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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781452079707 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 02/02/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 660 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
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Gothic Opera
Nightmares LabyrinthBy Peter E. Boroch
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 Peter E. BorochAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-7968-4
Chapter One
Young and AspiringSarah Nightingale "People like us can't afford to walk in a grey area."
-TWELVE YEARS LATER- February 17, 2106 Universal Calendar West America: Utopia Knight Academy
-Knock! Knock!-
A twelve-year-old boy shuffled his eyes and looked at the door. Once again, the knock sounded. In a daze, he rolled out of his rack and pushed a glowing green button. The door hummed open and in its doorway stood a slender, beautiful, red headed elfin Knight. The boy refocused his eyes, then looked at his clock, which read 2310 and back at the red head.
"Master Neo?"
The Grandmaster nodded her head. "Good evening, Dragon. Take a few minutes and gather all of your belongings."
Dragon looked at her uneasily. Was it something he had done? Maybe something he had said? The boy had oh so many questions, but he dared not ask a single one. He had no place whatsoever to argue with his arrangements, especially not to the most Senior Knight of the entire Order. No, the boy wouldn't argue ... it wasn't his place.
It took less than five minutes for the boy to pack his entire room into a large green rucksack. He tossed the heavy bag on his back and stepped outside his door. Master Neo leaned casually on the door frame, blue eyes lightly closed. She looked exhausted.
The boy had an idea why. This entire week, his friends and fellow Learners had been picked up by Knights to start training under them. Every single day this week, countless Knights watched the boy and the other Learners in their training and from that picked students to become theirs and start training as Squires. Most of the boy's friends were picked immediately, but not the boy. Day after day, he was passed up, and after last night, he was now the only Learner who had yet to be picked.
The boy thought highly of himself. Even Neo had pulled Dragon to the side quite a few times during training and spoken to him of his excellent work and how he was quite above the other students. Neo had told the boy she'd hold him to higher standards than his fellow age group. Dragon had not known his parents, but this Luminous Neo he felt a deep connection with, almost like that of a parental figure.
Where most of the other students had only seen her rarely, Dragon and Neo had talked one on one many times to such a degree that some students began to get jealous and Knights of the Academy envious. Neo was not known to be open to nearly anyone on any terms other than teaching or business; Dragon was the exception ... Neo had her reasons. But this recent turn of events had shaken his thoughts. Was he really that bad? No ... that couldn't be. He had outperformed his fellow Learners time and time again, in front of all those Knights, no less. So what was the reason then? Dragon heard rumors that if at a certain age a Learner wasn't picked by a Knight, they were kicked out of the Academy. Was she kicking him out?
Master Neo, though, as stated earlier, looked very tired. She had personally overseen each transition of every Learner, a long week for her indeed.
It was the perfect transition as Dragon walked out of the room, bag on back, just as Neo, still with eyes slightly closed, nodded and then led the way.
They walked outside the dorms building, outside the school campus itself. They had a bit of a ways to travel now. At 2330, deep in pouring night, the twelve-year-old boy was shuffling through muddy grass and fixating on Neo's pointed elf ears that he still found fascinating to look at. For a while now he had been following behind the top Knight in the entire Order and he had no idea why or where they were going.
The weight of his bag was starting to become unbearable. He slowed his pace ever so slightly and regained his stance.
Master Neo continued forward and spoke over her shoulder, "C'mon, it's right up there."
Dragon shook off the pain and trekked forward. In front of his two green eyes was a single small, one floored hut. It reminded him of a tent, yet this one was moderately bigger and not so flimsy.
The specific hut past the edge of the campus, Master Benoit had told him and the other fellow Learners never to go into or else the penalty would be death, and not from him, but the person who resided in it. Dragon and his friends could only speculate the nightmare who resided in that place. The same place he was now heading toward.
Upon arriving at the door, Master Neo instructed him to wait outside. Dragon nodded his head and dropped his bag, which nearly dropped his body along with it. The boy held back a sigh of relief for finally having reached the destination. He didn't want to show weakness in front of the Grandmaster he looked up to so much. Master Neo knocked lightly on the door and it opened. Another woman walked out; it was too dark for him to see who it was.
"Sarah, we need to talk," Master Neo told the woman. She nodded her head and Neo walked in. The boy paid no attention to the rain and remained outside, doing all he could to listen in. Most of the speaking volume of the two women was too low for him to hear, but from what he could was:
"Luminous, this isn't an ordinary request."
"I know, but all my Knights refuse to train him."
"Humph, for obvious reasons, I presume. Well ... let's have a look at him," the woman finished saying. She then opened the door, walked out and looked up and down at the boy who was dripping wet. "So, you're the one causing all the ruckus? Bring your stuff, step inside."
The boy was confused; what did she mean "obvious reasons?" Why would all the Masters refuse to train him? Ruckus, what the hell? The boy just didn't know ... like usual. The boy stepped inside and bowed as was the proper courtesy to give to Knights of the Order.
"So, Sarah?" Neo asked her.
The woman continued staring at the boy. "Hmm ... All right, kiddo, tell me what a kinetic-scream is." The boy was confused and remained silent with his head bowed. "No? How about the three ways to escape from a blood choke?" More moments passed with no answer. "Do you know anything besides what they teach you?"
Before he could answer, Neo came to his aid. "He can use two swords."
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Really? Show me what you got, kid."
Dragon looked up and noticed for the first time just how many scars the woman had on her face. She had definitely been engaged in combat numerous times. He pried his eyes away, though, and unlatched his set of switchswords. Activating either one, the blades interlocked to full height then glowed brightly white as a current raced through it, thus illuminating the dimly lit hut.
"Show her your warm up combo," Neo told the boy.
He nodded his head and with that, swung his swords with such speed and precision that Sarah's concerned look formed a subtle smile. At the conclusion of the twenty-two swing combo, the boy deactivated his blades and watched as Sarah nodded slowly to Neo.
"I may be able to find some use for him."
Neo nodded to Sarah and before exiting, patted the boy on the shoulder. "Consider yourself fortunate, Dragon. Most Knights, including Grandmasters, can only dream of being taught by a Weaponmaster, or being the apprentice of one." Neo looked back to Sarah. "Weaponmaster Sarah Nightingale, I leave this boy in your hands. Dragon is now your apprentice."
Both Sarah and the boy remained silent as Neo left. Upon exiting, Sarah told the boy to sit down and drink tea. The boy entered inside and laid down his bag. He sat cross legged at the low level table.
"I'm doing this as a personal favor to Master Neo, make no mistake about that. I will tell you, Dragon, somehow or another, you have found a way to do something even I couldn't do."
The boy paused. "And what's that?"
"Humph, scare the crap out of nearly every Knight here. For that alone, you might be all right."
"Master ..." the boy began to say. It took Sarah a moment to realize she was the one who had been addressed. "Why don't the other Knights want to train me?"
Sarah took a sip of tea and breathed in slowly. "Overheard that did you? Hmm ... Afraid of the unknown, I suppose. It's nothing you should be concerned about this early in your training and it's nothing you could have avoided anyway." She paused in thought for a second. "Be aware, though, I'm a Weaponmaster. I don't take kindly to cocky backtalk or smartass attitudes. I kill people like that daily." The boy didn't gulp as Sarah expected, she liked that. He wasn't afraid ... at least, he didn't show that.
There was only one Weaponmaster in the entire Order. They were the most feared of all Knights, for their sole purpose was seek and destroy, and they were known worldwide for their huge kill counts. The threat of unleashing a Weaponmaster could bring an entire nation crumbling to its knees in fear.
"I won't take things easy on you and every day you better have your game face on. I might not be there one day to save your little butt. We'll move at my pace or none at all, got it?" Sarah noticed that Dragon had put down his cup of tea. "Continue to drink, you'll need it."
The boy took a big gulp of his drink and immediately sneered in disgust at it.
Sarah drank some more of her own. "Good, isn't it?" The boy once again gagged. "The taste may not all be there, but that tea you're drinking contains herbs and various ingredients that will heighten your senses and increase your powers to a degree, not to mention help you sleep, which, from the looks of it, you'll need a lot of tonight. Trust me, you'll be thanking me tomorrow for it. Camp out here, kiddo. I'll have your room ready in a few days. My oh my, we have a fun few days ahead of us. Not to mention a nice little place we need to perform aggressive negotiations at."
The boy shrugged his shoulders, "Aggressive negotiations?"
Sarah nodded her head. "Oh yes, you'll learn that one well." She held back a smirk and downed the rest of her tea. Before heading off to sleep, she noticed his tattoos as he took off his cloak. A red dragon on his left arm and shoulder and a blue one on his right. For such a young child to already have tattoos on either arm was unheard of ... even in this day and age, yet she knew why. For a slight moment, the Weaponmaster felt uneasiness. A feat few could do to her, let alone a twelve-year-old boy. It wasn't just his tattoos, it was his face. He looked like his father; same blonde hair, same chiseled jaw, same piercing glare.
As that tattoo-armed twelve-year-old boy began to fall asleep, he stayed awake for several more minutes and stared at a picture of Sarah and Neo hanging on the wall across from him. In the picture, Neo looked exactly the same, but Sarah had no scars. She was younger and more beautiful than ever.
A lingering question stained his young mind: How did she get those scars on her face?
* * *
The morning started fast at Weaponmaster Sarah Nightingale's Hutt. Cold water splashed onto the boys face. He woke up and yelped in panic.
"Be known for unwavering? Finish the sentence!" Sarah yelled at him. She tossed another bucket filled with water at him. "You're burning daylight. Let's go, kid, I don't got all day."
"Uh ... be known for unwavering. Commitment to the people and ideals you choose to live by!" the boy yelled out reciting a part of the Chivalric Code.
"And the rest?" Sarah yelled out as she held another bucket of threatening water.
"There are many places where compromise is expected ... loyalty is not amongst them."
"Good, now you're awake and your head is in the game," she told him and then splashed the last bucket on him.
The boy, soaking with water, stood up. "What was the last one for? I answered it ... right?"
"Yes, you did, but I filled up three buckets, I might as well use them all." She snickered at the boy. "Let's go, we have work to do."
Now wide awake, the boy quickly dried himself off, then put on dry clothes, yet he couldn't find his cloak. It was his first day of training and he was already about to cause his teacher to wait.
"Missing something?" Sarah asked the boy.
"My cloak ..."
"I threw it away."
The boy didn't remark, he merely squinted, confused.
"You're my Squire now, I want the Order to know that. So, from now on, you'll be wearing something a bit non-traditional that will allow you to stand out ... follow me."
The boy walked behind Sarah and finally came across to a closet. Sarah stood on her tip toes and held out extended arms, grasping a dusty grey box. She brought it down.
"Here," she told him.
The boy blew off the dust and coughed from the aftermath. "What is it?"
"Open it," she demanded. The boy did as he was told and took off the lid. In the box sat a black cloak. "Put it on."
"It's black, though. Am I allowed to wear a black cloak?"
"Hey, do you really want to be just another face in the crowd? Or do you want to walk in a room and have everyone know that you're there?"
The boy smiled and put it on. "Yeah, the second one ... Wow, it's so comfortable."
"Good. I tactically acquired and relocated it from the Shadow Academy many years back during the invasion. I was keeping it as more of a souvenir than anything else."
"Tactically acquire and relocate ... so you st ..."
"Stole? No, Dragon, soon you will learn that a Weaponmaster doesn't steal."
"They just acquire and relocate?"
"Precisely." Sarah looked intensely at the boy. "Hmm, be aware, though ... that cloak will fool everyone into fearing you more than they already do. But I'll teach you how to use that fear on them. Turn fear against those who use it."
"I don't understand."
"You don't need to. You will one day." Sarah nodded her head. "Let's roll."
The boy had no idea what the game plan was, but he knew already that he liked his Master. He was afraid he'd get a Master who was all talk and no action, or one who preferred negotiation over combat. The boy thrived on moving and he thrived on the hands-on approach.
Walking to the air hanger, many of the Squires got a glance of him not only walking alongside Sarah, which was odd enough, but sporting the black cloak in deviant fashion. The Squires weren't the only ones surprised, though; several Knights were as well. Older Knights unaccustomed to such a break in tradition merely stood silently and stared.
Looking from wandering eyes to shakes of the head, the boy didn't think he would be getting such a reaction. Secretly, he wondered if Sarah had been aware of the stares. Looking up at her, the boy noticed how she merely stared ahead, eyes locked on her destination. Like those watching them, his own eyes began to wander and stare. Yet his were focused on his new Master and mainly at the multiple scars on her face. He had never seen someone with such a number of scars and he hoped that one day he could find out what each one was from. The boy was very curious about his Master and it was pure irony, for nearly everyone else feared her.
"Dragon!" the boy's attention broke as his friend called out his name.
He turned to see Relena Selene run up to him. Like Dragon, she was an apprentice recently picked up by a Knight. She was only slightly older than the boy. Dragon had already known her for nearly five years and the two had frequently trained together in sparring matches and the learning of new kinetic techniques. Master Benoit, the exclusive trainer of Knight potentials, had openly stated that Dragon and Relena were his two best students.
"Hey! Is that your new Master? What's with the cloak? Where's your new room? Where ..."
The girl was full of questions and before Sarah knew it, she had already taken in the young teen's appearance. Average height for a thirteen-year-old girl. Relena was a bit thin, yet not overly thin. Not quite pale skin, but close too. Enchanting hazel eyes and brown hair slicked back in a ponytail that reached down to the small of her back. Yet her most distinct feature would be her brilliant smile, which the Weaponmaster's apprentice responded so happily to. Seeing this, Sarah pushed Dragon on the back, egging him forward.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Gothic Opera by Peter E. Boroch Copyright © 2012 by Peter E. Boroch. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Prologue THE UNFORGIVEN....................viiChapter 1 YOUNG AND ASPIRING....................1
Chapter 2 THE DAY THAT NEVER COMES....................29
Chapter 3 THE OLD BREED....................54
Chapter 4 KNIGHT ACADEMY....................72
Chapter 5 THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE....................113
Chapter 6 SACRED TEARS....................128
Chapter 7 THE COMPETITIONS....................145
Chapter 8 THE ALL AMERICAN GIRL....................180
Chapter 9 ACROSS THE STARS....................200
Chapter 10 CRUSH!CRUSH! CRUSH!....................222
Chapter 11 DYNAMITE....................251
Chapter 12 THE THORN WITHIN....................279
Chapter 13 LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! ACT I....................293
Chapter 14 PROJECT NIGHTMARE....................325
Chapter 15 ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?....................342
Chapter 16 LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! ACT II....................360
Chapter 17 LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! ACT III....................389
Chapter 18 THE STRENGTH OF TWO HEROES....................423
Chapter 19 THE "LEAGUE CHICK"....................458
Chapter 20 NO MORE HEROES....................499
Chapter 21 KNIGHT C HAMPIONSHIPS....................518
Chapter 22 ENTER THE NIGHTMARE....................552
Chapter 23 PANIC!....................596
Epilogue A SMALL MEASURE OF PEACE....................613