Contents Title Page Copyright WARNING Welcome! [Series Title] Tower of Winter The Feathered Plains The Crystal Fields [Sequel Page] TOWER OF WINTER Will Wight www.WillWight.com Copyright © 2013 Will Wight All rights reserved Cover art by Patrick Foster IMPORTANT: What follows is a small collection of short stories set in the universe of the Traveler’s Gate Trilogy, which begins in the novel House of Blades If you have not read House of Blades or its sequel, The Crimson Vault, then you will not understand the following stories It’s okay; it’s not your fault I understand You’re still handsome and/or pretty If you were simply browsing the Kindle Store and this book caught your eye, I urge you to close this preview and go check out House of Blades I’ll wait If you’ve already read the Traveler’s Gate Trilogy—or at least the first two books—then come on in, my friend! These stories are intended to give you a closer look at the Territories and characters that we didn’t get to explore in the main trilogy If you’d rather stick with Simon, Alin, and Leah, I’ll understand! City of Light will be available in early 2014, and I hope it meets your approval Still with me? Then buckle up We’re headed off the map Here there be dragons You have been warned Welcome to Elysia, young Traveler You will have heard many stories about what it means to be one of us Do not be fooled No outsider understands our purpose They think we are here to lead other Travelers, to make the decisions that they cannot This is true, and it is not true They think we are here as a last resort, as an ultimate power, to keep the Incarnations in check This is true, and it is not true They think we are here to balance the other Territories, to keep them from obtaining too much power and upsetting the natural balance This is true, and it is not true What I am about to tell you is known by few, and understood by even fewer: we are not here to lead, or to threaten, or to eliminate threats In the course of our duties, we will all these things, but ultimately we are here for a single purpose We are here to guide We are here to lead by example, inspiring other Travelers to live up to their own potential We should be as beacons in the darkness Welcome to the City of Light -Elysian Book of Virtues, Page The Traveler’s Gate Chronicles (Collection #1) TOWER OF WINTER First, you should observe the Violet Light, which is aligned with Helgard, the Tower of Winter Many students who came before you have wondered why the Violet virtues of honesty, openness, and genuine expression are linked with this specific Territory Helgard’s Travelers are scholars, known for their dedication to knowledge, research, and memory Why, then, are they not linked to wisdom, or even diligence? -Elysian Book of Virtues, Chapter 1: Violet Donia Sarkis, Traveler of Helgard, had great things ahead of her Everyone said so She might be an Overlord one day, when Vasilios stepped down She might end up as an explorer, braving the unknown dangers of the Tower’s uppermost floors Today, it seemed, she was meant to be a nursemaid Nikolos shivered in his heavy, fur-lined cloak He sniffled miserably, his well-bred good looks spoiled by a bright red nose His sleek blond hair was ruffled by the wind, and he could barely keep his hood up “Wait!” he said “Did you see that?” He stared off into the blowing snow as though he had spotted some danger “I don’t see anything but snow, Nikolos,” Donia said, keeping her tone polite Nikolos was the Overlord’s son, and a bad report from him would haunt her for years She could not afford to let the Overlord down “Regardless, we should wait and watch,” the boy said, sniffling at every other word “We wouldn’t want to run into an unknown danger.” Nikolos stumbled through a drift and plopped down on top of a thick, rounded boulder carved like the head of a statue It was a grossly exaggerated caricature of a face, locked into the expression of a monster about to devour a meal Its long tongue down almost into the snow, baring four pointed fangs at the corner of the mouth It looked as if someone had carved a stone statue of a hungry monster, severed its head, and thrown that head on the ground Donia happened to know that the statue’s “neck” actually grew down into the bedrock of Helgard’s fifteenth floor, and that there were hundreds of such heads scattered all around the floor Some were so small that they were often covered entirely by snow, though others were the size of a barn No one knew the purpose of the heads, though there were theories Somehow, Donia doubted they were originally intended as benches for spoiled children “I seriously doubt we’re in danger here,” Donia said, because she couldn’t help herself “This floor is well controlled There are even a few permanent outposts.” “You never know,” Nikolos said “We should keep an eye out.” He was hugging himself and staring at the ground, not even pretending to watch for danger Nikolos had come up with some excuse to rest every hour since they had entered the Helgard Gate At first, he was simply “overcome with the natural beauty of the Tower,” and he needed a moment to collect his thoughts Then he would insist that he had heard a voice in the howling wind, or that he only needed a moment more to decipher the ancient runes on Helgard’s outer walls Once, when he caught sight of an icefang shuffling through the snow, he had sworn that there was a dead body beneath the powder that was struggling to surface They had to freeze in place, he said, because sudden movements could set it off Donia remembered herself at fifteen, so she kept herself polite, though she couldn’t ever recall being so obnoxious If she was tired, she would have just said so None of this dancing around the subject or making up excuses His attitude shouldn’t matter, she reminded herself He could be a screaming terror, and I’d still have accepted Jobs like this are a ladder straight to the top Overlord Vasilios had insisted that Donia should escort his son from his relatives’ estate in Alrin all the way back home to Bel Tara It was an easy assignment, but one that showed a great deal of trust in Donia She had only been a Helgard Traveler for a few years, but she was already getting personal assignments from the Overlord Annoying as this job might be, she had to prove she could it A patch of glittering snow caught Donia’s attention, lying at the base of a twisted tree In the right light, it looked as though someone had sprinkled the snow with a handful of crushed diamonds or powdered glass She recognized the signs immediately, as any Helgard Traveler would: an icefang lay in wait beneath that shimmering snow Icefangs were among the least of the dangers that Helgard had to offer, but she had known careless Travelers to lose chunks of flesh to an icefang bite The creatures were scavengers, usually preying on the sick or the dead She wondered if Nikolos counted as sickly They were also highly territorial, and it was entirely possible that she had tread near this one’s burrow without realizing it Donia took a few steps closer to the icefang, away from Nikolos The beast began to tremble, almost imperceptibly She held her middle two fingers together, leaving her other fingers spread out, stretching her hand out to the icefang in a sign of peace For a few seconds, the scavenger’s eager trembling stopped as it felt Donia’s imposed peace wash over it That wouldn’t be enough to stop it, not on its own, but it gave Donia enough time to enact the next step Under her breath, Donia whispered the icefang’s name Not its personal name, of course Learning that would have taken entirely too long, and she didn’t have time for that right now Instead, she recited the generic name for the icefang species It was twelve syllables long, all but impossible to pronounce, and all icefangs would respond to it to some degree She had heard it said that being a Helgard Traveler was half research and half rote memorization In fact, she had spent three-quarters of her time as a student simply memorizing the hundreds upon hundreds of names that all Travelers of Helgard were expected to know as a matter of course At this point, keeping an icefang quiet required no more effort than walking through the snow As usual, when she correctly named a creature, she felt a rush of emotions in return With more intelligent creatures, she would receive a rush of specific thoughts and memories, but the icefang was little more than a vulture It felt frustration, deep hunger, and a barely-restrained eagerness to attack the intruders that had dared to set foot in its home The peace she had imposed with her sign still lingered in the creature’s mind, and the unnatural calm also gave the icefang a degree of confusion It wasn’t used to being calm As always, the icefang’s emotions weren’t the only things that got transferred along the bond Donia felt her own frustration with Nikolos, her hope to please the Overlord, her fear that she wouldn’t live up to her reputation, and her satisfaction at finally being home in Helgard all flow out of her The icefang wouldn’t fully comprehend any of that, of course, but it grew to understand her nature just as she understood it More than anything, it felt forehead His would be drawn in red light, which he supposed explained why he saw the whole world in red every time he called the third eye Valin’s had been purple, and if he remembered correctly, Kathrin’s was blue Denner slowly turned his head, scanning the woods; turning too quickly would give him a splitting headache After only a few seconds, he spotted what he was looking for: a mass of bright red, seething light As best he understood it, the third eye allowed him to see life The more energy a living being had, the brighter they showed up Plants were dull, and lifeless stone all but invisible, though humans blazed like stars A human like the one trying to hide herself behind a nearby tree Denner banished the third eye He could have held onto it longer, but it would take five or six hours to recharge already, and the longer he held it the more time it would take to return Besides, banishing the eye always gave him a splitting headache, and he wanted to get over the pain as much as he could before this woman tried to ambush him “What is it?” Hariman demanded “What’s wrong? I can tell something’s wrong, I’m not an idiot.” Denner sighed “I thought I heard something, Hariman I checked it out, but I was wrong It was nothing.” Deliberately, Denner turned his back on the hiding woman and began to take loud, heavy steps back the other way “You really don’t need to be so paranoid, you know,” Hariman said “I don’t think it would kill you to simply let yourself relax and enjoy your exotic surroundings There’s much to be learned in Avernus For instance, did you know that if you ate a berry from that bush behind you, you would grow feathers instead of hair? It’s true I once knew…hold on Who is that?” Denner turned, calling stone The power of Valinhall hardened around his skin, defending him, just in case this woman was, in fact, as dangerous as the High Watcher suspected Then he caught sight of her, with her hands empty and open, her knife sheathed at her side, and he realized she wasn’t a woman She was just a girl Maybe fifteen, at most, scrawny and underfed and covered in more scrapes and bruises than clear skin Her hair was hacked short, as though she had cut it loose with her own knife She stared at Denner with a determination so fierce it looked almost like anger “I didn’t stab you,” she said “I noticed.” “They said I would stab you, didn’t they? Well, I didn’t.” “I appreciate that, thank you,” Denner said politely Privately, he wondered why the High Watcher hadn’t mentioned that their ‘rebel’ was little more than a child Had she been trying to trick him? Had the girl’s age just not mattered to her? Or had she expected it not to matter to Denner, because he was a bloodthirsty killer of Valinhall? No matter what, he was going to have a few words for the Watcher when he returned “Just a moment,” Hariman said “This is the dangerous rebel of the Strigaia clan? I hope she’s more dangerous than she looks.” “My name is Keiren,” she said “And yes There’s a lot more to us than you think.” “Us?” Denner asked, but he should have known better A shadow passed over Denner’s head, and he instantly summoned his Dragon’s Fang Like most of the other Fangs, Diava was curved and sharp along only one edge Its hilt was wrapped in red-and-gold thread, and a line of spidery script ran up the flat of the blade It was a normal, comfortable length for a sword—nothing like Kai’s seven-foot monstrosity With Hariman tucked under one arm and Diava gripped in his other hand, Denner crouched and raised his eyes, ready to strike a bird from the sky A brown-and-white owl glided silently overhead, lighting on Keiren’s shoulder The bird scowled at Denner and gave him a single, disapproving hoot “Us,” Keiren said “You see what I mean about paranoia?” Hariman put in “We need to work on your nerves.” Feeling somewhat silly, Denner relaxed, releasing the stone amulet—its power was about to run out anyway—and banishing his sword “We’ve seen you already,” Keiren said “Standing there Sent to kill us Do you even know why?” “I don’t think it’s my job to ask,” Denner said He had taken money for this kind of thing before, but he was usually hired to kill enemy commanders on the battlefield, or stop Travelers that had run out of control Not to kill a girl who had run away from home Keiren absently stroked her owl’s head, but they both continued staring at Denner, absolutely serious “Strigaia owls, and therefore Travelers of the Strigaia tribe, have visions,” she said “You know that.” “Everyone knows that,” Denner said That was all anyone did know; everything else was shrouded in typical Traveler mystique “It’s not as convenient as you think,” Keiren went on “You can’t just decide what you want to see, whenever you want to, like opening a book Each Traveler sees something different The High Watcher, for instance, sees gold.” “Gold?” Denner asked “Like, veins of gold? Gold mines?” That would explain why she was willing to spend so much money to hunt down one rebellious girl Keiren and her owl rolled their eyes at the exact same time, which was more than a little creepy “Not just gold Money Currency She sees visions of times when buying something will affect her future She probably saw herself handing you coins, so she knew she would—or maybe should—hire you Do you see?” “Apparently you’re the ones who see,” Hariman quipped, then laughed at his own joke “You get it? See?” Denner sighed “It’s not all that useful,” Keiren went on, ignoring Denner’s advisor “Most of the tribe only sees very specific things One of my best friends could see the positions of the stars anytime If he just concentrated on a day in the future, he could see what the stars would look like that night It was more helpful for predicting the weather than anything, since he knew whether it was going to be cloudy My father could predict down to the hour when the latrines would need emptied It wasn’t glamorous, but he saved us from disease more times than we’ll probably ever know.” Keiren stared off into the forest, her face growing distant Her owl nuzzled into her head, hooting softly Denner waited a moment, then cleared his throat Keiren and her bird turned back to look at him They blinked at the same time “No one of us is too useful on our own,” Keiren continued “Our visions are too limited But together, we can shape the future.” Denner looked into the giant forest, thinking over the girl’s words This was getting far too troublesome for him There were too many factors at play here that he did not, and could not, understand He never should have taken a bargain with the Strigaia, but last night he had boiled stolen heads of wheat just to make a thin soup The coins were too appealing Hariman squirmed under his arm, and Denner let him speak “Pardon me, but there seems to be an inconsistency in your story If Strigaia visions are as limited as you claim, then why should the tribe care about you? Surely you can’t pose a threat on your own.” Keiren’s owl sighed and shook its feathered head, like a teacher exasperated by a stupid pupil The Traveler smiled and stroked the bird’s head “I see Travelers,” she said “Not just Avernus Travelers I see Travelers from all different Territories, and I see them in moments where they will have to make an important decision I’ve seen the King several times, deciding whether he will personally ride to battle I’ve seen Grandmaster Helgard deciding whether to step down, and Overlord Indirial considering whether or not to train his daughter I’ve seen you, Valinhall Traveler, standing in front of a tree, deciding whether to kill me or speak to me first.” Denner stared at her, stunned No wonder the High Watcher wanted this girl dead so badly In any conflict, Travelers were the most valuable resource If one side could read the decisions of the enemy Travelers before they were even made…well, Denner would rather have Keiren’s power on his side than two dozen Naraka Travelers calling fire from the sky As he stood there, trying to digest the full implications of this girl’s ability, his mind latched onto the one least significant aspect of his situation: he was being rude “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said “I never introduced myself I’m Denner Weeks.” She cocked her head at him, just like Kai always did “That’s not your name,” she said Denner fought back a chill “It is now,” he responded, as firmly as he could There was a long silence apart from the chirping of a thousand birds Overhead, a giant limb shook, as though something had landed on it “Ahem,” Hariman said, “while this has been interesting and everything, we really should move this along Either kill her or let her go, Denner.” “The book’s right,” Keiren said “You have another decision to make I’ve already seen the results of trying to run from you I can’t it My only chance is to persuade you face-to-face.” Denner had killed more people than he cared to remember, and he probably had more dead friends than live ones But he didn’t consider himself much of a killer He wanted an excuse, any excuse, to let this girl go free But he was also a man of his word So that excuse would have to be a good one “Why did you run away?” Denner asked, at last Keiren raised her head to stare into the trees Denner was struck once again by how lost and alone she looked: her face was caked with dirt, her hair ragged and hacked short, her clothes barely holding together “I’d be happy to answer that,” she said, “but it looks like we’re running out of time.” Denner looked up himself, and saw what he had already begun to expect: huge white eagles, the mounts of the Halliat tribe, had landed on most of the limbs in view He could count six mounted Halliat-tribe Travelers without even trying, and he knew that more must be on their way But he was still a Valinhall Traveler, and these were Avernus Maybe Endross or Tartarus could have posed a threat He had to admit being a little nervous—no battle was certain, no matter how overwhelming it appeared— but he doubted this forest would be where his story ended “We have time,” Denner said calmly “Tell me.” Beneath his arm, Hariman chuckled Keiren glanced nervously up at the trees, and then around at the underbrush, as though looking for an opportunity to flee Denner stayed where he was He could catch her easily enough if he wanted to, and she knew it “One day the red trees will die, and the Incarnations will be free once again,” Keiren said at last Denner’s heart froze She shouldn’t have even known enough to say that He supposed he should stop underestimating the girl who could see the future “The Strigaia tribe has known this for years,” she went on, keeping both eyes on the Halliat Travelers in the trees “They think that the Incarnations breaking free will mean a world free of Ragnarus’ control, that the world will be restored to its natural order That’s what we’ve all been raised to believe My parents believe it My teacher believes it I was raised here in this Territory, so all my friends believe it.” Hariman made a choking sound Denner probably sounded the same way “Why would anyone want that?” he said “Do you have any idea how many people would die?” “Do you?” Keiren challenged “I’ve seen it And they’re going to escape I can’t see anything we can to stop that But we might be able to something about the Incarnations after they’ve broken free.” “What?” Denner asked He had seen an Incarnation before, and he had no desire to repeat the experience Keiren shrugged, almost dislodging her brown-and-white owl, who flapped its wings for balance and hooted indignantly “I don’t know yet I’ll figure something out For now, I have to get away.” A deep male voice called down from the trees “Outsider,” he said “We are taking the Strigaia girl Do not resist and we will allow you to leave.” Seemingly on instinct, Keiren took a step backwards, her face twisting in fear “What are you going to do, Denner?” she asked, keeping her eyes locked on the Halliat eagles There was only one decision he could make, really Even then, it burned him to go back on his word, but there was nothing else he could Denner summoned Diava The Dragon’s Fang shimmered like a heat haze as it materialized, its weight comforting in his hand “I can find you a home in Damasca,” Denner said “I’m friends with an Overlord, after all.” Keiren gave him a relieved smile “Thank you,” she said, “but I can’t Everyone I know is here I can’t leave them just because they want me to When they succeed, they’ll suffer under the Incarnations just as much as anyone I have to help them, even if they kill me for it.” Her determined resolve made her look much older She had clearly made up her mind “What a surprise,” Hariman said, “Strigaia Travelers being foolish and short-sighted even though they can see the future.” “I think you made that joke already,” Denner said “Who’s joking?” “Last chance, outsider,” the Halliat Traveler roared from overhead One of the giant eagles shrieked, and Denner winced at the sound “Walk away! We’re taking the owl girl with us.” Denner used Diava to gesture into a bush big enough to hide an entire house “Get in there and hide until the fight’s over,” he said “If you see a chance, run.” Keiren crawled under the bush, but she hesitated before she disappeared completely into the leaves “Do you know a man, about your age, who has white hair? He may or may not be carrying a doll?” A shiver ran down Denner’s spine “I think I know who you’re talking about.” Hariman snorted “Ha!” he said “You think?” Keiren licked her lips “At some point, he’s going to have to decide whether or not to take an apprentice,” she said “Tell him he should.” She seemed shaken by something, above and beyond the eagle-riding Travelers about to descend from the sky, so Denner gave her a smile “I will,” he said reassuringly Keiren stood up, grabbing his forearm in both her hands “This is important,” she said “He really, really should take an apprentice.” Denner pulled his arm away, trying not to show how uncomfortable he felt He was used to Traveler work, but he could never relax around someone predicting his future That was just unnatural “I’ll tell him,” he said “I promise.” “Stay where you are!” The Halliat Traveler roared from overhead, and Denner sighed He was going to have to deal with this troublesome situation after all He called steel Instantly, the chains began crawling up his forearms They may have looked like shadows, but they felt like real chains, and they grew link by link as they slithered up the backs of his hands and around his wrists At the same time, the steel flowed through him like an icy river Three of the white Halliat eagles were lifting off from their branches high overhead One of the birds carried a huge Traveler with a feathered leather helmet on over his head He held a spear in one hand Denner presumed he was the one who had spoken Denner jumped He didn’t have the increased speed that he had seen Indirial and Valin use, but he was fast enough on his own Agile as a cat, he hopped from tree trunk to tree trunk, steadily leaping higher until he reached one of the lowest branches Before the Travelers could react, Denner was among them, staring an eagle in the face He jumped again before the bird could bite his nose off, landing on a higher branch The huge Halliat flier was hovering only six feet away; from this position, Denner could speak with him over his bird’s flapping wings But the other Traveler was still staring below him, at the spot where Denner had stood only a moment before “Over here,” Hariman called The big Traveler’s head spun around, and he found himself staring at Denner from only a few feet away From his perspective, the scene must have been quite strange: Denner had climbed up these huge trees in an instant, and here he was, wearing a travel-stained brown cloak and carrying an enormous red-and-gold book and a long, gleaming sword “What…what tribe are you with?” the Traveler demanded, though his voice was shaky He sounded much less intimidating now that he wasn’t shouting “Are you Gendo?” Denner often had to remind himself that most Travelers had never heard of Valinhall The Strigaia were something of an exception, he supposed, since they could see into the future “I’m not an Avernus Traveler,” Denner explained “Of course not!” Hariman said contemptuously “Do you see a bird anywhere? Honestly, doesn’t anyone think anymore?” “I’ve been hired by the Strigaia tribe,” Denner continued “We’ll take care of the runaway girl in our own way Leave her alone.” The Halliat man frowned in confusion “But it was one of your owls who told us where to find her You said we’d have a chance to whatever we wanted with her.” “Playing both sides of the board, eh?” Hariman said “Both short-sighted and manipulative This is truly a shock.” “You really need to get some new jokes,” Denner said to his advisor Then he looked back to the Halliat eagle-rider, who was staring at Hariman in some confusion Why were talking books always that much of a surprise? “Back away, and this doesn’t have to end in violence,” Denner said The Halliat Traveler’s face hardened Denner sighed Then, with the strength of Benson’s steel, he leaped forward The white eagle squawked and flapped its way backwards, but it wasn’t fast enough Denner landed on its back and grabbed the Traveler by his collar With one hand, he hauled the man over the towering drop to the forest floor The Traveler kicked and screamed, and the eagle bucked under Denner’s feet, but thanks to the steel he ignored it all “I’d still rather this not end in violence,” Denner pointed out The other Traveler nodded vigorously, his feathered helmet flapping “I love to see a peaceful resolution,” Hariman said “This reminds me of one of Valin’s first battles after…” Denner let him ramble With any luck, the eagles would fly away that much faster just to escape the lecture *** When the High Watcher felt her way into her tent that night, using a cane to feel her way inside, Denner was waiting for her “You didn’t tell me she was just a girl,” Denner said He didn’t sound as angry as he felt The High Watcher froze, fear flashing across her face The mighty warrior of Valinhall, Denner thought, assassin of children and bane of blind old women everywhere Angry as he was, he still had to fight an urge to help her into a chair After only a second, she mastered herself, and her cane came down to rest on the ground “That should not have mattered to you, killer that you are,” she said “We told you enough to recognize her Isn’t that enough?” Denner’s anger flared up again That was how she saw him, was it? Willing to kill anyone, anytime, with or without justification? He supposed she had reason to think so Valinhall had a certain reputation, after all And that reputation was not without its uses “Well, she’s dead,” he said “Give me my money.” The High Watcher nodded, though she was looking at the wrong corner of the tent “Do you have any proof?” “No,” Denner said He summoned Diava, laying it across his lap He knew she wouldn’t be able to see it, but he had prepared for this eventuality: he pulled an ordinary rock out of his pocket He began to draw that rock across his sword It produced the distinctive ring of a blade being sharpened Diava was made of Tartarus steel, tempered in the forges of Valinhall He couldn’t sharpen it; all this would accomplish was grinding down the rock But it sounded intimidating For about half a minute, Denner sat there, drawing the rock across his blade, filling the silence with the sound of steel on stone Then the High Watcher pulled out her purse You show true loyalty when you remain dedicated to those who have turned their backs on you If they reject you, you need not reject them in return One may remain loyal to a cause even when all others have forsaken it -Elysian Book of Virtues, Chapter 2: Orange THE CRYSTAL FIELDS A Traveler of Lirial would tell you that intelligence and quick wits are the most valuable tools in the Crystal Fields These are indeed admirable traits, but a would-be master of the Silver Light requires something deeper -Elysian Book of Virtues, Chapter 3: Silver This story has been passed down to Lirial Travelers since the dawn of Elysia itself As it was told to me, so I will tell it to you This is the story of Korriphus, the best of all Lirial Travelers He was known as a wise and learned man who served the Elysians well It was he who gave us the first moon charts, who outwitted the first Lirial Incarnation, and who organized teams to explore the tombs of the Daniri, seeking their treasures Truly, he was a great man And none knew the greatness of Korriphus better than Korriphus himself In those times, Lirial Travelers were plentiful, so they built cities for themselves among the Crystal Fields One day, a white ape with six eyes walked into the greatest city in Lirial, where Korriphus ruled None had ever met this ape, but they treated him with respect, for Lirial Travelers know better than most how wise it is to show respect to strangers The ape called himself Seliethin, and he was most interested in Korriphus "Who is this Korriphus?" he asked people in the city streets "Is he worthy of rule?" "He is the best of us," the people responded "He reads the moons like ink on a page! He punishes and rewards with an even hand! When his own son spoke against his rule, he punished the boy according to the law, with no favoritism Naraka Travelers come to him for justice! There is none more worthy of rule." "I see," Seliethin said "He rules fairly, then But is he strong?” “Strong as the mountains themselves He Traveled deep into Ornheim and, on his own power alone, subdued a hundred golems He brought them back here to raise the very walls you see around you When the black army rose up in Tartarus, he drove them back into the Labyrinth before the Elysians heard a word of unrest Lirial is not known for its strength of arms, but Korriphus is the one exception.” “So it seems,” Seliethin said “Very well, he is strong and just But is he wise?” “Wise?” the people cried “Look no further for wisdom! He has raided the libraries of Helgard, bringing back their books for our own study He devised the most intricate mechanisms for keeping our precious Sources hidden He is on the very brink of deciphering the language of the Daniri themselves.” Seliethin pondered for a long time Finally, he shook his head “This Korriphus sounds like a learned man indeed,” said the ape “He does not, however, strike me as wise.” The people were shocked at Seliethin’s words, but none more so than Korriphus himself When rumor reached him that a stranger had questioned his wisdom, he sent for Seliethin immediately You see, Korriphus took his appearance very seriously, and to challenge Korriphus’ reputation was to challenge Korriphus himself When Seliethin was brought before him, Korriphus first tried to reason with him “It has come to my attention that you doubt my intelligence,” he said “This troubles me greatly.” Seliethin bowed “My lord, it is not your keen mind I doubt, but rather the use to which you put it.” No one else had ever questioned Korriphus’ wisdom, but he was determined to remain polite to Seliethin’s face “How, then, may I prove to you my wisdom?” “Fortunately, my lord, there is a simple test,” Seliethin said “The Daniri left a riddle behind, as they left so many other things, and we may use it to better ourselves I am told that you are close to deciphering the Daniri tongue?” Korriphus waved a hand lazily in the air “I have yet to properly apply myself I am sure that the solution is not so complex as most believe.” “Then this puzzle shall not trouble you long When you solve it, you shall find me among your most vocal supporters.” “Very well,” Korriphus said “Show me your riddle.” Seliethin, Korriphus, and a team of Korriphus’ closest friends and advisors set out that day, guided by the six-eyed ape They rode for an entire cycle of the moons before they found themselves in front of the smallest Daniri tomb that Korriphus had ever seen It was only a single obelisk, sticking up out of the gray dust of Lirial, covered in the writing of the Daniri people “Tell me what words are written upon this stone,” Seliethin said “You may use any means at your disposal Only when you find the answer to this riddle will I call you truly wise.” Seliethin bowed to Korriphus and left, vowing to return in one year’s time for the Traveler’s answer In the first year, Korriphus rallied the top scholars of Lirial They spared no expense in attempting to decode the language of the Daniri, and to some degree they succeeded It is thanks to their work that we can now read the marks on the outside of many Daniri tombs But when the year ended and Seliethin returned, Korriphus was no closer to reading the words on the stone He made three guesses, and when none of them were correct, Seliethin left once more Again, he promised to return after one year had passed The next year, there was a famine in Lirial Some of the underground mushroom farms had failed to produce a full yield, and blight had struck many of the flocks The people turned to Korriphus for a solution, but he had nothing to give them “If I am not wise enough to solve the riddle of the stone,” he said, “then how can I be the one to solve your problems? Go, turn to another for answers.” His advisors rationed the remaining crops, and the city was saved, but Korriphus hardly noticed Another year passed with Korriphus still unable to read the stone This time, when Seliethin arrived, Korriphus challenged him “What you know of the Daniri secrets?” he mocked “You are just an ape from the gray wastelands of Lirial.” He arranged a hundred puzzles and riddles in front of them, and dared Seliethin to solve even half of them, if he was worthy Seliethin bowed before him “My lord, I am secure in my own wisdom Are you? What does the stone say?” Korriphus had no answer Once more, Seliethin left This time, Korriphus promised a fortune in gold and powerful artifacts to any Traveler who could bring him the key to the stone’s secret Lirial Travelers are not immune to greed, and they spread out into the unexplored wilds of Lirial Even Travelers of other Territories came to Lirial, eager to try their minds against the riddle that had bested even the famous Korriphus That year, a rebellion rose against the Travelers of Elysia Their ruling council sent to Korriphus, asking for Lirial Travelers (for, in those days, the Lirial Travelers served and supported the Elysians without question) Korriphus had few Travelers of any worth to give them, for all his best and strongest were out of the city, trying to solve Seliethin’s riddle At the end of the year, Seliethin returned This time, Korriphus had a dozen possible answers to lay before him, but the ape rejected them all “I see why men call you learned,” Seliethin said “I simply fail to understand why they also call you wise In one year, I will return.” The ruling council of Elysia was not pleased at Korriphus’ poor support in their time of need That year, they sent Elysian Travelers into Lirial, where they removed Korriphus from power and put another in his place By that time, Korriphus did not care He brought a tent into the endless gray sands, making his home outside the Daniri obelisk Some of his old friends and servants brought him food every once in a while, and thus he passed the rest of this life, meditating each day on the stone’s words Every year, Seliethin came from his distant home to challenge Korriphus And every year, Seliethin left, saying that the Traveler was not yet wise In this way, Korriphus came to the end of his allotted years As Korriphus lay dying, his sightless eyes staring up at ancient words that he had long since memorized, he heard Seliethin approach one last time “Please, before I die, tell me the answer,” Korriphus said “Is it a map? Is it nothing more than nonsense? What have I done wrong? Tell me, before I leave this world forever.” Seliethin placed one of his hands on Korriphus’ bony shoulder “It is an old Daniri proverb A warning, to men such as you and I ‘Wise men seek understanding so that others might gain To pursue knowledge at all costs is the mark of a true fool.’” So Korriphus died, and the wind buried him at the foot of the prize he had chased for so many years There are those who say he lies there still Even now, when many of his accomplishments are lost and gone, the warning of Korriphus remains, etched in a forgotten language onto a spire of stone Let us not forget his lesson, lest we must learn it anew Intelligence without wisdom is like a sword without a hilt: it will bring you only harm -Elysian Book of Virtues, Chapter 3: Silver More Stories In… GARDENS OF MIST (The Traveler’s Gate Chronicles, Collection #2) Coming December 2013 Also, check out Will’s website for book updates, news, original fiction, and his long-forgotten True Name! www.WillWight.com ... business besides "Not Enosh," Lukis said "I know all of the Helgard Travelers that Enosh ever sends to this floor One of them was visiting the outpost when these cultists tore it down." Nikolos'... -Elysian Book of Virtues, Page The Traveler s Gate Chronicles (Collection #1) TOWER OF WINTER First, you should observe the Violet Light, which is aligned with Helgard, the Tower of Winter Many students... rights reserved Cover art by Patrick Foster IMPORTANT: What follows is a small collection of short stories set in the universe of the Traveler s Gate Trilogy, which begins in the novel House of