Spear

By J. David Skjoldal

The highest reward from mans toil is not what he gets from it, but what
he becomes by it.
Five warriors venture forth from their decimated homelands in pursuit of a
spear that is fabled to possess the power of rejuvenation, but along the way
they must endure several trials
Can the group endure all the adversity that the Beguiler send against them,
or will the bonds forged in fi re be undone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483659053

Book preview

Contents

Prologue

Legend

Chapter I

Battle To End All

Chapter II

The Weapon

Chapter III

Bridges Burned

Chapter Iv

Fabled Truths

Chapter V

Mesa Of Meditation

Chapter VI

Glimmers Of Anticipation

Chapter VII

From Errant Son To The Prodigal One

Chapter VIII

Feud Of Brethren

Chapter IX

The Dilettante

Chapter X

The Mind’s Eye

Chapter XI

Absolution’s Herald

The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it.

~John Ruskin

PROLOGUE

Legend

A s the battered, bruised and bleeding accused stumbled, stooped and fell inching his way down the road called the Via Della Rosa, the soldiers who escorted him prodded, kicked and mocked him along the way. This was after he had endured the punishment of thirty-nine lashes from the bone-laden leather whip likened to that of a nine tailed cat and had been crowned with a crest of thorns!

Yet still he refused to be hindered from his mission trudging his way slowly toward the mount called Golgotha, skull rock, where he would endure hardships and pains for a shattered world. Wounded for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities… it is said that by his stripes we were healed as a carpenter was nailed to a cross in a symbolic, somewhat ironic fashion to lay down his life.

Not a bone had been broken in the process of his torture, but to ensure his death a soldier having little sight in either eye was charged with thrusting his spear into the man’s body to ensure his death after several hours of being on the cross.

Upon being struck with the blood in his eyes the man blinked and rubbed the blood away while taking notice of a personal miracle that had occurred, His sight returned. This dear friend is where our story truly begins with him whom was called Longinus.

His vision restored, his eyes were drawn toward the man on the cross in bewilderment of who he was, were the accusations true… was this truly the son of God?

To this question he had no real answer, but he did know that his eyes had been healed, and as he examined his spear, a once blotchy, stained and useless blade; he realized it too had been renewed and what’s more possessed a surge of power that emanated through it like nothing he had felt before.

My name is of little, or even no real consequence, however if you must know me by a name other than the title of orator or author, let that name be Rattan. I know nothing of the carpenter or of his alleged power, yet the story is of great interest as the story shapes how a blameless carpenter was crucified for crimes he did not commit as well as bids witness to the transformation of a common spear to that of a relic of great importance. The spear came to be known as The Spear of Destiny, drenched in the blood of the accused, the legend instigates from the rumor of the weapons wielder, as he was miraculously healed when the blood of the man splattered his eyes. This man’s vision was restored from a previous war injury and thus the legend of the spear was born.

CHAPTER I

Battle To End All

S pectre Hallowed was once a beautiful kingdom of culture displayed within everything that embodied its society from weaponry to attire and even the design of their building structures. That is until one of its most trusted sons became its greatest betrayer! Yet that is a story for another time. Let us just say that what once stood as described is no more than rubble and billowy clouds of smoke and crumbles, under the tyranny of its conqueror.

It is on such a field that I begin this story as the armies of the severed Kingdom of Spectre Hallowed have amassed an army to challenge the rule of the Beguiler, having witnessed enough carnage — five warriors; sons of the kingdoms’ legendary three generals — decide it was time to take action as their fathers had not been heard from since the day of the betrayal some fifteen years earlier besides the deliverance of their weapons to their families.

The united band of the Severed Kingdom of Spectre Hallowed camped upon a ground that had not been named throughout any generation past; tents, huts, Teepees and gazeboes amassed into a great fighting force consisting of farmers, hunters, aged warriors and even a contingent of women from Ronak. The Three Generals wanted to show a united front to their enemies so they strategically assembled their encampment by forming their individual dwellings into a triune dwelling of sorts as Hakken placed his fur draped lodge on one corner, Tristin and Tygone assembled their pavilion on the other, and Keelan and Kaelan, the twin Sons of Mystik established their corner with teepees. At the heart of this encampment where the three corners meet a council/ war room is constructed. Tristin