Eluan Falls: A Whisper of Fate Read online

  Eluan Falls

  A Whisper of Fate

  Book Three

  by

  Dane G. Kroll

  Cover Art by

  Christopher Holler

  Dedicated to

  Uncle Ed

  Thanks for keeping the creative ideas flowing.

  They never saw his rage.

  They knew his desire.

  They saw his lunacy.

  They felt his power.

  But his rage was the last thing they expected.

  -Matton

  To the Skies, He Went

  Chapter 1

  A river of devastation remained carved across the Eluan Empire. Its path began at the End Sea and scattered west only to converge at the heart of Eluan. The Eluan capital was the last city to suffer from the onslaught of the Tcher army. Desperation, fear, and ill-advised patience were the only things that pulled the Tcher army back toward their islands far from the shores of the Eluan Empire.

  But it was not enough. The Tcher Empire and Aldrin the Ageless saw their last days as the combined efforts of Emperor Heric Caning and his cousin, Nikali Caning II, joined forces one last time to bring an end to the blemished alliance that was once held between Eluan and Tcher.

  For the first time, the world was shown the true range of the mysterious power of arcan could accomplish. It was no longer for entertainment. It was a weapon that man could harness. It could fuel a user’s desires, and topple empires in a single night.

  It was the dream of Heric Caning’s to see the Eluan Empire become more powerful than his father or his uncle had ever imagined. He wanted to achieve the impossible. He wanted not only peace in his world, but also prosperity for all.

  And he remains in that dream, for Heric Caning lay in his chambers, unmoved, and near death. Shallow breath was his only reward for opening the door to Eluan’s victory on Tcher.

  Now in turmoil, the Capitol had to move forward. The world could not wait for their emperor to wake up. Without an heir, the Royal Council was left with little choice.

  As the morning broke over the rubble and the remains of the Capitol, old flags were being raised. The flags had not been seen for over two decades. They were not the flags of Heric Caning or his father, Cyrus. They once belonged to Emperor Nikali Caning. The flags donned the Tamor bird presenting the city for all to see.

  On this day they no longer represented Nikali Caning, but his son, Nikali Caning II. It was the fulfillment of the ages. The would-have-been-future-emperor was finally taking his rightful seat on the throne, for better or worse.

  That morning, Nikali was still awake from the previous day. He stood on the balcony to watch the dawn rise over the horizon. The sight of the sun kept him focused. He could lose track of time if he wasn’t careful. His days were melting together.

  Much of his time was spent in the Emperor’s bunker. It was originally designed to protect the Emperor from an invasion, but recently it was changed to house Heric’s secret initiative of training soldiers in the art of arcan. Once Nikali took over the operation the room became the unofficial home for him and his personal council.

  Nikali was obsessed over deciphering the books of arcan left by his former teacher and traitor, Alexus. There were too many questions and not enough answers. Nikali needed more power. He believed the books held the knowledge he was seeking. They were written in an old form of Louson. It was a language tied to the kingdom across the bottomless canyon known as Insabal’s Canyon. There was no way to contact the Louson Kingdom anymore after the bridge connecting the two lands was destroyed under Nikali’s own power. Not that it mattered. Nikali would never run to the new world for aid. They were traitors as well. They were working with Alexus to bring down the Caning family and destroy the Eluan Empire. The only people Nikali could trust now were those in his personal circle.

  His only true confidant was Cassandra. She was the only other one that knew the whole truth. The books of arcan were written in Louson, but they were created by people in Prial.

  That secret meant somebody far earlier than Alexus had crossed the bottomless canyon. It wasn’t hard for Nikali to imagine. The legends were all false.

  There was no bottomless canyon. There were no Louson Gods at the end of oblivion. It was all a lie. Everything Nikali was learning was a lie, and the truth was gone.

  Prial was annihilated. While the city infrastructure still stood, its people were sentenced to death as the final signature for the alliance between Eluan and Tcher, an alliance envisioned by Heric’s father, Cyrus.

  Cyrus was set on revenge against the people of Prial when Prial soldiers killed Emperor Nikali Caning at the beginnings of the construction of the bridge that would one day cross Insabal’s Canyon.

  Nikali never knew his father. Emperor Nikali was killed before he or his wife even knew a baby had been conceived.

  In the back of Nikali’s mind he always wondered what would have happened had things been different. How would things have turned out if his mother knew he was conceived before the Empire transferred over to Cyrus and his five year old son, Heric? Would his mother still hold the resentment she had toward her son if he no longer had to live up to the ideal memories of his fallen father?

  As Nikali looked over the capital city of Eluan he no longer had to wonder. He was in control. He was the Emperor. Even if it was only temporary.

  Heric was still alive, after all.

  Nikali promised himself that he would stop at nothing to protect his cousin. Growing up, Heric protected Nikali from dozens of dangers and situations. It was only right that Nikali did the same now.

  But there could still be more. Heric shouldn’t have to wait to wake up before his dream became a reality. For the first time since childhood Nikali believed he could change the world. It was his birthright.

  He planned on rebuilding the empire for Heric, for his mother, for his father, and for anybody else that ever doubted him. Nikali was going to prove that he was strong.

  The flags started to rise as the sun slowly crept along the Capitol. They rose in the sun like flowers blooming in the new season.

  It began in the east near Nikali’s mother’s old estate. Only a handful of servants were residing in the house at the time. Ellen was off in Myrus helping her newest lover, Francesco de Seres, with the restoration of the destroyed city.

  As the flag was put on display the servants all stopped to see the familiar insignia flap in the breeze once again. Only a few of them were old enough to remember the shinning years of Emperor Nikali’s reign. The return of the flag was encouragement that they would see those days again.

  Daylight made its way deeper across the city. Merchants and innkeepers looked out their booths and windows as the flags were put proudly on display. There was worry, hope, and uncertainty floating through the streets of the Capitol.

  A new leader so soon meant turmoil for their taxes and their stability. The Capitol had lost enough people from the war and more flocked to Myrus daily looking for the promise of a better future. Any new changes could cause their customer base to be completely nonexistent.

  They begrudgingly opened their doors for business. Today, there were still customers. They could still make some money. They would worry about their future later.

  Deeper into the center of the Capitol the sun shone over the palace and the surrounding area called home to the royal class. They were the founding families of the Eluan Empire.

  Very few remained to see the glory of the old flags. The day after the attack on the Capitol, the richest of the royal class fled the shell of the city for more luxurious accommodations. There were still cities untouched by the war between Eluan and Tcher. They could continue on with their lives
as if nothing had changed. Change did not matter to them. Nothing changed for them except location. They had the money and the power to guarantee that.

  As the morning grew later, the sun reached over the top of the palace towers and finally fought against the shadow of the rest of the empire.

  Flags in the Talons began to rise up. Several people were left hung over to sleep out on the streets. They stirred when the Capitol guards and flagmen walked past them, but quickly turned to their side and went back to sleep.

  The flags made no difference in the Talons. It did not matter who was ruling the empire, they would not offer what the people of the Talons absolutely wanted. They wanted one more drink of Tamor Blood, and they wanted to be left alone.

  The Emperor’s coin was losing its value every day among the people who desired more power. Emperor Nikali, Emperor Cyrus, Emperor Heric, or Emperor Nikali II. It did not matter. Arcan became the choice of currency down in the Talons. It was best fueled by Tamor Blood, a drink made from the roots and berries of trees across the land. It gave its consumers power to lift objects with their minds, and bend the emotions of those around them.

  By early afternoon, only one flag pole was left untouched. Its previous flag was long ago ripped down and never replaced. The people were too afraid to go near it.

  The pole was on the corner outside of what was once a homeless shelter. Then a more powerful version of Tamor Blood began to find its way through the Talons and everything changed. New leaders started to emerge and took over the shelter turning it into a brothel. Then the stories spread and the house became something else entirely. Pieces of bodies, drained of blood, were constantly found in the streets in the nearby allies. Many men who entered the house never returned. Those who did leave the premises were so consumed by Tamor Blood and arcan they were barely cognizant.

  The Empire could put up as many flags as they wanted in the Talons. They could raise them as high as possible, because it did not matter. The shadow of the Talons would cast down once again, and the Empire would turn its back to its own people eventually. That district was controlled by the Blood Beauties, now, and their vicious form of power.

  Locked away in the palace quarters, Marina Arraw, Princess of Louson, wife of Heric Caning, and Empress of Eluan could not hide the disgust she saw out her window.

  The flags of the old regime held high. No longer did they display the crest that Heric honored, and she married into.

  Marina was a prisoner now in her own home. What was supposed to be a temporary measure was now permanent with Heric’s incapacitation. The door to her quarters was locked. The only key was possessed by Heric himself, and the location lost until he regained consciousness.

  She was left with a small opening for food and clothing. No one was allowed to speak to her. She was left in isolation in the fear of what harm she would bring to the Eluan Empire for her home country of Louson.

  There was little to do in Marina’s isolation. So she prayed. She prayed to the god’s from her land. She prayed for them to return and restore Louson to its former glory and bring an end to the horrors that Eluan was forming in their world.

  Eluan played with demons’ magic like it was a toy. The wicked gods had already released the avadons on the world of man for trying to act like gods. Now, Eluan was following in those footsteps. They would become monsters, just as her people did a long time ago. Eluan had to be stopped and only the gods’ return would save them.

  First, Marina cursed her father for forcing the situation. She was happy in Louson. She could have ruled the kingdom while her brother, Randal, came to Eluan to topple the Empire with Alexus and Aldrin.

  Then she cursed Abigail, the servant of Alexus. Unknowingly to Abigail, she was raised by Alexus to become the leader of the new regime along with Randal Arraw.

  Abigail was the granddaughter of Aldrin the Ageless, and held the lineage of both Tcher and Prial. But she was not royalty. Marina was of true royal blood, and was the only one rightfully meant to rule.

  Heric was next on her list. She saw him as a fool playing with what his ancestors had built. He was never meant to lead. Marina was more than welcomed to join with him and rule the Empire hand in hand, but he would have none of that. He would not love her and give her an heir.

  That meant she would have to take what was owed her. Even if she was locked away in her room, she would find a way. Marina had her followers that would see she was freed and given her place on the throne. Heric would not stop her a second time. She would be ready for him. It was time to show Eluan what it meant to be an Arraw.

  Finally, Marina prayed to one god in particular. She prayed to the trickster god, Charos, the same god that Nikali claimed as his own.

  The trickster god worked in mysterious ways, and Marina prayed that he was toying with Nikali and he could lead the Eluan Empire into ruin, opening the path for the Louson Empire, and the return of the gods themselves.

  Marina was going to finish what Alexus and her father had started, but she was going to see to it that it was her who was in control at the end. Soon her flags would be raised throughout the land, the flags of the demon slayers. They would follow her and even her father and brother would kneel before their Queen.

  Chapter 2

  Across the Eluan Empire near the shores of the End Sea was the once vibrant town of New Salid, home to thousands of residents and even more seabirds. The townspeople believed as long as the seabirds soared over the town, the town would always survive.

  Then Tcher returned to the mainland after two decades of exile. New Salid was their first major attack against the Eluan Empire. They left the buildings standing, but staked up the citizens along the beaches with their bodies mangled and mismatched. It was a message from Aldrin the Ageless to everybody else. He had arrived.

  The town remained silent after that. The skies were left with no birds in sight. There were no survivors. New Salid was left as a reminder of what the enemies of Eluan were capable of.

  Every now and then scavengers from nearby towns and villages would make their way to the hollow standings of New Salid looking for loot that may have been missed since the last time the town was visited by poachers.

  When Tcher attacked they were not interested in destroying property or stealing goods. They were simply there to exterminate.

  That meant tons of precious items and goods were left for the taking. Once the war was over and the land began to settle the first poachers appeared. They began to clean out the city bit by bit. It was getting harder each visit, but the lucky ones could always find something to sell for a few coins.

  Grifith and his companion Darden were out of luck in their search through New Salid. This was their fifth time in the town in the past year. Darden believed it would soon just be empty rooms in every house. There would be nothing left.

  “Did you try the houses up the hill?” asked Grifith. He was growing desperate and he did not want to leave empty handed.

  “They were cleared out last time we were here,” said Darden. “Do you think somebody filled them back up?”

  “I’m just throwing out ideas,” said Grifith. “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing,” said Darden. “Which is why we shouldn’t have come here again. This town is dead. We need to move on.”

  “There has got to be something left,” said Grifith. “Maybe we can sell some furniture.”

  Darden stood back in awe of Grifith’s stupid suggestion. “Since when are we in the carpentry business? Who of our clients wants furniture? We sell metal. There is no money in selling wood, either.”

  “I know for a fact that Theoal sold his family’s wood chest to the Emperor’s men not too long ago. They practically demanded it,” argued Grifith. “They want wood!”

  “Good for Theoal!” said Darden sarcastically. “I don’t see any Royal Guardsmen here offering money for old furniture.”

  “Let’s check down by the water,” suggested Grifith, abandoning his previous plan. “Maybe some boat
s are still around.”

  “Yeah, maybe we can start diving for ship wrecks down in the river!” mocked Darden.

  “The river is probably not that deep. It might be doable,” said Grifith, unaware of the further sarcasm that Darden was spewing.

  “Let’s just go,” said Darden. He began to walk down toward the beaches.

  New Salid was near a series of bluffs that overlooked the End Sea. Darden led Grifith down the path that would get them to the river that fed into the ocean. There were a few houses down the trail that few people knew about. They had a better chance of finding some consolation prizes for their time.

  As they got closer to the clearing away from the cliffs of the bluff the two men could hear a slight disturbance.

  “What is that?” Grifith asked.

  “The ocean,” answered Darden, disconcertingly.

  “It doesn’t sound like waves.”

  “It’s waves.”

  Then they got into the clearing. Darden and Grifith stood still in surprise. The beach was covered with seabirds.

  The light blue birds covered the entire beach for yards in either direction. They looked like an extension of the water breaking on the shoreline.

  “What are they doing down here?” Grifith asked.

  “How am I supposed to know that?”

  “What’s in the middle there?” Grifith asked. He pointed to the middle of the flock of seabirds. There was a woman lying on the beach.

  “Hello?!” Darden called out. The birds squawked back from the disturbance but they did not move. The woman did not stir.

  “She could be hurt,” said Grifith.

  “She could already be dead and the birds are eating her,” said Darden.

  “Let’s go check,” said Grifith. He charged forward through the flock of birds.

  The birds moved out of his way reluctantly. Grifith would not stop. The birds hit the air. The flock built a wall against the sky and cast a shadow down along the beach.