Prologue

Prologue

The Land of Cietra was a land steeped in history, a land rich in resources and a land of peace, yet it was not always this way. Years ago there existed a powerful sorceress with power so unfathomable no one could dare predict her demise. She held the land in an iron grip of fear; no one truly had freedom except her and her sons, one as rotten as her, the other a complete mystery, always in his room always delved in shadows, so it came as a shock when he was the one to take her on, that day so long ago.

The sky was blackened no sun or moon ever shined through, stars were something of myths, the land covered in shrubs as the ground would not hold anything other than the most pathetic of weeds, some said the plants were too scared to grow. Thunder boomed through the hills surrounding the castle and lightning flashed. The night itself seemed to shake and tremble at the battle that was happening on Sorceress Lianda’s tower.

The doors burst open splintering into a thousand flaming bits, a body wrapped in black hurdled through the entrance landing on the cold wet stone. The youth turned and faced the wretch that was his mother glide through what was left of the smouldering door. She was not overly tall but her presence seemed to give the impression that she was looming over him.

‘’You think you can take me on,’’ She screeched as she raised her hands, her fingers sparking with electricity, ‘’I created you, I rule this land. I am more powerful than you could ever imagine.’’

Power then leaped from her hands and struck the boy sending him into spasms as shrieks of pain burst from his lips. Regaining some form of composure the boy struggled to stand up but it is not a look of terror or horror on his face. On the contrary his face showed what his body struggled to do, confidence. Gathering his hands together he started concentrating as a ball started to glow. Standing straight, the lightning flashed his shadow towering over his mother. He fired the ball of flames, and as it leaped from his hands shadows were fired in every direction, dancing on the walls and floor of the towers battlement. Lianda raised her hand and a blue barrier appeared absorbing the impact of her son’s magic. The young lad fired more and more but all met the same fate, simply hitting that shield and dissolving.

Lianda laughed, ‘’what do you hope to gain from this feeble attempt hmm? You my son are weak, you are pathetic you spent all of your time reading useless tomes hidden away in your room. Now your brother he, is a wizard, he is the one who shall rule after me.’’ She stops to smooth down her clothes her voice becoming much calmer, ‘’if you stop now, admit you were wrong to try and turn against me, your punishment shall be small, take up your responsibility hunt the rebels who still now defy me, come now Ludas. ’’ Lowering her shield she extended her hand waiting for her son to take it.

Ludas walked slowly towards her and took her hand, this caused a smile to spread across Lianda’s face, ‘’was that so ha…’’ She never managed to finish as she screamed, her smile twisted into a grimace of pain. Letting go, her hand was blackened; a sick odour of burned flesh hit the air. She walked back anger written in her expression. She looked at her hand for a few more seconds as the blackened flesh started to peel off. New muscle and flesh started to knit together all over her hands until her pale flesh looked as good as new.

Ludas quickly jumped back nearing the edge of the tower preparing another strike, gathering the energy in his hands, when a high pitched scream cut through the air. Looking to the opening in the tower his older brother Leod stood holding a figure in his arms. On closer inspection he could make out the silhouette as a female. His brother was an ugly brute of a man, standing at seven foot his bulk and mass made him look like a small mountain. He wore armour made of the finest crafted steel. He held the women by her hair as she screamed and screamed.

‘’What’s wrong brother don’t you recognise her’’ he sneered, ‘’Here let me help you.’’ He dropped the girl on the floor and grabbed her chin. Creating a flame he illuminated her face and the gasp he let out was one of genuine shock. Ludas ran towards her before he was hit by a wall of air that took the air from his lungs. Crouching in pain he watched as his mother walked towards the girl.

‘’Hmm, do I smell something’’ she sniffed, ‘’I smell new life. Oh Ludas you didn't? A servant girl? How shameful.’’ Lianda kneeled next to the girl, placing her hand on her stomach, gasping a little she stood straight back up. She reached into her robe and pulled something out, a reflection from the overhead lightning showed it to be a small knife or dagger. Lianda turned to Ludas, ‘’so this is why you turned on me? For this wench of a girl and her child, ‘’she sneered ‘’ Well I know one thing she will be useful for, her blood will make an excellent ingredient for my spells. At this Leod Laughed, a deep bellowing laugh like something a bear might sound like.

‘’Oh brother how you have fallen, though I must say it was never much of a height to begin with.’’ He said as he took his axe attached to his back. Raising it high, the clouds above seemed to rotate above him. The boom of the thunder got closer. The forks of lightning came faster and faster until a blinding flash, as it struck his axe. He had used his power to pull the lightning from the sky transferring its energy to his axe. Leod walked towards Ludas, as he got closer his body was shaking, shaking with excitement, ‘’ I have waited so long to kill you dear brother so long. I am actually trembling with excitement, but first I think I will let you live long enough just to see your little lady over there die,’’ again laughter burst from his mouth.

His mother at this point was dragging the girl over so that Ludas could see the tears in her eyes, pain clearly etched on her face.

‘’Any last words for her my dear boy?’’ His mother questioned

Ludas looked into the eyes of his mother and brother, and then there in the eyes of the girl lay before him. ‘’Just three, I am sorry!’’ He said as he jumped up and grabbed his own blade, he stabbed himself through the stomach whilst chanting. Ludas grabbed both of his family members and with the last of his strength pulled them off the edge of the tower, his life powering the curse he was placing on himself, a curse designed to seal the magic in his family’s blood. His mother screamed as she fell knowing this was powerful magic, and that it was her own power that gave her immortality, she screamed as she felt her power draining watching the ground below her traveling fast to reach them. Leod, using the last of his quickly draining power, ripped his spirit from his body and howled as he watched all three bodies fall, breaking on the cold stone ground. His spiritual form was blown away having no body to return too.

A lone figure looked over the edge where they had all fallen, one person to see everything that happened that night. She left the castle and over the next few weeks found a few rebels who relayed her information on. Over the next couple of years the rebels had managed to achieve victory over Lianda’s forces, having no immortal sorceress had ebbed away at their confidence. Years passed and peace came to the land. The leader of the rebels had appointed himself king, no one arguing with a man who had led them to victory. The women who escaped the tower that night had disappeared without a trace, no one knowing what became of her and her child.