"Taloris" by Elena Bychkova and Alexey Pekhov, summary

This dark fantasy book, created in 2019, continues the story of a world shattered by magic, where ancient myths and forgotten creatures come to life again. The authors construct the narrative through distinct storylines, in which people and creatures confront a terrifying evil from bygone eras. The heroes struggle to survive, lose friends, and find unexpected allies.

In 2019, the book won the prestigious award from the magazine "World of Fantasy," confidently winning the "Book of the Year According to Readers – Domestic Science Fiction" category.

This novel is part of the popular "Blue Flame" book series. It is the third installment in the long series, following the novels "Letos" and "Blue Flame."

Dungeon battles

The story begins with heavy military clashes. Experienced commander Date defends the borders of the Mountain Duchy from the forces of Fichsheis. The fighting is uneven. Receiving the Duke’s personal orders, Date sets out with a small detachment to the underground gorge "Shautt’s Smile." He is joined by mercenary crossbowmen from Trettini, led by Master Rilli. The soldiers must destroy the ancient bridges created by great wizards. Otherwise, the enemy will freely advance into the interior and trigger a devastating glacier avalanche. A fierce battle ensues in the dark caves against superior enemy forces. The bridges are destroyed at the cost of heavy losses. Date suffers a serious head wound and loses consciousness.

The commander is rescued by Milvio, a southerner who has long posed as a simple mercenary. He pulls Data out of harm’s way and leads him through a secret passage to a stone bridge hanging over the abyss. They soon reach the surface. At the mountaintop, the heroes discover that the enemy has already thrown down the cliff. However, the glacier remains motionless, and the threat is over. Milvio blows an ancient magical horn and summons a winged lion. This legendary creature transports the travelers across half the inhabited world to Taloris — a once-beautiful city completely destroyed by the Cataclysm.

Avoiding encounters with the Melg, a savage, cannibalistic people, the heroes infiltrate an abandoned palace. Milvio converses with the corpse of a deceased wizard known as the Bound One. In a ray of sunlight, the southerner discovers a sleeping child. Milvio pierces the protective magical cocoon with his sword and takes the girl, who has slept there for a thousand years. To the sound of the Melg’s signal drums, the heroes hastily flee the dead city on the back of a huge lion.

Captive of the Heavenly Palace

In the sweltering south, in the capital of the Duchy of Karif, the wise Sharon of Nimad and the blind Blanca Erbet live in a rented house. During an unexpected sandstorm, demonic Sulla attack the city streets. Sharon defends her young servant and destroys the creatures in a fierce battle. Her magical powers attract the attention of the local authorities. The guards arrest her on the personal orders of Bati, an extremely influential servant of the local duke.

Sharon finds herself a prisoner in a luxurious palace. Duke Karifa asks this unusual guest to retrieve the skull of Sulla for him. To survive and prove her worth, the signifier agrees to clear the abandoned Scarab wing of "lost ones" — the reanimated dead. Inside, Sharon encounters mutated, incredibly powerful monsters. The girl is forced to use her true gift as a necromancer, raising dead soldiers for battle. A colossal monster nearly kills her, but she harnesses the energy of an ancient bracelet from the duke’s collection and burns all enemies with pure white light.

Soon, the former assassin Laviani infiltrates the palace. She finds Sharon, frees her, and steals the necromancer’s bracelet from a broken glass case. Laviani engages in combat with Bati. The duke’s servant possesses the magical protection of a cruel goddess, capable of withstanding ten mortal wounds. The assassin stabs him again and again until the protection is broken. The gravely wounded man is dragged underwater by an ancient sea creature — a weena — that lives in the palace pool.

Secrets of Dead Cities

Sharon, Laviani, and Blanca flee the capital with a caravan of smugglers into the Great Desert. Laviani gives the guide a terrifying book bound in genuine human skin. The diary of the ancient necromancer Dakras reveals to Sharon the secrets of controlling the dead. She diligently studies the experiences of others. She learns to create new magical dice from bone fragments, significantly enhancing her natural abilities.

Along the way, the blind Blanca confesses that Arila’s metal statue allows her to see the world as a complex web of threads. During a powerful magical disturbance on the other side of the continent, the woman manages to mend the broken threads of reality. She helps unknown people escape the darkness that is approaching them. The women realize that this is somehow connected to Milvio.

The Duke’s guards, led by the stubborn Captain Yarel, catch the fugitives near the vast, abandoned necropolis of Dairat. During a new sandstorm, the women hide in the city of the dead. The experienced Laviani methodically kills her pursuers in the narrow, dark crypts. The appearance of new demons forces Sharon to don the magical bracelet again. The Pointer slays the monsters and coldly dispatches Yarel with the aid of the raised corpses of Karif soldiers.

Awakening of a New Faith

In the Mountain Duchy, the young heir to the throne, Erec da Montag, is under the influence of Mitten, a mysterious Astoré woman. She teaches the youth to wield ancient magic. During a service in the former temple of the old gods, Erec is suddenly attacked by a shautt demon. His inner magic helps the heir defeat the creature. This event sparks widespread rejoicing in the snowy town of Skalz. The inhabitants unanimously renounce the old religion, don blue cloaks, and worship Wayren. Erec falls in love with Mitten and submits completely to her will.

Data safely returns to the city and watches in horror. He secretly meets with First Advisor Telmo. The warrior learns of religious purges, popular uprisings, and the brutal executions of former comrades. The mountain duchy is rapidly descending into a bloody civil war. Milvio finds Data and warns that Wayren is neither a god nor a savior, but a destructive force bringing demons. Soon, the chief of security attempts to save his relative, Baron da Mere, from arrest.

Milvio enters the garden where Erec is strolling with Mitten and two master bodyguards. The Trettinian openly accuses the blind woman of serving the Shautt. A furious battle ensues. Milvio easily kills both elite warriors. After this, Mitten reveals her true demonic nature. She changes form and attacks the man. Mass panic erupts in Skalza, and cries of terror are heard everywhere — the monsters from the other side are once again entering the human world.

The Young Thief from Pubir

Meanwhile, in the free port city of Pubir, the story of the young thief Vir unfolds. He captures a live monkey for his mentor, the elderly Ne. She uses the slain animal’s blood to ink a magical colored tattoo of a forest firefly on the boy’s back. She gives him an ancient bronze bell and orders him to leave his grimy hometown immediately. Vir must travel far north, to Riona, to learn to control his hidden abilities. The young man boards a ship and steps into the unknown.