Crusader the sanctuary series, volume four

CRUSADER THE SANCTUARY SERIES VOLUME FOUR Robert J Crane CRUSADER THE SANCTUARY SERIES VOLUME FOUR Copyright © 2012 Reikonos Press All Rights Reserved Edition st AUTHOR’S NOTE This book is a work of fiction Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher For information regarding permission, please email cyrusdavidon@gmail.com Layout provided by Everything Indie http://www.everything-indie.com CONTENTS Prologue Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84 Chapter 85 Chapter 86 Chapter 87 Chapter 88 Chapter 89 Chapter 90 Chapter 91 Chapter 92 Chapter 93 Chapter 94 Chapter 95 Chapter 96 Chapter 97 Chapter 98 Chapter 99 Chapter 100 Chapter 101 Chapter 102 Chapter 103 Chapter 104 Chapter 105 Chapter 106 Chapter 107 Chapter 108 Chapter 109 Chapter 110 Chapter 111 Chapter 112 Chapter 113 Chapter 114 Chapter 115 Chapter 116 Chapter 117 Chapter 118 Chapter 119 Chapter 120 Chapter 121 Epilogue Acknowledgments Author’s Note About the Author Other Works by Robert J Crane NOW Prologue Fear consumes us, the diary read It owns us, makes us its chattel and property, takes hold of our lives and enslaves us to it There are only three ways to best fear The first is to care nothing for anything, including your own life The second is to confront it and thus build courage by facing your demons The final is to believe so deeply in some cause that you are willing to walk through any fire, no matter how scorching, because of that belief Unfortunately, all three of them are difficult for a coward such as myself, and of the three, one is of little appeal to anyone The rains had left with almost as little warning and fanfare as they had arrived with, and Cyrus Davidon stared out the window, Alaric’s journal clutched in his hand, mulling over his path The room smelled faintly of wet wood and mildew; no great shock since the rains had blown into the Council Chambers of Sanctuary next door All around him rested broken tables, smashed bookshelves, even a shattered painting—though that was my work rather than that of … well … The only sound in earshot was the crackling of the fire and the popping of the torches They gave the air a sort of sickly smell, sweet, of oil burning, perhaps Cyrus realized for the first time that it could have been magic burning, for all he knew They were magic torches, after all, lighting and unlighting as needed He leaned his left hand against the chair, feeling the pain within, and as he shifted, the ring on his finger caught on the inside of his gauntlet I’ve been sitting here like this for too long, he thought, putting the journal aside The lettering was elegant on every page; not quite a surprise though close, as Cyrus could not recall having seen the Master of Sanctuary write much of anything for himself during the time Cyrus had been a member of the guild The rains had stopped at some point after nightfall, Cyrus dimly realized It was after midnight now, and the strain on his eyes had been considerable Putting aside the book, he stood and heard the cracking of his joints He sighed I sound as though I’m about to fall apart He chuckled ruefully at the thought Soon, perhaps He paused, pondering What Alaric said in the journal—I’m afraid Fear How long ago did I master fear? When I was at the Society? He did the arithmetic in his head and found it unfavorable How long ago did I stop feeling the pinch of fear? He thought about it for another moment but received no argument from himself Then I stopped truly fearing after … He let out a swift exhalation, as though he could purge the thought from himself, and tasted bitterness almost tangibly in his mouth Alaric was right There are few enough ways to truly purge fear from your life, and I believe he might have figured them all out Not caring about anything is certainly a swift way to it, and I did that for long enough to know Confronting it is easier in conjunction with the third … he blinked Believing in something enough to die for it, well … that’s the most difficult of them all His eyes worked their way back to the book again He’d read most of it during the night, much of it from times long, long before he had even met the man known as the Ghost of Sanctuary There had been new insights, fascinating ones, things he hadn’t fully understood—until now But what would it say about the time I spent in Luukessia? What was he doing in that time, what was he thinking? He found himself walking back to the chair unconsciously Sitting back down, he picked up the journal of Alaric’s thoughts—and the other Vara’s He stared at the dull cover, the dark leather binding of it, ran his hands along the front as though he could feel it through his gauntlet He sat them both on his lap and opened them, skimming through the pages of the first until he found what he was looking for: a date He read for a few paragraphs and his jaw dropped Ah So that was it He turned his attention to the other book, Vara’s journal, the handwriting only slightly less flowing, and opened it, jumping through the pages until he found the one that fit It was wrinkled, the parchment rumpled as though it had been exposed to water Damn you, Cyrus Davidon … He looked up, around the empty room and toward the darkness outside “That’s a hell of a way to start a journal entry.” His eyes fell back to the page and he read on, trying to absorb it all, flicking back and forth from one journal to the other, reconciling what he knew of that year with what he didn’t, fitting the pieces of it together in his head It all crept in, slowly, much like the darkness outside, and he did not want to stop reading, even when he heard a noise of something from within the walls, something quiet but certain, something very much alive … in a place that was not everything he had ever wanted were here, in this room, in this moment She kissed him, brought him close, and they made love, loudly and long into the night When they were done, he fell asleep contented, his rest now dreamless and all his worries relieved, her head lying on his shoulder NOW Epilogue The noise was subtle but there Cyrus heard it, out of the archives, on the staircase, the scrape of a shoe against stone He put the journals aside and pulled a blade Letting it point in front of him, he felt the strength surge through him from it There was an odor blowing through now from the darkened plains outside It smelled of decay, of rot—out of the east, no doubt He took a step forward, letting his armored boot land on the floor as quietly as he could make it There was no fear in him, now, only caution He could feel the weight of the sword in his grasp, the strength it gave him—and the slightest twinge of hunger from his stomach, protesting loudly at having not eaten for hours It sent a swell of dryness to his mouth, and reminded him to take a drink of water at his next convenience—a strange thought for a man who has just heard an intruder in a dead place He stepped out of the archive into the Council Chambers, letting his eyes ease around the room The fire was going in the hearth, the torches were all lit, and he waited, trying not to even breathe, listening for the sound outside the half-opened door, which was hanging partially off its hinges He was at an angle where it was not possible to see the stairs, though he knew that whoever was climbing them—or had already done so—would have to enter his field of vision in moments Cyrus tensed, bringing his sword back for a swing The weight of it was solid in his hand, and he held it straight back, ready He let his breath out slowly then took another as quietly as he could “You know,” came the voice through the open door, “if you’re going to invite someone to a place, it’s not really very sporting to sit just inside the door, waiting to ambush them.” Cyrus felt his breath all come out in a rush “You.” “Me,” the voice came again from the room outside “Would you mind lowering your sword so I can come in without fear of being filleted?” Cyrus chuckled darkly and lowered the blade, putting it back into the scabbard that waited for it on the right side of his belt “Come in.” “About time,” came the voice again, and the man who said it was only a moment behind it, stepping in past the broken doors, avoiding hitting his head on the low-hanging arch of the trim “Place looks like hell,” the man said—though I wouldn’t always have called him a man, Cyrus thought Troll, in fact, would have been the preferred insult for quite some time “Vaste,” Cyrus said with a nod “It’s good to see you.” “Thanks,” Vaste replied “I get the feeling you don’t say that much anymore.” Cyrus shrugged, turning his back to the troll and walking toward the window “Perhaps I might out of politeness But meaning it? No Not since …” he cast a hesitant, regretful look back “Well You know.” “I know.” There was a pause “You left poor Windrider meandering about outside I felt bad for him He looked lonely.” “He knows the way to the stables,” Cyrus said idly, staring out into the dark “Because there’s so much for a living horse to in there,” Vaste quipped He eyed his old chair at the table and bent over, picking it up and setting it upright again “What are the odds that this old thing will still hold my—” He pulled his hand away from it and it promptly broke in half along a split at the back, then the bottom collapsed under its own weight “Well, damn.” “There’s a chair in the other room if you’re of a mind to sit,” Cyrus said, waving at the archive “I don’t really want to sit, but my body would appreciate it after a few days of unpleasant travel Hard to find a ride down here nowadays.” “Do you blame ’em?” Cyrus asked, looking over his shoulder dully at the troll Vaste pursed his lips “No Not particularly Not after what happened Still, made it damned inconvenient to get here.” He stood in the middle of the room and looked around “So … before I go get that chair … you were serious, weren’t you?” “About what?” “In your letter.” Cyrus waved vaguely at the walls around them “Clearly.” “But, I mean … the other—” “Yes,” Cyrus said quietly “Yes, I meant it.” He waited for Vaste to say something, something light and funny, something to redeem the darkness of the moment that felt as though it had seeped in from outside unchecked by the candles “It really is good to see you, by the way.” He looked and caught the troll staring back at him “I meant it when I said it to you I wasn’t just being polite this time It’s … good to see another one of us around.” “One of us?” Vaste said mockingly “You mean … one of the handsome? The debonair?” There was that lightness I was looking for Cyrus looked around the wrecked Council Chambers, felt the pervading sense of grief and loss that came with the memories of this place It didn’t have quite the effect I was looking for, he decided, looking back out the window It never does anymore “No,” he said, and his eyes took in the world outside—darker than it had been a few years ago—and with … so much less to believe in “That’s not what I meant I meant—” “I know what you meant,” Vaste said Cyrus felt the troll’s tall presence next to him, and they looked out into the darkness together Just like we always have “I know what you meant You meant …” The troll’s scarred face grimaced, and his onyx eyes flicked toward Cyrus, the light dancing off them “Survivors.” Acknowledgments You'd think that with a book this size, the acknowledgments would correspondingly drone on and on, but I'm going to try and keep this brief Unlike, you know, the book itself Heather Rodefer once again Editor-in-Chief'd her way through the entire, 400 typed page, 10 Point Times New Roman beast of a manuscript She calls it my Encyclopedia Let me tell you something, Ms Editor-in-Chief Encyclopedias don't have a plot I'm pretty sure Crusader does Somewhere in there Muchas gracias, Heather Deb Wesley again kept me on track with the technical details, reminding me of things like the fact that horses would not be able to descend a spiral staircase Whoops Also, she helpfully substituted the words, "Whicker" and "neigh" for all the whinnying that happened Just a little variety, you know It helps Thank you, Deb Robin McDermott took time out of her life to go over everything in fine detail and let me know I was calling Ryin Ayend by both his names on pretty much every occasion I referred to him Sorry, Robin It's fixed now For that and a thousand other error corrections (and getting your Gmail address suspended while mailing the book to me in 30 pieces of scanned text) I thank you Paul Madsen helped give the book another good look over as final error correction when it was nearly ready to go My thanks to the great Paul, who waited patiently for the book for well, almost as long as the fans Thanks to two of Cyrus's biggest fans who read through to make sure I was on track with this story, David Leach and James Boggs Their feedback was invaluable Once again the cover was designed by the incomparable Karri Klawiter, who should really be making a fortune as a mind reader I'm glad she's not, though, because I need book covers Editing was once more handled by the great Sarah Barbour, who did this *while she was on vacation* and even did a second pass, heroically going back for more when I would have thrown in the towel, personally! Her dedication amazes me Much gracias also to my group of secret sprinters, who helped me drive through to the end of this work at high speed Mad props, all Last in the roundup, but never least, is my parents, who came to stay with us during both the 2nd draft and 3rd draft of Crusader, which allowed me to work late in the night on the manuscript Thank you both Also, my wife and kids, who are the reason I this and the reason I get to Love to you all Author's Note Well, that took about forever to get out Sorry I hope you think it was worth the wait It ended up a heck of a lot longer than I thought it was gonna be, and of course my other series took off like gangbusters, and since I actually have to pay the bills, the adventures of Cyrus and Vara took a back seat for a bit Sorry again These books take a good long while to write, which is why it will be until 2014 before I can get volume five out BUT! Don't despair too much, because I have a few Sanctuary offerings to hopefully whet your appetite between now and then I've added a novel starring everyone's favorite (or least favorite) dark knight to my schedule (check out the teaser on the next page - it started as a novel but is pretty much a trilogy now) as well as a novel starring Aisling (that one's just a standalone novel - for now) They won't be as long as Crusader, obviously, or book five (teaser is on the same page as the one for the Terian novel) so I can write them more quickly and get them out to you without having to dedicate months to working on nothing but them (as I did with Crusader) Anyway, again, I'm sorry for those of you who are waiting I'd love to finish these main books (Volumes 5-8) sooner, but it's just not possible right now, not with the numbers it's selling I will finish this series (and even add additional side books/trilogies and short stories) because I love the world of Arkaria and all its occupants, but it's going to be slower because of how big these books are Thanks for your patience (if you have patience - I *really* appreciate it if you do) and if for some reason this series were to explode the way the other has (The Girl in the Box), selling tons and tons of books, I can pretty well promise I will be back to finish it sooner I'm nothing if not a ruthless mercenary Meat pies don't pay for themselves, after all If you want to know as soon as the next volumes are released, CLICK HERE to sign up for my mailing list I promise I won’t spam you (I only send an email when I have a new book released) and I’ll never sell your info You can also unsubscribe at any time Thanks for your support and thanks for reading! Robert J Crane About the Author Robert J Crane was born and raised on Florida’s Space Coast before moving to the upper midwest in search of cooler climates and more palatable beer He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in English Creative Writing He worked for a year as a substitute teacher and worked in the financial services field for seven years while writing in his spare time He makes his home in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota He can be contacted in several ways: Via email at cyrusdavidon@gmail.com Follow him on Twitter – @robertJcrane Connect on Facebook – robertJcrane (Author) Website – http://www.robertJcrane.com Blog – http://robertJcrane.blogspot.com Become a fan on Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/RobertJCrane Cyrus Davidon will return in MASTER THE SANCTUARY SERIES, VOLUME FIVE The disappearance and presumed death of Alaric Garaunt has thrown the guild of Sanctuary into chaos Added to the upheaval are the sudden disappearance of Sanctuary's old allies, The Daring, the resurgence of the Dark Elves in the war, and a mystery brought to Cyrus Davidon by an old friend As the darkness rises in the land of Arkaria, Sanctuary must find a way through their struggles to unify, even as a battle between two pillars of the guild threatens to tear them asunder once and for all Coming in 2014 But first THY FATHER'S SHADOW A SANCTUARY NOVEL BOOK ONE OF THE KNIGHT OF SHADOWS TRILOGY Terian Lepos is a man without a home Cast out of Sanctuary, he wanders the land of Arkaria until a messenger arrives with a curious offer, one that will take Terian into the darkness of Saekaj Sovar, a place he thought he had long ago left behind, and into the service of the Dark Elven Sovereignty, where he will face his worst fear - his father, and the secret that drove him from his homeland once before Coming Autumn 2013! Other Works by Robert J Crane The Sanctuary Series 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 Master: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Five* Thy Father's Shadow: A Sanctuary Novel* Savages: A Sanctuary Short Story A Familiar Face: A Sanctuary Short Story The Girl in the Box Contemporary Urban Fantasy Alone: The Girl in the Box, Book Untouched: The Girl in the Box, Book Soulless: The Girl in the Box, Book Family: The Girl in the Box, Book Omega: The Girl in the Box, Book Broken: The Girl in the Box, Book Enemies: The Girl in the Box, Book 7* Legacy: The Girl in the Box, Book 8* Southern Watch Contemporary Urban Fantasy Called: Southern Watch, Book 1* *Forthcoming Table of Contents VOLUME FOUR: Crusader Author's Note Prologue Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84 Chapter 85 Chapter 86 Chapter 87 Chapter 88 Chapter 89 Chapter 90 Chapter 91 Chapter 92 Chapter 93 Chapter 94 Chapter 95 Chapter 96 Chapter 97 Chapter 98 Chapter 99 Chapter 100 Chapter 101 Chapter 102 Chapter 103 Chapter 104 Chapter 105 Chapter 106 Chapter 107 Chapter 108 Chapter 109 Chapter 110 Chapter 111 Chapter 112 Chapter 113 Chapter 114 Chapter 115 Chapter 116 Chapter 117 Chapter 118 Chapter 119 Chapter 120 Chapter 121 Epilogue Acknowledgments Author's Note About the Author Other Works by Robert J Crane .. .CRUSADER THE SANCTUARY SERIES VOLUME FOUR Robert J Crane CRUSADER THE SANCTUARY SERIES VOLUME FOUR Copyright © 2012 Reikonos Press All Rights Reserved... could still hear the wail of the horns, the slamming of doors and the roaring of fires bursting out of the hearth across the room, warning the residents of Sanctuary of the attack in their midst All... another foe, then another Something caused her to shudder The thin fog that had seemed to creep into the room was gaining in volume, rolling over the floor and swirling into the center of the