Obsidian
Obsidian
Book Two of the Advocate Trilogy
By Lindsey Scholl
Copyright © 2013 by Lindsey Scholl
Cover Design by ThisDogJumps
Map of Rhyvelad created by Patrick O’Donnell
The author is hereby established as the sole holder of the copyright. Either the publisher (eLectio Publishing) or author may enforce copyrights to the fullest extent.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold, reproduced or transmitted by any means in any form or given away to other people without specific permission from the author and/or publisher. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to your eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
eLectio Publishing wishes to thank the following people who helped make these publications possible through their generous contributions:
Chuck & Connie Greever
Jay Hartman
Darrel & Kimberly Hathcock
Tamera Jahnke
Amanda Lynch
Pamela Minnick
James & Andrea Norby
Gwendolyn Pitts
Margie Quillen
Other titles from Lindsey Scholl:
The Sons of Hull: Book One of the Advocate Trilogy
by Lindsey Scholl
Other titles from eLectio Publishing:
Tales of the Taylor: Songs that Changed
the World by Ethan D. Bryan
Learning to Give in a Getting World
by Marcus R. Farnell, Jr. and Jesse S. Greever
At the Back of His Mind
by T. Marcus Christian
Never Prosper
by T. Marcus Christian
The Wall & Beyond
by Joanna Kurowska
Drunk Dialing the Divine
by Amber Koneval
The Advent of the Messiah: Finding Peace, Love, Joy, and Hope in a Modern World
by Tony Turner
More From Life: 99 Truths to Understand and Live By
by Christopher C. Dixon
Living to Give in a Getting World
by Marcus R. Farnell, Jr. and Jesse S. Greever
Anabel Unraveled
by Amanda Romine Lynch
Absolute Positivity: An Inspirational Story of Positivity, Prayer, and People
by Karl B. Sanger
Hunger
by R. H. Welcker
Striking Out ALS: A Hero’s Tale
by Ethan D. Bryan
Soulmates
by Mindy Kincade
The Woven Thread
by Todd Oliver Stewart
To John, my great support. You are better than I deserve.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many of the same people who were such a help in the writing of
The Sons of Hull
have continued to be a great support through the writing of
Obsidian
. First of all, I want to thank my husband, John. When I began writing
The Sons of Hull
, I had not met him yet. But he has been with me through the entirety of
Obsidian
and has weathered many questions, offered several helpful suggestions, and endured too many complaints about not having enough time to write. I am so grateful for his patience and his support. My parents, Patrick and Laura O’Donnell, have encouraged and assisted me in multiple ways. Dad has used his artistic skills to provide me with a map of Rhyvelad and sketches of several characters. Mom has read through drafts, offered advice, and encouraged me to write even when I was over-busy (“Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote at three a.m. with a bit of coal” or something to that effect). There are many other readers of drafts I’d like to thank: Lloyd Williams, whose advice changed the introduction; Doreen Moore, whose thoughts on Kynell were invaluable; Sharon and Keith Ridgeway, whose advice changed the introduction yet again; and Dougal Cameron, who approved the final draft and whose favorite character is Verial. To Clover and Rachel Carroll, thanks for your enthusiasm. And to Shane O’Donnell and This Dog Jumps, thanks for providing such foreboding cover art.
If there is any lasting good in this work,
gloria soli Deo.
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Amarian
Uh-mare-ee-un
Anisllyr Ahn-is-leer
Chasm Ka-zihm
Chiyo Chee-yo
Cylini Sih-lee-nee
Destrariae Des-trair-ee-eye
Ealatrophe Ee-luh-troaf
Jasimor Jaz-ih-more
Keroul Kuh-rool
Kynell Kih-nel
Lascombe Las-cohm
Munkke-trophe Muhn-kee-troaf
N’vonne Nih-von
Obsidian Uhb-sih-dee-uhn
Patroniite Pa-troan-ee-ite
Prysm Prih-zihm
Relgaré Rel-guh-ray
Rhyvelad Rih-vuh-lad
Telenar Tel-ih-nar
Vancien Van-cee-in
Verial Vehr-ee-uhl
Voyoté Voy-oh-tay
Zyreio Zuh-ray-oh
SYNOPSIS OF
THE SONS OF HULL
,
BOOK ONE OF
THE ADVOCATE TRILOGY
Every world must engage in its own battle between good and evil. A world that fails to do this is either a perfect world, or wholly depraved. Rhyvelad is neither. It has recognized the good and labeled it the Prysm, which at its weakest is just a hope for better things, but at its best is an unstoppable force. The Prysm is nothing less than the spirit of truth, a fiery commitment to purity and mercy imparted from the god of the Prysm, Kynell. The Prysm has priests whose purpose is to preserve truths about Kynell, about humanity, and about Rhyvelad.
In opposition to Kynell and his Prysm stands the towering figure of Zyreio, the father of all things evil. The history of Zyreio is murky, even for learned Rhyveladians. Is he created by Kynell? Is he co-equal with him? The answers to those questions vary, and often depends greatly on the answerer’s proximity to the Prysm. Scholars mostly agree that there is something derivative about Zyreio, in the same way that mold, while its own substance, has to grow out of something. Naturally, no man who is serious about Zyreio, or who clings to his banner of Obsidian, can agree with those scholars. For that man, Zyreio is a raging, primal deity in his own right; he derives nothing from Kynell. But as with so many worlds, those who best serve the cause of evil are not serious about it. They care little about scholars or gods or service. They care mostly for their own ends, an attitude that serves Obsidian quite well. For this reason and others, there are no priests of Obsidian. Zyreio is not interested in guarding anything. He is interested only in destruction. In that cause, unfortunately, many have become his allies.
Despite divine involvement, or possibly because of it, the actions of human individuals continue to carry great significance. Rhyvelad is no exception, therefore
The Sons of Hull
begins with an individual: twelve-cycle-old Amarian, who has come home from school to find a stranger alone in his house. The time of the Advocates has come, the man announces, and Amarian must make a decision. Will he choose to serve Kynell, to whom his heart is drawn? If he does, he would be consigning his younger brother to the service of Obsidian. Such is the cruel system of the Advocates, in which a pair of brothers must embody the war between the Prysm and Obsidian. It is a conflict that takes place every five hundred and forty cycles. This time, it has descended on Amarian and Vancien.
The choice lies before the elder, who feels wholly unprepared. Will he choose to become the Advocate for darkness himself, or will he allow that fate to fall on Vancien? To Amarian, there is no choice: in order to spare his brother, he mournfully accepts Zyreio’s personal invitation and departs to serve the Obsidian god.
Almost fifteen cycles later, Amarian has disappeared from civilized society and Vancien has turned into a likeable young man. No one in the secure kingdom of Keroul expects anything more dramatic than the king’s regular wars against border tribes. The priestly order, whose function it is to keep track of the prophetic coming of the Advocates, has become complacent. Only one priest believes that the Advocate confrontation is coming soon. Telenar pa Saauli has devoted his life to finding the young Prysm Advocate in order to train him for the coming day of battle. He has no success until, through a painful journey that involves the loss of loved ones, the Prysm Advocate finds him.
As Vancien learns to assume his role as Prysm Advocate, Amarian, now consumed by Obsidian’s malevolence, plots against him. Through the help of his mute assistant, Corfe, he launches an ambitious program: with an army of humans and dark creatures behind him, he offers to help the king of Keroul subdue the border tribes. In so doing, he gains possession of not only his own army but the Keroulian regiments, as well. When the time comes for battle, Vancien will have no forces to fight alongside him.
Meanwhile, Vancien thrives under the tutelage of Telenar, who teaches him what he can about Kynell and the Ages, Kynell’s holy book. Vancien is also instructed by Telenar’s friend, General Chiyo of the West, who trains Vancien in the art of soldiery. As Vancien absorbs his duties and abilities as the Advocate, he learns that Kynell has given all his Advocates a Grace—the ability to restore life to one fallen comrade. Vancien does not hesitate. He wants to bring back N’vonne, the instructor of his youth, who had been a mother to him and had been killed on his journey to find Telenar. Telenar objects but Vancien will not be denied, so N’vonne’s body is recovered and her life restored. It is a miracle. Yet what may be even remarkable is that Telenar, a lifelong bachelor, finds the newly recovered woman lovelier than he could ever have imagined.
According to the Ages, the fight between Advocates cannot begin until there is a consecrated time of Dedication. As the sacred moment draws near, Vancien, Telenar, Chiyo, and N’vonne set out from the capitol city of Lascombe to find the site of Dedication, as well as to avoid coming under the thumb of Keroul’s militant king Relgaré, who has foolishly joined forces with Amarian.
Amarian does his best to keep track of Vancien, sending first his reptilian soldiers (the Sentries) and then trying a different tack by sending the beautiful Lady Verial to distract Vancien from his purpose. Verial is certainly a powerful weapon. Zyreio has bound her through time to be the mistress of each Obsidian Advocate, and many Prysm Advocates have wasted their resources trying to rescue her. Amarian hopes Vancien will do the same, and Vancien does almost fall for her, but Telenar and N’vonne’s opposition, as well as Kynell’s higher calling, prevents him from following his own conflicted desires.