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    The First Sacrifice
    The First Sacrifice
    The First Sacrifice
    Ebook36 pages29 minutes

    The First Sacrifice

    By Peter Sahui

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    About this ebook

    Artorius of Cairbrunn hates being dead.

    In life, he was a hero, protector to emperors and scourge of the barbarians, before he was betrayed and killed. Now, hundreds of years later, he's been summoned back to the world of mortals -- and telling hero from villain is not as simple as he once thought.

    A heroic fantasy short story about right and wrong; fallen kingdoms and rising upstarts; love, loss, and the lengths to which we'll go for those we care about.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPeter Sahui
    Release dateJul 1, 2011
    ISBN9781466146433
    The First Sacrifice
    Author

    Peter Sahui

    Peter Sahui loves to explore worlds of wonder, whether they be found in the pages of history, in the present and future of our world, or in the interactive realm of a good game. His science fiction and fantasy writing brings together these influences and more. Visit his homepage at http://www.petersahui.com.

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      Book preview

      The First Sacrifice - Peter Sahui

      The First Sacrifice

      A short story by Peter Sahui

      Smashwords edition

      Copyright 2011 Peter Sahui

      Cover photo credit: Doorway in temple ruin, Neotakezo/Dreamstime.com

      Visit http://www.petersahui.com/fiction for a list of my works of fiction.

      Visit my Smashwords store at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/petersahui.

      Table of Contents

      Title/Table of Contents

      One

      Two

      Three

      Four

      Five

      Six

      Seven

      Eight

      Nine

      Thanks for reading!

      ***

      One: The Dawnguard Artorius

      Artorius of Cairbrunn hated being dead.

      In life, he had been a hero, protector to emperors and scourge of the barbarians. When he wore his Dawnguard's uniform and cloak in Cairbrunn, not only would men salute him; women would wave at him, give him flowers, and, to Rhiannon's mixed amusement and disgust, even blow kisses.

      In death...

      A young mother, her baby on her back, scurried out of Artorius' way as he approached the gates of Lady Gunnhilde's citadel, two pallbearers trailing behind him. Their gazes met for just an instant, before she flinched and looked away. Artorius did not bother turning to see who else might be watching, but he could almost hear the whispers that dogged him wherever he went in Nordhafen: The spirit! Don't go near him!

      Call no man happy before his end, pah.

      He barely noticed Gunnhilde's household guards standing to attention, or the pallbearers breaking away with their grisly load, as he stepped into the courtyard. The keep towered above him. Folklore had it that three wizards and thousands of labourers had worked day and night to raise that glittering black monument to the power of the first High King, Blessed Otto. They had outdone themselves: a fairy-tale warlock would have been proud to live there. But no fortress could be stronger than the men and women inside. Now, Nordhafen’s stronghold anchored not a kingdom but a confederation. Instead of a High King, it was Lady Gunnhilde the Steward who dwelt there, and even a fairy-tale warlock would blanch before her.

      Bound as spirit and summoner, they could sense the other's location, and so Artorius made his way to the archery range. He found Gunnhilde pulling close-bunched arrows out of her target, her bow already unstrung. Hello, Artorius. Pleasant day, isn’t it? The last arrow came free. She turned, pulling off her gloves to reveal callused fingers... and presenting her face.

      Artorius had stared, the first time

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