MasukDo you all remember who Aetremi is? Would you like to get to know him a bit better? I am planning on writing a sequel to this series about Ona and her tragic romance with Daax and he is one of the characters, along with a younger Primus and other characters you have grown to love and hate. But first, I need to finish this story :) If you would be interested in reading that prequel, leave me a note. I'm hoping enough people will be interested that I'd have support in getting it published. Also, if you are enjoying this story, consider leaving a gem or two in appreciation. I will add another chapter in the next day or so. Thank you all for your patience :)
[Primus] The air feels heavy as the Grand Magus’ words fall around us. My wife, my mate, Carnelia, has been lost to the void so completely that even her father, the greatest void walker in several generations, cannot reach her. “Then I’ll just have to go find her.” I declare firmly, determined to find a way even though it feels impossible. “I’m not going to let her stay out there. I’m bringing her home–no matter what I have to sacrifice.” And I mean it. I’d gladly give my life just to bring her home to her family. Our children need her. Our world needs her. I need her. Even if it cost me my soul, it would be worth it to hold her one more time. “How, Son?” Deklaan asks, open concern written across his face. “You can’t step into the void without support–you have neither the training nor innate skill. The only reason you can dream walk is the residual crystals I can sense in your blood,” the shadow drake informs me. “That’s why it’s so easy for your soul to leave your body. I
[Primus]My heart is breaking. Carnelia. Every time I close my eyes, I try to touch her, try to reach her, but she’s too far away. I can hear her voice, calling out to me in her dreams but no matter how I stretch my heart across the void, I can’t reach her. She is lost to me. Roaring to life, my body bursts from within, spilling out, spreading, becoming something else. Boards snap in two, sending splinters in all directions as my body presses against it, my scales expanding, growing to like the cracks in my heart. What is the point of a world without her in it. I am lost without her. How can I go on without her scent, her taste, the warmth of her skin against mine…? Maybe it is time for me to give in and let go. No. I can’t do that. Not until everyone who has hurt her has paid for her pain. Facing the mainland, I target my anger at the entrance to the Moon Dragon’s underground lair in the far east where the mist obscures the eyes and minds of lesser dragons. Thalan is to blame
His words feel like a test, one final trial to determine the fate of everything. “Of course,” I respond resolutely, my back straight and my voice clear. “And as soon as they’ve hatched, you can do a proper shell test. I’m sure it will be very soon. Sometimes Air Dragon eggs can take a bit longer.” “Interesting,” Thalan paces, balancing my precious little one precariously from his long fingertips. “Just to be clear,” he paused, “These eggs should be hatching within the next few days?” Swallowing, I nod. “Yes, King Thalan.” I need them to believe me. I need to buy a bit more time. “And when that happens, this council will be the first to know. But I need to nest now, so they can…” “Good.” A thin, tight-lipped grin stretches across his face, chilling my blood. Turning his back to me, the king faced the gathered group of elders and asked, “Elder Council, shall we put this matter to a vote?” “That won’t be necessary,” someone responds as from the shadows nine figures step out of darkn
[Eleanora] I was sleeping in the ashes of my husband’s keep, my body protectively wrapped around my clutch when the Elder Guard arrived. Athony, my closest protector, who had been standing guard over us while I slept, screamed in terror as cold steel chains pulled his bestial form to the ground, his body prone under their spears tipped in glowing, blue stones. “Shift back to your bipedal form, Queen Eleanora, or we kill your mate.” Roaring, I snapped at them, holding my eggs even closer. “He isn’t my mate,” I insisted. “My mate was Segundus Majere. And he is dead. That drake is one of my guards.” The drakes surrounding us smirked, a few laughed outright as they began carving Athony’s flesh. My guard didn’t flinch nor shout. The only part of him that moved were his gray-blue eyes. “Save our clutch,” they seemed to beg. “Protect our babies.” “They aren’t yours, remember,” I didn’t say with words but communicated with every ounce of feeling I could through our bond as queen and
[Thalan] A better dragon would have picked another chosen mate to be my queen once I discovered that my brother’s fated mate was my betrothed. But I am not a better dragon. I am the Elf King. And if I want someone, I will have them. Later that evening, I called my brother to my private chamber and gave him an order as his king. He was to travel south, to reclaim his diplomatic seat in the Southern Kingdom and secure our alliance with the Sun Dragons. “You are the only one I trust to see this through properly,” I told him, making his heartache into an honor he couldn’t refuse. “Of course, My King,” he bowed as he swore that he would serve his duty. “What did you have in mind?" “The Sun Princess is unwed,” I said smugly, “An exceptional beauty, I have heard. Many drakes have been competing for her favor. I want you to win it.” He opened his mouth to protest, to give me some half-truth to explain away why he couldn’t do what I was asking him to do. But I didn’t give him a chance
[Thalan] Just like it is the duty of my subjects to serve my will, it is my duty to serve the Grand Elder in all things. She and her siblings, resting in their unnatural sleep, are the oldest of us. The Titans, named after the old human mythology about the creatures who created the cosmos, are our creators. They are the dragons responsible for founding the courts and growing the seeds of our civilization. But my heart and mind are at war as I watch Nilla gleefully awaken the other Grand Elders. Even as a hatchling, I knew that if the other Titans were to awaken, it would be a harbinger of our destruction. Later, as a warrior monk, my knowledge of what that meant and the importance of breeding a void walker became much clearer. When this world ends, we will need to find another. Watching the scene before me, as each Grand Elder wakes, blinking into the harsh blue light of the starbright crystals growing from the overhead walls of skystone, I can’t help but wonder: Am I doing the
[Ona] Atremi, who is trailing behind me by a few careful steps, raised his hand as soon as we arrived on the deck, and in a raspy voice, carried on the wind, calls out to one of his rescued men. “Canys, did you bring my box?” “Aye, Captain Remi,” the large human responds swiftly. “Evain and I loa
[Daax] Hearing my wife speak about her loss of trust in our daughter makes my shoulders slump as a sudden weight descends. There is so little of my family left. So few descendants of the Solarian Royal Family are still breathing. Carnelia and I are most of what is left, and our children are the onl
[Primus] “Primus!” my mate’s voice calls out to me across a vast expanse. She is standing high above me, on a platform made of clouds. “Primus! Come find me!” I can feel her fear, taste her need for me even as the distance grows between us. She is mine again, I can sense her. And as much as I ha
[Carnelia] What happened next was quick, efficient, and emotionless, so rapid and unexpected that I didn’t see it coming until it was already too late. It was my mistake, assuming that just because Nyxt, who looked and sounded so much like Primus, was being kind to me, meant that he would honor my







