{"id":107,"date":"2012-04-20T07:49:46","date_gmt":"2012-04-20T11:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=107"},"modified":"2012-06-07T08:34:11","modified_gmt":"2012-06-07T12:34:11","slug":"zervakan-free-fantasy-novel-chapter-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=107","title":{"rendered":"ZERVAKAN – Free Fantasy Novel – Chapter 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nCover by TJ Lomas.<\/a><\/div>\n
I’m posting a chapter from my latest fantasy novel for free every Monday and Friday (click Zervakan<\/a>above for a synopsis and to start from the beginning). It’s in a “pre-published state,” meaning you might find the occasional spelling\/grammar mistake. If you do, please leave a comment below or email me at robsteiner01 [at] gmail [dot] com.<\/em><\/em>If you’re uncomfortable getting something for nothing, you can hit the PayPal Donate<\/a> button in the Tip Jar section to the right. If you donate more than $3, I’ll send you a non-DRM ebook once the book is published (summer 2012). If you donate more than $20, I’ll send you a printed copy.<\/p>\n

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ZERVAKAN<\/h1>\n

by Rob Steiner<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 3<\/h2>\n

The rain began when Taran was a hundred paces from Shalliford Hall.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran broke into a jog, cursing himself for not bringing an umbrella, though he never could have held the umbrella while carrying the musty old books, scrolls, and maps overflowing his arms.\u00c2\u00a0 The materials were some of the most important manuscripts he had collected during his years of Mystic research.\u00c2\u00a0 He had no idea whether any of them would answer the questions of the Speaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s agents, but he at least wanted references on hand in the unlikely event they asked something he did not know.<\/p>\n

Taran glanced at the cloudy, rain-swollen sky.\u00c2\u00a0 The bands of light that the morning newspapers were calling \u00e2\u20ac\u0153rings of comet debris around the world\u00e2\u20ac\u009d were still visible, though somewhat obscured by the gray clouds.\u00c2\u00a0 The ring with the swirling colors, combined with the moving clouds below it, gave Taran a somewhat dizzy feeling, as if he were moving the opposite direction in which he was walking.\u00c2\u00a0 The black ring was a dark gash in the sky running parallel to the rainbow ring, diffuse around the edges but blacker than onyx toward the center.\u00c2\u00a0 It made Taran as uneasy as he felt during Mara\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grim, weekly checkups by Dr. Hyt.<\/p>\n

His right foot plunged into a cold puddle, bringing his attention back to the road.\u00c2\u00a0 Plenty of time to stare at the rings later.\u00c2\u00a0 Right now he had to get his suddenly valuable artifacts to the Dean\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s office before they were a sodden heap of wood pulp and pig skin.\u00c2\u00a0 The ivy-covered Shalliford Hall, housing the university\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s College of Recindian Cultures, was less than fifty paces away.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran ran the rest of the way just as the skies opened with a deluge of rain and peals of thunder.<\/p>\n

Taran approached the door just as a young male student was leaving.\u00c2\u00a0 The young man held the door for Taran, and Taran thanked him gratefully.\u00c2\u00a0 Shalliford Hall was one of the oldest buildings on campus, and the smell of its musty interior tended to amplify during rain storms.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran set his load of books on a dark wood bench near the door, shook the rain out of his coat and hair, and wiped his spectacles with a semi-dry handkerchief.\u00c2\u00a0 He gathered up his books and made his way quickly up the marble spiral stairs in front of the door.<\/p>\n

On the second floor, he passed several rooms where professors were expounding on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153virtue for virtue\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sake,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the core tenet of Jonah Luten\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s history changing book, The Path<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 All tenured professors were Pathist, as were most government officials, merchant lords, guild masters, and anyone who wanted to move up in Compact society.\u00c2\u00a0 About the only people who were not reliably Pathist were the Ahura cults in the Compact\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s northeastern mining towns.\u00c2\u00a0 But then their coal and iron ore were so important to the Compact\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s economy that no one could afford to ostracize them.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran wondered what they thought when they looked at the sky this morning.<\/p>\n

But freedom to deviate from Pathist dogma was not a luxury someone in Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s position could enjoy without consequences.\u00c2\u00a0 Before the Blood had struck Mara, Taran was a rising star in the College of Recindian Cultures, an expert in nations, creeds, and histories for people across the continent.\u00c2\u00a0 He had just achieved his tenure, and was free to study and research any topic he wanted.<\/p>\n

But after the Blood found Mara, when modern medicine could do nothing for his little girl, Taran single-mindedly pursued the legends of the Mystics.\u00c2\u00a0 He had always had a passing interest in them all his life, and he was familiar with much of their mythology.\u00c2\u00a0 But he knew their legendary healing powers were the only hope his daughter had of averting the Mercy that Pathism recommended for people with the Blood, the only \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cure\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for a disease that ensured its victims died screaming.<\/p>\n

But a good Pathist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pursuit of reason and logic did not mesh with belief in a legendary race of beings that could supernaturally heal with a touch.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s research budget was cut in half, then quartered, and then halved again.\u00c2\u00a0 He was banished to an office in the basement below the Steam Engineering department, doomed to listen to the clangs and whistles and bellows of students above him working on the latest steam and coal-driven technology.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran knew the only reason the university did not fire him outright was because his father, General Tobias Abraeu, was one of the Compact\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s greatest heroes in the First Mazumdahri War.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran did not like having a position because of his father, but neither did he relish searching for another job with a sick child at home and a wife who could no longer find employment as a Pathist Teacher because of his<\/em> beliefs.<\/p>\n

Which reminded him that he forgot to wake Adhera and tell her where he was going.\u00c2\u00a0 His first class was not until noon, so he was responsible for washing the blood-tinged night sweats off Mara in the morning.\u00c2\u00a0 He sighed, then decided to wiretype his house after the meeting.\u00c2\u00a0 He did not look forward to returning home later to Adhera\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s accusing eyes.<\/p>\n

The heavy oak door to Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s waiting room at the end of the long hall was cracked open, so Taran backed his way in while still balancing the load in his arms.\u00c2\u00a0 There was no one in the small waiting room except for Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s assistant tapping the keys of a wiretype at her desk.<\/p>\n

The young woman looked up from the machine, then turned back to it when she saw Taran.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re waiting for you inside, Doctor,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said absently, tilting her head toward Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s closed door.\u00c2\u00a0 She did not bother to help him with the doorknob, so Taran shifted the books to one arm, used his fingers to turn the knob, and shouldered his way into the room.<\/p>\n

Taran stifled a groan when the first person he saw was Metia Turcio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s frowning face.\u00c2\u00a0 She stood to the right of Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desk, her back against the wall, her arms folded beneath her expansive bosom.<\/p>\n

It was a common joke around the College that she had been the department\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Zampolit for so long that she had approved the Pathist orthodoxy of each brick used to build the Hall a hundred years ago.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a joke no one dared say to her face, however, since she had the power to make a professor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life miserable.\u00c2\u00a0 It was Metia who had Taran banished to his current office because his supernaturalist beliefs could not be allowed to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153infect the other professors.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Taran heard that Metia wanted him fired outright, but was stopped by administrators who were friends with Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father.\u00c2\u00a0 On principle, Taran hated that fact, but what choice did he have?<\/p>\n

Arie Seazell stood up from his desk and extended his arms to Taran.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let me help you with those,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, taking the books and scrolls beginning to slip from Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grip.<\/p>\n

Arie had been a junior professor when Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother, Jajeh, became the department\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s librarian.\u00c2\u00a0 While Jajeh worked, eight-year-old Taran would roam the library, sometimes sitting in a corner for hours reading about Recindian history, philosophical theories, or scientific treatises on everything from astronomy to zoology.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran had become somewhat of a prot\u00c3\u00a9g\u00c3\u00a9 to almost every professor in the department, especially Arie who told Taran that if he kept receiving good marks in his schooling, he might get a job at the university one day.<\/p>\n

Taran could not imagine a better job than to read books and research all day, so he decided that that would be his future.\u00c2\u00a0 Tobias Abraeu had not been thrilled about his only son\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s career choice, hoping instead that Taran would carry on the family tradition of a career in the Compact military.\u00c2\u00a0 But when he saw the excitement in Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes when he opened a new book or learned a new fact, Tobias accepted that his son\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s destiny would take a different road.\u00c2\u00a0 That and Taran believed his mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s influence had helped ease Tobias\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disappointment.<\/p>\n

Arie placed the books and scrolls on an already impressive pile of books and scrolls on the desk.\u00c2\u00a0 He nodded to the man who stood up from the chair in front of Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desk.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Taran, this is Kumar Ladak from the Ministry of Science.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran shook hands with Ladak.\u00c2\u00a0 The man was dressed well in a pressed, spotless black suit common to government officials.\u00c2\u00a0 He wore an uncomfortable smile.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran had seen that smile many times.\u00c2\u00a0 No doubt Ladak was cringing at the thought of speaking to someone who\u00e2\u20ac\u201das Metia no doubt already explained\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhad supernaturalist beliefs.<\/p>\n

Arie motioned Taran to a third chair to the left of Ladak.\u00c2\u00a0 A second chair on Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right was empty, which he assumed was because Metia refused to sit next to him.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Doctor Abraeu,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak began, his full, gray mustache twitching, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153you have no doubt seen the…phenomenon in the sky this morning.\u00c2\u00a0 The Recindian people are uneasy and want answers.\u00c2\u00a0 The Speaker has ordered the Science Ministry to interview the brightest minds in Calaman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s three universities for any ideas regarding the phenomenon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s origins.\u00c2\u00a0 My associates are now interviewing astronomers, chemists, physicists, Teachers, and even philosophers of…unconventional beliefs.\u00c2\u00a0 My task is to\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Interview the Mystic cultist,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said, grinning.\u00c2\u00a0 When Ladak began to protest, Taran said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all right, sir, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m used to it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He glanced at Metia who continued frowning at him.<\/p>\n

Arie smiled.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mr. Ladak, Doctor Abraeu is the Compact\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leading expert on Mystic legends.\u00c2\u00a0 He has gathered the finest collection of ancient Mystic artifacts and documents on the entire Recindian continent.\u00c2\u00a0 If the phenomenon has anything to do with the Mystics, Dr. Abreau will know it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran smiled at his friend, always grateful for Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s support, especially in front of government officials and Zampolits.<\/p>\n

Ladak looked at Taran, almost afraid to ask the question.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you, er, have any theories about the phenomenon from a…Mystic perspective?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes I do,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153According to the documents I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve collected and the artifacts I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve studied, the return of the rings in the sky heralds the return of the Mystics.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Metia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice exploded.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Which means donkeys will start flying and fish will start talking, is that it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran shrugged without looking back at Metia.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I suppose it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possible, if the Mystics willed it so.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

All the legends indeed said the Mystics had extraordinary abilities, magical powers that could bend nature to their wills.\u00c2\u00a0 But he mostly said it to annoy Metia.<\/p>\n

Metia calmed her voice, but she strode to Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desk and leaned her fists on it, staring down at Taran and the official from the Science Ministry.\u00c2\u00a0 With a cold, level voice, she said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mr. Ladak, these rings are nothing more than comet debris orbiting the world or something else just as natural.\u00c2\u00a0 You should be questioning astronomers and physicists, not wasting your time on this…supernaturalist.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

One of the greatest heresies a Pathist could be accused of was being a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153supernaturalist,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d someone who shunned science, logic, and reason for beliefs that could not be empirically observed.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the belief in Mystics or gods or magic.\u00c2\u00a0 Though no one called him that in polite company, Taran had long ago accepted that it was what he was.<\/p>\n

Ladak cleared his throat and ran a hand through his thin white hair.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I appreciate your concern, Zampolit, but the Science Ministry has already questioned those individuals, and so far none have a credible theory as to why these rings have appeared around the entire world.\u00c2\u00a0 Despite what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in the newspapers this morning, Ministry astronomers say that no meteors or comets were detected during their observations last night, nor have they received such reports from other observatories around the Compact.\u00c2\u00a0 In fact, they say that to create the rings we see now would have taken the explosion of a meteor or comet that would have generated more destruction than the flash of light people saw when the rings appeared.\u00c2\u00a0 Our telescopes can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even determine the composition of these rings.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ladak sighed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No scientific theory we know of can explain what these rings are and why they appeared.\u00c2\u00a0 So the Speaker has ordered us to explore…alternative theories, regardless of how foolish\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201da quick glance at Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u0153er, I mean unconventional, they may be.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Metia grunted, then said in a low rumble, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The new Speaker is a fence-sitting Orlenian whose Pathist principles are no greater than his stature.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran dared not smile at Metia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grumbling.\u00c2\u00a0 Ladak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s explanation must have annoyed her for her to resort to juvenile comments over Speaker Edoss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s height (Orlenians rarely grew over five feet tall).\u00c2\u00a0 And anything that annoyed Metia was a good thing for a man whose career had suffered mostly by her hands.<\/p>\n

Ladak said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Be that as it may, we still need to question Dr. Abraeu without interruption, Zampolit.\u00c2\u00a0 If you cannot stop another unconstructive outburst, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m afraid I will have to ask you to leave.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Metia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fists clenched.\u00c2\u00a0 She tried to stare down Ladak as if he were a first-year professor she caught uttering supernaturalist ideas to his students.\u00c2\u00a0 Ladak returned her glare, unblinking.\u00c2\u00a0 Metia glanced at Arie, who sat in his chair with his hands folded on his desk.\u00c2\u00a0 She frowned, then leaned back against the wall, her arms folded.\u00c2\u00a0 She did not look at Taran.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dr. Abraeu,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153you say these rings herald the return of the Mystics.\u00c2\u00a0 If my mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bedtime stories are correct, the Mystics died out thousands of years ago, if they ever existed at all.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, they existed,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Some say they died out, but I think they hid themselves.\u00c2\u00a0 After the Faith Wars, the continent was in ruins.\u00c2\u00a0 The Mystics had lost their powers during the wars so they could not alleviate the suffering.\u00c2\u00a0 So the starving, diseased mobs naturally blamed the Mystics for everything, and began hunting them down.\u00c2\u00a0 Without their powers, the Mystics were easy prey.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why did the Mystics lose their powers?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak asked.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That’s where the rings come in,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 He grabbed one of the books he had brought, flipped through a few pages, then put the large, dusty book on the desk for Arie and Ladak to view.\u00c2\u00a0 On the right page, was an ancient drawing of a group of people in white robes, all with one hand raised toward a multi-colored circle in the sky above them.\u00c2\u00a0 Tendrils from the circle reached down and touched each upraised hand.\u00c2\u00a0 On the other side of the picture were a group of people in black robes with one of their hands raised.\u00c2\u00a0 Tendrils from a black circle above them touched their upraised hands.\u00c2\u00a0 Each group pointed their other hands toward the opposite group.\u00c2\u00a0 Multi-colored light shot from the hands of the white-robed people, while black rays shot from the hands of those wearing black.\u00c2\u00a0 The streams of energy met in the middle of the picture above a large bridge spanning a river, and exploded into a burst of black and white.<\/p>\n

Taran said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153According to the theology of our Turician neighbors to the north, there are two gods.\u00c2\u00a0 Ahura, the Source of All Order, who inhabits the multi-colored ring.\u00c2\u00a0 That is where the good Mystics get their power.\u00c2\u00a0 And Angra\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe god the Turicians call the Source of All Madness\u00e2\u20ac\u201dinhabits the black ring.\u00c2\u00a0 That is where the Mystics loyal to Angra, or harrowers, get their powers.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ahura and Angra,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak said, stroking his mustache.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They were the mythological gods of the two sides during the Faith Wars, yes?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But after the Wars, all Mystics lost their powers, the good and the bad.\u00c2\u00a0 I believe it was because the rings disappeared.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arie said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why did they disappear?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran shook his head.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There are no records or even myths explaining what happened to the rings.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ladak stared at the book.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So where did the Mystics go after the rings disappeared?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran searched through his pile of documents until he found a map of the northern Recindian continent.\u00c2\u00a0 He rolled the map out, showing the entire region from the southern shores of the Gebremeden Sea to the northern tip of the Beldamark.<\/p>\n

Taran pointed to the Beldamark.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153After the Faith Wars, I believe the Mystics fled here.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Metia sighed disgustedly behind Taran, and Ladak looked up at Taran with a diplomatic grin.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve heard stories about the Beldamark,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Any ship that tries to land there is turned away by sudden storms, and those who try to walk into the Beldamark from Markwatch in Turicia find themselves turned around walking back toward Markwatch again.\u00c2\u00a0 All stories.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not exactly,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been to Markwatch.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve tried walking into the Beldamark and found myself walking the other way.\u00c2\u00a0 Just like in the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcstories.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00c2\u00a0 I would have walked all the way back to the town, too, if my guides had not stopped me and woke me up.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Metia snorted, but Ladak asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So does the appearance of these rings mean that good and bad Mystics are going to start pouring out of the Beldamark?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran shrugged.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Metia said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know.\u00c2\u00a0 What have you been doing for the past six years, Dr.<\/em> Abraeu?\u00c2\u00a0 Are you saying all these books and artifacts you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve collected are worthless?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of course not, Zampolit.\u00c2\u00a0 But these books only tell me the ancient legends of the Mystics up until<\/em> their disappearance after the Faith Wars.\u00c2\u00a0 History has lost any information about what happened to them after<\/em> the Wars.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arie asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What about the Ahura cults in the Perla Mountains?\u00c2\u00a0 Wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they know something about the Mystics?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not much more than what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve already told you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Ahura cults have never written anything down, preferring instead to pass on their legends and rituals orally.\u00c2\u00a0 And they’re so scattered and disorganized among the Perlas that villages within five miles of each other may have completely different legends and rituals.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Turicians have no more information to give you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak asked.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Turicians are very guarded and private about their faith,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But I’ve learned the main tenets, which are a belief in Ahura, that the Mystics are Ahura\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s angels, and that it is Turicia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sacred duty to keep the Beldamark safe from intruders.\u00c2\u00a0 Everything else in their sacred texts is just moral dogma and rules for everyday living.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Metia laughed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re telling us that from all your research, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve found no definitive proof that the Mystics even existed, much less are alive now?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arie and Ladak looked at him, expectant.\u00c2\u00a0 There was a flash of lightning outside Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s window, and thunder rumbled across the city seconds later.<\/p>\n

Taran said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have pictures in books that\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Metia said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpictures in a book,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 which are likely the works of fantasy by a bored farmer.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m telling you, Mr. Ladak, this discussion is a waste of your time and bordering on heretical.\u00c2\u00a0 You should be searching for the scientific and logical causes of these rings.\u00c2\u00a0 Just because they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a mystery to us now, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re supernatural.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran turned to Metia, pointed at the picture in the book, and asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How do you explain the rings in this picture?\u00c2\u00a0 Rather large coincidence, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you think?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But a coincidence nonetheless.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ladak looked at Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stack of scrolls and books.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is there anything else in here that discusses the rings?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well…I have no other pictures like this one,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.<\/p>\n

Arie asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you have any other books or artifacts in your office that might help?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran knew Arie was trying to help him, and he was grateful.\u00c2\u00a0 But he also knew that nothing he had would offer the definitive proof for which Ladak was searching.\u00c2\u00a0 If Taran had found that proof, he would have been vindicated long ago.\u00c2\u00a0 Now, it seemed not even the appearance of the rings was enough.<\/p>\n

Taran shook his head.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What I have here are the most informative texts.\u00c2\u00a0 The rest of the books and scrolls I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve collected tell the same histories or contain apocryphal legends that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve proven wrong by more reliable sources.\u00c2\u00a0 Other than that, I have an old book with blank pages, and statues that depict Mystics with their hands raised like in the picture here.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 With a hopeful grin, Taran said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m afraid if you want more current information, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to go to the Beldamark.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Thunder from the storm rattled Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s window as Ladak took out a pen and a small journal.\u00c2\u00a0 As he wrote, he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So to summarize, Dr. Abraeu, you believe that these rings are named Ahura and Angra\u00e2\u20ac\u201der, which is which again?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ahura is the colored ring and Angra is the black ring.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, good.\u00c2\u00a0 So, you believe that the appearance of these rings heralds the return of the Mystics.\u00c2\u00a0 Correct?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Very good.\u00c2\u00a0 Now then, what will happen if these Mystics return?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran shrugged.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I suppose it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possible they may start fighting each other again.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153And what can we expect if that happens?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran took another book from the pile on Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desk, flipped through it, and opened it to a larger picture.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one from a book I<\/em> wrote.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Metia snorted.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How did you ever get a publisher to print one of your books?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I published it myself,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said, then pointed to the sequoia photograph of a small mural painted on part of a wall.\u00c2\u00a0 It showed horrific scenes of destruction: cities in flames, the ground splitting open, stars falling from the sky, and bodies too numerous to count laying amidst the destruction.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I actually have this mural in my office, if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to see it in color, Mr. Ladak.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Inspecting the photograph with a frown, Ladak said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quite all right, Doctor.\u00c2\u00a0 I believe I get the point.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One thing you must understand is that the Mystics were a race that wielded a power that defies all laws of science as we know them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Taran heard Metia sigh at his heresy, but he continued.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If these people return and start fighting again, our civilization will be caught in the middle.\u00c2\u00a0 We will have to choose sides just as people did a thousand years ago.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ladak grinned.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well I imagine we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d ally with the good faction, the one that worships this Ahura ring.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Many will, but many others could be lured over to the side of Angra.\u00c2\u00a0 Many from within our own culture.\u00c2\u00a0 During the Faith Wars, there were a lot of people openly working for the harrowers on the promise of power, riches, and immortality.\u00c2\u00a0 Who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s to say that a sizable part of our own population won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be seduced the same way?\u00c2\u00a0 Or maybe even entire nations?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ladak finished writing just as another flash of lightning and peal of thunder rattled Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s window.\u00c2\u00a0 The violence of it drew Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gaze away from Ladak and to the wind-bent trees outside.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, Dr. Seazell, Dr. Abraeu, Zampolit, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to thank you for…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran ignored Ladak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s offered hand and went to the window behind Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desk.\u00c2\u00a0 He pulled back the cream colored, lace drapes.\u00c2\u00a0 A large cloud so black it seemed to be a hole in the sky clawed its way across the horizon from the south.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the only black cloud in a grayish sky.\u00c2\u00a0 Black lightning forked to the ground every few seconds, accompanied by explosions of thunder that now shook the walls of Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s office.\u00c2\u00a0 The cloud was low, obscuring the three, seven-story Parliamentary Towers almost two miles away.\u00c2\u00a0 Arie, Ladak, and even Metia crowded around the window next to Taran.<\/p>\n

Metia said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Just because that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an odd storm doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supernatural.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But whatever it is, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coming this way fast.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

A black funnel cloud formed slowly in the sky at first, then struck the ground next to the Parliamentary Towers as fast as one of the lightning bolts.\u00c2\u00a0 The cloud immediately cut two of the Towers in half, sending each half crashing to the ground in great explosions of debris and dust, the impact rattling Arie’s windows two miles away.<\/p>\n

Metia gasped.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All those people\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran could only stare at the destruction, his horror stamping out his ability to speak or think.<\/p>\n

Around the monstrous cloud\u00e2\u20ac\u201dnow almost a half mile in diameter\u00e2\u20ac\u201dmore buildings, trees, and even a few steam trolleys were thrown into the air like leaves on a windy autumn day.\u00c2\u00a0 The tornado’s roar was already deafening.<\/p>\n

Arie yelled, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The basement.\u00c2\u00a0 Now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He strode to the door of his office and into the waiting area.\u00c2\u00a0 He told his assistant\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwho was staring out her own window\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto get to the basement.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran, Ladak, and Metia followed Arie into the hall, which was quickly filling with students heading to the stairs.\u00c2\u00a0 Thunder shook the building, growing louder with each explosion and flash of lightning.\u00c2\u00a0 Some of the male students laughed it off, showing their courage in front of the young women, but most students did not seem to be in a laughing mood.\u00c2\u00a0 They followed their professors with fearful eyes and startled glances at the creaking roof, as each gust of wind seemed to tear off a chunk of the building outside.<\/p>\n

Taran was following the students when he suddenly had an idea.\u00c2\u00a0 He raced back to Arie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s office, ignoring Metia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s protests.\u00c2\u00a0 He went to the window in the office again and pulled back the lace curtains.<\/p>\n

The funnel cloud was closer, almost on top of the university.\u00c2\u00a0 Green and black lightning flashed within the cloud, forking to the ground.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran saw one of the forks cause a townhouse just outside the university grounds to explode into flames.\u00c2\u00a0 An acrid stench filled the air, like when he walked past the chemistry labs in Yedric Hall.<\/p>\n

Taran looked past the cloud and up at the rings.\u00c2\u00a0 The swirling colors of Ahura were completely obscured by the cloud, but Angra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s blackness showed right through.\u00c2\u00a0 Just as he expected, thin, black tendrils snaked down from Angra into the cloud, like Angra was feeding the storm\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fury.\u00c2\u00a0 Another larger black tendril touched the ground to the east of the cloud, near Calaman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Orlenian Quarter a few miles from the university.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Abreau, what in Luten\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s name are you doing?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Metia shouted from the open door over the exploding thunder outside.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Get away from the window!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Look at this, Metia,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said, pointing to the black tendrils of Angra reaching from the cloud and into the city.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is this just a coincidence?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Metia raced over to Taran, and without looking at the window, punched him in the jaw.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran felt the world black out for a moment and he fell back onto the small table next to the window.\u00c2\u00a0 The large woman pulled his arm around her shoulder and half carried, half dragged him out of the office.\u00c2\u00a0 He was too dazed to resist.<\/p>\n

The halls were already clear, except for a few stragglers racing for the spiral staircase.\u00c2\u00a0 Through the haze of pain, surprise, and anger, Taran heard the roof above them crack and groan under the storm\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s onslaught.\u00c2\u00a0 They reached the stairwell just as the windows in the second floor classrooms exploded.<\/p>\n

In the stairwell were several dozen students who had not yet made it down to the basement.\u00c2\u00a0 Through the screams and shouts of the panicked students, Taran heard Arie shout from below, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Taran, what happened?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran looked down through the dim, dusty haze, and saw Arie making his way up toward him and Metia.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I thought you were right behind me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He grabbed Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s other arm and tried to wrap it around his neck, but Taran pushed them both away.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can walk on my own,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n

The students crowding the staircase continued downward, past the exploding windows on each floor, and down into the storage basement.\u00c2\u00a0 Almost a hundred other students and faculty were already in the basement, huddling near the dank, moldy walls.<\/p>\n

Ladak pushed through the students when he saw Arie, Taran, and Metia.\u00c2\u00a0 He pointed behind them, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more space back there.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

All four moved toward the back of the basement, and stood before two life-sized marble statues of old Calamanian kings from three hundred years ago.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran glanced up at the small window just above his head.\u00c2\u00a0 The bushes outside were being shredded by the strong winds and rain.\u00c2\u00a0 Loud cracks and rips echoed from above them as the storm tore through Shalliford Hall.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran no longer heard any of the boastful male students laughing, as the realization sunk in that the building may collapse on top of them.\u00c2\u00a0 Everyone stared up at the groaning floorboards, willing them to hold strong.\u00c2\u00a0 For what seemed like an eternity, the storm raged outside.<\/p>\n

And then it stopped as if someone switched it off.<\/p>\n

Taran looked up at the window, saw that the bushes were no longer moving and that rain no longer fell.\u00c2\u00a0 As Taran watched, the sun began to light up the grounds.<\/p>\n

Ladak stood on a box and gazed out the window through which Taran was looking.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s over?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That was rather sudden,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 He then waded through the students toward the stairs.<\/p>\n

He made his way to the first floor, stepped past broken glass, stray papers, debris from the walls and ceiling.\u00c2\u00a0 He looked up at several holes and gashes in the ceiling allowing sunlight and torrents of water to flood through.<\/p>\n

Taran stepped outside and looked up.\u00c2\u00a0 Ahura and Angra shown in the clear blue sky, but there was no storm cloud in any direction Taran looked, not even the rain clouds from earlier.\u00c2\u00a0 One moment the black cloud had filled the sky above the city, and then it had disappeared.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran looked to Angra, but saw no black tendrils reaching down to the city like when the storm raged.<\/p>\n

He looked down the hill into the valley in which most of Calaman sat.\u00c2\u00a0 Two of the three Parliamentary Towers had toppled, and a mile-wide swath of destruction marked the storm\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s path through the city.\u00c2\u00a0 The path wound its way through the valley from the north and ended at the docks on Lake Maximohr.\u00c2\u00a0 Beyond the docks, the sky was blue, and the green waters sparkled in the sunlight.<\/p>\n

Behind him, Arie, Ladak, and Metia stared at the sky with as much shock on their faces as he assumed was on his.<\/p>\n

Ladak said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think the Speaker will want to hear more about your Mystic theories, Doctor.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a9 2012 Rob Steiner<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cover by TJ Lomas. I’m posting a chapter from my latest fantasy novel for free every Monday and Friday (click Zervakanabove for a synopsis and to start from the beginning). It’s in a “pre-published state,” meaning you might find the occasional spelling\/grammar mistake. If you do, please leave a comment below or email me at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,28,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-free-stuff","category-novels","category-zervakan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}