The Sceptre of Fire
By Alex Stargazer
, Book 1
The Sceptre of Fire is an old school fantasy romp: it’s got elves, dwarves, orcs, necromancers, and a campy mage. But there’s a twist—a pretty big one. The orcs? They’re not really the bad guys. The necromancer? Yeah, he’s got history. And the knights in shining armour aren’t always noble…
The necromancer was once a pretty decent guy: he killed pirates on the high seas and did his duty as an Empire subject. But he loved another man, and for that, he had to be punished. Now driven by an insatiable thirst for revenge, he has turned to dark magic—and enlisted the help of orcs. The orcs have their own, very good reasons to hate the Empire. Driven out from the Empire lands and into a freezing, inhospitable land, the orcs know that hunger is a stronger motivator than most.
Opposing him are Radu, a mad mage with a penchant for boys and fashion, along with Haraldur—a talented dwarven mage smith. At first they care little for a distant conflict, but things escalate once the necromancer, in desperation, makes a pact with an ancient entity…
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Excerpt
The elf saluted them and rode off. Radu took note of his physique, which was muscular and toned, especially his legs. All that riding surely required good physical training.
“Oh, Radu, you’re insufferable,” Ainhoa said, with some amusement. “Even at times like these, you’re thinking of boning that young man over there.”
“Guilty as charged, my dear.”
She rolled her eyes. “Come. We should talk to the Council.”
“Yes, but first I must find the young dwarf, Haraldur. I’m sure I left him somewhere.”
“He is your student, is he not?”
“It’s not that formal. I simply give him lessons once a week.”
“You must have seen some potential in him, to bother. It is unusual for a dwarf to learn from a mage.”
“You’re right—Haraldur is unusual, and very talented. Now let us make haste.”
As it turns out, our young dwarf was at that moment standing at the top of a very tall tree, for he was next in line to jump. Several elvish youngsters had already gone before him, hooting in delight. A young elf by the name of Vran was behind him, goading him on.
“Come on Harald,” he said encouragingly, a wicked smile plastered on his mischievous face. “You can do it!”
Haraldur knew that, in theory, he could fly, but the reality seemed very scary. Then again, Frigg was at the bottom of the tree, watching. It would not do to disappoint her—he would never hear the end of the teasing. So, like many foolish young men before him, he jumped. He activated the sequence in mid-air. The experience was exhilarating. His mind took control of the spell, effortlessly bending the magic to his will. He raised his arms, using them like wings—though of course that was totally unnecessary—and really flew. He soared over the tree tops, circled, then dived down. As he neared the ground, he flattened out, landing hard, certainly not as gracefully as the elves (he was still a dwarf after all).
The elves applauded, while Frigg smiled, pleased by his antics. Haraldur’s heart gave a strange little flutter that was not related to the flight.
Then the adults arrived. “Haraldur! There are you are! I was just looking for you,” said Radu.
Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate the release of The Sceptre of Fire, Alex is giving away a signed copy of the release and a bookmark and 2 signed bookmarks with eBook.
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About the Author:
Alex Stargazer – writer since age 14 (yes, really). Writes by night, daylights as a data scientist. #ownvoices
Catch up with Alex:
https://mailchi.mp/25b24f9ce675/alex-stargazer-free-ebooks
https://www.facebook.com/AlexStargazerBooks/
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