The Afterland Chronicles: Special Illustrated Complete Compilation by Karen Wrighton

Author:Karen Wrighton [Wrighton, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SleeplessPsyche Publishing
Published: 2017-05-13T06:00:00+00:00

FYRE MEISTER

From the balcony of his chambers in the Cynnabar Pyrus, Lord Ka looked out to the east over the steaming dark waters of Loch Drac, washed blood red by the dawn sun.

Irritated, sensing that he was no longer alone, Ka turned and walked back into the room. Passing the large ornate wall mirror, he caught sight of his reflection. The image unnerved him.

The eyes that gazed back at him were as he remembered, but their setting, that grotesque mask of a face reflected in the mirror, was that of a stranger. Since the assimilation, he wore the features of a djinn, the image of Fyre Meister Phlegon.

Ka had been expecting Phlegon’s attack. Indeed, he had been counting on it to use his reverse assimilation charm. This was how he was able to take the place of his enemy. However, he had not anticipated the charms mutilating effect. Now, trapped for eternity in this hideous reptilian body, he would have to maintain this charade until he replaced every one of the djinn’s prime circle with his Ophite followers. Only then would he have the power to control the Afreet army, not as Meister Phlegon, but as Lord Ka-ek-tal the one true ruler of the Afterlands.

He forced a lipless smile in greeting to the female djinn. She moved beside him to gaze at their reflections in the mirror. As his face contorted, his red-scaled skin twitched, pulling tight over his new reptilian features. Two spindle-shaped breathing holes at the centre of his face flared open as he inhaled deeply before spinning round to confront the Fyre Miester's consort.

Having Shevanna around disturbed him. She, like all djinn was hot blooded, a volcano of emotion primed to explode without a moments notice. She was unpredictable, and that made her dangerous. When she was around, he was almost constantly on edge. He would have to do something about her, and rapidly.

Everything else gone well. Progress had been rapid and without incident. Most of the prime circle had been assimilated and replaced by his Ophite ascendants. Almost Phlegon’s entire inner circle, like he, appeared on the outside to be a djinn, but their bodies were merely vessels for the consciousness of his followers.

Shevanna, however, had repeatedly resisted his attempts to persuade her to assimilate any of the remaining imprisoned Ophites. Therefore, Ka had been unable to replace her. Consequently, Shevanna continued to be a significant threat.

Ka sensed her mistrust in him. She suspected that something was not right, he was convinced of it. This thought plagued him now, if he was right, then why had she not acted against him. Maybe she doubted her instincts? Shevanna would not risk challenging Phlegon if she were not certain. Until she was replaced, he would have to convince her every day, that beneath this altered shell of a body resided the essence of Fyre Meister Phlegon and that he remained in full control. All of his plans and all of their lives depended on it.

“Sheeva,” Ka used Phlegon’s pet name for her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.