The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast

Brought to you by Altrusian Grace Media (altrusiangrace.com) and human-narrated by Matthew Schmitz. In "The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast," the official Yalden discovers that the treasury of the strange city of Zeth has been emptied by corruption, and on the advice of the dubious oracle Oorn he is sent to recover the legendary treasure of the monstrous sorcerer Anathas, who dwells in the dreaded Cave of Three Winds. Armed with magical protections and driven by duty, greed, and youthful ambition, Yalden survives a hazardous journey across an alien wasteland and reaches the wizard-beast's lair, where he finds an immense hoard of jewels and relics beyond a floor of blazing coals. When the flames miraculously part to let him pass, he believes fortune has favored him, only to realize too late that he has been deliberately lured onto the treasure dais. Trapped and confronted by the hideous, shape-shifting Anathas, Yalden learns that the hoard is not a prize but bait, and the story ends with the