Heir to the Sundered Crown (The Sundered Crown Saga) Read online

  Heir to the Sundered Crown

  (Book One of the Sundered Crown Saga)

  BY

  M.S OLNEY

  msolneyauthor.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

  Copyright © 2014 Matthew Olney. All rights reserved. Including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author.

  ISBN-. 978-1-291-89291-8

  ‘He who wears the Sundered Crown holds the fate of the world in his hands’ – King Riis 1st on the eve of his coronation.

  Cover art by Phil Barnes

  Cast of Characters

  Luxon Edioz – Mage Davik – King’s Bodyguard

  Yepert Yarp – Mage Grig – Peddlar/healer

  Alira Nightshade – Farm girl Huin - Peddlar

  Hannah Everlen – Healer Woven - Ranger

  Welsly Darkin – Nightblade Grandir – Knight

  Ri’ges –Master Mage

  Accadus Retbit – Mage/son of Retbit

  Thanos Broadlight - Archmage

  Kaiden - Knight

  Ferran BlackMoor - Nightblade

  Sophia Cunning – Witch hunter

  Cliria - Witch

  Danon – Dark wizard

  Baron of Retbit -Baron

  Lido Mountainburg - Baron

  Rason Igis - General

  Prologue

  Lightning lit up the sky and thunder battered the senses of the watchmen. All night they had guarded the palace’s great gate with the storm raging all around them. For hours the elements had illuminated the sky in a cacophony of light. For most of their shift the guardsmen had huddled in the limited shelter of a small guardhouse.

  “Here, Jonas, who would be out here on a night like this?” the guard captain muttered to his fellow watchman. A stooped figure was shuffling along the road; the heavy rain obscuring the vision of the guards.

  Jonas was a boy of no more than seventeen who had just joined the guards division and was in training to join the King’s Legion proper. He leaned out of the side of the guard station to take a look at the figure.

  “They must be ruddy mad to be out in weather like this, the poor bugger must be soaked right through”. He took a step out into the road and moved towards the shuffling person. As he approached he could hear a strange sniffling sound. It sounded as if the figure was crying. It was a woman Jonas realised.

  “Here Cody, come here, I think this woman’s hurt.” He called to his colleague.

  “Captain Cody to you son” the grizzled Legion captain growled irritably as he stepped in front of the hunched woman. He gestured impatiently for his inferior to halt the woman who seemed determined to shuffle straight past them and through the gate.

  “Here love, are you okay? You’ll catch your death if you stay out in this weather much longer” Jonas said ignoring the pompous captain.

  Jonas reached for the woman’s arm. Instantly the stooped figure stopped before rising from her hunched position to a straight-backed one.

  With an eerie silence captain Cody watched in terror as the woman grabbed Jonas chainmail covered arm to wrench the terrified lad to the ground. Instantly she was on him, a dagger in hand, slashing and hacking at the boys head and neck.

  Seconds later the now blood soaked woman stood and held the guards severed head in her hand. Her robe had slid off revealing a taught naked body, the rain washing across her flesh cleansing the young guard’s blood into the road.

  She turned her head and stared at Cody, a manic look in her eyes.

  Cody stood and watched, paralysed in fear as she advanced on him, he staggered backward desperately trying to unsheathe his sword. With startling speed the woman came at him, with one savage swipe of her dagger captain Cody joined his comrade in the underworld.

  The woman turned to look out over the city. The city of Sunguard’s lights looked liked a vast sea of fireflies in the night, the effect dampened by the heavy rain. Occasionally bright forks of lightning would flash in the distant horizon making the night as bright as day.

  The plateau was impregnable to any army willing to directly assault it. The long-winding road that led to the plateaus peak and to the palace in the centre was defended by a number of guard towers and defensive kill zones. The steep sides and formidable man-made defences ensured the King’s palace would be able to fend off any enemies. Any enemies save one…

  She walked to the guardhouse taking a flaming torch off of the wall and with a smile walked to the edge of the winding road and waved the torch three times.

  It was the signal for the Crimson Blades….

  *

  Elena cradled the gurgling baby in her arms. The little prince was restless tonight; the storm had kept him awake all night so far. Or was it something else? She wondered. She had felt uneasy this night and yet she had no reason to be. It was a night like any other, aside from the vicious storm battering the palace. The Gods were angry this night.

  She shook her head and chided herself; “There’s nothing to fear my little prince. It’s just the weather keeping you up, nothing more,’ she said soothingly, in part to calm the baby and partly to make her-self feel better.

  The nursery was a large bright room lit by candles and painted in soothing pastel colours. Pictures of dogs, cats and a cute black bear adorned the walls. It was a peaceful place.

  Elena had been the nanny to the baby prince since he was born six months ago, and was chosen from a number of prestige’s candidates. She had felt great pleasure beating the rival girls to the job, and was immensely proud of her position. Above all, she had learnt to love the baby as though he was her own. She would do anything for him; even give her life if needed. Little did she know that tonight she would have to put her commitment to the test. Elena eventually got the baby off to sleep, returning to her own bed which was next door to the nursery.

  The wind was howling outside, and the rumble of thunder added to the sense unease she felt.

  She took her ivory brush and began brushing her hair, a habit from her child hood. It was something she did to ease her worries. The nagging feeling remained, like an itch you cannot scratch. She stood up after several minutes to pace her room.

  “This is silly!” she muttered to herself.

  The sound of running feet stopped her pacing. The footsteps were drawing closer to the nursery, ‘Who’d be running around the palace at this time of night’, she wondered.

  She ran to her bed and felt under the pillow. The hilt of the silver dagger her father had given her gave her comfort as she picked it up. She drew the blade, moving quickly to the nursery.

  The running footsteps were outside the door.

  The Nursery door was kicked in with a loud crash, waking the baby prince. In the doorway stood Commander Davik the head of the King’s guard. In his Gold and Black plate armour he looked like a hero from the old stories.

  “Elena, thank Niveren you’re safe,” he breathed in relief.

  “What has happened my lord, why are you dressed for battle?” she questioned clutching the dagger tightly to her chest.

  “There’s not much time Elena, we have to get you and the
prince to safety, the palace is under attack!” He replied hastily, all the while grabbing a travel bag off of the nursery wall.

  *

  The King and Queen were the first targets to die. After their guards had all been silently dispatched the assassins entered the royal bedchamber. There their victims lay soundly asleep.

  Two quick cuts with their blades and the heads of the kingdom were dead.

  In other rooms around the palace and in locations all over the kingdom, similar murders were taking place. The Diasect had failed to warn the King and with that failure the royal family of Delfinnia was eliminated.

  The princes Drayson and Ryiar were brutally murdered as they tried to flee their beds. The two young princesses were strangled in their sleep.

  “Pack what you need for a journey; the prince must leave the palace! With the king removed the kingdom will fall into chaos,” Davik shoute,d urgency clear in his voice.

  Elena wasted no time; she raced into her room and quickly dressed herself in a loose blouse and trousers before putting on her travel boots. She grabbed the baby’s essentials before finally reaching into the crib and picking up the squealing prince.

  She looked to the doorway; Davik was blocking the entrance, sword in hand a look of fierce determination on his face.

  Down the long passageway the palace’s attackers were moving room-to-room slaughtering the groggy residents. The assassins saw Davik and hastened towards him.

  “You must flee my lady, stop for no-one and nothing. The prince must live! I will hold these bastards as long as I can, now go”

  Davik stepped out of the doorway to advance down the passageway, roaring a challenge as he went.

  Elena ran with the baby in her arms as fast as she could, tears streaming down her face as all she had known was destroyed.

  ***

  1.

  Three Years later....

  Word had spread like wildfire through Caldaria, the last majestic city of the mages in Delfinnia. Excited crowds ran through the streets cheering, peddlers made sure to put out their most precious stock and the city’s crystalline buildings were decorated in a plethora of dazzlingly colourful banners. Street magicians competed to the joy of the watching audiences, puffs of purple smoke, flashes of flame and lightning amazed and stupefied.

  The news of the Baron of Balnor’s rout at the Golden hills had been warmly welcomed by the citizens of the West, a people whose loyalties remained strong to the Privy Council of nobles that had assumed power upon the murder of the royal family. The War of the six claimants was deep into its third bloody year and any victory was celebrated.

  Trying to make his way through the bustling throng was a young lad named Luxon. He pushed and squeezed, dodged and dived until he could get clear and take a few hurried steps further towards his destination.

  He glanced up at the huge clock tower dominating the city’s plaza and gulped as he realised that time had once again betrayed him. It was a few minutes off of ten bells; no way would he make it this time. He flicked his sandy hair from his eyes frantically looking for a passageway through the sea of people.

  He narrowed his eyes, holding an arm up to shield them from the bright warm sun. Across the Plaza he could see his rival Accadus smiling cruelly and shaking his head tauntingly. Luxon swore loudly thumping his hand against the stone ledge he was standing against. The sot was going to beat him again and no doubt would land him in more hot water with Master Ri’ges.

  No, he wouldn’t get another thrashing from the old mage, not today.

  He thought desperately.

  Wagons, horses, cattle and of course the mass of humanity all barred his way through the plaza and to his destination at the school. He racked his mind for anything useful and laughed out loud at his foolishness.

  ‘Of course!’ he exclaimed loudly, causing some in the great crowd to turn to look inquisitively in his direction. Deftly Luxon climbed up onto the stony ledge just above him and hauled himself upwards, a move that caused more people in the thronging crowd to pay him some attention. He sat down and removed his velvet shoes and cotton socks, the warm air feeling good against his bare toes.

  The fourteen year old clapped his sweating palms together, licked his lips and waggled his toes. ‘Ok here goes’ he mumbled to no one in particular. He took a deep breath remembering what he had read in the fifth volume of ‘the wizard’s craft’, a text that he had managed to smuggle out of the Great library only two days previously. Closing his eyes and remembering what the tome had said he focused his mind, a tickling sensation passed through his body, sliding rapidly to his feet. He picked up his discarded shoes and tucked them into one of the pockets of his blue cloak. A swirling of air focused itself underneath his bare soles and then tentatively he stepped off of the ledge.

  The surprised gasps of the surrounding onlookers and the fact that he had not fallen caused him to open his eyes. He almost laughed with delight. He’d done it! He’d actually managed to successfully cast a levitation spell. He flapped his arms like some newly fledged bird when he felt himself on the verge of falling; quickly he narrowed his eyes and deepened his concentration. Through half lidded eyes he sought out the opposite end of the plaza and slowly but surely made his way towards it. The crowd by now had stopped what they were doing to gawp at the lanky boy floating above their heads. Men and women stood slack-jawed at the sight whilst children laughed and pointed. A caravaner almost crashed his mule and cart as he failed to notice a wall.

  After a few moments Luxon felt sweat trickle down his brow and his limbs begin to feel rubbery. He picked up the pace, making it across the crowd and to the archway leading to the school. Tiredness crept into every inch of his body, threatening to overwhelm him. Finally it became too much, and the swirling wind under his feet began to peeter out of existence.

  ‘Not good!’ Luxon thought, desperately looking around for another ledge to cling onto or a soft place to fall. He grit his teeth focusing even harder than before, every ounce of power within him he put into the levitation spell. He made three more steps before a wave of blackness blurred his vision; the archway to the school was right below him. He fell as his vision faded. A woman in the crowd screamed

  *

  Luxon groggily opened his eyes to find himself in a large four poster bed. Four thick feather filled pillows supported his head and the quilt he was tucked into was thick with sheep’s wool. A single candle lit the room casting shadows upon several paintings adorning the walls. One he recognised was a portrait of Zahnia the Great, the wizard’s long white hair and thick beard billowing in a mighty wind, in his left hand was his staff Erdasol and in his right was the legendary sword Asphodel. The long blade emblazoned with light and the staff living up to its name of the Earths Fire. Luxon slowly sat up, instantly regretting his decision to do so as a wave of nausea threatened to make him vomit.

  “You’re not Zahnia just yet,” a chuckling voice spoke from the darkness. ‘Although saying that, a lad just shy of fifteen summers being able to control a spell of the upper ring is certainly impressive.”

  Luxon slumped back miserably onto the pillows; another wave of dizziness causing the room to spin.

  “M-master Ri’ges?” he asked already knowing the answer.

  The elderly tutor rose from his high backed chair and stepped into the candle light. His wrinkled face was covered in liver spots, his gray hair was long and straggly and only the small pair of spectacles perched upon a hook like nose hinted that he was an intellectual, and not some scruffy beggar from off of the street. He had taught Luxon and the other boys and girls for over a two years in the school of the lower ring and rightly had a reputation for his tough style of educating. On More than one occasion Luxon had received whacks with the rod, either because of his wild curiosity, or because Accadus had baited him.

  Ri’ges sat at the end of the bed smiling, an expression that took Luxon by surprise. He’d been expecting his teacher to raise fury at his latest stunt, not sit at his bedside with a
smile.

  “What happened?” He asked as he once more tried to sit up. The dizziness came again, but it was not as bad as before.

  Ri’ges removed his spectacles and wiped them on his long gray robe.

  “You fell’ he replied simply. ‘Luckily I saw the whole thing and was able to catch you with a telekinetic spell before you cracked your head open like a grapefruit. The reason you feel so nauseous is no doubt due to you over exerting your mind to keep the levitation spell intact, A spell mind you that one as young as you should never have attempted.” The old master stood and stretched his back. “One as young as you in theory should not even have been able to have gotten the spell to work at all...which is troubling.”

  “I’m sorry Master” Luxon said miserably. ‘I just didn’t want to be late for classes again. Accadus hid my shoes again and...”

  Ri’ges held a hand up in annoyance. “I do not care for the follies of young men. Making a foe of Accadus was not a wise move on your part.’ He glared at his young student as the lad tried to talk. ‘Listen to me Luxon. You are one of the most promising students I have ever seen pass through the crystal gates, and I will not have you ruin your chances of making apprentice because of some foolish feud.”

  Luxon looked at his hands. He hadn’t had any idea that the old man thought that way about his abilities. He knew he was good, but his thirst for knowledge often saw him getting into scrapes with the city guards and the other teachers.

  The old man’s expression softened. “Accadus will always loathe you Luxon. His father is the Baron of Redbit as you well know and what your father did...’ he trailed off as he saw tears beginning to form in his pupils eyes.

  “My father was loyal to the King; the Baron had no right to make a claim. My father swore he spoke the truth that day and lost his head for it.” Luxon spoke miserably.

  His father had been a noble in the court of the capital at Sunguard. With the royal line lost the realms leaders had gathered to discuss the succession.