The Dragon Brood War: It Walks Among Men

By A. R. Williams

Gerhardt is hired to kill a priest, but his instincts tell him there is more to the job than he’s being told. He questions the man who hired him and discovers that the priest he’s sent to kill isn't human at all--but a demon.
Undeterred, Gerhardt accepts the job. When he arrives at the cathedral, he realizes he knows the target. Somehow, Gerhardt’s past and future are connected to this mysterious priest, one in which his bloodline plays an important role in the war between gods, dragons, and men.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. R. Williams
• Release date: Jul 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476009445

A. R. Williams

A.R. Williams developed a love for reading at a very young age and in the fourth grade, when an assignment to write their own works of fiction was given, it occurred to him that he could craft tales for others to enjoy.A.R. Williams’ work has appeared in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Three Crow Press, and Every Day Fiction. A.R. received an honorable mention in the fourth quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest in 2010.

Book preview

The Dragon Brood War:

Episode 1

It Walks Among Men

A Smashwords Edition

Date of first publication: July 23, 2012

Updated: November 14, 2013

Please visit A.R. Williams’ official website at:

a-r-williams.com

© Copyright 2012, A.R. Williams

Cover image by Keith Draws

All rights reserved. Except as permitted in the case of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

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All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Interior Blurb:

Gerhardt is hired to kill a priest, but his instincts tell him there is more to the job than he’s being told. He questions the man who hired him and discovers that the priest he’s sent to kill isn't human at all--but a demon.

Undeterred, Gerhardt accepts the job. When he arrives at the cathedral, he realizes he knows the target. Somehow, Gerhardt’s past and future are connected to this mysterious priest, one in which his bloodline plays an important role in the war between gods, dragons, and men.

Other e-Books by A.R. Williams:

The Blessed and the Damned

Demon Song

Duel on Hakkojji Bridge

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I

To Kill A Man

II

Secret Affairs

III

Could It Be

IV

The Hunt Begins

V

Darkness, Cold and Black

VI

The Offer

VII

The Beach of Lost Souls

VIII

The Hand of God

IX

Dark Roads

X

EPILOGUE

About the Author

Excerpt: The Blessed and the Damned

Mailing List

Thanks

I | To Kill A Man

A NEW MOON RULED over the naked night and the stars hid from the world behind ghostly grey clouds. Shadow stood upon shadow and deepened in dark recesses where a torch’s light could not penetrate, like some ancient evil come to roost.

A warm wind blew from the south with just a hint of coming spring—pine and rotting leaves over the crisp cool scent of snow. Then just as quick it changed direction and came from the northwest, down from the glaciers biting cold and deep. It nipped at the flesh of man and beast alike, then sent those with a choice back inside to light their own fires to keep the chill at bay.

The city’s watchmen had no such luck. They huddled miserably together in thick woolen cloaks and kept out of the dark places where shadows roamed. Others, however, had no fear of shadows, nor of cold, and went where they willed, using indolence as cover far superior to shade.

A mile outside of Katz-Stiefel, Gerhardt stood in what could best be called a graveyard for the old gods. A temple stood dark and lifeless atop a small hill. It looked and felt like a tomb. A layer of undisturbed snow covered everything in a veil of white. The wind whistled through the temple’s broken walls sending wisps of snow through the air.

Through the years the forest had crept back on the deserted lands and reclaimed them for itself. Oaks spread their heavy branches wide, casting deep, dark shadows over all beneath them. Tall, spindly evergreens swayed in the wind. Their leaves rustled as the trees rocked back and forth. Dead vines wrapped around columns, scrabbled up the pillars like parasitic worms, and spiraled down from the roof in choking yellow-brown strands. Amid the vines, winter flowers had grown. They bloomed white with flecks of grey streaking along the insides of the petals making it look like someone had mourned the death of these ancient gods.

Gerhardt climbed the steps that led up to the portico. A god-statue whose name was long forgotten, stood guard at the entrance. He sat in a high-backed chair, a hooked spear spread across his lap, gazing out at the shadows that threatened to one day completely overrun this tiny temple. The god looked on, helpless to stop the coming doom. Snow crunched beneath Gerhardt’s feet as he made his way up the temple steps, past the statue, and into the temple.

The condition inside was no better than the outer yard.