Aiduels sin, p.1
Aiduel's Sin, page 1
AIDUEL’S SIN
Daniel T. Jackson is a fantasy enthusiast, with a love for fantastical worlds and thrilling adventures. After the critical success of his epic fantasy debut novel, Illborn, Daniel has continued the awe-inspiring story with the publication of book two, Aiduel’s Sin. With The Illborn Saga, he hopes to create the next classic fantasy series.
Daniel is married with four children, and lives in the United Kingdom. He also loves hiking, cycling, piano and volunteering for good causes. Aiduel’s Sin is his second published novel.
Copyright © 2022 Daniel T. Jackson
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
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To Mum, Dad, Ian and Kate. Thank you
for so many years of love and support.
Contents
Cast of Characters from Illborn
World Map
Prologue
Part One
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Interlude 1
Part Two
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Interlude 2
Part Three
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
Aftermath
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Cast of Characters from Illborn
The Illborn
Allana dei Monis.
Lord Arion Sepian, the Hero of Moss Ford, the Butcher of Moss Ford.
Corin of Karn, the Chosen of the Gods.
Priestess Leanna Cooper, the Angel of Arlais.
Western Canasar and Septholme
Charl Koss – experienced and tough adviser to the Sepian family.
Duke Conran Sepian – former ruler of Western Canasar, father of Arion. Died following the selfish actions of Allana.
Lord Delrin Sepian – older brother of Arion, left Western Canasar to fight in the Holy Land.
Duke Gerrion Sepian – eldest brother of Arion, became ruler of Western Canasar after his father’s death.
Lady Kalyane Sepian – formerly Lady Kalyane Rednar, now wife of Arion.
Lady Karienne Sepian – Arion’s younger sister.
Captain Menion Thatcher – captain of the guard for Septholme Castle.
Andar – Other
Commander Arnas Roque – lead instructor at the Royal Academy of Knights.
King Inneos Pavil – monarch of Andar, close friend of the late Duke Conran Sepian.
Duke Jarrett Berun – head of the House of Berun, rival and enemy of Arion at the Royal Academy of Knights. He encountered Allana after she fled from Western Canasar.
Lord Lennion Rednar – second son of the House of Rednar, friend of Arion from the Royal Academy of Knights, brother of Lady Kalyane Sepian.
Queen Mariess Pavil – wife of King Inneos.
Prince Sendar Pavil – second son of King Inneos, friend of Arion from the Royal Academy of Knights.
Prince Senneos Pavil – eldest son of King Inneos, heir to the throne.
Arlais and the College of Aiduel
Priestess Amyss – Leanna’s room-mate and closest friend at the College of Aiduel in Arlais.
Sister Colissa – head of the healers and the hospital at the College of Aiduel in Arlais.
Priestess Corenna – one of the teachers at the College of Aiduel in Arlais.
Elisa Cooper – mother of Leanna.
Senior Priest El’Patriere – abusive leader of the College of Aiduel in Arlais. Leanna became his enemy after she reported his actions, and he later arranged for her arrest.
Jonas Cooper – father of Leanna.
Senior Priestess Maris – priestess in Arlais who linked the actions of Aiduel’s Guards to the event of the Great Darkening.
Karn and Bergen
Agbeth – Corin’s wife, who travelled with him to the far north after he was banished, but who suffered a grievous head injury in an attack following their return to Karn.
Akob – Corin’s father, and one of Corin’s key advisers in the Karn clan.
Blackpaw – a mighty beast called a felrin, which Corin tamed in the far north during his banishment from the Karn clan.
Clan Chief Borrik – former clan chief of the Karn, who was killed by Corin in mortal combat.
Kernon – Corin’s older brother, who bullied Corin when they were growing up.
Marrix – one of Corin’s key advisers in the Karn clan.
Clan Chief Munnik – clan chief of the Borl.
Clan Chief Rekmar – former clan chief of the Anath, who was eaten by Blackpaw on Corin’s instruction.
Aiduel’s Guards and the Holy Church
Archprime Amnar – Head of the Holy Church in Andar.
High Priest Comenis – leader of the Holy Church in Arlais. Was at Leanna’s pyre.
High Commander Ernis dei Bornere – leader of the Aiduel’s Guards military order in Arlais. Sentenced Leanna to burning on the pyre for being an Illborn.
High Commander Evelyn dei Laramin – leader of the garrison of Aiduel’s Guards in Septholme. Arrested and tortured Allana, who later murdered her.
Sergeant Monliere – Aiduel’s Guard who was responsible for Allana’s imprisonment.
Nionia dei Pallere – initially a friend of Allana, later responsible for Allana’s imprisonment. She lied to Arion about Allana’s fate.
Archlaw Paulius the Fourth – Head of the Holy Church, based in the Archlaw’s Palace near Sen Aiduel, in Dei Magnus.
High Priest Ronis dei Maranar – high priest in Sen Aiduel, who was murdered by Allana after he assaulted her.
Other
Caddin Sendromm – mysterious traveller who murdered a young boy with apparent powers, several years earlier, and is now aware of Leanna.
Cillian Maddoc – young boy with apparent powers, who was murdered by Caddin Sendromm.
Emperor Jarrius El’Augustus – leader of the Elannis Empire.
Prince Markon El’Augustus – heir to the throne of the Elannis Empire, who was defeated and wounded by Arion, but was miraculously healed by Leanna.
Seilana dei Monis – mother of Allana, died of the Wasting Sickness.
Sern Maddoc – father of Cillian Maddoc, who was murdered by Caddin Sendromm.
World Map
Prologue
Caddin
—
Year of Our Lord, After Ascension, 749AA
(several months after the Great Darkening)
Can a destiny be shaped, or does the first trickle of fate flow unerringly to the precipice of a distant future outcome?
Caddin Sendromm was not thinking about this question as he waited inside the Archlaw’s Palace, within a sumptuous antechamber which belonged to the illustrious leader of the Holy Church. Instead, he was staring at his reflection in the polished marble floor, and was speculating about the possible nature of the encounter which lay ahead of him.
In most circumstances, Caddin was able to disregard any hinted sense of nervousness or anxiety. Indeed, after the many horrors of his childhood years, he was usually capable of suppressing such trivial emotions. At this moment, however, he was feeling particularly ill-at-ease.
His hand moved down to his side and his fingers clenched, but the familiar form of his mace was not there to provide comfort. It had been confiscated upon his arrival at the palace, at the same time that his robes had been thoroughly searched. No outsider was to enter these sacred grounds, or to come into the presence of His Holy Eminence, bearing anything which could be used as a weapon.
Lord Aiduel, thought Caddin, make my thoughts and actions true, and please don’t let me make a fool of myself.
His gaze shift ed towards the closed wooden door in front of him, which was ten feet in height and was decorated with an elaborate carving of The Lord Aiduel On The Tree. Four armed soldiers flanked this sealed entrance, all wearing the bright red cloaks and sashes which identified them as members of Aiduel’s Guards, the fast-growing military order.
Caddin knew that the head of the Holy Church, His Eminence Archlaw Paulius the Fourth, might be waiting in the room beyond that doorway. Soon, Caddin expected to be called through to meet this esteemed individual, this man who was Aiduel’s Mortal Voice on Angall.
Caddin’s summons had arrived two days earlier, in the form of a hand-delivered letter. The message inside had consisted of a single sentence, instructing him to attend the Archlaw’s Palace at noon on Sixth-Day, by order of Paulius himself.
Early on Fifth-Day morning, Caddin had therefore left his post at the College hospital of Sen Aiduel, and had walked northwards from the city for twenty miles. He had spent the night in a dormitory on the outskirts of the vast walled complex which surrounded the palace, before arriving at the magnificent central building this morning.
It was only then that a palace official had warned him that he should prepare himself for a personal audience with the Archlaw. The official had not offered any further explanation, leaving Caddin with this lingering and unwelcome sense of unease.
The imposing door opened inwards as Caddin was reflecting upon this, and a middle-aged man came into view within the doorway, attired in modest grey robes. Caddin had seen this man’s visage on many paintings in the preceding years, and he immediately stood, then bowed low.
‘Your Eminence,’ he said.
The Archlaw was of medium height, with thick black hair flecked with spots of grey. He gestured with his hand towards the room behind him.
‘Please, Priest Caddin, come join me,’ he said. His voice was refined and sonorous, and the underlying accent clearly revealed his Elannis origins.
Caddin did as instructed, pacing across to the open door, and entering an audience chamber which was both large and opulent. He was surprised to see that there was no one else in the room.
An ancient and ornate desk sat in the room’s centre, and Paulius gestured to a chair in front of that desk. Caddin seated himself, before hearing the door swinging shut behind him, again sealing the chamber. He was dry-mouthed as the Archlaw took a seat on the other side of the desk.
‘Priest Caddin Sendromm. Welcome to my palace.’
‘Thank you, Your Eminence,’ said Caddin. ‘It’s a great honour to be here, and to meet you.’
‘Please, be at ease, Priest Caddin. You’re probably greatly vexed as to why I’ve called you here today, and I’ll come onto that in good time. But let’s talk together first, not as eminent Archlaw and humble priest, but as simple men, for just a few moments.’
‘Yes, Your Eminence.’
The Archlaw leaned forwards with his elbows on the desk, his hands steepled together. ‘What an interesting journey your life has taken, Priest Caddin, to lead you to your current position in the priesthood. You have a background which I would describe as unique.’
‘Your Eminence?’
‘Yes, unique. I know a lot about you, Priest Caddin. More than you would probably want me to know. How you grew up as a gutter-rat, an orphan, after your parents died when you were eight. How you were forced to scrounge for food and had to fight to stay alive on the streets of Elannis City. How you had no family or home but somehow survived on those streets for five years. All of that is correct, I presume?’
Caddin frowned. The years in Elannis City were a period of his life that he did not like to think about or talk about. Only a handful of people had ever been told that story.
‘Yes, Your Eminence.’
‘And you escaped that life by enrolling in the Elannis army. As I understand, you were only thirteen years old, but you passed for sixteen given the size of you.’
‘Yes, Your Emin-’
‘Don’t worry, you don’t need to keep confirming, I know that all of this is true. My people have done their… research. You then served in the army for fourteen years, and throughout a number of wars. You attained the rank of Commander, a most significant achievement given your background. Even more notably, you were awarded the Emperor’s Star, for an act of extreme heroism.’
Caddin nodded in confirmation, growing more uncomfortable.
‘Tell me about that,’ ordered the Archlaw, his stare unrelenting.
‘There was a fortress in a mountain pass, Your Eminence, during the First Patran War. I was given four hundred men and told to hold the pass, to let no one through. But when he gave the order, my superior didn’t know that the enemy’s main force intended to cross that route. We… held our position, until a relief force came.’
‘You’re too modest, Priest Caddin. Too modest. The story I’ve heard is that your force held back an army twenty times its size, and that you’re reputed to have personally killed… hundreds… of men. That you were one of only eight survivors.’ Caddin did not respond, feeling embarrassed, but the Archlaw continued, ‘Were you really that deadly, Priest Caddin Sendromm? Were you truly such a lethal killer?’
Caddin paused, unsettled by the direction of the conversation, before answering, ‘Yes, Your Eminence. I was. But I renounced that life, after I left the army.’
‘But you also lost your second family during those years? Your wife and-’
‘Forgive me, Your Eminence,’ interrupted Caddin, ‘but I don’t want to talk about that. Please, may we not?’
The Archlaw stared at him for a few seconds, with brows narrowed, before saying, ‘Very well, I’ll not question you on that then. May I otherwise proceed?’
‘Of course, Your Eminence. Please excuse me.’
‘So, as I understand it, following the end of the First Patran War eight years ago, and the award of the Star, you were granted a boon. A chance to ask for a reward. And the Elannis army’s deadliest killer surprised everyone by asking to be given a religious education, and to be trained as a priest. May I ask why?’
‘I wanted peace, Your Eminence. During and after the war, I was… tormented. I’d done horrible things. Many horrible things. I couldn’t sleep. I hated myself. And I’d… lost everything. But I found a sense of peace, and a chance at salvation, in the words of The Lord Aiduel and in the Holy Church.’
‘And I understand that your new-found faith also helped you to control your drinking?’
Caddin gulped, shocked by how much the Archlaw knew about his personal history. ‘Yes, Your Eminence. For a period, before I embraced a life of service to Aiduel, I was close to becoming a drunk. After that, I put it aside. I haven’t touched alcohol since I joined the priesthood.’
‘I know that, Caddin, and your abstinence has been a credit to you. Forgive me, it must be very disconcerting to have your past laid out like this by a stranger, particularly when that stranger is me, and I can only imagine the horrors that you’ve witnessed. The tragedy that you’ve experienced. But, as you say, you found Aiduel, and all of the reports from your religious training paint you as a diligent and devout novice. And then, after you were ordained, you joined the Order of Saint Helena. Yes?’
‘Yes.’
‘Again, why?’
‘Because it was a chance to make amends, Your Eminence. To heal people, to find some redemption for all the… pain, I’d caused.’
‘And has it? Made amends?’
‘A little. Not completely, if I’m honest. I’m not sure if anything ever could.’
‘And how strong is your faith, Caddin?’
‘Strong, Your Eminence. It is the central pillar of my life now.’
‘And you are completely without family, yes? No parents, no brothers or sisters, no… others. No one?’
Caddin grimaced, feeling awkward. ‘No, Your Eminence. I have no family.’
