Furey, Maggie - Artifacts of Power 3 - Sword of Flame

703 Pages·2016·1.29 MB·English

by  Furey Maggie

Maggie Furey - Aurian 3 - Sword of Flames
Maggie Furey - Aurian 3 - Sword
of Flames
Table of Contents
Prologue: The Story So Far
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Chapter 1: The Miracle of spring
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Chapter 2: Journey's Beginning
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Chapter 3: Strange Havens
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Chapter 4: A Burned-out Shell
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Chapter 5: Words of Warning
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Chapter 6: The Storm Breaks
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Chapter 7: The Mountain King
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Chapter 8: The Mountain Queen
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Chapter 9: On the Wings of the Wind
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Chapter 10: Within the Crystal
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Chapter 11: Killers of the Night
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Chapter 12: A Cry for Help
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Chapter 13: Through Earth
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Chapter 14: Through Fire
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Chapter 15: …and Through
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Maggie Furey - Aurian 3 - Sword of Flames
Chapter 16: Out of Time
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Chapter 17: The Seeing
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Chapter 18: Horncall and Sunrise
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Chapter 19: The Infiltrator
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Chapter 20: A Queen in Waiting
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Chapter 21: Just Like the Old Days
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Chapter 22: The River Run
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Chapter 23: Storm Front
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Chapter 24: Southpaw
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Chapter 25: The Cauldron
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Chapter 26: Lightning Strike
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Chapter 27: The Sword of Flame
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Index of Characters
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Prologue - The Story So Far…
Long ago, there had been four magical weapons
fashioned by the Mages. Their history had been lost,
together with the Artifacts themselves, in the Cataclysm,
the horrific wars of magic which wrought changes on
land and water alike. Lost also had been the history of
the nonhuman Magefolk: the Winged Ones, the
Dragonfolk, and the mighty Leviathan—or so said the
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ancient legends
Young Aurian, growing up lonely and neglected in her
mother's valley, knows nothing of these tales. Yet when
she meets Forral, a wandering swordsman, the encounter
will change not only their lives but the future course of
history.
Aurian's father, Geraint, has perished through misuse of
his Fire-magic, and her grieving mother, the Earth-Mage
Eilin, is obsessed with restoring the valley—the barren
crater left by the explosion. Appalled by Ellin's neglect of
her daughter, Forral stays to care for the child, and a
close bond develops between them. He begins to teach
Aurian sword-play, until an accident in training almost
kills her. Eilin, on the advice of the Magefolk healer
Meiriel, sends her to the city of Nexis and the Academy,
home of the few remaining Magefolk, where she can be
fully trained as a Mage
Homesick and missing Forral, Aurian turns to the
Archmage Miathan, unaware of his plans for her future.
His interest earns her the enmity of the Weather-Mage
Eliseth and her cohorts Bragar and Davorshan, though
Aurian is befriended by Finbarr the Archivist and
D'arvan, Davorshan's twin, who is unable to access his
powers. As she grows to adulthood, her studies in magic
are diverted by the return of Forral as commander of the
Nexis Garrison. Aurian resumes sword training and
makes new friends at the garrison—Maya, Forral's
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lieutenant, and Parric, the cavalrymaster. The bond
between Forral and Aurian ripens into mature love, but
matings between Mortals and Magefolk are forbidden. In
the meantime, Miathan begins to force his attentions on
her.
Elsewhere in Nexis, Anvar, son of a baker, is sold as a
bondservant to the Archmage. He is truly Miathan's
son—a half-breed Mage whose mother has kept his
identity secret, Miathan steals his powers, binding him
with a spell of silence. After months of toil and brutality,
he escapes, seeking his lover. Sara, who was pregnant
when they were parted. But she has lost the child and
married Vannor, head of the Merchants' Guild. When
Anvar is recaptured, Aurian defies the Archmage to
claim him as her servant.
In the catacombs beneath the Academy, Miathan
discovers a deadly weapon—a grail refashioned from the
Caldron of Rebirth, one of the lost Artifacts of Power.
When Aurian and Forral become lovers, the jealous
Archmage turns the grail to evil, cursing any child that
may come of their union to take the form of the first
beast Aurian sees after its birth.
The following Solstice sees sinister changes. Eliseth
alienates Davorshan from his brother and persuades
Meiriel the Healer to negate Aurian's spells against
pregnancy, for Miathan will never countenance Forral's
half-breed child. Davorshan tries to murder his brother,
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and Aurian sends D'arvan to her mother, who can help
him find his powers. Maya goes with him to the valley.
When Miathan discovers that Aurian is with child he
attempts to destroy the babe, but Anvar warns Forral and
Vannor. When Forral attacks, Miathan unleashes Death-
Wraiths—spirits who feed on life-force—from the grail,
and Forral is slain. Finbarr fights the Wraiths with magic,
buying Aurian, Vannor, and Anvar time to escape.
Overcome with rage and grief, Aurian vows to avenge
Forral, but now she must flee. While Vannor stays in
Nexis to organize resistance against the Archmage,
Aurian and Anvar escape by ship, taking Sara with them
at Vannor's request. Aurian's one hope of fighting
Miathan is to find the three lost Artifacts—but time is
limited, for as her pregnancy progresses, she will lose her
powers until the child is born. Then to her horror, she
feels Miathan's mind searching the seas for her with
magic.
Miathan now controls Nexis and sends Davorshan to kill
Aurian's mother. Maya and D'arvan reach the valley,
where Eilin tells them of the terrible events, seen in her
scrying crystal, that have occurred. She also tells D'arvan
that his true father is Hellorin, Lord of the Phaerie—a
powerful race of Elemental beings exiled from the
mundane world by ancient Magefolk. Shocked and
grieving, Maya and D'arvan turn to each other for
comfort and become lovers. They stay in the valley so
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that D'arvan can learn magic from Eilin.
At sea, Aurian discovers powerful minds of great
wisdom: whales—the ancient Mage race of Leviathan.
When they are threatened she uses magic to help them,
and the Archmage finds her through her use of power.
Eliseth conjures a storm to sink the ship, while Miathan
attacks with magic. In the ensuing battle, Aurian blinds
him.
When Aurian, Anvar, and Sara are rescued by the
Leviathan, the storm has blown them to the unknown
Southern Kingdoms. Sara seduces Anvar, reminding him
of their former love, and Aurian leaves them to go with
the Leviathan Ithalasa, who reveals the lost history of the
Magefolk. Aurian learns of the missing Artifacts: the
Staff of Earth, the Harp of Winds, and the Sword of
Flame, created by the Dragonfolk for one hand alone to
wield. Ithalasa does not know where they can be found.
Anvar and Sara are captured by the Khazalim, a fierce
desert race, and taken to the city of Taibeth, where Anvar
is sold as a slave and Sara goes to the harem of Xiang,
the ruler, known as the Khisu. Given the chance to
become a queen, she uses her beauty to ensnare Xiang
and callously consigns Anvar to his fate.
Aurian reaches Taibeth and is captured and sentenced to
fight in the Arena for the pleasure of Xiang. Here she
befriends Eliizar, disillusioned swordmaster, and his
wife, Nereni. Rumors of foreigners in the city give her
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hope of finding Anvar, but in the Arena she must fight
the fearsome Black Demon, against whom no one has
survived.
In the valley, D'arvan learns Earth-magic from Eilin and
swordplay from Maya. When Davorshan attacks, his
brother slays him, but Eilin is wounded. To save her,
D'arvan calls on his father, and he and Maya, along with
Eilin, are transported to the realms of the Forest Lord,
where Eilin must remain in order to survive. Hellorin
explains that the Dragons gave the Sword of Flame into
the keeping of the Phaerie, who must now return it to the
mundane world. Once the Artifact is claimed, the Phaerie
will be freed. Hellorin conceals the Sword in the valley,
and Maya is transformed into a Guardian—an invisible
unicorn. D'arvan brings the Wildwood to the valley,
making it a haven for Miathan's foes.
Aurian fights in the Arena before Xiang, his son, and his
new queen, Sara. She survives the first bouts but is
wounded, and now must face the Demon: Shia, a fierce
great cat from an intelligent race. When the Mage
communicates mentally with her, Shia claims her as a
friend. Harihn, Xiang's son, takes Aurian and Shia under
his protection. While her wounds heal, she is cared for by
a eunuch, Bohan, and wins his heart with her kindness.
Anvar is found dying in the Khisu's slave pens. Aurian
battles Death for his spirit and prevails.
Before Anvar can be warned of Sara's treachery, Xiang's
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soldiers attack. Anvar and Harihn are sentenced to death.
Aurian escapes from the dungeons, freeing Shia and
Harihn's men. With Yazour, their captain, she storms the
throne room, taking Xiang prisoner. Harihn will not
accept the throne from a Mage and a woman. He frees
Xiang on condition that he and his people may leave the
kingdom and cross the desert. Anvar begs Sara to join
him, but she repudiates him cruelly. Eliizar and Nereni
join the fugitives.
In Nexis, Eliseth holds the land in an extended winter.
Vannor, Parric, and their rebels hide in the sewers
beneath Nexis. Miathan is sure that Aurian is alive and in
the south. Elewin, the Academy's chief steward, warns
Parric, who decides to go in search of her. The rebels
escape the city with Meiriel, who has been driven mad by
the loss of her soulmate, Finbarr. They find sanctuary
with Vannor's friends the Nightrunners, an elusive
smuggling community who are already sheltering the
merchant's daughter Zanna. Vannor's rebels head for the
valley, seeking Aurian's mother, while Parric, Meiriel,
Elewin, and the warrior Sangra journey to the Southern
Lands in search of Aurian herself.
In the desert, Anvar quarrels with Harihn. His rage is
strong enough to break Miathan's spell, and his powers
draw his spirit back to Nexis, where he snatches back his
magic from the Archmage. Aurian offers to teach him to
use his powers, and his training begins.
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Meanwhile, across the desert in the mountain city of
Aerillia, the Winged Folk are dying in Eliseth's unnatural
winter, which is spreading across the world. Blacktalon,
the corrupt High Priest, claims he can turn aside the
deadly cold and demands to be wedded to the Princess
Raven, heir to the throne. Raven flees, heading south
across the desert.
Harihn's band reaches Dhiammara—a solitary mountain
in the desert where a mysterious portal opens in the rock,
snatching Aurian away. When she cannot be found,
Harihn abandons Aurian's companions. Aurian's loss
brings home to Anvar how much he loves her. With
Shia's help he finds the portal and is reunited with
Aurian. They emerge in the abandoned city of the
Dragonfolk and discover Raven. Forral's ghost leads
Aurian to a temple, where she finds the last Dragon,
freeing it from a spell. It tells her that she is the One for
whom the Sword of Flame was forged, but first she must
re-create the Staff of Earth. Having succeeded, Aurian
now holds one of the Artifacts.
The Mage is reunited with her comrades and Yazour,
who has left the Prince and returned with horses. Eliseth
creates a lethal sandstorm to slay them. Aurian's powers
have vanished due to her pregnancy, but with the help of
the Staff, she and Anvar defeat Eliseth and cross the
desert safely. But Miathan is not done with them, for he
has learned to free his spirit from the fetters of his body
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and send it abroad to work mischief…
Once across the desert, Aurian and her companions—
Anvar, Shia, Eliizar, Nereni, Bohan, Yazour, and
Raven—find sanctuary in the vast forest that lies beyond.
They prepare for the arduous crossing of the mountains
that lie to the north, but discover that Harihn and his
company, who crossed the desert ahead of the
companions, are also encamped within the woods. The
Prince now regrets giving up his father's throne. He has
encountered the roving spirit of Miathan and made an
unholy bargain, allowing the Archmage's consciousness
to occupy his body in times of need. Miathan also enlists
the aid of Blacktalon, evil High Priest of the Winged
Folk, who has poisoned Raven's mother.
Harihn, under Miathan's orders, seduces Raven,
persuading her to betray the Mages. She offers to guide
them across the mountains to the Tower of Incondor,
where the Archmage and Blacktalon have set up an
ambush.
Across the mountains, in the lands of the Xandim Horse-
folk, a Seer receives a vision on the winds. Chiamh, the
despised, reclusive Windeye of the Xandim, discovers
powers of evil reaching out from the north toward two
Bright Ones beyond the mountains. At the risk of
destroying his tribe, he knows he must aid them in their
fight against darkness.
Parric and his friends reach the lands of the Xandim, a
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