The Land of the Ancient Vyrajian Gods. Book 10. The Fate

By Elena Kryuchkova and Olga Kryuchkova

Excerpts from the book:
...The priest blessed Wulf by reading him an instruction about faith in Logos. The fact that the knight, first of all, serves not the Order, but the holy temple. The young man was invested a knight of the Order of the Golden Cross by the Meister himself, his father Friedrich von Hogerfest. The initiation ceremony was no less magnificent than the festival of the fifteenth birthday.
It took place in the main hall of the Hammaburg castle. Wulf, dressed in armor and a cloak with the emblem of the Order, walked into the middle of the hall, where his father was waiting for him. The Meister was also in full dress: in armor and a cloak. Behind him stood Kurt, holding a ceremonial sword.
Wulf approached the Meister and traditionally knelt on a red velvet pillow.
“Wolf von Hogerfest, do you swear to serve the Order of the Golden Cross faithfully?” Friedrich began to ask the usual questions of a knight's oath.
“Yes, Meister,” the young man replied shortly.
“Do you swear to honor the Order's code?” continued the Hogerfest.
“Yes, Meister...”
“Do you swear to carry faith in the almighty Logos?”
“Yes, Meister...”
Friedrich asked his son a series of questions, and, having received affirmative answers, took the sword from Kurt's hands. Putting the end of the blade to Wulf's shoulder, Hogerfest said:
“I hereby name you a knight of the Order of the Golden Cross. Get up off your knees, Wolf von Hogerfest, now you are a knight!”
Wulf rose from his knees. From that moment on, he was considered a full member of the Order.
At the end of the ceremony, the feast began. The servants were especially happy: first the birthday of the Meister's only heir was celebrated, and then his knighted. It's not often that get the opportunity to drink and have fun!
Wulf himself sincerely believed that the Order of the Golden Cross carries true faith to the pagans. However, no one in Hammaburg knew that for several years he had secretly visited the temple of Ruevit, the many-faced god of war of the Veneti.
Wulf convinced himself that he was doing this solely for educational purposes, in order to learn more about the Veneti. After all, he, as the knight of the Order of the Golden Cross, will have to fight with them and convert them to his faith.
However, visiting the temple became for the young knight not just a habit, or a craving for an alien culture, but a spiritual need. Wulf tried to drown out the call of his ancestors. He knew perfectly well that his mother came from Veneti. But here is his father... For the present young man there was no doubt — this is the Meister of the Order of the Golden Cross, the all-powerful Friedrich von Hogerfest.
Wulf loved and respected his father. It never entered his head to question his paternity. Although he heard vague rumors about his mother's past, he never took them seriously.
In the meantime, his father was planning another campaign against the pagans at the beginning of summer. His current target was the city of Szczecin, located higher along the Alster River, in the lands of the Pomeranians.
Recently, this Slavic city has gained immense strength under the hand of its ruler, Knyaz Cheslav. Szczecin has considerably increased its military power and increased in population, for in recent years refugees from the devastated Slavic lands have been actively arriving there. At times, the Meister Hogerfest mentally feared that Szczecin could become a very serious obstacle to the further advance of his army to the lands of the pagans...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elena Kryuchkova
• Release date: Nov 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005879952

Elena Kryuchkova

Elena Kryuchkova started her creative path in 2012. She writes in different genres, such as: esotericism, fantasy, Slavic fantasy, sci-fi, dystopia, post-apocalyptic and others. Has several graphic works. A number of her novels were co-authored with Olga Kryuchkova.She is inspired by various fantasy and science fiction.Loves cats and draws.

Book preview

The Land of the Ancient Vyrajian Gods Book 10. The Fate

Elena Kryuchkova, Olga Kryuchkova

The Land of the Ancient Vyrajian Gods. Book 10. The Fate

Written By Elena Kryuchkova, Olga Kryuchkova

Copyright © 2021 Elena Kryuchkova, Olga Kryuchkova

All rights reserved

Cover Design © 2021 Elena Kryuchkova

Olga Kryuchkova

Elena Kryuchkova

The Land of the Ancient Vyrajian Gods

Book 10. The Fate

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Epilogue 2

Book 10. The Fate

This story is fiction and fantasy. And any similarity to real people or events are coincidental.

This story is completely fiction.

Chapter 1

Three years later. 690 years from the coming of Logos. 5540 years from the descent of the god Rod in the Golden Egg.

Founded four years ago, New Magdeburg and Starburg were built and became a powerful stronghold of the Saxons in the Veneti's lands, like Anveltburg and Rükendorf. But in the place of the Porevit, ravaged many years ago, in the Luzhany lands, life, alas, still did not revive. The Saxons were afraid to settle it due to its remote location from Hammaburg.

New cities and settlements of colonists were erected by captive Veneti, who were converted to the cult of Logos. However, many of them accepted the faith only formally and continued to secretly worship the ancient gods.

But in fact, none of the captives of the Veneti considered Logos their god. And how could they believe in the one whose followers invaded their lands, destroyed their homes, and killed their relatives? And forced to accept their cult with fire and sword?

How could the Veneti accept someone who had neither face nor form? And in his teachings he called to renounce those whom the Slavs and their ancestors worshiped for millennia?

Veneti cherished the hope that a strong Slavic knyaz would come and the power of the hated Order of the Golden Cross would come to an end.

Meanwhile, life in Hammaburg went on as usual. Five years have passed since Wulf began hunting at night in the vicinity of the castle and secretly visiting the temple of Ruevit. The boy on the hunt was often accompanied by the young wolf Greenolf. But suddenly his four-legged friend seemed to have disappeared somewhere, and since then, Wulf never saw him again.

At first, Wulf often thought about a new friend, but then everyday worries gradually replaced memories.

The son of the Meister of the Order of the Golden Cross, Wulf von Hogerfest, recently turned fifteen. His birthday, as expected, was celebrated on a truly grand scale and splendor! The Meister spared no expense in order to celebrate such an important date in the life of his beloved son, now officially considered an adult.

After all, after Wulf's birthday, another important event awaited: the ceremony of his acceptance into the knightly Order of the Golden Cross.

The night before, the new initiate bathed in a bath, then put on a white shirt, a scarlet cloak, long leather boots with gold spurs. Then one of the oldest knights (in this case it was Marshal Curt of Saxony) struck the young man with a symbolic blow on the back of the head with his palm with a brief admonition: Be brave. It was the only slap on the head of a knight in the life of a knight, which he could receive without responding ‘to the insult’. The ritual ended with a demonstration of the dexterity of the future knight: jumping on a horse, Wulf pierced an established target, the so-called ‘scarecrow’, with a spear.

In the evening, Wulf went to the temple for the ‘night vigil’. This meant that he would spend the whole night at the altar in earnest prayers. In the morning, the temple was filled with members of the Order, the young man confessed to the priest. The priest blessed Wulf by reading him an instruction about faith in Logos. The fact that the knight, first of all, serves not the Order, but the holy temple. The young man was invested a knight of the Order of the Golden Cross by the Meister himself, his father Friedrich von Hogerfest. The initiation ceremony was no less magnificent than the festival of the fifteenth birthday.

It took place in the main hall of the Hammaburg castle. Wulf, dressed in armor and a cloak with the emblem of the Order, walked into the middle of the hall, where his father was waiting for him. The Meister was also in full dress: in armor and a cloak. Behind him stood Kurt, holding a ceremonial sword.

Wulf approached the Meister and traditionally knelt on a red velvet pillow.

Wolf von Hogerfest, do you swear to serve the Order of the Golden Cross faithfully? Friedrich began to ask the usual questions of a knight's oath.

Yes, Meister, the young man replied shortly.

Do you swear to honor the Order's code? continued the Hogerfest.

Yes, Meister...

Do you swear to carry faith in the almighty Logos?

Yes, Meister...

Friedrich asked his son a series of questions, and, having received affirmative answers, took the sword from Kurt's hands. Putting the end of the blade to Wulf's shoulder, Hogerfest said:

I hereby name you a knight of the Order of the Golden Cross. Get up off your knees, Wolf von Hogerfest, now you are a knight!

Wulf rose from his knees. From that moment on, he was considered a full member of the Order.

At the end of the ceremony, the feast began. The servants were especially happy: first the birthday of the Meister's only heir was celebrated, and then his knighted. It's not often that get the opportunity to drink and have fun!

Wulf himself sincerely believed that the Order of the Golden Cross carries true faith to the pagans. However, no one in Hammaburg knew that for several years he had secretly visited the temple of Ruevit, the many-faced god of war of the Veneti.

Wulf convinced himself that he was doing this solely for educational purposes, in order to learn more about the Veneti. After all, he, as the knight of the Order of the Golden Cross, will have to fight with them and convert them to his faith.

However, visiting the temple became for the young knight not just a habit, or a craving for an alien culture, but a spiritual need. Wulf tried to drown out the call of his ancestors. He knew perfectly well that his mother came from Veneti. But here is his father... For the present young man there was no doubt — this is the Meister of the Order of the Golden Cross, the all-powerful Friedrich von Hogerfest.

Wulf loved and respected his father. It never entered his head to question his paternity. Although he heard vague