The Tablet of Fortune was once a whole relic of ancient power, said to grant unimaginable wealth, strength, or ruin. But long ago, it shattered into stones. Its fragments scattered across the world, each one bearing either a blessing or a curse.

  Those brave—or foolish—enough to claim a stone must first survive the Trial of the Stone. Few do.

  From the power of three such stones, three great kingdoms rose: Noxtharion, the realm of humans; Wraithhold, where beasts and giants walk as kings; and Cinderfell, where thalmyriens and mermaids whisper spells into the sea.

  Zarathys and Elysia, both warriors-in-training from Noxtharion, dream of becoming Ashbringers—the highest military rank in their kingdom. With the Ashbringer Trials only a month away, they have sworn to find weapons and talismans worthy of legend.

  Great weapons lie buried beneath the earth, in the forgotten caverns where ancient fires still burn. Talismans, however, are harder to come by—they must be crafted by a curse-user or learned from one of the outcast witches, exiled by royal decree.

  On the third day of their descent into the under-earth, a shadow passed overhead. The air trembled. A beast of flight—feathered and horned—then dropped a glowing object in their path.

  A stone, warm to the touch. Etched in bloody red, dark light.

  Zarathys stepped closer, his voice barely a whisper. “Is that...?”

  Elysia’s eyes widened. She said, “Yes. It is.”

  When the glowing red stone shattered in their hand, the earth split open beneath their feet—revealing a path no map had ever dared to show.

  Zarathys and Elysia stepped into the glowing chasm, weapons drawn, minds sharpened for whatever trial awaited them.

  Then, they heard it.

  A voice—soft, melodic, impossibly beautiful—echoed through the heat.

  “Come to me…”

  From a river of magma ahead, a figure rose: a mermaid, her scales shimmering like molten glass, her eyes gleaming with ancient hunger. She swam through fire as if it were water, singing a lullaby woven with temptation.

  Zarathys slowed. His eyes glassed over.

  “Come to me,” she whispered again. “I will give you anything you desire.”

  Elysia reached for him. “Zarathys, don’t listen—”

  Too late.

  He stepped forward, entranced, and fell to one knee before the mermaid.

  “I want a weapon,” he said, voice distant. “A strong one. Strong enough to make me unstoppable.”

  The mermaid smiled. “Then bring me her head.”

  She pointed a clawed finger at Elysia.

  Without hesitation, Zarathys unsheathed his lance and lunged at his comrade.

  But Elysia had been ready.

  Her hand flashed over her talisman. With a whispered incantation, a shield of shimmering energy rippled in the air, halting the blow inches from her throat. She leapt behind him with grace, drawing a second charm. Her foot swept low—then a precise strike to the back of Zarathys’ head.

  He collapsed, unconscious.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  The mermaid watched the scene unfold with wicked delight. She laughed, a cruel sound that echoed off molten walls.

  “Bring me your friend’s head,” she said, eyes gleaming. “And I shall grant you anything you desire.”

  Elysia met her gaze coldly. “How could I trust a snake like you? You twist friendship into games for your own amusement.”

  (Among the old legends, it was said: mermaid songs could not charm women. Their magic held sway only over the hearts of men.)

  The mermaid’s smile vanished. With a snarl, she rose from the lava—twice her former size, her lower body thickening into coils of magma and scale. Her face distorted: wolf-like fangs tore through once-beautiful lips, and her eyes burned like a predator in the dark.

  She drew a glowing trident from the molten river. The weapon tore through the air like lightning as she aimed at Elysia’s head and launched it.

  Elysia chanted quickly, “Body of steel, blood of fire—let strength flow through my veins!” triggering a second talisman. Her limbs surged with strength. She focused, watched the weapon's trajectory, and jumped just in time to dodge the lethal strike.

  Mid-air, the mermaid’s massive tail lashed out and caught her side.

  The blow sent Elysia flying.

  She slammed against a wall, her body crashing violently into the flaming stone. She couldn’t move—every part of her ached with serious damage. If it hadn’t been for the talisman that boosted her physical abilities, she would have died on impact.

  The mermaid retrieved her trident and began walking toward her, slowly and menacingly.

  In despair, Elysia screamed, “Zarathys! Wake up! Wake up! If we perish here, we’ll never become Ashbringers!”

  Zarathys, still under the mermaid’s spell, didn’t move an inch.

  Tears welled in Elysia’s eyes. She realized the end was near. As she lay helpless, memories of joy and sorrow flashed through her mind.

  Just as the mermaid raised her trident to deliver the final blow, a piercing roar echoed through the cavern. The flying beast that had dropped the red stone returned—this time, in a dramatic, heroic dive.

  The mermaid snarled at the unwelcome guest.

  The beast opened its massive jaws, unleashed a thunderous roar, and charged. (The beast’s roar shattered the charm spell cast on Zarathys.)

  Fueled by rage, the beast pounced, aiming to rip the mermaid’s head off. She raised her trident just in time to block the strike and retaliated by hurling a wave of lava at its face—but the lava did no harm.

  The beast bit down and shattered the trident with its teeth. It then grabbed the mermaid by the head and slammed her into the ground—once, twice, again and again—until she stopped moving. Then it ripped open her chest and tore off her head, devouring both. Blood pooled beneath the mermaid’s lifeless body. Her skull, shattered. Her chest, hollowed. The beast chewed with calm satisfaction.

  This wasn’t a battle. It was an execution.

  After finishing the gruesome task, the beast turned toward Elysia. It stepped closer, locked eyes with her, and asked in a calm voice, “Where is your friend? Did he leave you here to die alone?”

  Elysia, having witnessed the entire fight, was too stunned and afraid to speak.

  Flashback:

  The roar of the beast wakes up Zarathys in the middle of the battle between the two monsters, his body numb, his mind fogged. “Damn… what happened to me?” he muttered, staggering to his feet. “What’s going on?”

  Disoriented, he turned left, then right. The cavern around him glowed with molten light. Smoke curled through the air. The ground trembled beneath his boots.

  “Elysia?” he called out, panic creeping into his voice.

  He pushed through the haze, heart pounding. “Where are you?”

  Spotting movement across a flaming river, Zarathys didn’t hesitate. He jumped toward the far ledge, barely catching the edge. As he struggled to pull himself up, the rock crumbled beneath his hands—he slipped.

  Below him, the lava churned.

  Then—something caught him.

  A rusty chain shot from the cavern wall, wrapped around his leg, and yanked him sideways. Helpless, he was pulled into the shadows—into a hidden chamber, unknown and ancient.

  End of Flashback

  Then the beast spoke, his voice calm but powerful, beginning to explain why he had saved her.

  “I am one of the servants of King Vareth Nocthar. I’ve spent years searching the under-earth abyss for him—our vanished king. During my search, I discovered a stone deep within the earth, pulsing with the same aura as the king himself. I realized it was a fragment of the Tablet of Fortune… but I didn’t know how to awaken its power. So I left the abyss and flew to the surface, toward the kingdom of Noxtharion, hoping to find someone worthy enough to unlock it.

  I was flying toward the kingdom when I encountered you. At first, I chose to ignore you, but the stone began flashing and emitting the king’s aura. So I dropped it onto you, hoping to understand how to activate it. You know the rest of the story. Tell me—how did you activate the stone? Why did it start giving off signals?”

  Elysia, hearing the full story and realizing the beast meant no harm, responded, “I apologize. I don’t know why it chose us… or how it activated. We were just searching for strong weapons in the under-earth.”

  The beast gently lifted her and began searching for the other one—Zarathys.

  Spotting movement near the same flaming river, the beast saw the crumbled edge—and the mysterious chains reaching from the cavern wall.

  Can an Ashbringer take down the beast and the mermaids?