The Quest for Drisilas Read online

  Copyright 2022 © Alice G. Bjornstedt

  Published in 2022 by IngramSpark.

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art 2022 by Alice G. Bjornstedt.

  Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock, contributed by Tomertu.

  Image ID: 1282422742

  “A Map of Northwestern Orlell - revised” 2022 by Alice G. Bjornstedt

  ISBN 978-1-7375262-5-4

  Also in the Orlell Chronicles

  Book 1 - Guardians of Gayrile

  Book 2 - The Jewel of Power

  Book 3 - The Quest for Drisilas

  Book 4 - coming soon!

  The Orlell Chronicles

  Drisilas

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  Alice G. Bjornstedt

  Quest

  Book 3

  The

  for

  Table of Contents

  Part 1 - The Sword..........................................................................................9

  Prologue............................................................................................................11

  1 - The Gift.....................................................................................................19

  2 - The Rider...................................................................................................27

  3 - The Camp..................................................................................................33

  4 - The Hunters..............................................................................................41

  5 - Explanations..............................................................................................48

  6 - The King’s Council..................................................................................55

  7 - The Road to Tackert Fief......................................................................60

  8 - Rumors in the Market............................................................................68

  9 - Through the Gully Caves......................................................................83

  10 - A Story at Sunrise.................................................................................96

  11 - An Unexpected Meeting....................................................................105

  12 - News from the Kragon Lord............................................................118

  13 - Reaching the Crossroads...................................................................126

  14 - The Second Source.............................................................................137

  Part 2 - The Shadow...................................................................................147

  15 - Deadmen’s Flats..................................................................................149

  16 - Reaching the Border...........................................................................159

  17 - The Tribe of Lia.................................................................................169

  18 - Castle Sia...............................................................................................180

  19 - The Wraith of Night.........................................................................197

  20 - The Stone of Drisilas.........................................................................210

  21 - Another Shadow...................................................................................216

  22 - Mel’s Purpose......................................................................................228

  Epilogue.........................................................................................................236

  Glossary/Pronunciation Guide...............................................................238

  Acknowledgements.....................................................................................241

  for Joseph, whose loyalty rivals Glentree’s,

  Sam, who first discovered the kragons,

  and Noah, who remains the inspiration for Mel.

  Part 1

  The Sword

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  Prologue

  Early morning in Caer Sia…

  In the shadows of the corridor, a deeper darkness lurked. He could feel it, sense the almost palpable cold and evil that clung to it like a shroud. The way it had waited for them all to gather here, in Castle Sia’s great halls, blocking the only escape, would prove to be fatal for the inhabitants here. Perhaps the intruding shadow had an intelligence of some kind – perhaps it had concocted this attack in whatever mind it possessed.

  The memories swirled in his subconscious mind, fragmented and incomplete. A day he had lived through, years before – except now, he was a bystander, forced to stand and watch, unable to warn the other Liznees. Unable to alter the past.

  He saw it sweeping forward, ribbons of black shadow that filled the room, as ice crept up the walls of the room. The Liznee courtier nearest to the door saw it first, and his warning echoed through the hall, breaking the solemn yet hopeful silence that had filled the scene up until now.

  And then the black shadows became hateful, a wicked wraith that clouded the room like acrid smoke, choking the nearest bystanders, smothering their screams of pain. Ice shattered the stain glass windows, showering the fleeing Liznees in shards of glass.

  He ran, stumbling, panic filling him as he swung his gaze around desperately for his brother and mother, both of whom had vanished into that dark cloud –

  “Wake up, sir, there’s trouble – ”

  Voices broke into his mind, overlapping the fading screams of the dream –

  Dandio jolted awake.

  Faint white light leaked through the thick curtains above the headboard of his bed; morning had barely arrived. His blankets lay in a heap on the floor, indicating that sometime during the night he had flung them off. His wife Ajaha’s side of the bed was empty – of course, she had left yesterday to Badwater, where she would meet with the town leaders to discuss the trade routes. She’d be gone for the next few weeks.

  The voice beyond the door brought him to his feet. He recognized it as belonging to the captain of guard. From the soldier’s tone alone, he guessed there was trouble.

  Dandio opened the door, nearly bumping into the speaker, who stood directly beyond it. The captain stepped back, then straightened and saluted hurriedly. “Sir – beg pardon – the watchmen have sounded the alarm. A large creature has been sighted in the hills to the north.”

  “What sort of creature?” Dandio asked, already buckling on his sword. He trusted the other man’s judgment in these matters. The captain wouldn’t have woken him in such urgency unless there was trouble.

  “A great beast,” the captain stammered as they started down the hall, towards the stairs that led up to the castle walls. “They say it looks like a huge dragon, bigger than any native species here. It flew off into the hills a few minutes ago, but it may come back.”

  “A dragon?” Dandio repeated, half to himself. That didn’t seem right. He knew most of the guardsmen personally. Human and Liznee soldiers alike, they all had experience enough to identify a dragon. So the captain was probably right. If it was a dragon, it wasn’t native to Coonsia.

  “It isn’t a dragon,” came another voice to their right, as they started up the steps. Ĵan Ki, king of the Liznees of Coonsia, walked towards them, his face serious. “We have reason to believe it is the renegade kragon.”

  The captain frowned, confused. “A kragon? But they are allied with us, aren’t they, sire?”

  “Most of them,” Dandio told him. They reached the ramparts, a crisp northerly breeze whistling over the stone walls. Caer Sia’s red and silver banner fluttered and snapped in the wind above them. Below them, the downtown area of the city stretched on below. To the right, the wild, tangled wilderness of the foothills sprawled on for miles, overshadowed by the purple-gray tips of the mountains that cradled the valley of Sia.

  Dandio studied the terrain, thinking. The lingering darkness of the dream seemed to have slowed his thoughts. That, and the early hour, he thought wryly. “Gather your troops,” he told the captain. “Stand by on t
he west wall, and await my orders. I’ll be there shortly.”

  The captain nodded and retreated down the stairs, his chainmail clinking.

  “What do you think?” Ĵan asked quietly when the captain left. His green eyes, usually calm, had a light of worry, and there were lines of concern on his silver-skinned face.

  Dandio turned to his brother, taking a breath. “If it’s a kragon, then it has to be Adderstrike. Unless Lord Fireclaw intends to pick a fight with us.”

  “No, I trust him well enough. And the report clearly stated that Adderstrike has deserted the Order,” Ĵan said. He paused. “Are you all right?”

  Dandio looked at him and flashed a tight smile. “Yes, I’m fine. Only thinking.”

  The echoes from his dream floated through his mind like a draft of cold air – screams, cries, moans from the injured – sad echoes from years before. Chilling with the despair and death that they carried. It made it harder for him to focus on the current issue, and clearly, Ĵan could tell.

  A rumbling snarl snapped him out of his thoughts, and they both turned as a winged beast burst from the trees of the woods some hundred yards from the castle walls.

  Dandio took an involuntary step back at the shock, and stared at the creature as it approached. Nearly twenty feet long, covered in plated gray scales, its huge wings created a wingspan of nearly thirty feet as it circled the castle. Its head was lean, with a long, ugly muzzle packed with razor sharp teeth that opened in a second snarling scream as it swept toward them.

  “Light above,” Ĵan murmured.

  “Guns! Now!” Dandio shouted, jogging down the wall. Caer Sia’s military stood apart from the rest of the Mainland militia with their possession firearms. Now the cannons, nearly fifty in all, were pulled into position by the guards.

  “Wait,” Ĵan said. He followed Dandio, his eyes on the kragon. Adderstrike had circled the walls, and now rose above the castle, his huge wings pounding the air, snarling.

  “What’s he doing here?” Dandio called back to him, drawing his sword and stepping forward to join his troops. The soldiers, disciplined and battle-ready as they were, had shrank back at the beast’s sudden appearance. Such creatures were long forgotten by the common people of Caer Sia, though forever remembered by a few seasoned soldiers who had faced them before.

  Ĵan’s eyes met his on the other side of the rampart, and Dandio could see the confusion written on the king’s face. And Dandio was just as puzzled. Adderstrike had left the Kragon Order, rebelled against his ruling lord, and now it seemed he planned to attack Caer Sia alone – but why?

  “Easy, men,” Dandio said to the gunners, who stood, poised and ready to fire if the kragon drew any closer. Still Adderstrike made no attempt to attack, only swept forward and past the walls like an angry falcon, his chest vibrating in that hateful snarl.

  Then a weak voice spoke from behind. “Sir…”

  Dandio turned sharply. Stumbling up the stairs behind them, bleeding from numerous wounds, was the captain of guard. He caught the injured man as he fell.

  “You’re all right – hold on – what is it?”

  “Below…” the captain choked, his voice rasping. “They… fought their way in… Terrax and his warriors… they’re after the sword.”

  The words sent a jolt through him. Adderstrike was not here to fight; he was a diversion. Which meant he had joined with another group of outlaws…

  Outlaws – that had fought their way into the palace.

  “Ĵan, they’re below!” he called to his brother, then jogged down the stairs into the palace. The sounds of fighting came from the ground level. He ran, taking the stairs in groups at a time, gripping his sword.

  The foyer just within the gates leading out to the courtyard was eerily silent. Bodies lay scattered on the ground, some Liznee soldiers, and others in tattered, filthy clothing. On the wall directly next to the doors, scrawled in charcoal, were written five words.

  Terrax will have his throne.

  Dandio pushed through the castle doors and jogged out into the courtyard, looking around. A man stood on the far end of the courtyard, long dark hair hanging over his eyes, clutching the sword Drisilas in its scabbard to his chest. Adderstrike dropped down and lifted the outlaw in his claws. Dandio saw the fleeting flash of the outlaw’s triumphant smirk before they were gone.

  Dandio entered the foyer again, taking a deep breath. His body trembled with the lingering adrenaline and rage. They had been tricked. Drisilas, Ĵan’s sword, had been taken.

  Drisilas was no ordinary sword.

  Ĵan appeared on the stairs, with a group of guards behind him. His green eyes took in the scene in a moment, then came to rest on the message on the wall.

  “Terrax,” Dandio confirmed for him, spitting the name like a curse. “Adderstrike was his ride out. He killed the guards at the gates. That’s the reason we weren’t alerted.” He surveyed the bodies. Three of them stood out from the other intruders – small and stocky, with wiry dark hair and tanned skin. Dwarves, he realized with a jolt of surprise. Members of the Black Dwarve tribe to the east. Had they joined with…?

  A tall, thin man approached hesitantly, and Ĵan looked up. “Well, Drona, what do you make of this?”

  His steward and advisor, Pellion Drona, shook his head slowly. “I must admit, sire – I don’t know. You say you saw no coat of arms, no sign as to who they served?”

  “None,” Ĵan answered him. “Terrax and Adderstrike can’t have acted alone – they don’t have the power. My guess is they were hired to attack.”

  “Hired by whom?” Pellion asked uncertainly. A heavy silence settled on the room, leaving the question unanswered.

  Dandio glanced outside, in the direction the kragon had gone, and took a breath. “Safacon has fallen – but we knew the peace would not last.” He paused. “I will find the sword.”

  “Dandio…” Ĵan started uncertainly.

  “I’ll go after Terrax,” Dandio repeated, determination bright in his green eyes. “I’ll find Drisilas while you figure out who hired Terrax and his men.”

  “Then I want to come with you,” came a young voice from behind them.

  Dandio turned as his daughter, Asescia, approached timidly, her long dark hair still tousled from sleep. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she took in the carnage in the room. But he saw a familiar light of determination in them, too.

  “They will have better use of you here,” he told her gently as she reached them. “Learning who hired Terrax, determining how to stop him – your uncle will need your help.” He grinned faintly at Ĵan, who only nodded and laid a hand on Asescia’s shoulder.

  “Stay,” he said gently as the teenage Liznee girl hesitated. “Pellion and I will appreciate your help and perspective.”

  Asescia nodded slowly. Dandio hugged her tightly, feeling a familiar stab at regret of leaving her. It could – and probably would – be a long time before he saw her again.

  All the same, he almost looked forward to the approaching hunt. The time had come to stop Adderstrike and the arrogant Terrax.

  “Send for Glentree, and Captain Tarash,” he told Drona, who nodded and jogged off. He placed his hands on Asescia’s shoulders, meeting her eyes. “Help your uncle learn who hired them, and what the Kragon Order is up to. And be safe.”

  “I will,” Asescia said. She straightened, then turned to follow Pellion Drona.

  Dandio looked at Ĵan and clasped the king’s hand. “It’ll be good to get back out there. Don’t worry about me. I will deal with Terrax.”

  “And…what of the Darkness?” his brother asked quietly.

  Dandio paused. A chill ran down his spine as he remembered the report that had come only yesterday…a report that spoke of ancient evil reawakened in the heart of the country. An evil forgotten for decades, now stirring again.

  For an instant his hand strayed to the scar creasing his face, and his determination faltered as the old nightmare flooded his head.

  Then he looked up and nodded shortly. “I will find the sword. But I’ll have help.”

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