The Sorcerer's Destiny (The Sorcerer's Path) (54 page)

Sharrellan stopped the irate young man. “Daebian, you have something that belongs to me.”

Daebian faced the goddess and looked as though he was going to defy her. With an annoyed sigh, he pulled the blade from its sheath and held it out. Sharrellan clasped her hand over his and smiled when Daebian was reluctant to release it. He finally loosened his fingers enough for Sharrellan to slip it from his hand. As the hilt slid through his fingers, he felt the soul stone come loose. With the deftness of a master pickpocket, he slipped the stone into his pocket, never taking his eyes from the goddess’ smiling face.

“Now I need a horse and a sword!” Daebian spun, stalked over to the young King, and shoved him hard enough to knock him to the ground. “This is a nice one.”

Several Blackguards drew blades and charged. Daebian grabbed the wrist of the first one to strike, gave it a twist, took his sword, and shattered his nose with the pommel. “Thank you.”

“Let him go!” Miles shouted as he regained his feet. His elite bodyguards ceased their attack but held their swords at the ready.

Daebian leapt into the saddle and smiled at the King. “This place is a wreck. I hope you get it cleaned up. I might like to conquer it someday.” He looked once more to Azerick and held out his hand. “Pirates never work for free, Father.”

Azerick shook his head as he dug into the pocket of his tattered cloak and retrieved a single gold coin. Daebian took the token and slipped it into his pocket with a smile.

“I’m starting to get quite a collection of these.”

“Daebian, wait!” Ellyssa called out. “Take me with you.”

“Ellyssa, please don’t.” Azerick begged.

Ellyssa looked at Azerick and Miranda and wiped the tears from her face. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing here for me anymore. I need to get as far away from all this as I can.”

Daebian reached down and lifted Ellyssa onto the horse’s rump. “When you all start erecting statues to my father and brother and all those you want to portray as the saviors of the world, I hope you have the decency to at least remember that it was I, Daebian the pirate king, who was responsible for defeating the fallen gods.”

“You’re actions were extraordinary, Daebian, and we cannot thank you enough,” Solarian said.

“You’re right,
you
can’t.” He looked at the three gods and made a show of taking count. “There appears to be one of you missing. ‘Daebian, god of the sea’ has a rather nice ring to it. Too soon? Think on it.”

Neither he nor Ellyssa looked back as they galloped down the hill toward the wreckage of one of his flying ships. Men were gathered around looking bewildered or picked through the destruction in search of their fellow crewmen.

Tobias!” His first mate shouted and waved from atop the pile of timbers. “Oh good, you’re still alive. Round up what’s left of our crew and find some horses. It’s a long damned way to the ocean.”

“Aye, sir!”

“Where’s Eva?”

“Sorry, sir, she didn’t make it.”

Daebian turned to look at Ellyssa. “Well, that avoids a potentially awkward situation.”

Miranda watched her son ride away without a backward glance, leaving an aching void of loneliness in her heart for the second time. “Daebian!”

“Let him go,” Sharrellan said. “You all have far greater things to worry about.”

“Like what?”

“Like what happens when he gets bored playing pirate. Azerick, it is time to go.”

“One more moment, please.” Azerick took the arcanum door handle from his pocket and gave it to Raijaun. “This will open a door to the old tower. You need someplace safe away from anyone whose fear and lack of understanding might cause them to act foolishly. I think Ancalon will appreciate the company, and so will Tarth. They are very much your family as well.”

“Thank you, Father. No matter what Daebian says, I know you love us both and did your best.”

Azerick hugged his son and wife once more. “Say goodbye to Sandy for me. And someone go find Wolf and make sure he’s okay. I doubt he let the ravagers catch him.”

“I will, Father.”

Sharrellan opened a doorway to the abyss. Azerick looked out across the battlefield at the fighting, death, and ruin stretching to the horizon and beyond. He could only shake his head and sigh before stepping through the portal.

EPILOGUE

Azerick emerged onto the red, rocky surface of the Fifth Circle of the abyss and felt the tension of the past several years drain away into the ground. He attributed it to finally ending the war and knowing his family and the people of his world were safe, but another part, a part he tried hard not to recognize, simply felt as if he had returned home.

The great, onyx fortress stood before him, nearly covering the wide expanse of the horizon. It looked much as he remembered, but there was some damage evident from what must have been a titanic battle. Colossal black stones the size of small houses lay scattered across the ground, some of them hundreds of yards away.

As Azerick approached the tall doors, the two insectoid demon sentries crossed their spears. Azerick came to a stop just a few feet from them and stood patiently. The demons exchanged looks, uncrossed their spears, and the doors opened with a silent command.

The sorcerer strode down the gloomy hall without hesitation, passing numerous demons that immediately ceased their chattering and activities and silently watched him pass. Azerick felt the tension of his presence, but not a single creature sought to challenge him as he navigated the halls and fearlessly entered the vast throne room.

Occupying the throne was a demon similar in form to a succubus only she was nearly as tall as Klaraxis was, her horns shorter and slenderer, and her flesh was an iridescent azure. She relaxed upon the throne of bones and ebony soul stone striking a seductive yet amused pose.

“Normally, I would have any unwelcome intruder eviscerated on the spot, but your presence and my minions’ reaction to you intrigues me. It is lucky for you I am extremely bored. The gods denied me the pleasure of participating in their grand battle, and I would enjoy hearing its accounts. You will entertain me with the details before I slowly strip the flesh from your bones and dine upon your pleas for an end to your tortures for your trespass.”

“Who are you?” Azerick asked tonelessly.

“Your question reeks of presumptuousness, but I shall tell you so that you may know the full terror of what you face. I am Morta’sha, Demon Princess of the abyss and master of the Fifth Circle!” the demon lord grandly proclaimed.

“Morta’sha, we seem to have a small problem.”

A wry grin curled the corners of her seductive mouth to reveal rows of fang-like teeth. “What problem would that be?”

“You are in my chair.”

Azerick thrust his staff at Morta’sha and struck her with a twisting ray of black and silver power. The beam hurled her from the throne and pinned her to the wall. The demon lord wailed in agony as the amalgamated magic incinerated her flesh until she was nothing but a spot on the wall and a small pile ash on the floor. Azerick climbed the steps of the dais and took his rightful place on the throne. The great chair dwarfed his human body and he shifted about uncomfortably. He focused his will and took on Klaraxis’ natural form.

Azerick sighed contentedly. “Ah, that’s better.”

THE END

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

I hope you enjoyed this tale and will try my other works. Feel free to look me up on Facebook! You can also check me out on my
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PLEASE REVIEW MY BOOKS
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The Sorcerer’s Path
is an epic fantasy series.

The Sorcerer’s Ascension
:
Torn from a life of comfort and luxury, his family destroyed by political intrigues and aspirations, a young boy must quickly grow into a man before the deadly streets of Southport devour him. Follow Azerick through a page-turning adventure that pits him against thieves, thugs, murderers, and men of power that will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.              
Azerick must fight just to survive, but for him survival is not enough. A hunger to avenge the wrongs committed against him burns deep within. But that is not all that lies within the young man. There is a power waiting to be unleashed that may be the key to achieving the justice and security he seeks--if it does not destroy him first.

The Sorcerer’s Torment:
Azerick flees The Academy but quickly falls prey to powerful beings that use his skills and power for their own amusement. What these creatures do not understand is the power of the young sorcerer's will and the lengths he will go to for vengeance. Despite becoming a prisoner, Azerick finds his first true love, but can he keep it?

The Sorcerer’s Legacy:
Azerick has found himself a home and tries to settle down. He takes on an apprentice and tries to put all the death and desire for vengeance behind him. But when the Rook finds him, Azerick is once again pulled back into Ulric's schemes. Knowing that all he has worked toward and everyone close to him is in danger as long as these schemes are ongoing; Azerick decides to put an end to it, once and for all.

The Sorcerer’s Vengeance:
After narrowly avoiding being killed in his own bed by the land’s most feared assassin, Azerick leaves his school behind to find out who sent him and to put an end to the threat once and for all. Azerick’s search will take him to the very pits of the abyss and back to unleash hellish fury upon those that threaten him.

The Sorcerer’s Scourge:
With the siege broken and Ulric dead, Azerick can finally relax, study his magic, and run his school in peace. Unfortunately, Jarvin’s reign is far from uncontested and the true usurper decides to make his move. Jarvin escapes with help from an unlikely source—a vampire named Landrin who still clings tenaciously to his own humanity. While Azerick and a large force from North Haven race to save the King in exile, evil forces are preparing to unleash a nightmare upon the kingdom that may well destroy them all.

The Sorcerer’s Abyss:
Now the master of the Fifth Circle of the abyss, Azerick is challenged by another demon lord for supremacy. Azerick must face this threat as well as his innermost demons, all the while searching for a way to escape his hellish prison.

Ellyssa fears she is going insane as she plagued by nightmares of her capture and enslavement. Deciding the key to saving herself lies in the total destruction of the object of her fears, she embarks on a crusade to find and kill the slaver, Captain Jake, and eradicate the slave trade.

Ellyssa's nightmares and battles spill out onto the streets of North Haven and gains the attention of The Academy. Fearing Azerick's school is turning out rogue wizards, The Academy decides to hunt down and destroy the rogue and place the school within their control.

The Sorcerer’s Return:
Azerick has come back from the abyss in order to try and unite all the races against the return of the old gods who seek to destroy them and subjugate the few they allow to survive a brutal purging. However, fighting ancient gods may be the least of his troubles as he battles to save a fractured kingdom, a brilliant son traveling a dark path, and the splintered soul of his own humanity.

Shrouds of Darkness
is a modern day vampire tale. Leo Malone has been a vampire for the better part of the twentieth century. Once a prominent Sherriff (vampire cop), he now earns his living as a private eye and occasional bodyguard for anyone that requires some serious protection. Leo is hired by the daughter of a mob accountant who has gone missing.

The fact that her father is also a werewolf has Leo following a trail of grisly murders that will lead him through a web of intrigue and conspiracy involving his fellow vampires and the local werewolves that make New York their home, all the while trying to keep one particularly determined cop off his back and himself out of jail. Leo is not some pretty-boy vampire that all the girls ogle over, but a hard-eyed, remorseless killing machine who does not take crap from anyone.
IF YOU READ THIS, PLEASE REVIEW IT.
I cannot endorse this book enough. It was an absolute joy to write and I still giggle when I read it. I challenge you not to laugh at many of Leo’s constant snide remarks and smart-assed comments.

The Portal
is a fun and exciting story of some less than popular teenagers that accidentally open a portal to a mystical land during one of their role-playing games. Drew, a dour and anti-establishment teenager, is pulled through and captured by evil creatures lying in wait on the other side. Now it is up to his friends and older brother to rescue him, but who will rescue Drew’s captors from him?