Road To Shandara (Book One of The Safanarion Order)

ROAD TO SHANDARA

Ken Lozito

ROAD TO SHANDARA

ISBN: 978-0-9899319-0-8

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental. Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
 

Copyright © 2013 by Acoustical Books, LLC. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
 

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Published by Acoustical Books, LLC

KenLozito.com

Cover Design: Diana Chitulescu

For my wife, Michelle.

C
HAPTER
1

THE AWAKENING

MOST DAYS IN June were sunny and warm enough to not be hot, and this was no exception. The sweet scent of wisteria whisked across the well manicured college campus. It was the time of year when the soft top to his Jeep barely saw the light of day. There was nothing like driving with the top down and the wind blowing through your hair…freedom.

The drive out to the stables never took long, but as he rounded the corner, bright flashing red lights from police cars dominated the driveway to the house. Aaron quickly parked the Jeep and ran up. Zeus, his grandfather’s wolf halfbreed stood at the top of the stairs leading to the house, teeth bared challengingly.
 

Aaron spotted his mother, “What’s going on. Is grandpa ok?”

His mother turned to him, “I don’t know. We can’t get in. Zeus won’t let anyone pass.”

“Ma’am,” A police officer interrupted. “If we can’t get the dog out of there we’re going to have to put him down.”

“No,” Aaron said stepping up to the stairs, “Let me try.”
 

There was no way Aaron was going to let them shoot Zeus who had been in the family for years.

“Easy boy,” he said slowly. “It’s me.”

Zeus narrowed his eyes at him with his ears pinned back on his head. His whole body quivered with his tail between his legs. Aaron took another step forward. Zeus bared all his teeth now, unveiling the peaks of the rocky mountains inside his mouth.

Aaron never took his eyes from him, his stare neither challenging nor yielding. “Zeus,” he said evenly, going down on one knee. He never would have thought that Zeus would attack him, but today he wasn’t so sure.

“Come here Zeus,” he said more firmly. “I need to get in there boy. Come on.” Still growling and ears back, but not bearing any teeth Zeus reluctantly took a step forward.

“It’s ok, show me where he is. Take me to him.” Zeus’s ears perked up and the panic left his eyes in an instant. Whining Zeus turned tail and trotted into the house with Aaron in tow.

Aaron leaped up the stairs not stopping to see if anyone was following. He entered his grandfather’s house calling out, but there was no answer. Everything looked normal and in its place, but something felt wrong. There was a coldness in the air despite the warm weather outside. His grandfather led a simple life style and was the type of man that when he spoke, you wanted to listen and earn his respect. His calming nature brought out the best in people.

Aaron followed Zeus through the house and down the back hallway leading to the study. He entered the room and found his grandfather lying on the floor.

Oh no!

His grandfather sighed in relief as Aaron quickly knelt beside him. He had a trace of blood on the side of his mouth. His grandfather, who had always been a vibrant man even into his eighties and was in better health than most, lay helplessly on the floor. He looked like he was struggling to say something, gesturing with his hand for Aaron to lean down.

“Come closer,” he whispered placing something in Aaron’s hands. “Keep it safe,” he gasped.

“What’s wrong?” Aaron asked.

His grandfather’s face writhed in pain and he took ragged breathes, “Oh Aaron. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” He said between gasps. His body convulsed violently and his back arched while Aaron held onto him crying out. Then his body relaxed with a great sigh, “Stay…” His grandfather whispered and Aaron watched in silent horror as the life passed from his eyes.

Aaron heard others enter the room, but didn’t care. He knelt there clutching his grandfather’s lifeless body. Eventually a gentle but strong hand gripped his shoulder, “It’s time to let go son,” his father beckoned.

No
, Aaron thought stubbornly.

“Aaron please," his father said quietly and Aaron carefully laid his grandfather’s head down on to the floor. His father gently ran his fingers over his grandfather’s eyes closing them. At first glance Aaron would have believed that he lay sleeping, he wanted to believe it more than anything, but he knew the truth.

He stood up and slowly turned, clenching his teeth trying for all he was worth not to break down and cry. He was eye level with his father who was also a man of great size, but the sight of his father’s eyes brimming with tears made the breath catch in his throat. His mother cried out and he watched helplessly as she collapsed over his grandfather. His father knelt down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. He stood there helplessly, watching his parents hold each other and one thing kept registering in his mind over and over. His grandfather Reymius was dead and this world was less of a place for his passing.

Aaron opened his hand and looked at the object that his grandfather had handed him. It was a silver medallion with a white pearl in the center. The medallion had a carved relief of a dragon holding a rose. There was a slight shimmer to it as it caught the light, and after studying it for a few moments he stuffed the medallion in his pocket and walked stiffly from the room.

The rest of the day passed as if it were happening to someone else. Aaron was numb to the world, his thoughts racing in every direction not daring to let the pain well up inside him. He needed to do something. Anything as long as he was moving. He ran over to the stables and saddled Sam, a chestnut bay stallion and put as much distance between him and the house as possible. Beyond the stables was a wide open field bathed in sunshine. The gentle swaying of the grass and distant trees mocked him. Sam snorted anxiously sensing his unrest. The trailhead on the far side beckoned him and he took off at a gallop.

Aaron noticed a shadow out of the corner of his eye and saw Zeus following along. He just had to keep moving as fast as Sam would take him. He wanted to fly and Zeus flew with him. He veered off the trail and headed into the woods dodging through the rocks and trees. Faster and faster cutting each turn tighter until the branches tore at him scraping through his shirt. He rode as if he were being chased. Keeping him on the edge and pushing the envelope with the dreaded promise that if he slowed down he would be swallowed up. Zeus ran with him darting in and out of sight like a spirit. He didn’t know how long he rode, but cliffs appeared before him in the waning sunlight and he stopped suddenly. Aaron gazed out at the small valley before him, his heart pounding. Sam snorted and pawed at the ground feeding off his need to keep moving.

Aaron stepped off his horse and fell to his knees letting out a silent wail. Here he felt stripped bare before the world, the sudden mortal awareness that surrounds us everyday becoming a reality for him. Grief overtook him like gushing water breaking though a dam upon the walls of his heart. His anguish welled up from the pit of his stomach and he let out a piercing scream that echoed through the valley.
 

Zeus nuzzled his pocket and he reached inside taking out the medallion. Why did his grandfather give it to him?
Keep it safe,
he had told him, but safe from what? He traced his fingers along the foreign symbols that surrounded the creamy white pearl in the center. At first he thought it was silver, but the way the metal felt and shone in the light led him to believe otherwise. His grandfather Reymius had been his mentor. He had mourned the loss of his wife Cassandra, who died before Aaron was born. He had fought wars, but would not speak of it. His past, like his pain was shrouded in mystery. With the sun beginning to settle
 
and shoulders slumped, he started back to the house.

Aaron decided to walk leading Sam and Zeus followed. He knew the land well, but he was glad for Zeus’s company. The long walk back to the house allowed him to calm down in the rhythmic pace of walking and breathing. By the time he got back to the house it was
 
dark and deserted. He took care of Sam by way of brushing and giving him some food, then thanked him for the ride. He thought about going into the house, but decided to go to the sparring room instead.

The sparring room was adjacent to the main house, but was only accessible from the outside. He removed his shoes before entering, a habit instilled in him for as long as he could remember. Hanging along the walls were all manner of weaponry from staffs to swords of all sizes and Aaron knew how to use them all. His father would say he knew them too well, but he had a natural ability for these types of things that his grandfather nurtured in him.
 

He knelt in the center of the room facing a marble fountain. Water fell gently upon smaller leaf pools in succession until at last it trickled to a pool at the base. The soft rhythmic cascade of water soothed him and lulled him into a sense of inner peace. There were two wooden columns his grandfather had carved from Mahogany, and the soft candlelight danced along the columns caressing the carved relief of roses spiraling up from its base. He shut his eyes taking slow, deep breaths, seeking his calm center of being, the place where he could quiet his mind.

He could feel a slight vibration through the floorboards coming from the fountain. Opening his eyes, he caught a glimpse of something disturbing the water. He crossed the room and stared down into the shallow depths and noticed a small silver ring bobbing among the water plants along the bottom. He reached into the cool water and tugged. Sounds of pins driving into place could be heard under the floor as some unseen mechanism was put into motion. Aaron turned and saw a gapping hole open in the center of the room revealing stairs that led into darkness.

Aaron stood atop the narrow staircase looking down and a bluish glow emanated from below. He descended the staircase, which opened into a small room where a cylinder hung suspended in mid-air surrounded by a blue pulsing glow. Below the cylinder was a worn stone chest and an unnamed presence filled him with warmth and reassurance. It gently beckoned him forward and inside his pocket he felt the medallion grow warm. He drew out the medallion and gasped as the white pearl began pulsing, growing brighter as he brought it closer to the cylinder. He touched the cylinder and there was a blue flash of light and the cylinder came to rest upon the chest. A lock clicked from within and the lid groaned open sending a cloud of dust into the air. Aaron peered inside and saw a letter with his name on it in his grandfather’s handwriting resting upon a white cloth bundle. With shaky hands he reached in and opened the letter.

Dear Aaron,

I hoped you would find this letter. I have enjoyed our time together. You have brought joy and light back into a heart that was clouded in darkness and despair. Your grandmother Cassandra would have been proud to see you become the man you are today and will rest easier knowing her sacrifice was not in vain. There are things that will happen with my passing that I am powerless to prevent, but I must have faith that you will overcome the obstacles ahead of you. There are things about me that I have never told you about both my past and where your true home is. One day soon, you will discover that your life is nothing like you thought it would be. You have a power that will arise and I fear that as I write this our time together has become short indeed. I have seen the signs of its coming recently and so will you when you quiet your mind. The training that I have provided will aid you in reaping the benefits of your coming gifts…And more importantly, will help you stay alive for there is always a price to be paid for such things. Always remember that fate uses us to its own ends, but it will never take away our right to decide. Choose wisely, but you must choose when the time comes. Death comes swiftly to those who tarry in the middle of the road. These things you have found along with this letter are yours. The medallion is your birthright, keep it safe. Both your Faith and your Fate are tied into these items. When you look deep within yourself allow the Falcons to come and defend you. They are your heritage. Use them well. Worlds will change but in the deepest darkest depths remember who you are and there will always be hope. The light of our souls never truly fades and may the light shine forever upon your path.