CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
About the Author
A TERRIBLE HOWL ECHOED THROUGH
THE PASS.
A massive, eight-legged lupine form dropped down on Rhonin. Had he been other than what he was, the
wizard would have perished there, the meal of a savage, saber-toothed creature with four gleaming green
eyes to go with its eight, clawed limbs. The monstrous wolf-creature brought him down, but Rhonin,
having magicked his garments to better protect him from the elements, proved a hard nut to crack. The
claws scraped at a cloak they should have readily tattered, only to have instead one nail snap off.
Gray fur standing on end, the beast howled its frustration. Rhonin took the opening, casting a simple but
effective spell that had saved him in the past.
A cacophony of light burst before the creature's emerald orbs, both blinding and startling it. It ducked
back, swatting uselessly at flashing patterns.
Dragging himself out of reach, Rhonin rose. There was no chance of flight; that would only serve to turn
his back on the beast and his protective spell was already weakening. A few more slashes and the claws
would be ripping the wizard to the bone.
Fire had worked against the ghoul on the island and Rhonin saw no reason why such a tried and true
spell would not benefit him again. He muttered the words-
And suddenly they came out in reverse. Worse, Rhonin found himself moving backward, returning to the
wild claws of the blinded beast.
Time had turned in on itself...but how?
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead
is entirely coincidental.
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For Martin Fajkus and my readers
throughout the world.
THE WELL OF ETERNITY
ONE
The tall, forbidding palace perched atop the very edge of the mountainous cliff, overlooking so
precariously the vast, black body of water below that it appeared almost ready to plummet into the
latter's dark depths. When first the vast, walled edifice had been constructed, using magic that melded
both stone and forest into a single, cohesive form, it had been a wonder to touch the heart of any who
saw it. Its towers were trees strengthened by rock, with jutting spires and high, open windows. The walls
were volcanic stone raised up, then bound tightly by draping vines and giant roots. The main palace at the
center had originally been created by the mystical binding of more than a hundred giant, ancient trees.
Bent in together, they had formed the skeleton of the rounded center, over which the stone and vines had
been set.
A wonder to touch the hearts of all when first it had been built, now it touched the fears of some. An
unsettling aura enshrouded it, one heightened this stormy night. The few who peered at the ancient edifice
now quickly averted their gaze.
Those who looked instead to the waters below it found no peace, either. The ebony lake was now in
violent, unnatural turmoil. Churning waves as high as the palace rose and fell in the distance, crashing with
a roar. Lightning played over its vast body, lightning gold, crimson, or the green of decay. Thunder
rumbled like a thousand dragons and those who lived around its shores huddled close, uncertain as to
what sort of storm might be unleashed.