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

by Laszlo,Jeremy

  “Titles mean little to me, Garret, and so you shall simply call me Sirus. Though I am indeed the sworn leader of the knights, we hold no ranks amongst each other. We are all equals, we are all brothers,” Sirus said with a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his lips.

  “Well then, I suppose I will try and answer your question,” responded Garret. “I have seen very little of the knights to be honest. Our meeting upon the road was my first encounter. A few days ago, I watched through the eastern gate as two knights fought each other. I got to see them in their blessed form, and also witnessed them changing back to their normal size. That is all I really know but Ashton has told me that Gorandor’s blessings vary a little, though all of his gifts are for battle. I am afraid I am quite uneducated on the subject.” Garret answered, cursing his ignorance.

  “So you got to witness the transformation on the sparring field then? The knights you saw were Jordin and myself. Our blessings, like the king’s, are blessings of size and strength, which is common among the knights. Eight of us share the same blessing at present to varying degrees. We are fairly evenly matched, Jordin and I. When in our blessed forms, Jordin is smaller than me but we are equal in strength. My only advantage when sparring with him is my size. Being bigger gives me a longer reach,” Sirus told Garret.

  “When you change from normal size to giant size, how is it that your armor and weapons change too?” Garret asked.

  “Good question. As with all of the gifts, our power is given by our god and flows through us into the world. We then mold it to our purpose as best as we are able, within the limits the god has set upon his blessing. As long as I am in contact with something, I can shift its size along with my own when I make the transformation. The more items I shift, the more power I consume from Gorandor and the more I have to concentrate upon focusing the gift. Sometimes, when it is needed, I shift upon my mount allowing us to travel great distances quickly. But when you are in a battle, you need to be able to focus on your surroundings so it is best to shift the fewest items possible so that your concentration is not divided too severely. Does that answer your question?” Sirus asked, hoping he hadn’t missed any details.

  “Yes, I think I understand it now,” Garret stated in earnest. “What other blessings do the knights have in their arsenal at present?”

  “Another good question, Garret. I think your training will go smoothly if I judge your mind correctly. There are three others among us who each have unique blessings from Gorandor. The first of whom is Malik. The best way I can describe his gift without you actually witnessing it is to tell you that he can split. Malik has the ability to duplicate himself several times, and his conscious is present within each copy of himself. He can form two, four and even eight exact replicas of himself to perform great feats in battle. The more times he splits, though, the more concentration is required so he usually stops at four. It is a great blessing to be had. Though he does not possess the strength greater than a single man, imagine if you will, eight men fighting with a single mind with no need of communication. Men can train together to learn each other’s fighting styles and learn to act as a unit, but Malik can face multiple foes by himself and work with such perfect precision that no force of equal numbers has a chance to best him. His ability is great on the battlefield but often Malik is used for another purpose. Imagine if you will a sprawling battlefield, where all of us knights fight on different fronts, where we cannot communicate our needs to one another. Message runners are often targets for archers, but Malik can split to join several of us on the field simultaneously and can relay information instantaneously. That, Garret, is a great gift in a war. The drawback is that this ability comes at a cost. If any of his duplicates is injured, they all are injured, and Malik feels the pain multiplied.” Sirus explained with a grim look on his face.

  “I hope I can see that soon. It’s not too hard to imagine, being that I am a twin, but Seth and I are two different people. It will be interesting to see eight of the same person,” Garret remarked, still imagining what it would look like.

  “Next up would be Philip,” Sirus continued “He is not much older than you, as he was chosen at the last ceremony two years ago. Philip’s blessing is one of speed. He can move so fast that you can hardly even see him. It is a great gift, again very useful on the field of battle, but as with all gifts it comes with limitations. Philip’s training was so painful we had to have an entire staff of clerics here at all times. You see, each of us has to learn our own limitations, and none of us before had seen a gift like Philip’s and so none of us were able to help him to establish his limits. Philip can move at amazing speeds, but it is very dangerous. He has to gradually build his momentum or else he can injure himself. Fortunately his gift also allows him to heal quickly, if not he probably would not have survived his training. You see if Philip were to jump or start running at full speed from a dead stop, the force and speed of his movements would tear his muscles and break his bones. He has to plan well ahead and gradually change his pace. In battle he has to predetermine every impact of his blade. If he were to strike a blow at full speed to a shield or someone’s armor, he would likely shatter his arm and possibly his shoulder. But don’t think that his constraints make him weaker than the rest of us. In sparring Philip is a very formidable foe. He can anticipate and dodge nearly any blow you launch at him. He too can attack and retreat before you even know what hit you. He is no less intimidating than myself in battle, though we usually use him to ambush the enemy. With the gift that Philip possesses, he can make an enemy believe they are facing a large force when in truth he is the only one attacking them. He is young so he likes to tease and torment his foes a bit, but I think eventually he will grow out of that,” Sirus said with a smile. “That only leaves Horace. His is a gift of two parts. Horace has strength more than that of a single man, though it is not enough to match the strength of those of us blessed with size shifting. He too has a special sight, not with his eyes but with his mind. He describes it as being able to see what will happen only a few seconds before it does actually happen. Horace lives every moment of his life twice, so to speak. He knows always what is about to happen if it directly affects him. It works like this. Horace sees in his mind an arrow striking him in the chest. He steps to the side, then watches as the arrow flies past him. Horace only gets injured by choice. If he has no other options, he will choose to take the blow that deals him the least damage. He is an amazing asset in battle, and a royal pain in the ass on the sparring field,” Sirus grinned. “Horace is the only one of the knights to best me in battle,” he added, explaining his humor.

  “That is amazing,” Garret stated, already getting excited. “I hope I too am blessed with a gift as useful as the rest of you.”

  Garret and Sirus stood in front of the massive wooden doors to the home of the Knights of Valdadore. They were both thinking silently when they heard a loud thundering coming across the courtyard. Turning to see what they assumed to be a horse approaching They both looked on in wonder as Zorbin rounded the corner on his heavily armored mount. The dwarf rode a beast unlike any other the knight or Garret had ever seen before. As Zorbin thundered up to them, they stared at the animal bearing the dwarf in a mix of shock and amazement.

  “Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Xanth,” Zorbin said in his deep guttural voice as he reined in his mount.

  The beast appeared to be a giant wolf, though it was hard to tell with all the armor it wore. Bright intelligent blue eyes beamed out of a slit in the beast’s helm. The top of the helm was fashioned to fit tightly to the animal’s head leaving only two holes for its gray, pointed ears. The helm was hinged at the jaw which now fell open in a canine-like grin revealing two rows of razor sharp teeth. The armor covered nearly every inch of the beast. At the joints it was layered in plates, allowing the animal to move freely without restriction. The saddle was not so much a saddle as it was the back plate of the animal’s armor fashioned with a seat and handles. The entire suit of armor
was made with dwarven precision. Though this example was crafted for an animal, no detail was forgotten. It was tempered and light weight, polished to a shine. The beast’s head, neck and shoulders were covered in spikes and its paws were encased in giant armored claws. It looked terrifying yet the dwarf sat easily upon it as he let the humans inspect his mount.

  “He is amazing,” Garret remarked. “Is he a wolf?”

  “Yes, he is indeed,” Zorbin answered. “He is the son of a pack leader of one of the great mountain Dire-wolf packs. He has been my friend since childhood, and if it is acceptable to the knights, I should wish for him to stay at my side instead of in the stables. Besides, horses tend to not like him much,” Zorbin added with a smirk.

  “He is welcome to stay with you so long as he does not hinder your training,” Sirus stated. Next he addressed the wolf. “And it is an honor to meet you, Xanth.” Much to Sirus’s and Garret’s surprise, the wolf nodded once and lowered his head in respect, snapping his jaw shut as he did.

  “He understands what we are saying?” Garret asked, amazed.

  “He does not so much understand our words as he does our meaning and intentions,” Zorbin replied.

  “He is indeed a magnificent animal,” Sirus said. “Let’s go inside and get you two settled in, and let Xanth get out of his armor so that he might relax. The two of you begin your training tonight.”

  Sirus turned and quickly pulled one of the massive doors open. He led them inside the building and allowed the door to swing shut upon its hinges. Zorbin dismounted and he and Garret followed Sirus through the building to the right with Xanth on their heels. The first room was a simple room lined with wooden tables and chairs. Passing through that, they entered a hall down which Sirus pointed out a small library, their tactical planning room, an armory equipped with a forge, much to the delight of Zorbin, and several small rooms each with a bed and desk. Some of the rooms had plaques on the doors with the name of the knight to whom it belonged, but most stood empty and so unmarked. Sirus let them choose their rooms and he waited while they unburdened themselves of their packs and also as Zorbin unstrapped Xanth’s armor and laid it carefully upon the floor.

  “If you would like, Zorbin, I will have a rack crafted for Xanth’s armor and have it delivered tomorrow,” Sirus suggested as he watched the care with which Zorbin handled it.

  “If it is not too much trouble,” the dwarf replied in his rumbling voice.

  “No trouble at all. Anything that makes your stay here easier, just let me know and I will see to it that your needs are met as promptly as possible,” Sirus stated earnestly. “I will let Garret tell you the details later, but I shall inform you now that your training is to be accelerated, for I am afraid that we do not have sufficient time to follow a more relaxed schedule.”

  Though Sirus talked, Garret could not help but watch the wolf. Now that it was free of its armor, the great beast stretched his muscles and shook himself until his matted fur no longer clung to his skin. He was indeed an amazing creature. His coat shifted from black at his feet to bright silver on his back. His face too was black with a silver mask around his bright blue eyes. He was a mass of muscle and fur, and stood regal and proud before Garret and Sirus who openly admired the animal.

  “Let’s get the three of you fed before you begin, shall we?” Sirus asked them, and without waiting for a response, he turned and began walking back down the hall in the direction they had come.

  Garret and Zorbin quickly fell in step behind the man and Xanth padded along some distance behind them. Leading them back to the entrance room of the building, Sirus told them they could seat themselves at any of the tables and he would return momentarily. Garret and Zorbin sat side by side at the nearest table, and while they waited, Garret relayed to the dwarf all he had learned of the knights only a short while ago. They spoke openly, telling each other of their homes prior to the ceremony, and Zorbin related his tale of how he met Xanth and how they had grown up together as much brothers as was possible for a man and a beast. He too told Garret that upon reaching maturity, he had crafted the armor for the wolf for he hoped to one day join the Knights of Valdadore, though this, he stated, was considered an oddity among dwarves. Garret then decided to tell his tale of their journey to Valdadore, of how he and Seth had met Ashton and Sara and had formed friendships that had endured their trials throughout their journey.

  As Garret finished his shortened narration, he couldn’t help but wonder for what purpose his brother and Sara had been chosen for. He was happy that they managed to stay together, but also disappointed his twin’s path was not the same as his own. It was these thoughts that Garret mulled over when the door Sirus had departed through opened once again and the knight’s leader strode into the room leading three women who each carried a covered platter.

  Garret watched as Sirus seated himself across the table from Garret and Zorbin, while two of the three women placed their platters on the table before the two new knights to be. The third placed hers on the floor at the end of the table. When all three were in position, the women removed the covers simultaneously and turned and left the room carrying the covers with them. Both Garret and Zorbin’s platters were covered with bread and cheese and a steaming bowl of stew. One of the platters could have easily fed them both, but Sirus assured them they would need their energy and told them to eat until they could eat no more. The platter that had been placed on the floor held one tremendous bone with large chunks of meat still clinging to it. Xanth quickly snatched it up and began gnawing upon it hungrily. As the boys ate, Sirus took the time to share more details with them.

  “I have sent word to the rest of the knights of our two new chosen members. Philip should be able to deliver the message and return by late tomorrow. Also Zorbin, I have sent for carpenters to take a look at Xanth’s armor so that they may build you a suitable stand for it. After your meal we will go to the library and I will give you tonight’s lesson. You will each have a book on Gorandor to finish by morning. In the morning we will begin weapons training. I hope to have the two of you sparring in a week’s time. You both have told me you already plan to swear yourselves to Gorandor so I will arrange the ceremony. We will be training twenty hours a day, stopping only for meals and morning and evening prayer. I am afraid that with circumstances being what they are, the two of you will not get much rest, but the faster you progress, the sooner we shall be able to relax our pace.” Sirus stated the facts as they were, straight to the point, wasting no energy on anything unnecessary.

  Twenty hours a day sounded like a lot, but if that was what Sirus expected of him, Garret knew he could do it. Quickening the pace at which he ate, he noticed both Zorbin and Xanth ate faster as well. In little time all of them had finished their meals. Pushing back his bowl, Garret rose from the table along with his new companions as Sirus led them to the library. Given their assignments shortly thereafter, Garret returned to the room he had chosen earlier for a long night of reading.

  * * * * *

  Seth and Sara followed Judilanthaliz across the vast stone courtyard to the southwest. They walked side by side behind the man who now held them as his charge, frequently exchanging looks of uncertainty. As they walked, towers and spires loomed above them, casting them into shadow, making Seth feel small and insignificant. They neared one of the larger towers and as they did so, Seth watched as another group of chosen people entered the vast stone structure led by a man in a crimson robe. As they too approached the entrance to the massive tower, Judilanthaliz stopped walking and turned to face the young couple.

  “From here on out, at least for the next five years, this tower will be your home. Those who came before us built the tower for young mages to be trained in and named it Birthright Tower. It is believed that those with the gift are chosen before birth by a specific god to be blessed. It is the person’s job to seek out their particular god in order to receive the blessing promised to them within the womb. Hence the gift is perceived to be a right of sorts from
the day of birth and thus the tower was so named. The shields or guardians, as we are called, live in the uppermost parts of the tower, so I hope the two of you are up to the task of climbing stairs. We shall talk of your futures as we walk.” Judilanthaliz finished his narration and turning, he entered Birthright Tower.

  As they stepped towards the door, it silently swung open as if from some unspoken command and Seth could not help but to watch it with an open mouth. Once they cleared the threshold it again swung to close itself behind them. After that, Seth and Sara looked around inside the tower, both of them half expecting to see amazing and disturbing sights within. Instead only two things were visible from the doorway. To their right, the direction Judilanthaliz was now heading was a single massive staircase that clung to the exterior wall and slowly spiraled up into the floor above them. To their left was a broad stone hallway that led straight ahead from the main entrance deep into the tower where it either ended or was simply lost in darkness.

  Seth followed Judilanthaliz with Sara at his side, up the spiral staircase, trailing the disfigured man by several steps. Looking over his shoulder with his good eye, Judilanthaliz checked to see that the young pair was able to keep pace and then asked them from over his shoulder to walk beside him. They did not hesitate to do as the man asked and soon they walked up the stairs abreast one another, falling into step to keep pace.

  “Seth, it is truly my wish to see you join the order of the gray robes, as there are currently only two of us that serve the kingdom, though there may be others out there in the world somewhere unknown to me. Both I and Lauren are sworn to protect the king and both of us have bound our fates to his. Lauren accompanies the king nearly all the time, whereas I only travel with the king when he marches for battle.” Judilanthaliz paused a moment as if to reflect on what he had said and then continued.