Thy Father's Shadow (Book 4.5) (41 page)

I think I could have forgiven Vara, if it had been her to do it
, Terian thought, his breaths coming choked now.
But Cyrus? The favorite?

He pictured Alaric as he’d seen him on the bridge. The helm blocked almost all view of his face when he’d appeared—just after that damned bestial scourge king showed up, the one that they called Drettanden—but Terian knew.

He knew. He could read Alaric even with his helm on.

The disappointment was a tangible thing. It had been obvious by the set of his jaw, by the slight squint of his one good eye as he’d looked at Terian while they stood together on the bridge.

“Alaric …” Terian had said, staring at the Ghost of Sanctuary. “I … I … I failed.”

“I know,” Alaric had said.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” Terian had said, staring at the Ghost. Waiting. Waiting for guidance. For forgiveness.

For anything.

“I believe in you,” Alaric had said.

“Even still?” Terian’s voice had sounded brittle in his own ears.

“Always.” Alaric had not even blinked, that much had been obvious even through the disappointment. “Remember … redemption is a path you must walk every day.”

Terian felt the choking sense of his throat closing and fought the pain enough to stay on his feet. The smell of the jungle night was rich around him, earthy. The salt air was still present but faded now. Terian felt the stiff lines on his cheeks and eyes where the tears had faded, and he leaned against a tree for support.

“I’m sorry,” he said to the empty darkness. “I just … don’t know what to do.”

“Perhaps I can help with that,” came a voice from out of the dark. Terian whirled and saw a figure moving under the shadow of a tree. A black hood swept down with the motion of hands, and a thin, skeletal face showed itself beneath.

“Malpravus,” Terian said, and his sword was back in his hand. He stared at the necromancer, the dry, choking feeling in his throat threatening to overcome him.

“Dear boy,” Malpravus said, pulling his fingers together to steeple them as he took another step toward Terian. A smile of confidence, of reassurance—of glee—broke onto his bony face. “Might I offer you … a path?”

Terian stared at him for a long moment, stared at him, blade shaking in his grasp, not sure how to respond.

And then, slowly, he sheathed his sword.

A(nother few) Word(s) From the Author

So that was Terian’s story. Or at least the first part of his story. There’s more to come, as you’ll see on the next page, because let’s face it - I can’t just leave him in the apparent clutches of Malpravus and call it a day. Well, okay, maybe I could, but I don’t want you all to hate me, so there’s another Terian book (with some others as well) after Sanctuary, Volume Five.

If you want to know as soon as I release the next book (because I don't do release dates - there's a good reason, I swear),
CLICK HERE
to sign up for my mailing list. I promise I won’t spam you (I only send an email when I have a new book released) and I’ll never sell your info. You can also unsubscribe at any time. You might want to sign up, because in case you haven't noticed, these books keep showing up unexpectedly early. You just never know when the next will get here...

I also wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading this story. As an independent author, getting my name out to build an audience is one of the biggest priorities on any given day. If you enjoyed this story and are looking forward to reading more, let someone know - post it on the site you bought the book from, on your blog (if you have one), on Goodreads.com, place it in a quick Facebook status or Tweet with a link to the page of whatever outlet you purchased it from. Good reviews inspire people to take a chance on a new author – like me. And we new authors can use all the help we can get.
 

I appreciate your support and thanks for reading!

Robert J. Crane

Cyrus Davidon will return in

Master

The Sanctuary Series

Volume Five

Coming Fall 2014!

AND

Rejoin Terian Lepos
 

(and others) in Saekaj Sovar in

Fated in Darkness

The Sanctuary Series

Volume 5.5

Coming 2015!

Other Works by Robert J. Crane

The Sanctuary Series

Epic Fantasy

Defender: The Sanctuary Series, Volume One

Avenger: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Two

Champion: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Three

Crusader: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Four

Sanctuary Tales, Volume One - A Short Story Collection

Thy Father's Shadow: The Sanctuary Series, Volume 4.5

Master: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Five* (Coming Fall 2014!)

Fated in Darkness: The Sanctuary Series, Volume 5.5* (Coming 2015!)

The Girl in the Box

Contemporary Urban Fantasy

Alone: The Girl in the Box, Book 1

Untouched: The Girl in the Box, Book 2

Soulless: The Girl in the Box, Book 3

Family: The Girl in the Box, Book 4

Omega: The Girl in the Box, Book 5

Broken: The Girl in the Box, Book 6

Enemies: The Girl in the Box, Book 7

Legacy: The Girl in the Box, Book 8

Destiny: The Girl in the Box, Book 9

Power: The Girl in the Box, Book 10* (Coming Late Summer 2014!)

Limitless: Out of the Box, Book 1* (Coming Late 2014!)

In the Wind: Out of the Box, Book 2* (Coming Late 2014/Early 2015!)

Southern Watch

Contemporary Urban Fantasy

Called: Southern Watch, Book 1

Depths: Southern Watch, Book 2

Corrupted: Southern Watch, Book 3* (Coming Summer 2014!)

Unearthed: Southern Watch, Book 4* (Coming Late 2014!)

*Forthcoming

Acknowledgments, Part 17

I work on so many books that sometimes it's hard for me to remember who all had a part in them. I've mostly got an established crew, but there are just so many people who chip in with an idea or a little help that I always feel like I'm missing someone. Here's my best effort, nonetheless:

Erin Kane, Jessica Kelishes and Jo Evans helped me put the final polish on the manuscript by stomping out those last troublesome errors.

Sarah Barbour handled the editing, large and small, and helped me create a consistent manuscript and story.

Karri Klawiter did the cover, once more turning vague instruction into something really awesome.
 

George Berger helped me develop a way to feed those poor, abused dark elves in Saekaj Sovar, which was something neither I nor the Sovereign had really considered.
 

My parents, my kids and my wife provided help and the impetus to get this job done, once again.
 

And finally, to the most dedicated of fans – this story is for you, because without you, I wouldn't get a chance to delve off course like this. Thank you for indulging my whims and my imagination.
 

About the Author

Robert J. Crane was born and raised on Florida’s Space Coast before moving to the upper midwest in search of cooler climates and more palatable beer. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in English Creative Writing. He worked for a year as a substitute teacher and worked in the financial services field for seven years while writing in his spare time. He makes his home in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.

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