Chapters (75)
He took three steps down until he stood on the floor of what had once been a pool filled with essence. Squatting down, the Lord of the Night ran his fingertips over the dry floor and sighed. He straightened and looked around the chamber, remembering when he had last been in this place, on the day of his defeat.
He had always known he would one day return. The humans were weak, no doubt fighting amongst themselves as always, and ready to welcome him home.
The Lord of the Night inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of a world he had left behind an eon ago. He was pleased to have returned, but the homecoming was tinged with sadness, for the way was now closed to his brothers.
A great weight had been placed on his shoulders. He would need an army, he knew, if he wanted to once more fill this pool with essence and open the way for his brothers. He would need to bring many of the humans under his dominion.
He walked forward, stepping over the low stone wall that rimmed the basin, now eaten away, until he stood at the summit of the opening where once there had been a stairway. The Lord of the Night knelt down again and touched his finger to a glistening spot, where the last trace of wetness remained.
He smiled. Essence.
A moment later Sentar Scythran, the Lord of the Night, floated down the empty stairwell.
He soon stood triumphantly in the open air, beside the great statue, gazing up at the stars, wondering on which one of the worlds above his brothers waited expectantly.
The Lord of the Night had returned.
Acknowledgements
This book would never have been written without the encouragement and support of those around me – from Mark Moxon (an inspirational fellow whose travel writing shouldn't be missed) to my editor Lyn Worthen.
I'd like to thank my sisters, Caroline and Liz, both great sources of motivation, and my parents Maureen and David, for ceasing to be surprised at where I'm off to next.
Thanks go to my friend Marc, for valuable input and fantastic designs.
Most of all, I want to thank my wife, Alicia.
Without you there would be no dream to follow.
Rogan was her creation.
THE PATH OF THE STORM
The epic sequel to THE HIDDEN RELIC
Out 16 June 2013
Find James Maxwell Online
Follow the author @james_maxwell
Table of Contents
Map
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
Epilogue
Table of Contents
Map
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
Epilogue