THE LIGHT BRINGER
The Dragon Gate Series
Volume 2
by Randy Ellefson
Copyright © 2021 Randy Ellefson / Evermore Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means; electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any semblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Table of Contents
Map of the Minari Kingdom
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Chapter 1 – To Quest or Not to Quest
Chapter 2 – Mastery
Chapter 3 – Unexpected Company
Chapter 4 – The Orbs of Dominion
Chapter 5 – The Kirii Cave
Chapter 6 – Flight of the Dragons
Chapter 7 – Valegis
Chapter 8 – The Lords of Fear
Chapter 9 – In the Dead of Night
Chapter 10 – The Price
Chapter 11 – A New Friend
Chapter 12 – The Lady Hope
Chapter 13 – A Tale of Three Kings
Chapter 14 – The Prince of Kiarven
Chapter 15 – Kingmakers
Chapter 16 – Reunions
Randy Ellefson Books
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Randy Ellefson Music
Map of the Minari Kingdom
Map of the Kingdom of Minari, on the world of Rovell
http://fiction.randyellefson.com/dragon-gate-series/the-light-bringer/
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Chapter 1 – To Quest or Not to Quest
A vortex of multi-colored, changing lights, swirling wind, and a thunderous whooshing noise surrounded Anna. Powerless to stop what was happening, she noticed a knot of dread and worry replace the tingling in her stomach. Her eyes darted down, seeking the surface that she felt her feet standing on, its invisibility adding to her disorientation. Across from her stood Ryan, with Matt and Eric to the right and left, all facing each other in a circle, their shocked expressions likely matching hers. Eric mouthed “shit” at the shared realization that, just as they had feared, they were being summoned from Earth for another quest they could not refuse, and which could get them killed.
Barely in time, she remembered to put one arm across her breasts and the other over her privates as her Earth clothes vanished and she stood nude a moment. Then a long white robe covered her, matching boots on her feet, an amulet that showed one person healing another replacing the usual pendant she wore around her neck, her long blonde hair in a tight braid. She was once again to be the priestess Riana of Coreth, the Light Bringer. Her gray eyes went to the others, seeing Ryan in his golden armor and helmet for his role as a knight, a large sword on one hip. Eric wore dark leather, a bandoleer of knives across his chest, and a shorter sword hanging from his belt, where a rope had was tied around his waist. And Matt stood in a black wizard’s robe, a bag of spell books slung over one shoulder, a staff in one hand.
In the week since the planet Honyn had summoned the “Ellorian Champions,” as they’d been called, to save them from dragons. The episode had already started to feel like none of it had really happened, a feeling that had grown when they told their friend Jack minutes ago, his face registering disbelief on hearing about their quest with elves, dwarves, dragons, ogres, gods, magic, and supernatural healing all being real—at least on another planet. But he had just seen them vanish from Anna’s Maryland apartment. And there was no denying that a quest was happening again right now.
As the summoning spell ended, Anna simultaneously noticed the circle of fading blue light surrounding them and a thunderous banging on wood to one side, the cacophony reverberating in a large, dark, enclosed space she could not make out. A sense of immediate danger filled the air. Her white robe caught the light and made her feel like a target, a feeling that worsened when an arrow struck nearby and bounced to her feet with a clatter. She thought it seemed poorly made for reasons she had no time to ponder.
Words etched blue fire faded from the gray stone beneath her boots. Around them stood the rest of the Quest Ring that had summoned them, chest-high pillars of stone also covered in fading, glowing runes. Beyond them stood a red-robed wizard in his twenties, his long black hair disheveled, intense, wide eyes moving from one of them to the next. No one else seemed nearby except for whoever—or whatever—was violently pounding on doors somewhere beyond the wizard. Then Anna saw torchlight through a wide crack in a splintering door as intruders came closer to breaking it down. From the racket, several other doors were nearby and nearly breached.
“Ellorians!” said the wizard, stepping toward them.
“What is happening?” Eric raised a throwing knife he’d yanked from his black leather, seeming as in command of what to do as ever. Anna trusted his judgement and martial arts skilled more than the other two. If anyone could get them out of whatever was happening, Eric could. Hearing his matter-of-fact approach provided the first sense that they would get the chaos around them under control.
“We are under attack,” the wizard replied, stopping his advance.
“By what?” Anna asked, backing away. As the blue light faded, her eyes adjusted and to see that a large, dilapidated hall of grey limestone stretched from left to right before them, scattered oak furniture casting shadows, torn but unfaded tapestries hanging askew from the walls. They appeared to be standing in an alcove set aside for the Quest Ring, with no exits from the big hall except those that had something bashing in the barred doors.
As if noticing what she had, Eric asked a better question. “Is there a way out of here?”
The wizard answered Anna instead. “Ogres.
