Adara and the Red Priests

By Richard C. Holzgen

Adara is the main character of this sci-fantasy sword and sorcery adventure with plenty of attitude and action. With sword in hand, our larger than life heroine of the pre-flood world is befriended by an Atlantean king whose once glorious kingdom is beseeched by a horde of invaders from across the eastern sea from the hostile land laying waste of this last salvation of hope in the decaying world controlled by the fallen watchers, whose Red Priests would stop at nothing to get control of mans last haven against the hordes of barbarians and dragons from the east. In this epic good vs. evil Adara and her friends fight the host of ships, weapons, Red Priests, giant orcs, dragons, seabeasts and invading hordes. She puts her famous black metal, ancient arts of war, Amazonian skills to an inhuman test in this action packed trilogy about the Nephilim and their secret plan to create a race of Nephilim born giants to take all of mans possessions and their daughters and to devour man himself. In her sandled feet and black sword the Amazon princess will meet her enemies head-on in the fight of her life using all the skill the dark jungles of the third age can muster. A female warrior as big as Hercules or Achilles, is a story of a forgotten age that needs to be told.

The first two tales are put together so that the reader may enjoy her tales to the fullest and leaving the reader to wait for the last tale leaving the avid sci-fiction fantasy fan wanting more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 12, 2009
• ISBN: 9781465327390

Richard C. Holzgen

Born in Grand Rapids Michigan in a cold January, Richard grew up in half in the city and half in the country. He loved to read JRR Tolkien and Sir Author Conan Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E Howard. He played sports and was very athletic. While attending Grand Valley University, he studied print making and art history making the dean's list almost every semester. He was also published through the college newspaper for four years. Where he illustrated political cartoons and wrote several articles. An avid science fiction sword and sandel fan, he began writing at age 40.

Book preview

ADARA AND

THE RED PRIESTS

OF THE NEPHILIM

Richard C. Holzgen

Copyright © 2009 by Richard C. Holzgen.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without

permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

All illustrations are provided by

Richard C. Holzgen.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

56913

Contents

BOOK ONE

DARK PRIESTS OF THE MONOLITH

DARK PRIESTS

THE BATTLE AT ARNUM

BLOOD ON THE WATER

GOODBYES

BOOK TWO

ADARA AND THE GOLDEN BOX

DARK WATERS

THE LAND OF THE SUN

BOOK ONE

DARK PRIESTS OF THE MONOLITH

The bronzed giant was making large strides as the Wolfen growled at his heel. The Warrior knew it was just a matter of time before the pack would over take him, he had been running for nearly six hours and was beginning to tire his massive sinews straining and aching with every movement. He grabbed his sword as he made his stand. Setting his feet weapon in his hand, he faced the prehistoric wolf pack. The onslaught was quick and deadly. The leader of the wolf pack pounced from nearly twenty feet away, setting his feet in a squared stance pointing the sword directly into its exposed belly the barbarian from the frozen north fixed its point and the wolf impaled itself unto his broadsword. An inhuman howl came forth as none he had ever he had heard as if from hell itself. Thrown onto his back he instantly whirled back on to his feet within an instant, and prepared himself for the attack of the other six and his inevitable demise. But the end never came, as to his amazement the other large tooth wolves set upon the dying fellow wolf and begin to eat. Cimri sees the scene and realizes he has an opportunity to flee the carnage.

For a time he runs further and sees a dark shape jutting up against the purple hue of the western sky. The shape looms against the landscape of the natural mountainous horizon and jetting mountains set up like old monuments made by giants from the ancient past. Cimri, a giant amongst the hyperborean village and of his own people, sees what might be a set of carved archaic stone steps leading right into the massive dark structure. Cimri, thinking this monolith might provide shelter against the long tooth wolf might return. He entered the structure even though his barbarian instinct told him in no uncertain terms this was not a very bright thing to do.

Shadows seemed to come alive as three hooded shadows cloaked in red came forth from the shrubs around her. Adara, born of the south Amazon forests new well of hooded priests of the north continent and was not about to become any human sacrifice to whatever gods they worshiped. Brandishing short knives they beset her with every intent to give harm this she full well knew. Grabbing the arm of the first assailant is sent wheeling past her into the brush, leaving the other two hooded priests in shadowed hoods to ponder their own intent. Another priest holding knife barely misses Adara’s throat in a deliberate thrust. Adara then swings her short sword set in one fast movement like a strike of lightening into the belly of the unholy priest, as his cries of pain echo in the Valley.

The two remaining priests disappear into the underbrush as quickly as they appear. Shaking her long dark flowing mane she kneels next to the robed figure laying before herm, only to discover that the crimson robe is the only thing remaining of the unholy priest. Adara looked at the shadows disappear into the foliage and leaps into the brush in hot pursuers with the fury of the warrior of vengeance, for this was the way of her people and ancestors. She didn’t know who these strange priests were or why they were after her but she was going to sure find out. Adara dusted herself off and grabbed her steel and then vanished into the underbrush in hot pursuit.

The giant structure loomed menacing and towering above Cimri the sun darkened barbarian from the frozen north. Cimri entered the monolith and shook off his fear entering with the curiosity of hungry wolf in search of a carcass. After all the wandering barbarian had nothing else to do, and the thought of the wolves returning made any other choice impossible even though he hated the thought of any kind of sorcery afoot. The last thought hit him again with panic.

In the large lofty entrance was a hall filled with hieroglyphs of an forgotten people, symbols of everyday affairs and rituals to elder gods who lived amongst men who were giants of great deeds and magic and powers of the lost crystals with some priest kings say said to be the key to an ancient sunken city of the fabled Atlantis. As he fingered through the writings on the wall a strange god was painted with serpent head sitting upon and alter holding a knife before a woman who was restrained, he remembered old tails that were handed down from his people describing a Stygian kingdom ruled by priest kings who sacrificed humans to appease their nameless gods. The thought sent a chill through his muscled frame, when someone behind him entered the deserted temple. It was a woman tall of stature and slight of build yielding a sword with the ease of any warrior that he’d ever encountered in his travels in the battlefields of the frozen north.

I am Adara! Who are you? she demanded with the air of will only known to the Amazon women of the southern wild jungles.

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They call me Cimri hyperborean of the Frozen Wilderness beyond the Ice Sea! he said eyeing her muscled lithe frame. He studied her further, and he realized that her leather shirt and pants were revealing a very beautiful full figured woman.

Where are the hooded priests I saw entering this place not more than a minute ago, hyperborean!

What priests? Cimri looked at her in astonishment. He had been there studying the wall paintings for at least ten minutes and he saw no one enter or stir about, he was alone and had been. No one could have gotten through the room without him knowing. Why do you think these priests came through here? I’ve seen no one leave or enter this room!

I do not know why you lay Cimri of the northern ice, but these men entered this very room not more than a mere minute ago. These men meant to do me harm and I aim to finish this thing! Brandishing her shining southern steel honed to perfection, when suddenly they both heard a scream from somewhere up in the giant tower, and it was a woman’s scream.

That was a woman’s voice somewhere in the upper chambers! exclaimed Cimri.

I don’t know what part you have in this dark magic, just stay out of my large one! Adara leaped to the large stone steps at the very back of the hallway and proceeded up the steps with an alarming speed and agility with the bronzed barbarian at heel like the hounds of hell. At the top of the flight of aged stoned steps they came to a large room with a huge large stone cut alter in the very center, the stone was darkened in what was clearly old crimson blood. Adara looked around the room and saw a large statue of the serpent god off set to the side of the room dwarfing all the smaller statues that adorned the room. Then a thought entered the Amazon’s mind, the ancient chambers should have been emptied of the there treasures long ago unless, they weren’t deserted long ago at all, unless the alter was some how still in use.

Just then the barbarian shouted Get down!

Hitting the marble floor with the stealth and quickness of a jungle cat, feeling a sharp burning pain in her arm as she crouched looking for the location of her assailant. A flash of light to the corner of her eye, then another alien object just passing before her and was gone, she was now a small roll to a small statue of some kind of half man with a fish shaped head. Scanning the room again another projectile exploded into the statue just inches from her head. Another projectile this time from somewhere above, Adara sheathed her sword and crouched focusing on any movement within the tall columned room when she saw a flash of a movement in the pillar above a winged demon not larger than a small boy with wings like a bat. Adara pulled from her belt two small throwing blades and poised for the right moment. Then, an idea came to her as she pulled out her polished sword and holding it like a mirror, she aim it about the ceiling until she caught the human like winged devil perching on a pillar at the very top waiting to get a shot at Adara with it’s small bow. Judging its distance and height she suddenly pulled her throwing knives and with a speed and quickness which even amazed the barbarian she took deadly aim and threw them with all her might and the small bat demon arched and fell to the floor.

Standing over the winged devil Cimri and Adara studied the thing, noticing that the foul thing from the fires of hell was dead. Its heart had stopped bleeding if it ever possessed a heart. Cimri looked at the warrior woman as she pulled the twin pinnacles of death from the beast, she placed them into her belt and began to say, This is no being of this world!

I agree, Amazon, but of what world spawned such a demon? Cimri replied. Looking at the arrow and examining it closely, he noticed the venom on the end of the arrow. Whomever had their hand in this certainly wanted no one to leave this place, this arrow is tipped with venom.! He said grimly.

No wonder my shoulder throbs so. I believe this devil has poisoned me, the hell spawn! Adara said spitting her anger.

Let me look at this wound! Cimri grabbed an herb from his pouch and crushed the plant as it began to spill for a greenish fluid and this he rubbed into the wound.

There, this should help! Cimri knew some herbal medicines of his people were very effective in fighting disease and poisons and infections, and this may help indeed.

If you’re through with your doctoring, barbarian, I shall find out what lies in the room above! Then without a word, the she-warrior began to cautiously climb the steps into the upper chamber more slowly this time trying not to alarm any evil that may be hidden in the tower above. Cimri turned just in time to see the man-bat contort into convulsions and a blue vapor cloaked the being and then the beast disappeared. The northern barbarian shook his long dark mane and hurried behind the beautiful warrior women, almost stumbling in the attempt. Barbarians of the Ice Wilderness hated dark magic, and any magic at that.

Adara stopped cold in her tracks at the top of the stairs, because the scene she had stumbled upon. A tall crimson robed priest stood on a large alter with raised hands praying in some unknown language, while a circle of red robed priests stood about murmuring nameless chants. The lithe young blonde haired woman laid back and tied to the sacrificial table arched and writhed in agony obviously knowing her fate, then she screamed again. The Dark Priest continued, chanting and praying to the nameless god, and then she saw something in the stone arched room that had slipped her attention before. Above was an opening in the tall ceiling, was beginning to omit a vapor which was starting to creep and wind it’s way down to the alter where the girl was writhing in agony, the bluish mist seemed to be alive pulsing, breathing within the room and engulfing the alter as if to embrace it, hands seemed to form from the bluish vapor. The Dark Priest was slowly moving backward from the table. The circle of red robed holymen moved the circle a little wider as if to engulf what was forming out of the vapor. A priest seemed to awaken from his trance, his attention suddenly upon the Amazon intruder at the entrance from the stairway. The ritual was in chaos.

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