The Sorcerer's Legacy (56 page)

“Ulric’s man has betrayed him and now holds the armor for himself. One of the very concerns I raised previously has come to pass,” one of the hooded figures stated hoarsely.

“Our associates within the black tower have assured me that they are still in contact with the general and are guiding him to the other pieces. Not only will they secure the entire set for us to present to whomever we support for the throne, but they have also assured me that the elimination of the king’s pet adventurers is only days from being accomplished,” the head of the cabal returned.

“Bah, I say it is bad business collaborating with that pack of vipers from the black tower. How can we trust them, given their heritage?”

“The wizards know they cannot succeed in their own plans without our support. The people would tear down their towers just as they did those many decades ago when they sought to abuse their power. They have no one to don the armor and lead a force sufficient to take, much less hold, the throne.”

“What of the general? He commands loyalty and could gather the king’s opposition to him and take the throne for himself. That shrew, Duchess Paullina, would throw herself at any man she thought might get her closer to the throne.”

“The general is not widely known outside Southport. Any attempt of his to raise an army sufficient to challenge Jarvin would take a great deal of time. Neither does he have the financial support to pay for an army the size needed to do so even if he did gain access to Paullina’s coffers. I would not worry. The black tower will retrieve the armor and turn it over to us in exchange for our support.”

“What of this mercenary rabble Ulric has hired? He has them sacking towns and raiding caravans within Valaria. His foolish actions will risk bringing Jarvin’s attention down upon us all! All that blasted Blackguard needs is one whiff of treachery and they will run us all to ground like bloodhounds on a spore trail.”

“Ulric’s contingency plan is rather audacious and fraught with risks, I agree. However, with him and his trained dogs terrorizing the countryside, Jarvin’s attentions are completely deflected from anything happening right under his very own roof. That makes our own contingencies that much easier to put in place and remain undetected. Fear not my brothers, Solarian shields us in his divine light, it will not reveal us.”

“Speaking of Solarian’s light, what of the undead problem?”

“Although the problem appears widespread, the church is doing well at returning the creatures to rest. I am certain they will keep the problem under control and will have no problem eliminating it once we cleanse the tainted blood from the throne. Such foulness cannot survive the radiance of Solarian’s light for long.”

“Blessed is the light of Solarian,” everyone around the table chanted in unison.

DELETED SCENES

This is the scene where Maude and her crew have just discovered the temple entrance and are discussing how best to deal with the two idiotic guards standing at the entrance. I had intended for Morton and Nobby to be reoccurring characters for no more reason than providing a bit of levity. I don’t think I will do that but I might bring them back in deleted scenes, even those I have yet to write just because I think they are funny.

It was at that time that Borik’s stomach gurgled loudly. “Uh oh.”

“What Uh oh?” Maude asked.

“I shouldn’a ate those pickled eggs,” Borik replied.

“That was clear back at the inn. How are they bothering you now?”

“I took a jar with me and ate it last night, uh oh.” Borik said once more before a low rumbling sound filled the canyon for a solid ten seconds.”

“Oh by the gods Borik!” Malek hissed as the smell reached his nose and made his eyes water.

“You and that breeches bugle of yours are gonna get us killed one of these days!” Maude added, her stomach threatening to hurl its contents all over the ground.

The short fat guard glared at the huge man next to him. “There ya go again. It’s that what got us put on this lousy detail ta begin with.”

“It weren’t me. An ya still owes me two silver on account of I told ya they’d burn with a blue flame,” the big one returned.

“Ya’s weren’t supposed ta set the bleeding tent on fire when ya did it, you great idiot!”

“It weren’t my fault they’d been recently oiled ta keep the rain out. B’sides, I ain’t never shot a flame that far. I guess I din’t know me own strength.”

The shorter one turned towards his partner. “Din’t know yer own strength? It weren’t a bloody wrestlin' match, ya fat headed idiot! I ought ta bung ya like a beer keg, ya moron.”

“It were an accident, so get off me about it, Nobby!” the enormous guard demanded.

“I can’t get off ya, Morton,” the thin one said.

“Why’s that, Nobby?”

“Cause only yer mum can get me off an’ she ain’t here!” Nobby explained, laughing at his own joke.

“Now that’s just not right, Nobby, seein’ as we got the same mum,” Morton said.

“We ain’t got the same mum, Morton, so ain’t nothin’ wrong with it.”

“How we be brothers and ain’t got the same mum, Nobby?” Morton asked, not believing his brother.

“You was adopted,” Nobby shot back.

“I weren’t not adopted, ya go and take that back!” Morton demanded.

“Nope, it’s true. Mum found ya on the porch in a basket. She never did want ya.”

“If she din’t want me then why she’d brung me inside?” Morton wanted to know.

“She wanted the basket for her knittin’. It was a nice basket,” Nobby replied.

“Then why she go an’ keep me then?”

“We thoughts ya was a ham until ya started squallin’ yer lungs out. B’sides, mum liked the basket and figured it be a package deal,” Nobby explained. “Why ya think she din’t come sees ya on yer birthday last year?”

“She was sick!”

“Aye, sick a’ lookin’ at yer ugly face.”

And here is where Tarth puts them to sleep and they sneak past into the temple after the boots.

FROM THE AUTHOR

Okay, some of you are like,
wtf, he’s back to telling a bunch of different stories like in the first book. Where’s all the slaying and overcoming adversity?
It’s coming and it is coming with a vengeance! (Oh, title of the fourth book is The Sorcerer’s Vengeance, what a clever bit of accidental word play)

All of these seemingly random side stories will come into effect in later books and make sense. I try very hard not to write something simply for the sake of making more words. Even Ellyssa’s antics, particularly running off without really thinking and rescuing the other children is used to define her character and is a prelude to her getting into much more serious trouble later on.

Book four will take us back to the fast-paced action and butt-kicking of book two. So if book three left you a little put off with all the dialog and character building, stick with me. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.

I hope you enjoyed this fun little tale and will try my other works. Please drop by at
http://www.brockd.us
and give them a read. Feel free to look me up on facebook! You can also check me out on my
new blog
at
http://brockdeskins.blogspot.com
. I post release dates, answer questions, and occasionally some new covers for my books!

The Sorcerer’s saga
is an open-ended fantasy series.

The Sorcerer’s Ascension
, first of the series, starts with Azerick as young boy of wealth who loses everything before discovering great potential as a sorcerer while trying to survive on the deadly streets he now must call home. Travel with young Azerick as he grows up, grows strong, and grows steadfast in his determination to survive and make those pay who have taken everything from him.

The Sorcerer’s Torment:
Azerick has flees The Academy but quickly falls prey to powerful beings that use his skills and power for their own amusement. What these creatures do not understand is the power of the young sorcerer's will and the lengths he will go to for vengeance. Despite becoming a prisoner, Azerick finds his first true love but can he keep it?

The Sorcerer’s Legacy:
Azerick has found himself a home and tries to settle down. He takes on an apprentice and tries to put all the death and desire for vengeance behind him. But when the Rook finds him, Azerick is once again pulled back into Ulric's schemes. Knowing that all he has worked towards and everyone close to him is in danger as long as these schemes are ongoing; Azerick decides to put an end to it, once and for all.

Shrouds of Darkness
is a modern day vampire tale. Who doesn’t like those these days? Leo Malone has been a vampire for the better part of the twentieth century. Once a prominent Sherriff (vampire cop), he now earns his living as a private eye and occasional bodyguard for anyone that requires some serious protection. Leo is hired by the daughter of a mob accountant who has gone missing.

The fact that he is also a werewolf has Leo following a trail of grisly murders that will lead him through a web of intrigue and conspiracy involving his fellow vampires and the local werewolves that make New York their home, all the while trying to keep one particularly determined cop off his back and himself out of jail. Leo is not some pretty-boy vampire that all the girls ogle over but a hard eyed, remorseless killing machine who doesn’t take crap from anyone.

The Portal
is a fun and exciting story of some less than popular teenagers that accidentally open a portal to a mystical land during one of their role-playing games. Drew, a dour and anti-establishment teenager, is pulled through and captured by evil creatures lying in wait on the other side. Now it is up to his friends and older brother to rescue him, but who will rescue Drew’s captors from him?

Again, I just want to thank everyone who has purchased my books. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction knowing that I have been able to provide something enjoyable to so many people.