Shattered Will

By Connor J. Clarke

His name is Will, and he has lost everything . . . his home, his family, his friends. Only ash and corpses remain. Yet rather than fight against the evil which robbed him of his normal life, Will succumbed to his base instincts of violence and suffering. Until one day, he meets a young woman named Lyria, the first person to treat him with kindne

• Language: English
• Publisher: IngramSpark
• Release date: Dec 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088074466

Book preview

Act I

Stone and shadow. That’s what I saw all around me. Where am I? I saw a land shrouded in perpetual darkness. A wide, sweeping landscape of inky blackness stretched from the soles of my boots to the distant horizon. Jagged pieces of broken rock jutted skyward, as if to pierce the heavens themselves. Desolate canyons carved deep into the land like old scars that haven’t healed right. There was no life anywhere. No birds above or insects below. Nothing save for dead trees, skeletal forms rising from the ground like bony fingers of the dead. Then, I saw nothing. Nothing but darkness enveloping me, suffocating me. Then, a clouded shape appeared before my eyes. Formless at first, but slowly becoming defined. I saw a castle of steel, bigger than anything Man could ever build. The outer walls seemed to stretch miles into the sky. Dozens upon dozens of battlements jutted out, each adorned with terrible war machines of uncountable might and number. The keep of the fortress-city rose higher than the walls, with a central tower rising higher still. All around me, battle cries rang out in a tumultuous chorus. Yet, there was not a soul to be seen except for me. Then, a flash of red filled my vision. Suddenly, I was inside the walls and walking along the streets. Not walking, drifting, I thought. My feet were still, yet my body moved forward towards the keep. Another flash. Then I was in the tower, in front of an impressive set of oak doors. I’m in the tower. The last stop. I don’t know how I surmised this, but somehow I knew it to be true. I reached out and pushed against the doors. To my surprise, they swung open as easily as a curtain in a breeze. And inside-

Light. The warm sunlight of a midmorning day. A gentle hand shaking my shoulder. I blinked against the morning’s shine and looked to see to whom the hand belonged. Two amber eyes gazed at me from a full head of long brown hair. The hand belonged to my younger sister, Sylvi. Wake up, Will, or you’ll sleep the day away! she said. Her tone was teasing, but her smile was sweet. Are you okay, Will? she asked, her smile fading as she saw the expression on my face. You look a little pale.

I’m alright. I sat up on the edge of my bed and ruffled her hair. Just a strange dream, that's all. Just then, a voice called from downstairs. Sylvi, is your brother up yet?

Yes, Mom! She turned back to me, expectantly. Go and tell her i’ll be right down, I said. Sylvi nodded, walked out into the hallway, and down the stairs. Before getting dressed, I walked over to my window and took in the fresh morning air and warm sunshine. Being on the second floor of a home in the Sentinel’s District, I could see practically the whole of the city of Eritas. Ours was a small, but proud city-state located on the northern part of the continent of Felwin. Our ruler, Lady Maris, watched over her home and her people with the utmost benevolence. The Silk Sentinels, our legendary order of knights, protected our home from would-be bandits and low men. And i’ll be one of them someday, just like Dad and Valnir! Our merchants spread all throughout the world, bringing back all sorts of unique wares to peddle and haggle over. Not even the conflict on the western continent of Ylidir put a damper on our spirits. Knowing my life was one of wonder and joy, I got dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen.

My mother, or Miss Sera, as our friends and neighbors cordially called her, leaned over the table and set out plates of Sylvi’s favorite treat. On each plate was a trio of bread rolls, topped with sweet peach glaze and a dusting of magical flour, prepared from my mother’s own spellbook. I’m not all that fond of sweet flavors, but it was Slyvi’s birthday, after all. She’s sixteen years old today, about a year younger than me. By the time I found my seat at the table, Sylvi had already taken a bite out of one of her rolls. Sylvi, wait for your father! Sera gently scolded.

Sorry, Mom. They just looked too good to just leave alone, Sylvi replied with a giggle. Just then, a tall man wearing the plated light blue steel armor of the Sentinels walked in. Most people referred to him as Knight-Commander Ardyn, but I just called him Father. If Sylvi was a mirror image of my mother, then I was a mirror image of my father. The only difference in features between us being the length of our black hair. Mine was cut short and his hung in loose strands about his shoulders. What’s this about not waiting for your father? he asked in a mock stern voice.

Don’t worry Dad, there’s still plenty for you! Sylvi reassured him.

I hope so! I’ll need the energy to take you to celebrate your big day! As he said this, he walked over to my mother and wrapped an arm around her. I asked Lady Maris for a leave of absence today and she agreed, so your mother and I decided that since turning sixteen is such a special occasion, we would take you to the market district today and let you pick out anything you want! How’s that sound?

Oh, that sounds fantastic! Thank you guys so much! Sylvi exclaimed as she rushed over to my parents and wrapped them in a loving embrace. I tried to suppress my disappointment. I hate shopping, but if it makes Sylvi happy, i’ll manage. Still, I love seeing her so happy and thinking about herself for once. She’s always so caring about other people that sometimes she forgets to do something just for herself. We finished our rolls and set out for our little excursion to the market district.

While Eritas isn’t particularly large compared to the other capital cities of the world like Renalta, it still took us almost half an hour to walk from our home in the upper reaches of the city to the market district near the front gates. The market was thronged with people and merchants bartering over prices, exchanging stories, or tending to all sorts of pack animals. The surrounding district walls were lined with stalls with an assortment of any kind of food, clothing, and various objects of interest one could ever desire. Some stalls even sold weapons and armor. Of these stalls, the most successful even offered smithing services, to both the Sentinels and the common people. Sparks flew from grindstones and the sound of clanging metal rang out into the street. Sylvi started to run off through the market to browse to her heart’s content, but my father stopped her. Wait a moment, I have another present for you he said as he drew a delicately-wrapped and thin package from his belt. He handed it to Sylvi. Seeing her questioning look, my father said Go ahead and open it. She tenderly unwrapped the object and turned it over in her hands a few times, as if to see if it was real. It was a dagger. The blade was about seven inches long and expertly sharpened. A good weapon. While not overly decorated, the silver hilt had a small red jewel set in it, and an inscription on the crossguard read All roses have thorns. My father placed a hand on Sylvi’s shoulder and looked her in the eye. In his most serious voice, he said I know this isn’t something you would have chosen for yourself, but I want you to be able to protect yourself if something should happen to your mother and me. Then he turned to me. The same goes for you, Will. If for some reason we’re no longer able to, we want you to protect your sister in our stead. Not that I expect anything to happen, but always be on your guard.

Okay, Dad, Sylvi said.

I swear on my life that I will protect her, Father I said. His expression softened.

Good. Now go find something you like, Sylvi. After spending most of the day shopping, we found ourselves crowded around a merchant’s stall while Sylvi kept holding up two different dresses in front of a mirror and trying to decide which one she liked better. By this time, the sun had just started to wane for the evening.

Just then, a mocking voice called out from behind me. Hey Will, why ya makin’ your sister buy you clothes? A few distinct snickers followed this remark, and I knew that my fellow apprentice Sentinels had finished up training for the day, and now they were sure to cause some sort of mischief around town. Mischief that I desperately wanted to be a part of after a rather tiresome day of watching someone else shop for hours. I turned around and saw that my suspicions were correct. My closest friends all stood in the street of the market district. There was Faye, an apprentice mage. Despite being the only girl in our group, she didn’t take any attitude from anyone. There was Marshall, our apprentice archer. A soft spoken, but wise young man. There was Tomas, who favored riding and was training to become a cavalier. He was a boisterous and abrasive sort, but with a heart of gold. Lastly, there was Edward, an apprentice swordsman like myself, and also my best friend. Like me, he was of the witty variety, which sometimes caused more trouble than worth. All of them wore light blue tunics over brown trousers, with their weapons strapped to their belts. The standard attire of trainees.

All of us were thinking of climbing up onto the wall to watch the sunset, but we didn’t want to start without our beloved Captain Will. Whaddya say, Captain? asked Edward. While it was true that I was slated to lead our group once we had finished our training and become official Sentinels, I was still only an apprentice and no more important than any of them. I didn’t much care for the title of captain, which is exactly why Edward insisted on calling me by it. On one hand, the view of the setting sun from atop Eritas’s walls was spectacular. Every shade of red and gold mixed together in the sky like paint on a canvas. On the other, I didn’t want to disappoint Sylvi by leaving her to go galavant with my friends on her birthday. Seeing my hesitation, Sylvi said to me Go with your friends. I know you don’t really want to help me shop for dresses. But it means a lot that you put up with me for so long today. She gave me a smile and turned back to admire her dress options with our parents. Always thinking of others, even on her birthday. I turned back to my friends. You heard the lady. Come on, then. said Faye. And off we went.

We walked down to the front gates and climbed the adjacent stone staircase to the top of the wall. We did see the brilliant shades of orange and red one would expect from a sunset, but the source of this light was altogether unexpected. In the distance, I saw all of the farmholds that supplied Eritas with grain and wheat burning with crimson flames. And in the fields surrounding the gates was the largest army I had ever seen. There must have been tens of thousands of torches burning in the blackness of the field, being held by tens of thousands