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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…)

I dreamt of the forming of clouds.  Like a coming storm.  I watched as on one horizon clouds of white gathered and on the other clouds of black.  They moved towards each other and clashed, producing a thunderous roar.  Legends speak of the coming of The Storm.  But I do not understand the meaning of two. 

-Journal of Reane Matir 

Chapter 10 (7th of Taru-Des 6198)

As the wind howled outside, inside the Red Moose Tavern a few patrons wondered in from the streets of Catersburg.  The fire raging in the central hearth warmed the air and provided a haven from the winter weather that had become slightly less harsh in the past couple days. 

In the corner, Sheala sat with two others.  Drumming her finger on the table, she looked about the tavern. 

“C’mon Civn,” she moaned, watching an ominous looking man as he held five playing cards in his left hand close to his face.  His right arm was covered with a long sleeve and his gloved right hand balled into a fist rested heavily and unmoving on the table.  His face was like chiseled stone. “This is Bahnar, not sorcery.  Either raise the pot or call. Or Fold.”  (more…)

Restless soul. Tired soul. Baren soul. Troubled soul .

-Earoni’s Prayer verse 2 

Chapter 9 (36th of Elgatan 6198)

Cassandra had awoken in the middle of the night and decided to make her rebel prisoner suffer some more.  She never fell back to sleep after returning to her chambers from The Vault.  She rarely ever did.  Just being there and dealing with the scum she kept locked away within caused her mind to race.  

Frustrated that he was holding out, her mind was already thinking of what torture to inflict upon him next. 

So, she was already wide awake when the shadow entered her room early the next morning.    (more…)

Even in defeat, the nation of Hitithe lives on. Even in darkness, its light shines brightly.  Can you doubt the will of the Greater Goddess even  as her children fight on?  They await the day when The Storm will come to cleanse the world. 

-Cronicles of Marthi

Chapter 8 (36^th of Elgatan 6198) 

The warmth of the fire melted the snow that had fallen earlier in the day. But it could not melt away the humiliation of failure.  As Anthony stood in the glowing firelight, he could still feel the stinging wounds left by the claw of sub-General Nightwing.  To hide his shame, he wore a thick patch of hide bound in place by a leather strap about his head.     

A voice shot at him from the other side of the flames.  “I can’t believe you disobeyed my orders!”  A tall man, nearly twice his age, paced.  “For three years we’ve been working on getting our people in The Palace.  Marcus and Erick were there for a reason!  We wanted to strike a decisive blow against Lord Hedric by assassinating as many of his military leaders as possible!  And you just endangered the lives of far too many people for my taste!  What do you have to say for yourself?”   

Anthony turned his vision up from the flames and onto the leader of the Hitithe Rebellion.  “Your tactics are far too passive to win this war,” he accused.    (more…)

And Sarina tore asunder a dove, handing to each of her sisters a half.  The half that Sashna held did grow into a healthy bird.  The half that laid in Octeava’s hands did wither and die.  And Sarina spoke to her sisters, “Now see and understand your roles in the cosmos.” 

-Book of Fates 1:5 

Chapter 5 (33^rd of Elgatan 6198) 

Stiff and frigid, the wind ran through hollow streets and alleyways.  Signs hanging on storefronts creaked and strained. They banged against the fronts of shops closed more often than open these days.  A fresh blanket of thick snow covered the rooftops and cobblestones. 

The low winter’s sun cast almost everything in bone-chilling shadows.  

Sounds of a horse’s quick pace echoed through the streets, seeking someone’s ears – anyone’s ears.  Unfortunately, there were few that dared venture out in this hostile cold.  Most remained indoors huddled around small fires.  Even the wealthier, usually able to afford any luxury, found this winter harsher than most.  

The supply wagons from the north had stopped coming weeks ago.  Food was low.  Morale was not much better.  

Most suspected the weather was to blame.  But there were more nefarious rumors.  Bands of thieves, possibly even rebels, had been hijacking the convoys.  Even more prevalent was the fear that Lord Hedric himself had ordered a halt to the supplies to the south.  Punishment for the actions of two governors who had aided and abetted the rebellion against his rule.  (more…)

And from beyond the Sea of Storms, from the sheltered land, shall come the Child of the Storm. And with this child, the power to return the Tear of Earoni unto the world and defeat the darkness.
-Book of Earoni 1234:90

Chapter 4 (18th of Alshu 6192)

“It has come to my attention,” Lord Hedric growled, “that you’ve ignored my orders. Noranda, Is this true?”

In the late hour, the great council room was dark. Save for the silver light of the great moon Earoni as it hung high in the night sky. The moonlight fell in elongated streaks across the floor.

A woman in red robes was half in and half out of one of these as she stood before him.

Hedric shifted impatiently. From his twisted, metal throne, he glowered at her from the shadows. Blonde hair draped around his pale face. Equally pale fingers held fast to the warped armrests.

The dark-haired woman was not intimidated. Some would say that she was just as foul and unnatural as he was. Others would say more so. (more…)

Chapter 4 of Daughters of Fate back from the editor with comments. Minor stuff. Two paragraphs I want to work on before release.

Have a little taste:

“The dark-haired woman was not intimidated. Some would say that she was just as foul and unnatural as he was. Some would say more so.”

#writting#fantasy#novel#editing Daughters of Fate on #wattpadhttps://w.tt/2DATzgN  on http://MathiasCavanaugh.com https://bit.ly/2U268Ze @MathiasCav

Earoni blesses only a few with the gift of the birth of twins. The event is sacred among all of Earoni’s  people. It is rare as the falling star and the blessing is infinitely more precious. 

-Book of the Gods 9:6 

Chapter 2  (2^nd of Alshu 6184) 

Beneath the canopy of spring leaves a coach traveled along the uneven road. It rumbled and bounced in haste, protected on all sides by a company of knights on horseback.  The formation was so tight that at the speed they traveled a misstep or slip by any of the mounts would have been disastrous. 

There were no markings on the stage.  The once colorful placards adorning the sides had been removed. All that remained of them were the metal hangers and darker, unfaded wood beneath that had not seen much of the sun or elements. The voids left a silent testament to the importance of not announcing where one had come from. 
(more…)

MathiasCavanaugh.com

Daughters of Fate Chapter 2 back from editing. One sentence I am not happy with. As soon as I fix it to my satisfaction, it will be published. Read Chapter 1 on #wattpad @ https://w.tt/2TOmWmD or on http://www.MathiasCavanaugh.com @ https://bit.ly/2DF9SJk

#writing #novel #author

So, one of the things I am doing before publishing chapters of Daughters of Fate is that I have them edited. I have a couple proofreaders that, in exchange for seeing the chapters first, are going through them and pointing out anything that they see as issues.

But before that, I also put the chapters through two different apps to try and get the major language issues sorted out. The first is the Hemmingway Editor. This is pretty good at finding my clunky sentences, spelling, etc.

The second is Grammarly. I use the free version and it also catches some things Hemmingway doesn’t. (more…)