Read Online The Tomb of the Dark Paladin by Tom Bielawski - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tom Bielawski
Tags: Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Fantasy, Epic, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality, Christian fiction, Christian Books & Bibles, Religious & Inspirational Fiction, nn
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power of the Sigils commanded the Tides to do his bidding and a violent explosion occurred a hair's breadth from the horse's side.
The power he had generated with that explosion was enormous, and the force of it sent him flying through the air. Heat seared his lungs and a thunderous boom rattled his skull. He landed hard on the stone ground, his head aching and his eyes blinded by flashes of light. Genn was leaning over him now, talking. After a few seconds her words began to register in his brain.
"... all right? What's going on?"
"I'm fine," he said groggily, getting back to his feet. Thunder cracked and lightning was coming down with abandon inside the walls of the tower. "How long was I gone?"
"Gone?" she said curiously. "Gone where?"
"Gone," he shouted over a boom and pointed to the keep. "Inside there!"
"Carym, you never left!"
Carym shook his head wryly. He had never before experienced the manifestation of Sigil power in that way before. However, he could not afford to dwell on this new intoxicating manifestation of Tidal powers, something terrible was going on in there. He leaped to his feet and held his staff aloft, using it as a focal point to channel power from the Sigilstones in his pocket.
"Carym, what--"
"Ederick is in trouble!" he grumbled. Then with all his might he swung his staff toward the gate and a great read fireball erupted from its tip. The fireball hurtled across the empty space and slammed into the gate in an explosion of flame and molten metal and rock. When the smoke cleared there was nothing but a hole in the wall where the gate had been. Carym rushed through the opening and into the courtyard beyond. Genn followed behind, her cudgel in hand and ready to fight.
But neither of them expected to see what came next. The courtyard was filled with knights and men-at-arms, focused upon a place in the courtyard even as they shielded themselves from bright light and thunder. A shimmering, brilliant, light flared before them all as angry soldiers looked on. Even the bishop seemed curiously intent, his crook aloft in an offensive posture. Then the light closed in upon itself and flickered out. Carym sensed a tremendous amount of Sigil power went with it. His eyes adjusted quickly, but so did the eyes of the gathered men of the Hand. As recognition dawned upon their faces and weapons slowly trained upon them, Carym realized that Ederick and Bart were gone.
Carym held one of his fighting sticks aloft and summoned a fireball made of magical flame. He held the fireball poised in the air above his fighting stick and waited as all in the courtyard seemed to slowly wake as if from a dream. Bows and crossbows began to lower and men sheathed swords, rubbing their eyes or their faces and wondering what happened.
"Carym?" asked the bishop, looking about in a confused fog. "Is that you?"
"Aye," he replied, wary.
Rohan looked around and spied the wagon across the courtyard. His face darkened and for the first time Carym thought he saw fury in the man's visage. Carym recognized the black wagon as belonging to the hurkin wizard that had been fighting with Bart and Ederick. Seeing that the immediate danger was over, Carym trotted after Rohan and caught him near the wagon.
"I'm so sorry, Carym. I don't know how this happened," said Rohan, stopping to look over the black wagon. "I remember the arrival of that wagon, along with a number of villagers who came demanding your arrest. They were being led by that vile hurkin, though his hood had been drawn so low when I first saw him that I had no idea he wasn't human. I remember Ederick's arrival and the hurkin ordered my men to arrest him. Then Bart appeared, quite dramatically, out of the sky and called down thunder and lightning from the heavens!"
Carym listened intently, unsure whether the bishop's mind was fully free of the spell, could he trust the bishop? If Bart could fly and hurl lightning bolts, the bard truly had become a powerful Storm
The power he had generated with that explosion was enormous, and the force of it sent him flying through the air. Heat seared his lungs and a thunderous boom rattled his skull. He landed hard on the stone ground, his head aching and his eyes blinded by flashes of light. Genn was leaning over him now, talking. After a few seconds her words began to register in his brain.
"... all right? What's going on?"
"I'm fine," he said groggily, getting back to his feet. Thunder cracked and lightning was coming down with abandon inside the walls of the tower. "How long was I gone?"
"Gone?" she said curiously. "Gone where?"
"Gone," he shouted over a boom and pointed to the keep. "Inside there!"
"Carym, you never left!"
Carym shook his head wryly. He had never before experienced the manifestation of Sigil power in that way before. However, he could not afford to dwell on this new intoxicating manifestation of Tidal powers, something terrible was going on in there. He leaped to his feet and held his staff aloft, using it as a focal point to channel power from the Sigilstones in his pocket.
"Carym, what--"
"Ederick is in trouble!" he grumbled. Then with all his might he swung his staff toward the gate and a great read fireball erupted from its tip. The fireball hurtled across the empty space and slammed into the gate in an explosion of flame and molten metal and rock. When the smoke cleared there was nothing but a hole in the wall where the gate had been. Carym rushed through the opening and into the courtyard beyond. Genn followed behind, her cudgel in hand and ready to fight.
But neither of them expected to see what came next. The courtyard was filled with knights and men-at-arms, focused upon a place in the courtyard even as they shielded themselves from bright light and thunder. A shimmering, brilliant, light flared before them all as angry soldiers looked on. Even the bishop seemed curiously intent, his crook aloft in an offensive posture. Then the light closed in upon itself and flickered out. Carym sensed a tremendous amount of Sigil power went with it. His eyes adjusted quickly, but so did the eyes of the gathered men of the Hand. As recognition dawned upon their faces and weapons slowly trained upon them, Carym realized that Ederick and Bart were gone.
Carym held one of his fighting sticks aloft and summoned a fireball made of magical flame. He held the fireball poised in the air above his fighting stick and waited as all in the courtyard seemed to slowly wake as if from a dream. Bows and crossbows began to lower and men sheathed swords, rubbing their eyes or their faces and wondering what happened.
"Carym?" asked the bishop, looking about in a confused fog. "Is that you?"
"Aye," he replied, wary.
Rohan looked around and spied the wagon across the courtyard. His face darkened and for the first time Carym thought he saw fury in the man's visage. Carym recognized the black wagon as belonging to the hurkin wizard that had been fighting with Bart and Ederick. Seeing that the immediate danger was over, Carym trotted after Rohan and caught him near the wagon.
"I'm so sorry, Carym. I don't know how this happened," said Rohan, stopping to look over the black wagon. "I remember the arrival of that wagon, along with a number of villagers who came demanding your arrest. They were being led by that vile hurkin, though his hood had been drawn so low when I first saw him that I had no idea he wasn't human. I remember Ederick's arrival and the hurkin ordered my men to arrest him. Then Bart appeared, quite dramatically, out of the sky and called down thunder and lightning from the heavens!"
Carym listened intently, unsure whether the bishop's mind was fully free of the spell, could he trust the bishop? If Bart could fly and hurl lightning bolts, the bard truly had become a powerful Storm
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