Revelations- The Skull King Read online

  Kingdom of Sand – Book 3

  “The Skull King”

  Written by: R. E. Graham

  Novels in the Revelations SciFi Universe available on Amazon

  “Rise of the Inquisitor”

  by R. E. Graham

  Kingdom of Sand – Book 1 “Judgment Day”

  By R. E. Graham

  Kingdom of Sand – Book 2

  “Rain of Fire”

  By R. E. Graham

  Kingdom of Sand – Book 4 “Deception”

  Coming May 2019!

  Legal Notice

  Revelations: Kingdom of Sand – Book 3 “The Skull King”

  Copyright © 2019 written by R. E. Graham. All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, governments, WarMechs, and events portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and as such are his express property.

  This book may not be copied or duplicated in whole or in part via any means including electronic forms of duplication such as audio or video recording or transcription. The contents of this book may not be stored in any retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for any use whether public or private, other than brief quotations contained in articles or reviews which fall under the “fair use” exception, without the express prior permission of the author.

  First Edition: April 2019

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9980312-4-8

  ISBN-10: 0-9980312-4-0

  This book is dedicated to Jesus Christ, for without Him I wouldn’t even be on this path of being an author in the first place…

  Acknowledgments

  I want to take a quick moment to thank a couple of people that have specifically helped to make this book you have in your hands possible. Without a doubt, my biggest support has been my fantastic wife, Erin. She has put up with a lot from my creativity in this project and has been more than happy to help in any way she can. She truly is a companion that any man would be incredibly blessed and fortunate to have alongside through life. The next person would be my best friend, Jerry. Even when he has had crazy things going on in his life, he still found time to read early drafts, help with online discussions on our Facebook page and more. He is a true friend and has helped to motivate me to continue when I have been discouraged.

  "Listen, son. A time may come when evil visits you. You need to hear me clearly…I want you to run. Run as fast as you can. I have seen things in this life that would terrify most men. There are things that live in the dark. You must stay away from them. They will lead you down a path of darkness you may never return from…"

  - Henry Tarvus on 407 ANE

  Chapter 1

  Cycle: 434 Month: 4 Day: 7

  Corre Republic Space

  Prefecture: Colonial

  Planet: Frost

  Location: Winter Haven, Mikhail’s mansion

  Mikhail Tarvus stood surrounded by men and women of Ruby. They slowly began standing up from their kneeling position. He studied the faces of many of his new subordinates and nodded solemnly. The pirate lord’s clothes were covered in the blood of Redbeard, the rival crime boss of the Ruby branch that had ordered an assassin to attempt to exterminate him.

  Not one to endure being targeted, Lord Onyx led a savage strike to do the impossible, strike the powerful enemy pirate lord in the heart of his realm. He hadn't yet learned of the losses to his fleet or mech forces that had retreated from Frost, but he trusted that the Duchess, Rhonda Thrice, would be more than capable of overseeing the repairs until he returned.

  For now, he had a large amount of work ahead of him. Admittedly, his means to acquire the reigns of Ruby would not sit well with many, and he needed to secure his expanded realm as quickly as possible. No doubt the other three pirate lords of the Five Skulls would be disgruntled by the news that he had taken over the largest branch in the pirate organization. It was forbidden for one lord to attack another, even more so for one lord to consume a fellow realm into their own.

  Samantha Henders, now widowed from since her husband’s brutal death, swallowed hard and thrust her chin up. She exited the room with a slight limp in her stride. Mikhail saw no reason to stop her. Having just slaughtered her husband right before her eyes would undoubtedly be traumatic for the woman, and she would need time to process her loss.

  “Lord, we have company!” Jole Hiite, one of Mikhail’s personal bodyguards, called out from across the room.

  The pirate lord spun to locate his bodyguard, then where his eyes were pointed. Hern, in his Centurion power armor, jogged the length of the room to also have a look.

  While they couldn’t see much from their vantage point, they easily saw the teams of armed men that were rushing through the garden, heading straight for the secondary building they were currently in.

  “Guess someone found out about us,” Hern said sarcastically.

  Mikhail searched the room behind him for Redbeard’s right-hand man. The other Onyx raiders stood watch over the Ruby pirates making sure someone didn’t attempt to kill their mutual lord. Cinder was staring at the headless body of his long-time friend when Mikhail called him over.

  “Cinder! I need you.”

  The large man clenched his jaw but knew that if he didn’t obey that he too would join the other man’s fate. He strolled over with a look of contempt on his face. Jole continued to watch the approaching pirates outside with his rifle ready in case one charged in.

  Mikhail looked the disgruntled raider up and down, then nodded. “You were once Redbeard’s closest man, I want to keep you involved with Ruby. An honorable man is hard to come by, especially in our line of work.”

  Cinder appeared to lessen his visual defensiveness, but not quite that much. “I will serve you diligently, Lord.”

  "No doubt," the pirate lord said before he gestured with his head toward the ever-growing number of angry Ruby pirates outside the window. "I need you to go out there and inform them that I am now lord of Ruby. That they are to submit to me or they will be excommunicated, effective immediately."

  “Yes, Lord,” Cinder said as he bowed his head gently then left without another word.

  “Do you trust him?” Hernando asked as the three raiders watched the large man walk off.

  “There are not many I do trust. Time will tell if he is one of them,” Mikhail said as he turned and stepped back into the center of the room. He clapped his hands once to get everyone’s attention and spoke loudly. “Alright, listen up. I know that things have been very stressful recently. I wasn’t kiddin’ when I said that if you serve me you will be compensated well. Those that were with me today from Onyx will receive theirs very soon.”

  Dirk Christof, one of Mikhail’s other bodyguards, grinned widely at one of the other members of his strike team.

  “No doubt, once the Republic gets things in order up in orbit, they will send a team here. I want to load up everything valuable here in the mansion before we leave.”

  "Lord, where are we headed?" asked one of the Ruby pirates. He had dark brown hair and was relatively short in comparison to some of the big brutes around him.

  “What’s your name?” Mikhail asked as he pointed at the questioner.

  “Uh…Davis. Jyson Davis, Lord.”

  “Well Jyson, we are headin’ for Ko‘Bac,” Mikhail said with a grin.

  The Ruby pirate stood there with his eyebrow arched but knew better than to voice any sort of concern.

  “I refuse to go,” a female voice said over the awkward silence.

  Samantha had stepped out from the room she had walked away to. She stood defiantly resolute with her decision. Mikhail chuckled to himself then strolled up to the woman.

  “That wasn’t a request.
”

  “Oh, I know,” she said firmly.

  The other Ruby’s watched closely to the exchange. Mikhail rolled his shoulder as he thought of what to say next. His next words could be critical for him to continue solidifying his control over his newly acquired kingdom.

  “Would it help if I said please?”

  The widowed woman stared back at the pirate lord with a blank stare. “You are still covered with the blood of my late husband. If you plan to take us to Ko‘Bac to kill us, I’d rather you did it here and now.”

  Mikhail was perplexed by the accusation. “Come again?” He looked across the room of pirates trying to locate someone who understood Sam’s last remark.

  As he could not find anyone, he turned back to the widow. “I don’t understand, if I wanted to kill you, I would’ve already done it.”

  "If I may, Lord," Jyson said as he raised his hand carefully. "I was with Redbeard the rotation he became lord of Ruby. After he killed the previous lord, he gathered up the previous leadership and took them off-world…where he butchered all of the ones who he suspected would plot against him."

  The pirate lord was both impressed by the savagery and taken back by it. “I can assure everyone here that I have every right to kill all of those who were part of the plot to assassinate me. However, I will look at that as water under the bridge and forgive them if they would follow me.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Sam started. “You came all this way to kill my husband because of that attempt.”

  Mikhail tilted his head to the side. “True. But the difference is that anyone else involved would just be followin’ orders. He was the puppet master. Besides, I want to begin discussions for bringin’ Ruby and Onyx together, and who best to discuss that than Cinder and yourself, Ms. Samantha?”

  The pirate lord was careful with his words to both indicate that the widow had lost her husband but did not insult her by using Redbeard’s last name to identify her. That gesture was not lost on Sam, but she still wasn’t happy with the murderer.

  “What assurance do we have that this isn’t some sort of trap?” she asked as she again lifted her chin.

  “I give you my word.”

  Sam scoffed at the answer. “What is the word of a murderer?”

  Mikhail's face turned grave. "A man's word is everythin'. To break it is unforgivable."

  The widow glanced over to Jyson who shrugged. “Alright then. I…I will need to pack.”

  “We leave in thirty minutes,” Mikhail said with a joyful grin. “Alright, all Onyx members, I want you to go through everythin’ and find anythin’ valuable. It comes with us. Rubies, outside. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just well…that you haven’t earned my trust yet.”

  The pirate lord noticed that Cinder and another man, armed with a tactical looking rifle, had entered the room.

  “Lord, this is Jakub Rhinge,” Cinder said motioning to his fellow pirate.

  Mikhail slowly walked over to the two men as Hern kept a cautious eye on the man with the gun.

  "Nice to meet you, Jakub."

  “Lord,” the newcomer said as he took a knee. “I wish to pledge myself to you. Anyone who is able to storm Redbeard’s castle and be victorious is a man that can do anything.”

  The pirate lord couldn’t fight the smile from spreading on his face. “Thank you, Jakub, and I accept your allegiance. I need a quick assessment on all of the men outside.”

  "We had received word that Lord Redbeard could not be reached. Once the reports of the fighting in the city were confirmed, we assembled as many as we could to converge here. I have thirty men standing outside."

  “Do you know if the local authorities have word of the gunfire here?” Mikhail asked as he crossed his arms.

  “I do not. However, we saw many law enforcement cruisers heading toward the North side of the city. They probably will be out of the area for quite some time,” Jakub said as he stood back up.

  “Yeah, well, probably not long enough. We are preparin’ to leave here and head for Ko‘Bac. I want you to choose five of your best men and come along with us.”

  The Ruby pirate bowed his head. “Yes, Lord.”

  “Cinder, you will accompany us as well,” Mikhail said as he turned to the large man.

  “As you wish.”

  Jole’s voice broke over Mikhail’s earpiece. “Lord, one of our mechs has just shown up in the front lawn.”

  “What?!” he replied as he pressed the device with his finger.

  “The pilot says his name is Skarr. Major Wer is also with him.”

  “I’ll be right there.” He spoke to the two Ruby pirates again. “I need both of you to make sure that I don’t get popped the moment I step outside. Jakub, tell your people to stand down.”

  “They have already been told, Lord.”

  “Yeah, well color me cautious.”

  Jakub quickly left to fulfill his orders while Cinder followed behind.

  “Mik, who is gonna stay behind and make sure that things stay good for you?” Hern asked after he popped his helmet off.

  Sweat ran down the head bodyguard's face, and he genuinely looked concerned.

  Oh, you would worry about that. Whoever it is, it definitely isn’t gonna be you!

  “Right now, there isn’t anyone I feel suited to leave in my absence. We will take the top leadership that survived the raid and establish relations on Ko’Bac where it’s safe.”

  The ex-gunner didn't take the comment as being partially aimed at him and felt the desire to persist. "Yes, but you saw how things were when you took over Onyx. Everyone wasn't exactly on board with things. I think you should appoint someone to get a hold of things here while you build your plans back…"

  Jealous anger built up in the pirate lord. He quickly cut off the conversation with his low resolute voice. “Everyone is comin’ with me. Things will be fine here in my absence. Now, go help search the place for somethin’ that should be leavin’ with us.”

  Hern would never admit it, but he was hurt by his old shipmate’s tone. There wasn’t anything he wanted to do more than ensure that Mikhail and the surviving members of the Only Hope were safe.

  He clenched his jaw and nodded. "Yes, Lord." After placing his helmet back on, he stomped off to search the building.

  Mikhail pulled on his jacket and cracked his neck before he headed for the front door. The Goblin WarMech piloted by the young Skarr Sarius stepped over a massive shrub before it came to a halt. Major Daena Wer walked beside the deadly machine. Her face was strong, but the pirate lord could perceive her disappointment even from across the garden.

  Ruby pirates lined either side of the door with Cinder and Jakub watching intently.

  Well, if they try anything here and now at least Skarr can blast ‘em…

  He stepped out in the illustrious and battle-ravaged garden standing tall. All of the men and women that could see him easily spotted the blood-stained clothes he wore.

  The young mech pilot stood in his cockpit so that his upper torso popped up out of the canopy. He did a half salute with two fingers toward his pirate lord.

  “I wasn’t expectin’ to see you here, Major,” Mikhail said as he stepped forward into the center of the group of Ruby members.

  “Aye, Lord. Neither was I. In the retreat my mech was shot up, but the rookie thought it well enough to rescue me,” the Major said plainly.

  Skarr heard the words and felt invigorated when his lord nodded toward him. Saving the Major was no small feat, and it would be one that he hoped would help him advance in the organization that much quicker.

  “Cinder.”

  “Yes, Lord?” the large pirate said as he perked up.

  “I would like you to bring one of my transports on world to pick us up. One large enough to house the mech.”

  “Yes, Lord,” Cinder said as he walked away to make the call.

  Mikhail again eyeballed his new subordinates, almost encouraging one of them to make a move on him. The sen
sation of invulnerability he now experienced standing in the presence of those who moments ago wanted to kill him was intoxicating.

  Just a few seconds ago they all wanted to light me up. Now they are mine to command.

  “I am glad that you both survived the fightin’. Do you have any guesses to the losses in the raid?” the pirate lord asked switching his attention to the mech jocks.

  "We lost Kat from Gold team and Kilo from Silver. Everyone else escaped with their mechs being operational."

  Mikhail rubbed his hairy chin as he thought. “So that’s three mechs and two pilots lost. Sucks, but it had to be done.” His eyes quickly glanced up when his mind got an idea. “Major, I want you to promote Skarr here to be pike leader of Silver team when we return to HQ.”

  The young pilot felt like he was going to fall over but forced his legs to stand firm.

  “Aye, Lord,” Daena said, equally shocked by the order.

  “Unless you feel his skills cannot rise to the role as pike leader?” the pirate lord asked as he cocked an eyebrow up.

  Realizing this was a test for her herself, the Major stood up straight. “No, he may be young, but he has a gift for being a pilot. I have little doubt that he will perform excellently.”

  “Lord, you are going to want to have a look at this,” Hern said over the radio.

  Mikhail recognized the tone in the ex-gunner's voice as being very serious and knew it meant something significant. He nodded to his mech pilots then returned inside.

  "Where are you?" the pirate lord asked as he pressed his finger against his earpiece.

  “Downstairs.”

  The sound of glass shattering and things being tossed around echoed throughout what remained of the structure. Each of the Onyx was tearing the place apart looking for anything worth scavenging. While he couldn't see it, he would understand it if the Ruby's were at least a little upset by the turn of events. No matter, he was going to do what he wanted, and they had to obey or get out of the way.