A Hero Forged in Blood


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 A Hero Forged in Blood
 Copyright © 2022 by B.H. Preston
 Cover design by Thea Magerand.
 Map design by Cartographybird
 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
 This is a work of fiction. Any characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
 Printed in the United States of America
 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-959096-47-4
 Paperback ISBN: 978-1-959096-48-1
 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-959096-49-8
 
 4697 Main Street
 Manchester Center, VT 05255
 Canoe Tree Press is a division of DartFrog Books
 
 
 To my son, Calum, to who I dedicate this book. I know you love reading books, just as I did at your age. I hope you enjoy this book and always dream!
 
 
 PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Adena
 
 A -DEE-na
 
 
 
 Agwin
 
 Aug-win
 
 
 
 Alpheon
 
 AL-fee-on
 
 
 
 Amphisbaena
 
 AM-fuhs-be-ah-nah
 
 
 
 Andaluria
 
 An-DA-lu-ria
 
 
 
 Ashland
 
 Ash-land
 
 
 
 Asitra
 
 Ah-SEE-trah
 
 
 
 Asiz
 
 Ahh-ZEEZ
 
 
 
 Aspis
 
 AH-spis
 
 
 
 Bardicus
 
 BAR-da-cus
 
 
 
 Binicorn
 
 Bi-na-corn
 
 
 
 Blakenshield
 
 Blay-KIN-sheeld
 
 
 
 Brightshire
 
 Brite-SHAIR-ur
 
 
 
 Bhalla
 
 BAH-laa
 
 
 
 Bonberry
 
 BON-beh-ree
 
 
 
 Briskly
 
 BRI-sklee
 
 
 
 Bristlekamp
 
 BRI-sl-camp
 
 
 
 Chum
 
 Ch-UM
 
 
 
 Cimetes
 
 SIGH-me-tes
 
 
 
 Daneyel
 
 DAN-yuhl
 
 
 
 Duke
 
 Dook
 
 
 
 Dunntaika
 
 dunn-tie-ka
 
 
 
 Echethier
 
 Eh-KAH-theer
 
 
 
 Eldrin
 
 EL-dren
 
 
 
 Empyrea
 
 Em-PEER-ri-ah
 
 
 
 Fayspire
 
 FAY-spai-ur
 
 
 
 Fluteds
 
 FLU-teds
 
 
 
 Evias
 
 EH-vy-ahs
 
 
 
 Gadar
 
 GAH-darr
 
 
 
 Garth
 
 Gaarth
 
 
 
 Hintaga
 
 Hen-TAH-gah
 
 
 
 Junagi
 
 JOO-nah-gi
 
 
 
 Karatheas
 
 KA-rah-thee-is
 
 
 
 K’Lani
 
 KAY-laa-nee
 
 
 
 Kaden
 
 KAY-den
 
 
 
 Kel Tyrion
 
 kel-Teer-ee-un
 
 
 
 Kugdor
 
 Cug-DOOR
 
 
 
 Lucient
 
 LU-see-ent
 
 
 
 Lumhagen
 
 LOOM-hay-gen
 
 
 
 Luna
 
 LOO-nah
 
 
 
 Megalos
 
 MEH-gah-lows
 
 
 
 Mercalyptus
 
 MER-cah-lip-tus
 
 
 
 Millicent
 
 Mil-LAH-cent
 
 
 
 Nethopolis
 
 na-THA-poe-lis
 
 
 
 Nosegye
 
 NOWZ-guy
 
 
 
 Omak
 
 Oh-MAHK
 
 
 
 Orealus
 
 OR-real-us
 
 
 
 Parrotlets
 
 PAIR-ra-lets
 
 
 
 Trophorus
 
 TRO-for-us
 
 
 
 Pepper
 
 PEH-per
 
 
 
 Petey
 
 PEE-tee
 
 
 
 Rosenhelm
 
 ROW-sen-helm
 
 
 
 Sadunia
 
 SAH-doo-nee-ah
 
 
 
 Scruffenfoot
 
 SKRUH-fin-foot
 
 
 
 Shroudscar
 
 SHROWD-scar
 
 
 
 Tha’lassa
 
 THAW-lah-sa
 
 
 
 Truthorium
 
 TROO-thor-ee-uhm
 
 
 
 Valmyr
 
 VALL-mear
 
 
 
 Varun
 
 VAH-run
 
 
 
 Waptoo
 
 Wop-TOO
 
 
 
 Woo’apma
 
 WOO-op-maa
 
 
 
 Westramore
 
 Weh-STRAH-more
 
 
 
 Weylyn
 
 WAY-lin
 
 
 
 Whaldalf
 
 WALL-dalf
 
 When the light fell upon the gates of the seven
 And the sun once smiled the brightest
 Darkness will soon eclipse the moon,
 What was once pure is no more,
 For the world was not ready for what was in store
 Yet there was an arrival of courage and justice amidst two cries
 The first did not last through the many lies
 But the chosen shall stretch far till the ends of the world
 Great Spirit would be his strength, West would be his betrayal
 Prepared shall he be, to stop the whims of the deceiver
 And thus, the curse over the world shall lift from thee
 When the blood flows, and the metals will sing,
 Until someone higher into the world that He shall bring
 —B.H. Preston
 
 
 CHAPTER 1
 
 When Kaden woke up to the sweet, aromatic smell of sugary bonberry buns wafting through the air, he knew he had forgotten something special. His mother only baked bonberry buns on consecrated days, days of remembrance, or days of high worship. He lay on his bed, curled up beneath his sleep-warmed blankets, and tried to think of what he ought to be remembering. Was it the anniversary of the Day of Separation? A feast day for Orealus? Or was it one of the unspoken days, days when his mother bowed her head and mixed her tears into the dough she kneaded and shaped, days where a loose word in a sharp ear could bring punishment down on your whole family?
 The berries were at their ripest now, and the hot, crisping sugar buns smelled decadent. Kaden’s stomach churned like butter, informing the rest of him that he wasn’t going to be going back to sleep anytime soon. He wanted to force his stomach into silence somehow—waking up in the morning was always hard for Kaden, and the thought of losing precious minutes of slumber to something as silly as a growling stomach irritated him. He turned his head away from the door and toward his open window, where a delicate breeze that smelled of fresh-cut hay pushed the bonberry scent away. The farmy smell carried his mind outside of these four walls, to his sleepy village of no more than four hundred people at the fringes of the kingdom of Empyrea. Within the village of Ashland, rustic homes