Two members of the Aura—a man with short brown hair and a Raderan woman with a braid—led Aralim through the Iron Palace. He had learned little since his meeting with General Vanra, so now he sought to follow up on certain remarks the commander had made: namely, the threat of the Emperor abandoning Rema. Continue reading Aralim 119
Arn had to sit down. He had been getting stronger, truly, but a day of helping on the ship’s deck still bent him badly out of shape. He slumped against two barrels near the mast of the ship and let out his breath. Gamden had sat down a few minutes ago. Though the other survivor had recovered a little quicker after their initial rescue, Arn was more driven to get his strength back. He didn’t trust these sailors, but he also knew they were bringing him to an enormous place. Arn had seen several of these enormous watercrafts during his life—if each travelled over the Deep for as long as this vessel… how much larger was the world than Razaad? He once would have faced such uncertainty unflinching. But those were during times when he could have run for all day and night without rest. Continue reading Arn 56
The scheme almost worked according to plan. With bribes and promises of safety, Kalikus convinced Morrus’ favourite woman of the night, Kyra, to steal a letter or some other defining item from her patron’s things. She had been cooperative so far, and she was that night, too. She dropped Morrus’ signet ring from the window and Kal brought it to Ren at once. Continue reading Renado 69
The conversation with Master Gheran continued to sink in over the next few days as Therelin came to terms with the possibility—or even likelihood—that Master Myandin had kept such secrets from him. Continue reading Therelin 19
Omma, the broad-shouldered bookkeeper from the days of the Vanci Dispatch, had been spending his last few weeks investigating Archpriest Roithe by studying local archives. He got approval from Renado to spend some of their group funds on a research pass to a prestigious academy in Saanazar, but varied his attendance between several locations. A few days earlier, he had come to Renado with an intriguing find. Continue reading Renado 68
A few weeks ago, Arn had thought that a coconut was the strangest food to eat. That had been before Gamden and he were rescued from their sandy graves to be carried across the Deep in a large wooden building called a kasad, a ship. Now, Arn had experienced food far stranger—something called an orange, peeled from a tough skin and sectioned out like some creature’s organs. It tasted sour and sweet at the same time. Morlo said it would restore Arn’s strength. He had communicated it using a mix of words Arn did not comprehend and his body language. Strength—or karu—was conveyed using a flexed bicep, though neither Morlo or Arn had much muscle on them. Continue reading Arn 55
General Vanra was incredibly busy, Aralim learned. After his tea with Emperor Tag’na, Aralim arranged to meet with the military commander, but the soonest date had been over two weeks away. While he waited for the 1st of the 12th Moon, he arranged a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and also asked about Aglo, the Minister of Industry, who had tried to have Aralim killed after his exit from Rema. Continue reading Aralim 118
For nearly two weeks, Farek tailed Lord Polanar or had his guards take his place. They developed a list of pubs that Polanar frequented, asked Reu to investigate those he frequently met with, and ultimately determined that Polanar must have acted alone, if he did, in fact, hire Lannon to attack the Gallendris estate. It was halfway through this period of inquest that Jannia’s letter arrived. Continue reading Farek 69
“I caught one!” shrieked Gamden. He lifted a small grey fish over his head as he cheered incoherently and stumbled back toward the shore. He lost his footing twice on the way and Arn feared he would lose their first meat two days. Continue reading Arn 54
Before dawn, Raya woke up and began pacing her cell. Today was the day of the prison transfer. Today was the day that Saring would try to free her. When the small ray of morning sunlight finally reached the window, she had given up on trying to read one of the books. She was too anxious to calmly look across each word and assign it meaning in her mind. Of course, pacing around the cell was a good way to tire herself out. She had no idea how long the day would be. Continue reading Raya 59