Zygradon

L Levigne Michelle

Description

Child of Blood or Child of Life, both born in a fierce winter storm. Mrillis was orphaned in a battle against the Nameless One, the most evil enchanter the World had ever known. Raised by the most powerful Rey'kill enchanter of their time, Mrillis and Ceera grew up as brother and sister, and discovered their destinies and magical talents - and knew they would always be together. When the Nameless One targeted Mrillis, to either destroy him or turn him into the Child of Blood, all the armies of the World joined together to defeat him. He left three children, Three Drops of Blood, according to prophecy. The oldest, a boy, became Mrillis' friend. Endor, Mrillis and Ceera grew up together, exploring their talent, learning their destinies, and fighting to find a cure from the ravages of star-metal that poisoned their world.Almost by accident, Ceera attempted to use star-metal as metal, and tame it. And from her hammer, the Zygradon was born, to harness all the magic of star-metal in the world.

Sujets

• Science fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Uncial Press
• Date de parution: 16 mars 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781601740076
• Langue: English

Extrait

ZYGRADON
Zygradon Chronicles Book 1
 
By
Michelle L. Levigne
 
 
Uncial Press       Aloha, Oregon 2007
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events describedherein are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously andare not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events,locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirelycoincidental.
 
 
Copyright © 2007 by Michelle L. Levigne
ISBN 13: 978-1-60174-007-6ISBN 10: 1-60174-007-7
 
Cover design by Judith B. Glad
 
All rights reserved. Except for use in review, the reproduction orutilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic,mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbiddenwithout the written permission of the author or publisher.
Published by Uncial Press,an imprint of GCT, Inc.
Visit us at http://www.uncialpress.com
Chapter One
Star-metal fell from the winter sky the night a boy was born in the Stronghold ofthe Queen of Snows.
Le'esha, Queen of Snows, stood on the highest cliff looking out over the ice-flecked Northern Sea. Behind her lay her domain, the Stronghold of the Rey'kil, a raceborn with magic in their blood. Before her, a vision of the future.
She smiled despite her mourning and weariness, when her assistant, Theanacame to her in mixed joy and confusion to bring her the news of the boy's birth. As thewhite mist of a Seeing faded from her green eyes, Le'esha felt the pain and struggle of thecenturies to come. Still, she smiled because a child had been born, new life amidst thepain and loss. Hope had been granted, a possible path and light leading to peace, despitethe war between the barbarian Encindi of the southern continent, and the allied forces ofthe Rey'kil and Noveni.
"M'reena has birthed a boy." Theana had to force her voice above the howl ofthe wind that threatened another bitter storm.
"Yes, I know. A child of portent. Star-metal has fallen out of season. OnMoerta, rather than over the sea."
"We will have more Noveni invading Lygroes, then," the girl sighed, andshrugged in resignation.
"The Encindi have lost more of their land in the latest winter quakes and floods,so they shall try even harder to take Lygroes from us when spring comes."
"Lady, how can you smile? The boy is obviously a portent of disaster. Whatgood is it to destroy the Encindi barbarians if the Noveni and Rey'kil are wiped from theWorld as well?"
"No. Not nearly so grim." Le'esha smiled and pulled her hood back, baring herwhite hair and pale skin to the winter storm's blast.
Nearly a century of serving as visionary to her people and leading them inpartnership with the Rey'kil's High Scholar on the Isle of Wynystrys had turned her hair aswhite as the light from the stars. The power that flowed through her had purified her,like fire purified silver.
"We are the Rey'kil, gifted with power in our blood, made by the Estall toprotect the Noveni from the Encindi. This boy born tonight will find answers and teachstrong minds and put weapons in strong hands. He will guard a king and guide a queenand win an untouchable heart. I have seen a bowl, which shall guard life and tie all theThreads of the World together, and a sword which shall guard the bowl. He will be tiedto both, by blood and spirit and power. He will find the long-sought way to healMoerta from the poison of star-metal."
"But M'reena weeps as she nurses her son," Theana said, pouting just alittle.
"She does well to weep. Illis has died tonight. His soul reached to her as hecrossed over to the Estall's Bliss. The shock of losing him brought on her labor weeksearly."
"Illis?" Theana gasped and staggered a little, as Le'esha had staggered when shefelt the death of one of her favorite warriors. "How? How could anyone kill him? Hecarries more magic than ten Renunciates serving Wynystrys or the Stronghold."
Le'esha closed her eyes against fresh tears. She knew that in some small way, shehad contributed to Illis' death and M'reena's sorrow and loss.
"Word came from High Scholar Breylon and Graddon of Whispering Vale. Theirvisions matched mine. I spoke of it to all my warriors. Before we could devise a plan oreven gauge the danger, Illis demanded the mission. He declared it was his right to travelto Flintan and seek the truth within the Nameless One's fortress." She sighed, took a deepbreath and turned to face the stormy Northern Sea again. "We saw a boy, born thiswinter, who shall hold the power to save the World. And we saw a boy, born thiswinter, who shall walk in a trail of blood and reach to destroy the World. Graddon sawthe trail of blood flow from Flintan and end here, at a cradle that dripped blood."
"M'reena's boy?" Theana shuddered.
"The Nameless One tries to breed himself an heir among the Encindi women. Ason to use the power of the Threads and reclaim the lost shape-shifting magic of theEncindi. Blood magic has destroyed his ability to see and feel the Threads, so he seeks ason to hold that magic in thrall for him."
"What does that have to do with M'reena's boy?"
"M'reena's mother was raped by Encindi. M'reena is a half-blood, strong inmagic. Turning to blood magic destroys more than the ability to see and feel the Threadsthat give us our power. Decades of using blood magic could have made him impotent. Ifhe is unable to breed his own child, and if he knows of M'reena's ancestry, the NamelessOne might try to take her son to raise as his own."
"Illis went to protect his wife and son." Theana nodded. "The Estall bless him." Asob escaped her and she wrapped her cloak tighter around her shoulders against a freshgust of howling wind, as if the very elements roared in mourning for the bravest of theQueen of Snow's warriors. "The Estall comfort M'reena and their son."
"He went to see if the rumors are true, and the Nameless One has a son,"Le'esha added. And I, Estall forgive me, told him of the vision that led him to hisdeath.
* * * *
M'reena smiled proudly when the Queen of Snows came to see her and herson. Her voice was strong and sweet, despite her tears, and she sang lullabies to thenewborn until she fell asleep. Then she died in her sleep. Le'esha found her the nextmorning with the baby cradled in her arms, tears on her cheeks and a faint smile on herlips.
Le'esha named the boy Mrillis, to honor both his parents who gave their lives inthe service of the Estall and Lygroes and all the World.
She was not surprised when, the moment the storm calmed from its roaring andthe sea no longer tossed with ice and foam, Graddon of Whispering Vale appeared at theMist Gates of the Stronghold. The reclusive seer of the Rey'kil needed no testing to enterthe Stronghold. If he wished, he could have passed through the barrier of the Lake of Iceand appeared in Le'esha's inner chambers without anyone realizing he was there. Tohonor the Queen of Snows, he waited until she came to meet him. Together, theywalked in silence through the Mist Gates, up the long, winding stairs through the stonetunnels of the Stronghold, until they came to the nursery.
They stood for nearly an hour in silence, watching the newborn boysleep.
"Which one is he?" she whispered, when the boy's wet-nurse had fallen asleep,and only the soft sighing of their breaths stirred in the tapestry-hung room.
"At this moment of time, he could be both, and he could be neither," the baldseer said in a voice as rocky as his features. Graddon gently brushed a dark curl off thebaby's forehead with one calloused finger. "Many paths lie before him, and the trail ofblood tangles with his trail many times. I cannot see if he walks it or he tries to cleanse it.If he tries to topple the one whose feet are covered in blood or tries to keep that otherone from falling." He sighed, but hope gleamed in his pale green eyes as he turned tomeet her gaze.
"What do you see, then, to bring you here?"
"I see the bowl and sword, as you did. He will be part of their making, and hewill be part of their guarding and their losing and their hiding. They will be so much apart of his blood and soul that his death could destroy them--and their destruction couldkill him. His life lies in our hands. We are the ones who will put him on the path he willwalk. If he is the Child of Blood, then all history will condemn us as much as him for thechoices we make."
"Some among the Noveni would tell us to kill the babe now, and avert thatfuture," she whispered.
"And that is why we tell them so few of our visions, yes?" He chuckled,immediately hushing when the sound of his voice made baby and wet-nurse sigh in theirsleep.
"If he is the Child of Life, then he must live to battle the Child of Blood andDeath."
"Indeed." Graddon lightly ran his fingertips down the length of the boy's bodyand sparks of color danced between flesh and blankets. He caught a plump little fistbetween two fingers. "I had thought to teach him to work metal and wood and clay,when he is older, but these are not the hands to form the bowl, which must come first.Strange." He nodded, put the tiny fist down, and turned to her. "The hands I seek haveyet to be formed. He holds the hands that weave the bowl from power and air andliquid metal. Guard him, sister of my soul. I will come to teach him and any others whowish to learn. You will not see me until that time comes."
Chapter Two
Mrillis grew quickly, as dark, strong and clever as his father had been; as wise,thoughtful and slim as his mother. The Queen of Snows' ladies walked the knife's edge ofspoiling him, exclaiming over his every accomplishment as if no child had ever grown upin the Stronghold. Certainly no child was ever so swift and skillful in learning to feel thefirst stirrings of the imbrose , the foundation of all magic talent. This ability tosense and manipulate the imbrose was the special gift and duty of the Rey'kil,given to them by the Estall when the three races first came to the World.
Le'esha kept the boy busy learning and growi