So, Kyri and Victoria knew what was going on, but they needed to figure out the next steps...     ----     Chapter 18.      "Victoria? Victoria Vantage, you hellsword, why didn't you tell me you were in the City?"        The booming voice was intimidating enough, but the fact that its owner – an immense Ancient Sauran – then stepped forward and picked up her usually-dignified aunt and swung her around like a child greeted by her favorite uncle left her standing there with her mouth open.        [ Continue reading... ]

  Well, Kyri now had to deal with having learned the truth and being saddled with a terrible responsibility...       ----     Chapter 17. "Auntie Victoria…"   Victoria Vantage spun around at the voice. "Kyri! Good gods above and below, child, you've had us worried half to death!" In the darkness of the night, this far from the City, Aunt Victoria was barely visible as an arrow-straight figure of deeper black. Kyri let the older woman hug her. "Myrionar's Justice, girl, you're shaking! What [ Continue reading... ]

  And now for one of the crucial turning points of the story...   ---     Chapter 16.        "Oh… my," Kyri finally managed.        Aunt Victoria smiled, looking in the same direction. "I've seen it many times… and never quite gotten used to it." She smiled more widely as even Urelle leaned forward, eyes shining. "Behold the oldest city in the world, built before the Fall itself, in the language of its builders Fanalam' T' ameris' a' u' Zahr-a-Thana T'ikon, Zarathanton, home and throne of the Ancient Saurans [ Continue reading... ]

  Kyri was now bereaved a second time, though she hsd fought well...     ---     Chapter 15.        Watchland Velion was down off his horse almost before it stopped. "You are still here. Thank the Balance. I was afraid… I had missed you."        Kyri took a breath, watching the Justiciars hard at work loading the coach. They had refused to allow any others to help with that – it was their way of mourning her brother, who was also theirs, she knew. I must answer, she thought, and turned to face the [ Continue reading... ]

  Time to look back in on Kyri...   -----     Chapter 14.        Kyri stood, indecisive, at the front door. I really should be at the Temple. Still she stood there, unmoving. Something was wrong, and she didn't know what it was.        Rion knew, of course, but he simply wouldn't tell her. He had been strangely… erratic of late. One day he had come home in a grim mood, silent, almost brusque even with Urelle, and retired to his room without a word after dinner. He'd disappeared for three days after that – and [ Continue reading... ]

  Okay, it's a new week. Let's start with a point of view we haven't seen in a while...   ----     Chapter 13.        Once more the gold-silver scroll was set on the desk in the shadowed room, and reflected in the central panel was something far away and terrible to behold. The man seated at the desk, however, found that more exhilarating than frightening, for the fact he was present at these councils – even mostly to observe – meant he was close to the heart of mighty doings indeed.   The glowing-dark figure [ Continue reading... ]

  So, our friends had just met under... exciting circumstances...     ---     Chapter 12.        Tobimar set down the crystal-carved draftglass and signaled for a refill, shaking his head in amazement. "That's… quite a story."        The little Toad waved a hand dismissively. "A little luck goes a long way. I'm just a lucky Toad." He lifted his own cup and poured a trickle of a black drink – nearly as thick as honey and with a taste Tobimar unfortunately could still recall – onto his tongue, making the [ Continue reading... ]

  Well, now. Let's find out who that was that was doing all the running, eh?     ----     Chapter 11.        Tobimar had no idea where he was going, and he knew that was a very, very bad thing. The mazakh had captured him with a stunning spell before he'd realized they'd gotten behind him; he'd been so focused on trying to sense what was going on inside that he'd completely failed to watch his back, and the fact he wasn't dead yet was at least half luck.        He'd actually started coming out of his [ Continue reading... ]

  Let's check in and see what Poplock is up to...   ----     Chapter 10. Poplock scuttled nimbly down the narrow shaft – well, narrow for the big lumbering types, actually quite roomy for me – and headed for the grille.   Something – his long-honed sense of self-preservation combined with a little prickling of his skin – warned him, and he pulled up short. He narrowed his golden eyes, squinting at the area of the ventilation duct just in front of the grille.   Oh, now that could have been painful. Barely [ Continue reading... ]

  Since she's our main character, we should look in on Kyri now...   ----   Chapter 9.      Kyri set her brush to a slow dry, brushing the long black waves into place as the simple enchantment gradually reduced the heavy dampness from her bath to the lighter flow of cascading black. Victoria says she managed to do this while on adventure, I suppose I should at least do it while I'm at home.        She pulled on a houserobe and continued to brush the hair dry as she walked down the wide stone steps of Vantage [ Continue reading... ]