Link to ebook

Blurb:

The Planar Alignment is at hand and a powerful being called Hydrais awaits return from banishment to the Nether Plane of Zamas to the Plane of Light called Vaalüna. On Vaalüna, the Elf Aerinas along with his friends and allies work to prevent Hydrais' return. To do so, they must battle the forces of evil and Aerinas must confront truths about himself and the cold, calculating intelligence that dominates everyone's destiny.

Excerpt:

The Book of Revelations

"The Planes are a mystery to me in that they encompass a concept foreign to every being inhabiting Vaalüna: Balance. It is the dominating force seeking a neutral outcome of all other forces. For every light there is dark, for every life there is death, for every love there is hate, for every good there is evil. The latter worries me."

-Ashinon in an excerpt from the Planarix

Rain drummed on the windowsill outside the small, dilapidated hut. The storm was in its third consecutive day and many leaks had developed in the poorly thatched roof. Inside, water cascaded down walls, splashed over warped furniture and rusted utensils. The uneven dirt floor was turning to mud. Huddled together, two people tried in vain to resist the water with a thick blanket thrown over their heads and backs. They scrutinized a book by the light of a single candle flickering in the whistling wind.

The two people pouring over the book were Aerinas, a Krayn Elf, and Aeligon, a Lünatharian wizard. The book was the Planarix. Aerinas acquired and named the book in Drameda, the cursed pirate city in the land of Caran. The book vexed Aerinas with its incessant riddles and twisted narratives penned by the deceased mage Ashinon. Always stubborn, the elf refused to lay the burden of figuring out the book's hidden meaning on anyone else, but time pressed unerringly upon him. He'd asked Aeligon for assistance near the end of the relentless storm's second day.

Aeligon drew a wet finger over the page. "We see here the two types of magic represented." Water dripped from his beard onto the parchment. He hadn't shaved in a while. His sparkling blue eyes fervently searched the text and scrawled diagrams for clues.

Aerinas sighed and pushed the wizard's finger away. "We already know about Nominscia and Aicsnimon - Magic and Wild Magic. Ashinon discovered them ages ago, but didn't really know how they worked. I've been reading this book for a long time, Aeligon."

"True enough," Aeligon said, "but you asked me here to assist you, didn't you?"

Aerinas guffawed. "It's not like I had to twist your arm. I didn't ask you here to tell me things I've already learned."

"True enough, but I haven't read the book, yet. Please allow me to digest what I'm seeing. I think Ashinon was on to something. Look." Aeligon flipped a few more pages and began reading silently again. "When Ashinon began to suspect that the universe is made up of other worlds, which he called ‘Planes', he also brought both types of magic together into the system."

Aerinas leaned in and squinted his eyes to focus on the blurry markings. He'd seen the pages before - the exact center of the Planarix - two pages forming halves of a hand-drawn cosmological diagram of the Planes. Sadly, its smeared surface made it difficult to visualize the third dimension Ashinon alluded to in the margin notes.

"He believed the Planes existed to exact balance, Aerinas." Aeligon swept a wet lock of brown hair out of his face and behind his right ear. "Now, given the earlier context of Magic and its opposite, Wild Magic, do you see the balance more clearly?"

Aerinas nodded. "But are we only guessing here? I've read through this book over and over again in the time I've had it, and still the meanings of so many riddles elude me."

Aeligon leaned back under the blanket and tilted his head side to side to stretch his neck muscles. Aerinas heard the bones pop a few times. "Be patient and the answers will come to you. Recall the magic of this book. We solved a few of Ashinon's riddles, namely the one which led us directly to the book itself. Ashinon was no fool."

Aerinas shook his head in disbelief. "That's the problem. A fool would've left better clues. Intelligent riddles weigh on the mind."

"To test your resolve, that's all," Aeligon added. "If everything were so easy, if Ashinon had been a fool, this book may very well be in the hands of those who would use its secrets to evil ends."

Aerinas furrowed his brow. "Any worse than what's already happening? War is approaching from all sides. Have you heard the latest rumors from the south? Jjyn's army is preparing to mobilize."

Aeligon sighed heavily. "Again I say, son: be patient. Let the fell ones prepare and march. We must be prudent for the time being."

The way Aeligon said ‘son' made Aerinas feel warm and safe. Aeligon had been more of a father to him than Aerinas' own father, Tristandor, who'd chosen to rest in a neighboring hut with Aerinas' best friend, Foran.

"I'm being patient already!" Aerinas shouted, agitated at the thought of Tristandor. Quickly, he folded his hands and lowered his head. "All right, I'm not being all that patient, but I have been reading diligently."

Aeligon stared into the candlelight intently. Its waxy vapor smelled sweet, like honeydew after a Spring rain. Scented candles weren't common in the Realms, but the Klull tribe had perfected the art. Even though the rain brought with it a strong scent of earthworms as they rushed to the surface to avoid drowning, the candle's smell saturated their makeshift blanket shelter.

"Yes, you have been reading diligently, but I wonder if there's not another piece to this puzzle, another secret yet to be revealed. Ashinon was the most clever wizard of the age, hence his position within the Order of Light."

Just then, a loud rap sounded on the door of their hut. Aeligon threw the blanket off their heads. Aerinas grabbed the book, said a quick command word to make it shrink in size, and hid it beneath his tunic. The water dripping from the ceiling immediately extinguished the candle. "Who is it?" Aeligon called.

"Ithyllna," came the muffled reply. "May I come in? It's pouring out here."

Both Aeligon and Aerinas rose from their chairs. Aerinas looked embarrassed as he ran his hands over his sopping wet platinum hair.

"Come in," Aeligon answered.

The door opened and Ithyllna stepped inside, holding a large, hollow turtle shell over her head. After shutting the door, she stomped her feet on the ground to get the excess water off her boots and close-fitting leather garment. She set the shell down. "Thank you. The shell kept the water off my head and shoulders, but the rain blows sideways in the wind."

"Wouldn't want the water to shrink your leather suit now would we?" Aeligon joked.

Pux, the wizard apprentice who'd lost his physical body in a battle with a Djinn and whose soul now resided in Aeligon's staff, sniggered at his master's comment. "Death by leather-shrink asphyxiation - one could only hope to be so fortunate these days."

"Hello Aerinas," Ithyllna said, completely ignoring the pair's jesting comments.

Aerinas had just relit the candle and propped Ithyllna's turtle shell rain guard over it to keep it from going out. In the dancing orange and yellow light, the elf blushed.

"H-hello, Ithyllna," was all he could muster. She was a beautiful Krayn elf who caused Aerinas' heart to beat fast and his palms to sweat. The one-piece leather garment fit her body perfectly, gracing every curve with alluring appeal. Over her shoulders she wore a leather cloak with an embroidered collar, which concealed the curved twin blades at her back. The sheaths were set upside down, allowing her easier access to the hilts. She didn't have to reach up and behind her head to retrieve the weapons. Instead, she merely had to fold her arms. All that could be seen were the two leather protrusions near her neckline. They blended seamlessly with her suit, not arousing suspicion. As a former member of the Vrünyn Guard - Mynandrias' assassin's guild - part of her deadliness rested in the secretive nature of her weapons.

Ithyllna smiled playfully, her amber eyes twinkling in the glow of the candlelight. "I came to see if you two needed anything." She placed her left hand low on her hip.

Aerinas gaped at her, and he could barely get words out. "Uh, I don't...I don't need anything. Do you, Aeligon?"

Aeligon shook his head. "I'm fine, Ithyllna."

"No one asks if the Headless Staff needs anything," Pux mumbled under his breath.

Ithyllna nodded coolly, her eyes fixed on Aerinas. "I figured you'd say that, so I brought you something anyway. The Klull gave it as a gift. They believe their gods brought them rain because they helped us. They didn't know you two were in this run-down hut, but I've brought some of the food for you. Intense study requires brain nourishment, right?"

She withdrew a bulging pouch from inside her cloak and handed it to Aerinas. "You'll find the most delectable apples, pomegranates, and dried pork in there this side of Salanthanon."

Aerinas took the pouch and stood quiet for a moment. "Thank you, Ithyllna. Aeligon has been griping about being hungry, so this should quell his whining." Aerinas attempted to toss the pouch to Aeligon, but his clumsiness around Ithyllna got the better of his nimble fingers. The pouch hit the floor. Fortunately, Aeligon quickly scooped it up.

"C-clumsy me," Aerinas stuttered. "Aeligon and I have to get back to work. Thank you for the food."

 "You're welcome," Ithyllna answered, flashing a smile at Aerinas. "I'm just in the hut across the way, so if you need anything, please let me know." She swept up her turtle shell.

Aerinas and Aeligon both waved awkwardly as Ithyllna stepped out into the torrential rain.

"Damn! The candle!" Aeligon cursed. He ran to the table and threw the blanket over his head, then lit the candle again.

Aerinas stood staring at the doorway. He smiled, oblivious to the water soaking his hair and tunic. He returned to his seat next to Aeligon and sighed.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel, Aerinas?" Aeligon asked. The question hung in the air like the fetid smell of drowning earthworms outside. He'd asked the elf the question before, which yielded, more often than not, a scolding.

"Hmm?" Aerinas asked. "Oh, sorry, I heard you...just-"

"-can't get her out of your mind?" Aeligon teased. "I know the feeling. If she can't see the love in your eyes for her, I'd believe her to be of the bat species. Likewise, if you can't see the love in hers for you..." Aeligon let the comment hang.

Aerinas silently considered Aeligon's words, but suddenly his skin started to burn hot inside his tunic. "Ouch!" he exclaimed. Quickly he removed the Planarix and saw that smoke furled from its edges. He threw it down on the table and a loud hiss of steam issued from underneath as soon as it touched the water pooling on the table.

Aeligon tossed the blanket over Aerinas' head. "Get under here and get the book open!"

Aerinas placed his hand just above the book's cover and, after uttering the command word, it enlarged to normal size. Aeligon flipped the pages violently.

"Look!" Aerinas pointed. "Everything's moving! The text, diagrams...everything!"

Aeligon stopped turning pages and sure enough, all of the contents shifted and spun on the parchment.

"Go to the center of the book, quick!" Aerinas shouted.

Aeligon turned to the center of the book, where the illegible Planar diagram had seemingly mocked them before. Both of them gawked, mouths agape, at the sight before them.

The diagram appeared to be caught in a vortex, swirling into the book and dragging all the markings and text with it. Then, a shockwave issued from the pages, knocking the elf and wizard back and the blanket off their heads. The Planarix flew up into the air, folded in on itself, and disappeared. A moment later, it popped out of the air and landed with a thud on the table.

"What in Vaalüna just happened?" Aerinas shouted as he struggled to pull the blanket back over their heads.

Aeligon, still shocked, waved the elf away. "We don't need the blanket...see?"

The Planarix glowed soft white, enveloping the men. The rain evaporated as it entered the area of light, bathing the book in a fine mist that twinkled like moonlight on a wind-swept lake. The book opened to the exact center. The twin pages before them were blank except for a short sentence written in beautiful script, which read:

Author Bio:

B.T. Robertson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1977 and still calls the Steel City home. His passion for fantasy began with his infatuation with video games when he was still a youngster. Unlike many writers of fantasy, B.T. wasn't handed a copy of Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Instead, games like SquareSoft's Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and Secret of Mana shaped his love for fantastic worlds, colorful characters, and epic stories. Introduced to fantasy novels as a teenager, his first adventure was The Sum of All Men, book one of David Farland's best-selling series, The Runelords.

B.T.'s first published novel was Chronicles of the Planeswalkers, Part Zero from LBF Books in 2004, followed by Part One: Alliances in 2007. His radically unique systems of Planes and Planar magic blur the lines between science fiction and fantasy, but retains the themes important to both genres. He plans on writing more series novels in the world of the Planes.

Reviews:

"With each book in the Planeswalkers series, B.T. Robertson writes with greater power and ease.  With this installment, he proves himself to be a master of his craft, on par with the best fantasy writers of the day."
-David Farland, New York Times best-selling author of The Runelords

"In Alignment, B.T. Robertson supercharges the traditional quest fantasy to provide an exciting and satisfying conclusion to the Chronicles of the Planeswalkers series."
-David Lee Summers, author of The Solar Sea and editor of Tales of the Talisman Magazine.