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    The High Demon
    The High Demon
    The High Demon
    Ebook153 pages2 hours

    The High Demon

    By Jonathan Moeller

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    About this ebook

    At last Rachaelis has tracked her enemy, the blood shaman Maerwulf, to his otherworldly lair. Now Rachaelis must face him and destroy him, before he claims her body as a vessel for his high demon.

    But a danger far greater than Maerwulf or his fanatical followers awaits Rachaelis.

    For a high demon can have many servants...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJonathan Moeller
    Release dateOct 18, 2011
    ISBN9781466016583
    The High Demon
    Author

    Jonathan Moeller

    Standing over six feet tall, Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair of a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.He has written the "Demonsouled" trilogy of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write the "Ghosts" sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the "$0.99 Beginner's Guide" series of computer books, and numerous other works.Visit his website at:http://www.jonathanmoeller.comVisit his technology blog at:http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/screed

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      Book preview

      The High Demon - Jonathan Moeller

      THE HIGH DEMON

      The Third Soul, Part IV

      Jonathan Moeller

      ***

      Description

      At last Rachaelis has tracked her enemy, the blood shaman Maerwulf, to his otherworldly lair. Now Rachaelis must face him and destroy him, before he claims her body as a vessel for his high demon.

      But a danger far greater than Maerwulf or his fanatical followers awaits Rachaelis.

      For a high demon can have many servants…

      ***

      Copyright 2011 by Jonathan Moeller.

      Cover image copyright Nejron | Dreamstime.com.

      Ebook edition published August 2011.

      Smashwords Edition

      All Rights Reserved.

      This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author or publisher, except where permitted by law.

      ***

      Chapter 1 - The Ruined Tower

      The broken ruins of Paulus’s tower jutted into the night.

      I should have figured it out sooner, said Rachaelis, her mind racing. Paulus wasn’t just in communion with a high demon. He summoned it into his body. He was an Urmaaghsk. The Adepts killed him, but I don’t think they destroyed the high demon. It must have retreated back into the astral realm.

      You think Paulus’s high demon and Maerwulf’s are one and the same? said Corthain.

      She walked towards the ruined tower, Corthain at her right, and Sister Maria on her left. The old woman’s robe billowed behind her, revealing the aurelium-banded armor. Maria had always looked old, but vigorous. Now she looked…grim. Formidable, even. Rachaelis suspected that she knew how to use that mace very well.

      I think so, said Rachaelis. It must want something in Araspan. So it communicated with Paulus first. And when the Conclave killed him, it found a new follower in Maerwulf, and told him to come here.

      It wants an Adept for a host, said Corthain. It chose Paulus first, and after he was killed, it waited for an Adept of sufficient strength to come along. So it chose you.

      Lucky me, said Rachaelis.

      They stopped at the ruined gate to the shattered tower’s grounds. Paulus had been killed twelve years ago, yet the grounds beneath the ruined tower were still bleak, barren. Almost as if they had been blighted.

      Or as if the presence of blood sorcery continued to poison the land.

      Rachaelis cringed at the thought, fear creeping into her mind. She had seen enough of blood sorcery to last a lifetime. And this place was where her father had acquired his…affliction, whatever it was that Paulus had done to him.

      She glanced at Corthain, and felt better.

      Strange that his presence could reassure her so much. She had the High Art and he did not. Yet he was clever, clever enough to have found about Anna Marinius and Maerwulf when the Conclave could not. He might know how to use that sword, but his mind was his weapon, even more so than an Adept’s. And he had saved her from Anna's trap.

      She realized that she would rather go into danger with him than even with Magister Nazim.

      But she could think about Corthain later. Right now she had to focus on not getting killed. Or, worse, having Maerwulf transform her into an Urmaaghsk.

      She stepped onto the barren ground, and immediately felt something wrong.

      What is it? said Corthain, and Maria reached for her mace.

      It… Rachaelis shook her head. There’s something wrong here. I can feel it. It must be a…a scar on the astral realm, like Maria said. Something left over from what Paulus did. It’s little wonder no one’s ever claimed this land.

      I thought the Conclave left the ruins here as a warning to anyone who would consort with demons, said Corthain.

      Yes, said Rachaelis, but no Adept would want to live here. It’s…like the air itself is stained, somehow.

      Scars in the astral world, left over from Paulus’s crimes, said Maria, voice soft. They seep into the mortal world here. Almost certainly this is where Maerwulf has hidden his sanctuary.

      Let’s find out for certain, said Rachaelis, taking a deep breath.

      She lifted her hand and worked the spell to sense magic.

      No other spells touched her senses, at least not at first. But a feeling of wrongness welled up through the spell, like poison seeping from an infected wound. Maria had been right. People had died here, violently and in great numbers.

      And Paulus had summoned a high demon here.

      She felt power, then, the faintest wisp of blood sorcery. Rachaelis crossed the grounds, the dead earth crunching beneath her boots, and stopped at the stairs leading up to the tower's main doors. Rubble choked the archway, giving it the look of a mouth full of broken teeth.

      Corthain looked around, face blank. No doubt he had some dark memories of this place.

      Here, said Rachaelis. It’s here. Right here, in the arch. The gateway to Maerwulf’s sanctuary. She put a hand on the charred stones and shuddered. The power made it feel…greasy, somehow, beneath her fingers. But it’s…latent. Sleeping, almost. That’s why no one’s ever detected it. She frowned and focused harder. I think…I think the power only awakens when someone brings one of those amulets near, at twilight, like Maria said. Otherwise it’s almost undetectable.

      How will you proceed? said Maria.

      Rachaelis looked at the archway. We see if Maerwulf’s inside.

      ###

      But you don’t even speak Jurguri, said Corthain.

      Rachaelis, Corthain, Luthair, Thalia, and Sister Maria had gathered in the room at the Red Water Inn. Thalia had been more than a little displeased that an Inquisitor, even a former Inquisitor, had offered aid, but Corthain pointed out that they needed all the help they could get.

      The amulet will let only one of us enter the sanctum, said Rachaelis. And I’m the best one to go.

      Maerwulf is a Jurgur, said Corthain. Most of his disciples will be Jurgurs. They’ll be speaking Jurguri. Which you do not speak.

      But I can use an illusion spell to disguise myself, said Rachaelis. And I can also turn myself invisible, if necessary.

      Which will do us no good if you can’t understand what they’re discussing, said Corthain. I can disguise myself as a Jurgur well enough.

      But you’re the Hammer of Dark River, and most of those Jurgurs are survivors of the battle, said Rachaelis. If even one of them recognizes you, you’re going to die. And Maerwulf might have warding spells within his sanctum, or more of those blood sigils. I can use silver astralfire to dispel them, if necessary.

      But you don’t understand Jurguri, and I don’t think you have experience infiltrating an enemy camp, said Corthain. "What will you do if someone starts to question you?

      Sending any one person is a terrible risk, said Maria. It is a pity that you both cannot go. Your strengths complement each other rather well.

      Rachaelis felt her cheeks warm at that. She hoped no one noticed.

      There might be a way, murmured Thalia, for both of you to go.

      How? said Corthain.

      A thoughtmeld, said Thalia. Like we did at Anna Marinius’s tower. Rachaelis goes through the gate into Maerwulf’s little den. But I use a thoughtmeld to link Rachaelis and Corthain’s minds together. And if I do it deeply enough, Rachaelis can share some of Corthain’s knowledge. Specifically, his knowledge of the Jurguri tongue. And it will also let Corthain see through your eyes and hear through your ears.

      You…can do that? said Rachaelis. I couldn’t manage it.

      Thalia shrugged. You have more raw power than anyone else in our generation. But you’ve never been all that good with the subtle work.

      Rachaelis shook her head. No.

      And I have more of an aptitude for mind spells than you, said Thalia. This will work.

      What if Maerwulf has wards against spells? said Corthain. It might break the thoughtmeld. The same thing happened at Anna Marinius’s tower.

      That kind of trap takes a lot of power, said Thalia. No matter how powerful Maerwulf is, I don’t see him taking the effort to ward his entire sanctum against every single variety of spell. Odds are, astraljumps won’t work inside the sanctum. But the thoughtmeld should. So long as you don’t walk into another trap.

      Luthair grunted. Why not just contact old Talvin? Let him know we’ve found Maerwulf, and let him send a dozen Magisters and a thousand Swords to hammer the murdering old bastard into paste.

      Because, said Corthain. "We don’t know what kind of defenses Maerwulf has. It might be Paulus all over

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