MathiasCavanaugh.com

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 … to be continued

Also available on Wattpad: Daughters of Fate

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And so the Tear of Earoni shall be lost into the sands of time to keep it from the hands of those that would use it for less than the will of Greater Goddess. Only to be found again when the triangle is again complete.  Reflections in the mirror and a child of fairies shall complete the cycle and return to the world what was once lost.  

  -Legends 1023:45

Chapter 18  (26^th of Taru-Des in the year 6198) 

Cassandra stormed through the palace halls, her fuse having long since burned down and her temper on the verge of exploding.  Her mood was particularly sour.  Even for her. 

Her hand still throbbed from striking the side of Captain Corsair’s ship as he sailed off without her.   He’d left her in a lifeboat, bobbing in the ocean, hundreds of miles away from Catersburg.  She still cursed his name at random times. 

Rounding a corner, she exploded through the closed but unlocked door of General Norga’s briefing room.  Stunned by the interruption, the assembled officers rose from their seats surrounding a large, oblong table on which was drawn a map of the world.  Cassandra ignored all of them.  All of them except General Norga at the far end.  

Not content to walk around, Cassandra chose the most direct route.  She lept up onto the atlas, her footsteps scattering small wooden ships representing the current positions of each of the Empire’s fleets.  She didn’t care that her intrusion disrupted the meeting, nor that it annoyed the General and his officers.   (more…)

 Three days ago, we were attacked by a vicious beast fully twice as long as our ship when we anchored just off the shore of the Telowian Islands in the Southern Sea to make repairs.  The beast dove upon us from the clouds and tore men from the decks to devour in its maw.  Of the Archeons, I had heard before this, but never had I believed.  I count myself lucky to have escaped with my life and my ship.   

– Annals of Lord Finnas

Chapter 17 (19th of Taru-Des in the year 6198) 

“Get that rigging ready!” Reane called, pacing around the deck.  The target of her words, Brentai, was high above the ship testing the ropes and pulleys used to hoist the sails.    “I want out of here before that storm starts up again!”  Then added as a mutter under her breath, “And before any of the Archeons find us.”   

Bretnai tugged on one final rope.  He looked down to see the crew scurrying about to get The Oracle back out to sea. “We’ll have to make some additional repairs once we get underway!     

*I don’t care,* Reane told him with her mind.  *Get as many of those sails up as you can.*   

“Aye, captain!” He responded out loud, not realizing his mistake.   

Reane looked over her should and the starboard side of her ship.  The Oracle bobbed in the rough seas not more than five hundred feet from a vertical cliff of rock.  She watched the was crash over the jagged, rocky teeth at its base.   

Thanks to Brentai and the rest of her crew, The Oracle had survived after the primary anchor broken loose in the storm.  Had they not been successful at getting the backup anchor rigged and into the water, The Oracle would be in thousands of tiny pieces right now.    (more…)

I want to apologize to the my readers. I make a glaring mistake in Chapter 16 that I posted this morning!

Apparently, despite being an Eagle Scout with two silver palms, I have completely forgotten how to tell directions. In Chapter 16 of Daughters of Fate, I messed up my orientations so badly that I am embarrassed by it.

Here’s what I originally wrote: (more…)

The deadliest of weapons is a fear that cuts through the mind like a knife that cuts through the body.  

 Master Daru of The 2nd Circle  

Chapter 16 (18^th of Taru-Des in the year 6198) 

An hour after sunrise, Reane stood on the aft deck of the Oracle.  It had been two days since pursuit ships were spotted, and she watched the faint forms. They were still on the horizon.  Her crew had done a superb job keeping The Oracle out of their reach.  Corsair’s cutters had gained ground, but far, far less than they should have.  

The sea was rough and the winter winds had begun to pick up.  The turbulent seas played into the favor of her ship, which was heavier.  Corsair’s smaller, lighter ships were not designed for the chop and froth the ships were currently encountering. 

And Earoni took pity on the Archeons, foul and cruel beasts of ancient origin.  Taking ten of their kind, she molded their bodies into a majestic male and glorious female of each of the five races of Dragonkind and sent them forth to leave behind their brutal cousins for all eternity. 

     – Legends 23:4 

Chapter 15 (16^th of Taru-Des in the year 6198) 

Sheala thumbed through one of the many, newly sorted books Reane kept on the shelves in her cabin.  She peeked around the corner into the adjacent berth where Reane was still asleep. Choosing not to disturb her, Sheala continued her mindless browsing.  

Reane scared her sometimes, Sheala admitted that to her herself.  She could never fully understand what Reane was capable of.  Sheala thought that perhaps Reane tested the boundaries of her powers far too often and without enough caution.  This time was no different.   (more…)

The future is blind beyond our lives. Darkness tells us that our end is near. And I see nothing beyond the next week. 

-Journal of Denera Matir 

Chapter 14 (14^th of Taru-Des in the year 6198) 

Brentai assisted Reane over the railing and onto the deck of The Oracle.  

“Prepare to set sail,” her blunt command blared to her crew.  Turning to her First Mate she added, “We’ve got trouble.  Big trouble.”  

With a quizzical look, Brentai informed his Captain, “But we’re still short on crew.”  

“Can’t worry about that.” She looked about the main deck and the fewer than normal men moving about. “We’ll just have to make do with the men we have and leave the rest behind.”   (more…)

To those who sail the seas are known the Currents of Gaili. In the days of old, a sorcerer set sail to explore the world. But he was an impatient man and the journeys were too long for him. The sorcerer called Gaili summoned forth powerful winds with a wave of his hand to speed his journey. To this day they still roam the oceans, speeding ships on their way.

– Writings of Tavis Noir

Chapter 13 (11th of Taru-Des in the year 6198)

Sheala burst into the back room of the Red Moose. After sprinting for nearly a mile, she leaned heavily in the doorway as she tried to catch her breath.

“Reane,” she worked the words out between gasps, “what are you doing?”

Reane did not even look up from the book she was reading. “What’s it look like?” She turned the page gently to avoid tearing it. “What are you in a huff about?”

“I figured you’d already know. And the last place I expected to find you was here!”

“I always do my reading here.”

“Reane, there are soldiers in town asking questions about you and that weird looking passenger of yours.”

Reane brought her gaze up from her book, half surprised. “What?” (more…)

So, as most of you know, in addition to posting chapters of Daughters of Fate here, I am also serializing it on Wattpad. I just wanted to give those of you who read this blog and don’t use Wattpad an update as to how well it is doing over there.

Wattpad maintains “Hot Lists”. How frequently these are updated, I don’t know. But I do know that they appear to have updated today. And Daughters of Fate is high on so many lists!

This is just a sampling of some of the keywords I have targeted and where DOF currently stands. (more…)

And Descist took the form of the serpent and seduced the angel in the Garden of Earoni. Her soul would be forever his. For once the darkest god is allowed in to one’s heart, one can never escape him.

-Legends 101:20

Chapter 12 (11th of Taru-Des in the year 6198)

“Sub-general Nightwing?” The voice cut through the haze of Cassandra’s thoughts, and she bolted upright in the saddle with a start. The sky was nearly dark.

Cassandra looked about to regain her senses. One of the soldiers in the troop was riding alongside her, and it was his voice that had infringed upon her weariness.

“Are you alright, ma’am?”

The winter winds grew less hospitable as the sky faded from day. A dim light on the roadside ahead caught her attention. “I’m fine,” she grumbled.

“There’s an inn just ahead,” he motioned towards the lamplight. “Should we secure lodging for the night?” (more…)

The eyes of the Seer do not always see the way. The mouth of the Oracle does not always speak the truth.
Gaal Hu, 1st Prophet

Chapter 11 (7th of Taru-Des)

“All hands! On deck!” the voice from the crow’s nest of the Oracle called out. “Captain Matir on board!” 

Reane was helped over the deck by one of her crew in the warming mid-afternoon air.  Several of other crew members scampered onto the deck at the call of the watchman and stood at attention. Reane waved them off and dismissed them. 

It was now unusually warm for winter and Reane’s heavy winter cloak had become a bit uncomfortable. As she nearly tripped over a stray board of lumber, her eyes couldn’t help but notice the scattered debris still about on the deck. 

“Brentai!”  She called as she braced herself against the railing.  “Brentai!”  (more…)