by CS Sealey
“How do you know their names?”
“The sight gives me much more than visuals. I can hear things most of the time, but Markus has assured me that, when I understand my gift further, I will be able to hear their thoughts as well.”
“But that creature I saw…He was horrific, not human! How can I ever stand up to him? How can I ever be considered an adequate equal to his power?”
“You will grow strong, Angora,” the seer assured her. “It will all make sense to you soon enough, when you start to realize your capabilities.” Aiyla stood up and walked over to a table close to the bed and brought back a glass of water. “Here, you still look a bit pale.”
“Thank you.” Angora took a sip and sighed. “This is all very strange to me.”
“Now is a strange time. There are eleven mages active at present. From what I understand, that has never happened before, not since the time of Thraine himself.”
“Eleven mages? Should there not be twelve?”
“Emil is certain there is a twelfth somewhere but, as of yet, I have not been able to find him. He would be Tiderius’s double, a swordsman, capable of wielding another blade of great power. We are six already – you, me, Kayte, Emil, Markus and Tiderius. From what I have been able to see, the Ayons possess only five – Vrór, Galenros, Varren, Lhunannon and Tarvenna. The Spirits have something planned, that’s for sure!”
Angora could not help but feel confused. She dreaded the prospect of meeting her double, Vrór, in the flesh, but she had no idea what fighting him would be like. How was she supposed to defend the weak when she felt so vulnerable herself?
“How long have you known Tiderius’s brother?” Aiyla asked.
“Rasmus?” Angora sighed and turned to look out the narrow window that revealed a cloudless blue sky. “Barely a day, but it feels like so much longer. I hope he is not worried.”
“He knows where you are. Tiderius is keeping him informed.”
“Will he truly be able to visit whenever he chooses?”
“Of course! And we are not limited to the castle grounds either. This place isn’t a prison and we are not your jailers. The city has some beautiful gardens and lively markets, not to mention the festivals! I think you’ll grow to like it here after a time. When you feel up to it, I will gladly show you around. Some areas of the city are quite hard to navigate when the markets are on and you can easily get turned about if you’re unfamiliar with the streets.” The seer smiled. “Do you feel any better?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I remember what it was like when I first came here,” Aiyla said. “I didn’t like it. But if it hadn’t been for my gift, I would be very poor and scraping a living in the marketplaces of Cithille. I even once had a sweetheart but…Well, he didn’t stay around for long.”
Angora thought she noticed a hint of sadness in Aiyla’s eyes as she spoke and wondered what else she had left behind in her home city. She surely must miss her family.
“Never mind. My life has never been better!” Aiyla continued brightly. “The queen even allows me money to send to my family, so they are much better off as well.”
“I have no family…” Angora murmured. “Not any more.”
“I’m sorry. What happened?”
Angora hesitated for a moment but Aiyla had been so open with her, and her face was kind and understanding.
“My father was not a good man,” she said and swallowed. “He was the chief of Teronia but lacked all the qualities a good ruler should have. He wanted a son, but my mother had several miscarriages before finally giving birth to me. It was a difficult pregnancy and the village healers told her that she would be risking her life if she ever tried again. My father was not happy. He abused my mother, tried to force her into bed.”
“How dreadful!”
“He beat her, and when I tried to stop him, he beat me too. I could see my mother’s spirit fading day by day. There was nothing I could do or say to make her happy. Then a few months ago…” Angora paused, looked out the window and wiped her stinging eyes. “She took a small boat out into the strait. The elders said it was an accident, that she had been caught up in a sudden storm, but I knew she had waited for it.”
“She – she killed herself?” Aiyla asked, astounded.
“My father thought it was my fault. I tried to hide from him but he always managed to find me and punish me. Eventually, it was too much. I had to leave. I cannot help but hope the Ayons killed him when they burned my island. He did not have a heart.”
“That’s terrible,” Aiyla said, her eyes wide. “I can’t even begin to imagine – ”
“I am glad. I would not wish my past on anybody.”
But she supposed that her past would make her stronger. She knew what loss felt like, she had tasted grief, and would not let others suffer the way she herself had suffered. Perhaps the Spirits had chosen her for that very reason.
The Spirits shape our lives, guide us to where and what they want us to be, Angora thought. I am meant to be here.
She remembered the fifteen notches in the windowsill in Metaille. The Ronnesians were at war with the Ayons – surely there would come a time when soldiers would be sent north to fight. Perhaps she could join them and exact revenge on the invaders of her homeland.
“Why exactly are you fighting the Ayons?” she asked.
Aiyla raised her eyebrows. “I thought history like that was well known even in the most remote of islands!”
“My father forbade mainland trade,” Angora said, “so we heard very little news and cared even less about your history. My grasp of your language is due to my mother disobeying his orders and speaking with the other island traders. My father wanted Teronian women to bear children, learn how to heal wounds, cook food and do nothing else.”
“Well,” Aiyla began, clasping her hands in her lap, “almost one thousand years ago, the king of Galbadia died without naming an heir. Galbadia was an ancient empire beyond the Boundary Ranges to the north, where Turgyl is today. The king’s twin sons, Ter and Decerion, fought bitterly for the right to rule and neither would back down. A series of discussions were held in the capital, but the negotiations grew violent and turned to civil war.
“For decades, the two brothers and their supporters fought for domination. Finally, after thousands had died, the Terseans claimed victory and pushed the Decerions south. The refugees fled across the Boundary Ranges, out of Turgyl, and did not stop until they reached Kirofirth. Here. Over time, the Terseans expanded and became the Ayon Empire, and the Decerions became Ronnesians.”
“And you are fighting still?” Angora asked, astonished.
Aiyla chuckled. “Well, though both Ter and Decerion are long dead, there will always be friction between our two empires. Old grievances are replaced with new ones, old kings with young kings. I don’t know whether this land will ever know peace.”
“I cannot believe the hatred can be so strong after all this time.”
“Perhaps things will change,” Aiyla said, shrugging. “With both Queen Zennia and King Corhillar gone, maybe there is a chance for a permanent truce. I know Queen Sorcha does not desire war. It just depends on young King Samian.”
Angora nodded slightly and returned her gaze to the window. A bird was twittering somewhere outside and its song was unlike any other she had ever heard. A moment later, she heard a flutter of wings and a flash of white and blue shot past the window.
So many new things. It was like beginning life anew.
About Equilibrium (The Complete Edition)
Generations after the Spirits abandoned the world, two mortal empires stand on the brink of a final battle to end a centuries-old conflict. Ayons in the north, Ronnesians in the south.
Washed up on the shore of a foreign land, Angora is thrust into a war not her own. Proclaimed one of twelve legendary mages – representatives of the Spirits – she is charged with protecting the innocent with magic beyond her imagination. However, when her allies mercilessly misuse their own powers, she
begins to wonder which side of the conflict is the more righteous.
After the abduction of their ruler, the Ayons launch an invasion capable of destroying the Ronnesians once and for all. As the war rages on, Angora's friends fight bravely as strongholds fall before the mighty crimson wave of the Ayon army.
But when all seems lost for the Ronnesians, a spark of hope is found in an infamous assassin and a fragile rebellion rising from the dust.
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/equilibrium-the-complete-edition/.
ABOUT EQUILIBRIUM: EPISODE 2
As their empire faces crushing defeat, the Ronnesian mages are forced to make an impossible choice.
Three years since the last of the twelve legendary mages were revealed, the politics of war have shifted. Determined to try for unity, King Samian reaches out to the Ronnesians with an offer of marriage, a bloodless end to the war and a vision for a peaceful future. Yet Queen Sorcha is wary of deception.
While politics governs the leaders, others are moving in secret to deal the Ayons a fatal blow, in the hope of tipping the balance permanently in the Ronnesians’ favor.
But instead of faltering, the Ayons swiftly retaliate and the first wave comes crashing down. As the northern defenses strain and begin to buckle under the force of the crimson army, the Ronnesian mages are forced to break the unwritten rule to save their empire from destruction.
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/equilibrium-episode-2/
ABOUT CS SEALEY
Carmel Sealey was born in Sydney, Australia, and has a great passion for fantasy. Her brother first inspired her to write at a very young age and she has continued to do so with gusto. The first seed of Equilibrium began to sprout at the age of 15 and the story has been rewritten, reworked, abused, edited, rewritten again, expanded, cut, stitched back together and polished in the dozen years since. Enjoy!
First published by Momentum in 2015
This edition published in 2015 by Momentum
Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
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Copyright © CS Sealey 2015
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
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A CIP record for this book is available at the National Library of Australia
Equilibrium: Episode 1
EPUB format: 9781760300401
Mobi format: 9781760300418
Cover design by Raewyn Brack
Edited by Kylie Mason
Proofread by Thomasin Litchfield
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