{"id":183,"date":"2012-09-21T11:50:44","date_gmt":"2012-09-21T15:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=183"},"modified":"2012-09-21T11:50:44","modified_gmt":"2012-09-21T15:50:44","slug":"zervakan-free-fantasy-novel-chapter-46","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=183","title":{"rendered":"ZERVAKAN – Free Fantasy Novel – Chapter 46"},"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 46<\/h2>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you have any idea how hard it is to create new harrowers?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak asked Taran.<\/p>\n

Taran still knelt before Ladak, shaking from the impact of hitting the ground from twenty paces in the air.\u00c2\u00a0 He could take breath into his lungs now, but each one was like a knife thrust to his side.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Very hard,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak continued, while walking around Taran.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have to kill someone, and then raise his body in a long ritual that takes too much time and energy.\u00c2\u00a0 I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bore you with the details.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ladak bent to one knee, his face inches from Taran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now I would prefer not to do that with you.\u00c2\u00a0 I would prefer that you help me because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in your best interest, not because I force you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

In a rasping voice, Taran said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I killed you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes and no,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You killed one of my harrowers, which I molded to look like me.\u00c2\u00a0 Quite a good likeness if I say so myself.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran asked.\u00c2\u00a0 Better to listen to his arrogance than try to fight off his Wields.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because I needed you good and mad to Wield Angra.\u00c2\u00a0 And who better to get you good and mad than a former friend raping your daughter.\u00c2\u00a0 Anger mixed with betrayal can be quite powerful.\u00c2\u00a0 And judging by what you did to my harrower, I was right.\u00c2\u00a0 Now I know you are a Zervakan, one who can Wield both Angra and<\/em> Ahura.\u00c2\u00a0 Someone who will return the Fomorians to their rightful place in this world.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ladak sighed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You know what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like in the Compact these days.\u00c2\u00a0 Pathism dominates every institution with a belief in nothing higher than itself.\u00c2\u00a0 But Pathists have chosen to blind themselves to the wider realities in the world.\u00c2\u00a0 That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I need your help to excise the Pathist infection that dominates this continent, an infection that seeks to destroy anything that challenges it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran eased himself backward\u00e2\u20ac\u201denduring terrible stabs of pain in his ribs\u00e2\u20ac\u201dso that he sat rather than knelt.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Unlike you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Right,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Unlike me.\u00c2\u00a0 I want to open the Compact\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes to the real world.\u00c2\u00a0 You see me as some evil madman.\u00c2\u00a0 I am not.\u00c2\u00a0 I have a purpose, one that the First Cause Itself preordained when It created the universe.\u00c2\u00a0 The Tuathans believe that Angra is evil, but they have forgotten that Angra and Ahura serve the same purpose.\u00c2\u00a0 Renewal.\u00c2\u00a0 Progress.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Stop lecturing me and tell me what you want,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.<\/p>\n

Ladak smiled.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But I thought you were a scientist, Dr. Abraeu.\u00c2\u00a0 Aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you the least bit curious about me?\u00c2\u00a0 You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve spent the last six years trying to prove that the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMystics\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 exist.\u00c2\u00a0 Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you want to know why<\/em> we exist?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of course.\u00c2\u00a0 I just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think you’ll tell me the truth.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ladak laughed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are a bundle of contradictions, Doctor.\u00c2\u00a0 You believe in something that everyone tells you is a fairy tale, yet you turn into a skeptic when you encounter the very thing you believe in.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I trusted you, Ladak, and you lied to me.\u00c2\u00a0 Why should I believe you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because I will show you how to heal your daughter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s illness.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran stared at the man for a moment before what he said registered in his mind.<\/p>\n

He fears you,<\/em> the dark voice said.\u00c2\u00a0 That is why he hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t killed you yet, why he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stalling for time.\u00c2\u00a0 Kill him before he finds a way to kill you.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran asked.<\/p>\n

Ladak shook his head, grinning.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now, now.\u00c2\u00a0 Information as valuable as that comes with a price.\u00c2\u00a0 You must first do something for me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kill every last Tuathan on that beach.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yes!\u00c2\u00a0 Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kill them all!\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll start with Ladak, and then wipe out the whole lot of them on the beach.\u00c2\u00a0 Then we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll move on to\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How do I know you can heal Mara?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran asked.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Again, why should I believe you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Four harrowers emerged from the woods behind Ladak.\u00c2\u00a0 Three men and one woman, and all looked to be Tuathan.\u00c2\u00a0 Or rather, used to be Tuathan.\u00c2\u00a0 Their skin was a sickly gray, and their eyes had a milky haze.\u00c2\u00a0 Their clothes were ragged and torn, and one of the men had an open chest wound that seeped dark gray fluid.\u00c2\u00a0 When they saw Taran, they encircled him, each with an upraised hand ready to Wield Angra.<\/p>\n

Ladak smiled at his creations, and then said to Taran, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Can you afford not<\/em> to believe me?\u00c2\u00a0 Can you let slip away what might be your daughter’s one chance to escape the barbaric Mercy?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Do it,<\/em> the voice said.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll kill every one of them.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fine,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll do what you ask.\u00c2\u00a0 But you have to show me how to heal Mara before<\/em> I destroy the Tuathans.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Right,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I show you how to heal Mara, and then you try to kill me and save the Tuathans.\u00c2\u00a0 I know you Taran, you are not as filled with the spirit of Angra as I am.\u00c2\u00a0 Not yet, anyway.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran stood, and the four harrowers took an involuntary step backward.\u00c2\u00a0 They fear you,<\/em> the voice said.\u00c2\u00a0 Kill them now, and then we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll kill all the Tuathans.\u00c2\u00a0 Do it!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s five against one,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taran said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And I have less experience at this than all of you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maybe,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladak said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153but you seem to be a quick learner.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mara first, then I kill the Tuathans.\u00c2\u00a0 If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like it, kill me now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The confidence in Ladak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes wavered a bit, and Taran knew he had him.\u00c2\u00a0 Ladak smiled.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are a stubborn man, Dr. Abraeu.\u00c2\u00a0 Alright.\u00c2\u00a0 I will show you how to heal your daughter.\u00c2\u00a0 But keep in mind, doctor, that while I believe you’re a man of your word, I do know where your family lives in Calaman.\u00c2\u00a0 And I am not the only Fomorian living there…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Taran glared at Ladak.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Save your threats.\u00c2\u00a0 I will<\/em> kill the Tuathans.\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,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,28,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-183","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\/183","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=183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}