Against the Empire: The Dominion and Michian

Alec has been sent to a strange new land, where vicious new opponents will show no mercy towards him…

“You’re not an easy mark, are you?” Canare called. He approached Alec with more caution now, and Alec stared at him closely, judging how to respond. Suddenly Alec realized the Scarle warrior was entering the fray as he heard the faint scuffle of feet in the sand. Engaging his powers now, Alec fell flat on the ground, feeling Scarle’s sword scratch his shoulder and neck. Rolling three times, Alec moved to a new location, sprang up, and raced at Scarle, swinging high, low, high, and then thrusting at the man’s thigh. He felt light pain from the scratch in his back as he moved, but ignored it as he slid his blade into his opponent’s flesh. He pulled it immediately away after only piercing the skin a couple of inches, and stepped back to see what would happen.

The Scarle warrior looked down in astonishment. “You think I’ll be the first one to leave with just a slice? Think again,” and he charged, just as Canare came around at Alec from his right. Swinging his sword in a figure eight, Alec engaged both his opponents in one motion, then rolled forward in a somersault between them, lancing out with his blade to slice Scarle’s ribs as he went. Abruptly, he felt his ingenaire powers flicker away, and he was back to fighting on the basis of his own skills, without time to ponder the loss of energy.

Alec rose to his feet, took another stab at Scarle, pinking him in the right shoulder, then stepped back. The man dropped his sword in pain, then looked at Alec. He raised his hand in salute, and as he did, the Canare swordsman unexpectedly swung hard, aiming at the Scarle’s unprotected ribcage. Seeing the foul play, Alec dove forward, blocking Canare’s deadly thrust, but feeling his own sword shudder painfully as he did. Alec redirected the cheap thrust into the ground, but as he did so, his own sword snapped off just a foot above the hilt. Astonished, Alec stepped back and stared at the sword.

The Scarle swordsman took advantage of his rescue to concede and limp rapidly away from the battle ring, and Alec stood with his stump of a sword, facing the highly confident Canare champion. “You may actually be the best of the three of us, Indige, but without a weapon you’re doomed to lose. And it’s not going to be a ceremonial cut to the foot this time either,” the man said viciously, his blood full of battle rage.

Alec calmly stood still, realizing that he was going to have to take a chance and let the Canare swordsman very close to him in order to have a chance of defeating him.

The Ingenairii Series

2. At the Seat of Power: Goldenfields and the Dominion

3. The Loss of Power: Goldenfields and Bondell

4. The Lifesaving Power: Goldenfields and Stronghold

5. Against the Empire

6. Preserving the Ingenairii (
forthcoming
)

For further information, visit patiamolebooks.com

Against the Empire:

The Dominion and Michian

Book 5

Jeffrey Quyle

Index

Section 1 The Pale Mountains

Chapter 1 – Awakening in Camp Page 1

Chapter 2 – Imelda’s Note Page 12

Chapter 3 – Alec at the Chapel Page 19

Chapter 4 – Bethany’s Duty Page 26

Chapter 5 – Goldenfields Questions Page 30

Chapter 6 – Alec in the Wilderness Page 33

Chapter 7 – Companions in Pursuit Page 35

Chapter 8 – At the Ruined City Page 39

Chapter 9 – First Encounter Page 42

Chapter 10 – Setting the Ambush Page 56

Chapter 11 – The Price of Success Page 58

Chapter 12 – Reunion with Friends Page 65

Chapter 13 – Abandoned in the Mountains Page 67

Chapter 14 – Return to the Cave Page 70

Chapter 15 – A Change at the Cave Page 73

Chapter 16 – The Pain of Perdition Page 76

Chapter 17 – John Mark’s Mission Page 78

Section 2 Michian

Chapter 18 – Arrival in the Empire Page 83

Chapter 19 – The Demon Exposed Page 88

Chapter 20 – At the Promenade Page 95

Chapter 21 – A Personal Slave Page 103

Chapter 22 – Caring for Rief Page 105

Chapter 23 – The Emperor’s Palace Page 109

Chapter 24 – Honor for the Clan Page 119

Chapter 25 – Rescuing Rief Page 123

Chapter 26 – The Tournament Begins Page 127

Chapter 27 – Battling in the Arena Page 133

Chapter 28 – Confrontation in the Baths Page 143

Chapter 29 – Parting with Rief Page 153

Chapter 30 – The Unwinnable Fight Page 162

Section 3 The Dominion

Chapter 31 – John Mark Explains Page 168

Chapter 32 – A Visit with Friends Page 171

Chapter 33 – Rief the Healer Page 177

Chapter 34 –
Arrival in Frame
Page 184

Chapter 35 –
Rief Makes a Friend
Page 187

Chapter 36 –
An Unexpected Meeting
Page 196

Chapter 37 – A Story is Told
Page 201

Chapter 38 – The Decision to Depart
Page 209

Chapter 39 – Return to the Cave
Page 216

Chapter 40 – Leaving the Mountains
Page 218

Chapter 41 – A Life Preserved
Page 233

Chapter 42 – Return to Stronghold
Page 237

Chapter 43 – Back in Oyster Bay
Page 247

Chapter 44 – Life in the Palace
Page 253

Chapter 45 – The Journey North
Page 261

Chapter 46 – A Case of Hiccups
Page 266

Chapter 47 – A Delaying Campaign
Page 277

Chapter 48 – Flight from the Demon
Page 289

Chapter 49 – Taking a Last Stand
Page 297

Chapter 50 – The Demon’s Attack Page 302

Chapter 51 – The Demon Plunges
Page 307

Epilogue – Bondell Page 309

Epilogue – Pale Mountains Page 311

List of Characters

The Dominion

Colonel Dearborn Ryder, Goldenfields Guard

Inga, Goldenfields cavalry officer

Alec, crown protector, healer and warrior ingenaire

Kinsey, spirit apprentice

Shaiss, a light apprentice

Alder, a light apprentice

Pember, cavalry second in command

Berlisle, cavalry member

Allisma, a water ingenaire apprentice

Yula, a plant ingenaire

Prince Mahogan, ruler of Bondell

Faldor, Bondell court chamberlain

Rashrew, militia leader

Aristotle, powerful ingenaire

Rubicon, warrior ingenaire

Moriah, Rubicon’s apprentice

Nathaniel, Rubicon’s apprentice

Bannis, Oyster Bay palace master armsman

Rander, Oyster Bay Palace Steward

Tritos, a stone ingenaire apprentice

Noranda, Locksfort cousin and former carnival companion of Alec

Brandeis, one of the young male Locksfort cousins at Stronghold

Johanna, one of the young female Locksfort cousins at Stronghold

Durer, brother of Noranda in Stronghold

Mooreen, exiled matriarch leader of the Locksfort clan

Delle, one of the young male Locksfort cousins at Stronghold

Armilla, personal bodyguard of the crown protector

The Michian Empire

Rief, a slave of the Indige clan

Marjet, aide to the Indige clan leader

Cander, son of the Indige clan leader

Reast, clan leader of Indige clan

Lady Waines, niece of the Michian emperor

Emperor Alexander, ruler of the Michian empire

Prologue

In volume I,
Visions of Power
, Alec, a sixteen year old orphan boy, has seen his traveling carnival ambushed by monsters, the lacertii, in the Pale Mountains. Alec’s friends and fellow survivors, Aristotle and Natalie, have been driven in different directions from him. Alec discovers a hidden, sacred cave, where he is given great, mystical powers (the powers of the healer ingenairii). His powers provide the ability to perform miraculous healing services for the sick and wounded.

Alec travels with another refugee, a lady named Leah, and they leave the wilderness on a long raft journey. When they arrive in the bustling metropolis of Goldenfields, Alec uses his powers to heal the mortally wounded ruler, Duke Toulon. The young healer is rewarded by the Duke and adopted by the Duke’s highly-trained military force, the Guard. Alec comes to learn swordsmanship under the tutelage of the Duke’s Guards, the best fighting force in the Dominion.

Alec is called to leave Goldenfields on an emergency medical mission, traveling to a military camp out in the wilderness, where he uses his powers to heal a mortally wounded officer. While there, Alec takes a desperate gamble to utilize the powers of nearby ingenairii, turning their abilities into extraordinary medical energies that achieve a cure. But Alec is not ready to use such powers, and he suffers gravely.

Fleeing to Goldenfields, Alec come to the realization that he has other ingenaire powers that can be tapped, and he begins training in the use of ingenairii energies.

Alec’s close friendship with Inga, a member of the Guard, leads to malicious gossip that combines with an explosive scene in Alec’s healing home, the consequences of which cause both Alec and Inga to leave Goldenfields at the end of
Visions of Power
.

Alec then travels to the capital of the Dominion, Oyster Bay, in volume II,
At the Seat of Power
. While there, Alec is reunited with Aristotle, and also with Natalie, who has presumed him to be dead, and is now engaged to the son of the Duke of Goldenfields. Alec lives upon Ingenairii Hill, the center of the powerful people who wield great and special powers. Upon the Hill, Alec receives training that uncorks the tremendous warrior energies bottled up within. As Alec grows acquainted with the people of Ingenairii Hill and Oyster Bay, he meets many friends, including a young water ingenaire, Bethany.