A Veil Withdrawn

EXPLORE FIVE DARK FANTASY NOVELLAS TAKING PLACE WITHIN A GROUNDBREAKING NEW DARK FANTASY SERIES

This dark fantasy anthology contains the following novellas: 

Telos Obscured 

The world is, was, and has always been. Or has it? 

This is the question that faces the beings who, having just awoken from an unknown slumber, are charged with crafting an entire universe. 

Lesson In Blood 

As the focal point of a society built more upon willpower and with intellectual energy than a tall body or muscled back, the Tyrini Academy all but breeds individuals rich with culture, genius, and an intense grasp on the powerful dark magic known as Thaumaturgy. The Academy, however, is built on a secret history that not only altered the course of a kingdom's history, but redefined the very fabric of an entire people's genetic makeup. 

Every Academy class is forced to undergo strict tests and daring trials, oftentimes to the point of injury or worse. The students are challenged in every possible way and are equipped to enter the world as scholars and sages, but nothing could prepare them for a lesson that defies everything they know. 

Nothing can prepare them for their lesson in blood. 

The Vengeance 

At fifty years old Sade had lost more than most men can ever claim to have had, but at fifty years old Sade had also resolved to take back as much as any people could ever lose. 

Long ago, the Kingdom of Flache invaded and the Gallian society was enslaved. For years, the Gallian people passed on the tale of their captivity, allowing the knowledge and rage of the situation to fester within the hearts and minds of each new generation. The losses and sufferings piled up, one atop the the other, until it became more than enough for one man. 

It only takes one man to spark a rebellion. 

It only takes one man to ignite a people into vengeance. 

Deathbringer 

Elric the Deathbringer was once a boy and, like many boys growing up in the town of Darim, it was not a pleasant experience. Born of the union of his father and a whore nine years earlier, the only life Elric had ever known was at the hands of his abusive father who made sure that Elric knew he was an unpleasant reminder of that night’s grave mistake. 

All was not broken bones and blood however, for one day Elric chanced across a small relic hidden away in the thick cover of a book. With this relic, Elric managed to resurrect an ancient figure named Haresh whose power was both grueling and limitless. Under the tutelage of Haresh, Elric trained on man and beast alike. As the corpses piled up, whispers began to spread of a powerful sorcerer hiding out in Darim. Elric, too dangerous to have around and too dangerous to kill, was ostracized from Darim and assaulted by religious zealots on a near daily basis at his new base of operations in the Bloody Needle. 

It seemed as though things couldn’t get worse. They did... 

Lost Kingdoms 

Beyond a twisted path, and in the midst of snowy mountains, the ruins of the old Norian kingdom sits, untouched and unseen for generations. Inside the ruins, a dark history emerges, and a lone artifact that could change the fate of the world has long sat forgotten. Until now. 

Each of the stories in this dark fantasy anthology contains a piece of the world history of the dark fantasy series The Alderian Chronicles, and helps to lay the framework for a massive epic fantasy series spanning four trilogies and several independent novels.