Raging Sea and Trembling Earth: Disciples of the Horned One Volume Two (Soul Force Saga Book 2) Read online

  Raging Sea and Trembling Earth

  Disciples of the Horned One Trilogy Volume 2

  James E Wisher

  Edited by

  Jaine Linn Dullard

  Sand Hill Publishing

  Contents

  Copyright

  Book Three

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Book Four

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Author Notes

  Also by James E Wisher

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2016 by James E Wisher

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Art by: Fiona Jayde

  0810161.0

  ISBN: 978-1-945763-02-1

  Book Three

  The Leviathan

  Chapter 1

  Jaden flew through the beautiful blue sky along his patrol route, the wind whistling in his ears, his tan tunic snapping. Below him the vast expanse of the Western Ocean spread out as far as he could see in every direction, the blue-green waters broken occasionally by small, sandy islands or pods of playing dolphins. Silas, the other junior sorcerer stationed on Lookout Island, even claimed to have seen the serpentine shadow of the Leviathan once, but Silas lied so often that no one took him seriously.

  Jaden had seen no sign of the mighty water dragon nor did he have any great desire to. The sailors who brought supplies and replacement warlords to man the fort spoke of the Leviathan the same way they did a hurricane. They considered it a force of nature rather than an aware creature that made rational decisions. Jaden didn’t know the truth and he suspected no one else did either. They couldn’t exactly seek the creature out and ask.

  Today found Jaden on the northern patrol route. North a hundred miles, west fifty, then back to the island for lunch. The whole trip took about five hours. Master Soran had only begun to trust Jaden to make the patrol by himself in the last month.

  He smiled, remembering how proud and nervous he’d felt when his master told him he could go out on his own. That had been a tense, exhausting trip even though he’d seen nothing more threatening than a breeching whale.

  He paused to conjure a far-seer construct. It had taken Jaden a full two months of practice before he mastered the complex conjuring. Multiple, overlapping layers of soul force combined to mimic the effect of a spyglass, only much more powerful. Looking through his construct Jaden could see twenty miles out into the ocean like it was twenty feet.

  Nothing lurked on the western horizon. No ships, no dragons, just endless blue, exactly as Jaden preferred. He let his construct collapse and continued his patrol. Twice more Jaden paused to study the horizon and each time he found it every bit as empty as the last.

  What would the cook make for lunch today? Probably something with fish. The warlords spent most of their time swimming the clear waters with spears in hand. It was a rare day indeed when none of the ten men and four women brought anything delicious from the blue depths. Jaden only wished the cook’s skill equaled his father’s.

  Jaden loved his quiet new life, but he missed his parents a great deal and couldn’t wait for his next leave in two months. Dad had promised to make all his favorites. Thinking about it made his mouth water as he paused for his next scan of the empty horizon.

  It couldn’t be!

  Jaden shifted his construct from wide scanning to focused zoom. There, maybe forty miles out—four dark-hulled ships, their sails taut in the breeze. They came out of the west, from the direction of the Old Empire. In the 220-year history of Lookout Island no ship had ever been seen on the western horizon. The warlords and sorcerers assigned the post considered it either a punishment that kept them out of the real action or a reward that kept them out of the real action.

  How could this have happened less than a year into his posting? Jaden dug through the satchel hanging from his shoulder. Master Soran’s call stick had to be here somewhere. Pawing through the random shells, polished stones, and other junk he’d accumulated, never taking his eyes off the impossible ships, Jaden finally found it. The thin piece of wood snapped easily in his trembling hands.

  Master Soran arrived surrounded by a glowing aura and looking a bit out of breath. His long, wild white hair made the sorcerer look more like an island castaway than an expert soul force wielder. “What’s wrong?”

  Jaden hadn’t looked away from the four tiny ships bobbing out on the waves since he’d broken the call stick. He didn’t now, afraid if he did they’d vanish like a mirage. Instead he simply pointed. “Ships.
”

  “It can’t be.”

  Jaden sensed his master conjuring beside him and a few seconds later he gasped. It sounded like he believed now. “What do we do, Master?”

  Master Soran didn’t speak for many long seconds. When he finally did he said, “For now we’ll keep watch, day and night. They’re still weeks away from reaching the island and more weeks yet from reaching the kingdom. The ships may turn back or alter their course. Until we know something for sure we do our job and watch them. If they haven’t changed course within a week we alert the archmage. After that it’ll be for her and the king to decide.”

  “At least there aren’t enough ships for an invasion,” Jaden said.

  “No. More likely they sent an envoy who’ll demand we rejoin the empire and if we refuse the invasion fleet will follow shortly.”

  Jaden swallowed. So much for this being an easy posting.

  Chapter 2

  Damien sighed as he landed in the empty yard outside The Tower. Two feet of fresh snow forced him to conjure a platform under his feet or sink to his knees. Bright blue skies held a blinding sun that reflected off the white yard causing him to squint. Despite the light, the sun did nothing to relieve the bitter cold. Not that the chill bothered Damien. He’d surrounded himself with a pocket of warm air and little wisps of steam rose from his shield. To look at the clear sky today you’d never know two days ago it had been snowing three inches an hour. Damien found he missed the southern weather. He didn’t miss the bandits, poison, assassins, black knight, or corrupt barons. But the warm sunshine had been nice.

  He strode toward The Tower doors, extending the platform ahead of him. One of the guards on the wall waved, looking miserable huddled beside an inadequate brazier. Damien returned the gesture. He’d gotten to know most of the guards during his time studying and they generally recognized him when he visited.

  Damien had managed four days of rest before he couldn’t stand it anymore. The one small mercy of the past few days: Karrie hardly bothered him at all. She didn’t seem angry or anything, just distant. Maybe she’d accepted that he had no intention of marrying her. He hoped so. It would be a relief to go back to just being friends.

  When he’d gone to the archmage looking for something to do she’d sent him to The Tower with orders to learn all he could about Connor Blackman. Damien had never been much for research. He preferred action. Still, he’d gotten comfortable in the library during his studies and a handful of days amid the stacks would make for a nice change of pace after all the running around and fighting. And it would be nice to see Eli, Amanda, and Ann again.

  Damien used soul force to open the massive, black front doors and walked into the black and silver entry hall. He pulled the doors closed and turned toward the headmaster’s office. The tiny old man was expecting him. The archmage had sent a message detailing Damien’s mission and pending arrival so there should be no problem on that account.

  A wave of nostalgia washed over him as he walked toward the office. Had it only been three and a half years since he first visited the now-familiar hall, a nervous kid with no idea what lay before him? The bench where he’d first seen Eli sat empty this morning. That boded well for him getting right in to see the headmaster.

  Damien knocked and the office door swung open. The dry smell of parchment and ink rolled over him. The little man stood in front of his desk, a bright smile on his bewhiskered face. Damien had barely taken a step inside the room when the headmaster rushed over and grasped his hand, pumping enthusiastically. “Good to see you again, my boy. Sit down, sit down. Lidia told me all about your adventures down south. Remarkable, absolutely remarkable.”

  The headmaster bustled around behind his desk and sat. His head stuck up well above the surface of the desk. Did he sit on a stack of books or use a special chair? Damien eased into one of the guest chairs. Even after three plus years it took all his willpower to sit in the presence of a master. He’d learned, however, that the headmaster wouldn’t relax until Damien took a chair so he did it as much for the older man as his own comfort.

  “To think Connor Blackman would have resurrected the old Cult of the Horned One. That boy always did have an unhealthy fascination with the black arts. When he escaped after we discovered him experimenting with demonic artifacts I feared he’d come back to haunt us. But I never imagined something like this.”

  Damien forced himself to interrupt the flustered master. “Sir, did you assemble the list of Connor’s yearmates?”

  The headmaster shook himself, a little shudder running through his beard. “Of course, it’s here somewhere.” He rummaged around through myriad papers on his cluttered desk. Eventually he pulled out a crumpled sheet of parchment. “Here we go. Small class that year, only Connor and two others, Kat Gentul and David Weks. Both were good students and haven’t given us a moment’s grief. You’ll find their current assignments there as well.”

  Damien accepted the parchment. “Thank you, sir. Did your researchers have any luck at the goblin lair?”

  The headmaster harrumphed. “No. All their tests came back inconclusive. The only thing they learned for sure was that someone summoned the demon within the past ten years with primarily nonhuman sacrifices.”

  “Nonhuman?”

  “Mainly goblin and animal. Probably why the tribe was so small. Anything else I can do to help you?”

  “If it’s okay and they’re agreeable, I’d like to borrow Ann and Eli to help with my research. I don’t know how much reading I’ll have to do, but two extra sets of eyes would speed the process along.”

  “By all means, if they can help, use them.”

  Chapter 3

  Damien stood outside Ann’s training room. How long had it been since he’d seen his teacher? Six months or so, the night they’d had dinner at the Dancing Pony. In fact, that night she’d told him about Connor Blackman. He’d have found the coincidence more amusing if the situation weren’t so bad.

  Damien rapped on the door and waited. He’d tried Eli first, but his former roommate wasn’t home. Probably training for another shot at the final test. Damien would try and catch up with Eli at lunch. After a few seconds of waiting it became clear Ann wasn’t in her training room. Damien frowned. So far his luck tracking down his potential assistants stunk. Hopefully the search for information on Blackman would go smoother.

  A short flight up brought Damien to Ann’s quarters and when he knocked this time the door opened a moment later. Ann stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a half-buttoned shirt, her long black hair disheveled like she’d just gotten out of bed.

  “Is this a bad time?” Damien kept his focus on her eyes, which twinkled with mischief.

  “It’s never a bad time for my favorite student to visit. Come in.”

  Damien hesitated a moment then slipped inside. Some spicy perfume filled the room, a jumbled mess of tangled sheets covered the bed, and a pile of clothes sat at its foot. Maybe he had woken her up. “I can come back later.”

  “Don’t be silly. Just sit down while I finish getting ready.” Ann walked toward the bathroom door. Halfway across the room she unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it aside. She glanced back at Damien and winked.

  He sighed. At least some things never changed. Damien picked a pair of lacy black underwear out of one of the two chairs in the living area, and sat. Water splashed behind the bathroom door. If Ann took as long getting ready as Lane he should probably get comfortable.

  Twenty minutes later she emerged from the bathroom in her favorite black dress, the one with slits up to both thighs and a deep neckline, her hair perfect, and balanced on four-inch heels. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? I assume not just because you missed me.”

  “No, though I did miss you. I need you to help me do some research on Connor Blackman.”

  She frowned and sat across from him. “Why? No one’s seen or heard from Connor in six years.”

  Damien filled her in on his recent adventures. When he finish
ed he said, “The archmage wants me to find out everything I can about Blackman. I figured I’d start in the library. Mistress Lenore is bound to remember what Connor used to read. That might give me some clues about his plans. I also need to track down his yearmates. Doesn’t sound like there’s much to them, but better safe than sorry.”

  “Lenore remembers everything, but she wasn’t the librarian when Connor studied here. She’s a year or two younger than me. I can’t believe Connor Blackman’s appeared again after all this time and as a warlock no less. I knew, I mean, everyone knew about his fascination with demons, but to go so far as to trade his soul to the Horned One…” She shook her head. “Anything I can do just tell me. I’m at your disposal.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate the help and the company. I’d hoped to grab Eli as well, but couldn’t find him. Have you seen much of him and Amanda?”

  “I see Eli occasionally in the dining hall, but Amanda Lee passed her final test last month. She’s gone out on assignment.”

  Damien stared. “No one told me. I would have liked to congratulate her.”

  “From the sounds of it you were unreachable last month.”

  “Yeah, but still. Well, forget it. Shall we head to the library?”

  They left Ann’s room and went down to the fourth floor. The library filled the entire level and at the center, behind a desk as perfectly ordered as Ann’s room was messy, sat Mistress Lenore. She wore her hair in a bun so tight it stretched the skin of her face. Some of the students whispered she did it to hide wrinkles. Damien doubted wrinkles would have nerve enough to form on her severe features. She looked at least ten years older than Ann. Damien had a hard time believing they were near the same age. Her perpetual frown deepened as he and Ann approached. What had they done to upset her?

  Mistress Lenore adjusted her round wire-rimmed spectacles. “Ann, Damien, what brings you two here?”

  Damien smiled his best smile. “We hoped you could help us. The archmage asked me to investigate Connor Blackman and I need to know what books he read before he left The Tower.”