Wizardoms- Eye of Obscurance Read online

  Wizardoms: Eye of Obscurance

  Fate of Wizardoms, Book One

  Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  Fallbrandt Press

  Contents

  Also by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  Journal Entry

  Prologue

  1. Masquerade

  2. Infiltrate

  3. A Job of a Different Sort

  4. The Prize

  5. Slipping Away

  6. Opportunity

  7. A Dark Horizon

  8. The Hunt

  9. Anxiety

  10. The Trial

  11. Exile

  12. The Feathered Cap

  13. Montague

  14. Outriders

  15. Storyteller

  16. Welcome to the Family

  17. Escape

  18. Starmuth

  19. Black Sparrow

  20. Flight

  21. Journey

  22. Twist of Fate

  23. Fastella

  24. Homecoming

  25. The Thirsty Goat

  26. The Darkening

  27. Cordelia

  28. Face Your Fears

  29. Power

  30. Regret

  31. The Lottery Caper

  32. Revelation

  33. Dread

  34. The Price of Reputation

  35. A Fatal Mistake

  36. Alarm

  37. Master Performance

  38. The Impossible

  39. Panic

  40. Into the Sunset

  Epilogue

  Note from the Author

  Also by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  © 2019 by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

  The final approval for this literary material is granted by the author.

  First Edition

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  ISBN: 978-1-949382-17-4

  PUBLISHED BY JEFFREY L. KOHANEK and FALLBRANDT PRESS

  www.JeffreyLKohanek.com

  I wish to thank the team who helped make this book possible and the best it can be:

  Cover:

  J. Caleb Design

  Editor:

  Kim Young

  Proofreaders:

  Jodi, Kenzie, Andy Boots, Eugenia, & Cody Anne.

  Map:

  Ren FlowerGraphics

  Beta Team:

  The Arcane Ward

  Also by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  Runes of Issalia

  The Buried Symbol: Runes of Issalia 1

  The Emblem Throne: Runes of Issalia 2

  An Empire in Runes: Runes of Issalia 3

  Rogue Legacy: Runes of Issalia Prequel

  * * *

  Runes of Issalia Boxed Set

  Heroes of Issalia: Runes Series+Rogue Legacy

  Wardens of Issalia

  A Warden’s Purpose: Wardens of Issalia 1

  The Arcane Ward: Wardens of Issalia 2

  An Imperial Gambit: Wardens of Issalia 3

  A Kingdom Under Siege: Wardens of Issalia 4

  ICON: A Wardens of Issalia Companion Tale

  * * *

  Wardens of Issalia Boxed Set

  Fate of Wizardoms

  Book One: Eye of Obscurance

  Book Two: Balance of Magic

  Book Three: TBD

  Book Four: TBD

  Book Five: TBD

  Book Six: TBD

  Prequel: Legend of Shadowmar

  Journal Entry

  If you are reading this, I am no longer of this world.

  Looking back, it seems as though my time was brief – so many years passing in an instant. To others, that instant may be perceived as an eternity. It is a matter of perspective, as are most things. Good or bad, right or wrong, righteous or evil…. Such definitions depend on where your allegiances lie and how you define your moral code.

  During my living years, I was known as many things and by numerous names. Of them all, I was best described as a storyteller. In that role, I was known as Salvon.

  Among the tales I have woven during my years, I wish to share the greatest story of all. Please remember, this is my narrative, and it will come from my own perspective, the heroes and villains defined by my own views. Understandably, you might feel otherwise.

  Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. This tale is no different. However, where the telling begins is as important as the story itself. That and the art of the telling are the differences between a compelling yarn and one you might otherwise ignore. This story shall not be ignored, for it details the end of times. A rare occurrence indeed.

  Our tale begins not with our heroes, but with a villain. Yes, the heroes will follow and become the focus of the story, but don’t lose sight of the villains. The roles they play are as important as anything the heroes might accomplish.

  Before I begin, I wish to clarify one last thing. Any tale worth telling is a tale of change. This chronicle details the greatest change ever known – a change involving not just characters or nations, but the world itself. When I am through, perhaps you will have changed, as well. I certainly know I did.

  Now begins the first act of many. The subsequent acts will feature more lofty pursuits, but the first tile to fall, the one triggering the events leading to the apocalypse, was born from a very simple human desire – revenge.

  Enjoy.

  -Salvon the Great

  Prologue

  Lord Malvorian Ikorr sat upon his throne, tapping the ornate wooden arm, while High Wizard Gurgan pled his case. As usual, Malvorian wore the midnight blue robes of Farrowen, secured at the waist with the glittering golden sash of his station. His long, black hair was held in place by the golden headband with a cerulean blue sapphire he had been bestowed a century earlier.

  “I promise, my lord, the report is nothing but lies intended to cast doubt toward me.” Gurgan held his hands out, pleading. “My loyalty remains as strong as ever.”

  Malvorian watched the man closely. Deep lines around Gurgan’s eyes showed his age, as did his graying brown hair and beard. The man had been High Wizard of Eleighton for over two decades, a brief reign from Malvorian’s perspective. Gurgan also wore a robe in the midnight blue of Farrowen, yet his was secured by a silver sash. A thick, golden bracelet was clamped around the man’s wrist – an adornment Malvorian had never before noticed.

  “So, you deny skimming from your mines?” Malvorian’s deep voice boomed in challenge as he leaned forward. “You do not have a secret surplus used to hire your own army?”

  The accused wizard glanced toward the soldier standing beside him. Malvorian had never seen the man before, but military men came and went. This one was tall, thin, with dark hair and a sharp face. The soldier gave Gurgan the briefest of nods before the high wizard replied.

  “Of course I deny it, my lord. Why would I risk such treason?”

  Malvorian stood, his own gaze flicking toward the shadows to the side of his dais. The man there nodded. It was time to see if Vanda’s ability was as he claimed.

  “Empty the room!” the wizard lord boomed with authority. He glared at Gurgan. “You are to remain.” The words came out as a growl.

  Guards dressed in silver plate armor with midnight blue capes began ushering the wizard
s, the wizardesses, and the ungifted from the room. It was late, past sunset. Malvorian seldom held court at such an hour, but this was a special occasion. Somehow, word had spread of Gurgan’s arrival – something Malvorian suspected was orchestrated by the accused man, thinking to use a public forum as a shield. Little did he understand.

  Gurgan frowned. “May Captain Dandon remain? He is here as a witness and can explain the conspiracy behind this slander.”

  Malvorian nodded. “Yes. Of course.” I have nothing to fear from a worm like you.

  The throne room doors closed, leaving the wizard lord and the two men standing before the dais alone, the room dark, save for the blue-flamed torches to each side of the throne and the moonlight coming through the high, east-facing window. Malvorian watched Gurgan closely. The wizard seemed unaware of the old man lurking in the shadows.

  “Enough pretense, Gurgan,” Malvorian sneered. “We have reports from trusted sources, men who have been recruited to join your private force. Why do it? Even if you built an army, you cannot challenge my power.”

  Gurgan laughed. “You don’t know all there is to know, Malvorian.”

  “I am a hundred twenty-eight years old, Gurgan, twice your age, yet I appear half of that. Never forget. The power of a god runs through my veins.”

  “You have always been arrogant, Malvorian,” Gurgan snarled. “You expect the rest of us to follow you like cattle and never question why. Your position is not as secure as you believe.”

  Gurgan extended his arm toward the dais, the power he gathered casting an aura around him. A disk of white magic enveloped his hand as the bracelet began to glow. A thread of magic blasted from Gurgan, encircling Malvorian. Coils of silvery light wrapped about the wizard lord and lifted him off the floor. Malvorian reached for his magic but found resistance, a force wedged between him and the source of his power. He clenched his jaw and bent his will against the shield, applying pressure until it shattered. A rush of magic filled him, the raw energy railing against his defenses – the power of Farrow. He held as much magic as he ever had, the tempest threatening to destroy him. It would not, for the power was his to control.

  Gurgan snarled and doubled his efforts, the coiled magic tightening around Malvorian. “You think I am unaware of your long life being fed by Devotion? I know the power derived from prayer.” Gurgan’s eyes filled with a madness. “It will be mine!”

  The coils constricted, biting into Malvorian, forcing him to respond or die.

  A disk of azure magic spread around Malvorian’s fist, the construct forming into a knife of blue energy that lashed out and sliced through his bonds. Rather than falling to the floor, he shifted constructs and solidified the air beneath him, appearing to hover three feet above the dais.

  “You dare defy me?” Malvorian roared.

  Gurgan threw both hands out, but Malvorian wove a shield before himself. The wave of pale energy slid past the shield and struck the throne, blasting it to bits. Malvorian laughed.

  The high wizard waved his hands, but magic did not flow from them. Instead, a chunk of stone struck Malvorian in the back. His shield faded and he fell to the floor, landing on his hands and knees. His crown hit the dais and rolled off to settle before Gurgan.

  Magic lashed out from Gurgan and wrapped about Malvorian’s wrists and ankles, lifting him again.

  “Now!” Gurgan shouted. “Do it!”

  Dandon, Gurgan’s captain, drew a hidden blade from beneath his breastplate. In one rapid motion, the man cocked his arm back and threw the knife. It buried deep in the right side of Malvorian’s chest, the impact causing him to gasp in pain.

  So the vision was true, Malvorian thought. Time to end this charade.

  Clenching his fist, Malvorian’s magic constricted around the bracelet on Gurgan’s wrist. The bracelet burst open, tearing Gurgan’s hand to shreds before the bracelet fell to the floor. Gurgan screamed as his magic faltered.

  Malvorian strode forward, blue snakes of energy wrapping around Gurgan and the man at his side. With a thought and the twist of his wrist, Malvorian lifted the two men off the floor. Many years ago, when he first learned the constructs of magic, he sometimes wondered at the effort required to perform such a simple task. Since attaining the throne, such things were second nature, each spell fed by the power of a god.

  With his next thought, the blade popped out of his chest and clattered to the floor. It was only then he noticed the blackened edge.

  The poison struck, causing his body to spasm. Another lurch brought him to his knees. His heart skipped beats, thumped, then paused.

  “Not even you can survive black tear poison.” Demented laughter came from Gurgan, the man still suspended in mid-air by coils of magic.

  Black tear killed swiftly, leaving mere moments to respond. Malvorian drew on his magic and bent a heat construct against his own blood. It boiled instantly. He then reversed the effect, cooling the blood in a second.

  The procedure left his body weak and drenched with sweat, but the poison was gone. A construct of repair, fed by his endless well of magic, healed the hole in his chest. He took a deep breath and rose to his feet.

  Gurgan gaped. “How… How is it possible?”

  Malvorian shook his head, taking another deep breath. “You know nothing of power, Gurgan. You are a mere mortal, as I once was. When a god raises you to his level, you realize the depth of true power.” He sneered. “Goodbye.”

  Clenching his fist, the coils of magic encircling the two men tightened at the waist, cutting through them. The lower halves of their bodies fell to the floor with sickening, wet thuds, the faces upon their suspended upper bodies reflecting shock and horror. Malvorian released his magic and the torsos fell, settling with the men’s eyes bulging. Blood oozed from the dissected bodies – Dandon’s the deep crimson of an ungifted, Gurgan’s sparkling with the metal flakes of someone who possessed talent.

  Malvorian looked back at his destroyed throne, shaking his head. “What an annoyance.”

  He walked toward the dead men, bent, and picked up Gurgan’s bracelet. On the inside, he noticed the silvery script of an enchantment.

  The man hidden in the shadows emerged, the hood of his cloak covering his head, as it always did. “You did well, my lord.”

  “This bracelet increased his power. I have never heard of such an enchantment. I wonder where he got it.” Malvorian stared down at the remains of the usurpers. “It was just as your vision foretold.” He turned toward the old man. “How could you know, Vanda? What black magic do you possess?”

  “It is not black magic. I was raised by the Seers, my lord.”

  Malvorian gasped. “The Witches of Kelmar? That’s even worse.”

  “They are simply misunderstood, much like yourself.”

  “Nonetheless, you must never mention the Seers while others are nearby. True or not, the legends surrounding the sect inspire fear and loathing. That is a conversation I would rather avoid.”

  “Yes, my lord.” Vanda bowed his head. “I will defer to your wisdom regarding your people.”

  “It is time for Devotion. I must head up to the tower.” He waved Vanda along. “Come. Join me.”

  The pair walked to the lift at the rear of the throne room and stepped on it. Malvorian held his hand against the control panel. Drawing upon his magic, he activated the lift. The crackle of raw energy drove the chains into motion, hoisting the platform.

  “As you recall,” Vanda said, “your defeat of the usurper was but the first event in the prophecy I shared with you.”

  “I cannot forget.”

  Malvorian narrowed his eyes in thought. Imagine my power if I were to extend my rule beyond the borders of Farrowen.

  “You must possess the Eye of Obscurance,” Vanda said. “It is the only way to achieve a higher station.”

  Malvorian spun toward him in alarm. It is as if he reads my very thoughts.

  Vanda chuckled. “Do not worry. I cannot read your thoughts. I am only adhering to the tru
th of my vision.”

  “The teachings of Farrow decry against prophecy, marking it as foul.” Malvorian recalled the scripture, reciting the passage aloud. “‘Beware those who attempt to predict the future, for only by evil means might one see beyond the present.’”

  Vanda sighed. “I am aware of the scripture. The Book of Farrow is not the only religious text to proclaim prophecy as evil.”

  The platform reached the tall, domed ceiling of the throne room. A thick wall obscured the view for a moment before the lift emerged into the evening air.

  The grandeur of Marquithe lay before them, the great city lit by torches and enchanted lanterns.

  Vanda gripped the platform rail and gazed at the moon. “I ask you to suspend those beliefs, set your prejudice aside, and consider prophecy in an objective light. In truth, prophecy is nothing more than instruction toward a possible future. Following such guidance greatly increases the odds for a specific outcome. In the end, the future depends solely on the actions of man. What you do will affect it. What you forego, well… That sometimes has an even greater impact.”

  Malvorian turned the words over in his head, struggling to find a path beyond a century of belief.