Cynus

Thanks! My Significant Other made it for me.

This is one of my favorite chapters. I hope you enjoy it!

Sleep escaped Maxthane. The last two days had been a crazy ride of emotions, and he couldn't stop thinking about what he had been through. He sat up straight in his bed as he realized that it had been going on for longer than that. He had been troubled since they had freed the demon. What Styx had done was bring him to an understanding of what was bothering him. Styx; there was another subject he couldn't stop thinking about. He glanced toward his window, wondering what had become of the boy

I'm glad! He's a complicated man, to be sure. I am taking your comments to heart, and they have influenced certain things I am currently writing. Styx's main issue is that he spent so long avoiding combat, that he doesn't really know what to do when it's forced on him. Think you're right, though, he'll have a lot of opportunities to learn by following the path he is currently on. Excellent questions to be sure. I believe the bulk of them will be answered, or at least the story should provide enough information to make educated suppositions. But I'm always happy to know what you're wondering about. Because me the impression you're invested, that is quite satisfying. Good question. I believe most of the questions will be answered in this book, however there are some which will be answered later in the series. We do have a very long road to follow, and hopefully I give you just enough answers that you're willing to keep asking the questions. That's a great theory! But yes, you're definitely piecing together the timeline well. For eight hundred years that Prism has been in stasis, a lot has been happening in the world. Part of Prism's reluctance to share additional information is because he's not sure himself of the current state of the world, based upon Grim's cautioning words. He realizes that some of his information might be wrong, so he doesn't go into full detail. Thank you everyone for commenting! I'll be posting the next chapter tomorrow.

"Madame Godani owns this pillar, all the way up to the Upper Shade," Styx explained as he climbed to the top floor of the complex with Prism. They reached a small platform that rested against the giant column of limestone. Small handholds and footholds were cut into the stone that would allow passage to the heights above. Styx inclined his head toward those handholds and continued, "It shouldn't be difficult to reach the cavern ceiling, and then we simply have to make our way through the Upper S

Kobek and Kirra? Or maybe Kobek and Alsha? She's available, too. Bureaucracy at its finest! I'm not fond of those stuffy not-so-gentle men. The sword and I, on the other hand, are old friends. Right? That kid... Makes you want to give him a hug, but ask first because you don't want to traumatize him. Lady Alsha Tremlain is a force of nature in her own right. She knows her way around a bureaucracy. And thankfully Kirra has her. Kirra, despite being in the top 1%, has had a rougher life than anyone ever should. Right? Kirra's trust issues are problematic, but at least he's now in a good place. Alsha is a great Commander who pays attention, and she obviously has had an impact on her troops as well. Will it be enough? I think they show here that they'll be good to him. Of course, as the author, there might be things that get in the way which I'm not telling you, but I wanted these guys to seem good, moral people. Judging from the comments, I think that mission was accomplished. Not all commanders are as diligent as Alsha, and unfortunately when they don't police their troops, bad things end up happening to good people. It just goes to speak of the state of things in the Everbright City, as you've said. Corruption ends up hurting everyone connected to the system.

LOL It's interesting the tunnel vision people can get into when they think they're right, isn't it?

I'll have to look into them some more. They sound fascinating. What does "Unkraut vergeht nicht" mean? I like Styx's dynamic with Godani. They're two of my favorites.

No, I loved it. It's just deep, so I believe it deserves a well thought response.

I'm going to comment on this in detail later, but I want to let it soak in.

"Grand Inquisitor Isean, you're not even listening. We have to do something about this." Lady Alsha stood tall before the panel of three inquisitors, her eyes blazing with fury. Despite the anger that she felt, she had managed to keep her voice composed. There was nothing to be gained by an emotional outburst, and certainly not when dealing with the pompous men in front of her. They were in one of the smaller chambers of the Hall of Justice, but it was no less elaborate than any other room i

Tell me more. Might inspire another story.

Thanks!

I like your train of thought!

Madame Godani is definitely no fool. Fasha is more dangerous than he looks, isn't he? That's a good line to draw from, and I think you're seeing the bigger picture a little better than Prism. But he's still living with the hopeful image of the people from his past. He's in denial about Neredos being a tyrant, because all he knows for sure is that "he's changed" courtesy of Grim. Until he sees things for himself, he won't be able to determine his best path forward. Why do children rebel parents who love them? Regardless of whether or not Madame Godani is Styx's mother (she's not. I'm confirming what the book says right now, as you did in your second comment. ), she raised him, and most children come with differences of opinion with their parents. She's smart and she's orderly; a lawful creature in a realm of near chaos. We've seen that Styx doesn't care much much for order. Neither Fasha nor Prism is entirely what they seem. I can't promise complete answers in this book, but it will be addressed over the course of the series. And yes, we've met a parental figure, someone who certainly influenced Styx's development. I've had Prism on the brain a lot recently, and this comment made me smile. Book 2 takes place mostly in the past, and so Prism is a prominent character. Indeed! Thank you, for adding this. "epic beast" is the compliment of the month. Consider the first conversation Prism had with Grim. There's a lot going on here, some in the open, and a lot behind the curtain. But who is the wizard, is he man or mage?

Styx eyed the black water anxiously. Rumors held that there were things living beneath the surface that men were never meant to encounter, and he would prefer it remained that way. Every time the surface of the water bubbled, he had to stop himself from jumping back in terror, and he did not always succeed. Each time this happened Prism looked at him curiously, an eyebrow raised as he glanced between Styx and the water. Usually he simply shook his head and walked on, waving Styx to follow, but w

You could always steal one from Salidar... then again, you might end up in the pit that way.

Maybe I should slow down...

Good question. I suppose it also depends on how you define good and evil. There are several different sides in this story, and each one thinks it is right. At some point in the series, the parentage of Maxthane and the parentage of Styx will both be known. I can't guarantee either will happen in this book, at risk of implying anything, heh. But yes, I agree completely that parents influence personality, regardless of how involved they were in raising the child. The thing to remember about Salidar here is that he's blinded by ambition. If he believes the risk will get him what he wants, he'll take it. So, can he trust anyone else? Who knows. But will that matter? My anthropology professor gave an entire lecture once on how altruism doesn't exist. I don't know if that is true for sure, but I did see her point, and it's something I consider with everything I write. My heroes, by nature, are always flawed. Is Salidar a hero? In the minds of some, yes. In his own mind, certainly. But he is definitely not the one most would consider to be the hero, his son, I think, fits that description better. Maxthane definitely has a complicated path ahead of him, filled with a lot of different decisions and potential pitfalls. Will he make it through? I love the thoughts people have expressed toward the Fasha/Prism showdown. Let's see how the chips fall, eh? You may get the chance to see him rebel, if he remains strong enough of will to do so. As I was saying to Buz, the speculation on Prism/Fasha is really fun! I eagerly await your reactions to the chapter once it posts. It's one of my favorites. It's good to keep Dogo in mind. He's definitely not finished with our story yet. Ooh! What an intriguing idea! Absent. Whether by death or by choice.

We'll have to see which horse comes out on top when the race is run. There's reasons for Maxthane's nature, of course. Perhaps we'll learn them as the story goes on?

I'm forcing myself to respond to these today since I posted the new chapter, even though I've had a really bad day. I just don't want to fall behind on responding. If I seem terse at all, I'm not meaning to come across as negative, so please don't take it personally. I enjoy double entendres immensely, I just didn't think of the name that way. There were actually a lot of different bird themes in this story originally, because of Styx (whose original name was actually Sparrow, and he had a sparrow tattoo instead of a hawk tattoo), so Swallow was a reference to the bird as well. I consider bureaucracy to be one of the great evils of the world. I'm against dogma of all sorts, and bureaucracy is really just legal dogma twisted to manipulate the status quo for the benefit of the few. Both the knights and the merchant guilds have their own forms in this world, but both are doing it in their way. I like to think of Alsha as being similar to a coach for an athlete in this way. Her job is to encourage Kirra to reach greatness, to be the best 'Kirra' he can be. Since his current path is through the Order, that's what she reinforces. True. Good thing there's a less-than-perfect King of the Shade with a less-than-benevolent goal who intends to do just that, eh? That's what I was trying to show, yes. In a society of rogues, sex is often liberated. When your entire society is comprised of outcasts, you'll end up with people willing to accept a much broader range of behaviors and natures than when a society is rigid and inflexible. By contrast, when a society is entrenched in dogma like the world above, there is less openness to deviate from that. I'm not trying to make a case for either of them, necessarily. Both have their distinct pros and cons. The laws protect the people from many physical dangers (in theory, anyway), while in the more anarchic world of The Shade, physical danger is a part of everyday life. Kirra's someone to watch, for sure. Ooh! Good questions! There's a lot of information hidden in subtle actions. I love the little unintended Swedish connections. As for whether he lives up to his name or not? Stay tuned!

"You let him go?" Salidar asked. His expression was a mixture of confusion and anger, "I gave you a gift, one you said you wanted, and you just let it go?" Maxthane recoiled under his father's gaze. They had been at this for several minutes, and Salidar had yet to let Maxthane speak. Not that he had tried to. He knew better than to interrupt his father's rants, regardless of the topic. Salidar wasn't looking for a response; he simply wanted to let off steam. This new question was differe

I'm a sucker for strong worldbuilding. If the world is logical within its own rules, then that's all the reality it needs. Inconsistency is what breaks that for me more than anything else. My other pet peeve is when writers create a world which is their version of utopia where no drama or conflict happens, just because they want to create fantastical creatures to have sex with each other... If you're going to bother creating a fantasy world, please make sure there's some reason to want to explore it other than it being pretty and filled with lust.

Not telling! Kirra, my darling . . . I love that boy. He's actually the only gay boy in the group. Styx is bisexual (It's not pertinent, really, and that's why I don't mind bringing it up) and Maxthane is probably pansexual. it just so happens they're all boys. I really didn't intend to be so lacking in female leads, it's just what ended up happening. I guess we write what we're most attracted to?

Funnily enough, I only ever thought of him in terms of the bird 'swallow', not the action.