Knights of Glass, An Archer Adventure

By Katharine Giles

Who are the star ship warriors that have landed in Sundari, the immortal world's animal sanctuary? Archer and Aradia arrive in the Kingdom of Sundari expecting a tour of the kingdom and discover their help is needed to protect the animals from a fleet of star warriors that have recently arrived.

Because no one knows where the warriors are from or why they're here, Aradia prepares Archer for battle by teaching him how to release the Fire of Chaos from his gemstone charm. But the danger escalates after Aradia finds a charm on the river bottom that identifies the invaders... they’re about to meet the Star Fleet leader who kidnapped Volka's family from the Mother Star.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katharine Giles
• Release date: Feb 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370599295

Katharine Giles

Her many adventures gave Katharine an advantage when she wrote The Archer Adventure Series. Born in Wyoming, her family moved to the West Coast so early in her life that she barely remembered days on the dude ranch where her grandfather worked as foreman and her cowboy father sang Western songs to the dudes around evening campfires.Katharine's parents loved to travel America's highways and always explored side roads when an interesting sign coaxed them off the Interstate. This is how she discovered getting lost could be an adventure. She learned to fly and toured the Western states with her pilot husband to attend small airport Fly-Ins that hosted everything from Barbecues to Pancake Breakfasts.She's been salmon fishing over the Columbia River Bar in Oregon, deep sea fishing at San Pedro, California, and Mazatlan, Mexico. She's traveled East to West across Mexico on the famous Copper Canyon train, visited the dolphins in Topolobampo Bay and toured Santa Catalina Island (the Channel Islands West of Los Angeles) by boat, seaplane and twin-engine plane that landed at the airport in the sky.She later took scuba lessons and became a PADI Certified Diver. A passion for cooking prompted her to write three cookbooks and compete in a Pace Picante Sauce cooking contest where she won $1,000 First Place prize with a creative soup recipe. After obtaining a Diamond Certificate from The Gemological Institute of America and completing their Colored Stone Course, she became a silver smith so she could design and create custom jewelry for family and friends. Along the way, Katharine added roller skating, bowling, sailing, ballroom dancing, and competition shooting to her list of interests.A few memorable adventures as a solo long-haul driver across America include picking up a load of Christmas trees on a mountain top, dropping a load of tires in a cow pasture where the cattle surrounded her truck before she made it through the gate because they were expecting a hay delivery, and frantically searching for a police escort when she got her big truck lost in the middle of New York City. Getting lost in the big city turned out to be more traumatic than the time she drove her 18-wheeler, with its 53-foot trailer, to the end of a dead-end road.Katharine's many travels by air, land and sea took her down America's Interstates from Victoria, B.C., to Key West, Florida, and from Montreal, Canada, to Tijuana, Mexico, and she's visited every state except Alaska. While she continues her passion for writing, she enjoys painting acrylics on canvas and daily walks with her dog, Jasper.

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KNIGHTS OF GLASS

An Archer Adventure

Book VIII

Katharine Giles

Copyright © 2018 Katharine Giles.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Cover Image: © 2018 Shutterstock_359740532

Cover design: © 2018 Katharine Giles

Distributed by Smashwords

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

Author website: www.thearcheradventures.com

Digitally Created in the United States of America

Version No. SL20180126

For the Hamlin Crew

Gwen

and

Brad, Brian, Kristel, Taylor

Table of Contents

Glossary & Phonic Pronunciation Guide

Chapter One: The Glass City

Chapter Two: Rainbows & Gemstones

Chapter Three: Dangerous Intruders

Chapter Four: Gentle Giants

Chapter Five: The River Warriors

Chapter Six: Fire of Chaos

Chapter Seven: The Kantor Warriors

Chapter Eight: A Rescue Plan

Chapter Nine: The Starship Warriors

Preview of Book IX: Ice Dragons

An Archer Adventure

Other Books by this Author

About the Author

Glossary & Phonic Pronunciation Guide

Amethina (Am-eth-ee-nuh): Archer’s Mother, Wife of Ichos

Aradia (Uh-ray-dee-uh): Archer’s Teacher, Daughter of Damani

Archer (Are-chur): Son of Amethina & Ichos

Balycon (B-owl-ee-kahn): Archer & Aradia’s Home in the Earth Sea

Damani (Duh-mahn-ee): Crystal Master of Skye

Detra (Det-ruh): Volka’s Wife

Herron (Hare-on): Ruler of Sundari, King Zirco’s Son

Ichos (Eye-kohs): Archer’s Father, Ruler of Water

Kantors (Can-tors): Winged Horses, Sundari

Keeri (Keer-ee): Sundari’s Crystal Master, Marcoli’s Daughter

Lokwanda (Lock-wan-duh): Land of Dinosaurs

Marcoli (Mar-kohl-ee): Crystal Master of Water

Melori (Mel-or-ee): Sundari’s Volcano

Pacion (Pass-ee-own): Balycon’s Keeper of the Crystal Ball

Phateus (Fate-ee-us): Archer’s White Kantor

Phairo (Fair-oh): Volka’s Son

Raven Light: SkyBear’s Black Kantor

SkySeeker: Kantor Warrior

SlumberCloud: Kantor Warrior

Star Glow: Stryker’s White Unicorn

Starling: Aradia’s White Kantor

Stryker (Strike-er): Captain of the River Warriors

Sundari (Soon-dar-ee): King Zirco’s 8th Earth Kingdom

Volka (Vol-kuh): Hero of The Mother Star

SkyBear: Captain of the Kantor Warriors

Yaika(Yay-kuh): Leader of the Zetran Warriors

Zetra (Zet-ruh): Planet in Mother Star's Galaxy

Zirco: (Zer-koh): Ruler of Skye

The leisure planned at Herron's hand

Became a call for aid.

The men with rings, and steeds with wings,

Prepare a battle raid.

But through it all, the gemstones call

And fill me with desire

To learn my fate, while warriors wait

To protect me with their fire.

But I must obey a warrior's way,

Take care of tasks at hand,

Help those in need with winged steed

To protect Sundari's land.

Archer…..

Archer’s adventures recorded by Korina, Story Teller of Skye

Chapter One

The Glass City

Archer and Aradia stood beside Damani and watched a swirling white mist rise in Skye's crystal ball. Archer's eyes widened in surprise when it cleared to reveal a carpet of wildflowers atop a cliff that overlooked an angry sea. Damani widened the image and a forest of towering pines bordering three sides of the meadow came into view.

With puzzlement in his eyes, Archer looked at Damani and asked, If Aradia and I are going to Sundari to meet King Herron, why are we looking at a meadow near the sea? Doesn't he live in a city?

Damani smiled and replied, The image in the crystal ball is your destination.

Archer glanced at Aradia and the puzzlement in her eyes told him that she didn't understand the image either.

Sundari’s crystal master sent this image to me because King Herron told me to send you here, Damani explained. After you arrive, an escort will take you to the city.

Aradia extended a hand to Archer, smiled and asked, Are you ready? We don’t want to be late.

Archer stared at the image in the crystal ball, shook his head and replied, I’d rather go to the city instead of a meadow in the middle of nowhere.

You’re always telling me that you’re ready to go anywhere at any time, Aradia teased. This is different and might be fun.

Archer grasped Aradia's outstretched hand and told her. I love adventuring but I have a bad feeling about this.

They closed his eyes and transferred the image into the crystal ball to the blackness beneath their lids. After they expressed a silent desire to travel to the odd destination, the crystal ball transported them to the remote location by the sea. The instant Archer's feet hit the ground, his eyes snapped open and he backed up a step. He'd landed near the edge of the cliff and one more foot would have put him on the rocks 100 feet below.

Wow! he exclaimed. That was close! Another few inches and I'd be swimming!

I checked your vision before we left Skye and saw where you were headed, Aradia told him. I barely had time to make the adjustment that would guarantee your safe arrival. I deliberately kept us close to the cliff to teach you a lesson.

Are you going to tell me what I learned?

Aradia rolled her eyes and replied, When traveling to an image in the crystal ball, it’s wise to select your landing spot before you do anything else.

Archer smiled, pointed at the forest at the top of the meadow and replied, If you'd told me that before we left Skye, I’d have chosen a spot beneath the trees. Archer faced the wind, breathed deep and told her, Now that we're here, I'm going to enjoy the view.

The salt-laden breeze whipped his tousled blond hair around his head and brought with it the indescribable smell of the sea. One hundred feet below, whitecaps raced toward the cliff, crashed against the boulders at its base and shot spray into the sky. A half mile away, gentler waves kissed a sandy beach. That small stretch of sand reminded Archer of his home in California and summers treasure hunting and body surfing with the Johnson twins after school. He hadn't thought about Nick and Nate in a long time and wondered if they'd forgotten him too.

The sights and sounds of this lonely place brought memories from his childhood before his earth parents were lost at sea and a killer wave carried him and Wave Dancer to the sea floor. He missed the red and white trimaran his earth father purchased as a surprise for his 13th birthday. He’d grown to love that sailboat and had learned to sail during many weekend trips with his earth mom and dad while they explored points of interest on the California coast.

It has to be difficult losing everything you loved, Aradia remarked, her words letting Archer know she’d listened to his thoughts.

Now and then something reminds me of my childhood, he told her. I try not to think about it because it hurts too much. That was another time and another place. Now that we've arrived at this meadow in the middle of nowhere, I'd like to know why King Herron asked your dad to send us here instead of into the city. This is an odd place to meet someone.

I found it strange that he sent us to one of your grandfather’s earth kingdoms without introducing us to the crystal master before we left Skye, she replied.

That is odd, Archer remarked before turning away from the view of the sea to scan their surroundings.

What are you looking for? asked Aradia.

Our escort, he told her. Whoever is supposed to meet us can't arrive by sea.

Why do you say that?

There's no trail to the water and the sea's too rough to land a boat.

While he scanned the tree line, Archer inhaled the sharp scent of the pines mingling with the perfume from the wildflowers. When he didn't find a trail into the forest, he shook his head in puzzlement. He and Aradia had arrived at more than a remote outpost. Skye’s crystal ball had dropped them on an island in the sky.

He turned to ask Aradia what she thought about their destination and found her looking out to sea. The breeze had lifted her black hair off her shoulders and dropped a wispy tendril across her face. When she reached up to brush it away, the red metallic fabric of her robe flashed in the sun and shone like liquid metal. The red gems on her sandals sparkled with fire and added another dimension of color to the astonishing image she projected. Awestruck at the sun's effect on her clothing, Archer's mouth gaped open when her red gemstone charm reflected a sunbeam and filled the air around her with red and blue sparks.

Aradia turned and asked, Why are you staring at me like you've never seen me before?

I can't help it! The sun reflecting off your clothing makes you look like a beacon!

I don’t know what a beacon is, Aradia replied. It must be something special to make you stare at me like that.

A beacon is a light that warns sailors away from a rocky shore, Archer told her. You look like a beacon because you can be seen for miles.

If you think I’m a beacon, that tells me that you don’t know how you look.

Archer glanced down at his tunic and trousers and couldn't believe his eyes. The sun reflecting off the white metallic fabric sent flashes of light into the sky with his every move. Even more amazing, the multicolored gemstone stars splattered across his clothes had come alive and spun darts of colored fire around him.

Like Aradia’s robe, his clothing looked like liquid metal and he reached down to touch his left sleeve. The fabric flowed through his fingers like water and he shook his head in disbelief. He grabbed one of the chains around his neck, pulled the firestone charm from beneath his tunic and brought it to eye level. When he tilted it to catch the light, his eyes widened when the jagged streaks of multicolored fire in its depths created an illusion of an abstract oil painting pulsing with life.

I see what you mean, Archer remarked. We won’t be difficult to find no matter how our escort arrives. Our clothes have never looked like this before. Why do they look like this now?

Maybe that's why King Herron invited us to visit, Aradia replied. Maybe he wanted us to experience the magic of Sundari’s sun.

If this is any indication of what we're about to find here, something tells me this will be an unforgettable journey, Archer told her. Which reminds me. I have a question.

What's that?

Why didn't Damani tell us who would meet us and how they'd arrive?

Why is that important when we’ll soon know? Aradia replied.

I expected our escort to be waiting for us, he remarked. Since they can't arrive by sea, there must be a trail through the trees that I can’t see from here.

Aradia pointed at the sky and told him, You can stop wondering about our escort. They've arrived.

What are you talking about? Archer asked and then he looked at the sky. His mouth dropped open in shocked surprise and he exclaimed, That’s not possible! There’s no such thing as a flying horse!

What’s a horse? Aradia asked.

I’ll tell you later, Archer replied, unable to take his eyes off the three black-clad riders astride three black mounts descending through the clouds.

The horses pawed the air with silver hooves that sent flashes of light across the sea. Their bridles, reins, and martingales, encrusted with blue gems, sparkled against their black bodies while long blue ribbons woven into their manes and tails fluttered in the breeze.

The lead animal wore a blue gemstone star embedded in its martingale while its rider wore a matching star that fluttered against his chest at the end of a gold chain. The two riders that followed wore black caps that held their dark, shoulder-length hair tight to their heads. All three wore black tunics and trousers with matching wrist cuffs. Their black clothing blended into the gleaming coats of their steeds and made it impossible to separate the riders from their mounts.

Archer watched in awe when the lead rider raised his hand and the riders that followed created a V formation behind him when they began their descent. The outspread wings on their mounts reminded Archer of the time his grandfather told him the clothing he’d given him as a gift would let him fly. Archer smiled at the memory and wondered why he was surprised to see three black horses soaring through the sky when the laws in Skye's galaxy let him become a bird.

As soon as the riders got close, Archer’s eyes widened in surprise and he exclaimed, The riders are women!

The lead rider heard his startled announcement and waved a greeting when she flew past. The two that followed smiled and waved and Archer and Aradia watched them land on the uphill slope. The sound of pounding hooves echoed across the meadow and flowers went flying when the horses' drooping wings chopped blossoms from their stems. The riders stopped at the edge of the forest while their mounts folded their wings against their bodies before the lead rider led them in a gallop down the hill. The horses came to a shuddering stop in front of Archer and Aradia and when Archer looked up to greet them, he found eyes as blue as Aradia's looking back at him.

My name is SkyBear, greeted the lead rider. I'm Captain of the Kantor Warriors and we’ve come to escort you to the city."

Dumbfounded by her words, Archer asked, Are we supposed to ride with you?

You'll ride with SkySeeker and SlumberCloud in the dual saddles, she told him and indicated the riders beside her with a wave of her hand. Pick your mount, give them your hand and they’ll help you up.

What do you call that animal? Archer asked. It looks like a horse but I've never seen one with wings.

We ride the black kantors, SkyBear replied. During your visit to Sundari, you’ll see many animals you’ve never seen before. There's no time for conversation. King Herron waits.

Archer glanced at Aradia but before he could express his reluctance to ride an animal SkyBear called a