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 do 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 do 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... somethin
g. 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 do...”
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 [email protected] 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 1. 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 [email protected]
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Website – robertJcrane.com
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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 1
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 Sien
na 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 2
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 3
Available Now!
Family
The Girl in the Box, Book 4
Coming Fourth Quarter 2012!
Trust
The Girl in the Box, Book 5
Coming Fourth Quarter 2012!
The Sanctuary Series: Volume 02 - Avenger Page 37
