Prophecy of axain box se.., p.1
Prophecy of Axain Box Set: Books 1-4, page 1
Contents
Book One - Ravenward
Title Page
Thea the Loyal
Spoils of War
Big News
Secrets
Port Eldham
Darkstriders
The Secret is Out
Queen Nina
Attack!
Usurper
The Prince
Bittersweet
Book Two - Prophecy of Axain
Title Page
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Book Three - Iron Fist Keep
Title Page
The Test
Artis the Black
Finals
Vebaco
Tasar on the Hunt
Infernal Grotto
River of Souls
The Black Crypt
Save Jena
Nia Strongman
All About Keya
Grieving
Galin's Army
Infiltrated
Tasar Escapes
Ambush
Darkstrider Checkpoint
Drusas
Captured
Torture
Volunteers
Attack
Iron Fist Keep
Only the Beginning
Book Four - Full Circle
Title Page
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
BOOK ONE
Ravenward
Ravenward
Steven Atwood
Thea the Loyal
The moments leading up to a battle were usually worse than the battle itself. Thea's plate mail armor glistened in the early morning sun. Laying behind a short rock wall, she held up an eyeglass, studying Nightfall Meadows.
"Well?" Kade Ravenward asked. "What do you see, ma'am knight?" He crossed his arms.
Thea focused on some activity near the clearing's edge. "I see a farmhouse with a dock on the Fadyhl Waters. It seems to be just on the edge where a boat can safely cross over from Etrana."
The strong, blond-haired man scratched his chin. "We can't have that; they could trade with the Vulwin Elves without paying taxes," Kade said.
"Shut up, you greedy goblin," the youthful man with long brown hair said as he approached them from behind. "Focus, people; we only get one shot at this."
Thea unsuccessfully tried to hide the smirk making its way onto her face. "Sire, it seems like the reports were right. The Feral Orcs are raiding the farm for food."
Kade brushed his shoulder-length blond hair away from his eyes. "Galin, do we need her? She's stating the obvious here. Besides, we don't know what they're doing. If they are a raiding party under the Darkstriders, this is far more than merely hunting for food. They could be establishing a beachhead for a major attack."
Thea rolled her eyes. "With all due respect, my lord, that's not possible. Where's their siege equipment? Why aren't they building bigger docks to handle larger ships to bring more troops on shore? No, my lord, they aren't establishing a beachhead."
Galin grinned as Kade's face grew redder. "Kade, relax. She's right, and you know it. True, they may want to establish a beachhead, but they are a long way from doing that," Galin said. The king put his hand on Thea's shoulder. "Ready?"
Her stomach twisted. This was her first battle. After years of training, would Thea cower in the face of a real opponent? She’d heard about knights who were viewed as the most honorable, but fled at the first sight of battle. Would she be that way? Would she run away as they all expected her to? "I won't let you down, sire."
"I know you won't." Galin motioned Kade's pyromancer to come forward. "Beldroth, I need you to give us some cover, or at least a diversion while we cross the field. The orcs knew what they were doing when they burnt down everything within six hundred yards of their camp."
"The farmhouse, you mean?" Beldroth asked.
"Yeah, I think that's where their camp is. Feral Orcs will flee once their leader is dead."
The sensual woman with flowing, long brown hair smiled. "With pleasure, my lord." Beldroth reached under her red cloak and pulled out a pouch of cedar chips. "I can only maintain the barrage for at most twenty seconds." She sat down behind the rock wall with the farmhouse in full view. Beldroth pulled out her spell book and began to prepare for the assault.
Thea the Loyal pierced the ground with her sword. Kneeling behind it, she placed both hands on its hilt and closed her eyes. A circle with a blindfolded man carrying an ax in one hand and an olive branch in the other entered her mind. Thea prayed to the God of Justice. "Lord Ramir, grant us the strength and courage to carry out your judgment upon these creatures. Amen."
"Ready, Thea?" Galin asked. After she nodded, he turned to Beldroth. "Light them up."
Beldroth held the cedar chips in her hands a few inches above her lap. "Den nrad nier." Her dark eyes turned red. White smoke rose from the cedar.
Thea stood up, waving at her men to follow her. One by one, each lightly armored man rose with sword and shield in hand.
"Den nrad nier; Den nrad nier."
Thea gasped as a cloud formed above the tiny farmhouse. Not a white or even a black cloud, but a cloud that glowed like the embers in a fire. At first it was small, and then it grew and grew. Thea waved her knights forward. She was slow at first, increasing her pace with every step. In front of her, the Feral Orcs were scattering in fear as the menacing shadow expanded over them.
"Ramir is definitely with us today," Thea said to herself.
She raised her hand, giving the signal to stop.
It started with a single ember falling like a meteorite from the cloud. It slammed into the ground right by the farmhouse door. The two orcs hiding behind the woodpile exploded into flames. Then came another, and another. As soon as one ember crashed to the ground, two more appeared.
The foul stench of burning flesh began to overtake her, forcing her to taste breakfast for a second time.
Beldroth's blood-curdling scream could be heard across the field. As soon as the first sound left her throat, the rain of fire stopped and the cloud vanished.
Thea blinked. "Sire, are we attacked from behind?"
"No, but we lost our cover," Galin said. He turned towards his men. "Follow—"
"Follow me!" Kade shouted as he charged into the disorientated Feral Orcs.
"That bastard," Galin muttered. "Come on, Thea, before he takes all the glory."
With nothing left to fear from the sky, the orcs regrouped, forming a line. Most carried two weapons in their powerful, over-sized arms. Some used axes while others used short swords, and the rest used some combination of the two. There was only one exception; the one who carried a great ax and was twice the size of the others.
Thea raised her sword, pointing at the orc line. "Charge!"
Two hundred yards.
The largest of the Feral Orcs yelled something. He charged towards Thea with his clan close behind him.
Yes, that one must be the leader. If we kill him, it's over, Thea thought.
One hundred twenty-five yards.
Thea was nearly at a sprint, roaring as she passed Kade.
"Damn you."
Seventy-five yards.
The orc leader raised the great ax above its head. After giving a thunderous roar, the orc line sprinted towards Thea.
Fifty yards.
As the greenish monsters came closer, her body wanted to flee. She needed to prove herself. This was it. If she turned now, that bastard Kade would be right. Thea gritted her teeth. A fierce cry bellowed from her lungs. "Follow me!" With her shield raised and her sword overhead, Thea charged directly at the huge orc.
With its great ax raised in the air, the massive creature barreled towards Thea.
Great axes are powerful, but slow and clumsy. Pulling her shield in tightly into her body, she raced towards it.
Ten yards.
An orc cut in front of their leader. It leaped into the air and spun like a top, with two axes hacking anything in its path.
Judging where it would land, she stopped quickly.
The creature missed its marked, burying one of the axes into the ground.
Her eyes met the orc's as she slammed her shield into its face. With a full adrenalin rush, she dropped her sword like a curtain. Thea's broadsword severed the Feral Orc's head from its body, splattering its green blood across her face. More . . . she wanted more. Greedy, wicked eyes bored into the leader's inhuman soul.
The large creature took a step back, flailing the great ax in Thea's direction.
"Thea, he's mine!" Kade shouted as he hacked another orc, making his way to her.
She didn't hear him. More . . . she wanted to spill more orc blood. Who cared about orders or status? She’d tasted glory for the first time. It was orgasmic; no, it was better than that. Thea rammed her shield into the orc's chest, forcing it to take a step back.
Kade pushed Thea aside as he charged into the huge orc, knocking her down.
The great ax slammed into Kade's shield, throwing him back into the melee. It grinned at Thea as it raised the mighty weapon into the air.
I am going to die! Rolling over on her back, she braced behind her shield.
The massive weapon split Thea's shield in half. As it reared up for another attack, she swung her sword at its legs.
The leader quickly sidestepped and kicked Thea in the face in one fluid motion.
"Thea!" Galin charged towards her, slicing orcs as he went.
The king! How could she be rescued by the king? Nothing would be worse that. Thea tossed away what was left of her shield. The broadsword her adopted father gave her now lay across her hands like a shield, protecting her body.
The leader raised the great ax again, sending it towards Thea's chest with all its might.
She was nearly blinded by the glint off the great ax. The broadsword's flat side was braced to take the full force of the weapon. Was this it? Was her first battle going to be her last? As the ax crashed into her sword, the blade snapped like a dried twig.
Thea dropped the broken blade. While holding onto the hilt, she did a half-roll to the left. With the orc leaning over her, a small area just below the ribs was exposed. Her iron grasp on the hilt with a partial blade could not be broken. She held onto it as if her life depended on it, because it did. With every ounce of strength, she thrust the partial blade's jagged end into the leader's torso.
Screaming in agony and surprise, the huge orc fell on top of Thea, pinning her to the ground.
Thea struggled to push the behemoth off her body.
"Thea, watch out!" Galin screamed as he charged toward her with his sword raised.
What is he talking about? I already killed the leader. She quickly looked around for her new foe and saw another orc charging at her with two axes. What could she do? Her sword was broken and she was pinned to the ground. Sweat poured down her face, stinging her eyes. "Can someone help get this thing off of me?" Her bloodshot eyes opened wide as the orc leaped towards her.
In mid-air, Galin slammed his shield into the orc’s side. The cracking of its ribs was deafening. Before the creature hit the ground, Galin's sword pierced its heart. He knelt down next to Thea. "You all right?"
Thea smiled. "Just a little squished by this fat thing. Some help please, sire?"
As he pushed the hulking creature off her, Thea saw the king's army rush past them. "What's going on?"
Galin extended his hand to help her up. "After you killed the leader, the rest of them fled back to their boats. Thank you, Thea. You did the kingdom a great service today."
Thea blushed. "No, sire, I owe you my life. I swear to you that your family will be on the throne as long as I live, even after you're gone."
"You don't have to do that," Galin said.
Kade chuckled as he joined Galin. "Especially since he has no children. He has no heir to the throne."
Galin smiled. "Fair enough. What's our status?"
"We overran them. Every orc still here is dead. Some escaped on the boats, not a lot, but enough to warn their tribe to stay away from my kingdom."
"My kingdom, you mean."
"Of course, sire."
Thea rolled her eyes at the squabbling brothers. Whoever would have thought that twelve seconds would have made such trouble between fraternal twin brothers? She wiped her sword on the dead orc and returned it to its sheath. "I can manage the cleanup here, sire."
Galin nodded. "Very well." His gazed lingered over towards Kade. "I guess you missed another chance at the throne."
Kade stared at his brother walking away from the battlefield. "True, but it won't be long," he muttered.
Thea frowned.
Spoils of War
As the army entered through the gates of Staerdale Castle, Thea broke away from the formation. Being the only female knight, she was granted some minimal privileges, such as changing in her own quarters rather than in front of her fellow knights. Merchants holding up chickens and other bobbles rushed up to her as she trotted down the street. That ride never seemed to get old. It was still the same as when her father would bring her to meet with the king, Galin's father, Galin III of Ravenward. People seemed to beg more now than she remembered, but she was only a child then. What child paid attention to the poor? Certainly not her. Her horse stopped in front of a modest house with a thatched roof.
"Great job today, Dena," Thea said as she hopped off the horse. Dena's large, dark-brown eyes complemented her brown mane with white stripes along her back. Thea loved Dena, her only true, loyal friend. "Be back in a minute." She tied Dena off to the hitching post outside the door.
Thea entered her quiet home. It was a simple two-room house, where the smaller room had an unkempt bed next to the window. The larger room had an oversized fireplace with a single rocking chair in the middle of the room. Along the far wall were shelves so crude that any artisan would have hung himself if he had made them. Thea was strong-willed and believed she could do anything. Over in the corner was an armor stand made by her father. She walked up to it, tossing the plate mail armor pieces onto the dirt floor.
Thea frowned. She spent so little time at home that it became unkempt and disheveled. In the castle or in front of her fellow knights, no one was more organized or neater than she. So much so, in fact, that they occasionally accused her of being the 'knight's nanny.' The first time she heard it, Thea broke the surprised knight's nose.
Things will be different now. No longer was she the only knight not to see battle. No longer was she going to be the object of every joke in the Great Hall. She’d proved herself.
She rubbed her lower back, which was sore from the long ride from Nightfall Meadows. The battle with the Feral Orcs was over, but the war against the Darkstriders continued. Even though they won the battle, the toughest fight today was not on the field, but in the king's court. Today was her first battle, but this would not be her first time in court, which can be far more dangerous than two armies of orcs. She paused at her door. Court would be different this time because now she was a participant rather than an observer. She already had a title, wasn't that enough? No, real knights are landowners, as well as great fighters. What was her leverage? She killed the Feral Orc leader, which was the turning point in the battle and the Galin knew it. After taking a deep breath, she headed for the castle.
Thea strode the halls of Staerdale Castle as if she owned them. As she approached the Great Hall's two large solid oak doors, she took a deep breath. No more wishing, wanting, or telling others what she would do; it was time to do it. The resolve on her face masked her anxiety as she passed through the doorway into the Great Hall.
A faint fragrance of rose petals invaded her senses. They may have been thrown about the marble flagstone floor only to mask the lack of plumbing in the castle, but they did far more than that for Thea. With each step, the aroma bolstered her confidence. The hall was twice as long as it was wide. Instinctively, Thea glanced at the catwalk nearly eight feet off the ground all along its the walls, just below the windows overlooking the castle gate. The red tapestries with gold fringe had a dark-blue triangle on the top half. Below the triangle, a colorful embroidery depicted the Ravenward family history. Everything from great battles to the most famous kings the royal family had ever produced. In front of the tapestries, in between large support pillars, was a single line of chairs and benches.
Thea's breath grew shorter as her stomach twisted into knots. There he was, the one who seemed to hate her the most, Duke Kade of Ravenward, standing right next to Beldroth. Thea loved Galin like a brother. The king's father took Thea in when her noble parents were murdered by a band of orcs. After their death, her family's lands were dispersed and divided among the neighboring lords, leaving her with nothing. She stepped up onto the dais along with several other knights, Duke Kade, and a few old men who continued to serve as advisers to the king. She gazed over at the two empty thrones along the wall at the far end of the dais. "When are they supposed to arrive, my lord?" she asked Kade.
"Soon; my brother is late already," Kade replied. He pulled out a small parchment from his flowing green robes.
"What's that?" Thea asked.
