by LJ Andrews
The Lost Relics:
Trilogy Box Set
By: LJ Andrews
Rise of a Guardian
Chapter 1: Destiny in Dreams
Chapter 2: The Attack
Chapter 3: The Ponderi
Chapter 4: Two Master’s Tale
Chapter 5: Realm School
Chapter 6: Unexpected Arrival
Chapter 7: The New Recruits
Chapter 8: Training
Chapter 9: The Four Relics
Chapter 10: Ignisia
Chapter 11: Accused
Chapter 12: Infinium
Chapter 13: The Ultimatum
Chapter 14: The Warning
Chapter 15: The Peridus
Chapter 16: The Simulation
Chapter 17: Secrets of the Praetorium
Trinity Rises:
Chapter 1: The New Infinium
Chapter 2: A Royal Secret
Chapter 3: The Underground
Chapter 4: The Dream
Chapter 5: Fall of a Ruler
Chapter 6: Rhetta Returns
Chapter 7: Blake’s Tale
Chapter 8: Glaciem
Chapter 9: The New Empress
Chapter 10: The Feast
Chapter 11: The Deshuit
Chapter 12: Gwyniera
Chapter 13: The Mountains of Glaciem
Chapter 14: The Man From the Mountains
Chapter 15: Five Tolls
Chapter 16: The Architect
Chapter 17: The Trinity Rises
Chapter 18: Fallen Traitor
Rise of a Black Dawn
Chapter 1: Family Bonds
Chapter 2: The Hag
Chapter 3: The Peterson House
Chapter 4: Trouble in the Praetorium
Chapter 5: The Scroll
Chapter 6: Connor’s Secret
Chapter 7: The Ruby
Chapter 8: The Escape
Chapter 9: Civil War
Chapter 10: Cimmerian Siege
Chapter 11: Merlin’s Promise
Chapter 12: The Trinity Returns
Chapter 13: Rise of the Realms
Chapter 14: Return to Ignisia
Chapter 15: The Clans
Chapter 16: Unlikely Allies
Chapter 17: Betrayed
Chapter 18: Trinity’s Lair
Chapter 19: Darkness Rising
Chapter 20: Battle of Terrene
Chapter 21: The Ruby and the Scroll
Chapter 22: The Black Dawn
Chapter 23: Rhea’s Promise
Chapter 24: Ponderi’s End
Epilogue
Secret Story: Ebony Queen
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Other books By LJ Andrews
Fire and Ice
The Gateway
The Lost Relics Short Story Collection
The Djinn Kingdom Series
Pirate’s Vengeance (book one)
Island of Bones (book two)
Pirate’s Atlas
Copyright © 2016 by L.J. Andrews
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher/author
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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For Derek, who has my whole heart
Linnea, the reason behind every exciting creature
Andrew, for believing that architecture can have no limits
And Jarom, who helps me trust that we all have a superhero within.
The Lost Relics
Rise of a Guardian
By: LJ Andrews
Chapter 1
Destiny in Dreams
Fire burned his chest as he fled along the damp, musty corridor. Shrieks of frustration from his enemies echoed behind him, deafening the blood pounding in his ears. A small halo of light glimmered ahead, signaling his freedom from the deadly pursuit. A confident smile spread across his young face; he was going to make it. They wouldn't get it and he would live.
His heavy footsteps seemed to leap across the ancient stone pathway shrouded from the warmth of sunlight. Taking one final bounding step a pain swallowed up his shoulders and neck as the eerie purple and blue mist encompassed his body, then everything went black.
****
Cheerful light seeped into the small room. A single mattress was pushed against the side wall covered in mismatched sheets and a cheap plastic box of drawers held a few simple clothes. Killian Thomas breathed deeply trying to slow his heart as the sunrise shook him from his fitful sleep. The dark, lurking figures from his nightmare had hissed and argued angrily in the moss ridden hallway. Their conversation was wicked to the core, but the deadly pursuit twisted his insides. The dream had never ended with him making it to the small lighted opening at the end of the cold tunnel. Each time he was always swallowed in the painful mist.
Rolling from the old mattress he wiped the sweat off his face and pushed back his thick mud-colored hair. The nightmares were getting worse, and the two mysterious villains seemed to be creeping into his mind more often, as if it were something Killian needed to know. Why he kept dreaming about others trying to kill him didn’t make sense, he was no threat to anyone. In fact he felt quite the opposite. There was nothing extraordinary about him, just a young man with no family, a few friends—mediocre in every sense.
The thoughts toppled through his mind as he rubbed his sky-blue eyes trying to wipe out the memories of the recurring nightmare.
“Killian come eat, you’re going to be late.”
The wooden steps echoed as he bounded down the narrow stairway. Stepping into the bright blue and white kitchen, he brushed his wavy hair out of his eyes before Laura, his foster mother, could do it for him.
“Sorry, I overslept,” Killian breathed as he plopped down in front of his cereal.
He glanced at the graying, blonde woman and immediately pursed his lips as the sun caught the side of her face. A hideous, purple bruise covered her high cheek bone underneath her thin wire-rimmed glasses. He could tell she had tried to hide it with make-up, but the swollen lump reared its ugly head on her thin face. Killian angrily dug his spoon into his cereal and shoveled the cardboard-like flakes into his mouth. He didn't know why he felt guilty about the bruise; he didn't give it to her. Scanning his lean, but defined muscles he vowed to protect Laura better. As if she knew what he was thinking, Laura placed a gentle hand on his arm, until he looked at her again.
“Did you have another dream? Those have been keeping you up a lot lately. If you don’t get some sleep Donna is going to start thinking we’re neglecting you and she’ll take you outta here.” She gave him a kind, motherly smile.
He smirked. As of last month, Donna, his family service worker, no longer had a say where Killian ended up. He often wondered why he stayed. After aging out, legally there was no reason to stay. He cared about Laura; she had taken care of him for ten years. Richard was the reason he would leave and never look back. Ironically, he was also the reason Killian wanted to stay. If he left no one would protect Laura from his rages.
“Now that you mention it, I did have a strange dream,” he finally answered. “I was trapped in a cold stone hallway. As I tried to escape I overheard a conversation...I think it was two men, I'm not sure." Killian waved his hand in front of his face. "It’s hard to remember everything now that I’m awake.”
Killian omitted the dream attackers attempt at killing him. Laura would spend the afternoon pouring over The Meaning of Dreams, her favorite book. Since he'd come to live with the Petersons the dreams had been th
ere every night, almost as if they were reminding him of his past, or warning him of his future. Laura had taken a keen interest in it, and often tried to uncover their hidden meanings.
She opened her mouth to inquire more on the subject, but was stopped by a knock at the door.
“That’ll be Blake, I suppose,” she said, an edge of disappointment in her voice at the interruption. "I'll read over some pages in my book while you're out. We'll get to the bottom of your dream. The part with you being trapped in darkness must mean something."
Killian rolled his eyes and slurped one last bite of cereal.
“What time will you be back?” Laura asked when he stood.
“We’ll be gone for a while, I’d guess,” he answered while shrugging his shoulders. “We’re hoping to have a bonfire with some people on the beach.”
Killian and Laura both turned their heads toward the front door that had opened.
“Laura, my love! You look more gorgeous than ever,” the young man said overly dramatic. His collared shirt was unfolded, hitting just below his jaw line, but the strange black inked, double-moon tattoo was still visible on his neck.
“Blake, there is no need for your sappy sucking up, Killian’s coming,” Laura chuckled turning toward the flaxen-haired young man. Blake winced slightly when he glanced at the fading bruise. Laura hung her head as if feeling self-conscious and began gathering the dishes from the table. “Well, you kids take care, and pick up some salt water taffy for me.”
Killian smiled. Laura asked for the candy each time he went to the boardwalk in Seaside. He'd determined she believed the taffy was only available at that location.
“Don’t worry Laura we’ll bring you a huge bag. Take care of yourself okay,” Blake said sincerely. Killian waved and walked out the door.
“Man, he made a mess of her this time, didn’t he?” Blake huffed, as they drove toward the boardwalk.
“I don’t know how much more I can stand, Blake. Why does she put up with it? Me, I can take it, but Laura? She’s just too good, too forgiving,” Killian said bitterly.
Richard had often roughed him up as a younger boy, though he had always been careful about pounding him in easy to conceal areas in order to keep the abuse hidden from Child Protective Services. In recent years, however, Killian had grown significantly larger than the man and the rages had subsided. The downside was now his pent-up anger was doubled against Laura.
“Laura was joking this morning about my case worker taking me away cause I’m not sleeping. To be honest, some days, I want to leave and never look back,” Killian finished as he looked out the window. His hand found the gold charm he had worn around his neck for as long as he could remember. Blake simply nodded.
They sat in a tense silence for a moment before Blake finally asked, “Why don’t you leave?”
“What?” He was annoyed that Blake had the courage to point out the obvious— that he could leave. He had no reason to stay and endure the hidden abuse.
“I mean, why don't you leave? You’re old enough to be on your own, dude. You can finish school somewhere else. How long have you been with them anyway?”
“Ten years. I was with a lot of different families for three years, then placed with Richard and Laura.”
“So why do you stay?”
Killian scoffed. Blake was trying to make him feel better about leaving, but the fact that it was true and he was out of the system made his gut twist in knots. Donna hadn't cared what he decided to do when he turned eighteen. She had seemed relieved when he said he was going to stay put. It made for less work and scholarship programs she was required to provide when kids stepped into the big world alone after growing up in the system. Laura had pleaded with him to stay. Wanting to see him graduate was her reasoning, but he figured she was afraid to be alone with Richard.
Laura had mentioned numerous times the idea of adopting Killian, but Richard never agreed. It was his subtle insult to Killian— he would never be good enough to be his son.
Richard was a respectable business owner in Seaside. He owned several sandwich franchises and often donated to non-profits. His status painted a loving image in the community. Killian thought Donna was rather naive. She had mentioned on numerous occasions he was fortunate to live in such a home, even if they didn't adopt him.
If only she knew, he thought bitterly.
“I still can’t believe you don’t remember your family, you weren't placed in the system until you were what—five or something?” Blake asked.
“I just don’t remember. I’ve had weird dreams about a red-headed woman before—sometimes I’ve wondered if the dream was a memory but…” Killian trailed off for a moment before gathering his thoughts. “Why would I want to live with a family that just ditched me anyway? Obviously they kept me for five years then decided to call it quits.”
“I get it I guess. They might be dead, though," Blake said. "I'm not trying to be crass. I just think if you found out they were alive, living with them would be better than Richard. Anything would.”
“I guess not everyone can live the high life like you, Blake. How much did good ol’ grandpa dish out today just to get you out of the house?” Killian teased, trying to change the direction of the conversation.
“You can’t put a price on the love we share Kill,” Blake laughed. “Besides, it’s the only way you get to hang out with the pretty girls. I can only help you out so much, though. You’ve got to leave your pretty jewelry alone.” Blake laughed nodding toward his incessant rubbing of the charm.
Killian gave Blake’s shoulder a hard punch, causing their car to swerve slightly into the other lane. Even so, he obeyed and tucked the circular charm back underneath his shirt. He always wore it—in truth the idea of taking it off made him physically sick. He didn’t understand where the connection came from. It was tacky and unattractive. The faded gold looked ancient and the circle had a hideous crack fissuring to the top of the charm.
“What?” Blake was laughing, his face lit up in his typical mischievous manner. “It's true dude, you’ve got to hide the necklace. And don’t joke about my grandparents. I guess they give me stuff to keep me busy; I can’t help it if my antics exhaust them.” Blake paused for a moment waiting for the street light to change to green. “You know Kill, I have to admit, I'm glad you hang around. Us parentless kids gotta stick together.”
“Thanks, Blake,” Killian said, touched by the statement.
“Whoa, don’t sound so gushy dude. I don’t want to organize a club or anything,” Blake’s eyes widened. “Hey, wait! Maybe we should. I know a little girl down the street who makes awesome elastic bracelets! We could have matching ones.”
“Shut up!” Killian said, shoving him again. Blake started laughing so hard tears formed in the corners of his eyes. Killian just shook his head. Despite the joking, he often wished he could convey how much he envied Blake and his odd, but loving relationship with his grandparents.
“I need some gas; while I fill up, will you go buy me some gum? Amanda is going to be there tonight—I better be prepared,” Blake chuckled as he pulled into the gas station.
Within a half hour they sauntered along the beach where several other people were standing around a charcoal barbeque laughing and holding roasting sticks. Killian didn’t recognize many of them, but knew some were from school. Blake scanned the small group apparently looking for Amanda. She hadn’t arrived yet and Blake’s disappointment was painted all over his face.
Blake was always the exuberant one, even though he’d only moved to Seaside a few years earlier he had more friends and acquaintances than Killian could ever dream.
The rushing tide and crashing waves along the rocky shore calmed Killian’s nerves he experienced every time he was pushed into a crowd, especially when it was people he didn’t know well.
“Blake!” a high voice called from up the beach. Spinning around Blake and Killian watched as Amanda and her brunette side kick marched up the beach, swinging two packs of beer in
each hand. Killian groaned in his throat, Blake turned and gave his shoulder a friendly punch.
“Don’t worry Kill, it won’t get out of control,” he whispered, trying to keep Killian’s disgust for alcohol a secret from the others.
Killian rolled his eyes and walked toward the shore. He’d learned from experience with the Petersons, nothing could change a person more than those drinks Amanda swung around playfully.
Killian found himself standing behind a couple as Amanda passed around the beers. The young man next to a girl with long chestnut-colored hair took two cans and offered one to her. Killian watched as she shook her head and looked away.
“More for me,” her date shrugged and laughed gulping down a large amount. The girl turned around, disappointment written in her smooth brown skin. Killian was instantly captivated. Her features were bright, yet also dark and fierce and her emerald-colored eyes glistened in the sunlight forcing him to keep staring at her.
To his embarrassment, the girl met his gawking eye and slowly scanned him up and down. Killian’s palms started sweating when she stepped off the log, glancing back at the young man she was with, who was already working on his third can. She rolled her eyes and walked toward Killian.
“Hi,” she said sweetly. “I don’t think I’ve seen you at school before.”
Killian shrugged stupidly. His stomach turned in knots when the girl’s perfect smile spread across her face. “I’m Killian,” he whispered.
“Good to meet you Killian. I’m Merc…”
“Dezzy! Dez,” the slurred voice of the young man interrupted her. “Come on let’s go have some fun.” He pulled her closer to him and planted loud, wet kisses along her neck. Killian shuddered at the awkward display.
“Ugh, Kevin stop. You’re a sloppy drunk.” Her voice was angry and frustrated as she tried to push him away. The tone made Killian’s heart pound in frustration. Kevin’s face darkened and he gripped her upper arm hard.
“We’re going. Now.” He pulled her away back toward the boardwalk. Killian knew she didn’t want to go with him. His skin burned as he yearned to keep her from drunk Kevin.