The Lions of Inganok

By Kevin L. O'Brien

Medb hErenn serves Seidhloch the Moneylender of Ulthar as the steward of his business interests in the Dreamlands, because she owes him a debt. Though she serves him faithfully and honestly, she does not like being beholden to him, so when the Cats of Ulthar offer her a large reward to retrieve their most sacred artifact, stolen from the Temple of the Great Ones, she accepts without hesitation.

It seems a simple enough task, but it has been taken to the onyx city of Inganok in the far north, where cats are forbidden to go. On top of that, who or whatever took the artifact seems to be after more than financial gain, despite its priceless value, because upon reaching the city it has vanished without a trace. Then Leng Men appear, old enemies from previous adventures. Are they somehow involved, or will they prove to be a red herring?

Medb and her companions must find the artifact, not just for the reward, but also before it can be used to release an evil that could threaten the whole of the Dreamlands. But how can one find a needle in a haystack?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kevin L. O'Brien
• Release date: Aug 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301569328

Kevin L. O'Brien

Kevin L. O'Brien was born with a pen in his hand.Well, not quite, but he has been writing for as long as he can remember, at least since First Grade. Writing has always been his first, true love, but it hasn't always been his career. He worked for 15 years as a biomedical researcher, then for 3 years as a web designer. However, after 30 years of trying to be published in print with little success, he has decided to try his hand at self-publishing.He writes primarily speculative fiction -- fantasy, science fiction, horror, and their sub-genres -- but he also likes to try his hand at thrillers, suspense, mystery, and even westerns. However, his stories tend to have a fantasy element, no matter how subtle.Most of his stories involve the following three main characters:Medb hErenn (http://www.medbherenn.com/) -- One-time queen of Ireland, she is over 3500 years old. A warrior and a sorceress, she cannot be harmed by any weapon made by the hand of man.Eile and Sunny, Team Girl (http://www.teamgirlforever.com/) -- They are two adorable, vivacious, fun-loving young women whose motto is ONWARD TO ADVENTURE!!! Yet trouble follows them like a love-sick puppy wherever they go.Sir Differel Van Helsing (http://www.sir-differel.com/) -- The descendent of Abraham Van Helsing and King Arthur, she heads the Caerleon Order, the premier monster-hunting organization of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. She commands Dracula, the most powerful vampire extant, and the greatsword Caliburn, better known as Excalibur.He also writes a series of sword & sorcery stories set in an alternative universe known as the Lands of the Dreams of Men.Kevin lives in Denver with his family and 4 cats.For more information, see his website: http://www.kevinlobrien.com/

Book preview

The Lions of Inganok

Kevin L. O'Brien

Smashwords Edition

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Text Copyright 2013 by Kevin L. O'Brien

Cover design and typography copyright 2013 by Kevin L. O'Brien

Aladdin font distributed under a free use license by Weatherly Systems, Inc.

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License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. It is licensed for your personal enjoyment and remains the copyrighted property of the author. This ebook may not be sold, reproduced, or copied, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, but it may be given away if no changes are made. If you enjoyed this book and would like to share it, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from Smashwords or their favorite online retailer, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support, and for respecting the hard work of this author.

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If you see any misspellings or typographical errors, please notify Kevin L. O'Brien using one of his online social networks. Thank you.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents, including those based on the real world, are either products of the imagination of Kevin L. O'Brien or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Because some ebook platforms do not support special characters, certain words may appear misspelled, but this was done deliberately to avoid the problem of the platforms deleting the characters. Also, the LRF platform used by older models of the Sony Reader does not permit the use of links to external URLs, whereas the PDB platform used by Palm reading devices does not support any form of linking whatsoever.

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Table of Contents

Preface

The Lions of Inganok

About the Author

Other Books by Kevin L. O'Brien

Connect with Kevin L. O'Brien

Sample Excerpts

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Preface

In Barbarians R Us, we found out that Medb hErenn supports herself in the Dreamlands as a freelance troubleshooter, solving other people's problems for pay. However, she actually started out working for a moneylender based in Ulthar, to whom she owed a loan. While the tale of how she became indebted to him and accepted his offer of employment will be described in future stories, this one explains how she acquired the funds to repay him and become independent.

H. P. Lovecraft, who created the Dreamlands, revealed in his epic novella, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, that the onyx city of Inganok, or Inquanok as it is sometimes called, has no cats, and that in fact cats refuse to visit it. No explanation for why is given. This story offers a partial explanation; additional details will be revealed in future stories.

Back to TOC

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Medb hErenn was eating lunch in the common room of The Hostel of the Laughing Cat in Ulthar when Cremedevoyageur entered, and without ceremony or permission hopped into an empty chair at her table. The young tomcat had a rangy stocky build, with a short fawn-colored coat covered with bronze tiger stripes that were bold on his face, legs, and tail, and pale everywhere else. He was a junior member of the feline messenger service in the Land of the Dreams of Men, but he was also a good friend who often accompanied her on her adventures, so he was always welcome.

He greeted her companions Teehar'owan the bird and Conaed the Zoog, called Runt, and got down to business. Her Most Serene Feline Majesty, the High Queen of All Cats Great and Small, wishes to purchase your services as adventurer for a period of a few months.

She looked up from her plate of roast pork loin and potatoes in surprise. Months? Why so long?

You must travel to the onyx city of Inganok in the North Lands; that alone will take two weeks. How long it will take you to complete your mission, Her Majesty's Council of Elders can not say, but they doubt you would be able to do so in less than a month.

I cannot possibly leave Ulthar for so long, unless ordered by Seidhloch.

The cat gave her a sly, half-lidded stare. It is the understanding of the Council that you do not like being beholden to any man. Is this true?

The massive woman returned his stare with a cold gaze of her own. "It is, as you well know. From my days in the Waking World, when I ruled the province of Connacht in Erin, I had wealth and land enough to buy any man I wanted. Ach, men vied with each other to be my consort, but it was I who choose who would rule beside me, and it was I who paid him the bride-price."

So it chafes you to owe money to any man, much less one like the moneylender.

Indeed. She made no effort to hide her sour tone.

And as long as you do, you must work for him as his steward, overseeing his business and mercantile ventures outside of Ulthar.

She felt herself growing testy. Is there a point to this, or are you merely making conversation?

Her Majesty feels that you would be amendable to her offer if the reward is great enough. Is that an accurate assessment?

Despite his evasion, she did not miss the implication of his words. How great?

Say, ten times the original amount of your loan.

Stunned, she sat back in her chair. That would make it five thousand tahlers, a queenly sum indeed. However, she recovered her composure quickly. What does Selgach Mor wish me to do?

Her Majesty asks that you recover an artifact sacred to the feline race, a statue dedicated to the Divine Mother, Bast.

She knew the object, having seen it in the shrine of the temple of the Great Ones, the Little Gods of Earth. It had been carved in the shape of a sitting cat from a large piece of the curious black jade reputed to be mined in fabulous Cathuria, with lapis-lazuli eyes and a carnelian nose, and ornamented with earrings, a collar, and bracelets made from pure gold encrusted with precious gems. Alone of all the Elder Gods was Bast worshiped in the Land of Dreams, with the center of her cult in Ulthar. Daily the cat queen and her council made obeisance to it with the help of Atal and his priests.

I assume it has gone missing.

Creme replied in a low grow. Stolen, and spirited away into the north.

I am not surprised. It sat on the altar in plain view, with no safeguards to protect it except the inhabitants of the temple. Only the threat of retribution from your people kept it inviolate. She then smiled. "Apparently that was not enough. But surely your people should be able to recover it easily,