Elias ran toward the gates of Redcliff Enclave. Guards lay dead or unconscious on either side, and shards of wooden splinters stuck out from the snow.
Explosions sounded toward Raidenwood, echoing through the mountains like distant war drums. He didn’t know what was happening in the city, but he knew Nahlia was in danger too. He'd felt s...
2021-02-21 17:43:02 +0000 UTC View PostCiena fell into the Serenity Trance as the swarm of blades and needles closed in. Her sword vanished in a burst of red mist. Instead of a blade, it returned as a pair of wide, paper-thin shields—one in her left hand, the other strapped to her right forearm.
Each attack came too fast to see, but her body knew what to do. She spun, ducked,...
2021-02-14 20:25:53 +0000 UTC View PostThe airships cast dark shadows over the landscape as they approached, their propellers stirring up dust like a desert sandstorm. At that moment, Thane felt a glimpse of the fear his enemies must have felt during the Battle of the Ironfords.
With just one of these vessels, Thane had turned the tide of the war. He'd staged a prison bre...
2021-02-08 00:00:44 +0000 UTC View PostLyraina Trelian climbed up the snow-covered path toward Redcliff Enclave. The guards shouted demands from the battlements above. Who was she? What was her name? What was her business here? Even as they trained their crossbows on her, two more men scrambled to close the wooden doors.
Lyraina ignored them all. Her daughter was in danger, and...
2021-01-30 23:04:12 +0000 UTC View PostYou are no descendent of mine. Treluwyn’s words echoed in her mind like thundering war drums, but Nahlia struggled to process their meanings. The words were too absurd. It was like saying the sky was green.
Nahlia glanced to Marwyn, then back toward the Archaeon in her deep blue robes. “Of course I am. My mother’s clan name ...
2021-01-30 23:03:07 +0000 UTC View PostThane sat on his bed in the palace, trying and failing to become an Ethersmith.
The others had all achieved some manner of success by now. Ciena had a head start with Steelbreaker, and now she could reshape the blade into a dozen different weapons. Elias had Bloodsong, and Relyn had a crystal-tipped arrow she could pull back from her targe...
2021-01-22 00:21:36 +0000 UTC View PostNahlia huddled in her cloak as she trudged through the mountains north of Raidenwood. Winter hadn’t come in earnest yet, but that didn’t stop the snow from blanketing their path. Not to mention that cursed wind.
Elias grinned when he saw her chattering teeth. “Sorry,” he said. “I’d give you my cloak if I had one.”
Justi...
2021-01-14 01:31:13 +0000 UTC View Post"Tell me more about Codices," Ciena said to Lucan as they sparred. As always, they stood on a stone plateau in the Bloodrift, and a misty wind blew in from the north.
"What about them?" He slashed his blade toward her face, and she deflected it with her right forearm. Steelbreaker had taken the form of a crystal bracer with three jagged sp...
2021-01-02 13:14:07 +0000 UTC View PostThane emerged from his bedchamber to find Hankrim standing in the corridor.
"Highlord." The commander gave a crisp salute, but his voice was hoarse. "We found them."
A few minutes later, Thane followed Hankrim down the ramp with Relyn by his side. The airship had moved into the main courtyard outside the Vauldenport palace. Apparentl...
2020-12-24 13:01:52 +0000 UTC View PostMarwyn held up the book for inspection. "Your arm was severed here." He gestured to an illustration of two forearm bones. "A clean cut through your ulna and radius."
Ciena nodded along as he spoke. She'd asked Marwyn for advice on her new project, and it looked far more complex than she’d imagined. Sure, arms were simple enough, but hand...
2020-12-24 13:01:10 +0000 UTC View PostRhia Vassaj stepped inside the emperor’s study. As always, this room was in desperate need of some curtains. The windows faced southeast away from the setting sun, but the skyline glowed like a forest fire.
Alexel Trelidor stood facing the window with his arms clasped behind his back. He wasn’t one for small talk, so Rhia got straight ...
2020-12-14 23:31:25 +0000 UTC View PostElias charged the enemy, clutching his steel katana in his right hand. In his other hand, he held Bloodsong’s empty hilt. The blade itself churned like a storm inside his soul, yearning for release. Varion might have heard rumors of Ethersmithing, but he hadn’t seen it yet.
No sense in spoiling the surprise.
Fire closed in as the...
2020-12-14 23:29:44 +0000 UTC View PostNahlia gaped at the man who claimed to be Alexel Trelidor’s son. She hadn’t seen the resemblance at first, but she saw it now. Varion had the same sky-blue eyes. The same sharp features, and the same eerie blend of youthful skin and silver hair.
Their voices were the biggest difference. When Alexel spoke, it was with resonance and calm...
2020-12-04 15:59:10 +0000 UTC View PostSwift as a shadow, Relyn leapt between the inner-courtyard’s rooftops. Trees thrashed around her, and the clouds rolled by overhead. Raindrops rolled down the slick clay tiles, but her steps were true.
She took off with a running start and jumped from the barracks to the stables. This was the widest building in the courtyard, and it gave...
2020-12-04 15:58:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe airship rocked back and forth as they soared through the storm. Rain pattered against the hull, and the thunder roared like an enemy dragon trying to claw its way inside.
Thane kept both hands on the railing as he led his team down into the ship’s lower level. Karlo and Dario were already down here working to unlock the back ramp. Th...
2020-11-22 18:49:20 +0000 UTC View PostCiena soared through the air, and Lucan's weapon followed. Her opponent had transformed his blade into a red, Etherite spear, and he loved to make it chase her.
Apparently, he'd named his sword 'Ciena's Bane'.
Yes, he definitely had a sense of humor, terrible as it was. He even referred to it this way when he was dueling Eli...
2020-11-22 18:47:51 +0000 UTC View Post“Please tell me we have some good news,” Thane said as he joined the others in the common area. The sun had already set, but the room was well lit beneath a dozen chandeliers.
“The western gate has been repaired,” Elias said. “And our scouts say the enemy is licking their wounds back in Thornhaven. Guess they realized they were n...
2020-11-15 13:30:22 +0000 UTC View PostAfter their initial tour of the enclave, Thane and the others moved to a small dojo on the valley’s eastern side. High wooden walls surrounded a stone dueling ring, and scores of weapon racks lined the parameter. It was almost noon, and the sun shone through the room’s open ceiling.
“I appreciate what Cladius did here,” Thane said....
2020-11-07 12:52:41 +0000 UTC View PostNahlia woke the next morning in the Raidenwood palace. Sunlight streamed in through the crimson curtains, and a quick glance at the clock revealed it was almost seven. She pushed the blankets aside and found herself wearing nothing but a plush, white bathrobe.
That’s right. She’d been covered in smoke and blood last night, but...
2020-10-30 00:03:21 +0000 UTC View PostAaron Cole walked through the long corridors of the Sunfall palace. Marble pillars loomed on either side of him, as tall as ancient trees.
He passed under a stone archway onto a garden balcony. Here, a young woman sat among the exotic plants. Her skin was bronze in the lantern light, and waves of black hair flowed freely down her back.
... 2020-10-30 00:02:08 +0000 UTC View PostNahlia stepped onto the dark battlefield. The scents of smoke and black powder filled her nostrils, and a northern wind blew down from the mountains, causing the ash to swirl and dance. She drew her cloak tight across her chest as she followed her friends.
Fang had landed the airship directly in front of Raidenwood’s western wall. The ve...
2020-10-21 22:47:11 +0000 UTC View PostI can still help the men in the courtyard, Elias thought. He leaned down on the stone rampart and picked up his fallen katana. From there, he made his way toward the staircase.
A hand grabbed his wrist from behind.
He whipped around to face Ciena. She was still breathless from her near-fall, and blood covered her face ...
2020-10-13 23:34:04 +0000 UTC View Post"I thought they were starving us out," Elias said as they ran down Highbridge. Mist filled the dark streets, and the horizon was a faint blue haze. Bells rang from every tower, and squads of soldiers marched along the thoroughfare.
"Guess they realized we weren't starving," Ciena said.
Not yet, Elias thought. Food still came...
2020-10-07 23:18:49 +0000 UTC View PostCiena struggled to stay awake, despite the fact she was already dreaming.
Once again, she and her brother sat on a plateau in the Bloodrift, and the water raged around them. Lucan was lecturing them about the chemical composition of an Aeon soul. Apparently, her soul was a real thing that lived in her chest. But unlike her other organs, it...
2020-09-30 11:58:50 +0000 UTC View Post"It's all here," the dock worker said in Valaysian. Nahlia understood the man far better than she’d understood the guards in Tongshan. No doubt the port cities had more experience talking to foreigners.
The wind blew all around them, catching her hair, and snapping the sails of nearby ships. Gray clouds filled the sky, and...
2020-09-23 22:16:27 +0000 UTC View Post"What about the dragons?" Thane asked as they walked down the airship’s corridor. The ramp had just closed behind him, and he kept a hand on the wooden rail to steady himself.
"They're decorating rooftops now," Dario said.
Thane glared at the technician.
His grin faded, and he cleared his throat. "Should I call for the ...
2020-09-15 17:03:08 +0000 UTC View PostCiena led the way through Raidenwood’s western caverns. The path was pitch black but for Steelbreaker’s red glow on the stone walls. By now, they’d seen their uncle’s secret Aeon enclave. More than five hundred Aeons lived north of the city.
The hour was late when they’d arrived, but the vast number of homes spoke for themselves....
2020-09-08 23:31:41 +0000 UTC View PostThane could only watch as Rhia flung the poisoned dagger. It didn’t pierce Relyn’s nightsilk, but it didn’t have to. Yuchani could pierce any fabric.
Relyn staggered at the last second before her jump. Thane shouted her name, diving forward to grab her hand. Their fingers touched, but he was too late. Her eyes widened in hor...
2020-09-02 01:08:37 +0000 UTC View PostRelyn crept through the dark corridors of the Ashmount Prison. She’d never liked this place, but the layout was more than familiar. Her parents had dragged her along for plenty of inspections as a child. More importantly, she and Rhia had spent hours pouring over the schematics together. They’d imagined how they would escape if they ever end...
2020-08-24 22:27:37 +0000 UTC View PostNahlia sat in a covered wagon behind iron bars. Steel manacles bound her wrists and ankles, and the bamboo roof blocked out the afternoon sun. The mountains were long behind them now, and nothing but brown farmland surrounded the city of Tongshan. Even so, the wind struck mercilessly through her cloak. Her legs felt like frozen tree roots, and s...
2020-08-14 00:41:31 +0000 UTC View Post