The Last of Her Line

by Valerie Veden

  “But if they abducted me from here, they could repeat that in the Twin Worlds, too.” I countered.

  “No,” Mervin shook his head, “The Twin Worlds are closed for the Kadaries. The Lord Dragon made sure of that.”

  “I don’t want to go,” I turned away from the taheert. “My home, my motherland, is here. I don’t want to hide in some burrow like a –”

  “Raisha, please, don’t be so stubborn.” Mervin said wearily. “Think about the child.”

  I was silent for a few seconds.

  “Did the Lord Dragon tell you about it?”

  “Yes. Do you feel sorry? Sorry that everything happened like that?”

  All the masks Mervin hid behind for so long were gone. He seemed much younger, and vulnerable.

  “Do you love me?” I asked quietly.

  He looked me in the eyes, “Yes, I do. I love you.”

  “Then there is nothing for me to be sorry about.”

  Chapter 9

  Salldorr, the Twin World that belonged to shyfters and vampires, was surprisingly similar to ours. It had the same sun and the same constellations. It had the same autumn, too, with falling leaves, morning fogs and night rains.

  The main residence of Alatos, a Wolves clan, became my new home. Wolves liked living as a pack, and one residence provided shelter for many families, with each couple having a room of their own while all their children grew together, loved and cared for by everyone in the clan.

  The Alatos were surprisingly kind to me. Perhaps it was due to my age, or it could have been a personal request from Alex Dakaant.

  The only thing the Lord Dragon did was open the Gate to send us to the Twin Worlds. As a parting farewell, Mervin got a curt nod and I - a heavy look.

  Mervin stayed for three days.

  It was our time. Embraces, kisses, gentle touches, but still I felt a constant fear that these days were the last moments of happiness I would know, that Mervin would leave and I would never see him again.

  I told him about my fears, but he just smiled and shook his head.

  After three days, our time ended, and Mervin left.

  I remained in Salldorr, breathing the air of the alien world and eating its food, wondering how long my stay here would last.

  The Gate of Belhel hadn’t been constructed, and the Lord Dragon’s shields hadn’t covered the whole of Terrine, not yet.

  Any day, any hour, though, that could change.

  THE END OF BOOK 1

  Glossary

  Alm-Tiren (“new” Tiren) - the capital of the Shorall kingdom, destroyed during the second dragon invasion.

  Aristo – a nobleman or noblewoman of the el’Tuan society.

  Aritos – the best sorcerers. After the first dragon invasion, the word has been used rarely.

  Barrier – an elaborate and powerful spell, designed specifically to prevent any dragons from entering the world of Terrine.

  Beasts – a derogatory term for the shyfters.

  Creation – the moment when the Great Sphere of the Worlds came into existence.

  Chaos Adepts – a secret order of Chaos worshippers originally founded in the Twin Worlds. Among other crimes, e.g. human sacrifices, its members were responsible for the death of a few dragons.

  Chaos Gods – the ancient enemies of the Creator.

  Dakaant – the family name of the only living line of dragons.

  Dark Magic (also called Anti-magic) – the rarest and one of the most precious magic abilities among the el’Tuans. The wielders of Dark Magic can either unravel any spell no matter the strength put into its creation or strengthen it ten-fold.

  Demons – sapient non-human creatures, living in the Abyss. Some of them serve Specters.

  Discarnation (complete) – death of an ethereal entity.

  Discarnation (partial) – temporal coma-like condition that can befall an ethereal entity.

  Dragons – powerful sorcerers with ability to shift into giant fire-breathing almost invincible flying monsters. Some scholars, though, consider dragon appearance a main one and their human shape a disguise. Dragons’ opinion on the matter is unknown.

  Elements – a subdivision in magic science. Traditionally there are four primary Elements: the Air, the Water, the Fire, the Earth. Non-traditional approach defines some others, e.g. the Frost.

  El’ero – (“soul divided”). According to religious teachings of the el’Tuans, each of them is born with half a soul - a punishment for their ancestors’ uprising against the Creator. Most people live happily, without ever encountering their el’ero. If the meeting does happen, a life-long bond is created. Those affected can’t help feeling the strongest emotions towards their second “half”. It can be any kind of emotion, not necessary reciprocated: love, hate, care, anxiety, envy… Legends and historical chronicles depict terrible wars and disasters as well as great and noble deeds resulting from acquiring one’s el’ero.

  El’Handeh (“soul” of Handeh) – the moon in the world of Terrine. Handeh is the name of a half-forgotten goddess, whose symbol was full moon in its zenith.

  El’Ruavvies (vampires) – a sapient race, inhabiting the Eastern Archipelago of Salldorr. Their appearance is mostly human-like, although their skin and eyes are highly sensitive to sunrays. Their complexion is pale and their irises and lips are deep-red. The main difference from other sapient races is in their diet: the el’Ruavvies need to drink blood of mammals to survive.

  El’Tuans – a sapient race, human-like in appearance, inhabiting the world of Terrine. They have the ability to wield magic. Their life span is about three hundred years.

  Ettel – a small province in the kingdom of Shorall, famous for its exquisite cuisine.

  Gate – a magical way of transportation from one world to another. Transition happens through the Abyss.

  Gift – an inborn ability to wield magic.

  Great Sphere of the Worlds – all inhabitable and uninhabitable worlds ever made by the Creator.

  High Priest – the most influential male in the Kadaries’ society.

  Kadaries – a sapient race of magic-wielders and warriors living on dead islands floating in the Abyss. The Kadaries are considered a cursed people by some other races.

  Kiysta – a magical artifact, made in the form of a thin hair-band and is used to prevent el’Tuan prisoners from attempting escape. Long exposure to kiysta can cause complete oblivion or death.

  Portal – a magical way of transportation within the same world. Transition happens through the Abyss.

  Purification Day – a holiday of religious importance, celebrated by all the el’Tuans.

  Savato (the Power of Equilibrium) – one of the main forces in the Great Sphere of the Worlds. Savato keeps things in order, providing balance between light and darkness. The oath by the name of Savato is considered the strongest magic-binding oath.

  Sea dragons – magical snake-like animals living in the seas of Terrine.

  Shorall (dynasty) – the family of powerful sorcerers that ruled the kingdom of Shorall for many thousands of years.

  Shorall (kingdom) – the biggest country on the continent of Toestann, in the northern hemisphere of Terrine.

  Shyfters – people able to change their shapes into either human or that of a big predator. Shyfting ability is inborn.

  Source – a place where strong flows of magic come together. There are natural and artificial Sources. Most Sources consist of one natural Element.

  Specters – the firstborn children of the Creator. They are immortal, powerful, ethereal entities living in the Abyss.

  Stahnin – a rare metal with magical properties. Depending on the way it was processed it can either strengthen or weaken magical flows. It can also prevent shyfting.

  Sveille – a south-eastern protectorate of the kingdom of Shorall.

  Taheert – a master of artifact creation.

  Terrine – the world, populated by the race of the el’Tuans.

  Tiren – the first capital of Shorall ki
ngdom, destroyed by the Lord Dragon ten centuries before Riel Shorall was born.

  The Abyss – both the space between the worlds and a sapient immortal entity who rules that space.

  The Abyss Beasts – yellow-eyed magical creatures, living in the Abyss. The el’Tuans believe that all victims of demonic possessions are doomed to turn into such creatures.

  The age of maturity – in the el’Tuan society it is celebrated twice: at twenty years and at twenty-five. A person is considered completely responsible for his or her deeds after the first age of maturity, while the second signifies reaching the full possession of one’s magical power.

  The Ancients – a sapient race, which populated Terrine before the el’Tuans. The Ancients were rumored to have unrivaled magic power. Many millennia ago they disappeared without any trace.

  The Divide – time when the Chaos Gods first appeared in the Great Sphere of the Worlds.

  The Eternal Companion – the el’Tuans’ name for Death.

  The First Age – a period from Creation to the Divide.

  The Island Empire – the biggest country in the southern hemisphere of Terrine and place where Riel Shorall’s mother was born.

  The Island Republic – one of the few states in the world of Terrine ruled not by royalty but by a tight group of its richest merchants.

  The Creator – the most popular name of the god who gave the beginning to time, space and matter.

  The Lord Dragon – the strongest among the dragons, the supreme ruler of the Twin Worlds.

  The Mirror of Truth – an ancient artifact made by the Creator. It can show all variants of future that might come to pass.

  The Twin Worlds – two worlds (Salldorr and Shandorr) with identical continent layout and terrain, connected to each other by many natural Gates. Salldorr is inhabited by shyfters and vampires, Shandorr is populated by humans. Both worlds are ruled by the Lord Dragon.

  The Winged Ones – another name for dragons.

  Thej-lo – a traditional dish from the Kadaries cuisine. It can be stored for many years without losing its nutritional properties. For those unaccustomed to the Kadaries cuisine, thej-lo looks and tastes like dried and pressed grass.

  Threads – flows of magical energy. Threads are usually named in accordance to the elemental power used in their creation: Water threads, Fire threads and so on. Sometimes threads are defined by their purpose: spy threads, search threads, etc.

  Vampires – a widespread name for the race of the el’Ruavvies.

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