The Wraith Crystal by D.K. Hansen - HTML preview

Epilogue

Kasparian sat at his simple wooden table in the dark cottage. The smell of soot and decay hung thick in the air, but it didn’t seem to bother him. His grey hair and beard hung down, and at his side stood a tall wooden staff, the Wraith Crystal attached to its top.

A whisper carried through the cottage: “Zarakkhi.”

Kasparian looked up. “What do you want from me?”

The whisper sounded more determined this time: “Zarakkhi.”

He wanted to call out to Mura, Lee or any of his disciples, but they were all long gone. He took a deep breath and kept writing. When finished, he placed the piece of parchment on the table to dry up:

My eager search for power is why I’m now trapped in this hideous bubble, incapable of escaping. Only the animals of the forest can keep me alive, but I see fewer every day. I fear that I might never be free again to feel the rush of life through my veins.

According to my calculations, I have been trapped for more than thirty years. The vile people of the forest found my house. They killed my disciples but were no match for the power of the Wraith Crystal. When they realised this, they sealed me within this barrier.

Many have come to claim the crystal for themselves, and all have died trying. Their core crystals are now my trophies.

The Wraith Crystal is the answer to everything we have been searching for. It spoke to me. It told me how to create an army, but its power over me grew, weakening me more and more. I feel its presence in my mind. The word “Zarakkhi” keeps repeating. I dare not use its powers until I am once again rejuvenated if that will ever happen.

He leant back on his chair, stretching his aching body. If he were to die here, never having shown the power of the Wraith Crystal to the world, it would all have been for nothing. He grabbed his staff with a heavy sigh and used it for support as he moved outside.

Kasparian stopped in the doorway, looking out into the small clearing, a narrow creek winding through it. “What a beautiful place you found for us, my ever-loyal Mura,” he mumbled before stepping out of the cabin. There was no wind in the trees, no birds either. The only sound came from the water running down the small creek.

Closer to the stream, he stopped at a line of rocks placed on top of grass-covered heaps. “My friends. This is not how it was supposed to end. The Wraith Crystal is the answer – I know it is. I just didn’t have enough time to understand its secrets.” With great difficulty, he bent down and removed straws of grass from one of the rocks. “Mura, my dear Mura. Those filthy dryads will pay for what they did. The bishops as well… They will all pay!” he shouted.

The old man sank to his knees. How could he make good on that promise? He had outlived them all, thanks to the powers of the Wraith Crystal. This time, though, it seemed his life was indeed coming to an end. If he could just get a few more years, a few years to communicate with the crystal, then it would reveal all its secrets, just like it had told him how to make people follow his every word. He looked at the large crystal in his staff, again hearing whispers inside his head. “Zarakkhi, onra nu ramroy.” Was he going insane? Was the voice real or just his imagination?

Still gazing into the purple crystal, he replied, “You are beautiful and dangerous. I’ve tried to understand your secrets for more than fifty years.” His lip suddenly curled. “Even if it takes fifty more, I will find a way out of here. I will show the world the truth of those foolish bishops and their false gods.”

Slowly he moved back into the soot-filled cabin. His stomach growled at the sight of an old pot hanging in the fireplace. Kasparian suddenly realised he hadn’t eaten for days. As he bent down to pick up a bucket, he began coughing uncontrollably. Every cough hurt his lungs, and it got worse each day. Regaining control, he studied the fragile hand holding the bucket. He hated this wretched old body. There hadn’t been any animals or flares searching for his crystal in years. They were the only way he could restore his body. Exhaling heavily, he moved towards the creek.

He bent down to fill the bucket with one hand still on the staff, and at that moment, his eyes caught a lone figure entering the clearing some twenty metres away. The young man wore a black cloak and carried two blades in his belt. By his looks, he was an assassin of the Shadow Academy, and it brought several furrows to Kasparian’s forehead. Usually, the Flares of the Sun sent their own to acquire his crystal. This was new.

The young man raised his hand in greeting. “Good day, sir! Can you help me find my way to Ridge End?”

Kasparian blinked several times, still not sure if the man was there. He stood back up to get a better look, a crooked grin spreading on his face. Fortune had favoured him once again. This young man was his salvation. He raised his staff as quickly as his weak arms allowed and shouted, “Estutro croar granor!”

In a world on the brink of collapse, a young boy, Jarren Heartwood, joins the Shadow Academy. Vengeance is all he has on his mind, returning to Nirwood. But nothing is what it seems, and his search for the Wraith Crystal leads to a hidden world and astonishing revelations of his past.

Follow young Jarren on the adventure of a lifetime in the first book of Quadrant of Balance right here:
 

Quadrant of Balance – Jarren Heartwood

Jarren Heartwood - Prologue

Life is a journey. There are many sayings in this world, but this one is special to me. It carries weight, and it is a reminder of the burdens we all carry on our shoulders.

My journey, and my mother’s, nearly ended moments after my birth. My father’s quick actions saved us, but he was lost to us on that fateful day. Ten years later, I had already witnessed greed, despair and murder, and you could say that my life hadn’t been easy – that a child should never experience what I did. But in truth, I was fortunate – fortunate because I had my beloved mother and fortunate because of her crucial secrets.

I was eighteen and in a dark place before I learnt of those secrets, but by then, they changed my life forever. In the years to come, I would meet new people, gain new friends and find a new family.

During those years, dangerous trials, bloody battles and terrible losses haunted all of us, but we kept fighting because there was no other way. My biggest regret is that it took so long to mend the chip on my shoulder. It would have spared us from many a trouble but now serves only as a painful lesson. A lesson that the worst enemy is often our own mind. By constantly expecting betrayal and harm, we miss out on the joys and wonders in life.

-Jarren Heartwood

What readers say

“The perfect beginning to a thrilling and exciting new adventure. Jarren Heartwood is the best surprise this year.”

Michael Wernebo

-

“An epic story in the making. I can only hope that the next book will be just as intriguing.”

Charlotte Taylor

-

“Assassins, warriors and wizards in a brand-new world. What’s not to like?”

Bryan Jones

-

“Jarren Heartwood is an exciting and complex new character with simple goals. I can’t wait to learn more about Ameida and Sepheus.”

Madeleine Fischer