Yesterday I posted a snippet from my novel Guardians of Ayan. It was a distant episode of Rogue Mission. Summing it up: Ariele has been kidnapped by the bad guy – the Vidaran sorcerer named Orlan and he wants Tenir in exchange for her freedom. Tenir is our hero, along with the Arben warrior Larcel. Larcel refuses to give up Tenir and a battle ensues.
This is the brand new – never been posted and not in the novel continuation of that episode. You can’t afford to miss what happens! So read it here or continue reading now:
“How long has she been unresponsive?” Arkness asked with concern.
“Just under an orha,” Larcel answered quickly, “Orlan began chanting some words and Ariele just went limp. She slumped over in the chair, her hair began changing to the dirty brown and she seemed to have trouble breathing. The silvery white had almost completely dissipated from her hair when Tenir gained the upper hand. He stopped Orlan before the spell was complete but by then the damage was done. She hasn’t opened her eyes since.
“What words did he speak?” Bovial interrupted.
“I couldn’t repeat them, they were spoken in Vidaran,” Larcel was disappointed in his lack of language skills.
Ariele the changing
“Tenir, what words did he speak?” Bovial asked again. Tenir understood Vidaran and would know what had been spoken.
“It was the Curse of Illari I think. I recognized a few of the words but I did not hear the beginning. I cannot be certain he said invoked Illari. I believe it was, what other entity could he have summoned to kill a priestess? Isciris surely would have stopped anything else.”
“Isciris lacks dominion in the Vidaran realm of Sinicarh. She could not have stopped him. Ariele was lucky you were there to stop him,” Arkness offered.
was the void dimension of the Infinitum. Only the irredeemable beasts of darkness could be summoned from afar into the Sinicarh. Fortunately Ariele bore the stone of Ailaesi which was neither light nor dark nor truly living. It was power, a sentient power that could be commanded anywhere by the right person.
“I must know for certain if it was Illari. Any attempt to counteract the Curse of Illari will cause certain death unless the curse is present. Tell me exactly what happened, what words you did hear,” Bovial was adamant.
“Moartum ia acera soll,” Tenir recounted what he had clearly heard.
“The soul escapes in death,” Arkness translated.
“Yes, the soul escapes in death,” Bovial confirmed. As a Vidaran sorcerer himself he had performed the incantation several times on Elsh priests and priestesses. It was the only way to bind them irrevocably to death.
“Can you stop this? Can you save her?” Larcel paced back and forth clutching his dagger tightly at his side.
“Why did I not kill him on sight? Why did I wait? Why did I hesitate?”
“He was unarmed. Darshen would not look favorably upon killing an unarmed man,” Arkness reminded.
“I don’t need you to remind me of my god’s wishes Grejian! I should have killed him. He is a sorcerer. They are never unarmed.”
“Technically, we carry no weapons for just that reason,” Bovial spoke up unable to resist taunting the warrior.
“Don’t make me kill you. I will sever your head from your neck sorcerer.”
“Larcel!” Tenir had enough. He knew Bovial was taunting the warrior on purpose, “We need him alive.”
“We do not need him, he is a worthless traitor.”
“I would kill you before you could even raise that precious dagger of yours,” Bovial continued his taunts.
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yes,” Bovial smiled a malicious grin. He had no intention of killing the Arben but taunting him was good sport. It was far too easy and such fun. “But recall your pact of allegiance upon my resurrecting Tenir.”
“The penance for breaking a pact of allegiance would be worth it for ridding the world of a Vidaran sorcerer.”
“Larcel, he isn’t worth it,” Tenir raised his hand to signal peace between the two men. He did not want to waste any more time with the arguing. Ariele was dying. He had to do something.”
Cradling her body in his arms, Tenir picked her up from the mound of grass upon which they had laid her. She looked too frail, too weak to heal. What he wouldn’t give to have the power to heal as she did. Pressing his head to hers he attempted to contact her thoughts. Just a sign she was still alert, still among the mortal realm would be enough.“Her soul has not fled,” Bovial answered Tenir’s thoughts. Stupid, he felt for the Forlay to have left them open but helpful for him. Tenir was afraid. “A Forlay afraid, what a wondrous sight. Take heart young son of Saissae, the stone will save her. It is not the Curse of Illari.”
“Why is she not healing?” Tenir was upset at Bovial’s reading his thoughts.
Shielding his thoughts quickly Tenir felt weak at the effort. Saving Ariele was proving too much. His energy was fading. Pulling her body close to his own he saw the stone begin to glow. Feeling a pull, a draining of his power, his own skin began to radiate light. His eyes deepened their green color.Something was calling his power forth. Something was withdrawing the power, taking it from him with strength like he had never experienced. Without his consent, against his will, his skin burned with the fire of power. His muscles tightened, the heat intensified and he felt he might lose consciousness at any moment as his mind reeled with the pain.Keep reading tomorrow to find out how it ends!
Jcckeith 