Cynus

Styx landed gracefully upon the rooftop, making hardly a sound at all. His glide hadn't taken him far enough to get out of Salidar's palatial complex, and the real test of his abilities was about to begin as he tried to avoid the guards to escape. He crouched and moved as quickly as he could toward the edge of the roof before peering over the side, searching for any sign of movement below him. Salidar's men were among the best at stealth that the Shade had to offer, but Styx didn't have to s

Thank you! I really appreciate those compliments. I actually started my writing career as a short story writer, but it's been a long time since I returned to it. It felt good to exercise those muscles again.

Now that you mention the Abba song, I can't help but be reminded of the episode of Malcolm In The Middle where Malcolm and Reece both think the other is gay, and they have a brotherly show of support in the form of a dance off to "Take a Chance on Me". I'm always glad when my stories make people think of music. Yay! Good to hear it kept you interested!

Indeed! And that's how we all escape into the Otherworld Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the differing themes. Thank you for the comment. I don't thing everything needs to be a deep analysis. If it's an enjoyable read, that's still great to hear.

Hopefully Jake will come around in the next few years and find happiness in his own way. But I think Ian will be set without him... Happy Valentine's Day! I'm glad you appreciated the twist. Thank you! I really hope they do. They might come back for more. This is actually set in my hometown and I had a specific coffee shop in mind for it. Who knows? Maybe the setting will inspire me further?

Thank you! This was a lot of fun to write. That's exactly what I was going for. Thank you! Precisely! I'm glad you understood. Thank you!

Ian anxiously waits at the coffee shop for his secret boyfriend to arrive so they can plan their Valentine's Day together. Another cute boy walks into his life as he waits.

Ian peered through the glass window at the front of the coffee shop, watching the small blue car pull into the parking lot. It was a similar model to Jake's, but unfortunately not the right one. Jake had promised to meet Ian there at 2:00, right after their early release from school, but it was already 2:12, and Jake hadn't so much as texted he would be late. It figured. The weekend before Valentine's Day, too. Ian knew Jake was unreliable, but he was also the only boy Ian knew who seemed

Another lovely thought.

I think your observations on Maxthane are great! Playing the long game reminds me of Dante from "From the Cup of the Worthless", perhaps because they're both criminals? Why indeed would Grim do that? There are answers coming, I can assure you. That's one which will be addressed the further along in the story we are. Lots of pieces to fall into place. (Also, he's even older than that. Prism's been sealed for 800 years.) From chapter 1: "You've(Prism) been sealed with that demon for a long time I'm afraid; almost eight hundred years." What a poetic thought! Styx returning to his perch... a marvelous image!

Intriguing thought. I love both of them, but they're both important to me in their own ways. I think you'll like their arcs. My responses to both your statements can be summed up in a single word: "Indeed" The knights (for the most part) are indeed disinterested with the power struggles in Pentalus. As long as they maintain some semblance of order and keep civil war from erupting, they're pretty much content. As for the tattoos... a brilliant observation. Perhaps Sabreeza's men are connected in ways the knights and peasantry don't understand. Although I didn't intend it to be so, it's a rather typical split between the criminal element, the base populace, and the top 1-10%, represented by The Shade, Pentalus, and The Everbright City respectively. If the top percent are benevolent, the general populace supports them and rules against the criminal element. If the top percent are tyrannical, the base populace starts to reject them and sides more with the criminal element. With swords! As @drpaladin said on the forums. I can confirm that Kirra will reappear in several more chapters at least. Watch Lady Alsha. You still might not like her as the story progresses, but I can promise you development. In my opinion, the question of all people should be, "should the people currently in power be in power?". I don't mean to invite anarchy, only free thought. We should question the status quo, because even though something is generally accepted to be right, doesn't mean it is. We may determine after our analysis that the way things are is the way things should remain, but the reason situations appear like the one you describe, @Buz, is precisely from not enough people asking those questions. That's my two cents, anyway.

The Otherworld seemed just out of reach, a flickering image of all which existed beyond the senses. Morcant's mentors had spoken of the realm of primal nature, that which had originally given birth to all life in the world, but Morcant had yet to reach it. At best, he could see it for an instant in his meditations, but his mind remained too cluttered to access it fully. Morcant's back rested against the trunk of a mighty oak, his smooth and naked torso felt at home against the rough bark,

A druid is tasked with delivering justice to a Roman invader, but the task seems more a test than anything. Will he discern the truth and let his heart be his guide?

"I'm telling you, Lady Alsha, there was a pillar here before! You've got to believe me. It's my job to know these things, dammit!" The old man pushed his spectacles back up his nose as he wagged his finger at the knight. Kirra Elrhanadan eyed the situation with amusement. His commander, Lady Alsha, was a patient woman, but there was a limit to how long she would tolerate anyone speaking to her in such a disrespectful manner. She was a woman of high standing, after all. Kirra was far more int

Thank you! The tattoos were actually the original concept for the story. I liked the idea of having a character who could glide/fly through the use of a bird's enchanted blood mixed with tattoo ink. Hence, Styx was born. The first chapter came later, heh. I'm glad you're okay with continuing to read as I potentially stray into George R. R. Martin's territory.

I'm going to take that as a compliment. Getting compared to the great playwright is only a good thing, right? As for the connections between these lovely people, only time will tell. There are many things remaining in the shadows. Many will be revealed in this book. Many more will be revealed in the books to come (this is a series. One I originally abandoned, but reader response has brought me back into it, and I'm going to finish this now. I love all of you. I'm not two chapters into book two). Your observations of The Shade are great, and important, I think. One of the things I wanted to explore more when I thought of rewriting this was extending Styx's stay with Maxthane for awhile. I believe if I paced things correctly, I could absolutely make everything up to this point a book in itself and expand on all these characters and back stories a little more. Maybe someday I'll come back and do exactly that. I love all the speculation on the Underking's lover! This is the kind of thing I live for, people batting ideas back and forth in the comments. Maxthane's ideals are certainly more enlightened than his father's though bear in mind they are both the product of their environment and culture. Maxthane wouldn't be who he is if his father hadn't wanted something different for his son. As for Styx's origins... Hah! Hmm... is Styx the chosen one? Is that what we're asking here? What a marvelous question! Ooh... and great question about Prism. I can say this without spoiling anything, but the next book doubles as both a prequel and a sequel. We'll be spending a lot of time 800 years in the past with Prism and Grim and all the others from their time. What isn't answered here, might very well be answered there. Also, I'm starting a forum topic for the series. Everyone look for it!

That's one of the two reactions I see often to this chapter. People either identify with Max feeling that way or think he's falling too hard too fast (which he totally is, but what 15 yo doesn't, right?)

It's a bit intimidating for our star, isn't it? How's it going to play out for him?

Great question. It's good there are additional chapters available to help you find out! A Day in the Life of a Shade. Maybe I should've written this as a sitcom?

I'm so sorry for my delay in responding to this. I meant to, but somehow time got away from me. I'm glad you enjoy the names! They're actually all based on something, or recycled from earlier projects. Maxthane thulu-Khant was actually an anagram of one of my early Dungeons and Dragons characters, heh. Yay! Welcome, my friend! Yes, it is a bit of a tricky situation, isn't it? Who is right here? Do the ends justify the means? I'm glad to see you questioning as ever.

It might take me a few weeks worth of postings to share it, will that be all right?

Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to know?

Grim.

Breathing was becoming more difficult with each inhalation, and Styx found it impossible to focus on anything other than gulping for air. The searing pain from his arms and the wetness he felt spreading across his chest told him that he was also losing blood quickly, but that no longer seemed important. He was going to suffocate, and that would be his end. He shut his eyes and prepared to meet his fate. He felt strong hands lifting him from the ground and his eyes flashed open to see two men