“You gave me quite a scare,” Alexander said softly, reaching one hand out to touch her face. “No one could find you.”
“I’m sorry,” Sacha replied. “I was just...I was thinking about everything.”
Alexander studied her for a moment. He hesitated then asked as gently as if she were a wild animal that might run away, “Your sister?”
It was actually a relief to have the old excuse to lean on. Even so, she found she was tired of the lingering shadow of one more lie. “Yes, amongst other things.”
The prince nodded. “We will find her, my love.”
Sacha looked up at him. He was everything she wanted, everything she wanted for Rylan. He was the man Renee could never have been, and he could be the father Hathorn never was. “No, my love.” She shook her head. “Sacha is dead.”
Alexander blinked in surprise. How could he ever understand all the things that one simple phrase actually meant?
Sacha managed a genuine smile as she reached out to take his hand. “Come, my love. Take me home.”
A cool breeze touched Sacha’s exposed skin, teasing her from sleep with icy feathers. Her shoulders pimpled before she could tuck them below the sheets and snuggle close to Alexander. The spell of slumber was broken, however. Even with Alexander’s beckoning warmth against her breast, her dreams pulled further and further away.
Sacha sighed and gently pressed her lips to Alexander’s shoulder. Sleep well, my love. The chill of the tiles on her feet almost chased her back into the warm bed, but she knew no sleep would come this night. She shivered when her arms slid into the loose, silken sleeves of her robe.
Sacha fumbled a bit with the ties as she minced her way across the cold tiles between the deep rugs and came to the double doors that let out to their private balcony. There was some nostalgia in her heart as she remembered her time at the Monastery, barely more than a year past, when she would stand on the ledge beyond her window as a form of penance. The endless snows of the far north were a far cry, though, from an unusually cool early-summer night. She rubbed her arms as she walked to the edge of the landing and looked out over the Citadel.
Many torches and streetlamps still burned, filling in the gap left by the two moons that had almost come to touch the horizon. A great number of people still roamed the streets, but now they tended to move in well-buttered packs of enthusiastically singing men and women, as opposed to the mighty rivers of partygoers that had flowed just hours before.
Sacha breathed in the lingering scents of the festival that mingled with the cool spice of Alexander. It had been a long time since she had found some genuine peace. The myriad tasks that awaited her faded, and even the undeniable hold Vinnicus had on her seemed not so pressing. In this moment, and when in Alexander’s arms, she found she might actually be able to be happy.
The double doors clicked shut behind Sacha, startling her away from where she leaned on the rail. She turned to find an impossibility.
“So, are you enjoying yourself...dear sister?”
Thank you for reading our book!
We hope you enjoyed it! If so, we would greatly appreciate a review from you.
Leave a Review
Sign up for our mailing list!
If you would like to know the instant we have a new book available, please sign up! We will only email you when a new release has launched.
New Release Notification Sign Up
About the authors
Matt Howerter
Matt is one of those guys who grew up loving to draw, watching cartoons and playing RPGs (the kind where you sit at a table and the other players are generally in the same room with you). When deciding what direction to take in life, Matt was torn between illustration and storytelling, both forms of art he truly enjoyed. Illustration and design won out and became his career for nearly two decades, but storytelling always remained close to his heart. Finally, Matt has used his pencil to write as well as draw, and he hopes to continue to do so for the rest of his days.
Jon Reinke
Wandering has always been a hobby for Jon Reinke, but one thing has always been a constant. A love of fiction. Whether it’s getting lost in a fantastic world of his own imagining through RPG’s (see a theme here?) or reading dozens of books populated by wizards and warriors, heroes and villains, this genre has always been a fixture of his life.
Glossary
Artifacts
Harundin - (Ha • Roon •Den) The stone of power.
Mordekki - (Mor • Dee • Key) Symbol and weapon of the ruling family of the dwarven people.
Characters
Alexander Ventus - Prince and acting king of Basinia.
Arece Moridin - (Ah • Reese) Queen of Pelos and mother to Galen, Sloane and Sacha.
Baeloke - (Bay • Loke) Immortal awaiting the Awakening.
Bale Tigon - A captain of the Pelosian army, responsible for the safety of the royal family.
Banlor Graves - Lord and Minister of Trade for the Basinian kingdom, Blanor is a man of substantial power and influence.
Bella Louvet - Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin.
Galen Moridin - Prince of Pelos and eldest of King Hathorn’s children.
Gideon Thorel - General to House Borjornin the second house of the dwarven people.
Girty Borjornin - Daughter of Gurney and eldest of the house Borjornin.
Gurney Borjornin - Leader of the second most powerful dwarven house.
Erik Aveon - (A • Vee • On) Orphan and adopted father of Kinsey Aveon, Erik is a loyal and long-time scout for the Basinia army.
Hathorn Moridin - King of Pelos and father to Galen, Sloane and Sacha.
Horus - Dwarven soldier. One of eleven dwarves to go in search of Kinsey.
Jagger DeBoucher - Notorious, human rogue of the northern lands.
Jessip Hornsburg -Leader of the eighth most powerful dwarven house.
Jocelyn Thorel - Prominent warrior among the dwarves and sister to Gideon.
Kesh Tomelen - A chancellor of the Basinian courts, Kesh is also a prominent emissary and works closely with Lord Banlor Graves.
Kinsey Aveon - Adopted son of Erik Aveon, Kinsey is half-dwarven and a soldier of the Basinian army.
Leanne Louvet - Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin.
Maharuke - (Ma • Ha • Ruke) Overlord of Selen’s hobgoblin forces.
Marcella Moridin - Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin. Older sister to Meagan Moridin.
Meagan Moridin - Cousin to Sloane and Sacha Moridin. Younger sister to Marcella Moridin.
Naulin Homber - Lead miner of the northern mines of Mozil.
Neal - Dwarven soldier. One of eleven dwarves to go in search of Kinsey.
Olen Bluebeard - Leader of the fourth most powerful dwarven house.
Petron Grouler - Ancient but revered dwarven warrior.
Renee Folet - Traveling minstrel and lover of Sacha Moridin.
Rhian Ventus - Queen of Basinia and mother to Alexander Ventus.
Roderick Ventus - King of Basinia and father to Alexander Ventus.
Ronil Narsbin - Leader of the fifth most powerful dwarven house.
Rouke Tarr - Loyal friend to Erik and Kinsey. Soldier of the Basinian army.
Rylan Moridin - Daughter of Sacha Moridin and Renee. A princess of Pelos.
Sacha Moridin - Daughter of King Hathorn and Queen Arece, Sacha is a Princess of Pelos with potential to become one of the most powerful users of the Shamonrae.
Selen - Immortal awaiting the Awakening.
Sargon - A dwarven high priest of Dagda and friend to King Thorn.
Sloane Moridin - Daughter of King Hathorn and Queen Arece, Sloane is to become queen of Basinia by marriage to Prince Alexander Ventus.
Tagen Axeheed - Leader of the most powerful dwarven house.
Teacher - Headmaster of the Monastery and Sacha Moridin’s mentor.
Thorn Brunahlen - (Brune • Hall • In) King of the Dwarves.
Vinnicus - (Vin • I • Kus) Immortal
who seeks to manipulate events and people toward his ends.
Gods of Orundal
Anoba - (An • O • Buh) God of life. Primary deity of the elves.
Dagda - (Dag • Duh) God of the earth. Primary deity of the dwarves.
Eos - (E • Ohs) God of survival. Primary deity of the humans.
Mot - God of death. Worshiped by all of the goblinoid races and most outcasts of society.
Supernatural
Arcane energy/power - Mystical force used by mages to alter reality. Sometimes called, Shamonrae.
Dakayga - (Da • Kay • Gha) Blessing of the dwarven god Dagda. Demon or spirit warrior.
Dausos - (Da • Sos) The spirit world.
Rohdaekhann - (Row • Day • Con) Giant eagles in Basinia.
Shamonrae - (Sha • Mon • Ray) The place between reality and spirit where arcane energy is stored in its raw form.
Skinner - Demon doppelganger.
The World
Asynia - (A • Sin • Ya) Elven capital deep within the Winewood.
Basinia - (Base • I • Knee • Ya) Home of Terrandal, the tree of peace between elves and men. Also known as the ‘First Nation’, referring to the first settlement of humans on Orundal.
Dry Tower - Abandoned colony of elven and human settlers.
Pelos - (Pel • loss) Nation of the screaming eagle. Comprised of humans that were once nomadic tribes, the Pelosians became ‘civilized’ after the dwarven civil war 500 years prior to the present day storyline.
Mozil - (Moe • zeal) Dwarven capital in the Dale mountain range.
Orundal - (Or • Un • Doll) The only known land mass.
Savage Lands - The wilderness. Untamed lands inhabited by nomads, outcasts and wildlife.
Skelris - (Skell • Riss) Goblinoid capital of the Wetlands.
Stone Mountain/City Wall - Once kingdom to the dwarven nation (Rhazidan), Stone Mountain is now capital to the nomadic human tribes of Pelos. A massive, dwarven-made barrier stretches between the gap of the southern reaches of Mountain Wall, protecting Stone Mountain from invaders. The structure is so large that it houses all of the city’s troops and supplies, thus was given the name ‘City Wall’ by its new human tenants.
Waterfall Citadel - Human capital of Basinia. The ‘First City’ was built as a representation of everlasting peace between the elves of the Winewood and the human settlers of Basinia.
Miscellaneous
Athaneum - Grand library of Waterfall Citadel.
Carrosver - (Car • Ros • Veer) Artist that renders new summoning tunes for the Rhadoken.
Chaumbre - A place of gathering in the dwarven kingdom of Mozil.
Daelscharak - Hidden river valley in the Dales.
Hannaul - (Han • All) The dwarven throne of Mozil.
Ointa Dagdarhem - Sacred training temple of the Dakayga.
Palinhine - One of the most prominent trading cities of the Lowlands.
Rahoever - (Ra • O • Veer) Fliers in training.
Rhadoken - (Row • Dock • In) Accomplished fliers.
Rhomedeyagda - (Roam • Day • Yag • Da) Temple of Dagda.
Terrandal - (Ter • An • Doll) The ancient winewood tree that anchors the city of Waterfall Citadel to its perch on the falls of the Tanglevine.
Table of Contents
Title
Jacket_copy
Other_Books
Idea_Forge_Publishing
Map
Prologue
Chapter_01
Chapter_02
Chapter_03
Chapter_04
Chapter_05
Chapter_06
Chapter_07
Chapter_08
Chapter_09
Chapter_10
Chapter_11
Chapter_12
Chapter_13
Chapter_14
Epilogue
About_the_Authors
Coming_Soon
Glossary
Book of Sacha: Dark Fate (The Dark Fate Chronicles 3) Page 29