Dark Fate: The Gathering (The Dark Fate Chronicles Book 1) (77 page)

Searing pain raced through his veins as the sweetness of the girl’s essence was extracted from his body by the cords of power radiating from the stone. More than just the girl’s soul was drawn from Vinnicus. A part of his very being was torn from him as her awareness left and was imbibed by the ancient artifact.

Vinnicus watched raptly as the stone flickered and churned with power. He could not run. It was far too late. The floating gemstone was a maelstrom that glowed as bright as the sun, burning its image into his eyes. The bolts of power shifted away from him as the last of the girl’s presence was pulled away, and then they stabbed into her lifeless corpse. Her body jerked and twitched as the bolts stabbed into her head, breast, and torso. Her transformed spirit shrieked as the bolts funneled it into the body and locked it away.

Vinnicus fell to his knees, blood leaking from his eyes and the flesh of his hands smoldering. At this moment, he was the most vulnerable he had been in centuries—just as it had been for
his
creator. He needed to get away before she rose. He needed to get away now.

Vinnicus rose to his feet on trembling legs. He looked at the gemstone that had fallen to the floor, its brilliant light dimming.
I must go, quickly
, he thought, leaving the stone where it lay. He shuffled toward the crack in the cavern wall that would grant him sanctuary from his creation.

A sound like stone dragging across stone echoed behind him.

Vinnicus jerked around, breathless, and stared at his new creation.

She remained unmoving.

Out of breath?
Vinnicus thought, amazed. He had not consciously taken a breath in over three millennia, and now he found himself reacting like any mortal presented with a threat to its insignificant life. It would seem there was rather more at stake than he realized, creating a child as he did.

He hurried through the darkness, putting distance between his weakened self and the monster he had created. Vinnicus realized that more had awakened in him than just a forgotten mortal habit.

For the first time in longer than he could remember, Vinnicus discovered that he wanted to live.

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About the authors

Matt Howerter

Matt is one of those guys who grew up loving to draw, watching cartoons and playing RPGs
(the kind where you sit at a table and the other players are generally in the same room with you)
. When deciding what direction to take in life, Matt was torn between illustration and storytelling, both forms of art he truly enjoyed. Illustration and design won out and became his career for nearly two decades, but storytelling always remained close to his heart. Finally, Matt has used his pencil to write as well as draw, and he hopes to continue to do so for the rest of his days.

Jon Reinke

Wandering has always been a hobby for Jon Reinke, but one thing has always been a constant. A love of fiction. Whether it’s getting lost in a fantastic world of his own imagining through RPG’s
(see a theme here?)
or reading dozens of books populated by wizards and warriors, heroes and villains, this genre has always been a fixture of his life.

Glossary

Artifacts

Harundin
- (Ha • Roon •Den) The stone of power.

Mordekki
- (Mor • Dee • Key) Symbol and weapon of the ruling family of the dwarven people.

Characters

Alexander Ventus
- Prince and acting king of Basinia.

Arece
Moridin
- (Ah • Reese) Queen of Pelos and mother to Galen, Sloane and Sacha.

Baeloke
- (Bay • Loke) Immortal awaiting the Awakening.

Bale Tigon
- A captain of the Pelosian army, responsible for the safety of the royal family.

Banlor Graves
- Lord and Minister of Trade for the Basinian kingdom, Blanor is a man of substantial power and influence.

Bella Louvet
- Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin.

Galen Moridin
- Prince of Pelos and eldest of King Hathorn’s children.

Gideon Thorel
- General to the second house of the dwarven people.

Erik Aveon
- (A • Vee • On) Orphan and adopted father of Kinsey Aveon, Erik is a loyal and long-time scout for the Basinia army.

Hathorn Moridin
- King of Pelos and father to Galen, Sloane and Sacha.

Jagger DeBoucher
- Notorious, human rogue of the northern lands.

Jocelyn Thorel
- Prominent warrior among the dwarves and sister to Gideon.

Kesh Tomelen
- A chancellor of the Basinian courts, Kesh is also a prominent emissary and works closely with Lord Banlor Graves.

Kinsey Aveon
- Adopted son of Erik Aveon, Kinsey is half-dwarven and a soldier of the Basinian army.

Leanne Louvet
- Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin.

Marcella Moridin
- Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin. Older sister to Meagan Moridin.

Meagan Moridin
- Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin. Younger sister to Marcella Moridin.

Renee Folet
- Traveling minstrel and lover of Sacha Moridin.

Rhian Ventus
- Queen of Basinia and mother to Alexander Ventus.

Roderick Ventus
- King of Basinia and father to Alexander Ventus.

Rouke Tarr
- Loyal friend to Erik and Kinsey. Soldier of the Basinian army.

Rylan Moridin
- Daughter of Sacha Moridin and Renee. A princess of Pelos.

Sacha Moridin
- Daughter of King Hathorn and Queen Arece, Sacha is a Princess of Pelos with potential to become one of the most powerful users of the Shamonrae.

Selen
- Immortal awaiting the Awakening.

Sargon
- A dwarven high priest of Dagda and friend to King Thorn.

Sloane Moridin
- Daughter of King Hathorn and Queen Arece, Sloane is to become queen of Basinia by marriage to Prince Alexander Ventus.

Teacher
- Headmaster of the Monastery.

Thorn Brunahlen
- (Brune • Hall • In) King of the Dwarves.

Vinnicus
- (Vin • I • Kus) Immortal who seeks to manipulate events and people toward his ends.

Gods of Orundal

Anoba
- (An • O • Buh) God of life. Primary deity of the elves.

Dagda
- (Dag • Duh) God of the earth. Primary deity of the dwarves.

Eos
- (E • Ohs) God of survival. Primary deity of the humans.

Mot
- God of death. Worshiped by all of the goblinoid races and most outcasts of society.

Supernatural

Arcane energy/power
- Mystical force used by mages to alter reality. Sometimes called, Shamonrae.

Dakayga
- (Da • Kay • Gha) Blessing of the dwarven god Dagda. Demon or spirit warrior.

Dausos
- (Da • Sos) The spirit world.

Rohdaekhann
- (Row • Day • Con) Giant eagles in Basinia.

Shamonrae
- (Sha • Mon • Ray) The place between reality and spirit where arcane energy is stored in its raw form.

Skinner
- Demon doppelganger.

The World

Asynia
- (A • Sin • Ya) Elven capital deep within the Winewood.

Basinia
- (Base • I • Knee • Ya) Home of Terrandal, the tree of peace between elves and men. Also known as the ‘First Nation’, referring to the first settlement of humans on Orundal.

Dry Tower
- Abandoned colony of elven and human settlers.

Pelos
- (Pel • loss) Nation of the screaming eagle. Comprised of humans that were once nomadic tribes, the Pelosians became ‘civilized’ after the dwarven civil war 500 years prior to the present day storyline.

Mozil
- (Moe • zeal) Dwarven capital in the Dale mountain range.

Orundal
- (Or • Un • Doll) The only known land mass.

Savage Lands
- The wilderness. Untamed lands inhabited by nomads, outcasts and wildlife.

Skelris
- (Skell • Riss) Goblinoid capital of the Wetlands.

Stone Mountain/City Wall
- Once kingdom to the dwarven nation, Stone Mountain is now capital to the nomadic human tribes of Pelos. A massive, dwarven-made barrier stretches between the gap of the southern reaches of Mountain Wall, protecting Stone Mountain from invaders. The structure is so large that it houses all of the city’s troops and supplies, thus was given the name ‘City Wall’ by its new human tenants.

Waterfall Citadel
- Human capital of Basinia. The ‘First City’ was built as a representation of everlasting peace between the elves of the Winewood and the human settlers of Basinia.

Miscellaneous