Sword of the Gods: The Chosen One Read online

  Sword of the Gods: The Chosen One

  Anna Erishkigal

  Published by Seraphim Press, P.O. Box 440, East Sandwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts 02537-0440, (508) 888-5392

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2012 Anna Erishkigal

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  ISBN-13: 978-09854896-0-1

  This book is available in print at:

  https://www.createspace.com/3777041

  Cover art: ‘Michael.’ Copyright © 2011 by Rochelle Green aka Caelicorn. All rights reserved. No part of this cover art may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the artist.

  http://caelicorn.cgsociety.org

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  Back Cover Synopsis

  At the dawn of time, two ancient adversaries battled for control of Earth. One man rose to stand at humanity's side. A soldier whose name we still remember today…

  Angelic Special Forces Colonel Mikhail Mannuki'ili awakens, mortally wounded, in his crashed ship. The woman who saves his life has abilities which seem familiar, but with no memory of his past, he can't remember why! With his ship destroyed and a shattered wing, he has no choice but to integrate into her village.

  Ninsianna's people have prophecies of a winged champion, a Sword of the Gods who will defend her people against an Evil One. Mikhail insists he's no demi-god, but her dark premonitions and his uncanny ability to kill say otherwise. Even without the technology destroyed along with his ship, the sword he carries is a weapon of mass destruction to a people who still throw sticks and stones. When young women start to disappear, Mikhail must organize her people to fight back.

  Evil whispers to a sullen Prince. A dying species seeks to avoid extinction. Two emperors, entrenched in their ancient ideologies, cannot see the larger threat. As intrigues roil the heavens, a tiny Mesopotamian town becomes ground-zero for this fantasy fiction retelling of mankind's most epic story about the battle between good and evil, the clash of empires and ideologies, and the greatest superhero to ever walk the Earth. The Archangel Mikhail.

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  This is a work of adult fiction. It touches upon subject matters which may be inappropriate for some readers, including war, death, violence, foul language, marital and extra-marital sex, scheming, back-stabbing, conniving, political intrigue and creative re-interpretations of religious mythologies some people may find offensive or blasphemous.

  If this were a movie, it would be rated 'R'

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  DEDICATION

  I dedicate this book to all the brave men and women who serve in the armed forces. To you I dedicate the biggest, baddest superhero to ever walk the earth. The Archangel Michael. A soldier … like you.

  You are the wind beneath our wings. Thank you!

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  Cover Art

  Prints of the cover art are available for purchase directly from the artist:

  http://caelicorn.cgsociety.org/gallery/

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  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I’d like to thank the people without whose support this novel would have died a plot bunny hopping around on a hard drive.

  To my wonderful husband … who tolerates my nocturnal writing bouts and strange musings about ‘I can’t talk now … my bad guy is talking to me…’

  To my lovely children … whose mommy answers their blood-curdling screams about who stole whose toy with ‘not now … I'm in the middle of a battle scene…’

  To my oldest daughter, who serves our country in the Army National Guard Reserves. I re-watched your Fort Leonard Wood basic training video and think you’ll see scenes that are familiar. Yes … I did use that blackmail tear-gas training … but you’ll have to wait until Book 3 to read it.  I'm so proud of you!

  To Rochelle Green aka ‘Caelicorn’ who was kind enough to let me borrow her beautiful artwork ‘Michael’ for my book cover. I hope readers will visit her digital gallery at http://caelicorn.cgsociety.org

  To Sensei Donna and my talented fellow karate students at Donna Marie's USA Urban GoJu Karate studio in Wareham, Massachusetts, who’ve tolerated my conscripting karate classes into live re-enactments of fight scenes so I can reality test the action. Especially the scenes containing real weapons!

  To my patient friends, who tolerate my launching into conversations about fictional characters that don't really exist and don't call the police when I fade off mid-sentence and mumble ‘excuse me … I have to go home and kill somebody off now…’

  And to my very first fan, who faithfully read through the earliest draft of this series as it was being written … Michelle Koller … aka ShellyStark. To you I dedicate your favorite Fallen general, Abaddon the Destroyer.

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  THE CHESS PIECES

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  List of Species

  Humans: a species that went extinct after an asteroid hit their homeworld, Nibiru, approximately 74,000 years ago. All attempts to reseed humans onto other planets failed and they died out. It's rumored this is the species which spawned the Eternal Emperor, but the Eternal Palace has refused to comment.

  Angelics: genetically engineered super-soldiers spliced together from a genetic base of humans and the keen eyesight and wings of eagles. They carry the highest percentage of human DNA. They act as the Alliance's air force. Due to inbreeding to maintain their animal features, fewer than 7,500 Angelics remain in existence today.

  Leonids: genetically engineered super-soldiers spliced together from a genetic base of lions and humans. They are the most animalistic of the four branches of the Alliance military. They act as multi-purpose situational forces. When the going gets tough, the Emperor says, 'Send in the Leonids!' Due to inbreeding to maintain their animal features, fewer than 3,500 Leonids remain in existence today.

  Centauri: genetically engineered super-soldiers spliced together from a genetic base of horses and humans. They act as the Alliance's cavalry. Due to inbreeding to maintain their animal features, fewer than 4,000 remain in existence today.

  Merfolk: genetically engineered super-soldiers spliced together from a genetic base of humans and aquatic mammals. They were engineered to act as the Alliance's navy. Five hundred years ago their species merged with a sister-species, Leviathans. Only a handful of purebred Merfolk still exist today. The hybrids are known as Mer-Levi.

  Leviathans: a genetically enhanced species of sentient aquatic mammals originating from the same homeworld that humans came from, Nibiru. They evolved separately after being successfully reseeded on a remote planet. Many of their species merged with Merfolk into the Mer-Levi.

  Mantoids: a naturally evolved species of sentient six-legged insects. They have supplemented Angelics in the Alliance Air Force.

  Spiderids: a naturally evolved species of sentient eight-legged insects. They have supplemented Leonids in the Alliance Air Force.

  Delphiniums: a naturally evolved species of sentient frog-like amphibians. They have almost totally replaced Merfolk as the Alliance's Navy.

  Saori: a naturally evolved species of gazelle-sized sentient mammals. They supplement and support the Centauri Cavalry, but due to their small size, haven't been able to
replace them.

  Muqqibat: a naturally evolved species of sentient serpent-like creatures with short arms and legs and a head that resembles a dragon. They are an 'ancient species' and many of their number teeter at the threshold of becoming ascended beings.

  Cherubim: a naturally evolved species of fierce, ant-like creatures which dwell in hive-like colonies of Monks ruled by a single queen. They are the personal guard of the Eternal Emperor and teeter at the threshold of becoming ascended beings. Their population has remained stable at exactly 1,000 for the past 15,000 years.

  Seraphim: an sub-species of dark-winged Angelic which was wiped out 25 years ago by unknown aggressors. Only one member of this species survives, Colonel Mikhail Mannuki'ili. The Colonel went missing 7 months ago and is presumed dead.

  Grigori: a species of fire-breathing dragon which disappeared from the galaxy approximately 150,000 years ago. It's rumored Emperor Shay'tan was once a Grigori, a true dragon, a question which always elicits a toothy, enigmatic smirk.

  Sata'anic Lizards: a species of sentient lizard which make up the largest portion of Shay'tan's armies. They suddenly appeared 74,000 years ago to replace Shay'tan's predecessor species of soldier, the Nephilim, a species which is now extinct.

  Marid: a naturally evolved species of blue-skinned humanoids which had begun to spread out in the uncharted territories until the Sata'an Empire annexed part of their territory three generations ago. They are now divided into two sub-species: the Sata'anic Marid, who serve in Shay'tan's armies, and the Free Marid Confederation, whose homeworlds still remain free.

  Catoplebas: a naturally evolved, boar-like species that makes up part of Shay'tan's armies. They are known for their pugnacious disposition.

  Tokoloshe: a sentient, bear-like species infamous for its aggressive nature and their disgusting habit of cannibalizing their enemies. The Tokoloshe have spread across the uncharted territories like a plague and all species fear them. Rumor has it they are a science experiment gone terribly wrong, but whenever asked, Emperor Shay'tan and Emperor Hashem point their fingers at each other and say 'he did it.' It's rumored this is the motivation behind the Eternal Emperor's strict 'seed world' policies prohibiting interference with emerging pre-sentient species.

  Ascended Beings: aka 'old gods.' Most are creatures which were born mortal but, after countless lifetimes, genetically evolved enough to figure out how to make themselves immortal. They possess various levels of ability, ranging from demi-gods who can merely heal themselves to 'elemental' gods who have learned to harness the laws of physics. A few such as She-who-is were born full-fledged gods by virtue of the fact they have gods for parents.

  Needles: biomechanical space dwelling creatures the size of a large porpoise with a marsupium (pouch) that can transport cargo or, if small enough, a humanoid, through space. They can instantaneously 'leap' across subspace the way an ascended being can, but are only marginally sentient. Nobody knows where needles came from. A small herd of them just appeared one day and the Alliance put them to use.

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  Prologue

  Ascended Realms

  Emperor Shay’tan

  Shay’tan

  “You're out of pawns!”

  Shay’tan flared his leathery wings as he moved a black pawn into position. The alpha-predator, waiting to pounce upon the first blunder his adversary made in their eternal game of Galactic Chess. He caught himself showing his ‘tell’ and tucked his wings against his back, his long, dragon-like snout assuming an expression of pure innocence.

  “Court pieces are worth more than pawns!” The Eternal Emperor Hashem's tone was patronizing, as though he were delivering a lecture at a scientific conference. He moved a white rook to take the pawn his adversary had moved right into its path. “They can outmaneuver them.”

  “Ahhhh….” Shay’tan's smile transformed into a predatory grin. “You don't have enough respect for your pawns.” The old dragon moved a second pawn to take the white rook he'd just set up for a fall. “No matter how powerful your court pieces, you will never have enough of them. Especially if you keep throwing them away on trivial moves.”

  “I'm using superior pieces to employ a superior strategy!” Hashem's wild white hair and bushy eyebrows gave him the aura of a mad scientist as he feigned an indignant expression. “You think too short-term to grasp the subtleties!”

  “Ahh… Everyone knows winning is about numbers!” Shay’tan said. He dropped the unfortunate rook into his growing pile of conquests. “He who has the most chess pieces, wins.”

  “What are you up to, you old devil?”

  Hashem's bushy eyebrows scrunched in concentration as he scrutinized a suspicious-looking group of pawns clustered in the uncharted territories. He picked up a white knight and considered his next move.

  Shay’tan gave him an innocent smirk, his long red tail twitching like a cat stalking a mouse…

  “White knight to Zulu Sector Three…” Hashem moved the white knight towards the middle of the clustered black pieces.

  “Oh no you don't!” Shay’tan grabbed a black rook and reached to take the white knight.

  'It is time….'

  She-who-is interrupted the game before either emperor could complete their move. The neutrinos which allowed them access to the ascended realms dissolved. The two old gods were sent back to the material worlds to see how their manipulations played out …

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  Chapter 1

  When men began to increase in number

  On the earth

  And daughters were born to them,

  The sons of God

  Saw that the daughters of men were beautiful,

  And they married any of them they chose. […]

  The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—

  And also afterward—when the sons of God

  Went to the daughters of men

  And had children by them.

  They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

  Genesis 6: 1-4

  February – 3,390 BC

  Pain.

  The first sensation he recognized was metal piercing flesh. He gurgled in agony as lungs scraped against the steel rod which had pierced his breast, pinning him to the deck of his ship like a butterfly. He couldn't even scream. The best he could do was pant small, shallow breaths.

  Blood welled in his throat, burning and gagging as he exhaled. The stench of blood filled the air; the scent of his impending death. One wing lay shattered beneath him, bone piercing skin and feathers, while the other had no sensation at all. He tried to move his arm, but it was broken. The other arm and wing were pinned beneath the collapsed bridge. He couldn't feel his legs. He had no idea whether they were pinned, broken, or severed completely from his body.

  His head hurt as though someone had hit him with a club. He tried to remember his name, who he was and how he'd gotten here, but his mind drew a blank. It didn't matter. No living creature could sustain these kinds of injuries and survive.

  ‘So this is it,’ he thought. ‘The end...’

  A single tear escaped, the sting of salt as it passed over a cut oddly sharp through the pain of his other injuries. Alone. He'd always known he would die alone.

  He closed his eyes and prayed to pass quietly into the void, to feel his life slip from his body so his pain would end, but he didn't. Even close to death, some part of him, the part that remembered who he was, whispered to him. Fight. Survive. Live another day. Smite those who had done this to him, even though he'd no recollection of who he fought or what he was fighting for.

  Long after he should have passed from this world, he continued to fight for each and every breath.

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  Chapter 2

  February – 3,390 BC

  Earth: 12 hours earlier

  Ninsianna

  They were looking for her. She could feel the clutch in her gut of someone attempting to force her to do something she didn't want to do. But … no
. The sensation was not close. The chit-chit-chit of a squirrel reassured her she'd left no trail for a search party to track her. Exhausted, she dropped her satchel and sank to her knees.

  “Mother of All-That-Is …" Ninsianna, whose name meant She-who-serves-the-goddess, raised her palms in a universal gesture of supplication. "The Chief has ordered that I am to marry his son, or no man at all!"

  Curvaceous and tawny-eyed, with a magnificent mane of hair which cascaded down her back like a chestnut waterfall, Ninsianna had always been pursued by boys, but this was the first time one wouldn't take no for an answer. The chief's son was persistent, and far too used to getting his own way to listen when she'd told him 'I just don't love you.' What did he think she was? A simpleton? Jamin only sought to increase his prestige by marrying the shaman's daughter!

  "If I had been born a man, they wouldn't dare treat me so!" Ninsianna exclaimed. "I want a husband who will cherish me the way Papa does my Mama! Not just a servant to cook his food and bear his sons!”

  She stared at the slender brook which only flowed because they were still within the rainy season. Whatever had possessed her to run away? Although her skills as a healer would be welcome no matter where she traveled, she dared not move to an allied village. Jamin was known for his fierce skill as a warrior and also his infamous temper. Without a suitable protector, he would simply drag her back to Assur.