Exiles From The Sacred Land (Book 2) (38 page)

“Aye,” Fayne said. “Loracia has brought me here too.” She giggled and held her hand over her mouth to stop herself. She sat down next to Vesperin.

Vesperin was not used to seeing Fayne . . . well, happy! She was always serious and a little grim. “Fayne is the other side of the coin?”

Loracia nodded. “This task will take both of you.” The goddess moved to a space directly in front of Vesperin. “Focus!” She slapped him across the face. “Nothing is as it seems. It is up to you and Fayne to see through the veils.” Vesperin was rubbing his cheek, fully alert now. “I am giving you both what you need to succeed.” His cheek tingled with life when it should have been stinging from the slap. “No one around you, other than Fayne, is who they seem. Do not trust anyone but Fayne.” Loracia handed Vesperin a walking staff topped with a metal dragon curled around a blue-tinged clear orb containing a dragon depicted in flight. “This staff is not to be taken into battle, nor is it to be used in anger. It is a staff of life, not of death. It serves no magical purpose to anyone but the two of you. It is uniquely suited to remain hidden until it is needed. There is another staff in the process of being forged, but it will take time. You must share until the companion staff is ready. Now, you are both still asleep. Wake up!”

Vesperin sat straight up in his bed so fast he flung the bed covers onto the floor. He bounded out of bed and sprinted down the old castle’s partially crumbling hallway until he met Fayne, who had just topped the stairs. They stood face-to-face in nothing but their bedclothes.

“Did you just see—” Fayne began.

“Aye, Loracia in your dreams?” Vesperin answered.

“What does it mean?”

“It means we do Loracia’s work. Will the girls miss you down there?”

“I don’t think so. Why?”

“Come to my chamber; we have some things to discuss.” He grabbed ahold of her hand, and they both jogged to Vesperin’s chamber. He looked down the corridor both ways until he was satisfied that they didn’t wake anyone before he closed the door.

“Where is it?” Fayne asked.

Vesperin opened his hand. The staff was no bigger than a sewing needle.

“Why is it so small?”

“Loracia said it could remain hidden.” Vesperin held out his hand and channeled his healing warmth through it, and the staff became full-sized.

“Let me see it,” Fayne whispered.

Vesperin handed the staff to her, and it shrank down as soon as it left Vesperin’s touch. Fayne tried to catch it as it fell, but it only bounded off the tips of her fingers. It hit the cold stone floor with a
ting-tang
sound and promptly disappeared down a crack.

The End of Book Two

Exiles from the Sacred Land

Author’s Note

Thank you for reading
Exiles from the Sacred Land
. If you liked the book, please go to your favorite Amazon site (Amazon US or Amazon UK etc.) and give it a great rating. It only takes a few minutes.

Exiles from the Sacred Land
has been an enjoyable book to write. As I stated in the author’s note of
Defenders of the Sacred Land,
I have had this series in my head for quite some time, so it doesn’t take me long to write the next installment. The series will be five books in total and then I will finish writing the prequel trilogy,
The Wielder Cycle
, which chronicles the life of Lady Shey and culminates with the War of the Oracle.

As always, if you would like to ask me a question, find out more about me, or contact me, my email is
[email protected]
and my current web page is http://marktyson.weebly.com

MET July-2014

P.S. If you are a purest, technically chapter 22 serves as the epilogue. I just don’t call it that since it falls in chronological order with the other chapters of the book. If you are not a purest, you don’t give a crap either way, and I am not sure why you are reading this! Hah! See you in book 3,
Protectors of the Sacred Land
.

Glossary

Adracoria
- Southernmost Trigothian kingdom. Ruled by the Adrac family.

Ageanna
- God, creator of drakes and dragonkind.

Amadace
-
Red dragon in which Bren serves as First Knight.

Amalease Stone
- Stone used to gain entry into the gates of Draegodor. It is located on Mount Urieus.

Amar
- Race of high men from Lux Amarou. First creation of Fawlsbane Vex.

Anisport
-
Largest port city of Denogia, across the Great Sea.

Arasyth/Sythia
- Trigothian kingdom between Adracoria and Ardenia, Host to the Great Sythian Forest. Ruled by the Arasyth family.

Ardenia
- Northernmost Trigothian kingdom. Ruled by the Arden family.

Arillian Elves
- High elves from the Isle of Arill. They migrated to the isle of Arillia at the end of the first age after their forests became grasslands and the area now known as Ishrak had become cursed. They are the fairest of elves and most elegant.

Are’dune
- Race of men who can trace their origins to Lux Amarou and the Amar but are not considered truly high men.

Ascendic Root
- A potent root made into a tea and drank. It relieves pain depending on the dose. Higher dose causes euphoria. Weak tea relieves the minor pain of headaches, etc., while strong tea relieves severe pain.

Basillian
- One of the
great port cities in the kingdom of Symboria. Basillain is located in Northern Symboria, south of Seabrey. Due to disputes and treaties, Basillain is the port city in the north for trade with Adracoria. Seabrey is the northern port city for trade with both Ardenia and Sythia.

Bittering Tea
- A strong brew made from the grinding of the bittering bean. It has a distinct aroma and is usually consumed in the morning as a stimulant.

Bren
- Dragon knight from Draegodor. First Knight of Amadace.

Brendlewyre
- See Theosus Fiderea.

Broodlord
- Common name given to a dragon knight with high ranking. (A brood is a family of something. A broodlord would be a high member of a family or lord of the brood.)

Brynna
-
An Arillian, elf maiden, healer. She is the eldest daughter of Erinthill, and Ianthill’s niece. She resides on the Isle of Doom (Rugania).

By’temog
-
The largest city of Ishrak, it was once the kingdom’s capital city. It fell into ruins after the curse of General Sythril. The general is rumored to currently be trapped as a ghost there, lurking among the ruins.

Chamber of Ancients
-
An ancient room in the citadel of Rugania (the Isle of Doom) where youthful wielders take part in magical trials. It is also a place to cure essence sickness if necessary.

Darovan
- Island continent southwest of the tip of Adracoria where some of the elves of old migrated. Home to the Siladil and Noradil elves.

Delanora/Delanorasylva
- Dragon-speak name for Shadesilver.

Dellah
- Inn mistress of the Tiger’s Head Inn in Brookhaven, Symboria. Mother to Dorenn Adair.

Denosia
- Mysterious kingdom on the continent across the Great Ocean.

Deylia
-
A young Trigothian woman who befriends Rennon in the capital of city of Trigoth.

Dorenn Adair
- Innkeeper’s son from the village of Brookhaven in Southeastern Symboria. Son of Lourn and Dellah Adair.

Draegodor
(
Dray-go-door
)
- The city of red. Home of the dragons not in exile nestled deep in the Jagged Mountains.

Dragon Claw
- Parrying sword (dagger) of a dragon knight. Not actually a dragon claw but made of metal.

Dragon Fang
- Sword of a dragon knight. Not actually a dragon fang but made of metal.

Dragon Knight
- Men, elves, dwarves, and scarovs who have chosen, or have been chosen by the dragons, to serve as knight protectors of the dragon realm.

Drakkius
- Symbolic leader of Abaddonia.

Dramyd
(
Draw-mid
)
- Winged creature created from drake eggs. Designed to kill, they do the bidding of Drasmyd Duil and Toborne.

Dranmalin
- An ancient sword forged by dragons. Its name literally means dragon hammer in ancient dragon-speak. It magically binds to its owner. It is currently Dorenn Adair’s sword after leaving Signal Hill.

Drasmyd Duil
(
Draws-mid Do-ill
)
- Shapeshifters. They are cunning and deadly. They usually lead packs of Dramyds. They are also known as Shadow Lurkers. They answer to Toborne.

Duil Clan
-
Clan of dragonkind Toborne used to create the Drasmyd Duil. Their specialty is shape-shifting into other beings.

Endil
- (Foreshome) Home city of the wood elves (Sylvan, Eridil) located deep in the Great Sythian Forest.

Enowene
(
IN-O-ween
)
- Arillian elf and younger sister of Ianthill and Erinthill.

Eridil
- Elven name for wood or Sylvan elves. They are the only race of elves that did not migrate; instead, they made their home in Endil (Foreshome), where they still remain. They are shorter than Arillian elves and have slightly darker skin, but are still considered fair and wise.

Erinthill
- Arillian elf and
fraternal twin sister of Ianthill, mother of Brynna.

Essence Sickness
- An illness caused by the unskilled use of drawing essence for magical purposes. It usually occurs to first-time wielders who have yet to be trained. It does not occur, however, if the wielder discovers he can draw essence as a child (before puberty). The illness is characterized by wild mood swings, delusions of grandeur, and eventually insanity. If left untreated, the insanity will be followed by death. Wielders afflicted with essence sickness often speak uncharacteristically of themselves, and say things they would never say otherwise.

Fawlsbane Vex
- God, co-creator of the world and father of the gods. Husband of Loracia, Goddess of Life.

Ganas Nashe
(
Gann-is Na-shae
)
- Scout from Brookhaven for the king’s army of Symboria. Finder of the Lost Army in Denosia.

General Rellagorn
-
Leader of the army of the North and West.

General Sythril
-
General of Sythia who fought in the Ishrakian war. He hired seers to curse the leader of Ishrak so he could win. When the seers cursed Ishrak, they warned him not to follow the beaten army, but he didn’t listen. He pursued the opposing army back into Ishrak in order to defeat them unconditionally. Unfortunately, he led his army into a doomed land where he eventually became part of the curse he created.

Gondrial
- First apprentice to Ianthill. A longtime friend of Lady Shey.

Hadder
-
An apothecary in Trigoth who brews potions that affect the mind.

Ianthill
(
E-un-thill
)
- Member of the holy trine (first trine) representing elves, Xeian, and Breannan. (Favors ruling with compassion, kindness, and a people’s majority.)

Imprints/Imprinting
- The act of putting matching images, etc., magically into skin. Some cultures do this to signify marriage in which the imprints serve where gold or other precious metals made into rings might serve in other cultures.

Ishrak
- Northern kingdom bordering Symboria, the Jagged Mountains, and Ardenia. The kingdom was cursed and remains a forbidding, desolate land full of danger. Only small pockets of man, elf, and civilized folk live there.