by Jack Whitney
Dorian looked around to the women and men Belwarks obviously tired from the massacre. “Raid the boats. Then burn them. Make sure there is nothing of value before you set it ablaze,” he instructed them.
The guards bowed and set off to do as he asked.
More hooves sounded around them, and Dorian looked up to see Nyssa as she arrived on scene. Her eyes widened between the pair, and she dismounted her steed at an instant.
“What’s happened? Is it the strangers?” she asked.
“Savages!” the man on his knees dared say.
The pommel of Lex’s sword met his nose.
Nyssa balked and grasped Dorian’s arm. “Have you asked it about where it came from?” she asked him.
“I haven’t,” he replied, eyes flickering up the beach where he could see a string of Belwarks coming towards them, a carriage in tow. “Waiting on him.”
His glare met Lex’s, and as the Belwarks lined up on their horses and the carriage came into view, Dorian had to avert his eyes.
Rhaif’s blind and injured figure held on to his Second as he helped him to his feet.
Dorian wasn’t sure how Rhaif was alive. But when asked about it, he was told Rhaif had managed to get himself into Arbina’s pool, and that her waters had at least been able to heal the burns on his body in the time he was able to stay under.
But what it had not healed was his now absent eyes, and the limp of where the phoenix had broken him. Nor had it truly healed the appearance of his mangled skin.
Bard stood at Rhaif’s limping side, and he straightened Rhaif’s crown on his head as he wobbled to Dorian and Nyssa’s right.
The stranger’s cackle radiated through the still air.
“This… This is your king?” the man mocked.
Rhaif’s hand tightened around the staff in his left hand. “Who is this person?”
“Strangers from across the seas,” Lex said.
“How many?”
“Two ships. Fifty men,” Dorian answered.
“And the others?”
“Dead,” Lex said shortly. “Would you like their heads? They’re still rolling in the surf, I think—Oh wait. You can’t can you?”
Rhaif’s jaw clenched. “Another remark like that, Second Sun, and I’ll have you beheaded,” he warned. He took another step towards the stranger, and Bard took a step sideways, releasing him.
“Who are you?” Rhaif asked the stranger.
The man spat on Rhaif’s boots. “Why should I tell you?”
“You are a stranger in my kingdom,” Rhaif answered. “If you’d not like to end up like your brethren, you’ll bow before me and tell me who you are.”
The man’s chortle sounded from his lips again. “You are not my king,” the man seethed. “My king is Sir Aeron of Mathis, Son of Aderon, High King of the Seven Seas, and ruler of Man. There are a thousand ships with their eyes on this land. It is only a matter of time before your shores are breeched. Your people will perish. We will toss your children from your walls. This kingdom will cripple beneath our weight. You will all be our slaves. You—”
Rhaif snapped his finger.
The cut of a sword sliced through the air.
The stranger’s head fell onto the sand and rolled into the surf.
“Lies.”
Dorian’s eyes widened at the word his brother had just uttered.
Rhaif clenched the staff. “If any of you so much as utters a single word of what was spoken here, I’ll make sure you never speak again,” he growled. “Tell no one. This stays here.”
Nyssa squeezed Dorian’s arm as he exchanged a long look with Lex. Lex gave a short nod, and Dorian met his sister’s eyes.
This was it.
The moment Aydra and Draven had warned them of.
They would leave.
Tonight.
APPENDIX
AYDRA RAVENSPEAK'S MARK
MARK OF THE VENARI KING
NOCTUANS
A GROUP OF creatures forced into a curse, only allowed free roam of Haerland at night during the Dead Moons. The Dead Moons last for fourteen days, and happen every seventy-two days. These are the creatures forced to live beneath such tyranny.
Aberd
- The Aberd is a great marsupial creature. It swings through the canopy of the trees without sound, using its longer-than-body tail for balance and also to help them move at great speed. They have hands similar to ours; long, lanky arms, black fur, yellow slitted pupils, and razor-sharp teeth. Their cackling whoops surround you in an ambush from above, and slit your throat from behind before devouring you.
Aviteth
- The Aviteth is the Noctuan brother of the Aenean Orel. A great bird, six feet tall, wingspan twice that size. Its feathers shimmer black as a shadow. There are only three left in this Age, having been killed for sport in the last. Their cry follows the Ulfram’s howl. It is so high-pitched and splintering that it causes the eardrum to bleed, therefore giving away your location. There is no way of hiding from them. The smell of blood guides them to their prey. It drives their entire being. You are still alive when they begin to shred the flesh from your bones.
Berdijay
- A shadow giant made of swamp and ash and your worst fears. Twenty feet tall. Eyes red as blood. A giant of rotting melted flesh, burned and braided like hair on his body. He smells of your worst fears and will consume you inside your mind. He speaks in riddles, confusing you and brining the nightmares you didn’t know existed to the front of your mind, forcing you to step inside it.
Bullhorn
- The Bullhorn is the Noctuans’ most familiar. He is the only one of his kind. A great beast no less than eight feet tall. He carries a double-headed axe in his elongated sausage fingers, long pointed nails like daggers. The Bullhorn has the head of the Ulfram, the lengthy tree-limb like magnificent grey horns of the bull, and the torso of a man. Its lower body is more like the haunches of the bull, but he stands on his wheel-sized hooves upright. The black thick fur that covers its entire body is thick around its hips, and splayed out as a mane around his head and down his back in a V.
Bygon
- The Bygon is known by her more familiar names: the shape-shifting siren, the nightingale, and the Dead Moons’ composer. Her songs carry through the trees on the wind, causing weak-minded person to fall prey to her lullaby. She carries them into a deep slumber and then devours their blood in spurts, keeping her prey alive as she consumes them. Her form shifts from mist in the air, forming as bone and blood, followed by muscle and then flesh, until she is fully corporeal before you as her true self: skin pale and luminescent as the moon, board-straight black hair, usually appearing wet and silk-like. Her eyes long, lips thin, jaw petite. The chartreuse green of her irises reminds you of moss. But this is not the form she will take you in under her spell. She will shift into a being more desirable to you, and engulf your blood under the cover of that guise.
Noirdiem
- The Noirdiem are deer-like creatures. Their bodies are barely corporeal, instead of flesh and muscles on their bones, they are merely iridescent skeletons, horns growing out of the heads of some. Their bodies glow elegantly against the dark of the forest around them. Different from the other Noctuans, these creatures are at peace with the darkness. They are said to be a sign of welcome from Duarb if they appear to you.
Rhamocour
- The Rhamocour is a great dragon-like beast. U-shaped scales darker than black cover its body, only giving way to the light when fire looms against the iridescence of its scales. A row of ascending thin boney spikes rises gradually out of the back of her neck as she extends her long neck upward. Her great wings span the same length of her body down her long tail. Menacing talons grip the earth, and the horns on her head cut into the sky. She will stare at you with her apple-green eyes as she debates whether you are worth the energy of her kill, or if you are only worth consuming in her purple fire.
Ulfram
- The Ulfram’s wolf howl is the first noise after the wind that you’
ll hear when the Dead Moons rise. The alpha female’s song penetrates the darkness, sending a chill down your spine. When you meet her, you’ll not see the rest of the pack. Five feet tall at the tops of its tall pointed ears. Black lines like shadows lined beneath her eyes and down the sides of her nose. She has sharp yellow-green eyes that cut the shadows. The sheen of her dark silver fur will vibrate in any light you shine at her. The rest of the Ulfram pack has opposite colors from her. Black fur, silver lines down the sides of their noses.
Wyverdraki
- The Wyverdraki are smaller cousins of the Rhamocour. These dragon beasts vary in their colors from burnet to emerald, some featuring stripes or brindle on their scales. They travel in a pack, hunting down livestock and sharing with each other as a family. Their fire is orange, and they fly over the Forest of Darkness during every Dead Moons cycle singing their family song.
PRONUNCIATIONS
NAMES:
Aydra (Eye-dra)
Draven (Dray-vin)
Nyssari (Nis-ar-ee)
Dorian (Dor-e-an)
Rhaif (Ray-f)
Balandria (Bal-an-dre-ah)
Nadir (Na-deer)
Lesser Ones:
Arbina (Are-bee-na)
Duarb (Do-are-b)
Lovi Piathos (Lo-vee Pee-aye-thos)
Mons Magnus (Mons Mag-n-us)
Somniarb Crelib (Some-knee-arb Kree-lib)
Lesser Beings:
Venari (Vin-are-i)
Infinari (In-fin-are-i)
Places:
Haerland (Heir-land)
Magnice (Mag-nis)
Dahrkenhill (Dark-en-hill)
Scindo Creek (Sh-in-doe Creek)
Preymoor (Prey-more)
Bedrani (Bed-ron-ee)
Hills of Bitratus (Hills of Bit-ray-tus)
Creatures:
Noctuans (Not-too-ans)
Ulfram (Ool-fr-am)
Wyverdraki (Why-ver-dra-cki)
Rhamocour (Ram-o-coor)
Berdijay (Bear-di-jay)
Aenean Orel (A-knee-an O-rel)
Aviteth (Av-i-teth)
Noirdiem (Noir-dee-am)
Bygon (Bye-gone)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
IT WAS TEN years ago that I started this journey into Haerland.
Ten years ago that I started writing and drawing out maps, writing letters to myself from my characters to imprint the backstory into my mind. This was not the initial story I wrote. This was supposed to be a background story, one I knew the outline of and its impacts on Haerland’s future, but never one that I ever intended on publishing. I wasn’t sure how their story would be taken in its true form as it was always a darker story than the initial story I wrote exploring this world.
But here we are.
Draven and Aydra have always been the backbone story of this world. Their story was always ‘where it all started’. To finally get the chance to delve into this space and get to know them has been a journey I never expected. I never expected… them. These two characters that would change my life. I never expected how much both of them, and especially Aydra, would influence me as a person. Jumping head first into this self-publishing world was not something I ever anticipated myself doing. And yet, here I am. Running with her into the fire. Burning kingdoms like we always said we would.
I have to thank (as crazy as this sounds) booktok for helping me realize we were now in a time when stories like this would be accepted and sought after. That stories with women like Aydra would be fully embraced. That dark fantasy and grey characters were a thing we wanted more of. I don’t know when exactly this changed, or when we finally as (especially female) writers decided we were going to take back adult fantasy and push it further than it’s ever been pushed. But I am grateful for whomever started it. Thank you.
From the beginning of this journey, I had the support of my family. Most especially from my sister, who was the only person who understood when I would say ‘my characters aren’t talking to me’ or ‘my characters are making me crazy’. I still feel crazy saying it sometimes, but she always understood, and I cannot express how grateful I am for that push to get these stories out of my head. To my sister, all of these books are for you. I hope you know how much I appreciate and love you.
For the rest of my family, I cannot thank them enough for their unwavering support through this entire process and really through my whole life. Even with every mistake and crazy decision I’ve ever made, they’ve always been there supporting me. I love you guys and I know I would not be where I am today without that constant support and backbone.
To Zach, thank you for being there and giving me the time and space to figure this all out. I know how much of a journey this last year has been for both of us, and I appreciate your support when I just decided I was going to do this and you didn't question it. I love you and I am excited to be taking this journey with you.
Something else I didn’t expect at the beginning of this process was the amount of support I would receive as an indie author from the fantasy community. I did not expect the amount of beta readers I would receive from a single booktok video. I did not expect the amount of people wanting to read this story from a single quote. I think I just didn’t expect any of this.
So to my beta readers, thank you for taking that plunge with me into a world you had no knowledge of before hand except for photos, quotes, and an inspo board. Thank you for all of your feedback and gracious comments. You all truly helped me see I had a story worth getting out there. I don’t know how I will ever repay all of you for helping me out, but I am so grateful for each and every one of you.
To my ARC readers and everyone who has supported me from day one that I started my marketing on TikTok, thank you! I don't know how I was lucky enough to find a group of like-minded people willing to take a chance on this, but here we are! Everyone who read an ARC and reviewed, did cosplays, helped me out in any way, you all are rockstars and thank you so so so much! For all those on booktok who duet'ed my videos, constantly commented and shared, making sure the word got out and helped me, thank you! I don't know that I would be publishing had you all not been so fantastic.
To Leighann, you were the first person to fangirl over my story and I have not forgotten how much support you’ve given me from the beginning. I hope to one day return that support when you finish and publish your book.
To Kay… KAY! I still remember our initial conversations where I just decided to throw you a beta copy of DMR because you loved the chapters with Draven, even though you weren’t sure if you would be able to beta read it. I didn’t care. You liked Draven, so I, of course, was like here—take him! I cannot thank you enough for how much you’ve helped me these last few months. With everything. Really. I’m pretty sure I would have released on the wrong day with a terrible cover had you not been there to tell me to reconsider. Or completely flopped when it came to Insta marketing. Your help with this has been invaluable. I appreciate you so so much, and I hope you know that. One day, you'll be bossing me around, telling me deadlines, and helping me keep my head on straight, and hopefully I'll be able to repay this debt! Thank you.
To everyone I missed-- friends, readers, and everyone in between... Everyone who took a chance on me with knowing nothing more about this book than the aesthetic boards and a few quotes. I am eternally in your debt. I appreciate you all so much.
Thank you for helping me burn the kingdom.
Go out and channel your inner Aydra.
We’ll meet back here when the Red Moons Rise.
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