Haniel and Berrand do the king's work as a sellsword and a messenger hired to maintain control of the land. But when Berrand's mentor, the aged priest Gorreth, sends him on a journey to recover the holy text of a god he abandoned long ago, the two find themselves beset by bandits, cultists, and worse as they seek to bring back what has been lost. The Gates of Arstelem is a fantasy novel I began work on for NaNoWriMo 2016. It takes place in the Othenar setting, which is a mythic fantasy world recovering from the invasion of mysterious beings known only as the Kithik, who attempted to claim the world for their own. I'm doing an editing pass as I upload, so the progress should be fairly quick for a few chapters, then we're going to see a stalling. Feedback is appreciated and encouraged. Note: This is sort of the first draft version. I'm doing some rewriting a year later with new and improved skills.

This is war. In the spiritual realm. For human souls. For eternity. In the spirit of the legend of Arthur, the knights of old, of the Crusades in their best intent to advance the gospel (if not always their methods). In the reality of spiritual warfare, of fights against demonic principalities, of the need to arm ourselves with heavenly armor. Herein lies prayer, for believers to stay strong, for our leaders to use Biblical principles and godly judgement, for our nation, and for any and all who read this. May God bless you and keep you. Amen. Authparf = Warbook Credit to @ SuperiorGhost

"Oh Lord make the pain stop." The sea churns. "Make it stop. Im lonely. Im so lonely." The sea tosses angrily. "I cant take this! Dont you understand that?" The sea swirls up. My hand comes up to stop it. I stand up. Put my right hand up and clench it like a fist. Everything calms. Its a power I've had as long as I can remember. The sea always matches my mind. Grace is 15 years old. Her dad committed suicide when she was 8 and her mom is now distant so she depends on her friends to be family- until her best friend attempts suicide. It sends her whole world spinning off. Will she be able to find Christ in all of this madness? Will her best friend be ok? Does he feel the same as she does for him?

Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed. Worse, Sicarius, the empire's most notorious assassin, is in town. He's tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills... or someone wants her dead.

In a decayed and dying alien world that was once center of a vast planetary empire, an embittered rogue knight, soldier to the fallen empire, traverses a bizarre landscape discovering strange and sinister truths about the nature of the leaders he once served and about the mysterious warlords who have now carved the world into their private kingdoms. ************************************************************************************************ Wonderful cover art by Stefanie Saw: @seventhstar