Read A Wizard of the White Council Online
Authors: Jonathan Moeller
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Epic, #Dark Fantasy, #Alternative History
A Wizard of the White Council
A WIZARD OF THE WHITE COUNCIL
Jonathan Moeller
Book description
FIND ALASTARIUS ON EARTH
Those four words have driven ARRAN BELPHON through the dark places between the worlds to Earth itself. Somewhere on Earth, he knows, the last Wizard of the White Council is waiting.
And so are the enemies that destroyed his world.
ALLY WESTER finds herself haunted by dreams she cannot remember. She wishes to forget her fast. But her past has not forgotten her, and the darkness yearns to devour her.
THOMAS WYCLIFFE'S ascent is complete, his wealth and power unassailable. The United States, and the world itself, is his for the taking.
Unless the black magic he wields first consumes him.
And the power he has summoned may even destroy the TOWER OF ENDLESS WORLDS...
Other books by the author
The Third Soul Series
Computer Beginner's Guides
The Windows Command Line Beginner's Guide
The Linux Command Line Beginner's Guide
The Ubuntu Desktop Beginner's Guide
The Windows 8 Beginner's Guide
The Linux Mint Beginner's Guide
The Ghosts Series
Ghost Dagger (World of the Ghosts novella)
Ghost Aria (World of the Ghosts short story)
The Demonsouled Series
The Dragon's Shadow (World of the Demonsouled novella)
The Wandering Knight (World of the Demonsouled short story)
The Tower of Endless Worlds Series
$1.99 Dark Fantasy
Copyright 2012 by Jonathan Moeller.
Cover design by Clarissa Yeo.
Ebook edition published June 2012.
All Rights Reserved.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author or publisher, except where permitted by law.
Chapter 1 - The Creature at the Window
Anno Domini 2012
Ally Wester awoke in her dorm room with a scream.
A dream. A nightmare, one she had dreamed before. A man with swords of fire faced down things of shadow in a corridor of stone as Ally ran for her life, her brother Lithon clutched in her arms. Usually the dream ended when the shadow-things ripped apart the man with the burning swords and charged in pursuit of Ally, hissing her name, whispering for her blood…
But this time, something different happened.
The dark man drew a crimson sword that burned with white flame, and he charged through the shadow-things, cutting them down with every step. He fell through a door of stone, vanishing as the shadow-things shrieked their fury. And then…and then…
The memories of the dream faded from her mind.
She looked around her dorm room. It was deserted, save for her possessions. Her roommate of two days was gone, no doubt getting drunk or stoned or both. She heard the distant noise of music and parties, but the room was otherwise silent.
Ally lay back down and tried to get some sleep.
Images of a burning sword flickered through her mind as sleep took her.
###
The night after her strange dream, Ally dug through the side pocket of her backpack, fumbling for her keycard. Mosquitoes buzzed around the lights illuminating the dormitory’s front door. One landed on her neck, and she flicked it away with annoyed grunt. At last her fingers found the card, and she grinned in triumph, pulled it out, and swiped it through the lock.
It beeped, but nothing else happened.
Ally squinted at the little green digital readout on the lock. “Card failure? What does that mean?” She swiped the card again.
The lock beeped, flashed red, and then went dark.
Ally groaned. Why couldn’t the dorm’s front door use a good old-fashioned metal key? Those didn’t fritz out every time the power flickered. One week of college behind her and she had already been locked out of her dorm twice. She shoved her keycard into her jeans pocket and left, making for the dorm’s side door.
The August night hung hot and muggy over the campus, and a light sheen of sweat glistened on Ally’s brow as she walked. Despite the heat and the darkness, the campus bustled with activity. Students stood in the doorways and around the lampposts, laughing and smoking. A tall man in a leather jacket swaggered past, each of his arms around a young woman.
She blinked. For a moment she had the memory of a huge man in a leather jacket, red light glimmering behind his dark glasses. Fear filled her at the recollection, and then she pushed it away. She had never seen anyone like that. She just had an overactive imagination. Maybe she should follow in Katrina’s footsteps and write a book.
Thankfully, the card swipe on the side door worked and Ally let herself inside. She climbed the steps to the fifth floor.
The smell of microwave popcorn, ubiquitous to college dormitories, hung in the air and mingled with the scent of perfume, air fresheners, and aromatic candles. Doors lined both walls of the hallway, covered in a variety of posters or various forms of handmade art. Other doors stood open, and Ally saw girls sitting on the beds and chairs, talking, arguing, or checking Facebook on their phones. Quite a few had male visitors.
“Hey, Ally.” Kelly McBrian, the floor’s RA, leaned in her doorway. She stood barefoot, wearing a white V-neck t-shirt and a short black skirt that displayed both her legs and cleavage to good effect. “You’re in late.”
Ally shrugged. “Late? It’s only eleven.”
Kelly grinned, exposing brilliant white teeth. “For you, that is.”
Ally laughed. “Tomorrow’s Saturday. I can sleep in. I don’t have to be at work until two.”
Kelly nodded. “That must be nice. Listen, I have to tell you something.”
Ally frowned. “What is it?”
“Your roommate.”
Ally scowled. “Lucy?” Even after one week, her wild roommate had been a constant vexation.
“Yeah. She left.”
Ally blinked. “How come?”
Kelly laughed. “I thought she was a cokehead. Turns out I was right. Her rich daddy caught her snorting in the back seat of his Mercedes with a couple of guys. All three of them were naked.”
“Wow,” said Ally.
Kelly laughed again. “Sure knew how to go out with a bang, didn’t she?”
“I’ll say,” said Ally.
“Or with a banging,” said Kelly. She laughed at her own joke. “So, it looks like you get your room to yourself. Unless you want another roommate? You can sign up if you want.”
“Nah,” said Ally. “Some peace and quiet would be nice.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “In a dorm full of freshmen? Not going to happen.” She grinned. “At least when you bring your boyfriend up, you can have some privacy, right?”
“Yeah,” said Ally. “Boyfriend.” That part was unlikely. She simply had too much work to do. And she had to admit that most of the men in her age group, by and large, were simply not that attractive.
“Hey, Kelly!” A male student in a T-shirt and a pair of ragged jeans shorts swaggered into sight. “Haven’t seen you all summer!”
Kelly shot him a grin. “Hey, Luke.” She turned to Ally. “Gotta run. If you change your mind about the roommate, let me know, okay?”
Ally nodded. “Okay.” She walked down the five doors to her room, dug out her keys, and unlocked the door. At least the school didn’t use the keycards for individual room locks. Ally would wind up sleeping in the hallway .
She flipped on the light and blinked. Lucy’s dresser stood bare, the drawers hanging open. Ally peered into the cramped little closet, and saw that Lucy’s clothes had been cleared out. The room looked bare without Lucy’s myriad possessions.
Ally didn’t mind.
She dumped her backpack on her bed and dropped into her chair with a sigh. She had bought the overstuffed black leather chair at a garage sale for eleven bucks after she had gotten back from Europe. It smelled a bit of mildew, but regular sprayings with air freshener took care of that. Ally considered changing into some nice clothes and going out to meet people, but decided against it. She wanted to sleep.
Her iPhone rang.
Ally sighed and pulled it out of her pocket. “Hello?”
“Well, you’re up late. Shouldn’t you be in bed by now?”
Ally rolled her eyes. “Dad. It’s only eleven.”
“Twelve past eleven,” said Simon.
“Big difference,” said Ally.
“So how was your first week?” said Simon.
“All right, I guess,” said Ally. “Remember what you said about my roommate?”
Simon grunted. “Oh, yes. Little rich girl. The one who showed up and started complaining about closet space?”
“That’s her,” said Ally. “She left school.”
Simon snorted. “I figured that would happen sooner or later.”
“Just not so soon, right?” said Ally. “Apparently her dad caught her snorting something in the back seat of his car.”
“Not surprised,” said Simon.
“Naked.”
“Well…”
“With two other guys. Also naked,” said Ally.
There was a pause. “I admit, that caught me off guard. Two guys? Glad she left, then. She would have been a bad influence on you.”
Ally laughed. “Should I bring home a guy, then?”
“Well, grandchildren might be nice,” said Simon.
“Dad,” said Ally, irritated.
“Yeah, okay,” said Simon. “Wait until you graduate, anyway.”
Ally grinned. “Well, if you want grandchildren that bad…there are a lot of really lonely guys wandering around tonight.”
“Hell no,” said Simon. “Grandchildren. God, I can’t believe I just said that. I’m not that old.”
Ally snickered. “You’re getting up there.”
Simon grumbled. “Don’t remind me.” Someone said something in the background. “Mom says hello.” He paused again. “She also says that if any…um…fool guy gives you trouble, you should break bones until he leaves you alone.”
Ally laughed. “Will do. Is Lithon still up?"
Simon snorted. “No. He has a baseball game in the morning. And I have to get up and drive him there.”
“That’s awful,” said Ally. “I’ll remember that in the morning when I roll over and go back to sleep.”
“You’re as bad as Katrina,” said Simon. “Okay. Listen…is there anything you need? I have to stop in tomorrow anyway…”
Ally laughed. “Dad, I’ll be fine. You work here, remember? You can stop by any time you want. And I’ll see Mom at work tomorrow anyway.”
“Yeah,” said Simon. “Um…Ally. If you see anything…weird, or if something comes up that you can’t handle, be sure to call me or your mom right away.”
“Weird?” said Ally. “What do you mean, weird? UFO landing or something like that?”
“Well…you know, just weird,” said Simon. “I should let you go now. Sleep well, whenever you get around to it.”
“Okay,” said Ally. “Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, kid,” said Simon. “Bye.”
Ally hung up and looked over the half-empty dorm room. A wave of loneliness tugged at her. She had spent very little time away from her family. And she knew her close-knit family was a blessing, after she had seen the miserable home life of Mary and others. And she missed Lithon. She still felt responsible for him. But Katrina and Simon could look after him. Yet she still felt the need to watch him, as if someone had handed him into her care long ago…
For an instant she remembered a lean old man, a pair of swords at his belt and a crying child in his arms. An arched gallery of red stone stood high over them…
Ally shook the image away. “Overactive imagination. I need some sleep.” She got up, opened the windows, and closed the curtains. Fresh air blew through the room, but did not alleviate the heat. The dorms had no air conditioning. The University of Constantina had a new $30 million football practice field, but the dorms had no air conditioning Ally shut off the light and stripped down to her underwear. She climbed under her blanket, listened to the faint sound of talking voices rising from the ground below, and soon fell asleep.
###
Something tapped at the window.
The dorm room lay dark and quiet around Ally. She rolled over, pawed at her iPhone, saw that it was three in the morning. She sighed and pulled the blanket closer, snuggling against the bed. The humidity had abated somewhat, and the sheets, warmed with her body heat, felt good against her bare skin.
The tapping came again, louder.
Ally levered herself up on one elbow. She was on the fifth floor, so it seemed unlikely that someone was trying to break in through the window? Had a bird perched on the windowsill? She climbed out of bed, walked to the window, and pushed the curtain aside.
A scream rose in her throat.
A hideous face pressed against the screen, bits of leathery gray flesh bulging through the mesh. Red eyes burned like livid coals, and crooked fangs bulged over its lips. Long pointed ears rose over its head, framed by greasy black hair. The creature snarled and pushed harder against the screen.
Ally stumbled back, her arms rising to cover herself, stark terror seizing her. The monster was going to break the screen. It would crawl through the window and it would be in here with her…
Then brilliant white light flashed.
The monster at the screen wailed and fell, and Ally heard a bone-crunching thump. She inched back to the window and peered out, and caught a glimpse of a misshapen thing fleeing into the bushes. A ragged man in a dirty camouflage jacket stood on the sidewalk, a steel-headed cane in his hand. He looked up at her, dark eyes gleaming beneath a shock of greasy gray hair, and gestured with his left hand.
A wave of fatigue swept through Ally.
She turned, staggered back into her bed, and soon fell asleep.
###
Ally blinked, sunlight seeping around the edges of the curtains. She sat up, pushing her hair from her face. She heard birds chirping through the window.
The window…
Ally remembered. “Oh, God.” She jumped out of bed, her feet rubbing against the thin blue carpet. She stared at the window for a long moment. Then she pushed the curtain aside and looked outside.
The sidewalk was empty, the morning sunlight casting long shadows over the pavement. Ally’s eyes darted back and forth. She saw no sign of the nightmarish beast or the strange old man with a cane.
Ally closed her eyes. “Just a dream.” Maybe Mary was right about the nightmares. Maybe she should see someone about them.
Like that would go well.
A wolf whistle cut into her ears, and Ally’s eyes popped open. A male student in cargo shorts and a Bulls jersey had come around the corner and stood grinning up at her. What was he smiling at?
She looked down at herself and remembered that she had worn her underwear to bed.
Ally shrieked and pushed the curtain shut, heat flushing into her cheeks. She pushed the curtain open a crack and peered outside. The student had gone on his way, no doubt with an amusing story to tell his friends.
Maybe she really should see someone about the dreams. If this kept up, she would wind up running naked across the football field.
“Just dreams,” muttered Ally, digging through her dresser.
She wanted a shower.
###
Ally pushed open the door and looked down the hallway. It stood empty and quiet, the fluorescent lights casting faint shadows along the walls. She tucked the thick envelope under her arm and started down the hall, reading the nameplates on the door. “Dr. Wester, Dr. Wester…”
She spotted Simon’s office door towards the end of the hall. Brass letters gleamed on an impressive-looking black plaque, and Ally rolled her eyes and knocked. “Dad? I got copies of those scholarship forms you wanted.” No one answered, and Ally knocked again. “Dad?” He usually went to school by eight on Saturday mornings, but perhaps he and Katrina had gone out to breakfast. She slid the envelope under the door and turned to leave.
“Pardon, young lady, but can I help you? You seem lost.”
An elderly woman leaned against the wall a few doors down. She wore jeans, a white blouse, a leather vest, and hiking boots that looked as if they had seen many thousands of miles. A thick gray braid hung over her shoulder.