Moonlight War- Act I (The Realmers Book 2) Read online

  Moonlight War

  Act I

  The Realmers

  Book Two

  By William Collins

  ([email protected])

  Copyright 2016 by Will Collins. All Rights Reserved.

  Terms and Conditions:

  The purchaser of this book is subject to the condition that he/she shall in no way resell it, nor any part of it, nor make copies of it to distribute freely.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.

  Related Novels:

  A Darker Shade of Sorcery

  The Realmers Series- Book One

  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A3L1PS6?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

  Venator Terms

  Veneseron is one of the realms closest to Earth. But it is still another world, with its own unique words. Here are some examples:

  Venator

  Venators are the magic-wielding demon hunters who travel between worlds on a variety of missions. They are also known to be called ‘Realmers’ colloquially.

  Novice, Apprentice, Mid-Realmer, High-Realmer and Arch-Realmer

  The five training ranks Venators go through whilst learning weaponry and the magical arts.

  Rueda

  A famous Venator from millennia ago who has become similar to a deity now.

  Rakarn

  Also referred to as Dark-Venators.

  Rakarn is the demonic word for children, named by Queen Akirandon, who created and trained them at Velkarath in parody of Veneseron and its Venators. Velkarath aim to recruit young magic-users and turn them into Dark-Venators before Veneseron can.

  The Masters

  The magical instructors who train the Venators are referred to as the Masters.

  The Moonlight Races

  A collective term that applies to all vampires, werewolves, shifters and other former humans who have been infected by various supernatural strains. The name was coined as these creatures’ powers are stronger at night.

  Dread Lord

  Far more powerful than a demon minion or brute, the Dread Lords are demons with immense power and human intelligence. They often have hordes of monsters to serve them.

  Demon Disciple

  The demon god long ago blessed his most loyal Dread Lords and made them almost as powerful as himself, dubbing them his Disciples. The god has since been destroyed, yet his Disciples remain, scattered across the realms, planning and plotting.

  Part One

  Return to Veneseron

  Never trust a gnome who can recite elvish poetry, or drink more than you. -Famous Orc adage.

  Chapter 1- Reunion

  It was named Veneseron, home to elves, gnomes, orcs, and above all, the Venators.

  Veneseron’s colossal, multi-hued city stretched far and wide, sitting resplendently in its vast valley. The twin suns glistened beautifully, as if the blood-drenched anarchy of the night before had never happened. Overlooking the city sat the magnificent Fortress, home to the demon hunters in training.

  Inside the Fortress, Jed Jagger paced up and down his room furiously. It had been seven hours since demons had taken his best friend. Evan might be dead by now. Best case scenario, he’d only been tortured. Worst case, the monsters had eaten him alive.

  Vanderain, the creator of Veneseron, had gone after Evan. Everyone was supposed to wait for their return. Well, Jed was sick of waiting.

  The Venators had been on edge since the invasion. Luckily, the Masters and higher-ranked Venators quelled the demon horde. Tarensen labelled it a desperate ploy by a minor Dread Lord. The army had been mainly lesser demons that hadn’t a chance of destroying Veneseron. They'd got Evan though, and that’s all that mattered.

  Jed hadn't slept. He'd watched the Masters repairing the damage to the Fortress until morning, whilst asking anyone he saw for updates on Evan. His friends Emillia and Elijah had been taken to the infirmary, which was so busy with the many injured that Jed wasn’t allowed to visit them either. He hadn’t even seen Brooke since before the demon invasion.

  He’d overheard that some Venators had sustained grisly injuries. One High-Realmer had three fingers hacked off by a demon’s pincer, and an Apprentice received burns from a Spellzooka when she got caught by friendly fire. Fortunately, all the wounds were able to be magically healed. Master Gettelung, who’d been stabbed and infected by a demon stinger with a potent poison, had come closest to dying, but the infirmary doctors had applied the anti-venom just in time.

  The Masters insisted Jed got checked too after his nasty head injury. But he hadn’t stayed there long; he was too pent up with fear and frustration.

  There’d been many near-deaths, though. He himself would’ve died if Tarensen hadn't healed his head injury when he did.

  Already, Jed had heard the chefs preparing breakfast and the instructors talking about resuming training. He couldn’t believe they’d try to carry on as normal when Evan was missing. He’d refused to go to training and instead spent the morning banging on Tarensen’s study door. He'd demanded to know what was happening and why Evan wasn’t back yet, but Tarensen couldn’t, or wouldn’t, tell Jed anything.

  People were still burning the demon carcasses that littered the Fortress. The Masters had warned Venators to check every inch of the castles for any demons that might have hidden during the battle. The majority of fiends perished during the battle, but a cluster were later found in one of the cellars, and others had tried hiding in toilet cubicles, of all things.

  Jed hadn’t checked his room yet. He assumed all of Kurrlan’s army were long dead, so when he opened his wardrobe door and a blue shape hurtled out, he tripped backward in surprise. It resembled a ladybug, but was the size of an owl, and gurgled hideously. The demon flew for Jed’s face, trying to sink its fangs in deep.

  “Urgh, ahh,” he yelled incoherently.

  Frantically, Jed seized the demon’s wings and wrenched back hard. There was a pop and a spray of black blood. The monster rolled off him, squealing like a pig.

  He got to his feet and stamped the demon into a fleshy blue mush. “Leave. Us. Alone,” he said with every stomp.

  Jed reeled away and collapsed on his bed. His skin burned and his eyes itched. He felt like he might break down in tears. Even though they’d beat back the invasion, it didn’t feel like a victory. How could it with Evan gone?

  He just felt so helpless. He wished he was a higher-ranked Venator. He would’ve learned how to navigate through the worlds by now, and could set off for Evan by himself. As a Novice though, he couldn’t risk it. He didn’t even know how to activate a Rambrace and summon a portal between worlds.

  Jed ran a hand through his short blond hair, cursing under his breath as he looked out the window.

  Everything looked nearly back to normal at the Fortress now. Trainees sporting a range of colours, depending on their rank, trained inside the castles or out on the courtyards. The Novices and Apprentices were still shaken up by the attack, many had only seen demons in illusions when training. Older Venators and the Masters had fought plenty of demons before. They were more concerned with who’d let the demons in.

  Much of the battle was a chaotic blur for Jed, mainly because he’d been knocked brutally unconscious when he and Evan fought back-to-back against a mass of fiends.

  According to Sintian, shortly after Jed fell, Evan had been taken. The last thing Sintian remembered was himself, Cera and Evan entering a room where a giant demon had been waiting. That meant the demons might’ve captured Cera too, or killed her.

  Jed was angry at hims
elf for getting knocked out. Maybe if he hadn’t, then Evan would still be here.

  A knocking broke him out of his reverie. Wearily, he started for his door, hoping it wasn’t a Master urging him to begin training again.

  When he opened the door, however, he was met with the miserable and confused faces of Elijah and Emillia. He jumped forward to hug them both tight.

  “Aww, man, I’m so happy to see you guys okay.” He stood back and let them in. “What’s the matter? Is it Evan? Brooke?”

  Emillia sat on his bed. Her large blue eyes glistened as she fought back tears. Her curly blonde hair was dishevelled and still dirty from the battle. Jed could see patches of white powder in it that must’ve been rubble. She and Elijah had been buried underneath castle debris the last time he’d seen them. Elijah’s blue Apprentice shirt was covered in demon blood, and there were bags under his eyes. Jed knew he looked no better. He hadn’t considered changing out of his Novice clothes until now. He knew the back of his collar was covered in his own blood.

  “Oh, it’s—it’s horrible,” Emillia sobbed.

  “We just found out. But—what’s that?” Elijah cut off, pointing at the demon remains on Jed’s carpet.

  “I found the cretin in my wardrobe,” Jed grunted. “I’ll get it cleaned up later.”

  Elijah took a deep breath. “As I was saying, when Tyrell went to search for Arantay the night of the battle, all he found were the bodies of Arantay’s family and the rest of the elven clan.”

  Jed gasped, lost for words.

  Elijah continued. “Arantay and his brother Falawn weren’t among the dead. Falawn must’ve let the demons in. I reckon Tarensen and the other Masters think so too, but Arantay’s disappearance is suspect.”

  “It can’t have been Arantay,” Emi said. “He would never do that. It was Falawn! Brooke met him. He told her how he hated Venators. He must’ve made a deal with the demons, hoping they’d kill all of us.”

  “He got the raw end of the deal then, didn’t he,” Elijah said. “That force of demons didn’t have a chance in hell of taking over the Fortress. The Dread Lord controlling them must’ve used Falawn for some ulterior motive.”

  Jed cursed again; he was doing that a lot lately. “I thought Veneseron was supposed to be safe from demons, a place for us to train until we’re ready?”

  “Listen,” Elijah said. “I’ve been at the Fortress for years. Nothing like this has ever happened until now. Tarensen says Vanderain’s coming back, and I believe him. He’ll have Evan with him. Trust me.”

  “It’s hard to put my trust in someone I’ve never met,” Jed replied bitterly.

  “All we can do is wait,” said Elijah. “Yes, Arantay’s missing, but he knows how to take care of himself. As for Evan, Vanderain will get him back.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Jed replied, wishing he could believe him.

  Emillia nodded without speaking, her tears finally escaping to slide down her cheeks.

  *

  Jed spooned his violet selkie cereal miserably. He couldn’t eat, not at a time like this. He’d only come to breakfast to see if there’d been any news.

  His mood was mirrored by most of the Venators in the Banquet chamber.

  Rumours were flying around the Fortress, speculating wildly about last night’s battle.

  “The elves dead!”

  “Evan captured and taken to another world!”

  “Arantay and Falawn missing!”

  Most were adamant that Falawn was the reason the demons gained access to Veneseron in the first place. But some thought it was Arantay who'd let them in and killed his own family; they said they'd never trusted him. Emillia had heard whispers that Evan shouldn’t be trusted either. Luckily, Jed hadn’t heard any of these mutinous mutterings himself. How anyone could think Evan was in league with demons was unbelievable.

  He sat between Elijah and Emi, whilst fellow Novices surrounded him on the benches nearby. Jed had asked around, but no one had seen Cera or Brooke either. Tarensen definitely hadn’t told him the whole truth.

  The inseparable Xavier and Zeke sat opposite him. Both of them, even the usually highly animated Xavier, were in sombre moods, due to the present circumstances.

  Emillia still looked shell-shocked. She kept glancing at the windows, as if expecting demons to crash through.

  “It's okay, you're safe now.” Jed tried to smile at her reassuringly, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

  “Hey, you! Australian guy.”

  Jed looked up as a group of girls called him from across the Banquet chamber.

  “Where's your friend? Is it true the demons killed him?”

  A group of High-Realmers joined in. “Oi, are you mates with that Evan guy? Is it true he was a Dark-Venator undercover?”

  Jed tried his best to ignore them, spooning his cereal viciously now.

  He noticed Sintian Stray at another bench out of the corner of his eye. Sintian wasn’t eating either, but staring at him suspiciously.

  “C’mon, man, is it true?” another boy called out. “Is it this Evan’s fault that monsters invaded our Fortress?”

  “Of course it isn’t,” Jed snapped at last.

  “You sure about that?” Sintian shouted from his seat. “The demons were definitely after him. There must have been a good reason. Don’t you think?”

  Jed glared at him, his fist clenching so tightly on his spoon that it bent. Last night, Sintian fought beside him and Evan when they needed help, and yet Sintian still hated them. Jed couldn’t work him out.

  “Who knows why demons do anything?” Elijah spoke up.

  “Yeah,” said Jed. “Maybe everyone should lay off the accusations when none of us know anything about it.”

  Other Venators around the chamber stared at him and muttered to one another over their breakfast.

  “Do you reckon the Dark-Venators were behind the demon attack?” Xavier said. “Not saying Evan was one,” he added quickly, “but Falawn could be.”

  “Whoever's behind it, we'll get Evan back,” Zeke said.

  “We have to do something,” Jed cried.

  “There’s nothing we can do,” Elijah said. “We have to face the fact that Evan could be gone forever.”

  “Don’t say that,” Jed snarled, harsher than he meant to. “Sorry, I can’t bring myself to think of what’s happening to him. That’s it.” He stood up sharply. “I’m going back to Tarensen’s chambers. If Tarensen tells me again to just sit and wait for his fabled Vanderain to come back bearing Evan in his arms, I’m gonna take off on my own.”

  “But what chance have we got of finding him? You know how many worlds there are!” Emillia said.

  “I don’t care,” said Jed. “At least I’ll be doing something.”

  “You’ll get lost,” Elijah exclaimed, “and then we’ll have more missing Venators.”

  “I’m sorry.” Jed had his mind made up. “I can’t take it anymore.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Zeke stood up. “If there’s the smallest chance that we can find him, we’ve got to take it.”

  “But there isn’t,” Elijah said. “None of us know how to navigate between the realms, for a start.”

  “And if you accidentally land in a demon realm you’re done for,” Emillia added.

  “If we knew how to get to the exact point Evan was, no matter how many demons there were, I’d go for it.” Xavier looked at Jed seriously. “But we don’t. It’s impossible.”

  Emillia stood up suddenly. “If you’re going, I’ll go too. The more of us there are, the higher chance we have of surviving.”

  Jed nodded emphatically. “Let’s go to Tarensen then. We’ll force him to give us a Rambrace.”

  “Then what?” Elijah said. “Tarensen’s not going to let you put your lives in danger.”

  “Evan’s life already is in danger,” Jed exploded. “It's been hours now. We should’ve never waited this long.”

  “Fine,” Elijah said. “If you're set on getting
yourself lost in the realms, then I'm coming too. You’ll need someone with some actual Realmer knowledge.”

  “Then I'm in,” Xavier sighed. “Without my healing sorcery, you’ll all die.”

  With that Jed turned and strode straight for the golden doors at the end of the Banquet chamber. Before he got there, they opened from the other side and Jimmy Revlin burst through them.

  Jimmy’s head and arms were bandaged from the battle, but his face was full of joy.

  “He’s back,” he screamed delightfully. “Vanderain found him. Evan’s back!”

  *

  Evan’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotion. On one side he was ecstatic to be safe and back in Veneseron. Kurrlan had been destroyed, and he no longer had to worry about demons stalking him. On the other hand, everything Vanderain had told him just raised more questions that were desperately eating him up inside.

  He was the son of a demon queen named Akirandon.

  But how can I be half demon?

  It was all so surreal. Yesterday evening he’d been preparing for his Apprentice trial. Then an army of demons attacked the Fortress with the sole aim of capturing him. Hundreds of Veneseron’s Venators could’ve been slaughtered because of him. Eventually, Evan gave himself up willingly to stop the chaos. He’d rather give up his own life than have countless Venators’ deaths be his fault. He nearly did die anyway. Evan still wasn’t sure whether Kurrlan had planned to kill him or just imprison and torture him, but he knew Kurrlan had learned he was Akirandon’s child and wanted Evan’s unique power for himself.