THE KEEP

The Town is so old it has no name, and everyone knows to stay away from the Old Manor.  The Town attracts Objects of Power, dangerous relics from the Time of Power, but the Old Manor is the most threatening.  Abandoned for years, it still looks well-kept and inviting, but anyone who enters it never returns.  Even Grange the Elder, the bravest of their number who tried to lift the shadow of this menace, disappeared forever.  Now his son, Grange the Younger, goes through the Town performing chores in exchange for stories of the father he never met.

A ray of hope arrives when Ryaphon the Wanderer, famous throughout the world for dealing with Objects of Power, comes to Town.  The Townsfolk tell him the story of Grange the Elder, but Ryaphon laughs.  Not at their loss, but at the foolishness of thinking one man could solve this mystery.

Grange the Younger overhears Ryaphon’s derision, and it hardens his heart.  The next day, he meets Ryapnon on the road.  For his own safety, the Townsfolk refused to give Ryaphon the Old Manor’s location, so he asks Grange.  In his anger and jealousy, Grange not only tells him where it lies, but claims he’s spent the night inside with no ill-effects.

Grange returns to find the Town abuzz with Ryaphon’s parting promise to return when he has found a solution to the Old Manor.  Grange knows Ryaphon’s pride has led him to be swallowed by the Old Manor.  He continues to make his rounds, but sees more and more how Ryaphon’s promise has affected the Townsfolk.  Their hope grows over the days and months, and as it does, so does Grange’s guilt.  They are anticipating the impossible.

The only way to atone for what he’s done would be to rescue Ryaphon from the depths of the Old Manor.  That is what he decides to do.

 

The Keep won a contest for e-publication from Ajoara in 2020.  It is currently unavailable, but reviews on Goodreads can be seen here.  It will soon be available along with a planned audiobook read by the author.

There are plans for two more novels to follow.