Enjoy an excerpt!
“Relax,
my friend.” Klissmor’s presence calmed Miceral’s
growing anxiety. “You won’t feel my
presence.”
Miceral took a deep breath. “Will I be able to hear?”
“Every
word. Ready?”
“No,
but let’s do it.” He took a deep breath and closed his
eyes.
“I
need your eyes open for everyone to see.”
He snapped his lids open, blinking several
times before could focus again. “Sorry.”
“Master
Teberus.” Miceral knew the words came from him, but as
promised, he didn’t feel anything. “I
have Masters Erstad and Wesfazial as well as Wizard-Priestess Glendora. Ask
your questions to Miceral and we four will also hear you.”
“Astounding.”
The elder Arlefor glanced at the high priestess. “All four at once?”
“Wizard.”
Miceral had heard that tone enough to know Klissmor’s mood. “Maintaining this link, this far away with
this many minds, is a strain. If we are to save Farrell, you must focus on
him.”
“Of
course. My apologies.” Teberus bowed deeply. “My examination of the one who did this to
Farrell confirmed that he is no wizard.”
“Then
how in the eight gates of Neblor did that man defeat Farrell?”
Even though Teberus couldn’t know, Miceral recognized the voice as Wesfazial’s.
“The
obvious answer is the correct one. A wizard gave this man the weapon.”
“But
Farrell could defeat all four of us and all the other wizards you brought with
you and not be tested.” Erstad’s steady temperament sounded
tested. “No weapon used by a nonwizard
should be capable of this.”
Teberus raised the crest of his hairless
eyebrow. “But since that is what
happened, we must use it as the basis of our search for a cure.”
No one answered. As the silence dragged
on, Miceral’s anxiety slowly returned. If Haven’s senior wizards didn’t know what
to do, who could?
“Tell
us what happened.” Erstad’s request almost didn’t register
with Miceral.
“No,”
Klissmor said. “Show them. Let them see
the memory.”
Miceral closed his eyes and focused on
reliving the attack. The clarity of the image caused his chest to tighten,
making it hard to breathe. He knew the result, but watching it again, almost in
slow motion, added to his agony.
When the image played over again, he
realized Klissmor must have been guiding his thoughts.
“My
apologies, old friend—the need is great.” Klissmor’s voice
didn’t interrupt the stream of images.
“Do
whatever you need. Just find a way to save Farrell.”
“Your
friends are doing all they can. Have faith that Lenore will send us what we
need.”
When the memory started for the third time,
he didn’t find any comfort in Klissmor’s assertion. The Six
wouldn’t—couldn’t—help. He needed something that didn’t exist—a great wizard
like Heminaltose or Kel.
“In
theory, I recognize the magic.” Erstad sounded confused.
“But I’ll need to find a reference to be
sure.”
“What
about Farrell?” He knew he shouted, or at least what
Farrell told him passed for shouting, but he couldn’t prevent it. “He could be dead before you find that.”
“It
can’t be helped, Miceral. I need to be sure before I suggest a counterspell. If
I’m wrong, whatever I try might kill him.”
“He
is in no immediate danger.” Teberus put his hand on Farrell’s
forehead. “But my fear is the number of
spells that draw on him for power. I can only give him but so much. If he
doesn’t wake, his body will burn out.”
“Do
what you can, Master Teberus. We’ll begin searching immediately and contact you
when we find the answer.” When Erstad stopped speaking,
Klissmor’s presence left with him.
“Hurry.
Please.” Miceral knew no one heard him.
Incredible, right? The book was just released by Dreamspinner on April 14, 2015. You can get your copy here:
In case you want to reach out to Andrew and lavish him with praise, here's all the good stuff about a great guy:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when
yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable
typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his
MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write.
He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his
partner of eighteen years, their young daughter and dog. In addition to dodging some very
self-important D.C. ‘insiders’, Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his
reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball
and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day and not get the shakes.
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