A Sneak Peek - The Gecko's Gate : Age of The Storm!

That's right! A new book in the series has begun...


  She watched the swirling sands driven by the arid desert breezes. Shimmering heat waves rose off the dunes of the Sand Sea as she scanned the horizon, as vigilant these days as she was thoughtful.

  The throne room was empty, with the exception of three of her Royal Guards posted at the base of columns around the room. They stood silent and still, not wanting to disturb the Empress’ time of peace and quiet.

  It had been a time of re-organization in Stigia, old ways and practices scrapped, making way for Alibesh’s sweeping changes. Every part of life in the city had seen differences from the past ways. Some were for the better for the citizens of the desert kingdom, such as less taxation on the vendors who worked stalls in the city streets selling food and fabrics. The troops also assisted in the transportation of gathered food and water from the nearby oases, making the work lighter for all. It also served to keep the soldiers of the army in better physical shape.

  On the military side of her rule, Alibesh had assigned trainers to assist in improving the abilities of her forces, from endurance to marksmanship. She had expanded the numbers of wasps and riders in her airborne units as well. She now had a sizeable aerial force, and used smaller groups to perform routine patrols of the desert surrounding the city.

  Alibesh had kept the assassins that she had, but had left the badlands of Nostria to the north alone for now, preferring to avoid a confrontation with a large force of unhappy monitors, now that their leaders were missing and most likely living in exile. She treated the monitors living in Stigia under her rule well, ensuring that they had top quality living quarters, and supplies, to help ensure their loyalty. But the Empress trusted no one, and the monitors were watched at all times. They were assassins after all.

  The doors of the throne room opened, and a short, old horned lizard entered quietly, wearing black and red robes, the colours of which had been one of Alibesh’s changes to Stigia. Without turning from her view out the large open window, the female leader knew exactly who had come before her.

  “Have my orders been dispatched to the wall guard, Vitos?” she asked.

  He stopped near the map table, between where the Empress stood at the window, and the rest of the throne room, laying out some parchments for her to inspect.

  “Yes, Your Grace. And the commander has sent copies of the dispatches for your reading, Empress.” he replied.

  She smiled lightly, happy to hear that the commander, Aryan, had not simply gone ahead with his own ideas. She would be the one to decide exactly how things were arranged as far as her military was concerned, not him.

  Alibesh was not like the other citizens of the desert kingdom. They were mostly horned lizards, with sand or rust coloured skins, and spiky scales protruding off their heads, backs and chins. Even the females had the spikes, though smaller with far fewer on their chins. She was a gecko, however, a species which mostly called the rainforests of the realm home. She did not even share that heritage much, having been raised by Skinks of the grasslands after her parents were killed when she was very young. Being different than everyone else around her had never bothered Alibesh. If anything, it had made her stronger, more resilient, and much more intelligent than most other reptiles around her.

  She finally turned away from the sunlit window, toward where her advisor waited patiently at the map table. Vitos had learned very early on that the Empress was certainly not one to agitate in any way, after watching her kill two lieutenants who thought their way of thinking was better than their leader’s. With Alibesh, it was not a question of her respect for Vitos, it was a matter of his obedience to her rule.

  She stepped slowly over to the table, offering Vitos to be seated in a nearby chair with a wave of her hand. He obliged her, bowing lightly before taking a seat. She sat herself, and Vitos handed her the parchments, as he began to give her a report on the day’s events in the city. She divided her attention between reading the papers, and listening to his oral report, knowing by the sound of his gravelly old voice which details might be important, and ignoring the rest.

  The dispatches were exactly what she had commanded for the changes in the wall guard’s night watches, and she pushed them away after finishing with them.

  “And one sick Tortoise, Your Grace. The livestock doctor has been summoned to assist with the situation.” he stated, prattling on.

  She waved a hand quickly, and he knew it was a sign to stop with the report. He stopped talking immediately, falling silent while patiently awaiting any further orders she might have for him for the day.

  Instead, she rose from her chair, walking slowly toward the raised platform to one side of the room where the black, heavy wood of the throne of Stigia gleamed in the sunlight streaming in from the desert outside. She held her clawed hands behind her back, her head lowered in thought as she stepped up, reclining comfortable on the ornate piece of furniture. Even the throne had been redone to suit the Empress. The seat of the throne had a new padded red fabric attached, and the circular back, with its dark red spikes radiating off of its edges like an evil black sun had a circular red pillow attached to its centre. It matched her glistening black armour and red cape. The Sword of Xanth, which hung at her side, was also made of black metal, with red banding wrapping the long two-handed hilt.

  Vitos rose from his chair as well, coming to stand in front of his leader, and bowing once again politely to her.

  “Will there be anything else that the Empress requires?” he asked, leaving his head bowed while he spoke.

  Alibesh watched the old reptile without emotion in her gaze. She wrapped one scaled hand around the hilt of her sword tightly, feeling as though the weather itself outside was changing along with her ideas for the future. Somewhere on the horizon, storm clouds were forming, a raging once in a century thunderstorm looming. She could feel it brewing, and her mind registered only one feeling about it. Change was coming, and she would embrace it, force it if necessary. A change for the entire realm and all of its inhabitants.

  “Your Grace?” Vitos asked again softly, trying to be as polite as possible.

  Her eyes had become fixed in though, and his words brought her back to the present. She straightened on the throne.

  “Have the commander beginning a new phase of planning for the legions, Vitos.” She began. “Have him prepared the armies of Stigia for war...”

  The Chameleon King had chosen to meditate outside the cavern on this day, finding a quiet place in the rainforest surrounding Andoria. He did not need the looking pool to feel the changes in the world of Evaria today. The very pressure of the atmosphere had changed recently, and all of the signs of nature around him told him the story of the force of nature which approached.

  Maxxus was used to rain, having lived in the rainforests all his life along with the other chameleon mystics of Andoria. One day it would pour on the leaves of the jungle all day, another it would do so in spurts, the sun blasting through in between, raising the humidity ten fold. But this was much different. The breezes were changed, and even the songs of the birds and insects of the jungle had a different tone now. There was an excited, electrically charged feel to the humid air around him, as though the winds themselves were alive and attempting to whisper in his ancient ears. And its message was unsettling to him.

  Maxxus was very old, but whatever this natural force was, he knew it was much older. The pool of water in the rock in his personal grove inside the cavern would show him visions of what might come, but he had remained distant from it, almost fearful of what he might see in its swirling depths.

  Another chameleon crept through the forest, and Maxxus was aware that he was not alone. He did not flinch, did not move in response to the approach of the other creature. He knew exactly who moved through the forest fauna nearby.

  “Hello, Dantis. Are you bored without your friends from Andar?” he said.

  The younger chameleon stepped forward, not wishing to seem like he was being sneaky. He was dressed in brilliant silver armour, and carried a large double bladed battle axe in a holster on his back. He was very big, even for a chameleon, with huge muscled arms.His orbital eyes darted separately around the small clearing where the King sat comfortably, ensuring that there was no danger imminent to his leader before speaking.

  “I’m sorry, my Liege. I hope that I did not disturb your meditation.” he replied apologetically.

  Maxxus turned his head slowly to observe the young chameleon.

  “No, my young friend.” he said. “I was just preparing to return to the cavern. The wether becomes very strange.”

  Dantis had no idea what his King was talking about, Maxxus judged by the look that he received. It didn’t matter. It was probably for the best. He did not want to worry the younger inhabitants of the chameleon kingdom, and Dantis was already out of sorts after being away from his friends from the neighbouring village filled with geckos and anoles called Andar. A sudden thought struck the King.

  “You know that you may take leave at any time you like to visit Andar, Dantis...” Maxxus said quietly.

  “Yes, Thank you, My King.” said the big chameleon. “But my place is here, to defend our kingdom.”

  The Chameleon King rose from where he sat slowly, leaning heavily on a cane that he had grudgingly accepted to assist him lately. His aching ancient bones had made him gradually slower these days. He turned to face Dantis, letting out a sigh as he looked at the younger reptile’s serious face.

  “I don’t think that we will be assaulted in the next few days my young friend. Go and visit your friends, and bring me word of the geckos of Andar. Give a special greeting to the elder Lanwyn for me.” Maxxus said, pressing the issue slightly.

  The young chameleon’s orbital eyes lit up, realizing that his King was almost commanding him to go to the gecko village to see his companions, whom he had missed very much recently. It had been peaceful, and without some kind of quest for all of them to embark on, Dantis had indeed become slightly bored. Still, his duties as a guard of Andoria could not be easily excused.

  “But my duties, My Liege. I must be here to protect the kingdom, and you as well!” he said.

  Maxxus simply shook his head, smiling.

  “I am sure that Andoria will be fine for a couple of days.” he said with a slight chuckle in his voice. “And I will enjoy the peace.”

  Dantis again looked excited, bowing deeply before his King, and disappearing back to the cavern entrance to prepare for his small trip away. Maxxus smiled after him, sighing again. It would be a good break for both the young guard and himself. He loved Dantis, but the young warrior had decided that he must shadow the Chameleon King for some reason, like danger would befall him without being protected at every moment.

  It became quiet once again, and Maxxus simply closed his eyes, listening again to the sounds around him in the jungle, enjoying the humidity and warmth under the canopy of ancient trees which rose high above him. A slight rain began to fall, cool and calm, just a shower which moisturized his ancient scales. Still, there was something else hidden in the air, a sense which would not manifest itself before his senses. It remained elusive, teasing his mind. Suddenly, his concentration was broken once again by a presence.

  Another chameleon emerged from the undergrowth close by, almost making Maxxus jump slightly in surprise. This individual was dressed in the robes of the mystics, and was much more silent and camouflaged than Dantis had been. It was the King’s close friend and advisor Ubius. He smiled at Maxxus, knowing that he had startled him.

  “Your Grace, your evening meal has been prepared for you in the grove of the looking pool.” Said Ubius.

  The Chameleon King shook his head, happy to have something else to divert his attention from the strange energies of nature that were building on him.

  “What does a lizard have to do to get a little peace around here?” he replied, smiling.

   Far off from the mountain ranges which rose in the west, upon a sea which washed up on shores on the coast of the continent, huge dark thunderheads had formed. The direction of the winds was different now, pushing the humid air rising off the deep ocean in the opposite direction that it normally flowed. Lightning spit the skies above the now turbulent water, illuminating a monstrous layer of cloud from below. The typhoon began to stretch out dark limbs of thick cloud, revolving slowly around the eye of the storm. To witness it was to look upon something that was not nature, but a monster from out of legend, ready to envelope the entire realm in a deluge that would both destroy and cleanse the world.

  The first to see the strange phenomenon were simple frog fishermen, who lived on the western coast and lived under the rulership of the mountain citadel of Nimisor. Their large, bulbous eyes beheld the fury that the ocean had become without warning. They fled the sea as it became enraged, swelling massively, and washing up heavily on the western shores of the realm. As its fury increased, it washed homes and boats out to sea, as the terrified residents of the fishing villages fled toward the mountains, and the citadel cradled in the high peaks above. The regent of Nimisor looked down as the refugees began to arrive, having sensed the changes in the sea breezes. The black cloud was like a living creature, writhing and swirling, and it began to paint a terrible scene on the horizon. Dwarfing even the tall, immovable mountains, its ominous clouds turned day into night.

  Angry waves battered the seaside villages, destroying all in their wake, until the shores were littered with the remnants of wooden boards, and wrecked fishing boats and wharfs. Rain tortured the shores, pushing inland like a lead curtain, flattening the low growth of the mangroves and shrubbery.

  The winds ripped at the tropical seaside grasses and trees, baring their branches in its rising fury. Flowers were stripped of their blooms, clinging to the rock of the mountain sides as the storm engulfed the peaks.