Carthinal's Story

I've posted something about the people in by Wolves of Vimar series. I have now started writing about Carthinal. At the beginning of The Wolf Pack, Book 1 in The Wolves of Vimar series, he is an apprentice mage. During that book, he becomes a full mage, having taken his tests that ended his apprenticeship.

He is a good-looking half-elf, with auburn hair and incredibly deep blue eyes, almost indigo. He is ambitious in magic, and with his good looks, females of all ages tend to pursue him. He does not discourage them.

In this, part 1, of his story, he is sixteen, but, being a half-elf, his development, both physical and mental, are more that of a boy of twelve.

So let's begin his story.

Carthinal dragged his feet as he entered the house accompanied by his nanny, Blendin.
He had just returned from his grandfather’s funeral. The old man had passed away suddenly the previous week. Before that, he had seemed full of life. Carthinal could not understand what had happened. His grandfather was the only relative he had in Bluehaven, his parents and his grandmother having died.

His father had been an elf, and so, although sixteen and nominally now of age, Carthinal’s development was slower than true humans and he appeared in both physical and mental development to be a young boy of eleven years old.

The house felt empty, devoid of life. Carthinal went into the garden at the back of the house. He sat on his swing and swung idly back and forwards. What would happen to him now? Would they send him to his father’s people in Rindisillaron? It was a long way away, and he had no recollection of his paternal grandparents, although they had been in Bluehaven when he had been born.

He looked at the house. He heard the laughter of his grandmother, and his grandfather’s deep voice. He even thought he heard his mother calling to him, although both his parents had been dead for the past eight years. He jumped off the swing and picked up a stick.

Slashing at the plants in the garden gave him a little satisfaction. “Why did they all die and leave me?”

Blendin came out and found him still destroying the garden. “Come, master Carthinal. This won’t help. You need to come in and have something to eat.”

“Shan’t! I’m not hungry” He slashed at a tulip.

“What have those poor flowers done to you? You know you’ll be sorry once you’ve calmed down a bit.”

“I don’t want to go back into the house. There’s no one there. It ‘s dead. Just like Mother and Father, Grandmother and Grandfather.”

Blendin sat down on a bench and pulled the boy towards her, holding him tight. “This is now your house, Carthinal. Your grandfather left it to you in his will. You are a rich young man. If you no longer want to live here, you can sell it, I suppose, and buy somewhere else.”

Looking into the boy’s indigo eyes, Blendin saw the deep hurt he felt. She brushed his auburn hair from his face and gently led him back to the house.

The servants worked as usual. Carthinal’s grandfather had arranged that money should be sent to Promin, the butler, who then paid the other servants. Carthinal had his meals in the nursery with Blendin, although Premin had said that as the master of the house he should eat in the dining room. Carthinal could not bring himself to eat alone in that large room.

The days passed. Gromblo Grimnor, the lawyer who dealt with his grandfather’s affairs, appeared frequently at the house.

Carthinal found him snooping around in his grandfather’s study one day.

“What are you doing?” the boy asked him, frowning. “Why are you here? You’ve been coming a lot recently.”

Gromblo Grimnor smiled. With his mouth, anyway. He looked Carthinal up and down. “There are a lot of loose ends to tidy up, child. I need to come here to find things out.”

Although sixteen, Carthinal had always been treated as a child, and so he turned and left the lawyer to do what he needed to do. The law did not know what to do about a boy whose chronological age said he was an adult, but whose development said he was a child.

Eventually, he went out every day to walk around the town. Sometimes he stayed out all day. He hated being in the house. He felt so alone. He considered going back to the school his grandfather had sent him, but they, like everyone else, did not want a sixteen-year-old who looked and behaved like and eleven-year-old. His grandfather’s money had kept him there, but now, they didn’t want him.

Visits by Gromblo Grimnor increased. Carthinal asked Promin why the lawyer was there so often. The butler shrugged and shook his head.

Blendin had no idea either. “I don’t know the workings of the law,” she told him. “Perhaps it’s because your grandfather died so suddenly, or perhaps because he was so well off. Or it might even be because of you. You are an adult in Grosmer law, but still a child, really. That’s a bit confusing for the lawyers.”

What was Gromblo doing? Will Carthinal find out? Come back on the first Tuesday of June to find out.

Leave a comment to say whether you liked this story or not, and what you did or did not enjoy. It is helpful to me.

Free, Free, Free.

Did you get your FREE copy of The Never-Dying Man? Now you can get Book 3, Wolf Moon free from today. 24th April until Sunday 28th April.

Don't miss this opportunity to find out what happens to the other members of Wolf who escaped in The Never-Dying Man.

The group called Wolf have been enlisted into the Erian Army against their will, and they soon learn that an invasion is planned into their homeland of Grosmer.

As the heroes make their escape, they accidentally stumble upon an old Dwarven city, and become friends with them.

Facing enemies on all sides, the five must find where their loyalties lie, and save their homeland from certain destruction.

You can get Wolf Moon by clicking here, or on the picture.

If you want to buy the other books in the series click here for The Wolf Pack (book 1)

or here to buy The Never-Dying Man (Book 2)

If you buy any of these books, I would be very grateful if you would post a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are important to both authors and readers as they help authors get visibility and readers to find out if they think they would like the book.

With thousands of books being published each day, you can see it might be a problem to get people to know the book exists.

Please leave a comment in the comments box. 

Another chance at a Freebie

From tomorrow, April 15th, the second book in The Wolves of Vimar Series, The Never-Dying Man, is FREE for 5 days only. The offer ends on Friday 19th April.

Hurry and get your copy before it’s too late. You can get it by clicking on the title or the book cover. You will be taken to its Amazon page where you are.

You can also get Book 1, The Wolf Pack, by clicking here,

and Book 3, Wolf Moon, here.

On Tuesday, I will be hosting a new member of the Creativia family. Sean Robbins has his very first book on pre-order. Don’t forget to come around and find out more about Sean and his book. It sound interesting.

Free Book

From today, October 18th, The Never-Dying Man, Book 2 of The Wolves of Vimar Series, is FREE on Amazon.

It is only available for 5 days, until 22nd October, so hurry and get your copy.

Here is a bit about it.

After finding Sauvern's Sword, the companions set off to help a friend rescue his child from kidnappers. Instead, they stray into Erian and find preparations for war. They are drafted into the Erian army but are recognized by an old enemy, who arrests some of them and takes them to Frelli, the capital of Erian, where they are put in jail.

The Master of Erian frees them and offers them work. Meanwhile, Carthinal has to face some unpleasant truths about himself. Is his desire to further his magical career more important than his friends and country? After they discover terrible truths about the Master and his magical research, they will need to escape in order to tell the leaders of Grosmer about the plans for war.

Why not get a copy of Books 1 and 2 as well? Click on the links to buy.

The Wolf Pack. Book 1

The Never-Dying Man. Book 2

Wolf Moon. Book 3

An Interview with Basalt Strongarm from The Wolf Pack

After much persuasion, I managed to get an interview with Basalt, the dwarf friend of Carthinal.

Me: Good morning, Basalt. Thank you for giving me your time.

Basalt: Hmm! I'm very busy. I hope you don't intend to be too long.

Me. No, this shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Just trying to find a bit about you.

Basalt: Well, what do you want to know?

Me: You've lived in Grosmer for a long time, but you weren't born here, were you?

Basalt: No, I was born in the Dwarven homeland of Graal. It's at the southern end of the Western Mountains, you know. As far away from those flighty elves as we can get.

Me: But one of your friends is an elf, and another a half elf. Surely you can't think all of them are flighty.

Basalt: Did I say I thought of them all as flighty? Of course not. Asphodel and Carthinal are just normal folks. So is Yssa. But they will give their children such unpronounceable names.

Me, smiling: So you are not against all elves, then?

Basalt: It's not me you should be worrying about, but the other dwarves who still think like that. I'm willing to accept that elves, like dwarves and people, have all kinds of folk.

Me: Tell me about your early life,

Basalt: I was my parents' second child. My brother, Schist, is much older than I am. My parents, Granite and Emerald, had given up hope of another child, then I came along. I guess they spoiled me because of it.

Me: How did Schist react to your birth.

Basalt: He was very good to me. He played with me, looked after me when my parents were down the mine and we got on very well.

Me: Why did you leave Graal then?

Basalt: Everything was fine until my parents were killed in a mine collapse. Then Schist took over the running of the mine. (It belonged to my parents, see). We were supposed to be joint owners, but then she came along.

Me: She?

Basalt: Opal. She set her sights at him when she realised he would be part owner of the mine and rich. They got married, and gradually she poisoned him against me. They gave me all the worst and most dangerous jobs.

Me: But if Schist was so fond of you, how could she manage to turn him.

Basalt: Well, when our parents died, I was still only a little whippersnapper. I'd only just started my apprenticeship. Opal argued that as I was not a qualified miner, and had not worked to build up the mine as had Schist, then it was unfair that I should have equal shares with him. Somehow she managed to convince him. I think she hoped that by giving me dangerous jobs she hoped I'd be killed. So I left.

Me: And made your way to Grosmer where, I believe, you learned the trade of metalworking.

Basalt nodded: And I've never regretted it. I love working with metal--making beautiful things as well as useful ones. I also taught myself to carve wood, I make toys for my friends' children, and I made an amulet for each member of The Wolf Pack, indicating their character as well as showing they are members.

Me: Well, I'll let you get back to your work. Thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Basalt: Well, I'll be off. Work to finish. Goodbye.

Free Book

 

 

From tomorrow, 19th August, The Wolf Pack will be free on Amazon until 23rd. Just log in to http://mybook.to/TheWolfPack for your copy.

Whle you're there, why not buy books 2 and 3, The Never-Dying Man http://mybook.to/NeverDying and Wolf Moon, http://mybook.to/WolfMoonVM

 

Little does Carthinal know that the journey to Hambara for him to take his mage tests will lead to a great adventure and the making of new friends.

 

But when he is asked to go to find a long-lost artifact, he and five others set off on the quest. This group is made up of a very disparate bunch of people who need to learn to get on with each other before they can complete the task. There is the threat of fireworks erupting between them due to their different characters.

 

The quest leads then through many dangers and their lives are threatened in many ways. Each of them needs to face their own personal fears, and none of them returns unchanged.

 

The Finding of the Prophecy from The Wolf Pack. A never-before seen part of the story.

I originally wrote this as the first chapter of The Wolf Pack, but I had a comment from someone who read the book that it was too slow to start and so I eliminated the first few chapters. It has not been published before and so you will be getting a very first glimpse of the earlier time. before the actual story starts. I hope you enjoy it.

The half-elf leafed through the book he was studying. He was due to take the tests to end his apprenticeship soon. Mabryl, his master and adopted father had sent off to the Mage Tower in Hambara asking for the young man to be considered for the tests at the next opportunity.

He was a tall, handsome young man, just over six feet with shoulder-length auburn hair, a closely trimmed beard and eyes of an intense blue. He was sitting in the study at the home of Mabryl in Bluehaven, which was situated on the south coast of the land of Grosmer. With him were Mabryl's other two apprentices, 14 year old Tomac and 16 year old Emmienne. Tomac pushed a lock of his unruly dark hair out of his eyes.

'I think that's the Master coming in now, Carthinal,' he said. 'You'd better look as though you've been doing something instead of moping around waiting for that letter or you'll be in trouble.'

Just as he said this, the door opened and Mabryl entered shaking his cloak out as he did so.

'It's cold out there,' he said, 'and it's turning to snow if I'm not much mistaken. Unusual this far south.'

He turned to his three apprentices. 'Have you finished the tasks I set you?' he asked as he hung his cloak on a stand by the door. Carthinal stood up and walked over to the fire, putting a fresh log on to the flames.

'Come and get warm, and, no I've not finished. I can't seem to settle down to anything until I hear about whether I can take the tests soon. I think Emmienne has finished though. I can't say about Tomac.'

'Nearly,' replied Tomac, jumping down from his chair and carrying his workbook to his master. 'I was a little stuck on the moon phases though. It's complicated trying to work out both moons at the same time.'

'Stick to it, youngster,' Emmienne said from the window seat. She grinned across at the younger boy, the grin lighting up her otherwise rather plain face. 'I had problems too, but it comes eventually.'
Tomac groaned and went back to his seat.

'I've finished though, Sir,' she said. 'I've learned that new spell you gave me and am sure I can make it work. When can I try it?'

Mabryl laughed. 'Such enthusiasm. We'll try it out tomorrow, I think. In the meantime, I've made what I think may be a big discovery. Perhaps the most important one for many, many years. Look,' and he put an ancient looking book on the table. The three apprentices gathered round.

'I think it may be a spell book from before the Forbidding,' he went on.

Emmienne gasped. 'That is old, and if it is, we'll be able to find lost spells. You'll be famous, Sir.'

'Calm down, Emm. It may not be the spell-book of a magister, or even an arch-mage,' smiled Carthinal. 'It may have just the spells we already know and not any of the lost ones.'

Just over seven hundred years previously there had been a war between conflicting mages. It had caused such devastation and hardship to everyone that the king had forbidden the use of magic on pain of death and all spell books were ordered to be burned. Some, however, had been rescued and these came to light occasionally. During the time of the Fobidding, as it came to be known, much knowledge had been lost and there were currently mages working to try to re-discover the lost spells. If this book were to be of use, it would need to be taken to one of these mages.

Just then the door opened and Lillora, Mabryl's housekeeper entered.

'Sorry to disturb you, sir,' she said, 'but a bird arrived a few minutes ago. I thought you should know.'

'I'll come and look then,' replied the mage and left the three apprentices to their own devices.

Carthinal picked up the book that Mabryl had bought and began to leaf through it. He could understand little of what was written there. Firstly it was in an archaic script and language and secondly he was as yet only an apprentice and had not the knowledge to understand more than a limited number of spells.

 He frowned as he tried to read the words on the page. He lifted the book from the table to take it nearer to the light when a loose page fell onto the floor. He stooped to pick it up and realised that he could read it, unlike the rest of the book, and that it was not a page that had fallen out, but a note that had been inserted. He took it to the window seat and sat down by Emmienne to read it.

'What's that?' asked the brown-haired girl, straining to read it upside down.

'I'm not sure,' replied Carthinal, wrinkling his brow. 'It fell out of this book that Mabryl has bought but it doesn't seem to be the same writing, nor is it in the same archaic script. It's a note of some kind.' He paused to read it.

Just then, Mabryl came back holding a piece of paper in his hand.

'It's good news, Carthinal,' he told the young man. 'There is a space for you to take your tests in the next batch, which takes place just before Grillon's Day. That's in about five sixdays time so we'll need to leave here in three sixdays to allow us time to settle in before your ordeal.' He saw that Carthinal was holding a paper. 'What's that you've got there?' he queried.

'It fell out of the book you bought,' replied Carthinal. 'It doesn't seem to be by the author of the book though. It's in a more modern script that I can read. It doesn't make much sense though.' He handed it to the other man who read it, then read it again, this time out loud.

'“When Kalhera descends from the mountains, and orcs once more roam the land,
When impossible beasts occur and the Never-Dying man is once more at hand,
Then the Sword that was lost must once more be found; only it can destroy the threat
And kill the immortal mortal to balance out his debt.”

Well,' he continued, 'it seems a rather strange thing to write and it doesn't make a lot of sense. How can Kalhera descend from the mountains? She's a god and the gods don't come down to Vimar.'

He turned the page in his hand and saw some more writing on the back. 'This says that it is a quotation from something that the writer heard and wrote down. The author says he visited the Oracle on the Holy Island and this was what he was told the oracle had said earlier in the day, but to no one in particular. Only the attendants were present it seems.'

He replaced the paper in the book on the table and turned to Carthinal.

'We must take this to a colleague of mine in the Mage Tower when we go,' he continued. 'She is working on finding the old spells, I believe, and this may be of use to her. The loose note may be a prophecy if it came from the Oracle, but who knows when it was made? It could be that it was centuries ago, or yesterday; and it could be referring to a time well in the future or even in the past. I think we should ignore it for now. Lillora says that our lunch is almost ready, so I suggest we go to the table before she gets mad.'

So the three apprentices forgot all about the book and the note as they enjoyed Mabryl's housekeeper's excellent cooking. After the meal they returned to their studies. Mabryl gave them all tasks to complete and then went out again to visit the Duke of Bluehaven, who was an old friend of his, taking the book with him.

Duke Danu of Bluehaven had trained at the Mage Tower in his youth. He had some talent for magic, but with the death of his elder brother in an epidemic, he had to take over the duties and prepare to become the Duke one day. He had never taken the tests to end his apprenticeship, but he retained an interest in magic and still practiced it in a small way. 'To keep my hand in.' he told people.
Today he was sitting in his study going over the accounts of the duchy when a knock came at the door.

'Arch-mage Mabryl to see you, sir,' said his butler.

'Send him in, then,' replied Danu, rising from his seat and walking over to clasp Mabryl in a hug. 'You've not been to visit in some while, my friend,' he scolded the other man. 'Busy with your three apprentices, I suppose.'

Mabryl smiled at the Duke. 'Yes, they do keep me busy. Carthinal is ready to take his tests and become a full mage now.'

'Is that so?' Duke Danu raised an eyebrow. 'Hardly seems any time at all when you took that scruffy little urchin in off the streets. Everyone thought you were mad, you know. Taking a street child to be your apprentice; and then adopting him. Well, it seems we were wrong. He's turning out all right.'

'Considering his background, yes. He still has his faults and I can't say there weren't times when I agreed with you that I'd done the wrong thing. But I didn't come here to talk about Carthinal. I've made a discovery and I want your opinion.' He pulled the spell-book out of a bag at his side. 'I'm going to take this to Yssa at the Mage Tower when I take Carthinal. She will be the best to decide how important it is.' He handed the book to Danu.

The Duke whistled. 'This is important, Mabryl. I can't read it, but it certainly looks like a spell-book to me. It's old and could easily date to before the Forbidding.' He picked up the note that was still between its pages. 'What's this?' he asked.

'A little note that was in the book. Carthinal found it. It doesn't seem to belong to the book though, and I've thought it could be a hoax. Someone putting a seeming prophecy in an important old book.'

'Maybe, but I don't think so. Some research I've been doing suggests that Grosmer is about to face some danger. This may be a prophecy about that. I would suggest you take it to Rollo in Hambara when you go. His library is much more extensive than mine is and he can find out more. I've been in touch with him about this possible danger so he knows a little of what I suspect.'

'I don't know Duke Rollo,' Mabryl replied. 'He may not believe me. I've heard he's a suspicious man. I think that this note maybe a hoax even if you don't. I'll need to prove that I've come from you.'

'I'll write you a letter to give to him,' Danu said going over to his desk and picking up his pen. 'I'll also give you this.' He picked up a small statuette of a trotting horse about three inches long and two high that sat on his desk. 'It’s one of a pair that we found in our adventuring days. He has the other. He'll know that I've sent you when he sees that, especially if you ask him about the other one. Now, sit down and I'll get some wine for us to drink while we talk about other things.'

So the two old friends passed the afternoon remembering past times and gossiping about the goings on in the city of Bluehaven as the afternoon passed into evening and the Duke's work lay unfinished on the desk.


Follow this link to buy your copy of The Wolf Pack.

Please leave a comment in the box and I'll get back to you.

An apology

I just realised I've not given you a link to get The Wolf Pack at the special price of £0.99 or $0.99.

This link will take you to the book's page on Amazon in the country where you are.

Don't forget this offer is only until 5th December, so hurry and don't miss it.

Here's the link.

http://mybook.to/thewolfpack

A Thrilling Offer

Starting tomorrow, November 29th and continuing until 5th December, you can get The Wolf Pack, Book 1 of The Wolves of Vimar series for only $0.99 or £0.99;
Don't miss out on this exciting offer.

The Wolf Pack

To end his apprenticeship and be admitted to the ranks of the mages is all Carthinal wants, so he is excited to travel from Bluehaven to Hambara, where the tests will take place. He did not expect to end up travelling far beyond Hambara on a quest to find the long lost sword of the legendary King Sauvern.

Along with three strangers he met on his journey, the beautiful but headstrong elven cleric, Asphodel, Fero, a dark foreigner from lands far to the south, and a fearless dwarf, Basalt, Carthinal reluctantly sets out on this seemingly impossible quest.

Followed by Randa, the snooty aristocratic daughter of the Duke of Hambara and a very young runaway thief, known as Thad, Carthinal has to decide whether to send them back or allow them to continue on this dangerous quest. There will certainly be fireworks as Randa will try to take over the leadership of the group.

Faced with wolf attacks and near death in the mountains, Carthinal and his friends have to accept help from the least likely sources and face their innermost fears.

But this is more than a simple adventure. The fate of a nation hangs in the balance.

Horselords 4

Kimi mounted the horse the young warrior brought her. He held its head as she vaulted onto its back. She recognised it as one of the ones the Prowling Lynx had stolen from her parents' ranch. A chestnut with a blaze down his face and four white socks. She had been particularly fond of this animal, and she delighted to be riding him on her way home, if by a roundabout way.

'I thought you would prefer to ride one of your own horses,' he told her.

She nodded and took the reins from him, gripped the horse with her knees and squeezed. The horse responded and trotted off after the others, who had rounded up the spare horses and had begun to herd them westwards.

Kimi became aware of the young warrior riding up beside her. They rode in silence for some time. Kimi looked sideways at him. She still felt that he looked frightening and became uncomfortable when he looked at her. True, he had promised to take her home as soon as he had delivered the thieves to his father, but could she trust him? Her experiences with the previous tribesmen made her anxious.

The young warrior, after riding alongside her for around an hour, suddenly broke his silence.

'My name's Davrael,' he said. 'What's your's?'

Kimi jumped, then told him her name. He smiled at her and she noticed his eyes for the first time. They were a soft brown and had a spark of humour in them, as well as a kindness. Perhaps he had a fearsome appearance, but somehow she knew that he had a soft side.

Little more was said during the rest of the day, then the band stopped by the side of a stream. They put the captives in one tent, still tied up, and erected a separate tent for Kimi. Davrael smiled at her as he held the tent flap back for her to enter.

'I'll bring you some food in a few minutes,' he said, and disappeared. Kimi unrolled the blankets left for her and sat down cross-legged on them to think about her situation.

Shortly, Davrael returned. He carried two bowls and wooden spoons. He sat down opposite her and handed her one of the bowls and a spoon.

'Sorry it's not better food,' he said, looking at his bowl, 'but we have only trail rations. We cooked dried meat to soften it, but it's not good.'

Kimi shrugged, looking at her own bowl. 'It's better than going hungry. I've eaten worse.' She began to scoop the food into her mouth and chew. The meat was tough, but it was nourishment and so she ate every last bit.

Neither of them spoke while they ate, then, after finishing, Davrael called to one of his men and handed him the bowls. He came back and sat down again. Kimi frowned. Why did he not go? He was not going to be like he other one, was he? Was he going to try to take advantage of her? At that thought, she shrank back a little.

Davrael noticed. 'Don't worry,' he said. 'I'm not a Lynx. The Swooping Hawks don't take advantage of vulnerable women. We have honour. Neither do we steal from others.'

Kimi sighed and resumed her position.

'Tell me about yourself and the Swooping Hawks, Davrael. I am from the Settled Tribes. We have forgotten much of the lives of the Wandering Tribes.'

'We have our own territories,' Davrael replied, 'and we stick to them. At least, the Swooping Hawks do. Other tribes don't always. When there is an infringement, the chiefs will usually try to settle it peacefully, but occasionally there is war.'

'I've heard that the Wandering Tribes are always fighting each other,' said Kimi.

Davrael shrugged. 'If war is needed to settle a matter, then we fight. Some tribes steal, horses or land, like those Lynx.' He spat in the direction of the tent where the Lynx were being held. He stood, and drew himself up to his full height, looking every inch the proud son of a Tribal Chief. 'The Swooping Hawks do not steal, but we will defend what is ours.'

He strode out of the tent, leaving Kimi alone.

Each day for the next sixday, Davrael rode at Kimi's side, and each evening he came to her tent to talk. He did not say much more than he needed to in order to answer Kimi's questions. She decided he was a man of few words. Then, he asked her about her own life. Kimi found herself beginning to like this young man more and more, She became used to the tattoo on his face, and it no longer frightened her. She smiled at the thought.

'What are ;you smiling at,' he asked her.

'Just that I wonder, now, why I was so frightened of you when we first met. I feel as if I've known you for ever, and we've always been friends.'

Davrael's eyes lit up when she said this. 'I'm glad you said that, Kimi. I feel that way too. We've always known each other.'

The ride continued over the plains. Grassland stretched away into the distance. They passed the occasional copse, and many streams. Once they had to cross a wide river at a ford. Davrael stuck to her side all the way until a camp appeared in the distance.

'My father's camp,' Davrael told her. 'Soon we'll be rid of these Lynx dogs and get them tried and condemned then I can take you home.'

What will happen at the camp of Davrael's father? How long will the trial take? And what are the feelings Kimi is beginning to feel for Davrael?

Find out on the first Tuesday of next month.

Time on the World of Vimar

The time of Vimar, the planet on which the continent of Khalram stands, is calculated differently from that of Earth. Here is a little about it.

From early times, it was known that the planet Vimar took almost exactly three hundred and sixty days to travel around its sun, the people divided this into twelve months of thirty days each. This number, and the three hundred and sixty days in the year meant that the number six took on a significance, and so they further divided each month into five ‘weeks’ of six days each. This was called a ‘sixday’.

The months were unrelated to moon phases as the planet has two moons, Lyndor and Ullin, each with a different cycle, but the study of the moon phases became important as they were believed to indicate something of the future, both for individuals and the world as a whole.

The year was deemed to begin at the Vernal Equinox when life was beginning to spring anew, and each of the twelve months was named after one of the gods of Vimar. (See Appendix 2)  the first month of Grilldar was called after the god Grillon, god of nature.

The months are as follows:

Spring                            Remit of God               Ruling God

Grilldar                              Nature                           Grillon
Kassidar                             All                                 Kassilla
Zoldar                                Knowledge                      Zol

Summer

Candar                               Weather and Sea          Candello     
Sylissdar                            Life and Healing           Sylissa
Allendrindar                 Persuasion and deceit        Allandrina

Autumn

Pardar                               Agriculture                    Parador
Rothdar                             Mining and                     Roth
                                         metalworking
Bardar                                   War                           Barnat                       

Winter

Bramadar                     Marriage and the family    Bramara
Majordar                            Magic                          Majora
Khaldar                      Death and the underworld    Khalhera


Days used to begin at dawn whatever the season or place in the world, but eventually it was seen fit to begin them at the time of dawn at the Vernal Equinox in all parts of the world, which was the equivalent of 6 am on Earth. Each day was about the same length as that of Earth, and because of the importance of the number six and its multiples, each day was divided, as on Earth, into twenty four hours and hours into sixty minutes. Seconds not usually considered on the planet as timing to that accuracy was neither needed nor for most people possible. Thus the second hour of the day would be equivalent to 8 am on Earth. Noon on Earth corresponds to the sixth hour on Vimar etc.

You can buy books 1 and 2, The Wolf Pack and The Never Dying Man by following the links below.

http://myBook.to/thewolfpack
http://myBook.to/NeverDying

An Interview with Magister Robiam from The Wolf Pack

This month I have managed to prize an interview out of Magister Robiam, the chief mage in the Mage Tower in Hambara.
Me: Thank you very much for allowing me this time in what must be a very busy schedule.

Robiam: Not at all, my dear. We must keep the press happy. Magic is still not fully trusted you know.

Me: After the Mage War and the Forbidding I suppose you mean. Arch-Mage Yssalithisandra told me about that.

Robiam: Yes. I can't understand why it is  taking so long for people to realise that magic isn't evil. It's just a tool, and the users can equally put it to good or bad use. Just as a knife can be used to cut up food for the preparation of a meal, and also to kill or injur someone. The knife isn't evil, just the user.

Me: Quite. You are a magister, sir. Tell me what that means.

Robiam: It is the highest rank that a mage can reach. When an apprentice passes his or her tests, they are welcomed into the ranks of mages and go by the title of simply 'Mage'. The first year of their 'mageship' if you wish to call it that, is a probationary year. They cannot 'fail' this year though. It is mainly to let people know that this person is very newly qualified. Thus, folk know that their experience is limited and not expect too much of them. The probation can be extended or shortened. depending on the mage in question.

Me: What happens after the probation is finished?

Robiam: The mage continues to be a simple mage until, or if, they reach a certain standard when they will become an Arch-Mage. Many do not progress beyond being a simple Mage of course.

Me: And to progress to Magister an Arch-Mage must reach another, much higher standard?

Robiam: You've got it; but the level for Magister is extremely high and few manage to make it.

Me: So there are only 3 'levels' in the magic profession?

Robiam: Yes. Of course, once there were many more. Newly-qualified mages were known as a Conjurors, then they would progress to Magicians, Sorcerors, Wizards etc.
Me: Why was this scrapped?

Robiam: It was too cumbersome, and mages are rather fond of their independence. They are free spirits, if you like. They do not like to be regimented, and so it was simplified.

Me: Why not do away with ranks completely then?

Robiam: It was suggested, but the Magister in charge of  the Tower at the time thought that the general public should have at least some idea of the power of the mage they were dealing with, and so it was decided to retain 3 ranks. (Although if you consider it, there are really 4, including the probationary mages.)

Me: Thank you for making that clear, Magister. I was wondering, however, about those who fail their mage tests. What happens to them?

Robiam: Unfortunately there are always a few who have a little magic but insufficient to pass the tests. We do not turn them out into the world to create havoc, which they could easily do. We make them associates of  the Tower and they become entertainers, keep shops selling magic items, become adventurers etc.

Me: Thank you very much, Magister for your time.

Horselords Part 2

Kimi shivered as she contemplated her fate. These men were not going to kill her. That was not what they wanted or they would have done so already. Did they want a hostage to ransom? That was not the style of the Tribes. They simply came and took what they wanted. Horses mainly. They did not use money and they measured their wealth by the number and quality of their animals.

Her musings came to an end when she found herself pulled roughly from her horse. Someone untied her feet so she could stand, and a tall man came over.

'Who is this?' he queried in a booming voice.

'She's a settler.' one of her captors replied. 'She came after us so we ambushed her and brought her here.'

The tall man circled Kimi, looking her up and down as if she were a piece of horseflesh.
'
'Not much to look at, is she?' he said. 'Plain face, and small. Still, she's got nice eyes, and lovely, thick, brown hair. I'm not sure how she'll be at bearing children, though.'

Kimi's eyes opened wide as she realised what this man was saying. They were going to use her as breeding stock, just like a mare. Something snapped in t he girl's mind and she kicked out at the tall man.

'I'm not a mare  to be put to the stallion,' she responded, eyes blazing.

The men all laughed, and the tall man called another young man over, who was looking the stolen horses over. When he arrived, Kimi saw a likeness between him and the tall man and concluded the younger one was his son.

'What do you think of this girl?' asked the tall man.

The younger man looked her up and down as his father had done and said, 'She's very plain, and a bit small. She may not be able to bear children successfully.
His father frowned. 'She has spirit, though. That is what we need in the tribe. None of your submissive women. That's fine in a woman, but not if she breeds children like herself. We need women with spirit. I like this girl. You will marry her.'

With that, he stalked off. leaving the young men all staring at Kimi.

The chief's son, for the tall man was the tribal chief, told the others to take her to a tent and to make sure she could not escape. Struggle as she might, Kimi was not strong enough to break the hold of t he man holding her and she found herself thrust into a tent. The man then tied her to the tentpole by her wrists.

Kimi struggled to no avail, only succeeding in chafing her wrists. Then the tentflap opened and the chief's son entered.
'What's your name?' he demanded.

Kimi made no reply, but turned her head away. The chief's son grabbed her chin and turned her head back towards him.

'Answer me when I speak to you.'

Kimi spat in his face and received a blow across her cheek for her insult.

As he wiped the spittle from his cheek, the young man stood.

'We have your best horses now, and you, so we'll be leaving in the morning. My father says we must be married, but that won't happen before we get far away, back to our own territory, the territory of the Prowling Lynx. I will have my tattoos done to show I'm the son of the chief and then we'll be married.'

He started to leave the tent, but turned and kicked out at Kimi, landing a kick on her left leg.

'You're not what I'd have chosen. There are plenty beautiful women in the tribe who would jump at the chance of marrying me. Still, my father says I must marry you, so I'll do so. Those other women will still be anxious to be my lovers.'

He laughed as he left Kimi alone to consider her fate.

Kimi could not help it. She tried not to, but tears pooled in her eyes, and  try as she might, they overflowed and fell onto the tent floor.

During he next few days Kimi had some relief from the taunts of her husband-to-be as he was busy erecting and taking down tents before moving off, or herding the horses, who tried constantly to turn back to their old home.

It started again each evening. though. The young man came to her tent and insulted her, or kicked and hit her. Kimi determined not to allow him to make her cry. At least not in front of him. but once he left for his own tent, she allowed the tears to fall.

How long would it take to reach the lands of the Prowling Lynx tribe? She hoped it was a very long time, She prayed that her father could raise some of the settlers and come after her. Then she prayed they would not, because many would be killed in the fight that ensued.

Eventually, she decided she would be co-operative in order to lull this raiding party into thinking she had become resigned to her fate. Perhaps she could manage to spot an opportunity to escape.

Horselords

I have been serialising the early stories of some of the people you can find in The Wolves of Vimar Series. Today I am starting the early story of Kimi and Davrael. I hope you enjoy it.

 
Kimi woke to hear sounds of horses whinneying. A gate creaked and then she heard galloping hooves. She quickly jumped from her bed and went to the window of her small bedroom. There, in the darkness, she could just make out a herd of horses disappearing across the plains.

She ran to her parent's bedroom and woke them.

'The horses have been stolen,' she called as she turned to her brothers' bedroom.

Her father leaped out of bed and ran to his window. This looked out over the back of the ranch where there were two corralls of some of the best horses on Vimar. He saw that these had not been touched, but these were not his best animals. The one Kimi's room overlooked held those.

'Are you sure, Kimi?' he called to her as she woke her two brothers. He knew she would not have made such a mistake, but he felt he had to ask.

The girl came out of her brothers' room, followed by the young men,Yeldin and Olias. The boys were older than their sister, Yeldin being the elder at almost twenty, and Olias was eighteen. Kimi would be seventeen at her next birthday in two months' time.

'Of course I'm sure,' she said. 'I heard the gate creak, then galloping. I looked and saw them galloping off over the plains.'

Olias looked at his sister. 'Are you sure they didn't just jump the gate, or otherwise break it themselves. Did you see anyone?'

Kimi looked at her brother and sighed.

'I'm not an imbecile, Oli,' she told him. 'The gate was open. Unless the horses have now developed a way of opening the gate, someone did it for them.'

'The Tribes,' said her father, pulling on his trousers as he came out of the room he shared with his wife. 'It must be one of the Tribes. Thieving scum that they are.'

The family was one of a number of settled folk living close to The Barrier, the range of mountains that cut off the Western Plains from the rest of the continent of Khalram.

Once they had been of the Tribes themselves, following the herds of wild horses that roamed the plains Several generations ago, some of the people had decided they could rear better horses if they had more control and so they settled in one place. There had been enmity between the Tribes and Settlers ever since.

Kimi looked hard at her father.

'Not all the Tribes are thieves, Dad,' she told him. 'Some are, yes. They are jealous of the progress we've made in breeding, but not all of them.'

'A Tribe member is always a thief,' replied her father in a tone that said he could not be convinced otherwise. 'Get dressed quickly, pick up your weapons and come with me. We've some horses to get back.'
Soon, Kimi and her brothers were cantering westwards after their animals, alongside their parents. All carried bows, and the men were also armed with knives. The tracks were easy to follow. The thieves had taken around twenty of the family's best animals and they left plenty of signs of their passing.

Then the tracks split into three. Kimi's father pulled his horse to a halt.

'They want to confuse us so we don't know which way to go,' he said. 'We'll need to split up to find them.'

Kimi's mother pulled her horse nearer to her husband.

'Do you think it's a good idea to split?' she asked him. 'We've no idea how many there are. It might be that there are too many for a couple of us to take on alone. Perhaps we should just go after one group and get those horses back. At least we would have some of our stock.'

'These are our best animals,' said Kimi's father. 'We need to get them all back. If we allow the thieves to gain even one, they'll spread the word that we're easy and keep coming back till we've no horses at all.'

The argument went on until Kimi, ever practical, pointed out that while they were arguing, the horses were getting further away. They took a vote, and all voted with their father and so the group split into three.

Kimi found herself with her elder brother, Yeldin. They followed one set of tracks to the south west.

'Any idea how many are in this lot?' he asked her. Kimi was a good tracker and she descended from her horse and studied the tracks.

'I'd say there are nine horses here, but how many are ours and how many are being ridden by the thieves I couldn't say.'

Yeldin smiled at her. 'Well, little sis,' he said, 'I'm sure we can take them on. Let's get going.'

They had ridden for several miles when they spotted dust on the horizon.'

'There they are,' called Yeldin from ahead. 'I'll circle round from the east and you approach from the west.'

Kimi pulled her pieballed horse round and galloped of in a westerly direction. She had her bow ready to fire at any enemy who approached, but she was not prepared for the five warriors who came from out of a stand of trees and surrounded her. They quickly pulled her from her horse and bound her hands and feet, then put her back across her horse so she could only see the ground below as they cantered southwards towards their camp.


What will happen to Kimi? Will she be able to escape? Find out next month.