Condras fire, p.1
ConDra's Fire, page 1
ConDra’s Fire
Illustrated by the Author
VarTerels’ Universe
Book Two
S.K. Randolph
Illustrated in Color by
S.K. Randolph
Copyright © 2011-2024 by S.K. Randolph
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are imagined. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), places, or events are purely coincidental.
No generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used in the creation of this book - the words and images were created by the author.
Cover and illustrations by S.K. Randolph
Book design by T. Krantz
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Created with Vellum
Dedication
* * *
In the memory of my mother, Emma Randolph,
whose willingness to take artistic risks
taught me to pursue my dreams.
Contents
Thank You
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Next in the Series
MasTer’s Reach
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Glossary
Your Opinion Matters!
Also by S.K. Randolph
Bonus
Acknowledgments
About the Author - Artist
VarTerels’ Universe Library
Thank You
Thank you for downloading my book.
Join my readers group and once a month I will update you about my writing.
* * *
https://www.skrandolph.com/readers-group
SK Randolph
P.S. Included with this novel is a free companion short. See the ‘Bonus’ page at the end of this book for how to download it.
* * *
Let the adventure begin!
www.SKRandolph.com
Prologue
The children of many continue their course
To defy and destroy a sinister force;
The Unfolding pulls them along in its wake
Toward worlds to protect and the wicked to break.
The Unfolding—the Time of Transformation on the last remaining piece of Old Earth—picked up momentum. Currents of change, like flash floods, surged from Myrrh to the planets of Thera, DerTah, KcernFensia, and the far-off world of RewFaar.
In the Guardian’s sanctuary, the oracle fountain, Elcaro’s Eye, waited alone and all-knowing. Rhythmic drops of water fell into the bowl, faltered, then ceased. Restless wavelets churned the surface into a tempest. The alabaster woman kneeling on the rim gazed unblinking into its turbulent depths. An image emerged and steadied.
Massive wings cast their shadows across the vastness of a blood-red desert. Creatures of fire swooped above the sand, drank its shimmering heat, and soared out of sight. A darkened cave rose from Elcaro’s blue depths and wavered into focus. The cherry-colored embers of a dying fire captured a woman’s shadowed form. Writhing, fiery tendrils of hair framed her face. She uncurled the fingers of her fisted hand. On her palm, a glowing crystal shifted in hue from saffron to glacier blue.
The woman dissolved in flares of orange. On the water’s surface, a convergence of light and color revealed a boy strapped to a long, narrow table, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Beneath closed lids, the boy’s eyes burned. The probes inserted into his temples scorched the tender flesh. Panic surged. A horrified howl roared up from his belly as searing pain electrified his mind, flinging its slivered fragments into oblivion. A tortured shudder catapulted him into unconsciousness.
The rhythm of horses’ hooves and the creak of wagon wheels called him back to himself. He squinted through swollen eyelids, but saw nothing. The rough fabric chafing his cheek reeked of dried blood and vomit. His hands and feet, still bound, ached. He lay motionless—trying to remember.
A single, shimmering tear formed in the alabaster woman’s eye, slid down her cheek, and fell, scattering the image like pieces of a broken heart. The gentle sound of falling water again filled the room.
The Unfolding continued…
* * *
1
DerTah
Esán Efre stood alone at the center of an unfamiliar room. “My uncle kidnapped me.” The bitter taste of bile lathered his tongue. Padding across his quarters, he poured cool water into a pottery mug and gulped every drop.
Memories of his arrival on the planet of DerTah blazed unforgettable. He sank onto the edge of the bed and covered his face with trembling hands.
As Esán fought to stop his uncle, DiMensioner Seyes Nomed, from reaching the Prima Crystal Evolsefil, a clap of thunder shook Nemttachenn Tower. Zigzagged light preceded a rolling tremor that pitched twins, Ari and Brie, to the ground, their horror-filled faces buried in a tumble of long, red curls.
With granite chunks exploding in all directions, Esán broke free of his uncle, shoved him, and ran. A swirling vortex opened beneath his feet and froze him mid-stride. Nomed’s arms closed around him. The death shadow, Wodash od DerTah, howled his horror and plummeted into the gaping hole.
The twins scrambled to their feet. “No!”
The last thing Esán saw before plunging into the magnetic pull of the vortex was an aftershock tossing the twins into each other’s arms. Their frantic shouts faded into nothingness darker than night, enclosing him in a silence so profound his ears ached. Suspended in time, he fought to calm his racing emotions. Where are we going?
Streaks of exploding color tore him free of Nomed’s imprisoning arms. He shot from the dimensional portal into scalding desert heat, slid down the side of a blood-red dune, and came to a sprawled stop next to the death shadow.
A chorus of bloodcurdling shrieks sent grains of sand dancing over the dunes. Flaming carnivores, part dragon and part condor, materialized in searing waves and soared above them. Red-hot eyes drilled into their prey. Immense and ravenous, the ConDra swooped in a wide, fire-filled arc.
Nomed skidded to a halt beside him. “Don’t move!” He untied his cape and hurled into the air, where it remained silver-side up. “Get under here and hold on to me! Now!”
Without hesitating, Esán obeyed his uncle’s command. He knew beneath the hovering cape was the only place they would survive the Fire ConDra of Fera Finnero.
Terror tensing every muscle in his slender body, Esán’s gaze darted from the descending creatures to his uncle’s stern features. The next instant, the walls of a barn enclosing them in sudden dimness left them blinking.
Esán lowered shaking hands from his face and gripped his knees. I’m on another planet. He squeezed the bridge of his nose and sighed. Will I ever see my friends and family again?
A wave of fatigue washing over his too-thin body ended in a protracted yawn. He ran a hand over his bald head. “At least I’m somewhere safe.” The need to rest overpowering him, he stretched out on the bed, closed his eyes, and gave himself permission to sleep.
* * *
Sometime later, he woke to a knock, followed by the immediate arrival of his uncle. Nomed peered down at him. “I’m glad you could nap.”
Esán pushed himself to sitting while his uncle placed a chair by the bed and took a seat. Wistful eyes searched his face.
Esán lowered his gaze.
Nomed sighed. “I wish we had met under different circumstances, but we didn’t. Now, I suggest we put the past behind us and get to know each other.” He smoothed his hair back from his face. “I did not int
As much as he wanted to demand that Nomed take him home, Esán pressed his lips together and kept his gaze steady.
His uncle tensed. “I know you must be angry. We will talk about this later. Now, eat and get some more sleep. The next few turnings will be busy ones. DerTah’s Dreelum, the leaders of this planet, have gathered to meet you and to appraise your talents. Tonight, a servant will bring you supper, and, if you are up to it, give you a brief tour of Shu Chenaro, Wolloh’s ranch house. I will see you in the morning.”
He stood, returned the chair to its place at the desk, and turned with a slight twinkle in his eye. “By the way, I have released the death shadow from my service.” His expression changed to serious. “You are a very talented young man, nephew. With luck, Wolloh will select you as his apprentice.” A military-like about face propelled him from the room.
Esán clutched a pillow to his chest. “And what if I don’t wish to be anyone’s apprentice? What if I just want to go home?” He scowled. “What I desire is of no concern to anyone but me.”
A soft knock ended his tirade. He tossed the pillow against the headboard, marched to the door, and yanked it open. A young servant, about his age, met his glare with wide-eyed trepidation before entering to place a large, food-laden tray on the desk. With a furtive glance in his direction, the boy laid out the meal on a table beside the window and scurried away.
Esán had just finished eating when the servant returned to clear away the dirty dishes.
Eyes downcast, the boy swallowed. “Stebben asked me to take you on a tour of Shu Chenaro?”
His instincts nudging him to pay attention, Esán smiled. “I’d appreciate seeing the ranch house.” “What’s your name?”
The servant’s face paled, then flushed pink. “I am called Seval.” His gazed lifted to Esán’s face, then lowered.
“Are you from DerTah, Seval?”
“No, my home was on the planet of…” Confusion skittered across his face. Smoothing his dark auburn hair with trembling hands, he turned away. “Let me show you around.”
As they walked down one hallway after the other, Esán studied his guide from beneath his lashes. What has hurt you so deeply? Your shyness is one thing; your sad confusion is another.
Ahead of him, Seval entered the conference room where he was to meet Nomed the following turning and stepped to one side.
From the doorway, Esán took in the subtle beauty of adobe walls, exotic paintings, and the antler chandeliers hanging above the long conference table.
He blew out a tense breath. Tomorrow I meet Wolloh Espyro and the Dreelum of this planet. Nervous excitement mixed with the last vestige of anger made him turn and walk away.
Seval hurried to catch up, led him to his room, and without a word, scurried down the hall.
* * *
Late the next morning, Esán sat on the side of the bed, his bleary gaze wandering over the foreign-feeling room. He shot his pillow a longing look, rose, and walked to the window.
For a moment he stared unseeing, remembering his fifteenth Sun Cycle Celebration. I left the hospital and visited Myrrh. Ari and Brie were there with Torgin. Our adventures together began that turning. He sighed. Will I ever see them again?
Shaking himself, he gazed out the window at the desert stretching as far as the eye could see. Red-orange dunes rolled, one after the other, in wavelike repetition to the black line of the horizon. The sun rode high and close, much closer than the Theran sun. Heat from the scorched sand radiated upward in sheets of shimmering mirages. Seval had told him no one ventured out-of-doors until late afternoon.
He sighed. “I’m on DerTah whether I like it or not.”
An enormous bird swooping into view prompted him to open the window and lean out. A shock of mid-morning heat slapped his cheeks as the bird flew out of sight. He ducked inside and pulled the window shut.
After nibbling on the meal left in his room, he prepared for the turning. His reflection in the mirror held him motionless. Today I meet the High DiMensioner od DerTah for the first time. He shivered.
Somewhere in the ranch house, a bell chimed. His curiosity quickened. He stepped into the hallway and walked toward the conference room, his eagerness waning with each step. They won’t allow me to go home. So… What now?
From the arched doorway, he surveyed the busy room. His attention, drawn first to the silhouetted figure of a man in front of double glass doors at one end, moved on to several dark-haired men in red robes gathered around the long table. His uncle sat on the far side next to an empty chair.
Nomed glanced up and caught his eye. A smiled tugged the scar on his right cheek. “Esán, come in and join us.
The buzz of conversation stilled to silent interest as he walked around the table to stand beside his uncle.
“This is my nephew and apprentice, Esán Efre.” Nomed nodded toward his associates. “These, Esán, are the esteemed Dreelum od DerTah.”
Esán acknowledged the planet’s leaders with a smile and waited for introductions.
A short, rotund man with one wandering eye stood. “Dreela Thaer from the Plains of DoOlb.” He cleared his throat. “Welcome to DerTah.” Before Esán could reply, he swept his greasy, black hair away from his face, attempted to straighten his crumpled robe, and slumped into his seat.
Craggy of face, lean, and graying, the man next to him pushed back his chair and rose. A stern voice filled the room. “Dreela Omudi.” His steady gaze seemed to dissect Esán. “I am from the Towne of TiCeed on the Island of Geran.”
“It is an honor, Dreela Omudi.” Esán acknowledged him with a slight bow of his head.
Across from Nomed, a thin-faced man made a slow ascent to standing. Esán’s gaze climbed with him to his full height, where his shock of white hair brushed the ceiling. His smiled warmed Esán. “Dreela Baroh from the TheDa Mountains.” His voice, dry and kind, rumbled around the room. “I welcome you to DerTah, Esán, nephew of Seyes Nomed.”
“Thank you, Dreela Baroh.” Dark eyes met his and descended as the reed-like body folded back onto the chair.
The next Dreela, his short, muscular body sparking with energy, surged to standing. “I am Gidtuss. Fire ConDra are my pets and the sands of Fera Finnero are my domain.” He narrowed his close-set eyes. His words licked the air like flames. “You know it, young Esán, as the Desert of DerTah.” His eyes widened to a hard-edged stare. “You have felt the heat of its breath.”
Before Esán could respond. The man’s smirked smile, a cool compliment to his fire, formed and faded. “I am Gidtuss, the great—”
