Cephrael s hand a pattern of shadow light book one

CEPHRAEL’S HAND A Pattern Of Shadow And Light Book One MELISSA MCPHAIL This is a work of fiction The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book Cephrael’s Hand A Pattern of Shadow & Light Book One All Rights Reserved Copyright 2010 Melissa McPhail v3.0 This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews Kindle Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to amazon.com and purchase your own copy Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author Outskirts Press, Inc http://www.outskirtspress.com Outskirts Press and the “OP” logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc Table of Contents Acknowledgements Map of Alorin Foreward Prologue Part 1: Ean & Trell Map: Dannym & Its Surrounding Kingdoms One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Map: M’Nador & The Akkad Emirates Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Part 2: Awakening Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty Twenty-one Twenty-two Twenty-three Twenty-four Twenty-five Twenty-six Twenty-seven Twenty-eight Twenty-nine Thirty Thirty-one Part 3: Emergence Thirty-two Thirty-three Thirty-four Thirty-five Thirty-six Thirty-seven Thirty-eight Thirty-nine Forty Forty-one Forty-two Forty-three Forty-four Forty-five Forty-six Forty-seven Forty-eight Forty-nine Fifty Fifty-one Fifty-two Fifty-three Fifty-four Fifty-five Fifty-six Fifty-seven Epilogue Glossary of Terms Dramatis Personae Acknowledgements In acknowledgement to the hordes of loyal friends and family who read multiple editions of this voluminous tome, you have my enduring gratitude and appreciation To Sarah, Juliet, and Shon, thank you for being so patient with mommy while she spent so many evenings and weekends writing MAP OF ALORIN him against its thick trunk With the water sweeping over his shoulders, Trell inched his way along the slippery wood until he could grab the roots He hauled himself up into the root thicket and wedged his knees in place Mud covered the woman like a blanket, but her face was free of the water and he hoped—he prayed—that she might still be alive He felt for a pulse at her neck, holding his breath until…there She was alive, but barely so, a pulse so faint he might’ve missed it without his gift of patience Trell lifted his head and looked around for anything to aid him, and in that moment the tree dislodged from the deep water and started floated freely again He watched with growing hope as the river carried them ever closer to a curve in the bank Could it be that Naiadithine wanted him to save this woman? It certainly seemed so, for with one great thrust, the river shoved the tree into the far bank, wedging it momentarily into the earth Trell had only seconds As the far end of the tree began swinging around with the current, he scrambled into the shallows and gathered the woman into his arms, disentangling her only an instant before the river ripped the massive tree away Trell fell backwards onto a the bank with the unconscious woman on top of him He lay there panting for a few heartbeats, allowing his heart to settle, and said a prayer of thanks to Naiadithine for her help Then he rolled the woman gently onto the earth beside him With tender care, he cleaned the mud from her face, noting with concern the deep bruises around her eyes and the swollen gash in her head He looked her over carefully then, and found that her arm was also broken He couldn’t know what damage she’d retained deeper within, but the bruising around her eyes did not bode well for her condition He’d seen many a man who fell from on high display bruises of this nature, and most of them died in a few short hours though nothing had seemed outwardly wrong To his knowledge, no Healers lived nearby, so he knew it was up to him and Yara to aid this woman First making a splint for her broken arm using sticks and cloth torn from her skirt, Trell then gently lifted her in his arms As he headed back toward the farm beneath a bright morning sky, he thought he heard Naiadithine’s approving whisper Follow the water, Trell of the Tides *** Errodan Renwyr n’Owain val Lorian, Queen of Dannym and the Shoring Isles, stood upon the icy, snow-crusted pier as dawn colored the morning clouds in pale rose-gold She stood with straight shoulders though grief ravaged her and voices of the unknown taunted of a terrible future in store There was no news of Ean save that he lived, but somehow she no longer feared for her youngest son He was upon his path with boon companions to aid and protect him, and she had faith that Destiny had need of his life still No, it was her own fate, and that of her king, that terrified her now Her green eyes lingered on the ship sailing out of the harbor with the dawn tide Soon it would be around the point and out of view, but so long as she could see its sails, she meant to remain there She could just make out Gydryn’s tall form on the poop deck and his silver-edged cloak flying taut in the icy wind From such distance, he seemed a young man, as like her own sons—broad-shouldered and lean, virile, emboldened by the vigor of youth and ready to stare death in the face with an impudent grin No doubt he felt a measure of those things still, for he was such a man yet in many ways, even with fifty years beneath his name But for Errodan, watching her husband sail away even as her two eldest sons had gone before was almost too much to bear “He will return to you,” Ysolde said quietly She slipped an arm around Errodan’s waist and let her take comfort in their closeness, though there was little reassurance in it Her husband sailed into the face of treachery while she remained to face a different demon, a man by the name of Stefan val Tryst, Duke of Morwyk Should either of them survive the next few months, it would be by Epiphany’s will alone, for gods knew the odds were against them Errodan feared the dark times ahead; she knew it would take all of her strength to weather them Wrapping an arm about her companion in turn, Errodan pulled Ysolde closer, lamenting that her companion’s slim waist was such a poor substitute for her husband’s solid form “Epiphany willing,” she breathed in reply, barely voicing the statement lest Fortune take offense The ship was rounding the point now In only moments it would be gone from her sight Errodan caught her bottom lip between her teeth lest it tremble and betray her feelings to those who watched She wished in that last moment of parting that she might reach out to her husband and pull him back to her to never again let go Then the ship was gone “Fair winds,” Ysolde murmured Keeping her expression neutral by raw strength of will, Errodan pressed a hand to her belly and tried to breathe deeply through the nausea Though she had every reason and right, it wasn’t fear that made her sick that morning She turned to Ysolde “He will come back to you,” the Fire Princess reassured again Swallowing her resolve, Errodan looked back to the deep sea, which was mercuric beneath the rising sun “Yes,” she murmured with her hand cupped protectively across her belly—still flat though she measured two months into the pregnancy “He must.” For his fourth child awaits his blessing ### Glossary of Terms Underlining within definitions denotes words that may be found in this glossary Adept (a´-dept) n [Old Alæic] One born with the instinctive ability to sense and compel one of the five strands of elae a race of such persons, each with attributes intrinsic to the strand of elae that modified them [an adept of the third strand] A Healer, Nodefinder, Truthreader, or Wildling angiel (ahn geel´) n [Old Alæic] The Maker’s two blessed children, Cephrael and Epiphany, who were made in the Genesis to watch over His worlds Avieth (ay´ vee eth) n [Old Alæic, bird] A third-strand Wildling race of shapeshifters with the ability to assume two distinctly separate forms: human and hawk Awaken (awaken) v [ ] Adepts who have Returned awaken to their inherent abilities usually during the transition of puberty but sometimes as early as two years of age Balance (bal ans) n [ ] The term used to describe the highest force of cause and effect in the realm of Alorin; the natural laws of the realm which define how far the currents may be twisted out of their natural paths by wielders of elae before manifest retribution is incurred by the wielder These laws are of much consideration among the various Adept Guilds and a topic of intense speculation and theorization Cephrael (sef ray el) n The Maker’s blessed son Ascribed as the Hand of Fate, Cephrael is responsible for administering the Maker’s ultimate justice See also angiel drachwyr (drak wer) n [Old Alæic] An Adept of the fifth strand of elae: the drachwyr were banished to the icy edges of the realm in the year 597aV Also called a Sundragon elae (e-lā´) n [Old Alæic, elanion, life, force; the power of life] The itinerant (roaming) energy that, in its accumulation and formation, creates the pattern that becomes the foundation of a world pertaining to any of the five codified strands of this energy, each with distinctly separate attributes Epiphany (e pif fany) n The Maker’s blessed daughter Epiphany is the speaker of the Maker’s will and is often turned to in prayer when seeking divine blessing See also angiel Espial (espy´-al) n [Cyrenaic espyen hal whole] An Adept of the first strand of elae who has the ability to see the life patterns of living things and compel the creative forces of the first strand to alter them leis (ley) n [Old Alæic leis] The shortest pathway available to a Nodefinder when using the pattern of the world to travel, often connecting spaces within a small geographic area malorin’athgul (muh loren ath gool) n [Old Alæic, they who make the darkness] A race of beings from beyond the known realms of Light who were birthed by the Maker to balance Creation by unmaking the universe at its far unraveling fringes while at its core it is constantly expanding Marquiin (mar kwin) n Truthreaders sword to the Prophet Bethamin who have survived his purifying Fire and are now cleansed of elae Merdanti (mer dan te) n [Agasi] An extremely hard black stone named for the region of Agasan in which it is found a weapon forged using the fifth strand of elae and usually made from this stone Na’turna (nah toor nah) n [Old Alæic < nare turre, of the earth] a nonAdept; mortal node (nod) n [Old Alæic nodus, knot ] The points where the pattern of the world conjoins Nodes connect places in vastly different geographic regions and allow a Nodefinder to travel great distances within a few steps In the realm of Alorin, nodes also connect to the neighboring realm of T’khendar due to the nature of the latter’s formation Nodefinder (nod-fin der ) n [Old Alæic nodus, knot + findan, find] Adept of the second strand of elae who sees the points where the pattern of the world conjoins (called nodes) and can use these points to travel vast distances; see also Espial Patterning (pat´ərn·ŋ) v [Veneisean patrun, patron, hence something to be imitated, pattern] The technology comprising the use of patterns to compel the strands of elae to move against their natural course, an action (also called wielding) which is often erroneously referred to as magic raedan (ray´ -dan]) n [Old Alæic raedan, to guess, read, counsel] One trained to read the currents of elae and thereby able to discern the workings of patterns and their effects throughout the realm realm (relm´) n [Veneisean, realme (altered by assoc with reiel, royal) < Cyrenaic, regere, to rule] A kingdom One of the thousand linked worlds, each represented by an elected Seat and four Vestals in the governing cityworld of Illume Belliel The realm of Alorin Return (Returned, Returning) (return) n [Agasi, strônd] An Adept who has died and been reborn See also Awakening Shade (sheyd) n [Old Alæic, sceadu, to protect, cover] A formidable creature with many abilities, including the power to work deyjiin First seen during the Adept Wars, their origins are unclear but are attributed to the wielder Malachai ap’Kalien Sobra I’ternin n [origin unknown] The ancient text most often attributed to the angiel Cephrael, which details the natural laws of patterns in thaumaturgic application The book is itself written in patterns and has yet to be fully translated Many Orders are dedicated to its study, translation and adaptation for use in the Adept Arts strand n [Agasi, strônd] Any of the parts that are bound together to form a whole [the strands of one’s life] Referring to any of the five composite aspects of elae and its five attributive fields of energy (respectively: strand 1:creative energy, 2:kinetic energy, 3:variant energy, 4:energy of thought, 5:elemental energy) thread (thred) n [Old Alæic thræd, to bind] A colloquial term used when speaking of a group of four men of a specific race, as opposed to a String, which is a grouping of six Tiern’aval (teer na vol) n An island city, one of the Free Cities of Xanthe, which vanished at the end of the Adept wars circa 597aV The city’s fate remains a mystery T’khendar (tuh ken dar) n The realm created by the Adept wielder Malachi ap’Kalien out of Alorin’s own æther, which sacrilegious act resulted in fierce denouncement from the Council of Realms and indirectly, his later madness Truthreader (truth – read er) n [Old Alæic treowe, true + raedan] An Adept of the fourth strand of elae who is able to hear (and sometimes see) the thoughts of others and is thereby able to discern the time, place and form of any occurrence in their memory, i.e its truth Tyriolicci (teer´ee oh – lee´ chee) n One of the Wilding races (colloquially Whisper Lord) known for their frenzied fighting style and ability to make small skips through time Vestal (vest´-al) n [Cyrenaic, vestir, to endow] An Adept elevated and empowered with the responsibility of enforcing the laws, regulations, activities and codes of his respective strand of elae, and of overseeing all Adepts subject to it one of five highly-trained and advanced Adepts elected as voting members of the Council of Realms, ranking just below the Seat of the realm in authority weld (weld) n [Cyrenaic, welden, to be strong] The most major joints in the pattern of the world All leis and nodes connect through a weld, thus a weld allows travel to any location Welds also form the joints between the realms and thus allow travel from realm to realm Whisper Lord n [Collq.] One of the Wildling races (also called Tyriolicci) known for their frenzied fighting style and ability to make small skips through time wielder (wēld´ər) n [Cyrenaic, welden, to be strong < Old Alæic, valere, a show of strength] A person of any race who uses patterns to compel one or more strands of elae, thereby influencing the strand’s properties to create the effect he has postulated; a sorcerer in the realm of Alorin Adepts and men alike become wielders through intensive training and study Wildling (wahyld´-ling]) n [Old Alæic wilde] (Collq) An Adept of the third strand of elae Any of the twenty-seven non-human races whose native abilities are attributed to the third strand of elae but who may or may not be possessed of paranormal abilities zanthyr (zan´ thur) n [Old Alæic] An elusive Adept of the fifth strand of elae; zanthyrs can shapeshift between two forms: one human, one animal Some have been known to work elae as wielders, but the extent of their abilities is unknown Dramatis Personae The Five Vestals Alshiba Torinin—the First Vestal, an Adept Healer Dagmar Ranneskjöld—the Second Vestal, an Espial Seth nach Davvies—the Third Vestal, an Avieth of the Wildling races Raine D’Lacourte—the Fourth Vestal, a Truthreader and raedan Björn van Gelderan—the Fifth Vestal, branded a traitor Members of the Royal Family of Dannym Gydryn val Lorian—King of Dannym Errodan Renwyr n’Owain val Lorian—Queen of Dannym Ysolde Remalkhen—the Queen’s Companion; a Fire Princess from Avatar Ean val Lorian—Crown Prince of Dannym Ean’s older brothers (deceased) Creighton Khelspath—ward of Gydryn, blood-brother to Ean Ryan val Lorian—brother to Gydryn, posted as Ambassador to Agasan Fynnlar val Lorian—son of Ryan, a prince of Dannym Brody the Bull—Fynnlar’s bodyguard Admiral Cameron l’Owain—father to Queen Errodan In the King’s Cabinet & Guard Morin d’Hain—Spymaster Donnal val Amrein—Minister of the Interior Mandor val Kess—Minister of Culture Vitriam o’Reith—Truthreader to the King Kieran van Stone—Truthreader to the King (missing) Rhys val Kincaide—Lord Captain of the King’s Own Guard Bastian val Renly—a lieutenant of the King’s Own Guard Of the Peerage & their Households Gareth val Mallonwey—Duke of Towermount and General of the West Tad val Mallonwey—heir to Towermount Katerine val Mallonwey—daughter of Gareth, engaged to Creighton Khelspath Lisandre val Mallonwey—daughter of Gareth Loran val Whitney—Duke of Marion and General of the East Killian val Whitney—heir to Marion Melisande d’Giverny—mother to Alyneri (deceased) Prince Jair—Prince of Kandori, father of Alyneri (deceased) Alyneri d’Giverny—Duchess of Aracine, an Adept Healer in the service of King Gydryn Tanis—an Adept Truthreader, Melisande’s ward Farshideh—a Nadori midwife, assistant to Melisande, Seneschal of Fersthaven Stefan val Tryst—Duke of Morwyk Wilamina—Dowager Countess of Astor Ianthe d’Jesune val Rothschen—Marchioness of Wynne The Contessa di Remy—wife of the Agasi Ambassador’s Aide In the Akkad Emir Zafir bin Safwan al Abdul-Basir—Akkadian Emir, Unifier of the Seventeen Tribes Rajiid bin Yemen al Basreh—Prime Minister of the Akkad Ware—an Agasi expatriate, one of the Converted Istalar—a holy man At the First Lord’s Sa’reyth Dhábu’balaji’şridanaí(Da-boo balah gee shree da nye) called Balaji whose name means He Who Walks the Edge of the World Şrivas’rhakárakek (Shreevas rah kara keck) called Rhakar whose name means The Shadow of the Light Jayachándranáptra (Jai ah shandra naptra) called Jaya whose name means Rival of the Sun Ramuhárikhamáth (Rah moo hareek amath) called Ramu whose name means Lord of the Heavens Amithaiya’geshwen (Am myth aya gesh win) called Mithaiya whose name means The Bosom of God’s Nectar Náeb’nabdurin’náiir (Ni eb nabdoor en ni ear) called Náiir whose name means Chaser of the Dawn Vaile—a zanthyr Leyd—a zanthyr Loghain—a Tyriolicci (of the Wildling races, called Whisper Lord by the races of men) On Trell’s Travels Fhionna—a Wildling Aishlinn—Fhionna’s sister Lily—a girl of M’Nador Korin—Lily’s betrothed Sayid—a Khurd guard Kamil—a Khurd guard Radiq—a Khurd guard Ammar—a Khurd guard Krystos—an Agasi nobleman, owner of the Inn of the Four Faces in Sakkalaah Carian vran Lea—a pirate of Jamaii, an Adept Nodefinder Sister Marie-Clarisse—a Sister of Chastity of Veneisea Sister Margueritea Sister of Chastity of Veneisea Jean-Pierre MarỗonLord Commander of the Tivaricum Guard of Veneisea Kardashian—a thief Yara—an old Kandori woman On Ean’s travels Phaedor—a zanthyr Cayal—a soldier of the King’s Own Guard Dorin—a soldier of the King’s Own Guard Thane val Torlen—Duke of Stradtford Lord Brantley—Earl of Pent Comte d’Ornay—a Count of Veneisea Claire—comtesse d’Ornay, a Countess of Veneisea Sandrine du Préc—an Adept Healer in the service of Queen Indora of Veneisea Alain—an Adept Truthreader, nephew of the comte d’Ornay Matthieu—an officer in the comte d’Ornay’s household guard The Gods of the Akkad Jai’Gar—the Prime God Azerjaiman—the Wind God Sons of the Wind God—North son, Shamal; South son, Asfal; East son, Sherq Daughter of the Wind God—West daughter, Qharp Naiadithine—Goddess of Water Inithiya—Goddess of Restoration Angharad—Goddess of Fortune Thalma—Goddess of Luck Look for The Dagger of Adendigaeth, Book Two in A Pattern of Shadow & Light available now Melissa appreciates comments and feedback If you enjoyed Cephrael’s Hand, please consider leaving a review where you purchased your copy Melissa would love to hear from you Find her here: http://MelissaMcPhail.com http://Facebook.com/CephraelsHand http://Twitter.com/MelissaGMcPhail http://Goodreads.com/MelissaGMcPhail Table of Contents Copyright Acknowledgements MAP OF ALORIN Foreword Prologue Part Ean & Trell Dannym & Its Surrounding Kingdoms One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine M’Nador & The Akkad Emirates Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Part Awakening Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty Twenty-one Twenty-two Twenty-three Twenty-four Twenty-five Twenty-six Twenty-seven Twenty-eight Twenty-nine Thirty Thirty-one Part Emergence Thirty-two Thirty-three Thirty-four Thirty-five Thirty-six Thirty-seven Thirty-eight Thirty-nine Forty Forty-one Forty-two Forty-three Forty-four Forty-five Forty-six Forty-seven Forty-eight Forty-nine Fifty Fifty-one Fifty-two Fifty-three Fifty-four Fifty-five Fifty-six Fifty-seven Epilogue Glossary of Terms Dramatis Personae .. .CEPHRAEL S HAND A Pattern Of Shadow And Light Book One MELISSA MCPHAIL This is a work of fiction The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific... know it sounds foolish, but after so many years of letters back and forth, of secrets shared across the intimacy of Mieryn Bay…years of imagining her eyes and smile as she read my words and wrote... his outrage, and succeeded in a brief campaign to sway other Seats to his views Thus was Malachai s infant realm ruled an abomination, and its maker condemned an outcast Even the Alorin Seat,