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  Copyright © 2018 by Stephen Lucas Lacroix

  Cover design by Sofie de Rueda

  Edited by Jieo Lobrio

  Proofreading by Jieo Lobrio

  Distribution by Amazon

  Table of Contents

  Prologue: A New World

  I: The Siege of Termosad

  II: Imperial Ores

  III: Horns & Claws

  IV: Talon Command

  V: Kron Hordis

  VI: Fluttery of the High Eagle

  VII: Celestial Being

  VIII: The Crown and Throne of Four Horns

  IX: The Lord Paramount

  X: One Arrow

  XI: A Death remembered

  XII: Weight of the World

  XIII: Secret of the Woods

  XIV: Red Prince of Old

  XV: Lost Knowledge

  XVI: The Grand Sage’s Wrath

  XVII: The Venis’ Accusation

  XVIII: Orderian Treachery

  XIX: The Shrouded One

  XX: The High King’s Wrath

  XXI: A Promise of Victory

  Epilogue

  Authors Note:

  The Word “Kra’en” that you will encounter in this book will be pronounced as “Crane.”

  Prologue: A New World

  The night sky exploded in thunder and lightning as the heavy rain poured in an unknown town. Clanging swords and the screams of dying men echoed in the firmament as the town lit up in pinkish booms. In front of a fishing town of over five-hundred people, large ships flee to the safety of the sea as two men fight with intense ferocity.

  A man with red glowing tattoos that reached up to his eyes started to flicker pinkish maroon, weary as the soul from his eyes faded. Then a hooded figure stood in front of him.

  “Give up,” the hooded figure said as the sky thundered above.

  “Why did you do this?” the man asked. “What will you gain from all of this?”

  “You know full well why and what.” The hooded figure held up his hand and it glowed red.

  “For what, Marius? We did everything together! We have led our people together. Here I thought you died when we fought the king’s army, only to come back and lead them here,” the other shouted in despair.

  Marius ignored him. He sauntered towards the man, his knees heavy on the muddy floor. “Obadiah, what you said is not true. It is but you, and only you, who led these people to where they are now. You are the reason for this war,” Marius said as he held up his hand above Obadiah.

  “Your mind is twisted, Brother.”

  “And you are naïve.” Marius lowered his glowing arms at Obadiah but Obadiah suddenly blocked it with his pink-lit arms and threw Marius in the air until he stopped mid-air and hovered a few feet from him.

  He was unsure of what to do anymore. “You — you read from the forbidden book!”

  Obadiah casted a lightning spell and Marius did the same, locking the two to a standoff.

  “How dare you break father’s dying wish!” Obadiah shouted.

  “It gave me the power to finally end you; to lead these people to their rightful path!”

  Marius turned his face up and began to cast a destructive spell, but before he finished it he was hit by a magic projectile which pushed him into the woods with force.

  Obadiah dropped to his knees and before he knew it, his magisters were already there. They lifted him to his feet and carried him back to the remaining ship.

  “Did we do it?” he stuttered.

  “We managed to get most of them out, even the non-reos,” said the tallest magister. Obadiah was relieved.

  “Then we should start sailing to the new world,” he said as he struggled to get up.

  “Yes, Grand Sage, at once,” the lieutenant answered.

  “What about the grand warlock?” another asked.

  “He won’t be able to follow us,” Obadiah said.

  They were able to catch up with the Aurora, the main ship of their fleet. They landed on the upper deck as his fellow men continued to assess and scout their route. The ambience in the ship began to calm as they were farther from the shore and into the vastness of the ocean.

  “Deploy all sails now, Captain. We need to make haste,” he ordered and the other ships quickly followed.

  As the mainland was only a blanket view from behind the ship, Obadiah anxiously waited for their enemies. The fog turned thick as the rain slowly weakened and the skies finally had calmed.

  “Prepare for a battle!” he shouted to the others. They all looked at him as Obadiah continued to give orders. The ship then creaked by the sudden advancement. “Well, what are you waiting for? To your stations. Now!” he shouted.

  Minutes passed and the surroundings slowly fell silent. The waves of the sea were the only thing they heard. They nervously waited for their foes as one final stand could determine their survival. Obadiah was all over the upper deck as he continued to take watch around the fleet. The other ships were also on guard as they carried women, children, and other supplies to start anew.

  Back at the crow’s nest on the Aurora, a boy held a small telescope and spotted something on the portside of the ship. Through the fog, silhouettes of large ships crawled out. He was shaken as he saw the enemy’s flag waving at the poles of the ships. The ships deployed their large sails.

  He found his resolve, stood and shouted, “They are coming!”

  Everyone looked up as they stared at the stuttering sailor. “Portside! Northward! It’s an entire fleet!” the sailor shouted once more.

  Obadiah rushed down to the deck as he tried to find the enemy. The enemy had broken through their formation and slowly surrounded their fleet. His eyes widened as one ship quickly turned, ready to fire.

  “Brace yourselves! Prepare to fight back if they fire!” he shouted to his men. The ships scrambled as they prepared for a naval battle. Out of nowhere, Obadiah and the others heard a loud bang. He looked back at the enemy fleet and saw them firing from a very huge distance. It didn’t hit any of their ships but close enough to shake the waters beneath them.

  Another boom and they saw three shots heading straight for them. They closed in like a net and one managed to hit their ships. Obadiah stared in shock as one of their ship’s bowels was hit. Water started to enter the ship that carried the women and their children.

  “Prepare to fire back!” Obadiah bellowed. He flew in the air as his eyes glowed of pinkish-maroon. The other ships fired and flung glowing orbs, hitting two enemy ships as they exploded and quickly sank to the ocean floor.

  The enemy returned fire as more and more barrage of exploding iron fell unto Obadiah’s fleet. The men formed a shield on their portside to protect them from the cannon balls that suddenly exploded several feet from them. They were all thrown off of their feet as the blasts were too close.

  They fired back once more as they try to eliminate the hindrance on their route.

  Obadiah crossed his arms and they glowed of maroon. He threw another orb towards the enemy which hit the enemy ships, destroying five more of them. But to their surprise another loud bang exploded and hit their ships from their starboard. Obadiah heard the blast and looked to that side only to see another fleet.

  “Protect the starboard! Prepare to retaliate from both sides! Defenders follow me, we’ll go for the other fleet,” he shouted and flew to the right side and headed to the
newly emerging enemy fleet.

  Other defenders flew and quickly followed him. Obadiah’s eyes glowed once more as he prepared to release another deadly spell. The defenders gained on him and flung their exploding orbs to the enemy. They hit all their targets and their numbers were swiftly reduced. But Obadiah took no chance for granted, so he shot multiple powerful orbs to the remaining enemies and with one final shot he hit multiple targets that entirely sunk them. The defenders still flung orbs around to destroy the fleet completely leaving nothing afloat.

  “Let’s head to the other fleet,” he said and flew to the remaining enemies. They were closing in but one ship fired at them. The hurling cannon ball headed for their direction and Obadiah prepared to deflect it.

  To their surprise, the ball exploded and produced more burning pellets, hitting every defender in flight, including Obadiah. He fell out of the sky and was about to crash to the dark cold sea when another surviving defender caught him and pulled him to recover altitude. He conjured a pink lightning from his left hand and hit the ship that fired at them. It sank in seconds, and then they headed back to the Aurora.

  The defender landed both of them softly on deck and flew back to his station. He was hurt and in pain but he breathed one more command.

  “Continue firing and don’t stop until they give up,” he said before he fell unconscious.

  OBADIAH WAS HURRIED inside infirmary as the captain rushed to make another command and signaled the other ships. “Continue the barrage on the enemy fleet,” the captain said. He turned the wheel towards the starboard and the ship went straight to the thick fog.

  The ships continued firing even if the odds were too grim for them. Luckily, the enemy fleet was unable to follow them but the enemy fired once more and managed to sink their ship that carried their supplies.

  The captain noticed and was crestfallen about their victory. Even though they were safe, the fact that their supply ship was hit was still a sure loss.

  They continued sailing for days. Obadiah was already well with only minor injuries remaining. “We’ve been in this fog for days now and our supplies are running short,” he said to his captain.

  “I am sorry, Grand Sage. It is my fault why we are here,” the captain said to him.

  He held him by the shoulder and smiled at his trusty captain. “It is not your fault. You saved us all and to that I am indebted,” he said.

  Then in a moment, the sailor in the crow’s nest shouted. “The — the new world! Land ho!”

  Everyone looked forward and saw the fog breaking in front of them until it revealed the quiet seas and the shores of the new world.

  “Deploy all sails!” Obadiah ordered as the entire ship and entire fleet sped in haste. “Prepare to lower anchors and prepare for landing!”

  They close in on the shores but the smile that once was on his face gradually faded to doubt. They retracted their sails and began to board their small boats to head towards the coast. Everyone was excited to find a new land they could call their own. A new land they could call home. But Obadiah was still uncertain.

  Their boats hit sand and they all jumped off. Obadiah stopped on the beach and looked at the surrounding. Seeing abundant and fruitful trees that grew up to the sky was astonishing yet he thought they should tread with caution.

  They heard a slight movement from the bushes and there came out several groups of armed men. With pointed ears and skin as white as the sands on the beach. The defenders and the others that accompanied him prepared themselves but Obadiah ordered them to stand down. One mysterious armed man stared at him with hesitation. He talked, but Obadiah could not understand so he signaled for someone from the ships.

  There exploded a pink and maroon colored wave that ran across the sky and it continued on and on and on. The mysterious beings were surprised and looked to the skies as Obadiah approached one of them. Then the man who spoke to him previously in an unfamiliar language asked him again.

  “We are the Grand Elves of the Xerxecia Kingdom. State your name,” the man asked Obadiah. He was at awe.

  He had only heard stories of these people, creatures that eventually morphed into myths and legends. They were almost like them, only with pointy ears and much fairer skin as if kissed by snow. They could be differentiated amongst themselves as well for not all of them had golden hair like in the folklores of his childhood. Because of their existence, he began to think that they were not in the same world anymore.

  “I am Obadiah, Grand Sage of the Maroon Orderian,” he answered as he stuttered still in quiet disbelief. He held his hand to the man. The elf shook his hand as they were now welcomed to a strange, new world.

  I: The Siege of Termosad

  The sky cracked as thunder erupted above the wet plains of Termosad in the Unibeltrasian controlled territory in the continent of Shardon. A battle raged as the United Elven Army fended off the Xerxecian attack. The elven army held the enemy back as best as they could, trying to push the ever thrusting enemy with dark beasts on their side.

  Moments into the battle, an arrow infused with a strong gust of wind ripped through enemy lines and divided the defending elven army.

  “Hold the line! Do not let them gain an inch!” bellowed Prince Glaivel Numenesse as he drew his two short swords and dove into battle.

  On the other side of the battlefield, the Venis army broke through the enemy’s vanguard and suddenly swords and daggers came flying around, hitting and killing every Xerxecian soldier on sight.

  “Come with me! Come!” General Sevidon Borinvegeard shouted to his troops as he slashed his way through the enemy. He waved his arms and the discarded weapons on the battlefield followed his bidding.

  The army rose with hope and as they were stirred up by his presence and the Viris prince’s will to win the battle. But Sevidon felt that they were still losing the battle.

  The army pushed their way through the opening when a tengu, as big as a two-storey house, showed up behind him. Sevidon braced as he made his way through the three huge horns on its back and concentrated on a chink on its armor by the neck, then suddenly, three daggers plunged itself through it and killing the giant.

  “They are proving to be difficult,” he said.

  “Tell me about it,” Glaivel said as their armies pushed the enemy farther back. Both of them caught their breaths as Glaivel casually aimed at a distance and shot an arrow.

  “This is not good at all,” Sevidon muttered.

  “You think? It’s like they have this all planned out,” Glaivel said as he continued to shoot arrows, “I wish the others were here to help us out.”

  Sevidon drew weapons from the ground as he subdued his immediate enemies.

  “Can’t you manipulate the weapons the Xerxecians are already holding?” Glaivel asked.

  “I can’t. The bearer has to die first. I can’t control that many either,” he answered.

  “Where’s the imperial army?” Glaivel asked again.

  “I believe they are on their way. But they didn’t know we were under attack,” he answered, seeing the frustration from Glaivel.

  “We can’t let them waiver,” Sevidon added, then he jumped back into the fray once more.

  Glaivel took a deep breath and shouted, “Hold the newly formed line! The imperial army will be here!” And the elven army rejoiced.

  Sevidon hacked and slashed his way again to make a new advancement when a loud horn suddenly echoed from the enemy side. He felt something approaching fast, but he didn’t wait for whatever it was to show up.

  “Fall back! Fall back!” he shouted immediately and the army slowly began to retreat. Out of nowhere, five kragens, bigger than tengus, with horns of a raging bull, appeared fully armored with their giant mallets.

  The kragens roared of hell as it pierced fear into the hearts of the elven army. Sevidon saw one soldier stared up the behemoth. He immediately charged towards him, pulled him out then jumped right out of the way of the giant’s iron mallet.

  He climbed h
is way towards the huge kragen as it struggled to get him off. Its tail tried to reach for him until Sevidon managed to cut it off. He then made his way towards the neck when he was caught by the creature and was about to be eaten when multiple arrows made its way to its mouth. Sevidon held his right arm high and a huge halberd made its way to it. Sevidon cut off its arms then dropped to the ground and cut its legs and before even hitting the ground, he beheaded the huge behemoth as the giant was pulled by gravity.

  One down, four to go, he thought. But the enemy, along with the kragens, was already pushing towards their position. Sevidon sprinted towards the kragen when suddenly it exploded. He stopped on his tracks to see what was going on.

  From the other side came the Crown Regent, Imperial Prince Tamiron Lluch with his new weapon, the Mace of Revereigh which glowed in shades of blue.

  Sevidon ran towards him but both just glanced at each other and Tamiron said nothing. He proceeded to wreak havoc on the enemy as he dashed through the entire Xerxecian army, charging through every single one like they were nothing.

  Tamiron made it looked easy, but he was not as effective as he was back when he still had the courage to use the Iron Gauntlets. Sevidon looked around only to gaze upon the imperial cavalry mowing the enemy like grass on a field.

  “Loose!” Sevidon heard from afar and there he saw the ever building dark cloud of arrows about to rain down on them.

  “Arrows! Brace yourselves!” Sevidon said. He knelt and covered himself with a discarded shield as the arrows rained down upon the battlefield.

  Sevidon kept on fighting of what was left of the Xerxecian army. Tamiron, though not as strong as he was a year ago, definitely still brought the tide of battle into their favor.

  Another hour had passed and finally victory was brought to the United Elven Armies with the help of the Imperial Army. Glaivel checked on the men as some of them began to gather their dead and wounded. Sevidon looked unto the battlefield and savored their victory despite the great cost. He saw Tamiron holding his mace on top of a dead kragen with grief in his face.