Let's take a walk on the dark side of fantasy.

The Scarlet Sword

Darin Calhoun

I'm a writer sailing the genre seas, and the isles of Fantasy is where I call home.

Ashonn is a bad man who does good deeds for the wrong reasons, a slayer who travels at the edges of civilization to kill the monsters that the world of magic creates. He is caught in a twisted relationship with the goddess of death, Morana, who he struck down when she tried to kill him for defying her, in order to save the child of prophecy that he unknowingly conceived. A child fated to kill Ashonn in the war at the end of the world. After killing countless minions sent to end his life, Ashonn spares the life of a death priest, Zair, who has been charged by the goddess of death to follow Ashonn and to collect his soul if a monster slays him. Despite his better judgment, Ashonn allows the priest to follow him. The unlikely pair enters the town of Cloven Hill which is beset with monsters. After dispatching the craven authorities running the dying town Ashonn and Zair uncover the threat, necromancy. The pair investigates the area and end up in the ruins of a former town destroyed in a shadow war between the humans and the demi-humans. Now the area is a giant graveyard filled with centuries of dead soldiers. A necromancer had found a forbidden book of knowledge sent by the Darkness to corrupt the world of men and open a portal, allowing a foothold into this world for the Army of Bone and bring about the Endless Night. Ashonn loves the idea but can’t decide if he should fight off the invading Shadow Lords for invading his territory, or take their powers and rule the world as a dark god.

Everyone that loves a bad boy.

Paperback

Ashonn drew his broadsword from its sheath with a flourish. The pattern-welded, crucible-steel blade glowed red in the firelight, stained scarlet from all the lives it had taken. He raised the heirloom sword to his mouth and kissed the lettering there. “Ulfberht.” Ashonn whispered the inlaid name as if speaking sweet nothings to a lover. ---------------------------------------------------- “She wanted me to kill my child. A baby who, until I stood over it, I never knew I had sired.” Ashonn’s voice trailed off as he recalled the baby’s unmistakable features. Their same luminous pale skin, moon-white hair, and eyes so dark they drank in the light like the depths of a starless night. My eyes. -------------------------------------------------- Ashonn tossed a cascade of his long hair behind him so it wouldn’t get caught in the fire as he added wood to the hearth. “What happened to the village of Galadowns?” The warmth of the fire grew and Ashonn sat on a bench, leaning against the south post. His braided-unicorn-hair gambeson, silver-iron lamellar armor, and black dragon-skin coat creaked as he crossed his arms and waited.

Nothing light or whimsical, the design should be dark and brooding.