The Shrine of Kallen (The Tales of Zanoth Book 3) Read online

  The Shrine of Kallen

  The Tales of Zanoth – Book 3

  By Aaron J. Ethridge

  Additional info can be found at:

  AaronJEthridge.com

  Copyright © 2017 by Aaron J. Ethridge

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First Printing, 2017

  ISBN ?

  Kindle Edition

  Ethridge Publishing

  2311 Lake Drive

  Williston, SC 29853

  Aaronjethridge.com

  Before You Begin…

  The Shrine of Kallen is the third volume in The Tales of Zanoth series. Although you can certainly enjoy the books out of sequence, you may find it even more enjoyable to read them in the correct order. The previous volumes (starting with: The Tower of Daelfaun) are currently available on Amazon.com. If you’re interested, you can purchase the previous books using these links:

  The Tower of Daelfaun

  The Fortress of Donmar

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: About Time

  Chapter 2: Deadly Wrath

  Chapter 3: Bring 'em Back Alive

  Chapter 4: The Wanderers

  Chapter 5: Safe & Sound

  Chapter 6: Un-Sacred Ground

  Chapter 7: A Resting Place

  Chapter 8: Here or There

  Chapter 9: Getting In

  Chapter 10: The Long Dark

  Chapter 11: Getting Out

  Chapter 12: Many Hands Make Light Work

  Chapter 13: Anticipated Attack

  Chapter 14: Take a Breath

  Chapter 15: The More, the Merrier

  Chapter 16: The Prophecy

  Chapter 17: An Ancient Enemy

  Chapter 18: Home Is Where the Heart Is

  Thank You!

  Chapter 1: About Time

  “Are you sure you're doing that right?” Paul asked, scrutinizing the runes that Joey was carefully drawing on his living room floor.

  “I think so,” Joey replied, shaking his head before glancing at the book in his left hand. “Although, since this is the first summoning circle I've ever tried to make, I can't be sure. Not to mention the fact that I'm not even sure magic works here. Of course, considering the fact that I haven't been able to cast a single spell, I sincerely doubt that it does.”

  “That's no reason not to try,” Paul pointed out.

  “Oh, I agree,” Joey nodded. “For one thing, magic that makes use of runes works a little differently than spells that only have verbal components.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Either way, my point is simply that this might work, but that we shouldn't get our hopes up.”

  “I know,” Paul sighed. “They're probably working on getting us back, anyway.”

  “I hope so,” Joey replied. “I had no idea I'd miss looking at Nyssa this much. I haven't even had the heart to stare at the office goddess since we got back. There's just no comparison between the two of them...”

  “Now you know what it's like to have a dream girl of your own,” Paul chuckled.

  “I guess I do,” his friend nodded, drawing yet another rune. “It may even be more than that, in fact. I've never had a crush that lasted for a whole month before, so I figure it has to mean something.”

  “It may,” Paul smiled. “I wonder how long it's been for them. The last time, I was only gone for days, but for them it was weeks. With us gone an entire month, a year or more may have passed in Zanoth.”

  “Man... You don't think she may have gotten married while we were gone, do you?”

  “I doubt it. She's been single for hundreds of years.”

  “You're probably right,” Joey said with a wide grin. “Still, that's no reason not to hurry back.”

  “True,” Paul nodded. “At least we can feel good about having not wasted the time.”

  “Agreed. Although, I'm not sure you needed to join a gym. You're buff there, you're just pudgy here.”

  “I got used to being buff,” Paul explained. “It just generally makes you feel better. Plus, I'd rather stay used to nonstop physical exertion. I can't imagine heading back into Zanoth after a month of laying around.”

  “Sure, sure,” Joey replied, gazing once again at his book. “How goes the reading?”

  “Very well. I've been working on memorizing the prayers for several different blessings.”

  “Any progress on figuring out how to bring people back from the dead?”

  “Not yet.”

  “That's too bad,” Joey said, shaking his head. “I've got the feeling that that one could come in really handy at some point.”

  “Well, what I'm studying now is how to keep people from ending up dead in the first place. Anyway, how goes class?”

  “Good...” Joey answered, his eyes slowly moving around the circle he had drawn. “I haven't really gotten to swordplay yet, what with it only being my first month. I did, however, get to do a little work with bo staffs on Monday. So, that may help me a little.”

  “Do they ever practice fighting in a dress?”

  “Funny. But, you already admitted that it's a robe.”

  “So I did,” Paul confessed with another sigh. “Are you getting close?”

  “Very,” Joey nodded. “Are we sure we want to do this?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I mean; what if, after we manage to pull Myra and Nyssa here, they can't find a way to teleport us all back.”

  “They will,” Paul asserted. “Even if they can't, at least we'll be able to be together until Sarrac and Alena manage to summon us all to Zanoth.”

  “That might work out for you,” Joey chuckled, “but, Nyssa's only three inches tall, and – as I already mentioned – none of my spells seem to work here. Besides, what if they're fighting some undead horror at the moment. Dragging them here could end up getting other people killed.”

  “Or save their lives,” Paul pointed out.

  “Yeah. That's hard to argue with... You ready?”

  “More than ready!”

  “Here goes nothing,” Joey replied, lifting the book and beginning to read aloud.

  Joey's voice echoed off the wooden walls as he intoned words of arcane power. As he brought his spell to an end, absolutely nothing happened.

  “Nothing happened,” Paul observed.

  “Yeah... I noticed that.”

  “Maybe you should have used crayons instead of chalk. You know, to make the runes more 'permanent'.”

  “I don't think so,” Joey said with a sigh. “Chalk is one of the classics when drawing runic circles. It's even in the chapter on magical materials.”

  “So, what do we do, then?”

  “Go to bed,” Joey suggested. “It's almost one in the morning. I readily admit that it's possible that I've made some kind of mistake. But, I'm too tired to try again right now and we have all day tomorrow.”

  “True,” Paul agreed, shaking his head. “Maybe we should shoot The Administrator an e-mail, as well.”

  “I thought you already had.”

  “I have several times. I just haven't gotten a reply yet.”

  “Well, here's hoping that we have better luck tomorrow,” Joey replied, stretching himself out on the couch. “For the moment, however, goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, bro.”

  Paul made his way to his room, got undressed, switched off the light, and crawled into bed. Yet another day filled with failed attempts to find a way back to Zanot
h had passed them by. He sincerely wondered how many more would slip through their fingers before Myra found a way to summon them. Still, The Administrator had said they'd all meet again and that he just needed to be patient. Maybe patience was the key. Maybe they wouldn't be able to make their way back until after he'd learned more about that particular virtue. Of course, it was really hard to be patient when you were waiting on something. That was one of life's little paradoxes. It was something he was just going to have to learn to accept. With these thoughts in mind, he drifted slowly off to sleep.

  He and Joey awakened moments later, laying in the center of a circle of glowing golden runes. They opened their eyes to find all of their companions smiling down at them.

  “It worked!” Nyssa exclaimed with delight.

  “So, it would seem,” Paul replied with a wide smile as he climbed to his feet and began to gaze around the room. “We're not in the ruins of Daelcast.”

  The chamber in which the party was gathered was a room of polished stone in the shape of an octagon. Burning torches hung from metal rings fastened to eight stone pillars that gave support to the domed ceiling above them. As the light of the glowing runes began to fade, Paul could see that they were, in fact, written in gold.

  “No, we're not,” Myra said. “We're in the Fortress of Donmar.”

  “We are?” Paul asked with a surprised tone in his voice. “That's odd. This place almost feels corrupted.”

  “It is,” Darek replied. “This room is directly connected to that corridor where we killed the deadly beast – whatever it was.”

  “That explains that, then,” Paul nodded. “I need to finish cleansing this place before I do much of anything else.”

  “Agreed,” Alena nodded.

  “Either way, it's a convenient location,” Joey said with a stretch. “Maybe we'll actually be able to get some sleep this time, instead of having to spend the entire night on the run.”

  “I'm sure we will,” Alena asserted. “This is probably the safest place in Zanoth.”

  “If it's in Zanoth,” Sarrac observed aloud.

  “True,” Darek replied.

  “Where are the general and Gregory?” Joey asked.

  “Organizing a garrison,” Alena said. “This place is huge and we can't be positive that it's completely empty yet.”

  “Makes sense,” the young man replied.

  “Did you miss me?” Paul asked, slipping his arms around Myra.

  “Terribly,” she replied with a coy smile.

  “Good,” he smiled, leaning down to kiss her.

  Her hand gently held him back, although a sweet smile graced her lips.

  “What's wrong?” he asked.

  “It's a little too soon, don't you think?” she replied. “You were only gone for about an hour.”

  “We were?” Joey asked.

  “You were,” Nyssa assured him. “Which is why I didn't miss you at all.”

  “That's good to know, I guess,” Joey sighed.

  “What's wrong?” the fairy asked. “Did you want me to miss you?”

  “A little,” he confessed.

  “Well, that's rather thoughtless, isn't it?!”

  “Is it?”

  “Of course, it is! If I had missed you, I would have felt awful, wouldn't I?”

  “I suppose so...”

  “There's no suppose about it, Joey,” the fluttering fairy explained. “I hate missing people! Which means that, for some bizarre reason that I can't even begin to fathom, you wanted me to feel terrible. On top of which, you didn't even consider how offensive it would be if you told me that right to my face without so much as a word of explanation. I'd call that thoughtless, wouldn't you?!”

  “I suppose I would,” he nodded. “I guess I just wasn't thinking.”

  “Of course, you weren't,” she laughed. “That's what being thoughtless is, silly.”

  “I can't argue with that,” he agreed. “I'm truly sorry. Can you forgive me?”

  “Provided that you promise to try to think more, yes.”

  “I promise to do my very best.”

  “Good!” she exclaimed with a tone of having gotten him back in line.

  “It may only have been an hour for you,” Paul replied, “but, for us, it's been a month. So, we missed you all a great deal.”

  “You poor things,” Nyssa replied with an understanding smile.

  “Well...” Myra said slowly, her eyes locked on those of her love. “If you've had to wait a month, I suppose that is long enough.”

  Having said this, she raised her face to his.

  “One sec,” he said, putting his index finger on her lips as he spoke. “A thought occurs.”

  “And, what is that?” she asked, drawing back a hair.

  “Every time I kiss you, I end up back on Earth.”

  “You didn't the first time,” she pointed out.

  “No, that's true,” he agreed. “But, you were a lich. Since then, it's been two kisses and two trips back home – not that Earth is really 'home' anymore.”

  “Even if you end up sent back,” Nyssa said thoughtfully, “we can just summon you again.”

  “Good point!” Paul replied with a massive grin. “Thank you, Nyssa!”

  Having said this, he once again attempted to kiss Myra.

  “Hold on,” Alena said, shooting her hand between her companions' nearing faces. “Actually, we can't be sure of that.”

  “Of course, we can!” Nyssa assured her.

  “I'm sure she's right,” Paul replied.

  “I don't know about that,” Sarrac said, shaking his head.

  “Whose side are you on?” Paul asked under knitted brows.

  “Yours,” he smiled. “As well as the rest of us. Alena has a point, though. We had no idea we could summon you here. Minutes after you left – while we were still standing on the walls of the fortress, discussing what just happened – two full moons rose above the horizon.”

  “This place has its own moons?” Joey asked.

  “So, it would seem,” Darek replied.

  “Minutes later,” Sarrac continued, “we decided to continue exploring the fortress. Seeing as how we hadn't finished searching the floor where we defeated that horror, we decided to start there. Which is how we stumbled on this room.”

  “Obviously,” Nyssa interjected, “Myra and I immediately recognized it as a summoning chamber. That fact, coupled with the inscription, convinced us that we'd be able to use it to bring you back to Zanoth.”

  “What inscription?” Joey asked.

  “That one,” Nyssa replied, pointing at one of the walls.

  There, in letters of gold, were written these words:

  When time shall come and aid you need,

  Call allies from their natural home,

  To pay a debt or serve their creed,

  And pull them from the planes they roam,

  To golden circle ‘neath the dome.

  Bind them you must, with love or fear,

  Or pay the price they choose to name.

  Before you dare to summon them,

  Be sure you have the fee they claim,

  Or burn you may with more than shame.

  For those who have the strength and skill,

  And can accomplish such a feat,

  To draw them here and match their will,

  May keep them bound without retreat,

  Until their task, they shall complete.

  “Alright...” Joey said slowly, gazing at the inscription as he spoke. “Obviously, Paul is here for love, and creed, and all that. For my part, however, I expect to be paid the price I name.”

  “You do?” Alena asked incredulously.

  “I do,” he nodded. “And, as it's obvious that Nyssa summoned me here, she's the one who's going to have to pay it.”

  “What is the price, exactly?” the ogress asked, raising a single eyebrow.

  “Don't worry about that,” he smiled. “She's got it. Yeah, baby, she's got it.”

>   This observation caused Paul to burst out laughing.

  “What are you talking about?” Nyssa asked.

  “I'll tell you later,” Joey replied. “After I've done a little more research in the library.”

  “Good idea!” Paul smiled, before pulling Myra to him and softly kissing her.

  “That was a little risky, Paul,” Alena observed the moment he was finished. “What would you have done if you'd have been sent back to Earth?”

  “Gone to sleep,” he replied with a contented sigh. “I'm sure you'd have been able to call me right back.”

  “Honestly,” Sarrac said, “we can't be sure of that. We may have had to wait for the moons to be full again or something like that. Not that I really think you kissing Myra has anything to do with it. I'm simply pointing out the fact that we don't know.”

  “I see your point,” Paul nodded. “On the other hand, my task certainly isn't complete. So, for the time being, at least, I think it's safe to assume that Myra has me bound here.”

  “Such seems to be the case,” Joey nodded. “Now that we've worked that out, let's get to bed. I'm exhausted.”

  “We will,” Paul replied, “as soon as I've cleansed this place. I don't think I could sleep feeling the corruption coming from down here.”

  “I feel ya. Just make it quick.”

  Both Paul and Joey recovered their equipment from their companions and quickly slipped into their 'Zanoth attire' – with the exception of the peasants' clothing that the summoning spell seemed somehow to keep them dressed in. Just minutes after this, Paul had finished washing away the runes of corruption that filled the entrance to the corridor using water that he blessed himself.

  This done, the companions decided to have a very late dinner – at least from the point of view of Paul and Joey – before calling it a night. They located General Halfar and informed him of their immediate plans, before making their way to the dining room. Still on the table sat the bread and wine referenced in the prophecy that had led them here. The wine was truly excellent, and the bread was so fresh that it still felt warm and tasted as if it had been made with honey. This repast was not only delicious, it was also extremely filling.