Valley of the Wild

By Matthew Holmes

After reuniting with his friend Tristan, Prince Michael journeys to the Defre-Lanc with him to warn them of the approaching threat of Ferren; a monstrous creature with a bear's skull for a head and one of the Summoned.

Upon their arrival, the prince is tested according to the ways of the Sempren and sent to prison for his actions as a slave to the Summoned in an alternate timeline. Once he is released, he travels further north into the mountains with Tristan to seek the aid of the largest of sempren in mounting up defenses against Ferren, who has the ability to control wildlife and use animals as soldiers in warfare.

Throughout his time with the sempren, Michael is confronted with memories of his final day at the castle and how he left his dear friend Fredric behind, and he is forced to confront the true reason he left. All the while, he increasingly begins to question the idea that the Being is the truest source of magic in Magentara, and his encounter with Ferren leaves him conflicted and torn over his mission to destroy or convert the Summoned.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matthew Holmes
• Release date: Feb 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215929896

Matthew Holmes

Born and raised in New Brunswick, Canada, Matthew Holmes (they/them) is the sixthborn child of their parents. They began writing their first published works for fan fiction sites in their early teens, and soon after started writing the story which would become the introduction to their ten part series, "The Slave Prince".Matthew has published five works now; including a short collection of poetry and prose written during times of deep trouble in life.Having recently graduated from a psychology BA program, they are now focusing on writing for enjoyment rather than grades. They are currently living in Fredericton with their boyfriend and young daughter.

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Valley of the Wild

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Copyright Matthew Holmes 2023

Published by Matthew Holmes

Smashwords Edition

Cover design by Matthew Holmes

The Slave Prince Series

Book 1: Sea of the Dead

Book 2: The Black Sky

Book 3: The Highfiend’s Hand

Book 4: Valley of the Wild

Chapter One: Old Legends

It was difficult for the prince to imagine a land beyond the waters surrounding Magentara, but Tristan insisted that the Defre-Lanc were several days journey north from the tip of Marianatha. He was still trying to process the fact that he was riding a flaming, winged horse miles above the ocean, let alone that it was the very same horse he raised from a foal but lost when it fell into a chasm in Jenoth.

So much had changed since he left his home and royal lineage behind a year previous. He had gained and lost so many people in his life. Pride had driven every good thing away; his initial fleeing from the castle where he left his dear friend Fredric behind, his chasing Tristan away in Acosh, total blindness to the danger of the treacherous Ruan who was posed as an ordinary human which led to the death of a man called Reno, and ultimately his decision to murder a man in cold blood as he slept.

When he finally hit bottom, the Summoned were there to capture him. This act of murder was the last handhold Ruan needed to take the Prince of Jenoth captive and use him to further the evil cause of Malumous.

He was forced to murder innocent mages, execute people who opposed the Order of the Summoned, and destroy entire villages in the name of the Highfeind. Each time he slayed a magician, he gained their powers, an ability previously unheard of.

When all was said and done, he took part in a ritual to raise the Highfeind— a grotesque seven headed dragon— and allowed it to rampage across the land, devouring all life in tooth and flame.

When all hope seemed lost, a light broke through the cursed black sky. A hand reached out and when Michael took hold of it, he was taken to speak with the Being. He was shown that the choices he had made led to the end of all beauty and life, when he could have kept it from happening had he abandoned his pride before.

The Being offered him a second chance, and when the prince accepted, time was mysteriously put back to before he murdered the bard and was seized by the Summoned. He killed Kraal, who had been deceiving him for months and leading him in the dark path toward his capture then fled through the forest from a horde of Morphantoms.

They chased him through the wood and onto the stony shoreline. He made his way up the coast and through a city, successfully keeping the creatures away from the innocent people.

It was then that Tristan reappeared riding on Ember, the flaming horse. With a single sweep of his mighty wings, the horse eradicated the morphantoms and melted the stones and sand of the shoreline.

They spent some time on the mountain, then left to find the Defre-Lanc. Thinking back on the journey behind him, the prince felt that it was all just a distant dream. There was a massive chasm between the fool who was so easily swayed by the Summoned and the man who now rode toward the distant hidden kingdom to fulfil his mission.

Michael and Tristan spoke little for the duration of their flight. As the sun was starting to fall, the pale ring across the sky lit up with a fiery orange. The prince imagined the ring as the place where he met with the Being not long ago. He wasn’t sure if it was a dream or if it really happened, but one thing was certain; whatever it was, it woke him up to the reality of what he was facing.1

He touched his right ear, where the steel ring he used to disguise himself as an ex-slave still weighed down his earlobe. In his meeting with the being, the ring had evaporated, but here it still existed. The golden belt, however, had in fact disconnected from his flesh and he could remove it at will. This all simply added to the question of how real the meeting with the being was.

The sky was a gradient of color from vivid orange to deep purple when they spotted an island piercing the surface of the ocean like the back of some sea creature. They lighted on the shore, the soft white sand felt odd beneath the prince’s feet and his legs were numb after sitting so long on a horse.

Michael ventured to the edge of the beach and peered into the forest. Without looking back to Tristan, he called Are these woods safe?

Yeah, Tristan called, Nothing but trees and birds live on this island.

A strange clacking sounded from where Tristan was on the beach. Michael turned around just as a pillar of smoke and ash flowered into the sky.

No! Michael shouted, reaching with an outstretched hand. The sand around the fire folded over the flames as the prince willed it to, smothering the fire instantly. He was astonished at how easy the flow of magic within him was reached, reminding him of how The Being had said that the belt had been dampening Michael’s magical ability.

What was that for? Tristan asked, annoyed.

It was the flames. That’s how Malumous seemed to know every move I make. I learned that he can see into any place lit by fire.

Tristan looked at the smoldering heap of sand in front of him, then the prince, as if to gage whether he was serious. Fine, whatever, he said, stuffing the fire tools back in his pack.

The prince could tell that Tristan didn’t take him seriously, but at least he didn’t re-light the fire. They unrolled their beds on the sand next to each other as the moon crept up over the ocean.

So… Michael said, looking sideways at Tristan’s pointed ears. Are you like… well… you’re not…

Human? Tristan asked, looking sideways at the prince. No, I’m not human. None of the Defre-Lanc are.

So… What are you?

Well, I’m a sempren. Tristan said flatly. You know the old stories about gnomes, elves, and giants? Well, they’re all one race. My race, the sempren. Every sempren grows at a rate of about two inches per year. Some of us stop growing at different ages, and that’s where the division happened.

I thought those were just stories, Michael said. It seemed there were a lot of old legends grounded in truths. He wondered how many other myths were true.

The sempren left the mainland during the Great War and returned to the place where our race was born. We believed that after the war a dictatorship would rise, so we fled across the ocean and adopted strict anti-violence laws so that we could remain a free people. That’s where the name Defre-Lanc came from. It’s nothing more than a scrambled form of the words ‘freed clan’. Everyone on the mainland knew about our motives, but they had no idea where we were going. I suppose over time it was simply forgotten that we were a distinct species entirely than the other kingdoms.

You say we as if you were there too, The prince chuckled.

I was. Well, sort of.

Michael stared blankly at his sempren friend.

Tristan sighed, struggling to think of a way to help the prince understand. Humans reproduce by… you know… but sempren are different. Our life essence recycles itself, and the same number of sempren lives always exist. After we exhale our dying breath, a sort of ‘seed’ is released, which flies back to our homeland where it can be nourished until it is old enough to be reborn. Unless of course there is a battle still raging, then the life essence remains in the corpse until it senses the danger has passed.

Did you know this all along?

No, actually. Do you remember the night when you drove me away in Acosh? It was in that moment that the memories of my past lives came back to me in full. I have always known a great deal about plants, and for as long as I can remember I was an expert marksman without any effort at all, but those skills were learned by who I was before.

This all sounds to be from another world, Michael said, staring at the stars and tracing the band across the sky with his eyes.

Tristan chuckled, Well, according to sempren legend, we came from a far distant land riding on giant red birds. Over time, the magic of this land altered our natures, and we became the sempren.

You don’t remember? Michael joked.

No, Tristan laughed. I have only lived two lives before as a sempren. Even those who have lived more lives only have because their lives were much shorter, or they were reborn quicker than I was. Nobody seems to remember where we really came from, only that we have been here for just over ten thousand years.

Michael clasped his hands behind his head and stared at the stars. It seemed there were so many wondrous mysteries in the world, and the more of it he would come to see, the more mysterious it would become. He drifted gently into sleep, glad at least to be back with familiar company.

Chapter Two: Creature of the Night

A mysterious dream plagued the princes sleep that night. He was walking along the dark streets of Marianatha, a voice in his head guiding every action. Before too long he realised that