There was a war. In a
desperate moment, a handful of
warriors came together to
forge the single most
powerful magic weapon that
had ever existed. It was
the one thing that could
defeat a pair of gods, and set
the very plane of existence
back upon its balance.
Then, it was lost.
It is a gilded age. A time
when city states come together
in the name of commerce,
and wealth. The finer things
can be had by the common
being, and magic relics are
sought after for their
beauty and power. Such ancient
things can lead to trouble,
so the city state of Moore
conducts a cold war of
espionage to further its interests,
and truth be told, so does
everyone else. While the
average citizen enjoys a
walk in the park, or a carriage
ride to the theater, evil
strides the land in search
of ancient magic to undo
the very fabric of the world.
Ford must lay hands on an
ancient magic relic that
could spell doom for his
city and possibly the world.
The problem? An
ambitious mage named Raven Hill
has set his eyes on
the item, and all the power it will
imbue him with. Ford
races against time, the elements, and
even fate, to keep the
single most powerful magic
weapon that exists from
falling into the hands of a mad
man. If he fails, Ford’s
beloved city, and all other cities,
will bow down to a
self-made god.
He could almost hear the words of Pil’tuk the goblin glass maker,
“The lens will not scratch, and can take the impact of a god’s battle hammer!”
“But, do you think the lantern
will work?” he had said to Pil’tuk.
“If the mad magician Valen of
Del can produce us a Dark Star gem. But, only chaos magic is strong enough to
do the trick, and we both know what that means; if he fails to condense the
energy just right, we might all be blasted into ash.”
Looking over his shoulder to the corner of the
forge-room Dern could see the large black gem locked between wooden pincers. A
shiver ran up his spine; the unnatural gem was the final touch, the power, the
light, the quantillian dark gem with the power of a star. The magician had done
his job all right, making something terrifying that did not belong on this
world or any other, and for his trouble he was torn into atoms by the power of
chaos. Poor bastard, Dern thought.
He approached the gem. From
the black surface the reflection of his own eye looked back at him. For a
moment the blackness was all consuming, as if it was absorbing not only the
light, but his thoughts as well. The eye in the reflection blinked, and he
shook his head in surprise. Did he blink? He didn’t know. Looking at the surface
again he seemed to be looking back at himself, looking into the gem, looking
back at himself…his skin crawled and his hair stood on end. He looked away
concentrating on the lantern to clear his mind, then he looked back at the
wooden clamps.
Carefully taking the gem, he
carried it over to the lantern, opened the small door in the side and placed it
within the rectangular chamber, angling the gem so the flat surface faced the
lens. Closing the door he locked it tight. “Now to ignite the flame!” said Dern,
a slight headache forming in his skull.
He closed his eyes and
envisioned the complex relationship between the geometry and the elements
within, linking fields of force with the matter’s energy channels. As he opened
his eyes a near blinding light dazzled him as a beam shot from the lantern onto
the wall. The atoms of the wall vanished and a hole of pure blackness appeared.
He secured the lens cap, careful not to expose himself to the light. Looking at
the contraption he was startled by a sudden knock at the door.
“Blackhammer, is it finished?”
said a soft feminine voice.
“Are you trying to cause my
death!” he said. “I am as finished as this lantern. Let’s hope it works.”
She opened the door and came
into the room, the light of pure energy taking shape into womanly form. “The
war is nearly won, and for all your sacrifices, you will be given rest and
worship in the Netherworld,” she said.
“You spiritual beings are all
alike, bend us mortals to your will then we are forgotten.”
“Not so,” she said. “We prize
you mortals for the role you play in this universe. Besides, do you want
to exist forever in this form?” She laughed and her laughter lifted his spirit
with joy. Bending down she put her hands on either side of his coarsely bearded
face making his skin crackle with static as she kissed him on the lips.
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BoarerPitchford.com Thadius
the Novel
Sacramento, California
Author Lawrence
BoarerPitchford presents The Lantern of Dern Blackhammer
The readers out there are
flooded with prose. The written word is so prolific today that most people take
it for granted that works of fiction are within easy reach. Kindle, Nook,
i-Pad, and a host of other electronic reading devices make access to literature
the easiest that has ever existed on the earth in the history of man. And, so
the reader is lost in a sea of authors competing for visibility in the
commercial space.
Lawrence BoarerPitchford,
author of such works as Thadius, Sawbones, In the World of Hyboria, and the
cheeky novel Tales of Mad Cows and Brothels, presents a work of fiction that
will appeal to those who love high-fantasy adventure. In a world where orcs, goblins,
elves, humans, giants, and dwarves all live and work together, there’s trouble
brewing. “I’ve taken the concept of high-fantasy and painted it with a new
brush. In a land that resembles nineteenth century Europe, the characters in
The Lantern of Dern Blackhammer must find and steal a relic that could spell
doom for their civilization. Imagine if you will, Tolkien’s world, but after a
thousand years or more. Magic is a profound technology, along with steam, and
water-power, but those ancients knew something; they had a secret. Now that
secret can undo reality,” the author stated.
Now Lawrence
BoarerPitchford, the man with the huge name, is offering his novel The Lantern
of Dern Blackhammer as a paperback as well as the various e-book formats. If
you have an e-reader, it is a snap to purchase a BoarerPitchford novel, and if
you like the feel of paper in your hands, they’re in paperback form too.
Having four novels on
Amazon, all for sale and download onto Kindle, Lawrence knows the struggle new
authors face. “I write fiction to entertain. While it is true I have a degree
in business, a degree in public policy, and a degree in information technology,
I choose to write fiction because I have a strong desire to see people enjoy
escaping their mundane lives and exploring a land of adventure and excitement
in a world of my making. Perhaps it is the acme of hubris that I think I can
entertain, but I am hardly qualified to be the judge of that. It really is you
the readers who should be the measure of my success or failure to entertain;
having said that, I offer up to you my works for your accolades or ire.”
“If you like rugged
adventure and action stories, stop by, purchase a book, and enjoy, then make
your voice heard by posting a review on GoodReads, Amazon, or any place you
feel you can be heard.” The author also encourages readers to drop by his
web site and contact him.
Lawrence BoarerPitchford
works and lives in the Sacramento region. His work can be located on Amazon
books, Smashwords, Barnes and Nobel, and many other places where fine quality
fiction can be found. One can also read samples of his novels on his web site http://www.boarerpitchford.com.
Take a moment to exploreBoarerPitchford.com and visit the author on
Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Goodreads.
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