The Shepherd of Fire (The Soul Stone Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  THE SHEPHERD OF FIRE

  THE SHEPHERD

  OF FIRE

  MATT MOSS

  © 2017 Matt Moss

  www.mossthewriter.com

  @mossthewriter

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 9781974431809

  ISBN-10: 1974431800

  To those who seek and brave the unknown.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY ONE

  TWENTY TWO

  TWENTY THREE

  TWENTY FOUR

  TWENTY FIVE

  TWENTY SIX

  TWENTY SEVEN

  TWENTY EIGHT

  TWENTY NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY ONE

  THIRTY TWO

  THIRTY THREE

  THIRTY FOUR

  THIRTY FIVE

  THIRTY SIX

  ONE

  Arkin stood on the training grounds of the Grand Highlands surrounded by the dark blanket of night. Though the terrain could not be seen, he could feel that he was there. He could sense the Lodge and surmised that the Order must have won the the battle over Victor and his army. Had it not been so, the Lodge would have surely been destroyed along with everyone in it. Somehow, he knew that wasn’t true. Peering into the darkness, he looked for his friends, for anyone.

  Is this a dream?

  “Lyla!” he shouted into the black, looking all around him. Nothing. Even the whisper of the wind seemed to hide from his senses. The only sound came from his rapid heartbeat that throbbed inside his head.

  “Torin! Cain!” He was alone, and he knew it. “Anyone,” he pleaded, softly.

  He sat on the ground. His body felt sluggish, unable to stand anymore. Time passed and seemed to last forever in the dark. Lying in the cold silence of night, he wished time away, hoping it would soon pass. He closed his eyes in search of sleep.

  The sun will be up before long. I’ll just rest here until then.

  Before he drifted away, a faint gleam of light came from the Lodge at the top of the hill. It caught his eye, and he lifted his weary head to meet it.

  The light grew stronger as the sound of steel on steel rose. Screams of pain and the throes of men dying grew so loud that the sound overwhelmed the pounding in Arkin’s head. He threw his hands over his ears to drown out the noise, but it was no use.

  “Hold on, I’m coming!” He rose only to fall face first on the ground, his arms unable to support the weight of him. Cursing, he tried again, but could barely lift his chest from the ground. The screams grew louder and orange flames began to lick at the walls inside of the Lodge.

  “Lyla!” He clawed at the ground and, through sheer will, drug himself up the hill. His body fought against his determination as his arms and legs quivered with fatigue. “I’m almost there,” he cried out as he neared the top of the hill. He could feel the heat from the fire now as the flames continued to grow. Through teary eyes and knowing that his efforts were futile, he reached for the Lodge. “Lyla…”

  Suddenly, she burst through the flames and away from the Lodge. “Arkin!” she called.

  He reached for her as she ran towards him. Two strides away from his hand, her body stopped, instantly frozen in time. Her face twisted in confusion. “Arkin, what’s happening to me!” she cried out. “I…I can’t move!”

  “I don’t know, hold on!” Arkin said and attempted to claw his way to her.

  A hooded man emerged from the flames, unharmed, and walked to stand beside Lyla. Arkin watched in horror as the power that held Lyla came from the man’s outstretched hand.

  “Let her go!” Arkin threatened.

  Below the hood, a smile played across the man’s face.

  Arkin managed to find strength from somewhere and made his way to his feet. Through clenched teeth he spoke to the man. “Let her go, now. Last warning.”

  The man broke out in laughter before throwing the hood back to reveal his face.

  Arkin suddenly felt a hatred like never before. It washed over him, consuming every fiber of his being.

  “As you wish,” Victor said and raised a finger. “But first, you must bow to me.”

  Arkin looked to Lyla and saw the fear in her eyes. He would do anything to save her. He would give his own life if need be.

  “Arkin,” she called his name. “Don’t.”

  He began to take a step towards Victor, but couldn’t. His legs felt like stone. As he began to move, he realized that he couldn’t move at all!

  “I’m waiting,” Victor said in annoyance.

  “I can’t,” Arkin growled, fighting to gain control over a finger, a toe, anything in his body that he could get to move.

  “Too late,” Victor said and threw his arm to the lodge.

  Lyla shot backwards and flew threw the air. “Arkin!” she screamed as she plunged back into the burning building, her cry fading into the roar of the fire.

  “Lyla!” Arkin cried out, his body convulsing in pain like never before. In that moment, he didn’t care whether he lived or died. It didn’t matter anymore.

  Victor grinned at Arkin, pulled the hood back over his face, and walked away.

  In a state of horrified shock, Arkin watched as the man walked back into the flames. Arkin’s body fell to the ground and he craned his neck up to look at the Lodge as it burned brighter. The flames grew so that they were upon him now. The heat washed over his body, warming him into a dull state of nothingness.

  He watched as the fire took him. He burst into flames from the heat, first at his fingers that reached for the Lodge, then his arms. His eyes were next, and he felt them melting away. He didn’t care. Nothing mattered now. Not even death. The darkness called again to him, welcoming him like a long lost friend. He welcomed it back.

  Arkin’s eyes fluttered open to find himself inside of a simple hut, the early morning rays peaking through a thatched window. Lying on a cot, he gathered his senses. He moved to sit up.

  “Lie still, Arkin,” a voice he knew all too well said.

  He turned his head and found Lyla wringing a cloth over a wash basin. “Lyla… you’re alive.”

  “Of course I am, what are you talking about?”

  “I just had this dream.” He didn’t want to tell her any more than that. He was afraid that if he did, the dream might become true.

  “I heard you screaming,” she said.

  “Where am I?” he asked, still regaining his bearings.

  She bent over him and wiped his forehead with the cool cloth, slowly tracing it down the side of his cheek.

  “We’re safe in the Order’s camp. You passed out from exhaustion seven days after we left the Grand Highlands.”

  He shook his head. “All I remember is standing watch the night we made camp on the trail.” And then the dream.

  “I have been telling you since we left that you needed to rest,” she chided.

  “How long have I been out?”

  “Three days.”

  “What!”

  She nodded and brushed his hair back with her hand.

  “How’s the rationing?” he asked, remembering the people stricken with fatigue and starvation on the journey. On top of that, many were injured and we
ak from blood loss. There wasn’t any time to stop for mending wounds in case Victor and his army were on their heels, tracking them through the mountain pass. Fears were widespread that everyone would die on the way to the camp.

  “We almost ran out on the way here,” she said. “Thank God there were people here who tended the gardens and stocked an ample supply of food.”

  Arkin stretched his stiff muscles. They felt weak, numb, but at least he could move them. He could still recall the unnatural feeling of being unable to move in the dream. “At least the Order was prepared for something like this. Is everyone alright?”

  “Yes, but there were some who didn’t make it,” she said, turning her head away. “The ones that were injured too badly, we had to leave them.”

  He took her hand. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I know.”

  “Any word from the Grand Highlands? From Torin?” Arkin asked.

  She shook her head and stepped away, turning her face from him. He saw her suppress a sob as she put a hand to her mouth. He felt the same way. The Order had been their new-found home, their family. It held the promise of hope for a better future and a better life. Now, it was all… gone?

  The battle with Victor came to his mind. His thoughts were alive with the horror that took place that day. He relived the destruction in his mind and witnessed all the friends he lost in a matter of moments. He recalled the lives that he took with his own hand and reeled with the complexity of what it was to take a life. The power. The emptiness. The guilt and the shame.

  Unable to comprehend it all, he sat up.

  “Where are you going?” Lyla asked, wiping the tears from her face.

  “I… I just need to be alone,” he replied, his face distant and voice shaking. He stood barefoot in bed clothes and walked outside. He expected her to protest or follow after him, but she didn’t.

  He squinted his eyes at the midday sun. With quivering legs, he moved through the camp. Small cabins and makeshift huts were scattered about the thickly covered forest. A few people were stirring about the grounds. They met Arkin’s eye with solemn stares before turning their heads down and going back about their business.

  Arkin pitied them and pitied himself. A part of him felt like he was to blame for all of this, though he didn’t know why. He just did.

  Arkin followed his feet which led him onto a trail out of the woods. He thought of his father, Levi, and wished that he were here to give him guidance. He thought of Lucian — the man who killed his father — and still swore vengeance. Lucian would die in a spray of blood, and Arkin would spit on his corpse when it was said and done. He’d seen it in his mind many times and prayed for the day to come.

  Victor then filled his mind — that presumptuous evil grin on his face and sarcastic tone in his voice. Hate filled Arkin’s heart.

  His steps quickened as he left the woods and entered a field of green grass. With clenched fists, he began to run. His legs pumped faster, pushing him through the fields and up a hill of wildflowers.

  The blue sky above held the promise of another beautiful spring day.

  Without command, he soul tapped, more so than ever before.

  Dust rose from his feet as he flew up the hill at full speed. Grouse flew from the nearby brush long after he passed by. He pressed on with clenched jaw, amazed at the feeling of this unknown surge of power. He topped the hill which led to a plateau, his feet leaving the ground momentarily on the transition. With blurring speed he raced across the plateau, his eyes taking in everything that lie in front and around him. His gaze locked onto a great mountain in the distance.

  He blew across the plane and began the ascent at the base of the mountain. The increasing incline and treacherous footing tested him drastically.

  Thrilled by the power, he thirsted for more. “Come on, you son of a bitch!” he said and tapped further.

  Through a mix of dead and evergreen trees, he flew up the mountainside, leaving rock and debris falling in his wake. Cresting onto a flat ridge, a vast crevice threatened him ahead. He snarled and ducked his head into a rush before making the leap. The ground surged from the force, sending a shockwave in his wake as he traversed the gap and landed on the other side.

  Upon landing, he looked up, finding himself close to the peak. Within moments, he was there. With chest heaving, he gazed around at the world below him. Sweat beaded and rolled down his face to mix with the tears that had been swelling throughout the ascent. He threw his arms up to the sky.

  “WHY!” he screamed at the heavens.

  He desperately looked to the sky for an answer that he knew wouldn’t come.

  “ANSWER ME! GIVE ME A SIGN!” he replied. “Please…”

  He fell to his knees, exhausted. Tears streamed down his face and he convulsed with sobs.

  “My father believed in you,” he pleaded. “He raised me to do the same. But right now, I’m beginning to question your existence. If you truly are the Almighty, you wouldn’t have allowed all of this to happen,” Arkin cried. “My father, my grandfather, my friends. All gone. And where were you!” Again, he looked to the sky and found no reply.

  He looked down.

  “Okay,” he said, steeling his nerves and wiping the tears from his face. “I’ll do it without you.” A cold resolve took his soul upon saying the words. Part of him knew it was blasphemous, but another part of him felt free. Liberated.

  “I’ll show them,” he swore. “And I’ll show you.”

  His fist tightened against the earth as he crouched on one knee. He focused like never before and let his body go. A fracture in time and space occurred. The energy coming from Arkin caused a vortex that surrounded him. The foundation upon which he stood shattered, creating a crater in the rock surface about his feet. The pulse grew stronger and pieces of earth floated around him, suspended in the air.

  He bellowed and sent an exploding blast wave from atop the mountain.

  Silence hung afterword. Arkin stood and breathed deep, trembling with power. Sometime between the Grand Highlands and now, his power had grown, but he didn’t know how.

  He now knew what he had to do. He didn’t like it, and he knew Lyla wouldn’t like it, but the path before him was clear now. He would walk it and see his destiny fulfilled, even if it meant giving his own life to do so. For the first time in perhaps his entire life, he had a purpose. That purpose was vengeance. Utter and complete vengeance.

  His mind was in a fog the entire walk back to the camp. He stormed in, drawing looks from the stunned townsfolk. He kept his head down as he walked through the gathering of people.

  “It’s the Dark Society. They’ve found the Garden of Stones I tell you!” one man cried, waving his hands in the direction from which Arkin came.

  “Go back to tending the garden and spare us your crazy talk,” another replied, walking up to the group. “It was just a volcano from the far north. Or an earthquake.” He poked the frantic man in the chest. “Don’t be spreading any more fear than what’s already been spread, you hear me?”

  “It’s the truth!”

  “I don’t give a damn! Go back to work. All of you.”

  The group disbanded and continued murmuring about the mysterious explosion.

  Did everyone really hear that? Arkin thought.

  “What was that?” Lyla asked, walking to meet him. “Did you hear it?” She pointed to the distance where Arkin had just been.

  Arkin didn’t answer and went straight to the hut.

  “Arkin! What’s going on?” Lyla demanded.

  Her footsteps quickened, following him inside. He frantically moved about the room, gathering his things into a pack.

  “Talk to me, Arkin.”

  “I can’t,” he choked out.

  “Why not!” She grabbed his arm, attempting to connect with him.

  He jerked away in reflex.

  She put a hand to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. “Everything that has happened recently with the Order and now this? You can�
��t do this to me!”

  “I’m sorry, Lyla. I can’t tell you what I’m feeling right now because I don’t understand it myself.”

  “So, you’re leaving then?” she cried, causing him to pause.

  “I need to be alone,” he said in a cold tone and continued packing.

  “Where will you go?”

  “To my aunt’s in Hayfork. I have some things I need to ask her.” He tied the pack shut and threw it around his back before strapping the short sword onto his side.

  He met her eyes and found them filled with both love and pain. He placed that image into his mind before turning his head down and walking away. He felt true love when he was with her and knew she felt the same, though they’d never spoken the words. He had to go, though his entire being resisted and desired to stay with her. He didn’t want to tell her the real reason for which he was leaving and that he might not ever see her again.

  Before he left, he turned back to her. “Have you ever questioned God’s existence?”

  She shook her head in reply. Two tears rolled from her ivory cheeks and dropped to the floor. He placed that image in his memory as well and would save it for another time.

  Memories can often save you when all else seems lost.

  They can also haunt you.

  He didn’t want to feel this way. He wanted to say more. He wanted to stay.

  Against everything that screamed inside him, he bit his tongue, turned, and left.

  TWO

  Lucian cradled the ring in his hands — the ring he once placed on Sarie’s finger with a promise. As he sat in Sarie’s chamber buried deep within the cave called Sanctum, all emotion left him. This was the place where she had lived for years. How many times had he come to Sanctum, the Dark Society’s base, only to leave again to do the bidding of his master, Victor. Sarie had been there the whole time. And Victor kept her hidden. Had Lucian known, he would have killed Victor for keeping her from him.

  At first, Lucian’s anger swelled, leaving the room in shambles save for the bed. After the anger faded away, tears wet the floor beside the bed. He sat there for what seemed like hours until he became comfortably numb.