The Omen Read online

  Eden’s Gate

  Book 5: The Omen

  Edward Brody

  Copyright © 2018 by Edward Brody

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Author’s Notes

  Introduction

  After the turmoil in the Arena, Gunnar retreats from Highcastle and attempts to maintain a low profile while the heat regarding Reborns subsides.

  Avoiding the human cities, he sets out to unexplored lands with guild mates and a potential new recruit. But when his Great Beast goes missing, a simple quest turns into a troubling chain of events that spawns several unanswered questions.

  Why is Sora unresponsive? And why are dragons threatening the inhabitants of Eden's Gate?

  The King’s health may be postponing Dryden’s plans, but Gunnar’s saboteurs might have disturbed something that could be even more devastating than a Bloodletter invasion. Can Gunnar mend the thin thread that’s holding the world from falling into chaos, and after more than a month in Eden’s Gate, will he finally cave to the temptations of an elf?

  “Each betrayal begins with trust.”

  -Martin Luther OSA

  Chapter One

  2/3/0001

  People in the Arena’s stands were falling over and running in every direction as the red dragon swung its head left and right, getting a closer look at the attendees. The dragon’s brow seemed to crease in curiosity, and with its mouth parted slightly, it looked like it was smiling at its next big meal.

  But oddly, it made no effort to attack. It just shook its head, snorted, and turned its attention back towards the center of the Arena.

  The street prophet was cowering on the ground with his arm raised above his head and his lips quivering with fear.

  With all the chaos happening around me, I took the opportunity to grab my gear from the pool of my own blood on the ground. It seemed like the best chance to escape the awkward situation and get away without dying yet again.

  The dragon let out another roar as I stepped into my leather pants and moved to slide my chestpiece on. I flinched at the sound and air pressure from the dragon’s lungs. I was just as frightened as everyone else in the Arena that the dragon was going to devour me, but the prophet on the ground was literally begging for his life.

  “No…no, no…” he whined, his voice sounding like he was on the verge of tears. “By Eden’s Gate, please no…”

  The dragon shook its head and blinked as if it suddenly came out of a daze, turned its gaze to the left to see people fleeing, then suddenly launched up in to the air. It hovered above for a moment, looking down at the scene unfolding below, but then it spun and flew away.

  With all my gear on, I picked up my loose items and was thankful to see that my keychain was there with my house key still attached. Though I had been forced to bind at the unearthed runestone and subsequently killed, I was thankful that my body hadn’t been robbed.

  I turned around, looking for an escape route, but all the doors to the fighting grounds were shut, and the walls were a little too tall to scale. There was no other obvious way out.

  In the stands, people were getting trampled on as they continued to fight their way towards the exit, and amongst the pushing and shoving, a few scuffles had broken out. Amidst the screams of fear, I heard shoving, falling, and fists slamming into jaws. “It’s an omen!” someone shouted.

  Shit, I thought as I unsheathed my sword and started running for the closest door. I needed to get out as soon as possible, and the only thing I could think to do was to try to break my way through. I wasn’t sure if I could cut an opening out with my sword or not, but I was certain that nothing good would come of staying inside the fighting grounds.

  As I ran, there was sudden flash of light, so bright that I temporarily only saw white. I felt a numbingly cold energy smash into my back, and I was pushed forward at a tremendous speed and towards the wall ahead of me. I was thrust forward so fast that my body was forced into a backbend at the center where it was being struck.

  My chest slammed into the wall, and my head snapped forward, making a cracking noise as it made contact. My sword fell out of my hand, and I felt as if I were pinned in place for a long moment. But then the energy pushing into my back receded, and I tumbled to the ground below.

  I groaned and coughed as I tried picking myself off the ground, grabbing my sword at the same time. My vision was clearing from the bright flash of light, but I felt dazed from the impact with the wall. 40% of my health was gone.

  I turned my head to the side to find the source of the attack. The prophet was still lying on the ground, but in his hand was a shiny white sphere. He was holding it out in my direction as he started pushing himself off the ground, making sure his eyes stayed glued to me the whole time.

  “You can’t leave here,” he hissed with heavy breaths. His face was droopy, his eyes were wide, and his mouth was hanging open, like he was still disturbed by the dragon that had just left the Arena. A bit of moisture was on his cheekbones, so he must have actually been crying.

  “What do you want from me?” I groaned as I slowly managed my way back to my feet.

  “Knowledge,” the man said.

  “Knowledge?”

  He raised his chin slightly as he started pacing towards me. “The prophecy says that Reborns will reshape the world. It behooves the people of Eden’s Gate to know everything and anything about you—what you’re capable of and how you became what you are. We cannot leave you immortals to your own devices.”

  I sighed and raised my sword out in front of me. “I assure you that Reborns seek to bring you no harm.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to fight you.”

  “Then come with me, and let us study you.” He used his free hand to motion me towards him. “Help us learn about the Reborns, so that we can become one and feel safe here in our homes.”

  I shook my head again and creased my brow. “There’s nothing special about us other than our ability to respawn. And I can’t follow you to be ‘studied’ or whatever. I have things to take care of, people to take care of.”

  “Then I’ll force you,” the prophet hissed.

  Inside of the white orb, which was half the size of a volleyball, a large black eye seemed to shift from the hidden back end of the orb to the front and made a slithering sound as it moved. Once it was fully aligned forward, the eye darted left and right, then stopped and looked as if it was staring right at me. The bearded man thrust the orb forward, and there was a blinding light again. I instinctively threw my arm over my eyes and ducked.

  Divine Sight, I thought.

  I glanced up from behind my arm to see a beam of white energy shoot out of the eye and head straight for me. I flopped to the ground, barely avoiding the beam, and the energy smashed into the wall behind me, violently ripping wood and metal fibers from it.

  I scrambled away and started running as the bearded man used the orb to shoot beam after beam of energy my way, nearly hitting me each time. I thrust my hand out, shooting a sloppy Arcane Missile at the man which caused him to duck and temporarily pause his attack. I veered and started running his way, shooting another missile, and another, but again he dodged each one; he was more agile than he appeared.

  As he was lifting his hand up to shoot another beam of energy from his orb, a door behind him slid open, and Commander Eldrich stepped onto the fighting grounds with a group of ten or so men behind him.

  “Lower your weapon, Solomon!” the commander ordered loudly.

  The bearded man turned and gritted his teeth before yelling, “He’s a Reborn, commander! Send your men for him, not me!”

  “I won’t ask you again,” the commander said sternly. “Lower your weapon.” He tilted his head towards me. “You too, Gunnar. Put your sword away.”

  I reluctantly sheathed my sword, and Solomon gradually lowered his orb hand as he stared defiantly at the commander. “Very well, Commander. If you can safely restrain this man, I will leave it to you.”

  The commander started marching forward. “You’ll be coming with us immediately for your crimes, Solomon.”

  “Crimes?!” Solomon sn
apped. “No…”

  “Yes,” the commander countered.

  “No!” Solomon shouted, and lifted his orb hand towards the commander.

  “Duck, men!” the commander shouted, covering his eyes.

  There was another flash of light, and then another white beam of bright energy shot out towards the commander and his men. They all managed to duck just in time for the energy to pass overhead and crash into the wall behind them.

  “Scatter!” the commander yelled, and the soldiers around him started scrambling to their feet and running in different directions.

  Solomon continued his onslaught, releasing beams of energy at the soldiers and even managed to connect with a few, pushing them against the wall and knocking them to the ground. For a moment, I stood frozen, unsure if I should act or leave it to the commander and his men, but as soon as I grabbed the hilt of my sword to help, the commander called me off.

  “Stand back, Gunnar!” Commander Eldrich yelled as he unsheathed a long, thick sword and started running for Solomon.

  Solomon thrust his orb directly toward the commander, and as the long beam of energy shot towards him, the commander suddenly fell back onto his side, kicked his feet forward, and slid across the ground towards Solomon, kicking up a wave of dirt on the way.

  Solomon tried to adjust the powerful orb down, its energy pouring out and making contact with the flying dirt. But the commander was fast, and before the beam found its target, the bottom of his feet struck Solomon’s legs, causing him to fall forward and the orb to slip out of his hands.

  When the strange sphere rolled away and stopped, I saw the eye inside of it suddenly retract to some inner hiding place, turning the sphere back into a plain, white ball.

  Solomon was pushing himself to his knees, spitting dirt out of his mouth as the commander quickly rose and took a step towards him. He grabbed Solomon by the back of his robe, yanked him up, and whipped his heavy sword around ‘til it was right against the bearded man’s neck.

  “When I say ‘yes’, it means yes,” the commander hissed.

  Solomon swallowed hard and looked terrified, but he didn’t say anything.

  The commander turned towards me. “Gunnar, follow my soldiers’ orders.”

  Before I knew it, two men were flanking me, and each one put a strong tugging hand on my shoulder.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked.

  The commander cleared his throat. “Any other time, I’d take you to the prison while we figured things out, but due to this odd circumstance, you’ll both be heading directly in front of the King.”

  Chapter Two

  2/3/0001

  When we exited the arena, there were several citizens standing around looking towards the sky. Some were gossiping in fearful tones, and some were watching the bald, maroon-robed men being restrained by additional Highcastle soldiers. I saw one of the robed men lying on the ground covered in blood, looking like he had been killed.

  Highcastle soldiers were marching around all around the city, and the wide eyes and long faces of the citizens told me that everyone was scared. “It’s an omen of dark times,” one citizen whined.

  As the commander and his men led me and Solomon towards the castle, many of the people turned to look at us, and their eyes grew wide when they caught sight of me.

  “Reborn…” I saw one of them mouth but not say out loud.

  When we reached the front of the castle, the guards quickly opened the doors and stepped aside. Inside, I saw the Queen and Princess in their chairs, Windsor standing nearby, and in front of the King’s throne was a man with long, blond hair and a cloak running down his back.

  The man turned around as we entered, and I recognized him right away as the commander I had seen the day Adeelee and I approached the battle between Highcastle soldiers and the orcs near the wastelands. He was the man who had been fighting the commander orc. He bore a strong resemblance to Commander Eldrich, almost as if they were brothers, though this man had a softer jawline.

  “Commander Eldrich,” the man said with a smile. His face quickly turned to a frown as his eyes darted between me and Solomon.

  My attention was immediately drawn away from the man when he stepped forward. I was surprised to see that immediately behind him was the King, and he was no longer in his wheelchair. He was sitting upright in his throne, and his head was raised high. His skin was brighter and tighter than the last time I saw him; it was if he had grown ten years younger overnight.

  “Commander Atwood,” Commander Eldrich replied. “I take it you’ve briefed the King on everything?”

  Commander Atwood nodded. “Indeed.”

  Commander Eldrich cleared his throat. “The Arena is secure, and any Faithsworn still in the city are being apprehended.”

  “Pssht,” Solomon hissed.

  Commander Eldrich snarled and pushed Solomon ahead until he was right before the King. Solomon kneeled without instruction. The soldiers behind me gave me a gentle shove, and I also stepped forward and kneeled.

  “Well done, commander,” King Rutherford said, his voice firm and much less raspy than it had been the last time I heard him speak.

  Commander Atwood stepped to the side as soon as the King spoke so that he wouldn’t obstruct anyone’s view.

  The King shook his head as he looked down. “Solomon Creed… What on Earth have you done now?”

  “No more than a favor for Highcastle, Your Majesty. Now, everyone will know that the prophecy has arrived. We can move forward with knowledge that the Reborns are real and all around us. Today should be cause for celebration!”

  The King huffed. “You attacked the Arena and caused mass hysteria. People are dead because of your actions.”

  “Are they now?” Solomon asked cockily. “A small price for the truth, I’d say.”

  The King closed his eyes, and the skin around them wrinkled before he sighed. “I must say that I’m grateful to know the truth.” The King’s eyes opened and he briefly turned towards me. “The Reborns have indeed come, I suppose. The reports I’ve received from witnesses detailed that Gunnar’s corpse disappeared just as he re-manifested before everyone’s eyes, without any sort of magic intervention.”

  “Yes, and now you see the peril that lies ahead!” Solomon cried. “The Reborns are here! They will shape the world and none of us will matter now! The prophecy is true!”

  There was a long moment of silence, and I noticed the Princess staring at me, her eyes wide, her chest heaving. She swallowed hard. The Queen was also staring, but her demeanor was much calmer, though it didn’t hide the worry on her face.

  “How did you know?” the King finally asked. “How did you know that he was a Reborn?”

  “This may be the answer, my lord,” Commander Eldrich said before Solomon could respond. He reached into a bag strapped to his side, pulled out Solomon’s white orb, and held it out in front of him. The eye inside the orb suddenly slithered to the front.

  There was an audible gasp from the royals.

  “Is that an eye of the Old Ones!?” the Queen cried, her jaw hanging wide.

  “How did you get this?!” the King asked harshly.

  Solomon looked to his side, but he didn’t answer.

  “Do you realize how dangerous this is?!” the King snapped. “You risk cursing all of Highcastle by bringing this here!”

  “Better than being destroyed by the immortals,” Solomon countered.

  The King’s eyes flickered to me then back to Solomon. “Immortal or not, Highcastle’s fate is not yours to choose, Solomon. I should execute you for this!”