Sam Ferguson's Blog, page 7

The Lost Heir, Episode 4: A Light in the Dark

Episode 4

A Light in the Dark

          “We have to hurry,” Nedekar shouted. “There has to be another way out of here.”          Kelden went back to the entrance, but even as he sloshed through the water, he knew it was already too late to escape through the way they had come in. The water was pouring in so fast that it was already knee deep just outside the chamber. A little beyond that it was already up to his waist. If the narrow spot of tunnel had nearly killed him before, this time it would take him for sure.          He turned and trudged back into the chamber. “Do you know how to bring the door back?” Kelden asked as he held out his cube. If he could figure out how to make the portal reappear, then perhaps he could buy them enough time to wait out the tide.          Nedekar shook his head. “This is as new to me as it is to you, my friend. I don’t know how to bring the door back.          Kelden felt around the sides of the doorway, hoping for a new place to set his cube in order to seal the chamber once more. All he found was smooth stone. He grunted and moved into the center of the chamber to inspect the altar. Nedekar was busy running his hands along the outer walls of the chamber.           “Surely there has to be another way out,” Nedekar said. “Lisei would not send us here just to bury us in a watery grave.”          “Are you sure of that?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar turned on the man and narrowed his eyes on him. “If she had wanted to kill me, she could have done so at any time over the last several years.”          “Perhaps she is like a cat, toying with mice that she captures until they stop trying to escape.”          “Cursing her will not help us escape,” Nedekar snarled. “I suggest you put your efforts to better use.”          Kelden snorted, but ceded the point. He bent down to inspect markings upon the altar. He couldn’t see any place to insert a cube, or any other indications of levers or switches. “What did you say these runes said again?” Kelden called out to Nedekar.          “If it is Nagé’s wisdom you seek, first you should find the meek,” Nedekar replied as he continued running his hands over a large mural of faded paint and carved runes.          “Is there any hidden meaning to that phrase that would help us here?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar shook his head. “No, but I am looking at the other inscriptions in the chamber.”          Kelden stood up and moved over to the wall behind him. The cold water was now up to his waist inside the chamber. He rubbed his shoulders and stared at the mosaic in front of him. It depicted an image of Nagé. She was hovering in the air above a fallen soldier upon a battlefield. A grand, gleaming spear in her left hand and a tall shield in her right. “What about this one?” Kelden called out.          “It would be easier if you could read the runes,” Nedekar grumbled as he ploughed through the water to reach Kelden. He only glanced at the runes before shaking his head. “No, nothing important here.”          “Are you sure, this is a depiction of Nagé, maybe it is connected to the altar.”          “It shows a generic scene wherein Nagé is collecting a righteous soldier’s spirit from the field of battle after being dealt a mortal wound. There is nothing here.”          Nedekar moved around the room as Kelden spun about in the water to survey the rest of the chamber. The rising waters reflected the flickering magical light of the dancing flames that illuminated the room, throwing glowing lines onto the ceiling. The warrior watched the bouncing reflections, calling to memory a game he had once played with his cousins where such reflections had been imaginary magical wards of protection, and all one had to do was stand under it to receive its boon. How he yearned for just such a protection now. Unfortunately, all the reflections above him offered was a steady reminder that the space in the chamber was ever shrinking as the air was pushed out by the water.          “Come here,” Nedekar shouted. “I might have something.”          Kelden moved slowly, now that the water was up to his chest, pushing against the cool liquid, swinging his arms up over its surface for extra momentum. “What is it?” Kelden asked. He looked up to the faded mural and could only make out the tops of several figures. The rest of the mural was already covered by the water.          “I think Nagé is holding a cube in this image. I have already put mine up to the image, try yours,” Nedekar said. The man raised his hand above the water and pointed down. “It’s about two feet below the surface, but you can still see it with the help of the torches.”          Kelden nodded. He dropped below the surface and scanned the wall until he saw what Nedekar had spoken of. The faded outline of a cube sat in Nagé’s hand. Kelden put his cube up to it, matching the lines and holding it perfectly still. Nothing happened. After several seconds, Kelden came up for breath and shook his head. “Nothing,” he said.          Nedekar cursed. “I don’t know what else to try.”           “What did the inscription say?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar frowned. “This mural is entitled ‘The Gift’ and shows her holding the cube out. But if yours did nothing, and mine did nothing, then this must not be the right—”          Graw!          Kelden turned and saw something with spined ridges floating into the chamber. “What’s that?”          “A sea-croc!” Nedekar said.          “I thought you said the star fish keep those things out of here,” Kelden shouted.          Nedekar pulled up his sword and handed it to Kelden. “Here, take this. You’ll have to fight it off if it comes near. I’m the only one that can read the runes.”          “Lovely,” Kelden murmured. Suddenly, death by drowning didn’t sound all that bad. He took Nedekar’s sword and held it at the ready, point out and poised to thrust into the sea-croc if it came too close. At the same time, he threw a silent prayer up to Icadion. Kelden was no stranger to battle, but fighting a sea-croc in water that was now nearly neck-high was not a balanced challenge.The spines lining the croc’s back swished this way and that as the animal swam near the wall on the opposite side of the chamber. Kelden watched the creature, but also kept glancing to the water around him in case there were any sea-crocs entering the chamber below the surface of the water.          “I have to move to the left about ten feet,” Nedekar said.          “Move and you’ll get its attention,” Kelden replied.          “Stay put and drown,” Nedekar reminded him. “At least this way we’ll go down fighting.”          Easy for you to say, I’m the one with the job of fighting the croc. Kelden nodded and the two half-swam half-jumped toward the left. Just as Kelden had feared, their movement caught the sea-croc’s attention. The spines turned toward Kelden and then dove below the water. Kelden took in a large breath and then squatted down in the water. He saw the animal thrashing its tail and moving toward him at a blinding rate. Kelden barely had time to adjust the point of his sword before the animal was upon him. The croc opened its mouth and turned its head to the side. Kelden stabbed out, sliding his blade into the open maw and piercing the roof of the croc’s mouth. The animal jerked about wildly, ripping the sword free from Kelden’s hand.          The beast was far more powerful than Kelden had expected.          The warrior bobbed up above the surface for a quick breath and then dove back into the water. He launched himself toward the croc, encouraged by the blood spilling out and mingling with the water. The croc was now entirely focused on shaking the sword loose. Kelden knew that he had to reach the weapon before the croc succeeded. He swam out and managed to grab the handle as the croc swung its head toward him. Kelden twisted and then pushed upward once more. The croc tilted up in the water, thrashing its tail and head mightily and swinging Kelden in the process, but Kelden was not about to give up. He swam closer to the beast, not allowing it to escape, and then once they were over the altar, Kelden put his feet down upon the stone structure and drove up with all of his might. The sword pushed up and through the top of the croc’s skull, right between the eyes. The animal twitched a few times as copious amounts of blood flowed into the water, swirling around them and darkening the area.          Kelden managed to surface once more for air, still holding the sword handle in his hands. “Got him,” he shouted over his shoulder.          “Keep watching,” Nedekar said. “The blood may attract other creatures.”          Kelden dove down and put his boot to the croc’s neck so he could pry the sword free. As the body floated away, trailing blood behind it, the mighty warrior turned to swim back toward Nedekar. The water was above his head now, and nearly up to the magical torches. Soon, they would be without light of any kind, and their hope for escape would be extinguished with the flames.          “Have you found anything?” Kelden called out between strokes with his arms.          “No,” Nedekar grumbled.          Kelden made it half way back to Nedekar when something moved at his left. He turned just in time to see a second croc charging him. “Holy—”          The croc opened its fang-filled maw and came in hard and fast. Kelden managed to turn himself just enough to grab the outsides of the croc’s jaws, but he took the croc’s full impact. He had to drop the sword to use his hands to shut the croc’s mouth and was only able to close his mouth before the creature took him under. This one was at least nine feet long, and much thicker than the first. It took Kelden to the bottom with ease and bashed him into the floor. Kelden couldn’t stop a bit of air from escaping upon impact. It was all he could do just to keep pressure on the huge set of jaws that hungered for him. The croc’s snout pressed into Kelden’s chest, pushing and tearing at the wound caused by the narrow chasm only a short while before. The warrior knew the only hope he would have to survive was to ignore his pain and keep the croc’s mouth closed. Luckily for him, a croc is far weaker when trying to open its mouth compared to its biting power. Even still, Kelden was going to run out of air soon. He had to get the croc to surface.          The croc pushed and wrestled against him, pressing him into the stone floor with all of its power. Kelden brought his legs up and wrapped them around the croc’s neck in an effort to gain leverage. After a few seconds of wriggling, Kelden managed to get under the croc’s jaws while still clamping the mouth shut with his hands. The croc, seeing that it couldn’t crush Kelden anymore, began swimming around furiously, shaking and thrashing in an attempt to get free. Kelden hooked his left arm over the top of the croc’s snout and prayed that he had enough strength to keep the beast’s mouth shut with only one arm. He squeezed as hard as he could. Then he slid his right hand down the edge of the croc’s head until he found the eye socket. With all the power he could muster, he ignored his burning lungs and aching chest and dug a thumb into the croc’s eye. There was resistance at first, but Kelden kept wiggling and jabbing harder and harder until the orb tore and gave way.          The croc let out a throaty snarl and swam up. The two of them moved so quickly that they breached the surface and flew up several feet into the air, nearly hitting the chamber’s ceiling. Nedekar shouted something, but Kelden only cared about sucking in a quick breath. Then they splashed down into the water once more. The croc swam to the edge of the chamber and used its body to smash Kelden into the walls as it swam hard and fast, dragging Kelden’s back along the stone.          Kelden pulled his right arm back and maneuvered to hook his right arm around the croc’s snout so he could take a shot at getting the beast’s other eye. Just as he switched to hold with his right arm, Kelden was dragged right into a sharp, jagged bit of stone that cut into the top of his left shoulder and then raked down his shoulder blade. Kelden grunted in pain, losing a great amount of precious air. And then there was pain around his head. He had lost his grip, only for a moment, but it was enough that the croc had turned and grabbed him around the head. Kelden gripped a jaw in each hand, his fingers holding for dear life at the fleshy jaws between the fangs that were crushing ever harder into Kelden’s skull. At first there was a dull impact, but as the croc persisted, the point of each fang depressed the thin skin and poked at the bone behind. Kelden could not only feel the teeth, he could hear them grinding on his bone, threatening to end his life should his grip slip in the slightest.          Then, the magical torches went out, their fires extinguished by the rising of the tide.          It seemed that time slowed to a stand-still. The croc moved back and forth as Kelden kicked with his legs and pulled at the jaws with all of the strength he had left. For a moment, as he struggled in the darkness, he wondered if it might be easier just to let the croc have him. He was likely dead either way. Nedekar would be unable to find a way out in the darkness, and the water would soon fill the chamber to the top.          The croc growled and snarled in the water as Kelden fought against it.          If I’m going to die, then I am going to be the toughest meal you have ever had to kill!Kelden thought. He hoped his meat would be sour to the beast too. He pushed at the wall with his left leg, trying to get any amount of control over the fight, but the massive reptile turned and pinned Kelden against the wall once more.          Then, a strange purple light appeared that partly illuminated the water around him. Kelden struggled to look down through the teeth to watch as the purple light grew and ran down the wall around him and to the altar. The altar itself then let out a terribly bright glow that cleared the darkness from the room. Kelden had no way of knowing what the light was, but he did see something he could use in his fight against the croc.          One of those spiked starfish was slithering up the wall nearby. If he could get the croc to hit it, then maybe he would have a chance to free himself. The trouble was, he had no leverage, and his lungs were beginning to force the old air up his throat. Kelden started making gulping sounds internally as he struggled to keep his mouth shut and push the air back down into his lungs. There was no hope for him, and he knew it. He couldn’t fight for much longer.          Then, there was an explosion of movement as the croc roared and tossed Kelden up to the surface. Kelden barely managed to grab a breath before the croc turned to strike at Nedekar. In the magical light, Kelden could see that Nedekar had found his sword and came to join the fight, plunging the blade in the croc’s left rear hip joint. The croc now turned on Nedekar. Kelden reached down and grabbed the croc’s tail. It wasn’t the soundest strategy against a nine foot reptile, but it was all he could think of in the moment as Nedekar was now struggling to stay ahead of the beast and swim away.          The croc bent around to bite Kelden, but this time he saw the attack coming. He shifted around and lifted the end of the croc’s tail, allowing the beast to chomp on its own flesh. It let go as quickly as it could, but the damage was done. The tail was nearly chewed off, and the croc’s swimming speed and maneuverability would seriously suffer because of it. Despite this, the croc charged Kelden once more. The warrior was able to close the croc’s jaws again and hold on. The only problem was that the beast was about to ram Kelden into the exact spot where the starfish was climbing the wall.Nedekar was doing his best to swim after them, but with one hand holding the sword, the man was unable to keep pace with the enraged croc.          Kelden plunged his head into the water and looked over his shoulder, timing their approach and waiting for just the right moment. Then, as they were just a few feet from the starfish, Kelden turned and poked at the croc’s good eye with one hand. The gamble was terribly dangerous, for when the croc reacted it managed to free itself and get its jaws around Kelden’s mid-section. Kelden struggled to keep the fangs from crushing into his torso and they collided with the wall. Kelden had no way of knowing if his plan had worked. The croc was taking him to the bottom once more, and from what he could see, Nedekar was now swimming not to them, but to the altar of all things.          The croc dragged Kelden down one last time, grinding him into the stone floor and clamping down with his jaws. Kelden knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold the beast off for long. He didn’t have very good leverage with his hands now that the jaws were around his torso. He kicked and tried to arch his back, but there was nothing he could do to free himself. Then, the fighting stopped. The jaws came open without any resistance. The croc growled, but then turned to its side. Kelden moved out of the way and then closed the jaws once more as the croc went belly-up. Then, Kelden noted what had happened when he saw the underside of a spiked starfish down on the croc’s side. When they had slammed into the wall this last time, the croc had impaled itself on not one, but all of the starfish’s spikes.          The animal had no fight left in it now. Kelden went up to the surface with it, took a quick breath, and then went down for Nedekar’s sword. Even though the fight had been won, he was planning on letting Nedekar have it after he finished with the croc. He swam down just as Nedekar set his cube in the center of a glowing box in the center of the altar. As he did so, the magical light encased the cube for a moment. There was a loud crunching sound, and then a flood of light came in from above. The warrior paused and looked up for a moment, but then he continued down to the altar. Kelden took the sword and went back to the croc first. There would be time to inspect what Nedekar had done after the beast was fully dead.          He ran the blade into the croc’s underbelly and slit it from end to end, sawing back and forth. Then he went to the surface and looked up. A vertical tunnel had opened above them, and as the tide continued to rise, they were able to swim up through it. The water stopped rising about two feet below the lip of the top of the tunnel, but it brought them close enough that they could pull themselves onto the floor of the upper chamber.          “Didn’t mean to leave you,” Nedekar said between coughs as he flopped onto the stone. “Just, I saw the magical lines form a box and I knew that I had found the right spot for my cube.”Kelden nodded. While he would have preferred not to have fought the croc on his own, he understood Nedekar’s motivation. “Has the water stopped for good?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar rolled over and made a mark on the stone. “I’ll check to make sure it doesn’t rise above this point in a few minutes, but I think it’s stopped.”          “Can I just say, I really hate this place,” Kelden sat up and then stood up and moved away from the shaft. “Let’s find something to cover that hole with. I am not about to fight another one of those things.”          Nedekar looked down and started laughing. “Lisei is with us,” he said. A bright smile stretched the man’s face and he sheathed his sword as he stood up. “Look,” he said, pointing to the hole.          Kelden warily inched closer to the shaft and peered down. Even he was smiling and laughing when he saw the score of spiked starfish filling the chasm and covering the walls.          “No crocs are getting through that,” Nedekar said.          “Let’s figure out where we are,” Kelden said with a nod.          Nedekar held up his cube and light flooded the chamber around them. The two spun around, looking at the space, and then started laughing in unison.          “Well, look at that. Lisei might be with us after all,” Kelden said.

The Lost Heir, Episode 3: A Door Under the Water

The Lost Heir, Episode 3: A Door Under the Water




          Kelden, despite being in excellent physical condition, found it difficult to keep up with the islander as the man bounded down the mountain slope, chattering all the while about some sink hole near the center of the island. Kelden did his best to avoid the low hanging branches around him, the image of the viper attacking a bird still fresh in his mind, but the nameless stranger kept running in a straight line, chastising Kelden for being unable to keep up with an old man.          They ran for about an hour, crossing over a series of smaller hills as they made their way to the center of the island. The foliage became less dense as they moved into a large crater-like depression. The trees didn’t grow in this rocky part of the island, but there were still plenty of waist-high ferns and bushes. Vines stretched across the rocky ground and up over boulders, more than once giving Kelden a scare when he mistook them for large snakes.          Then, all at once the bushes disappeared as well and there was a swath of green moss covering the ground. In the center, there was a large, dark hole that ran straight down. Kelden stopped and stared at the opening, wondering how such a cave might have come to be, and guessing as to what may be lurking inside.          “Come on, it’s down here,” the man shouted as he gestured toward the sink hole.          “How long until the tide rolls in?” Kelden asked. Swimming in the open waters was one thing, but the idea of water filling the tunnel with him still inside was quite another.          “We have an hour, maybe a bit less,” the man replied quickly. “Come, come, we must hurry.”          Kelden sighed and arched a brow as the mysterious hermit jumped down into the hole fearlessly. He then looked out toward the sea. He couldn’t see the water from this vantage point, but he knew he wasn’t very high above sea level at all. A rising tide would likely come in mush faster than he could climb out, especially if the tunnel went below sea level at any point, which he had a sneaking suspicion it did.          “Come on!” the islander shouted with a double clap of his hands. “Surely you aren’t afraid of a little spelunking, are you?”          Kelden moved to the edge of the hole and looked down. Several yards down he could see a pair of crabs fighting over something in the shaggy kelp that lay upon the rocks. Judging from the plants and the dark lines, the tide would fill the entire cavern nearly up to the place where Kelden stood. Still, the islander seemed more than impatient to get him down there. He hopped down, keeping one hand on the edge until he had his footing on the first ledge some four feet down. From there he followed the nameless stranger, stepping where he stepped and climbing where he climbed. The pungent smell of low tide assaulted his senses, nearly overpowering him. He held a hand up to his nose as the tunnel shot out in an easterly direction.          “Watch out for this one,” the islander said as he pointed to a spined starfish. “If you try to touch it, it will sting you.”          Kelden glanced at the creature and nodded. “Looks painful,” he said as he studied the barbed spines.          “It isn’t the pain that gets you, it’s the poison they carry. Makes your muscles weak and nearly suffocates you.”          Kelden blinked at the small creature. It wasn’t much larger than his hand, and the spines, although sharp, could only be a couple of inches long. It seemed unlikely that the starfish could move fast enough to inflict any sort of harm so long as one avoided grabbing the spines directly, but then, a rock-jumper was only a few inches long, and its evil bite had once nearly killed Kelden, so he figured he would take the islander’s word on this one.          “Nearly killed me the first time,” the islander went on about the starfish. “I accidentally put my hand too close and it lashed out, cut my hand!” The man turned and pointed to the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. “I within a couple of minutes, I was barely able to even crawl. By the time the tide rolled in, I was nearly paralyzed. Only just made it out alive, using my fingers to hold myself against the cave wall as the water rose. I sort of dangled in the water like a soggy tea bag for an hour or two before the toxin finally wore off and I regained my strength.”          “Doesn’t sound like fun,” Kelden said evenly.          “I don’t kill the starfish though. They serve a fine purpose.”          “What’s that?” Kelden asked.          “They scare off other predators that would make this kind of place their home. So, I leave the starfish alone, and they protect the tunnel from the likes of sea-crocs, venomous sea-snakes, and a wobbergoblin.”          “A what?” Kelden asked as he ducked his head to avoid hitting the ceiling of the cave.          “I don’t know what their real name is. I see them sometimes, prowling the shores. They like to get into island pools and wait for unsuspecting prey to come near the water. They’re ugly as sin, like a cross between a giant saw-tooth gar and a goblin, so I call them wobbergoblins. They’re nearly as long as I am tall, and I have seen ‘em make a mess of sailors before.”          “I’ve never heard of anything like them,” Kelden said.          “Well, you have now. And, that’s why we leave the starfish. Even the wobbergoblins don’t mess with the starfish.”          “I’ll keep that in mind.”          The islander stopped and turned to the right. Kelden caught up with him and saw a puddle of water. The light from the tunnel entrance wasn’t enough at this point to fully illuminate the pool. To their left, the tunnel continued on in a gently sloping curve to the north.          “Why are we stopping here?” Kelden asked.          “This is where we have to go,” the islander said. He turned and eyed Kelden up and down, suddenly cocking his head and shrugging. “It’ll be a tight fit for you, big fella, but this is where we cross through.”          “Cross through to what?” Kelden asked. “All I see is a puddle.”          The islander shook his head. “It goes down about three feet, and then there is a small hole to squeeze through. It’s a long push though, so take a good breath. If you get stuck, don’t panic, just keep pushing with your legs and worm your way through. I’ll be on the other side.”          “You can’t be serious,” Kelden said. The islander reached under his waistband and pulled up a small cloth sack. He opened it and produced a metal cube much like the one Kelden had. Kelden’s eyes shot open wide and he pointed at the object. “Where did you get that?”          “Oh, I have a few things yet to show you,” the nameless stranger said with a teasing smile. “But to see them, you have to follow me to the other side.” The islander brought the cube up to his forehead and the object began to glow with a soft, violet light. Slowly, the islander put his hand into the puddle. “First, I check for starfish. If they are here, we’ll come back another time.”          “Is your cube like mine?” Kelden asked. “I thought this was the only one like it, I mean, Karmt said it would help—”          The islander pulled in a huge breath and then slipped into the puddle head first. Kelden watched incredulously as the man’s feet kicked up in the air and slowly pulled him downward. The soft glow of the light grew faint as the islander made his way through the passage.          “This is insane,” Kelden said to himself. He looked around as if to point out the idiocy of such an act to someone else, but the only other living thing he saw was a small blue crab that was picking at the muddy rocks on the other side of the tunnel. “Well, if I get stuck, then at least you will have a lifetime supply of food,” he told the crab. He stood staring at the puddle for a long while, as if looking at the water would make the passage open wider. If not for the fact that the islander had a cube much like the one he did, he would have turned and climbed out of the tunnel, but he couldn’t turn back now. He had to know the nameless stranger’s secret.           He knelt down at the edge of the puddle and stuck his hand into the water. He felt around for the opening and shook his head when he finally found it. A shallow chasm, possibly big enough for Kelden’s upper body, stretched about three feet wide.          “Come on!” The islander’s voice was faint and muffled, but even still Kelden could sense the impatience. The warrior thought of the tide and realized that they would have to exit through this very passage before the waters rose again.          Kelden nodded to himself. “Okay, it’s now or never,” he said. He took a deep breath and lowered himself down, mimicking every move the islander had made. It didn’t work. Somehow, the angle was wrong and he got stuck before his head and shoulders could push into the chasm. Kelden awkwardly kicked his legs and grasped with his hands to pull himself out. He wiped the water from his face and took in a few steadying breaths. It was a lot harder than it had looked.          “Hurry up!” the islander shouted.          “If I die in here, I am going to haunt you until your crazy little head explodes,” Kelden muttered. He took in another breath and then plunged back into the hole. This time, he had aligned himself correctly and he slid into the chasm. He made it far enough that the lip of the rock above tugged at his waistband. He kicked and wormed his way in, inching through and focusing on the soft glow of light in the distance. He had hoped the passage would be short, but as he craned his neck to look behind him, he saw that the glow of the islander’s cube was at least ten feet away from his position. He couldn’t move his limbs very well, but bending mainly at the wrists he was able to drive some momentum. Fortunately, there was a slick layer of algae through the chasm that made the going a bit easier than he had expected. When his legs cleared the outer lip of the chasm, he had to turn his feet outward to fit them inside. Now he could use his knees and hands. The water muffled the scraping of the rock against his clothes, but it also made the chasm feel much smaller.          It was as if the rock was squeezing down, closing in on Kelden. He slowed at the half way mark, and when a jagged point of stone caught on his shirt, he realized that the chasm was narrowing. Kelden was stuck. The point dug into his chest and he couldn’t move. Trouble was, he couldn’t go backward either. He tried, but his hands and knees couldn’t get any traction on the slick stones. He was pinned. He nearly panicked, squirming and jerking about in an effort to force himself through the passage. In his struggling, a couple of air bubbles slipped out from his mouth. It was subtle at first, but he noticed that the point of stone dug into him a bit less than it had the moment before the bubbles escaped.          He looked to the glowing cube. It was still four feet away, but Kelden knew what he had to do in order to reach it. He let out half a breath. His chest fell just enough to scrape by the point of stone. The jagged edge cut through his skin and pulled at it. The pain was enough that Kelden opened his mouth and cried out as he gave one last concerted push. The water rushed into his mouth and his lungs took in a bit of the salty, burning liquid. Kelden coughed, but that only brought more water in.Then a pair of hands grabbed him by the head. Strong fingers curled around his jaw and pulled. The hands then moved to latch onto Kelden’s shoulders. The fingers felt like dull hooks curling up into his armpits, and then there was a sudden burst of movement.          Kelden broke the surface of the water and landed on the islander. He choked and sputtered, but the islander quickly pushed him to the side and then began rubbing Kelden’s sternum. The action agitated Kelden’s wound, but it also helped him cough up the water. The islander then forced Kelden onto his side and whacked him hard in the back. A second gush of water came out from Kelden’s throat, and then Kelden vomited.          “I told you it would be a tight fit,” the islander said. “Glad you made it though.”Kelden coughed and clutched at his throat. He offered a grateful nod to his rescuer, and then struggled to sit up.          “Come on, no time to waste sitting down,” the islander said. “Nearly drowning will be pleasant compared to what will happen if the tide returns before we get out.”          Kelden pushed himself up and followed the islander. His feet were a bit sluggish at first, and he nearly lost his balance once, but he forced himself to focus on the cavern ahead. The only light they had to go on now came from the nameless stranger’s cube, but it was enough to illuminate their path. Surprisingly, the cavern on this side of the passage was much larger than on the other side. They walked for several hundred feet, curving left and right with the tunnel, and then they came to a large wall. The walls of the cave were rough and untouched, but there was a single section that had very obviously been carved by someone. The stone was flat, and smooth to the touch. Runes were etched in a pattern arcing over a door made entirely of stone.          “This is what you wanted to show me?” Kelden asked.          The stranger nodded. “I cannot open it.” He moved his cube to a square hole in the door and slipped it in. “My cube is the right size, but it does not unlock the seal.”          Kelden watched intently as lines of violet light burrowed through the stone, lighting miniature cracks and fissures that led to several runes scattered across the door itself. Each rune began to glow, but only for a moment before the light returned to the cube and the magic box slid out from the hole on its own accord.          “And you think my cube is the answer?” Kelden asked.          “If Lisei sent you here, along with your cube, then I think it must be worth trying,” the stranger said with a vigorous nod. “Go on, slide it in.”          Kelden shrugged and took out the cube. It felt cool in his hands, as it always did when he held it. “Do you know what the runes say?” Kelden asked as he approached the square-shaped hole in the door.          “I do,” the stranger said with a nod. “I have something of a gift with languages. I recognize this one as one of the ancient dialects, older than even Taish, the language of the elves.”          “What does it say?” Kelden asked.          “This one here, is one of Nagé’s symbols, do you know of her?”          Kelden nodded. “Nagé is one of the goddesses that serves Icadion. She collects the worthy dead from the world and helps them transition in the afterlife.”          “Very good,” the stranger said. “This rune here is for her husband. Though what part in this puzzle belongs to him is a bit of a mystery to me at this point.”          “And this one?” Kelden said as he pointed to a third rune on the door.”          The stranger shook his head. “It doesn’t match any of the old gods, or their symbols.” He reached out and gently traced it with his hand. “Moreover, it doesn’t belong to the same dialect that marks the upper part of the doorway, for I can read those words just fine, but this is altogether different.”          “What do the runes lining the top of the door say?” Kelden asked.          The stranger smiled. “They say that a man will come who destroys shadows and stands loyal, he alone can open this door.”          Kelden narrowed his eyes on the stranger. “You think I am that person?”          The stranger shrugged. “I’m not sure, but a demi-god saw fit to send you here, with your cube. That alone would have been enough to intrigue me, but, the fact that you fought one who impersonated a demi-god, and that even now your desires are to help your queen, I think it could be talking about you, yes.”          Kelden turned his eyes to his cube and then slid it into the doorway. At first, nothing happened, but then a brilliant wave of blue washed over the entire door. Each of the runes glowed a bright turquoise, and the door began to shake and quiver.           “I’ve waited years for this!” the stranger shouted as he danced about and clapped his hands. “Years!”          The door slid inward and then disappeared altogether, as if it had never been there in the first place. The cube hovered in the air, spinning slowly and giving off a faint, blue glow. Through the doorway they could see only darkness, but then a series of torches sprang to life with blue fires that cast a radiant light throughout a large chamber. Kelden retrieved the hovering cube and then started to step through, but the nameless stranger beat him to it, slipping in and shouting as he danced into the chamber.          “There could be traps,” Kelden cautioned, but the islander didn’t seem to care. He danced about, running from wall to wall, reading from various inscriptions carved in the stone. Then he ran to a large table or altar of some sort and bent low to read aloud as he traced his fingers along the edge.          “If it is Nagé’s wisdom you seek, first you should find the meek.” The stranger stood up and folded his arms. “Well, now what would that mean?” he said as he turned about and scanned the chamber. “There is no one else on this island.”          Kelden approached the altar and saw runes similar to those that were carved above the doorway. “Are you sure you understand it correctly?”          “Of course I’m sure,” the stranger said.          “But you said you can’t even remember your own name, how can you be certain that you understand this?”          “Because I am Stormbringer Nedekar! I have studied the riddle of the cubes for the last thirty years, and I will not stop now that I—” the man stopped talking and gasped as he clasped a hand over his mouth.          Kelden looked around, thinking perhaps the islander had discovered some hidden danger, but there was nothing in the chamber with them. He turned back to the man and moved closer. “Stormbringer Nedekar?” Kelden said.          The man’s eyes filled with tears. “My name… I remember now.” He seemed to lose his strength then and stumbled toward the altar, barely catching himself with his hands as he let out a moan. “Oh, but you don’t know what I have done.”          “What’s wrong?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar hung his head low and moaned once more, as if something very painful was filling his memories. When he finally straightened himself up, he wiped an arm across his eyes and then turned around to sit upon the altar. “Stormbringer is my title, or at least it was. My name is Nedekar. I am from a small island north east of Jibbam.” He looked down and held up his cube. “This artifact was entrusted to me by the very demi-god who sent you to me.”          “Lisei?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar nodded. “You see, I was once the head of a special order that follows her.”          “You’re a priest?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar shook his head. “More like a warrior-scholar. There is no substantive religious aspect to the order. Lisei doesn’t crave worship as the other demi-gods do. She seeks balance. When things are greatly out of balance, she would give us missions to help restore order.” Nedekar pointed at Kelden and wagged his finger at the man. “That’s why she sent you here. You have the cube.”          “I have one cube, but it doesn’t do anything the way yours does,” Kelden said.          Nedekar shook his head. “Bah, you don’t know how to use it, but it has powers, I assure you.”          “The only power I am interested in is opening the cube to prove that Queen Dalynn is the rightful heir to the empire, so I can put an end to a war and its occupation of my homeland.”          Nedekar set his cube down on the altar. “It won’t be that easy, I’m afraid.” Nedekar folded his arms. “I am here to pay penance, my stranded warrior friend, and my penance will be serving you in the best way I can.”          “Serving me?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar nodded. “You see, I once lost sight of my calling. As Stormbringer, I outranked all the others in the order, except for one. My brother, Agorian, was a Stormbringer as well. Together, we had risen through the ranks because of our devotion to uncovering lost truths and restoring order as Lisei directed. Except, as the years wore on, I started to crave the power that came with my position. When we found this cube, my brother and I argued for weeks. He wanted to set out on a grand quest to solve the riddle of the cube. I wanted to use the cube to solidify my place as the order’s commander. You know how rare it is to find magic in this part of the world.”          Kelden nodded. “Nearly all wizards and mages were slaughtered in the Mage Wars some five hundred years ago,” he said. “I’m familiar with that part of our history.”          “Yes well, the cube granted me powers like a mage. Suddenly I found that I had a whole tribe of people on my island calling me their king. I could grant them boons and blessings, turn the devastating hurricanes away with a flick of my wrist, or call the fishes of the sea. Everything was so simple.”          “Your brother didn’t like being in second place?” Kelden surmised.          Nedekar shook his head. “No, my brother was fine not sharing the position I held. His problem was that he believed the cubes were not to be trifled with. You see, he was the one who discovered that there were more than one. He was always researching. One day there was a feud between us. He wanted me to give him the cube so he could use it to find the others. I wouldn’t give up my power. So, we fought. Several dozen people in our order died in the struggle. Finally, Agorian made a deal with me that if he ever found another cube, I would have to relinquish this one and acknowledge that they were artifacts created by the old gods. I agreed with him, but…” Nedekar’s words trailed off and he let his head slump downward. “After my brother took a few of those who agreed with him and left the island, I used the cube to move our home. I transported our entire island out into the ocean, far from where we had always been, where no one would find us. Then, I imprisoned any others still remaining who had chosen my brother’s side.”          Kelden sucked on his teeth and folded his arms. Suddenly he found himself in a very awkward position. Had he heard such a confession back in Kobhir while serving in his official capacity, he could have killed the man right on the spot and brought the head back to Queen Dalynn. At the very least, he could have arrested him. But here, in the bowels of an island that only a demi-god could find, Kelden found himself stirring with compassion. Not enough to comfort Nedekar as the man began to cry quietly, but just enough to stay his hand. Today, he was not acting as an arbiter of the law. Kelden was just a shipwrecked man with a strange puzzle in his hand that glowed and opened magical doorways. The murderer before him, sobbing into his hands, was just an old hermit, sent into exile by a demi-god who had seen some sort of wisdom in allowing the offender to live.          “How did you end up here?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar sniffed and wiped his hands across his face. “Lisei came to me. I had never seen her before, but she was far more powerful than anything I had ever imagined. She grabbed me by my neck, and we flew up through the roof of my palace as lightning shattered the building around us. We flew up into the clouds, and then she gave me her sentence.” Nedekar looked to Kelden and shook his head slowly. “You cannot imagine the things she said to me, or the things she showed me then,” he said. “It was terrible.”          “I have an idea,” Kelden said as he recalled his own encounter with the demi-god.          “No, you are a virtuous man,” Nedekar said. “She would not have given you the torment she gave to me. I was suspended in the clouds for days, so many that I lost count. I was shown the horrors of what I had done over and over. I felt the pain of those I had killed myself, as well as all of those who had fallen in battle during the feud. It was enough to drive me mad. I tried to jump from the clouds many times, but the sky would not release me from my prison. I must have stayed up there for years. I’m not entirely sure. Then, when Lisei finally heard my pleas for mercy, she came to me once more. But, instead of killing me and letting my soul be dragged down to Hammenfein, she sent me here. She took away my memory, but left me with some of my knowledge about the cube. I have been on this island for nearly eight years, if my accounting is correct.”          “And she told you to wait?” Kelden asked.          Nedekar shook his head. “No, she told me to find the answer to the cube, and then I would be set free.” He pointed at Kelden once more. “Now that we have opened the door, we must find the next clue. There has to be something else.”          Kelden nodded slowly, taking it all in. “So what is the next clue?”          Nedekar held his hands out to his sides. “There has to be something in this room,” he said. “Surely a door, or a box, or a secret room somewhere. Maybe something that mycube will open now that yours has put us on the path.”          Kelden took a step away from the altar and his heart leapt up into his throat when he heard a loud splash. He looked down and saw water gathering around his boot. He hadn’t even noticed it coming into the chamber. It made no sound, but the water was everywhere. If that passage had been nearly impossible to get through before, it was far beyond his abilities to cross at this point.                    “Nedekar, can your cube abate the tides?”          Nedekar looked down and cursed the water. “We have to hurry. Maybe there is another way out!” he shouted.          The two of them scanned the walls, but there was no sign of additional exits or doors.          Kelden felt a wave of anger and regret as he realized he was very likely about to finish his life trapped in a watery grave.          Perhaps Lisei wasn’t the restorer of order as Nedekar claimed. Maybe she sought to hide the cubes from the world. After all, if the cubes were made by the old gods, then they would take power and authority away from any demi-god.          “I’ve played the fool,” Kelden muttered.

DC3 book trailer just came in...

So, The Dragon's Test (#3 in the Dragon's Champion series) has been out for a while, but it's still cool to see things like this roll in. Brightens my day.

Happy Halloween.

That is all.

*leaves computer to go "tax" the candy brought home by the kids*

The Lost Heir, Episode 2: The Shipwrecked

The Lost HeirEpisode 2:The Shipwrecked           Kelden looked at the ocean in front of him, trying to guess how many hundreds of miles he had been transported by the demi-god’s spell. How was he supposed to help his queen from such a remote place? Or was this a trick, a practical joke played upon him by the demi-god? Had she saved his life only to fling him out to the furthest reaches of the known seas and watch him languish helplessly? Her final words to him came back to his mind. She wanted him to solve the cube’s riddle. Kelden looked down to the magic box and sighed. A lot of good solving the riddle would do if he could never return to Queen Dalynn, or if Lisei had killed the queen along with the sorceress who had attacked their ship in Lisei’s name.          “Icadion will give you your due, Lisei,” Kelden mumbled. He picked himself off the beach and held the cube in his left hand. It was far too large and bulky to put into his pockets. He would have to make a bag for it somehow. He took in a breath and turned to survey the area around himself. The island was large, extending northward for perhaps a mile before rounding toward the east. The coastline to the south was twice as long, and dotted with more rocks along the sand. The interior of the island was harder to survey with a veritable wall of trees blocking his view from the beach. Bumps far behind the tree line indicated possible mountains, and that told him there might be a freshwater stream or pond. Knowing he would need to first find shelter and sustenance, he decided to make his way for what he hoped was a mountain.          “Well, at least it’s a beautiful prison,” he commented to himself. “I suppose she could have dropped me on a desolate rock covered in gull droppings.”          Not wanting his boots to chafe and blister his skin, he removed them and tied the laces together so he could hang them over his left shoulder. He left his wool socks on for the small amount of protection they would afford him, and trudged off through the sand toward the trees. As he neared the forest, he heard the songs of birds. Birds were a good sign. If they were here, it was because they had something to eat, and more importantly, something to drink. The first sign of movement Kelden saw was a large, colorful parrot with a beautiful red tail that extended two feet below its purple body. Green markings brightened the wings. It cocked its head and looked at Kelden with one large, dish-shaped eye which was set into a featherless head of white skin. As Kelden neared, the large parrot turned its head to look at him with the other eye.          If Kelden had a bow, he might have taken the bird as his first prize, but since he had no weapons with him, he decided it would be a futile waste of energy to try and catch such an animal at this point. He pushed through the thickening underbrush, watching for signs of any other animals. There were a few black and yellow birds, about the size of sparrows, and a couple of green birds that resembled hawks peering down and watching him from above.          “And how many of you are spies for Lisei, hm? Or does she watch me with some sort of crystal ball?” Kelden looked up to the sky, half expecting to see the demi-god floating there observing him.          He walked through the dense jungle for about an hour, mumbling and grumbling about Lisei occasionally, before he finally came to the base of the mountain he was searching for. Unfortunately, there was no water anywhere to be seen. With a sigh and a hopeful glance up the slope, he decided to ascend the mountain in the hopes of finding something along the way.           A great clap of thunder rumbled off in the distance as a set of heavy clouds rolled in front of the sun, darkening the forest around Kelden. For a moment, the exiled warrior wondered if his insults over the last hour had finally brought Lisei to him.          “I’m not in the mood, Lisei,” Kelden muttered as he turned his head skyward. He was only all too relieved when instead of Lisei, rain appeared. Big, heavy drops tore their way through the tree canopy and plopped all around him. He smiled and nodded his thanks. “I’ll take the rain, but I’m still not praying to you,” he said as he quickly went to a nearby tree that sported large, thick green leaves. He plucked off a leaf that was nearly as long as his forearm, and wider than both of his hands put side-by-side. He folded the leaf gently along the center and then tipped up the ends, forming a bowl. He didn’t have any string or twine, or else he would have fashioned several rain catchers from the leaves. Still, even with only the one he was able to gather enough to drink and quench his thirst.          The rainstorm dissipated soon after, and the clouds rolled away from the sun once more. Kelden continued his hike up the mountain, careful to avoid a rather brightly colored viper hanging from a low branch. He saw three of the snakes along his trek, the third crept up and took one of the black and yellow birds by surprise right before Kelden’s eyes.          Kelden rubbed his hand where he had once been bitten by a rock-jumper, a small, six inch long viper with a deadly bite. He had no intention of repeating such an experience here and gave each snake he found a wide berth.          Eventually, he reached the top of the mountain. It was not a pointed peak as he had thought when he first spied the mountain from the beach. Instead, there was a large area that went down again, like a bowl cut out of the mountain, and then a slightly higher ridge off to the far side of the mountain. The entire depression was surrounded by tall trees as lush as the rest of the island, but here there was something that Kelden had not found anywhere else.          A small lake, fed by a short waterfall running over the edge of the ridge on the far side of the lake.          Kelden went to the water and looked into its depths, pleased to find that the liquid was clear and clean. “This will make things a bit easier,” he commented. “With fresh water aplenty, I can make a shelter up here and then go out for food.” Deciding first to reward himself for finding the lake, he hiked around the edge of the water until he came to the waterfall. He stuck out his hand and tested a bit of the water. It was fresh, and cool.          “When are you people going to learn?” a voice called out from above.          Kelden backed away from the waterfall and looked up. There stood a man, roughly Kelden’s height, though a bit thinner, wearing ragged trousers and holding a sword in his left hand.          “I will not go back with you! Ever!” the man shouted.          Kelden put his hands in the air and continued backing away. “You misunderstand, I am shipwrecked,” he explained. “I haven’t come here by design.”          “This is myisland,” the man shouted as he leapt out over the edge and dove into the water. He swam under the surface and came up on the edge of the lake some thirty yards away, still holding his sword. He shook his head and then advanced toward Kelden. “Who are you? What is your name? Where did you come from?”          “Easy, friend, I mean no harm.” Kelden lifted his tunic to show that he wasn’t hiding any knives. “I am unarmed. I came up here hoping to find fresh water, that’s all. I don’t wish to fight you.”          “Ah, then you’re a coward eh? Like the last one they sent to take me back.”          “I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kelden said.           “How did you find my island?” the man pressed.          Kelden sighed. There was no way this half-crazed hermit was going to believe that Lisei had sent him here. Still, he wasn’t good at making up lies, so he stuck with the half-truth. “I told you, I was shipwrecked.”          “And where were you headed?” the man said.          “I was on my way to be exiled in Jibbam,” Kelden said.          “Jibbam eh?” the man echoed. “Then it is lucky you came here first. Jibbam is not as pleasant, though it does have a fair lot more women there than here.”          “There are women here?” Kelden asked, surprised to hear that anyone else was on the island.          “Of course not you dunderhead, what’s the matter, you drown your wit while swimming to shore?”          Kelden frowned. “Just that you said…” Kelden sighed. “Never mind. It isn’t important.”          “What’s that in your hand?” the man asked as he came closer, still pointing his sword at Kelden.          Kelden had almost forgotten about the cube in his hand. “It’s something that may help me return home,” he said. “If I can figure out how to open it.”          “A magic box?” the man mused. “I have seen one like it before, but not for a long time.”Kelden held up the cube and opened his fingers so the man could get a better look at it. “If you know how to open it—”          The islander cut him off. “Nothin doin! I don’t play with magic boxes. That’s what got me stuck out here in the first place. I found a box like that, back in the mountains. Next thing I knew I had assassins and thieves chasing me. No! You take that thing and stuff it up your backside for all I care.”          Kelden bristled at that, but there wasn’t much he was going to say to a half-crazy man holding a sword on him. He stuffed the cube into one of his boots hanging over his shoulder. “What was inside your box?” he asked.          The man shook his head. “I never opened it. Threw it out in the sea when I came here.” The man moved in a couple steps closer. “Now, tell me exactly how you got here. I didn’t see a ship. I didn’t see a rowboat. I didn’t even see a raft or a log. I watch the sea every day.” He brought the point of the sword dangerously close to Kelden’s neck.           Kelden, being no stranger to deadly situations, nodded his head and figured perhaps the man was just crazy enough that he might believe the story about Lisei. However, at the same time, Kelden started to shift his weight and devise a strategy to fight the man. He’d likely get cut if it came to violence, but he was reasonably sure he could overpower and out maneuver the thin islander. “I’m not sure if you know of the two kingdoms, Shausmat and Zinferth, on the main continent to the west, but they were at war. The queen of Zinferth hired me as her agent. When we lost the war, I was sentenced to death, but through a series of fortunate events found myself on board a ship with my queen and a few other trusted comrades. We were headed to Jibbam for exile.” Kelden shifted his weight to his back leg. He wasn’t sure the man was buying his story, and he wanted to be ready to lunge to the side at a moment’s notice if needed. “There was a battle at sea with a powerful sorceress of some sort.”          “You have seen magic?” the man asked breathlessly. “Are you certain?”          Kelden nodded. “It turns out the Mage Wars did not, in fact, eradicate all magic users.”          The man nodded slightly. “Was the sorceress very powerful?”          “Quite,” Kelden said frankly. “She did such a fine job impersonating Lisei, the demi-god of lightning and storms, that Lisei herself showed up to put an end to her.”          “And where were you during all of this?” the man asked.          “I was fighting the sorceress, trying to protect my queen.”          “Why did she care about the queen?” the man pressed.          Kelden shrugged. “The sorceress said she wanted something the queen had, but I am not certain that is true.”          “Why doubt her?”          “Because Lisei said that this particular sorceress had been terrorizing the seas lately, destroying several ships and their crews. They can’t both be telling the truth.”          “So you choose to believe the real Lisei?” the man asked.          Kelden shrugged again. “Lisei pulled me from the ocean after the imposter sent me overboard with a spell. She saved my life. Then, she sent me here, transporting me most of the way through the air on a small cloud. I was dropped in the shallow waters though, so I did have to swim the last bit myself.”          “And the cube?” the man asked as he looked to the boot dangling from Kelden’s shoulder.          “She hurled it after me, I suppose. For it landed on the beach right next to me while I was catching my breath.”          “And you expect me to believe all of that is true?” the man asked.          Kelden studied the man coolly. The time for violence was almost upon him, and yet, he hesitated. There was something in the man’s voice that told Kelden he wasn’t in as much danger as it seemed. “You asked for the truth; what you believe is up to you, but that is what happened. Now I am here, sharing an island with you and trying to figure out how to leave and get back to my queen.”          “A man will come who destroys shadows and stands loyal…” The man’s words were soft and he took a half step back.          “What did you say?” Kelden asked.          The man shook his head and waved off Kelden's question. “Come, I think there is something you need to see,” the man said. He turned and sheathed his sword. Kelden stood there confused, watching the man scurry back along the shore. After the man realized he wasn’t being followed, he turned and waved his hand frantically. “Well come on,” he said. “Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Move your feet. I want to show you something.”          “What’s your name?” Kelden asked, trying to gain some sort of control over the conversation.          “Don’t remember,” the man said quickly. “Besides, no one to talk to out here anyway, so who cares. Now come on. If the tide changes before we get there, I won’t be able to show it to you. Hurry up!”

Introducing a new Fantasy adventure-- Epic Farm Boy!

Really, all you need to know about this wonderful tale is encapsulated by the cover. (Thank you, Bob Kehl for the great work!) We have all read the same kind of story many times. A lonely farm boy with seemingly nothing to offer is found by a great and powerful wizard, teams up with an elf or a dwarf (or both) and goes off to save the world from an uber bad guy who wants to conquer the whole planet/realm/kingdom/universe...

Well, this is exactly like that-- except it's better. Simplin the Wise is the great wizard in this book, and he is on his way to find the Epic Farm Boy prophesied of as the savior of Deltynne. Simplin is the best wizard for the job too, because he got all A's during his training at the College of Spells-n-Stuff. (Well, except for frog-transmutation, but really, who uses that spell anymore right?)

After finding the Epic Farm Boy destined to save the world, there are adventures aplenty as somehow the villain discovers the boy at the same time Simplin the Wise does. They run from giant spiders, fight nasty demons, and do lots of walking through epic landscapes that look great in your head, but probably would look better on screen if filmed in the mountains of New Zealand with a handful of A-list actors and super awesome effects... but I digress.

Throughout the tale you will laugh, and possibly dance on the table like the dwarf on the cover, as you see Simplin the Wise get his gardening advice from a sage by the name of Yew Toob, an accident with giant spiders leads to Shelob's creation, Simplin the Wise gets into an argument with the author about plot details, you witness a fun cameo by Dr. When -- the not-so-famous cousin of another Dr. who uses a blue box instead of a red one... and much, much more!

Click here to grab your pre-order copy today!

The Lost Heir, Episode 1: Lightning on the Sea

The Lost Heir, Episode 1:Lightning on the Sea
          Kelden sipped at the cup of fresh water in his hands and watched the sunrise cast its rays over the water. The ship moved gently up and down, cutting through the waves easily and stirring up the smell of salt. They had been at sea for nearly a week, and still the island country of Jibbam was at least another day away.          The queen seemed in good spirits. She and Karmt, her most trusted advisor, were still working on the puzzle of the cube, some sort of ancient artifact said to hold proof pointing to the rightful heir of King Dailex’s lost empire. Queen Dalynn claimed to be the sole surviving member of that lineage, but neither she nor Karmt knew precisely how to open the cube. Kelden was still surprised that the Shausmatian captain who had overseen the capture and occupation of Kobhir had let them keep it. Kelden could only speculate as to Captain Vald’s motives, but there had been other signs of mercy as well. When Sir Alexander had been taken prisoner in battle defending Kobhir, it was Captain Vald who had personally set him free and allowed him to return to Queen Dalynn’s service. Kelden knew it was likely too much to hope for, but the thought crossed his mind that perhaps Vald sympathized with them, and wanted them to use the cube to restore Queen Dalynn to the throne. It would have been very easy to execute the royal family and all her advisors, but instead, they were only exiled.          However, if Karmt was correct about the artifact, then the contents inside the cube would prove that Queen Dalynn was not only the rightful ruler of Zinferth, but the true and living heiress to the old empire that had broken apart some five hundred years earlier after the Mage Wars. In the centuries following King Dailex’s death, loyal families and factions persisted in both of the newer kingdoms that up until Kobhir’s conquering had split the continent. If Queen Dalynn could prove herself the rightful heir now, then perhaps those factions would rise up, and even if the old empire was not reformed, then perhaps Zinferth would be able to come out from under Shausmatian occupation.          Not that Kelden knew what to do with the information even if they could break the magic that sealed the cube. They were on their way to Jibbam, a large island nation several hundred miles away from the coasts of Kelden’s homeland. As far as he knew, there were no sympathizers there. None of the islanders would go out of their way to help a dethroned queen. He doubted a small cube, or anything inside of it, would change that fact. Kelden sighed, wondering if Vald was not only merciful, but also vindictive enough to send them off with the cube, knowing full well that holding it in their hands would serve only to taunt them with what they could never possess.          Kelden drank the last of his water and pressed away from the rail overlooking the waters just as a great shadow cast itself over the area.          “Storm moving in!” a sailor shouted in the crow’s nest above.          “Kelden, you had best go down below and check on your charges,” Kitter said as he moved around the deck.          “Where’d the storm come from?” Kelden asked. “The skies were clear all morning.”          Kitter, the ship’s second in command shrugged his shoulder. “I’m not fer knowin’ but you best get below. Vald gave us strict orders to ensure you all made the journey to Jibbam safely and I don’t want to upset the man.”          Kelden understood. Still, just for a bit of fun, he handed Kitter his empty cup. “Thanks for the drink.”          “Bah!” Kitter said as he tossed the cup to the deck. “Arrogant dog,” he muttered to Kelden’s back.          That put a smile on the man’s face. It wasn’t that Kitter was a bad man. In fact, Kitter had been the one to allow Kelden some amount of freedom on the deck rather than confine him to a solitary cell in the hold. Still, Kitter was a Shausmatian sailor, and that made him the enemy, no matter how cordial he might be on this journey. Kelden had ever been a man sworn to duty, and even though his queen sat below deck on her way to exile and his homeland now flew the enemy’s flags, he still had a job to do. He would strike back at Shausmat any way he could, even if it was just by insulting their officers.          As he made his way toward the door leading below, the ship pitched sharply and he stumbled toward a large crate. He managed to catch himself on the wooden box, but just barely. He then held tight as the ship tilted the other way. A fierce, chilling wind rolled in, bringing clouds as black as night to cover the seas.          “This is no storm,” Kelden said to himself.          As if in answer to his words, a great voice rumbled overhead as three flashes of lightning coursed through the black cloud.          “I am the goddess Lisei, and you have trespassed against me!”          Kelden looked up as the cloud parted and a chariot of white and gold, pulled by two stallions made of fire, came toward the ship. Kelden screwed up his face and then glanced to the waters. He was not one of Lisei’s followers, but he was familiar enough with the pantheon of demigods which had taken control of Terramyr to know that she was the patron of storms and lightning. It seemed strange to him that she should come so far out to sea. Moreover, how had anyone here trespassed against her?          “You have taken something that belongs to me!” Lisei bellowed.          “We have angered her, we must pray for mercy!” one of the sailors shouted. He dropped to his knees and began praying vocally. A few of the others did likewise, but most of the men turned to Kitter for direction.          A streak of lightning tore through the air and cut the mast just under the crow’s nest. Kelden watched helplessly as the sailor who had been on duty there tumbled to the deck, breaking his neck as he landed on his head and the platform fell on top of him.          “Battle stations!” Kitter roared.          Kelden glanced from the chariot to Kitter and then back to the angry Lisei. He had fought many battles wherein the odds had not been in his favor, but this was different. Much different. “Icadion, give me strength,” he prayed quietly. He then turned to Kitter. “Give me a weapon!” he shouted as a torrent of rain fell upon them.          Kitter dismissed the notion with a wave as other sailors rushed about with large crossbows in their hands. The sailors dropped to their knees to steady their aim and then fired at the goddess. Lisei laughed as the crossbow bolts were consumed by a series of lightning strikes emanating from her hand. A second later, a massive bolt of white lightning tore through three sailors, leaving only their smoldering corpses upon the deck.          “There is a woman aboard this ship that has something of mine! Give her to me for punishment and I will let you all live.”          Kelden cocked his head at those words. Could Lisei be after the cube? If she was, then how had a merchant come by such an artifact in the first place? After all, Karmt had purchased the cube from another sailor and sent Kelden after it. Whatever the origin of the cube, Kelden couldn’t let Lisei take Queen Dalynn. So, he did the only thing he knew how to do. He rushed to the nearest fallen sailor and went for the weapons. He seized the crossbow first, finished loading it with a new bolt and spanning it. He then looked up and took aim just as Lisei turned her chariot to the side and knocked several other sailors to the deck with a gust of wind. He fired. The bolt went up and struck Lisei’s left shoulder.          “You dare fight against a goddess?” Lisei shouted as she turned around once more and fired a bolt of lightning at Kelden.          The agile warrior rolled out of the way as the sizzling lightning tore through the deck and splintered several boards. “You’re a demi-god,” Kelden snarled. “You’re not a full goddess.” He spanned the crossbow once more and then fired as quickly as he could. This time, an invisible barrier shielded Lisei from the bolt. It ricocheted out toward the sea as the demi-god laughed.          She leapt from her chariot and pulled a flaming whip.          “Charge, men!” Kitter shouted.          “No, wait!” Kelden called out, but no one was listening to him. A streak of lightning snaked through the air with the most deafening crash of thunder Kelden had ever heard. Bodies hit the deck, some split in half, others with a sizeable hole in their chests. Then the flaming whip cracked in the air and Kitter grunted as it wrapped around his neck. Kelden watched as Lisei yanked the man to the deck and strangled him in an instant.          The door to the lower decks flew open and three men came out ready for a fight. Each of them had their glaive-bow, a hardy contraption that fused a small, but powerful, crossbow onto a glaive, firing the bolt out through a groove that would allow them to fire and charge at the same time. They fired their weapons and moved in. Lisei snapped one of the glaive-bows in half with her whip, blasted one of the other warriors with lightning, and dodged the third by riding an air current toward the port side of the ship. Fortunately, that put her within just a few yards of Kelden’s current position.          Kelden reached out for a cutlass and ran at Lisei from behind. His feet fell silently and quickly upon the deck. The blade came up and slashed at Lisei’s back. A copious amount of blood flew out over the deck, mingling with the rain water that was pooling there.          Lisei screamed and wheeled around with her whip. Kelden dodged the weapon, but was struck by an invisible force. He landed on his back and slid across the deck until his body slammed up against the railing in front of the prow. He struggled to his feet as the men with the glaive-bows advanced on Lisei. The demi-god lifted a hand and threw the men fifty yards out to sea without taking her eyes off of Kelden.          “Pathetic mortal,” she said. “You thought you could beat me?”          Kelden smiled. “Put down the magic and let’s see how you fare then,” he said.          Lisei called four bolts of lightning from the sky and gathered them in her right hand. They condensed into a crackling, quaking ball of violent energy as she stepped toward him. “You are going to die slowly,” she said.          “And yet, the gods will welcome me,” Kelden fired back. “What will they do when your dishonorable existence is finished?”          Lisei raised her hand to her lips as if blowing a kiss. The ball streaked through the air faster than Kelden could see. There was a burning pain in his chest, followed immediately by a force that launched him out from the ship. He flew through the air so quickly that it seemed as though the rain were falling sideways instead of downward. His body skipped upon the surface twice and then he hit what felt like a wall of liquid that slowly pulled him in, and then down. As the water engulfed him, he tried to summon the strength to stay above the surface, but the spell had sapped him of his vigor, and it was a losing fight.           Just then, a hand reached down and lifted him from the water.          Kelden looked up to see a beautiful woman with silver hair and violet eyes staring down at him. At first, he thought it might be Osei, the demi-god of the ocean come to chase Lisei away from his domain, but Osei was a man, not a woman. His next thought was that Lisei had rushed out to keep her word, and save him a few times while torturing him until he was finally too weak to keep alive, but this woman was not the same as the one who had sent him overboard. The curves of her body and the tightness of her skin upon her face spoke of youth, but there was a fire behind those purple eyes that suggested a great amount of wisdom. More than that, there was a crackling, tangible thickness to the air around her. The other woman had power to be sure, but this one seemed to have more. Much, much more.          “You would stand and fight a demi-god?” she asked in a subtle, yet thunderous voice. Her calm demeanor while holding Kelden so close convinced Kelden that he was right. She was vastly stronger than the other, else she would not be so stoic while holding a potential enemy within striking range.          Kelden looked down as he continued to rise until he stood upon a thin layer of cloud with the woman. Water ran off of him and a warm wind caressed his body. He looked up to her, but found it hard to match her gaze. “I will not bend the knee to any who have usurped Icadion’s throne. Demi-gods are not gods. They stole power from Terramyr by draining the very essence of the world and stealing it for themselves. Icadion, and he alone, is the rightful ruler of Terramyr.” He spoke reverently, and yet firmly.          “Usurpers…” the woman smiled faintly and let go of Kelden’s hand. To his amazement, he remained standing on the cloud that was now a few feet above the water. “Yes, I suppose that is as correct a title as demi-god,” she said. She then turned and narrowed her keen eyes on the battle still raging on the ship. “I am not like the others,” she commented. “I did not seek the power for myself. I sought the World Seed as one who might remain as a buffer between those who abuse power, and those who would otherwise be victims.”          As the woman spoke, Kelden saw the disdain in her eyes while she watched the battle. In that instant, he knew the truth of it all. “You are Lisei,” Kelden said as he watched her. He then looked to the ship. “My queen is on that ship, along with other good men. If you did indeed take power from the World Seed to stand as a buffer, then won’t you help them?”          “Are you now praying to a demi-god?” Lisei asked as the faintest hint of a smile tugged at the right corner of her mouth.          “Surely you wouldn’t let an imposter slay innocent people in your name if you use power the way you claim,” Kelden reasoned.          The rain stopped then, suspended in mid air as the wind ceased its relentless blowing and the whole world stood still. “This particular imposter is more deserving of the title, usurper,” she said. “Only a few days ago, one of the demi-gods was slain by a mortal. Since then, others have risen up to challenge several demi-gods. I prefer to remain close to my home, but it has come to my attention that this woman has terrorized these seas for the last week. In my name she has sunk twenty vessels, and slain numerous sailors.” Lisei turned back to Kelden and put a finger to his chest. “No, I will not let this stand. She has called to me in a way that cannot go unanswered. But as for you, you have another path to travel for now, one that I must help along, lest the fates be damaged beyond repair.” A bright, warm spark transferred from her finger to him and he felt a well of strength fill his body. Lisei’s purple eyes became white as snow, and her hair floated out behind her as the smell of static electricity built up around them. “Perhaps we shall meet again, Kelden Ferryl,” she spoke.          Before he could ask how she knew his name, the cloud they stood upon broke in two and he was whisked away at a blinding speed. At first he thought he was being sent back to the battle to aid his queen, but as the moments passed and the rain began to fall once again, he realized that he was flying out to the east, toward the vast emptiness of the sea.          A white flash ripped through the sky and the black storm cloud was rent to pieces. Lightning flurried around the ship. The seas calmed and a massive bolt of lightning came not from the sky, but from the real Lisei. There was an explosion, and the ship was hidden from view by a massive cloud of smoke. Kelden was certain that the imposter who had assaulted the ship had been destroyed, but there was no way of knowing whether Lisei had been careful in exacting her vengeance, or if the ship, and all the remaining survivors upon it, had been consumed by the lightning as well.          Kelden flew for several minutes over the waters below until a large island came into view on the horizon. At first he saw only a pair of green mountains, but as he hurtled toward it, palm trees and the white sands of the beach came into focus. The cloud slowed somewhat and as he came within fifty yards of the beach, it vanished from beneath him. He fell and crashed into the shallow water, flailing his arms and legs in an attempt to stop himself from churning uncontrollably in the sea. When he finally righted himself, he swam up to the surface and spat out a bit of salt water. He aimed himself for the sand and swam. It took him some time to drag his muscular frame through the water, but with the help of the added strength from Lisei, he made it to the beach. When he reached the sand he rolled onto his back and caught his breath.          After a few moments, he sat up and stared back out at the sea. What was he to do now? His friend Yeoj, a fellow agent of the queen’s, had freed him from execution for the sole purpose of keeping Queen Dalynn safe, and now he had failed. He knew there wasn’t much he could do against a demi-god, or a sorceress impersonating one for that matter, but he couldn’t shake the sense of failure from his heart.          A terrible thunder ripped the peaceful air in the west.          Kelden narrowed his eyes and saw a golden flash in the distance. A great gust of wind churned the surface of the waters toward him, splattering him with sea-spray and then there was a heavy thabump in the sand next to him. He looked down and saw the cube half buried in the sand. He reached out for it and took it into his hand. As he did so, the sand fell from its surface and the metal shone brightly. A warmth came into Kelden’s heart once more, the same as had happened when Lisei had sent that spark into him.          You have work to do, Kelden. Go and solve the cube’s riddle. Do well, and perhaps we shall meet again.          The voice wasn’t audible, it was in Kelden’s mind, and still he knew it was Lisei.          He didn’t much like the idea of working for a demi-god, so he chose to convince himself that she was working with him. He picked himself up from the beach and turned to face the dense forest behind him. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, or how he was ever going to leave this island, but the cube gave him hope. Perhaps Lisei had spared Queen Dalynn after all.

New story coming.....HERE!

Starting in just a few days, I am going to be posting a story in serial mode right here on this blog. I thought it might be a fun way to engage with both new and existing readers. Plus, it will give me the chance to work on a story-line that most of you are familiar with.

If you remember Kelden's quick exit in Son of the Dragon, then you will already have a head start on anyone who hasn't read the Netherworld Gate Trilogy. While that series was primarily about Talon and his quest to put an end to the demigod of battle, the serial story is going to pick up with Kelden.

If you are unfamiliar with the Netherworld Gate Trilogy, take a look here.
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It should be a lot of fun...


Here is a little teaser of things to come:






“Gelda,” bring me your sword, please,” Reimunde called out to the librarian.“She has a sword?” Kelden asked with a raised brow. “Oh, yes,” Reimunde replied with a proud smile.“Is your library such a dangerous place?” Kelden teased.Gelda walked over and handed her sword to Kelden, apparently understanding what was about to happen. “Good luck,” she whispered to Kelden before she quickly departed.“Are we to fight?” Kelden asked suspiciously.“No,” Reimunde assured him, patting the air with his left hand. The large, winged man unhooked the clasp of his belt, drew his sword, and laid the empty scabbard on the table. “I want you to summon all of your strength and strike the scabbard.”“What will this prove?” Kelden asked incredulously.“Indulge me,” Reimunde pressed.“I am a warrior, Reimunde, I am no stranger with a blade,” Kelden warned.“That will make the demonstration all the more worthwhile,” Reimunde said with a confident smile.Kelden looked down at the scabbard and prepared to strike. His fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt of Gelda's sword and his knuckles became white. He leaned back and then swung the sword with a mighty arc over his head. He brought the blade down on the scabbard with every ounce of strength he possessed. To Kelden’s astonishment, Gelda's blade shattered into a thousand pieces, each one alive with miniature bolts of golden lightning firing outward and wrapping around them. A minor shock coursed through Kelden’s arms and made him take a step back.“Wow, I…” Kelden's words faltered as he rubbed his left arm where the sting of the shock still lingered. He dropped the hilt of the broken sword on the floor and looked back to Reimunde.“This is going to hurt a little,” Reimunde confessed.“What…” Kelden started to question what the winged man meant, but before he finished his sentence a blue bolt of energy shot out from the scabbard and slammed into Kelden's chest. Kelden flew back and landed on a table a few paces away. His hair stood on end and his arms and legs tingled. His mouth became dry and suddenly he felt very thirsty.“That is one of the sword’s minor powers,” Reimunde said proudly.Kelden just blinked at the winged man, dumbfounded.“The blade is much more powerful than the scabbard I assure you,” Reimunde offered. “Forgive me, but I didn’t know how else to convince you that I was telling the truth.”Kelden nodded and struggled to sit up on the table. “Well, I still don’t know if I believe your entire story, but I am willing to go with it for now.”“Good,” Reimunde exclaimed happily, clapping Kelden on the back. “I have studied our records more faithfully than any who has ever walked this island. I believe that the white dragon still lives. More importantly I believe that he is trapped, I can feel it.” “Trapped where?” Kelden asked. “I don’t know exactly, but I have dreams sometimes, as if someone is communicating with me in my sleep. I see a large range of mountains near a river, there is a cave that goes through the mountain. My dream then takes me through the cave and I find a large, blue lake surrounded by huge, jagged mountains. On the opposite side of the lake is an old, ruined temple. Beyond that is another cave, and then I hear the roar of a large beast and the beating of wings. I stand on the shore of the lake as the white dragon flies down into the cave. Then a large flash of light erupts and the dream is ended.”“Are you sure your brain hasn’t been fried by that sword?” Kelden asked with a chuckle.“Do you know a place like what I have described?” Reimunde asked, ignoring the joke. “Most of my homeland is flat plains or desert with rolling dunes. Although, there is a large mountain range that divides Zinferth and Shausmat. I know that a river runs through the mountains and out to the sea in the north also. “Is there a large lake anywhere in this mountain range?” Reimunde asked excitedly.“I believe that I have heard of a lake hidden in the range. If my memory serves me correctly, shortly after the Mage Wars, the few remaining Varrvar tribes migrated there to escape being destroyed by the armies of Zinferth and Shausmat. I have never been there myself, so I don’t know exactly how many caves there are, but I did meet a pair of dwarves who claimed to be from that area a few weeks back.” “This is excellent,” Reimunde exclaimed. “I wish to find this cave from my dreams. It will take some time, but I believe that I can convince the chieftain to allow me to take some soldiers out to your land and find this cave for the sake of the dragon.”Kelden shot Reimunde a bewildered look. "We will need more than 'some' warriors to accompany us if we are going through my old homeland. As I have said, we were conquered recently. We will not find allies to help us."Reimunde smiled. “Never underestimate the strength brought to a battle by a few Krilo warriors. If you would promise to take me to this place that I see in my dreams, then perhaps we can see about helping you and your queen.”Kelden looked sharply into Reimunde’s eyes. “If you can convince your chief to allow this, then I swear by Almighty Icadion that I will take you to these mountains. If the cave of your dreams exists we will find it,” he said.
            “Excellent, I will speak with him immediately.” Reimunde replaced his scabbard on his belt and put his sword away. The two shared a nod and a smile, but then angry footsteps approached from the hallway and Gelda's voice cut their moment short.“Reimunde, what have you done to my sword?” Gelda shrieked as she approached the two of them.“Kelden was a little stronger than I thought he was,” Reimunde explained. “He swung harder than…”“Oh, shut your mouth!” Gelda shouted. “I expect a replacement for this. You can’t just break someone’s sword and then walk away as if nothing happened."Kelden bit his lip and turned away.“Don’t think you can escape either, outlander,” Gelda said, pointing a finger at Kelden. “Don’t just stand there, clean up the mess!”“I promise, I will have a replacement for you by dinner time,” Reimunde promised.“Oh, so you think that you can still come to my house for dinner after this?” she countered.“Do you have a waste-basket?” Kelden interjected cautiously.“Do I look like I have a waste-basket with me?” Gelda shouted back. “Use the legs that Icadion gave you and go get it yourself.”“Yes ma’am,” Kelden nodded sheepishly, shooting Reimunde a quick grin.Gelda waited until Kelden was out of ear shot and then she turned and poked her finger at Reimunde. “You know, if you weren’t so charming, I would be forced to retaliate for this,” she said with a hint of a smile.“Does this mean we are still on for dinner?” Reimunde asked with a hopeful smile.Gelda looked at him sternly. Her left eyebrow arched as she squinted her eyes at him. “I haven’t decided yet.” She folded her arms, huffed, and looked away from him while tapping her right foot on the floor. “I’ll help clean the mess,” Reimunde offered. “And I will get you a new sword right away.”“And so you should,” she replied. “You made the mess, and you are responsible for my sword. You could have just as easily had the man tap your scabbard and the result would have been the same.”“I didn’t think he would believe me unless he tried to break the…”“I don’t want to hear it.” She held a hand up.Reimunde sighed and his shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.“And?” she coaxed.“It’s all my fault,” Reimunde said.“And?” “It will never happen again.”“Dinner will be served at seven,” Gelda said. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and strode away before anything else could be said.Reimunde stood and watched until she had disappeared from view, then he whistled softly through his teeth while shaking his head. “I hope the chief is easier to talk to than she is,” Kelden whispered as he approached with the waste-basket.“That’s not likely to be the case,” Reimunde said in a defeated tone.“Why is that?” Kelden asked.“Gelda is the chief’s daughter.”



If you liked that at all, then stay tuned -- there's a lot to come!

Also, if you haven't checked out my new kickstarter project, please take a look and share with your friends!

Click here to see the Kickstarter project for The Dragon's of Kendualdern: Dominion

The kickstarter project for Dominion's hardcover print run has started!

I am so excited to announce this that I have got more wiggles than a three-year-old hopped up on a load of candy ... and I know this because my three year old is currently chowing down and going a bit wild...

The official Kickstarter launch is Friday, but I am doing a soft launch just for people who subscribe to my blog and FB pages. I won't go into a ton of detail, you can see all the prizes for yourself by clicking the link below. Then, please share on your social media sites and let's get Dominion ready to launch in a BIG way!

Click here for the Kickstarter Page

The next installment of The Dragons of Kendualdern: Dominion

Help me kick off the next installment of the Dragons of Kendualdern!Dominion is an action-packed adventure that follows Karlax, a young dragon prince hell-bent on vengeance and domination. If you thought you knew everything about Gorliad's story, you were wrong! This book opens up during Siravel's murderous attack on another kingdom. In the wake of her destruction, Karlax is the sole dragon survivor. After helplessly watching his home fall to Siravel's might, he has sworn never to forget.

The main goal of the kickstarter isn't actually to fund the book itself. The cover art, editing, writing, is all either completed, or in process and has sufficient funds allocated to it. The kickstarter's main goal is two-fold. The first is to reward you guys for being awesome! I'll have some rewards that should be very fun for you to choose from, such as free e-book of your choice along with a copy of Dominion, or a special hardcover edition of Dominion along with a super fun book bag, things like that. I even have a few shirts to give away... In fact, here's a sneak peek at some of the rewards:









So jump on board and check out the link below. It has the official countdown timer for the kickstarter launch which is happening this Friday!

https://www.krowdster.co/l/30eb

Moon Dragon Giveaway

For those of you who are interested, there are two Goodreads giveaways running right now for signed copies of my books.

In order of when the giveaway period ends are Moon Dragon, Dark Sahale, and Dimwater's Dragon. All of these are offering signed copies at absolutely no cost to you, so if you want to enter for a chance to win, just click on the books that interest you below. (Moon Dragon and Dimwater's Dragon are open to residents in the U.S., Canada, and U.K. -- Dark Sahale is only open to U.S. residents at this time.)



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Goodreads Book Giveaway The Moon Dragon by Sam Ferguson Giveaway ends September 30, 2017.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway Dark Sahale by Sam Ferguson Giveaway ends October 01, 2017.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway Dimwater's Dragon by Sam Ferguson Giveaway ends October 31, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway