{"id":113,"date":"2012-04-30T12:35:03","date_gmt":"2012-04-30T16:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=113"},"modified":"2012-04-30T12:36:37","modified_gmt":"2012-04-30T16:36:37","slug":"zervakan-free-fantasy-novel-chapter-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=113","title":{"rendered":"ZERVAKAN – Free Fantasy Novel – Chapter 6"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\"\"<\/a>
Cover by TJ Lomas.<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
\nI’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.<\/p>\n

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!<\/em>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ZERVAKAN<\/h1>\n

by Rob Steiner<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 6<\/h2>\n

Taran placed his last dry towel around the leaking window in his basement office.\u00c2\u00a0 For the last two days, the rain had fallen non-stop, though thankfully there had been nothing similar to the storm that had devastated Calaman several weeks ago.<\/p>\n

Water dripped from the old window in the cracked walls on the other side of the damp basement.\u00c2\u00a0 He sighed, knowing the humidity in the air was slowly destroying the Mystic books, parchments, and artifacts he had collected over the years.\u00c2\u00a0 Not even a visit from the Science Minister himself had been able to convince the College administrators to let him move these priceless tomes to the drier basement in Shalliford Hall.<\/p>\n

He rolled up his sleeves once more and went back to his desk in the corner.\u00c2\u00a0 At least the desk was dry…for now.\u00c2\u00a0 He turned up the flame on his table lamp and returned to the text he had been translating.<\/p>\n

There were two knocks on the door to his office, then a pause.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran smiled, knowing that it was either a student or Arie.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Come in,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran called out.<\/p>\n

Arie entered with a grin, his thinning white hair plastered to his head with rain water.\u00c2\u00a0 He shut the door firmly behind him.\u00c2\u00a0 The door, like everything else in this \u00e2\u20ac\u0153office,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d had a tendency to not latch properly and creak open.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you have an umbrella?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran asked, handing Arie a small dry handkerchief.\u00c2\u00a0 Arie took it with a nod of thanks and wiped his face.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to waste time looking for it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My boy, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve some wonderful news.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He clasped Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulders, and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Edoss is sending a delegation to the Beldamark, and they want you to come with them as their Mystic translator.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran stared at Arie for a moment, unable to find the words to respond.\u00c2\u00a0 He leaned back against his desk.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What made them decide this?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asked, unable to think of anything more intelligent to say.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to meet the Mystics<\/em>, was all he could think at the moment.<\/p>\n

Arie shrugged.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, but the mission is quite secret.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m the only one at the university who knows.\u00c2\u00a0 They wanted me to tell you because they did not want to alert the Zampolits if you received another visit from a government official.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Arie grinned.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That and so I would not report you missing to the constables when you leave.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153When?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran asked.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tomorrow night.\u00c2\u00a0 You have to be at the Revela Street Station by midnight, and you are to bring whatever you feel will help you to translate the Mystic language for the delegation.\u00c2\u00a0 Beyond that, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know anything else.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran shook his head, looking at the bookshelves filled with tattered manuscripts behind his desk.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tomorrow night.\u00c2\u00a0 That should be enough time to gather\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00c2\u00a0 Wait.\u00c2\u00a0 What do I tell my wife?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Adhera was a former Pathist Teacher who hated Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s obsession with Mystics.\u00c2\u00a0 And it was one of the reasons their marriage was on the verge of dying.\u00c2\u00a0 They slept in separate bedrooms, staying together only to care for their Blood-stricken daughter.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran doubted she would believe him if he told her he was accompanying a secret government delegation to the Beldamark to meet with Mystics.\u00c2\u00a0 He had already visited the Beldamark twice with no results.\u00c2\u00a0 How would she react to a third visit when it took him days to persuade her he had to go on the first two?<\/p>\n

Arie shrugged uncomfortably, knowing full well Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s situation.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is likely something she might not believe, even if you could tell her.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran frowned, but Arie continued.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The public\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s confidence has been shaken with the rings and with the storm, at least here in Calaman.\u00c2\u00a0 If word were to leak out that the government is sending a delegation to the Mystics, essentially validating a supernaturalist idea…well, some in the government seem to think the people would run riot in the streets.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran shook his head.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I understand the need for secrecy, Arie, but Adhera is my wife.\u00c2\u00a0 She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to want to know where I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going and why.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never lied to her.\u00c2\u00a0 I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t start now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153All right, I will make you a deal.\u00c2\u00a0 Tell her that I<\/em> am sending you to the Beldamark for research purposes.\u00c2\u00a0 I will back you up if she should ask me.\u00c2\u00a0 However, you cannot tell her that the government is coming with you.\u00c2\u00a0 Agreed?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran agreed reluctantly, though he still did not like keeping anything from Adhera.<\/p>\n

After Arie left, Taran spent the next hour creating a list of the books he wanted to take with him on the journey.\u00c2\u00a0 When he was finished, he decided he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d pack the books tomorrow.\u00c2\u00a0 He extinguished the flame in the lamp, locked the door, and climbed the dank, narrow stairwell to the world above.<\/p>\n

The hardest rain had let up, but there was still a heavy mist in the air.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran pulled out his umbrella against the chill fog and tried to sidestep as many puddles as possible.\u00c2\u00a0 He chose to walk home rather than take the steam trolley.\u00c2\u00a0 The trolley would get him home in five minutes\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhe figured he would need longer than that to work out how he would explain his trip to Adhera.<\/p>\n

But the walk home did not take as long as he had hoped.\u00c2\u00a0 He lived on a street less than a half mile from the university, with houses separated by an alley no more than a pace wide.\u00c2\u00a0 After two years, he still had trouble distinguishing his house from the others.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a comfortable, two-story townhouse, but not as spacious or well-built as the one they had to sell after the university cut his salary.<\/p>\n

He swung open the wrought iron gate in front and climbed the five stairs to the porch.\u00c2\u00a0 Lamps were burning in the living room.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran could see that someone sitting in the chair next to the window, and it was not Adhera.\u00c2\u00a0 He did not like the feeling he got seeing that familiar form.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran closed his umbrella, shook the rain off of it, and entered his home.<\/p>\n

Adhera sat in the rocking chair near the hearth, a small fire burning in it.\u00c2\u00a0 On the couch near the window was Owhn Feshaye, the neighborhood Pathist Teacher and the man under whom Adhera had apprenticed during her Teaching years.\u00c2\u00a0 He was a kindly man with a kindly face, full white hair, and spectacles with thicker lenses than Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.\u00c2\u00a0 Owhn was the kind of Teacher that inspired all who listened to him to better themselves and care for their loved ones.\u00c2\u00a0 But tonight, Taran felt nothing but dread and a little anger at seeing Owhn sitting on the couch, for he knew what was coming.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re late,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Adhera said.\u00c2\u00a0 Her tone was not accusatory, but wearily stating a fact.\u00c2\u00a0 She looked more tired than usual, and Taran was instantly concerned.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Something came up.\u00c2\u00a0 Arie has an assignment for me.\u00c2\u00a0 Good evening, Teacher.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Owhn stood, extended his hand with a comforting smile, the kind of smile Taran assumed he gave people just before he gave them the Mercy.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hello, Taran.\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a long time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ever since the Blood had struck Mara, and his subsequent quest for the Mystics, Taran had not attended the neighborhood\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s weekly Pathist service.\u00c2\u00a0 Not because he did not believe in their precepts, but because they did not tolerate his.\u00c2\u00a0 And he was tired of the pitying looks he received from his neighbors, or the whispers and snickers behind his back.\u00c2\u00a0 He decided several years ago that it was best to spare Adhera the embarrassment and simply not go to the services.<\/p>\n

Taran shook Owhn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hand, nodding.\u00c2\u00a0 Then he looked to Adhera, who stared at the fire with her hands on her lap.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran ached to touch her, to put an arm around her.\u00c2\u00a0 When was the last time he had<\/em> put his arm around her…?<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Forgive me for being blunt, Teacher,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153but why are you here?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Owhn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s smile gave way to concern.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Adhera asked me to come tonight.\u00c2\u00a0 She was looking for council on how to talk to you.\u00c2\u00a0 I think you know what about.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not going to letting you stick a syringe full of poison into my daughter,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Taran,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Owhn said, shaking his head, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153you make it sound like murder.\u00c2\u00a0 It is Mercy that we are giving her; it is freedom from the torture she endures every day.\u00c2\u00a0 Scientists have spent eighty years searching for a cure for the Blood, with no success.\u00c2\u00a0 You know as well as I that it is the only way to relieve Mara\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suffering.\u00c2\u00a0 You know it’s the only way to save her from unspeakable pain during her last days.\u00c2\u00a0 Won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you sit so we can talk?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No.\u00c2\u00a0 If this is why you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re here, then I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to bid you good night.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Leave, Owhn,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said, his voice rising slightly.\u00c2\u00a0 But only slightly, for he did not want to wake Mara if she was asleep as usual at this hour.<\/p>\n

Owhn glanced at Adhera, who gave him a small nod.\u00c2\u00a0 He reached for his flat-brimmed gray hat on the couch and set it on his head.\u00c2\u00a0 He put a soft hand on Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulder as he walked out the door without saying a word.<\/p>\n

When Owhn was gone, Adhera looked up at Taran through tears brimming around her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153She screamed all day, Taran,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Adhera said.\u00c2\u00a0 Her voice was like a whisper, but it made him flinch.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And they weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the usual screams, the ones that end after a few seconds.\u00c2\u00a0 These were shrieks that lasted until my baby\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s throat was raw and she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make another sound.\u00c2\u00a0 These were so loud that one of our neighbors wiretyped a constable.\u00c2\u00a0 He had to come in and see for himself that I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t torturing our daughter.\u00c2\u00a0 I had to endure the looks he gave me as to why we she hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t received the Mercy yet.\u00c2\u00a0 Why we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve let her\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Enough,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.<\/p>\n

He sat on the edge of the couch and put his head in his hands.\u00c2\u00a0 He wanted to scream, to release his own frustration.\u00c2\u00a0 He new the terrible pain his daughter endured every day.\u00c2\u00a0 And he knew the emotional agony Adhera endured every day caring for Mara, accommodating Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s refusal to give Mara the Mercy.\u00c2\u00a0 For a Teacher to give the Mercy to a child, the law said both parents must approve.\u00c2\u00a0 Taran had refused for the last six years, even though Adhera had wanted it ever since Mara was diagnosed.<\/p>\n

Taran looked up at Adhera.\u00c2\u00a0 Tears flowed freely down her face, and Taran wanted nothing more than to hold her.<\/p>\n

How she must hate me<\/em>, he thought.<\/p>\n

But he stayed on the couch.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Arie is sending me to the Beldamark tomorrow night.\u00c2\u00a0 To find the Mystics.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Adhera closed her eyes, then gave a bitter laugh.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mystics.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran tried to reach for her hand, but she stood before he could take it.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s different this time,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The rings have changed everything.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He stood and reached for her shoulders, gently turning her around to face him.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know it this time.\u00c2\u00a0 I know I will find them.\u00c2\u00a0 And when I do\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll what?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

She shrugged out of his grip and backed away from him, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll bring them here?\u00c2\u00a0 You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll tell them to magically heal our daughter?\u00c2\u00a0 Just like you said the last two times you went to the Beldamark?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will.\u00c2\u00a0 I told you I would.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do this anymore,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, shaking her head.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t watch Mara suffer like this.\u00c2\u00a0 Not any more.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Adhera\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s control fell, and she wept.<\/p>\n

This time she let him take her into his arms, and she sobbed into his chest.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I hate you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I hate you for making me do this…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran closed his eyes.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come back with the Mystics this time…then I will give my consent for the Mercy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Adhera pulled her head away from Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chest, looked up at him with those brown eyes that he had fallen in love with so long ago, when they had everything.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You will?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she asked, a tremor of hope in her voice.<\/p>\n

Taran nodded, though he did not want to.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m lying to my wife<\/em>, he thought.\u00c2\u00a0 Something I swore I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never do.<\/em><\/p>\n

But he also swore he would never kill his daughter.\u00c2\u00a0 He did not know what he would do if he could not find the Mystics this time, but he knew he would never let Owhn or any other Teacher lay a hand on his little girl.\u00c2\u00a0 Even if he had to kidnap her and flee to the Wild Kingdoms.\u00c2\u00a0 He would never give Mara to the Pathists.<\/p>\n

Even if he had to leave his wife behind.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How long will you be gone?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Adhera asked, hope filling her eyes for the first time since Mara had been diagnosed.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Arie thinks it will be two weeks.\u00c2\u00a0 We leave tomorrow at midnight.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Two weeks,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, pulling away from him again, her voice bitter.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mara has endured for six years.\u00c2\u00a0 I suppose two more weeks of suffering won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

She turned and walked up the stairs.\u00c2\u00a0 He heard her open Mara\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s door, pause for a second, and then quietly shut it.\u00c2\u00a0 When Adhera shut the door to her own room, Taran was left standing alone in a silent house.<\/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 Zervakan 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 […]<\/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-113","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\/113","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=113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}