Silk And Steel: The Skeleton King Part 51

"No, you must listen." Agony washed across his face, but he fought through it, forcing the words out. "The monk, Bryce, still lives within the Mordant. He spies on the Mordant. He knows his plans. Somehow he spoke to me while I was trapped in the chamber." He flashed a weak smile. "And the Mordant thought I was no threat."

A sob escaped her. "You spoiled his plans, my love."

Someone handed Kath a water flask. She held it to his lips. Her gaze traveled the length of his body. Every dagger wept blood, as if the spell keeping him alive was broken. Tears crowded her eyes, but she held them at bay, determined to be brave for him.

"You must listen. You must remember." His voice trailed to a whisper.

She huddled close, her ear bent to his words.

A flood of warnings poured out of him, dark tidings and grim plans. He spoke of Lanverness, and the Octagon, and the Kiralynn monastery. He told her about a dark sword and a hallway carved like demons. He warned her of Taals that looked like ogres and dwarves that could sniff magic. Some of the warnings made little sense, a confusing jumble of images, but she listened to it all, struggling to memorize every detail.

Finally his words trailed to silence and his eyes closed.

Fear gripped her throat; she thought he was gone. "Duncan, don't leave me!" She cradled his head, willing him to live.

His eyes opened, full of light, and he smiled up at her. "I'll never leave you. But you must promise me two things."

"Anything."

A spasm of pain crossed his face, but his eyes remained opened. "You must put an end the Mordant. I've learned that evil is real and it must be stopped."

Hate boiled within her, an easy promise to make. "I promise."

His hand gripped hers. "And you must promise to live."

Tears crowded her eyes.

"Promise me." His voice sank to a whisper. "Promise me and I'll wait for you on the edge of the Light."

Her heartbeat quickened. "You'll wait for me?"

"Yes."

"I promise."

He smiled up at her...and then he was gone.

"NO!" She stared up at the heavens, challenging the G.o.ds with her cry. "Heal him! Heal him or I will not forgive you!"

Seagulls roiled overhead, screeching a mournful cry...but no miracle came.

"Svala!" The word was a murmur coming from a thousand voices. The courtyard was crowded with her army, a thousand tattooed faces staring at her. They drew their swords and knelt. They'd gained a great victory...but she'd lost her heart. Kath closed her eyes and the world dissolved into tears.

APPENDIX.

CASTLEGARD.

Three hundred years after the War of Wizards decimated the kingdoms of Erdhe, a group of knights banded together to protect the southern kingdoms from the ravages of the north. They claimed Castlegard, the great mage-stone castle left empty after the War of Wizards, as the seat of their power. Adopting the shape of the great castle as their symbol, they became known as the Octagon Knights.

To bolster their cause, the knights were ceded land running along the length of the Dragon Spine Mountains. Stretching from Castlegard all the way to the Western Ocean, this land became known as the Domain. A series of castles, keeps, and walls were built along the Dragon Spines, allowing the knights to control the mountain pa.s.ses and deny access to the southern kingdoms. The Domain also includes the only iron ore mine in all of Erdhe to yield blue ore, the rare ore required to forge the knights' fabled blue steel swords.

As a sworn brotherhood of elite knights, the candidates forsake their lineage and their past when they win their maroon cloaks. Their symbol is a maroon octagon emblazoned on a silver shield.

KING URSUS ANVRIL, King of Castlegard and the Knights of the Octagon, Lord of the Domain, hero of the Battle of Raven Pa.s.s, bearer of a great blue sword named Honor's Edge.

-his wife, QUEEN PHYLA, died giving birth to their only daughter.

-their children: PRINCE ULRICH, First-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, commander of the wall at Raven Pa.s.s, bearer of a great blue sword named Mordbane PRINCE GRIFFIN, Second-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, commander of Dymtower.

PRINCE G.o.dFREY, Third-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, commander of Shieldhold PRINCE TRISTAN, Fourth-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, slain while leading a patrol into the steppes PRINCE LIONEL, Fifth-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, commander of Cragnoth Keep, slain by Trask.

PRINCESS KATHERINE, Sixth child of the king, also known as the Imp or Little Sister or Kath. As a female, the Octagon symbol of Castlegard is forbidden to her. Instead she uses the Anvril's ancient heraldic symbol of a red hawk attacking with talons outstretched on a field of white.

-his sworn knights and retainers:.

SIR OSBOURNE, The Knight Marshal of the Octagon, right hand of the King, a one-eyed man with a scar-crossed face, he wields a saber as his weapon of first choice, but then takes up Sir Tyrone's great sword from the signal tower of Cragnoth Keep.

SIR LOTHAR, knight-captain of the Salt Tower, wields a battleaxe, close friend to the knight marshal SIR BORIS, knight-captain of Holdfast Keep SIR DALT, knight-captain of Ice Tower.

SIR GRAVIS, knight-captain of Sword Keep SIR ABRAX, knight of the maroon, champion of the sword, guard to King Ursus, he wields a blue steel sword named Protector SIR RANNOCK, knight of the maroon, champion of the morning star SIR ODIS, knight of the maroon, champion of the lance.

SIR BLAZE, knight of the maroon, champion of the mace SIR ADLEMAR, knight of the maroon, champion of the claymore, wields a blue steel claymore named Stalwart SIR TRASK, knight of the maroon, champion of the battleaxe, a.s.signed to Cragnoth Keep as a punishment posting, slain at the battle of Cragnoth Keep SIR TYRONE, knight of the maroon with skin the color of ebony, often referred to as the 'black knight', he wields a great sword, companion to Princess Katherine, a hero slain at the battle of Cragnoth Keep SIR MALVOY, a fresh-sworn knight of the maroon SIR MARIN, a knight of the maroon SIR AMBROSE, a knight of the maroon SIR WINTON, a knight of the maroon SIR VARDINE, a knight of the maroon SIR MELLOT, a knight of the maroon HADRIAN, master archer of the maroon BALDWIN, senior squire of the maroon, serves the King BROCK, squire to Prince Ulrich EMMETT, young squire STEWARD MALT, Steward of the armory of Raven Pa.s.s OTTO, the Master Swordsmith of Castlegard's forge, responsible for the forging of all blue steel weapons QUINTUS, the Master Healer of Castlegard VAL, a stable lad of Castlegard SIR RAYMOND, branded as an unmade-knight of the Octagon, exiled from the Domain of Castlegard on penalty of death THE KIRALYNN MONKS.

Founded over two thousand years ago by a group of scholars, knights, and wizards, the Kiralynn Order has always presented an enigmatic face to the world, a face that is open yet closed. One hundred years before the start of the War of Wizards the monks withdrew from the southern kingdoms, retreating to their monastery hidden deep in the Southern Mountains. As if erased from the minds of men, the location of the monastery disappeared from the maps of Erdhe. The memory of the Kiralynn monks has slowly faded, becoming little more than legend and myth. Yet select rulers of the southern kingdoms still receive scrolls sealed with the symbol of the Order. History has proven that these scrolls contain an uncanny prescience. Kings ignore the advice of the Order at their own peril.

The symbol of the Kiralynn monks is a Seeing Eye in the palm of an Open Hand. Their seat of power is their mountain monastery. The motto of the Order is "Seek Knowledge, Protect Knowledge, Share Knowledge".

THE GRAND MASTER, the leader of the Kiralynn Order, his/her ident.i.ty is a closely guarded secret -monks and initiates of the Order: MASTER RIZEL, a Master of the Order MASTER GARTH, a Master Healer of the Order BRYCE, an initiate of the Order, he studied to take his vows to become a monk and a healer but was subsumed by the Mordant's Awakening, becoming a prisoner in his own mind MASTER AEROTH, an amba.s.sador monk sent to the kingdoms of Erdhe MASTER ZITH, a Master of the Order, accompanies Kath as one of her companions -visitors to the monastery: PRINCESS JORDAN, a princess of Navarre, sent to the monastery for her Wayfaring, she remains locked in a healing coma, felled by the treachery of the Mordant DANYA, a young woman who sought sanctuary in the monastery with her mountain wolf, BRYX THE DARK CITADEL.

The Dark Citadel is a forbidding fortress-city in the far north. Perched atop three hundred foot cliffs that overlook the Western Ocean, it is built upon a huge monolithic boulder. The tiered city has nine layers spiraling upward around the stone monolith. Each layer holds a distinct cla.s.s of people, with the palace of the Mordant at the summit. The stone monolith contains steps leading to a cave, the ancient source of Dark power.

The Mordant's domain also includes the steppes, a vast sea of gra.s.s that serves as a desolate greensward for the Dark Citadel, a barren killing field. The northern steppes are divided from the south by a dark wall studded with ten Gargoyle Gates.

The domain also includes the Pit, a ma.s.sive crater with near vertical gla.s.s-sheer walls. Slaves live within the Pit, toiling within the Mordant's iron mines. Female slaves are forced to serve as wh.o.r.es for the Mordant's army. Residual magic in the Pit results in the ma.s.sive abnormalities of newborns. Two new sub-races have been born and bred in the Pit; the Taals, an ogre-like sub-race with ma.s.sive strength and limited intellect, and the Duegar, also called the Hounds of the Mordant, dwarves with the ability to scent magic.

The symbol of the Dark Citadel is a gold pentacle emblazoned on a field of black. The Darkflamme is the Mordant's personal battle banner, twelve feet of black silk ending in two silken tails of bright red flecked with gold, creating the illusion of darkness on fire THE MORDANT- With over a thousand years of life, he is the oldest of the Harlequins, the G.o.d-king of the north, the ruler of the Dark Citadel. He wields the Staff of Pain, an iron scepter with a red crystal at the top.

-his officers and priests: HIGH PRIEST GAVIS- High Priest of the Pentacle, Keeper of the Trials Return, the ruler of the Dark Citadel in the absence of the Mordant GENERAL HAITH- General of the army of the Pentacle, witness to the beheading of the Mordant in his prior life GENERAL MARRIS- commander of the cavalry BISHOP SIFF- Administrator bishop serving the High Priest DOLF- Master a.s.sa.s.sin of the Ninth Rank BISHOP TYNES- bishop of the border guards SIR RAYMOND- branded as an unmade-knight of the Octagon, exiled from the Domain of Castlegard, sworn to serve the Mordant CAPTAIN LORNID- captain of the citadel guard CENTURION CAYLEX- commander of the third border guard TAVOS- priest of the border guard FENTHANE- priest of the border guards, serves Bishop Tynes JAMIS- a guard of the Door, witness to the beheading of the Mordant in his prior life -Emissaries to the Citadel: MERCHANTER TIMOTH- emissary from the MerChanter Sea Lords, va.s.sals to the Mordant Lords and people of the Pit: LORD SLEGHORN- the self-styled lord of the Pit and the iron mines GRACK- a one-armed Taal turnkey, guard of the lower mines CRIBB- guard of the Pit HARIT- guard of the Pit MARDAK- Taal guard of the upper mines HONORABLE ELSWIN- leader of the slave's Council of Elders, he has the deformity of six fingers on each hand, he is Mara's uncle BRAITH- a slow-witted slave Taal, serves as the guard to the Council of Elders MARA- a serving girl a.s.signed to the upper mines, the niece of Honorable Elswin THESSALA- patty woman working the dung mountain Prisoners of the upper iron mine: KRELL THREE-EYE- prisoner/leader of the upper mines, a ma.s.sively strong man with the deformity of a third eye in the center of his forehead NAGA- dark-skinned prisoner of the upper mines MARCUS-prisoner of the upper mines Prisoners of the lower iron mines: CLOVIS- also known as CLOVIS Fa.r.s.eERER, born of the Pit he became a guard of the Citadel before being condemned to the iron mines, he has a hidden deformity, the hidden eye, the third eye of prophecy BROCK- prisoner/leader of the lower mines SETH- prisoner of the lower mines, has rocklung BRUCE- prisoner of the lower mines.

HAL- a slow-witted Taal prisoner of the lower mines GREN- a Duegar dwarf prisoner of the lower mines BREDON- prisoner of the lower mines, born with a third eye in his forehead NEF- prisoner of the lower mines, has six-fingered hands.

TRELL- prisoner of the lower mines, has a clubfoot BRENT- prisoner of the lower mines, is a hunchback SIMEON- prisoner of the lower mines, is a hunchback FELDON- prisoner of the lower mines, has rocklung.

STAN- prisoner of the lower mines has a cleft lip BREDAN- prisoner of the lower mines, has a third eye in his forehead.

THE PAINTED PEOPLE.

An ancient people, forgotten by most of Erdhe, the Painted Warriors are the descendents of escaped slaves and runaway soldiers. Living in the shadow of the Dark Citadel, the Painted People have forged a fiercely independent warrior culture that spans a thousand years. Outnumbered and poorly equipped, they strike back at the Pentacle in lightning raids across the steppes, reaping steel and armor from their enemies. They make their home in a secret labyrinth of caves hidden in the Ghost Hills. Deeply spiritual, they invoke the power of nature by tattooing their faces with the images of beasts and birds, a spiritual melding of man and animal. Divided into dens marked by their tattoos, they are guided by the Ancestor, a shaman of mystical memories, and led by a Council of Leaders made up of representatives from all the dens. A secret and forgotten people, few in the southern kingdoms have ever heard of them.

THE ANCESTOR- Also known as the Keeper of Memories, the Old One. The Ancestor is always a woman, following a matriarchal line of mystical seers that stretches back for nearly a thousand years. As the spiritual leader of the painted people she is respected and revered but she does not rule as a queen. Instead she guides the council of leaders.

VALDUR- a Taishan of the mountain lions, a vision-hunter lost on a quest in the southern steppes. Attacked and left for dead by soldiers of the Pentacle, a patrol of Octagon knights found him and took him to Castlegard where he died in Kath's arms.

ROYCE- warrior leader of the mountain lions, leader of the Council.

THERA- leader of the ravens, master healer.

s.h.a.gRITH- warrior leader of the eagles BRANT- leader of the boars.

FANGGOLD- warrior leader of the wolves ANTON- fox-faced warrior patrol leader TORVEN- eagle-faced warrior patrol leader BEAR- a bear-faced warrior a.s.signed to guard Kath, he refuses to reveal his true name, adopts the name of Bear and becomes Kath's personal guard and friend, wields a sword BOAR- a boar-faced warrior a.s.signed to Kath, refuses to reveal his true name, adopts the name of Boar and becomes Kath's personal guard and friend, wields a mace NEVEN- a wolf-faced warrior smitten with Danya TINGOLD- a wolf-faced scout BEARANT- a bear-faced warrior.

TIGE- a hawk-faced warrior BREVOR- a badger-faced warrior TANGOR- a badger-faced warrior CLEMIT- a wolf-faced warrior VIN- an eagle-faced warrior.

GRENFIR- an owl-faced warrior TARLY- a boar-faced warrior PREN- a bear-faced warrior SIDHORN- an eagle-faced warrior.

TANNIN- a fox-faced youth serving as a message runner Other books by Karen L Azinger.

The a.s.sa.s.sin's Tear- Explore the medieval kingdoms of Erdhe, raid the tomb of the first emperor of China, and unravel the enigma of Dark s.p.a.ce in this collection of fantasy and science fiction tales from the author of The Silk & Steel Saga. The two signature stories, Prophecy's Twist and The a.s.sa.s.sin's Tear, are set in the fantasy realm of Erdhe. Prophecy's Twist discovers the dark deceit that started the War of Wizards, forever changing the kingdoms of Erdhe. The a.s.sa.s.sin's Tear follows the exploits of a petty thief whose ambition leads him to unravel the dark secret of the Mordant's Citadel. The Emperor's Shadow is an international thriller in the style of Indiana Jones, combining the power of superst.i.tion with archaeology in a desperate attempt to end World War Three. A Man's World is a post-apocalyptic adventure set in Australia where coal miners discover all the rules have changed. Pieces of the Truth is a time travel story where a young physicist discovers a forgotten truth. In Snakes and Ladders, Lynn Gallant sets out to shatter the gla.s.s ceiling by taking a walk to the dark side of New Orleans. In The G.o.d Planet, universal dreams spark a religious frenzy, summoning humanoid kind to the riddle of Dark s.p.a.ce.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

KAREN L. AZINGER has always loved fantasy fiction, and always hoped that someday she could give back to the genre a little of the joy that reading has always given her. Nine years ago on a hike in the Columbia River Gorge she realized she had enough original ideas to finally write an epic fantasy. She started writing and never stopped. The Steel Queen is her first book, born from that hike in the gorge. Before writing, Karen spent over twenty years as an international business strategist, eventually becoming a vice-president for one of the world's largest natural resource companies. She's worked on developing the first gem-quality diamond mine in Canada's arctic, on coal seam gas power projects in Australia, and on petroleum projects around the world. Having lived in Australia for eight years she considers it to be her second home. She's also lived in Canada and spent a lot of time in the Canadian arctic. She lives with her husband in Portland Oregon, in a house perched on the edge of the forest. The first four books of The Silk & Steel Saga have already been written and she is hard at work on the fifth and final book. You can learn more at www.karenlazinger.com or at her Facebook page for The Steel Queen.

The Front Cover artwork was done by the Australian artist, Greg Bridges. Greg's artwork has appeared on the book covers of many well-known fantasy authors. His cover perfectly captures the dread of The Skeleton King. To see more of his art or to contact Greg, visit his website at http://www.gregbridges.com/ The Maps and the Back Cover artwork was done by a graphic artist from Oregon, Peggy Lowe. Her ill.u.s.tration of the two maps helps to bring the kingdoms of Erdhe to life and the screaming candles convey the horror of the Mordant's domain. Peggy can be contacted at her e-mail address, Look for The Poison Priestess, the fourth book in The Silk & Steel Saga to be published by November 2012.

The Silk & Steel Saga.

Book One: The Steel Queen.

Book Two: The Flame Priest Book Three: The Skeleton King.

Forthcoming books by Karen L Azinger.

Book Four: The Poison Priestess Book Five: The Battle Immortal.

Additional books by Karen L Azinger.

The a.s.sa.s.sin's Tear.