And this … was the result. Simple glory.
Or so it seemed.
But of course … this was a bit of a lie.
Okay … more than a bit.
I held the smooth cup in one hand, and brushed my palm against the surface of the umbrella still stowed in my pocket. Decidian’s Spear.
Feruiduin’s Cutlass.
Keys to get the Chalice Gloria.
And then, here was the cup itself.
Checking once more for any watchers—I had made sure that Carson and Heidi were safely in bed before tiptoeing in here—I moved to a shelf near the bookcase opposite the fireplace and slipped an old, dustworn volume from between two other, larger ones. This one was relatively plain, and was titled Glinch Worms of Byrbarica.
The first hundred pages or so were what the cover described, a long, boring description of Byrbarica’s annelids. Even Carson would have fallen asleep trying to read it.
Which, really, was the genius behind hiding something infinitely valuable within its pages.
I got to the hundredth page and suddenly the writing changed from a printed script of English words to the looping handwriting that Carson had followed to the Treasure of Ostiagard. I’d known it immediately, of course, but had rather suspected that if the lost treasure had existed and fallen under the auspices of the writer of these notes …
Well, I assumed it had got got already. Or maybe I just wasn’t as interested in treasure glory born of money and gold and jewels and all that.
Not when I had glory of another kind entirely in my sights.
There on the page, in that flowing script, I started rereading words I’d read a hundred times, in the dim firelight, that same damned log crackling steadily every few minutes, trapped in time as surely as if the Tide of Ages were rolling it backward and forward in front of me.
Uniting the Spear of Decidian and the Cutlass of Feruiduin will yield the Chalice Gloria, it read, looping curls of the writing reassuring, like a message from an old friend. I read on, the still and quiet of the library around me, the only sound Bub’s gentle snoring.
And I smiled, thinking about the future … and the name I was going to make for myself …
But of this great quest, finding the Chalice Gloria is but the first step…
Mira Brand Will Return in
The King of the Skies
The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 4
Coming Late 2017!
Author's Note
Thanks for reading! If you want to know immediately when future books become available, take sixty seconds and sign up for my NEW RELEASE EMAIL ALERTS by CLICKING HERE. The reason you should sign up for this is because I don't always set release dates, and even if you're following me on Facebook (robertJcrane (Author)) or Twitter (@robertJcrane), it's easy to miss my book announcements because…well, because social media is an imprecise thing.
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Cheers,
Robert J. Crane
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Editorial/Literary Janitorial duties performed by Nick Bowman and Sarah Barbour. Final proofing was once more handled by the illustrious Jo Evans. Any errors you see in the text, however, are the result of me rejecting changes.
The cover was once designed by Momir Borocki.
The formatting was provided by polgarusstudio.com.
Once more, thanks to my parents, my in-laws, my kids and my wife, for helping me keep things together.
Other Works by Robert J. Crane
World of Sanctuary
Epic Fantasy
Defender: The Sanctuary Series, Volume One
Avenger: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Two
Champion: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Three
Crusader: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Four
Sanctuary Tales, Volume One - A Short Story Collection
Thy Father's Shadow: The Sanctuary Series, Volume 4.5
Master: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Five
Fated in Darkness: The Sanctuary Series, Volume 5.5
Warlord: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Six
Heretic: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Seven
Legend: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Eight
Ghosts of Sanctuary: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Nine (Coming 2018, at earliest.)
A Haven in Ash: Ashes of Luukessia, Volume One (Coming Fall 2017!)
The Girl in the Box
and
Out of the Box
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
Alone: The Girl in the Box, Book 1
Untouched: The Girl in the Box, Book 2
Soulless: The Girl in the Box, Book 3
Family: The Girl in the Box, Book 4
Omega: The Girl in the Box, Book 5
Broken: The Girl in the Box, Book 6
Enemies: The Girl in the Box, Book 7
Legacy: The Girl in the Box, Book 8
Destiny: The Girl in the Box, Book 9
Power: The Girl in the Box, Book 10
Limitless: Out of the Box, Book 1
In the Wind: Out of the Box, Book 2
Ruthless: Out of the Box, Book 3
Grounded: Out of the Box, Book 4
Tormented: Out of the Box, Book 5
Vengeful: Out of the Box, Book 6
Sea Change: Out of the Box, Book 7
Painkiller: Out of the Box, Book 8
Masks: Out of the Box, Book 9
Prisoners: Out of the Box, Book 10
Unyielding: Out of the Box, Book 11
Hollow: Out of the Box, Book 12
Toxicity: Out of the Box, Book 13
Small Things: Out of the Box, Book 14
Hunters: Out of the Box, Book 15
Badder: Out of the Box, Book 16* (Coming September 12, 2017!)
Nemesis: Out of the Box, Book 17* (Coming December 5, 2017!)
Apex: Out of the Box, Book 18* (Coming Early 2018!)
Time: Out of the Box, Book 19* (Coming Spring 2018!)
Driven: Out of the Box, Book 20* (Coming Summer 2018!)
Southern Watch
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
Called: Southern Watch, Book 1
Depths: Southern Watch, Book 2
Corrupted: Southern Watch, Book 3
Unearthed: Southern Watch, Book 4
Legion: Southern Watch, Book 5
Starling: Southern Watch, Book 6* (Coming Fall 2017!)
The Shattered Dome Series
(with Nicholas J. Ambrose)
Sci-Fi
Voiceless: The Shattered Dome, Book 1
The Mira Brand Adventures
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
The World Beneath: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 1
The Tide of Ages: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 2
The City of Lies: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 3
The King of the Skies: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 4* (Coming Late 2017!)
Liars and Vampires
(with Lauren Harper)
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
No One Will Believe You: Liars and Vampires, Book 1* (Coming Fall 2017!)
*Forthcoming, Subject to Change
The City of Lies (The Mira Brand Adventures Book 3) Page 23
