Sons of Chenia

Reads: 15322 | Likes: 6 | Shelves: 7 | Comments: 6

Featured Review on this writing by Rob73

"An intriguing action packed fantasy novel. The writing is great. "

At one time, Chenia was a great country. With various clans spread from north to south, a sacred brotherhood of riders known as the Shepherds roamed the land, protecting their people in the name of their god Ada.

But an unspoken horror in the Shepherd city of Sarbin fifteen years earlier has left the Chenians defenseless. As refugees, many have left their homeland while those who have stayed battle enemies both near and far.

Caught between the relative safety of a foreign nation and the atrocities back home is Nicolai, a young man whose own past remains a secret to him. A letter from a distant patriarch in Chenia thrusts him into an odyssey with four of his closest friends, refugees bound by hardship. Through ocean voyages, mountain treks and seedy cityscapes these men return home, only to find it on the verge of invasion from the world’s mightiest empire, Czaria.

In the face of a superior force, Nicolai’s memory churns. His once hidden past comes to light, offering a way to salvation for Nicolai and his people yet also threatening to destroy him. With no other option, Nicolai faces all his enemies, both internal and real, in one epic battle to decide the fate of his people. And himself.

Fantasy fantasy action steampunk epic-fantasy high-fantasy

Chapter 1

Tobin hated the silence. It hung in the air, suspended by the fog that blanketed the Green River, a wall that grew around him to stif... Read Chapter

Chapter 2

The damp stairs creaked beneath Petrov's feet as he jogged up the narrow shaft. Above him at the top of the staircase, a shaft of soft ... Read Chapter

Chapter 3

Petrov slipped back into his loft without making a sound. He stepped lightly over the creaking floorboards, careful not wake Fyodor, wh... Read Chapter

Chapter 4

His footsteps echoed through the Great Hall of Orvahn. They always sounded like several hands clapping in unison, not out of joy, but i... Read Chapter

Chapter 5

Nicolai slipped out of work early that day, a move he would dare not make under any other circumstances. Jobs were so hard to come by, ... Read Chapter

Chapter 6

The salt air seemed particularly fresh that afternoon as Nicolai wandered up the Upper Northeast Shore. He had heard of this part of Kn... Read Chapter

Chapter 7

The fog thickened as it rolled into the harbor. Even as it hit land its density grew so that in the streets people had to walk slower s... Read Chapter

Chapter 8

Nicolai arrived home far later than he had expected. The steps beneath him creaked as he climbed the stairs. He stepped lightly so as n... Read Chapter

Chapter 9

With the apartment now lit, Nicolai could see the full extent of the damage that he had inflicted on the assailant. The man’s hands w... Read Chapter

Chapter 10

A mixture of orange and purple highlights coated the cloudy sky. As dusk settled in, the frontier town of Devicia calmed with impending d... Read Chapter

Chapter 11

Nicolai kneeled to the ground. He reached down to feel a slight depression in the grass before him. It was slight, with the blades bent j... Read Chapter

Chapter 12

Petrov sat against a log, whittling on a stick of Maricanian cedar. The shavings fell on his legs, which he would brush into the smolderi... Read Chapter

Chapter 13

There are certain moments in life in which the rules of time are susceptible to events in certain spaces. Most people identify these mome... Read Chapter

Chapter 14

Dmitri struck ahead, his saber slashing at any low-hanging branch or stray leaf that lay in his path. Petrov, Leo, and Fyodor followed a ... Read Chapter

Chapter 15

Red and brown cloths flowed over every brick and wrought-iron balcony that lined the thoroughfare. Flags and ribbons danced in the wind. ... Read Chapter

Chapter 16

Nicolai laid, wide awake. Across from him, his friends and the ship's crew slept in the hatch, their hammocks swaying gently as the ship ... Read Chapter

Chapter 17

Nicolai remained awake until dawn. He laid in his hammock recollecting his conversation with Dmitri. Their exchange was a long time i... Read Chapter

Chapter 18

So few cities in the world had such a varied and rich history as Sagemark. It stood as a bridge from ancient times to the present day. So... Read Chapter

Chapter 19

"General, it is an honor to meet you. General, it is my deepest honor to meet you. General, I am honored to finally meet your acquaintanc... Read Chapter

Chapter 20

"I stand on watch For wind-swept cloaks arising in the distance I crane my head to hear The beat of hooves upon dirt roads ... Read Chapter

Chapter 21

Nicolai wedged into the tavern booth between Petrov and Dmitri. As they slide into the wooden seat Leo and Fyodor pulled up two chairs to... Read Chapter

Chapter 22

Grigori slowed the pace of his palfrey to a steady trot as he eyed the end of Morgard's column. He was a good fifty feet from the rear Cz... Read Chapter

Chapter 23

The wood beneath his feet creaked as Nicolai followed the maiden up the steps. She reached into her leather purse for her key as he waite... Read Chapter

Chapter 24

The memory of fragrant blossoms, like those from a pear orchard, floated through Nicolai's mind as his friends led him down the Wharf. So... Read Chapter

Chapter 25

Nicolai's eyelids grew heavy as the small man started up once again. Please, let this pompous idiot finish soon, he prayed. More than two... Read Chapter

Chapter 26

Grigori ran blindly into the woods, his legs aching, before he stopped suddenly. He gripped his torso as his head lurched forward, vomiti... Read Chapter

Chapter 27

I will never have a better chance. The words echoed through Masanti’s mind as he spotted the light brown-haired man who turned to a str... Read Chapter

Chapter 28

Eastern pines and Delmian spruce pushed the boundary of the Frontier to the edge of the cliffs, where the great evergreen forests that se... Read Chapter

Chapter 29

The night was crisp enough so that their breath was visible. The northern winds, Nicolai recalled. They are strong here. Nicolai thought ... Read Chapter

Chapter 30

For the first time in a long while, Stalgrave was amused. His breath shone in spurts before his face in the early morning as he stood... Read Chapter

Chapter 31

Thank Ada for the stars. Fyodor looked up at the predawn sky. Directly above, the black of night loomed. Like crystals the stars spar... Read Chapter

Chapter 32

“Are you sure he’s ready?” “Of course.” “He’s only nine.” “Yes, and he’ll turn ten in a few months. He is... Read Chapter

Chapter 33

I was wrong. The realization hit Petrov like a branch held back and released on his face. He stared ahead, his breath held in his thr... Read Chapter

Chapter 34

The stench flooded Grigori's nostrils. He held his breath as he bent down to lift the corpse. But it provided little relief. He barely ... Read Chapter

Chapter 35

“A more beautiful building has never been razed.” Stalgrave turned to the young man who stood beside his Minister of Architecture... Read Chapter

Chapter 36

“Say something, damn it!” His four friends pulled back on the reins of their horses to stare back at him. “Anything! I can�... Read Chapter

Chapter 37

Six decades were written in the wrinkled, aged skin of the two hands that rested on the heavy oaken table. The callous digits spoke of co... Read Chapter

Chapter 38

“I have to be strong,” Fyodor told himself. “I have to be strong.” He splashed another handful of cold river water into his f... Read Chapter

Chapter 39

A cold wind flooded their cottage. A chill settled into each room. This is different, he thought. This is not the breeze of a late wint... Read Chapter

Chapter 40

Thin golden lines, faint against the vanilla tones of the Northern Cedar, caught the light of dusk. Shafts of gold on gold, Stalgrave a... Read Chapter

Chapter 41

Leo had never heard a cacophony such as this before. The crackling of hundreds of fires. Voices, gruff and stern, more than he could ... Read Chapter

Chapter 42

He had partaken in war games once. As part of his basic training at the Crimson Citadel. In fact, the games were part of the Ring Day c... Read Chapter

Chapter 43

A tiny lantern hanging from the rafter ahead cast shadows. Nicolai peered at it. Ahead, a boom echoed through the chambers of the mine, s... Read Chapter

Chapter 44

“They’ll be here by the sun’s rise.” Petrov shut his eyes. He closed his fingers into a fist before raising his hand to his t... Read Chapter

Chapter 45

Boom! Boom! Boom! “AGAIN!” Boom! Boom! Boom! “AGAIN!” Boom! Boom! Boom! “AGAIN!” And so it went. The ... Read Chapter

Chapter 46

Three thumps echoed through the cottage. Fyodor turned to the door. Three more followed. Even in here we cannot escape them, he thought... Read Chapter

Chapter 47

“In the name of Ada, no.” Dmitri traversed the smooth river stones, his feet bare, the skin on them blue from the alpine water th... Read Chapter

Chapter 48

The cold below met him with a blast. His body convulsed and shuddered all at once as the water around him swirled in a white fury. And ... Read Chapter

Chapter 49

Grigori ran up the pockmarked road. His ears rang. All around him he heard pops and cracks, punctuated with the occasional shout or cry... Read Chapter

Chapter 50

“I need more,” Petrov yelled. “That’s it,” Alexandrov replied. “That’s it?” “We’re down to our last bulle... Read Chapter

Chapter 51

First there was the flash. Bright white in the center, with orange and red on the fringes. Then the blast of hot air. Morgard shielded ... Read Chapter

Chapter 52

“Victory! Victory!” “Grandfather, you’ve had enough.” “Victory!” Katerina grabbed the aleskin from Sergei’s h... Read Chapter

Chapter 53

The Premier could not recall the last time he was in such a good mood. He sat back in his wicker chair and closed his eyes. A cool br... Read Chapter

Chapter 54

Waves, Not of water, But of autumn grain Ebb and flow by the breath of Ada. Foul and fish Traverse his rivers and lak... Read Chapter

Start Reading