THE Knights of emerald

Anne Robillard

Description

The Knights of Emerald : This epic tale takes place in a forgotten world in a time of great unrest as Amecareth, the Dark Lord of the Insect People, attempts to take over the known universe. It is the story of Kira, the purple child, born of the rape of Queen Fan of Shola by the despicable Emperor, who will ultimately bring about his downfall, and of the brave Knights of Emerald entrusted with her safety.
Book 1 of the saga The Knights of Emerald, Fire in the Sky : Upon learning that Amecareth is preparing to invade the continent once again, the King of Emerald, in an effort to protect all the Kingdoms of Enkidiev, revives an ancient knighthood. Chosen for their special gifts and endowed with mystical powers, six men and one woman become the new Knights of Emerald. Their training now completed, these magical soldiers are about to leave for battle when Queen Fan arrives at the castle requesting an audience with Emerald I. Pressed for time, she leaves in his care her two-year old daughter Kira, fully aware of the part she will be playing in the future of mankind. Wellan, the undisputed leader of the knights, falls in love with the beautiful queen. But the Kingdom of Shola is the first to fall and everyone is slaughtered, including Fan. Heartbroken, Wellan will nonetheless have to come up with a plan to defend Enkidiev and repel the forces of evil.

Informations

• Publié par: WELLAN INC
• Date de parution: 06 octobre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782924442371
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE KNIGHTS OF EMERALD, BOOK 1 : FIRE IN THE SKY
by Anne Robillard © Wellan Inc. 2015
Illustrations © Wellan Inc. 2015


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ISBN: 978-2-924442-37-1



Ebook produced by
ANNE ROBILLARD



The K nights of E merald




Book 1

F IRE IN THE S KY






DIGITAL
C ROSS OF THE O RDER OF
THE K NIGHTS OF E MERALD
M AP OF E NKIDIEV
T HE O RDER of the
K nights of E merald



F irst G eneration



Knight Wellan of Emerald
Squire Bridgess
W
Knight Bergeau of Emerald
Squire Buchanan

Knight Chloe of Emerald
Squire Wanda

Knight Dempsey of Emerald
Squire Kevin

Knight Falcon of Emerald
Squire Wimme

Knight Jasson of Emerald
Squire Nogait

Knight Santo of Emerald
Squire Kerns
1

T HE R ETURN OF THE K NIGHTS

H undreds of years after a terrible war against Amecareth, the emperor of the insect-men, peace came at last to the kingdoms on the great continent of Enkidiev. The spears of Amecareth’s warriors and the fangs of his formidable dragons had slaughtered men, women and children, and the gods themselves had had to intervene so that the human race would not be wiped off the surface of the earth. They ordered one of their immortal servants, the Wizard of Crystal, to raise a great army to which he would grant magic powers. These magnificent soldiers became the first Knights of Emerald and they finally pushed the invaders back into the ocean from whence they came.
Little by little, as the centuries passed, men forgot these tragic events. Only the wizards remembered them, because the stars kept telling them of an ongoing threat that would come from the west. In his great wisdom, King Emerald I, who reigned over the central kingdom at the foot of the Mountain of Crystal, resolved to found a new order of Chivalry whose main duty would be to protect the subjects of Enkidiev. But not just anyone who wanted to could become a Knight. Emerald I wrote up a long list of qualities that a child would have to have from an early age in order to hope to serve, one day, under the shield of Emerald.
The candidate could be male or female as long as he or she displayed an honest and courageous character and showed an aptitude to communicate with the invisible world. The king wanted his Knights to study under his old friend the Wizard Elund, so that they would learn to control their environment, read the signs in the heavens and fight loyally. They would start their lives as Knights in the classrooms of the castle that the king would bequeath to the Order since fate had left him without a successor. These future defenders of justice would stay in school until they were eleven years old, at which time they would become Squires and would devote their attention to the arts of war. Since they would be creating the new Order of the Knights of Emerald they would have to make do with learning to fight from the king’s soldiers. Then, at the age of twenty, they would finally become Knights and each would take a young Squire under his or her wing. Following the wise advice of his wizard, the king decided that a Knight of Emerald should only train one squire at a time. He would be obliged to keep the Squire with him throughout the nine years of the apprenticeship, except if the Squire committed a serious fault against the Order.
Pleased with himself, Emerald I had all of these rules engraved in gold letters on the walls of the courtyard of his castle so that all of his subjects could see them. As well, he sent messengers to proclaim them to the four corners of the continent.
The first children arrived from all the kingdoms and underwent a series of entrance tests that Elund the wizard designed for them. Only seven passed. These seven began at once to study at the castle. Once they had been accepted, the children could never go back to their families, unless they were dismissed by the wizard. From now on the Order would be their home and Emerald would be their surname. They no longer belonged to a specific race or kingdom. They were the heirs and protectors of the whole continent. However, since the king had no intention of creating hermits or outcasts, he allowed them to marry and have children, but only once they had been knighted and during a period of their lives when they did not have a Squire under their care. It was understood that if the Order needed them, for any reason at all, the Knights of Emerald must leave their families and serve the cause.
Of the first seven children, six boys and a girl, four were of royal blood and three were commoners. All had shown exceptional talent right from the cradle. Some had been able to talk almost from birth, others had moved objects without touching them or predicted important events in their kingdoms. They were not ordinary children. Destiny had chosen them to become the new Knights of Emerald.
The king followed their progress closely and soon the castle halls echoed with the sound of their enthusiastic footsteps. No other children would be enrolled until Emerald I was sure that these first pupils could make good on his dream of protection and justice. When they all reached fifteen years old, Emerald I allowed the subjects in Enkidiev to send him other children. Of these, fewer than ten were accepted. After the first seven had been knighted, a third wave of students arrived, but few passed the admission requirements. From then on, the wizard went back and forth among the various grades. The children came from a number of races and some of them were more gifted than others, so he separated them from the group and gave them more difficult assignments. The king had never seen Elund more enthusiastic. He met with him regularly in the great hall and listened to him boast of the progress of his students. Several names cropped up often in his praises, especially that of Wellan.
Born in the Kingdom of Ruby, the young man was the youngest son of King Burge and had inherited his imposing size and strength. Wellan was a head taller than all of his companions-in-arms. He wielded the heaviest of swords with ease and his courage had made him the leader among the Knights in his class. None of them made a decision without consulting him. The king had good reason to be proud of Wellan of Emerald and was waiting confidently to see how he would perform in a situation where the Order had to get involved.
He did not have to wait very long. However, the first time that Wellan distinguished himself was not during a confrontation with an enemy of the kingdom. In fact, it happened in the courtyard of the Castle of Emerald. While they were practicing arms drills, the seven youths heard a raucous clamor outside the fortified walls. Since the castle gates always stood open to the people, the young warriors quickly discovered the source of the din. The peasants were accompanying a group of pilgrims who wore loose-fitting tunics. Their faces were hidden under large cowls, in spite of the burning rays of the afternoon sun.
Wellan stopped the exercise session with a curt wave of his hand and the Knights all turned towards the crowd that was streaming into the courtyard. As the tide of people flowed through the gates, Wellan listened closely with both his ears and his heart. He realized that Emerald I’s subjects were angry and on the point of attacking the pilgrims. Undeterred, he brandished his sword and advanced toward the poor wretches who appeared to be unarmed. His companions quickly imitated him and they surrounded the visitors with swords in hand. The peasants stopped, taken aback by the Knights’ initiative.
“Why are you threatening these folks?” Wellan shouted, his cold eyes piercing the crowd.
“We don’t want them here!” yelled a man.
“They’re from Shola!” screamed another, spitting on the ground.
“Have they tried to attack you?” asked Wellan, looking even taller and more menacing.
No one answered. The pilgrims had stopped in the middle of the circle formed by the Knights in their green tunics and waited patiently to see what would happen. There were only a dozen of them and Wellan could sense no hostility in their hearts.
“All citizens of Enkidiev are entitled to request an audience with the King of Emerald,” he continued in a voice full of authority, “even Sholiens. Go back to your work. We’ll deal with the pilgrims.”
The crowd started grumbling, then muttering and finally left the fortified compound. Wellan waited until all of the peasants had gone before turning to the strangers.
“We thank you, Sir Knight,” said the voice of a woman from under one of the hoods. “We have come a long way to meet with the wisest king on the continent.”
“Whom shall I announce to His Majesty?” Wellan wanted to know, asking in a soft but firm voice.
“Queen Fan of Shola.”
The Knights of Emerald exchanged worried glances as they sheathed their swords, but they did not say a word. The decision to present the Sholiens to the king depended on Wellan. The queen guessed what