Shrouded Sky (The Veils of Lore Book 1)

by A. Akers, Tracy

  Chandra closed her eyes, feeling the need to pray, though she had no idea who to pray to. She’d never been religious, had never even stepped foot inside a church, but considering she’d recently been thrust into a world of gods, elementals, and Mind Walkers, what did she have to lose? A cold wave crashed against the boat and splashed over her, sending another breath-snatching bite to her bones. Elementals it is, she decided.

  “I know you sent me to Aredyrah for a reason,” she said, trying to find her voice. “But if that reason is the Kee, and if you want me to find it and bring it back, I will. I promise I will.” She bit her lip, hoping she wasn’t crossing the line. “But you really need to not drown me first, okay?”

  The wind began to calm, and the sea gradually stilled. Chandra glanced around her, realizing the storm had dissipated and stars were beginning to peek through a feathery haze of evaporating clouds. She scanned the horizon in every direction but saw only the sun setting against a mirrored sea, no sign of land, no sign of boats, no sign of rescue. She sank onto the seat, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events, and wondered how in the world she was going to explain all this. She had no proof that any of it was real, other than the boat lulling beneath her and the drenched, blood-stained robe clinging to her. Would people think she’d lost her mind? Well, maybe she had. For surely no sane person would search the world for pirates. And that was exactly what she intended to do.

  She grabbed the oars and set them in place. If this was to be her fate, her destiny, who was she to argue? It wasn’t like she had a choice: prayer plus promise equaled a chance of survival. Her thoughts drifted to Orryn, then to the last words he had spoken before abandoning her: I will never leave you, Chandria. How could I? She huffed, thinking them a lie, but then something occurred to her. It wasn’t the “I will never leave you” part that had her suddenly sitting straight. It was the rest of it.

  Orryn had said those very words to her twice now: once before plopping her into the boat, the other before pressing her to his bed. Was it possible he remembered? But how? Chandra lifted her fingers to her lips. “The kiss,” she whispered, “in the receiving room.” Jhon must have planted a hidden command in it. He hadn’t made Orryn forget her after all!

  Chandra turned her eyes to the full moon lifting slowly in the eastern sky. Orryn had said her name was that of a moon goddess. Perhaps it was the moon that had first led him to her, perhaps it was something more, and yet as she watched it brighten amongst the awakening stars, she knew she had to turn her back on it. For a time, at least.

  She dipped the oars into the water and gave them a tug. The sea would no longer be her enemy, she determined. It would be her ally, just as the sky would be her guide.

  “Wait for me, Orryn,” she said, and steered the boat toward the sun.

  The End

  Shrouded Sky

  Next

  Book Two: Cloak of the Forgotten

  Glossary of Terms & Pronunciations

  A’niha: Portals which allow Aredyrian souls to pass into the After World. Only one portal remains.

  Accords (The): An agreement between Syddia and the Three realms that keeps the realms out of Syddia’s disputes with the Taubastets. The Accords grant the realms limited access to Syddia in order to insure they are not planning military action against the realms themselves: inspection of weapons arsenals, Shield and Pedant outposts, political prisoners, imports and exports, and certain documents.

  Agneis (AG-nee-us): Goddess of Knowledge

  Ancestral Memory: The belief that descendants of the Lost have the ability to retain ancient memories of Aredyrah.

  Aredyrah (Air-uh-DEER-uh): An ancient island world that was first inhabited by the gods and their descendants, later taken over by Marcassett. Before the gods themselves departed it, they veiled it from Sister World.

  Adjo: The primary Taubastet stronghold, located in the cliffs of the Wild.

  Bastet: Goddess of Protection and Strength.

  Basyls (Ba-zuls): A group of clansmen whose territory is in northern Aredyrah. Their capital is Stonehold.

  Battle of Nightcrest: One of the bloodiest battles ever fought between the Syddians and the Taubastets. It is said each side lost over a thousand men in one day.

  Baunti (BOUN-tee): A Taubastet elder who is also Tygg’s teacher.

  Chandra Mellencamp: A girl from Sister World who becomes shipwrecked on Aredyrah.

  Cloud Walker: The name given by Taubastets to those who have died and communed with the gods, returning to life with the ability to interpret the past, present, and future. (Also known as Transcendors.)

  Daghadar (DAG-huh-dar): The god of Renewal. Also known as the Maker.

  Dar: One of the emissaries sent from the Three realms to find out why the Sovereign of Syddia has nullified the Treaty of Pax. Dar hails from Oonayei, a valley fortress in the center of the island.

  Edrea (ED-ree-uh): One of the emissaries sent from the Three realms to find out why the Sovereign of Syddia has nullified the Treaty of Pax. Edrea hails from Tearia, a great city state on the eastern side of the island. As a descendent of a Transcendor, she has the ability to read minds, thus she is called a Mind Walker.

  Elementals: The stormy protectors of the island, especially the seas that surround it, sparing descendants of the Lost, whom they allow to reach shore.

  Gage: One of the emissaries sent by the Three realms to find out why the Sovereign of Syddia nullified the Treaty of Pax. He hails from Stonehold in the Basyl clan lands.

  Helen Mellencamp: Chandra’s mother; ex-wife of Ike.

  Haisa (HAY-suh): Tygg’s friend and brother-in-law.

  Ikenbach (Ike) Mellencamp: Chandra’s treasure-hunting father; ex-husband of Helen.

  Imela (Eh-MELL-uh): Any person from Sister World who is washed ashore by the elementals. Though the elementals’ goal is to return descendants of the Lost to the island, some of the Imelas prove to be false.

  Jhon of the House of Seth: A councilman of Syddia. Orryn’s and Tiersa’s father; husband of Mayra. As the descendent of a Transcendor, Jhon has the ability to read minds, thus making him a Mind Walker.

  Kee (The): A golden lion-shaped relic once gifted to the Taubastets of old, later stolen from them by Marcassett (in the guise of the Red King.)

  Kirador (KEER-uh-dor): The large northwestern region of Aredyrah. The Basyls and Syddians make it their home.

  Kiradyn (KEER-uh-din): An ancient city in Kirador, once the capital, destroyed by a volcanic eruption many centuries before.

  Knowing: The ability to enter someone’s mind. Only Mind Walkers have the gift, as well as Marcassett, though her methods are different and more sinister.

  Lavation: A ritual carried out by Marcassett on Pedants in order to keep their emotions suppressed and their loyalty to her intact.

  Lost (The): Children stolen from Aredyrah many generations before and taken to Sister World. Descendants of the Lost who are returned to the island by the elementals are also known as Imelas.

  Marcassett (Mar-kuh-SETT): An evil entity, formerly one of the gods, who mutinied against her superiors in order to rule Aredyrah and Sister World. She has the ability to inhabit human hosts.

  Mayra of the House of Seth (MAY-ruh): Jhon’s wife; Orryn’s and Tiersa’s mother.

  Mind Walker: A descendent of a Transcendor with the ability to read and/or arrange another person’s thoughts.

  Nahanna: An order of spiritual women who once guarded one of the portals of A’niha. The Nahanna were slaughtered during the War of Shade, their spiritual gifts lost and the portal destroyed.

  Nauney (NAW-nee): Tygg’s deceased wife.

  Oonayei (Oon-ie-AY): A valley fortress in the center of Aredyrah.

  Orryn of the House of Seth (OR-in): A Pedant of Syddia who guards their shores; the finder of the Imela, Chandra. Son of Jhon and Mayra; brother of Tiersa.

  Panya (PAN-ya): Tygg’s daughter.

  Pedant (Pi-DANT): A member of an elite guardship unit, hand-picked by the Sovereign to do her
bidding. Pedants must undergo lavation, which mutes their emotions. They patrol the borders, particularly the shores, looking for Imelas and other trespassers.

  Pey (PAY): Commander of the Shield, a Syddian guardship unit.

  Pitch: A bloody Syddian sport played between the Pedants and members of the Shield.

  Qwa t’sei (Kwa-ti-SAY): A vow made by a Taubastet to see that a desired conclusion is reached, even if it means manipulating people and events to make it happen.

  Ren: Boyfriend of Tiersa. Ren is a modest ranking member of the Syddian Shield.

  Sachmei (SACH-may): Tygg’s live-in lover. Sachmei is a healer.

  Shield: A Syddian guardship unit known for its aggressiveness and warlike nature.

  Sister World: What the residents of Aredyrah call the rest of the Earthly world.

  Sovereign (The): The supreme leader of Syddia. Also known as the Sovereign Lady. Marcassett inhabits the Sovereign.

  Stonehold: The Basyl capital city that is the stronghold of the clan.

  Subjugation: The ability of a Mind Walker to permanently erase someone’s memories. The act is considered blasphemous against Agneis, the goddess of Knowledge, and is carried out only in extreme circumstances.

  Syddia (SID-ee-uh): A city state that resides in the region of Kirador. It was once Sandright territory, but was later taken over by Marcassett who molded it to suit her needs.

  Syddian Council: A governmental branch of Syddia that was initially put into place to help maintain a balance of power. Over time the Sovereign’s powers came to override those of the Council, thus making it a political entity in name only.

  Taubastets (TOUW-ba-stets): A race of cliff dwelling people who worship Bastet. They were nearly annihilated many generations before by the Tearian Red King (Marcassett,) but migrated to the Wild where they built the city of Adjo.

  Tearia (Tee-AIR-ee-uh): A great city-state on the eastern side of Aredyrah. Marcassett once controlled it as a Priestess and also through its past kings.

  Three (the Three realms): A united political power that consists of the regions of Tearia, Oonayei, and the Basyl clan lands.

  Tiersa of the House of Seth (TEER-suh): Orryn’s younger sister; daughter of Jhon and Mayra.

  Treaty of Pax: The treaty that resulted in peace between the warring Syddians and Taubastets.

  Tygg (TIG): Taubastet descendent of the Great Betrayer; Tygg is given the Qwa t’sei to finish what his great-grandsire did not.

  Wild (The): The southwestern region of Aredyrah where the Taubastets make their home.

  Yatka (YOT-kuh): The current Cloud Walker of Adjo.

  A Note from the Author

  I have always loved fantasy, especially stories that take place in old-world settings. In my youth I longed to be an archeologist, exploring ancient cultures in order to better understand the truths behind the myths. Alas, that was not to be, so I’m doing the next best thing: creating and exploring fantasy realms through my imagination, and sharing their histories with you through my writing.

  The Veils of Lore is my latest series, but I am also the author of The Souls of Aredyrah, an award-winning fantasy series for young adults. For those of you familiar with Souls, you will recognize The Veils of Lore as an extension of that world. They are each a stand-alone series. You may read just one, or both in any order. Either way it will not affect your understanding of the story. Simply stated, Souls explores the realm of Aredyrah in times past (according to its history,) whereas Veils mixes our own contemporary world with a realm that still feels old, but isn’t.

  I hope you enjoyed Shrouded Sky, Book One of The Veils of Lore. There are three books planned for the series—though the characters might decide otherwise. (They can be so stubborn.) Stay tuned. More adventures to come!

  ~ Tracy A. Akers

  For additional information, please visit my websites:

  http://www.tracyaakersauthor.com

  http://www.soulsofaredyrah.com