Legacy of the wolven

[Dark Sentinel]

Pages from the journals of Professor C. R. Khandjian.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

SHH exclusive! The FIRST official excerpt from the Revised & Expanded Edition of MATHION: BOOK ONE OF THE MAVONDURI TRILOGY, and I'm giving it to you guys as a thank you for your support (and tolerance ). Enjoy!

Spoiler

After their meal, they began their final dash to the Mountain-city. But just as they began to pick up their pace, Elekan stopped. He turned and faced south and growled deeply. Mathion stopped at the sound and when he turned, saw a fierce light in Elekan’s eyes.​

“What is it?” Mathion asked. The others slowed their pace and turned back at the sound of Mathion’s voice.​

Soc ondóv? the Wolf replied.​

(Can’t you see?)​

Mathion closed his eyes, and almost immediately he felt himself hurtling skyward, and he looked down on the land below. The Red Mountains arched in a majestic red band across the northern reach of Ánovén, and the blue waters of the Great Gulf crashed against their northern slopes. There was a bright golden light that illumined his entire vision, but it also seemed sheer, as if made of mist and smoke. He floated, hovered for a moment, then saw it…​

Mathion opened his eyes and summoned his sword.​

“Kânín!” he cried. The others pulled hard on their reins, forcing the horses to an abrupt halt.​

“What? Where?” said Kéle’il, dismounting and summoning his sword as well.​

“Close,” Mathion replied. Suddenly a great black shape leapt up from behind a knoll and threw Oharion’s horse to the ground. Oharion flew back several feet before landing hard on his back, unconscious. Dovosir ran to him and stood at his guard. Narios crouched and summoned two short swords with curved blades and ran headlong towards the werewolf, but just then two more werewolves joined their brother and cornered Dovosir and Oharion.​

Narios vaulted over the one werewolf and with blinding speed slashed its back. The beast whimpered and gnashed its teeth as if trying to snatch Narios out of the air, but to no avail.​

“Bé-tathálij hrisa!” Mathion cried and no sooner had the dagger flashed into his hand when he threw it. His aim was ever true, and it pierced the neck of one of the werewolves, whereupon the thing slumped to the ground and with a final howl of anguish and rage burst into silver flame.​

Elekan howled, and the surviving werewolves snarled in pain. The force of his howl shook the mountains violently, and a white sheet of ice and snow cascaded down a pillar of red stone. The horses were driven far back as the werewolves were buried under. But they burst forth from the icy rubble and darted for their prey.​

Mathion’s eyes flashed and he and Elekan took on one werewolf while Kéle’il and Narios challenged the other. Dovosir managed to pull Oharion up through the snow and joined the fray while protecting the young prince.​

Werewolves are resilient when cornered, and potentially even more dangerous if wounded, and these slashed with their claws and gnashed with their teeth. Mathion caught the brunt of one such swipe and he was flung to the side, and Elekan growled in anger and leapt on the werewolf’s back, biting into its neck and spilling its blood on the verdant grass. The beast howled and reached up with a powerful claw and pulled the White Wolf off of him, but Dovosir stood ready and with his silversteel broadsword decapitated the beast. Both its head and body were consumed by fire, and Kéle’il, true to form even in the midst of his own fight, laughed as he saw the flaming head bouncing and rolling down the gently sloping plain.​

Narios was quick with his blades and dealt the werewolf many blows in rapid succession which wounded it greatly. But Narios had blades of steel, not silver, so his could not kill. But the werewolf was caught at unawares, and lost blood so that it was sluggish and slow to react. It was then that Oharion awoke amidst the white snow stained with the red gore of werewolf blood, and his lust for vengeance was stirred. He hollered for Narios and Kéle’il to hold on their attack. The werewolf saw him, to be sure, and growled at his approach, but Oharion opened his hand and summoned his sword. Made of the purest steel found west of the Greatwater, it shone like illuminated blood in the light of the setting sun. There was a wicked smirk on his face and his green eyes glimmered.​

The werewolf seemed too weak to fight, and had begun to revert back into its man-form. But Oharion was of no mind to forgive, and the werewolf now kneeled before him as a man, ragged with hunger and pouring blood from several gashes along his chest and abdomen.​

“Please, please! Mercy!” he cried, folding his hands in front of him, but Oharion was not swayed. Grabbing the werewolf by the scruff he took his sword and plunged it deep into its stomach, slicing upwards and splitting its ribcage. The werewolf cried in pain and blood poured from his mouth. Oharion simply smiled and wiped the blood and spittle from his face.​

“I’ll give you mercy, spawn of Ak’horos,” he said in a low voice. And he recalled his sword and summoned a silver dagger and in one swift motion plunged it through the nape of the werewolf’s neck upwards into its skull. Silver light erupted and filled the werewolf’s eyes, and as Oharion tossed it to the side the body began to burn.​

Mathion ran up, and Oharion was still breathing heavily, almost rabidly. Mathion’s arm was crimson with his own blood.​

“What was that?” Mathion hollered.​

“Those things tried to kill us!”​

“That’s not what I asked.”​

“You know damn well I did what had to be done.”​

“You were excessive, and driven by bloodlust, Oharion! That’s not how we’ve been trained to defend ourselves; we do not kill in cold blood.”​

“The bastard had it coming.”​

“And you will as well if you stay on this path.” Oharion stopped, and stared at Mathion blankly. “Oharion, I’m not angry with you, believe me. But you must understand that everything we do has a price, and a consequence. Kill without mercy, and you will be killed without mercy.”​

Oharion nodded, and his breaths slowed. “Are you hurt?” he said, nodding to the gashes in Mathion’s arm. Mathion held it out and examined the injury.​

“Surface scratches,” he said with a smile. “Barely broke the skin.”​

 

[MultipleJesuses]

...I ****ing LOVE this book. I cannot wait to get my hands on the Expanded Edition. Feeling such an emotional attachment to Elekan.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

t:

So glad to hear you say that man, much appreciated!

 

[Figs]

When do you plan on releasing this expanded edition?

 

[Dark Sentinel]

Soon. Around August 25

 

[Dark Sentinel]

By the way everyone who's on Twitter should follow @CRK_Estate to get in on all the viral marketing action!

 

[Dark Sentinel]

I have, in my possession, the FINAL copy of the Revised & Expanded Edition PDF. And I am willing to entrust it to a SELECT FEW who are in turn willing to give it a prerelease review. No charge, no gimmicks, no strings.

It has begun.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

Ok so for those who have read/are reading the book, I'm working on a little side project you may like: a comprehensive dictionary of Old Cénárol, the language that Elekan and other characters speak throughout the course of the trilogy. It's nowhere near complete as I've just started it, but it's something for all of us to look forward to, especially those of you who are interested in the backstory of the "Mavonduri Era" (I will refrain from using the term "Universe", as in my mind these stories take place in a lost, legendary period of OUR Earth's distant past)

Happy reading!

 

[Dark Sentinel]

I will be entering Mathion in the 81st annual Writers' Digest competition. Wish me luck!

 

[Dark Sentinel]

All new Hi-Res cover art

 

[Dark Sentinel]

Hey all, I was just wondering for those who've read the book, what did you all think of the Old Cénárol language that Elekan speaks? I thought that'd be something people would notice but I haven't seen many comments about it.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

BRAND NEW SHORT STORY!!

The Folly of Etharon: A "Chronicles of the Wolven" Tale, now available for free download on Smashwords.com

Click the link in the title to get the book

Synopsis: Eight generations before Mathion ascended the High Throne, King Etharon of the line of Athion attempted to take Ak'horokaš, the Black City of Azgharáth, by force. His failure is forever remembered as a cautionary tale.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

Already 42 downloads in 4 days for THE FOLLY OF ETHARON! Wow! I hope some of you have gotten it. Be sure to review it if you liked it! Thanks so much guys.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

It is with great sadness that I announce the end of Mathion's presence in the online self-published ebook market. I want to be traditionally published, and I simply cannot do that while I am self-published. That, and sales are incredibly important to agents and as I neither have the time or resources to invest in marketing the book properly, it hasn't been very successful in that department.

For those who have supported the book, thank you. It's a wonder that there are people who enjoy my work, and I am forever grateful. For those who have been waiting for the Revised & Expanded Edition of MATHION, I have to tell you that it won't be coming. That I will save for the 1st Print Edition of the book.

Thanks again for putting up with me and this thread. I'll be going now.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

While MATHION may no longer be online, I will keep you all updated on my attempts to secure an agent. If my efforts don't turn out successful, be on the lookout for the new edition of MATHION t:

 

[Dark Sentinel]

I have decided that if I haven't secured a literary agent by August 25 that I will seriously consider publishing the Revised & Expanded Edition of MATHION on Kindle and Nook...thoughts?

 

[Dark Sentinel]

I know I've been back and forth on this, but after struggling to secure a literary agent I have decided that the Revised & Expanded Edition of MATHION needs to be read by the world. Therefore I am pleased to officially announce MATHION's grand return to Kindle.

It is set for release on September 22, 2012 with an all new fully revised text and ALL NEW Appendices to the novel. IN ADDITION, this very special edition will contain an exclusive, extended sneak peek at Book Two of the Mavonduri Trilogy, THE LAST ASCENSION. Thank you all for your support, spread the word!!

 

[Dark Sentinel]

The Original Edition of MATHION is back on Amazon! Buy and lend! t:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NIFH8A

 

[TomServo]

The Original Edition of MATHION is back on Amazon! Buy and lend! t:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NIFH8A

Got this on my Kindle earlier today, have really enjoyed what I've read thus far. It's actually kind of different than what I had expected, but in a good way. Thoroughly enjoying your work Senty, good job, can't wait to see how it all unfolds. I'll definitely put a rating up on this poll once I've finished the book.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

Epic bump, not letting this thread get off the first page t:

Thanks to TomServo for those kind words, hope you're still enjoying it!

 

[Dark Sentinel]

Alright so a little update: Read 2 Review is going to be reviewing the Revised & Expanded Edition of Mathion. Yay,

 

[JewishHobbit]

Is your book available in print or only in eBook? Also, does book 1 stand alone or do you need to read the WHOLE trilogy?

I'm just asking because I run a tiny book club and I need to pick 3 book options for the month of August for us to pick from (we read only one of the options though a few of us read all of them anyway). My goal this month is to pick writers who are young in their career. I have two options selected (my own novel, Cicada Song, being one of them) and I was thinking about yours, but most of us hate reading book 1 of a series if it isn't stand alone. We like getting a complete story with our books.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

Is your book available in print or only in eBook? Also, does book 1 stand alone or do you need to read the WHOLE trilogy?

I'm just asking because I run a tiny book club and I need to pick 3 book options for the month of August for us to pick from (we read only one of the options though a few of us read all of them anyway). My goal this month is to pick writers who are young in their career. I have two options selected (my own novel, Cicada Song, being one of them) and I was thinking about yours, but most of us hate reading book 1 of a series if it isn't stand alone. We like getting a complete story with our books.

Very cool! Yes, it's only available as an ebook. Depending on its eventual popularity (fingers crossed!) I may consider self-publishing print editions if I don't have an agent by then.

As for the stories themselves, think along the lines of the Dark Knight Trilogy. They all fall in place together but can be read as individual, standalone stories. Because of the nature of Wolven longevity (the Royal Clans have an average lifespan of around 1,500 years give or take) I knew going in that to try and write a continuous trilogy where each story follows the other would be next to impossible. So each book in the Mavonduri Trilogy focuses on a particular event in Mathion's life. Also, each book is going to have a different tone to it (MATHION is the "epic quest" story, THE LAST ASCENSION is a political/war thriller, Book 3 is an epistolary novel). So while they're all connected, each can be read individually.

Hope that helps!

 

[JewishHobbit]

That does sound good though we only pick printed books for the book club

As for printing you can do it extremely cheap at Createspace.com. The first time I had to pay anything was to order a proof of my paperback to make sure I liked how it looked prior to putting it up for sale on Createpspace and (soon) Amazon. My book is a full length novel and a proof (well, all copies) only cost me a little over $5 to order (plus shipping).

I did everything on my own as far as preparation goes (which wasn't hard) and I had a friend make the cover for me. If you can get those done free or cheaply it shouldn't be expensive at all for you. I was nervous messing with it, not sure what to expect, and now that I'm holding physical copies in my hand it's awesome. And you don't have to order any quantity of your book. When someone buys the book online they make the copy bought and send it to them. No inventory is needed. You can have it made, order a proof to look over, and then never put any more money into it for as long as you live. I'm personally buying copies to sell in person and the more people buy the more I can afford to order. Most people though I just direct right to the Createspace link in my sig.