The Awakening: Artifact of Creation by D James Larsen

The Awakening: The Artifact of Creation /
D.JAMES LARSEN
 
20
     
    THE AWAKENING
    ARTIFACTS OF
CREATION
    BOOK #1
    D JAMES LARSEN
    Copyright © 2016 by D James Larsen.
All Rights Reserved

    CONTENTS
    P rologue
    C hapter 1
    Chapter 2
    Chapter 3
    Chapter 4
    Chapter 5
    Epilogue
    Prologue
    The silhouette of the dark mid-night sky
hung in silence over the ancient Temple Anin’Nar. The Temple stood
on an alcove of rock that jutted from the ground below, surrounded
by dense forests of massive trees and vegetation. On either side of
the alcove, large waterfalls cascaded downward, glistening from the
waning light of the stars. The water disappeared in clouds of mist
that hung heavy over the valley below.
    For centuries the Temple Anin’Nar stood as a
holy shrine to the ancient Order of the Awakened, an order long
since forgotten to the world of mankind. The legacy of the Awakened
was retold in stories of myth and legend, most doubted they ever
existed. The stories told that for centuries, the Awakened
protected the four races of mankind from a darkness that threatened
the world. They prevailed against many horrors with their fabled
power and strength. Yet any memory of their deeds of valor and
honor, had all but vanished, along with the memory of the Temple
Anin’Nar. But unlike the Awakened, the temple still stood as
majestically as it had in its former years of glory, though the
ages had worn on its walls. Its shimmering white walls, became
grayed from years of dust and neglect. Thick vines grew around it
accompanied by brush and soil. And yet there it remained, in the
midst of the Forgotten Valley.
    Shrouds of shadow lingered about its
courtyard of stone that lined the perimeter of the temple. On
either side of the cobble pathways within the courtyard, were
statues of angels, each bent over as if blessing those visitors who
would enter the temple. Beyond the statues, leaves from nearby
trees quivered against the approaching wind. Rain began to fall in
thin sheets, spattering lightly on the temple grounds. In moments,
the light pattering’s grew to torrential sheets of rain accompanied
by loud clasps of thunder.
    A lone man scurried across the temple
grounds and onto the wide path that led to the main entrance of the
forbidding structure. A hand reached out from within the man’s
rain-soaked cloak and rattled a massive metal knocker attached to
the door of the temple. The knocked thudded dully against the
wooden door, its echo lost in the sound of the storm. Overhead,
lightening continued to flash, briefly lighting the sky and then
returning to darkness. A small sliding window opened just beneath
the metal knocker. A man appeared at the opening.
    “ Sir? What is your
business?” The guard asked gruffly, obviously upset that his sleep
was disturbed. The man in the rain-soaked cloak leaned forward to
speak.
    “ It is urgent. I seek an
audience with the Archon herself.” The man said with a weak
whisper. The man looked tired and worn ragged, perhaps from weeks
of traversing through rough terrain in search of
Anin’Nar.
    “ Who sent you?” The guard
asked. “No one knows of this place.”
    “ Please, my business is my
own. I seek the Archon.”
    The guard paused and studied the man a
moment longer. “Fine, your name please.”
    The man hesitated to answer, then decided
there was no harm in revealing his name. “Its…Lyle… of Umberlee.” A
brief smile crossed his face, a smile born of unsurety.
    The guard closed the sliding window. In
moments the door creaked open, just wide enough for the small
framed man to slip through. The man stepped inside and into the
shelter of the temple. The sound of falling rain continued to
clatter outside of the temple walls but became muffled when the
guard shut the door.
    “ Wait here,” The guard
said and hurried down the candle lit corridor.
    Lyle peered about the entrance of the
temple. Shadows cast from the flickering light of nearby candles
danced upon the walls. In the gloom, he