Brother. Guardian. Leader.
How Tellen Came About
Tellen was one character that spent a lot of time in the drawing room. I couldn’t ever figure out what his purpose was or why he was even there in the first few renditions of The Earthspark. At first, I thought maybe he was just an overlord type creator of the world Nienna lived in. So I created Teaguemund Demetrius to be Nienna’s main partner for the story. (Strange to think of now.)
However, as things went along, that just didn’t feel right. I was missing something big and I needed to figure it out. Then I realized, to my great dismay, that Teague was only meant to be a side character and not one of the main characters.
This was a hard transition because I loved Teague’s character. He was brave to a fault, witty, and always quick to action. When paired with Nienna’s quiet tenacity, gentle, healing nature though, it was clear this couple weren’t right for each other (Though, he may get his own series yet!).
So they “broke up” and I was back to square one to figure out how Tellen, Teague, and Nienna fit together into the story. Then one day it clicked.
Teague, though still important, would shift to a secondary character who brings intensity, grit, and unwavering loyalty to his best friend, Tellen Ramforth. Tellen then morphed into an all-powerful shapeshifter who at his core, just wants someone to love and love him in return.
Tellen grew into the Guardian of the Earthspark, which is one of the elemental powers of Zephralos. Using his gift, he created the land that the humans walked on, as well as the animals they interacted with.
Who Tellen is Today
As Guardian of the Earthspark, he strives to ensure those who share this power, use it in the defense and aid of others. It is a deep connection to all living things and can form bonds between those who open their hearts to others.
He is over 8,287 years old and is the third child of the Great King, Master of the Universe. His symbol is a black wolf on a green background. The Earthspark, Tellen’s innate gift manifests as green magic. He is well built, but not brawny like his elder brother Aros, Guardian of the Skyspark. His eyes are the color of moss on oak (aka hazel), and he has loose, curly black hair.
He is a shapeshifter and can take the form of any animal he created. Dragons, like humans however, were created by the Great King, so without the aid of their magic, he cannot take the form of a dragon. A good thing, because the wild ferocity of dragon magic is enough to send this Guardian into the throws of addiction—an addiction to power. Once he taps into this magic he can’t get enough and loses control of his rational self.
Despite all the good he has done in the world of Zephralos, Tellen has a secret—one that broke his relationship with his sister, and ultimately fractured the kingdoms of Zephralos. This secret will play heavily into the series finale, releasing in 2025, so don’t miss it when it launches.
To learn more about other characters in The Comstock Chronicles read their bios here.
You can also read the first chapter of The Earthspark below and see the effects of the secret that broke the world.
1 – Ashes and Dust
Foothills Above Solomon; 1287 Years Earlier
Rei!
Tellen’s heart stopped as smoke obscured the scene below him. Rocks dug into his knees as his captors forced him to kneel, but he no longer felt the pain. The rough hands that gripped his arms were all that kept him from collapsing. Tears stung his eyes, and he blinked them away; the only thing his paralyzed body could do.
Then he felt it. His connection to the girl who held his heart was gone. He scanned the meadow below where he’d seen Reina and Fallon only moments ago.
Fallon’s cry of pain. Rei’s sobs. Saul’s bellow of triumph.
All of it reverberated around his skull creating a tumult so loud he thought his head would split open. And yet, his mind refused to believe what his eyes had seen.
Rei and Fallon were dead and he, the Earth Guardian, had been powerless to stop it. He’d failed, and now his friends had paid the price.
He lived.
And his beloved Reina was gone.
Images of the blade descending upon the two women played over and over in his mind. Saul’s twisted face as he raised his sword. Reina’s resignation. Fallon’s bleeding form. A swirl of faces and hands that were all tinged with red.
He willed his arms and legs to move, begging them to respond. If he got down there, maybe he could heal them before it was too late.
But he knew that wasn’t true.
Ash rained down from the hazy sky, hiding the soldiers below, including Saul—Tellen’s exiled Pathfinder. The man had once been part of the Guardian’s inner circle. His Earthspark had shaped entire hillsides, the rocks eagerly molding to his will. He’d been so full of light and goodness before Fiora corrupted him. After that, darkness was all that remained.
Now Saul had shattered Tellen’s heart by wielding the sword that had murdered Rei and Fallon. His chest constricted, squeezing out any air left in his lungs.
The Nightshade bird venom, derived from the winged demons the Fire Witch had created, still burned in his veins. He wished it would burn away the rest of him, leaving nothing but ash. The venom caused his limbs to convulse, and the rock beasts holding his arms tightened their grips.
Only one thought cycled around his mind. Rei is dead.
Then he heard it.
Laughter.
Who could laugh when light and love had been taken from the world?
The smoke shifted in the breeze and Fiora came into view a few paces away. His sister. Her ember hair rippled, shimmering between black and red like coals in a hearth.
She turned her dark eyes on him. Her cruel smile broadened on her bright red lips. “It seems part of your debt to me is repaid. You take my mate, I take yours. Though that slave girl you loved so much was hardly worth the trouble she caused.”
Tellen swallowed hard. The venom clogged his throat, filling his mouth with bile.
“You killed them.” The convulsions passed, leaving his brow coated with sweat. He slumped in the grips of the Grimmoles holding him. All he could feel was a gaping emptiness where his connection to Rei and Fallon had been a moment ago.
“And why wouldn’t I?” Fiora raised an eyebrow as her lip curled. “They were just two more of your mangy, flea ridden pack. Sworn to follow an oath given by a backstabbing, glory mongering—”
She stopped herself and squeezed her eyes shut. The Fire Guardian wheeled to face the smokey sky. Her voice was little more than a whisper.
“You stole Darius from me, just like you stole everything else. You owe me, Little Brother.” She glared back at him on her shoulder. Her eyes glistened in the red tinged sunlight. “And I will continue to take pieces of you until you are no more than dust. Maybe then we’ll be even.”
“Killing isn’t the answer, Fiora.” He gasped, trying to find enough air to continue speaking. “I’ve done everything I can to make it up to you after what I did. Yet you still refuse to accept anything I’ve done to make amends.”
His voice broke as he stared at his elder sister. The one with whom he’d created this world. Even now, he could still feel fire had lifted the molten rock from the belly of the earth and how he used that to shape the mountains and valleys that covered this land. They’d been inseparable. Once.
He’d never intended to hurt her. Since that day, he’d given her anything she asked, all in hopes of setting it right. Yet she continued to despise him, even after thousands of years. She would never forgive, nor ever forget, his greatest mistake.
Fiora was in his face now, the taint of smoke stinging his nose. “And I never will.”
His gaze flicked to the four medallions hanging around her neck. His second greatest mistake. The white, green, blue, and red gems of the elemental medallions glimmered, taunting him.
Gems he’d created for his siblings, the Elemental Guardians, to use when they needed extra power in defense of their homes and their people. All at Fiora’s beguiling suggestion. Once the siblings had stoked their pieces with enough power, she’d struck, stealing that magic for herself, and turning it against the people they were sworn to protect.
“Bring him.” Fiora gave a dismissive wave with her hand and walked toward where he knew the Nightshade birds waited. The Grimmoles dragged him after their mistress.
He’d trusted his older sister. Loved her even. And he’d believed that love still lived in her shriveled heart.
No longer.
A wave of anger washed over him, churning against the Nightshade venom holding him captive. His body lurched as the paralysis gave beneath the force of his power. His fingers twitched.
Tellen pushed harder at his Earthspark, clearing the venom from his veins. A plan formed in his mind as the birds came into view. If it worked, he might save the rest of his friends; if any still lived after the attack on Peroma. His gaze shifted to Fiora. No one else would pay for his mistakes.
Sparks flared to life on his hand. With a shout, he ripped his arms free from the Grimmoles’ grips and charged his sister.
She whirled around, but by then, his fingers were at the chain around her neck. His fingers crackled with power as they closed around the combined forces of the four cardinal powers. Earth, Wind, Water—and Fire.
Flames erupted around them at his command, splintering wood and rock from the intense heat. Fiora tried to retaliate, but he cast up earthen shields, blocking every attack. Next he willed a wall of water to encase her, taken from the forest around him. Trees groaned and green leaves crumbled as he took their lifeblood. If there was any other way to contain Fiora, he’d do it. But he was out of options.
With a mental nudge, Tellen urged the earth to cover the watery orb with Fiora inside. It wouldn’t hold her for long, but it would give him a chance to get away. To find a place where he could destroy the medallions and prevent any more life lost. His sister may have destroyed his world, but there was still a chance to save the rest of humanity.
He shifted into a large black eagle, the chains of the medallions swinging from his talons as he took to the sky, smoke trailing on his wings. Unbidden words filled his mind as he flew.
One element alone may stand,
Yet the convergence of four will shape the land.
Their unity, a tapestry of fate,
If not stopped will be too late
The one who merges the elements of force,
Shall wield a sword sharper than
The descending blade’s course.
With power to mend or make all bend,
In their hands, the world finds its end.
Words spoken to him from the mouth of a dragon after he’d delivered the medallions to his siblings. He’d dismissed the prophecy, thinking the creature had it wrong. His siblings would never turn against one another. But he’d been wrong.
He flew along the Eastern Fringe until he spotted Celestine ahead. Puffs of ash floated around him as he touched down and took his human form. Tellen stared at the metal encased gems. Part of him loathed to eliminate the stores of power. It was so easy to rely on his medallion to perform any task he needed without drawing on his innate abilities, leaving them fresh for emergencies.
The problem was that he’d relied too heavily on the external power, allowing his natural gifts to atrophy. He was weaker now than he’d ever been, and the threat of his sister couldn’t be greater. Should he really destroy the medallions?
The sound of a fireball hissing through the air toward him made up his mind. Tellen raised the silver studded pendants high, urging the powers within them to wake. Golden light flared around him as all four elements activated.
Love. Family. Honor. His motto echoed in his mind. That was why he was here. That was who and what he fought for.
Fiora barreled into him, flames licking his skin. He stretched his arm higher to keep the medallions out of her reach. She pawed at them, tugging on the chains dangling below his hand.
Tellen urged the rock to rise between them, prying her away. She screamed and he matched it with a bone jarring yell of his own. He forced his Earthspark into the gems, fueling the golden light of the combined elements until it was blinding.
He turned his head away to find Fiora rushing toward him, flaming hands outstretched. His resolve faltered. He’d needed to fight back if she caught hold of the medallions. He needed his extra power.
A resounding boom issued from the gems, and white light enveloped the forest. Heat seared his palm and he let go of the chains. The medallions pinwheeled high into the sky on the force of his magic. Before they disappeared above the trees, the gems blasted apart in a lightning flash.
The blast lifted Tellen off his feet and into a nearby tree. He fell to the ground with a crash, leaving him breathless. He lifted his face from the dirt, his body crying out with pain. The explosion had left him covered with burns and bruises. He only hoped his plan had worked and that medallions were no more. Or, at the very least, that they’d flown far from anyone who could use them.
Pungent smoke curled off the skeletal remains of the surrounding trees, standing like spent sticks of incense in the explosion’s aftermath. The ash that had coated the forest floor now hung suspended, choking what air there was to breathe.
Fiora struggled to her feet on the opposite side of the clearing. Brushing the charred soil from her face, she glared at him once before staggering away into the smoldering forest.
A guttural noise escaped Tellen’s lips, followed by green sparks on the tips of his fingers. His medallion was gone, but his magic hadn’t fully left him. The black lines that crisscrossed his skin gave way to their normal purplish hue as the Earthspark burned away the last traces of the Nightshade venom.
With a groan, he healed the worst of his battered body. Then the Guardian lurched to his bare feet, swaying like a dried reed in the wind. Fiora’s skirt whisked behind the blackened trunk of an old tree as she tried to escape.
Not this time.
The acrid smell of burned flesh bit his nose as he teetered through the trees, squinting through the smoke. Pain crackled along his skin. If he survived this, he could finish healing later. If he didn’t, then so much the better. Seven thousand years was more than anyone should endure.
Tellen pulled the Earthspark, the primordial power he’d imbued into the world, into his center, straightening and lengthening his stride. His strength would be short-lived, so he’d have to make this count. He lunged forward into his black wolf form, snarling as he sped through the trees.
Fiora shrieked, flickering in and out of the smoke. If she transformed now, he’d never catch her. However, it seemed the blast had weakened her just as it had him.
He caught up to his sister, transforming back into his human skin as he tackled her around the middle. His vision flickered as he opened a pit behind her and plunged them both into the dark crevasse. The pull of gravity made him tighten his hold as he exposed channel after channel through the rock. The pounding in his skull intensified.
Fiora clawed his chest, leaving deep rivulets of blood in her fingers’ wake, screaming in his ear, trying to burn his skin. He would not yield. Instead, he poured more of his magic into their descent, green sparks glittering all around like stars as they careened downward.
No more fire. No more death.
“Release me!” shouted Fiora.
Tellen opened one last chamber. “Gladly.”
He dropped his sister with a hard thunk on the warm stone in time to tuck into a roll before his face met the bedrock. He collapsed a moment later. Fiora groaned as she rolled to her side.
Everything inside urged him to just keep lying down. But, if she got free, the world wouldn’t stand another day. Tellen pushed to his feet, hauling his sister to the wall on quivering legs.
“What do you think you are doing?” she asked, trying to wriggle free while her eyes crossed.
“You’ve destroyed everything the Guardians stood for. You corrupted our magic, destroying all we created,” Tellen spat, pinning her arms to her sides. “The only way the world will be safe is if you’re not in it.”
He urged the rock to fold over her arms and legs, securing her against the wall.
“You can’t do this!” Fiora screamed, straining against him as the clay rolled over her. “I’ll regain my freedom, and when I do, I swear I will take everything from you.”
As the stone covered her face, Tellen’s fragile heart shattered. “You already have.”
Fiora’s scream echoed throughout the cavern as stone encased her. Tellen dropped to his knees, breathing hard. He’d done it. He’d trapped the Fire Witch at last. Now, no one else would suffer the way he had.
Sweat dripped into his eyes and he wiped it away as he stared at the blank expanse that hid his sister. The Earth Guardian marshaled his aching body to climb back through the layers of sediment. Yet, it would never be far enough.
A solitary tear slid down his cheek as Tellen pushed through an open space moments before his body gave out. If death could have any claim on him, he prayed it would come.
