Shault and Selatravis descended the ramp from the large transport frigate Selatravis had acquired from Chester. The two were nicely dressed, Shault standing a head shorter than Selatravis who was unusually tall for an Aallandron.

  Shault felt strange, wearing a formal doublet and fitting coat and trousers, standing next to Selatravis, the senator. Selatravis wore an expensive red long coat over his linen dress shirt and fine cotton leggings. Shault was to be Selatravis’s assistant for their trip to the Narcuss games.

  In actuality, they were there to meet with Seladia in Narcuss to help her with whatever plan she had to extract the Remel orbs from Chancellor Damius Marks and his inner circle. Since she had stolen Thayer’s orb, that left only the chancellor and Deltia Chester’s orbs while Deltia was too consumed by the orb in his tower to become involved.

  For Shault, the fight was personal. He had trained at Ethan Academy for the last two years, but before that, he had been a soldier in his father’s army 3,000 years prior.

  He had faced Damius Marks when he was known as Malus. He had disrupted the delicate balance the three orbs once held in Chartan. What was previously an oasis between three kingdoms, was now known as the Kopf Desert: a wasteland without the orbs. The kingdoms that once held power over the entire continent had become dust long ago.

  But Shault was frozen in time, encased in stone that was the result of his father’s final spell through the Sykhir orb. Presumably, Malus overpowered the last of his father’s forces at their stronghold, the Great Hall of Tonen. At that time, Malus had already left the other two kingdoms in ruins.

  Shault couldn’t believe two years had passed since he woke from the long sleep. So much had changed over the centuries. The only thing that was important to his father was that Shault was still alive to potentially reignite the lost kingdoms, to bring order back from chaos. Here he was, breathing and alive, ready to reclaim the lost relics.

  Selatravis massaged his chin as he looked up and down the cobblestone streets across the intersection next to the Narcuss Docks. “Seladia said she would probably be in prison by the time we arrived.”

  “Narcuss is the biggest city in Parceta,” said Shault. “And there are guard stations with small prisons—mostly for disorderly drunks—all over the island.”

  “If I know my sister, she won’t stay in prison for long.” Selatravis said.

  The two decided to go where she instructed, which was to the bar on Heppo Street called Heppo Hideaway. According to the letter Selatravis received, she would meet them there after getting out of jail.

  Selatravis had been awaiting her correspondence for some time. He had helped her acquire the orb, and the two had immediately gone to retrieve Shault upon seeing where he was located. That was two years prior.

  She told Selatravis to simply await her letter, so he was surprised to receive it after such a long wait, and that it held such little information as to her whereabouts. He had heard a rumor in one of the pubs that she had joined with the infamous Captain Stuval for a dangerous mission to the Shrieking Isles, but both her and the pirate were known for spreading rumors to make themselves seem more interesting and dangerous than they really were.

  Shault had also experienced a tumultuous two years at the Academy. He had effectively led a mutiny, encountering Damius Marks himself as he came to collect the orb hidden beneath the school.

  Shault realized that his nemesis had become supernaturally powerful through the centuries of being exposed to the orbs. Simply being armed and ready to fight wouldn’t be enough. And with all three orbs at arm’s reach, they would need to find a way to defeat him before he could summon them together.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The two bought breakfast at the bar, both ordering a beer to go with their eggs, biscuits, and gravy. A hearty island breakfast was universal across planets and time itself. Shault had eaten only soldier’s gruel for over a year, so he inhaled the food before Selatravis could get started.

  “I hear you’re a father now.” Shault said, then shoved the last of his biscuit into his mouth.

  “Yes, she’s just over a year old now.” Selatravis said.

  “If Malus had not destroyed Tonen, I’d have a daughter or son.” Shault said. “I always wanted a daughter.”

  “It’s not too late.” Selatravis took a sip of his coffee they had ordered with the meal.

  “For me, the price is too high to pay before I’ll be ready to try again.” Shault drank a swallow of his glass of beer.

  A person in a pink travel cloak slid into the booth next to Shault. Shault looked over to see that it was Seladia. She brought with her the putrid smell of the sewers. Both Shault and Selatravis recoiled in their seats.

  “Hey guys, it’s me!” Seladia pulled back the cloak to reveal her head of red hair that appeared to have only just dried.

  “You absolutely must leave this restaurant with that smell.” Selatravis waved a hand at her.

  “I knew you would say that!” Seladia grinned at her brother.

  “She keeps—,” Selatravis massaged his brow. “She’s still saying that.”

  Shault glared as he looked between the two siblings. “What’s happening to her?” he asked.

  “She’s been like this ever since she came into contact with one of those Remel orbs: half loony, half perfect foresight.” Selatravis said, breathing through his mouth.

  “I’ll be out of here in a minute,” began Seladia. “So they took the Nissentis orb from me when I got here, but that’s all part of the plan.” She held up her index fingers to each of them. “I had to break out of prison through the toilet, which,” she cleared her throat, “led through the runoff of the other prisoners’ toilets.”

  “Wait, so you don’t have the orb at all anymore?” Selatravis asked.

  “Nope.”

  “And Chancellor Marks now has two.” Selatravis said.

  “Probably.” Seladia said.

  “Well, I guess we can all go home.” Selatravis gave her a sheepish, but sarcastic look.

  “Ye of little faith, as the humans might say.” Seladia rummaged in her hip bag. “I got us tickets to the Tornetum games today.” She gave Shault and Selatravis each a ticket.

  “Wha—Are you serious?” Selatravis leaned over the table, received a big whiff of her, then pulled back. “You called us here so you could give Marks the Nissentis orb, you’re now a fugitive from the Narcuss prison, but we should go enjoy a few rounds of watching people slaughter one another.”

  “Life’s funny right?” Seladia said.

  “I must say, Seladia,” said Shault, looking at the ticket in his hand, “this doesn’t look good for us.”

  “You just sit in the stands and look pretty until I say so.” Seladia said.

  “Until you say what?” Selatravis asked, getting heated in a brotherly way. “How about clueing us in on the real plan instead of expecting us to follow your random tangents in all directions.”

  “I haven’t gone on any tangent and I haven’t deviated from the Holy Path.” She narrowed her brown eyes upon Selatravis. “I’m going to go pay for a shower at the public bath house. You two go wait for me in the stands. I should be there for the second round.”

  As quickly and smoothly as Seladia had arrived, she slid out from the seat at the table and exited the bar. A guard came over a few seconds later, looked between the two, opened his mouth, closed it, then hurried away.

  “Absolutely mental.” Selatravis said, flaring his hands in exasperation over the ticket he had been given.

  The two paid for their breakfast, left the bar, and made for the vorago a few blocks north.

  hoping to continue updating while in South Korea because I sure will be writing! Much of this has already been planned, and the good stuff is still ahead.