Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

by Laszlo,Jeremy

  AGE OF THE GODS

  The Complete Series

  The Blood and Brotherhood Saga

  By Jeremy Laszlo

  Kindle edition Copyright Jeremy Laszlo 2016

  © 2016 by Jeremy Laszlo.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.

  All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Books by Jeremy Laszlo

  Clad in Shadow (Poetry for a Burdened Soul)

  The Blood and Brotherhood Saga

  (Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy, Ages 15+)

  The Choosing (Book One of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

  The Chosen (Book Two of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

  The Changing (Book Three of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

  Crimson (Book 3.5 of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

  The Contention (Book Four of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

  The Champions (Book Five of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

  The Crowned (Book Six of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

  Orc Destiny Trilogy (A Blood and Brotherhood series)

  (Dark Fantasy, Ages 13+ for gore and violence)

  Twisted Fate (Orc Destiny, Volume I)

  Fallen Crown (Orc Destiny, Volume II)

  Three Kings (Orc Destiny, Volume III)

  The Beyond Series

  (Adults only due to extreme mature content)

  Beyond The Mask (The Beyond Book One)

  Beyond The Flesh (The Beyond Book Two)

  Beyond The Soul (The Beyond Book Three)

  Children of the After series

  (post-apocalyptic, Ages 10+)

  Children of the After: AWAKENING

  Children of the After: REVELATION

  Children of the After: EVOLUTION

  Children of the After: REBIRTH

  Left Alive series

  (Zombie Apocalypse, Adults only due to extreme mature content)

  Left Alive #1

  Left Alive #2

  Left Alive #3

  Left Alive #4

  Left Alive #5

  Left Alive #6

  The Detective King Trilogy

  (Adults only due to Extreme Mature Content)

  The Monster Within

  The Demon Inside

  The Darkness Inside Us

  Stand Alone Novels

  Infinity’s Daughter

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  THE CHOOSING

  THE CHOSEN

  THE CHANGING

  CRIMSON

  THE CONTENTION

  THE CHAMPIONS

  THE CROWNED

  TWISTED FATE

  FALLEN CROWN

  THREE KINGS

  THE CALLING

  THE CATACLYSM

  THE CHOOSING

  AGE OF THE GODS, VOLUME I

  THE BLOOD AND BROTHERHOOD SAGA

  Prologue

  Many gods there were who gathered to create the world. Each of them lent an equal gift of their own power, of their own life force, to create all things living upon Thurr. This method of creation allowed them all to remain equally powerful, working together to create perfection. Through eons they watched their world grow and prosper.

  Civilizations arose and their creations learned and thrived upon the land that had been made for them. With expanding civilizations came the discovery of neighbors. With that discovery came borders. With borders came disputes and ultimately wars erupted from time to time upon the world that the gods had made. Among all of their creations upon Thurr, the many races of man held the gods enthralled. The creatures were but a speck in the shadow of the gods who had breathed life into them, yet the many races of man never failed to surprise their makers. So it was that men were to teach the gods who made them many lessons.

  All gods were equal, and being so, many concepts had never occurred to them. The races of man, however, were not all equal. Some of the races had higher intellect, others had more brawn and larger physical prowess, but these differences occurred between different races and thus the gods expected different cultures to arise to fit the needs of the peoples. What they had not suspected came, not in a physical form, but from within individuals of individual races.

  As time progressed, the gods stood in the heavens watching the races of man, awed by the spectrum of concepts they had never before postulated. Honor, trust, courage, fear, hope, loss, excitement, vanity, greed, lust and ambition were just a few of the lessons gleaned by the gods from their own creations. Above all, however, jealousy was learned by the gods.

  Though none of the gods would outwardly show it, each had become jealous of the races of man. Wanting to experience what man experienced for themselves, the gods took council with their brethren. It was unanimously decided that each of them would take the form of a mortal, walk among man and learn firsthand all that they could from their mortal kin. They decided to reconvene later to share all that they had discovered. Each of them was given one lifetime among the many species of men. Thus they set their ethereal bodies aside, wrapping themselves in the flesh of whatever race most inspired them. Leaving the plane of immortals vacant, the gods came to roam Thurr, living among mankind.

  Decades passed, merely seconds to an immortal, but among mankind the gods felt as their creations felt, learned as their creations learned, experienced what their creations experienced. But one among them found it hard to cope with mortal flesh and mortal worries. She was lost to the concepts of honor, hope, happiness or excitement, though she had learned of them from watching mortal life from the heavens. The life she had chosen however was abundant in none of them. Loss, pain, betrayal, fear and hatred ruled the mortal life she was born into and she would not be allowed another life among mankind. Being all powerful, she decided that in order to experience the other concepts of life upon Thurr she would simply change the circumstances she was born into and make a better life for herself and those around her.

  First she repaired the misshapen body that she possessed, creating a beauty unseen among her people. The people considered her physical mending a miracle and so begged her for more miracles. She happily complied. She healed the sick, strengthened the weak and gave vigor to the weary. The lowly people she had been born amongst began to thrive like never before, and as they spread tales of her miracles, her name was shouted in the streets. Within a decade they had built a temple for her to abide. The people came to her temple and offered her gifts and praise and some among the people began to worship her as their deity. That is when she learned the greatest lesson of her lifetime among men.

  Every living thing upon the world was made of equal parts of each of the gods, thus when a life ended an
d the power returned to the gods, they remained as equals. When a new life began it was also created with equality from the gods, again leaving them as equals. But the goddess who lived among the humans, hailed as a deity, discovered a secret. It was a secret of import and many of the lessons she learned among the races of man would now be put to use.

  So it was that with her greed and cunning she made sure word of her miraculous deeds spread. Throngs of people came to see this goddess upon Thurr, asking for her favor. Thousands upon thousands came from many races and bent knee to her upon her dais in the temple devoted to her. As each man, woman or child gave themselves wholly to her, worshipping her as their goddess, they changed. To a mere mortal the alteration was unperceivable, but to a god, a glorious change indeed could be seen to take place. Within each living thing on the world was a spark of life created by the gods themselves. Each of those sparks was like a rainbow with a myriad of sparkling, twisting colors, each one representing the individual god who lent the power of life to the receiver. As each person prostrated themselves before her, however, the goddess watched as their life sparks changed to the deepest of purples, barely distinguishable from the blackest night.

  The goddess had a few decades left upon the mortal world and thus converted multitudes of people from many races to her cause. As her worshippers expired, all of their life force now returned to her instead of being equally split among the gods, yet each new birth still took a toll on all of them. Thus it was in the span of a single lifetime in human years that Ishanya rose among her peers, becoming more powerful than half of them together. Mankind had taught her well.

  Eventually all the gods returned to their realm. Although only moments in the time of gods had passed, it soon became evident that something had gone amiss. Ishanya came among them with a new abundance of power and laid rule to them all. Each of them had acquired much knowledge among the world's inhabitants, however, and so they plotted in secret councils to bring Ishanya’s rule to a quick end. They went about their normal routines dutifully as if nothing had changed, but each of them, one at a time, sneaked off to the world of man to make miracles, earn followers and lend their powers to champions. Then they returned to the realm of the gods, their individual absences going unnoticed.

  Thus the first great war of the races of man had begun, known to all the gods but one as the purge. A battle erupted over all of Thurr, each god’s followers seeking to destroy Ishanya’s loyal subjects. Destroy them they did, nearly completely. Neither man, woman nor child was spared. If service to Ishanya was even suspected, the life was forfeit and the body dismembered and burned. The event took nearly a century measured in mortal time, but was just a fraction of a blink of an eye to the gods, and realization struck Ishanya too late.

  With the wholesale slaughter of her followers, Ishanya’s power swelled almost instantly making her more powerful still. But even then she was not more powerful than the sum of her foes, and though they did not have the power to destroy her, they didn't need to. Instead they held her captive for only a moment, allowing time to pass. As they held her, generations were spawned and died on Thurr. These new generations of people were those who still worshipped all the gods but Ishanya, for now all feared to worship her. As new generations came and went, all the gods became more and more powerful as Ishanya shriveled to near nothingness. Her peers had thought to teach her humility, but backed into a corner, feeling afraid of death and mourning the loss of her power, hatred brewed in the soul of the goddess and she swore to herself to have vengeance.

  Thus Ishanya fled into the deepest, darkest pit of the realm of the gods and hid, plotting a way to return to power, a way to redeem her name upon the world, a way to destroy her peers. Her power was all but gone so she planned and waited until the opportune time. Her few remaining followers on the world dwindled over the many centuries she waited. Her temples nearly all lay destroyed or in ruins or completely forgotten. But word of mouth kept her alive throughout the ages. She was considered an evil goddess now, thus only a very few who thought no other god would accept their service still prayed to her.

  Ishanya continued to wait until only one last faithful subject remained. Nearly twelve hundred years had passed in human time and, weak beyond belief, Ishanya crept to the mortal world for one quick deed, nearly expelling the little power she had left. Returning to the plane of the gods to hide once again, Ishanya waited in exile, biding her time. Her plan already in motion, she did not need to wait long to receive all that she wanted. Last time she tried to gain power by showing love and compassion, and in return the people were forced to fear worshipping her. This time, however, she would hear their prayers even if she had to wring it from their necks. This time Ishanya would make them afraid NOT to worship her.

  CHAPTER 1

  Seth

  The sun sank slowly over the mountains to the west, taking with it warmth and leaving behind a streak of crimson. The air was cool, cooler now without the direct sunlight to warm the forest below. Winter was coming sooner than most hoped it would, and apparently it was coming with a vengeance. The atmosphere of the treed canopy changed almost subconsciously as insects began to buzz and nocturnal predators began to stir. The wind blew cold, wistfully down the mountain slopes as breath turned to crystals and day turned to night.

  Seth tracked the beast stealthily through the forest, carefully deciding each footfall. The rains had begun a week earlier, softening the loam and fallen leaves cushioning each step. Occasionally he would lose sight of the crafty creature behind brush or a large tree, though tracking it thus far had been easy enough. Several times he believed he had a shot but, unwilling to take it and miss, had not yet drawn his bow.

  Thus he crept silently stalking the beast, arrow knocked, waiting for the perfect shot that he feared would never come. Though it was late in the fall and leaves carpeted the forest floor, the canopy above him was vast and still blocked out much of the light. The scent of rain was heavy in the air and from time to time he could see a glimpse of the cloud-covered sky above. Darkness was nearing and with it yet another storm.

  The beast sprang from the brush ahead and darted to a small clearing only twenty yards from Seth’s own cover. This might be the last opportunity for a clear shot that he would get, and thus far it was the best vantage he had received to take the beast down cleanly.

  Taking a deep breath he drew his bow to the full, tightening his abdominal muscles as he did to assure himself a steady shot. He drew down on the beast aiming just behind the head, hoping to sever the spinal cord and spare himself from following yet another blood trail. He exhaled, and just before releasing the arrow, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

  Seth couldn’t bring himself to actually witness the death blow to his prey. Instead he listened for the fraction of the second that it took for his arrow to reach its mark. Within an instant, he heard the familiar shink of metal meeting bone, followed by the thud of his arrow driving through the beast into the soft earth beneath it. Seth opened his eyes and surveyed the carnage. Approaching the beast, he realized that he had made a clean kill as he had hoped. The hare lay still in a pool of steaming blood, not bothering to twitch, let alone breathe or squeal.

  Grabbing the tail end of his arrow, he gave a single tug dislodging it and the hare impaled upon it from the soil below. Careful not to shower himself in blood, he pulled the arrow from his catch and placed it back in his quiver. Seth dropped the beast into the leather sack tied to his belt. Pulling his head and one arm through his short bow, he slung it on his back. He had spent the entire day in the woods and had only bagged four small hares, but he knew his brother would easily make up for it with his own catch.

  Turning, he strode back the way he had come, no longer bothering to be quiet. After nearly a mile he approached the trail where he hoped to meet his brother. At least, he was pretty sure this was the trail. In the forest with the light failing, Seth wasn't certain, even though he had hunted these trails nearly his whole life.

 
Walking alone in the lush forest had given him ample time to think throughout the day, yet no matter how hard he tried to avoid them, the same thoughts assailed him time and time again. Tomorrow he would leave home, and even though he wouldn't be going alone, the thought of leaving his life behind terrified him.

  The uncertainty of the future weighed upon his heart and he feared the days ahead. He had no idea what the future held, but felt certain that it would not be easy. He not only feared for himself but also for his family. His father would be alone, forced to handle all the chores that he and his brother now did on top of his normal daily routine, and he worried that it would be too much for his father.

  Sure, when he and his brother were small, their father managed it all on his own. However, his father wasn't getting any younger, and things that were easy in his youth proved more difficult now. He was afraid that all the extra responsibilities might take a toll on his father. He tried to reason that the neighbors would chip in to fill the void the boys left when they were gone, but rationalizing the situation didn't make him feel any better. He had so many worries; his father was just one of the many.

  Seth also feared for himself and his brother. Though his brother had designs for his own future, Seth didn't share his ambitions. In fact, he didn't aspire to a grand future at all. All he wanted, was to spend the rest of his days in Vineleaf, eventually take over for his father, and live a long quiet life. Seth had imagined himself many times simply shirking his duties to the realm and just staying home to do just that, but he didn't want to disappoint his father, and neither did he want his brother to face the world alone. Thus were his thoughts as he heard the snap of a twig up ahead. Better safe than sorry, he altered his course into the deepening shadows of the trees, and crept ahead silently as death.