Silk and Earth

by Mara Amberly

  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 attained 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.

  Rudolf (aka Knave aka ‘the Bastard of Kelbani’): A former 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 implied an important fate ahead. Rudolf helped protect the Sisters during their journey from Kalle to Kelbani, and accompanied them onward in their quest to retrieve the manse.

  Sister Ariane (Formerly Ariane Vengard): A battlemage who travelled to Mount Bridha with a group of Sisters from Kelbani’s Temple of Victory. She was assigned by Sister Anya to accompany Cassia, Alexa and Knave on their quest to capture a manse believed to be in central Maeridea. She was later revealed to be a member of the Vengard family, who were known to have once feuded with Alexa and Cassia’s birth family (the D’orelia family). Ariane didn’t share her family’s hatred and was able to overcome her origins to work constructively with Alexa and Cassia.

  Jonas: A pseudonym used by a teenage boy who was exiled from his people. They lived in a secret community below ground west of Feidhlim. He travelled to the city of Feidhlim in an attempt to retrieve the manse stolen by the Nemorans, which should have been under the guardianship of his people.

  Elena Briette: Jarlath’s sister, who he kept captive in the compound after killing the rest of their family. She lived by his rules for a long time, until she encountered Jonas in the compound and believed he could do something to help stop Jarlath’s destructive plans. She and Jonas escaped the town, but she was unable to prevent the manse’s theft by Malachi.

  Malachi (the dragon): A young dragon who Alexa, Cassia, Knave and Ariane encountered during their search for the manse. He was in mourning for his mother, who had been killed by the Nemorans when her life energy was used to fuel the manse. The name Malachi was given by Alexa after he joined their quest, and as such was not his ‘true name’. Malachi stole the manse from Jonas and Elena Briette when they were fleeing Feidhlim and ignored Alexa’s requests to return. He was last seen establishing a new home west of Feidhlim with the manse in his possession.

  Jarlath (assumed deceased): The leader of the cult known as the Warriors of the Dusk (informally: the Nemorans). He was the brother of Elena Briette, who he held captive in his compound in Feidhlim. He was a sorcerer of power who possessed the manse, which he used to effectively cloak the town from magickal senses; though not before it was first noticed by Alexa. He was believed killed by Knave with Alexa’s sword.

  King Merrion I: The King of Maeridea and patriarch of the Megalos ruling family. King Merrion is in his late thirties 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.

  Sister Anya: A Sister of Destiny who accompanied the other Sisters and Knave to Mount Bridha, where she was in charge of the mission to retrieve the manses. She’s described as a priestess in blue with long, black hair.

  Magister Kelcedone: A Magister of Elemental Fire who serves in the seniority of the Sisters of Destiny and resides at the Temple of Victory in the city of Kelbani. She’s described as in her middle years with blazing red hair, and she’s renowned as an exceptional fire mage and leader.

  Sister Eluria: A priestess of the Sisters of Destiny who accompanied the large group of priestesses to Mount Bridha as a part of their mission to retrieve the manses. She was assigned as a strategist by Magister Kelcedone. She’s described as a blonde priestess with brown robes, which mark her specialisation as an earth mage.

  Sean Craedon: An Advisor to King Merrion. A grey-bearded man originally from the Isle of Blue. Sean was considered the wiser of the King’s two Advisors, and counselled King Merrion for many years. However, his loyalty was called into question, as it’s believed he may have been serving Nemoran interests.

  Jason Veryon (deceased): 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 was a close friend of King Merrion’s. He was killed during the Nemorans’ attack on the King’s palace.

  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. He was last seen in Kalle before the attack on the Temple of Solitude.

  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. Sister Ariane belonged to the Vengard family before joining the Sisters of Destiny, at which time she cast off her surname and family loyalty. Vengard family members contacted her regarding Cassia and Alexa’s presence in the order, wanting her to interfere, but she refused.

  Kraven Mistbane (assumed deceased): A man within the cultists’ stronghold in Feidhlim. He was a friend to Elena Briette, and wanted to run away with her, but didn’t believe the attempt would be successful. His name was first disclosed to Jonas by a girl named Yasmin, who had heard two soldiers talking.

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

  Gerard Blackthorn (deceased): A Clerk of the King’s Palace on Kalle Demorre Island. Usually clad in a grey suit, Gerard met and greeted visitors, apprised the relevant staff of their arrival, and addressed their concerns and needs.

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

  Sister Brigita: An elder sister in her mid to late fifties 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 with the element of air, while her abilities with other elements weren’t stated. She revealed that she was once married with a daughter.

  He
rmea 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.

  Elio Terell: The King’s Minister for Justice, who visited the prison on the day of the attack on the Temple of Solitude. He was described by Alexa as an ‘angry looking man who’s losing his hair’.

  Calla Orelle: The former Arch-Magister and High Priestess of the Temple of Solitude: An elderly woman in poor health, she tended toward solitude herself and was the ranking priestess at the temple. She was 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 (deceased): 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.

  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 was governed by a leader named Jarlath. Their base was 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.

  The cult’s leader, a man named Jarlath, is believed to have been killed by Rudolf (Knave) using Alexa’s sword. The Nemoran stronghold was destroyed by the Sisters of Destiny after Cassia, Alexa, Knave and Ariane escaped the town of Feidhlim.

  About the Author

  Born in Australia, author Mara Amberly lives in the west of Ireland. A trained journalist, editor and web developer, her interests include reading, writing and roleplaying games.

  She has published books of fantasy, short stories and poetry. She’s currently working on a new cyberpunk fantasy novel entitled Aspect Seraphine.

  More Books by Mara Amberly: http://www.amazon.com/author/maraamberly

  Follow Mara on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaraAmberly

  Mara's Web Site: http://author.maraamberly.com