Stellar

I would not say I was offended so much as surprised that a single trivial word was worth mentioning in such a way. I know the functional difference in meaning between the two terms, and I don't think I hesitated at all over the artistic description when I originally wrote this section because it sounded correct to me at the time -- and it still does. Much of the elemental imagery describing the gods warring one another drew inspiration from thoughts of how fire, water, ice, rock, lightning, poison, etc., are used in fantasy games as skills/spells. The idea of the Spirit of Fire's fall put me in mind of a giant version of 'summon meteor' or 'meteor swarm'; an enormous hot lethal mass rushing earthward, wreathed in flame. The classification difference here is down to the interpretation of tense and how it mixes with artistic expression. I very rarely use present tense -- but this particular scene was written in this manner deliberately. If I was using the past tense, as most of the rest of the book, and was so inclined to keep that imagery, the word choice might have been 'meteorite' instead.

There's no need to memorise everything. The text is going to remain if you cannot recall what is what. But, if you can't distinguish the important parts out of what's been described here, then I'm not sure what else to tell you. Are you actually critiquing my use of English here? Firstly, I have used the word 'meteor' once in this chapter, and it was metaphorical as much as literal; to describe the Spirit of Fire's descent from the sky to the earth as his physical body died and fell through the atmosphere. Much of the language through this entire section is a mix of figurative and literal, since it is more a mythic retelling than a historical account. Secondly, 'meteor' can describe any astral body plunging to Earth and lit by friction, and this is exactly what I have written -- note the use of present tense in that sentence. Thirdly, if I was describing it after this point retrospectively and considering his corpse as if it were a giant chunk of rock, I would use the word 'meteorite'. This doesn't happen though, because I am not speaking in the past tense, and I am also referring to a dead god, not an impacted asteroid, and so the scene moves on to the Tempest and Xajarkith.

You'll have to do what I did with my phone; every time I used the word fucking (and I cuss frequently in text messages) it would try to make it ducking, because, of course, the text editor would not default to a profanity. I would go back and make sure to change it, every single time. Eventually my phone started autocorrecting using F instead of D. Yep, I taught it how to swear! So, it is possible! You might just have to make yours learn who Sebby is!

I'm glad! It's been quite a while since I wrote this, but I believe at the time my rationale was that Lucy got Crawley's cellphone contact details after he shot Darren when he was escaping the school. Well, in this instance, Torsten was not riding, he was being carried. Literally, Araziah had his right hand wrapped around Torsten's upper half on the journey home. However, riding is possible! Dragons can have backbone spines, but in this version, some have places close to the shoulders that are broad and flat enough for a person to sit on and comfortably ride. The thing that really matters here is getting the permission of the dragon in question! Even the most human-friendly individuals don't tend to let humans take a ride. Dragons have big egos and their pride doesn't like them being a vehicle for humans. But Torsten? You could say he's going to have special privileges due to being a favourite. Well, Sebby made Araziah realise that he had to make a choice between the Conclave and whatever the future with Torsten would bring, but he couldn't have both. So, whatever Torsten represents to him is clearly more valuable. As arrogant and headstrong as he is, he couldn't let go of that. Now, as for a love triangle? Well, maybe! Sebby clearly seems interested, but Araziah? I guess you'll just have to read on to find out. You're welcome!

I should remind you that Araziah can teleport. He has used this power to both watch and trail others from a distance, and judge their behaviour without being seen before acting himself -- this was essentially how he was able to interrupt Theo's pursuit of Torsten. Once he saw what was happening, i.e. that Torsten was running away from Theo, Araziah intervened and their fight for dominance occurred. You can assume something similar is happening here. Araziah wasn't just at the Barents-Whitehouse building by accident; he had been observing Darren's minions pursuing Torsten and chose to step in when he thought the moment was right. His actions will be elaborated upon more in the next chapter, as Torsten -- quite naturally -- has questions for him. What makes you think Sebby had just arrived? All I'll say about this is that air dragons are very stealthy. They are the ninjas of Spirit of Fire's setting. Similarly to the above with Araziah, more information about Sebby's activity will follow this chapter. Natalia is a wonderful mother, and a role model for her son. She's in a tough spot though! You're welcome! I enjoy seeing your comments!

There's a lot more to Theo's death that will not be properly understood at this point in the story, and the consequences of his murder have also not yet been explored. One aspect is what would have happened had Theo lived, and that potential future was not necessarily a better outcome. Sebby himself points out to Torsten during that scene that he finds the speed of their interactions unusual and surprising, to the point of being overwhelming almost. So, if you find it unrealistic, the characters are quite literally agreeing with you that it isn't anything like 'normal' from their perspective. Also, Sebby is new. This is his first scene of any real substance -- the introduction at Northwood with Celeste barely counts -- so I would hardly expect you to think of him as an established love interest. Can it? Did I establish that somewhere? It's true that only dragons can manipulate magic directly themselves, but as Celeste has already demonstrated, certain magical artifacts can be used by humans without issue. So what happened when Torsten touched Triskeleth's sapphire was not evidence of him performing magic. It is certainly evidence of something ... but not explicitly him being a mage. The much more suspicious question is: how could a human become the seer? It's fine, you aren't the first. I got a lot of complaints over Theo. Just a friendly reminder that almost nobody is safe!

Theo is ... dead. There are no two ways about it; he fought and it stopped with his defeat and ending. But ... there is Araziah ... He seems to hew towards the Conclave's intentions ... or does he? Hm.

Lucy isn't a favourite of many readers, but she is certainly a faithful friend if nothing else. You are correct; Theo and Araziah are at the opposite ends of what is possible for their own kind. Araziah is as independent-minded as fire can be, and Theo is an unwilling participant in the Conclave's plans. The question is: how will this resolve and what will these two do?

Well, let me just say that both Araziah and Theo are making Torsten's life very complicated, and that any potential future pairing is thus equally as fraught with pitfalls. It's gonna get weirder, trust me. Also, could you imagine having a dragon as a boyfriend? Nobody could mess with you, and you'd be able to vacation anywhere you like courtesy of your own personal armoured aerial transport. Convenient.

One thing about my writing (and this is present in the science-fiction as well Spirit of Fire) is that certain 'bad guys' have their own reasons for acting and believe what they do is justified. In this case, consider that Lady Shiba represents one side of a war and that she is simply eliminating the servants of her enemy in what way seems most effective to her. The dragons of the Conclave represent the other side, and they are seeking to resurrect their dead father, who, according to ancient history, attacked everyone. So, are they justified in their actions? They have committed plenty of crimes themselves in the pursuit of finishing an even greater one, if history is to be believed. The air and earth dragons also participated in the original conflict, and while they have been so far absent from the narrative, they supported water in that confrontation. The information that Celeste provides in this chapter represents the majority belief of many, but you must realise, as always ... it is a tale told from a certain point of view. The challenge here is understanding the motivations, the why of the matter. If you manage that, you may be able to judge more clearly what is 'good' and what is 'evil' in this regard. There is a simple reason for this: Torsten saw the blond shock in Araziah's red hair, and instantly realised the physical characteristics matched the dragon he had been keeping hidden in the shed for the last few weeks. They were one and the same, and he knew it! So, what to do? If this was an injured person, sure, he would call emergency services and that would make sense. But a young dragon, even in human form? Absolutely not. How would he explain Araziah's lack of identification, the inexplicable properties of his body that would confuse and confound doctors, not to mention certain aspects of medicine being impossible to use on dragons as you would a person? It would raise more questions than Torsten wanted to answer, and he knew this very well in that moment. Besides, what could human authorities -- the police, government, etcetera -- actually do for Araziah? In this case, Celeste's employer, the Order, are the experts, and Torsten has the basic understanding that she, at least, has some knowledge of what is going on. I'm glad you're enjoying!

The word 'master' is doing a lot of work here. One presumes ownership as one would for a stray animal taken in, but, well ... this is not any type of pet, no matter how kindly raised. Eheh, I can say that it was more like getting away from Darren after it caught his scent, but you are correct that he was the cause. As with several other things, the reason for this aversion will later make sense -- but nobody will be eaten. Well, at least not yet. Yep, there's some sorting of emotions required here! This novel is definitely an unraveling mystery. I trust you will enjoy the rest of it.

Ms Feinstein is present for literally just this chapter and is of no further relevance. Crawley and Nero, however, are recurring characters. In honesty, the cast isn't that big. Some authors will endlessly throw new faces and names into the mix with alarming frequently. I tend to do it much more sparingly, and (hopefully) with more memorable personalities. Ah, but that would be quite an experience. Oh, this won't end up being a big problem, because ... well, you'll see why.

Nothing wrong with being six years late; you were even later on my science-fiction, but I wouldn't say it matters all that much. Uh, you do know what creature stars prominently in Game of Thrones though, right? If you've seen any promotional material for anything related to it (or the sequel TV series) over the last ... 13 years since it first appeared ... you should probably realise that what's hatching is definitely absolutely not any type of dinosaur.

There is a good reason why there is a multi-year gap in between the two, and it's not because of procrastination or laziness. I gave the readers a choice of what they wanted, and they told me to do something else instead of the trilogy ending, so ... they got this instead. I quite literally didn't choose to delay and wrote another book in the interim; it was what democracy gave us, so blame the will of the people for that one. Uh, if you don't like cliffhangers btw, perhaps you should avoid Spirit of Fire. I can spoil this for you straight up by saying that Shay won't be doing that, because firstly, the priority is killing the Herald over following Dagen's trail, and secondly Ayize, Rashid, and the other Mishith have yet to find out what's special about the desert planet they were left at anyhow. You will see something about that latter part soon though, and boy will it be revealing, if I do say so myself. Well you certainly have the right sort of cosmic escalation in mind, though questions of practicality and feasibility and the Herald's capacity to adapt will make the mechanics of this ongoing showdown a very tricky business.

Well, you could have discovered this in 2017 or earlier and had to suffer through a non-existent or incomplete second book, so at least you can enjoy Veil of Shadow as a discrete finished part. Carlos found absolution in death for the sins he partook in and suffered through during life. Making such a choice is very admirable and perhaps under appreciated by some readers, given that he was just a teenager, with unfulfilled dreams and future potential.

Thank you!

Yes, that button is holding back an awful lot, both metaphorically and also very literally. 😏 I am sure your guess is well considered, though I would be surprised if it lands near the actual truth.

Oh boy. Just you wait a chapter or two, if the phrase 'more than a mouthful' gives you any idea.

Hartley's decision to have Mira executed made perfect sense within that worldview. For somebody like him, if you cannot control it, then you must eliminate it, and Mira was somebody that Hartley absolutely understood he would not be able to leash -- at least not in a way that the other three might be. Of course, Hartley didn't know the exact reason for this, but he did recognise that Mira wouldn't listen to anyone, with the exception of Shay, and therefore he had to go.

Yes, this original quote of mine was in reference to Mira. He got the rough treatment due to killing three of their buddies.

No worries, I still respond to comments, no matter that I wrote this in 2013. Thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying it. There is a lot more to come. Your attitude is similar to mine when it comes to sexual interactions and romance. I much prefer the latter primarily, but there can be a place for the former if it works and isn't shoehorned in for merely the sake of titillation. Oh, and yeah, I gained something of a reputation among my readers for chapter-end cliffhangers.

You are quite correct -- the 2019 coronavirus could have been devastating if the mortality rate had been greater paired with how easily transmissible it is. At least we weren't dealing with the Sharpe virus, right?

You are not wrong that simple kinetic force doesn't seem to be enough to kill it. Though, Shay is not yet out of ideas, and has in mind some different types of 'ammunition' to use on this creature. After all, on the cosmic scale, throwing a fragmented planet is but a parlour trick. There are much more energetic and extreme things that might be used against the Herald. My name is Stellar for a reason, you know. Interesting that you recalled and mention that fact now -- Iskandar having a daughter -- as it is one of his primary motivators. It does seem like Lucas was warned about Iskandar, a wolf in sheep's clothing, though ... doesn't it? Hmmm. Thank you for all your comments as you have read my work. Few are so diligent in saying something on every chapter, so I respect that. The seventh chapter is ... under construction. That's about all I will say.

You may be misunderstanding this situation a little. Kerensky's command -- the Second Fleet -- is largely equipped and trained as the others are. His professional values are instilled through management, but that only means so much when it comes to pure numbers and battlefield whims. However, there are two significant factors at work here. The first is that Kerensky returned to Earth in a timely manner to relieve the beleaguered Third and Fourth fleets, so there was the leverage of not being entrenched and able to engage the enemy as he pleased, and he made good use of that. The second is that he is the flag officer in charge of the military assets at Mars. The special artillery used in this chapter was something commissioned under his direction by the production facilities there. It is very new technology, and consequently in extremely limited supply. Given time, something like this might have been in widespread mass production. Much is possible, though I would caution that Iskandar is jaded and cynical. He works for CorpSec out of necessity, but he has little love for what the realists and loyalists represent also. I want to mention that serin is just a contraction meaning artificial intelligence in the Mishith language; it isn't the ship's name/personality or anything like that. Shay chose the destination in this instance and sent them there. But ... yes! It is the time for the heroes to be heroes. Whether Dagen's gifts are involved ... well, you'll just have to see.

As advanced as aqumi is, it is no moral judge and cannot tell one human's intent from another. The only thing relevant in Tytos attempting to access this node is that it recognises him in the same manner as it would Shay, and it seems this has been achieved. I have probably understated how powerful the functions of pre-Sundering Mishith technology are, and the alien AI is no exception to this. The Disciple is within the hangar of the transport ship, essentially in hibernation. It is severely outclassed and not really needed at present for any purpose. These two things are ... important, each for a very different reason. That is all I will say. You may assume that they will not be easily lost or forgotten about, like misplacing a spare set of keys. Well, he has seen first-hand what they can do, but more that they are capable of understanding and acting beyond the typical behaviours of teenagers. It is an admission that patronisation and dismissal because of age should not be done without good reason. To be fair, the Master has been mentioned before, though only in passing. And ... yes, the Herald is back again, though we all knew this was coming.