AVENGER THE SANCTUARY SERIES VOLUME TWO Robert J Crane AVENGER THE SANCTUARY SERIES VOLUME TWO Robert J Crane Copyright © 2011 All Rights Reserved AUTHOR’S NOTE This book is a work of fiction Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher For information regarding permission, please email cyrusdavidon@gmail.com Formatting and layout by Everything Indie http://www.everything-indie.com CONTENTS Prologue Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Epilogue A Note to the Reader Acknowledgments About the Author NOW Prologue The warrior looked around at the wreckage of the place he had once called home He sat in the archives of the ruined guildhall, a place where the ruling Council of Sanctuary had stored the records of their history The hanging torches lit a room in chaos; books lay scattered across the floor, scorched walls showed where stone had been tested by fire and the furniture lay splintered and broken, pieces strewn over the chiseled gray block that made up the floors Cyrus Davidon was a man out of place Even in the days when he called it home, Sanctuary had never looked like this The archives were organized, the halls were clean and spotless at day's end and by day's beginning He had seen the destruction stretch through the corridors as he climbed the tower to the archives, next to the room where the Council met He stood and pushed through the door to the chambers for another look The table at the center of the room was smashed The chairs that surrounded it were upended, their plush stuffing bleeding out in clumps He knew that if he followed the call of his heart and wandered down the stairs to the foyer, the lounge and the Great Hall, he would find each of them in similar condition, wrecked, with all trace of life long gone The fires that once burned in the hearths were long ago extinguished, the warmth of fellowship as gone as the souls that had once made this place great When did it all go wrong? Cyrus pondered How did we go from where we were to here? He didn't bother to answer himself He crossed back to the archives and resumed his seat He picked up the volume that he had laid down to stretch his legs and flipped to the page where he had left off The inside page told its purpose: The Journal of Vara – An Account of My Days With Sanctuary Her image sprang to his mind; her long, blond hair tucked in a neat ponytail; her armor shining in the summer sun; the way her red lips contrasted her pale cheeks, and curled in disdain when she scoffed at something foolhardy Which was often something said by him The skies outside had darkened but the torches had relit themselves, giving him enough light to read by The words looped in a flowing script that spoke of long hours of practice in an attempt to make the handwriting more elegant It has now been a little over a year since I met the most frustrating person yet to come across my path in Arkaria, it began In addition to the ego and arrogance so common in humans who wield swords, this man seems particularly well disposed to raise my ire in ways that I have not experienced since well long ago His grim mood broke for a moment as he chuckled at her assessment of him His eyes skimmed further down the page Whatever my problems with him, though, he is a man, and he possesses certain frailties inherent in men Never has this been more evident to me than tonight As he read, his hand reached down and he stroked the hilt of his sword and the ghost of a smile sprang to his lips A memory came rushing back to him, unbidden “We grow in times of trial,” Alaric, the Sanctuary Guildmaster, had once told him, years earlier He remembered the feelings, remembered the trials that had taxed him and remembered the days that had followed the battle in the mountains with the Dragonlord and thought his troubles, finally, might be over YEARS EARLIER Chapter The sword swung past Cyrus's head, clashing against the metal of his helmet He returned the favor to his attacker, impaling them with a vicious sword thrust that sent the monster spiraling away from him at an angle A smile crept across the warrior's face at the sight of the next foe Green scaled skin stood out against the sharp, pointed teeth and yellow eyes of his enemy The smell of damp air filled his nostrils His blade found the throat of the next goblin in line His eyes swept the room A full force from Sanctuary was around him, engaged in battle The Emperor and Empress of Enterra stared down at him from their throne platform, watching with red eyes as he cut his way through their Imperial Guard Cyrus threw his gaze to the side, falling on Nyad and Niamh, two elves that could not have been more different Niamh was a druid, who controlled the powers of nature through her spells Her long red hair was tossed back as she raised her hand, throwing blasts of fire into a cluster of goblins coming through the door to the army barracks Her eyes were lit with the excitement of the battle, and she cried out as she loosed another burst of flame at the enemy Nyad, on the other hand, had blond hair that fell below her waist She was a wizard who carried a white staff with gnarled boughs at the top of it, and it was taller than her Her crimson robes fell to her feet, but deft movements kept her from tripping over them Energies channeled through her staff, sending a blast of ice from the tip that froze three goblins in place Cyrus swept his sword through two more goblins in front of him He caught a glimpse of Orion, the ranger, clad in green and with his bow in hand, arrows flying A goblin ran at him but Elisabeth swept forward, her short swords moving with such speed he couldn't see anything but a blur from her hands Cass, the warrior clad in gray armor, moved to Cyrus's left, carving his way through the goblin army, Andren, J'anda and Vaste behind him Things became hazy Blood swirled on the floor Niamh and Nyad were dead, then Elisabeth, then J'anda and Vaste Cyrus watched as Cass was impaled by a goblin with a spear and Andren's body hit the floor immediately after Cyrus howled and attacked even harder The red eyes of the Emperor and Empress hovered just beyond his reach, watching him Behind them, a black-cloaked figure watched with red eyes of its own His sword moved of its own accord; goblin blood covered him – pungent and smelling of iron, he could not stop swinging his blade For every goblin he felled another sprang up, claws reaching out for him, their clicking driving him mad “Hold it together!” a voice called across the madness His eyes found Narstron, smile wide and wreathed in battle I have to get to him, Cyrus thought His sword danced, slicing through five more goblins and then five more after that, but there were more always more Narstron battled, but every step Cyrus took toward the dwarf brought him no closer Narstron was so deft with a sword that Cyrus could scarcely see it move The red eyes of the Imperials drew closer, just beyond the dwarf's field of battle Cyrus tried to move toward Narstron, but his sword was too slow and his feet were like leaden weights The red eyes were coming for the dwarf; he could feel it A thousand stings pinched him in the ribs Claws slipped between the joints of his breastplate and backplate, stabbing into his flesh He did not care; he tried to move forward More pain, more stabbing, and red eyes looking into his The Empress grasped him by the neck, claws cutting into his throat She was flanked on either side by the Emperor and the black-cloaked figure He could not move The red eyes resolved, and her face began to clarify It was Narstron – not G'Koal, the Empress of Enterra The dwarf looked down at him, all trace of felicity gone His face was creased with gashes, blood oozing from a dozen cuts The dwarf's lips were cracked, and when he opened his mouth, blood dripped out His voice was a rasp, the sound of death “You promised to avenge me ” The red eyes swallowed him and he screamed I couldn't move, could barely breathe The minutes passed like hours There was a fire in my belly, an agony I couldn't control I could barely remember the words to a healing spell, and whenever I used them it did nothing to help Of course the Gatekeeper was there “Such a brave effort,” he said in that damned, taunting voice of his “Such a glorious victory, and you showed them the way! You should be proud.” At that moment, I would have been proud if I had possessed the strength to impale him on the damned sword that Archenous left me with, but unfortunately, I was in far too much pain Hours passed Maybe days It felt like years The Gatekeeper faded in and out along with my consciousness, and I found myself hating him and Archenous more and more He taunted me while I lay there, fed me tender lines about how he had bent Archenous against me, fed his arrogance leading up to the defeat by the Siren and his desire for revenge at being embarrassed by Trayance He knew Archenous well; after a few months he had a grasp on the heart and soul of the only man I had ever loved better than I did And he used it Archenous knew I would turn on him if he attacked Trayance And he wanted my sword Do you know what you can become if you're prepared to betray and sacrifice someone who loves you? A dark knight And the Gatekeeper talked him into it Fed him on thoughts of power, of ability to fight off death in ways a paladin never could Of abandoning your holy crusade and focusing on what's important – you Well, half of it isn't bad, I suppose So he pushed him And Archenous bought into it – waited until we were weary at the moment of ultimate triumph, waited until he had enough applicants with him to turn against us, and took me out first with a blade to the back And he cast aside his holy crusade (yes, it was evangelizing for the Goddess of Love) in favor of power and a love for himself before others And the bastard stole my sword I lay there forever, I swear We were the only guild to beat the Trials, after all, and the Gatekeeper did not seem eager to help me, regardless of how much I begged I knew no one would come, and I wondered how long it would be before I succumbed to my wounds I prayed to Vidara for salvation, over and over When the pain became too great, I prayed for death The Gatekeeper left for a long time When I saw him again, he was touching my cheek, and he looked different He was missing an eye, for one thing, and he wore battered armor for another He stared down at me, eye searching “Please help me ” I muttered, or something of the like I hardly remember I was dying, after all Then the real Gatekeeper appeared at the man's side “Life is about choices, isn't it?” he said in the mocking, cruel tone of someone who thinks they've just told the funniest jest of all time I still wanted to kill him Other sounds came from around me, but I could not identify any of them A glow of light filled my vision, but no warmth entered my body It was still a miserable cold, chilling me through the skin I felt strong arms wrap around me “There was never a choice,” the man in armor said He cradled me in his arms, picked up the sword that was next to me, and carried me through the portal I woke days later in a far different place And nothing was the same again after that Ever Cyrus looked up from his reading A sharp intake of breath filled the air as it all settled in “Archenous,” he said with grim finality He read a little further, then flipped ahead, reading a section at a time Another passage drew his attention I looked at Alaric with rage He was possessed of no arrogance, but Cyrus had enough for both of them “He's going to make the wrong decision,” I told the man they called the Ghost He had looked at me just as enigmatically as he had all those years ago, when I lay on my back in Purgatory, then told me I was wrong “And if you are not wrong,” he went on, “and he does, at least be sound in the knowledge that you are an astute judge of human character.” “Don't be an ass,” I told him “Cyrus fills the quotient of that for the Council at present.” He shrugged in that infuriating way that he has when he's trying to be flippant “I counseled you about revenge I will counsel him as well Perhaps the reason you're so upset by this is because you're hoping you haven't fallen in love with the same man twice.” I flung the stupid sword into the wall It embedded a few inches into the stonework, and I felt warmth in the corners of my eyes I hate crying I don't it often I never sob if I can avoid it Damn the man, he knows He just knows “I ” Didn't know what to say “Cyrus and Archenous are not the same person,” Alaric said “To confuse them or paint them as the same man would be folly on your part.” “I was betrayed, Alaric,” I snapped at him “Being gutted, literally, by your first love does not make it easy to trust again And in this case, perhaps I see the similarities because I know what to look for – and none of the rest of you do.” “You are hardly the first among us to be betrayed,” he replied “But keep watching You'll know soon enough.” Cyrus sat back for a moment He had been aware at the time of the debate raging inside Vara, but not of the substance and depth of it He found another passage – from Termina Right after she kissed me on the cheek and left, he realized I sat with Isabelle in my room long after my parents had gone to bed She still labors under the illusion that because we are sisters, we should share our every prattling thought, every heartfelt desire and every girlish whim I cannot believe she is older than me by two centuries She acts like a child “Well done helping Sanctuary through Purgatory,” she said, lying next to me on the covers “Everyone in Reikonos is talking about what you did.” “Excellent,” I replied “You know that my sole ambition in life was to not only be the talk of the Elven Kingdom but of all Arkaria It's why I left Termina in the first place,” I deadpanned “You still don't take compliments well,” she said with a hint of resignation She paused for a moment and brightened “Tell me about Cyrus Davidon.” I bristled at the name “What is there to tell?” “His name comes up often in my circles,” she said “A rising star in the Sanctuary firmament, helping to lead your guild to prominence.” “The thing about rising stars is that they tend to burn brightest just before they disappear.” “So are you interested in him?” Her impish smile annoyed me “Hardly,” I snorted “Hm,” she said “Then I might be.” “Marvelous I'll introduce you, you can get married and raise fat halfbreed babies with pointed ears and lantern jaws.” My acid tongue has no effect on my sister I know it Nonetheless, she stopped trying to make conversation When she reached the door, she turned back to me and started to say something, but must have thought better of it, because she left instead I might have been mistaken, but I believe I caught just a hint of sadness in her eyes before she walked out the door Cyrus marveled at her admission; even among her family it seemed Vara did not bother with diplomacy He frowned Or was it because of her close intimacy with them that she didn't bother? “You were right,” I said, edging into the room I felt as humbled as I could be, but relieved The events in Enterra had born out Alaric's belief in Cyrus – and my hope that I was wrong about him “You think so?” the Ghost said mysteriously “I know so,” I replied, giving him a confused look “You saw what happened – he resisted it, the urge to kill the Empress He held back.” “Indeed, that is what I saw,” Alaric agreed “But just because he won that battle today does not mean that it is won forever.” My smile must have disappeared at that point, perhaps replaced by that fearsome expression I get when challenged, or annoyed, or sometimes when I have stomach pains, because he raised an eyebrow at me “Alaric, this foe had hurt him more than anyone – as bad as Archenous hurt me, at least You think that he'll face a worse test in the future and fail it?” “The only thing I said,” he reiterated, “is that a battle won today is not won forever There is a war raging for the heart and soul of Cyrus Davidon We stand on one side – those who would see him great things, hold mercy and purpose in his heart and act in that spirit – while on the other side, there are those who would have him act from petty, cruel, self-serving motives He is young – and impressionable And that battle is not decided today It goes ever on.” “You are damnably cruel,” I told him “And I care not what you say, I believe he has faced his worst trial and shown his true character.” “If that is the case and you feel that way, then perhaps you should tell him how you truly feel – about him – and stop dancing around the subject.” “Oh?” I asked “And how would that factor into your belief that there is a war for his soul?” “Favorably,” he replied “I believe he would fight harder to please you than for anything else in his life right now – including his new sword.” I blinked Damned swords But all I said was, “I'm not ready yet Perhaps soon Perhaps I'll start by telling him something And then,” I said with a hope that ran the length of my soul, “perhaps someday I'll tell him everything.” I looked at the man who had been called the Ghost for as long as I have known him, and hesitated He stared back at me, with that one, cold gray eye of his, looking into the depths of my soul For as long as I have known Alaric, our relationship has been based on a mutual respect He doesn't write me off every time I swear and throw things and I don't press him continuously with questions I know he doesn't want to answer “What?” His look was wary, guarded I think he sensed one of those unpleasant questions in the offing “Alaric I have been through the Trials of Purgatory, many times When we went through them with Sanctuary, they were only a fraction of the difficulty that I had experienced previously.” I looked at him, uneasy “The Golems were slower and hit less hard, the Wind Totem and its pegasi were almost pathetically weak, susceptible even to arrows – and the Last Guardian was a joke; it never even made an attempt at using its mental abilities to influence the outcome of the battle.” I looked at him and he sat unmoving, expressionless “I have yet to hear a question.” “Alaric ” I looked at him and he refused to meet my gaze “How did you reach the last island of the Trials of Purgatory when you rescued me? And why were you there?” A deep sigh filled the air and Alaric's head turned to look out the window The silence filled the room like the mist he creates when he appears and disappears When he finally answered, it was in a voice just above a whisper “I will start by telling you some of it and someday, when the time comes I will tell you the rest.” Cyrus looked up from the journal The dark skies outside the window finally broke loose and cold autumn rain poured down outside A Note to the Reader If you enjoyed this book and want to know about future releases by Robert J Crane, you can CLICK HERE to sign up for my mailing list! I promise I won't spam you (I only send an email when I have a new book released) and I'll never sell your info You can also unsubscribe at any time I also wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading this story As an independent author, getting my name out to build an audience is one of the biggest priorities on any given day If you enjoyed this story and are looking forward to reading more, let someone know - post it on Amazon, on your blog, if you have one, on Goodreads.com, place it in a quick Facebook status or Tweet with a link to the page of whatever outlet you purchased it from (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, etc) Good reviews inspire people to take a chance on a new author – like me And we new authors can use all the help we can get Thanks for reading Robert J Crane Acknowledgments Writing a novel takes a lot of work, and a lot of help For this one I had to round up the usual suspects In no particular order: Kari Layman was my trusted first reader, going through my unedited nonsense and repetitive prose (you think it's bad now? HA!) Shannon Garza, Heather Rodefer and Debra Wesley spent countless hours fixing my numerous and prolific spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors Any that are left remain mine just as they were when I put them there Andrew Seager gave me a great, helpful critique on how my writing could improve from Volume One to Volume Two For that, I am grateful Thanks also to Jon Burrell for being the first to buy my book Big thanks to Mary, Rocky, Monica and Derek Lyle for being so very, very vocal and early in their support As far as I know, Rocky remains the first person to actually buy and finish my book after release, to which I say, “It may have been hot in Texas on that day, but you could have surely found SOMETHING better to ” To my grandmother and grandfather, for being helpful, kind and supportive The map of Arkaria was done by Robert Altbauer, a stellar cartographer (as in very good, not as in a mapper of the stars) His work is both fast and top notch His website is http://www.fantasy-map.net/ and he can be reached via email at contact@fantasy-map.net Once I found him, getting the map made was the easiest thing about this book The cover for this, the second edition, was created by Karri Klawiter, whose name I only seem to spell correctly once out of every couple of times I try Her work is exceptional, and can be found at artbykarri.com Thanks also go to Nicholas J Ambrose, who has been an exceptional editor, formatter, and pretty damned cool guy to talk to about gaming and writing, two of my absolute favorite subjects Since the very first book I wrote he's been instrumental in carrying my vision onto the page, and I appreciate his efforts To the GC Alums: Again You guys rock Thanks for being the inspiration for my some of my characters as well as being some of my biggest fans My thanks to everyone who bought a physical copy of book My first order went faster than I could have predicted Thanks to my mom and dad, and my wife and kids I couldn't have done it without you all About the Author Robert J Crane was born and raised on Florida's Space Coast before moving to the upper midwest in search of cooler climates and more palatable beer He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in English Creative Writing He worked for a year as a substitute teacher and worked in the financial services field for seven years while writing in his spare time He makes his home in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota He can be contacted in several ways: Via email at cyrusdavidon@gmail.com Follow him on Twitter - @robertJcrane Connect on Facebook – robertJcrane (Author) Website – robertJcrane.com Blog – robertJcrane.blogspot.com Cyrus Davidon will return in CHAMPION THE SANCTUARY SERIES VOLUME THREE Now Available! The Sanctuary Series Epic Fantasy by Robert J Crane The world of Arkaria is a dangerous place, filled with dragons, titans, goblins and other dangers Those who live in this world are faced with two choices: live an ordinary life or become an adventurer and seek the extraordinary Champion The Sanctuary Series, Volume Three As the war heats up in Arkaria, Vara is forced to flee after an ancient order of skilled assassins infiltrates Sanctuary and targets her Cyrus Davidon accompanies her home to the elven city of Termina and the two of them become embroiled in a mystery that will shake the very foundations of the Elven Kingdom – and Arkaria Available Now! Crusader The Sanctuary Series, Volume Four Cyrus Davidon finds himself far from his home in Sanctuary, in the land of Luukessia, a place divided and deep in turmoil With his allies at his side, Cyrus finds himself facing off against an implacable foe in a war that will challenge all his convictions - and one he may not be able to win Coming Fourth Quarter 2012! Savages A Sanctuary Short Story Twenty years before Cyrus Davidon joined Sanctuary, his father was killed in a war with the trolls and he has never forgiven them Enter Vaste, a troll unlike most; courageous, loyal and an outcast When Cyrus and Vaste become trapped in a far distant land, they are forced to overcome their suspicions and work together to get home Available Now! A Familiar Face A Sanctuary Short Story Cyrus Davidon gets more than he bargained for when he takes a day away from Sanctuary to visit the busy markets of his hometown, Reikonos While there, he meets a woman who seems very familiar, and appears to know him, but that he can't place Available Now! Alone The Girl in the Box, Book Sienna Nealon was a 17-year-old girl who had been held prisoner in her own house by her mother for twelve years Then one day her mother vanished, and Sienna woke up to find two strange men in her home On the run, unsure of who to turn to and discovering she possesses mysterious powers, Sienna finds herself pursued by a shadowy agency known as the Directorate and hunted by a vicious, bloodthirsty psychopath named Wolfe, each of which is determined to capture her for their own purposes Available Now! Untouched The Girl in the Box, Book Still haunted by her last encounter with Wolfe and searching for her mother, Sienna Nealon must put aside her personal struggles when a new threat emerges – Aleksandr Gavrikov, a metahuman so powerful, he could destroy entire cities – and he’s focused on bringing the Directorate to its knees Available Now! Soulless The Girl in the Box, Book Available Now! Family The Girl in the Box, Book Coming Fourth Quarter 2012! Trust The Girl in the Box, Book Coming Fourth Quarter 2012! Table of Contents VOLUME TWO: Avenger Author's Note Map Prologue Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Epilogue A Note to the Reader Acknowledgments About the Author .. .AVENGER THE SANCTUARY SERIES VOLUME TWO Robert J Crane AVENGER THE SANCTUARY SERIES VOLUME TWO Robert J Crane Copyright © 2011 All Rights... the archives, next to the room where the Council met He stood and pushed through the door to the chambers for another look The table at the center of the room was smashed The chairs that surrounded... coming through the door to the army barracks Her eyes were lit with the excitement of the battle, and she cried out as she loosed another burst of flame at the enemy Nyad, on the other hand, had