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  Wizardoms: Objects of Power

  Fate of Wizardoms, Book Four

  Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  Contents

  Also by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  Journal Entry

  Prologue

  1. Shifting Tiles

  2. A Thunderclap

  3. Survival

  4. Into the Dark

  5. Gone Cold

  6. Quite a Pair

  7. Oren’Tahal

  8. Vis Fornax

  9. Grakal

  10. The Randy Bull

  11. Admirers

  12. Destiny Awaits

  13. Miracle or Tragedy

  14. Special Treatment

  15. Bitter Reunions

  16. The Bowl of Oren

  17. Spectacle

  18. Pardoned

  19. True Power

  20. Hidden in Plain Sight

  21. The Silvan

  22. Light in the Darkness

  23. Desperation

  24. Burned Alive

  25. Healing

  26. Song of Sorrow

  27. Cor Cordium

  28. Conundrum

  29. Interrogation

  30. Sentinel

  31. Conclave

  32. Magical Nature

  33. Sacrifice

  34. The Fist of Farrow

  35. Swoon

  36. The Return

  37. Choices

  Epilogue

  Note from the Author

  Also by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  © 2020 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: 978-1-949382-23-5

  PUBLISHED BY JEFFREY L. KOHANEK and FALLBRANDT PRESS

  www.JeffreyLKohanek.com

  Also by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  Fate of Wizardoms

  Book One: Eye of Obscurance

  Book Two: Balance of Magic

  Book Three: Temple of the Oracle

  Book Four: Objects of Power

  Book Five: Rise of a Wizard Queen

  Book Six: A Contest of Gods

  * * *

  Warriors, Wizards, & Rogues (Fate of Wizardoms 0)

  Fate of Wizardoms Boxed Set: Books 1-3

  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 Bonus Box

  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

  Journal Entry

  And so, we have reached the midpoint in our tale. While much has occurred, in truth, little has been revealed. This will soon change. In the following entry, additional players enter the game, the stakes rise, and numerous truths shall be exposed.

  Before I continue, I shall take a moment to recap what has occurred thus far.

  A menagerie acrobat named Rhoa stole the amulet known as the Eye of Obscurance, the same amulet pursued by master thief Jerrell Landish. Jerrell, who goes by the name Jace, agreed to track down this acrobat, claim the Eye of Obscurance, and use it to assassinate Lord Taladain, the Wizard Lord of Ghealdor.

  Jace eventually caught up to Rhoa’s menagerie outside of Starmuth, where he agreed to team up with Rhoa and a dwarf named Rawk with the shared goal of seeing Lord Taladain dead. Soon afterward, the trio met me in a small Ghealdan village, where I, Salvon, invited them to ride with me to Fastella. With my assistance, the four of us laid plans for Lord Taladain’s final performance.

  However, Lord Taladain’s daughter, Narine, who had recently returned from her eight-year stay at the University in Tiadd and now a skilled wizardess, sought to prove herself an asset to her father. Unfortunately, her brother, Eldalain, viewed her as a threat.

  While Prince Eldalain was away, we delivered a memorable troupe performance for Lord Taladain, killing the man in the process, an act made possible by the Eye of Obscurance. In the process, it was discovered that Rhoa possessed a natural immunity to magic.

  To avoid her brother’s wrath, we agreed to smuggle Narine and her bodyguard, Adyn, out of the city. Our small group did not remain together for long, forced to split apart when High Wizard Charcoan’s soldiers attempted to arrest Narine while in Starmuth. Jace, Narine, and Adyn fled the city on a ship bound for the Farrowen city of Shear, while the rest of us journeyed by land toward Lionne.

  Rhoa, Rawk, and I were soon captured by Captain Despaldi and brought to Marquithe to face our fate before Lord Malvorian. We escaped our cells below the Marquithe Palace, where we discovered Rawk’s uncle, Algoron, secretly working for Malvorian.

  We were led to Malvorian’s throne room, discovering Jace, Narine, and Adyn already there. A confrontation of magic, swords, and death ensued. While Malvorian, Thurvin, and Despaldi were defeated, Jace was severely wounded in the process. As destiny would have it, Narine acquired an enchanted bracelet, enhancing her magic and enabling her to save his life. Malvorian was not so lucky.

  Our party of heroes escaped the city, on the run once again, Despaldi and his men in pursuit for killing his master.

  With two wizard lords dead, a shift in the balance of magic occurred. Creatures of legend, mighty and dangerous, began to appear – something unheard of for two millennia.

  Upon reaching the Pallanar border, we sought the assistance of a retired soldier named Brogan Reisner and his archer companion, Blythe. After a confrontation with Despaldi and his men, we journeyed to Illustan, the capital of Pallanar.

  While meeting with Wizard Lord Raskor and his wife, Ariella, a dragon attacked the city. The wizard lord confronted the beast, only to discover that dragons were immune to magic. With quick thinking, Narine crafted an illusion and led the dragon from the city, saving the populace. Raskor eventually succumbed to wounds inflicted during the confrontation.

  All the while, the Farrowen Army captured the Ghealdan cities of Starmuth and Marquithe, converting the purple flames of Gheald to the blue of Farrow, redirecting the prayers of Devotion to Lord Thurvin, the new Wizard Lord of Farrowen, feeding the wizard’s power. Dorban was eventually added to the list, the city captured because of the heroics of Lieutenant Garvin and a thief named Rindle.

  After Lord Raskor’s demise, a Seer named Xionne and her dwarf guardian, Hadnoddon, appeared in Illustan, demanding we all accompany her on a journey to the legendary city of Kelmar. With an escort of Pallanese soldiers, we sailed to Eastern Pallanar and made for the Frost Forest. A trio of wyvern attacked at night, the skirmish killing all but one of the soldiers and nearly costing Brogan his life.

  Days later, the heroes arrived in Kelmar, city of the Seers, a secretive sect of prophets who lived inside the lonely mountain Paehl Lanor. There, the sisters and our heroes sift
ed through prophecies, seeking to reveal which were true and which were false. During an attempt to divine the truth, the Dark Lord, Urvadan, attacked Xionne, for he was behind the troubles in the world and the shift in magic. His minions, an army of goblins, then snuck into Kelmar, striking with a surprise attack. The swift thinking, courageous actions and unique magic of our heroes and their weapons were the only thing preventing Kelmar from annihilation. In the end, our heroes survived and were sent off in different directions, tasked by prophecy to recover two objects of magic hidden in different corners of the world.

  While at Kelmar, Jace and Narine had discovered a journal revealing an undiscovered use for magic. At the same time, Lord Thurvin of Farrowen was gifted a similar book by a dark and mysterious benefactor. The man unleashed this new magic upon Captain Despaldi, imbuing the man with dangerous magic never before seen.

  The last subject of our story, a princess named Priella, the last surviving offspring of Lord Raskor, is as important as any of the others. Upon returning to Illustan after her father’s death, Priella manipulated events, placing herself among the applicants to become wizard lord. As fate would have it, Pallan chose Priella, gifting her with the power of a god.

  Only the second woman in history to acquire such power, it has yet to be seen how the world will look upon her legacy.

  While half the world has been disrupted, most remain unaware of the Murguard falling, their battlements no longer containing the darkspawn who call the Murlands home. The exceptions are those who live in Kyranni, the wizardom bordering The Fractured Lands. There, the darkspawn invasion shall begin as the Dark Lord seeks to choke all light from the world and plunge all to shadow.

  This is where our story resumes.

  -Salvon the Great

  Prologue

  Naginata in hand – wooden shaft smooth and dark, sharp blade oiled – Captain Eviara Tivik stalked the top of the city wall. She gazed toward the jungle to the east, leaves bathed in the dark amber of dusk, the sun hidden below the western horizon. A half-mile of open land stood between the wall and the jungle. Most called it “the killing zone”.

  Armed soldiers waited along the wall, staring off into the distance, faces grim. Some held bows, others, spears. A handful held swords and shields, but those would be the last line of defense, needed only if there was a breach, the same as the soldiers crowding the streets below.

  Every ten strides, she was forced to circumvent one of the cranes mounted to the top of the wall and manned by a soldier. Beside each, a female diver, armed with a naginata, stood ready, one end of a rope secured to a harness on each diver’s back, the other to the nearest crane. When those divers looked in her direction, Eviara gave a firm nod, mostly out of respect. In this battle, those warriors would likely die first.

  She reached a tower roof where a cluster of wizards – men in burnt orange robes, women in bright orange dresses – huddled together, discussing strategy. The surrounding area was empty. Soldiers often avoided wizards, even when at war.

  At the center of the cluster was Wizard Lord Kelluon Gree, dressed in orange-trimmed black robes. He was tall, even for a Kyranni, skin dark, eyes darker, bald head smooth. His black goatee had a streak of gray down the center, and Eviara absently wondered how long the gray had been there. Was it there before he became wizard lord? It was a question only he could answer. Nobody else in Anker was alive back when he rose to the throne.

  Kelluon dismissed the wizards, the men and women dispersing, half in each direction. He then turned toward Eviara. “Are we ready, Captain?”

  “As ready as one can be, Your Majesty. Most of the soldiers have served in The Fractured Lands, so they have an idea of what to expect.” She ran a hand across her shorn hair before absently tugging at the braid in the back. “I had long feared the darkspawn might break beyond the Murguard posts, but never to this extent. Never in my lifetime, at least.”

  Kelluon grunted and put a big hand on her shoulder. Despite her height of six feet, he towered over her. “We have lost many soldiers already. I just pray we receive good news from your scouts.”

  She turned toward the east again. “The scouts I sent to Nandalla should have returned by now. After what happened in Prianza, it leaves me concerned…” Her voice trailed off, thoughts drifting.

  The scouting report from Prianza had come in a week earlier, a tale of horror containing little hope. The city walls had been breached in a dozen places, buildings destroyed, fires ravaging what remained. The darkspawn had abandoned the city, but the scouts found no survivors. Nine thousand Kyranni citizens had called Prianza their home.

  I pray Kyra received those poor souls.

  “I fear Nandalla has fallen, as well,” Kelluon said. “Devotion last night… It was even worse than the days since Prianza fell, the absence of more prayers noticeable.”

  Eviara closed her eyes in silent prayer. While the other cities were small compared to Anker, those deaths meant less blessings to feed Kelluon’s magic. As wizard lord, his abilities were paramount to protect his wizardom, and every person lost reduced his power by some measure.

  “I must go,” he said. “Night is upon us, and I cannot miss Devotion. My magic is required now more than ever. I will return soon.”

  As the wizard lord headed for the guard tower, Eviara turned back toward the jungle.

  The sky was decidedly darker, the edge of the jungle difficult to see in the gloom. She watched the men light the braziers that sat between the wall and the foliage, twenty in total, each spaced a few hundred feet apart. Once finished, they raced back toward the wall, eager to return before monsters attacked. When they were safely inside, the portcullis closed, and all fell still.

  Eviara wondered if tonight was the night the Dark Lord’s host would strike Anker. Not knowing when it would come was a cause of frustration and anxiety. The progress of the darkspawn horde turned out to be difficult to track, the monsters fading into the jungle during the day, only to emerge miles away the next evening, their pattern and direction random and seemingly without thought. For years, she had held fast to the idea that goblin magic users operated under their own design, barely possessing enough intelligence to point their army in the proper direction. Until the Murguard fell, it was widely believed that an inherent need to sacrifice humans to appease Urvadan was as far as they could think. She and her fellow Kyranni officers now acknowledged that someone, or something, intelligent guided them.

  What has changed? she wondered. There were rumors of war in faraway Ghealdor and new wizard lords rising in Farrowen and Pallanar, but how could those distant events have anything to do with the darkspawn?

  A man down the wall shouted. Eviara turned toward him, following where the soldier pointed.

  It was subtle at first, but then she saw movement at the edge of the jungle.

  “Goblins,” she muttered before cupping her hands to her mouth. “Enemy spotted! To your stations!”

  The goblins gathered beyond the light of the braziers, their numbers building but none advancing. Strange, she thought. Three years of fighting in The Fractured Lands had proven darkspawn never waited. When darkness fell, they attacked with a mad rage. What are they planning?

  A figure burst from the jungle to the southeast, a quarter mile from where the monsters huddled. It was a woman, running toward the gate. At the same moment, the darkspawn rushed the wall, a flood pouring over the field. It would be close, but Eviara feared the monsters would reach the gate first.

  Eviara burst into a run, streaking past soldiers as she headed toward the gate tower. “Open the gate! Open the gate! Let that soldier inside!” She dashed into the tower as the soldiers cranked the portcullis up. “Only open it enough to let her in, then close it.”

  “Yes, Captain,” the soldier’s voice followed her as Eviara raced down the curved stairwell.

  It was a hundred feet to the ground level, ten stories she cleared in the span of twenty breaths. At the bottom, she darted out the door and into a crowd of Kyranni
soldiers.

  “Prepare to defend the gate!” Eviara shouted. “Beware. It closes the moment our scout reaches the city.”

  Through the rising bars, she sighted the running woman, face twisted in effort. Goblins raced in from the side, arms flailing, gripping swords and spears, red eyes round as they hooted in excitement. Some slowed to loose arrows, narrowly missing the running soldier, a few arrows coming through the gate to strike raised shields.

  When it was clear she would not make it, Eviara shouted, “With me! We attack before they can reach her!”

  Her naginata in hand, she raced forward, ducking beneath the rising gate and rushing beyond the wall. Spinning and bringing her weapon around in a broad arc, she met the goblin horde. The blade at the end of her shaft sliced across the torsos of three goblins, eviscerating the squealing monsters. Her fellow soldiers struck the attacking mob in a clash of steel, blades, and blood.

  She glanced back as the scout ran through the gate, then turned around just in time to dodge the thrust of a spear. Twisting again, she rammed the butt of her weapon into the monster’s midriff, the next jab connecting with a bone-shattering blow to its jaw.

  While dozens of goblins lay dead, thousands still rushed toward them.

  “Retreat!” Eviara shouted. “Back to the city!”