“A dress from Darci?” Nerissa asked wonderingly. As soon as the words left her lips, Raysel stepped aside, and her eyes fell on the mannequin in the corner. For a moment, all she could do was stare in breathless astonishment. This was not a dress from Darci. It was the dress. The cap sleeves, the square neckline, the skirt that was a tumble of vertical ruffles trimmed in gold—it looked exactly how she remembered it.
“It’s so beautiful,” Nerissa marveled as she traced her fingers over the embroidered golden feathers on the bodice.
“Be careful with that. It’s real gold thread,” Raysel cautioned. Then, chuckling, he added, “You have no idea how many times I heard that from Darci before I left.”
Nerissa’s laughter joined his. “I do recall overhearing her tell Desta about that particular detail.” Then her tone turned serious. “Raysel, how did you know I wanted this dress? I saw it at Darci’s shop, but I never told anyone about it.”
“You didn’t need to tell me,” Raysel replied. “I was standing next to you when Darci showed Desta the dress. I saw the way you were staring at it, so I made a mental note at the time to come back and get it for you. Once Ildiko said you would be alright, I left so that it would be here in time for your homecoming.”
“How did you ever get to Silvus and back in time? It would normally take over a week to get there.”
“I rode the messenger route and switched horses at each station along the way so that I could get there and back as quickly as possible.” He pointed to the circles under his eyes. “Also, I didn’t do much sleeping while I was on the road.”
Nerissa threw her arms around his neck again and gave him a grateful hug. “How am I ever going to find a way to thank you properly?”
“You may not want to thank me yet. I’m not sure if I’ve actually done you a favor,” he said, a warning tone in his voice. “I have a feeling Darci will be following the dress to Niamh shortly. She said she would be leaving within hours, and from the sound of it, she’s bringing half of her shop along with her.”
Nerissa shook her head in amazement. “Then I am doubly grateful. I loved the designs I saw at the Sparkling Skyflower, and I do have an entire wardrobe to replace.” She looked again at his rumpled clothes. “What about you though? How can I wear something so grand when you’re still in traveling clothes?”
Raysel lifted one brow archly. “Oh? Do you really think she would let me go without something to wear too?” He picked up a garment bag that was draped over one of the desk chairs. “I’m going to another room to change while Charis helps you with the dress.”
He stepped out the door and Charis scurried in to take his place just as the clock tower outside tolled the quarter hour. It was almost time.
**************************************
They rode down the main avenue a short time later to the ringing of bells from every tower within the city. Nerissa scanned the crowded sidewalks for familiar faces from atop her horse, and grinned when she spotted Addy and Pan in front of their bakery. The pair would have been easy to spot even if Pan hadn’t been wearing his puffy white hat. Instead of waving a flag and cheering like the others around him, the baker was jumping up and down and waving a wax paper bag—filled with her favorite pastries, if she guessed right—over his head.
A light snow began to fall as the gates in front of the ruins of the Royal Manor came into view. It was then that Nerissa finally found the other face she had been searching for. She waved to Tao and pressed one hand to her throat while mouthing “thank you.” She didn’t know if Tao would understand the gesture, or be able to see it from that distance, but it didn’t matter. Nerissa would be able to thank her in person soon enough.
On the other side of the gates, erected over top of the remains of the Royal Manor, was a dais where Nerissa would soon give her speech and swear her oaths. It was empty, save for a podium and the two giant papier-mâché eggs that had been placed on either side of it. Upon reaching it, Nerissa dismounted and the official presiding over the ceremony announced her arrival.
When he stepped back and signaled for her to approach, she directed a single thought through the fire-fire pendant. Flames roared up around the eggs, setting them ablaze in a flash and revealing the phoenix statues that had been hidden inside.
As eddies of hot air carried the ashes upward to mix with the falling snow, Nerissa stepped up to the podium with Raysel and Rian at her side and looked out, smiling, at the people of Niamh. Though there was still much work to be done, and the future of Renatus remained uncertain, there was one thing she knew for sure.
The phoenix had risen.
Sneak Peek
Records of the Ohanzee Book 5 (Untitled)
Book 1 of the Revenant story arc
Prologue
The Walking Dead
Echidna
Echidna’s hands trembled as she held the blade of her trimming shears to the orchid’s stalk. She’d thought that spending the morning in the greenhouse would calm her nerves, but try as she might, she simply couldn’t stop herself from shaking. Though the recent snowfall meant that news from Nyx had slowed, there were still plenty of rumors circulating out from the city. And that is exactly what the news reports were—rumors. She refused to believe there was any truth to them whatsoever.
Or, at least, she wanted to refuse to believe them.
The task was becoming more difficult with every passing day. Ever since her arrival at the estate, Casimer’s letters had come with unfailing consistency—two each day. Then, last week, a day came when only one arrived. Echidna had written off the change with little concern. Her husband was a busy man. A king could not be expected to always find time to write. But there were no letters the following day, or the next, or the next either. Every time the sun set with no letters at all, the terrible rumors became harder to ignore.
A knock came at the greenhouse door. The gentle rapping was barely enough to rattle the door’s loose hinges, yet in her current state, the suddenness of the sound was enough to startle Echidna. Her shaking fingers tightened reflexively on the trimmers and lopped off the elegant flower’s stem near its base.
Staring down at the fallen stalk in vexation, she muttered a curse unbefitting a lady of her station and then quickly pasted a serene expression on her face. Turning toward the entrance, she said, “You may come in.”
A servant stepped in and bowed low. Echidna needn’t worry about controlling her facial expression, for the man kept his eyes trained on the floor. “My Queen, the mail has arrived.”
“Have any letters arrived from the King today?”
Somehow, the man’s shoulders dipped even closer to the ground. “No, My Queen.”
“Very well,” Echidna said, making sure her voice betrayed none of her emotions as she waved dismissively. “You may go.”
Once the door closed behind him, she took an unsteady step forward and braced herself against one of the worktables. There were too many rumors of the Heiress of Chiyo avenging her parents and returning to Niamh, too many rumors that Casimer had suddenly and inexplicably withdrawn from public engagements, and too much time had passed since the arrival of his last letter. Echidna heaved one deep breath after another as the reality of the situation stripped away the denial that had been separating her rage and her grief.
There was only one thing that all of it could mean.
Little Heiress, do you think you know something about revenge? She gripped the benchtop so tightly she could feel the impression of the wood’s grain beneath her skin. If you want bloodshed, I will paint the streets of Niamh red.
Just then, someone opened the door to the greenhouse again, and this time, they didn’t bother knocking or waiting to be admitted.
Echidna whirled around, not caring who was about to witness her fury. “How dare you enter without—” she screeched, but the rest of her reproachful words died in her throat. That regal stature, that black hair, those blue eyes in that familiar face…the sight of him made all of her wrath
evaporate in an instant.
She ran across the greenhouse and flung herself into her husband’s arms. "The rumors said that you were dead!" she sobbed into his chest.
Casimer grunted in pain at the contact. “As you can see, I am most definitely not,” he said as he gently pushed her away.
Echidna took a reluctant step back, confused. “What’s wrong?”
“Every rumor has a small grain of truth within it,” Casimer answered with a wan smile on his face. He unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a set of stitches holding closed a puckered wound just a few inches below his heart. "There is very little difference between dead and gravely wounded to the rumormongers, but the distinction makes all the difference in the world to me."
List of Characters
*May contain some spoilers
Nerissa's Family and Friends
Addy—Pan’s wife
Charis—Nerissa’s best friend
Dallin—Childhood friend of Nerissa
Nerissa–Heiress of Chiyo
Pan—Baker in Niamh
Parlen—Nerissa's father, Bond of Chiyo
Rica—Nerissa's mother, Blood of Chiyo
Tao—Nerissa's mentor, teacher, researcher of crystals and their uses
Casimer's family
Amon—Casimer’s nephew
Casimer—King of Marise
Echidna—Queen of Marise
Ladon—Prince of Marise
Ohanzee
Alala—Senka defector that takes refuge in Darnal, friend of Caelan
Aravind—Daughter of Haku and Ebba, apprentice blacksmith
Beadurinc—Personal guardian of Parlen and Rica
Caelan—Senka defector that takes refuge in Darnal, Rian's mother, teacher
Caeneus—Mysterious young man brought to Darnal by Einar
Cattleya—Daughter of Haku and Ebba, jewelry designer
Cole—Disguise specialist, twin of Eloc
Ebba—Wife of Haku, blacksmith
Einar—Nerissa’s archery instructor, Chief Guardian
Eloc—Disguise specialist, twin of Cole
Gerda—Wife of Hania
Haku—Chief Preceptor
Hania—Chief Advisor
Harbin—Personal guardian of Parlen and Rica
Ildiko—Wife of Einar, practitioner of medicine
Jarold—Swordsman and hand-to-hand combat specialist
Leal—Swordsman
Raysel—Son of Haku and Ebba, First Swordsman of the Ohanzee, Nerissa's personal guardian
Rian—Swordsman, Raysel’s best friend
Valter—Personal guardian of Parlen and Rica
Senka
Nils—Chief of the Senka
Others
Akkub—Governor of Silvus
Alden—Governor of Rhea
Argia—Prophetess during the time of King Gared
Barr—Friend of Alden’s great-grandfather, rumored to be over 300 years old
Darci—Daughter of Akkub
Desta—Daughter of Shae
Erik—Village messenger, Ohanzee agent
King Gared—First King of Renatus, united the land after the Fall of Civilization
Gladys—Wife of Erik
Gullintanni—Secret group that defends Renatus under orders of King Gared
Luca—Valen’s mentor
Matin—Zada’s son, Barr’s protégé
Shae—Prophetess, extractor of plant oils
Thea—Amon’s housekeeper
Valen—Argia’s guide
Zada—Barr’s caretaker
Lands and Towns
Ameles—Tributary of the Yoshie River forming the extreme eastern border of Rhea
Brochan—River that separates the cities of Maze and Nyx
Chiyo—Country ruled by Rica and Parlen
Darnal—Hidden city of the Ohanzee
Kisoji—Village in the Northern Mountains near the border between Marise and Rhea
Marise—Country ruled by Casimer and Echidna
Maze—City in Marise with network of underground canals
Niamh—Capital of Chiyo
Nyx—Capital of Marise
Renatus—Name encompassing all the lands of the world
Rhea—Capital city of the mountain province of Rhea
Silvus—Capital city of the province of Silvus
Warren—City in Marise where a large print shop is located
Yoshie River—River that forms the southern and eastern borders of Rhea
The Prophecy
*May contain spoilers
Section 1:
One day Renatus will be divided into two nations, each equal, but opposite. In the days of this new world, the Destroyer of Peace will assume power. His ambition is to guide the future of the entire land. That fate belongs not to him, but instead to the One that will finish the work that King Gared started.
The Destroyer is a creator by nature, and he fosters prosperity with his skill and vision. His ambition grows to consume him and blinds him to the betrayal perpetrated by those he trusts most. The Destroyer will slay the Peaceful Ruler and claim her throne. In doing so, he will set the events in motion that will ultimately result in both kingdoms becoming nothing more than a memory.
The Destroyer will fulfill his wish to rule Renatus, and even the memory of the Peaceful Ruler will be erased. But there is still One who can alter the course of the future. That person, the One who is no more, the One who has become another, the One who was seen before, the Reflection, will appear from the shadows.
Section 2:
The will of the Reflection is the catalyst that guides the fate of the reborn land. They will not seek revenge, but will instead seek to take back the stolen throne. Though the Reflection does not know it, they were born with the power needed to suspend the Destroyer’s actions.
All the while, a Traitor toils unnoticed under the Destroyer’s command. The Destroyer will be too caught up pursuing his ambitions to recognize the approaching danger, and no guardian’s sword will shield him from it. The Traitor will raise the dead, and they will walk, recognized yet unrecognized, amongst the living.
Section 3:
Sickness will spread in the streets of the Destroyer. Both a curse and a blessing, the Destroyer’s modern cures will fail to save the ill. An ancient remedy for fluid in the lungs and fever will succeed where the modern one fails.
To be rid of the walking dead, the heirloom hidden among the leaves must be saved. Combine that which sparks from the flames in the forest with the artifice from the mountain city. He who governs the mountains is a true ally, but beware of the spirit that protects the book hidden in the cave.
Section 4:
Deep in the caves, the inborn talent of the Reflection will draw a spark from the Heart of Fire that will ultimately return an ancient power to the world.
They will journey through the ruins in the mountains to the place where time stands still. Here, the lost suspension technique is still remembered. The Reflection will confront the Destroyer using this technique in order to retake the throne without staining their own hands with blood.
Section 5:
The attempt is ill-fated, however. Entering the presence of the Destroyer will put the Reflection in grave peril, and he will spill their blood a second time.
The Destroyer’s reign will be brought to an end by one who bears the dragon’s mark, but the sword that pierces his heart will not be wielded in malice. In his absence, the Revenant will seize the empty throne.
Section 6:
During this time, the last of the ancient weapons that brought about the Fall of Civilization will be rediscovered. Though the Reflection wishes to restore peace to the two countries without bloodshed, as long as this weapon exists, and as long as King Gared’s work remains unfinished, lasting peace cannot be attained.
King Gared’s work must be finished. The last of the ancient weapons must be destroyed. Its power is too great to be allowed to exist. And yet, using this weapon is the only way to save Re
natus from a second Fall.
About the Author
Rachel R. Smith lives near Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and the cutest dog in the world, Sumo. When not writing, she plots to fill the interior of their home with books and mineral specimens and to cover the exterior with roses. Stay up to date on the series and learn more about Rachel by visiting her blog at www.RecordsOfTheOhanzee.com or by following Records of the Ohanzee on Facebook and Instagram (@rachel_r._smith).
Reflection- Dragon's Bane Page 17
