Fate of an Empire (Talurian Empire Trilogy Book 1) (28 page)

A gust of wind
swung the window open, slapping it against the stone wall. Rain poured in, and
lightening brightened the night sky.

“Would someone
close that damn thing, and make sure that it stays shut!” Saris yelled out,
shifting a blanket over his body. 

A house slave
hurried at the order. He reached the opening and, as he pulled the slats back
into position, he did a slight jump.

A figure stood
outside, twenty yards off, swaying amongst the estate’s tree line.

“Sir…” The
Harmite turned his head toward the sitting area, where Saris and Thandril were
enjoying an after-dinner drink. “There is someone outside.”

Thandril got
to his feet and joined the slave by the window.

“Right there…”
The slave frowned. “He
was
right there. I swear it.” The wind blew
through the empty landscape.

“Stupid
slave!” Saris grumbled from his couch.

Thandril scanned
the trees one last time and put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “The shadows of
a storm.”

The slave
nodded, but clearly stifled an argument of what he saw.

“I will be
watchful tonight,” Thandril said, “Go to your quarters. Your service is no
longer required.”

He bowed and
dipped out of the room quickly.

“Don’t put so
much trust in those people,” Saris scoffed.

Thandril
didn’t indulge the General with a response.

As the druid
took his seat, a rumble grew from outside, and a mighty blast of wind ripped
through the same window, throwing the wooden panels into the room.

“What the
hell?” Saris shouted.

Both men leapt
to their feet and hurried to the opening. Rain drenched the flooring. Saris
leaned out the window, peering out into the darkness—nothing. Then, the rumble
came again, followed by another gust of wind, and this time, it threw the men
to the ground.

The air moved
past them, kissing them with a cold bitterness, laced with a ghostly whisper. A
faint voice sounded from far away.

“Get that
thing closed!”

Thandril
obeyed and attached the panels with an urgent quickness, reinforcing it with a
touch of his power. “That should hold, master.”

Saris nodded. “Good.”
He stood rubbing his arms.

“We are
alright,” Thandril said.

“…Of course,
of course.” Saris finally responded.

*
* *

It watched the
two men take their previous spots in the room, before moving. It circled them,
staying hidden from their perception, and glided through an open doorway that
led to the rest of the house. Turn, after turn, it searched and finally found
itself at the door of the babies’ room. There was no noise from within and,
with a frosted breath, the intruder waved the door open.

A creak echoed
through the hallway, calling a slave attendant from her room. She saw the door
ajar and looked in either direction. Without seeing anyone, she moved from her
doorway—the boys would catch a cold if the door was letting in a draft.

She reached
the door and tugged the handle, but it would not budge. While searching with
her fingers for something that was blocking the latch, an icy tingle walked
down her spine. She spun around, but the hallway was still empty. The wind died
for a moment, revealing a faint breathing sound beside her. She couldn’t
move—wouldn’t dare look.

A chill
touched the back of her neck, followed by a deep inhale. Her legs trembled
under her.

“Go…”
The single word whispered in her mind.

She couldn’t.

A low growl
formed and, with a shove, she was knocked forward, bloodying her knees. The
action released her from the paralyzing fear. She scurried to her feet and ran
back to her room, stifling a cry as she went.

The wraith
turned his attention back to the boys’ room. It entered to find two cribs along
the wall, sitting side by side. First, it inspected Aeronais, hovering its hand
over every inch of the infant. The baby’s lip curled, and out came a whimper,
followed by a jerking of his head. The shadow recoiled from the cradle,
disappointed by the rejection.

Then, it
approached Archaos.

The child was
squirming as it came alongside him, but after the same inspection, he calmed
and relaxed under the searching tendrils.

Satisfied with
its choice, the consciousness funneled into the boy.

Archaos’ body
trembled. Small veins bulged with black tar under the translucent, newborn
skin. Flecks of darkness glinted in his glassy eyes. But, soon it was over, and
the outward signs of the intruder dissipated, as it moved deeper and deeper
into the baby’s physical and mental fabric…

…A hand dipped
into the vessel of water, breaking the connection. The vision crept out of
view, as Archaos fell back asleep. 

“And there we
see it.” A hooded figure said, more to himself, than the two men standing next
to him.

They stood
alone in a deep cavern, with barely enough torchlight to see the small table in
front of them. The two men shifted in their tattered clothes, staring intently
at the magical device.

“What now?”
One of the men asked—his hand jittering at his side. “We are at your service,
Master.”

“It will be
some time before I am in need of anyone. For now, I will rest, and wait for the
return of the
true
Master. Plans may have been delayed, but far from
failed.”

He reached out
to each side and grabbed the men by their throats. His eyes burned with a
bright red light. “Soon will come the rise of the Searanei!” With the howled
words, both men blew into ash.

*
* *

“Do we have to
stop?”

Master Orin
smiled. “
So…
it has genuinely intrigued you?”

“Well if this
is all, in fact, true, there is so much more to this story. Those are the
people that Balar misled during the Blood War, right?”

“Correct—the
fallen Tearanei. You remembered. Good. Valen, these events are pivotal in
history. Your history.”

“Why have I
never heard of these people? Or these places we have seen?” Valen stood to his
feet and started to rearrange the furniture back into place. His eyes burned
and he realized how late the night had grown.

Orin collected
his stones and stood to his feet. “Your people are proud and skilled warriors,
but they place little value on the discipline of mind and expansive knowledge.
Many of these stories and ideas I have sprinkled throughout my teaching, during
my tenure at the Academy. But, this level of education I have reserved only for
you.”

Valen’s
demeanor changed. “Why?”

“I will tell
you everything, but for now, I need you to trust me, and know that you are not
ready for that. There is evil in this world, and one day you may have to defend
yourself against this kind of darkness. You have grown up sheltered, in a
sense. Your life here is hard, yet simple, and that might not always be the
case.”

Valen frowned.
“Is something going to happen?”

“I know that
evil always returns, and when it does, we are going to need heroes of a new
generation.”

Orin shook out
his hands and dropped them to his side. “But, for now, I will show, and you
will learn. Be here promptly after your sword drills tomorrow. You must keep up
appearances, new champion.” He clasped the young man’s shoulder. “Things will
have changed in tomorrow’s channeling. Because, like I said, evil always
returns…”

Thank you so
much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this book! It has been a true labor of
love and I was excited to share it with you. As a newly published author, it would
helpful if you would consider leaving an honest review on Amazon. The support
is extremely appreciated!

If you want to
read more from the world of Ethindriil, stay tuned for a novella coming out Spring
2016,
The Demon Seer
. The story takes place between books 1 and 2 of the
Talurian Empire Trilogy and introduces a couple new characters to the series.

For more information
about me, my writings, or to subscribe to my newsletter, head over to
www.jonathanpasquariello.com