Book One, page 1
Book One: The Demon
The Sword Bearers, Volume 1
Monique Rockliffe
Published by Monique Rockliffe, 2025.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
BOOK ONE: THE DEMON
First edition. June 12, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 Monique Rockliffe.
ISBN: 979-8231886463
Written by Monique Rockliffe.
Also by Monique Rockliffe
The Sword Bearers
Book One: The Demon
Book Two: The Camp
Book Three: The Forest
Book Four: The Mercenary
Standalone
The Door
Avalin, A Vympari Legend
The Girl From Space
The Bagadons
Watch for more at Monique Rockliffe’s site.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Also By Monique Rockliffe
Dedication
Book One: The Demon (The Sword Bearers, #1)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
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Further Reading: The Girl From Space
Also By Monique Rockliffe
About the Author
Dear Dreamers, never limit your imagination!
A Note to the Reader
DEAR READER,
As you begin this epic tale you will learn about Old Tongue, the language I created for Theras, the home-world of the Sword Bearers. Whenever a character is speaking Old Tongue, you will see a few words from this ancient language included in their dialogue. This is to inform you that they are speaking Old Tongue and not Basic—the dominant language spoken across the galaxy of N’varda (much like English is the ‘universal’ language spoken on our world).
I assure you that as the story progresses you will get the hang of Old Tongue and become fluent yourself, but if you need some help, please refer to the Glossary. Have fun creating your own pronunciations; there are no rules. This is your adventure as much as it has been mine to write.
Also, be aware that there are quite a few words that I have made up for the purpose of this entire fantasy series that are not spelled like they should be.
Now it is time for your epic adventure to begin!
Chapter One
Invasion!
MYRLLON’S POWERFUL muscles bunched and strained as he fought hard to obey his master’s commands and eagerly responded to her shouts of encouragement. Like her, he thrilled at the speed and freedom of a flat-out gallop. His ears swivelled back to listen to her whooping battle cries and he pushed harder to give her what she wanted. Their pursuers were gaining on them little by little, but like his master, Myrllon refused to allow fatigue to slow him down. The hunter’s teeth flashed in the morning sun and he let loose his own battle cry. If they slowed down even a little, or Myrllon stumbled on the uneven ground, the hunter would catch his prey.
The mad race had begun the moment Khaeri had mounted Myrllon in the stable yard with her big brother not too far behind. The poor stable hands had narrowly avoided being trampled by the powerful stallions as they’d reared up before charging out the gate. They were used to Khaeri Vindor’hien’s wild behaviour. The seventeen-year-old rarely acted like she was a princess and the daughter of the Cai’rin. Like a wild warrior woman, Khaeri screamed another challenge at Khael and he answered. A day out with his sister was never boring. The stallions galloped through the lush forest, heading south to the cliff rising above it.
The small world of Theras—the most densely populated planet in the Territory of Theras—sat deep within the Southern Sector of N’varda, and if her mae’im had her way, her daughter would rule as High Seat and Cai’rin after her, as centuries of tradition dictated. But if Khaeri had her way, she would not. She hated the stuffiness of court, and had more friends outside the palace than within. She chose to wear pants or split skirts instead of dresses, and spent most of her time riding and exploring the forests and mountains surrounding the capital, often arriving home at the end of the day dirty and exhausted but happy. What she was supposed to be doing was attending to her studies and learning politics and history and, more importantly, preparing to become High Queen one day.
On this particular morning, Khaeri had persuaded her big brother to join her for a ride after he had been cooped up in their mae’im’s stuffy War Room for hours trying to find a way to protect Theras from the coming storm: War! Rumours of an impending invasion by an unknown enemy from the deep darkness of space had spread like wildfire across the planet, planting fear into the hearts of the historically peaceful race. Theras had not seen war for centuries, and it was mostly due to the wisdom and hard work of the Cai’rin and her royal ancestors going back seven millennia.
Khaeri, like many teenagers her age, chose to ignore the rumours and get on with the more important things in life, like having fun. So, when the big double-doors to the War Room had swung open, letting out musty smelling air that made her nose wrinkle, she’d searched the small crowd of generals, officers, and Therasin rulers, looking for the familiar fair-haired figure of her brother to invite him for a morning ride she knew would absolutely make him feel better. Waving both arms above her head after spotting him, she’d yelled out his name, ignoring the annoyed frowns of the blurry-eyed men and women who didn’t appreciate her early morning chirpiness but who secretly envied it.
“Khael, over here! It’s me, K!” He gave her an admonishing look as he approached, but she ignored it and grinned at him, her luminous green eyes shining with suppressed excitement.
Khael couldn’t help but grin back at his beloved little sister. “Khaeri, what are you doing here so early? And keep your voice down!” She never failed to lift his spirits with her infectious love of life and warm-hearted personality.
“Panthar is saddled and waiting for you,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him with her. “Come on, you need a break. You’ve been in that stuffy room all night.”
“K, wait,” he said, his stronger tug making her stop. Taking her by the shoulders, he looked her in the eyes. “I can’t leave now. Mae’ needs me for at least another few hours.” She stuck out her bottom lip. “Later, I promise. Can you wait for me?”
Neither of them saw Ahloren Vindor’hien, Cai’rin dei Theras and High Seat, watching their exchange from the War Room doorway. Noticing how Khaeri was dressed, she knew why her daughter was there and recognised the disappointed look on her face. Feeling a little guilty for not spending enough time with her of late, she drank deeply from her large mug, the hot, sweet caf returning some vitality to her tired body.
As the queen, her duty and top priority was to make sure all of Theras was as ready as they could be to face the approaching planet-wide threat. Thanks to Korin Beloruuis, uncle to her children and the king and High Seat of Verai, one of the biggest Territories situated in the Central Sector of the galaxy, they were as prepared as they could be. Months ago, he’d sent word of the threat spreading into N’varda from the Eastern Sector—a dark force intent on either occupying or destroying Territories across the entire galaxy. She couldn’t afford to relax and take time off when an invasion of her world was imminent.
Taking note of her daughter’s glowing, sun-kissed appearance, Ahloren could tell she’d been spending a lot of time outdoors instead of focusing on her studies. Suppressing a sigh of frustration at Khaeri’s lack of understanding about her responsibilities, Ahloren walked towards her children and smiled when they turned to face her.
“Ga’sh or’nin’, Khaeri.”
Curtsying, Khaeri said politely, “Ga’sh or’nin’, Mae’im. How have the discussions been going?”
Khaeri didn’t really care and Ahloren knew it. It was a huge bone of contention between them that she had no interest in politics. But now was not the time for arguments. Khael had been in the War Room since she had called the emergency gathering after a rider had delivered disturbing late-night news of attacks by strange looking invaders to the north-west and south of the capital. Theras’s twenty-four kingdoms consisted of a single massive landmass that covered three-quarters of the planet’s surface, and as a world with little to no technology, it took time to hear about attacks in other kingdoms. Fortunately, many kingdom rulers, along with their high-ranking military leaders, had been staying at the palace for weeks as invasion had grown more likely over the last few months. Ahloren had called the gathering at the third morning hour, so by now they were all quite tired. She had to continue but Khael deserved a break. He had not left her side since evening meals the night before.
“It goes well. Perhaps later you can join us, yei’?” As expected, her daughter barely hid a grimace, but she nodded, giving her mae’ a little hope. “I assume you have asked your brother to go for a morning ride.”
“I have already told Khaeri that you need me, Mae’im, and she understands,” Khael said.
“Noi’, I want you to join your s’arir and get some fresh air. The ride will do you good.”
“Are you sure? Things are getting strained in there,” he said, tilting his head towards the War Room. “You’ll need my support—”
“I can handle things by myself for a while,” she said. “Now go and have fun, and don’t forget to eat something before you come back inside.” She kissed them both on their foreheads then turned to walk back to the War Room.
Khaeri’s eyes lingered a moment on her mae’im’s retreating form. She was pleased she had given them leave to go, but she was concerned seeing her mae’ so pale and haggard. She had also lost weight, which meant worry had kept her from getting enough quality rest lately. The regal, straight-backed way she usually carried her tall frame was missing, but to Khaeri, she was still a beautiful woman. Waist-length, golden hair matched hers, and at forty-eight she still had her slim figure after bearing four children. Perhaps this one time she should show her support when they got back from their ride, Khaeri thought to herself. A broad shouldered, dark-haired man came to stand beside her mae’ in the doorway. He asked her something and she turned to look at her daughter. Khaeri saw fondness in her hazel gaze, but also sadness, and she wondered why.
“Come on, then,” Khael said, interrupting her thoughts by flinging his arm around her shoulders and tickling her ribs. She shrieked, once again earning her scowls and disapproving looks from the grumpy adults, and the giggling pair headed downstairs to the stables.
The end of the race was in sight as they neared the top of the steep hill, and Khaeri reined Myrllon in, giving the panting stallion a chance to catch his breath. She turned him to watch her brother approach, then looking to her right she saw the roofs of Malkhyrin’s houses and low buildings through the branches of the trees. The tiles gleamed in the bright sunlight, making them look like squares of pure gold.
“Hai, Khaeri, you will be the end of me yet!” Khael panted, and reined in his equally winded horse.
She snorted and looked at him with mild disgust. “Sitting in stuffy rooms and studying boring maps is making you fat and lazy, b’iera. You’ll end up looking like that tub Tas Pinkas soon if you don’t start training again. Is that a fat roll I see under your shirt?”
She reached for his waist from her saddle to pinch him and he quickly moved Panthar away from her. “Don’t you dare! I’m nowhere near fat, young lady, so stop making me paranoid.”
“Someone has to or you’ll be confined to a chair permanently because you can’t lift your belly off your feet.”
“Hai ‘en, stop it!” She grinned at him and he burst out laughing. He was suddenly very happy to be outside in the glorious autumn air with the person he loved most in the world. Khaeri always pulled him out of his foul moods and made him see life differently. Kurrn above, she could laugh, and she always affected everyone around her with joy.
Khael understood his sister better than their brothers and their mae’im. She loved hunting and riding and learning how to use a bow and knife because she wanted to be the same as her brothers and didn’t want to be singled out because of her duty to become the next Cai’. What frustrated her tutors was that she was extremely intelligent beyond her years and therefore showed great promise to be a powerful and wise ruler one day. As a Sword Bearer’s child, she was blessed with instant memory and never forgot anything once she read it, heard it, or saw it. But whenever she was in class she was constantly causing disruptions, either by making the other children laugh or encouraging bad behaviour. Ahloren, who had insisted that Khaeri learn with the other children in Malkhyrin in an effort to make her aware that she was not isolated from the rest of civilisation due to her station, had many times been visited by these tutors in despair of the princess ever achieving anything lasting. Whenever Ahloren spoke to her daughter about it, she told her mae’ quite plainly that she was bored and that there was nothing she couldn’t learn herself from the books and scrolls in the capital’s Great Library. This led to many heated arguments between mae’im and di’anes, and Khael invariably ended up acting as mediator and trying to make his sister see reason while urging Ahloren to patience and helping her understand her rebellious daughter’s unique nature.
Their brothers, Jarath and Braahn, kept their distance when the arguments erupted. Jarath, the third child at twenty-two, secretly chose his sister’s side but rarely got involved. As the two youngest siblings, Khaeri and Jarath had spent a lot of time together while growing up and so shared a special bond, despite their blazingly different personalities. Jarath was a typical introvert and usually had his head in a book; he could spend an entire day in the Great Library studying his favourite subjects, like the ancient histories of their ancestors. Braahn was the second son at twenty-four and elected to remain neutral in an effort to keep the peace and also remain in good favour with both his mae’ and his sister. Khaeri had called him a coward for it many times, but he stood by his convictions nonetheless.
In the end, Khaeri always got her way, despite the numerous threats of punishment from her mae’im, which very rarely materialised, and in Khael’s opinion that was the problem. Khaeri ran amuck with no discipline and no consequences for her disobedience, and when rumours of the impending invasion had reached Ahloren, she had withdrawn from her daughter even more. All her time was now taken up in meetings with Theras’s rulers where they tried to find a way to protect their world from a technologically superior enemy. Khael had noticed Khaeri’s disappointment and growing resentment with her mae’im’s frequent absences and he’d tried to fill the gap by keeping her distracted. But mae’im and di’anes had grown further and further apart over the last few months, and this had made Khaeri even more unwilling to learn about her duties as heir.
But today, at least, her eyes shone with merriment, and looking at her big brother, she yelled, “Race you to the top!” Myrllon sprang forward after she kicked him in the flanks and they left Khael and Panthar in a cloud of dust.
“Not fair!” he shouted after her, and urged Panthar after the black stallion.
Minutes later, they cleared the trees at the top of the cliff, with Khaeri in the lead, of course, and reined in their exhausted steeds and dismounted. Leaving the horses to chomp on the long grass and fend for themselves, the siblings ran to the cliff edge to admire the extraordinary view. It was always well worth the hour it took to get to their favourite picnic spot. They stood side by side with arms around each other and caught their breaths with big grins on their faces that made them look so alike they could be twins, even though they were ten years apart.
For as long as she had been alive, the sight of Malkhyrin never failed to take Khaeri’s breath away. The ancient city had been built out of a rough white stone similar to granite that was inlaid with veins of gold—a geological anomaly found only in the mountain range behind the great mountain-palace toward the west. The cobbled streets were also white, until one got closer to the city centre where multi-coloured tiles had been embedded into the stone, revealing exquisite craftsmanship and artistry of an era long forgotten. No one knew who built Malkhyrin and the mountain-palace, and it was one of the few ancient cities still standing on Theras. Where the city had expanded over the centuries, only white stone, white granite, or white marble had been used to ensure nothing disturbed the pure-white aesthetics of the planet’s capital.
The city was perfectly protected lying cradled in a vast oval valley. The huge mountain range to the west and the lush forests, many miles deep, to the north-west, south-west, and curving around to the south and south-east, offered the city natural protection. Two freshwater lakes—Lake Rashi’ about a quarter mile outside the north gate and a much bigger one, Lake Miri, situated about half a mile south-east of the city—provided pure, sweet water to the city and the residents living outside the city, including the nearby villages. Narrow water canals diverted the water to over five hundred fountains scattered throughout Malkhyrin, from which the inhabitants collected their daily supply. Only the city’s wealthier residents had the luxury of their own private canals and fountains situated on their properties. The four main causeways—running from the palace stairs in the west all the way to the east gate and then from the south gate to the north gate in a perfect cross—as well as all the broad main streets leading away from the great square in the city centre, like spokes in a wagon wheel, were lined with evergreen wang’hana trees, removing the starkness of city life and giving the impression one was living in a forest. In late summer the trees exploded with beautiful, fragrant pink and white blossoms, and from the palace balconies it looked like a giant’s blanket made entirely of flowers had been thrown over the city.
