"Lurking in the Shadows" by Alexey Pekhov, summary Automatic translate

This fantasy novel tells the story of a cynical metropolitan thief’s forced trek into deadly catacombs in search of an ancient magical artifact. Created in 2002, the work depicts elves with sharp fangs, and orcs as blood relatives. Goblins wield the destructive magic of shamans.

The book won the Silver Caduceus Award at the Star Bridge festival in 2002 for Best Debut. That same year, the novel was awarded the prestigious Sword Without a Name literary prize.

This work opens the popular "Siala Chronicles" series and is its first installment. The events described are followed by the novels "Djanga with Shadows" and "Shadow Storm."

The King’s Unexpected Order

Professional master thief Garrett infiltrates the mansion of the Crown Duke of Pati in the capital city of Avendoom. After stealing a golden dog statue, he notices a huge demon. The monster kills the Crown Duke and declares its allegiance to an unknown Master. Garrett flees.

Later, at the Knife and Axe tavern, a mercenary named Rolio approaches the thief. The assassin attempts to assassinate Garrett with a poisoned blade. The timely intervention of the city guard’s chief, Baron Frago Lantin, saves the thief’s life. The baron takes the suspect to the royal palace in a closed carriage.

The ruler of Valiostra, Stalkon the Ninth, and the archmage, Artsivus, offer the thief a deal. They are joined by the elf Miralissa, Count Markauz, and the goblin Kli-kli. They ask him to steal the ancient Horn of the Rainbow from the underground tombs of Hrad Spine. This powerful artifact can stop the vast army of the sorcerer, the Nameless One. The enemy army is gathering behind the northern Needles of Frost. Garrett is forced to agree to this deadly mission. In exchange, he is promised forgiveness for his past sins and a huge reward. The king gives the thief an advance of two hundred gold coins.

Search for forbidden knowledge

To prepare, Garrett goes to the Royal Library. The old caretaker, Bolt, helps the thief find ancient city maps and ancient scrolls. The necessary plans for the catacombs are hidden in the old tower of the Order of Mages. Garrett uses a special acid to open the magical locks. The master thief’s equipment — a miniature crossbow of dwarf forging and a set of delicate lockpicks — saves his life on more than one occasion.

The tower stands in the Restricted Area. This area of Avendoom, isolated by a three-meter wall, is filled with the undead. That evening, the mercenary Rolio infiltrates the library’s reading room. Garrett pierces the assassin’s shoulder with a crossbow bolt. The wounded mercenary disappears into the darkness of the night streets.

On his way to the refuge, the thief is pursued by aggressive Doralissians — mighty half-human, half-goat creatures. They accuse Garrett of stealing a valuable Steed. Escaping their clubs, the thief hides in the dense shadows. There, he encounters a demon named Vukhjaaz. The monster threatens to suck the marrow from the man’s body. The demon also demands the return of the magical Steed. The next day, Archmage Artsivus clarifies the situation. Unknown individuals have stolen the Steed of Shadows artifact from a visiting Filandian mage. The Order intended to use the stone to drive the demons out of the capital forever. Someone is deliberately pitting all the city’s factions against each other.

Secrets of the Closed Territory

At night, Garrett climbs over a magical wall. He finds himself in a dangerous world of gray streets and abandoned buildings. In one of the houses, the thief is attacked by a giggling, invisible creature. Hiding from it, Garrett finds himself trapped in a time loop. The mind of the archmage Valder, who died many years ago, awakens in the thief’s mind. A ghostly voice suggests an exit through the window. Valder helps Garrett escape Irilla’s carnivorous white fog on Sleepy Cat Street. The thief hides near a marble statue of the god Sagot.

After fighting his way through swarms of rotting zombies, Garrett reaches the ruins of the Order’s tower. Valder’s ghostly voice points the way through the labyrinthine mage library. The thief takes old maps of Hrad Spein from a black box. As he exits the ruined building, he overhears a conversation among thieves’ guild mercenaries. Rolio and the other assassins report to a winged demon. To escape back beyond the wall, Garrett summons a second demon named Shchduyruk. The horned monster carries the thief across the barrier in exchange for the promise of the Shadow Steed.

In the morning, Garrett visits the innkeeper, Gozmo, who unwittingly exposed him to the guild’s wrath. The thief coerces the tavern owner into setting a false meeting for the leader, Markun. The following night, all the deceived parties gather in the establishment. Enraged Doralissians, mercenaries, both opposing demons, and the Order’s mages arrive. In the ensuing bloody brawl, Markun is beheaded. The Order’s demonologists bind the monsters with magical nets and retrieve the Steed of Shadows. The city’s factions are cleansed of foreign influence.

Attack on the King’s Palace

Garrett moves into the palace of Stalkon the Ninth. The night before his departure, the royal residence is attacked by a massive force of the Master’s mercenaries. They are joined by enemy shamans and a gigantic war ogre. Valiostr’s royal guard is unable to withstand the monstrous onslaught. Garrett fires incendiary magic bolts purchased from a dwarven craftsman at the enemies.

Wild Hearts border guards surround and kill the ogre with precise strikes to the legs. The intervention of the young prince and his reserve guards determines the outcome of the battle. The attackers are completely destroyed in the palace halls. King Stalkon orders the expedition to march south immediately. They must outpace enemy scouts and escape the city without attracting unnecessary attention from the locals.

An expedition under the command of Alistan Markauz secretly leaves Avendoom before dawn. The party consists of the elf Miralissa, two elven rangers, Garrett, and the jester Kli-kli. They are accompanied by a dozen seasoned Wild Hearts veterans. The warriors ride along the deserted southern roads, bypassing major settlements. Miralissa performs a dark ritual. She hands Garrett an ancient key made of the hard mineral dragon tear. The item is designed to open the magical doors to the lower levels of the Bone Palaces. The ritual induces bloody visions in the thief of the brutal circumstances of the key’s creation.

Wild Hearts and Feuds

On the road, Garrett gets to know his companions better. The Wild Hearts squad is known for its stern disposition, but a brotherly bond reigns among them. Commander Uncle, the giant Medok, and the silent Garrak Eel ensure perimeter security. Border guard Arnkh always wears heavy chainmail, fearing sudden orc arrows.

Of particular note is the ongoing feud between the dwarf Hallas and the dwarf Deler. Both races have hated each other since the historic battle on the Field of Sorn. The dwarf and the dwarf exchange insults hourly and debate the merits of battle hoes versus heavy axes.

The jester Kli-kli entertains the party with mocking songs and silly antics. Goblin proves that his race possesses ancient shamanism by constantly tying magical knots. Relations between the expedition members are strained by the constant sweltering heat. The warrior Mumr is nicknamed the Lamplighter for his failed attempt to extinguish a magic lantern in the capital. Mumr torments his companions by playing a repulsive pipe. The tracker Marmot cares for a pet ling perched on his shoulder.

The road to the south

The travelers cross green hills and encounter an insurmountable obstacle. A detachment of rangers blocks the road with logs. Mercenaries cite a fictitious copperhead plague epidemic. Enemy shamans summon a powerful magical storm. A huge crimson cloud unleashes hordes of winged creatures. The monsters swoop down on the detachment from above. A ranger nicknamed Cat sacrifices his life, taking the blow of a magical flyer to save the rest of the fighters.

Garrett’s mind once again connects with the essence of the long-dead Valder. The forgotten archmage’s powerful magic breaks free. Flames consume the attacking demons and the crimson cloud itself. Garrett falls unconscious from exhaustion. His comrades bury the fallen Cat under a lone silvery rowan tree by the side of the road.

Secrets of the Khargan Wasteland

Jester Kli-Kli tells his companions forgotten war legends during long nighttime halts. The detachment slowly traverses the overgrown lands of the Khargan Wasteland. 500 years ago, on this spot, 300 brave men of General Khargan’s army held off thousands of orcs. The fallen heroes rest in an unmarked, abandoned ravine. Horses crush whitened human bones with their hooves as they cross a shallow forest stream. The remains of orcs and humans lie on the open ground for decades.

Memories of an ancient battle suddenly come to life in Garrett’s vivid dreams. He sees brutal hand-to-hand combat and rains of deadly heavy arrows. The fire magic of the young sorceress Sienna destroys entire ranks of orcs. The defenders of the wasteland perish under the blows of enemy daggers. The soldiers buy the main army time to fortify themselves at the protective walls of Avendoom.

Having overcome the final obstacles, the depleted detachment reaches the settled southern lands. A sudden dental attack on the dwarf Hallas forces commander Markaus to urgently change route. The travelers steer their tired horses toward the high walls of the city of Ranneng. The expedition arrives at the city gates early in the morning of July 28th.