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Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Novel Chapters
List of most recent chapters published for the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness novel. A total of 162 chapters have been translated and the release date of the last chapter is Apr 02, 2024
Latest Release: Chapter 1 : Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.Mich.e.l.le Paver.Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.Wolf Bro
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.Mich.e.l.le Paver.Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.Wolf Brother.Spirit Walker.Soul Eater.Outcast.Oath Breaker.Ghost Hunter.Wolf Brother.ONE.Torak woke with a jolt from a sleep he'd never meant to have.The fire had burned low.
- 1 Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.Mich.e.l.le Paver.Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.Wolf Brother.Spirit Walker.Soul Eater.Outcast.Oath Breaker.Ghost Hunter.Wolf Brother.ONE.Torak woke with a jolt from a sleep he'd never meant to have.The fire had burned low.
- 2 THREE.The wolf cub did not at all understand what was going on. He'd been exploring the rise above the Den when the Fast Wet had come roaring through, and now his mother and father and pack-brothers were lying in the mud and they were ignoring him.Since
- 3 Torak woke with a cry.The last of the bear's roars were echoing through the Forest. They weren't a dream. They were real.Torak held his breath. He saw the blue moonlight through the gaps in his shelter. He saw that the fire was nearly out. He felt his h
- 4 The rest of his talk was the same: rough but expressive. Of course he didn't have a tail, and couldn't move his ears or fluff up his fur, or hit the high yips. But he usually made himself understood.So in many ways, he was just like any other wolf. Alth
- 5 Torak broke out in a sweat. Death? How could taking a roe buck mean death?His mouth was so dry that he could hardly speak. 'If if it's the buck you're after,' he said, 'take it and let me go. It's in my pack. I haven't eaten much.'Oslak and the gi
- 6 'Wh at?' he gasped. 'I didn't even know the buck was yours! How can I be guilty if I didn't know?''It's the law,' said Fin-Kedinn.'Why? Why? Because you say so?''Because the clans say so.'Oslak put a heavy hand on Torak's shoulder.'No!' cr
- 7 'I don't know,' she said. 'Maybe he is. Maybe he isn't. We need time to find out.'Fin-Kedinn stroked his beard. 'What makes you suspect ''The way he defeated Hord. And I found this in his things.' She held out her palm, and Torak saw his little
- 8 'I saw you!' Her face was paler than ever. 'So it's true. The Prophecy is true. You are the Listener.''No!''What were you saying to him? What were you plotting?''I've told you, I can't ''I won't give you the chance,' she whispered. 'I won
- 9 As quietly as he could, he started clambering up the bank. It was thick with willows which gave good cover, but very steep. Red earth crumbled beneath him. If he fell back into the river, they'd hear the splash . . .Pebbles trickled into the water as he
- 10 She stood up, struggling to overcome her unease. 'They've gone. It's time we headed north.' She replaced her arrow in her quiver and slung her bow over her shoulder, and for a moment Torak thought she was having a change of heart. Then she drew her kn
- 11 As night fell, they made a shelter of bent hazel saplings and leafmould by a muddy stream. Holly trees gave a pretence of cover, and they lit a small fire and ate a few slips of dried meat. They didn't dare risk the salmon cakes; the bear would have smel
- 12 He'd nearly reached it when something made him look down and he saw them. Far below, two blind white eyes staring up at him.What were they? River pearls? The eyes of one of the Hidden People?The Prophecy. The riddle. 'Deepest of all, the drowned sight.
- 13 Renn wrapped two small pieces of grouse in dock leaves and left them for the clan guardians, while Torak moved the fire to the mouth of the cave, as he was determined not to spend another night inside. Half-filling Renn's cooking-skin with water, he hung
- 14 If their journey had been hard before, this was worse. The Walker strode behind them, forcing them almost at a run up a rocky elk trail that at times had them climbing on their hands and knees. Renn went in front, stony-faced, grieving for her quiver. Wol
- 15 With an odd sense of giving up an unwelcome burden, Torak handed her the ravenskin pouch, and she tied it to her belt. Wolf watched what was happening with ears swivelling: as if, thought Torak, the pouch were making some kind of noise.'You'll need ligh
- 16 For a heartbeat, Torak was back with Fa on the night of the attack, transfixed by the malice of those demon-haunted eyes . . .'No!' he shouted.Renn loosed her arrow. The bear batted it away with one sweep of its claws. But just as it was about to move i
- 17 'West, round the other side of the hill, then down into a beech wood.' He reached out and stirred the fire, his thin face sharp with anxiety. 'The bear was right behind him.'Renn pictured Wolf racing through the Forest with the bear closing in. 'Tora
- 18 Behind him, Wolf gave an urgent grunt.Torak turned to see the cub leaping for cover beneath an arch of solid ice. He glanced up. 'Look out!' he cried, grabbing Renn and yanking her under the arch.An ear-splitting crack and they were overwhelmed by roari
- 19 The fury of the ice river broke upon them with terrifying force.Torak had to lean into the blast just to stay standing, and clutch his cape to stop it being ripped away. Through the streaming snow, he saw Renn pus.h.i.+ng forwards with all her strength; W
- 20 Somehow, between them, they managed to make a fire. Fire needs warmth as well as air, so they used some of their firewood to make a little platform to keep the rest off the snow and this time, instead of fumbling with his strike-fire, Torak remembered the
- 21 'What are you doing?' cried Renn. 'Give it back!''Hold your tongue!' snapped Hord.'Why should I? Who says you can 'Hord slapped her. It was a hard blow across the face, and she went flying, landing in a heap.Oslak growled a protest but Hord warned
- 22 'Mend them?' She snorted. 'I think I can manage that!''Thank you,' Torak said humbly. He glanced at Wolf, who was cowering in the corner with his ears back.Oslak's mate s.n.a.t.c.hed a length of sinew and spun Torak round to measure his shoulders.
- 23 'I didn't say that. You can run or you can fight. There's always a choice.'Torak looked up at the blood-spattered parka. Hord was right: this was a fight for men, not for boys. 'Why did Fa never tell me anything?' he said.'Your father knew what he
- 24 Torak bowed his head. He couldn't go on. He didn't belong here. This was the haunt of spirits, not of men.When he opened his eyes, the Mountain was gone, once more shrouded in clouds.Torak sat back on his heels. I can't do it, he thought. I can't go u
- 25 A breeze lifted his hair, but brought no answer.A young crow flew over the Mountains, cawing and sky-dancing with the joy of flight. From the east came a thunder of hooves. Torak knew what that meant. It meant that the reindeer were coming down from the f
- 26 'Where's Fin-Kedinn?' cried Torak when he reached the Raven camp.'In the next valley,' said a man gutting salmon, 'gathering dogwood for arrowshafts.''What about Saeunn? Where's the Mage?''Casting the bones,' said a girl threading fish-heads o
- 27 'And I will,' said Fin-Kedinn. 'I will keep you safe. But put Dari down. Let him come to me. Let me take him to his mother.'Oslak's face went slack.'Put him down,' repeated Fin-Kedinn. 'It's time for his nightmeal . . .'The power of his voice be
- 28 That was how Renn found him: standing rigid with his knife in his hand, staring upwards.'What's wrong?' she said. 'Why did you run away? Are you did you eat something bad?' She didn't want to voice her fear that he might have the sickness.'I'm all
- 29 SIX.Oslak had taken no chances. He'd gnawed through his bindings, slipped out of the sickness shelter, and climbed the Guardian Rock. Then he'd thrown himself off.The fall had probably killed him. At least Torak hoped so. He couldn't bear to think of h
- 30 The prey soon sensed that he wasn't hunting them, and relaxed. An elk munched willowherb as he pa.s.sed. Forest horses flicked up their tails and cantered into the trees, then turned to stare till he was gone. Two boar sows and their fat, fluffy piglets
- 31 The boar gave a wheezy roar and thundered off into the Forest.When it did not come back, Torak blew out a shaky breath. But he knew it was too soon to climb down. Boars are cunning; they know how to lie low. This one could be anywhere.His legs were crampe
- 32 He couldn't see anyone. The bracken was man-high, filled with shadow.'Who are you?' he said. He took a step forward then realised he'd left his weapons by the carca.s.s.That was when he saw it. A face in the bracken, staring at him.A face of leaves.EL
- 33 That was when she'd forgotten one of the first rules Fin-Kedinn had ever taught her, and stuck in her hand without looking.The pain was terrible. Her scream shook the Forest and sent woodpigeons bursting from the trees.Howling, she yanked back her hand b
- 34 To cheer herself up, she took out the little grouse-bone whistle which Torak had given her the previous autumn. It didn't make any sound that she could hear, but she always kept it with her. Wolf seemed to hear it well enough, and once she'd used it to
- 35 Wolf glanced back at her, and she saw the certainty in his amber eyes.'West,' she said again.Wolf started along the trail, and Renn followed him at a run.FIFTEEN.Torak caught a tang of salt on the air, and came to a halt. That smell brought back memorie
- 36 Why did I do what? wondered Torak. Then he realised what they were doing: talking to distract him while they closed in.Quickly he looked about. Before him the ground sloped down into a long, lush hollow. He made out alders and willows; pale-green moss and
- 37 SEVENTEEN.The three skinboats flew over the waves as the sun sank towards the Sea, and hope died in Torak's heart.In his mind he saw Wolf running up and down the sh.o.r.e: howling, unable to comprehend why his pack-brother had forsaken him.Torak couldn'
- 38 'First of the summer,' said Bale, 'and we missed it.' He made it sound as if that was Torak's fault.Suddenly Torak realised that all this meat came from just a single kill. He saw a tail fin longer than a skinboat. What he'd taken for saplings were
- 39 'And did she teach you Magecraft?''No,' said Torak. 'I'm a hunter, like my father. He taught me hunting and tracking, not Magecraft.'Again Tenris met his eyes and this time Torak felt the full force of his intelligence, like a shaft of strong sunli
- 40 Tenris set down the final Sea egg at his feet. 'If I made the cure, you'd have to help.'Torak held his breath.'Each summer,' said Tenris, 'the Sea clans celebrate the Midsummer rites on a different island. This time it's the turn of the Cormorants.
- 41 Kyo spoke to Tiu. 'There's that little bay to the south-west of their camp. We could put in there, and they'd never know.''And I could give her seaworthy clothes,' said a woman, 'and purify her for the journey. Tiu, she's just a girl, we can't le
- 42 'I said it was an accident!' panted Torak. 'My paddle broke!''That's impossible! They're made of the strongest driftwood -''Then what's this?' Torak brandished what remained of his paddle. 'If they're so strong, why did mine snap like a piece
- 43 He rolled onto his side, then onto his knees, and spewed up what felt like half the Sea. 'D- drowning,' he gasped.'I could see that!' said the voice, managing to sound both angry and shaken. 'But what were you doing? Why didn't you just climb out?'
- 44 'What?' said Renn.'I felt I felt the shape of things in the water, like a fish would.' He gazed into the fire. 'Then something scared them. They felt a Hunter, somewhere in the deep water. And I felt it too, Renn. Just like a fish.'Renn was bewilder
- 45 She sprang to her feet. It was no use staying here, scaring herself. It was at least a daywalk to the western tip of the island and the Eagle Heights; she should break camp now, and get a head start on the skinboats.Feeling better for making a decision, s
- 46 'Just keep out of the way,' muttered Bale.Torak ground his teeth. They wouldn't even let him help.Stifling his frustration, he watched Bale draw back his arm and throw the rope. The hook floated high, then dropped neatly over a peg about ten paces up.
- 47 Torak thought that too obvious to need a reply.The selik root had taken hold in a sunbaked 'earth' of rotten wood and eagle pellets, and it didn't want to let go. Sweat poured down Torak's sides as he chipped away at the base of the plant with Fa's b
- 48 'Where are you?' he said softly.'The rowan trees,' she whispered. 'Up here no, further along.'When he got within reach, she grabbed his jerkin and pulled him behind a spur which cut them off from the others. 'At last!' she breathed. 'I've been w
- 49 His voice was as steady as an oak standing firm in a gale, and Torak took strength from it. 'Yes,' he said. 'Yes. This doesn't change what I have to do. Does it, Tenris?' He turned and looked up into the Mage's face.'No,' said Tenris, 'it doesn'
- 50 'You've gone very pale,' said Tenris in his beautiful, gentle voice.'I'm I just need to find Torak,' she said.'So do I,' he said, and a corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. It was a smile full of warmth, but as Renn met his calm grey gaze, she k
- 51 Slowly Torak shook his head. 'I won't help you do that.'Tenris smiled. 'You don't have a choice.' Turning his head, he barked a command at the tokoroth, his voice suddenly harsh and cruel.The boy raced to fetch a heavy basket almost as big as himsel
- 52 Torak's heart tightened with dread. Three against one. If Wolf tried to help him, he'd get himself killed.'Uff!' called Torak, warning him back. 'Uff! Uff!!'Wolf p.r.i.c.ked his ears, but did not retreat. He'd found a gap in the wall where the girl
- 53 Together they burst from the Sea.'So you'd rather kill yourself, would you?' gasped Tenris. 'How n.o.ble! But I won't give you the chance!' Still gripping Torak by the hair, he struck out for the sh.o.r.e, swimming one-armed, but powering through th
- 54 '- so why not a Seal in a forest?' said Torak with a smile.Bale grinned. 'Why not indeed, kinsman?' Then with a nod to Renn and Wolf, he was back in his skinboat and heading off into the west, his fair hair flying behind him, and the Sea around him tu
- 55 Torak nodded, too numb to speak.'Tomorrow,' said Fin-Kedinn, 'I'll teach you how to make rope.'Torak had run till he could run no further, but his thoughts would not be stilled. Fa had been a Soul-Eater. Fa, his own Fa . . .There was a tightness in h
- 56 Suddenly Wolf gave a grunt, and p.r.i.c.ked his ears.'What's he smelt?' said Renn. She didn't speak wolf talk, but she knew Wolf.Torak frowned. 'I don't know.' Wolf's tail was high, but he wasn't giving any of the prey signals Torak recognized.St
- 57 Besides, no trace of them had been found. Since the sickness last summer, Fin-Kedinn had spoken to every clan in the Open Forest, and had sent word to the Deep Forest and the Sea and Mountain clans. Nothing. The Soul-Eaters had gone to ground like a bear
- 58 His mane was a tangle of beard-moss, his scrawny limbs as gnarled as roots. Loops of green slime swung like creepers from his shattered nose and his rotten, toothless mouth.He'd left his cape on the ice to fool them, and was naked but for a hide loinclot
- 59 It was this pale-pelt who now rose on his hind legs and came towards Wolf.Wolf gave a m.u.f.fled growl.Pale-Pelt bared his teeth, and brought his big claw close to Wolf's muzzle.Wolf flinched.Pale-Pelt laughed, lapping up Wolf's fear.But what was this?
- 60 'And we can't have a fire, or the ravens will smell it.'Renn bit her lip. 'You do know that you can't have anything to eat? To go into a trance, you need to fast.'Torak had forgotten that. 'What about you?''I'll eat when you're not looking. The
- 61 After they'd moved about an arm's length, Torak put down his knife. 'This isn't working.'Renn met his eyes. Her own were huge. 'You're right. A drift like this, it could go on for . . . We might never break out.'He saw the effort she was making to
- 62 Torak had thought of that too. 'But can we risk it?' he said. He wanted to trust Inuktiluk, but he'd learned the hard way that a man can do kind things, and still hide a rotten heart.'You're right,' said Renn. 'We won't tell him anything. Not till
- 63 Inuktiluk snorted. 'Not one like this.''Then we'll go around it,' said Renn.Inuktiluk threw up his hands. Whistling to his lead dog, he started across the lake. 'We cross on foot,' he told them. 'Walk behind me, and
- 64 He caught a flicker of movement. Renn pus.h.i.+ng up her visor to take aim. 'Don't,' he warned. 'You'll only make it worse.'She saw that he was right, and lowered her bow. But she kept the arrow nocked in readiness.The dogs w
- 65 Akoomik didn't join in the laughter as she packed her needles in a little bone case. Renn noticed tiny toothmarks on it, and asked who'd made them.'My baby,' replied Akoomik. 'When he was teething.'Renn smiled. 'Is he ov
- 66 'Watch out,' said Torak, 'you're splas.h.i.+ng me.''Sorry.'Her arms ached, and despite her owl-eyed visor, her head was pounding from the glare. They'd reached the open Sea shortly after dawn, and were now in an eer
- 67 Nothing. Not a breath of wind stirred the dead air.'Try again,' said Torak.She tried. And again. And again.Still nothing. She couldn't meet his eyes.Then from deep inside the mountain the faintest of howls.Torak's face lit up. 'I
- 68 'Stop whining,' growled the Soul-Eater, 'and keep up! If you get lost down here, we'll never find you again.'More tunnels, until Torak's head whirled. He wondered if the Soul-Eater had chosen a winding route on purpose, to ma
- 69 Again Nef seemed to read his mind. 'He isn't here. We're keeping him apart from the others.''Why?'That earned him a sharp glance. 'You ask a lot of questions.''I want to learn.'The bat on Nef's should
- 70 The hood of her parka snagged on the roof, and she kicked forwards to unhook it but the tunnel was too low, she couldn't move far enough to free herself.Irritated, she tried again. And again. She tried wriggling from side to side. The tunnel was too
- 71 Torak looked from Nef to Seshru to Thiazzi. Their faces were alight with fervour. While he had been plotting to rescue Wolf, they had been hatching a plan to gain dominion over the Forest.'Soul-Eaters, they call us,' said Thiazzi. He spat out a
- 72 More cramps convulsed him. He retched . . .. . . and suddenly he was trapped in the pit, slitting his eyes against the painful blur of light. He was so hot, so terribly hot. Above him the frail body of a boy taunted him with the maddening scent of fresh m
- 73 Renn froze.'Boy! Wake up!''So you found him,' said another woman a little further off. Her voice was low and musical, like water rippling over stones. Renn's skin p.r.i.c.kled.'I can't wake him up,' said the Bat Mag
- 74 The badness in his tail wouldn't let him rest. He circled until his hind legs shook so much that he had to lie down. His pelt felt hot and tight, and there was a buzzing in his ears. The black fog was hurting his head.From above him came the yip-and-
- 75 'Yes. We might be able to s.h.i.+ft it.''We'll have to. It's the only way out.''No it isn't.' Reluctantly, she told him about the weasel hole.Normally he would have wanted to know everything about it, including
- 76 Before she could stop him, he'd risen to his feet, and stepped out into the light.With startling speed the lynx and the ice bear spun round, and stared at him with dead gutskin eyes.'The ninth hunter is come,' said the Oak Mage in a voice a
- 77 Saeunn was undaunted. 'You cannot lead us into the Far North.''Oh, I wouldn't lead you, Mage. I'd make sure that you stayed here, in the Forest ''I'm not thinking of myself, but of the clan, as you well know!'&
- 78 THIRTY-THREE.The ice gave another lurch, jolting Torak to his senses.He had to get away from the edge, or he'd be next.The fog was so thick that he could hardly see; or were his eyes getting worse? Even this weak light felt like hot needles drilling
- 79 A sudden honking of geese overhead. Thrusting her arms into her sleeves, she drew her bow from its seal-hide carrier.Too late. They were out of range.'Stupid!' she berated herself. 'You should've been ready! You should always be ready!
- 80 Torak lifted his chin. 'It was my father's,' he said proudly.A hush fell upon the Soul-Eaters. The eagle owl swivelled its head and stared.'Your father,' said Nef, aghast. 'He was the Wolf Mage?''Yes,' said Tor
- 81 You couldn't stop this now, she thought. Even if you wanted to.Snow fell thickly, chilling her palm, but the fire-opal remained untouched.Deep within the stone, a crimson spark flickered. The spark flared to a flame. Pure. Steady. Beautiful . . .Shut
- 82 Suddenly Torak wanted to bury his head in Wolf's scruff and cry till his heart broke: for the Bat Mage, for himself, and in a tangled way, for his father.'Here,' said Renn, holding out a sc.r.a.p of seal meat.He sniffed; took the meat, and
- 83 A weasel in its white winter coat rose on its hind legs to snuff the wind. Wolf p.r.i.c.ked his ears, and shot off in pursuit.Fin-Kedinn watched him go. Then he turned to Torak and said, 'I told you once of the great fire that broke up the Soul-Eater
- 84 Wolf's sense of smell is much more sensitive than Torak's. It's not known for sure exactly how much, but judging from the number of smell receptors in his long nose, it's been estimated at between a thousand to a million times better.L
- 85 Hearing Wolf's voice lightened Torak's spirits. Wolf didn't seem to mind his tattoo. Nor did the Forest. It knew, but it hadn't cast him out.The jay flew up, scattering droplets, and for a moment, Torak followed its flight. Then he pus
- 86 'Renn. You've got to.''No! You couldn't do it on your own, you don't know Magecraft.''I've got to try.''Yes, and I'll help you.''No. If you helped me, you'd be outcast too.'&#
- 87 Thull took Torak's fis.h.i.+ng spear and buried it under the trees.Luta laid his cooking-skin on the fire.Dari did the same with his auroch-horn spoon.Etan stamped on his birch-bark drinking cup.Sialot and Poi took his arrows and snapped them in two.
- 88 Like a badger, he dragged armfuls of leaves into the shelter and snuggled under them, relis.h.i.+ng the woody tang. After a prayer of thanks to the Forest, he shut his eyes. He was exhausted.He was also wide awake.Thoughts he'd been avoiding for a ni
- 89 'I do know the risks, but ''No. Coming here tonight was incredibly brave, but you cannot you must not do any more!'Renn stood up. 'What I do or don't do is not for you to decide.' She turned to untangle her bow from a br
- 90 So why had it attacked? Sickness? A wound gone bad? She'd seen no sign of either. Demons? No. It didn't feel like that. And yet there was something.More earth trickled onto her face, and she spat out gritty crumbs. With infinite care, she pushed
- 91 A Willow man sang of the salmon run to the music of deer-hoof rattles and duck-bone pipes.A Rowan woman created a prowling shadow bear by moving her hands behind a firelit hide.So it went on through the brief summer night. Torak found himself drawn into t
- 92 The river turned rougher, cras.h.i.+ng over rocks and soaking him in spray. As he clambered past the rapids, he watched for his pursuers on the other side. From memory, he guessed he was nearing the place where on the opposite bank two gullies led off fro
- 93 The Up darkened, and the Wet began to fall.Wolf stood in the Wet and watched the Mountain pack trotting away into the trees.THIRTEEN.It was raining, and Torak was chilled to the bone, but he was too scared to wake up a fire. The rockfall had crushed his s
- 94 FOURTEEN.The walkway lurched, nearly tipping Torak into the Lake. He dropped to all fours and clung on with both hands.Behind him Wolf stood, his claws digging into the wood. He hated this.There was no room for Torak to turn, so he cast an encouraging gla
- 95 He began to nod.Red eyes came at him. He woke with a cry. The eyes were real. Not red, but yellow. Wolf eyes.Seizing a burning branch, he lashed out, etching the shadows with a glittering trail of sparks.The wolves drew back. Their eyes were blank and ter
- 96 Saeunn turned to Renn. 'You were the last to have seen her. Tell him what she is.'Renn couldn't speak. She was back in the forest of stone, in the flickering torchlight and the stink of slaughter, watching the snake-haired mask of the Viper
- 97 'Then why?''I'll tell you when you're older.' He takes her hand in his warm, strong grip, and she clings on fiercely.Now she was back on the Hogback; but there was no Fin-Kedinn to cling to.By the time she had made her way do
- 98 'He has the waterskill,' Renn said quickly. 'And look at the reeds tattooed on his arms.'Bale's tattoos were of seaweed, but he had the sense to keep quiet.'None of this matters!' exclaimed Yolun. 'You all saw how t
- 99 Renn didn't answer. The encounter with the twins had left her drained, and terrified of what they might have seen in her thoughts.She and Bale were back in the main shelter, where Ananda had left them. Yolun peered in, and jerked his head at Bale. &#
- 100 Torak shut his eyes tight.At last the storm blew over and the hail stopped. Shaking with fear, he grabbed his axe and crawled out.The ice had flattened undergrowth and ripped off branches; it had covered the beach in hard, translucent pebbles which crunch