Niamh awoke as she had for weeks—to the vague smell of smoke and the grim reminder of what lay beyond the windows at the end of the dormitory. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and pushed herself and her meagre pillow up against the headboard, before noticing that a small bowl of water sat atop her trunk at the foot of the mattress. Continue reading Niamh 8
Arn kicked in the door, tremors of impact jarring his leg. The man inside charged at him with a meat knife, but Arn easily drove his new metal blade into the man’s side and shoved him aside. Moaning, the man settled down against the inverted door. Continue reading Arn 81
Rain was suddenly dripping on Therelin’s bare shoulders. Having just come from Saanazar, he looked around and found that a mountainside trail ran zigzagging ahead of him. Maia and Kren stood next to him, also turning to check their surroundings. Down the ridge and off to the right was the dark water of Tieko’s Deep, reflecting the dreary clouds overhead. Continue reading Therelin 46
Each wave gleamed with the radiating sunlight. Farek had not noticed such things when they had escaped from Saanazar. He had watched the pirate fleet bearing down on the fishing vessels and had joined in the flock of citizens fleeing into the countryside. As he sat, now, on a ship heading west, he dangled his feet over the side of the ship and reflected on what might have been his darkest hour. Continue reading Farek 97
Aralim and his guards found passage out of Maykren aboard a ship that the Eternal Emperor had already prepared for them. The Eastward Sentinel was not one of the slowly-drifting coupled barges that they passed in Trader’s Bay—it was a swift galley with a ram at the front, two-and-a-half masts, and a raised deck for command. Aralim was uncertain how much a single ship could do if they were caught by pirates organized in a fleet, but he was grateful for the speed of their new vessel. Continue reading Aralim 160
For weeks, Arn watched the waters of the Deep drifting past beneath the ship. Drowen’s flagship, the Horizon Prince, was twice the vessel than that of Captain Emrez—its decks rose higher than the surrounding galleons, its ram rode the waves with ornate fury, and its slaves numbers in the hundreds. When the winds were strong enough to pull their sails, the slaves were given a dozen menial tasks ranging from rope-tying to scrubbing the deck. The fleet barely stopped when encountering a rainstorm. Drowen Targahal was a force of nature. Continue reading Arn 80
Kelren spent most of the day trying to contain his impatience. Since the day before, he had been eagerly awaiting this afternoon’s meeting. Would the rebels of Tav Rock know Ghomal’s son, Anero? Would Anero be there, at the meeting? Kelren could only hope. Then they could put this dangerous city behind them and return to Eastpoint. Continue reading East Storm Company 23
For many days, Niamh and her friends wrestled with the contents of Roithe’s box. The Green Eye could be watching them still—Niamh felt its unsettling gaze whenever she went out from the Temple grounds into the streets of the city. Niamh spent her mornings in prayer or choir, her afternoons spreading Atmos’ will, and her evenings enjoying the company of either Myla or her Temple friends. Tib couldn’t believe the things they told her, while Gellek came around more quickly. All involved were sworn to secrecy for the time being—time that continued to drag by slowly, day after day.
Then the pirate fleets arrived. Continue reading Niamh 7
The worn surface of the bar became the tortured man’s new home. He spent days there—the last spot he could think of to search—where it had all become vain. Old habits claimed the man, but they were old habits from healthier days. His body had healed the wounds, yet his health still struggled. The bottom of a flagon was not the place to find peace from fretful coughing or pain-wrought nights. Continue reading Farek 96
Niamh grew more comfortable with their occasional visits to the harbour neighborhoods of Saanazar, but she never got used to wearing common clothes instead of her grey. It felt too much like deceit. She only attended Anthin’s investigations because he continued asking if Miril and Niamh would help him. She liked being helpful, but she didn’t like lying to the locals, even if they weren’t the good locals to whom she was accustomed. Continue reading Niamh 6