Fire and Gold (Sisters of the North Book 1)

by Mara Amberly

  She knew where he would be right now; where he so often was: indulging his cruelty and feeding his manse. He called himself an instrument of the gods, a master of the people, but Elena Briette knew what he was: in a word, destructive. Maybe that’s what he did to her as well; destroy her more every day until she began to question what was left and why it mattered at all. Some voice within told her that it did matter. It mattered quite a lot, but what choice had she? He was all she had, unless she considered a world she hardly belonged to at all. Somehow, she often did, but it was so much easier to escape within or to that other place beyond the human senses than see just how ugly reality had become.

  GLOSSARY

  Places:

  Aesteria: The world in which our story takes place. Aesteria is the second planet from the star known as Solinus, and contains seven continents of the known world: Maeridea, Vestus, Kesinia, North Voh and South Voh, Icumari and Marindi. Due to the distances involved, Maeridea has limited interactions and trade with continents other than Vestus, which is around a week’s journey north of Avedon by ship.

  Avedon: A large town to the north of Maeridea, Avedon is a shipping port and trade centre. Many goods are distributed from Avedon to the mountain towns in the north of the kingdom. Avedon is also renowned for the friendliness of its people and the beauty of the surrounding coastline.

  Eldennaia: A town on the north coast of Maeridea, where Alexa and Cassia lived with their family before joining the Sisters of Destiny. Eldennaia was historically a meeting place for northern tribes in the area. Conflict among the people occurs to this day, such as between the prominent D’orelia and Vengard noble families.

  Feidhlim: A relatively modern town that was built over the ruins of an ancient one. The town is now run down and mostly uninhabited. Many houses stand empty, surrounded by the carved statues and eroded archways of times past. Feidhlim is located to the east of The Painted Desert. Its populace has mostly vanished, aside from a cult that live in a compound of buildings on the outskirts of town. Their armed soldiers patrol Feidhlim during the day and anyone arrested is taken into the compound. No townsperson is known to have returned. A small number of people, including children, hide out in the town and try to evade capture by the soldiers. Others have left in search of a safer home.

  Great Southern Sea: South of the continent and kingdom of Maeridea, the Great Southern Sea reaches from the Bay of Kalle Demorre to the Isle of Blue, and southward. It forms part of Aesteria’s largest body of salt water, the Faros Ocean.

  Haledor: A city in central Maeridea, located in the heart of The Painted Desert. Haledor is unlike other cities in the kingdom, because many of the city’s occupants are tribesmen from the surrounding desert who only visit the city to trade, manage tribal politics, or when the weather is uncomfortably hot or cold. There are permanent residents in Haledor and a large proportion of them (around 40%) are foreigners. Many of the tribesmen who visit the city or who have lands under its governance choose not to acknowledge King Merrion as their leader and deal only with the city’s Governor, Cerus Arani.

  Isle of Blue: A small chain of islands east of Zysa. Inhabited mainly by fishermen and their families, The Isle of Blue also has representatives among the King’s court. One of the King’s advisors, Sean Craedon, was a ship captain born on the Isle of Blue.

  Kalle: The capital of the kingdom and country of Maeridea. It isn’t the largest city, but it is one of the most well-known. Kalle sits on the edge of the Bay of Kalle Demorre. It’s a trading hub and attracts many visitors from throughout the kingdom. Three islands are located in the bay near Kalle - Kalle Demorre Island (also known as The King’s Island), Whiterock Island and Minstrel’s Island. The Sisters of Destiny’s Temple of Solitude is located in Kalle. It’s the city where our story begins.

  Kalle Demorre Island (aka The King’s Island): This is one of three islands located in the Bay of Kalle Demorre and the closest to the southern coastline of Maeridea. The King’s palace is located there, where King Merrion holds court and receives foreign dignitaries. The island is only a short distance across the water from the city of Kalle.

  Kelbani (aka The Free City of Kelbani): A city in the mountains, Kelbani is well-fortified against attack. The city is located on a flat plane between two mountains of the Kelbani range, with the mountains known colloquially as ‘Victory’ and ‘Treachery’. A single pass leads between the mountains to the front gates of the city. Within, the city houses a large population and the Sisters of Destiny’s Temple of Victory can be found there. Kelbani is known as a ‘free city’ because it has historically been a ‘sanctuary’ from the kingdom’s law. However, the prior leadership chose not to honour its status, and many people were arrested for outstanding warrants. There was an uprising in the city, where the prior leader (a Kallean Governor named Helion DeMere) was overthrown (quite literally). The Kelbani underground installed a new leader sympathetic to their cause and he has reinstated the city’s free status (former Guard Captain Jacob Sutton). This rebellion has led to widespread looting and rioting in the city.

  Minstrel’s Island: One of three islands in the Bay of Kalle Demorre. Minstrel’s island is a centre for theatre, recreation, music and the creative arts. The island attracts townspeople who enjoy its entertainments.

  Whiterock Island: An island located in the Bay of Kalle Demorre, Whiterock Island is the least visited of the three islands. It has a distinct rocky landscape and has served as a limestone quarry in the past. The island is mostly uninhabited, though it receives occasional visitors, typically fishermen.

  Zysa: The largest city in Maeridea, the ancient city of Zysa is located in the east of the kingdom. It houses many prominent landmarks including the Sisters of Destiny’s Temple of Lore, which is the largest repository of books, scrolls and documents in the kingdom. Zysa has a large shipping port, which trades infrequently with the southern continents, as well as locations in the kingdom including the city of Kalle, the town of Eldennaia and the nearby Isle of Blue. Before King Merrion had his new palace built on Kalle Demorre Island, the former palace of the King was located in Zysa. It’s now home to members of the royal family including the King’s Mother Erisa and Prince Leon.

  Main Characters:

  Sister Alexa (formerly Alexa D’orelia): A priestess of the sorcerous order, the Sisters of Destiny. Like other initiates, she set aside her family name and obligations when she joined the order. Alexa lived in the Temple of Solitude in Kalle until the attack by the Nemorans. She has golden-blonde hair, which she typically wears braided and fair skin. Her gentle eyes are a vivid green, like those of her sister Cassia. She is tall, more slender than curvy and twenty-four summers old. Her strongest interests are lore and divination, and she’s obtained mastery in air magick. She has little to no skill with the fire and water elements, and some minor skill with earth magick. She’s also a natural empath, which is a trait that rarely develops on its own without training. Alexa is a less proficient fighter than her sister, but she is trained with the sword and knife.

  Sister Cassia (Formerly Cassia D’orelia): Alexa’s younger sister and a priestess of the Sisters of Destiny. Cassia has long red hair and a passionate temperament, and she excels at fire magick. Like her sister Alexa, she has almost no ability with water magick. She is moderately skilled with air magick and not especially proficient with earth magick. Her eyes are green like her sister’s, but Cassia is shorter and somewhat more muscular than Alexa. While Cassia’s skin is fair, it’s dotted with many freckles from the sun. She typically wears her long red hair loose behind her shoulders. Cassia is a proficient fighter with bladed weapons including the knife and sword, as well as bare-fisted fighting. She’s nineteen summers old.

  Sister Brigita: An elder sister in her mid to late 50s with grey-brown hair. Alexa and Cassia rescued her from a burning outbuilding on the Temple of Solitude’s grounds. She was a teacher and senior priestess at the temple, and possesses mastery in earth magick. Brigita is known to have little or no ability wi
th the element of air, while her abilities with other elements weren’t stated. She revealed that she was once married with a daughter.

  Hermea D’Laris: A young woman with dark hair and blue eyes, who is around 15 or 16 summers old. She was a recent recruit at the Temple of Solitude in Kalle but hadn’t yet become an initiate at the time of the attack. Cassia, Alexa and Brigita rescued her from a fire in the process of consuming the temple. She told Cassia that the village she came from was in the south-east of Maeridea.

  Josef: Cassia’s secret boyfriend, who she occasionally left the temple to meet. Originally from Kelbani, Josef lives in the city of Kalle with his family who are trying to arrange a marriage for him. If caught meeting Cassia, the lovers would face harsh punishments. Josef is nineteen summers old, with dark hair and tanned skin.

  Rudolf (aka Knave aka ‘the Bastard of Kelbani’): A prisoner who faced execution for mutiny and the murder of his ship Captain, Rudolf was spared when Alexa read his runes as a part of his last rites. The outcome of his reading was special, as the runes fell in a rare spiral pattern that was believed to show the unanimous wish of the Gods for his release. The sisters believed that a reading such as his implies an important fate ahead.

  Jonas: A pseudonym used by a teenage boy who was exiled from his people. They lived in a secret community below ground in The Painted Desert. Jonas is now hiding out in the town of Feidhlim.

  Elio Terell: The King’s Minister for Justice, who visited the prison on the day of the temple attack and attempted to fast-track the executions there. He was described by Alexa as an ‘angry looking man who’s losing his hair’.

  Calla Orelle: The Arch-Magister and High Priestess of the Temple of Solitude: An elderly woman in poor health, she tends toward solitude herself and is the ranking priestess at the temple. She is a rare adept in all elemental magicks and despite her weakened state, was once a formidable battle mage who served in His Majesty’s military. She had carers including a Sister named Marie but she was believed killed when the Temple of Solitude was attacked.

  Sister Lara: A priestess of the Sisters of Destiny who resided in the Temple of Solitude. She had sandy-blonde hair and was known for being a difficult person at times. She served as a poor go-between when the messenger, Luke, was trying to relay a warning message to Arch-Magister Calla Orelle.

  Luke (the Messenger): The young man who relayed a message from Cerus Arani in an attempt to warn Arch-Magister Calla Orelle about the impending attack on the Temple of Solitude.

  King Merrion I: The King of Maeridea and patriarch of the Megalos ruling family. King Merrion is in his late 30s with greying hair and pale blue eyes. The King resides in his palace on Kalle Demorre Island. While he is generally considered a kind and civilised ruler, there are some who think him an unworthy King or even a fool. His wife is the Queen Consort Leiana, and he has two young daughters: Princesses Sophia and Helena. He doesn’t yet have a male heir.

  Sean Craedon: An Advisor to King Merrion. A grey-bearded man originally from the Isle of Blue. Sean is considered the wiser of the King’s two Advisors, and has counselled King Merrion for many years.

  Jason Veryon: An Advisor to King Merrion. A young nobleman perceived by Cerus Arani as immature, given his status. He grew up a ward of the King’s family and he’s a close friend of King Merrion’s.

  Lorest Kilbourne: A Steward at the King’s Palace on Kalle Demorre Island. Lorest has blonde hair and a short-cropped beard. He has served the King since the palace was constructed twelve years before.

  Gerard Blackthorn: A Clerk of the King’s Palace on Kalle Demorre Island. Usually clad in a grey suit, Gerard meets and greets visitors, apprises the relevant staff of their arrival, and addresses their concerns and needs.

  Sandren: Jonas’s once-superior, who was one of the men to exile him from his home.

  Vengard family: An ancient noble family from Eldennaia, who have long been at odds with the D’orelia family, of whom Alexa and Cassia are members. There has been violence between the two families going back generations.

  Kraven Mistbane: A name disclosed by a girl named Yasmin after she heard two soldiers talking. It apparently belongs to a man within the cultists’ stronghold in Feidhlim. She passed knowledge of the name to Jonas, before she was kidnapped by cult soldiers.

  Organisations:

  The Sisters of Destiny: A magickal order of priestesses who comprise one of a number of religious orders throughout Maeridea. They’re one of the richest and most influential, dating from the late 36th Century. They’re a female-only order and offer training to initiates in magick, lore, combat, farming, nursing, medicine and duties associated with the running of a temple.

  The Temple of Victory was established in 3593 and is 179 years old. It was dedicated to Nichaea, the Goddess of Victory, though their faith honours 12 great Gods (including Goddesses). There are believed to be many lesser or forgotten Gods, who are only acknowledged in minor ways. The Temple of Solitude was constructed in the year 3654 and is 118 years old. The Temple of Lore is located in Zysa; it was built in 3633 and is 139 years old.

  The 12 major deities of the faith are Nichaea (Goddess; Victory), Andrus (God; The Seafarer), Skeben (God; The Rogue), Rathor (God; The Warrior), Denkar (God; The Artisan), Numesta (Goddess; The Magick-born), Sectal (Goddess; The Loremaster), Gevrus (God; The Wanderer), Zanya (Goddess; The Lover), Herma (Goddess; Family), Draeven (God; The Guardian) and Anbasi (Goddess; Time).

  A typical rune set belonging to the Sisters of Destiny consists of 14 runes with 12 related specifically to Gods of the Maeridean pantheon. The other two runes signify ‘the world’ and ‘justice’. There are more complex sets used by other orders and individuals, and some may comprise different or additional runes.

  The Nemorans: This is an organisation’s common name among Maerideans, but not the name they have given themselves. This secretive organisation, which is an armed cult, calls itself the Warriors of the Dusk. While not widely known, the cult is governed by a single leader. Their base is in the stronghold of Nemorath, in the city of Feidhlim in eastern Maeridea. They were responsible for the attacks on temples belonging to the Sisters of Destiny.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Mara Amberly lives in the west of Ireland with her husband and her rabbit Phedre, though she is originally from eastern Australia. Since 2015, she has published Enchanting Whispers, Romantic Dreams: Selected Poems and Short Stories; and Feathers, Dreams and Faerie Wings: An Art and Poetry Collection, as well as standalone short stories from her first book.

  Mara aims to publish the second book in the Sisters of the North series in late 2016/early 2017.

  You can visit Mara Amberly’s web site at http://www.maraamberly.com