The UnFolding Collection Three

by S. K. Randolph

  The UnFolding Collection Three

  S.K. Randolph

  Illustrated by

  S.K. Randolph

  Contents

  Collection Three

  MasTer’s Reach

  Epilogue

  Jaradee’s Legacy

  The Rest of the Story

  Appendix

  Glossary

  About the Author

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  The UnFolding

  Collection Three

  with illustrations

  Books 13, 14 and 15

  of

  The UnFolding

  written and illustrated

  by

  S.K. Randolph

  Copyright © 2018 by S.K. Randolph

  CheeTrann Creations LLC

  18UF-V-31i

  The UnFolding

  A fantasy fiction tale of adventure and intrigue, follows a group of diverse characters on a quest to save the last remnant of Old Earth and to help bring balance to their home planets. Traveling through time and dimension, young and old combine wits and magic to thwart the diabolical plot of those determined to conquer and enslave the unique populations that inhabit the Inner Universe.

  The UnFolding: Collection Three

  The last three books in the UnFolding series

  13. Master’s Reach (a novel, 543 pages, 52 chapters)

  The Unfolding races toward its climax. Intermingled within its currents, a galactic drama intensifies. On the surface of the fountain Elcaro’s Eye, pictures flash and disappear:

  Esán and his friends, pursued by the Mindeco from RewFaar and a vicious creature from the planet TreBlaya, stumble over knee-high roots of giant trees in an effort to escape. A rumbling howl pushes them faster. If only they could teleport . . .

  The raven Karrew sits on a makeshift perch, his injured wing taped to his side. Around him, ghosts of DerTah’s most violent criminals hover, empty eyes staring. Distantly, he remembers the life he once led . . . distantly . . .

  Wolloh, High DiMensioner od DerTah, lays in an unconscious stupor. Only Relevart, the VarTerel of the Inner Universe, has the knowledge to help. Where is he?

  Flames fill the fountain’s bowl. A long hiss echoes through Veersuni. The fire fades. Red eyes of death search the sanctuary. “Almiralyn, come to me.”

  Water spills from alabaster palms erasing the image, but not the evil intentions of The MasTer’s Reach.

  14. Epilogue (a Companion Short, a novella, 79 pages, 6 chapters)

  Enemies plot and plan the genocide of a people . . . the Eleo Preda . . . the ancestral lineage of those whom The MasTer had gathered on the Planet of TreBlaya. Secrets long hidden unravel. Unexpected relationships are revealed. New paths and new destinies wait behind unimagined doors. No one remains untouched. The changes wrought by the UnFolding impact the past, the present, and the future.

  15. Jaradee’s Legacy (a novel, 278 pages, 42 chapters)

  What set the UnFolding in motion is revealed.

  Jaradee puts her life at risk to balance good and evil in the Inner and Outer Universe. Rayn and Rethdun's influence is felt as the UnFolding diminishes and the CoaleScent Cycle is born.

  Jaradee had no idea when she joined the Vasrosi that her influence would be felt for decades to come.

  Floree finds herself enmeshed in the politics of the day and responsible for the life of the boy who will become the most powerful force for good in the Universe.

  Rayn swears to save her people from annihilation, only to find herself facing an inner conflict, one that pits her against everyone she has ever loved.

  MasTer’s Reach

  UnFolding 13

  Novel

  with illustrations

  Fantasy Fiction

  The UnFolding

  by

  S.K. Randolph

  Copyright © 2015 by S.K. Randolph

  CheeTrann Creations LLC

  13UF-V-29+i

  Prologue

  The children of many strive for what’s right.

  They follow where led by their galaxy’s plight.

  The Unfolding defines the direction they’ll go

  To bring to fruition its ultimate goal.

  N ear The Outer Rim on the small planet of Persow, cold fingers of dread woke the VarTerel of the Inner Universe. Troubled dreams left his heart hammering and his mind in unaccustomed disorder. Wolloh, his favorite former apprentice, had fallen to the ground in an exhausted stupor. Five children, the ones foretold in the ancient prophecies, scrambled through the rain forests of Trinuge on DerTah, pursued by a Mindeco from RewFaar. The final cycle of The Unfolding had begun.

  Relevart bolted upright and ran a hand though his mane of white hair. Uneasiness nagged. Throwing back the covers, he shivered in the chill of early morning. Midway through buttoning his shirt, he paused to frown at his reflection in the mirror. An elusive thought emerged and faded. What is it? He tucked in his shirttails, fastened his trousers, and stuffed a few personal items in a pack. A verbal command ignited the wood in the fireplace in the main living space. Flames danced and heat penetrated the room.

  Snatching a chunk of bread and a slab of cheese from the larder, he downed a quick breakfast and walked to the room’s center. A wave of his hand sent a stack of books and a pile of hiking paraphernalia sailing to a far corner. In the wall revealed by their sudden flight, a well-hidden door slid open.

  Rowan wood staff in hand, he scanned his comfortable home. It had been many sun cycles since need had prompted him to journey. I am going to miss the quiet of this cabin and the mountains and forests of Persow. With a sigh of regret, he whispered a succinct phrase. Three taps of the staff against the floor, and all but the secret entrance disappeared in a blur of muted colors. Turning his back on what had been, he stepped through the doorway. The soft sound of its closing click melted into the vastness stretching in all directions.

  Relevart paused. A shake of his head dispersed the momentary sense of befuddlement that always accompanied his entrance into Mittkeer—the place where all time and no time existed in the same instant—the place from which he traveled through time and dimension.

  The sole object in the boundless expanse, a large quartz crystal christened Froetise, glinted atop a tourmaline pedestal a short distance from where he stood. Froetise connected him to crystals throughout the Inner Universe and allowed him to track the progress of The Unfolding.

  Peering into its center, he watched a trail of phosphorescence follow a small, iridescent bird up from the crystal’s depths; form a spiral of glowing, white light; and, at his command, flare and vanish. In the clarity left behind, the image of Elcaro’s Eye, sitting at the center of Veersuni in the Dojanack Cavern’s on Myrrh, came into focus. Bloodied water stained the fountain crimson and splashed over the alabaster rim. Five reflective pools formed on the stone floor. On each surface, a different scene emerged.

  Huge ferns and gigantic moss-covered trees filled the first pool. Hidden in their midst, five young people watched two monstrous creatures battle. The leather-scaled wings of one whipped the foliage into a tempest. The single eye of the other flashed. A predatory roar reverberated through the forest. A challenging howl echoed after. The young people crouched lower, clinging to one another in terror.

  Screams of anguish vibrated the air as soldiers met hand to hand. Knives gleamed in the white-hot sun. Blood sizzled on the desert sands. Men on both sides fell and lay still. A DerTahan bearded buzzard wreathed in flames lifted into flight, sought its target, swooped, and rose again, a Human form dangling from taloned claws.

  An elderly woman walked from the Tropal Gateway into the sunflower field in Myrrh. She pushed larg
e-framed spectacles up on her nose and peered between tall, leaf-covered stalks. A RewFaaran camp occupied the garden where the Guardian of Myrrh’s cottage should have been. Removing her spectacles, she dropped them into a pocket, straightened her be-flowered hat, and stepped into the open.

  In a prison cell, a raven gave a hoarse caw as a man in shadow extended a hand and stroked its blood-covered feathers. Footsteps in the stone passageway grew louder. The hand withdrew. The man disappeared. The raven’s ebony eye peered through the pitch-black.

  A woman in the fifth pool stared through salt-spray-covered windows at the frothing return of the tide. The roll and pitch of the sea mirrored her inner turmoil. Tears overflowed summer-green eyes and slid down pale cheeks. Her hands shook as she retied a blue scarf, the sole reminder of her life in Idronatti.

  Elcaro’s bowl came into focus at the crystal’s center. A final scene formed on the surface.

  Flames blazing from a fiery pit sent shadows dancing over a charred land. Above it, the dark green feathers of a large bird of prey glistened in the diffused light. It circled and swooped to a landing on a stone balcony. A cloaked figure materialize. Scarred fingers plucked at a silver and moonstone locket on a long chain.

  Relevart’s throat constricted. An urgent need to back away overcame his compelling desire to see more. The scene faded. Reflective pools evaporated, creating a reddish mist that dissipated as water once more spilled from alabaster palms into Elcaro’s bowl, the only sound in the Sanctuary of Veersuni.

  He rubbed a hand across his eyes. His quiet interlude had ended. At his word, Froetise shrunk to a miniature of itself. He snapped it into place atop the staff. Rowan sprigs and leaves wove a cocoon around it. Holding the staff high, he focused on his destination.

  And The Unfolding continued.

  1

  Master’s Reach

  Myrrh

  C hilling dampness cut SparrowLyn AsTar to the bone. Miniature fingers tugged her hair taut. Slimy tongues spilled rank smelling spittle down her face. Despair drowned her. Fear more deadly than she had ever known made her knees go weak. A light flared. Tiny winged creatures scattered, their screams bouncing off stalagmites and stalactites. Strong hands caught her falling body, lifted her, held her next to the beat of a heart. Warm breath brushed her cheek and then nothing .

  Fighting the turbulent aftermath of the nightmare, Sparrow flung herself from bed. Her gaze bounced from rough stone walls to a small oil lamp to a heavy curtain. Where am I? She sank onto the coverlet and pulled it around her shaking body. Meos, of course. I’m in my quarters in the DeoNytes’ home in the Dojanack Caverns.

  Drawing her knee’s to her chest, she hugged them tight. Will the memories of Vascorrie ever stop haunting me?

  Her gaze settled on the empty bed beside her. I wish you were here, Allynae. DerTah is so far away. And the twins… How can you and our daughters be on another planet?

  Determined to shake off troubling thoughts, she tossed the coverlet aside and slid to the edge of the bed. Her feet came to rest on a hand-woven rug, her eyes on a small portrait she had painted of the twins. So much has happened since you girls took Torgin Whalend to Myrrh for his Sun Cycle Celebration. Most important of all, Allynae found me and met you. The few turnings we had together as a family before The Unfolding snatched you away were not nearly enough. And now I wonder if I will ever see you again.

  She picked up the portrait and planted a kiss on the identical faces. You look so much alike, but I know just how different you are. Returning it to its place on the ledge above the bed, she smiled. Of course, right now you don’t look the least bit alike. I can’t believe how much you resembled your father, Ari, when you shape shifted a boy. Ira Raast…a good name. Nobody will recognize you as twins, and you’re safe. I’m grateful for that, but I miss you so much.

  Sparrow forced her gaze away from the portrait, straightened her bed, pulled on her clothes, and picked up a comb. Stroke by stroke, she untangled the silky length of her chestnut hair. Her brow furrowed. Her hand hovered. Almost against her will, her attention was drawn back to the image of her daughters.

  I never meant to put you in harm’s way. Because my mother is KcernFensian and my father is the Largeen Joram of the planet of RewFaar, you are royalty on both planets…but I never told you. I didn’t want the PPP to use you as a tool to find your father and condemn him to the Five Towers for life. She sank onto the bed. Now you are off to face your enemies and fulfill your destinies with only an intuitive understanding of your extraordinary powers to guide and protect you . She blinked tears away and put her comb down.

  Snippets of her nightmare taunted her. She shivered. The subterranean cavern on Thera…the primavers…the tarwish… Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she scrubbed the goosebumps away.

  Vascorrie. Just the word makes me want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head. Merrilea and I almost died there. One Man found us and carried her from the cavern. Someone else carried me. Who? One Man wouldn’t tell me.

  She nibbled her bottom lip. What if I… A small smile curved the corners of her mouth. I’ll do it.

  With sudden possibilities flooding her artist’s mind, she hurried along the passage to the studio Yookotay, the DeoNyte Redael, had arranged for her use. She had come to Myrrh knowing she was a talented artist; but after the events of the past few moon cycles, her completed works had surpassed even her wildest dreams. Paints infused with a drop of Merrilea’s Myrrhinian blood, transformed her canvases from ordinary to prophetic. Not only that, but the images carried life. They melded in and out of each other, showing the changes wrought by The Unfolding.

  She hadn’t tried painting on demand until a couple of turnings ago when Myrrh’s Guardian had asked her to discover where the twins and their friends were on DerTah. Sparrow hadn’t thought she would succeed, but she had.

  Today, I’m about to try it again. I have to know who saved me in Vascorrie, who carried me away from certain death.

  The image of the High Dimensioner Wolloh Espyro crumpling at the center of the arena at Shu Chenaro haunted Seyes Nomed. Asleep or awake, he could not shake the shocking memory. Wolloh had always seemed invincible. What left him so weak? Did his companions manage to hold the shields in place?

  A frown tugged at the scarred corner of his mouth. Elcaro’s Eye, the Guardian of Myrrh’s fountain, had also shown his nephew Esán and friends Brie, Torgin, Ira, and Desirol teleporting away from Nissasa Rattori and his army. They had not reached their expected destination.

  Restless pacing carried Nomed from one side of the cave to the other. They had landed instead in Trinuge’s Tinga Forest, one of the most dangerous places on the planet of DerTah. Poisonous insects, carnivorous birds, and ludoc cats the size of horses were only a few of the perils that prowled amongst the giant flora.

  His hazel eyes narrowed; his expression grew thoughtful. Brie and Esán are well equipped to take care of most situations. Torgin and Ira will do what’s needed, but Desirol Telisnoe, the youngest son of the Largeen Joram of RewFaar, is a wild card—unpredictable and undisciplined.

  Even more disturbing, Nissasa had used a crystal stolen from the Atrilaasu Oracle to slice a tear in the shields that Wolloh and his companions had worked so hard to construct. His pet Mindeco, a hideous creature from the planet of RewFaar, slipped through the tear and now pursued the children.

  Nomed’s pacing picked up speed.

  The Eye’s final picture, the Raven Karrew, injured and imprisoned in an enchanted cage, had left Almiralyn, Myrrh’s Guardian, sobbing. He knew enough about women to know there was a story there. But she had not shared, and he had respected her silence. At her behest, he had returned to Meos to report their findings to Yookotay, while she had remained behind with the fountain.

  He came to a standstill. Time is racing. I can’t waste any more of it. I need to leave Myrrh, and I don’t want to do so without telling her.

  Whipping his entrance curtain to one side, he strode down the pas
sageway, headed for the Cavern of Tennisca and Veersuni, the sanctuary where Almiralyn had concealed Elcaro’s Eye. As he crossed the Meosian central square, a young DeoNyte male advanced toward him. Nomed marveled at the white fur covering his body and the light blue eyes contrasting so dramatically with the black of his skin.

  “Almiralyn asked me to find you.” Zugo fell in step beside him. “She looked pretty upset.”

  Nomed paused and peered down at the startling face. “She is. What did she ask you to tell me?”

  “Please meet her at Sparrow’s studio. Do you know where it is?”

  Nomed smiled his crooked smile. “I think I can find it. Thank you.”

  Zugo touched his arm. “I’ve never seen the Guardian cry. Do you know what’s wrong?”

  “I believe she would have told you if she had wanted you to know.”

  The young DeoNyte frowned. “Guess you’re right. I’ll let my father know where you are.”

  Nomed walked briskly down the tunnel to the studio. Almiralyn, the woman he had despised the majority of his life had become a good and trusted friend. I hate to leave, Mira, but too much is at stake . Again, time snapped at his heels.

  Sparrow put the finishing touches on the painting on her easel and stepped back. A man, tall and lean and well-muscled beneath his black uniform, angled slightly away from her. Blue-black hair cut in loose layers brushed his broad shoulders. Dark, almond-shaped eyes held a hint of laughter. Beneath his well-shaped nose, a generous mouth curved into a charming smile that deepened a dimple in his right cheek. Added to his physical attractiveness was an aura of intelligence and power that overflowed the boundaries of her canvas.

  She tipped her head and tapped her lips with a paint-streaked finger. “Who on Myrrh are you, and did you carry me from that horrid cavern?”