{"id":154,"date":"2012-07-23T10:04:48","date_gmt":"2012-07-23T14:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=154"},"modified":"2012-08-03T09:23:09","modified_gmt":"2012-08-03T13:23:09","slug":"zervakan-free-fantasy-novel-chapter-30","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=154","title":{"rendered":"ZERVAKAN – Free Fantasy Novel – Chapter 30"},"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 30<\/h2>\n

Fear kept Karak from reaching out and breaking Crane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s neck while the witchman led him through dark twisting corridors in whatever dungeon Karak was a prisoner.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak feared Crane might not die, and he feared what Crane might do to him if he failed.\u00c2\u00a0 But Karak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fear enraged him even more.\u00c2\u00a0 Not only was he angry that he was a prisoner, but that the only thing keeping him from doing something about it was…himself.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is this place?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak asked in a strained voice.\u00c2\u00a0 He wanted to do anything to get his mind off his self-loathing, and if that meant talking to Crane, so be it.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is my house,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Crane said, glancing back at him with a gruesome smile.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak could not help but stare at all those teeth each time Crane smiled.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe that was why Crane smiled so much.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153More precisely, the catacombs beneath<\/em> my house.\u00c2\u00a0 Do you like it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dark,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak said.<\/p>\n

Crane laughed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, I suppose it is.\u00c2\u00a0 Sort of clich\u00c3\u00a9 of me, yes?\u00c2\u00a0 The evil demon with his own personal underworld.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The thought occurred to me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Crane clicked his tongue as his black, gnarled cane tapped the stone floor with each step.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You must realize, Mr. Frost, that appearances are not always what they seem.\u00c2\u00a0 You believe that I am evil, but I can assure you I work for the greater good of all.\u00c2\u00a0 Only through my patron\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wisdom can the world renew itself into something stronger and fitter to survive, to thrive even.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Crane turned his head to Karak again and grinned.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself.\u00c2\u00a0 Where is the fun if I tell you everything now?\u00c2\u00a0 If you are like me, it will take a…demonstration to make you a believer.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Crane continued on, whistling a strange tune that Karak had never heard.<\/p>\n

They made several turns in the dank, dark corridors, and Karak began to wonder if Crane was lost, or if he was going in circles to confuse Karak.\u00c2\u00a0 Every corridor looked the same.\u00c2\u00a0 All were lit by torches that Karak thought would take an army of servants to maintain.\u00c2\u00a0 All were made of sharp red bricks laid in such careless, haphazard rows that Karak was amazed the corridors had not caved in.\u00c2\u00a0 They would occasionally pass iron-banded wooden doors with small, barred windows in the center.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak glanced into each one, but saw only darkness.\u00c2\u00a0 In one, he heard what sounded like a giggling child, and it made the hairs on his arms stand.\u00c2\u00a0 In another, he heard someone retch, and then a sickening splatter.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where are we going?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak asked, more to mask the terrible moaning he heard from a passing door than out of curiosity.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You will see when we get there,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Crane said, then continued whistling.\u00c2\u00a0 But two steps later, he stopped in front of an iron-banded door similar to the dozen or so they had passed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ah, here we are.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak peered through the barred window, but just as in all the others, he saw only darkness.\u00c2\u00a0 At least there were no horrid sounds or foul smells coming from this one.\u00c2\u00a0 Crane produced a blackened key from his pocket, inserted it into the lock, then pushed open the door.<\/p>\n

For a moment, Karak wondered if this was where Crane was going to put him, that he would end up like the other sorry souls behind the previous doors, spending the rest of his life retching and giggling in the dark.<\/p>\n

But Karak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dread turned to awe in an instant.\u00c2\u00a0 Through the door, Karak saw what could only be described as the sun lit suite of a king.\u00c2\u00a0 Crane stopped a few steps from the door, turned, and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do not dally, Mr. Frost.\u00c2\u00a0 My patron hates waiting.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Crane waited for Karak to take his halting steps into the room, then pushed the door closed with a heavy slam.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak turned and saw that there was no door behind him.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a seamless white plaster wall with a small portrait of a grim-faced woman standing on the deck of a ship with stormy seas behind her.\u00c2\u00a0 Her eyes seemed to stare directly at Karak, and he had to look away for fear she might blink at him.\u00c2\u00a0 After the supernaturalist events of the last few days, he did not want to take that risk.<\/p>\n

Crane led Karak past a large bed that could have comfortably held five.\u00c2\u00a0 The bed was made with white silk covers and matching pillows.\u00c2\u00a0 On the white plaster walls were paintings of various sizes showing sceneries, battles, and important looking nobles affecting proud poses.\u00c2\u00a0 Tables filled with neat, organized piles of books and parchments stood throughout the room, and cushioned chairs were arranged next to large, crystal reading lamps.<\/p>\n

Beyond the bed was a balcony with open, double-glass doors.\u00c2\u00a0 Sunlight poured through the window, accompanied by fresh salty air mingling with the familiar odors of a large city\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhorses, cooking food, and sweaty bodies.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak went to the balcony and took in a breathtaking view of a large city below a cloudless sky.\u00c2\u00a0 Bright blue water lay beyond it.\u00c2\u00a0 The palace in which Karak stood sat upon a bluff overlooking a city on the coast of a sea.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mr. Frost,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Crane said, sounding annoyed.\u00c2\u00a0 He stood at the door to the large bedroom, his hand on the knob.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We have an appointment to keep…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak went to Crane, who opened the door and beckoned him through.\u00c2\u00a0 The hall they entered was long and decorated just as lavishly as the bedroom.\u00c2\u00a0 Finely woven carpets ran up and down the hall, and windows along the left side showed a beautiful garden filled with flowers of all colors and sizes.\u00c2\u00a0 The entire garden was surrounded by the walls of a three-story palace.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak saw six men wearing white shirts and tanned breeches stooped over the garden pulling weeds and planting new flowers.\u00c2\u00a0 A tall fountain dominated the center of the garden, where a bronze sculpture of a bearded man stood on a pedestal in the center.\u00c2\u00a0 Water spouted from mouths of small, stone children ringing the pedestal.\u00c2\u00a0 The man rested his left hand on the hilt of his sword at his side, while his right hand was raised above his head, as if reaching for something.\u00c2\u00a0 The man looked vaguely familiar, but Karak could not place him at the moment.<\/p>\n

As they walked down the hall, Crane resumed whistling the same tune he had in the dark corridors.\u00c2\u00a0 Several servants in gold livery with black trim around the edges lowered their heads as Crane walked by.\u00c2\u00a0 The servants kept their heads lowered until Crane had passed, then continued on with their tasks when Crane was a dozen paces away.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak watched some of them, but was only rewarded with a glance from one brown-haired girl.\u00c2\u00a0 When she saw him looking at her, she turned away and quickly entered a nearby room.<\/p>\n

Crane stopped at the entry that led to a spiral stone staircase that wound its way upward.\u00c2\u00a0 Two men wearing gleaming chain mail and holding muskets with polished bayonets stood on either side of the arch, staring straight ahead.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak noticed each one tense as Crane walked by, but they did not stop him or Karak from ascending the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I hope all that time sitting on your ass has not made your legs weak,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Crane said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is a rather long climb.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

And Crane did not exaggerate.\u00c2\u00a0 Round and round they climbed, higher and higher.\u00c2\u00a0 There were small windows placed periodically along the way up, and Karak could judge their height with a glance at the city far below.\u00c2\u00a0 By the time they reached a platform at the top, Karak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heart was pounding and he felt a fine sheen of sweat on his brow.\u00c2\u00a0 He noted with dismay, however, that Crane was not even breathing heavily.<\/p>\n

They passed through an open arch and into a circular room that was surrounded on all sides by windows.\u00c2\u00a0 In front of Karak were glass, double doors that led to a covered balcony that ringed the entire outer wall of the room.\u00c2\u00a0 He recognized the view of the bay in front of him, but to his left lay forested mountains stretching off into the distance, while to his right was a flat plain of green grass dotted with tiny farms and villages to the horizon.<\/p>\n

Shelves filled with books and parchments lined the interior of the room below the windows.\u00c2\u00a0 Several tables held stacks of maps, parchments, open books, and loose letters, all looking much more disorganized than the bedroom below, as if no servants were allowed to ascend the stairs to clean up.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ah,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said a voice behind Karak.\u00c2\u00a0 He turned to see a man rise from a mahogany desk set in an alcove in the walls.\u00c2\u00a0 He had\u00c2\u00a0 a dark red beard that was neatly trimmed and hardly more than stubble.\u00c2\u00a0 The same colored hair was tied back in a ponytail.\u00c2\u00a0 He wore a white shirt with a gold coat, black breeches, and gleaming black boots.\u00c2\u00a0 He walked from behind his desk and strode toward Karak and Crane with a friendly smile.<\/p>\n

Crane fell to his knees and touched his forehead to the ground before the man.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My lord,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Crane said in an awed whisper.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak was surprised to hear the same fear in Crane that Karak had seen in the eyes of the servants below.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rise, my friend,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the man said with good-natured impatience.\u00c2\u00a0 Crane rose to his feet, but kept his head lowered and his gaze on the floor.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are going to make our new friend here think I am some tyrant who demands constant prostrations from his servants,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the man said.\u00c2\u00a0 He had a thick accent that brought Karak the sudden, crashing realization of where he was and the identity of the man he faced.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the same man whose sculpture sat atop the fountain in the garden below.<\/p>\n

The King of Mazumdahr winked at Karak and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, maybe from some of them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He extended his hand to Karak, and Karak took the King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s icy, but firm grip into his own.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am Savix,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And I am so pleased to finally meet you, Mr. Frost.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/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-154","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\/154","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=154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}