by A. Evermore
‘Sorry,’ Asaph rumbled and tried to make himself smaller by curling up.
‘The danger is the quaking earth, not Maphraxies,’ Issa stammered when the dragon fear waned.
The thought was not much consolation though. She helped Coronos to his feet. Another rumble in the earth sent more rocks tumbling deafeningly down the cliffs above. The raven darted back out of the crumbling cave and everybody scrambled towards Asaph, suddenly unafraid of the massive golden dragon. Coronos was quick with the harness and soon they were both scrambling into it.
‘What about Duskar? I’ll not leave him,’ Issa said, watching the horse pace nervously at the ocean’s edge. He had not gone far, not wanting to leave his mistress again but terrified of the dragon.
‘I don’t know, I’ve never carried a horse before,’ Asaph shouted over the din. ‘Maybe I can reach his mind,’ his massive teeth flashed in the darkness. He shook his head, ‘it is not like touching the mind of a dragon or human, or even a Wykiry. The horse’s thoughts are scattered and wild, full of energy.’
Splitting granite boomed around them and the earth quaked beneath their feet. The sea frothed and boiled and Duskar reared up screaming as great cracks snaked across the sand.
‘Asaph hurry, the island is collapsing,’ Issa screamed over the thunder but even as she spoke he spread his wings wide and leapt into the air. He made a tight circle and glided as low as he could to the ground. At the last moment he reached down massive claws and grasped the terrified horse gently. Duskar whinnied and bucked but Asaph held him firm and soared into the air. The raven flew beside the bucking horse as if to calm him.
They all watched as the ground beneath them suddenly cracked apart, revealing a blood red chasm like a vein. Hot lava spewed upwards and out as seawater surged in, hissing and spitting violently. The red lava poured from the earth like blood, igniting the darkness of dawn around them.
Issa turned as far as she could to look back at the crumbling steaming land she once considered her home. Her eyes fell upon the blackened remains of the temple, half of which had disappeared into the great chasm, the other half was all that remained of the once beautiful and shining Temple of Celene. Once a symbol of peace and unity between dwarves and elves and humans, now a desecrated ruin. Another lava spewing chasm snaked forwards towards the temple and was lost in the darkness. As she watched the whole island shuddered like a leviathan.
‘Why is it happening here?’ Asaph’s deep voice boomed around them over the din of the sinking island.
It was a good question for none of the other smaller islands were affected by Celene. The surrounding rocks stood in the sea dark and silent as the waves crashed over them.
‘I don’t know. Maybe Maioria herself is cleansing a desecrated holy land,’ Issa said, her voice hoarse over the rushing wind. ‘I am glad. It is better to destroy it than leave it to the Maphraxies.’
‘Perhaps this shall be our rallying call,’ Issa added. ‘The news of the destruction of the Goddess’s Sacred Isle will spread to every corner of Maioria, and who will not be enraged by that? Maybe the fall of Celene will unite the free people and renew their strength. Maybe they will then heed the call of Zanufey and stand as one against the immortals.’
Only when the last red lava light of Celene was lost from view did Issa turn to face north where they were headed. The light of the sun broke once more upon the horizon and once again Issa wondered where next she would find a place to call home. The only difference this time was that she was not alone and her friends were with her.
Continued in Storm Holt
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Afterword
Thank you for reading The Fall Of Celene, I hope you enjoyed the second book in the series. The adventures of Issa, Asaph and friends continue in Storm Holt.
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The Prophecies of Zanufey series:
Night Goddess
The Fall Of Celene
Storm Holt
Demon Spear
Dragons Awaken
War Of The Raven
STORM HOLT
The Prophecies of Zanufey
Book 3
A. Evermore
“How can I run? How can I turn away and leave them all to their fate? I will stay with them. I will die with them.” ~ Issa
The Storm Holt… The ultimate Wizard’s Reckoning where all who enter must face their greatest demons. No wizard knows of a woman who has entered and survived since the Ancients split the magic apart. Already demons and the strange white spear plague Issa’s mind but to find her answers she must take the Reckoning and unlock a greater power within her.
The Cursed King and his Banished Legion return once more to the mortal world to end their curse but all around them is bloody chaos and sorrow. In their wake the demons are restless and preparing for war after a vision brought to them by a raven portrays their utter annihilation.
Issa must enter the Storm Holt and fight for her life once more to prove her worth to the most powerful magic wielders upon Maioria.