The White Tower (The Aldoran Chronicles: Book 1) Read online

  THE WHITE TOWER

  THE ALDORAN CHONICLES

  - BOOK 1 -

  written by

  MICHAEL WISEHART

  www.michaelwisehart.com

  Copyright

  The White Tower is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN-10: 0-9981505-0-9

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9981505-0-5

  Copyright © 2016 by Michael Wisehart

  All Rights Reserved.

  1st Edition

  Cover Art by Michael Wisehart

  Illustration by Jack Adams

  Editing by Mia Darien

  Map by Michael Wisehart

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the author. To find out more about this author visit www.michaelwisehart.com

  Table of Contents

  THE WHITE TOWER

  Copyright

  Table of Contents

  FREE PREQUEL

  Map – West

  Map – East

  Foreword

  Chapter 1 | Nyalis

  Chapter 2 | Nyalis

  Chapter 3 | Ty

  Chapter 4 | Valtor

  Chapter 5 | Ferrin

  Chapter 6 | Ty

  Chapter 7 | Ty

  Chapter 8 | Kellen

  Chapter 9 | Kellen

  Chapter 10 | Ty

  Chapter 11 | Ayrion

  Chapter 12 | Ayrion

  Chapter 13 | Valtor

  Chapter 14 | Ferrin

  Chapter 15 | Saleena

  Chapter 16 | Kellen

  Chapter 17 | Kellen

  Chapter 18 | Kellen

  Chapter 19 | Ty

  Chapter 20 | Ty

  Chapter 21 | Valtor

  Chapter 22 | Valtor

  Chapter 23 | Nyalis

  Chapter 24 | Ty

  Chapter 25 | Rhydan

  Chapter 26 | Ayrion

  Chapter 27 | Ayrion

  Chapter 28 | Ayrion

  Chapter 29 | Valtor

  Chapter 30 | Ellise

  Chapter 31 | Valtor

  Chapter 32 | Ferrin

  Chapter 33 | Ty

  Chapter 34 | Mangora

  Chapter 35 | Valtor

  Chapter 36 | Nilla

  Chapter 37 | Ferrin

  Chapter 38 | Ayrion

  Chapter 39 | Ayrion

  Chapter 40 | Ayrion

  Chapter 41 | Ayrion

  Chapter 42 | Ayrion

  Chapter 43 | Valtor

  Chapter 44 | Lyessa

  Chapter 45 | Ty

  Chapter 46 | Valtor

  Chapter 47 | Rae

  Chapter 48 | Orlyn

  Chapter 49 | Mangora

  Chapter 50 | Ferrin

  Chapter 51 | Rae

  Chapter 52 | Ayrion

  Chapter 53 | Dakaran

  Chapter 54 | Ayrion

  Chapter 55 | Ferrin

  Chapter 56 | Ty

  Chapter 57 | Valtor

  Chapter 58 | Ayrion

  Chapter 59 | Tolin

  Chapter 60 | Dakaran

  Chapter 61 | Merrick

  Chapter 62 | Merrick

  Chapter 63 | Orlyn

  Chapter 64 | Ferrin

  Chapter 65 | Ayrion

  Chapter 66 | Tolin

  Chapter 67 | Tolin

  Chapter 68 | Tolin

  Chapter 69 | Ayrion

  Chapter 70 | Tolin

  Chapter 71 | Asa

  Chapter 72 | Ayrion

  Chapter 73 | Asa

  Chapter 74 | Ayrion

  Chapter 75 | Dakaran

  Chapter 76 | Tameel

  Chapter 77 | Ferrin

  Chapter 78 | Ferrin

  Chapter 79 | Ferrin

  Chapter 80 | Zynora

  Chapter 81 | Ty

  Chapter 82 | Ty

  Chapter 83 | Ty

  Chapter 84 | Orlyn

  Chapter 85 | Adarra

  Chapter 86 | Ty

  Chapter 87 | Orlyn

  Chapter 88 | Ty

  Chapter 89 | Ty

  Chapter 90 | Ty

  Chapter 91 | Ty

  FREE OFFER

  Author Note

  Acknowledgements

  About The Author

  Glossary

  FREE PREQUEL

  Here is the first of the Aldoran Chronicle prequels:

  ~ Shackled ~

  BORN IN A WORLD where magic is not only feared, but outlawed, Ferrin’s choice to use his abilities brings the Black Watch to his doorstep. While caged alongside a helpless band of half-starved wielders, he formulates a strategy to escape. Armed with nothing more than his sarcastic wit and a determination to never give in, Ferrin attempts the impossible.

  The link to your FREE book is in the back.

  Map – West

  For a Free HD, full-color Map of Aldor, click below:

  www.michaelwisehart.com/map-of-aldor

  Map – East

  Foreword

  THIS SERIES IS NOT your typical follow-the-hero-on-their-journey story. It has a larger scope with multiple storylines that weave together as the series progresses. For those of you who prefer to keep up with each character as they read along, I have added a glossary at the back.

  “What has been created in the laws of nature holds true in the laws of magic as well. Where there is light, there is darkness, and where there is life, there is also death.”

  — Aerodyne: First of the Wizard Order

  Chapter 1 | Nyalis

  NYALIS COULD HEAR the faint rustling of the corax’s wings behind him, and the sound of their approach sent a shiver racing down his spine. The thought of what would happen if they found him was as chilling as the patches of ankle deep snow that threatened to slow his pace.

  Over his shoulder, the towering stand of ancient redwood kept the creatures blocked from sight. Few could say they had ever seen their dark wings. Those that had, lived only long enough to regret it.

  Nyalis, on the other hand, knew all too well what these creatures were capable of. They were the eyes of the White Tower, their watchers, a twisted amalgamation of night raven and reptile. As clear as the baying of a pack of bloodhounds, their dark guttural caws echoed off the mountain peaks behind him.

  Pushing his fear aside, Nyalis willed his legs to keep moving. But with each new step, he found the task increasingly difficult. The frigid mountain air cut his face like a knife and burned his lungs with every inhale.

  His foot caught a root and sent him tumbling. He clutched the tightly-wrapped bundle to his chest and turned his shoulder before smacking against the side of one of the massive trees. The pain was intense, but Nyalis managed to push himself up against the rough bark and cradle the squirming package in his arms.

  Two little hands shot out of the small opening at the top and grabbed hold of his long, white beard. Nyalis clenched his teeth. The sharp pain of yanked whiskers nearly caused him to holler.

  “That’s quite the grip you have there, little one,” he whispered, trying to untangle the babe’s tiny fingers.

  After struggling to regain his balance, Nyalis promptly decided a short rest was in order. The force of his breath burned his lungs, offering him yet another sharp reminder of the inevitable deterioration of old age.

  He lifted his head and studied the star-filled sky through the coverlet of branches above. He had been on the run for three days with no idea how much longer he could stay ahead of tho
se tracking him. He knew the corax were close, he could feel them in the short hairs on the back of his neck. With the last of the sun’s rays having slipped over the horizon hours ago, he knew his best chance of spotting the Tower’s winged hunters would be their silhouettes against the brightly lit heavens.

  If the stars began to wink, it was time to move.

  Nyalis took another deep breath and wished he hadn’t.

  “Pheww!” Holding his nose with one hand, he pulled down the babe's swaddling to discover it had been soiled . . . again.

  It had been more years than he would like to admit since he had cared for a child. Nyalis had forgotten how demanding they could be. “I can’t continue to waste magic cleaning your backside, young man,” he said as if the drooling, wide-eyed face looking up at him was going to understand.

  Nyalis huffed and rolled his eyes, but in the end he lowered his hand over the wrapping and spoke a few runic words. “Adama layestra.” The smell dissipated, along with the obvious stain. “That should hold for now.” He wrapped the swaddling back around the child's shivering body.

  “Hmm.” The thick brows shelving the top of his eyes lowered when he noticed the strange mark developing on the back of the boy’s right shoulder. He ran his finger across the darkened area. “It would appear I was right about you after all, my little faeling.”

  Nyalis took a moment to pat down the babe’s rather distinguishable head of white hair. After tucking the child’s arms back within the warmth of his covering, he tried rubbing the soreness from his aching calves. When that didn’t work, he stood and shook the loose snow from his robes before pushing on.

  He had found the boy’s mother not five days past and helped her deliver, but even with hands as skilled as his, there was no stopping the outcome. Magic, like nature, demanded balance. When bringing something as powerful as this faeling child into the world, there was a price to be met, and his mother had paid it with her life.

  Nyalis fought his way through the dense brush. He was nearing the edge of the tree line, which meant he was about to lose his temporary reprieve from the corax’s prying eyes.

  Keeping hidden from the winged trackers was one thing, but behind them were the sniffers. Nyalis could feel their presence drawing steadily closer. They were monstrous beings, twisted and shaped by magic to serve a single purpose: to hunt down wielders, or, in the ancient tongue, the ven’ae.

  The sniffers were grotesque creatures whose nests could be found in the northern parts of the Caldera. Their elongated features and dagger-like teeth and claws had been designed to inflict the maximum amount of damage. But for all their vehemence, it was not the sniffers forcing Nyalis to push himself beyond what common sense would have considered sane, it was what followed: their masters, the ones holding their leash.

  They were called the bulradoer, which in the ancient tongue meant The Departed.

  They were a dark sect of magic wielders who received their instructions from the White Tower. Nyalis had to admit it was quite the ingenious strategy. While the White Tower feigned its abhorrence of magic and championed the cause of ridding Aldor of its users, it in turn secretly recruited and trained those same wielders, coercing them to pledge their allegiance back to the White Tower for its own consumption.

  He had his former pupil, Valtor, to thank for that. Valtor had found a way to elevate himself to the position of Arch Chancellor within the White Tower. Nyalis wasn’t the least bit surprised. Valtor always had an insatiable hunger for magic, no matter its origin or purpose. He was a very determined wielder even in his younger years. And from the unwavering determination of those chasing Nyalis at the moment, he could only conclude that his apprentice’s appetite hadn’t diminished with age.

  Pushing his way through the last of the undergrowth at the edge of the small forest, Nyalis stared out at the open drop before him. The Northern Heights were one of the tallest of Aldor’s mountain chains. Their peaks stretched into the distance, completely hiding all traces of the horizon.

  Careful not to slip on any of the loose rock and plunge headfirst over the side of the cliff, Nyalis skirted some of the larger boulders lining the front of the pathway and started down. The narrow snow-covered trail meandered its way back and forth as it descended in a serpentine fashion.

  Even during the summer months of Toff, Kwàn, and Nor, the crests of the Northern Heights were covered in snow, but here at the beginning of Èldwin, the chances of an unexpected storm blowing in from the north increased. Nyalis prayed that the weather held out long enough for him to get off the mountain.

  All around him, the summit was awash in soft moonlight and backlit with a million stars. The sight would have been breathtaking if Nyalis had any breath left to give.

  With a slight groan, he turned away from the view and continued his descent. The path was familiar, having traversed its course not two weeks back, and the pale glow of the three-quarter moon gave him just enough light to see. Preoccupied with his thoughts about what stalked him, he stumbled over a small outcropping of rock and lost his balance.

  Instinctively, he reached out with his free hand and grabbed hold of a small niche in the rock, pulling himself back against the mountain’s face. His hands were trembling as he glanced over the side where he had nearly fallen. It took a moment to calm his nerves. Deciding it would be wise to keep his mind focused on what was in front of him instead of what was behind, Nyalis pressed on.

  With a solid wall on one side and a sheer drop on the other, there was little leeway for safe maneuvering. The trail he had chosen wasn’t much wider than his feet, and the rock was loose. With one arm out for balance, he hugged the child close and edged his way forward. His only consolation to falling at that point would have been a rather quick death once they reached the bottom.

  The wind tugged at his robes like a ship’s mast, threatening to pull him over with every rising gust. With quick effort, Nyalis gathered the air in front of him and wove it into a hardened barrier, deflecting the dangerous drafts sweeping across the side of the mountain. The continuous push of the wind against his shield managed to stabilize his position as he descended. It was a basic weave taught to first year apprentices, but, he noted, sometimes it’s the simple things that work the best.

  Nyalis balled his hands into fists and released, hoping to circulate the blood. When that didn’t work, he lifted his free hand to his mouth and tried blowing some warmth back into it. The thin air was proving rather difficult to keep in under the strain.

  Up ahead, the path widened and ended in a two-way fork. He stopped long enough to readjust the tiny bundle in his arms. The soreness had lessened, but only because his arms had gone numb from holding the child’s weight.

  Nyalis cocked his head to the side and listened. He could still hear the faint sound of the corax’s cries over the heavy wind. They were circling somewhere off to the west. Their steady, progressive sweep of the mountainside was heading directly for him.

  Seeing this as a fortuitous opportunity to confuse his pursuers and slow their approach, Nyalis stretched out his hand and sent a fresh scent of magic flooding down the right fork in the path.

  “That should keep the sniffers busy for a while.”

  With a determined stride, Nyalis tightened his grip on the child and headed into the left crevice. He knew that sooner or later it would fissure its way out onto the lower foothills below. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a ball of golden light to illuminate the way ahead.

  Far above, like the parapets surrounding the great wizard’s stronghold of Aero’set, the rock towered over him, cutting off all sight of the night sky and hiding him from the watchful gaze of the corax.

  He longed to once again be surrounded by the protection of Aero’set’s walls, to walk its many halls and feel its warm embrace. He yearned to spend days combing through the libraries sourcing out new information to aid him in his struggles.

  Aero’set was a place of magic. It was a place where dreams were born, where young men a
nd women came to study and train in order to earn the right to be named wizards. It was a place of wonder and excitement, but most of all, for Nyalis, it was home.

  Unfortunately, those days had long since vanished into memory. Centuries had passed since Nyalis had last heard the steady patter of students’ feet in those long halls, of mages scrambling to get to their next classes, of wizards discussing the logical theory of magic, or apprentices exhilarated at having learned a new spell or incantation to test. Now, all was silent. The keep had been locked away out of time and reach for nearly a thousand years, awaiting the day it would once again be needed.

  That day was not far off.

  The child’s whimper brought Nyalis out of his momentary reverie and back to the hard reality of the situation. He took a moment to pull back the cloth blocking the babe’s view. That seemed to appease him, if briefly.

  “Hungry again, I see. Wish I had something a bit tastier than costa root to offer you.” Pulling out a small belt knife, he snipped the stem of the moist root and allowed its somewhat bitter juices to run freely into the babe’s anxiously awaiting mouth. The child sucked on the end like he would his mother’s teat. His face puckered at the taste, but his hunger outweighed the lack of flavor.

  Nyalis studied the stone walls ahead for anything recognizable. His pace was slowing. He had no idea how long he’d been traveling the claustrophobic footpath, but it felt like hours. He was beginning to wonder if he had taken a wrong turn when the flanking walls of granite finally began to widen.

  Up ahead he could see the faint glow of an early morning sunrise, its colors washing across the open rock and signaling an end to the canyon’s passage. He let the ball of light that had been his guide dissolve.

  From inside the shadows of the cavern’s mouth, Nyalis took a moment to get his bearings. Closing his eyes, he reached out with his mind and scanned the unprotected region ahead.

  There were no auras to be felt.

  In front of him lay a gradual slope of scree and small shrubs stretching clear to the forest below. There was a considerable amount of open ground to cross before reaching the large copse of Elder Pine at the bottom, and the thought of leaving the natural cover of the mountain didn’t sit well with Nyalis’s already frayed nerves. But if he could make it to the river and his awaiting boat, they would have a chance.