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This is Fantasy and not Sci-Fi strictly – no lasers, no spaceships, but lots of sorcery and possibly dragons…
Sci Fi & Fantasy / As yet Unnamed - Prologue
Prologue
Imperial Date – 693
105 years after the Sundering
Many times had the Xa’Charn Mages tried to wipe out the Ghahanian Monks. Barely a Century after the Sundering had first split the Order into its traditional branches of Light and Dark, the Empire was overcome with rebellion as the Mages took to the streets to destroy the Monks, against a general backdrop of resentment that had swept through the rural provinces. The Order of the Spires and the Zanar Assassins had bonded together several decades previously to push back the tide of destruction, but at the cost of many innocent civilians and the near obliteration of both orders. Martial rule had been imposed after that bloody coup had failed, and the Imperial Armies leeched of traitorous influence in a series of ruthless purges.
Scholars noted the repetition of history’s grim cycles. The Xa’Charn launched yet another offensive, and the populace trembled wearily into the familiar poses of fear and pain.
As dark clouds of chaotic turmoil threatened to engulf this once glorious civilisation again, only the two Monastic orders offered any real hope of survival against the Council of Mages and their mysterious, malevolent leader; Xa’Kar.
....
Pausing briefly to draw a pained breath, the lone figure cast a desperate eye over his surroundings. The valley was racked by volcanic activity, the earth’s surface puckered and oozing with lava, melting away and recreating the landscape into a charred and desolate despair of barren monotony. He looked over his shoulder for what seemed at least the hundredth time that hour, straining for signs of his pursuers. The air was thick with sulphurous fumes and the constant hiss of the pooled water as it bubbled away in retreat from the lava. Above, dim light poked through the edges of thick clouds to bathe the landscape in a hazy glow. The birds that had once flocked here to take of the water and abundant insect life of the Oasis had long since departed, the hostile climate deadly to any who lingered.
Having crossed the dusty Rackan plains, the fleeing monk found himself in the broad valley in which his Order’s Monastery was located. Mounted on an ancient volcanic plug, the Monastery of the Spires had kept intruders away from this peaceful corner of the world for centuries, flourishing in the Oasis created to sustain the Order, and protected by the barrier of mystical suggestion that deterred unwanted visitors. Built as a haven of study and enlightenment, the Monks had occupied the small valley for millennia, where the vast Rackan Plain pushed up in a series of scattered ridges against the Ghahanian Mountains. Now, under siege by the ruthless Xa’Charn Mages and their thralls, the Monks had been forced to fight back, and ally with their Sundered kin, the Zanar, to save the continent from the spreading darkness of the Mages’ power. The Monastery was hidden from the Xa’Charn still, a protective shield raised around the Oasis and back against the mountain into which it was cut, but the land for leagues around was in upheaval at the enormous forces unleashed by the Xa’Charn in their attempts to break through the glimmering barrier and utterly destroy the Order.
Nulin coughed violently, feeling acrid smoke and mucus build in his lungs. He moved onwards towards the Monastery, taking torturous steps as he weaved around the pockets of lava that dotted the valley floor. For several weeks he had been pursued relentlessly across the Rackan by small groups of mounted plainsmen, who loved the hunt nearly as much as the coffers of golden coins that the Magi had given them to harry the Monks whenever they ventured from the Oasis. Wounded several times in his fights, the Monk had nevertheless battled onwards and was now but yards from safety. Hope and relief in equal measure washed through him as he pushed his body forwards to sanctuary.
The war had been long – squads of Mages trooped with Imperial precision into town centres and demanded that the citizens hand over any Monks they were harbouring. Ironically, it was the Imperial troops themselves who first stood up to the aggressors, but sword and shield were no match for murderous spellcraft and powerful, near hypnotic suggestions. So the retreat had begun, the troops trapped and holed up with no chance of escape, the ordinary folk of the land by turns oppressed and repressed by the Xa’Charn, and the Monks and Zanar fighting to protect the current order in a desperate struggle.
Almost at an end now however. The Xa’Charn had nearly completed their cleansing of the Empire, and had already installed Fordhenas, an Imperial General who’d been in their pocket for years, as a puppet Emperor. Those few Imperial troops who could be bribed or coerced were rapidly restoring a ruthless new brand of order across the cities of the Empire, the old soldiers and citizens who refused to comply swiftly imprisoned or executed. Only in the small market town of Kcerre was there any respite, the sole Imperial Company that hadn’t been in Seakeep for review when the Xa’Charn had trapped them was stationed there and had successfully kept the Mages at bay. Fear gripped the Empire in a grim rictus, all trade had ceased, borders were sealed, disease and looting had started to spread, as frustration and anger turned to lawlessness. Some nobles had come out on the side of the Xa’Charn, hoping to be on the winning side at the end, and were themselves exhorting their hastily created militia to seek out the infidel Monks who were to blame for the civil chaos, offering lavish rewards for success. Fortunes were made and lost in the chaos that ensued, the opportunistic gaining at the expense of the desperate and foolish. The Empire was falling apart. The ancient and powerful collection of city states and provinces that spanned a whole continent and its Island chains was crumbling into disorder, and the Xa’Charn Council of Mages was laughing to itself from within its Guild, confident of impending victory over their sworn enemies.
Nulin had fled from a vicious attack at the old Imperial Capital of Jhaerl, where the Xa’Charn had ripped through the city walls and were even now flattening sections of the city with ruthless abandon, in their quest to eradicate the Order of the Spires from the continent. The bitter taste of rejection, fuelled by blind hatred had pushed the Mages into a genocidal rage, with anyone standing in their way being obliterated or enslaved as the mood took them. The last of his Order left alive in the ruined city, he had fled back to the Monastery to seek aid. The Zanar were making a concerted effort to repel the attacks on the southern parts of the Empire, but were severely outnumbered and too pressed to mount any sort of counter-offensive. Merely standing ground and allowing those citizens that could flee time to escape consumed all of their efforts. The Imperial Armies were garrisoned in Seakeep, where an impenetrable field of magical energy erected by the Xa’Charn kept them penned in.
Nulin reached the ornate doors of the Monastery and pushed on the entrance stone with a tired and bruised hand. The double doors gave way smoothly, and two Acolyte attendants rushed over to pick the collapsed Monk up, from where he lay on the smooth stone floor, his strength gone.
Some time later he came to in a wash of glorious light, and he felt the presence of the Master of the Spires in the room with him. He opened his eyes, still heavy with exhaustion, and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He found himself seated on a softly padded pallet, in the Chamber of Seeing, the Master standing before him, flanked by three other High Monks. He pushed his hands together and wearily attempted a bow of greeting, but the Master waved the gesture away.
‘Tell us what you saw in Jhaerl, Brother Nulin. We have seen many terrible things from this chamber, but now we wish to hear of what has transpired. Are we defeated? Do the Zanar still hold out? Would that we were able to take a more direct hand in this, but we have been overly stretched in trying to keep the Xa’Charn from breaking through our protection.’
Nulin noticed that the Master wrung his hands as he spoke, and the other Monks wore tired, disconsolate expressions. We must be close to breaking, for the Leader of the Order to be so worried.
‘Are we finished Master? I have always held faith, kept my inner belief that we could withstand the Xa’Charn. Their power though, it is reckless, without care. We must always be mindful of protecting the innocent. Evil is so hard to face like this, in all it’s rampant force.’ He wept bitter tears as he felt the pain of his own words.
‘Peace, Brother Nulin. You are tired. All the way from Jhaerl you came, without stopping, and beset by the Plainsmen also. Your courage and fortitude is exemplary. Now – please, tell us what you can.’
The Master’s soothing tones reached like soft fingers into Nulin’s mind, caressing and relaxing his brain. He felt the temptation to sleep again, sweet rest that he had gone without for so long now. Then he felt the command behind the suggestion, and he was compelled to search his memory for answers.
‘Jhaerl… Ruined! The Xa’Charn have laid waste to the Capital, whole streets ripped up in rage. I do not know if they meant to be so violent, perhaps something went awry and they are unable to control themselves fully. Many monks were found and killed. Some deaths were gruesome. Bodies split in two and flung into the Plaza fountains.’ He shuddered at the memory and continued, ‘Several Zanar were with us, fighting bravely. But always we had to defend rather than attack. Our only chances were to wait for Mages to tire before disabling them. Too many for me to count. I do not know how they brought such numbers. Surely the Mage Talent is rare.’ He shook his head and tried to pick his thoughts more cleanly.
‘They have taken the Palace. I thought they were only out to destroy our Order, but it was a coup as well. General Fordhenas is in league with them. His guard are rounding up any Imperial Officers who remain loyal to the Emperor. It is rebellion, massacre. Innocents who get in the way are arrested for treason or killed on the spot.’ He closed his eyes and tried to muster his reserves, fighting to remain calm.
The Master and the others exchanged worried glances, concerned that a disciplined Monk like Nulin could be pushed so close to breakdown.
‘Fear not, Brother Nulin’ The Master spoke, ‘relax your breathing. Remember the Second Tenet: Discipline and control flow from within. The inner fountain of well being sustains all. You have done well to survive this terrible event. We will think on what you have brought us, and redouble our efforts to end the destructive terror of the Xa’Charn.’ He turned to the waiting Acolytes. ‘Take him to his quarters and see that Brother Moran visits him. Nulin will need all of our Healer’s skill to recover from his ordeal.’
Nulin lost consciousness as the Acolytes carried him away on the pallet, and heard none of the heated words that the gathered High Monks exchanged.
...
Xa’Kar gazed into the Orb of Pharat, his long skeletal fingers caressing the carved stand of bone. The air was thick with the musty smell of burnt paper and exotic spices, the components of a recent experiment. The room was silent, save for the faint thrumming of the Orb as its surface rippled with visions. Xa’Kar bent his mind to the task and searched for the Monastery again, eager to see how weak the protective barrier had become. The silvery glimmer of the shield glared harshly out from the ball, and he cursed as he pushed the sight away, even as he banged the table with his free hand. It was not weakening as he had planned. Evidently those feeble Monks are still resisting. I will wipe you off the face of the Earth, High Master. My victory will be complete and years unending shall be your torment in the Realm I have fashioned solely for you. I have not forgotten what your Order did to me those many centuries ago, nor shall I allow any protestations of innocence. Monks of both Light and Dark must be removed, and allow my followers to rule unhindered. Then we shall see a new world order – I will not be so acquiescent and feeble in the face of those nations that have designs on our territory or its rich goods. The Empire will rise once more to become the ruling power of the known Earth.
As he ran through his almost daily litany of hatred and desire, his fingers twitched on the table, his face stiff with controlled rage as he gave vent to his feelings. He calmed his breathing and then rose from the huge chair, an Ironwood frame covered with deep velvet and lined with ancient runes and symbols traced in midnight blue. The workroom at the top of the tower was comfortably furnished, even by the opulent standards of the rest of the Council of Mages. Tall bookcases lined two walls, organised into collections of Treatises, Spells, Alchemical Formulae, Historical texts and general tomes of notes obtained from leading figures across the ages. Some were so old that they were rarely opened, the content of their brittle pages long since imprinted upon Xa’Kar’s mind. As he moved across the chamber to the tall window at the far side, his long red robe rustled gently on the floor stones. A single sconce set into the wall held the sole source of light; a wide candle of deepest purple flickering gently, yet the whole room was bathed in a warm, clear light. He leaned against the ornate grille which covered the window pane and gazed out at the mountains ahead. Here he was alone, in his private sanctuary, where neither fellow Mage, nor any other mortal had trod for over a century. 105 years I have waited. So close this time to annihilating the Order of Light and those outcast Zanar. But my powers are nearly exhausted, only my followers’ lust for mindless mayhem keeps them going. Soon the barrier at Seakeep will fail and the Imperial drones will be free to restore civilised order. I must rest.
Clearing his thoughts, he reached into a pocket of his robe and withdrew a small scroll. Whispering words of magic, the scroll vanished, bound for the recipients at the Council. ‘Hide away for now, we are unable to complete our victory as I had planned. Marshal your strength over the coming years. I will return when I have the knowledge to succeed without fail. You, the Council, will lead the Xa’Charn in my absence. Continue our usual activities; extortion, blackmail, such sweet folly that folk succumb to. Do not let the Inquisitors or either of the Orders defeat you though, we must remain strong, an organisation that operates and is guarded by fear and ignorance. For now, we will let them reflect on what we are capable of, and our sudden return to anonymity will serve to keep us always on the edge of their nervous thoughts.’
Tiring now after his long efforts, Xa’Kar moved to the bed in the far corner of the chamber and lay down, waving his hand nonchalantly at the candle, which duly responded and flickered out. Instantly all was dark, and only the slow breathing of the Mage punctuated the brooding silence.
There is always time for one with resources unending. Let the Orders hide away, and the people grow distant from their protectors. When innocence and appeasement are rife again, then I will plan anew.
Xa’Kar slept. Hundreds of leagues away, the High Master of the Spires felt the diminishing of the violent power emanating from the dark edge of the Empire and sighed in relief. They had survived, both Orders having banded together in a time of need. They had always to remain vigilant though, lest Xa’Kar and his ruthless Mages once more attempted to dim the glorious light of the Empire’s spirit.
...
Across the Empire, the groups of Xa’Charn began to withdraw, following the summons from their Council at Xa’Kar’s behest. Left untended, the barrier at Seakeep fell, and thousands of perplexed Imperial soldiers were deployed hurriedly across the provinces to restore civil order. For a time, Martial law was imposed, until the looting had stopped, and Fordhenas and his co-conspirators were removed from power. A period of bitter retribution followed, noble against commoner, soldiers against dissidents. The powerful suggestions of the Xa’Charn began to fade, and people awoke from a daze of disillusionment to realise that the perpetrators of the horror had melted away. As swiftly as it had fallen apart, the Empire sprang to life again, the suffering and destruction cast aside. Work gangs were swiftly mustered to rebuild vital structures, soldiers set to relaying the main roads, arteries of the Empire’s expanse. Of the old capital at Jhaerl however, there was no such rebirth, its once breathtaking edifices of culture and majesty so utterly demolished, and memories of atrocities so stark that no one dared return. It was left to crumble, the temperate forests slowly growing over its bleak tattered remains. The command and control functions of the Empire were moved to the centre of its rough geography, and after long discussions the once sleepy provincial market town of Kcerre soon became a fevered hive of activity, as builders and tradesmen alike set to raising a new capital to outdo the last, erasing the trauma in the only way they could, by renewing their faith in the security and vitality of Imperial rule.
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swebat822001 reviewed Version 1 -
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Im nor rreally normally a big sci fi fan but i quite aenjoyed this. I found your charecters interestring and you have a good imagination. I will definately read more of yopur work in the future. Im not really that clued up on this but i think that should be just about enough
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heartNsoul reviewed Version 1 -
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wonderful first paragraph. i could see the ruin and devestation even before you spoke of the volcanic disruption. i’m not much of a sci-fi reader, and thought the words were awful complex, then thought again. those words are the only words that do justice to the theme, but on the other hand, one would need a strong grasp of vocabulary if they were a beginning sci-fi reader. i heard braveheart, dungeons and dragons, and lord of the rings. i am caught up in the intrigue behind the monastary, the harbored revenge of the outcast, the calm before the storm…as i said, not ever been one for too much sci-fi, i found this interesting, and more so than i had expected. i look forward to reading more!
NormaLizeth reviewed Version 1 -
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I really wish you get your plot back together. you did a great job as you described you were able to keep in task the view of the characters and the plot. You didn’t bombard the reader with so much detail of the situation, just a war against a source of evil. simple and clean and interesting
andersda reviewed Version 1 -
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You do have a talent worth developing. This may have been a beneficial exercise, but it may be time to let it go, at least until you have a plan on how to finish it.
There are a bunch of gramaticals thoroughout and a few spell check things like “forwards” vs. forward that should be cleaned up.
“Almost at an end now however. The Xa’Charn had” vs. Almost at an end now, however, the Xa’Charn had
None of those are particularly fatal. Good luck with this.
Curtastrophe reviewed Version 1 -
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Wow! I must say that I’m impressed! I gave you 10 on both of your criteria. I’ve only written a few reviews and have only been on Ubris for a short time, but this is by far the best fantasy write I’ve read yet. Pity, you’ve stopped writing it for lack of a plot.
It seems that you’re well versed in the conventions of fantasy fiction—the names, dialogue, places, and conflicts all come across as something I’d pick of the shelf at my local bookstore. No kidding.
As for criticism, I have to admit, I’ve got none for you. This is rare for me as you will notice if you read any of the other reviews I’ve posted. I must admit however, that fantasy books are not at the top of my que or even my choice reading material, but this was exciting and fun to read nonetheless.
SilverDragon reviewed Version 1 -
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Sci-Fi is one of my favorite genres, so I read alot of it. What I mean is, I have a large basis of comparison. I enjoyed this piece, especially the political upheaval. Your characters have interesting names, and your manner of description is wonderful. My favorite line is “and the populace trembled wearily into the familiar poses of fear and pain. ” I like your style. Keep it up !!
haikudo reviewed Version 1 -
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You certainly are a prolific writer with a brilliant imagination. If I had your skills, I would rule this world with an iron fist-or at least get a better car. This story deserves the full attention of a master word-smith. Even so, this work has the flavor of Gordon’s Wheel of Time and might be best treated as a series of novels, rather than a single book. You have a huge talent for description, but I see it more effectively applied to whiz-bang short stories, Spider Robinson-style. Your talent is fomidably “shaped”, it just needs to be appropriately deployed.
Reilly616 reviewed Version 1 -
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As with the other similar piece of this I have already reviewed for you, I like this very much. It has great pace and flow. The dialogue is realistic and helps the flow of the story. The descriptions are full. I think you should continue this and expand it. Best wishes and keep writing my friend.
Slán leatsa!!!
jamesholmes reviewed Version 1 -
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That was amazing – i really got hooked from your first paragraph, although it was a little confusing first off with so many names and places to try and remember. It was enthralling, with all the details of the Xa’Charn and their attacks. You write very cleanly, without over doing things. Everything is worded perfectly with beautiful descriptions such as ‘pockets of lava…’ i really did enjoy reading this so please try and sort out the story and finish it! Keep up the good work.
Salast reviewed Version 1 -
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I don’t know why you stopped. I could get in to this story easily, I can see sequels and plots and small side lines. You carry your characters across easily and the dialogue flows naturally. The only problem I may have is the detailed histories which I know are necessary to create a background for your world but at the same time I’m the type of reader who likes to get into the action, to live the lives of the characters.
I would try to continue with this story if I were you. Good stuff!!!
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