Shattered Amulet, page 23

Filed under Fiction on June 27, 2007
Keywords: memes, Shattered Amulet

Stuart Etter posted a meme back in March where he previewed an excerpt from page 123 of his Work In Progress (WIP). The meme stated to post page 23 if you hadn’t made it that far. After reading his blog, I thought I’d post page 23 from Shattered Amulet, and promptly forgot to (probably after being distra . . . oh, a shiny . . . ).

Anyway, I finished up page 25 today and for some reason the meme popped into my head. So, as I ride this wave of literary creativity, please enjoy page 23 from Shattered Amulet:

“What do you know about magi, Mr. Shadowhand?”

“Rumors. Stories told to scare children into obeying.” Logan caught the man’s quick smirk from out of the corner of his eye.

“Yes. It is an unfortunate byproduct of fear. Not that there isn’t danger. Dragon magic demands respect from those who would handle it. Even from those who seek just to study and understand it. That is really a mage’s purpose: to study and understand magic.”

“Doesn’t Jord forbid the use of magic? I’m not saying that to judge, I’m just curious. I mean, how come Lord Doryn let’s the Academy exist?”

“Lord Doryn is a wise man. You are correct, The Chronicles are quite clear about magic and the consequences one can reap. That is why magi study magic. If we are to successfully combat this tool of the dragons, then we must understand all of its facets. And there are many. But that complexity fuels the magic’s power. The magi are dedicated to stripping away each and every layer in hopes of finding the key to countering it.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” Logan thought it sounded more like letting someone beat you up so you could see how they fight. He preferred avoiding the fight in the first place. “Didn’t Jord banish all the dragons after the War, though?” Logan really wanted to get down to business, but finding chinks in others’ beliefs always gave him a chuckle.

“True, again, but their magic lingers. There were many artifacts left behind when the dragons were banished that are still imbued with their magic. These must be collected, catalogued and stored somewhere safe. There are those that would harness magic for their own selfish goals.

“You’re not here for a lecture on ethics, however. Tea?” Vexnyr handed the cup to Logan, who reached for it then stopped. Didn’t I say no already? He met Vexnyr’s eyes and the question flitted away. Warmth suffused Logan’s hands as he lowered the cup to his lap, followed by a tingle that spread through his body and left behind a pall of lethargy.

Logan realized that Vexnyr was speaking to him and scolded himself for not paying attention. He couldn’t afford to miss a single word. The man offered Logan an opportunity to do something . . . something good. No, something great. He owed Vexnyr so much. He really needed to try his hardest to do whatever the man asked of him, even if the fog made it difficult to concentrate.

“I’ve recently discovered the location of one of these artifacts from the war. Unfortunately, my requests to study it have been rebuffed.”

“No,” Logan gasped.

“I was quite dismayed, myself.” Vexnyr’s smile made Logan giddy. “Lord Doryn assured me his amulet of office was not the Dragon Ward, but I saw a look of recognition flash across his advisor’s face. I’m not sure if that sylvar witch is hiding the truth from her liege, or if they’re in collusion against me.”

“Lord Doryn? Dragon Ward?” Worry broke through the clouds in Logan’s mind. He recognized the name of the city’s ruler, but not the other. However, anything to do with dragons couldn’t be good. What had Mr. . . . whatever-his-name-was gotten him into?

(I’ll post page 123 when I get there.)

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