{"id":158,"date":"2012-08-03T09:21:07","date_gmt":"2012-08-03T13:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=158"},"modified":"2012-08-03T09:22:47","modified_gmt":"2012-08-03T13:22:47","slug":"zervakan-free-fantasy-novel-chapter-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=158","title":{"rendered":"ZERVAKAN – Free Fantasy Novel – Chapter 32"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
\nCover by TJ Lomas.<\/a><\/div>\n
[Sorry for missing Monday’s chapter. Sometimes my day job takes precedence over my fiction. \ud83d\ude09 ]<\/p>\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. 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><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ZERVAKAN<\/h1>\n

by Rob Steiner<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 32<\/h2>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Please, sit,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix said to Karak, pointing to two red, cushioned chairs that faced the stunning view of the city and the bay.<\/p>\n

Karak stood where he was.\u00c2\u00a0 He was tired of the games and would not take another order until he knew what was happening to him.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why am I here?\u00c2\u00a0 And how did I…get here?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sit down,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix repeated, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153and I will explain.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak did not hear the reverberating voice that he had with Crane, but he nonetheless found himself moving toward the chairs against his will and sitting down in the right chair.\u00c2\u00a0 It was as comfortable as it looked, and the view beyond the balcony was beautiful\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/p>\n

Karak shook his head.\u00c2\u00a0 He turned to Savix, who sat in the left chair.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why am I here?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Savix smiled.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mr. Crane.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Crane walked over, his head bowed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, my lord.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bring us two cups of cocau<\/em>, please.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, my lord.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Crane backed away and strode briskly through the arch and down the spiral stairs.\u00c2\u00a0 When Karak could no longer hear the clicking of Crane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s boots, Savix turned to Karak.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Have you ever heard of the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcZervakan?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Other than in passing by your lapdog, no.\u00c2\u00a0 Should I have?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I suppose not,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not many living today have heard the term.\u00c2\u00a0 Time breeds ignorance, unfortunately.\u00c2\u00a0 No matter, I was hoping to avoid some unnecessary explaining, but now I suppose I must educate you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fine,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Educate me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Savix looked at him with an arched eyebrow.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Did you talk to Overlord Silek this way?\u00c2\u00a0 I will have to educate you on showing respect to your new lord, as well.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I serve no lord,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not Silek, not you, not anyone.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Savix smiled, and Karak saw that he had the same unnaturally large number of teeth that Crane had.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you feel that gold chain around your neck?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hand shot up to his neck.\u00c2\u00a0 Sure enough, there was a chain necklace that he had not noticed until now.\u00c2\u00a0 How did that\u00e2\u20ac\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How it got there does not matter,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What matters is that you serve me now.\u00c2\u00a0 Everything you do, everything you say, and everything you think is known to me.\u00c2\u00a0 Now I can force you to do, say, or think whatever I want, but that takes energy on my part that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather devote to other purposes.\u00c2\u00a0 And don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even think about trying to take off that necklace.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak wanted to rip it off his neck and strangle\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/p>\n

Blinding pain shot through his head, a pain that should have killed him if it were something gentler, like a pick axe through his skull, or a steam trolley on his chest.\u00c2\u00a0 The pain spread from his head, down his spine and soon throughout his limbs.\u00c2\u00a0 His entire body was engulfed in flames, every inch of skin.\u00c2\u00a0 His blood boiled and his organs had turned molten.<\/p>\n

And it was not just the physical pain, but it was emotional as well.\u00c2\u00a0 Every horrible memory he had suffered throughout his life, every moment that had ever given him anguish, was thrown into the furnace of agony his existence had suddenly become.\u00c2\u00a0 From the moment of his birth, to the day he held his mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s broken body in his arms when he was a boy, to the first time he had killed a man, to Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s betrayal.\u00c2\u00a0 All of it was focused like an arrow into his heart that threatened to destroy his soul.<\/p>\n

The pain suddenly switched off, and Karak realized he was screaming his throat raw.\u00c2\u00a0 He stopped screaming, but his heart thumped and his breathing was heavy.\u00c2\u00a0 Sweat drenched his hair.\u00c2\u00a0 His fingers had dug themselves into the cushions of his chair.\u00c2\u00a0 The physical agony was gone, but Karak could remember every moment of it, along with the emotional anguish.<\/p>\n

Savix sighed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I told you not to think about the necklace.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

For the first time since he was a boy holding his dead mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s broken body, Karak wept.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now to avoid that,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix said in a consoling tone, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153you cannot think of removing the necklace ever again.\u00c2\u00a0 If it ever breaks, or becomes separated from your neck…well, you just felt what happened.\u00c2\u00a0 In fact, after what you just experienced, I suspect you will fight to the death to keep anyone from removing it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Savix put a hand on Karak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s left hand and gently said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are mine.\u00c2\u00a0 Accept it, and the pain will never bother you again.\u00c2\u00a0 Do you accept me?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak said in a cracking voice, before stray thoughts could enter his mind.\u00c2\u00a0 He never wanted that pain again.\u00c2\u00a0 He would do anything to avoid it.\u00c2\u00a0 Anything.<\/p>\n

Savix clapped his hands and said jovially, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Good!\u00c2\u00a0 Now then, let us discuss why I have brought you here.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The King of Mazumdahr stood and went to the double glass doors that led to the balcony.\u00c2\u00a0 He opened the doors, and a fresh breeze of sea air came through, helping Karak to forget for a moment the torment raging in his mind.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Follow me, Mr. Frost,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix said without turning around, and stepped out onto the balcony into the sunshine.<\/p>\n

Karak stood and followed of his own will.<\/p>\n

The sun was bright, the sky blue, and the air warm and fresh.\u00c2\u00a0 He closed his eyes, and tilted his face toward the sun.\u00c2\u00a0 It had been a long time since he had been outside the city of Calaman, so he had forgotten what fresh air and sun felt like on his face.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Beautiful, is it not?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix asked.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of all the kingdoms I have ruled, Mazumdahr is my favorite.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak opened his eyes and stared down at the city below him.\u00c2\u00a0 As he suspected, the palace was built on a bluff above the city.\u00c2\u00a0 The sun glinted off bronze-colored domes and spires.\u00c2\u00a0 Red-tiled roofs of residences and merchant shops marched up the hill toward the palace, ending at the palace gates a half-mile down the steep hill.\u00c2\u00a0 Beyond the city, fishing boats and merchant vessels filled the blue waters of the bay.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak thought the air looked strange until he realized that it did not have the black tint of coal smoke that Calaman had.\u00c2\u00a0 Though the guns and cannon of Mazumdahr\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s military kept pace with Calaman, coal and steam technology had yet to filter down to the Mazumdahri people.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak wondered if they still had to draw their water from an outdoor well, rather than from an indoor tap as he was used to in Calaman.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Beautiful.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Speaking of beauty,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153how do you feel when you look at the rings?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak glanced up at the colored ring and the black ring that ran north to south across the blue sky.\u00c2\u00a0 He hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t spared them more than a passing glance over the last few days, but he, like any other person, was curious about them when they appeared over a month ago.\u00c2\u00a0 Had they caused the storm that ripped through Calaman the day after they appeared?\u00c2\u00a0 He had been skeptical then.\u00c2\u00a0 Now he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t so sure.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I sense power in them,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix said, staring up at the rings with eyes that seemed in shadow.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The rings are<\/em> power.\u00c2\u00a0 They are the power that created this universe and the power that maintains it now.\u00c2\u00a0 For the longest time they were absent from the sky.\u00c2\u00a0 The people responsible committed an atrocity against nature.\u00c2\u00a0 A crime for which they will soon pay.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Savix sniffed the air.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ah, our cocau<\/em> approaches.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Crane walked onto the balcony carrying a tray with two cups of steaming liquid that smelled both sweet and bitter.\u00c2\u00a0 Savix handed Karak a cup, then took one for himself.\u00c2\u00a0 Without saying a word to Crane, Savix turned and continued to stare up at the rings.\u00c2\u00a0 Crane retreated into the circular room.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak briefly wondered if Crane also wore a necklace, or if he voluntarily served Savix.\u00c2\u00a0 He could not imagine anyone voluntarily\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/p>\n

A quick twinge of pain shot through Karak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s skull.\u00c2\u00a0 It was nowhere near the level he had experienced before.\u00c2\u00a0 Just enough to make Karak turn his thoughts to other matters, like the rings above him.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, concentrate on the rings.<\/em><\/p>\n

Savix did not seem to notice\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor chose to ignore\u00e2\u20ac\u201dKarak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s flinch.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Did you know that the black ring is called Angra?\u00c2\u00a0 It is the greatest force for change in the universe.\u00c2\u00a0 It challenges life to survive, which in turn makes it strong.\u00c2\u00a0 You and I would not be here if Angra had not forced our prehistoric ancestors to use tools to hunt.\u00c2\u00a0 Those who didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, starved to death, or became prey themselves.\u00c2\u00a0 Angra has been the guiding influence in your life, Karak Frost.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak did not speak, nor did he allow himself to contradict Savix.\u00c2\u00a0 To do so would invite the pain again.\u00c2\u00a0 He simply allowed his mind to open, to listen to Savix\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s words.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix said, studying Karak as if he were reading a book.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are a child of Angra if there ever was one.\u00c2\u00a0 You grew up in the Wild Kingdoms, where intrigue and tribal warfare made your people hardy and strong.\u00c2\u00a0 When your mother died in your arms\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyour eight-year-old arms\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyou were forced to survive on your own.\u00c2\u00a0 You stole clothes to keep warm, attacked other street children for the food they scavenged.\u00c2\u00a0 When you were fourteen you killed a man because he tried to take the food you stole.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak felt a strange presence in his mind, as if another voice was whispering words he could not understand.\u00c2\u00a0 He tried to resist, but a jab of pain made him allow the intrusion.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Savix said, putting a hand up to Karak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cheek and caressing it gently.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Angra has taken your pain, your hatred, and focused it.\u00c2\u00a0 You are someone who wants what the lords of your homeland always had\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwealth and power.\u00c2\u00a0 It is what drives you to this day.\u00c2\u00a0 You know it will keep you from suffering the same hardships that your mother and your siblings had to suffer.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mouth opened and closed as he stared at Savix.\u00c2\u00a0 It was true.\u00c2\u00a0 All his life had been a pursuit of that which his family never had.\u00c2\u00a0 He came from a family of peasants, the class of people who inevitably suffered the most in the tribal wars of the Wild Kingdoms.\u00c2\u00a0 When his mother and siblings were killed before his eyes\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhe had never known his father, nor had his mother ever spoken of him\u00e2\u20ac\u201dKarak realized that there were two classes of people in the world\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthose who suffer and those who mete out the suffering.\u00c2\u00a0 While holding his mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bloody body in his arms after a raid from some rival lord whose name he no longer remembered, he had resolved that he would no longer be the one to suffer.<\/p>\n

Savix smiled, his multitude of teeth gleaming in the bright sun.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Angra created you, my friend.\u00c2\u00a0 It has made you strong so that you can come to me at this moment, ready to start along your destined path.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What path?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak asked.<\/p>\n

Savix smiled, then turned, put his hands behind his back, and slowly strolled along the balcony.\u00c2\u00a0 He started whistling the same tune Crane had whistled in the dungeons.<\/p>\n

Karak followed, walking at his side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cover by TJ Lomas. [Sorry for missing Monday’s chapter. Sometimes my day job takes precedence over my fiction. \ud83d\ude09 ] 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 […]<\/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-158","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\/158","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=158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}