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 something on his way back—some disturbance through their soulbond.
When he finally passed through the gates into the enclave proper, the answer...
2021-02-21 17:43:02 +0000 UTC
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Ciena 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, and dodged, moving like a leaf through the wind. Her shields caught the bulk of the attacks. The others missed her by a hair's breadth.
After t...
2021-02-14 20:25:53 +0000 UTC
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The 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 break, pushed back an army, and ended a siege.
Now, his enemies had five.
In mere minutes, those ships would rain fire on the city, turning h...
2021-02-08 00:00:44 +0000 UTC
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Lyraina 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 she didn't have time to indulge these fools. She'd felt the disturbance through their soulbond, growing steadily over the last hour. Something ...
2021-01-30 23:04:12 +0000 UTC
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You 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 is Trelian. I’m a Redeemer, and so is she.”
“No,” Treluwyn said with an air of finality. “Perhaps you have some of my blood, but it’...
2021-01-30 23:03:07 +0000 UTC
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Thane 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 targets. Nahlia wasn’t interested in weapons, but even she’d managed to move and reshape her pendant.
Thane had no such luck. Today, a white crys...
2021-01-22 00:21:36 +0000 UTC
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Nahlia 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.”
Justicars could use their Ironblood to keep warm, so he only wore his leather armor today. Thane could do something similar, which meant Redeemers were the...
2021-01-14 01:31:13 +0000 UTC
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"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 spikes along the back. Perfect for catching blades.
"I need to know how to make them," Ciena said as she dodged another strike.
Lucan chuckl...
2021-01-02 13:14:07 +0000 UTC
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Thane 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. Apparently, General Palatos had already fled the city, and Varion Trelidor was the last general in charge.
Understandable, considering Thane's group had ...
2020-12-24 13:01:52 +0000 UTC
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Marwyn 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 hands had twenty-something bones, and they fit together more tightly than bricks in a wall. Plus it seemed like the slightest error would muck up the whol...
2020-12-24 13:01:10 +0000 UTC
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Rhia 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 to the point.
“They captured Varion.”
“Captured?” He turned around to face her. His voice sounded surprised, but not at h...
2020-12-14 23:31:25 +0000 UTC
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Elias 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 three Sanctifiers struck in unison. Walls of crystal light broke the flames, and Varion rolled forward to grab his staff.
Oh, no. You’re ...
2020-12-14 23:29:44 +0000 UTC
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Nahlia 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 authority. This man just sounded eager for bloodshed.
“Nice try,” Thane said, “but Trelidor has no family.”
“No?” Varion cock...
2020-12-04 15:59:10 +0000 UTC
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Swift 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 her a clear view of the wall.
To her right, Thane, Dejan, and Jasna were engaged in combat with at least three more Ethermancers. Ethermancers ...
2020-12-04 15:58:20 +0000 UTC
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The 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. This ramp was normally used for loading cargo, but it worked just as well for unloading a team of Ethermancers over a city.
A bamboo raft filled t...
2020-11-22 18:49:20 +0000 UTC
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Ciena 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 Elias.
She twisted her body in midair as the weapon tore past her face, missing it by a hair's breadth. Not that she would feel if it did cut her. ...
2020-11-22 18:47:51 +0000 UTC
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“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 no match for the airship.”
“They’re also running short on siege weapons,” Ciena said.
“My informants have found few objections to...
2020-11-15 13:30:22 +0000 UTC
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After 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. “but we can’t hide forever. Every Cruscendo player knows you don’t win wars behind walls.”
Technically, Thane was quoting his father, b...
2020-11-07 12:52:41 +0000 UTC
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Nahlia 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 she did manage to take a bath before collapsing in here. The bed had looked too nice to contaminate.
The rest of the night was a blur of activi...
2020-10-30 00:03:21 +0000 UTC
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Aaron 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.
Cole took a seat on the cushioned bench behind her. He opened a leather-bound notebook and pretended to read.
Several seconds passed, then he...
2020-10-30 00:02:08 +0000 UTC
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Nahlia 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 vessel’s bow pointed toward the horizon as if daring anyone to prey on the weakened city.
Thane and Relyn led the way as they stepped toward the...
2020-10-21 22:47:11 +0000 UTC
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I 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 and hair.
“We can hold them off,” Elias said.
“No. We can’t. If those things blow up in your face, you’re dead.”
<...
2020-10-13 23:34:04 +0000 UTC
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"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 in through the eastern caves, but those shipments could stop any day. As with most sieges, time was on the invader's side. With more time, the ...
2020-10-07 23:18:49 +0000 UTC
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Ciena 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 wasn't something you could poke or prod. Rather, it existed in a 'semi-solid' state.
No doubt modern scientists would kill for this knowledge. ...
2020-09-30 11:58:50 +0000 UTC
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"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 it looked like it might rain at any moment.
With half the continent after them, Thane's crew couldn't risk flying the airship near civili...
2020-09-23 22:16:27 +0000 UTC
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"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 medic, Highlord?"
"I'm fine," Thane said with a dismissive wave. His ribs still ached from the fight, but nothing felt out of place. He shot a g...
2020-09-15 17:03:08 +0000 UTC
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Ciena 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. What’s more, she recognized some of the guards near the cavern mouth. One of them was a boy from Howler Clan, back in Whitecliff. The other was a g...
2020-09-08 23:31:41 +0000 UTC
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Thane 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 horror as she fell, but Thane didn’t hesitate. Without a second glance at Rhia, he kicked off from the ramp and pushed himself toward the street below....
2020-09-02 01:08:37 +0000 UTC
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Relyn 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 ended up here. Either that or they planned how one of them might sneak in and break out the other.
Quiet as a mouse. Swift as a shadow.
2020-08-24 22:27:37 +0000 UTC
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Nahlia 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 she could barely feel her fingers.
A second group of soldiers had ambushed her and Yimo last night, despite their best efforts to flee. This time...
2020-08-14 00:41:31 +0000 UTC
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