Sorceress (The Mage Saga Book 4) by Ken Warner

Author:Ken Warner [Warner, Ken]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Vibrant Circle Books LLC
Published: 2023-04-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen: Anoria

The old elf stared at Syllith in surprise. “I could ask the same of you. What is a human doing in Drengrvollr?”

“You speak the common tongue.”

“The human tongue. It is far from common among my people. But yes.”

“So, who the hell are you?” she repeated.

He regarded her in silence for a few moments, looking her up and down, making Syllith self-conscious. She wanted to hide her nakedness from him, but had no way to do so. “My name is Asmund. From Ellrivollr, the southeast kingdom of this continent. I have traveled far to come here.”

“And why are you here?” she asked suspiciously.

“You first. Tell me your name, human.”

“I am Syllith.”

“And how did you come to be here?”

“It’s your turn.”

Asmund chuckled. “Very well. Years ago, word of Estrid’s rise to power came to my people. News that she had been coronated queen, and that Drengrvollr had voted to cast democracy aside. Though this was disturbing, it was hardly surprising. The rest of the continent forced representative government on this kingdom, and it was never a natural fit.

“However, Estrid’s invasion of Mestrland was shocking. The kingdoms had kept the peace for centuries. When she took Ellrivollr, I watched in horror. And I started to suspect that all was not right with our supreme leader.”

“Your people allowed her to take over. Reaper told me she gained the support of the populace after the initial invasion.”

“Yes, and I couldn’t understand it at first,” Asmund said with a nod. “Her rule goes against everything my people stand for. Ours was the oldest democracy in the world. We have never known any other way. But I realized that those who voiced dissent quickly disappeared from public view.

“Digging deeper, I discovered that Estrid was silencing them. Some she subdued with magic—mostly those who were indispensable to the operation of the bureaucracy in some way. They were no longer themselves, and after subduing one of them, I realized they were under a spell limiting their behavior.

“Most dissenters simply vanished. I uncovered evidence that some had been murdered. Others had been thrown into makeshift jails, and Estrid used them to blackmail other officials.

“It took me many years to learn the truth. And by the time I did, Estrid had conquered the entire continent. I helped establish a resistance movement. We’ve got operatives in all five kingdoms, but progress has been difficult and dangerous. Estrid has her spies everywhere, and when one of us is outed, they are killed.

“Over time, my concerns regarding the supreme leader took a different turn. And when she announced her plans to mount an invasion of Anoria, it removed any lingering doubt I might have felt: Estrid was not the person we believed her to be.”

Syllith chuckled derisively. “You’re right about that. But how did that announcement finally open your eyes? And how did you find this place?”

“Invading Anoria serves no purpose. Our people stand to gain nothing from such a campaign. Yet it will cost us dearly in lives and resources. I decided to investigate Estrid’s origins to figure out what was going on.

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