Void War: The Shroud of the Gods

By AJ Watson

Unknown elemental assailants attack and severely damaging those closest to Yana, fueling her not only towards aid but headlong into vengeance. Her stubborn nature and relentless drive threaten to alienate her from new allies she must rely on if her goals are to succeed. Her path brings her back to Sesqui, where its civil unrest is teetering into a full blown war.

Mason is tracking a target he believes has the answers to his continued existence while filling in the gaps of a shattered memory. Needing aid of his own, he chooses a more violent path to get the answers he seeks. Finding mutual aid from a Reshadri Bokor, a race of torment worshipers wreathed in elemental power, Mason's path twines Yana's as the truth unravels.

With strained alliances and distrust the pair will face down enemies beyond either of their abilities in a battle with consequences linked to the heart of the Void War.

The Shroud of the Gods is book two of the Gatekeeper Trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AJ Watson
• Release date: Mar 25, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310348891

AJ Watson

AJ Watson has always enjoyed writing, but did not write her first book until college. What started out as an assignment for a class, AJ's story of a little gecko was given high reviews by her teacher and family and she was encouraged to pursue publishing. AJ also enjoys painting, designing crafts, and spending time with her family.

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The Shroud of the Gods

A Void War Novel

Book 2 of the Gatekeeper Trilogy

By A J Watson

© Copyright 2014 Anthony James Watson

Smashwords Edition

Licence Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is dedicated to my nieces and nephews: Tara, Kayla, Ebony, Ethan, Emily, Zack, Cade, and Danae.

Table of Contents

Pronunciation Guide

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

About the Author

Excerpt

Excerpt Chapter One

Excerpt Chapter Two

Pronunciation Guide

Name (Phonetic pronunciation)

Anmith (Ann myth)

Asgarh (Azgar)

Boava (Boh ar var)

Bünd (Buund)

Cestus (Ses tus)

Claudia (Claw de ar)

Dirgano Yex (Dur garn oh Yecks)

Jemez (Zhems)

Kiel (Key ill)

Kilandrastika/Kilandra (Kill an draz tee ka/Kill an dra)

Korana (Core ar na)

Lyc (like)

Mason (May sen)

Mordek (More deck)

Needa (Knee dar)

Pia (pea ah)

Ral Seth (Raal Seth)

Reshadri (Re shad ri)

Ry (Rie)

Selig (Zel ig)

Senfu Jurin (Zen foo Dew rinn)

Sesqui (Ses kwi)

Sesquitians (Ses kwi shons)

Shareal (Shar reel)

Shiuano (She wah no)

Shoma (Show mar)

The Dral (The Drarl)

Uano (Wah no)

Une (Oo neigh)

Uneia (Oo neigh ar)

Unema (Oo knee mar)

Unum (Oo numb)

Velus (Val es)

Vigaj (Ve gar)

Yana (Yarn ar)

Prologue

The scarlet-hued dragon crashed spine first into the mountain wall. Rock and debris erupted omni-directionally from the impact, causing an earthen shower. The adolescent dragon slowly crawled from the new crevice, limping on its forelegs; its right wing torn and broken. It collapsed from its injuries, half devoured by the mountain.

Another young dragon pin-dropped from above, spreading the clouds as its wings swept open to slow the descent. Its landing displaced more dirt as it took a protective stance in front of its comrade. The sun glistened off its indigo scales as it inhaled deeply. The beast spat a volley of violet fire spheres, entwined with crackling bolts of lightning that scorched the earth along their trajectory.

Their target emitted a blast of freezing water from its maw, striking the balls mid flight to explode them prematurely. The quad-horned purple dragon stared down its enemy in a gaze that would warp metal, its membranous crest rattling in scarcely restrained rage. The watery creature stoically returned the stare.

The dragon took this slight pause in combat to study its foe, looking for any weakness to exploit. The water creature coiled upon itself like a gigantic snake, dwarfing the great lizard. Its head however, was so similar to a dragon that it could be a distant relative. The entire body consisted of water, making a determination of vital points impossible. While sizing up the Leviathan, the purple dragon didn’t notice another attacker coming from its left. It received a boiling mud pile in the side of the face for the mistake.

Unfazed, the dragon turned and slashed at the new assailant- a house sized humanoid comprised entirely of sloshing mud. The lizard smeared the mud creature against the mountainside with one powerful blow. Grinning at the easy victory, the dragon turned back to its original foe.

The Leviathan seized upon the momentary distraction and whipped out its head. Its mighty jaws latching onto the dragon’s exposed neck, clamping like a vice. The dragon howled as it vainly tried to wriggle free. The Leviathan coiled its body around the beast, attempting to squeeze the life away.

After a few moments of intense struggle the purple dragon’s breathing slowed; close to suffocation. Just before its final moments, the red dragon emitted a stream of intense flame directly at the watery foe; fury dripping from the multitudinous spikes littering its snarling face. The Leviathan's pained screech pierced both dragons’ ears as the monstrous serpent’s body evaporated into boiling steam. The purple dragon laboriously rose, gasping.

After regaining their composure, the two dragons looked around for any other attackers. A few kilometres away they saw a small figure approaching on foot. It looked like a human but they couldn’t be certain, given the distance. They did however perceive the invisible strands of elemental power flowing through him. As they watched the energies build, a ball of raw power streamed forward.

It increased in size and velocity as it approached, and the dragons dropped prone to either side as it sped between them and smashed into the mountain. The cacophonous blast caused an avalanche of rock that threatened to engulf the fatigued beasts. The purple dragon concentrated and raised an invisible barrier between itself and the falling boulders. While its friend was holding back the tide, the red dragon hobbled around looking for an escape route.

Another ball of energy burst from the puny human, speeding towards the colossal creatures. The red dragon focussed, and moulded the ground into a large wall. The energy ball struck violently, causing the wall to disintegrate into a massive dust cloud. The obfuscation provided gave the dragons the time they needed to flee. They were about to meld into the ground when they glimpsed something through the rubble. A large doorframe stood in the middle; lines of enormous elemental power flowing inward. Through the portal they saw a small village under attack. The dragons looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement. They cleared a path and entered the portal and, once on the other side, started to knock down the doorframe to their new home. The dragons hurried their task as they saw the human approach. He gathered energy for another elemental ball as they completed their task.

The human stared at the defunct device with his intense green eyes and grinned, visibly pleased with himself. He quashed the energy ball and flew into the air, journeying back the way he had come.

Chapter One

This was taking longer than expected. I veiled myself in the shadows awaiting my quarry to emerge from a cave; and had been so for the last three hours. I didn’t object overly much though. I’d been tracking him for the last two years, so a few extra hours meant nothing. It did, however, give me the opportunity to take in my glorious surroundings.

I was amidst a massive region of flat lands, covered with all manner of jungle trees. Multitudes of bugs and insect life teemed throughout. I felt a peculiar sense of belonging, as if I was a part of this world somehow. I took immense comfort from slipping into the earth, with only my head and shoulders above ground. Insects crawled over my head as if I had always been a part of the ecosystem. The earth caressed me like a mother would a child, and for the first period in a while I felt peace. As I peered into the night sky, contentedly watching the stars, I noticed several large metal objects gliding just below the cloud line. They weren’t coming near me so I ignored them.

Movement from the corner of my eye brought my attention back to the cave entrance. My prey exited with another individual who looked perplexingly familiar. He was definitely the same species as me, considering the elongated arms and visible sinews, although plainly older, virtually ancient. I tried to identify him within the tattered realms of my mind, but only found glimpses of faded memories. I stopped my recollections as they emerged fully from the cave. Sinking completely into the ground I gazed through the soil, looking upon their elemental energies.

My human target was drenched with sweat and could hardly stand. The antique Korana helped him over to a large rock. They both rested for a few minutes before the elder spoke, you have come far little one, but need to learn your limits.

The other elements weren’t as difficult as this; I could go much longer without fatigue. The human consumed some liquid.

Earth is a very difficult element to control. The other elements tap into the primal energies of the universe. Earth taps directly into life itself. We manipulate a living entity that is instinctively resistant. Over time you’ll understand, and learn to manipulate with minimal disruption to this entity.

I understand Senfu Jurin.

A jolt spiked through me as my target spoke that name. A distant memory resurfaced and I scarcely remembered giving this Korana the title of ‘Senfu’ as well. I remembered Jurin instructing me in the Earth element when I was young. I also remembered his cruelty and the bad terms on which we parted. Now he was tutoring my prey, a feat that I could not allow. He could shield himself from me if instructed sufficiently, eliminating my advantage.

I crept to their location while still hiding within the earth. If Jurin was indeed my former Senfu then I had little chance of defeating him without the benefit of surprise. I focussed on the Earth element and shaped my left arm into the tail of a manta ray, ready to strike. I slowed down all movement until I was barely in motion. I prepared to stab Jurin in the back when a blast of elemental energy crackled through the air from beyond the shadows. It sped towards my quarry in a dazzling display of purple electricity. He hurriedly brought up an elemental barrier, but wasn’t quick enough to stop the full force. The energy ball incinerated his tunic and should have done the same to his flesh, but didn’t.

The energy siphoned into a dragon shaped pendant draped around his neck, and burst harmlessly into a spark of blue light. As I contemplated this surreal effect, Jurin sat cross-legged on the rock and closed his eyes in immense concentration. A brilliant light enveloped my prey that would have blinded me if I wasn’t safely encased in the ground. The light dulled suddenly to reveal an empty space where my target used to be.

Fuck! The old bastard teleported him away from harm, and out of my reach. I tried to follow the lines of power but they were too well concealed. Jurin knew how to cover his tracks well, the cock-sucker.

The attackers revealed themselves momentarily from the darkness, visibly hesitant on their next course of action. A silent decision was made and they transformed into a red mist, bursting towards the stars.

I quickly deduced my next move. The old coot wouldn’t tell me where he sent my mark. I knew my best chance of finding him was to follow whomever, or whatever, the new attackers were. But I couldn’t leave Jurin here as a safe port for my target either. My initial plan was still sound, and I still had surprise on my side. I leapt out of the earth, causing debris to erupt omni-directionally. I grabbed onto the rock beneath Jurin for leverage, and swung my modified arm towards his exposed back.

He turned suddenly, causing me to plunge the barbed tail into his chest, piercing the triangular junction between his three hearts. I struck so hard that my arm sunk in through to the shoulder. Peering into his milk-pool eyes, I slowly removed my limb from Jurin’s chest. The pools showed puzzlement as he recognised his attacker. I grinned as he fell off my arm and his life gushed across the forest floor. I returned my limb to its original dimensions despite the blood and entrails dripping off.

Jurin slumped to the ground; his final breathless word, Mason? His questioning tone didn’t show the contempt I expected, but perplexity. His expression was that of someone who had just been betrayed by a loved one. I shrugged it off as the arrogant prick still trying to mind fuck me. I tuned into the elemental trail the new attackers left behind and sprinted towards my ship in pursuit.

Chapter Two

I emerged from my hiding place as I heard a breathless voice call my name, Yana, where are you?

Over here cuz, where’s Ry?

Right behind you my dear. Did you lose them Lyc?

I think so bloke, but we should keep moving. They have an annoying knack of finding us when we’re stationary.

Too right! Ry, any luck locating us a new vehicle? Ry’s grin gave me all the response I needed, but as usual, he felt the need to speak, Oh do I have a ship for you! Follow me.

We ran wordlessly through the narrow streets, circumventing public places like the homeless avoid the Gorb. Our pursuers could somehow always spot us in the busiest of crowds, but had a harder time when we were alone. We approached a non-descript building that looked like it had been abandoned sometime before I was born. Ry led us through a maze of dusty corridors filled with cobwebs. I looked behind us, checking for any pursuit, and noticed fresh dust being vented onto the floor, covering our tracks. It was an interesting security system, a clever one too.

Before long we rounded a corner to enter a large underground chamber. The lighting was poor and the far edges of the room were in total darkness. Scaffolding surrounded several dozen space vehicles that were strewn about as if they simply remained where they crashed. Only half of them were illuminated, the rest faded into the darkness. Many of the visible ones looked too damaged to even power up. I turned to Lyc and whispered, I think Ry has finally gone insane. He nodded in silent agreement.

Ry approached a smallish ship and grunted something unintelligible. His grasp of foreign languages came in handy, until he started mixing them into a long incoherent sentence.

Several metallic crunches emerged from the vessel’s interior. A moment later a very chunky figure exited down the access ramp. As it left the confines of the ship, the hideous nature of the thing was fully illuminated. Rolls of fat jiggled on top of each other as it waved its arms around. It was floating on a large metal ring that obviously was the only way it could move its massive bulk. Several transparent tubes emerged from its head near several small horns, and plugged elsewhere into the floating personal transport. Various coloured liquids flowed through the tubes in both directions. About a dozen smaller devices floated around the creature, performing various tasks. One approached us and sent a beam of blue light over Lyc and me before returning to its master.

Before long it became evident that these devices provided the means for the thing to physically interact with the world. I couldn’t help but wonder why the creature allowed itself to get so infirm in the first place. Ry spoke to it for a few moments in a language I had never heard before. He then turned to us, My friend here says it’s ready to go when we are.

Now sounds good to me, bloke. I agreed with Lyc and started up the ramp, wanting to leave before anyone found us. As I ascended, I heard a loud buzzing from behind and turned to see what it was. A grey lightning bolt crackled through the air and struck Lyc in the chest. The blast picked him up and flung him backwards, slamming him hard into the side of the ship. The stench of seared flesh filled the room as a second bolt leapt from some scaffolding in the darkness above.

The evil grins of our pursuers leapt from the shadows as I dove for cover from the second bolt. I shouted from behind a metal crate to Ry Get our new friend to check on Lyc and for Une’s sake put up a barrier.

I focused on the catwalks, searching for our attackers, while trying to find a way out of this in one piece. I couldn’t see them through the darkness and unsheathed my dagger, ready for a sneak attack. Suddenly a purple flame blinked into existence. One of the bastards had created an elemental ball in his hand, illuminating his upper body. I couldn’t see the other one, but this was my first opportunity to take a proper look at one of our pursuers. I wanted to take in as much detail as possible before looking elsewhere.

If it wasn’t for the fact he was trying to kill me I would have found him rather tasty. A tunic clung tight across his broad chest, and biceps bulged beneath his sleeves. He had a chiselled jaw enhanced by thick stubble. Long blonde hair covered the right side of his face, making his uncovered purple eye stand out that much more. He grinned as he saw me staring, revealing a row of pure white teeth that had been sharpened to points.

The flame ball increased its light intensity as he flung it towards me. I bolted to the ship’s ramp as the flame struck the ground precisely where I knelt moments ago. I ran past Ry’s blubbery buddy as he inexplicably floated toward our attackers. I shouted out a warning to flee as he closed his eyes and sunk his chin to his bloated chest. A moment later he raised his head as a barely visible wave sped towards the catwalks at a violent pace. The metal guide rails shattered as the wave drove through them and smacked into our foe. They were flung like children’s toys deeper into the darkness.

A cacophonous thud signalled that they crashed into the far wall. The old stones collapsed from the blow to cover our foes in a pile of rubble. I hurried over to Lyc to assess his damage. I just know I’ll have to spend the next few days nursing his injuries, and that he’ll milk it for all it’s worth. Still, he’s family, so I do all that I must.

I was half way to Lyc when the rubble erupted in a hail of debris and dust. A rock about the size of my head struck me in the chest, knocking my wind out and thankfully not cracking anything. As I struggled to wheeze breath back into my bruised chest, the two arseholes leapt out of the dust cloud. Ry waved his hand and a wall of fire spread between us and them. The fat mechanic’s floating devices grabbed Lyc and hovered up the ramp, their controller following close behind.

The ship’s engines powered up as Ry climbed aboard. By the time I reached the ship it was already taking off. I leapt for Ry’s outstretched hand and he pulled me inside. I felt his grip loosen and I barely managed to hold onto the ramp’s edge. I looked over my shoulder as I hung on tight. The blonde’s purple eye glowed brightly as he stood in the middle of Ry’s firewall, flames harmlessly wreathing around his arms. His face brightened as he grinned, visibly pleased with himself. Why was he so happy that we got away? I pondered this as he quickly shrunk out of sight. I pulled myself onto the ship and unfortunately found my answer. Ry was staring blankly at the clouds, his eyes and surrounding skin completely blackened. It looked as if his eye sockets had been charred while searing his eyes. I dragged him inside and retracted the ramp.

My obese companion hovered over to Ry while his devices checked on Lyc. I was about to ask him how Ry was doing when I noticed a look of horror in his eyes. My heart tripled in pace, fearing the worst. It took considerable effort to remain standing.

He saw the frightened look on my face and spoke without prompting, his voice more melodic and deep than I would have thought. His mind has been attacked by a powerful elementalist. He is reliving his most terrifying experience over and over.

I gasped in horror, My Une, the Phoenix fire! Ry didn’t share too much about what happened, but he was never more frightened than during that inferno. To re-live it repeatedly must be horrendous. My companion saw my discomfort and tried to console me, with little effect.

I can ease his pain if you like, though it would mean putting him into a deep coma. The visions won’t stop but they will be less frequent.

I nodded silent permission and barely held back my tears while I turned away. I heard an unintelligible whisper from behind me and when it stopped my companion approached me. It is done; he will stay this way until we can find someone to remove the nightmare.

I silently nodded and turned my attention to Lyc. I didn’t want to think about the torment Ry was experiencing and wanted to bury myself in caring for my cousin. As I approached him the floating machines departed to attend other duties. The abhorrent sight froze me in place. The left half of Lyc’s chest was completely missing from neck to waist. The flesh around the wound was seared, preventing all blood from flowing. Tendrils of smoke rose from the dead body of my only remaining family. I stood in a daze, not knowing how to react. My breathing became shallow and rushed; black spots filled my vision.

I crumbled to the floor and curled into a ball, unmoving. My blubbery companion hovered over. The moment he came into view tears flowed freely. His machines picked me up and placed me gently on his cushiony body. I remained in his arms for chimes, sobbing the entire time. He never said a word.

Chapter Three

The residue of Jurin’s blood on my arm disturbed me. I’d washed it off but it was as if his life energy lingered. Whenever I looked at my limb I felt shame, although I couldn’t think of a single reason why I would feel that way. Jurin was a hated instructor who tormented and tortured his students. Karma demanded his death. I tried to ignore it as I continued following the elemental trail.

My prey’s attackers moved at a phenomenal pace. At full speed my vessel was barely able to keep up with the trailing energies before they dissipated. I was eventually led to a busy star port on the outer edge of civilised space.

I guided my vessel to the outskirts of the port. I still had trouble landing this blasted contraption and didn’t want to attract attention. I slowed down and descended with the front of the ship pointing down to slow it with the wind. I cursed as I suddenly remembered to put the ship’s feet out as I was about to impact the ground.

I quickly pulled the lever and yanked the vessel’s nose up. The feet hit the ground firmly and the vessel shuddered, jarring my arms as I gripped the control stick tight. For a few moments I thought I had landed successfully, and then the front foot snapped off, forcing the ship to skid along its belly. The stupid vessel started spinning sideways as one of the engines blinked out. I frantically turned off all the power and let friction bring my landing to a complete stop. I looked out the main window and saw that the ship was still the right way up. A jubilant shout erupted from my throat, emphasised even more by pumping my fist in the air. I couldn’t contain my excitement at what had to be the best landing I had ever performed. I cut my celebration short; I had a target to acquire.

I melded through the metal floor to arrive outside. The moment I exited I felt the presence of powerful elementalists using their gifts a few hundred metres away. The trail I followed seemed to terminate at the same location. I raced toward it, not wanting to miss my opportunity.

I ran through the littered streets at full pace, ignoring the cries of ‘arsehole’ and ‘prick’ as I knocked people out of my way. I was too busy to deal with them appropriately.

The trail led me to a condemned building with elemental residue all over the walls. Poking my head through, I observed a battle just beginning. I veiled myself in the shadows, creeping closer to the action. My prey’s attackers were preparing a blitzkrieg against some familiar faces. The frustration of amnesia kicked in again as I struggled to remember how I knew them. All I could muster was that they were somehow related to my prey.

One of the antagonists spewed forth a powerful elemental eruption of mouldy amethyst lightning. The raw energy required for such an energy signature was so intense that it sucked my vision into it like a child to candy. I