King (Books of the Infinite Book #3) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - J. Larson R.

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

186 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Fantasy Meets the Old Testament in a Novel That Will Reach Readers of All AgesAgainst his wishes and desires, Akabe of Siphra has been chosen by his people to be King. But what does a warrior know of ruling during peacetime? Guided by the Infinite, Akabe seeks to rebuild the Temple in the city of Munra to give the sacred books of Parne a home. But dangerous factions are forming in the background. To gain the land he needs, Akabe must forsake the yearnings of his heart and instead align himself through marriage to the Thaenfall family.Meanwhile, Kien Lantec and Ela Roeh are drawn still closer together...while becoming pawns in a quest to gain power over the region. As questions of love and faith become tangled with lies and murderous plots, each must seek the Infinite to guide them through an ever more tangled web of intrigue and danger.

Sujets

Science fiction

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 juillet 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441261427
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0202€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

© 2013 by R. J. Larson
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-6142-7
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Wes Youssi/M.80 Design
Cover photography by Steve Gardner, PixelWorks Studio, Inc.
Author is represented by Hartline Literary Agency
To Larson, Robert, and Katharin
Love always, Mom
P.S. Thanks for cleaning the kitchen!
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Character List
Map
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
About the Author
Back Ad
Back Cover
Character List
Akabe Garric \Ah- cabe Gair -rick\ Former Siphran rebel. The Infinite’s chosen king of Siphra.
Barth of Siymont \Barth See -mont\ Royal page and son of Lord Ruis of Siymont.
Ela Roeh \ El -ah Roe -eh\ Prophet of the vanquished city-state of Parne.
Lord Faine \Fane\ Akabe’s chief advisor.
Ruis of Siymont \Roo- es See -mont\ A lord of Siphra. Father of Barth.
Matron Prill \Prill\ Ela’s chaperone.
Cyan Thaenfall \ Sigh -an Thane -fall\ Siphran lord and suspected Atean. Caitria’s father.
Kien Lantec \ Kee -en Lan -tek\ Military judge-advocate for the Tracelands.
Ishvah Nesac \Ish- vaw Ness -ak\ The Infinite’s chief priest of the vanquished city-state of Parne.
Dan Roeh \Dan Roe -eh\ Ela’s father.
Kalme Roeh \ Call -may Roe -eh\ Ela’s mother.
Rade Lantec \Raid Lan -tek\ Kien’s father. The Tracelands’ preeminent statesman.
Ara Lantec \ Are -ah Lan -tek\ Rade Lantec’s wife. Kien’s mother.
Beka Thel \ Bek -ah Thell\ Jon Thel’s wife. Kien’s sister.
Jon Thel \Jon Thell\ A Tracelands military commander. Beka’s husband.
General Rol \Rawl\ The Tracelands’ General of the Army.
Bryce \Brice\ Steward or Chief Servant of Aeyrievale.
Riddig Tyne\ Rid -ig Tine\ Akabe’s field surgeon.
Ruestock \ Roo -stock\ Exiled former Siphran ambassador to the Tracelands.
Caitria Thaenfall \Kay- tree -ah Thane -fall\ Daughter of Cyan Thaenfall.
Bel-Tygeon \Bell- Ty -jee-on\ King of Belaal.
Rtial Vioc \ Reh -tee-al Vee- oak \ A commander of Belaal.
Dasarai \Da- Sar -ay\ Princess of Belaal. Sovereign of Women’s Palace.

1
A salt-tinged ocean breeze lifted Akabe of Siphra’s gold-embellished mantle as he stood on the uppermost white marble step before his country’s razed, ruined Temple of the Infinite. Bracing himself, he called to the crowds below, “Today we have gathered to reclaim a treasure vital to Siphra, and vital to our journey through this life the Infinite’s Holy House!”
Earsplitting whistles and shouts of approval echoed all around Akabe, easing his fears. Affirmations of his decision to rebuild this place of worship, which had been toppled by his brutal predecessors.
As he waited for the enthusiastic uproar to fade, Akabe studied the multitudes in the white-paved public square below the steps. Arrayed in bright robes and mantles, the citizens of Munra, Siphra’s capital, met his gaze, respectful, yet pleased. They quieted now, listening. To him . An almost-nobody rebel and hunter . . . turned king.
Who could ever dream of such a swift, unexpected rise to power? Not Akabe. Truly, his people were insane. Why had they accepted him as their king?
Yet he must honor their decision. Now he would earn his place and their continued esteem.
Clearing his throat, Akabe proclaimed, “Therefore, as we celebrate the first day of work in restoring this Holy House, I ask you all to rededicate yourselves and this place to the Infinite! Let Munra and Siphra be worthy of such a glorious and sacred crown!
“In generations past, the Infinite’s Holy House was Siphra’s glory a gathering place for our people as we worshiped our Creator. Now, as your king, I decree that this Holy House shall be built again, on this same historic, consecrated ground, acclaimed by the priests of old as the Infinite’s own land. This place must ever be His alone in Siphra! This sacred site that our oppressors defiled, as they devastated . . . and killed . . . our defenseless people. . . .”
Akabe paused, remembering all the precious lives lost before the recent revolution. He eyed the crowd in a bid for composure.
No help there. Many of the women were now weeping into their scarves and veils, while here and there men sniffed and blinked, or rubbed their noses into their long sleeves. Not a family had been left untouched by the terrors of the previous reign.
Fighting back his own tears, Akabe forged ahead. “Today we remember our loved ones torn from our lives by hatred! We recall their courage and their sacrifices as we feast with our workers at the very foundations of our previous temple. Let those who sought to destroy all worship of the Infinite in Siphra see that by the Infinite’s mercy, we have survived! And I, your king with all my might! will guard your freedoms to worship our Creator! This Holy House will again become Munra’s blessed crown!”
Munra’s citizens yelled their agreement, the men stomping and cheering, the women waving colorful scarves in celebration. Akabe exhaled, acknowledging his subjects with a grin and a wave. Success! He might yet amount to something as king.
Akabe the First. Scruffy revolutionary. Rebuilder of Siphra’s glorious temple.
Laughable thought. Sobering, actually . . .
Standing almost beside him as usual, Lord Faine Akabe’s chief advisor leaned into view now, his elaborately sculpted and waxed gray beard twitching with enthusiasm. “Majesty, they’re overwhelmingly for you!”
“Yes, and I don’t understand why.” Followed by his gossiping, overdressed entourage, Akabe walked with Faine across the ruined temple’s vast stone terrace, their booted feet sending bits of pale rock clattering with every step. “Until now, I’ve done nothing to merit my people’s approval.”
Faine harrumphed disagreement. “You believe that protecting others during the revolution and then defeating Belaal our most hostile neighboring country in battle was nothing?”
“I did not defeat Belaal, Lord Faine. The Infinite did. Give tribute to the One who deserves glory.”
“Ah, very true. Then, sir, it must be that your people are pleased because you’ve not asked for new taxes to rebuild this temple.”
Akabe laughed. “Aha! At last, the terrible truth! They love me because I haven’t spent their money.” As he spoke, Akabe glimpsed a small flurry of movement to his left. Barth, his youngest page and heir to Lord Siymont, skittered across the broad stone pavings, his short official crimson cloak askew as he chased an undoubtedly terrified miniature lizard.
Biting down a grin, Akabe shot a look at the boy’s stately tutor, Master Croleut, who obviously feared to break formation from Akabe’s attendants much less to physically restrain a powerful nobleman’s heir.
When Master Croleut hesitated, Akabe sighed. “Barth!”
Instantly, the little boy straightened himself, but not his cloak. Flushed from the failed chase, he offered Akabe a gap-toothed smile and lisped, “Sir? I mean . . . Majesty?”
Akabe tipped his chin. “Time for lessons, Barth.”
Barth scrunched his nose as if smelling something vile. He threw an accusing glance at Croleut, who hissed at the boy, “Sst! Young sir, manners! Bow to the king!”
Barth trotted to Akabe, bowed, then protested, “But, Majesty, I finished today’s lessons.”
A valiant plea, but worthless. For the sake of training, Akabe pretended sternness. “With Master Croleut, yes. With the prophet, no. And you’ll behave for the Prophet Ela while I inspect the temple site, Barth. No arguing with her or with the other students. I command you.”
“Yes, sir.” The little boy’s gloom deepened. But then he raised his dark eyebrows at Akabe in a teasing manner he’d obviously inherited from his father, Ruis, Lord Siymont. “Is she pretty?”
Beautiful , Akabe wanted to say. But caution restrained him. An unmarried king must avoid praising any lady overmuch, even to a child. Why provoke gossip? “You will like her. She’s defeated monsters and survived battles.”
And Ela had anointed him as king at the Infinite’s command. One deed Akabe wished she’d left undone.
He’d never wanted to be king. Worse, the Infinite had given Akabe this appalling responsibility with no true explanation or direction. Not even from His prophets. Therefore, he must make his own decisions and work for the Infinite’s glory and for Siphra’s people.
Leading his retinue, Akabe crossed the gravel-strewn terrace, his conviction becoming more assured with each brisk step. Surely he couldn’t have chosen a more magnificent, unifying task than to restore the Infinite’s Holy House to Siphra. For the Infinite.
Surely the Infinite was pleased.

Unwittingly testing Akabe’s patience, Lord Faine talked nonstop as they marched across the temple site. Faine’s broad, ring-garnished hands accented his intonations. “ . . . and we are blessed, Majesty, that the foundations remain from the first temple. This will speed along the new temple and reduce costs.” Lowering his voice, glancing around, Faine added, “As a result, Parne’s treasury alone ought to easily fund the work.”
His lord-counselor’s caution was