Gauntlet of Fire: 2Nd Book in the Series: Keeper of the Gates

By Magna Kruger

Aidans quest for his true identity and the Darcanians best kept secrets will alter everything in the ancient families


Not so long ago, Aidan lived happily within Darca Castle, the impressive rock fortress of the Darcanians.
Then he had to leave and endured more than anyone could imagine. Was it fate that he survived three attempts on his life or was he destined to save an entire civilization?
Now, he has made a terrifying decision. But at what cost?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Mar 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469156941

Magna Kruger

Keeper of the Gates Magna Kruger was born in 1962 and graduated from University with an Honours degree in Political Science. She was always fascinated by writing, and what makes the human Soul grow to its ultimate potential. She is currently a full-time author hard at work on her first line of books. ASCENSION is the third novel in the six book series, Keeper of the Gates. The fourth book, SOULS PRINCE will be published in December 2012. She is also screenwriting Immortal. Yes, a movie studio is interested in making the movies on the series! She currently resides in South Africa with her psychologist husband and two sons. For more information about Magna contact her email: [e-mail]

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Magna Kruger.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2012901257

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4691-5693-4

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4691-5692-7

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4691-5694-1

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.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

0-800-644-6988

www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk

[e-mail]

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CONTENTS

In The Beginning

Chapter 1  Escape

Chapter 2  Lost

Chapter 3  Apocalypse!

Chapter 4  The Darcanian Influence

Chapter 5  The Riddle In The Mirror

Chapter 6  Movement Without Meaning

Chapter 7  Threads And Harms

Chapter 8  Innuendo

Chapter 9  Indecent Obsession

Chapter 10  Crux

Chapter 11  Revelation Or Evil Incarnation

Chapter 12  The Wager

Chapter 13  Watershed

Chapter 14  The Giant Within

Chapter 15  Aftermath

Chapter 16  The Seat

Chapter 17  Regalia Intuition

Chapter 18  Scrutiny

Chapter 19  Intention Gone Wrong

Chapter 20  No Ordinary Life

Chapter 21  Apprehension

Chapter 22  A False Sense Of Security

Chapter 23  Life In Limbo

Chapter 24  All The Lost Souls

Chapter 25  Husk Without Hope

Chapter 26  Pre-Emptive Proposal

Chapter 27  Difficult Disposal

Chapter 28  Above And Below

Chapter 29  Preparation

Chapter 30  Tinman And The Question

Chapter 31  Playing With The Big Boys

Chapter 32  The Problem With The Le Fayes

Chapter 33  A Final Walk

Glossary

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Acknowledgements

I wish to thank my English teacher who never lost her temper or her dignity. She taught me vocabulary and a love of reading.

A final curtain is about to come down on a remarkable period in the history of South Africa. I wish to thank Nelson Mandela for his wisdom.

I also wish to acknowledge how very privileged I am to be able to write. In this second book, I have experienced the power of intuition and the unconscious mind. The intelligence of the soul is mind boggling. When I write, even if it is just for a moment, the world is an amazing place simply because I can write it so!

oo0oo

In the Beginning

The ancient families were always prepared. Generations went by, and they kept the legend alive. It was also the reason for their constant strife and political conniving. From childhood, every child was told about a phantom. The adults never went into details, and on reaching adulthood the children knew why. It was evident that the adults did not fully know what they were describing.

The people relied heavily on the notion that something different and big would happen before they could be certain of anything. What scared them even more was that there would always be a deceptively dark force to complicate their understanding.

Therefore, when the strange Fog appeared, the families investigated it. But this time, the Signs did not appear simultaneously. The dark Fog appeared first, and, in an isolated incident, it was investigated in secret by two members of the legendary Volknut. These elite bodyguards nearly died from exposure to the dark energy. The impact was evident—one lost an eye and the other nearly lost his mind.

Then the families heard of a silver rolling Mist keeping to the mountain and to the dark Fog. This time the leader of the Darcanian family, Beo Alexander Maximus, volunteered and took the two Volknut members with him. The man with the one eye, Psymon Winchester, and the one with the shattered psyche, Andrew Pendragon, were cautious but they went.

At the foot of a mountain, they came to a village forgotten by time. It was deserted for the people were scared. The Mist and the Fog hovered on the cliffs. It waited on a chance to take life and limb from the village. People died but others recuperated miraculously. The confused villagers hid in their houses.

When the three men entered the village only a brave monk greeted them. He warned them to stay away from the cliffs but Beo would not hear of it. Therefore, the three men negotiated the steep peaks but the Fog tracked them from the bottom and the Mist rolled towards them from above. They were trapped!

The two Volknut members saved Beo from the Fog. Andrew’s inner warrior rose and he walked into the mist, sacrificing himself for the others. Inside the mist, the unexpected happened—he heard a baby cry! The two Volknut members were unable to locate the child but Beo did and decided to keep him. He named the boy Aidan Andrews Maximus.

The Volknut did not feel comfortable with the child and neither did the Darcanian family. When the Kryon, a horrible warrior Reaper, wanted to claim him as his son, they were even more suspicious of Aidan.

All indications were that otherwise the boy was an ordinary child. In fact, he was very ordinary for he did not have Regalia.

Regalia were sacrosanct and special—a person’s soul energy could manifest in form. Some members of the ancient families treasured their animal Regalia and had a special relationship with them. Others had plants, various weapons, dolls, bells, and many more. There were even those who were able to manipulate the elements, and usually they were Darcanians.

Beo Maximus, the Supreme Master of the Darcanians, tracked his family through the Warrior scrolls and the Discovery scrolls. The Darcanians believed that they did not create new things but that they discovered them for it was already in existence. The Darcanians were the protectors and discoverers, and therefore the other families needed them although they thought of the Darcanians as backwater and less developed.

The family they got on with best was the Pendragons. They were very intelligent and socially apt. Other than their Regalia, they also used Dragon Eyes penetrating an opponent’s psyche in Regalia conflicts.

The Pendragons controlled the Academy for the Spiritually Gifted where the children of the ancient families studied their craft of developing Regalia. They were the ultimate Jousters and the supreme intelligentsia. Together with the Darcanians, they could not stand the Le Faye family.

The Le Fayes were governed under the strict hand of Tudor Le Faye. He was snobbish and felt it beneath him to mingle with the Darcanians, which naturally infuriated Beo Maximus.

But Tudor Le Faye had a secret. He was in cahoots with the Reapers to overthrow the academy and take charge of it. Tudor was also vulnerable. His twins attended the academy, and his daughter was interested in Aidan. It was infuriating to imagine his only daughter with a Darcanian! But it was outside of his charge because at the academy, he could not control what was happening. And a lot was happening there!

At the academy, Aidan learned to substitute his lack of Regalia with other skills. Therefore, he was assigned a warrior mentor, Andrew Pendragon. Andrew taught him to transfer time and space through meditation. Andrew also let him have a free reign as long as he was not caught and did not ask too many questions about the Volknut.

As providence would have it, Aidan joined the jousting team of James Stuart, Head of the Academy for the Spiritually Gifted, and there he met Methos, the Unicorn. Secretly Methos taught him jousting, and they even played the game of Spyro with the evasive Tengu tribes in the maze. The Tengu took to Aidan and taught him how to manipulate the elements.

Aidan also excelled in mythology and learned the secret of Havens, the special spaces created to protect the ancient families.

Aidan and his friends, the Brat-Pack, often stayed in their tree house, The Den. Inside was a library, and Aidan read the scrolls. It spoke of a special Key. This made him curious, and he searched for it. His quest almost led to his death for one night in the cathedral, he was nearly kidnapped by the Reapers but escaped.

He also learned to manipulate others’ Regalia, and on his request, his nephew Matthew, an elementalist, developed breast protection for the jousting horses. The Unicorn Methos’s friend, Madison, was killed in a jousting tournament a few years earlier, and it pleased the horses that Aidan could persuade someone to help protect them. However, it was made with the help of Hammond, an angel of miracles.

Then, inside a special energy chamber, Aidan received the Four Eyes, the ability to see in the spirit world. He saw the Archangel Gabriel and met Hammond, the angel of miracles who stayed at the academy and guided Matthew.

Eventually Aidan was kidnapped by the Reapers on one of his nightly excursions to the village. He was saved by Andrew.

Beo declared war against the Reapers unbeknown to the fact that his son had been saved. However, Beo had asked an old friend to save his boy and in return he would hold off the war for two hours!

Now the saga continues…

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Chapter 1

ESCAPE

This wind had a soul. Aidan Andrews Maximus felt it. It whistled through the trees and wailed at the cliffs.

He also knew that the Bronze Whip was in hand, ready to take on whatever came their way. They escaped the killers, and the horses brought them to the underground tunnel.

‘The secret path to the Academy,’ Andrew Pendragon, the carrier of the whip, called it.

He was the man accompanying the blond terrified Aidan standing next to him. He was also the man who chased the horses away for it was too dangerous to continue with them.

‘What is wrong?’ Aidan wondered. Whenever they were together, something was always wrong. Whenever Andrew took his Bronze Whip out, something was always very wrong.

‘Silence!’

Around the corner in the underground tunnel, something shiny was leading the way, and with apprehension they watched it drawing near. It was bright and blinding, and there was no escaping it!

Ages went past. That is how it felt before the light appeared. The light was a sword covered in fire, and behind it walked a big man. Except that this man had humongous wings. It scraped against the sides of the tunnel and uncomfortably pressed against the roof.

‘Humans always surprise me. They get themselves into the tightest of spots!’ he mumbled while he turned skew to let himself through a slight bend.

When he saw the two frightened escapees, he introduced himself unceremoniously, ‘I am Micahel.’

The fire sword came to a standstill in front of Aidan. Taken by surprise, he forgot to close his mouth.

‘Your father said you would look like that.’

Then the big man turned towards Andrew. ‘And who might you be?’

Eventually Andrew came to his senses, and the glazed look disappeared. ‘I am a Volknut.’

‘You must be the one who went insane.’ Aidan heard the boldness of the man with the wings.

Both humans shifted uneasily. It seemed the angel man knew everything.

It was surreally stupid that angels appeared to humans but facing Aidan was the evidence. The red hair was striking and the white loin cloth and leather boots even more so.

‘Your old man has done me a few favours. I thought I would return one,’ the big angel man remarked.

Still the two humans failed to react. Micahel knew the questions by now. ‘Who are you? What do you want?’ His personal favourite was ‘Why is your sword like that?’

He obliged with a sigh, ‘I am the Archangel Micahel. Beo Maximus sent me to save you from the Reapers. I have a fire sword. It flares when I am angry or apprehensive and cools down when I am calm.’

Still the two said nothing.

‘It would help if you could say something—even if it was something idiotic,’ the deep voice suggested.

‘Thank you for helping us.’

‘So the boy has a voice.’ Micahel looked sort of impressed.

Aidan felt how the Archangel looked him up and down while leaning on the cooled down sword. Vulnerable, that is how he felt while the creature looked into his soul. Also, he wondered how to address an Archangel!

‘Your old man said that you are shy and intuitive. He likes to use big words when he wants to impress me.’

Aidan nodded slightly and ventured. ‘That is him. How do you know him, your highness?’

Micahel burst out laughing. ‘It is a long story for another time, and please call me Micahel.’

The big angel stretched his wings. They were thick and silky and nearly ten feet each. The red shine fascinated Aidan, and he wondered how they opened.

Suddenly the big archangel was rueful. ‘Salvation. Only salvation makes them stretch.’ He turned and walked away. Aidan and Andrew followed reluctantly.

‘That portal won’t work now. You will each have to grab a leg.’ Micahel signalled while they left the tunnel.

But Andrew would not yield. ‘The Animat channel works!’

‘I phrased it wrong. It works, but it does not work well. I don’t want you to end up in the Immortal grid slap bang in the middle of a war.’

‘There is a war? What kind of a war?’ Aidan exclaimed.

‘Your father has declared war against the Akahji Reapers. They were extremely stupid to kidnap you. Pig-headed Beo Maximus would not listen to reason. He gave me two hours to return with you, or he goes to war. Now the Shadowen Reapers are also in Shamrock village, and the Darcanians are there on the orders of their Supreme Master. It is quite an impressive sight.’

Aidan sensed that the big angel man was not easily impressed by what humans did.

‘I am not so sure that the Darcanians can take the Reapers on and win. But your father does not think rationally when it comes to you.’

Aidan heard that in his own eccentric way, Andrew agreed with the angel man when he said, ‘The Supreme Master got what he bargained for.’

The big wings went silent, and the fire sword glowed faintly while the angel’s gaze fixed in the distance.

‘Anyhow, hold on for dear life,’ he said eventually.

The angel man’s legs were muscular and gruff. The leather boots chafed Aidan’s arms but he held on tight while his feet left the safety of the ground. In the dark, he heard the flapping of the big wings, and the wind it created was strong. Underneath was only a black void. No lights could be seen, and he was grateful for that. He was not sure that he could handle heights! It would be embarrassing if he was to scream like a girl. This notion brought him back to Bronwyn Le Faye. He was consumed with worry for her. Where was she in this war? He would not be able to breathe if something was to happen to her!

Again Aidan felt the wind. He expected the big angel to fly fast but he did not. He seemed to take his time. Eventually the two humans were exhausted. The cramps in their arms became almost unbearable.

‘How long till we land?’ Aidan screamed but the angel ignored him.

‘He will drop you when he is ready,’ Andrew bellowed.

Distressing thoughts flooded Aidan’s brain, ‘That is encouraging. I can see myself hitting the ground already. Splash! And I will be gone…’

Eventually he knew that they were approaching Shamrock village. The arch entrance gave it away as did the fire torches. But what he did not expect was the water, wind, and earth. It moved and spewed and raged and blew!

Then he saw how the angel man used the sword to clear a road for landing. The sword spewed fire and lightning, and every so often they heard a scream.

‘Good lord, I am dreaming this,’ Aidan’s head acted up.

He knew that he would never again live this experience. He was curious, and this time he did not only open his eyes but extended his body to have a look at the war.

The Immortal grid was inundated with warriors and Regalia. A tiger ripped at a Reaper. The Golden Eagle picked another up with its talons and dropped it onto the ground with a thud. Aidan saw blades, lances, and spears hacking and penetrating.

What surprised him most was the Tengu revealing themselves to humans. They manipulated the elements by creating small tornadoes and earth cracks swallowing the Reapers completely.

But by no means was the war won. Micahel circled and circled again.

‘Andrew seems calm and calculating as always,’ Aidan thought frantically.

It was Andrew who suggested that they be dropped in the maze. The big trees looked daunting. Aidan could not imagine that there would be a landing spot. The vegetation was simply too dense!

He was very wrong.

‘No no no!’ he shouted when the big leg started to shake. His muscles were exhausted. He hit a branch and then another one. What felt like ages he hit the undergrowth. It was surprisingly soft and cool.

He gulped for air.

‘I hope he did not drop me alone in this place. Without the Tengu I am dead!’

The dull pain in his right shoulder was the least of his problems. There was no sign of Andrew.

‘Where on earth is he?’

Aidan’s survival instinct kicked in. He was alone and would be safe in only one place. He had to reach The Den! But the maze was big and in the dark very confusing.

‘Where did the angel drop me?’

At first he crawled. Overhead he periodically saw fire and water. He heard faint screams and that unnerved him. However, the silence in the maze unnerved him more.

Then he heard it at frequently intervals. Initially, it was faint but the clanking of chains grew louder.

Aidan sheltered in the undergrowth. His father taught him a few things about survival. ‘If you are in trouble, you shut your mouth,’ the big man always said.

Then the chains stopped, and Aidan dared to peep. The Ra-Elon Reaper wrinkled his nose.

‘I smell a young Blood. Your soul smells simply divine,’ he rasped. The molten helmet with the black horns was awful but the fire robe made him terrifying. And he was clearing the undergrowth with a scythe!

‘Arshavir, what are you doing?’ Aidan heard the very welcome voice of Andrew.

‘Thank you, thank you and thank you!’

Relief flooded the young body.

Aidan saw how the unexpected voice stopped Arshavir in his tracks.

‘How did you know it was me?’ he rasped.

‘How did you know it was me?’ Andrew countered.

‘You all look the same to us but I know your voice,’ Arshavir confessed while he walked back to face Andrew.

Andrew did not put his Bronze Whip away. ‘What brings you to the maze?’

‘We had a meeting, remember? But you never showed. I was caught here when the war broke out,’ the Ra-Elon explained.

Andrew left no room for interpretation. ‘I don’t want you in the maze. I will allow you to only be in the centre of the maze until the war is over. Then we can talk.’

The Ra-Elon walked off lazily, and Aidan gave a relieved sigh. Arshavir stopped momentarily and said, ‘Don’t do that, young blood.’

Aidan held his breath. He did not move. Fascinated and terrified, he watched as the Ra-Elon Reaper disappeared in the dark.

‘Come out,’ Andrew seemed tired of those words.

‘Where were you? I was nearly killed,’ Aidan accused.

‘Except you weren’t.’

It never ceased to amaze Aidan how callous Andrew could be.

‘You don’t care about others, do you?’

‘If I did not care about others, I wouldn’t be here.’

Andrew walked in the same direction in which Arshavir disappeared and Aidan battled to keep up.

‘Where are you going?’ Aidan was running out of breath, and his shoulder was painful.

‘I always follow up on my orders. Now be silent and stay behind me!’

The Ra-Elon did go to the centre of the maze. Aidan heard the chains clanking. Arshavir paced the small space like an animal.

Andrew stood by the entrance to the centre of the maze while Aidan had to endure the seemingly senseless act.

‘The young blood is delicious. Pity I could not get hold of him.’

They heard Arshavir’s reasoning. A cold shiver filled Aidan’s body while Andrew’s warning eyes compelled him to stay silent.

‘I will one of these days. I must play my cards right, and I will get him when he is alone.’ Arshavir laughed softly.

Andrew’s gesture in the direction of the Den was very welcome. They both stayed silent until they were out of hearing range.

‘The Reapers tend to talk to themselves. Eavesdropping is the easiest way to know what is brooding in their