Stories

The Savage Queen

An uneasy peace is shattered when the long dormant alfin again invade human lands. War engulfs every human country across the continent, throwing people from every walk of life into a conflict that threatens them all. As kingdoms fall and borders fail, a group of survivors struggle to fight back against invasion; meanwhile, a shadowy evil stirs, walking the earth with mysterious purpose, and a threat towards the destruction of everything.

Jair is a slave on an alfin farm. After murdering one of his captors in retribution for cruel crimes against his family, he is forced to flee; instead of wondering what the world outside is like, he has no choice but to see it for himself. New to a world now at war, Jair struggles to find his place, even as something inside him awakens. He begins to wonder who --or what -- he really is.

King Ederick is the ruler of a nation under siege. He is faced with the horror that there is no stopping the alfin advance; he maneuvers to save what family he can, while ensuring Coorine will stand as long as possible, a flimsy barrier that is all that stands between the alfin and the rest of the continent. Betrayal leaves his kingdom to stand alone and outmatched, as alfin plots hamstring even the oldest of allies.

Tylla is an engine smith in the prestigious air ship fleet of Eeda; stranded in enemy territory during the first wave of attack, she finds herself suddenly in charge of a small band of survivors. She forges an uneasy alliance with a tribe of Fenrich barbarians, and must keep the peace between former enemies as she tries to bring her people home to safety.

Old enemies are forced to become allies, friends become enemies, and betrayal is everywhere as the alfin seek to steal away control of all the lands. A scattered group of men and women are all that stand between enslavement and death, as the war comes to them from all fronts. They soon realize that they are each only a tiny piece of a grander puzzle and only by coming together do they stand a chance at ending the war. And somewhere, something far worse than the alfin begins to plot...


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Excerpt: Answers

Pools of lava scattered around the cave, some stretching to the horizon, the size of small lakes. The far wall was an indistinct blur, nearly lost in the depths of the cavern. The pools were the source of the reddish light, as the hot magma swirled and bubbled in their pits. The heat was almost too much, and Jair could feel the hot stones through the soles of his boots; he stepped carefully from foot to foot, mindful not to spend too much time on one. His mouth hung open in awe. The whole of Ryckus’ estate could fit in the cavern, perhaps several times over.

The deep rumble returned to his ears, clearer now that he was close to the source; it sounded like rocks being rubbed together, hundreds, maybe thousands of rocks. Intent on what he sought, but aware he could not last long in the oppressive heat, Jair stepped out into the cavern. He moved forward, heading towards the strange sound, careful not to move too close to the pools of magma.

Movement ahead, Jair squinted, trying to make out its source. The rumble stopped suddenly, and the flickering motion ceased as well. Jair frowned, absently rubbing the hilt of his sword, and continued on. He weaved his way between flowing rivers of lava, his eyes intent on the ground directly before him.

Eventually, the rivers of magma split away from him, and he found himself standing on a long shelf of rock, stretching back towards the far wall of the cavern. Ahead of him, a giant pile of greenish stone sat like a small mountain, towering above him. Narrow paths continued on either side of the hill, the only easy access to the other side.

Jair started forward again, but stopped suddenly in shock. A gigantic eye, bigger than his head, was starring unblinkingly from the pile of rock, a golden pupil outlined in reddish fire. He cursed, and drew his sword with his good hand, stepping back in a hurry.

The rumbling noise returned, rocks grinding against rock, and Jair’s eyes widened. A head several times bigger than a horse lifted from the ground, a head similar to the monitor lizards he had hunted as a boy, with horns that stretched upwards in a complicated curl. Instead of skin, the enormous head glistened with dark green scales, each the size of Jair’s fist. It turned towards him, both eyes staring at him intently, as it continued to rise into the air. He realized the rest of the rock pile had to be the creature’s body, a mammoth beast bigger than anything he had ever seen, or imagined.

“Dragon,” he hissed, oddly not afraid. A strange calm had come over him, his sense of urgency gone. Whatever it was he was searching for, this creature would help him. The creature uncoiled itself before him, its scales scraping against the rock, the source of the grinding noise he had heard earlier.

The dragon stood on four short legs, its body long and sinuous, almost snakelike. The tail thrashed a little, almost as if in impatience, and the flowing neck stretched out.  Wings spread out to the side, showing off a wingspan that would engulf most buildings from the estate, a jagged line through one wing marring the perfection of the beast, a mark Jair was sure had to be some sort of scar. The creatures jaw dropped in a gaping yawn, flashing a glimpse of rows of jagged teeth, each longer than a man’s arm. A forked tongue thicker than Jair’s waist flickered out, like that of a smaller lizard, tasting the air. It’s eyes, deep pools of ancient knowledge, focused on him, searching, and Jair could feel himself being appraised. He stood still, his hands now well away from the hilt of his sword, somehow back at his side, oddly calm and unafraid.

Finished with its stretching, the dragons head again lowered, drawing forwards towards Jair. It stopped only a few feet away, and Jair could feel its warm breath on his face, could hear the dragons breathing like the pumping of a bellows, could taste the foul stench of death on the creatures breath.

Why have you come? The dragon asked, its thoughts entering Jair’s. He got the sense that the dragon spoke in some other language, yet still he understood.

“I am seeking knowledge,” Jair said aloud, his head held high. The words came on their own, and he puzzled over the meaning, even as the dragon answered.

Knowledge? The dragon’s head again rose high into the air, and Jair found himself straining his neck to keep eye contact. What do your kind care of knowledge?