The Word Cloud

“TALES OF FROZEN NORTH”

- SAVAGE WARRIORS -

'by Jaana [aka Cyane]'

 

 

- Tale 1 -

:Cold and Slaughter:

 

 

In a faraway place, where the winter's iced hills cover the Halls of Frozen City, a new hero was born. Forged into fire of battle, she become one of the most powerful warriors from all time. Member of the Viking Royal kindred, she grown with the blade by her side, fighting in the battlefields arm to arm with her father and brothers.

When a strange entity tries to destroy the balance between Earth and Sky, the Viking kings decided to summon one of their kind, to fight for hope and glory, and to bring peace into their lands.

When the warrior was chosen by their gods, the kings refused to accept that a young maid will carry such a large responsibility by herself, but they also couldn't question the judgement of their divine Gods.

No long after the maid was chosen, the four kings gathered their armies and raised her as general over them. When she received the blessings from her parents she headed to the mountain of the Harden Waterfalls, where she had to meet the son of the second Viking king, Ledan, and join forces against their enemies.

 

Several days have passed until she has reached the edge of the Aran Mountain, the pass which lead them towards the waterfalls. After recognizing the dark woods of Nefareh she took some precautions and made a plan while she rose a camp near the woods, she was feeling the strong pressure in the air, a feeling of cold and slaughter.

- Tomorrow we will continue our course, the only chance to find the others is to cross these woods, so we will need some rest. muttered the girl watching close into her men's eyes.

- But, Jaana, it is dangerous to follow this path. hissed her brother. These are his woods.

- Shua, please have a little faith in me, I believe in all of you, so that's why I know that we all will survive into this war. We are Vikings, the kings of these lands, and we will fight for them, to rule them and to save our balance.

Her men seemed to have more confidence after hearing Jaana's voice, rising an absolute courage into their hearts.

Jaana remembered the story her father used to tell about the little Nefareh, a child which was always ready to give his life for his woods.

“Born into one of the three Barbarian tribes from north, son of Galean and Amara, he has been send into those woods at his tenth birthday to prove that he's worth of taking his father's place one day.

More days passed and the boy didn't returned from his mission, so Galean took five of his best men and followed Nefareh's tracks by crossing the sharp paths of the cold mountain. In their way, the men saw dead orcs and Vikings, murdered in the most fierce methods. Several wounds opened by the edge of the blade were still bleeding, no long to know that they were close to the boy, and will find him soon.

- This is not the work of a Barbarian. My son has gone too far. spoke Galean looking like out of his mind around and hoping to find a survivor.

- We are close, it is wise to have your people to rest for tonight, I have a feeling that soon we will need all our strength to face him. the young Oracle murmured after she has thrown her runes over the dark flames she rose with her breath.

- What you see Renna?

The woman's eyes closed once she heard the howl of the wolves. Her voice enchanted the man's soul while she was singing a cadence, hypnotic, like the dark elegy falling from a child's innocent blood. The northern winds brought her the infernal rages of the ones who fell victims into the boy's hands. Feeling their agony, she separated the runes from the flames and threw them away.

- Who'll go there, will go forever...once you meet them you will not be able to escape from their necromancy. she murmured breathing so fast as her lungs were ready to explode.

- Escape from whom?

- The Muses! These are their woods. she cried laying her head on Galean's shoulder.

- Nefareh will be fine, we just need to have faith, I will save him. the barbarian muttered trying to calm down the woman.

Galean send three of his men to gain some information about the woods and to find his son. Renna fell asleep after Galean covered her with some blankets near the fire he made. He felt the night's presence spreading its dark mantle over the sky and saw the sun hiding its waves beyond the mountain of stars.”

 

 

A strong howl from inside the woods awoke Jaana. The burning desire to know from where came this broken howl, took control over her senses, like she was dragged by an unseen force, a hand which was leading her more and more into the forest's womb.

Not far from the camp, a white dragon flew through the fire's sparkling flames, ascending across the thunders, followed by strong lightning lines, all breaking at the earth through the frozen storm. The dragon's eyes discerned a vague shape, a human, laid over the cold white layer, in the middle of some old-enormous trees, which, by her luck, were protecting her from the storm's deadly rage.

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Pirates of Calabria - The Ark of the Covenant


by Jaana [aka Cyane]

CHAPTER 3

'Close to the Twins'

A slowly breeze touched her skin. Amillia opened her eyes and took a close look around, she tried to rise up but her body ached, forcing her to fall again into the bed. Her mind was so confused and still she remembered the fight she had with Morgan. The huge room charmed her with its pearly-milk walls ornamented with different old pictures with scenes from battles and tales of an ancient civilization.

 

“Persia” Amillia murmured captivated by the originality of the art.

 

Amillia closed her eyes, and fell asleep happy that she was able to bare the images into her mind.

 

 

 

Captain Morgan released Lady Glaria from the cell and allowed her to recuperate Calenvor, after they arrived in Port Villianna.

 

“Where is that little lass, I'll show her that nobody messes with me” hissed Lady Glaria searching for something into her cabin.

 

“I took care of her, she will be no longer your concern” answered Morgan cleaning his blade filled all with blood.

 

Lady Glaria looked to Morgan and narrowed her eyes towards his sword. She took a sit on her silver chair and seemed to clarify her thoughts.

 

“You killed her.” she broke the silence dodging Morgan's eyes, like no feeling to look at him.

 

“I had a good fight though, she was strong, but now she is the bride of the ocean.” he muttered while he took a swig of rum from a bottle abandoned on the table.

 

“You really are a hellish pirate Morgan, being able to kill your own niece, that makes you really a cold-blood freebooter.”

 

“I never thought about her as my niece”

 

 

“I think your sister hates you from up there. You know, I never met her, but I feel sorry for her.” Lady Glaria murmured taking the bottle from Morgan's hand and swallowed all the rum left.

 

“She was to much carefree” he uttered when he left the cabin, closing the door after him.

 

After Captain Morgan left, Lady Glaria continued to search for something that might have disappeared from her library while she was locked into the cell. When she took some volumes of strong and thick books, she realised that the map she found into the Arkan Dungeons wasn't there, the only way for her to find Nova Artana.

 

“Bloody-lass, she took the map.” Lady Glaria hissed in disgust throwing the books in one of the cabin's corners.

 

Henry Morgan set his ship and aimed the sails towards Malero Ganza Island, his home. His father used to be the governor over the island, but after the revolution his family lost their title and the island became property of the English Army.

He joined the army with a single reason, to destroy them and to regain his lands. After he met Lady Glaria they joined their forces and attacked the English Army's camp regaining his own honour. He was a fine noble in his teen years, but after the tragedy with his family his heart became a temple of hate and blood-thirst, the only one who could make him feel like a man is his own partner, Glaria, which showed him that there out are still people who he can trust.

 

 

 

The sun's shining waves awoke Amillia. She got off of the bed and grabbed a chair to the windows, watching outside curious where she might be. Lots of exotic trees full of leaves and flowers appeared among her eyes, beautiful and colourful. She remembered the days when her father took her everywhere and showed her the world's beauty, sailing and feeling the ocean's strong voice calling them every time they were caught into the middle of storms.

 

“Good morning” a male voice came from nowhere.

 

She jumped from the chair and took the knife, which lied on the left corner of the window, aiming its sharp blade towards him.

 

“Who are you?” she questioned ready to make her move, but the young man was to fast, in no time he appeared in her back and with an amazing strength he forced her hand to let the knife to fall on the ground.

 

“I don't think it is wise to do that. After all I am your rescuer” murmured the man forcing her to calm down.

 

After calming her senses, she looked into the man's eyes searching for weakness or something that might give her a way to strike, but none of these were found on his feature.

 

“Where am I?”

 

“The first city of the Nova Artana Island, Moya.” he answered releasing her from his hands.

 

“Nova Artana? Are you telling me that I am near to them? The twins?”

 

“Not really near but you have to sail a day to meet the two islands. What is your name?”

 

“Amillia”

 

“I am Serev. Nice to meet you” he smiled looking all over her body.

 

“Thanks for savin' me” Amillia murmured grateful grabbing her weapons ready to leave.

 

“Something happened to you. From your clothes and weapons, you might be a pirate, right?”

 

“Captain, Captain Amillia Cortés” she answered clearing her throat.

 

“Good, you must be hungry, so I brought some food.” he muttered giving her the plate with some fruits, meat and some cold drinks.

 

“Oh, thank you. Looks good” she smiled eating fast from the goods which Serev gave her.

After she had her breakfast, Amillia told Serev about her last battle she had with her uncle, Captain Henry Morgan, which she lost it once with her crew and ship.

Serev seemed very calm after he heard her story, but she saw the anger growing into his eyes. The beautiful lines of his body were strained like the strong edges of  a stone.

 

“Serev, are you ok?” Amillia broke the silence which overwhelmed his mind, awaking him from something which might have took control over his thoughts.

 

“Oh yes, I was just...very touched about your sufferings. Well I was thinking that I want to help you to recuperate your people and your ship. So what do you think? Do you want them back?” he mumbled waiting for her answer.

Amillia jumped into his arms cheerful, shouting that she will be glad to have him by her side.

Serev was a little confused about her, he couldn't read her mind, he was sure that it will be hard for him to know her, but he decided that he will not give up and he will break the wall between them and she will tell him all about her...“One day” he murmured convinced that he will know her better.

 

 

 

Sheba felt a little breeze touching her face, the Moon's blue veils were penetrating the little holes from the cell's barred window. She was absorbed by the beauty of the Night's Pearl, laying its light over her body, which made her skin shine like a fish under the ocean's celestial-auroras, so calm and gentle. Her eyes became the Pearl's temple and her lips turned into its sacred melody, chanting into an  language known only by the old Greek gods. The ocean's waves were perturbed by huge silver chains, which were aiming fast towards Calenvor. Sheba closed her eyes and she vanished into little pieces of  ice which exploded destroying the other dungeons around, setting her crew free.

 

Lady Glaria saw too late the chains, which were crossing the tall rocks from the right side of the ship. She shouted her crew to aim with full speed to north.

Sheba was walking over the ocean's waves, she was so light, like a white bridal veil dancing around the  storm, which was fighting, against the deadly chains.

Amallia's crew took control over Calenvor after they shoot half of Lady Glaria's men. Lil Nino jumped from the quarter deck over two tall and strong pirates and struck their skulls with his silver cutlasses. He saw Lady Glaria trying to load her Colt revolver, an early model which was used by Russians fight the Crimean War.

He raised the body of one of a dead freebooters and used it as shield against the strong rain of silver bullets. Lil Nino hit the body away and crossed blades with Lady Glaria, using his cutlasses as defence and dodging her attacks trying to find a way to strike her.

 

The storm was getting worse once with the close whistle of the chains which were moving fast with ravenousness to pierce Sheba's flesh and feed with her blood, but when the first one was ready to hit her, she touched it and changed it into a red iced bridge along with the other ones. The chain-bridge was spreading like Gobi's red-violet sand-storms, covering Sheba's body with shining red glow worms. She opened her eyes and the storm stopped once with the ocean's strong howls, followed by a nice and calmly atmospheric breeze, allowing the Night Pearl to lay out her marvellous blue-shades over the ocean again.

 

“Lilith aunda'si zarti” [Thank you Lilith] murmured Sheba looking to the moon before she fell into the ocean, sinking more and more to its cold bottom.

Lil Nino knocked Lady Glaria out and jumped over the board into the water desperate to save Sheba, swimming towards the ocean's darkened ground to find her.

 

The Pirates of Calabria - The Ark of the Covenant


by Jaana [aka Cyane]

CHAPTER 2

'A FEMALE POPE'

    The sun's waves were covered by hundreds of arrows which pierced Calenvor, once with all the people who were fighting on the ship. After the raid, the stillness took control over the place.

 

Killion's sobs tore the silence. Desperate to get some help he realized that his body was penetrated by arrows which stroke his feet and belly.

 

He never thought that he will end like this, knowing that he was alone all his life and never felt the love of a parent. Killion was abandoned in the Saint Andreano Church gardens when he was just a baby. All his life worked there, being dragged by the other priests to pray with them to God for every soul from this Earth asking for the divine forgiveness.

Killion never wanted to be pulled into this kind of world, which he never believed that can save him from falling into the devil's hands, or to gain his place in heaven.

 

He found this freedom when he met Amallia Cortès, a pirate lass which followed her father's path and created her own freedom by ruling over a ship, Caen, and being respected by her crew.

 

“'mallia...help...” he murmured trying to remember what happened.

 

He saw Lady Glaria, wounded, leaned on the helm, and breathing low. She flow some rum onto her wound howling and trying to resist the pain. She broke her shirt to dress the wound and took a little swing before she throw the bottle of rum over the board. Somebody touched his forehead and gave him a slow flow through dreaming. He closed his eyes and sensed that the presence faded away, like an old memory.

 

Amillia was able to hear Killion's voice, crying and begging for help, but now all she heard was the sea-gull squeals while they were flying around Calenvor. She saw a woman carrying Killion into her arms, very beautiful and so well dressed. Her darkened long hair was covered by a huge gold papal tiara encircled with three crowns.

 

“Pope? No it is a woman” Amillia though feeling so confused.

 

The woman looked for a second to Amillia and offered her hand as help raising the girl into her feet. She looked into the woman's eyes and found that they were blue like the ocean's aurora.

 

“Who...who are you?” Amillia asked with fear into her voice.

The woman touched her eyes and she closed them wide like she was afraid to lose the memory of this rare beautiful countenance. When she opened them she realized that the woman was standing on a different ship ready to hide into the dense clouds which were destined to bring a new storm soon.

Amillia looked over the board and sighed relieved that her men were safe, she searched for Sheba and Lil Nino and realized that they were into the Lady Glaria's Cabin. She rushed inside and saw Lil Nino cleaning Sheba's wounds with water.

 

“What happened?” Amillia murmured watching Sheba curving her body every time Lil Nino was sewing her wounds.

 

“She was hit by two arrows, I need to do this now, she will loose too much blood if we will wait until we'll be back in Port Villianna.” he persuaded.

 

“I am sorry Captain” tried Sheba to talk over her sobs filling her eyes with tears.

 

“You don't need to apologise Sheba, ye look here, we will find the lass which done this to you, ye hear me? I've seen her face and her ship, I will kill her with my own two hands.” promised Amillia pulling her cutlass from the sheath. “Until then we need  to repair this ship.”

 

“What about Lady Glaria? She's still on the quarter deck, wounded.” questioned Lil Nino helping Sheba to put her clothes on.

 

“We will take her with us, she knows something about this. I want her to take me to Zertuga.”

 

 

The storm came shortly after the arrows raid, spreading its fury over the sea and bringing the hellish thunders which stroke the sky with their lightning. The sea seemed to awake from its long sleep and became controlled by the storm, smashing its waves over the cliffs and carrying them towards the docks.

 

Amillia was so concentrated over all the books, which were from Lady Glaria's personal library, that she didn't felt the storm. She found information about Nova Artana, the twin island of Zertuga. Not long until she found the main source, a map with all the hidden paths that can help her to find the islands without problems.

 

The legend says that between those two islands, an ark has been buried into the sea. Its propose was to hold the tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments. Fashioned from wood and covered inside and out with pure gold, the ark was surmounted by a heavy lid of gold bearing two cherubim and two golden rings were attached to the sides, the Ark of the Covenant.

She knew that all those had a strong connection between the Ark and the Royal Eye, she could say that she feel it under her skin. She remembered the day when her father gave her a ring with a huge and strong beautiful green stone, which he told her that was the treasure of the great pirate king, Bartholomew Roberts. Amillia guessed why it was Bartholomew's great treasure, the stone was carrying the right eye of Hernán Cortés, a little stone which is changing its colour every time is touched and can open the Pandora box.

 

Several hours passed after the storm calmed down and Amillia left Port Villianna, with both Calenvor and Caen, aiming towards the two islands. Lil Nino took command and sailed her ship behind Calenvor.

Amillia locked Lady Glaria into one of the cells of Calenvor's basement with the ones who survived from her crew.

 

Lady Glaria became pirate when she was twelve years old. She used to steal from other sailors and fight with pirates for her freedom, but one night she had the opportunity to meet Commodore Cromwell, a fine man who believed that every soul can be saved  and every man can change, but not in Glaria's case.

 

When Commodore Cromwell met her in San Leo Square, she was waiting in a corner hoping that someone will give her some money or food. He took her into his custody and taught her to master the blade combat. She ran away when she was fifteen, seeking for Henry Morgan, a pirate who at that time was general in the English Army. She knew his secret about his dream to command over the sea and also his connection with pirates.

Morgan earned fame and respect among his friends and enemies alike thanks to his successful attacks over the Capital of the Mexican province Tobasco, Vilahermosa, and Gran Granada, the silver mining, centre of Nicaragua.

 

After she found Morgan, she fell in love for the first time and no long passed until she became his right hand. After five years of fighting, arm to arm with him, she decided to become herself Captain over a ship. She employed her proper crew, an army of mercenaries, and killed all the crew of Calenvor, Commodore's Cromwell ship. Before the Commodore died, she realized that he was waiting for her, his eyes were happy, for seeing her after those years of loneliness, which he told her that were to long and painful and he stopped believing that she was still alive.

 

“Glaria, I wanted to tell you that...that I am happy to see how beautiful and fine woman you became. I hope you'll find what you sought all alone and I wish you well.” Cromwell murmured looking into her eyes.

 

 

He ran into her blade, piercing his heart and dying into her arms. Her soul was crying, something inside her broke and released a huge anger into her heart. She swore that she will never be weak again and never will feel love.

 

 

 

A cannon fire awakened Lady Glaria from her sleep. She was able to hear a crowd of voices outside, the shouts and growls of the pirates while they were fighting,  crossing blades and releasing their loudly bullets all around the ship.

 

Amillia cut the enemy with her cutlass from her way and managed to go to the quarter deck and took control over the helm. She turned Calenvor in the same position as the enemy's ship and shot their main mast but she was stroke by a bullet which harmed her right arm. Amillia seized the helm with the left hand and avoided to fall to the ground. Sensing the edge of the bullet burning her flesh, she howled feeling the pain deeper, like the bullet was digging into her arm more and more.

 

A shadow covered her face, a man was standing between her and the light of the sun. Amillia tried to pick up her gun but the man hit her with his foot into the chest  letting her to fall over the shrouds, her body pounding the main deck. She felt confused and a huge pain lightened her back. When she arose up on her feet the man jumped on the deck and aimed a blade towards her. He was waiting for Amillia to draw her own blade.

 

“Morgan, wha're ya doing here?” she asked resting against of the fore mast.

 

“I remembered that we had a meetin' and...i just thought that a little self-invitation will not harm, don' ya think?” he jeered directing the edge of his blade to her chest.

 

“Well ya see, i've been a littl' busy. Personal business.”

 

“Are you now? I was asking myself why ya are on Lady Glaria's ship. Or maybe ya want to hide somethin' form your old uncle, hmmm?” he narrowed his eyes  doubting that she will tell the truth.

 

“Naaaah...just a little play. Ya know I always wanted to sail this ship.” she muttered with a naughty smile on her face.

Morgan jabbed his hand into her neck and rose her higher that her feet couldn't touch the ground. She was trying to breath but Morgan's fingers were graved into her muscles and she wasn't able to fill her lungs with air. Amillia made an effort to hit him with her feet but he was to fast, he stroke her body with his sword and kissed her lips as a last farewell.

Captain Morgan threw Amillia's body into the water and ordered his crew to return to Port Villianna.

Caen was way to far from Calenvor. No one could save her, she was surrounded by ocean's cold arms, dragging her deeper and deeper to the bottom. The sun's shapes were so unclear from there. Amillia closed her eyes waiting for her last moments to come.

 

THE PIRATES OF CALABRIA:

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

 

by Jaana [aka Cyane] - 2o11

 

CHAPTER 1

'The Royal Eye'

 

 

The sky was so shiny after the rain's rifting  drops, which chilled up Amillia's skin, making her feel so alive as always. The ocean was clear like a mirror spreading its waves over the ship, making the solid wood to shine into the sun's gleams.

 

 “Pff...so hot. Ye be damned like hell here.” she muttered with her angelic voice. The only thing in life that Amillia Cortès had when she began her 'Pirate Adventure' was her black pitched pirate hat ornamented with a skull in the middle of two crossing blades from  her father, who lend it to her before he left to fight for his freedom.  She loves to ware it all the time, which brings her 'more comfort and confidence' she said touching it proud of herself to have such a treasure. A sentimental treasure which is the only thing that can help her to not forget him and to remember the old days on the ocean's veil, being carried over its silver pearls, swimming over its golden treasures, and hearing the glass chores singing its old tales, but now she have her own crew and she know that one day she will become the most powerful pirate from all.

 

Her red-violet hair danced in the wind, she closed her black eyes and opened her arms embracing the air's cold waves, crossing the Calabrian docs. She jumped on the helm like a cat leaning her feet on it happy to be back home. Her crew were running around the ship preparing to tie up at one of the docks from Port Villiana.

Amillia took her weapons and glanced off from the ship carrying on to the pub.

 

She sat on one of the wooden chairs and raised her feet over the table resting her tired muscles, “Oy...brin' some here” she ordered after seeing a lass serving the customers with rum, “Ay mam'” shouted the woman trying to cover the noise from inside.

 

Amillia took her hat off and glanced her eyes all over the pub playing with her hair, “Poor littl' slugs...always swarming around with their hellish tales.” she hissed taking a little gulp of rum from her mug. She sensed  two persons sitting in her back like waiting for her to make a move. “Captin' we have fresh news for ya!” whispered the man dressed like a rap bugger shaking his large golden necklaces over her head, “Lady Glaria arrived in tha port.” he murmured fixing the white bandana over his head, “What ar' your orders?”.

 

The lass finished her rum and raised into her feet after she broke the table in two pieces happy to get to action so soon. “Lets give her an excellen' welcome” Amillia hummed charging her huge gun in one hand and holding a long silver blade in the other one. “Aye Maam'” agreed the other one, a woman, arranging her blond long trends falling over her 'mulatto' skin, fitting  with the dark orange top she wore.

After Amillia left the pub, a huge storm with bottles of alcohol broke the silence inside flying all over the tables, which was something normal in Valeno City. She set her eyes over the crowd in the middle of the San Leo Square like something caught her attention. She broke one of her silver rings with a big rock, and took off a stone which shined into the sun's waves, changing its colours every time she turned it around in the front of her eyes, “So tha's why she came here” sighed Amillia hiding the stone into the special pocket from her pirate hat, closing the zipper.

 

“Sheba, woulj'ya grab to the ship and gather the crew for a hunting? Tonight we will show Lady Glaria tha' she can't walk as she please into my city...Hurry”.

 

“Aye Mam'...wha' about our mettin' with Captain Morgan?” persuaded Sheba.

 

“He will be alri't! Right now I have to concentrate on a good target...the Calenvor ship...I must hav' it!” she muttered lifting up over her shoulder the bag which seemed to be full of weapons.

 

“Lil Nino. You will brin' the other team only when I give ya the sign and ya'll take over Lady Glaria's ship, I wan' it intact so no huge damage.”

 

“Ay Capt'n, everythin' will be as you wan'” he shouted happy charging his gun and preparing to follow Sheba to Port Villianna.

 

The sky was full of rustling sea-gulls playing into the sea and catching fish into their beaks. The sun seemed to go down, resting its sharpen gleams and spreading a red-violet veil over the sea. San Leo Square was surrounded by Lady Glaria's crew, playing around and drinking in the pubs taking a little rest after they robbed one of the Mandalian Dungeons from Valeno City, for gold and weapons.

 

Amillia stood near to the docks, her black eyes roamed around searching for Glaria's ship, but nowhere. “BLOODY CHUMP” she howled in wrath slinking after two large casks with rum.

“Wher' is the ship?” she cried among her teeth opening the tap from one of the casks. She took a little waggle of rum and wiped her mouth still glancing for the ship.

She saw a little boy looking curious into one of the pubs. Amillia jumped off from her hiding place and caught him from his shirt dragging him back to the casks, she raised a finger up to her lips trying to calm down the boy's crying voice.

 

“Hay? Captn 'millia. Yar back!” the boy whispered staring to her with his huge blue eyes.

 

“Ya been alrigh' Killion? Ya'r all grown up, are ya now? “Amillia murmured happy to see him.

 

“Aye, but how abou' ya? Still huntin' the seas?” he questioned looking to the docks, searching for her ship.

 

“Naah...! Hey, did ya seen Lady Glaria around?” she muttered in a hurry.

 

“Aye, hours ago she tied up her ship in Mandalian Felaro Port, she left with her crew to Arkan Dungeons...she robbed them and killed all the guardians. Hell yeah, I've seen her” he answered spooked of what he saw back there.

 

“Does she now?...Woul' ya do me a favour? Go to my ship in Port Villianna and tell Sheba and Lil Nino to bring the others and meet me to Port Felaro” Amillia murmured giving him an gold 'gaul'.

 

“Aye mam'...wait and ya'll see i'll send them to you” he smiled happy to have the 'gaul'.

 

“Now go. I'll be ahead...”

 

Amillia stood at the foot of the docks, looking around over the ships, until she saw a white one with red sails. She held the rope and with both hands dragged herself aboard.

Nobody seemed to be around, so she raised the sails and took over the helm aiming the ship to Port Felaro.

 

The night laid out its kingdom of stars, letting the wind to lead Amillia to the destination. She saw about ten lamps burning around a ship with black sails and huge dark masts which, she guessed, was Lady Glaria's ship. “Ye never know...it is the legendary Calenvor.” she muttered reading the golden words graved on the ship.

 

Amillia tied up to the docks and walked along to the main deck guessing that the door below was lending to the Captain's Cabin. She opened the door and crossed the room glancing to the huge table full of yellowed-edge maps and documents. She saw in the middle a little box graved with precious stones, shining into the moon's waves. Amillia looked briefly around before she touched the box and opened it, discovering inside a little map, which was containing the locations of the Zertuga Islands, which she tough that never existed.

 

“So we have a new mystery here now, ay” she muttered hiding it back into the box. A little noise broke the silence making her to watch all over the room. Two cat-eyes were shining into the darkened corner near to the door, which blocked Amallia's only way to go out. She closed the box slowly and took it into her hands. When she moved back the creature growled softly coming out from the shadow followed by another one.

 

“Bloddy Hell...huge lions” she frowned moving further back when the lions were tracking her one from the left and the other from the right showing their sharpen fangs.

 

Amillia looked behind and glanced at the windows feeling a little anxious. She searched into her bag for something that may help her.

 

The two lions jumped on the table preparing to do the second one over the girl but she hurled two grenades into their mouths.

 

When the grenades exploded Amallia was thrown away over the windows, falling into the water. The whole ship exploded into pieces all over the docks.

 

Amallia swam until she reached the docks and pulled herself out turning up her clothes, “Blasty-slugs...they nearly had me” she hissed shaking her hat. Around her pirates were fighting and breaking all the tables from their way. She recognized her crew and saw Sheba and Lil Nino fighting on Lady Glaria's sheep.

 

The girl armed herself with a silver cutlass and smashed all the pirates into pieces making a way through them until she reached Calenvor. Amallia climbed up on the ship, by holding the rope, and dragged herself aboard and touched the ground nearly of two pirates, which were fighting with Killion, trying to hit him down. Amillia saw a bottle of rum on one of the casks, she took it and break it in their heads helping the boy to get off from the middle of the battle.

“Killion, wha'ya doing here?” she howled looking furious in the boy's eyes.

 

“Told ya that I will com' back right?”

 

“Ye' but not in the middle of the fight”

 

“Forget about it, I wan' to join the crew! I wanna be a pirate” he growled “I wanna be like Lil Nino”.

Both of them were separated by a pirate which crossed the blades with Amillia. The boy jumped on the stairs going on the quarter deck, leading to the helm but he fell over when a blade's edge was aimed to his throat.

 

“You have some courage little boy” a soft voice muttered.

 

Killion raised his eyes and he realized that in his front was staying Lady Glaria, the 'Panther', ready to kill him. He let the blade to fall from his hand feeling the sweat dripping over his cheeks.

Well, I took the plunge. Today, whilst Lucy was at nursery and with Emily firmly attached, I created a Cafe Press account and Facebook Artist page for my stuff (largely one-handed due to aforementioned Emily situation, so if there are mad errors, you know why!).

I am currently selling T-shirts / other various items of clothing, cards, trinkets and various mad things with my artwork on it - I need to dig out my old PC to recover some of the original larger files so I can create prints and postera at a later date (I'm hoping to be able to do this over the weekend).

Currently, I have 6 lines of merchandise, and woud be grateful if any Clouders would like to go and have a look. Also, if you're feeling generous, it would be lovely if anyone feels like 'Like-ing' my Facebook page so I can build up a presence there.

The links are:

http://www.cafepress.co.uk/elysianeyes

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elysian-Eyes/112529175517573

Thanks to Cloudies for giving me the confidence to even think about this... it kind of rules! ^^D

Ely

xx

He’d drunk here often, in the dim and distant past, stopping to have a few glasses of cherry wine en route to the city temple, swapping baskets with other merchants. There had been one man – a heavy bear of a fellow called Bartok - who’d been something of a drinking buddy. He’d often teased Bartok that his berries were too large and too sweet to be accepted by the city’s high priests. He could still hear the man’s booming laughter now. ‘But they are good, yes?’
He had nodded and grinned. ‘Yes.’
These days Bartok had the biggest stall in the crowded desert market where Gak plied his wares. Or so it was said. The market was so vast these days, Gak had never crossed paths with his old friend, although finding the man was simply a question of asking around. Truth be told, he preferred to keep it that way. Bartok would be forever associated in his mind with the days before he had stopped coming to the city and set up his own stall out in the desert. With this place.
How many hours had he whiled away here? And why did it seem so depressing and dingy now? Because most of the people he’d drunk and joked with had long since abandoned it for the desert? He saw only one familiar face – Kurdak. He wasn’t surprised. Kurdak was a sour beanpole of a man, his thin features pinched in a perpetual expression of disapproval. Kurdak had grown up in the city and was deeply religious. Selling at the market would be the blackest sort of blasphemy as far as Kurdak was concerned and – sure enough – the moment Kurdak spotted him, the man scowled and looked away. More a cause of concern were the two men propping up the bar. He took them at first for hard-bitten Daskrian mercenaries who had wandered in by accident, but watching how the two straightened up as he approached the counter - how their flinty eyes narrowed in faces that were little more than scar tissue - he realised they were bouncers. Of course any bar needed bouncers, but these men looked like trouble: ruffians who would pick a fight with a customer rather than maintain the Pax Romana. Automatically he hid his small basket of berries in the folds of his robes.
The barman was familiar – a plump, balding individual with a nervous face. He nodded. ‘Gak Ra’an. Long time, no see.’
He nodded back, the man’s name coming unbidden to his lips. ‘Shardak.’
‘What can I do for you?’
‘A glass of cherry wine, please.’ Gak did his best to ignore the subtle alteration in the two bouncers’ demeanour, one man had turned his back to him and was pretending to be deep in conversation with the other, yet he had seen their expressions change the moment Shardak had greeted him, their eyes suddenly cold and flat. They had recognised his name. He was frightened, surprised but also (truth be told) a little flattered. Had his reputation spread as far as the city? Surely the High Priests of Pandoroth did not feel threatened by the berries being grown and sold by one humble merchant?
He had heard stories. Once cartload after cartload of berries had trundled through the city gates. Entering the city was simply the first of many obstacles. The temple guardians waited for you outside the temple entrance. They could tell by sampling one berry if your produce would pass muster with the priests. And if your berries were not up to scratch, you had no choice but to dump them in the gorge outside the city walls. Those that passed by the temple guardians and earned the approval of the High Priests would see their berries dried and boxed, each crate stamped with the church’s seal, then exported to the furthermost corners of the Empire. It was said that of every hundred carts that passed through the city gates, only one cart’s worth was deemed of satisfactory quality.
Times had been hard then. You might spend a year tending your crop only to discover that your berries did not meet the High Priest’s exacting standards. Your berries might be too dark or too light. Or – in Bartok’s case – too large and too sweet.
Then everything had changed with coronation of King Aziz.
Aziz’s land bordered that ruled by the High Priests. The two kingdoms were separated by a mountain range – simply known as the Mountains of Pandoroth, on whose mist-shrouded slopes the famous berries were farmed – but whereas Pandoroth was lush and green, Aziz’s side of the mountain consisted of little more than desert. Aziz was something of a glutton, with a particular fondness for Pandoroth’s purple berries and he had bitterly resented the extortionate prices charged for them by the priests. It was Aziz who had decreed that the desert could now be used as a market place by any willing to defy the edicts of Pandoroth’s High Priests so that they might sell their wares to whomsoever they chose. ‘Colour, size and flavour bedamned.’
The bouncers had heard his name. Gak hunched over his drink and sipped quickly and nervously. Could Aziz’s actions have proved so injurious to the High Priests of Pandoroth that he, Gak Ra’an, had become a person of interest? Certainly he had something of a reputation amongst his fellow stall-holders, but that this same reputation should have reached the city –
No. It was unthinkable. Impossible.
He had come to the city today with one intention. To show its citizens that – even if the High Priests of Pandaroth’s berries were rightly regarded as of the best possible quality – what constituted a luscious berry was also a matter of personal taste. He had hoped to pass the basket around this very bar, maybe encourage the few who still remained loyal to the High Priests that better opportunities awaited them in Aziz’s market, but the place was empty apart from Kurdak and the two bouncers.
‘What’s that you’re hiding under your robes, merchant?’
It was one of the two bouncers, the larger of the two. The man was smiling as he spoke but those eyes were scrutinising Gak Ra’an thoughtfully.
‘Some berries –‘
‘Ah yes.’ The bouncer had already eased the basket out of his hands. The man plucked one berry from the basket, examined it closely, then popped it into his mouth. After a second his lips puckered in an elaborate expression of distaste and he deliberately dropped the basket onto the stone floor, grinding it beneath one booted heel. ‘Your berries are worthless, merchant,’ he said, calmly and levelly. ‘They are too small and their flavour is too bitter.’
Gak’s fear suddenly vanished. A great calm descended on him. They would beat him up. He knew this. It was inevitable. He was a small man, small and naturally timid. He could never hope to get the better of hardened soldiers. That did not mean he could not speak his mind however. ‘Too small and too bitter for whom?’ he asked.
The bouncer’s tiny eyes widened in disbelief. ‘What?’
‘You say my berries are too small and too bitter and I ask – for whom?’
The bouncer grinned and glanced at his comrade, who grinned back. ‘Too small and too bitter for the priests, you fool. Who else?’
Gak swallowed hard. ‘Aziz –‘
The man shoved him so hard he stumbled backwards. Suddenly the mercenary’s face was flushed and angry, his eyes like two small, black pebbles. ‘So!’ he sneered. ‘A heretic!’
‘I simply –‘
The beating was mercifully brief. Gak thought himself lucky to have gotten off with nothing worse than a broken nose and a loose tooth. Throughout he caught occasional glimpses of Shadrak the barman, busily wiping the counter, his face always averted.

Later though, limping out of the city, he saw that there was only one cart waiting outside the gates and for the first time that day he smiled.

Pandemonium

by Jaana [aka Cyane] 

Iceberg's Rider

 

 

 

The last moments of Ice nation were very painful for them. The Fire warriors comploted to Queen's Xenada life and King Trion killed himself few hours after his wife have been murdered. The elves were saved by Sirion, prince of Silver Crane Royal Clan, who guide them 'till the west forests of Nahgir where the Silver Crane elves are the most powerful seers of elf kind.

 

Sirion summoned his crane and asked him to fly, he borrowed the bird's eyes and all the old trees of Nahgir forest were so little like a green river covered with white ice. The bird screamed and Sirion stopped from running being attentive to every noise that could be their last call. To the bird's second scream the elf boy ordered to the others to hide somewhere and to not get out 'till his signal. The others grab themselves to the forest's trees but some of them decided to fight near to Sirion's side and they climbed the trees preparing their weapons for battle. All they could hear was some sharpened whistling of fire creatures who were lead by some red knights who destroyed the old Uehem Gates for penetrate in the heart of the Nahgir forests and soon in the city.

Sirion and the others jumped from the tall trees and attacked the creatures cutting their tendons to paralyse them and to kill their masters by unbalancing them from their saddles. Sirion's bird took one knight in the air and pulled his arms and legs out eating them letting the body to fall and to strike by the nearest iceberg of the Nahgir city. A girl have seen the scene and she knew that the bird was the Sirion's guardian. She opened her big white wings and jumped in the air flying high to watch over the battle that she was able to hear it from long way. She observed that Sirion was helped by some elves, she felt anger when she saw the old Uehem Gates were destroyed being covered with fire and she grab herself down hiding her wings and pulled deep air in her chest and blow a strong cold wind covering all around with ice. Sirion was close to become like the others, frozen, but he opened in time his Resurrection Gates and protected the other elves by being frozen statues. He closed the dark gates and advanced fast steps till the little girl and looked in her grey eyes, who were big and innocent like the strong moon's light in the clearest night ever. "Princess Selone, what are you doing here?" asked Sirion covering himself with his white mantle "You have made a strong noise with your battle that i couldn't sleep at all. Be more careful when you are getting near to my lands cause you know that i have fine ears Prince Sirion" said the little girl touching one of the big yellow bells from her dress making a wonderful sound and from soil raised a white big wolf who crossed his head gentle to her hand "You better guide the elves quick to the city, something tells me that these fire warriors will come back soon. I'm sure that mom will be happy to see you...Later" said Selone climbing the wolf's back and leaving letting in her back a crystal rain. Sirion continued his journey guiding his friends to Nahgir City.

 

 

* * *

 

 

They have arrived in Nahgir in little time after the battle. Some young boys have helped Sirion and the others to find their quarters and to prepare themselves to face the Royal family. Sirion remembered when he have seen last time the Nahgir walls, he thought that have passed 5 years but Selone told him that he should put more 2 years "I can't believe that u forgotten the last time when u asked me to marry you, i heard that you fell in love with another girl but nobody told me who is my rival" she said taking Sirion in her arms and he laid his head on her chest with tears in his eyes "She is dead" he said touching Selone's lips feeling her relaxing breath and he raised his head and looked in her eyes with fear, fear to loose her like he loosed his old beloved with little time ago. Selone kissed him and disappear like a shining white cloud letting him to rest for few hours.

At the sunset Sirion woke up, opened the windows and took some fresh air happy to see a new crimson sleepy sun. He washed his face with cold water and change himself in some beautiful shiny clothes and opened the door going to meet the others in the garden. He touched the flowers from his right side and saw two kids playing with Selone around the others and he broke one rose and grab himself to the girl and give it to her with the most gentle smile that somebody saw it in its life. King Elode started to sing, when he saw Sirion's smile, a ballad about a warrior who after he killed all his enemies he died with an innocent smile on his lips happy that he done a big service to his people. Sirion recognized the song and he took a deep breath and turned his eyes to the king like he wanted to read something strange in Elode's thoughts but he couldn't find nothing, he was lost in the song's power who made him to remember the old battles he fought in the past. Selone touched him and he was shaking like he was awakened from a long sleep "Are you ok?" she asked him curious, he embraced her gently and he smiled "Yes, now i am ok, 'cause i am with you". He feels so weak when he's thinking to Belle and Edhith, his best friends, who killed themselves months ago. Selone fall asleep in his arms and he left with her in the little garden inside of the palace, he lay her down to the white stone bank and touched the water from the shining fountain near to them and he felt a strong presence in his heart, like something wanted to awake inside of him, he started to breath hard and his body was shaking like a leaf ready to be broke from the tree's branch while a storm has passed quick, like the summer ones. He heard a voice inside of his head, a voice that wanted to drag him to madness, the voice was laughing like the demon's last moment of glory, Sirion raised his arms to his head and tried to cover his ears but the voice didn't disappeared, the laughing was more stronger than before and he pulled his dagger out from the sheath and shoved it in his arm pushing himself to the reality. His blood dripped in the fountain covering the water with deep crimson liquid, and he saw a demon face in the fountain trying to pull him inside catching his arm with enormous fingers, the dark big nails has scratching his arm when he was trying to escape from its tightly power. Sirion raised the dagger in the air and desperate he cut the demon's arm and an strong yelling escaped from its neck disappearing like a dark cloud and the water became clear like before. Sirion tried to calm down but his body still was shaking, he kneel down and stretch his hand to Selone's angelic face trying to touch it but failed when he fell down unconscious.

Female voices woke Sirion up, his eyes were clouded but he was able to recognize the queen's face, near to her was a blonde woman, tall and beautiful, who changed his bandages from his left arm and helped him to get up and drink some water. " What is going on? Why I am here?" he asked confused, "Later, now you have to rest" said the queen touching his forehead and he felt his eyes heavy and fell asleep again.

The clock's lines were to lazy to move quick, she thought that the power of the time is the most faster than the mind's agility. She wanted to see Sirion, but she couldn't move none of her muscles, Selone was afraid that she will end in his arms forever. She felt a devastating pain in her heart when she remembered the little conversation she had with him when he asked her to marry him but she didn’t hear his voice, all she saw was his lips moving but no sound. She couldn't stand it.

 

* * *

 

Outside it was snowing, the storm was strong, the City's Gates were opened by the guards and three men came inside with a girl, an elf girl, who was cared by one of the Selone's personal guards until the palace's garden where Queen Caullenis was reading one of the Old Era's scrolls. The young man lay the girl down and he searched in his bag a little box which contains the most powerfull herbs who were made by long generations of the Uehem and Nahgir Clans. The queen stopped reading the scroll and joined the young man worried about the girl " Who is she Edmen? she asked cleaning the girl's wounds. The boy fell on his knees and lubricate the girl's wounds and whispered some ancient words and the wounds healed themselves very fast. Edmen raised his head to the sky and continued his whispers " Elem S'hieh Helion Sahge'eid. Telome Guahji Saota". When he finished the words he took the girl in his arms and answered to the queen " I found her to the Iceberg's walls, must she had a fight, i think they are still here. I need to take her to the hospital's quarters, I will take care of her my queen." He left with the girl and queen Caullenis knew that the Fire dogs were still out of there and she grab herself to the palace's windows, she wanted to put an end to all suffer of her people and to save this land from the Fire Nation's hands but she knew that this was impossible for her, because she realized she is not as strong as them.

 

Sirion walked alone around of the castle's walls and he found Selone watching to the moon, she was lost in thoughts, he still couldn't see normally, he's eyes were still clouded. He leaned slowly to the walls and keep his eyes on Selone, he realized how beautiful is she, he knew in his heart that he felt something powerful for Selone from the first day he met her, ten years ago when he was guest to her seventh birthday party. Sirion remembered when she gave him one harp, a differenttt one, it was one of the most beautiful instruments created by one of the Nahgir Druids, it was differentntt one because it was created on two wings, black wings, two legends who were the power of Adegere, Mother of Darkness and Hell, and it wdifferentent because the harp's sounds were the most gentle ones but very dangerous when the one who sings on that harp loosing his concentration, the sounds become more powerful and in final will eat the souls of all the ones who are around of the harp, which its power is coming from the black wings. Sirion never tried to sing on that harp because he never had musical skills but it was a present from Selone. He ordered, when he was back to his lands, to lock the harp in the most deepest dungeons of the castle. The only one who have the key its him, no one have the permission to unlock the harp's chamber.

Selone raised herself from the rock and grab faster to the castle but she saw Sirion sleeping gentle, she touched his arms and she lay down near to his body, he was warmth, she watched for the last time to the moon and gently she closed her eyes and fell asleep on the Sirion's side. All seems to be ice around, Sirion recognized Belle's home, the forest where he and Belle used to meet and play words games. He saw a light in the front, it was an arrow, he tried to avoid the weapon but with an amazing speed, that Sirion couldn't tell when he lost the blade from his eyes sight, hit his heart and he strike the ice with his body, he felt his soul frozen and saw Belle trying to cover his wound with her hands crying and shouting desperate something that he couldn't hear, like he was lost his hearing sense. He felt he's loosing his strength and closed his eyes. Sirion woke up scared, shaking like a child in the middle of the snow storm, Selone took him in her arms trying to calm him. " It is ok, you had a bad dream...That's all" she said going to the fountain and washed her face with refreshing cold water. It was morning, the sun raised its shining arms around the world and the day's light woke up in the same time with the songs of the birds and the sounds of the forests. Sirion and Selene followed Queen Caullenis to the hospital quarters and she told them that she wanted to introduce them to somebody. When they opened the gates of the medical quarters they saw Edmen with some towels around his hands, dirty ones, with blood. Selone thought that it was his blood but he didn't say nothing and he washed the towels in a little green vase. Selone run to Edmen and she took his hands in her arms and searched all his body worried that he could be hurt but she didn't find any wound. " Don't worry sis, i am ok, but i can't say the same for her" said Edmen lookind to the elf girl with sadness. Selone turned her eyes to the same place as Edmen had his eyes and she felt fear, the elf girl's body was covered with blood as like Edmen's hands. " What in the world can do this to her? Who is she?" asked Selone scared taking Edmen in her arms. "I am pretty sure that they are here" said the young boy touching Selone's shoulders and kissed her forehead like a protector big brother. Selone knew what he talked about, she was sure that the Fire nation will come to the end and will start the war that she was afraid of, but she didn't forget the promise that she made to herself, she will not let her lands in the enemy's hands, she will fight and she will protect her people. She touched the elf girl's hand and felt a bit of her pain " I will protect you all, no matter what" she said with a different look in her eyes, a look of an warrior, a warrior who will do everything to protect the ones that she love. Queen Caullenis asked Selone and the others to leave her alone with the elf girl and she make them sure that she will take good care of her.

More days passed and the elf girl's state didn't change, she bleed every time when Caullenis tried to change her bandages and the girl's pain grown up every time when she was loosing blood. Caullenis wanted to see Xeneme, one of the medical master from the Uehem clan, she was known as the Iron Lady because of her miraculous powers in healing every wound or mental problem. First the queen needed to pass the Kethor grottos and to cross the iceberg’s walls which were the most dangerous ones in the winter time, but she wanted to ask for the last time the Iron Lady's help, she wanted to help the elf girl and to end her pains.

 

* * *

 

 

When Caullenis was close to the Heolem Woods she knew that soon she will find Xeneme's house but she didn't do many steps that she have been surrounded by three Fire nation's warriors. " Well well, what we have here, if its not the Queen Caullenis of Nahgir. What are you doing here so far?" asked a girl preparing her weapons for attack " Calm down Fang'Yun..." said the other girl pushing the girl's blades down " I'll take care of her, you should go with Sen and find Lady Xeneme". Fang'Yun hesitated " What do you mean, you want us to let you alone here with her? That's impossible, i will not leave without you" she shouted desperate. " Calm down, i will come as soon as i will finish with her" " I am afraid that's impossible" said a woman showing her face into the silver light of the moon " You are on my woods, so i will not allow you to touch that woman. What is your purpose here? asked Lady Xeneme touching her glasses with care. The one who tried to calm Fang'Yun down advanced four steps near to Xeneme and took her sword trying to cut Xeneme but she was too fast and she avoided the blade, she jumped to the queen's side, she touched the queen's hand and two books appear to their other hands and they opened them and many rows of silver dense chains have born from the their pages, the three warriors of fire prepared themselves for battle but they didn't saw when Xeneme and Caullenis attacked because the chains were to fast. Fang'Yun heard her friend's screams, the silver chains were eating her " Camen, nooo..." shouted Fang'Yun but Camen released herself in the last moment and she took the horn from her bag and blow with power in it and some strange sounds emerged from the instrument, no long 'till they heard strong sharpened whistles from all the parts of the woods and after she released her friends and took them away from the chain’s strong thirst of blood.

The day was about to shine, Camen took the iceberg's path and she was running fast knowing that was too hard to get away from Lady Xeneme's eyes. She saw a enormous iceberg coming with speed and the one who was riding the iceberg was Selone. The young princess stick her white blade in the iceberg and her wings raised big like the silver curtains of the waterfalls, her eyes were frozen, like ice, and her muscles were so concentrated that you could have seen her dress broke little by little, she took her hands off from the sword and she raised them up and called all the druids to give her strength to broke the seal that she had when she was born " I will take you all with me in Hell" she screamed feeling a strange power running inside of her body " For eternity...Release Adegere's Forbidden Gates" shouted Selone touching the iceberg's ground and many white and enormous snakes with crowns on their foreheads and crimson red eyes attacked the fire creatures from left and right sides of her iceberg. Camen released once more the horn's sounds and the second fire army showed up, Xeneme and Caullenis tried to stop them but they were to many, Selone saw her mother wounded and touched all the four bells from her dress that everyone was able to hear the beautiful sounds that resound from them. An army of thousands of wolves, white and big like bears, raised from the iceberg jumped in the air and tear the fire army apart. Some fire creatures jumped above Selone's head but from her arms grown fast blades from her flesh and cut them apart sprinkle the white iceberg with blood, her body was half naked because her dress was broke when she was fight with those creatures. The iceberg she was riding stopped and she fell down feeling every muscle of her body was ready to explode she lost the control of her body and another presence took life in her, she raised up and started to laugh strange, like her voice was more strong and sadistic in the same time " Well, the brat summoned me at least, i will make sure that those fire dogs will come back with me in Hell". No doubt that Mother Adegere herself have come to end this fool war, but Caullenis knew that she lost her child forever.

Sirion saw Caullenis and Xeneme fighting with some fire warriors and he joined them to help. He tried to find Selone but he couldn't see her " My queen, where is Selone?". Caullenis looked to the air and showed him the big battle from the iceberg, he saw Selone fighting so fast and using so much power to destroy the enemy, and also he saw the snakes fighting near to her and protecting her from the unexpected attacks. But something wasn't right, he felt too much energy in the air, Selone's body it is too little to handle such a power. The air became hard to breath, Selone's body released a big energy visible to the human eye, the energy was growing in the same time with Adegere's anger. Her eyes were black and she twisted the energy like an ice vortex. All the fire creatures and warriors transformed in ice and fell to the ground and broke in thousands pieces. The only ones who survived were Sirion, Caullenis and Xeneme thanks to Sirion's Resurection Gates. After the vortex calmed down, Caullenis and Xeneme fell down from exhaust and Sirion run to the iceberg and catched Selone's body from falling, she opened her eyes, having the same look like the first time when they met years ago, innocent eyes. " Selone you will be ok" he said feeling the desperation growing in him " Sirion, you are here... tried Selone to speak ...you know, today its cold outside... she said coughing blood " Don't speak save your strength, i will take you to Xeneme" said Sirion but she refused " No Sirion, it is over for me, she ate all i had inside, i am empty, let me go, this darkness is to dangerous if i will stay any longer here, we will meet again..." her hand fell down from Sirion's chest and she stopped breathing, his eyes became demonic and he felt fury and fear. He wanted to scream but he couldn't, the demon voice from his head laughed again but louder than before, he felt his head heavy, like in any time will explode " No no, why i have to loose all i have, to suffer like this?" he said bumping his forehead in the iceberg and hurting himself.

 

 

He woke up and saw a woman meditating " Hi there, i am glad you came back" he raised his head and he didn't know what to say " Rhiannon, what are you doing here?" he asked like he didn't expected to see her. She hit him in the face gentle and he fell back down in the bed " You need rest, later for explications"? said the woman kissing his forehead send him back to the dreams world.

Fire & Ice

  by Jaana [aka Cyane]

Regret

Since from the beginnings the war between Fire and Ice elements was the most crucial ones. The elves kind have helped the Ice nation to drive away those Fire warriors from their lands.

The elves have signed a decree with the Ice nation to live in their lands where Winter season is an eternal presence, but the Ice Queen, Xenada, thinking for the sake of elves, she had decided to create an enormous forest area, near to her mountain, where Spring season is coming every year for six months followed by the most tenderness season, called by them Winter, where the wind never blow and its snowing peacefully.

The elves, to show their appreciation, worshipped Queen Xenada as their Goddess every year, for she helped them with her mighty power and learned them that in life they can have a second chance.

Many years have passed from the born of elf’s new land, where many children have open their eyes crying when they heard their first noises, where the elves teach their children about the Queen who released the Ice lands from evil’s hands, and how she saved them from destruction.

 

***

 

The night is peacefully like always, but the forest’s screams have overtake till Queen Xenada’s ears. Two elves passed the ice bridge each one carrying in their arms a child, who were sleeping gentle. The young elves opened the throne’s big gates crossing the little river which surround the Royal Hall. They kneel down when Xenada rise up from her cold throne.

“What are you carrying so carefully?” she asked them curious.

“Two fire souls…the children who can bring our deaths if they will live…” answered an old blind elf showing himself from his hiding place.

“You had a vision my old seer?” asked Xenada going down stairs joining the two young elves. She looked attentive to the two newborns who were sleeping beautiful like two stars at the early day‘s sunset. “What those two angels can bring about to cause our deaths?” she said taking the little girl in her arms.

“They are Fire nation’s children, it is impossible for them to live, not here.” said the old seer coming near to the others.

Queen Xenada took a walk with the two little ones, sing to them a little ballad about creations and love.

“My Queen, what are you going to do? We need to kill them.” said the old elf with a gravely voice.

“I will not vanish two innocent souls because of a prophecy, I will raise them like my children.” she said like she ordered them to keep in secret the true origin of the twins. The white short hair of Xenada shined like a waterfall covered with sparkle ice when the moon’s silver radiant light have been liberated by the dark clouds of the night. Her eyes were so scared by loosing those children from her arms, she couldn’t think about it.

Several days Xenada stayed with the little ones every second. When King Trion returned from hunt, she told him about them and he seemed to like them, he knew that those two were from Fire nations because he felt the burning power in their eyes.

“They are so beautiful” said King Trion gladly to carry them into his arms. “The girl will be named Belle and the boy Edhith.” added Trion happy.

The christening of the newborns was a big festival where the elves have been invited to honour their new Royal members.

From that festival fifteen winters had passed and the twins have grown into beautiful young and strong teenagers who are enjoying to hunt with their father the ocean’s creatures followed by the Royal guards. Both of them have been trained to master the axe but Belle wanted to train herself alone in the elf’s forest keeping a secret that she promised she will disclose it to the Queen’s Festival. Edhith was curious what was all about and he tried to find his sister but she was all the time with one step forward when he was close to her.

The Festival was close and all the elves had come to help the Ice nation to make all the preparations. Edhith helped two old mans to take the casks with wine in the Royal Hall, carrying them on his big shoulders. Belle and Lilith, an elf friend, managed to help in the kitchen quarters to arrange the vessel on the long tables where all the people were guests to eat and to have a good time.

Belle leaned by one of the chairs feeling her head burning like the hell’s flames. She tried to say something but she fell down breathing hard. Lilith heard the thud when Belle’s body blow the floor, and she grab herself to help her “Hey…Belle…answer me, Belle…” tried Lilith to wake her up “Help…anybody” shouted the elf girl but no one was there. She heard Belle trying to tell something but from her throat outburst a strong yell, her body started to bleed when many iron sins covered her, burning her skin like the fine pages of an old book. Lilith took Belle on her shoulders running to the hospital quarters trying to not fell down because of the girl’s armour which its weight was incredible.

When she climbed the last ten stairs she opened the heavy doors of the north quarters of the palace and quickly she lay Belle in one of the free beds from the right part of the chapel where ten or twelve priests were down on their knees praying to one of their powerful gods, Cloud, to spare the twins lives and to watch them till they will be okay. Lilith saw Edhith in the same state like his sister and she touched his skin full of blood and iron sins who sparkle every time when she caress it gently “Edhith…you to… what‘s going on?. She started to cry like a child who lost something and in the same time Xenada and Trion came in the quarters in a quick hurry and when the Queen saw her children complete covered with blood she fell sick after she shouted like an animal in pain being caught by her king.

Trion asked the nurses to help him to take care of Xenada and took Lilith’s hand in his ones crying. “Please go in your forest and bring Amelie here” said the king sad “I need her here as quick as she can come”. Lilith didn’t answer ‘cause she disappeared suddenly when Trion turned to watch in his children’s eyes which were open and he felt their pain and heard their gravely inner shouts for help, he was so helpless in this moment and he remembered when he hold them in his arms for the first time.

To the night’s set, Trion wanted to stay in the room with the twins, retired in one dark corner.

 

***

 

The second day arrived with three travellers who were Lilith with Amelie and a young elf from Silver Crane Clan Royal family, which is the most powerful elf clan from north. They run till the palace gates and the young elf walked on the palace’s walls jumping on the big windows from the north. He fell down near to Belle and kissed her hands gently with tears in his eyes and he noticed King Trion stand thoughtful in the same dark and silent place where he laid hours ago “King Trion, what was happened here?” asked the young boy watching in the King’s eyes “Sirion, I am glad to see you…allow me to tell you a tale about two little children who were predestined to die because of a weak prophecy.” Sirion heard the Trion’s voice more fainted than before and he felt being pulled into a different place, different time. He recognized the north forest of Ice lands and observed two human babies crying loud. Two elves took them in their arms and run away to the Queen’s palace followed by him.

Sirion woke up. “Are you ok?” asked Amelie smiling. “Yes…where am I? Ah…Belle…is she ok? said Sirion rising half sleepy and pulling his clothes clumsy like a child.

“Belle and Edhith are ok…they are resting in their rooms now.”she answered giving to him a coup of water. Lilith opened the windows letting the sun to flood the room with its warmth gleams. They heard the Queen’s voice screaming and lived the room in a hurry going to the second floor. When they arrived to the scene their eyes were frightened by the most horror view they have seen in their lives, Edhith was over Belle with his axes pushing in her chest covering the floor with her blood and with her last breath she pushed her hands in his stomach and four blades go out from her arms, like two opened scissors, stab him painful and pulled his guts out.

Edhith apology for his weakness and died in the same time with Belle. The two of them transformed into ashes and disappeared on the windows burning like the Phoenix’s full ablaze wings. Sirion jumped out of the windows and caught Belle’s silver necklace screaming her name, his voice rending the queen‘s ice heart.

 

They knew they were born to bring many sufferings and deaths if they lived till they were about to turn sixteen, and they preferred to kill themselves and to save the others from destruction.

Sirion was marked for ever because of the disappearing of his beloved and he closed himself inside of his inner universe. He regretted that he never had the chance to tell that he loved her so much, but now it was to late.

One of the many things that fascinate me about digital publishing are the new possibilities afforded to writers. Traditionally, publishing has been wary of all sorts of stuff – short novels, short stories, longer novels,  novellas, and poetry.

In fact, for a first time author, an agent would rarely look at an adult novel unless it fell exactly between 80,000 to 100,000 words. They had all sorts of good reasons for this, the main being that this was the sweet spot, the intersection between printing costs and buyer habits.

However, the rise of digital publishing combined with the ability of the author to go direct to retailers such as Amazon (or even sell direct to the reader) has opened up new possibilities for authors.

Supposedly “dead” genres like Westerns and Horror are thriving, and writers are breathing life into long-neglected forms like one of my favorites – novellas – responsible for such classics over the years as Animal Farm, The Time Machine, and A Clockwork Orange.

Today, I got a chance to speak to digital poet and fantasy novelist Stephen Drennon, who is enjoying this new freedom to experiment with all kinds of things.

Read the interview here:
http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/interview-with-digital-poet-fantasy-novelist-stephen-r-drennon/ 

Gosh, I haven't been on here in a while!

I have my reason however, you should be all very glad to know was because of my school work. Which has been thrust upon me in the form of an art exam, regretfully sentencing a halt in my progress of writing for a while.
  Yet, here I am to offer an update since I have been in absense for some time.
I'm happy to say I got my result just the other day and recieved a delightful B in pyschology but a rather doubtful C in English Literature which has put me down somewhat.
Though i find it ironic as I needed a B in English and a C in Psychology which I nearly almost always fail at since I lack caring for it (so very delighted with that result)

  Otherwise, my writing has moved forward plenty and I have offically decided to dedicate myself to one book which is still to be named. The lead character being called Kaci Cardin - A.k.a Kaci Darleen as her alias (no one suspects someone who keeps their first name as an alias ;D)
  I have the first chapter already up on this site somewhere amongst the crowd but I have parts of chapter two ready and have cleaned through chapter one for the third time. Third time is the charm as they say.
  If any of you are wondering, I haven't got a definite description as of yet, I'm waiting to finish the book first, but I shall give you quick brief of the story.
  Kaci Cardin/Darleen is a part of the second world which is made up of everything non-human. She is a null, the enemy of all magic beings and hunted, along with hated, for simply being alive. Yet, she has found a stable life style which she is satisfied with. However, something comes crashing into her life of problems causing her to take up a task she severly does not want to do sending her into a wheel of new problems and bringing her face to face with her demons. Along the way she arises new feelings for the people she once brushed aside and discovers lies and deciet  behind old kind actions along with new truths which could change her  world.
  I hope that kindles some interest, it does me! I'm excited writing it! XD
  I look forward to any advice which can be offered from you lovely folk as I shall spurge what I can to your fasinating works as we band together to create our individual possibilities of writing and publishing a  book!

  For now, this shall be the finish of my update, I will repost my first chapter onto a group I shall make for this book just to make finding it easier. ^^
  I wish you all the best in your writing,
                              
 JD