Fated Volition: The Sapphire Star Saga Read online



  Acknowledgments

  I dedicate this book to my brother, Byron Schumate, who has been an incredible sounding board for my ideas and eagerly awaited each chapter to be finished. My mother, Carrie Mifflin who was my first and forever fan and Erika Elpers for being the first person outside my family to give me an honest opinion. Most importantly, to my wife, Jill Meinhold. She encouraged me to pursue this crazy thing called writing and has been supportive, even on my ugliest days. In addition, to YOU, whomever manages to read and love (or hate) my book. Thank you for giving it a chance!

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  Charity Rowell-Stansbury, of On My Kindle, rated Fated Volition 5 out of 5 stars!

  “Overall, Fated Volition by A.L. Meinhold is a great fantasy/adventure epic without the really slow points that some epic fantasy readers come to expect. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and the story, and the relationships between the characters really make this book stand out when compared to other fantasy epics. I also liked the fact that most of the story's protagonists are females; the departure from the traditional "heroes saving the princess" to "heroines saving the prince" was not lost on me.

  If you are looking for a good fantasy/adventure epic with female protagonists and enjoy authors like Mercedes Lackey, Gayle Greeno, or Melanie Rawn; check out Fated Volition by A.L. Meinhold. You won't be disappointed!”

  Fated Volition

  The Sapphire Star Saga

  A.L. Meinhold

  Copyright 2015 A.L. Meinhold

  Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One - In the Beginning

  Chapter Two - A Journey

  Chapter Three - Changes

  Chapter Four - A Fire Inside

  Chapter Five - Seek and Find

  Chapter Six - Parting Ways

  Chapter Seven - New Direction

  Chapter Eight - Shipwrecked

  Chapter Nine - Follow the Leader

  Chapter Ten - Unexpected Enemies

  Chapter Eleven - Keeping It Together

  Chapter Twelve - City of Dreams

  Chapter Thirteen - Waiting Game

  Chapter Fourteen - What Makes a Family

  Chapter Fifteen - Truths Revealed

  Chapter Sixteen - Unexpected Deliverance

  Chapter Seventeen - Animal Instincts

  Chapter Eighteen - Unfolded

  Chapter Nineteen - Luck of the Dragons

  Chapter Twenty - Born From the Ash

  Chapter Twenty One - Disobeying Mother

  Chapter Twenty Two - Remnants of Soul

  Chapter Twenty Three - Reaching an End

  Chapter Twenty Four - Training Day

  Chapter Twenty Five - Unexpected Visitors

  Chapter Twenty Six - Beating the Odds

  Chapter Twenty Seven - Win Some Lose Many

  End Notes

  Bonus Chapter

  Chapter One

  In the Beginning

  Five pregnant women lay before him, screaming in pain. They were all going to give birth at any moment. Panicking, he knelt in front of the nearest one. Unsure of what he was doing, he watched Ava and Samhelia tended to the women and followed their lead. As he was telling the mother before him to stay calm and breathe, a thunderous crash erupted above them and a woman shrieked.

  Just to his right a raven-haired beauty cried out in pain, but not from childbirth. Next to her was a large stone of some kind. It was so hot that he could see steam radiating off it. The scent of burnt flesh tinged the air and Farwen gasped as he saw her leg. Through the singed fabric of her dress, red blisters were appearing on her skin.

  He reassured the woman he had been helping and went the other quickly. Hesitant to touch the strange rock, which looked like burnt crystal, he concentrated very hard on it. With a loud pop, the crystalline object shifted over about three feet. It wasn’t far, but at least it was far enough to keep the heat off Genevieve.

  “Please help. Oh God…he doesn’t even know.” She was crying out, delirious from the pain.

  She screamed again as blood soaked through her clothing.

  Frightened Farwen called out for Ava, “Something is wrong, I don’t know how to help her!”

  Ava knelt beside him and in that moment he looked at the others briefly and realized that, they were all cradling their babies in their arms. Should it have happened that fast? It seemed unnatural to him. That whole night had taken a strange turn and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. Recalling what had happened just barely an hour before, he lost himself in the memory of that evening.