May 18, 2012 Posted by Indie Books List on May 18, 2012 in Fantasy, Jason Beil 
The Talisman of Faerie, by Jason Beil
Available at:
Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble
Description: Alec Mason is a humble baker’s apprentice from a simple farming village on the outskirts of Tyridan. But when he discovers an ancient artifact of immense mystical power, he becomes the target of Salin Urdrokk, the dark sorcerer who desires it. With his friends Sarah and Kraig, Alec is forced to leave the life he knows and enter a world of danger and intrigue.
Joined by a mysterious hermit and a warrior they cannot entirely trust, Alec and his companions flee Salin’s agents, braving the uncharted wilderness north of Tyridan. Beyond deadly forests, plains, and mountains lies the realm of Faerie, the one place Alec might find sanctuary.
For in this magical realm live the Fair Folk, a long-lived, pure-hearted race of great power and wisdom. Yet even the pure of heart can be corrupted, and a dark betrayal awaits Alec in Faerie. Weakened and divided by treachery, can the Fair Folk protect Alec from Salin’s terrifying wrath?
Excerpt
As the afternoon melted into evening, the forest grew thicker. They walked mostly in silence, watching the trees, small animals, and birds as they passed. Alec felt a strange sense of peace, as if he were out for an evening stroll, as if danger was left far behind. But the illusion was shattered as twilight became night and wolves’ howls echoed with the rising of the moon. Suddenly Michael stopped and looked to his right, motioning the others to stillness. After a moment, he turned toward them and spoke quietly.
“Something has stirred the wolves tonight. There is something in their howls… something I have not heard since…”
His eyes became unfocused as his voice trailed off, as if his thoughts had drifted to a far away time or place. Alec, along with Sarah and Kraig, looked around nervously, thinking wolves were bad enough without something else “stirring” them. Finally Alec’s anxious impatience got the better of him and he blurted out, “What do you mean, Michael? We’re following you blindly, Grok knows why, and all you can say is something mysterious about the howls of wolves.”
“I did not mean to be mysterious. It is just there are some things I cannot explain to you. Not now. We must keep moving. These wolves will hunt us.”
He didn’t wait to make sure they were following him. He cut westward, away from the sound of the wolves, and began to walk more briskly, more urgently. Alec’s muscles were sore and his chest heaved as he struggled for air. Kraig was nearly dragging Sarah along, even though sweat poured from his brow as well. When he stumbled on a root and nearly fell, he cursed and shouted to the hermit.
“We can’t keep going like this! You are driving us like cattle. Why aren’t you as exhausted as us?”
Michael didn’t even stop. “Do you want to live?”
A wolf howled, as if on cue, closer than before.
“Why do they follow us?” asked Sarah, eyes wide with fear.
This time Michael looked back. “Because Salin commands they follow us.”
“What?” cried Alec. “That’s just…”
“Be silent, fool. Conserve your strength. We must flee!”
Faster into the night they ran, blindly through the trees. Wolves were moving among the trees, their voices ringing closer and closer. Alec struggled to keep up with Michael’s gray form as it continued forward, seeming to gain ground on the rest of the group. Kraig surged on ahead, Sarah in tow, both crying for Alec to keep up. He looked over his shoulder and saw, not far behind, glowing yellow eyes following quickly, winking in and out through the trees. He pushed himself faster, but his body was working against him. His muscles cramped as he pushed them too far. He could run no longer. Grasping at his chest, he fell to the ground.
A wolf jumped from the trees and landed directly in front of him, its head lowered to stare Alec directly in the eye. Sweat poured from the young man’s brow and his face contorted in a mask of fear. Three other wolves emerged from the trees, slowly surrounding their prey. Alec could not pull his eyes away from the wolf which held his gaze. Behind him, another beast coiled, preparing to pounce.
Suddenly a cry cut the night. Kraig was running toward the wolves, a flaming branch in each hand. Michael was not far behind, waving another burning branch. The wolves around Alec jerked their heads toward the newcomers, and seeing the fire, withdrew quickly into the trees. Alec could still feel their presence, lurking just out of sight.
“Get up!” cried Michael. “They fear the flame, but it will not hold them back for long. There is a place nearby where we will be safe.”
Alec climbed to his feet and followed them as quickly as his weary body would allow. He found Sarah standing with her back pressed against a tree, trying to make herself blend into the bark. As they ran past her, Kraig handed one of his flaming branches to Alec and grabbed the girl’s hand.
“Where can we go?” asked Alec. “We are miles from anywhere and these wolves won’t give up.”
“I said I would take us to a safe place. You must trust me.”
Alec heard Kraig snicker at the suggestion. Alec himself wondered if they could trust the hermit. Everything the man did or said seemed to be madness to Alec. Still, if it was a choice between him or Salin—or wolves—then he chose Michael.
Without warning a wolf leapt from the underbrush straight at Alec’s throat. With a yell, Kraig tackled the youth and the wolf flew overhead, missing its mark. But the beast’s hunting-mates were not far behind, and soon a dozen wolves circled the group, nearly invisible in the darkness but for their glimmering eyes. Kraig jumped to his feet and waved his branch. Michael ran toward the nearest wolf bearing his own makeshift torch. As Alec rose he saw Sarah take a step back, two wolves stalking the unarmed girl.
“Sarah!” he cried, leaping toward her. Even as he reached her a wolf leapt and Alec thrust his fiery brand toward it. The animal’s jaws clamped at Alec’s arm, but he jerked back out of the way and the wolf chewed air. Alec brought the branch down on the animal’s back and the wolf howled in pain as fur caught flame.
Out of the corner of his eye, Alec caught a glimpse of Kraig and Michael. Both were backed against trees. Three or four wolves surrounded each of them, barely held at bay by the burning branches. It was only a matter of time until the fire went out and the wolves could advance freely.
Alec turned just in time to confront a pair of huge wolves running at him over a small, bald hill. He waved his branch and they hesitated, but barely. Two more of the beasts ran toward him from his left, and yet another pair from his right. Spinning, he saw two more completing the circle, surrounding him. There was no hope of escape. To his horror, he saw Sarah trapped in the circle as well.
Suddenly the girl screamed, tears streaming down her face. In fear she thrust her arms forward, vainly trying to ward off the nearest wolf. But with her scream came a light, a yellow fire encircling her body and her outstretched arms, a fire that stabbed forward and encompassed the charging wolf. Instinctively Alec dropped flat against the ground as Sarah’s fire grew, roaring outward in every direction. Each wolf in its path was encompassed and burned. Each wolf howled in agony as it died in flame. The remaining wolves fled in terror from the unnatural flame.
And then the fire died. Sarah stood gasping for air, her breasts heaving. Her face bore a bewildered look and a golden glow settled upon her right hand. Alec’s own wonder increased as he noticed, for the first time, the ring upon her finger, glowing as it had when he had first found it. It was the ring he discovered in the chest along with the Talisman of Unity, a ring he had forgotten until this moment. By the time he rose to his feet, the light around the ring winked out and the night was again complete and silent.
Michael was the first to reach Sarah, a shocked, almost angry look upon his face. “What did you do, girl? Where did you get that ring?”
Sarah looked at him, her eyes wide and scared. “I… I was afraid! I didn’t do anything.”
“The fire, girl! You made fire!” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
“Wounds, Michael, leave her!” cried Alec, pulling at the man’s shoulder. “We’d be dead if she didn’t…” His words trailed off. He didn’t know what she did.
Michael made a visible effort to calm himself. Slowly, he said, “The ring you wear is of Faerie make. At first when I saw the fire, I thought you were Shaping. But this ability is so rare in humans I… But it’s the ring. A Faerie ring! By the One, where did you get it?”
“I found it,” said Alec. “It was in the chest where I found the Talisman.”
“I just thought…” Sarah began. “It was just a ring. Gold, valuable. But just a ring. I took it after Alec took the Talisman.”
Michael shook his head. His former anger was replaced by a confused wonder. “A Faerie ring made for Shaping flame. Locked in a little chest in Barton Hills. Well, I suppose if the Talisman of Unity itself had been hidden away in an obscure farming village, why not a lesser artifact? At any rate, we cannot ponder it here. You have bought us a brief respite, Sarah, but the wolves will be back in greater numbers. And it is likely they will report to Salin. We must keep moving.”
They walked onward and Michael again mentioned a place of safety. “I know we must rest,” he said. “A friend of mine has a secret place in these woods, a place the wolves cannot reach. Salin and his servants will not find it.”
Looking scared and frail, Sarah looked up at the hermit. “How did I do what I did? You say it was the ring, but how did I use it? I didn’t even know what it could do. I didn’t try to bring up the fire.”
“I don’t know, child. In theory, you should not have been able to use the ring without knowing something of the fundamentals of Shaping. At the very least you should have had to know what the ring was, and then made a conscious effort to use it. But you Shaped fire from air, not even knowing what you were doing. If there were time, I would study how this happened, and why. Perhaps this particular ring is triggered by fear, or need. Tools of the Fairies are strange and powerful, but never too reliable unless you know everything about them. We cannot count on it working again.”
Alec was nodding, but was getting more confused the more the hermit spoke. “What is Shaping?” he asked.
Michael smiled. “It’s what you farmers sometimes call magic. It’s the art of shaping reality as you would have it, bending the world to your will. Changing air into fire, fire into water, a boot into a fish. Reality is fluid, and those who know how can Shape it as they will. This is one of the Seven Laws they who Shape follow.”
“Do you Shape?” asked Kraig.
Michael frowned at the man, his face caught between grief and anger. “Would that I could, peacekeeper. Would that I could.”
The Talisman of Faerie, by Jason Beil
Available at:
Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble
