story hopes to answer important questions like:
How does a company involving cookies and dragons even work?
How did a trans-dimensional, protoplasmic horror and a Grand Necromancer become friends, and how did that horror develop an addiction to cake?
How does an ancient vampire acquire the comely, young virgins she needs to maintain proper vampiric health without looking like a total weirdo?
Answers to all of these questions and more will be revealed. With unconventional heroes like Timmy and the gang around, life is never boring.
Divine Assistance
The Divine Assistance Series Part One
When the Supreme Mother and Supreme Father separated Creation from the Void, they also created the gods, beings of incalculable power who wielded cosmic energies far beyond the petty comprehension of mere mortals. The gods were supposed to preside over Creation with unmatched wisdom and knowledge.
Well, that was the idea.
But what is Death – a god of terrible majesty and splendour – supposed to do when his daughter asks for a pony? Is he really supposed to just go out and get a mortal one? Like that’s going to work. It’ll keel over and die in a couple of decades. No, his daughter deserves something better, a pony truly worthy of her divine heritage, which means he’s going to have to get a little bit creative.
And then there’s Bureaucracy. The Supreme Mother and Supreme Father might have given rise to Creation, but Bureaucracy is the one who has to keep everything running smoothly. But that’s easier said than done when there are hundreds of gods and countless mortals to consider – none of whom understand the importance of filing paperwork in triplicate. Luckily, not even gods can escape the awesome power of divine paperwork.
And let’s not forget gods like Mayhem, Mischief, and Rabble. Their names speak for themselves. When the three of them take a holiday in the mortal world at the same time, trouble is right around the corner.
Divine Assistance is a collection of fourteen short stories about the gods and their attempts to manage Creation. There are souls to claim, mortals to woo, and even the occasional city to smite. After all, what’s life without a little divine assistance?
Divine Interference
The Divine Assistance Series Part Two
For aeons, the Supreme Mother and Supreme Father have led the gods in protecting Creation from the abominations of the Void. They have brought order and light to the mortal world, passing on their boundless wisdom and knowledge.
Or not.
What is a would-be hero to do when the god of aspiring heroes turns up to
help with a less than stellar success rate? Easy. Start praying for another god since the last hero he tried to help ended up as dragon food.
Who does Death – a god of unmatched power and might – go to when he needs to build a prison for the scum of the afterlife? How about Torment? He’s smart, creative, and his name kind of says it all.
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