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  Wielder’s Rising

  Book 2 of the Wielder Trilogy

  By T.B. Christensen

  Cover art by Elise Christensen

  Copyright © 2012 T.B. Christensen

  All rights reserved.

  Prologue

  Kadrak smiled as the once great queen of Balthus brought in a steaming cup of spiced wine. At first she hadn’t rendered proper obeisance to him, but that had soon changed. She had learned that her former position didn’t matter in his presence. She was a servant like all the rest in the palace. She would be rewarded for her service and not for what she used to be. He took the wine and smiled as the queen backed out of the room making low bows.

  He walked over to the window and peered to the west. The high mountain pass that provided the only highway into Kalia for hundreds of miles was still buried in snow. The winter had been colder than usual and had deposited an immense amount of snow in the mountains. While spring had already arrived in the lowlands, winter still had a hold on the mountains. Kadrak had hoped to be able to move his army into Kalia early in the spring, but it appeared that he would have to wait at least another month to move through the mountains and into the neighboring kingdom.

  He knew that the Kalian Army was on the march. The second segment of the army had set out from Calyn several days ago. It was unfortunate that the main body of soldiers would be in position to challenge him near Candus before the pass was clear. He supposed it didn’t really matter. By the end of summer Calyn would be his, regardless of where he defeated the High King’s Army. When the pass was finally clear he would meet the Kalian Army, wherever it happened to be, and destroy it.

  Soon he would be seated on the throne in Calyn with the crown of the High King of Kalia atop his noble brow. His dreams had confirmed it. The vividness of them proved of their truth. It was a fascinating thing to be able to know of one’s future success. His victory would be soon, and the outcome was certain once he marched against the neighboring kingdom.

  The invasion of Kalia would have to wait for the pass to clear. However, there were other matters that couldn’t wait. The young wielder in Calyn needed to be taken care of. Kadrak didn’t know what the boy knew of the ambience, but he could tell that the boy was strong in it. It worried him that the young man was staying in Kalia’s Royal Palace. Did the High King think to match the boy against the great wielder Kadrak?

  He shook his head as he turned away from the window and walked across the room. While it would be more satisfying to kill the young wielder personally, he wanted the boy taken care of long before he moved his army into Kalia. He didn’t like unexpected surprises when advancing his plans. Unfortunately, he would have to delegate the killing of the boy to someone else.

  He exited the lavish room and walked down the hallway to the stairs. He wondered who Shadow had picked to accompany him on this assignment. He knew that Shadow wasn’t happy about having a companion on his mission, but Kadrak didn’t want to leave anything up to chance. Wraith had failed to kill the boy, and he did not want the failure repeated. Shadow was smart enough to accept his instructions to choose a partner without complaint.

  Kadrak was soon on the other side of the palace and heading down into the dungeons. Fire flickered across his path from the torches set into the stone walls as he descended below the palace. The dungeons were quite spacious and quite empty. He had no use for prisoners. All those who opposed him were killed. Why waste precious resources to sustain enemies? It was as simple as that. As he reached his destination, he waved his hand in front of him. The dungeon door creaked open to reveal a large room. Shadow stood patiently waiting with another man. They both knelt as their master swept into the room.

  “Rise, my servants,” Kadrak said immediately. Shadow was an incredible assassin and had served him well in the past. The strong, dark man gazed back with anticipation to set out on an important assignment once again. Kadrak turned and focused on the tall man who rose next to Shadow. He recognized him as one of Gilrod’s close associates. Gilrod was Kadrak’s right hand man and had offered the use of his vast spy network when he had entered his service. If this man was a close associate of Gilrod, it meant that he was used to spying and could avoid attention. That would be good. He did not want the two of them seen until after they had finished off the young wielder. It would be best if the young man was taken completely by surprise.

  “This is Rolt,” Shadow mumbled as he cocked his head toward the tall man next to him. “Gilrod recommended him.” Kadrak studied Rolt closely for several moments before speaking.

  “So, Gilrod recommended you,” he stated flatly. “Why did he pick you?”

  “I have always served Gilrod faithfully, and now I live to serve you, Master Wielder.” Rolt swallowed uncomfortably under his intense stare. This man would do.

  “You just said exactly what I wanted to hear,” replied Kadrak. “I’m currently in need of someone who indeed lives to serve me. I am also in need of someone who is willing to sacrifice for me.” He paused to let what he was hinting at sink in. “Are you willing to sacrifice for me, Rolt?”

  “Yes, Master,” Rolt said. He remained composed, but Kadrak could see a lessening of color in the man’s face. “I am willing to sacrifice my life, Master Wielder!”

  “Oh, I’m not asking for that,” Kadrak said with a chuckle. “I’m asking you to sacrifice your humanity.” He smiled at the confused look on the man’s face. “You will not be accompanying Shadow in your current form. You will be given a great blessing today, Rolt. You will become something with more power than you’ve ever dreamed of having. I will give you this gift because of your loyalty. Other men will fear you from this day forward.”

  Kadrak motioned for Shadow to leave Rolt’s side and guard the entrance to the dungeon room. Shadow inclined his head, assured him that no one would disturb them, and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Kadrak turned back to the tall man whose legs didn’t seem as solid as they had earlier. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He had attempted this before on small animals and had an idea of what was possible and what was not. However, he hadn’t tried what he was about to do on a human. Perhaps he should have tested it on someone else first, but he didn’t want to repeat the effort more than he needed to. The transfiguration would take a great amount of power and concentration to accomplish. It would leave him incredibly weakened.

  “I see that you are slightly worried,” he began. “That is okay, Rolt. I believe this may be somewhat painful, but the pain will be worth it. When I’m done, you will be incredibly strong. Others will fear you. Others will tremble at your presence.” Kadrak slipped into deeper concentration as the elements in the air of the chamber began to solidify in his mind’s eye and swirl around the nervous Rolt.

  * * * * *

  Shaman Azulk looked out over the land of the humans from his high perch upon the mount. In the distance he could see the remains of the once great city of Beking. The broken city that Kadrak had left behind was already starting to fill with humans once again. They had begun to rebuild it once the army had moved on to Rankdra. The shaman wondered if they would be so eager to move back into the city if they knew what was waiting for them in the shadows of the nearby mountains. Would they still be rebuilding or would they be fleeing south in fear?

  The Wielder Kadrak had done a surprisingly good job of crushing any resistance as he had marched with his army to Beking and conquered it. Rankdra had fallen with even less resistance once it was clear that they couldn’t stand against a mighty wielder and his army.

  It was unfortunate that the mountain pass to the west was still impassable. Azulk was eager for Kadrak to continue into Kalia. He had no doubt that Kalia would offer greater resistance than Balthus ha
d. It had the most disciplined army in the land of the humans and had to be somewhat aware of what it would be facing. The Kalians would have heard reports of a wielder leading the Balthan Army. Surely they had been preparing carefully through the winter to meet this wielder’s army in the spring.

  As soon as the pass was open, Kadrak and his army would pour through it into Kalia. A tremendous battle would commence when they met the waiting Kalian Army. The fighting would drag on for awhile. The Royal Army wouldn’t crumble under Kadrak’s attacks. A lone wielder could only do so much when faced with such a large, disciplined army. Kadrak would have his moments, but Azulk knew all too well of the limits of the ambience. A wielder could only use so much of it for so long before being drained of all physical strength. Even with the increase of troops from Rankdra, the Kalian Army would hold firm against the invading army. Kadrak’s army would be greatly weakened by the time they defeated the Kalian Army, if they were even able to.

  Soon the time would be ripe for his own race to take back what they had lost. Kadrak wouldn’t be able to stop him when the galdaks marched with the Great Shaman Azulk at their lead. A pleasant rumble purred up from the shaman and into the still air. After countless generations of waiting, the galdak’s vengeance was almost at hand. Soon his hopes for his race would finally be fulfilled. The Great Shaman Azulk would sit on a human-made throne and rule over all of the lands! He knew it would happen. His dreams certainly foretold it.

  Part One: Searching

  1

  Traven had no idea where he was. He hadn’t been in this room in the palace before. The ceiling was extremely high and plaited in gold. Two stories up a balcony wound its way around the entire room. The balcony’s edge was lined with small white columns and a railing that would allow onlookers to peer over and down at the room below. He was sitting in a tall chair on a raised dais with the open and empty room stretching out in front of him. The glassy tiles of the floor gleamed around him as he shifted in his chair trying to figure out where he was.

  Glancing down he realized that he wasn’t just sitting in any chair, he was sitting in an ornately decorated throne. Traven jumped to his feet with a start. He realized what room he was in. He was in the High King’s throne room and audience chamber. He wasn’t sure how he had gotten there, but he did know that he did not want someone to find him sitting in the High King’s throne. Looking around for an exit, he was startled to see that there were no doors leading out of the room. He knew that didn’t make any sense, but as he scanned the far walls he couldn’t find an exit of any kind.

  “Traven, sit back down. They will all be here soon.” He jerked around at the melodious voice and found the High Princess Kalista standing right behind him at the edge of the throne. Where had she come from? He was too stunned to do anything but comply as the princess reached up, grabbed his shoulder, and gently pushed him back down onto the throne.

  He smiled in spite of himself. Her delicate hand felt warm against his shoulder, and she left it there even after he was firmly seated back on the throne. She stepped around in front of him with her hand still on his shoulder and smiled at him. She was breathtakingly beautiful, and he soon found himself lost in the endless pools of her blue eyes. She somehow seemed more real than anything else in the room. Traven watched, mesmerized as she lifted her other hand towards his head. In it gleamed the High King of Kalia’s crown. It seemed to pulse as the princess lifted it up and set it carefully on his head. She then set her other hand down on his other shoulder and drew herself closer to him.

  Traven didn’t know what to do. What was going on? He should not be here alone with the princess. She was engaged, and he had no right to be in the High King’s throne with the crown of Kalia on his head. He could be put to death for such an act. Kalista leaned toward him and kissed him gently on the forehead. She then whispered in his ear.

  “Don’t forget me.”

  * * * * *

  Traven awoke with the sun streaming into his eyes and a smile on his face. It was the third time that he had dreamed of the princess and the crown in the last week. The princess and the crown were always there, but the details surrounding them had changed with each dream. This was the first time the princess had done more than place the crown on his head. She had asked him not to forget her, and he didn’t want to. However, he knew that she would soon be married to Commander General Gavin.

  It would be best to forget her. It troubled him to be having such vivid dreams about the crown of Kalia and the engaged princess, but he definitely preferred them to the nightmares of the cave and the serpent that had plagued him before.

  Traven turned over in the luxurious bed one last time and stretched. He then rolled out of the bed and began to get ready for the day. He had been in the palace for just over a week. The first two and a half days he had been unconscious. After finally regaining consciousness he had been nursed back to health. It had taken another two days before he was up and walking once again. He was still not back to full health, but he was feeling much stronger. He hadn’t been able to figure out what exactly had happened to weaken him so badly. He knew that it had something to do with his father’s stone exploding, but other than that he couldn’t explain it.

  The might stone was no more now. It lay shattered across the floor of an ancient room deep in a cave in the marshes north of Calyn. He planned on returning to the ancient room someday but didn’t have time for it right now. Two days prior he had watched from his palace window as a procession left to lead the second part of the Royal Kalian Army east to Candus. There they would prevent the rebel army in Balthus from advancing into Kalia. Despite being a soldier, he hadn’t marched east with the army. Instead, today he would be leaving on a ship heading north.

  He felt as though he should be marching with the army. He had been training hard for the impending war and would have felt more comfortable marching with the other soldier. He was a soldier after all and should be fighting with his comrades. However, Professor Studell had different ideas.

  Upon waking to find himself in the palace, Traven had been given the golden chest that was found in the ancient room among the ruins in the marsh. He had somehow been able to open the box when no one else had succeeded. Inside there had been several jewels, two might stones, and a map. The map had ancient writing on it and supposedly stated that whoever opened the chest must follow the map to a place called Faldor’s Keep. Nobody seemed to know of such a place, and Traven was fairly certain that by now it must be ruins like those of the ancient city in the marsh.

  However, the philosopher felt that it was incredibly important that he travel to this place. He had discussed this with the High King while Traven was still recovering and convinced the High King to give Traven the special assignment of going to Faldor’s Keep to search for anything that might help in the coming battle with a wielder.

  Traven wasn’t sure if Professor Studell really thought there would be something there that would help in the war or if he just wanted to go searching for more ancient writings and artifacts. Regardless of Studell’s true intentions, the High King had granted the professor’s request and sent a letter to Traven informing him that his assignment would be to accompany the professor to Faldor’s Keep instead of marching with the Royal Army to Candus.

  He supposed he should be excited to see something new and have more adventure. But after his last experience with adventure, he wasn’t sure if he wanted any more of it so soon. He hoped the trip to Faldor’s Keep wouldn’t be too eventful. With any luck they would quickly find whatever Studell was looking for. Then he could catch up with the army in Candus before the battle began.

  Traven finished getting dressed in a new set of his black clothes that the royal tailor had made for him. He then buckled on his belt and grabbed the bundle at the base of the wardrobe. It contained the golden chest, which had the two might stones and some of the jewelry still inside. The day before, he had sent a couple of pieces of jewelry to be delivered to his grandparents. He had also w
ritten a letter describing his current circumstances and mission. He wondered how they’d react to the gifts and news. No doubt they would be surprised. He smiled at the thought of what they might say when they received his package.

  He turned his thoughts back to the golden chest. He had wanted to leave it in the palace. It would be hard to travel with and could attract unwanted attention. He had originally only planned on bringing the chest’s contents. However, Studell had been adamant that he bring the actual chest. Traven hoped that he would be able to find out what the might stones were for while they journeyed. The extra jewels he could sell if he ever ran out of money, but he doubted that would happen. He had plenty of gold tallies. Professor Studell had already taken possession of the scroll.

  After gathering all of his things, Traven left the palace room and headed down to the stables. He found Pennon already saddled and ready for the journey. He slipped his bundles into Pennon’s saddlebags and pulled himself up with some effort. It amazed him how weak he still was after having rested for a whole week in the palace. He thanked the stable hand who had prepared Pennon and headed out of the stables, through the palace gate, and into the great square. He turned around for one last look at the Grand Palace of Kalia. It was still as awe inspiring as it had been the first time he had seen it.

  He had never imagined when he first arrived in Calyn that he would see the inside of it and had never dreamed that he would actually be a guest in it. He sighed as he turned his back to the grand palace and nudged Pennon forward. He would never be welcomed back into the palace as a common soldier. He didn’t expect to be. He knew that his place was not in the palace. Nonetheless, it had been an incredible experience to be there for the past week. Traven tried to put thoughts of the palace and the princess behind him as his horse trotted towards the docks. He knew that the ship would be leaving soon, and he didn’t want to be late.