Stellar

A wee bit of language lore for my Spirit of Fire readers. Small warning though, there's nothing too serious in here, but if you want to avoid any sort of potential spoiler, you may want to hold off until you've reached at least Chapter 7, to be properly safe.

Thanks for commenting! Crawley is great fun to write and very easy for me to characterise. It's not hard for me to know how he'll respond to most things, and the sorts of unique phrasing he'll use in dialogue. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

Siblinghood is derived from having the same parents; typically this is a bonded pair, though sometimes it's the result of an impulsive tryst. The children need not hatch at the same time to have an emotional bond to one another. Nero and Darren are the closest in age and have a rather blasé relationship, whilst Theo is much younger but is clearly dear to his older brother. Their relationships are not unlike ours with regard to family bonds; how caring or not depends on the personalities involved. Some people love their siblings, some can't stand them. While something resembling imprinting can happen, as they age and become more territorial and solitary -- they are not naturally social pack creatures but are solo predators like a tiger -- the importance of youthful impressions fades. Since they are also intelligent magical beings and not simply animals, wilfully ignoring those impressions is quite possible, as is banding together with others of their own kind for common purpose. This is not to suggest that their behaviour can't be affected by imprinting at some subconscious level, just that it need not be a dominant factor. It is mostly the fire dragons who consider an actual serious relationship with a human to be beneath them. Using people for sex or as slaves or just as a food source is fine; treating them as a beloved equal fits anywhere from bizarre through to abominable and disgusting. The other elemental types are not as zealous, of course, although generally speaking they are aloof and apathetic to the struggles of a human life and just don't get intimately involved with our affairs. After all, they can live for a long time -- centuries or even more -- and human lives seem short and unimportant by comparison. However, friendships and relationships can and do happen! They are just the exception, not the rule. So, to round this off, they can definitely feel the same sorts of emotions as people, but it is all relative to the unique position they hold in the world and how they perceive everything else from that strange lofty viewpoint.

It would be fair to say that Darren and Theo have a relatively close relationship for siblings (and this is not always the case for such territorial and ambitious creatures). Darren is not the only one though; he also mentions Nero and 'our eldest' in the same breath, indicating there are four brothers in their family. Their eldest was not named, of course, but you may certainly guess at that identity. It's true Theo could have asked Torsten for what he wanted, but if he was trying to escape the Conclave, why would he? Despite his willingness to trust, why would Torsten take that risk by handing it over knowing what it might lead to if Theo's intentions were not true? There would be a lot here resting on someone's word and nothing else. Also, Araziah's lack of attempted compulsion here doesn't necessarily have anything to do with his age. If you recall, he was not shy about trying to force Celeste to tell him what he wanted the previous chapter -- and by her reckoning, he was headed towards being a powerful psychic who would not have trouble compelling nor dominating anyone. The answer to this may have more to do with the particular people involved than his maturity level, though I would agree it's a point in Araziah's favour that he isn't (for now, at least) just taking what he pleases. With regard to 'where Torsten fits', I do find it curious that this is a recurring thing with some readers. Is it not enough that Torsten is surrounded by immensely powerful creatures with innate magical talents, but now he has to be some kind of superhero figure too? To quote Lucy from Chapter 5: "Eragon you are not. I don't think this is going to be all psychic bonds, dragon riders and magic swords." My response to spikey's comment encapsulates my thoughts on this issue, so I will not repeat them, but I will finish this one with: you'll just have to see how he develops going forward. Maybe you'll get a sleeping giant, maybe it'll be something else.

Lots of questions, most of them good ones. Stay tuned for the new part to find out your answers. The only thing I will say here is that Araziah is claiming to be the 'heir' to the fire god; Celeste already debunked *that* particular notion in Chapter 7. He regards himself as some sort of replacement, at least in time.

This is an interesting comment. Before I respond in depth with regard to Spirit of Fire, I should say this: there is an abundance of fiction out there where the protagonist does not immediately appear to have any particular special skills nor unique purpose, but they are still the central focus of the book. A great example of this is Rincewind from the Discworld novels by the late Terry Pratchett -- a truly talented master of comedic fantasy. Rincewind is a totally hapless cowardly 'wizard' who is magically incapable, physically inept, and trouble-averse to the point where his primary goal is trying to escape the situations he finds himself in, and lead a boring life elsewhere. Yet, he is the main character of multiple Discworld novels, and his presence is important to the plot of these books, bumbling though he may be. Now, with Spirit of Fire, I have already given you a hint that Torsten has importance, just not what nor why. The second scene of the first chapter is what contains this suggestion. The fact that he doesn't seem to 'bring to the table' anything obvious doesn't mean there is no reason, nor should it imply that he will sit around being of questionable use for the rest of the plot. To sum this up: you'll just have to keep reading future chapters if you want to know more.

Without getting *too* political, because it's not my intention to alienate any readers: Araziah is nothing like the dumpster-fire of a human being that is your president and I cannot say I like the implied comparison. All my characters, even the villainous and unpleasant ones, have the capacity to learn and change from their actions, as well as, generally speaking, a bit more subtlety and nuance to their personalities. Mr 45, however, has shown neither the ability to grow as an individual nor the desire to do much more than feed his overstuffed ego. As far as refinement goes, he has all the grace and emotional complexity of a meteor striking the Yucatan peninsula. I'll leave it at that. To cap this off, Araziah is capable of a lot more than just being an asshole, and while I don't blame you for not enjoying his personality so far, you've had a grand total of two chapters to know what he's like. Give it some time, and you might see a little more dimension to him. Lastly, Sebby is going to be fun, and Theo -- well, that situation is about to reach breaking point, one way or another.

I'm going to throw that comment back at you and suggest: maybe the reason for Theo's urgency is precisely *because* he thinks he can stop the alternative if he acts immediately? Possibilities! Araziah knows absolutely nothing about Darren, and the only way for him to have any awareness would be if he witnessed Darren and Theo together and was able to surmise that they are in collusion under the Conclave's direction. Compound this with Darren essentially telling Theo he would be busy for the next 5-7 days (implying that he will be somewhere else), then it should be clear this is very unlikely. A note on Araziah's unique ability: it IS teleportation. All I have established so far with regards to the 'rules' of how it functions, is that he can go any place that he has a visual memory of. This includes locations that do not have a direct line of sight, as shown when he went from the street to within the forest outside of the town without being able to see the spot he was arriving at. It is also why he made sure to see as much of Mirrorvale as he could from elevation; when he can quite literally appear at any location he has seen, observation becomes very useful. What has not been mentioned is if there is a distance restriction, how often he can perform this feat, etc.

Thank you so much! I love that you're enjoying it. I'll try to have the next part out as soon as I can.

Well, that is the question, isn't it? Will Araziah be able to change, and if so, would he want to? Will Theo go through with what he's doing, and how does he think he's protecting Torsten? More on this next time! Regarding Sebby: of course we will learn more about him in the future, but without spilling the beans too much, when he's not 'on duty' doing the bidding of his goddess, he is quite happy to turn his wiles to both boy *and* girl. Anyone can have a piece if he takes a liking to you.

It's worth remembering that Theo's hand is very much being forced by Darren at this point in time. You would be right to feel disappointed given that this constitutes a breaking of trust, but at the same time you still do not have a full understanding of the alternatives that Theo is working against. More on this is to come in the next chapter. With regard to Araziah seeing what is going on: they are inside, so at this moment, Torsten and Theo would not be visible. However, could he have been watching as they entered the house, from his distant vantage point? Absolutely. Was he? You'll have to wait and see. You're not wrong. Araziah is very honest about who he is, even if he might be playing other mind games at the same time. He is a fire dragon who is fire-dragon-ing his way through life, you might say. You could also say this is due to his relative youth, the (exaggerated?) sense of his own strength and the fact that he has received no tutelage from his own type on how to approach everything with the more insidious type of cunning that is typical to them. Chapter 10 will be quite a crucial one, because it will address some of your above thoughts, and set the stage for the latter part of the story. Oh, and yes, Araziah is his true name. He is basically fearless and doesn't see any point in sullying himself with an invented human title.

Here's Chapter 9!

Mine. I don't know if it was because the eye-to-eye closeness resembling the psychological challenge issued shortly after his hatching, or if it was the low tone of voice and the words he used, or if it was simply that he was truly a being that could kill me at the click of his fingers, but ... the word scared me. "Y-yours?" I stammered, in half-whisper. "Yes, mine." Araziah repeated it, emphasis on the possessive. The left hand resting on my shoulder slid along and up my neck until

Thank you so much! Nothing is more gratifying than a reader so invested in my creation. It is my intention to someday publish, though I do not know yet when and how that will come about. Nonetheless I hope Veil of Shadow is equally well received. (re: the maps of Aurum. I know one isn't working, there's just nothing I can do about that right now!)

The curious thing is that I don't need to make any assumptions since, well, the author is the all-knowing eye of God! So, I'm going to flip that last comment on its head -- why would any self-respecting fire type bother with a piffling human tradition like marriage if he simply does not care, and could just mind-control the target into submission? Doubly so, if a child was involved in that equation? That's a lot of risk and investment for something that shouldn't matter at all. Besides, as manipulative as these creatures can sometimes be, certain things are still held in high esteem: loyal to family bonds and keeping one's word when it's made with honourable intentions, are two such examples.

Hmm, here I am about to pose a few statements and questions back at you that might make you alter your theorising. First up, Torsten's father is actually referred to three times, but all are very brief so you can be easily forgiven for not remembering the occurrences. Natalia tells Darren in the fifth chapter that they divorced years ago, and Torsten himself tells the audience at the beginning of the book: 'I don't have any living grandparents, and I'm not fond of my father; a man who I have not seen in years.' Also, in the seventh chapter, Crawley and Celeste both agree that Torsten has inherited his mother's looks, and that it's a good thing, which is a not-so-subtle dig about Torsten's father and a possible indication they may have met him at some point in the past. My question to you would then become: since Torsten's mother is divorced, do you think a fire-type dragon (or any other type, I suppose) would actually marry a human? If you answered 'yes' to that (going on your assumption that interbreeding is actually possible -- and I'm not confirming or denying here), would he love her enough to commit to something that unusual and also have a child, but NOT reveal what he is to her? Because ... Natalia was 100% new to this when Celeste gave them all that history lesson; her knowledge of the supernatural was precisely zero. Food for thought. I'm not going to touch the interbreeding concept further until the story narrative warrants me bringing it up. There's plenty of lore that is quite specific and situational, so I'll confront those questions when they appear. As for some of the other thoughts presented here: the Fear itself is simply an object, a container for the last pieces of the dead god's 'soul'. It has no will of its own in any magical sense. However the whispers of madness are that dead god's influence, and all fire-types experience it, as we have seen from Araziah directly during this last chapter, and indirectly from Theo's confession to Torsten. So, yes, Theo is, completely a 'red' dragon (though 'red' isn't his exact colouration but that's a description for the future) and is just as familiar with that voice as Darren, Nero, etc., are. Also, Terrence Wilde and Celeste were close friends, and her presence in Mirrorvale at the time of the story is due to the Conclave's increasing interest in Terry's former possessions. That an Order agent happens to be living next door is nothing to do with coincidence and everything to do with not wanting their enemy to find whatever it is they are currently looking for.

Comments generally are made at the bottom of the chapter you wish to comment on, although in my end notes, I usually include a link to a discussion thread in my forum -- this is the thread for Veil of Shadow since that was what you were reading at the time. My guess is that you probably followed that link without realising and accidentally posted here instead of on the chapter itself. No harm done though, so don't stress about it. Thank you, I am glad you are enjoying my work so much! Unfortunately, the third and final part of the Aspects of Dawn trilogy does not yet exist. Veil of Shadow was finished in early 2017, and after a bit of consideration I decided to take a rest from the Faustian work of producing that series to write something different instead. This is why I am currently producing a new fantasy novel called Spirit of Fire, and when that is completed (hopefully some time during 2018!) I will have to, again, decide what comes next. One of those options is indeed to write the final part of the trilogy, but it is not the only option. So there will be an ending, don't you worry. I just can't tell you when you'll read it, yet.

Hi Stephen, thanks for reading! What exactly are you referring to? I'm not sure which chapter from which book this is in reference to? If you can provide a little more detail, I can answer your question.

Nerosten. About the only thing less likely than that is 'Theoziah'.

Haha, curious idea! The Fear is very important, no doubt, but it is also an object and not a person, so no dice on that one. For 'Arasten' to happen, there'd have to be some pretty major compromise by one -- or both -- of them. Araziah is an extremely pronounced and acute example of his breed, and in many ways is almost the archetype that the fire dragons aspire to be; egotistical, very self-confident, manipulative when it suits his own goals, powerful in both ability and form, and unwilling to accept any type of submission to another that could possibly diminish his stature. Torsten, on the other hand, is independent, strong-willed, fair-minded, and places a lot of importance in mutual trust, reciprocation, and consent. On the surface, it's not exactly a match made in heaven. But, if some compromise were to happen? Who knows how they might evolve? Or maybe the love interest is still going to be Theo, or maybe it's somebody else completely? Not gonna make this too simple for you! Possibilities!

Torsten is the protagonist and the events from the book's first chapter (specifically "the beginning of the end of the world") are still some way off in the future. A reasonable assumption here is that he will be around for the entire story narrative, as I'm not a big fan of killing off the main character in the middle of the text -- well, not with this book at least. Maybe another time With regard to dragons in human form: they do indeed have very resilient bodies, as Crawley tells us, and while they can have an interest in human sex, it is perceived in a rather different way compared to the act of mating that would take place in their native form. Some dragons consider it the equivalent of bestiality and disgusting to sleep with a human, whilst some see it as a fun distraction of the flesh that can be enjoyed in their human body, just like any other human vice. Almost none, however, develop any emotional attachment to those humans they might happen to be fucking, which makes Theo's attraction to Torsten a very uncommon predicament. I have to say ... the idea of Torsten being something 'more than just human' is one that has been suggested now by a couple of readers, which is interesting because there is not much to base that presumption on. I'm not saying it is wrong nor am I saying it is correct -- just that there isn't much evidence either way. Even if he is, what would that mean? What would you think that 'more than just human' could be?

At the moment, perhaps the best lens to view Araziah's actions through is that of an owner reprimanding a cherished but wayward and disobedient pet. His attitude is something resembling the distinction made by the man in the suit to Theo. Remember: humans aren't individuals to some dragons (mostly the fire type with their more domineering view) and are perceived more like slaves or lesser animals. As such, Torsten is as much his property as anything else, and encroachment on Araziah's property by anyone -- and especially another dragon -- is a threat he cannot tolerate. Naturally Torsten must curtail this problem by being a good human and doing as told. No more fraternising with Theo. No sir. Also, naturally, Torsten is not going to respond that well to commands. Re: pronunciation. Araziah is said Ara-zy-uh in the same you'd say Jeremiah.

The main reason Theo left is that he was standing on the street talking to someone from the Order. Not exactly a good idea, no matter how you spin the tale. While Theo knows that Araziah exists, he does not know his name or anything else about him, just that Torsten has encountered a hatchling dragon and been bitten by it. Any notions of parenthood between them will vanish quickly. Araziah does not regard him as a parent and Torsten doesn't really think of Araziah in anything like those terms, at least not any more. Having a mad god whispering in your mind all day about revenge does take a certain toll on the sanity It's been the cause of the occasional unhinged rampage throughout the centuries. You're right, Theo and Torsten will be good together, and for each other -- but will 'Theosten' survive as a thing into the future? What will happen to them as a pair as time goes on?! Good questions! Lastly, Lucy is just naturally resistant. Apparently, Darren thought he just didn't give it enough juice last time and tried again harder. Yeah, it didn't work.

It's true, Theo's prospects haven't really changed from the last chapter! Still not looking very rosy. To be fair to Lucy, Darren was getting the hell out of the school because three Order agents were about to find him, and he knew it. That was the exact same reason she confronted him over, and he was already leaving, so all she did was delay him long enough to get him shot. The flip side of that is she got hurt too for pretty much no point, since Darren escaped anyway. On that note, yes, Triskeleth is in trouble. I would not expect anyone to trust Araziah His behaviour and his words might seem a bit confusing at first but they are well established in the habits of his species. Dragons are territorial possessive creatures, Torsten is a shiny object and Araziah has no interest at all in letting anybody else touch. However if his desires were as simple as mind control or sex, he would already have fulfilled them. It's a bit more nuanced than that!

Celeste quite literally tells the audience what she about to do, on her call with Crawley; "I may have to go out-of-state for that reason." She sighed. "Maybe for up to a week, back by next Friday at the earliest. I'll leave Torsten your number if he runs into any trouble." This is a statement that arose over contingencies if Araziah should decide to join the Conclave. Araziah talking was inevitable, and so was people not liking his character because of what he would say. The main difference is that he has no interest in impressing anyone and is very much going to live up to any promises he makes.