Dark Shores of Salvation

Dark Shores of Salvation Travail of The Dark Mage Book Three Brian S. Pratt Copyright 2023 Smashwords Edition, License Notes This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To keep updated on the latest happenings with Brian S. Pratt, be informed when new releases become available, or to ask questions and have discussions with the author and other readers, visit and Like the author’s Cover art and design by Donnie Reed — Frontier Studios www.frontierstudios.net. Facebook Fan Page The Fantasy Worlds of Brian S. Pratt The Morcyth Saga The Unsuspecting Mage Fires of Prophecy Warrior Priest of Dmon-Li Trail of the Gods The Star of Morcyth Shades of the Past The Mists of Sorrow* *(Conclusion of The Morcyth Saga) Travail of The Dark Mage Sequel to The Morcyth Saga 1-Light in the Barren Lands 2- Tides of Faith 3-Dark Shores of Salvation 4-forthcoming 5-forthcoming The Improbable Adventures of Scar and Potbelly Ice Terraces of Crystal Crag -additional titles forthcoming- The Broken Key #1- Shepherd’s Quest #2-Hunter of the Horde #3-Quest’s End Qyaendri Adventures Ring of the Or’tux Dungeon Crawler Adventures Underground Portals -Islands forthcoming- The Adventurer’s Guild #1-Jaikus and Reneeke Join the Guild #2 Caravan to Kittikin #3-Tombs of the Necromancer (forthcoming) This is for- Michelle who has far more patience with me than I deserve. Fans whom I got a chance to meet and enjoy pizza with: Rene Carley Brandon Calderon Benjamin Calderon And those I lost during the writing of this book: My father Jess who died too early Ralph, who made my mother happy and was a good grandfather to my children Mary, Charles and Rikki-you will be missed. John and Dorothy Moore (my kids’ Pop-pop and Tutu) Jim and Helen who are finally at peace and together once again. Prologue A massive conflagration erupted within the tree line. Trees exploded, soldiers screamed in pain and through it all, a man walked encased in a protective shield. As his men died around him, the one bringing destruction threaded his way through a hellish inferno. The heat was intense but bothered him not at all. The attacker gave no thought to the welfare of his men as he continued forward. Coming to the edge of the clearing, he saw a lone building situated near the center. Not far from it sat a wooden platform of mysterious design. Within that building was the one for whom he had come. Stepping from the trees, he made his way forward. Resting on the palm of his upturned hand was a yellowish-glowing object from which magic radiated. Two faces peered at him through a window. A third sheltered within as well, but kept out of sight. He recognized one of the faces as that of the mage. Not slowing his pace, the attacker worked his way through the fiery debris until past the area of destruction. About that time, the door to the building opened. A young man of middling height and twenty-four years of age emerged. From the looks of him one wouldn’t think he posed any kind of threat. But the power he could command was formidable. The mage stood framed in the doorway for a moment; fear, worry and no small amount of confusion played across his face. A moment only did he stand there before leaving the relative safety of the small, wooden building. The two men strode purposely toward each other. One set on destruction, the other striving to survive. When the mage came within speaking distance, the mage asked, “Who are you?” Silence was the only answer he received. “Are you from the Empire?” It was a valid question as the soldiers the attacker had arrived with had clearly been from there. Again, the mage was answered by silence. “I don’t suppose you would simply go home?” When again the attacker failed to reply, the mage added, “No? I didn’t think so.” The clearing was choked with an ever-thickening blanket of smoke. Fires raged in the tree line surrounding the clearing and the debris littering the area smoldered and hissed. Coming to a stop a hundred feet away, the mage paused a moment. For a brief moment the pair locked eyes. The attacker felt the mage connect to the magic grid surrounding the island. The yellowish object in the attacker’s palm flashed brilliantly and a beam of power lanced toward the mage. Translucent spheres appeared in the space between them, one of which encountered the beam and the resultant impact was tremendous. A staggering amount of force had been released and the concussion wave rolled over them both. Firing another beam, it proved just as ineffective as another of the mage’s translucent spheres drew the beam to it and another explosion rocked the clearing. Then from behind the mage a man emerged. Dark-haired, muscled and no stranger to death, he held in his hands several ceramic disks. As soon as he drew close he threw them to land in the space between the two adversaries. Immediately, micro-bursts of magic lanced at the attacker. They proved minor in their effect but the constant barrage distracted him just enough to make magic harder to control. The mage summoned massive amounts of magic to him and lightning fell from a cloudless sky. Three bolts of incredible ferocity struck the attacker’s shield and when the resulting flash and detonation dissipated, the attacker remained standing. The mage looked on in shock that his attacks had yielded so little results. Responding in kind, the attacker struck with a force of concentrated power. The mage barely had