THE GODS ARE AWAKENING

Marehana is close. The three moons of Yarrowind are ready to eclipse the sun for a whole day.

War is coming down on the Allied Kingdoms. A destructive clan leaves only ruins at their passing through the Willinghurst Mountains.

The half-elf Alanna and the magician Reese have to leave on a quest to the uncharted lands. An ancient artifact is their only hope to save Yarrowind from the awakening Dark God.

Hidden enemies, deceptive plans, and unforeseen dangers await them at every turn.

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PROLOGUE:

"How did you know this would happen?" the man asked.

"I do not have time to sit idly and answer your questions," the woman clad in white said.

"The Kings authorized this procedure. They want to know what happened."

The woman laughed, her eyes twinkling in the candlelight.

"And why do you think it matters to me what the so-called Kings do or want?"

"You promised to help," the man answered.

"I promised my help only to one being..."

"And that person asked you to do this."

"Fine... But you know the legends. You can guess how I knew."

The man fumbled with the pile of parchments stacked on his desk.

"Is this a fair description of the events?" the man asked, sliding one of the parchments across the desk.

The woman took it in her hands and started to read.

***

The creature opened its eyes and looked around. For ages, it had enjoyed the dreamless sleep.

It wanted nothing more than to close its eyes and embrace the slumber.

But something must have happened to wake it up. It stood on all fours and shook its head.

The air was charged with energy. Dark energy. The strings of time and existence were thinning. The canvas of reality was in danger of being destroyed.

A loud roar escaped the creature's mouth. But no answer came. Its brothers and sisters were asleep. It was the first one to feel the change coming. The only one who could do anything about it.

But it had to be sure. The creature had to visit the place it left ages ago.

The view in front of it shifted and in tiny patches. The reality regrouped itself to form a new one, from another distant world.

The Halls of Obliteration stood untouched by the ages that had passed. But the place was no longer dead.

The energy pulsed through the ground, the walls, even the air itself. It came in waves from one of the statues sitting at the end of the hall.

Measuring each step, the creature walked to the statue of an ancient God. Dark energy was coming from the seated figure. All black and cloaked, its features hidden from view, the God was starting to awaken too.

"You will not be able to change my destiny!" a scream erupted in the creature's head.

...

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Excerpt:

Her clothes and mine were soaked in so much blood, I wondered how she was still alive.

But not even my magic could cure the extensive damage that has been done to her body.

She was fading away.

There was nothing more I could do, and I knew I needed to bring her to Helena. I knew that whatever would happen was my fault.

DESTINY HAS THIS NATURE. IT TENDS TO CATCH UP WITH YOU AND FORCE YOU TO DO ITS BIDDING

A young boy kills his father in an outburst of anger and magic. The whole town and his family turn his back on him.

His only option is to leave it behind and come to Persla, where he can blend with the crowd and be forgotten.

His life gets an unexpected change after he is saved from a dreadful situation by a mysterious magician. But trouble tends to find him no matter where he is.

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CHAPTER 1:

Reese walked into a dimly lit room. A man sat on another side of a cluttered desk.

"Not you again..."

The man showed two rows of white teeth as his lips parted in a wide smile.

"Reese of Persla."

"You know my name... That's not a surprise. We spoke less than a turn ago."

"I am still busy with these," the man said and motioned to the piles of parchments on his desk.

"I had an impression there was nothing else you needed of me."

"Not related to what happened at Kholtrem. No. The Kings want to know more about your past."

Reese sighed, "There isn't a way for me to get out of this, is there?"

"You already know the answer."

"Alright," Reese said settling into the chair in the center of the room. "Where should I start?"

"Let's start at the beginning."

***

So many things had happened in my life that defined who I am and what I did. But you would give little importance to most of them.

I was a scrawny kid, and I had spent most of my childhood wreaking havoc in Tyrus. I would earn a beating now and then from my father who always tried to teach me the true way of things. But nothing stopped me the next time trouble came knocking on my door.

So when Jakan showed, mischief burning in his eyes, I knew he had planned for something. His little sister hid behind him, her head low. Sabira wasn't eager to spend the day doing what Jakan wanted, but it never stopped her from tagging along.

"Ready to do something exciting?" Jakan asked, jumping on the balls of his feet.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Come, I'll show you."

I looked back. My younger sister Roana was busy with the housework while the rest of the family worked in the fields. I was supposed to help, but it took two burned dinners for my parents to decide that I should stay out of the kitchen. But I was as bad with cleaning as with cooking. Now, my only responsibility was to stay out of trouble.

With a grin on my lips, I scurried away. Roana didn't even notice. She never did, or she didn't care.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see," was all Jakan said over his shoulder.

The three of us dashed through Tyrus, Sabira lagging behind. Our houses stood on the western edge, where all the poorer folks lived. As we crossed to the east, the streets became cleaner, bricks replacing wooden logs on the buildings around us.

Jakan stopped when the sand had replaced the earth. The salt in the air filled my lungs; the cold breeze ran through my hair and made me shiver. A few more houses and the endless sea would spread into the horizon interrupted only by the archipelago of The Barren Chain.

...

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Excerpt:

I saw our world in flames, our cities grazed to the ground.

EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PLAN, EVEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT... IF YOU WANT TO COMMAND THE GOLDEN EAGLE'S CREW, YOU HAVE TO CONQUER THEM WITH YOUR GRIT!

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CHAPTER 1:

Isabella was looking out of the window onto the city growing below the keep when the door opened. A man in robes of a scribe walked inside, his hands full of a stack of parchments.

"Admiral," the man said, putting down the stacks next to a taller one on the big desk. "You are here earlier than I expected."

"I have some errands to run in Derevan," Isabella said, walking towards the chair. "But it can wait until tomorrow."

"Did you decide to tell your story then?"

"I have some free time on my hands, and this should be fun."

"I don't think you will have the same opinion once we start," the man said and settled in his chair. He looked at the long list of questions and back at Isabella. "Let's start with your childhood then."

Isabella's smile slipped off her face, and she took a deep breath.

"Is there a problem?" the man asked lifting a brow.

"No, let's do it."

***

I woke up to the shouts in the other room. I sat up and rubbed the last of the sleep from my eyes. The glow from the moons filtered through the thick curtains and filled the room with a silver light.

Snuggles hanging from my hand, I walked closer to the door. A few candles bathed the kitchen with warmth and brightened the faces of Donovan and Ragnol. They stood in the middle of the room each of them at one side of our dining table, arguing about something in harsh whispers.

I leaned closer, snuggling the stuffed tiger in the crook of my arm. My father's voice was now loud enough for me to hear his words.

"I am already breaking my back…"

"I know," my grandfather's tone was low. "But that's not what she needs."

"One week more and I'll have enough money to pay the priest," my father's voice had dropped to a low murmur.

"Do you really think this is the best solution?"

"It's the only one I have…"

"Yana is spending the whole day in bed already, she doesn't even have enough strength to stand up. Do you want Isabella to grow up without a parent by her side who could explain to her what is happening?"

"This isn't about what I think or want." My father's hands wrapped around the back of the chair in front of him, his knuckles turning white.

"Well, it isn't about only you either," my grandfather had an edge to his voice as he uttered the words.

"I've had enough!" my father said, stumping the chair on the ground. "I'll deal with this… Whatever this is, later."

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Excerpt:

A few murmurs spread through the crew, and I waited for them to die off before continuing.

"You chose this life because you wanted to be free. Now, you have a decision to make. Join me and sail the Red Sea spreading chaos and debauchery. Or walk down that plank and go lick my father's boots while he steals all the gold from your pockets. The gold you have earned with your sweat and blood. So, which one will it be?"