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Only Earoni’s will can let one pass the great reef that protects Fimmirra.  Even in the dark times, without her guidance, no enemy shall pass to the land of our ancestors.  

-Wonders 15:8 

Chapter 21 (40th of Taru-Des in the year 6198)  

Staring out the small window of her cabin, Sheala sat there and watched as the ship bobbed and pitched in the water. The gentle rocking of the ship as it sat in port caused Sheala’s thoughts to wander without purpose.  It had been three days since the Oracle, crippled and still in need of repairs, had reached the Islands of Fimmirra.  Just like the only other time she had come here, she had chosen to confine herself to her quarters on board. 

Sheala told herself it was for the best, twirling strands of her hair between her fingers.  Even though she did not grow up here, there were many unpleasant memories this place brought back.  

Ignoring a knock at her cabin door, she hoped it would get the hint and not come again.  When it did, and she ignored it again, Sheala knew who it was the second she heard the key in the lock.  

Reane opened the door gently and shut it behind her after she entered.  Although the Captain no longer wore her bandages, it was obvious that certain motions still caused her discomfort. 

“You just can’t brood in this cabin forever,” Reane scolded.  “Why don’t you come to town with Bentai and me?  It’s a lovely day.” Read more…

And darkness will follow the one-eyed man. It will draw The Child of the Storm to the feet of the dark lord who sits on Earoni’s throne. And it will corrupt her. A thousand years of darkness will follow. Then the death of the world. 

Forgive me, mother. Despite your warnings, this is a vision that I know I must change. 

-Journal of Reane Matir

Chapter 20 (30^th of Taru-Des in the Year 6198)

The lock pick slipped in Sheala’s fingers. Battling for control of it far more than she should have, the thief worked to remove the cuffs binding her hands behind her back. After a brief stumble, it once more moved with renewed effortlessness. She regained her long-practiced control of the sliver of metal, sliding it into the keyhole. 

“Easy,” she muttered. Her mind was once more solely focused on the task at hand, having done this a hundred times. 

“Come on, Sweetheart!” Brentai’s voice rose from among the crowd of gathered sailors. All watched as she worked her magic on the deck of the Oracle while it continued to limp along under partial sail towards Fimmirra. 

She didn’t let the noise of the crowd distract her, keeping her cool as the pick fell neatly into place within the mechanism. The sound of the timing metronome at her feet reminded her that this was not only a test to see if she could free herself but also a race against the clock.  Read more…

And Diur did take to his task of maintaining the balance of the cosmos.  After Earoni formed the world of Geiha for her children to live on, Diur opened his claw and produced the sun and set into motion the path of Geiha about it.

 -Book of the Gods 1:10

Chapter 19 (27^th of Taru-Des in the year 6198) 

“Come in,” Sheala called as a thudding knock came from her door.   Not surprised in the least by who it was, Reane entered then shut the door behind her after a quick check of the hall.  “Aren’t you supposed to still be confined to your cabin?” Sheala chided her.  

“Yeah.  And if Brentai finds out I’m out sneaking around, he’ll throw another fit.  Like he did last night when I snuck up onto the bridge.  I’ll say it again – I can’t believe I’m a prisoner on my own ship.”  

Sheala resumed combing out her hair in front of the mirror secured to the top of her dresser.  She hated the way the salt air dried out her hair out and made it brittle.  “So, what brings you down here to be with us common folk anyway? Read more…

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.   Read 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.    Read 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: Read 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.   Read 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.”   Read 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?” Read more…