Lord of Storm

Prologue

Do not accept an unpayable gift from a thrall.

Do not stain ten hands with the blood of kin.

Do not change the world by taking and giving the loyalty of traitors.

- Geasa on the body of Vladiburya Zimaslav.

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A nameless one entered Hall of Fate. He had been here before (though it was forbidden (which to a Hyperon boy means "challenge")), but now the hall was transformed, arousing not curiosity but excitement and fear. It wasn't the gathering darkness that covered the walls of the already vast room that caused this.

Five grey-robed figures hovered in the air, fifteen meters from the nameless one. Their loose hoods were pulled down over their faces, their hands hidden in their sleeves and their hems reaching to the ground. They would have appeared to be titans of human width if the nameless one hadn't known that his future kin were standing on pillars. That made his bare-chested body tremble. On that day, he would cease to be a nameless one and become a person. And the thought of the audacity he had conceived did not help him to calm down.

The boy stepped onto the ritual platform opposite the figures. It showed symbols on the branches of the Great Tree. Nameless stood on the symbol of his future family.

"Why have you come to Hall of Fate, nameless one?" a magically enhanced male voice echoed through the room (can it be called a room now? It was infinity. Dark and cold).

"I want my fate, future father," the nameless one ritually replied, afraid of accidentally mixing up the words (like: "I want a fried angler (the words "fate" and "fried angler" are similar in the Hyperon language - translator's note)," as Hrol kept repeating, just for that reason).

"From whom do you ask your fate, nameless one?" an amplified female voice rang out.

"I ask Fate, future mother," this question and answer seemed strange to the nameless. Well, they were downright silly to him. But he did not invent this ritual (or any other, for that matter. They were all invented by strangers thousands of years ago).

A part of the darkness had somehow managed to thicken even more and was now moving behind the future kin like a huge, hunched figure. It even seemed to the boy that it was touching the long hem of the boy's future father with Her hand (either correcting it, or stumbling and trying to hold on to something).

Nameless knew, of course, that Fate would be present, but he hadn't believed it until the last moment. Now he was even more frightened. Did she really take part in such rituals? And when does She do her main job, controlling people's lives, when She's distracted by every Hyperon boy and girl?

Suddenly, the nameless realised that the ritual had stalled. He was too busy thinking about Fate! The boy quickly dropped to his knees, his arms spread wide. I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't noticed. Would someone be clearing their throat or coughing loudly? Under magical amplification, it should sound funny.

"What name will guide you, nameless one?" his future aunt asked.

This is the moment! Not to think, but to act!

- Vladiburya. Vladiburya Zimaslav," Vladiburya shouted, his throat dry.

The figures did not seem to react at all to this insolence (which is not surprising, given their outfits). I may be punished later, but the name is mine. The name of the founder of the family, great-great-grandfather. The boy was a bastard, and not only that, but...

Lightning struck the left hand of the one who took the name. It didn't come as a surprise, but how, horrors, take me, it hurts! Fortunately, Vladiburya was able to maintain his posture. Geas runes began to appear on his white skin, with a vapor of blood.

Geasa are needed to balance blessings. Breaking these conditions cannot be avoided in life. And only one thing awaits a violator – a soon death.

What rule Vladiburya received for the name, he did not read. He'll see enough of it, but in the meantime he'll live a few more minutes without knowing the conditions of his death.

"In what status does the law recognise you, V-vladiburya?" asked his future brother. Stumbled over the name. What a snowback. Well, at least it wasn't my fault.

"A man," Vladiburya said. Hrol urged him to say "woman" to see what would happen. It is unlikely that anything better than average.

Lightning struck the man's right arm. He only noticed the blood rune. Just don't 'spill a drop of your blood'. His future great aunt had that, and she is already dead.

"In what rank will your will touch the will of the world, man Vladiburya?" asked his future sister. She sounded as if it was her question and she was very interested in the answer.

"The fifth heir to the Winter Throne," said Vladiburya. For some reason, the fear was gone.

The father couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Or was it his brother? Did you think the name was the most insolent? It doesn't matter now, does it?

Lightning struck the new heir in the chest, and through his tears he saw (or imagined) Fate curiously move her head between the father and the mother to get a better look at the impertinent man. His whole chest burned with an invisible fire. No wonder, for the fee for such a gift must be enormous. And it's the one that will kill him.

"So be it," said the father, the mother, the aunt, the brother and the sister in unison. And not a single voice broke. What a great fellows! I am proud of my family!

The man stood up and began to examine his new appearance. From hand to hand, across his chest, ran a series of runes in the form of smooth wounds through which red flesh could be seen. The new jewellery on his body hurt, but that didn't stop him from moving.

The ritual is complete, and the darkness around begins to dissipate (along with Fate), giving way to bas-reliefs of important destinies on the walls. If only every darkness would give up so quickly.

Unnecessary author's note: I like this prologue much better. It's intriguing, but at the same time it's clear where the story is going (and it's pretty scary to make that kind of promise). And clear foreshadowing. There were also mysteries in the first prologue: what is going on and who are all these people? And we got answers to those (or hints of answers) we got as the story went on. But the characters in the first prologue were quite repulsive, and there may be a misconception about the book as a whole.

There is also the theme of "Lords of Storm" - political intrigue (or rather, meta-theme (meta-theme, by theway, of "Maginarium" - deconstruction of the monomyth, while theusual theme: people do good deeds, do evil deeds, or do nothing. And you cannot judge what exactly, according to the first impression about them (if anyoneis interested, I can share two words from the usual theme "Lords ofStorm": "parenthood" and "death" (humorous fantasy! (okay, okay, I went too far with the brackets))))).