《Shattered Grimoires》 Prologue The figure stalked through the halls of the castle, the dark stone sucking in ambient light. His footsteps echoed through the corridors, the sole sound to be found in the dank halls. As the figure strode forward, the light began to shift. Gone was the natural light of the moon, and in its place was a baleful light from lanterns hanging from the walls. Shadows traced the figure''s face as he grew closer and closer to the intricate door at the far end of the hall. He knew he was now deep underground, and as he stood in front of the door, he traced the etchings with his finger. A shudder passed through his body as he remembered the scene now memorialized in front of him. He had slaughtered hundreds that day in service to his dark master. It was not the ritual murder he had typically committed, it was brutal torture on a mass scale. He was but one of many of the Faceless, the mask wearing soldiers of Vorthax, whose sole purpose was to bring fear and panic to those who would defy him. That day, they had been cut loose. A population unsuspecting had been the victims of a brutality that would make the gods of the dead squirm. The figure sighed as the memory washed over him, and pushed through the door. Immediately, a cacophony of screams and yells assaulted his ears. He could smell the coppery scent lingering in the air, and strode forward into the chaos. The figure closed his eyes, muscle memory guiding him to his destination. The screams of tortured souls, the yells of their gaolers, and the sounds of metal on bone were music to his ears. The figure made it to his destination, a central great hall that led to an obsidian dais. He stared longingly at the dais, wishing for the power it granted. He turned away, a dark hunger in his eyes. Soon, he knew. Soon his power would be greater than any in history, and any in the future. He sat in the fetid chair, reveling in the smell of the creators. A dark and hunched creature hobbled over towards its master. "Master, the preparations are nearly complete. We are but awaiting the last two caravans and then all shall be ready." The creature bowed low as it spoke, despite being an evil being it was fearful of the robed figure towering over it. "Two?" the master asked. The creature swallowed heavily, for there was immense danger in upsetting the master. "Yes Master, one of the caravans was attacked on the path, and one of the ingredients was taken." This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The figure stood up immediately, eyes blazing in fury. The creature backed away, terrified of what may come next. "Gather The Pact. Tell them we must retrieve it before the purpose of what we are doing is discovered." The creature nodded as only its body allowed, and then shambled off quickly to relay the orders of the Master. The figure struggled to maintain composure, hatred and rage surrounding him in a tangible miasma. To be delayed at such a late stage was nothing but the largest of disappointments, not just to him personally, but to his goals. He was to be the Lord and Master of all that existed, his existence was proof enough. No one would dare stand before him. He had slaughtered thousands in his long life, and had no qualms about killing thousands more. Something in the figure changed though, as though a predator was finally feeling like it was prey. The figure looked around the room, seeing nothing and yet feeling the pressure of an impending doom. Manic, he drew his weapons, the wicked knives winking evilly in the firelight. It took minutes for reality and reason to reassert themselves. Breathing heavily, he sheathed his weapons and sat back down. A hang placed itself onto the figure''s shoulder and began squeezing. "You dare sit while the ritual is delayed?" The figure immediately began sweating. The hand squeezing his shoulder was increasing the grip slowly but surely, and his shoulder was starting to hurt. "Ah, my servants are after the ingredient now, they will recover it quickly." The baritone voice rumbled again, "They had better. Or you will know true fear." The hand on the shoulder was gripping harder still, and the light steel pauldrons were starting to get crushed. Pain exploded in the figure''s shoulder as the pauldron crumpled completely under the inexorable grip. "Remember Malachai, we made a blood pact of extreme import to the god of the end times, and to forsake our promise would invoke a damnation of unspeakable terror." Malachai nursed his shoulder, gasping as the hand withdrew. "Do not lose another body." Malachai turned, staring at the broad back of the figure walking away. He felt fear in his heart, before hatred and wrath pushed it away. Malachai would kill the man, and rule over the lands and families of Eldranor as he was intended to. The figure turned slightly, as though hearing his thoughts. Malachai shuttered as he looked into those eyes. The last sight before the figure disappeared into the darkness was the momentary glint of light on a medal hanging from his breast. Chapter 1 - The Disturbance Daven Alyrra, Lord Commander of the Royal Guard, stood stoic on the ramparts of the walls overlooking the Sprawl. He loathed that name, making it seem like those making their living outside the city were unorganized and filthy. The Sprawl was the home of the poor, the destitute, and the reviled. Many had no control over the circumstances that led them to leave in the shanty town of run down homes and unsafe inns. The nobles saw no issue with the name, feeling it was a fitting albeit unofficial one, but Daven was disgusted. It certainly didn''t help that merely two rings behind him sat the Royal Village, where opulence and money were in full display. He couldn''t help but reminisce on the past. His enlistment in the Thalorian military, and the gradual rise in rank until trying out for the Royal Guard. He was the youngest Ward Knight ever promoted to Sentinel, and the youngest ever to join the elite Shield Wardens. The battles he had fought, friends he had lost, and opportunities he had given up on all weighed on him. He might be the senior most military commander in the land, but that didn''t make up for that faint feeling of missing out. His displeasure was still plastered on his face when a companion joined him. "See this is why you always lose at Dragon''s Bluff, your face shows your emotions, regardless of your attempts to mask them." Daven turned, looking into the eyes of one of the few people around here he called friend. "Priv, I swear you just enjoy getting a rise out of me." The old man smiled slightly, his tunic waving gently in the breeze, gnarled staff held loosely in his hands. "I''ve been serving Thaloria for a long time, and it''s the small things that bring this old soul joy." Daven scoffed, he knew damn well the senior mage had a predilection for pranking his students. Granted, it meant they were much more aware of their surroundings, and had a healthy wariness about anything involving an unfamiliar space. For a brief moment Daven thought about doing the same to his subordinate, but shook it off in the same instant. He was not one to joke around, and his subordinates could only take so many heart attacks before keeling over face down. "Priv, you''re a menace to those around you." With this Priv laughed properly, "says the man who is called unapproachable because you exude anger in perpetuity." Daven thought about that for a moment and left the retort unsaid. It was true, he did have resting bitch face. "You looking for your childhood home?" Priv asked gently. Daven nodded, trying not to look surprised that Priv knew. "I started to get curious. Took my agents nearly a decade to figure it out. I can see why you choose to not speak of it. I''m sorry." Daven shrugged, but nodded his acceptance of the apology. "It was decades ago. I have left the sins and traumas of the past behind me." They both went quiet, looking together over the crenellations at the Sprawl. Time crawled by, "Dav." Daven turned slightly, Priv only used his nickname in private, and when things were serious. "Something feels off." Daven nodded, he''d been unable to explain why he was feeling so tense, and now he knew. "Aye, but we''ve got no indications of a force building at the border. Nothing going on in the realm, and even the bandits seem to have calmed down along the main roads. There hasn''t been a reportable monster attack in a month. A whole month! Only thing concerning was that report for a year ago, but there''s nothing to go on with that. Realistically we have nothing to indicate we should be on edge." Priv frowned slightly, he wasn''t sure about the report, but his own spy organization corroborated the same. Daven cracked a neck, massaging it gently, "Care to join me for some tea? I have plenty of paperwork to do." Priv nodded, shocked at the change in subject before turning to follow after the man. The two wandered back towards the keep, guards saluting every so often. The guards manning the wall were less surprised to see the two together than most. Lord Commander Alyrra was fond of staring out over the walls, even if he looked angry doing it. Master of the Aegis Priv Upwin was also a known frequenter of the walls, every once in a while seeming to stare off in the direction of the coast. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. As the two passed the inner ring into the city of Elaris proper, the guards grew more martial. Salutes were more crisp, and the call of "Hail Lord Commander" was more frequent. Daven knew full well it was just for the citizens, and bore it in stride. He hated the formality, and when in the keep they simply referred to him as Lord or Lord Commander. He knew them all by name, and gave subtle nods to each. They all respected their Lord, for he was fair and respectful, and unlike his predecessor, had actually earned his position as their commander. It was nearly sun down when the duo made it to the Gilded Gate. The guards at the post outside the gate saluted quickly before getting back to watching the streets. Daven nodded subtly to the senior guard, glad to see that despite his rank, they were still focused on their jobs. Daven and Priv continued in silence, not bothering to enjoy the splendor of the Royal Village. Priv was concerned, Daven was always serious, but this was something else. He could feel his anxiety rising. He was the senior most mage in all of Thaloria, the master of the Arcane Library and the Aegis Academy and had fought nearly every conceivable monster in Eldranor, and here he was, getting anxious about some uncharacteristic quietness. Priv couldn''t help but be in awe as they came to Thalorian Gate, the gate to the palace grounds, and saw how stern and professional the guards here were. They were imposing, great swords sheathed in black leather. Their enchanted armor looked almost like it were painted, with enchantments to reduce glint and shine. Black cloaks with a red trim denoted them as Tower Guards, those entrusted to guard the palace grounds proper. Great helms covered their faces, covering the tattoos of oath on each man. They brought their shields up in salute but said nothing as Daven and Priv walked past. Two massive Ward Knights, their rank and position denoted by the gold filigree on their helms and shields, opened the gate. Once both men were through, another set of Knights saluted and closed the gate. This part of the estate was not familiar to Priv, as his office at the college was off to the west, and the Library was to the northwest. He never had reason to use the main entrance to the palace grounds, as even when he was selected as the Master of the Aegis. Priv was impressed, though he was loathe to admit it. Nothing at the Academy was so regimented or perfect. In all fairness, no one at the Academy was responsible for the safety and security of the Queen. The walk continued, quicker now. Priv struggled to keep pace with his much younger companion, and was going to ask for them to slow down when Daven did so anyways. Priv nearly ran into him, so quick was the change of pace. He looked around the man and saw why he had slowed. Two gentlemen as well as a young woman stood in front of him. All three snapped to attention and slammed their left gauntlets against their chest, the unarmed salute of the Royal Guard. Daven returned it and turned to introduce his comrade. "Priv Upwin, Master of the Aegis Academy and the Arcane Library." All three nodded politely. The older of the two men smiled, saluted, and introduced himself, "Tower Marshal Aric Valenwood, commander of the Royal Guards." Priv nodded before turning to the other man who went straight into his introduction, "Shield Marshal Alem Thorne, commander of the Wardens." Priv''s eyebrows went up momentarily. He certainly wasn''t expecting to meet the commander of the Queen''s personal guard today. He turned to the woman, stunned momentarily by her beauty. The twilight made her eyes pop. Priv was captivated by the violet color but before he could ask her about them, she glanced at Daven, who nodded slightly. "Blackwood. Chief." Priv wasn''t prepared for how curt her response was, and was nearly personally insulted until he realized it was more than she''d normally have said. This young woman was important enough to be standing with the commanders of the Guard after all. "What brings all of you out?" Daven asked. "Looking for you lord, there has been¡­an incident." Daven looked irritated, an incident should have been solved well before reaching his rank unless the fate of the Queendom were at risk. Blackwood spoke gently, "Lord, you need to hear this." Daven''s head snapped towards her and she gave him a look that spoke volumes. Daven and Priv both looked at Valenwood, concern etched onto their faces. "Explain. Now." Chapter 2 - Falring "Guardsman Roald." One of the younger guards was staring at the covered corpse in the back of the man''s wagon. "Guardsman!" Roald jumped, turning to face his senior. "Go tell the Captain about this!" Roald was terrified, the injuries on the corpse seared into his memory forever. "Shit, you''re useless. Halken! Go get the Captain. Impress upon him the criticality of this¡­and tell him the body is from Falring." Guardian Mehas Tedor was concerned. He had heard the rumors about Falring, and the disappearances in the areas around it. If the man steering the cart was being truthful, then the commanders needed to know about it. Halken sprinted off, citizens scrambling out of the way of the armored man. It took much effort, but eventually they were able to get the farmer and the cart off to the side behind the guardhouse, the morbid cargo out of sight of the citizenry. "So tell me exactly what happened." Tedor asked the man. The farmer had a haunted look as he recalled the circumstances, "Well, I was coming in from out past Falring, because my farm''s way out there. When I was on the road back I saw a bunch of carriages with some dead¡­things around them." The man swallowed heavily. "They weren''t natural, and¡­I¡­" the farmer trailed off, sweat dripping down his face, the fear starting to take a hold of him. Tedor gently grasped his shoulder, "You''re okay sir." The farmer nodded and began again, "Vierna, my horse, didn''t want to go near them. She was terrified. It was unlike her to be so scared, she''d been by my side during a goblin incursion and a raid by bandits. Blood and death aren''t new to her. But those bodies, that...blood." Tedor could see goosebumps rising up on the farmer''s arm. He was starting to get spooked as well just listening. "I don''t know what took them, nor where they were headed, but they''d been torn to pieces. It was like they''d run into a Vaegr. There was chunks of gray flesh in the trees, all along the road. The blood¡­it was black. I mean proper black, not that dark ruddy red of pooled and congealed blood. There were limbs everywhere, heads nearly twenty feet away. But what really caught my attention was that they''d mostly died around a cart." Tedor looked into the farmer''s eyes. "Cart?" The farmer nodded. "Aye, and in it was a bunch of stuff I didn''t recognize." He turned slightly to the corpse in the back of his cart. "And her¡­I¡­ I didn''t want to leave her, so I brought her. Wonder who''s missing her." His last words were said at a whisper. Tedor stared at the farmer, looking for any signs that he was lying. It was hard to say he was though, given that the body was right there. A sudden thought entered his mind. "Falring is a week''s passage at least, how is the body so¡­" he trailed off. The body was in surprisingly good shape, untouched by rot and decay. "No idea, bugs won''t even land on her." The farmer was looking at Tedor, anxiety and concern etched into his face. "The other things in the cart you found, what did you do with them?" The farmer lifted up more of the blanket, showing a few bottles and papers that weren''t immediately identifiable. A series of neighs, clack and clanks heralded the arrival of Halken, the Watch Captain, and a figure in a dark cloak emblazoned with the emblem of the Aegis College on horseback. Tedor saluted and immediately ran into a brief rundown of the events leading up to now. The Captain looked at the farmer, "I''m the Watch Captain, I need you to retell your story for myself and my companion." The captain gestured at the mage as he introduced him. The farmer retold his story, omitting nothing. He knew full well that the body alone placed a lot of focus on him. The captain seemed to pay more attention when Falring was brought up, as did the mage. Both inspected the body as the story went on. When the farmer mentioned the papers and potions that he had found in the cart, the mage immediately focused on those. "Guardsman Halken, please thank the farmer and grant him an extended pass. Also, provide the man a small reward." Halken saluted and returned back to the interior of the guard house. Tedor awaited his orders, standing off to the side. The captain and the mage were huddled closely, discussing between each other. Tedor tried not to eavesdrop but couldn''t help it. What he could hear was minimal, but enough to know this was big. "¡­It has to be¡­needs to go to the Lord Commander¡­..the Master may know¡­." Tedor caught nothing else of their discussion, but snapped to attention again when the Watch Captain looked at him. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Guardian Tedor, effective immediately you''re being promoted to Sentinel. I''m sending you a patrol from the second ring. They should be here momentarily. Increase security and do not let anyone who isn''t myself, a representative of the Aegis, or someone higher than me get to this body and the other evidence." Tedor saluted, the happiness at getting promoted warring with the sense that this was a doomed promotion. The Watch Captain and the mage took off, horses clattering as they sped back up towards the next ring. The next few hours were nothing short of busy. The oncoming patrol showed up, the extra ten soldiers bolstering the security heavily. The citizens weren''t pleased with the increased security and extra searches and it brought along, but they were understanding that something necessitated it. Another patrol showed up, and with it another Sentinel. Tedor was ready to cede his rank until the other man, Sentinel Kuort, did so first. "You were here first, and ultimately know much more about what''s going on than I do. You lead this thing." Tedor thanked the man, having fully expected him to lord about his seniority. "Don''t thank me, I don''t want the responsibility." Those words stuck with Tedor for a while, looming in his mind even as he guided the guardsmen and guardians who were doing most of the work. This whole situation was getting out of hand. Nearly a squadron of guards was located at this outer wall guard house. This was an unheard of situation, and the citizens were starting to notice as well. Some were starting to ask the guardsmen up at the gate what was going on. Of course they got the response of, "I don''t know, but continue on please." They didn''t like the answer, but the guardsmen weren''t lying. They legitimately had no clue what was going on. The oncoming patrols had simply been told by the Watch Captain that they were to come bolster the guards here. The other Sentinel was leading the security effort, while the Guardians of the oncoming groups made up the security cordon around the farmer''s cart. As night began, more personnel began to arrive, with even a senior mage from the Aegis joining the cordon. Tedor was wildly out of his league, but luckily a Warden showed up and took command. Night fell, darkness enveloping the guardhouse and the personnel who had swarmed the area. Torches were lit and the excitement of inspections and searches died as the last citizens came through the gate. The Warden walked up, "Tedor." The Sentinel snapped to attention, "Aye sir." The Warden handed him a new cloak and a new pauldron. "Can''t really be called a Sentinel without the indications of rank." Tedor couldn''t help but smile, and the warden chuckled. "I remember that promotion, it was the first of the command ranks. Now, for the serious bit." Tedor''s face fell, ready for the shoe to drop. "The Lord Commander has been notified of this." His eyes nearly popped out of his head. He wasn''t expecting their lord to have been told. He gripped the hilt of his sword and fought against the anxiety. This was beyond his league, and his promotion was only a few hours old. "Tedor, pay attention." The Warden continued, "He is on his way here. The Master of the Aegis, and both Marshals are as well." Tedor''s knuckles cracked as his grip tightened further. "Lad, you do well here and I can guarantee that you''re in for a bright future. Had I been in your place I''d have shat myself." The young Sentinel''s brain struggled to process the joke, but before he could answer, the Warden straightened up. "All soldiers, hail the Lord Commander!" Daven and Priv rode up, the Marshals and an unknown female with them. Tedor snapped to attention with the rest, and watched as his Lord Commander hopped off the horse and marched right up to him. Master Upwin was not so quick or fluid in his dismount, taking plenty of time before joining the Lord Commander. The others dismounted quickly and stood a pace or so behind. "Warden Anniv, explain what''s going on." The Warden turned towards Tedor. "My lord, Sentinel Tedor is the one who took the initial report. I only have command by rank." Daven nodded, turning to face the Sentinel. "Report Sentinel. Tell me everything." Tedor did exactly as ordered. He retold the entirety of the story, including details about the farmer''s demeanor should they prove helpful. The Lord Commander was hooked on every word, as was the Master of the Aegis. When Tedor got to the point where he mentioned the papers and potions, the Master''s eyes lit up. It was a hungry look that made him uncomfortable. Eventually, Tedor finished the retelling, and awaited the reaction of his Lord Commander. Daven looked over at Priv, who was staring down at the body. The corpse had been horrifically mutilated, clearly tortured heavily before being murdered. Fingers and toes were missing, there were compound fractures that had poked through the skin, and yet the most horrifying was what had been carved into the stomach. Priv''s eyes could not have gone wider, his horror could not have been more evident. His voice stuttered out, "It''s a Rune of Asheran." Both Marshals looked sick, and the young woman who had accompanied them looked perplexed. Daven''s words managed to encapsulate it all very succinctly. "Fuck."