Soul Seeker (The World of Lasniniar Book 1) (55 page)

Now he was out in the waters of the sea under attack by the dragons of the dark army—just one doomed skirmish in a war that had been raging since the beginning of time between the creatures of light and darkness.

Screams of panicked agony pierced Valanandir’s awareness. He pushed wet strands of long, silver hair from his eyes and behind his pointed ears with his free hand. Bodies lay strewn about the deck of his ship, bloody, charred, and lifeless. Others floated on the waves.

He could see figures running about the decks of the other ships, haloed in flames. Their cries echoed across the water, only to be cut short as they jumped overboard. Even the sea held no escape. The unnatural waves were too strong, even for the crafty Sea Elves. The wounded shadows soon slipped below the surface, or went still.

Valanandir had escaped this fate thus far, somehow unnoticed by the relentless dragons. He remained hidden in the shadows, his dusky skin helping to camouflage him. But this had not saved any of his companions, and soon his ship would be consumed. If he could last long enough, perhaps the dragons would leave and he could try to make his escape.

As the cries of the wounded sailors on the other ships died out, most of the dragons seemed to lose interest and flew off into the darkness. Valanandir held his breath, waiting for the others to leave. The next few moments slid by with agonizing slowness as the looming shadows circled overhead.

Just when he was beginning to hope the nightmare might be over, one of the dragons swooped downward. Valanandir let out his pent up breath in a gasp. The body of the creature was huge, dwarfing any of the others. Its black scales gleamed dully in the light of the fires. Valanandir nearly gagged on the musky stench that radiated from its body and filled the air each time the creature beat its enormous wings.

Not it, he. Valanandir knew this foul beast. All of Ralvaniar trembled at the mere thought of him. He was Nargaz, lord of the dark dragons. Valanandir heard a mew of terror, and realized it was his own. He clenched his quivering jaw and squeezed his eyes shut, wishing himself somewhere else.

Valanandir heard the roar of flame and felt its heat. His eyes opened in surprise once he realized he had not been consumed. His pupils narrowed to mere pinpricks of shock within silver irises, darting left and right in confusion. The air was silent, save for the crackle of flame, the wingbeats of the dragons overhead, and his own ragged breathing.

A fresh scream ripped through the night air. Valanandir felt tears slide down his hot cheeks. He was torn between relief the victim wasn’t him, and a sympathizing despair. Choking back a sob, he continued to cling to the hempen rigging, its rough surface biting into his sweat-slick hand.

The screaming grew louder. Valanandir turned his head toward its source and saw one of his shipmates staggering toward him, engulfed in flame. His face was a tortured mask of agony, beyond Valanandir’s recognition. He weaved and stumbled, eventually falling to his hands and knees at Valanandir’s feet. Valanandir caught his bottom lip between his teeth, still hoping to remain unnoticed by the remaining dragons.

Valanandir was unsure whether the unfortunate soul writhing at his feet had seen him until he looked up at Valanandir with eyes filled with an unspoken plea. Valanandir knew it was too late to save him. Yet if he did nothing and somehow survived, this moment would haunt him for the rest of his life. He could not in good conscience watch a fellow elf burn alive at his feet without trying to save him or put him out of his misery.

Valanandir sighed and released the rigging to bend down to the figure at his feet. He braced himself before scooping him into his arms. The elf cried out once before sagging in relief. Valanandir’s wet skin and clothing would protect him for only a few moments from the flames that licked the dying elf’s body.

He would have to be quick.

Afterword

I hope you enjoyed Soul Seeker. This book is definitely the most ambitious project I’ve attempted (so far). I’ve spent so much time with these characters in their world that they’ve come to life for me. Hardly a day goes by without me thinking of new adventures for them.

If you did enjoy this book, I would really appreciate it if you
posted a review
or shared it with a friend to help spread the word. It might not seem like much, but that sort of thing can really help out a new author like me!

You can also check out the
tribe
and
connect
pages for some links to where you can stalk—I mean
connect
with me online. ;)

Thanks, and happy reading!

~Jacquelyn

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Appendices

To view full-size versions of all images in this ebook and explore additional online resources, visit
The World of Lasniniar
.

Guide to Pronunciation

All references are to English words unless otherwise stated.

Elvish Vowels

A
is
a
as in
fare
when following a vowel in the first syllable, otherwise
a
as in
far
.

E
is
ee
as in
steep
when preceding a vowel,
e
as in
step
when before a consonant, and
a
as in
ape
when it is the last letter in a word.

I
is
ee
as in
steep
when preceding a vowel or when it is the last letter in a word, otherwise
i
as in
pin
.

O
is
o
as in
low
when following a vowel or the letters K or L, or when it is the last letter in a word, otherwise
u
as in
fun
.

U
is always
oo
as in
stool
.

Y
is always
y
as in
yellow
, NOT like in
symptom
.

Elvish Consonants

C
is always hard and pronounced as
k
, NEVER
s
.

G
is always hard as in
green
, and NOT soft as in
rage
.

N
is always emphasized.

R
is always clipped, as in the pronunciation of the Spanish word
rapido
.

TH
is always soft, as in
think
, NOT hard as in
then
.

Dwarvish Vowels

A
is always pronounced
a
as in
far
.

E
is always pronounced
e
as in
step
.

I
is
i
as in
ill
when preceding the letters L and N, otherwise it is
ee
as in
leer
.

O
is always
o
as in
low
.

U
is always
oo
as in
stool
.

Dwarvish Consonants

G
is always hard, as in
green
, and NOT soft as in
rage
.

H
is guttural, almost a
kh
sound.

R
is clipped like in Elvish, but heavier.

Black Tongue Vowels

A
is always pronounced
a
as in
far
.

E
is always pronounced
e
as in
step
.

I
is always
ee
as in
leer
.

O
is always
o
as in
low
.

U
is always
oo
as in
stool
.

Black Tongue Consonants

G
is always hard, as in
green
, and NOT soft as in
rage
.

R
is rolled, like the letter
rr
in the Spanish
perro
.