mcarss

Oh, you didn't see "The End" at the bottom of this chapter? I kid, I kid. 😋

One benefit of being "late to the party" is that you don't need to wait on new chapters. You can read the novel at your pleasure. 😁

Haha! It's becoming increasing clear that I'll need to continue their story. 😉

Yeah, I realize that in a way, Callum and Rym's story has only begun at the end of this novel. The idea of continuing their tale has definitely crossed my mind and I'm not opposed to it, but for now, I'm happy where they are. If you've read my previous stories, you might note a running theme of two men (one big, one small) travelling together. The series I plan on starting very shortly will continue that trend, featuring a young man living in an isolated village and a mysteriously private knight-errant (he refuses to show his face to anyone). The first book will tell how they meet and what tragic event unfolds, resulting in the man joining the knight on his journey. I expect to start posting chapters in the second half of 2025. Until then, happy reading. 💗

I can certainly appreciate that experience. I found myself in a similar predicament hiking (also in a snowy forest) that I wasn't entirely familiar with. At once point, I got turned around and lost my sense of direction without realizing it -- heading deeper in when I thought I was walking toward my destination. By the time I realized my mistake, the sun was near setting. I found my way out via GPS, and the forest wasn't terribly treacherous, so I was able to beeline it back. Like you, I wasn't terribly worried, but it was a little scary.

By first light, the vanguard was raring to move. While nobody spoke it outright, they knew that by day’s end—for better or for worse—their tenday journey would be over. And if the compass was to be trusted, they’d travelled farther west than expected, making an early start a prudent choice. Once Callum had everything prepared to leave, he approached the scout, Tulenk. “How’s your leg?” he asked. Tulenk hopped from one foot to another, showing no pain. “It’s well. Thank you, medic

Rym has been pretty tight-lipped about what he does or doesn't know, but your first question will be answered soon. Your comment about transporters is never answered specifically in the story, but even though Rym wasn't aware of them doesn't mean all pactrids are ignorant of their existence.

The physics of the moon was brought up in an earlier chapter. I will admit, how the moon travels across the sky is very bizarre -- essentially impossible in real life. And I'm pretty sure a moon of that size would tear a planet apart from gravitational forces. The fact the seas can be pulled around the globe shows how strong that pull is. If this was a "hard sci-fi" story, I'd be angering A LOT of readers. 😅 Luckily, this is a fantasy story, and the only limit is one's imagination. I could've used magic or some kind of strange artifact to pull the seas around the planet, but I decided to use a moon since I have an affinity with our own moon. ❤️ The only benefit of using magic is that readers would likely accept it without questioning it. I don't mind you (or anyone) asking questions, though. That you took the time to ask tells me you care about the story. As a writer, that means a lot. 😄 Thank you.

Drpaladin is correct. While the concept of using the stars for navigation isn't alien to them, they don't appear to have the tools or knowledge to use them properly. To quote Rym from chapter 11: "The sun and the stars are our trustworthy guides, but even they can prove tricky since they’re always moving."

To be clear, I'm not disagreeing with your suggestions. There's many things they could've done to make this a safer migration. Even Cior said in chapter 14, "I must admit, the process is all quite disorganised." The sane thing to do would be to map the sea floor properly before they started sending people off. The fact they still have cartographers trying to fill in the blanks is crazy when you really consider it. Again, this was to show their desperation to leave. Your comments lead me to believe I didn't emphasize that well enough in the story. (I'm always learning, so I appreciate it.)

These vanguard groups understand the risk they've taken in making this journey. They wouldn't want others be lost to the sea in attempting to save them. It also goes to show how desperate they are to get away from the Anberans.

Haha! While writing, I was hoping it would be long enough since the last mention of the compass that most readers would've forgotten about it. 😉

Heavy, grey fog blanketed the vanguard the next morning. As they set forth on the day’s journey, ragged shapes revealed themselves from the bedrock scar—emerging from the mist like giant hands greeting them. The group’s muted voices echoed strangely against the stone, bouncing once before disappearing into the thick haze. The rising sun helped to melt the disconcerting fog away, and within a few hours, they were met again by bright, blue skies. They travelled north along the scar’s edge fo

It only goes one way. All pactrids have the ability to share their memories by touch, but only a select few (called the gotachi) can probe another's thoughts/intents.

I'm happy to have you aboard. I read ... ... a few months ago and enjoyed it, but then forgot to leave a recommendation. That's been fixed. 😄