The Traitor's Tale (6 page)

But she needed to take action to stay that way.

She crossed the nave, her boots crumbling further
with every step. A thick layer of dust covered the floor, and she
glimpsed more cobwebs stretched between the heavy pillars
supporting the ceiling. No other footprints marked the dust. It was
clear that no one had entered this chamber in a long time. Soot
stained the pillars, and here and there Calliande saw piles of
burned wood that had once been furniture.

Had this place caught fire?

She saw the first bones after that.

Three skeletons lay in the dust nearby, clad in
rusted armor, swords and maces lying near their bony hands. She saw
the marks of violence upon their bones. Plainly a battle had been
fought here, long ago, and it had been followed by a fire.

How long had she been lying in this place of
death?

Calliande reached the archway at the far end of the
nave. A skeleton lay slumped against the stairs, clad in the ragged
remnants of a robe.

A white robe.

She remembered the image from her dream, and reached
to touch the bones.

As she did, the blue light brightened, and a specter
appeared on the stairs.

Calliande took a step back in alarm, but the specter
made no move to harm her. It looked like an old man in white robes,
his head encircled by a tangled mane of gray hair, his eyes deep
and heavy and sad.

“Forgive me, mistress,” said the specter.

“You can see me?” said Calliande. “Who are you?”

“Forgive me, for we have failed in our sacred
charge,” said the specter. “The Tower of Vigilance is overrun. The
warring sons of the old king brought their foolish quarrel here,
and the Tower is taken. I wished us to remain neutral, but the
others thought differently…and our Order has paid for it.”

“Answer me!” said Calliande. “Who are you? Why am I
here?”

But the specter kept talking, and Calliande realized
it wasn’t really there. Or, rather, it was not a spirit or a ghost.
Rather, it was a spell, a final message to her.

Left by the man whose bones now lay moldering at her
feet.

“I have no doubt they would kill you simply out of
spite,” said the old man, “and I have my suspicions of the darker
forces behind the strife. But I have activated the defenses of the
vault. Sealed it from the inside.” He took a deep breath. “Only you
can open it.”

“But that means…” said Calliande.

That meant the old man had sealed himself inside the
vault.

And to judge from the skeleton, he never left.

“Do not mourn for me,” said the old man, “for my
course is run. I am wounded unto death.” She saw the spreading
crimson stain across his white robes, and realized that he had been
wounded. “You will be safe here, until you awaken.”

He closed his eyes and shuddered with pain.

“Mistress, I beg, listen to me,” said the old man.
“You were right. You were always right, and I should have listened
to you as a young man. This war between the Pendragon princes…no,
it did not occur on its own. They were manipulated into it.
Mistress, beware.” His voice grew thicker, his breathing harsher.
“The bearer…the bearer of the shadow. You were right about him,
too. This was his doing. Everything has been his doing…and he has
been laboring in the darkness for centuries before Malahan
Pendragon raised the first stone of Tarlion itself. Mistress,
please, beware…he will come for you…he…”

The specter vanished into nothingness.

And the blue glow faded.

With a surge of alarm Calliande realized the glow had
been part of the spell. And now that the spell’s message had been
delivered, the light would fade away.

Leaving her alone in the darkness.

“No!” she said, her voice echoing off the walls.

The blue light faded away a moment later, leaving her
in utter blackness.

Follow this link to continue reading
Frostborn:
The Gray Knight
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4069)
.

***

The Demonsouled Saga

MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK is a wandering knight, fearless in
battle and masterful with a sword.

Yet he has a dark secret. He is Demonsouled, the son
of the ancient and cruel Old Demon, and his tainted blood grants
him superhuman strength and speed. Yet with the power comes
terrible, inhuman rage, and Mazael must struggle to keep the fury
from devouring him.

But he dare not turn aside from the strength of his
blood, for he will need it to face terrible foes.

The priests of the San-keth plot and scheme in the
shadows, pulling lords and kingdoms upon their strings. The serpent
priests desire to overthrow the realms of men and enslave humanity.
Unless Mazael stops them, they shall force all nations to bow
before the serpent god.

The Malrag hordes are coming, vast armies of
terrible, inhuman beasts, filled with a lust for cruelty and
torment. The Malrags care nothing for conquest or treasure, only
slaughter. And the human realms are ripe for the harvest. Only a
warrior of Mazael’s power can hope to defeat them.

The Dominiar Order and the Justiciar Order were once
noble and respected, dedicated to fighting the powers of dark
magic. Now they are corrupt and cynical, and scheme only for power
and glory. They will kill anyone who stands in their way.

To defeat these foes, Mazael will need all the
strength of his Demonsouled blood.

Yet he faces a far more terrible foe.

For centuries the Old Demon has manipulated kings and
lords. Now he shall seize the power of the Demonsouled for himself,
and become the a god of torment and tyranny.

Unless Mazael can stop him.

Read
Demonsouled
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=880) for free.
Mazael's adventures continue in
Soul of
Tyrants
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=911),
Soul
of Serpents
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1287),
Soul of
Dragons
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1727),
Soul
of Sorcery
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1845),
Soul of
Skulls
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2808),
and
Soul of
Swords
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3599),
along with the short stories
The Wandering
Knight
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3073),
The
Tournament Knight
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3677), and
The Dragon's
Shadow
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2635).
Get the first three books bundled together in
Demonsouled
Omnibus One
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4442).

The Ghosts Series

Once CAINA AMALAS was the shy daughter of a minor
nobleman, content to spend her days in her father’s library.

Then sorcery and murder and her mother’s treachery
tore her life apart.

Now she is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, an elite
agent of the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She is
a master of disguise and infiltration, of stealth and the
shadows.

And she will need all those skills to defend the
Empire and stay alive.

Corrupt lords scheme and plot in the shadows,
desiring to pull down the Emperor and rule the Empire for their own
profit and glory. Slave traders lurk on the fringes of the Empire,
ready to seize unwary commoners and sell them into servitude in
distant lands. Yet both slave traders and cruel lords must beware
the Ghosts.

The Magisterium, the Imperial brotherhood of
sorcerers, believe themselves the rightful masters of the Empire.
With their arcane sciences, they plan to overthrow the Empire and
enslave the commoners, ruling all of mankind for their own benefit.
Only the Ghosts stand in the path of their sinister plans.

And the Moroaica, the ancient sorceress of legend and
terror, waits in the shadows, preparing to launch a war upon the
gods themselves. She will make the gods pay for the suffering of
mankind...even if she must destroy the world to do it.

Caina Amalas of the Ghosts opposes these mighty
enemies, but the cost might be more than she can bear.

Read
Child of the
Ghosts
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1057)
for free. Caina's adventures continue in
Ghost in the
Flames
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1265),
Ghost
in the Blood
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1383),
Ghost in the
Storm
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1931),
Ghost
in the Stone
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2520),
Ghost in the
Forge
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3181),
Ghost
in the Ashes
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3932),
Ghost in the
Mask
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4231), and
Ghost
in the Surge
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4637), along with
the short stories
Ghost
Aria
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3243),
Ghost
Claws
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3930),
Ghost
Omens
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4235),
The
Fall of Kyrace
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4258),
Ghost
Thorns
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4639),
Ghost
Undying
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4662),
Ghost
Light
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5653),
and
Ghost
Dagger
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2371).
Get the first three books bundled together in
The Ghosts
Omnibus One
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4484), and get the
first four short stories bundled together in a
World of the
Ghosts Volume One
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5669).

The Ghost Exile Series

Caina Amalas was a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the
spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through her
boldness and cunning saved the Empire and the world from sorcerous
annihilation.

But the victory cost her everything.

Now she is exiled and alone in the city of
Istarinmul, far from her home and friends. Yet a centuries-old
darkness now stirs in Istarinmul, eager to devour the city and the
world itself.

And Caina is the only one that stands in its
way...

Read
Ghost in the
Cowl
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4903),
Ghost
in the Maze
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5090),
Ghost in the
Hunt
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5244), and
Ghost
in the Razor
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5553), along with
the short stories
Ghost
Sword
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4911),
Ghost
Price
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5105),
Ghost
Relics
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5265),
Ghost
Keeper
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5481)
and
Ghost
Nails
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5504).

The Third Soul

RACHAELIS MORULAN is an Initiate of the Conclave, the
powerful order of mighty mages. But to become a full Adept of the
Conclave, she must first survive the Testing. Those who survive the
Testing never speak of the trials they endured.

Those who fail the Testing are never seen again.

And now the Magisters of the Conclave have come to
take Rachaelis to undertake the Testing. And there she shall face
perils to both her body and her sanity.

And creatures that yearn to devour her soul.

If Rachaelis survives the Testing, she will face even
more dangerous foes. The demons of the astral world watch the world
of mortal men, desiring to rule it for themselves.

And some Adepts of the Conclave are eager to help
them.

Read
The
Testing
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1538)
for free. Rachelis's trials continue in
The
Assassins
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1540),
The Blood
Shaman
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1542),
The
High Demon
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1544),
The Burning
Child
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2756),
The
Outlaw Adept
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3341),
The Black
Paladin
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3343),
and
The Tomb of
Baligant
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3345).
Read the entire series in
The Third
Soul Omnibus One
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4021) and
The Third
Soul Omnibus Two
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4061).

The Frostborn Series

A thousand years ago, the last grandson of Arthur
Pendragon led the survivors of Britain through a magical gate to a
new world, a world of magic and high elves, of orcs and kobolds and
stranger, darker creatures. Now the descendants of the exiles rule
a mighty kingdom, peaceful and prosperous under the rule of the
High King.

But a shadow threatens to devour the kingdom.

RIDMARK ARBAN was once a Swordbearer, a knight of
renown. Now he is a branded outcast, stripped of his sword, and
despised as a traitor.

But he alone sees the danger to come. The Frostborn
shall return, and unless they are stopped, they will cover all the
world in ice and a neverending winter.

CALLIANDE awakens in the darkness, her memories gone,
and creatures of terrible power hunting her.