The King's Summons Read online

  Super Dungeon Series

  The King’s Summons

  Adam Glendon Sidwell and Zachary James

  The Forgotten King

  D. W. Vogel

  The Glauerdoom Moor

  David J. West

  The Dungeons of Arcadia

  Dan Allen

  The Midnight Queen

  Christopher Keene

  Other Books by Adam Glendon Sidwell

  Chum

  Fetch

  Evertaster Series

  Evertaster

  The Delicious City

  The Buttersmiths’ Gold

  Other Books by Zachary James

  Ama’s Watch

  Reflexio

  a Short Story

  The King’s Summons

  Cover and Interior Illustrations © 2019 Soda Pop Miniatures

  Characters contained in the text © 2019 Soda Pop Miniatures

  All text, excluding characters © 2019 Adam Glendon Sidwell and Zachary James

  Published by Future House Publishing LLC under license from Soda Pop Miniatures. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Future House Publishing at [email protected].

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 978-1-944452-84-1 (Paperback)

  Super Dungeon created by Chris Birkenhagen, John Cadice, and Deke Stella

  Series Story Development by Zachary James

  Developmental editing by Emma Hoggan

  Line Editing by Isabelle Tatum

  Copy editing by Emma Snow

  Proofreading by Alicia Davies

  Interior design by Ahnasariah Larsen

  To my Buddy. As soon as I get done with work we can play toys. —Adam

  To my wife Kirsta, for believing in me like Princess Sapphire believed in Blaze. —Zac

  Contents

  MAP

  Forward

  Prologue: Hide-and-Seek

  Chapter 1: Order of Ember

  Chapter 2: Crystalia Castle

  Chapter 3: Quest Revealed

  Chapter 4: Frostbyte Reach

  Chapter 5: Warrior Monk

  Chapter 6: Ice Giant

  Chapter 7: Orc Trap

  Chapter 8: Breaking In

  Chapter 9: Freyr

  Chapter 10: Tavern Brawl

  Chapter 11: Snow Goblins

  Chapter 12: Snow Bear

  Chapter 13: Cernonos

  Chapter 14: The Torch Road

  Chapter 15: Foruk’s Falls

  Chapter 16: Everlight Express

  Chapter 17: Dark Jotnar

  Chapter 18: Fire Vision

  Chapter 19: The Core of Crystalia

  Chapter 20: A Battle of Fire and Ice

  Chapter 21: Return

  Acknowledgments

  About the Authors

  Want Adam to come to your school?

  MAP

  Foreword

  This book, and even more so, The Super Dungeon Series, is the largest, most complex project we’ve taken on at Future House Publishing thus far. There are a lot of people who contributed their time, creativity, and brain power to get this series to press.

  Here’s where I get to say thank you.

  But first, some backstory is in order. Here’s how this series came to be: I discovered Super Dungeon tabletop games and miniatures on Kickstarter and fell in love with the art and the world. I emailed Deke Stella from Soda Pop Miniatures out of the blue nearly 3 years ago and suggested that we write books in the Super Dungeon Universe. To my delight, he agreed!

  A cold trip to Boise, Idaho at Christmastime (where I stayed in a yurt) and a visit to the Soda Pop Miniatures and Ninja Division headquarters convinced me that Deke and the team were on to something. They were building worlds. We sealed the deal shortly after that.

  Here are just some of the people that made this book possible: Zachary James, my coauthor and the series architect. He drafted the concepts and the spine for the whole series, which we eventually pitched to Deke. Zac did an incredible amount of research, and became Future House Publishing’s Super Dungeon loremaster. He was also a confidant and friend while we struggled to get this off the ground.

  I owe a great debt to the enormous contributions Dan Allen made to this manuscript. He also wrote book four. He’s hilarious and we have whiled away many hours bouncing story concepts off each other. That’s a rare thing to find in a friend. You should also see his family’s Halloween costumes.

  To Emma Hoggan, who had an enormous task on her hands, coordinating five books simultaneously, all while keeping the stories faithful to the Super Dungeon Universe. We authors, and perhaps most of all me, inadvertently gave her so much trouble over the years this series was in progress. Thanks for handling it with such incredible patience.

  To Deke Stella and Chris Birkenhagen, who are the keepers of the world of Crystalia and the Super Dungeon Universe. After reading through the enormous notes they had generated, it was clear that Crystalia was an even richer world than the games indicated. We’re so grateful to be allowed to play in such a magical kingdom.

  Finally, thanks to you, the readers who have shown interest in my work, and who were willing to buy a book and take a chance. Thank you. Some of you have now become lifelong friends.

  Which leads us to this story.

  Adam Glendon Sidwell

  Prologue: Hide-and-Seek

  The halls of Crystalia Castle rang with laughter.

  King Jasper III put down the map of his kingdom and listened as his giggling daughters ran past his throne room.

  “She’s got to be in the armor room!” Princess Citrine hollered from the front of the group.

  A moment later, Princess Ruby gave a squeal of laughter.

  She had been found.

  Only Amethyst, the youngest, was left.

  Clever girl.

  His daughters were too old for games like hide-and-seek—all in their teens or twenties. But once they all got together, there was no stopping the fun.

  Princess Sapphire, the eldest and most serious of his daughters, and Citrine, his third daughter, already an accomplished warrior, had just returned from their inspection of the troops stationed in the Wandering Monk Mountains. Adventurous Emerald was back from the Fae Wood, with new stories to tell of the elves and the Deeproot Tree. And Ruby, ever a constant in Crystalian high society, had freed her schedule of admirers and negotiators.

  Today was Amethyst’s birthday. They would all celebrate together.

  And soon, when the time was right, all of Crystalia would have something to celebrate.

  The prophecy foretold it. Long ago, the Goddess bound her essence to the Dark Consul and drove him out of Crystalia. As she did so, she prophesied that five heroes of noble birth would rise up and defeat the Dark Consul once and for all and, by doing so, free the Goddess again from his clutches.

  King Jasper III’s daughters were the five princesses of prophecy: Princess Sapphire, Princess Emerald, Princess Citrine, Princess Ruby, and Princess Amethyst.

  The king went back to his map and made notes on trade route attacks, attempting to triangulate possible locations of new spawning points, places where the Dark Consul’s influence was creeping back into Crystalia from the Dark Realm.

  A half hour passed. Jasper looked up. The voices were gone. The halls were quiet.

  Where are they?

  The king stood
from his desk, walked swiftly to the window, and looked out over the garden yard that spread out between the tall castle and the siege wall. Ruby stood in the center of the yard, her hands cupped on her mouth, calling.

  She turned and her face met his. Tears ran down her cheeks.

  His office door banged open, and King Jasper whirled around.

  Princess Sapphire stood in the doorway, buckling her sword belt and breathing heavily. “Have you seen Amethyst?”

  “No. She was with the golem in the garden—surely you found her.”

  “Father.” Princess Sapphire’s eyes brimmed with tears. “We can’t find her. And there’s no sign of the golem either. Just Amethyst’s footprints. Then they’re gone.”

  “What?” asked King Jasper, dumbfounded. This couldn’t be happening. Not here.

  There was a horrifying screech of metal and a grinding of gears from the garden. Princess Sapphire turned and ran from the room. She drew her sword as she went.

  Worry seized his heart. No. Impossible.

  The castle warning bell began to ring. King Jasper threw open the window and leaned out, calling at the top of his lungs, “Amethyst!”

  But no one answered.

  Chapter 1: Order of Ember

  It had been two years since Princess Amethyst, child of prophecy, disappeared from her father’s castle. Two years since anyone in all of Crystalia had seen her. Two years since the shadow of the Dark Consul had begun to creep ever closer and with greater boldness toward Crystalia Castle and the heart of the peaceful kingdom.

  And now Princess Amethyst’s father, King Jasper III, had even more dangerous problems at hand.

  “My King,” said the captain of the guard, “Our scouts report spawning points a morning’s journey to the east.”

  King Jasper III pulled the hood of his cloak lower over his face, despite the heat of the lava flows. Secrecy was critical to their mission’s success. A king should never wander too close to the Dragonback Peaks, even with an elite royal guard. They were taking a terrible risk.

  “And two more to the west.”

  “What type?” King Jasper asked.

  “Rocktops. Even a few kobolds.”

  King Jasper considered this. He had not protected his kingdom by ignoring the threat of monsters. And they seemed to be growing ever more frequent since Princess Amethyst had gone. “They won’t reach us in time.”

  He struck his sword downward into a lava flow at his feet and twisted the sword’s hilt. The jewel on its pommel glowed blue. “We’re here.”

  The lava parted and the rock underneath it trembled, grinding together as the earth opened its jaws. There was a staircase inside. The loremasters had been correct.

  “Come,” said King Jasper. He stepped down into the darkness. “We will trade one peril for another.”

  The captain of the guard stared into the shaft. There was worry in his eyes. “Sire?”

  “This is why we came,” said King Jasper. “Be at the ready. Bring all the men below. Guard our rear. Our mission lies underground.” With that, King Jasper drew back his hood and descended into darkness.

  The further he climbed downward, the hotter the air blew against his face and beard. The stone baked beneath his boots for sixty-seven steps, until finally he stood in a narrow tunnel lit faint orange by tiny threads of lava flowing down its walls.

  Surely no king would come so close to the dragon Starfire’s flaming realm were he not in great need. King Jasper felt the pain of his loss twist at his heart. His daughter Amethyst was gone. And now, in the last few weeks, things had gotten far worse.

  He held back his tears. In this moment, there was no time for a father’s sorrow. The two dozen guards behind him needed him to be a king.

  They had followed him down the stairs, and now he led them into the passageway, their armor and swords clinking as they picked their way carefully along the broken ground. The hall opened into a wide, circular cavern. It was cast in a faint orange glow.

  “Stop,” he said, the sweat beading up upon his brow. Something wasn’t right.

  With a roar, a wall of flame erupted from the ground at his feet and shot toward the ceiling. It curved outward along the cavern’s circumference forming a cylinder of flame. It held, surging upward in sheets, heat pouring from it onto King Jasper’s skin, his cloak, and surely onto his guards’ metal chest plates.

  He heard them step back. One of them winced. But not one uttered a cry of complaint.

  Then a clear voice pierced the wall of flame. “Who dares enter the stronghold of the Order of Ember?” it said.

  King Jasper stepped forward, despite the heat. “Wise Ember Mages, you know it is I, King Jasper the Third, defender of the Kingdom of Crystalia.”

  For a moment, it was silent. The wall of fire stuttered, then faded, and a circular, steaming crack in the ground was left in its place. King Jasper stepped over the gap.

  The captain of the guard and his men followed close behind.

  A second wall of flame burst from the ground in front of the king’s feet. It roared to the ceiling above. King Jasper halted just soon enough, the heat pounding his face in waves. The first wall of flame erupted again behind him. He turned, shielding his eyes. They were trapped between two walls of fire, and more than a dozen of his guards were cut off from coming to his aid. The heat cut through the folds of his cloak.

  Maintain your composure, he thought. They’re trying to intimidate you.

  The voice spoke again. This time King Jasper pinpointed the source: it came from within the center of the circle of fire.

  “We know you, King Jasper the Third. And what is it that you seek?” it asked.

  “A Hero,” said King Jasper.

  The wall of flame in front of him sputtered out and died. The one at his back did not.

  He stepped forward.

  A third wall of fire erupted from the ground at his feet.

  The wall of fire behind him ignited again, cutting him off from all but the captain of the guard.

  So this is how it would go. They were testing him. They wanted him deep within their molten grasp.

  “Orders, Sire?” said the captain, his hand gripped tightly around his sword hilt. Sweat poured down his face.

  King Jasper held up a calming hand.

  The voice spoke a third time. “Many seek a Hero in the Order of Ember Mages. For what purpose do you seek yours?”

  “For my daughters, who are lost,” he said.

  The flame sputtered, as if wavering.

  “Daughters?” said the voice. As clear and strong as it was, it sounded confused.

  King Jasper bowed his head. “Daughters.”

  The wall of fire in front of him died out. He stepped over the steaming crack that was left in its place.

  His captain moved to follow. King Jasper waved him back. “From here, I go alone,” he said, and the wall of flame behind him shot upward, cutting him off from his last guard.

  King Jasper faced the center of the circle. Twelve columns of flame burst from the ground, flickering until they died away. Twelve mages in shining red cloaks stood in their places. Each held a curved wooden staff with a burning gem at the center of its crook. Each had eyes that burned with a yellow flame. The council of the Dragonback Order of Ember Mages.

  “Your honesty has granted you an audience,” said a tall woman at the center of the line—the Archmage. It had been her voice that spoke through the fire. Now it came from her lips.

  The Dragonback Order of Ember Mages was as dangerous as it was unpredictable. A rogue order, they considered themselves superior to other Ember Mages, but they held great power. They were King Jasper’s best hope. Even his loyal mages at the Tower of Ember in Castletown had told him this was his best chance.

  King Jasper knelt on one knee. As a king, he bowed to no one. As a diplomat, he made exceptions. He needed their help. “Your Excellencies, you know that my last born, Princess Amethyst, wen
t missing two years ago. You know the danger that poses to the kingdom—and even the seat of your council, especially as close as it is to the dragon Starfire.”

  The tall woman’s eyes burned a faint yellow. “Yes,” said the Archmage. The rest of the twelve nodded and whispered to one another. “And who in all of Crystalia does not know the Prophecy of the Five?”

  All twelve of the council members spoke in unison:

  Be at peace my children, but do not fall into idleness.

  Darkness will return; it is a part of this world as much as I.

  Do not despair, for valiant hearts will once again return it to shadow.

  When I am needed, you will find me in five souls of royal blood.

  United, they will once again cast away the darkness.

  Then silence hung in the air.

  The Archmage spoke. “When the five unite, so shall the Goddess return and the Dark Consul’s power break forever.

  “And we know that your daughters must survive to fulfill the prophecy. The servants of the Dark Consul venture ever closer. They grow in strength and numbers. The time for the final battle with the enemy approaches.”

  King Jasper bowed his head. He needed to show them reverence and play by their customs. This is what they’d expect. He needed them now.

  “And now all five of my daughters have gone missing,” he said.

  The twelve council members erupted in a flurry of conversation with one another. They hissed under cloaked hoods, their voices more like crackling flame than words.

  “Quench your fury,” said the Archmage. She rapped her staff on the stone. They went silent at once.

  “All five are gone? How could this be?” she asked.

  “They are full of courage, and love for their youngest sister,” King Jasper replied. “So they have each departed to seek her in the many realms. My eldest, Princess Sapphire, heir to the throne, left six weeks ago. She has not returned. Nor have we heard word from her.”