Resurrection

By Patrick Alexander

A warrior priest lies wounded beyond measure, but refuses to succumb to death's siren call. While his ancient enemy gathers her strength and readies a plan to thrown the land of Embre into all out war. Can the warrior priest and his allies rally in time to avoid annihilation, or will all of their struggles be in vain?

Find out in the third and final book of the Trinity collection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781329999732

Patrick Alexander

Patrick Alexander originally developed the Wine Appreciation program when he worked at the University of Miami as Director of the Office of Professional Advancement. In the summer of 2011, after Patrick had left UM in order to focus on writing, Mitchell Kaplan suggested he offer his program at Books & Books during the quiet summer months. “It seems a pity to waste all that research” Mitchell said “and you never know; our book customers might enjoy learning about wine.” Four years, nineteen sold-out classes, and three-hundred satisfied students later, Patrick Alexander's Wine Appreciation Program has become one of the highlights of Books & Books event programming. Previously Director of the Wine Appreciation program at the University of Miami and a judge for the Florida International Wine Challenge, Patrick Alexander has been teaching these wildly popular and critically acclaimed classes at Books & Books for over four years. Patrick is also a published author and his writings include "Marcel Proust’s Search for Lost Time" and "The Nigerian Letter."

Book preview

Resurrection

Chapter One | A Thread of Hope

Pain is all he feels as his consciousness returns. His entire body feels as if it is on fire, every nerve set ablaze by some unknown calamity. As the pain around him ebbs, he manages to catch a voice somewhere off in the distance. Barely on the fringe of thought, he attempts to focus on the unknown voice, whispering in the ether. He strains to pick up the light musings from afar, even this minor exertion threatening to overwhelm his newly-regained consciousness.

At last his ears piece together a fragment of the chatter. The faint timbre of a woman’s voice he picks out of the background, hearing, Frankly, he’ll be lucky to last until morning Elder. From his position he hears a second woman’s barely audible sigh. After a short pause, this second woman adds, We can’t let that be the case, Colline. He has to survive! His mind spins unsuccessfully framing the statement into any sort of context, who are they talking about? Just what happened to the poor bloke and why is he that important to everyone?

As his lethargic brain struggles with these questions, he catches a faint smell of something burnt. Forgetting his questions, for the moment, in order to explore this new sensation, he works hard on pinpointing the charred aroma in the air. After several minutes of attempting to locate where the stench is originating from, he gives up on the idea. To his untrained nose it seems the smell is everywhere around him. Unable to reconcile just how that can be the case, he instead spends some effort on another one of his senses.

Gathering what little strength he seems to have at the moment, he struggles to open his eyes. He struggles to even open them a miniscule amount, in hopes of offering a sliver of answers for his growing number of questions. Answers to the cause of his torture, just who is conversing near him, what the burning smell is all around him, and if possible, just who they are talking about. As the light of the room assaults his pupils, he knows he has managed to open them, but his head explodes in a new round of pain which quickly threatens to drag his hard-fought consciousness back into the depths of oblivion.

Through blurring, distorted orbs, he manages to make out a small boy staring back at him from a chair directly in front of him. For a second their eyes meet and he manages to catch a flash of blue expanding in front of him, before the darkness once again claims him. His final thought is of the beautiful blue, as the pain returns, crashing against his consciousness with the force of a tsunami.

---

The Elder turns towards the bed of the patient as the wooden chair scraps harshly against the floor before it tips backwards and falls to the floor. As her eyes take in the scene in front of her, she notes the boy, Maximilian, standing next to the bed, his eyes wide and mouth hung open in an incredulous fashion. The stunned scholar turns towards her and smiles brightly, He opened his eyes! She shares his state of amazement for a split second before walking towards the side of the bed. Stopping next to the excited boy, she looks into the face of the man on the bed beside her.

His eyes are no longer opened, but she notes a proliferation of sweat lining his cheeks and forehead. As she motions the healer she was chatting with a moment ago over to her side, Maximilian continues, It was only for a couple of seconds, but his eyes opened and stared right into mine. His excitement weens slightly, It looked like the effort caused him quite a bit of pain. The elder, turns towards the boy and pulls him into a hug, But I am sure to see you it was worth it. The child says nothing in response to her words, but squeezes her just a tad tighter.

Having closed the distance to the bed, the healer Colline runs her hands inches over the severely burned flesh of the man in the bed. Concentrating, she sends her healing powers out in search for any signs of recovery. She gasps suddenly, finding just such a sign in the middle of his charred back. She quickly continues her probing, finding several other areas with sparks of life. Amazed, she turns towards the elder, with her arm still around the scholar, and states, I may have been premature with my diagnosis. Somehow his body is still fighting.

The healer’s stunned face, speaks louder than her words as the little boy asks, And this surprises you?!? At her slight nod, the boy continues, Well it shouldn’t! Pointing at the man sprawled out on the bed next to them, This here is the Elder Xan, the most powerful man in all of Embre! It will take a lot more than a little dragon fire to put down my Dad! Beside the young man, Adnil chuckles slightly, That it will Maximilian, that it will.

---

Several hours later, a plethora of healers, from both nations, stand huddled around the bed of the severely burnt elder of the Partikovan people. Along with Colline of the Partikovan people, are two additional healers from her people, Sonallie and Tracy. Along with the trio is a Mtarazii healer, a refugee rescued from a smaller villages. Mar, is her name and she joined the group in attendance, at her Supreme Elder’s request. The final woman in the group of six huddled around the bed is not a healer by trade, but rather a sorceress. In fact, she is the former court sorceress of Thun, Elle. Along with this assortment of casters is the scholar Maximilian, now back on his usual perch of the wooden chair beside the bed.

Colline begins the discussion having made the discovery earlier, It seems our dear elder here, she states pointing towards the charred man in the bed, Is not yet ready to pass onto the other side. The other women stare unbelievingly at the Partikovan healer after making such an outrageous statement. Mar is the first to voice their collective opinion, You must be mistaken. There is just no way someone as burnt as this can still have any hope of recovering. Scoffing at the very notion she concedes, While it is quite remarkable he is still breathing, he can’t have more than a couple of hours left to live.

Listening to her colleague's rebuttal, Colline just shrugs and sweeps her arm towards the motionless elder, If you doubt me, feel free to check him for yourself. Rolling her eyes at the declaration, Mar sneers back, If that is what it takes to get you to admit the hopelessness of the situation, then fine! She quickly motions for the other healers to take a step back from their stations around the bed. Closing her eyes, she brings her arms in and wraps them around her torso as she bows her head in meditation.

Several minutes pass and Mar stands silent and still. Just as the group is about to check on their Mtarazii counterpart, her eyes fly open and stare widely at the man in the bed before her. Mumbling to herself, she repeats, There is just no way that can be! As the rest of the group hears her, Colline smiles and pats Mar on the shoulder, I know what you are thinking. I had the same exact thoughts the first time I checked as well. But after the fourth time I finally accepted this simple truth, he is just beyond anything we have ever encountered before.

During the next hour, the other healers and the sorceress Elle, all perform their own tests. After each, the group grows more and more convinced the Elder Xan has the will to make it through the ordeal ahead, but now that they have assured themselves he has the will, it is up to them to figure out the way. For while his will may be able to save his mind and keep him living, it is up to them to figure out a way to get this fearsome man back into some type of fighting shape.

Diving into the problem before them, the youngest in the group, Tracy, begins this discussion, His bones appear to be in good shape, but his nerve endings, skin, and soft tissue have been completely destroyed by the dragon fire. She shakes her head at the tale of his fight, It is amazing he could even move after using his body as a shield, let alone still have enough fight in him to take down that beast. At the mention of how his father ended up in his current state, the scholar Maximilian cringes, blaming himself.

Seeing the boy’s discomfort, the sorceress Elle picks up the discussion thread, It is only natural to protect those that are dear to you. Seeing the young man perk up a little at her statement she smiles slightly before continuing, The skin and soft tissue you healers can mend, but the nerves are still the biggest hurdle. They have essentially been cauterized and will need to be rebuilt. She glances at the large man, before continuing her thought, That is something I believe I can do, but I don’t think it will be a very pleasant experience.

A terrified look looms on the young scholar’s face at her ominous words, But do we even need to reform his nerve endings at all? Issues a contemplative Sonallie. We could just heal the tissue, blood vessels, and skin. Then he would be impervious to pain. Think of the boon such a side-effect is likely to have for a warrior of his renown! The sorceress simply shakes her head, But while he won’t be able to feel pain, nor will he be able to feel joy. I don’t think he would find such a life very enjoyable.

Colline claps her hands suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention back to her, I agree with our esteemed sorceress. If we are going to restore him, we need to restore everything we can. Pausing to let any further rebuttals issue forth, she continues after a moment of silence, Now the question becomes just how long is his recovering likely to take? The group goes silent once again as they all contemplate how long each of them will need for their part of the planned recovery.

After another several minutes of discussion the meeting concludes and the healers leave the room, heading to discuss their plans with the Elder Adnil and Supreme Elder Lumi. Alone in the room is the young scholar Maximilian and the sorceress Elle. The sorceress looks at the young boy for several seconds before asking, So what is your story? Maximilian glances her way before turning back towards the man in the bed beside him, This is the father I never knew. His eyes dart back to the sorceress, I even questioned if he loved me at all, yet he didn’t even hesitate to throw himself between me and the dragon. He doesn’t really know me at all, or how I feel about him, but he didn’t hesitate. How do you respond to something like that?

The room falls silent as the pair consider the question. Elle responds first, I don’t think it is something you have to respond to at all. He loves you unconditionally. It is just something in his very being. Not knowing you doesn’t change that fact at all. He loves you, because you are his son. She pauses for a second before asking the real question which has been bugging her, So just how long are you going to stay by his side?

The boy’s attention shifts from the prone figure of his father to the standing sorceress at the foot of his bed. Looking at the woman harshly, he sighs before answering, Until he is better and I can thank him. She chuckles slightly at his answer before turning on her heel and walking out of the room. On her way through the door she turns and states, Dummy, you being alive and well is all the thanks he needs. Closing the door after her, she leaves the young man alone with his thoughts.

Chapter Two | Plan of Attack

Looking at the sky it seems today is just another ordinary day, thinks the leader of the refugee, Mtarazii people. Sighing, her eyes track from the sky to the land below and encounter the pack of bearcats still maintaining their presence across the river. Supreme Elder Lumi rubs her eyes, wondering yet again just what is in store for her people.

As if sensing her thoughts, a voice behind her states, It seems we have only turned down the burner, but remain still in the frying pan. Lumi turns her head and acknowledges her sister as Lynn joins her at her post by the window. The two women stare out at the expanse of the city, Mikov already rebuilding after the fierce attack only the day before. To sacrifice so much, only to gain so little, mourns the Supreme Elder catching a flight of carrion birds in the distance, circling the remains of the battlefield.

Lynn grimaces before placing her hand on her sister’s shoulder and gently squeezing, And yet without the sacrifice we would be so much worse off than we are. We stopped the rampaging horde. We gave ourselves some more time. Neither of these things is a small feat. Lumi turns and stares lovingly into her sister’s eyes and asks, And just what are you doing up here anyway? Shouldn’t you be at someone else’s side? Her eyebrow arches up to punctuate her question.

Smiling the younger sister softly shakes her head, Maximilian has taken that duty for himself. I would be little more than a third wheel at this point. And Xan is not the only one who needs my support at the moment. Looking pointedly at the Supreme Elder, Lynn once again squeezes her arm, before letting go entirely. Before Lumi can respond to her sister’s words, the door to the chamber opens.

Into the room atop of the highest tower in all of Mikov walks its owner, the Elder Adnil. Spying her guests at the window she gives a brief nod before working her way across the room and behind a large wooden desk. The desk itself is barely visible, covered by books, maps, and various other parchments. Her wooden chair creaks slightly as the older woman sits down. A moment later she motions for the two Mtarazii women to join her, offering them chairs of their own across from her.

The two women incline their heads slightly before casually making their way towards the offered seats. As they sit, Adnil rings a bell and a warrior priest in training enters the room. Bowing to the assemblage, he asks, How may I serve you, Elder Adnil? Smiling at the polite greeting, Adnil response in turn, Could you fetch us some refreshments, dear Ander? The young man nods once, before retreating back out the door.

The elder quickly returns her focus to her guests, clapping her hands once to regain their attention, I have some excellent news, she states excitedly. Both of the Mtarazii women stare in anticipation as Adnil continues her thought, Elder Xan, though gravely burned, is expected to pull through. Both Lumi and Lynn, smile brightly, previous believing his death more a question of when, not if. The Madame Virgo is the first to recover from her shock, So what caused this new prognosis?

Adnil pauses for a moment, gathering her thoughts, before giving them the rest of the situation, During his examination this morning, our top healer found multiple points of resistance to the damage ravaging his body. She, much like anyone else who saw him after his bout with the dragon, expected his body to have thrown in the towel, but that is not even remotely the case. She smiles, thinking once again at the amazing power of will displayed, I don’t even know if that man understands the meaning of such a phrase.

Her smile lessens though as she continues with their findings, While the healer is overjoyed at the fight left her patient, she is also in the middle of uncharted territory. No one before has ever survived after receiving these kinds of severe burns. She pauses for a second before amending her statement, At least no one before has. Lumi grasps where the discussion is headed and interjects, Which means no one has ever bother considering how to rehabilitate someone in this condition.

Adnil nods solemnly, before her face once again brightens slightly, But between your healer and ours, they believe they can restore the tissue and skin lost from the severe burns. However, they were at a loss as to what to do about the destroyed nerves. Those are something beyond our ability to mend. That is where the Thun sorceress comes in. She believes she can purge the useless nerve endings which exist now and regrow new ones in their place.

As she takes a sip of her water, which Ander dutifully delivered during her prognosis, Lynn detects a hesitance on Adnil’s part, And now is when you tell us what is weighing on your mind. The older woman smiles warmly, I am getting far too transparent in my advanced age it seems. While she believes this nerve regrowth is something she can accomplish, it is not anything she has ever attempted before and she cautions the entire process will be quite unpleasant.

The office goes silent as they each ponder the implications of such an act. Lumi is the first to voice their primary concern, "Can we even trust this Thun sorceress? From all accounts she