An Excerpt from The Talisman of Delucha
This comes from the very first chapter in The Talisman of Delucha, book 2 of The Relics of War. Hope you enjoy!
Tavesin narrowed his eyes in concentration as Aziarah launched several magical attacks in his direction. The invisible shield of energy he’d erected withstood the Drakkon mage’s assault; he watched with silent satisfaction as bursts of magic pelted the shield and fizzled. The other Drakkon on the rooftop observed the pair with interest and Trozyen, one of the youngest of their number, clapped his scaly hands together in approval.
“Again, Aziarah.” Tavesin couldn’t be certain she wasn’t holding back. If he encountered the Soulless again, they would not. He was determined to be prepared.
“Tavesin, we’ve been at this since sundown. It’s nearly midnight and you require sleep. The wizards have plans for you in the morning.” Aziarah shook her lizard-like head in amusement. “Truly, I’m surprised you’re not tired. Your shields are powerful, but certainly the drain—”
Tavesin crossed his arms stubbornly. “The wizards’ plans are history lessons that will not help me locate Arra. If I sleep through part of Andola’s lecture, I won’t miss anything of importance. And no, I’m not tired. I must be certain of my skills.”
“I promised your council’s leader that our lessons would not interfere with theirs, Tavesin,” Aziarah countered, her tone uncompromising.
“All I ask is for one more round, Aziarah. If you mean to take me into the Aethereum on the morrow, I will not be unprepared. The wizards won’t help me learn what I must.”
He scowled across the darkened rooftop, angry with the wizards for their refusal to assist him. Since Arra’s disappearance, they’d forced him into his usual routine as though nothing was amiss. They’d been unable to search for her and had left the task to the Drakkon. Aziarah had ventured into the Aethereum several times, but upon each return, she’d found nothing that would locate the missing girl.
In his mounting frustration, Tavesin had taken every opportunity to scour the tower’s library for information. The shielding technique he employed to block Aziarah’s magical assault was but one shard of knowledge he’d gleaned as his resolve to locate Arra grew. He had begun to frequent the library between each of his lessons, often to the chagrin of his closest friend and fellow apprentice, Rostin.
If the wizards would not spare the resources and the Drakkon could not find her, he would take up the mantle himself. After all, he was the reason Arra had come to the Shining Tower, and if his suspicions were correct, he was the reason for her disappearance. Tavesin had made an enemy of the Soulless, and he was certain Arra had been abducted. The wizards assured him she would turn up, that she would be unharmed, but he sensed their words were meant only to placate him.
“I’m sorry, Tavesin, but you’ve begun to drain even my energy,” Aziarah stated, nonplussed. “You need rest, too.”
He shook his head. “One more time.”
Aziarah sighed, but it was Trozyen who spoke next. “I will face you during this final assault, Tavesin, but once we are finished, you must do as Aziarah asks.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Aziarah’s displeasure with the younger Drakkon was clear, but she stepped aside as he took her place. Trozyen was taller and more muscular than she was, and sported a crest of small, sharp spines across his forehead. Like all of the Drakkon, he was clad in leather armor.
“I will not hold back, Tavesin,” he said.
“Good.”
Tavesin braced himself and stared intently at Trozyen while he reformed his shield and waited for the next onslaught. He believed Trozyen was a stronger mage than Aziarah, but due to his youth, he often deferred to her. Tavesin hoped he would prove a challenge.
Trozyen began to cast a powerful magic, one that Tavesin was wholly unfamiliar with. He could sense the Drakkon’s workings, sense the ebb and flow of energy across the rooftop—another new skill he’d gleaned during his hours in the library. He reinforced his shield in anticipation; it began to shimmer faintly in response and he heard murmurs from the Drakkon observers. He ignored them and focused on Trozyen.
The young Drakkon unleashed a volley of blue-white bolts toward him. They sizzled and crackled as they shot through the air and bore down on his shield. As they made impact, they blossomed into an inferno that enveloped his shimmering barrier. Tavesin poured more magic into the shield, sensed Trozyen launch another, more powerful assault before the fiery remnants of his first dissipated, and he braced himself for the next impact. Distantly, he heard Aziarah and one of the other Drakkon admonish Trozyen, their voices filled with concern. Tavesin ignored them, his focus honed on his defense.
A blinding white light shot toward him. He recognized the magic as the same Aziarah had used to drive the Soulless away upon their first meeting. It was powerful, unlike anything he’d been faced with previously. He studied its energy signature as it closed the gap between them—there was but one way to counter it.
He poured more energy into the shield, and it began to glow blue-green around him. As the white light careened into it, Tavesin used the remainder of his energy to explode the shield outward in a harmless, yet dazzling display of color. He grinned at Trozyen even as he stumbled and fell to his knees.
Aziarah raced across the rooftop to kneel at his side. “Tavesin, are you well? Did that fool harm you? He should not have—”
He laughed, giddy with his success. “I’m fine, Aziarah. It was exactly the challenge I was seeking.”
She snorted her disapproval. “Are all humans so daft as you seem to be, child? If you’d faltered for an instant, that magic could have killed you.”
(C) 2022 by A.J. Calvin
Thanks for reading this week’s post and I hope you enjoyed this first teaser from The Talisman of Delucha! For more information on The Relics of War, click here.