For the first time, our hope outweighs our fear.
The night sky was vast. Twinkling stars dotted it from horizon to horizon while the twin, Lunakan moons hovered just above the dark tree line. The typical Lunakan wind that Lina used to love so much couldn’t reach the extreme northeastern corner of the kingdom where the Ranguvariian Clan lived, but Rachel could smell the salty stench of the ocean just over the mountains.
She delicately placed a frayed, red ribbon back onto the magically-preserved page to save her spot, then gently closed the stiff, leather volume. It was the Allyen journal, the one in which Lina wrote all of her adventures, just as every Allyen before her and after her had done, and Rachel still guarded it like a precious jewel.
A child’s voice rattled off in Ranguvariian, “Aw, please, Clariion Rachel, don’t stop reading yet!”
“That is the end for tonight, children,” Rachel responded as she adjusted her immaculate, orange Clariion robes. She and about a dozen Ranguvariian children were huddled around a campfire under the open sky for their weekly tale. “Lina stopped writing for some time until her daughter joined her in the Dome.”
“Allyen Rayna,” Sunlii cheered. The young girl with hundreds of braids in her hair was a descendant of Bartholomiiu, if Rachel remembered correctly.
Rachel chuckled, “That is correct. We will continue next week.”
Several of the children groaned. An older boy called Reviin gushed, “But we need more! Is there really a ghost in the Archimage Palace?”
“Did our people really give up so many of their feathers?” another child spurted.
“How long do they stay in the Dome? Do they defeat Rhydin? We want more of the story of the Allyens!” Rachel’s own great-great-great-grandchild burst.
The first human-looking Clariion leveled her gaze at the girl. She was about nine with long, brown hair done up in a series of braided buns. She was also dressed in orange as a member of the Clariion’s house, and Rachel remembered the day she was born clearly.
All those years ago when Grandfather Arii had been grooming Rachel to take on his role, she hadn’t really considered the anti-aging portion of the job. She never once dreamed she would meet this child, much less have to watch every one of her friends and family pass from this life, especially Lina.
Some of them died. Some of them were killed.
As a young woman living in Caark and watching over her friends’ children, she never once imagined that their civil war against Rhydin would play out the way it ultimately did. It was a wonder she had walked away from it after everything.
Rachel took a deep breath, letting the happy and the dark memories sift into the background before they could overtake her in nostalgia or anxious tremors. She rose from her seat, which was a side-lying log near the fire, and stretched her weary limbs. Then, she said cryptically, “This is not the story of the Allyens.”
A boy with long ears and buttercup-colored eyes tilted his shaved head in confusion as he asked, “Then what story is it?”
“The Story of the First Archimage,” Rachel replied with a sly grin. Then, she returned to her log and thumbed her long fingers through Lina’s journal once more. “Settle in, young ones, we’re only halfway through the story. It will all make sense soon.”
End Of Book Three
Acknowledgments
I can’t believe I’m already writing my acknowledgments for the third book in this series! These characters were born in my mind well over ten years ago at this point, and I am so thankful and blessed that I have been able to share them in print. Many people deserve acknowledgment because there is no way I could have done this by myself!
To my readers, you all are wonderful. Every time I receive a message or hear from you about how much you’ve enjoyed my stories; it truly makes my week. Your words keep me going, just as you anxiously anticipate mine. I hope Reign of Darkness follows through on everything you’ve loved about The Allyen and The War of the Three Kingdoms. You guys make my writing dreams come true!
To my husband, Olin, who doesn’t judge me for sitting in front of a laptop for several hours every day and who thinks my being an author is super cool. I could never do this without your support.
To my family, the blood ones and the non-blood ones, who support me in everything I do. You guys rock, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without you. Thank you to my parents, my brothers, and grandma, who have all believed in me since day one.
To Rachel Evans, my Ranguvariian linguist and cultural expert. You are the mastermind behind the Ranguvariian language and the original song, “Uny calou etne Clarii,” which you wrote when we were either in junior high or high school. I’m glad I could honor that in this book!
To Hannah Robinson, my writing-partner-in-crime who helps me bust through the toughest of writer’s blocks. Thanks for being just a text away.
To Daphne Olson, my faithful, merciless editor, who keeps me on the grammatically straight and narrow. Your skills amaze me.
To my mother, Cynthia Riley, who eagerly awaits being one of my first readers and keeps things flowing. Thank you for being my biggest cheerleader.
To Magpie Designs, Ltd. and L. N. Weldon, who turns my pencil sketches and rambling, OCD-filled emails into gorgeous covers and fantasy maps. I couldn’t have asked for a better designer for my stuff.
Last, but certainly not least, to my daughter, Cassidy, who is the same age as this book. I will always remember learning I was pregnant with you at the very beginning of the drafting process. You may only be a few months old now, but this will always be a precious memory.
Thank you to everyone! I appreciate you all! I can’t wait to continue on to Book 4, so find my author page on Facebook or visit my website to stay in touch on future publications!
Visit my website to learn more!
www.michaelarileykarr.wordpress.com
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