The Ranger (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

a knight wearing a black tunic since he first came to the abbey. Black tunics were worn by the Rangers who brought him there. Rangers generally didn’t come to the abbey, at least if they did, no one ever saw them. He didn’t know why, but he had the strange feeling that he had seen the man somewhere before.  A white hilted sword was tied to his waist; much like the one Auna had been wearing earlier that day.
    The abbots took their seats in the thrones set for them. The strange man sat just to their right. A murmur of excitement grew from the crowd; but Abbot Markov only remained seated for a moment as the other abbots settled before rising again.
    The man in black was lost to Vincent as the excitement spread to him. The tournament was about to begin.
    “Welcome one and all,” the Abbot’s frail voice echoed as silence fell across the crowd. “We meet this night to celebrate the advancement of these ten fine knights from the academy to the Order of the Knights of the Most Holy Sandora.”
    A riotous cheer erupted from the crowd. The Abbot allowed it to continue for a moment, as Vincent and his companions basked in the praise, before he raised his hand, silencing the crowd instantly.
    “They have studied hard for the last five years learning the arts of war as well as studying the doctrines of their Goddess. They have become devoted servants to the Goddess as well as valiant defenders of their faith,” the Abbot continued. “The graduation ceremony last night marked the end of their formative training. This, the presentation of the new knights, marks the beginning of a new journey; one of learning, one of service, and one of valor.
    “Here, gathered tonight, are the heads of each abbey across this land. After viewing the abilities demonstrated here tonight, these knights,” the Abbot indicated Vincent and the others, “will receive their assignments, based on the needs of the abbeys. However, this year there is an assignment of such difficulty, that only the very best of knights could withstand it. While there is no guarantee that this year’s winner will be up to the challenge, he will be considered the primary candidate for the role.” The level of excitement grew.
    “There are, however, certain technicalities that must first be taken care of before we can continue,” said the Abbot, ignoring the excited buzz. “As most, if not all, of you are well aware, one requirement for graduation from the academy is gaining favor in the eyes of the Goddess, Sandora. In ages past this favor was manifest in the Token, or the power, that each knight received. Sadly, that gift from the Goddess is but a shadow of what it used to be. This year we were fortunate to have five knights receive a Token. What is even more exciting is that we had four different tokens granted among the five. There are many tokens granted by the Goddess. Among the priests to some it is given the power to heal, to others the power to create protective barriers, while others can control the growth of plants or communicate with animals. Knights receive tokens that allow them to manipulate the elements: Earth, Lightning, Fire, Water, and Shadow. This makes them truly powerful as warriors. The instructors in the academy are all skilled with their elements and have striven to teach control to their students. The instructors will demonstrate the full potential the tokens which were granted to the students, and then the knights will demonstrate their level of control over their token.” Abbot Markov nodded to Master Auna before sitting down. Master Auna rose to his feet, and strode to the center of the training field.
    “First we shall have the Token of Earth,” He said loudly. Two instructors rose to their feet and joined him on the field. Vincent recognized them as Sir Randy Dunn and Sir John Thatcher, instructors of battle tactics. Auna returned to his seat, watching the instructors intently. The two men stared at each other for some time before