Revenant of Silverthran: Volumes 1 - 9 Read online

  REVENANT OF

  SILVERTHRAN

  L. Michele Scott

  Copyright © 2015 L. Michele Scott

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1542950309

  ISBN-13: 978-1542950305

  This novel is dedicated

  to Brian Cupples -

  for being my first editor extraordinaire,

  Tami - my light and inspiration,

  and sweet Miss Kitty.

  .

  Cover Art By J Ash B Designs

  Published by L. Michele Scott

  Follow on Twitter @L_Michele_Scott

  [email protected]

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents are fictitious and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to people, living or dead, actual events, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Revenant of Silverthran was originally published in serial format. This novel contains volumes 1 – 9.

  Prologue

  He was born of darkness. It was all he remembered, even though he sensed he might have come from weaker, more humble origins. A malevolent, raspy voice gathered men into a dark, subterranean cavern, echoing with bottomless vibrato. Saline-tainted water dripped slowly from the roof of the grotto, hissing as the drop’s coolness met the sulfur pools scattered throughout the chamber. Four men stood cloaked, heads down before a large dais carved from the side of the wall which stood decorated with humanoid bones intermixed with precious metals, forming interlinking patterns. The room was dank, musty and the stench of death seemed to linger in the air. Strangely, the men, not bothered by the smell, instead reveled in the power of death the dark figure atop the dais emanated. Waves of energies pulsated around the man - if he could be called a man. Other than having a vague humanoid shape, this being was far beyond that of mere manhood – immortal, eternal, ever present.

  The four men kneeled unspeaking in front of the dais and avoided looking directly at the specter. All four found themselves imbued with power beyond what they could have imagined by their dark lord. He stood before them, watching his newly made creatures and smiled. What little light there was within the cavern disappeared into their black cloaks - as if the cloaks had the ability to absorb all brightness. They were a small example of what their creator could do. He had summoned them and they mindlessly obeyed the call.

  “I have found them.” The raspy voice said quietly. “It was foolish to hide and only a matter of time until my search would be rewarded. Look far to the south, in a village named Epslin.”

  Raising his voice, the form gestured toward a dull pillar in the middle of a quiet pool of stagnate water. The column began to glow with dingy iridescence as clouds of gray swirled and writhed within, gradually clearing, allowing the watchers to see inside. A dim picture emerged of a small sized village, distant figures moving past the unnatural gaze of the column, unaware of the eyes spying on their lives. The mist churned again, clearing to reveal a modest home with a man and woman working outside. Two girls fluttered in and out of sight of the pillar’s eye running about, chasing one another. Abruptly, the image faded and the shadow turned once again to his recruits.

  “You shall bring the man and woman to me - or kill them both. But heed me.” The voice continued in a harsh, chilling tone. “If the Silverthrans refuse and you are forced to eradicate them, I want their offspring. Alive. Failure will be met with pain you cannot imagine. Go.”

  The figure melted into the wall behind the dais, leaving the four disciples to muse over his warning. As usual, their master was abrupt and to the point. They knew that failure in this mission would be the end to their existence. Failure was not an option. Exchanging no words, they climbed to their feet and slinked out of the underground lair. Only after they exited the broken landscape of the Razorback mountain range did they pause to gather what they needed for the long trip to the south and back. If they still had any sort of human feelings left to them, the four felt pride. Handpicked for this special mission over all others, they were determined to see the mission through to the end. There was no doubt that this mission was important to their dark lord and all four men began the southern journey, resolved to make the Silverthrans serve alongside them, or die a most painful death.

  Chapter One

  With the setting sun some of the heat of the day departed as Micah and Katyde reluctantly helped their mother set dishes on the table for supper, not either one’s favorite chores to do. Their father finished working in his blacksmith shop set adjacent of the main house, and came inside much later than usual. The two girls and their mother about gave up on him eating his meal while still warm, but said nothing as his face revealed a foul mood when he stepped into the house. Not speaking, he took his customary place at the table and ran a fingertip along the side of a dish absentmindedly.

  The distant look in his eyes reflected his mind wandering in far off thought. Watching him, Micah swore that the bright blue eyes clouded over and changed colors to a soft gray, but this could have been a trick of the lamplight. He was a tall, thick-muscled man, although not as tall as some men in town. His skin always seemed darker than most as if some dirt simply would not wash off - Micah believed that came from years of working the fire in his smithy. Unlike either of his daughters, he had locks of wavy, dark brown hair crowning his head, which looked black during the winter months.

  As usual, Micah’s curiosity won out over caution, blurting, “Why are you late? I wanted to help you earlier. Remember, to finish faster? But you said no - you wouldn’t…”

  Her father cut her off with a sharp look. She bit her lip and locked her gaze down at the fresh peas her mom had picked for supper that day, and began flicking them around the dish with her spoon. The eldest of the two sisters by a year, the thirteen year old Micah sometimes felt like she was regarded as the younger and more irresponsible one. Standing a full three inches taller than Katyde, she believed she was old enough to take on more ‘adult’ burdens. For example, Micah desperately wanted to try her hand at her father’s profession, that of a Smith. She never understood why her father chased her away from the shop, shaking his head while muttering under his breath.

  Brushing her cropped, dark-reddish brown hair behind her ears, Micah stubbornly set her chin and asked, “I saw those strange men in town today go into your shop. Who were they? Are they why you’re so grumpy?”

  Strange men, she thought to herself. Epslin was not small town, yet it was small enough to know all who lived within its limits and in the farms surrounding the area. Nestled along the river Erin, trade brought a new influx of people into town at a constant rate. However, something struck her about the men she had seen earlier in the day. Something about them seemed wrong. Two had gone into the smithy to talk business with her father. A couple others stood outside staring towards her house, while she watched from the other side of the street. Concealing herself behind a horse hitched to a tying post in front of Meiry’s General Store, she noticed the men were dressed in the usual travelers fashion; dark hooded cloaks, with fine riding boots. Yet, they wore the hoods up, concealing their faces during almost perfect weather. They stood taller than any of the local folk; perhaps that gave them the menacing air that she seemed to sense as she stared, hidden behind the horse.

  Crouched behind the horse, Micah remembered she nearly jumped out of her skin when her sister snuck up behind her to see what was going on. Neither stayed around to see if the strange men had heard or seen the ruckus they inadvertently made. She sprinted around the General Store chasing Katyde, leaving the strange men behind, trying to catch her sister to give her a good drumming for scaring her witless. Now, sitting
at the table, Micah wanted answers.

  When her father glared at her from across the dining table, Micah swallowed the rest of her questions, but could not forget those men. His calloused hand wrapped tighter around a large wooden cup filled with local ale. Katyde sighed loudly and gave her sister an ‘I told you so’ look while taking a large bite of bread. Glowering over her supper at her sister, Micah wished her legs were long enough to reach Katyde and give her a swift kick in the shins. She stared sullenly at the scraps of food that had fallen from her plate onto the family’s long oak table, smudging the buffed and polished surface.

  “Micah… Katyde,” their mother interrupted, “after you finish supper I need you both to go to the Overlinds and pick up some flower seeds from Tern’s mother. I told her you would be there today and completely...forgot. She won’t mind you going over this late. She’s expecting you, just be back soon after dusk.”

  Their mother, Llara Silverthran, was a slight woman with dark brown hair and russet highlights, mixed with a few gray strands, streaked throughout. Her eyes always had the capacity to make Micah sad. At times, her dark brown eyes seemed very distant, as if thinking on some far away and serious subject. Her younger sister might have looked like her mother at the same age, except for the lack of any redness in Katyde’s hair.

  Katyde made a face, whining, “Oh mom, I hate going over there. Tern picks on me worse than Micah does!” She tried pouting in order to gain sympathy from their father, but he ignored the gambit successfully.

  Micah was certain her mother was only doing this to get them both out of the house so she could find out what occurred in the smithy with those dark, hooded men. It was unfair. She believed herself old enough now to handle adult matters, yet her parents were insistent on keeping secrets. On the other hand, she also did not want to encourage her father’s wrath, so she eagerly scooped up the rest of her supper and absconded from the dinner table. Her father began to protest saying it was not safe for them to go out this late, but Llara placed her hand over his, quieting him. Micah sprinted upstairs, grabbed her and Katyde’s evening cloaks, and returned to the bottom floor ready to leave. Planting a quick kiss on both parent’s cheeks, the girls bolted out the front door and started walking rapidly down the street towards the Overlind home in the failing light.

  Halfway down the street, Katyde looked over her nose at Micah and asked, “Why do you always like to make dad upset? I know those guys were scary, I watched them too from inside the store. You know you’ll only make him angry if you bother him like that for answers. Maybe they’re important for business.”

  Micah glowered at her sister with angry blue eyes, “I’m just so tired of them treating me like a kid. Why can’t I know what’s going on in his shop? After all, I’m going to take it over one day!”

  Shaking and her head and chuckling Katyde told her, “Not unless you grow huge muscles and manage to lift that huge smithy-hammer.”

  Pausing for a second, she winked at Micah and flexed her wiry arms, trying to look like their father. If nothing else, she thought levity might help the situation. The gesture, with Katyde’s delicate frame, made the gesture even more ridiculous. One could not describe the elder sister the same way, but neither was she muscular in any sense of the word. Micah had a thin, wiry build with a hint of awkwardness that promised height, as she grew older. Both sisters favored each parent’s features, but could be worlds apart in temperament. They continued to shoot each other teasing looks as they strolled slowly down the street, past empty porches and into the growing darkness.

  Micah laughed then sighed. “Sometimes I wonder if you should have been born first. You seem so much smarter than me. I mean, you never make father angry at you...well almost never. There are times that I wonder if he really likes me at all, he’s always mad at me about something.”

  Katyde poked her in the ribs and took one of her hands in hers, “Don’t say such things, you know he does.” A wistful look flashed along her face, “I only wish I was as brave as you are. Tern teases me and I can’t even stick up for myself!”

  They both laughed and continued towards the Overlinds. Smiling at each other neither of them noticed the cloaked figures that secretly moved in the shadows, surrounding their home behind them.

  Walking around the bend of the central thoroughfare in town, they turned right along one of the main branches that fed into the main street. Tern’s house stood near the end. Dusk was rapidly approaching, throwing odd shadows on to the dirt road. It had been an uncomfortably hot day. Townsfolk sat on front stoops of their businesses near closing time and porches of their homes enjoying the coolness of the approaching evening. Micah and Katyde waved off several offers of cool drinks as they passed. Situated next to the Overlind’s house was a large two-story inn that the family operated. Katyde took her sisters arm and led her to the left towards Terns home, skirting the opposite side of the street from the Inn. Loud voices and laughter occasionally boomed out from the door when it swung open, hungry clients coming and going. It was an exciting place to have fun in, but they were never allowed inside after the sun went down. Their mom had told them that it was not a place for women, especially at night. Katyde wondered if her mother had forgotten that Mrs. Overlind worked there most evenings and many older girls in the village did as well. It seemed harmless enough during the day when they visited Tern while he did chores inside the Inn.

  Reaching the front porch, they saw Mr. Overlind rocking in his chair, tapping out his favorite pipe on its arm. Glancing up, he winked at them and nodded towards the door. Remembering the manners her mom painstakingly taught her, Katyde did a quick curtsy and threw her sister a glare until she did the same. Micah rolled her eyes, curtsied and dragged her sister inside the door as Mr. Overlind chuckled at the both of them.

  Tern, tending the fire in the front room, looked up as they came inside. “Thank Lucis you both are here. Mom has me doing all sorts of chores.” He complained as he stood up, wiping a long sleeve across his face.

  He was not a lazy young man, but had the habit of wriggling out of work he did not like or if he would rather be doing something else. Tern was a rarity in town with his fair colored hair and eyes. Although, his father was said to be of his coloring in youth, that was hard to discern now with his gray hair and leathery skin. Micah winced at his language; it had become popular to use the God of Light’s, Lucis, name to add importance to what you say. She tried it once at home and was promptly given more chores to do as a punishment. Her hands suddenly felt dry and wrinkled, as if she had spent an hour washing dishes.

  “We’re not here to be used as an excuse for you to skip out on helping your mom Tern,” Micah scolded. “Besides, we have to go back home as soon as we pick up the seeds our mother needs.” Gesturing towards the window she continued, “The sun is down and we have to be home soon.”

  Katyde hung back shyly behind Micah trying not to make eye contact with Tern. She knew that as soon as she did so, he would tease her about her mousy hair, her dress, or anything that he felt inclined to pick on her about at a given moment. He always found an excuse to needle her to the point where she wanted to cry. What was worse is that Micah usually sat back and laughed along with him.

  Tern opened his mouth to retort when his mother appeared from the kitchen. “Girls! How nice to see you. What can I do for you?”

  She had a damp rag in her hands, drying soapy dishwater from them.

  “Mom sent us over to get some flower seeds.” Micah said more as question than a statement.

  Stepping to one side she made Katyde stand in front of her as if to prove both of them were there after Micah noticed Niam Overlind peering over her shoulder. Honestly, Micah thought, Katyde encourages being teased by being so timid. She really wasn’t that shy normally. In fact, in certain ways she is much more courageous than me. There were certain kids their age in town, eleven and twelve years of age that were ‘bullies’. At times when Micah wanted to run from them, Katyde would stand nose to nose with t
hem and stare them down. Micah mentally corrected herself, that’s more like nose to chest in Katyde’s case. I have to really be ‘pushed’ to be that brave, I‘d much rather just leave.

  At fourteen years of age, Tern thought he knew just about everything. As an only child he viewed Katyde and Micah as younger sisters that were there to be protected - and teased. Growing up together, the three of them formed a close relationship that complimented each other’s shortcomings. Where he was bold and unthinking most of the time, the girls prevented him from making costly mistakes. Many times they prevented him from doing something foolish that would result in him receiving a strong switching from his parents. Katyde was shy, which Micah more than made up for in a grand manner once she got to know a person. Yet, even Micah could make rash decisions and Katyde talked her out of many pranks that would have landed her doing house chores for weeks on end as a punishment.

  Grimacing, Tern stared at Micah with a pleading look, asking them to tell his mother they needed him elsewhere. Getting no response from the elder sister, he blinked innocently at Katyde until she glared back and stuck out her tongue.

  “Huh,” Mrs. Overlind grunted. “I told her I had them ready for her, but there was no rush in sending you over. Ah well, she must want to get them in the ground as soon as possible. Just a moment girls, let me go get them.”

  Walking back through the kitchen, they heard her rummaging around for the seeds and a container to put them in.

  Taking a step forward, Tern put his hands together praying, “Please, tell her that you want me to come with you on the way back to your house. She wants me to do more cleaning...I hate that. I’d much rather be outside doing work, even if it is dark as pitch at night or broiling during the day.”