The Arlin Trilogy
The world cast it aside. Now he has been tasked with bringing it back.
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Benjamin Arlin’s world has been under siege his whole life. At a young age, he joined the fight against the Great Beasts of the Southern Mountains, but he has nothing to show for it, save the loss of his entire family. Now a mercenary, all he wants is to take a break from his violent ways—to hang up his flintlock pistols and saddlebags and be done with swords and bloodshed. Reluctantly agreeing to take on one last mission before his break, Ben accepts a simple job: retrieve an old, out-of-print book known only as The Story.
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But when his mission exposes a possible lead in the hunt to end the repetitive wars, Ben finds himself caught between two employers with conflicting goals involving a legendary beast. What started as a simple retrieval mission turns into a fight to survive when Ben is thrust into a perilous journey across a dangerous enchanted forest; a journey filled with painful memories he had hoped to never face again. To make matters worse, he can’t shake the feeling that an unknown stalker is on his tail. Maybe there is more to this book than meets the eye.
What he sees is only half the story.
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Benjamin Arlin and Solace Devo, now Solace Arlin, are on a journey to set the world free from the enemy known as the Creature. Accompanied by their friends, they set out over raging seas to follow the order of an ancient prince who is at the heart of the long-lost book known as The Story. Their mission? Take The Story to the four corners of the earth and find something the Prince called “the gate.” But the already perilous journey turns even more deadly when Valdra and the dark soldiers begin to stalk Ben through his every waking hour, as well as his dreams.
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The sword and shield Ruth gave to Ben are now among his most treasured possessions. But Ben has yet to learn their true worth—and their true power. As the mission to spread The Story takes Ben across the seas, the ocean’s relentless dangers, his tumultuous dreams, and mysterious visions begin to blur the lines between the seen and unseen. Is Ben losing his mind? Or is he just beginning to reclaim it from a life fraught with lies?
Its location has remained hidden for centuries. Now he must find it before the enemy does.
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An old, out-of-print book known as The Story changed Benjamin Arlin’s life and put in motion a mission to set his world free of mass illusion. But now, Ben finds himself adrift at sea. All those meant to help him are gone, lost in an attack by the first dragon seen in centuries.
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Reeling from the loss of those closest to him, Ben now finds himself with a choice: complete the mission on his own or surrender to the rule of darkness and go home. But when his decision leads him into the clutches of his greatest enemy, Ben’s own doubts may be his undoing and seal the fate of the world as he knows it. If Ben gives in to darkness, he could reveal the very thing the enemy seeks. An artifact that would spell success for either the Creature or for those who seek freedom from his rule. An artifact both Ben and the Creature have yet to find but desperately need—the Gate.