The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1)

by Payne, Parker

  Still she continued to choke and gag.

  Ice cold fear drove him forward. “Ludovicus, no!”

  The Druman smirked and slammed her once more into the ground.

  Ken wanted to do something, anything. But he felt helpless due to Rin’s proximity to the creature torturing her. Amber gold eyes met his. They were wide with fear, an emotion he’d never seen before in them.

  “Please, stop.” Ken begged, falling to his knees. “I’ll do anything. Please stop.”

  Rin suddenly gulped in air greedily, although Ludovicus’ hand did not leave her neck. Ken’s relief was short lived though.

  “You’re going to watch as I kill her. Then, I’m going to kill you—just like I did your grandfather.”

  The temperature of the room once more began to rise. Rin screamed and then it was cut off as Ludovicus tightened his hold on her throat. The intensity of hate had curled his lips from the fangs, exposing them to be sharp as knives. Hissing, the Druman bent down till he touched his nose to Rin’s. Though his voice was low, Ken could hear him say, “I’m going to squeeze the life out of you.”

  The grip around her neck tightened even further. Her gasping grew fainter, her struggling dissipating. Ken ran toward them, desperate now to do anything to stop Ludovicus but then Rin’s weak attempts at freedom ceased. Her head lolled to the side. The amber eyes stared at him...lifeless.

  For an instant, Ken couldn’t breathe. His heart stopped beating.

  Rin’s amber eyes still remained lifeless.

  Something snapped inside of him. It was a physical sensation and yet he sensed it was more to it than that. His grip on reality had gone.

  A roar filled the cavity. He didn’t realize it was from him until it stopped. But by that time, he was running toward Ludovicus, rage unlike anything he’d ever experienced imbuing him with power. The Druman stood and used Rin’s body as shield but Ken jumped into air, the room spinning about crazily. He flipped and landed behind him. A bolt of lightning exploded from his hand and into his enemy, its brilliance flooding the room. The impact was so great Ludovicus’s grip loosened on Rin’s body and he flew into the air.

  Rin’s body crumbled to the ground like a wooden puppet. Tears streaming down his face, Ken hefted her onto his back and raced out the door.

  Running back the way he came, forgotten prayers and wishes floated through his mind. Among them was a constant litany. Rin, don’t be dead. Rin, don’t be dead.

  When he came to the room where Kaluwa’s form lay inert, he remembered to take the right tunnel. It led him upward at a rapid pace. The weight of Rin’s body gave flight to his feet as he ran up the steps.

  Don’t be dead. Don’t be dead.

  Soon he was out of the monstrous cave. The rain had gone and the bodies of the guard lay exactly where they had been.

  Ken rushed into the forest to place where the Elder was supposed to be. “Senpai!” he called. “Where are you?”

  Wildly he looked around, but the old man was nowhere to be seen.

  Swiftly but gently he lowered Rin to the ground and began to perform CPR. “Don’t leave me,” he begged. “Please don’t leave.” He performed the measures over again and again, her body remaining unresponsive. “Rin. Rin. Rin. Come back to me.’

  Tears and memories blurred his vision. The long burnished hair flying in the air as she drop kicked him. Those slender fingers fisting as she punched and almost broke his nose. Amber gold eyes, soft with concern. The full lips spitting into the face of a wolf.

  She couldn’t be dead. Visions of his mother and John came forward and he cried hard.

  “I’ve lost too much,” he screamed at her. “I can’t lose you, too.”

  Rin lay there, still as stone.

  “No!” he wailed, beating on her chest. “No!” Crying, he wrapped her in his arms and buried face into her throat and wept for the life lost.

  His fingertips tingled, so light he almost didn’t feel the tiny sparks except for the fact that Rin’s body jerked against him. Pressed so tightly against her throat, he would have had to be numb not to feel the light flutter of a pulse.

  “Rin!”

  Carefully, he lay her back down and pressed his hands against her chest.

  In another world, at another time, he’d probably get a nosebleed right now, but he focused on sending a soft gentle burst of electricity to her. He bent his head to her heart and heard it beat.

  Ken covered his face with his hands and wept. Rin was alive.

  A few moments later, she coughed and he lifted his head. Her eyes fluttered, the amber gold bright once more with life.

  “Ken?”

  “You’re alive.” He wiped the tears from his cheeks, although more simply took up their place.

  She started to rise. “What happened? We were—”

  “Shhh,” he admonished and forced her back down. “Relax. Just for a second.”

  The sun chose to shine then, highlighting the sores along her arms, neck, and face. But they would heal. They would heal.

  Struck by the truth of that hope, he reached down grabbed her in his arms. He kissed her forehead.

  Rin stiffened within his embrace but then she relaxed. Her arms came up and clutched him to her.

  When Ken set her down again, she asked. “Is he dead? Is Ludovicus dead?”

  He froze. He’d forgotten all about Ludovicus after he blasted him with the lightning.

  “Rin, I—”

  The ground shook violently and the trees swayed threatening above them.

  “Is it an earthquake?” Rin sat up.

  Ken didn’t answer, wondering whether it was Kaluwa up to her tricks.

  Just then an explosion occurred from inside the cave. Rocks, gravel, and dust flew out from its maw. The ground continued to rumble. Ken grabbed Rin and dragged her to feet. “Ah!”

  She yelped and grabbed her head. “My head feels like it’s cracked.”

  He said nothing but lifted her into his arms and ran as far as he could away from the cave. Looking back, he saw a wave undulate the forest floor, sending trees crashing down. Some toppled above him and they had a very narrow escape when one landed a few feet in front of them. He jumped over it.

  Another explosion, but it came from above him. Ken skidded to a stop, his lungs heaving. “It’s above us. Can you lift us into the air?”

  The aura was weaker than before, but the orb surrounded them and they rose to the top of the canopy. There, they saw in the distance a cloud of ash floating in the wind, but that wasn’t what held their attention.

  “Iie. Iie.” Rin moaned.

  A black and purple dragon flew in a circle above the erupted volcano. Sunlight washed over the body, its scales gleaming like dark crystals. Wings, as wide as twenty feet long, glided in the wind. Powerful legs and arms curled, tipped by curved, glassy black talons.

  It swiveled its head and both he and Rin gasped. Ludovicus had regained his dragon form.

  With a cry, the dragon circled once more around the mountain and then flew up into the sky behind the cloud cover.

  Ken turned to Rin. “What are we going to do?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.” The aura of the blue orb lessened as it lowered itself to the now still ground.

  The eerie cry of the dragon echoed above them. They watched as it flew directly into the sun until it was little more than a black dot, disappearing into the horizon.

  THE END OF BOOK ONE

  HONORIFICS AND TERMS

  Japanese honorifics (such as -san and -chan) are used to show a level of formality that some readers may not be familiar with. Throughout this book, we attempt to show that aspect of the culture through the use of these honorifics. In the Japanese culture, there is always a level of respect shown to the person one may have a relationship with. This aspect is not unique to the Japanese but occurs in various cultures around the world.

  HONORIFICS

  --San is very common to use. Think “Daniel-san” from the movie The
Karate Kid. The closest similarity is “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Ms.”, or “Miss” although the use of it can be formal or informal depending on the relationship with the person.

  --Sama is not as common. It’s used in conjunction with a person of higher rank than you. In the context of The Druid’s Spear, -sama is used to denote great respect to Rhychard among his followers; however, none of Rhychard’s followers would refer to Ludovicus in the same manner.

  --Kun, as employed in the context of this story, is used by the spy to show disrespect to Alderic. The spy is of lower rank than Alderic, so when he refers to Alderic and attaches -kun to the end, it’s in a mocking manner, since -kun frequently denotes a lower rank. However, it can also be used by people of equal ranking. This honorific is usually attached to males only.

  --Senpai is typically used to mean “upperclassman” in anime and manga, but it really means “mentor” or “senior.” Rin refers to the Elder as “senpai” quite often.

  --No kimi is rarely used anymore. In fact, it is a throwback from history denoting lords and ladies of the court. However, it’s sometimes used when addressing lovers. For example, “Yamada no kimi” can be translated as “My love Yamada.”

  --Chan is a term of affection and used by people who have known each other for some time. The Elder refers to Rin as Uchida—chan since he has known her since childhood. This honorific is attached to females only.

  TERMS

  Okasan – mother (Note: John calls Ken’s mother Aoki-kasan, which can be translated as “Mother Aoki.”) Otousan – father

  Sensei – usually used in the context of a teacher, but can also apply to other professionals such as doctors or lawyers. When Ken speaks to his lawyer, he refers to him as Tanaka-sensei.

  Sumimasen – excuse me; there are many ways to say “excuse me,” “my bad,” “my fault,” etc. in Japan, depending on the situation; however, this term is the most common.

  Shizukani – means to be quiet; when John is hollering at Ken, he is using the word informally. If the situation were more formal, he would use the phrase “Shizuka ni shite kudasai” meaning “Please be quiet.”

  Juusha – followers

  Yokatta – good, great

  Youkoso – welcome

  Ganbatte! – Do your best!

  Omoshiroi – interesting (Of course, the first thing that came to mind was Spock’s “fascinating.”) Ja mata. – See you.

  Iie – no; negative; disagreeing with a statement; “No, that’s correct.”

  Hai – yes; positive; agreeing with a statement; “Yes, that’s incorrect.”

  Da – used at the end of a statement of command. Informal for desu, usually meaning “is” or “do.”

  Kitte da! – Come here!

  Ima da! – Now!

  Chotto mate. – Wait.

  Yoshi! – Great! Yes!

  Domo – Thanks (informal)

  Domo arigato – Thank you very much (formal)

  Nani – What?

  Gomenasai – I’m sorry; Like other phrases, there are many ways to say this depending on the situation.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Parker Payne owes her love all things speculative to her grandmother, Kathleen Payne who taught her how to read and write as a child. As such, when she is not writing edgy faith-based romances as Parker J. Cole, she is digging into her imagination in the world of the strange and unusual. She’s a diehard Trekkie (TOS), sci-fi lover, fantasy dweller, romance junkie, anime freak, old movie buff, church-goer, off and on Mountain Dew and marshmallow recovering addict who writes to fill the void the sugar left behind.

  For a touch of romance visit her site at www.parkerjcole.com

  For a trip down the rabbit hole visit her site at www.parkerpayne.net.

  Lee Thornton III is a native of Detroit, Michigan with roots in Nashville, Tennessee where he spent most of his time outside. Whether in sunshine or rain, he spent his days catching turtles and crayfish in the creeks. He grew up with a love for comics, and horror and action movies. A Bachelor’s degree in architecture from Tuskegee University encouraged him to develop his imagination and made him the man he is today.