Wielder's Awakening (55 page)

Blaize had stopped by the night before to say good bye to Traven and wish him luck.  It had been sad to part with the mighty warrior once again.  Traven felt that he should be waiting to march at the barracks with Blaize and the rest of the soldiers, but fate had chosen a different path for him.  He turned from watching the vanishing procession and looked to the north.  His journey would take him in a different direction than the departing party.  He suddenly felt a strange feeling as if someone were watching him.  He stepped back from the window but the feeling remained.  Traven didn’t understand how, but someone was still watching him.

* * * * *

Kadrak walked down the grand hall under the vaulted ceilings.  On the walls, the portraits of long dead empresses stared at their new ruler.  The city had fallen quickly.  At first the Empress had thought she could stop him.  When she discovered that her armies were powerless against his might, however, she had wisely subjected her kingdom to him.  The Empress of Balthus was now one of his servants.  Kadrak had spared the citizens of Rankdra and then moved into the palace.  There had been minor uprisings, but his army put them down quickly.  The soldiers of Balthus who remained alive were now loyal to him.  The capitol of Balthus was now firmly his.  Kalia was next.

Turning down a side hall, Kadrak walked over to the door that led to the wine cellar.  As he started down the steps, a flame appeared in front of him lighting the way.  When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he continued to the back of the cellar where a silver dish held water.  Letting the flame disappear, Kadrak concentrated on the screeing dish.  He needed to know if Wraith was still in Calyn.  Amazingly nothing happened.  He grumbled under his breath when no image appeared.  Wraith must have been killed somehow.  Growling, he pulled up an image of Kalia and was amazed to find that there was no longer any fog.

Concentrating, he focused on a pin prick of light in Calyn.  As Calyn grew larger, so did the point of light.  At last its source could be seen.  Kadrak’s eyes narrowed with anger.  A young man, dressed all in black, stood uncomfortably in a small room in the royal palace.  Around him blazed the glory of the ambience!

Look for
Wielder’s Rising
, the second book in the
Wielder Trilogy

About the Author

T.B. Christensen is an accountant and a dreamer in his early 30’s.  He has a wonderful wife and two darling children.  He grew up in the hot desert and now lives in the cold mountains.  You can learn more about T.B. Christensen and his current and future books by visiting his blog at http://www.tbchristensen.blogspot.com/.