Heir of the Blood King

By W.O. Cassity

No one can escape their destiny in a world controlled by the Fates. Ancient prophecies are the means by which the gods maintain order. Whether pauper or king, each life becomes a pawn in a dangerous game of control, where moving pieces determines the course of all living beings. The Blood King’s sudden death in the night triggers a foreboding prophecy of dark times, as it is foretold that his unknown Heir would awaken to the dark magic of his blood and enslave the Eleven Kingdoms. Soldiers bring destruction to the countryside seeking the Heir Of The Blood King.

Adam escapes the fires of the peaceful village of Riverside in the night when the soldiers laid waste to his adopted home. With his fate uncertain, the unskilled orphan must fight for his freedom against dangerous enemies who give pursuit as he searches for the answers to his past. Adam is also faced with the challenges of survival against the untamed wilderness and its dark denizens as he tries to avoid a destiny he does not want.

“The Heir Of The Blood King will rise, this has been divined.” - Ancient prophecy of the Seering Council.

“Heir Of The Blood King” is the first installment of the ongoing, action-packed, Young Adult fantasy, survival series, Adventures of Adam.

• Language: English
• Publisher: W.O. Cassity
• Release date: Oct 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311277916

W.O. Cassity

W.O. Cassity grew up in the Mississippi Delta Valley dreaming of new worlds fueled by his passions for writing and playing tabletop games with his friends. As an adult, he relocated to Nashville, Tennessee where he pursued a career in IT and Telecommunications, working for companies such as Dell Computer Corporation, Verizon Wireless and Asurion. Will returned to his childhood passions sharing those experiences with his children. He went on to release his debut novel, “Heir of the Blood King” which was well received. He also has an ongoing horror short story series, "A Short Journey Into Darkness". Will and his wife, Barbara, currently reside in Arkansas with their four children, three dogs and one very stinky cat.

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Heir of the Blood King

Adventures of Adam: Book One

Smashwords Edition

By: W.O. Cassity

Smashwords Edition, License 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 or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright © 2015 by W.O. Cassity

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover Illustration By: www.ebooklaunch.com

Copy Editing By: www.awediting.com

For Lucianna, Lillian, Hazel, and William:

May each of you always have the strength to take your destiny into your own hands.

And a special thank you to Barbara:

For helping me pursue my dream.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: An Untraveled Pathway

Chapter Two: The Search for More

Chapter Three: Night of Lost Hopes

Chapter Four: Reflections to Ponder

Chapter Five: A Day of Renewed Hope

Chapter Six: Soaring Ambition

Chapter Seven: Free Fall

Chapter Eight: No Way To Home

Chapter Nine: A Fresh Start

Chapter Ten: Trappings of Admiration

Chapter Eleven: Freedom

Chapter Twelve: New Opportunities

Adventures of Adam: Book Two Preview

Special Note from the Author

About the Author

Chapter One: An Untraveled Pathway

The marching of the king’s soldiers broke the peaceful silence of the small village of Riverside. A safe distance to the north, a raven-haired boy listened carefully as he knelt down behind the tall grass along the riverbank. He was haunted by the screams of the dying villagers, which were brought asunder by blood-drenched swords. Merciless men lit every building in their wake on fire, as heartless scouts vigilantly located all of the children who neared the age of divining.

Adam felt as if his eyes were catching fire in his head from the smoke and fire that had enveloped his adopted home in the night. The night was fading though, and early morning light was breaking on the horizon. The sanctuary of the darkness was diminishing quickly. He felt it was secure enough, for the moment, but he would need to be moving soon.

Dread settled in his stomach as he realized he had not brought anything with him. The lithe boy had no implement for protection, and even if he actually had a weapon, he wasn't sure what good it would do him. He also had no food, but at least, he was next to a bountiful supply of water. Urgently, the determined stripling reached out for the satisfying water to get his fill before parting.

As Adam reached into the cool, clear water, he watched, mesmerized as it cleansed the layers of ash from his skin. When he splashed the water over his face, he saw the soot wash into his hands, staining the water black as it fell. After the current washed the dark soot downstream, he reached into the clean water to satisfy his thirst.

Having relieved his burning eyes, he surveyed the riverbanks and the fields to the south between him and the village. He was lost in thought when he felt something bump into his hand, which still rested in the water. He looked down and saw a stick about the length of his arm and just slightly smaller round than his wrist that the slow moving current had brought to him. Adam retrieved the river’s gift from the water and tested it with a firm thump to the ground. It would be sturdy enough to use as a weapon if he needed one. With the stick, he turned away from the river.

A moment of peace fell over him as he stepped into a puddle left by the early spring rains. He pondered for a moment at how his blue eyes stood out over his small nose and thin mouth within the pool’s reflection. The ripples from the splash of his foot distorted his features, making him appear to be smiling one second and frowning the next. He sighed heavily, for he knew he could not linger in the stillness of the moment to contemplate what had happened.

Adam knew the soldiers were not the only danger to worry about outside the safety of his village. To the north, the Berring Forest sheltered a vast array of wild animals. He was more concerned about the soldiers who still roamed the lands than the ravaging packs of hungry wolves and large predatory cats, which were more than happy to pick off an easy meal. At least, if he could cover his tracks and mask his scent by crushing up anise seeds, he might be able to make it to a cave to hide in long enough to get some sleep and gather his thoughts. He hoped he would find some berries to squelch the rumbling in his stomach along the way.

As he continued his quest for safety, the wind shifted north, casting the smoldering ash and smoke from the destroyed village overhead. He knew to move into the higher grass for concealment and often stopped to listen for pursuit. Being in a hurry would only make him careless, so what mattered most was to move carefully and to find refuge before night fell.

Adam had been too afraid during the night to process how quickly his life had changed in the course of a single day. He focused on survival and lying low under the cover of darkness so he could watch the movements of the torches the soldiers’ search parties carried. He paused, reflecting on how close Death had come to carrying him upon its dark-winged back to reunite him with his lost family. His stride kept pace with the steady rhythm of his heart, and Adam became lost in thought as he intently focused on putting distance between the village and himself.

He was not able to stop himself from worrying about Othelk, his mentor and guardian. When the guards arrived after the unexpected death of the centuries old necromancer king, his mentor was the one who woke Adam and urged him to flee. Looking back on the moment, Adam realized Othelk had been dressed in ornate steel armor and had carried a large sword and shield Adam had not seen before. His guardian’s thick brow was furrowed with concern, causing his thick, bushy eyebrows to look as wild as his unkempt beard. As they prepared to leave Adam’s room, Othelk prepared for battle by placing a heavy steel helmet over his thinning white hair.

Adam considered his guardian was dressed and prepared to confront the soldiers when he had awakened him. Somehow, Othelk must have known something was going to happen before hand. He tried hard to remember if there had been anything off about the old man the day before, but the more he focused on remembering his weathered face, the more Adam’s heart sank with the realization he did not know his mentor’s fate.

Othelk had hastily led him away from his sleeping quarters and was trying to put him on a raft when the soldiers arrived at the docks. One of the guards jumped on the raft where Adam was sitting, but his guardian began to fight off several guards at once. The last time he had seen Othelk, his fierce protector told him to run and not to look back as his sword erupted in flames along the surface. Adam watched as an unseen magical force sparked from his guardian’s shield throwing one of his opponents high into the air. In spite of whispered rumors he had heard, he never knew Othelk was so proficient with magic.

So, Adam did what he always did and followed his guardian’s orders. He resisted his impulse to assist Othelk and he ran without looking back. The grizzled man was his only family, and he feared he might have lost him too, just like he lost his parents and brother so long ago.

He knew Othelk had been a mercenary who once travelled with a small band of adventurers, boisterously seeking fame and fortune. Many of the older traders who used the Freedown River to carry their wares stopped by Riverside because they knew the old man during his adventurous youth. From what little he overheard in a few of the conversations with those merchants, Othelk had been both a scholar of arcane history and a crafty shield man.

The quiet and reflective version of Othelk Adam had come to know was very different. He knew his guardian cared for his well-being and viewed him as the son he never had. After the retired adventurer adopted him, he taught Adam basic trade. Even though the man protected Adam from unruly explorers who saw him as nothing more than a lowly servant, Othelk kept his distance emotionally.

Up ahead, just near the riverbank, Adam heard a precarious sound that snapped him back to attention. He dropped low, concealing himself behind the tall grass and tangled vines as he peered through and tried to assess the situation. The sound came from one of the Blood King’s guards calling for another to stop the raft they must have commandeered from the village. He remained still as he watched the bored soldier scan the river’s edge then signal his companions to continue down river.

Adam sighed with relief as he slowly made his way farther inland away from the river’s edge. He trudged along, but after a sleepless night, his attention waivered. In spite of his best efforts to remain alert, his mind drifted back to the memories of his past once more.

Adam was born along the Eastern Coast region, many miles away from his life working the docks on the Freedown River. His memories of his life before Othelk had claimed him were few. He remembered his mother, his father, and his twin brother, all with light blond hair so different from his own pitch black. For as long as he could remember, Adam felt like an outsider with no place he truly belonged.

He thought hard to find his earliest memory. There was a time when he was perhaps four summers old, he was traveling in the back of a wagon with his brother sitting across from him. Adam’s mother was leaning to the front, and his father was driving the horses hard, snapping the reins urgently. He would never forget the look of fear on his father’s face when he turned to watch Adam and his fair-haired brother playing in the back of the wagon. Adam had always figured his father was running away from something as if their lives had depended upon it.

He also remembered the men who had later surrounded the wagon. They were not a threat, but he could remember his father not wanting to talk to them. His mother had also awakened, and it was clear she was concerned about how his father answered the men’s questions.

That was the only memory Adam had left of his time with his family. From there, came the time when he fended for himself, hungry, alone, and pillaging for food. The villagers of those Eastern Coast towns would always drive him away for it was a kingdom ruled by anarchy. The region was known for seafarers, fishermen, and occasionally, raiding pirates. He thought for a time those people treated stray dogs living in the alleyways under the never-ending, gray skies better than they treated him. He also remembered stealing food had been a key point to his survival in those dark days.

Othelk had found him just as a group of kids had circled around him in the middle of the streets, clearly intending to beat him to a fine pulp. When the grizzled adventurer saved Adam, he remembered the tall muscular man telling him, I’ve been searching for you, boy. I was a friend of your father. Othelk had been dressed in simple clothes of gray and white, just as those he had worn for the last five years as he had worked to earn his keep on the docks his guardian had managed.

Adam knew very little else about Othelk’s history. He knew as a young man, his mentor grew up in Corronest, where the Order of the Fates Divined, or