Lorelle of the Dark, page 1
Book Description
Lorelle is dying.
She gave half her soul to save Khyven the Unkillable, and its loss is burning her up from the inside. She only has a matter of days to find Usara’s abducted queen before the flames consume her.
But as she searches for the mystic key to bring Rhenn back, she finds only failure…
…until a dark elf arrives in Usara, claiming he possesses what she seeks. All she need do is follow him into the forbidding Great Noktum…
…and bind herself to the Dark.
Fleeing Khyven and her friends, Lorelle embarks on a reckless journey into the heart of a world rife with danger and betrayal.
Will the dark elf actually lead her to the key? Or has Lorelle become a pawn in the secret war for Noksonon?
Contents
Book Description
Title Page
Copyright Page
Free Fiction
Dedication
What is Eldros Legacy?
Acknowledgements
The Chronicler
Maps
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
Chapter Forty-eight
Chapter Forty-nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-one
Chapter Fifty-two
Chapter Fifty-three
Chapter Fifty-four
Epilogue
Interlude
About the Author
Author’s Note
If You Liked…
Copyright Page
LORELLE OF THE DARK
Copyright © 2022 by Eldros Legacy
Digital Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Eldros Legacy Press
P.O. Box 292
Englewood, Colorado 80151
EldrosLegacyPress.com
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Publisher’s Note
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Cover Art by:
Rashed AlAkroka
Cover Design by:
Rashed AlAkroka, Sean Olsen, Melissa Gay & Quincy J. Allen
Map Design by:
Sean Stallings
Lorelle of the Dark / Todd Fahnestock — 1st ed.
ISBN: 978-1-959994-04-6
Free Fiction
Get the free Eldros Legacy teaser collection:
Here There Be Giants
Dedication
For Lara,
My Lorelle. It all begins and ends with you.
What is Eldros Legacy?
The Eldros Legacy is a multi-author, shared-world, mega-epic fantasy project managed by four Founders who share the vision of a new, expansive, epic fantasy world. In the coming years the Founders committed themselves to creating multiple storylines where they and many others will explore and write about a world once ruled by tyrannical giants.
The Founders are working on four different primary storylines on four different continents. Over the coming years, those four storylines will merge into a single meta story where fates of all races on Eldros will be decided.
In addition, a growing list of guest authors, short story writers, and other contributors will delve into virtually every corner of each continent. It’s a grand design, and the Founders have high hopes that readers will delight in exploring every nook and cranny of the Eldros Legacy.
So, please join us and explore the world of Eldros and the epic tales that will be told by great story tellers, for Here There Be Giants!
We encourage you to follow us at www.eldroslegacy.com to keep up with everything going on. If you sign up there, you’ll get our newsletter and announcements of new book releases. You can also follow up on FaceBook at facebook.com/groups/eldroslegacy.
Sincerely,
Todd, Marie, Mark, and Quincy
(The Founders)
Acknowledgements
Becca Gardner and Hailey Gregor: My Alpha Readers! Thank you for reading this lightning fast and reassuring me that it was ready.
Elowyn Fahnestock: Thank you for helping me work through the plot points, and for helping me shape Slayter and Vohn into the fantastic characters they are. I can’t wait for Slayter’s book. It’s gonna be a blast.
Marie Whittaker: Thank you for going through the Save-the-Cat beat sheet with me in Albuquerque. The novel didn’t turn out at all like those initial scribbles on that legal pad, but it started the process.
Quincy J. Allen: For being so receptive to every single crossover idea between Noksonon and Daemanon. You’re not just receptive, but you RUN with them. I can’t wait to get to the point where our stories are actively crossing. It’s gonna be badass.
Rob Howell: For having faith in this story, and in Khyven and Lorelle, from the very beginning.
Chris Kennedy: Our fearless leader. Thank you for championing the Eldros Legacy! We could not do this without you.
Mia Kleve: It seemed the moment you sent the manuscript back to me—and so quickly—I leapt to the task. Your editing was golden. ;)
Becky Busch: Thank you for all the amazing conversations and your astonishing ability to quote all the best movies. ALL THE BEST MOVIES. (Or maybe just ALL the movies…?)
Mark Stallings: Thanks for being that calm presence that keeps pushing this project forward, and for… THE COINS!
Chris Mandeville: My avatar! You’re always there for me. Every book. Every time. Thank you!
Lara Wirtz Fahnestock: Always. Always. Always. (Say it thrice, the bond is forever). Thank you for your unceasing support of all of this crazy writer rollercoaster stuff. You are the best. “I think I’m gonna keep ya.”
The Chronicler
Lorelle of the Dark
The man in the stocks had been there for longer than anyone could guess.
He stood on a rise before a valley that contained broken buildings, collapsed walls, and a single metal tower. The ancient city behind him had been abandoned in another age, but the man remained, bent over, gnarled hands and gray-haired head stuffed through the holes of his forever prison.
He was a storyteller, and since he’d first begun telling his tales months ago, the crowds had grown:
“Do you know the story of the Second War of the Giants…?” the old man asked. “I have told you about Khyven the Unkillable, how he came into his power, how he discovered his magic.
“But I have not told you about his paramour, the one who stood in the shadows beside him. Khyven would eventually rise like a wave that crashed over our enemies, but Lorelle was the moon.
“How do I know? Oh, I know, my dear esteemed learned one. I know because I was there.
“I was there the day Queen Rhenn of Usara turned the tide of darkness. I was there when the great wizard Slayter Wheskone outwitted an elder dragon at his own game. And I was there when the Luminent Lorelle went into the Dark, when she made it a part of herself…
“The seeds of Khyven’s victory began with her. She did not think twice about giving her own life for those she loved. She was as selfless as Khyven had once been selfish. Because of this, she was destined to die. The great weaver of events, Nhevalos the Betrayer, had consigned her to oblivion, but she slipped her fate. And because she did, so did we all.
“I’m going to tell you her story, the true story of the Luminent who determined the course of the war by embracing the Dark….”
Maps
Prologue
Elegathe
Elegathe entered her study and waited just inside the door like some servant girl. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined every wall, filled with the wisdom of Noksonon. She had read every word on every page of every book in this room. She had used that knowledge to elevate herself, to secure her place as the High Master of the Readers of Noksonon. This was her sanctum and her general’s tent, all in one. Just the smell of polished mahogany and old tomes filled her with serenity and confidence.
And Darjhen had wasted no time in making it his own again.
He and the tall stranger had cleared her quills, her missives box, and her box of ready scrolls from her mahogany desk. They stood on either side of it, pointing at a huge map, talking in low tones.
And of course, they’d already begun without her, though she was here precisely at the stroke of six o’clock. He’d given her the wrong time.
No. He’d given her the time he’d wanted her to arrive.
Senji’s Fist, she hated everything about this. Darjhen had also told her to join the meeting but remain silent unless he or his guest talked to her. The old man was making her feel like a little girl again—the fresh apprentice—and it scraped her pride like a jagged piece of granite. This was the room of the High Master of the Readers of Noksonon—her room. Yet here she was, invited late to the meeting and standing like a servant by the door, quiet and unseen.
She pushed her glasses higher on her nose, drew a deep breath and let it out. Darjhen had gone through the reasons with her. The stranger was important, a traveler of the Thuroi who had visited places Elegathe could only imagine, knew things even Darjhen seemed to hold in awe.
Darjhen believed the mythical Giants were surfacing again, bent on war. Somehow this tall stranger was involved. He knew about the upcoming war and was apparently a key resource. Darjhen’s brief conversation with her earlier today had indicated the man was either oddly skittish or ridiculously arrogant.
“Don’t speak, unless he speaks to you,” he had said. “Then make your answers short. Don’t show off.”
“If you don’t want me to speak,” she had said. “Perhaps you should have your secret meeting elsewhere and cut me out entirely.”
Darjhen either hadn’t noticed, or chose to ignore, her scathing sarcasm. “No. I want you there.”
“Either include me in your plans or don’t. I don’t care,” she had lied. “I’m not your apprentice.”
“And your attire,” Darjhen had said as though she hadn’t spoken. “Conservative, please. I understand the reasons for your usual appearance, the allure of beauty can make some opponents predictable. Not this time. You do not want to draw attention to yourself, especially—”
“Through sex appeal?”
“You do not want to draw attention to yourself,” he had repeated and left it at that.
So, she had donned her most conservative dress and robes, the front open only to just below her collarbones.
The tall stranger looked up when she entered. His dark eyes shone gold for a moment, but so quickly she wasn’t sure she’d even seen it. Was the man a mage? Or had it been a trick of the golden light shining through her study’s window?
The stranger was one of the largest men she’d ever seen, six and a half feet tall, but he was far younger than she’d anticipated. When Darjhen had told her about their visitor, coached her, she’d thought he was talking about someone as old as Darjhen, but the stranger was Elegathe’s age.
“She is of the blood,” the stranger said, still looking at Elegathe. “You didn’t mention that.”
“Two lesser lines,” Darjhen said casually, still focused on the map as though the stranger’s statement wasn’t particularly important.
“It’s an opportunity, Darjhen. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“She is positioned where she will be most effective when the war comes.”
The stranger kept his unsettling gaze on Elegathe, and she found herself compelled to look down, focusing somewhere on the man’s chest.
That was unacceptable. She forced herself to look upward, but found that holding the man’s gaze was like putting her eyes close to a hot stove and trying to keep them open. Senji, what was that about?
“She will fight in her own way.” Darjhen looked up from the map, still trying to make it sound like this topic was far from important. He was a consummate actor when he had to be, but she knew him as well as anyone and she caught a glimpse of his true emotions. Worry.
You do not want to draw attention to yourself…
This was what he’d warned her about. The stranger had not only noticed her but taken an interest.
“You favor her,” the stranger said.
“She is well trained. I need her is all.”
“Sentiment will not win this war.”
“Humans are bound together by sentiment, Nhevaz, by how we feel for one another. That is what will win the war.”
So, the stranger’s name was Nhevaz. She felt she knew that name from somewhere, but she couldn’t place it. That was frustrating. Elegathe was meticulous about remembering important events and names. Why did that name sound familiar?
Nhevaz’s gaze bored into her, and the gold sheen flashed over his eyes again, flickering and vanishing. So, he was a mage.
His eyes returned to their depthless black, and Nhevaz looked down at the map again.
“Khyven should be our focus,” Darjhen said.
Khyven the Unkillable. That name she knew. Elegathe took reports from all over Noksonon, from every Reader on the continent, and she was well aware of the coup in Usara. The daughter of the previous king, Rhennaria Laochodon, had unseated the usurper Vamreth, the man who’d killed all the Laochodons ten years ago—or so it had been believed. Queen Rhennaria had been assisted by a handful of Usaran nobility, a Luminent, a Shadowvar, a Line Mage, and a renowned Ringer named Khyven the Unkillable.
If Khyven was the topic in this room, he was important to the Giant war somehow. The lion in Elegathe’s mind tore into the information, putting pieces together. The renowned Ringer was in his early twenties. Ten years ago, he would have been ten or eleven.
… just like the boy she and Darjhen had found when she had been his apprentice.
Senji’s Spear, was that boy Khyven the Unkillable?
Ten years ago, Darjhen had pulled her—a newly indoctrinated Reader—to the first major crossroads in her life. She hadn’t been ready. She’d been a girl, but her fate as a Reader had been decided that night. Darjhen had performed the most powerful Lore Magic she’d ever witnessed—before or since—and it had pointed to a ten-year-old boy who had just leapt from the burning manor of Duke Chandrille.
The line of Chandrille died that day. No one had survived.
None save the boy…
Coincidentally, the usurper Vamreth had risen to power that same year. Except there was no coincidence when it came to Darjhen. The boy’s survival and the usurper’s rise had almost certainly been spun by the old man.
Maybe both of these men. Who was this Nhevaz?
And why was Khyven important? Why not Queen Rhennaria instead? That seemed far more likely. That woman was going to change Usara, perhaps even the entire face of the Human lands of Noksonon.
Elegathe’s internal lion wrestled with a half dozen other questions, but she turned her focus to the men at the map. She didn’t want to miss anything.
Yes, she was dancing to Darjhen’s tune again. Yes, it stung her pride. But she had to admit, if reluctantly, that the last time she’d followed at his sleeve it had led her to this place, to being the High Master.
“You risk much,” Darjhen said. “Khyven could have easily died in that confrontation. He almost did.”
“He survived,” Nhevaz said. “The battle for Usara was nothing compared to what is coming. He came through the fire; that makes him our primary.”
“And the others? Are they ready?” Darjhen asked.
